Amy was never fast.
Oh, she was good at athletics. Despite being feather-light - so that any ordinary spring could send her into skies higher than Knuckles or even Tails or even Sonic - she was far from frail. She was trained and flexible (anyone who'd witnessed her acrobatics after jumping off said spring would confirm it was indeed so). Maybe her muscles weren't as tough as Knuckles' were, but they were very and very firm. Hammer-lifting and boxercising on a daily basis is prone to build a good figure with little to no baby fat and a quite a lot of power packed into every punch and hammerfall.
But Amy was never fast.
She always prided herself in playing with the big boys. She was there before Cream before Rouge before Blaze before anyone - she was the first girl to play with the big boys and be able to keep up.
But Amy was never fast enough.
Oh, she could run alongside Tails or Knuckles, and maybe even faster than Knuckles, and maybe even faster than Tails (provided the fox didn't use his tails to propel himself forward). But she could never run alongside Sonic, not for long - she'd be able to touch his shoulder or grab his hand and hold onto it for a while, but he wasn't a blue blur for nothing. Whoosh - and here he goes supersonic, way faster than she can even blink.
Sonic was like that. Not that he did it on purpose - he'd never leave his friend behind and no doubt about it - but staying still made him restless. He could slow down, but not for long - and then all the stored energy would unleash and he'll break the sound barrier yet again.
Well, as long as there's no repair charges.
But even if Amy had to let go of Sonic, she never let go of hope. She knew, in a secret hidden murky corner of her mind, that she was probably annoying, but she wouldn't let go of hope. One day, she'll get so much better. One day, she'll get so much tougher. One day, she'll stand in the front line right next to Sonic, because she'd be able to keep up with him no matter where he went, and she won't be the least bit of a burden.
Amy Rose was there first, before any girl. She was the first to play and compete with the big boys, she was the first to keep up.
She was also the first to get her very own vehicle and be able to drive it. And that, in turn, was another source of quiet pride.
She wasn't too keen on the racing tour, at first. There was an invitation for the big crossover get-together or something - and she wouldn't go if Sonic didn't say "Aw, c'mon guys, it's gonna be fun!". And Amy went where Sonic went.
Sonic loved having fun, and Sonic loved good competition.
And it was a racing competition. As in, drive-your-vehicle-of-choice racing competition. Sonic would effortlessly outrun anyone on foot or even on an Extreme Gear - save for Jet or maybe Shadow if skates were involved. But it was driving involved this time.
Oh, Shadow could ride a motorbike alright. Tails was able to pilot a plane, now and even back in the day, and likewise, Eggman could pilot his Eggmobile and assorted Evil Genius Death Stars or the like.
But driving the actual car?..
Amy clenched her teeth and gripped the wheel tighter, then gave it a vicious twist to the right and back. Her glamour-pink car seemed to jump sideways, missing a wall by a few inches and a passing rocket by a good foot.
She followed the rocket with a blank, absent-mind stare and concentrated on the road.
Tires screeched as the car curved around the turn. Whale Lagoon blending into Icicle Valley into Roulette Road into Sunshine Tour, sea-salty smell on top of the sharp cold air on top of neon lights on top of plain bizzare figures, and above all but coming from somewhere far away, the crowd cheering and some guy commenting on their progress.
Amy didn't listen much.
She didn't looked at much, either. Shapes and colours whirred past, blurred and mixed, going out of sight a bit too fast to take any of her surroundings in. There was only the road and its turns and bends, and the steering wheel held so firmly it might as well be an extension of her arms, and pedals that could as well be continuations of her feet, and the motor that seemed to roar somewhere inside of her...
Amy felt the power build up as the drifting car slowed down, the curve eventually stretching out into the straight line. Amy felt how the motor heated up to blue to orange to red-hot and seething, the pressure wound up so tightly she could feel her heart break any second and felt like breaking down crying.
Then she let go, the tension crumbling off so easily she wanted to laugh with relief.
Her car made a mad dash, and then the world was a rainbow of colours woven with noise woven with adrenaline, and she'd go blind and deaf if it wasn't for the wind that seemed to grasp and carry her feather-light body in it's tight embrace, all the way forward. She never looked back - she didn't need to, because there was nothing for her to see behind. She looked straight up, always did and always would, because it was only Sonic that was in front of her, just beyond her reach because she was never fast enough to keep up with him.
She didn't see any of him now, but she knew he had to be there somewhere, going fast at the speed of sound and accelerating. Amy didn't care - she already left everyone else behind, so catching up with Sonic was only a matter of time and persistence. And Amy was very persistent. She'd be the only one to catch up with him and no one else.
It was only later, much, much later, as she was standing on the topmost platform under the colorful confetti shower, and waving at the crowd all giddy and silly, that Amy realised she had indeed left every single competitor behind.
She wondered, albeit a little sluggish and numb from all the excitement and weariness, if that was how Sonic felt after tearing yet another sound wall down.
And Sonic himself looked straight at her from down below, with an open and honest and oh so bright grin plastered on his face, clapping and giving her a thumbs up.
Good job, Ames, his eyes seemed to say. You showed them - heh, I guess that includes me, no? But next time I'll be sure to beat you!
Amy giggled and blew him a kiss.
Not in a million years, Sonic, she smiled confidently. I'm a way better driver than you - so you'll never be fast enough to catch up with me.
Author's note:
I love Sonic franchise dearly. I've been something of a fan for six years now. Although I've missed out any of the Megadrive craze and came around only at the time of Sonic X, having finished only Adventure DX and Sonic Heroes, I still like the universe, despite, or more likely in spite of, everything.
Ever since I saw her in Sonic X, I've firmly decided that Amy would me my favourite character. And she still is.
This particular ficlet deals with two points: the fact that Amy was indeed the first token girl to be playable (excluding Honey who was available only via hacking, and Tiara who never saw the day) and thus being the first girl to keep up with the big boys (fighting in Sonic Fighters or racing in both Drifts and Sonic R, for once), as well as being playable in All-Stars Racing - and I firmly believe she has a bit more of a driving practice under her belt than any other character.
But that's the fun thing about ASR, that you can win with virtually any character provided you know what you're doing. I sometimes enjoy playing as Big - his little moped is just too endearing - and it's really funny to see him coming first, while Sonic or Shadow come in 5th-7th something.
I'm currently on the Amateur cups in ASR, got three of them won so far. And it really is very fun to beat all of the big boys.