Chapter 1: The Date
Sonic the Hedgehog could remember it like it was yesterday. He was about to head off for the last Gaia Temple at Eggman Land when he ran into Amy Rose, as cheery as always. It's been a few days since she told him she accepted him, even if he was in his Werehog form (though that didn't matter anymore since it's been nearly two weeks since the Dark Gaia catastrophe), much to Sonic's shock.
"You can do it, Sonic! I believe in you! And when you're done, the world will finally be at peace and we finally can go out~!"
Sonic could have turned her down right then and there. He could have said "I'll pass, thanks" and moved on, with not a care in the world (besides the whole "save the world from Dark Gaia" thing). But something in him wouldn't let him say it. Amy's words of compassion for him, her undying loyalty to him even if he was what many would consider a monster, got to him somehow. So, he brought up all the courage he could, and just let it out.
"Sure Amy, that could be fun, I guess."
"You...You mean it?! Yaaaay! It's a promise, then~! Now go on! Save the world already like the hero I know you are!"
That conversation was nearly two weeks ago. Sonic was still deciding on whether or not he should back out of it, but the more he thought about it, the more he told himself to go through with it.
'What's the worse that could happen? I mean, it's just a dumb ol' date anyway. Besides, if I wanted to get out of it, it'd probably be too late by now,' he thought to himself.
Sonic was resting by a tree in the now overgrown Mystic Ruins. Since the excavation had been done for nearly two years and Angel Island was high in the sky, people found no more use for it, so they abandoned it and put it back into the hands of Mother Nature. Not even Tails' old workshop could withstand the overgrowth. Sonic liked to come here when he needed to think about things, to get away from it all and kick back a little. It was perfect, really. Not even Tails or Knuckles came back to the Mystic Ruins after the Chaos incident.
'I mean, it's not like anything's gonna get serious...right? I know she's crazy for me, but she wouldn't consider this one date to mean anything, that'd be too crazy, even for her!' Sonic thought.
Sonic thought over it some more, then hopped to his feet, and started to head for the old abandoned Train Station that connected the Mystic Ruins to Station Square.
'Yeah...it's just nothin' but a harmless little date.' Sonic thought, smirking his usual cocky smirk. However, his expression turned to a more shy one quickly, unknowingly blushing slightly. 'But then...why do I feel like I got butterflies in my gut...?'
Sonic got on the rusty train tracks, and started boosting back towards civilization. Within no time he got back to Station Square, zipping past any Security that might have stopped him, wanting to question why he used a shut down railway. Quickly boosting out of Station Square, he made his heading for Central City, where Amy lived.
'I hope she hasn't decided on any place in particular, I think I have someplace in mind where we can go...~' Sonic thought to himself, smirking while running across the shoreline of the Emerald Coast, about to go full throttle towards Central City by cutting through the sea.
A few hundred rings to gather Boost Energy and a few minutes later, Sonic was at the front door to Amy's apartment. He had some roses with him that he got on the way, hid behind his back in a typical surprise fashion. He knocked on the door, and waited for an answer.
"Who is it?" asked a feminine voice from inside the apartment.
"Someone who would've gotten here a couple seconds earlier, but I stopped to make a few detours~" said Sonic cockily, rubbing his nose.
"Sonic? Just a sec, I'll be right there!" said the feminine voice excitedly.
Sonic started to wait, and after a couple of seconds, he started to tap his foot, looking at a non-existent watch, per the norm when he has to wait. Sonic was just about to lay down and rest his head on his hand when the door opened up, revealing a beautifully dressed Amy Rose.
Sonic got shot out of his idling almost instantly, "Amy..." he said, eyes wide, dropping the flowers.
"Well, how do I look~?" asked Amy, giggling.
"U-Um...well...ya look good, but...where were you planning on us going with that sorta dress?" asked Sonic, slightly blushing.
Amy looked at Sonic puzzled, then noticed that he was in his usual attire, that is, nothing but his gloves and sneakers on.
"Wha!? But how are we supposed to go on a romantic dinner together with you dressed like that!?" demanded Amy.
"Amy...I can't afford a fancy shmancy dinner for just me, let alone the two of us," said Sonic
"Well did YOU have anywhere in mind to go?" asked a now annoyed Amy.
"Well yeah, as a matter of fact I do~" said Sonic, getting his cocky smirk back.
Amy's expression turned from one of irritation to one of curiosity, "Oh? Where?"
"I was thinkin' a Festival. Spagonia is havin' one tonight and if you can slip on somethin' more comfy right quick, we can get there before the lines for the carnival rides get too long," said Sonic
"Okay, I'll be right back," Amy said, smiling
"Alrighty then," said Sonic looking almost bored because he has to wait even more.
"Why don't you come in and relax while I get into something more comfortable?" asked Amy
"Um...well sure, I guess. It won't hurt nuthin'," said Sonic, walking into Amy's apartment, trying to hide his nervousness.
Sonic made his way to Amy's couch and sat down, waiting for her to come back with less fancy clothes. He looked over and saw a picture of Amy and him on the coffee table. Amy was hugging him and Sonic looked his usual uneasy look whenever Amy did that. Sonic chuckled a bit.
'Geez, I look terrible in that photo. Heck, I don't even remember when that was taken, Amy's hugged me so many times...' he thought, smiling.
"Well, how's this?" Amy asked, coming out of her room. She's wearing the usual loose shirt and track pants she wears when she's in the World Grand Prix.
"Well, I doubt we'll be using extreme gear at the festival, but it'll do just fine~" Sonic said, winking.
"Alright, well, should we get going?" asked Amy
"Sure, c'mon," said Sonic, walking out of the apartment and heading down the stairs to go outside.
Amy and Sonic got outside, Sonic gestured Amy over to him and turned his back at her, ready to hold her up.
"C'mon, hold on to me and we'll get going," said Sonic, smiling.
"O-okay...~" said Amy, blushing as she hops on Sonic's back, holding on to him tight
"Alright...here we...GO!" exclaimed Sonic, as he started to boost towards Spagonia
The run there was exhilarating. Amy's never been carried by Sonic before when he learned the Sonic Boost, so this was her first time experiencing the rush of it. Within a few minutes, they arrived at Spagonia, which was bustling with activity. The Festival was just beginning, and they made it just in time. They got themselves two tickets to get in, and a few dozen ride tickets using some of the rings Sonic didn't use up boosting to get to the festival. They then proceeded to the heart of the festival.
"So, whad'ya wanna do first, Ames?" asked Sonic.
"Hmmm...let's get on a couple of rides first, then we can find something good to eat, and watch a couple performances by the locals!" said Amy.
"Sounds fine to me, I think I know just the ride to go on first~" said Sonic, smirking a almost evil-like smirk.
"Oh...what?" asked Amy, eyes wide and blinking.
"That right there~" said Sonic, pointing to a Rotor.
"Um...I dunno about that one Soni-" Amy said, but was cut off when Sonic grabbed her hand and they head over to the ride anyway.
"C'mon, it won't be all that bad~" said Sonic, not willing to take "no" for an answer.
Sonic gave two tickets to the guy who ran the rides and he and Amy got inside, waiting for other people to fill the rest of the spaces before the ride got started. Then, the ride started to spin faster and faster, as the very padded walls that they were leaning on started to rise, and the floor beneath them dropped. When the ride reached maximum speed, it was like the walls became the new floors, only with increased gravity. Sonic, always the cocky one, flipped himself upside down and got in a "paint me like one of your french girls" poses, while Amy was screaming her head off, both out of excitement and fear. After about a full minute of maximum velocity, the ride started to slow down, until the floor came back and the walls went back to their original positions. Sonic, still in that pose, fell to the floor and landed on his head, much to Amy's amusement.
"Ow...it wasn't that funny..." said Sonic, rubbing the top of his head.
"Oh, but it is~ That's what you get when you get too cocky Sonniku~" Amy said, giggling.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, let's just get to another ride already," said Sonic.
"Hmmm...what about that one?" Amy asked, her eyes lit up.
Sonic looked over to where Amy was pointing, and saw it was a huge Ferris Wheel.
"Uh...let's save that one for later," said Sonic, trying to walk away from the ride.
"Huh? But why? It's right here," said Amy, grabbing one of Sonic's quills and dragging him back to her.
"Um...because, I just wanna save that one for last, it's slow and it even stops sometimes, much too boring for me as a second ride," said Sonic, obviously hiding something, and blushing slightly.
"Well...ok...so...how about that one?" asked Amy, pointing to a small Roller Coaster.
"Hmmm...well, it ain't no Six Flags, but it'll do," said Sonic, grabbing Amy's hand and walking to the coaster.
'Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, he grabbed my hand willingly again~! If this is a dream, please don't wake me up' thought Amy, her face nearly as red as a Tomato.
Sonic and Amy proceeded to go on the Coaster, and a few more rides, then they decided it was time to hit the concession stands. The first place they stopped was a Hot Dog stand, where Sonic ordered two Chili Dogs, one for him and one for Amy. Amy turned down the offer, so Sonic scarfed down both dogs by himself. Amy instead got a Corn Dog with a bit of Mustard on it, and started to slowly eat it while walking with Sonic to see one of the shows the locals are putting on for the festival.
"So...what do ya...wanna see?" asked Sonic in between bites, eating his last Chili Dog
"I don't know. They all look like fun to watch," said Amy, looking around at all of the performances.
"Well, I guess we can watch more than one, the night's still young, after all," said Sonic, changing his smirk to a warm smile.
"Okay~ Sounds fine to me," said Amy, grabbing Sonic's arm with hers, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Y-yeah...let's get goin' to the nearest one," said Sonic, blushing.
They sat through four shows together, each lasting around 15 minutes. By the time they were done with the 4th show, a voice over an intercom told them that the fireworks show was going to start in 10 minutes.
"Sonic...let's go someplace high and watch the fireworks display together~!" said Amy, nearly jumping out of excitement.
"Sure, and I know just the place," said Sonic, taking Amy's hand once more and walking her towards the Ferris Wheel.
"Are you sure, Sonic? I mean, the line's gotten pretty long since I wanted us to go on here...we might miss the fireworks," said Amy, worried.
"Don't worry, remember, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, I got connections~" said Sonic, winking. "Wait here, will ya? I'll be right back, I gotta talk to the guy who runs the ride."
Sonic ran over to the guy who ran the Ferris Wheel, and talked to him. Meanwhile, Amy was waiting patiently for Sonic, her hands folded behind her back, swaying to and fro. Within about a minute, Sonic came back, his warm smile back to the cocky grin.
"Well, shall we?" asked Sonic, holding out his hand.
"You mean...you convinced him to let us in front?" asked Amy, eyes wide.
"Yep~ Even got him do do something a little extra which you'll notice once we get on the ride" said Sonic, winking again.
Sonic then grabbed Amy's hand, and the two of them cut to the front of the line, getting on their own seat together. They were the last ones on the ride, too, as the gate closed and the Ferris Wheel started to rotate at a smooth pace, rather than a sporadic one to let people off and other people on. The announcer said the fireworks were going to start in about two minutes when the Ferris Wheel got going, making Amy all excited again. About a little over a minute later, the two of them got to the top of the Ferris Wheel, when it came to a complete stop.
"Wh...what? Sonic...you had him stop it at the top, so we can watch the fireworks together?" asked Amy, eyes wider than ever, small tears welling in them.
"Ya-huh. It's the least they can do, after I literally put the world back together like a jigsaw puzzle," Sonic said, putting his arm around Amy.
"Oh Sonikku...this night has been absolutely perfect...you've done more than enough for me~" said Amy, resting her head against Sonic's shoulder again, letting her tears of joy fall.
"W-well...there's still one more thing I gotta do...and I won't let this night end unless I finally go through with this..." said Sonic, his inner emotional struggle nearing it's peak.
Amy looked up, puzzled, then saw Sonic, he was literally shaking, as if he was fighting himself from the inside out.
"Sonic...? What's wrong?" asked Amy, wiping her tears away, sitting up.
Sonic grabbed her shoulders, his blush now fully noticeable, leaning in on her face.
"S-Sonikku...?" Amy whispered, her blush matching his.
'C'mon Sonic...just do it...just...just this once...' Sonic thought to himself, leaning in ever closer, tilting his head to the side a bit, his lips nearing Amy's.
As the first of the fireworks started to go off, lighting up the sky in a brilliant mesh of colors, Sonic's lips met Amy's. Neither of them paying attention to anything but each other. Amy grabbed the sides of Sonic's face, tears welling up in her eyes again, closing them tight. One of Sonic's hands went from Amy's shoulder to the back of her head, his fingers going in between her quills. By the time their lips parted, and they stared into each others eyes, the fireworks show was finishing up, and the Ferris Wheel started to descend, letting people off.
"Sonnikku...I love you..." said Amy, nearly bawling her eyes out from happiness.
Sonic wrapped his arms around her, hugging her instead of the other way around for the first time in a very long time.
"Ditto, Ames..."
End Chapter 1.