Me: Hello everyone! I'm back again!
Shadow: I thought you would be done with this earlier.
Sonic: Yeah! What gives? You're quicker than this.
Me: Hey! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for my absence.
Sonic: Me? Why me?
Me: Your newest game is a big success, Sonic. I've been playing a lot.
Amy: Oh right! Sonic Colors is out now!
Tails: And I have a new voice.
Me: Actually, Tails, everyone has a new voice. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, even Shadow and Rouge got new voices.
Shadow: I like Rouge's new voice better now. She sounds less like a man now.
(Rouge slaps Shadow)
Rouge: You shut up!
Silver: Okay let's calm down.
Me: You got a new voice too, Silver. I must say you sound good.
Silver: Really? Thanks.
Amy: Can we get back on topic here?
Me: That's right. NOT IT!
Everyone: NOT IT!
Tails: Oh man. Didn't see that one coming so quick. Oh well. AK only owns the plot of this story. He doesn't own any of the characters.
Me: So please enjoy chapter two. And review. Oh yeah. And I don't own the song either.
Don't Stop Believin'
Chapter 2: Just a Small Town Girl
The question was still in the air. Where was Amy Rose? And that's something Cream and Cheese decided to seek out themselves. They headed out right after Sonic called and they began the search. They started with where she spends most of her time.
She started with the park. It was everything a park should be. Clean, green, and beautiful. The air in that park was so fresh it brought delight to little Cream's nostrils.
Usually Amy hung out there a lot because she normally spotted Sonic in that area. But Cream checked the whole park and then re-checked. Amy wasn't there. So it was on to destination number two.
The Station Square Mall. Amy was a textbook shopaholic. Anybody with common sense knew that. There was one store in particular that she favored the most. It was called, FS. It stood for Fashion Statement. It had all the top styles in there and Amy was a sucker for it. But not today. She wasn't there either. Cream even swept over the whole mall at least five times and still not even a pink Mobian came into her sight.
Then she tried the chili dog vendors outside in the street. Amy always hung out around there just in case Sonic came by for bite. There had to be at least twenty or so vendors throughout the city, and she wasn't at any of them.
Cream had been walking for hours. She was now carrying Cheese in her arms because the Chao was too tired to fly. Then Cream's feet started to hurt. Thinking of one last place she probably should have checked first, she flapped her ears and took off flying back to Emerald Hill.
She landed in right in front of Amy's front door. Being polite, she knocked.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Amy? Are you home?"
There came no answer. So she tried again.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Amy, its Cream! I'm really worried about you!"
Once again, no sound came from the other side of the door. Checking to see if the door was unlocked, the rabbit grabbed the knob and turned it. It turned all the way and then it opened up when she let go. Cream didn't know whether to just close it and go home or to look inside. Her mother taught her never to go inside someone house if they weren't home. But this was Amy's house and she was really worried about her. She opened the door all the way and then took a look inside.
Everything was nice and tidy just like Amy liked to keep it. Then she started to look around for the hedgehog. Not in the kitchen, not in the backyard. Then it was time for the upstairs. And right when she placed her foot on the top step, Cream heard the voice of her best friend.
"No! That's no good either!"
She sounded a bit mad. And Cream was usually scared of Amy when she got mad. But that was only when she got SUPER mad. And those were starting to become rare occasions now. Cream walked up the upstairs hallway and opened the second door on the right. Amy's bedroom. When she opened it up, there she was.
Amy was hunched over a desk scribbling something on a piece of paper with a pen like a madman. And next to her desk, her wastebasket was overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper. From the back view, Amy's hair was going everywhere.
"Let's see. Maybe he and I could go to Twinkle Park, then…NO NO NO! Dang it! He hates Twinkle Park!"
Amy crumpled up the paper and threw it on the ground.
"One stupid water ride! That one ride and he hates the whole damn place!"
"Amy?"
Amy looked behind her and saw Cream looking at her with very concerned brown eyes.
"Oh hey Cream. I was just trying to figure out what I want to do with Sonic. How are you doing? I'm doing great! Just great!"
Amy was talking so fast anyone would have thought she was the female John Moschitta. And she was still babbling.
Then Creamed sniffed the air. There was a very bad odor in the air. And when she got closer to Amy, it seemed to get worse.
"Amy? When was the last time you took a bath?"
"Don't have time! Gotta find out what to do with Sonic! I've tried this! I've tried that! I've tried everything! I've tried everything Cream!"
"You mean you haven't even taken a bath since last week?"
"Like I said! Don't have time!"
Amy started to scribble again but then Cream stepped in and took the pen out of her hand.
"Okay, Amy. I know how important this is to you. But you need to calm down."
"Can't calm down! Must make this date perfect."
Okay. Usually Cream wasn't the assertive type. But desperate times….
"Snap out of it!"
*SMACK!*
Cream smacked Amy on her forehead making the hedgehog freeze in her place. Cream immediately backed off.
"Oh I'm sorry, Amy!" she cried.
Amy gave a wave with her hand to signify it was all good.
"No. I needed that. Thanks." She assured her friend.
Cream smiled when she heard that.
"Okay. Now why don't go and take a bath, get cleaned up, and then come out into your living room, I'll be waiting there. You and I will talk. Okay?"
Amy smelled her armpits to see if that theory was correct. And unfortunately, it was.
"Oh wow! Yeah that's horrible. Alright I'll take a shower. Be out in five."
Amy got up and then she grabbed a radio that was on her desk and carried it into the bathroom with her.
Cream went down to the living room and sat down on the couch waiting for her friend. As she was waiting, she heard song that she had never heard before.
A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfuuuuuuuume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on
Cream had never heard that song before. Then she heard Amy's voice sing along with it. She wasn't bad at all.
Four minutes later, the song ended. And then Amy came down in a pink robe and wet hair and barefoot. She sat next to Cream and the rabbit spoke first.
"What was that song playing while you were in the shower?" she asked.
Amy gasped and stared right at her friend with an extraordinary amount of shock.
"You've never heard Don't Stop Believin' before?"
Cream shook her head. So did Cheese.
"Oh my gosh! It is only one of the most popular songs ever! And it's kind of therapeutic for me." Amy answered.
That made Cream a bit confused.
"How is a song therapeutic for you?" she asked.
"Well…I've been disappointed many times. Most of them due to Sonic. And every time that happens I've always come back here and listened to that song. It's given me the hope to go on and keep trying. So I won't stop believing in myself. It's my favorite song of all time."
Cream understood that. "I'll go home and listen to it on Mother's computer."
But then she got back to the reason she was there.
"Is that what you've been doing for a week, Amy? Trying to figure out the perfect date for you and Mr. Sonic?"
Amy frowned and nodded.
"Yes. I've had so many plans set if the day ever came. But now that it's actually going to happen, none of them seem right anymore."
"Why is that?"
"Because I looked at them all more closely and realized that none of them are right. This might be the only date I go on with Sonic. I want it to be perfect."
Cream had to understand what Amy felt. This was her biggest dream coming true and now that it was actually happening, opinions change. She wants it to be just right.
"Amy, don't you think Mr. Sonic will have fun no matter where you take him or where he takes you?"
"I don't want to scare him off, Cream. If I screw up on this date, then that's it. This chance will never come around again for as long as I live."
"You don't know that." Cream said to her.
"Please. Cream, right now you have a better chance of getting with Tails than I do of getting with Sonic."
Cream flustered when she heard that.
"What?" she murmured.
"Oh forget that for now. The point is I have no idea what to do. And I'm going insane. I basically gave up bathing for a week because of this whole thing."
Amy looked down at her robe when she said that. She was usually very upkeep about her cleanliness. To find out that she hadn't for a week disgusted her.
"Well, try not to forget again. I'm sure you'll want to smell nice for Mr. Sonic." Cream assured Amy.
"Well of course I do. But where the heck should I have him take me?" Amy grabbed her quills and pulled a bit out of stress.
"Do want my opinion?" Cream asked.
"You're my best friend, Cream. I'll take your opinion any day of the week over anything." Amy answered.
Cream always liked to hear that said to her.
"If you want Mr. Sonic to take you out on a second date, then I suggest not making this first one so big. Start small, and THEN make them bigger."
Wow. The words from the bunny's mouth stuck. And they were very good words.
"How do you know so much about dating when you've never even been on one?" Amy asked.
"My mother and I sometimes talk about stuff like that." Cream replied.
Amy nodded. "Thanks for your help, Cream. I know just what to do now." She got up and then grabbed Cream's hand. "Come with me. You have to hear this song."
Cream nodded and then she and Cheese were in Amy's room in thirty seconds. Amy sat down at her desk and pressed the PLAY button on her radio. And then the familiar sound of a piano playing came through the speakers as Amy calmly started to write again.
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Cream bobbed her head slightly to the beat. Catchy lyrics.
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
The song went on and Cream found herself falling I love with it just like everyone else who heard the song for the first time.
As it did, Amy kept writing down her plan for the date. A few minutes later, Amy put the pen down and handed the paper to Cream. The rabbit nodded and smiled at her plan.
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feeeeeeeeliiin'
Streetlight
People
The last two verses repeated and faded away as Amy and Cream got up and walked out of the room together. Amy had a call to make.
Amy: I knew it! You named this story after that song!
Me: What's wrong with that?
Sonic: I don't see anything wrong.
Me: Exactly. Now if you'll excuse me. Sonic Colors is calling me. That game is so awesome.
Vector: How come only Sonic and Tails are in the Wii version?
Rouge: Yeah. Why do THEY get the spotlight all the time?
Sonic: You're kidding me right? This is MY franchise! I always get the spotlight.
Tails: And I was around way before anyone else was aside from Sonic!
Sonic: They even gave out hats that looked like my quills for people who pre-ordered that game with Gamestop.
Me: I know. I have that hat. Blue, six quills, it'll be perfect for skiing. But I gotta go and work. I'll have chapter three up as soon as I can. Until then, peace bitches.
And enjoy Sonic Colors!