Have no fear! Chapter 3 is here!
I find it amusing that Rouge represents all the Sticks shippers. She will find out who Sticks is crushing on, no matter what it takes!
And Sticks just thinks that Rouge's weird. Poor Sticks - in reality, she likes all the boys but she doesn't know which one she likes.
Eh, you guys'll find out...eventually ;)
"Well that was a disaster." Amy closed her laptop shut.
"At least we know who Sticks likes!" Rouge piped up, smirking in the badger's direction. "It's definitely Shadow!"
Sticks rolled her eyes. Sonic and Silver had just been playing around, which she was used to, but the redness in her cheeks was more from embarrassment than anything else. She hated being under pressure.
She supposed she could see what the girls saw in Shadow. Amy told her once that girls have weak spots for that mysterious vibe from boys. And he wasn't bad lookin' either. He was Sonic's twin, other than the fur and the quills...and the scary red eyes...She gulped.
"Rouge..." Amy pinched her temple.
"Oh come on! Don't tell me I was the only one who saw the connection."
"The only connection was the internet." Blaze gave Sticks' shoulder a squeeze. "If the girl says she doesn't like anybody, then she probably doesn't like anybody."
Sticks gave the girl a thankful look.
"I don't believe that." Rouge folded her arms across her chest. "I think she's lying."
"Ugh, no wonder Knuckles wants to strangle you half the time." Amy got up and padded into the kitchen. Sticks got up to follow her when the doorbell rang.
"Sticks, could you get the door?" Amy asked.
"...Why can't you get it?" said Sticks.
Amy, with her hands in the refrigerator, sighed and closed it. She walked up to the door, looking through the peephole first before squealing a little, and opened it.
For a wild second, Sticks thought that Sonic and the others were at the door, but no. Instead, another girl stood at the door, looking bashful and apologetic. She reminded the badger of Knuckles; she's never seen another echidna before. This one was a peachy color, clad in pajamas with tribal patterns on the shorts, and had deep blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Amy!" the new arrival said. "I had to help the Chaotix settle an argument. As you can see, it took a little while..."
"That's okay, Tikal. I'm glad you made it. Come on in!" Amy grasped the other girl's hand and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them. "Guys, look who's here!"
"Hello, everyone!" the girl called Tikal waved; Rouge and Blaze waved back at her, and Cream went in for the hug. Sticks met Tikal's gaze, and the echidna walked over to her with a little smile on her face. "Hello, my name is Tikal. You must be Sticks, correct? Amy's told me so much about you!"
"O-Oh! Uhh yeah. That's me." Sticks shook Tikal's outstretched hand. Amy had a good judgement of people; she wondered how she was able to make such good friends. These people seemed pretty legit.
"Have I missed anything?" Tikal asked the girls, setting her bag down on the couch.
"Oh yeah! We played truth or dare, then Sonic and the boys called...We still have some pizza left over if you're hungry," said Amy.
"Aw, I wished I would have been here sooner!" Tikal smiled sadly.
"Don't worry, Tikal. You're here now. That's all that matters, right?" Amy reassured her friend.
Tikal hummed, the brief sadness quick to leave her features. "Right."
.
"Hold up - you're tellin' me you came from a chaos emerald?"
Sticks, intrigued, listened to Tikal's every word. She watched her eat pizza, laying down on her stomach with her hands on her cheeks. Tikal smiled down at her, taking a sip of fruit punch before she continued with her story.
"The Master Emerald," she corrected the badger patiently. "It's located on Angel Island, where Knuckles lives. If it's broken, my soul is set free - but Chaos is freed as well, and it's my responsibility to keep him contained."
"But...aren't you supposed to be...yanno...?"
"I could be." Tikal nodded. "But after being with everyone and learning about the outside world, I chose to stay with my friends." She looked up as Amy, Cream, Blaze, and Rouge grinned in her direction; she returned it before returning her gaze to the fascinated badger. "Now, I guard the Master Emerald with Knuckles. And when we're not guarding it, the Chaotix is."
"Ooohhh," Sticks said.
"Do you have any more questions for me?"
"Yeah, uh..." Sticks' eyes cut to Rouge before she sat up and lowered her voice. "Is Rouge always like this? Yanno...about...boys?"
Tikal's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Yes."
Sticks frowned. "Great..."
Tikal placed her hand over hers. "Don't worry. She's like that with everybody."
"Did she torture you too?"
Tikal giggled. "In a sense."
The badger blushed faintly, freeing her hand to scratch the back of her neck. "Do you...like...anyone?"
The chief's daughter looked off vacantly, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "Yes...I think I might."
Sticks wanted to know. Maybe Tikal can help her understand the whole crush thing.
But Tikal didn't tell her. Instead, she gave the younger girl a soft smile before she brought the cheesy slice of pizza up to her lips.
.
"Amy?"
"Yeah?"
Sticks fumbled with the silky material of her shorts, not meeting the pink hedgehog's curious gaze. This opportunity may not happen ever again; Blaze and Cream were keeping Rouge distracted downstairs. Sticks sat with her best friend on her bed, staring into her lap; cheeks hot. "How did you know you liked Sonic?"
"Uh?" Amy was surprised. Where did this come from? "Why do you ask?"
"J-Just curious." So I won't freak out when I start feeling weird.
"Well..." Amy brushed a loose quill behind her ear. "Sonic and I, we...I met him when I was really young. I heard about him and I was such a fan. I've always wanted to meet him, yanno?" Sticks noticed that she gained that same vacant look that Tikal had earlier. "He...He saved my life. And since then, I've been wanting to stay by his side. I was already crushing on him but...my feelings for him only grew stronger.
"Sticks, believe me. When you have feelings for someone...you'll know." Green eyes made contact with blue.
"How?" Sticks asked.
Amy smiled softly. "You'll know because...you see him, and your heart feels like it's gonna burst out of your chest! Even thinking about him gives you butterflies. You always want to be near him when he's in the same room. You get a rush just by being with him. Fighting alongside him is one of the best feelings in the world, 'cause you can protect him just as he can protect you too. When he's hurt, you're more protective than ever. When he's sad, you want nothing more than to hug him and kiss him and just..." Amy sighed. "And his voice...his smile...his laughter...brightens up your day, even when you're at your worst."
Sticks' wide eyes met Amy's vibrant ones once more.
"And when he puts his arms around you?" Amy sighed again. "You're home."
Amy will never cease to amaze Sticks. She could do nothing but gap at the girl who she could call a sister. Could Sticks really be passionate about someone as Amy was about Sonic?
Maybe I should start hugging people, Sticks thought.
The two sat in mutual silence until there was a sudden thunderous crash coming from downstairs, followed by Cream's shrill scream.
"CREAM!" Amy cried, flying off her bed with Sticks in hot pursuit. The duo flew downstairs, skidding into the den with hammer and boomerang drawn.
"Well, well, well!" Eggman cackled from his eggpod. He was encased in a large robot and he had Cream in a steel grip. From the looks of it, he had burst through from the ceiling. "If it isn't Amy Rose and her little friends! Sorry for interrupting."
"Please let our friend go!" Tikal pleaded, always the pacifist, hands clasped in front of her.
"Or else," Blaze threatened, lighting her hand up.
Amy and Sticks ran forward, Rouge taking up Amy's other flank.
"What do you want with Cream, Doctor?" Rouge asked skeptically. "You're not being a bad boy again, are you?"
"Always a pleasure, Rouge. But I have business to attend to!" Eggman grinned evilly, and Cream squirmed in the robot's grip. "Ta ta, ladies!"
And with that, he flew out from where he came, Cream's screams ringing through the night.
"Oh no you don't!" Amy shouted, bolting for the door. The girls didn't hesitate to follow her.
.
Eggman growled, pressing a button on his dashboard. Several clawed tentacles popped out of the robot, snapping at their running feet as the girls chased him down the street. Sticks threw her boomerang, but the tentacle she aimed for didn't break.
"Help me! Help me, please!" Cream cried.
"Hold on, Cream!" Amy pushed herself to run faster; she was the fastest out of the six of them, yet she couldn't keep up with the fast robot. She was running out of breath.
Tikal was the next one to fall under the robot's prey. A tentacle nipped her ankle, making her cry out in pain and trip, falling to the concrete; before her head could make contact with the cold earth, she was grabbed and snatched up too.
"Tikal, no!"
Blaze threw fireballs at the tentacles, dodging each attack, but the rebellious metal wouldn't melt or budge.
"Gimme your hands!" Rouge yelled, reaching down for Amy.
"Great thinking, Rouge!" Amy jumped and grasped Rouge's wrists. The ivory bat took the pink hedgehog and whirled around, throwing her hard towards Eggman. The speeding pink ball of energy collided in the robot's side, causing a successful dent that left her dizzy. Eggman cursed, and caught her before she fell to the ground.
"You little rat! I've got you now!"
"Great...thinking...Rouge," Amy grumbled through gritted teeth, and the bat avoided the other girl's daggers.
Eggman glared at the remaining three. Too easy. "You're next, jungle freak."
Stick's breath caught in her throat. Before she, Rouge, or Blaze could do anything, however...
"HANG ON, AMY!" a familiar voice boomed.
And that's when Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver skidded around the corner, racing for them at top speed with determined looks on their faces.
"Oh no!" Eggman panicked.
Sonic laughed, he and Shadow leaving the others, blue and yellow streaks in their wake. Eggman jammed his fingers into the button that increased the robot's speed, but he realized too late that he couldn't outrun the fastest hedgehogs alive. Together, the two hedgehog rivals caught up instantly, making a large jump; their spin-dashes made contact with the tentacles holding Amy and Tikal swiftly and, just like that, the girls were freed. Eggman's robot plummeted to the ground, knocked off-balance. By then, the others caught up, Knuckles and Silver standing defensively next to Rouge and Blaze.
Sonic landed first, opening his arms just as Amy fell into them. His confident look softened as his gaze locked onto hers, returning her gentle smile with a lopsided grin, setting her down gently. Shadow had grabbed Tikal and put distance between her and Eggman, giving her a careful once-over before he ran back into battle; she watched him with worried eyes and hoped that her friends would come out victorious.
"Sticks! Help me out over here!"
Sticks perked up. Finally! She's given something to do! She ran up to Tails, who was thinking of a way to free Cream without hurting her too much.
"Let's spin dash into the sides here." He pointed, and she nodded. The trapped rabbit trusted her friends, but she instinctively closed her eyes just as yellow and orange balls bounced off of the metal. Luckily, she felt something give and the grip on her lessened. Cream scooted out of the claw, and both Tails and Sticks bent to pull her out by under her arms.
"Are you okay, Cream?" Tails asked.
"I am. Thank you for saving me!" Cream smiled at him sweetly.
Sticks' sensitive ears picked up something faint, but before Tails could ask, she gasped and pushed Tails and Cream to the ground.
"Sticks! Why did you-?"
Eggman regained power, a metallic arm shooting out to grab Sticks and hold her up as if she was a prize that he had won. "Hehehehehehe!" Eggman laughed. "I got you now!"
"Sticks, no!" Amy started for Eggman, only to be held back by Sonic.
"Why did you do that?" Tails cried; Cream looked close to tears.
"Because I didn't want you to get hurt!" Sticks grunted as she tried to break free, but no avail. "Hurry! Get Cream out of here!"
"No! I'm not leaving you behind!" Tails ran up to the robot, and both Sonic and Knuckles had to rush forward to hold him back. "Let her go, Eggman! Or I swear, I'll - I'll -!"
"You'll what?" Eggman taunted.
"Hey!" Sonic stepped in front of Tails; the echidna used his massive arms to hold the struggling kitsune back. "Lotta tough talk for a guy who can't even look at a staircase without getting tired!"
"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"
"I suggest you listen to the fox and let her go." Shadow was the next to step forward, eyes narrowed dangerously despite his calm exterior. "Before it gets ugly."
"And why would I do that, Shadow? You think I'll just bend to your every will?" Eggman scoffed.
His face, however, changed dramatically into a mask of utter fear as Shadow began taking his inhibitor rings off of his wrists at a leisure pace.
"OKay, okay, I'm releasing the feral child!" Eggman exclaimed.
Sticks grinned, gripping the claws just as they unclenched and let herself fall through. Eggman dispatched from his robot and flew away into the night, but not after an angry, "I'll be back, Sonic!" and a wave of his fist.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sticks ran up to Shadow and glomped him briefly, which caught the dark hedgehog offguard. Leaving him baffled, she then turned around just as Tails slammed into her.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Tails sighed in relief. He would have felt so guilty if he couldn't save her; it was his idea to bring her over to the robot in the first place. He indirectly put her in danger without realizing it.
He pulled away before she could react to the embrace, holding her at shoulder-length. The badger rubbed her eyes, sheepishly staring at his feet. "Yeah, well...I coulda taken 'em!"
He was grinning when she looked back up, and her own soon spread across her face.
"Ahem."
The two jumped slightly, turning around as Sonic walked up to them with Amy and Knuckles in tow. Knuckles wrapped his arms around the four of them and crushed his friends to his chest. Cream was the next to hug Sticks when she was free, throwing her arms around the taller girl's neck. Nearby, Silver's hug was so tight he lifted Blaze off of the ground in enthusiasm, glad she wasn't hurt.
Shadow felt someone touch his shoulder and he turned around to meet Tikal's gaze, acknowledging her with a raised brow.
"You weren't really going to hurt him, were you?" Tikal asked him, frown gracing her features.
His answer was blunt and straight to the point. "He would have hurt you otherwise."
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Not everyone is willing to negotiate with you, Tikal." He turned back and began walking again. "It's about time you learned that."
Rouge watched everyone interact, envying the way Silver was holding Blaze. Even Sonic and Amy were hugging now! ( slightly swaying on the spot now that she was looking closely. ) Why couldn't Knuckie give her attention too?
She hummed. She didn't miss that hug Sticks gave Shadow; or the surprising one Tails gave Sticks out of the blue.
Hm...interesting.
And there you have it! Give that review button some love if you liked it! ^^