Adventures Through Emerald Eyes
Chapter 4: An Unveiling of Truths
"Okay, we're here!" the blue hedgehog proclaimed, skidding to a halt at the end of the tree line.
Amy gazed over his right shoulder and gasped. They were standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a sparkling pool of water that was alive with the stars and moonlight. Like a mirror, it reflected the heavens, bordered at its sides by an almost static white mist that lingered as if timeless. To the right, a cascade of rain dropped from their level, thirty feet down or more, into the pond below. It glowed a ghostly blue from the moon and the mist, shining with an aura that was more beautiful than even the mystical chaos emeralds. Beyond, out in front, was the horizon, a valley of trees beneath the ledge of the watering hole that reached onward, leaves turquoise in color from the midnight illumination, meeting a cloudless view of space. It was so tranquil, so vivid, that it took her breath away.
"You can get off now," Sonic said.
"Huh? Oh!" Amy replied, releasing her grip and dropping off from his back, "So, this is 'Quartz Cove,' huh?"
"Yep, the one and only, I guess," the blue hedgehog uttered.
The pink hedgehog's eyelids fell as she sighed and cupped both hands together. "It sure is roma- I mean...It sure is mysterious!"
"Yeah, mysteriously-boring..." Sonic replied, "Come on!"
Amy followed him to the left and down a gradual slope on the side of the cliff that led to a sandy beach at the banks of the pond. It was a cool evening, with fresh dew collected on the grass that was occupied by sporadically-placed, singing crickets. Everything appeared to be going exactly according to plan, thus far. To date, this little trip combined with dinner was becoming the longest stretch of time that two strong-willed, little hedgehogs had ever spent together, at least just between themselves. Amy Rose soaked in the moments, but couldn't help but admit that she was actually intrigued by what they'd possibly discover as well. "So, are you saying that you've seen something out here?" she asked.
"Of course! Why else would I bother bringing you out!?" Sonic snapped.
A flame burst into Amy's eyes. "Hmph! I would've come anyway, Sonic!" the pink hedgehog growled. Amy folded her arms, lips curving down. "He really can be a brat sometimes!"
"Yeah," Sonic chuckled, "and probably have gotten lost!" They made their way around the bank and towards the waterfall, where a section of land wrapped behind it. Disappearing through the liquid wall of rain, the two hedgehogs came to the mouth of a small cave that went several feet back into the base of the cliff. It was a shallow impression into the dirt, really, and only a slight bit taller than they were, yet the cement-like interior was made in a way that appeared so straight and even that the cavern almost seemed intentional. Though it was tucked behind the waterfall, the moon was bright that night, and it was just enough so that the basic layout of the spot could be seen.
"Hey, there's something!" Amy said, pointing to a two-foot tall amber stone that jetted up from the dirt floor. It was positioned at the center-back of the cave and covered with what appeared to be a pattern of imprints. She quickly removed a pink flashlight from her leather bag and turned it on.
"Yeah, there's that dumb rock again," Sonic remarked, folding both arms. What was he really doing out here? Entertaining this girl with a ride and his presence was taking away from the real mission that he had to accomplish. "Perhaps I could leave her here now," his mind wandered. As he imagined both feet turning to go, his chest pulled his body in the opposite direction, towards her, the petite, delicate, little, spunky, rosette hedgehog. A small smirk spread across his face. "Why don't you go ahead and smash that with your big hammer?"
"There seems to be inscriptions on it," the pink hedgehog uttered, plopping down to her knees in front of the object, "Any idea what they say?"
"Nah. It's just some old-fashioned nonsense about the rings and a tribe or something that once lived here, but I've tried looking for clues as to anything else and the evidence is pretty solid. It's just an old rock," Sonic replied. He was beginning to feel like an underpaid tour guide.
"Hmm. I don't knooow," Amy mumbled, putting a finger to her lips. She took the flashlight in her left hand and brushed off the stone with her right. As the pink hedgehog removed several loose strands of sun-colored moss from the top portion of the stone, her eyes began to grow. Etched into the face of the rock was one, hollow circle with a depiction of the seven chaos emeralds in orbit around it, the last in the center. Below that, she spotted another emblem, this one consisting of a sphere in the middle of a diamond with two, flame-like teardrops coming out of the top and bottom, and two triangular protrusions in the head. The pink hedgehog's mouth fell. "There's just no way that this could be nothing!"
"Man, I can't believe I let you drag me out here just for this," Sonic said.
Amy's olive orbs erupted as she snarled and jumped up to face him. He could act arrogant for the rest of the night if he liked, but she wasn't going to stand for this another second. "Look, Sonic, I didn't ask you to come out here with me tonight! I didn't, okay!?" she spat. Patches of glistening moisture began to gather at the base of her emerald eyes, followed by a sharp heave that jolted her shoulders. "I just wanted to get out because you always leave me at home all alone! I'm sorry that I'm not as exciting as you want me to be, I am, okay!? But I don't want to be a burden to your ways anymore, so just go on without me if it makes you happy!"
A shattering sensation rattled the blue hedgehog's body and echoed within his ears. His arms dropped to his sides as the smirk quickly fell.
"I just want you to be happy, Sonic!" the pink hedgehog sobbed, turning from him as she covered her face, "That's all I ever want!"
"Amyyy," Sonic uttered, frowning now as he took a step forward.
Sniffling, the pink hedgehog suddenly threw her right hand out and summoned a hammer. "You stupid rock!" she growled. Amy lifted the weapon and leapt up, bringing her mystical club down onto the stone with such force that a wave of gravel and sand poured from the ceiling above.
Sonic fell onto his back and instantly recoiled in shock as he watched the pink hedgehog scream and disappear into a hole that the stone had vanished down into. "Amyyy!" he shouted, diving in after her. He plummeted through the opening head-first, squinting hard into the cavern to catch sight of the pink hedgehog. The rigidity of his face sank back as he neared the bottom of the pit, and the blue hedgehog's emerald orbs became wide with life. Glowing gold light filled his gaze, as Sonic hit the floor of the lower cave in a cloud of dust and found himself in a room filled to the brim with dozens of shining, yellow power rings.
"So, what was that about this being a complete and total waste of your time?" Amy asked, closing the lid of her leather bag. The golden light faded as she clipped the top shut.
Sonic stood behind her, just a few feet from the waterfall, arms folded, lips curving upward. "I've gotta' admit, Amy, you were right! There really was something here!" Despite having checked the spot himself once before, the blue hedgehog had come up completely empty-handed. Perhaps Amy had a point after all. Perhaps speeding through life was not always the greatest way to go. Perhaps there were things, in his life, that deserved a little more attention. At the very least, he had to come clean, he was impressed, and something else, too.
Smiling herself with closed eyes, the pink hedgehog replied, "An untouched deposit of power rings, thank you very much! And to think, these things would've been sitting here forever if we'd have decided not to come here tonight!" Just a short while ago, she had been in a pit, both literally and emotionally, the soul-crushing words of her beloved casting doubt upon the entire trip, as well as her self-worth. Now, however, she was on top of the world. With a bag full to ready to burst with power rings, she not only felt adventurous, she felt successful as well. It may have been by sheer luck, but the moment smelt like victory.
"Yeah," the blue hedgehog mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"These will come in handy the next time Dr. Egg-Head strikes!" the pink hedgehog smirked, patting the bag and turning to him.
The two beings stared at each other for several minutes, emerald eyes sparking and bodies illuminated by the paleness of the moonlight. Crickets continued to chirp all around, but other than that, the scene remained calm, no wind, no movement, no changes in the shadows cast by trees. It was as if each was a dream in the other's mind. Swallowing, the blue hedgehog finally spoke, "Listen, Amy, about what I...said earlier," Sonic began, orbs darting to the side.
"Yes?" Amy beamed, cupping both hands together. There was a glint in her eyes as if they had just reflected the path of a shooting star.
"I-I didn't mean it the way I said...I mean," he swallowed. A steady, even tone rolled out from his throat as the blue hedgehog's sight came to rest on hers, and an electricity met the two, as their gaze became connected by a mutual, emotionally-charged current. "...You'll never be a 'waste' of my time," he whispered.
An owl hooted in the distance, echoing the serene isolation of the woods.
The pink hedgehog's eyes doubled as she stared back at him and noticed the waves of light that were forming on the surface of his emerald orbs, made by waves of water as his gaze grew slightly wet. "Sonic," she whispered, smiling.
"Yes?" he replied, staring her down.
Amy closed her olive eyes and turned right, expanding her chest rhythmically, then releasing a steady sigh. "I think that the only way that you could ever truly hurt me is if you left my life for good, okay?"
He stared with a blank expression as she looked back to him. He'd never meant to hurt her. He never meant to hurt anyone, but really, it was a conviction that seemed as solid as stone and as clear as the sun. He never meant to hurt her. Wait, how did she know that was what he was worried about? It didn't matter, he decided. "I already told you," he swallowed, "that I would never do that again..." The blue hedgehog's lips crept up towards the sky. "And I was never going to leave you tonight, either," he thought.
"I know," Amy smiled, unleashing a second shallow breath, "and that's why you don't have to worry...because...I'll..." The expression dropped as she turned around fully from him. She had tried to be reserved, but the words were too strong to hold back, and so she let them trail off from her tongue in a feather-kissed passing of air. "...always...love you."
Sonic's eyes fell to the ground and his lips curled a tiny bit more. He was aware of a steady warmth increasing on his cheeks that he'd recalled before, but never in quite such a soothing way. "Amy," he thought. His head snapped up. "Hey, w-what are you gonna' do now?" he asked.
The pink hedgehog gazed up at the stars and exhaled, allowing for thoughts to go by. "Honestly, Sonic? I don't know. I'm tired of knowing what'll happen every day, every tomorrow. Sure, there are certain things in my life that," swallowing hard, she blinked back the tears, "that I wish would remain constant and forever...but..." Amy's voice dissipated for a moment as she pivoted halfway to face him again. "I need a little excitement in my life as well."
Their breathing was shallow, almost nonexistent, as the two shared another interlude between their difficult words.
"Perhaps that's the thing that I would really like to remain the most constant of all, the adventure!" Amy finished. Her cheeks flushed red as she smiled wider and turned to look at the ground. "I'm not ready for this day to end, not now, not ever."
"Ah-ugh! What is this!? What is it with her!?" the blue hedgehog thought, observing the sheen of space-light upon the rosette spikes of her hair, "Man, I can't tell if I'm getting sick right now or enjoying this! It feels like both!" The twisting muscles in his stomach were a bliss and a burden, as an adrenaline-rush coursed throughout his arms and legs, but mostly his legs. "Well, good!" Sonic replied, crossing both arms with a grin, "Because I don't really feel like taking you home yet!"
"Oh? What makes you think I need your help anyway?" the pink hedgehog shot back, smirking as she crossed her own arms.
Grinning sheepishly, the blue hedgehog rubbed the back of his head. "Well, what I mean is, it'll take you forever to travel back the way we came. You'd be out until morning! But with me, we could make the trip in less than ten minutes! So...maybe if you don't mind, I'll take you out on a little adventure with me to where I was planning to go first, and then, when we're done with that, I can get you home in time so that you can get yourself ready to go to Knuckles' party!"
Amy smiled and turned to face him fully now. "Hmm. What's wrong with the way I look now?" she asked, thrusting her right hip out and placing a fist upon it.
Two sweat drops suddenly formed upon the blue hedgehog's brow as he swallowed, eyes widening. "Uh...Oh! N-Nothing! I just..."
"It's okay," the pink hedgehog giggled, "I know we've been out running all day and it's not exactly formal attire to go to a party now, is it?"
Another sweat drop formed as the blue hedgehog strained to smile.
"Okay, Sonic," Amy said, smirking wide as her eyes flashed with life, "You're on!"
Does that right there count as Sonic's version of a date? Guess we'll find out! STAY TUNED, Folks! ...It'll only get better.
xx
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STAY TUNED for Chapter 5: A Night Not of Waste ...Premiering Sunday, September 15th at 9:00p.m. EST!
- Epic Awaken
"Awaken Your Epic Dreams"