I Promise

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Still deeply depressed, Amy had trouble going to sleep. Lying inside the tent with an unconscious Tails beside her, she couldn't help going through the events of today over and over. The images of her callous theft of Joey's key and the blow received at the hands of the perfidious Anya kept running through her mind. After a few hours of trying to get some rest, she finally dozed off into an uneasy sleep.

It didn't last long. When she opened her eyes, it was still the middle of the night, but something was wrong. Despite the darkness she could notice that Tails was sitting up and on alert. He was vigilantly listening to every possible sound. When he saw Amy was awake as well, he pressed his finger on his mouth to instruct her to keep silent.

"What's wrong?" she whispered very softly.

"I think there might be someone outside," he whispered back. "I just heard these weird sounds." After a pause, he murmured: "I'm going outside to check it out. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Amy nodded and Tails promptly but quietly left the tent.

For a minute Amy heard no sound at all, which certainly underlined Tails' remarkable stealth, but also suggested it might have been a false alarm.

However, Amy very soon distinguished the ruffling of the grass and fallen leaves. People were definitely moving this way or at least walking around the camp.

Then she heard voices. Their tones were not particularly intense, but more than one person was speaking. Many of the voices were unknown except when she heard Tails answer. It sounded like he was annoyed for some reason.

Finally Tails came back, a resigned expression spread across his face.

"What is it? Who's there?" asked Amy quickly.

Tails sighed. "Amy, we need to pack up… now…"

"What? … Why?"

"These people outside, they won't leave unless we come with them. We have no choice." Though seemingly accepting his fate, Tails actually looked tremendously irritated at these news.

"But… who are they?"

"A bunch of guys from the Floating Island. I think they said they were, like, the Alpha Unit or something."

Amy suddenly winced as she heard that name. They were the same ones that had attacked her camp the previous night.

"Just start packing up our stuff here. I'll gather the stuff that's outside," Tails said as he left the tent.

Amy knew she had to get away as soon as she could. If the Alpha Unit took her back to their camp, she was done for. Thinking quickly, she glanced around the tent, looking for anything that might help her escape. She soon spotted, next to Tails' belongings, a shiny Swiss army knife.

There was her chance. These goons were probably keeping an eye on Tails and on the front of their tent. Not forgetting her precious knapsack, Amy grabbed the knife and quickly but discreetly pierced a piece of the tarp at the back of the tent. She carefully slipped outside and, taking advantage of the darkness, softly crawled away from the tent.

Wishing with all her heart she hadn't been spotted unlike last night, Amy nevertheless succeeded in her escape. With a safe distance between her and the group of Islanders, she got on her feet and headed for the field, minding the risk of getting lost in the woods.

As she reached the field, Amy stopped for a moment, resting against a tree at the edge of the forest. She had to pause and think for a while.

Unfortunately, the situation seemed rather hopeless. Her team now seemed fully decimated: her camp had been destroyed the previous night, Tails' camp had just been attacked, Tails was captured by the Alpha Unit, and Sonic had disappeared. She was alone and friendless in a hostile environment, hundreds of miles away from civilization. How could she have gotten herself in such a desperate situation?

Then it hit her – the map. Once again, she had forgotten she had carelessly lost Sonic's map at her camp and Anya had found it when it was attacked. Anya must have given it to the Captain after her meeting with Amy yesterday. Amy realized she should have warned Tails they were in danger and needed to move out immediately, but she had been so depressed she had not thought things through. Amy wailed in frustration, cursing herself for her disastrous mistake.

Amy knew she had one last friend she could turn to… Joey. But Amy knew she had irreversibly betrayed him, and her brain was telling her running to Joey could be a dreadful mistake. Joey and his friends had trusted her for no reason, and she had paid them back by stealing the key to their most precious treasure… Any levelheaded person would have avoided an encounter with the Ambrosians after such an act. And for all she knew, El himself might already be informed of the theft and could be watching her possible appearance in Borealis.

Yet Amy felt something very strange about Joey… She could hardly explain why, but in her heart she still trusted him, she trusted their friendship to overcome her betrayal. Their exchange at his cabin had revealed the many similarities between the two creatures, and they had both recognized that likeness. Besides, Joey was the only friend left who could possibly help her now.

She made her decision. Setting off at a good pace along the edge of the trees, for the second night in a row Amy headed for Joey's cabin.

It was a long walk, because Amy chose a different route, avoiding both the eastern half of the plain to stay away from the Islanders as much as possible, while bypassing Borealis in order to prevent any unpleasant encounters with Ambrosians other than Joey. She was traveling at a good pace though, for she didn't feel safe out in the open, even at night.

After a long while, she figured she was getting close to her destination, and entered the forest in order to find Joey's house. Yet at night, it was quite difficult to recognize the area from what she had seen the previous day. After a short frantic search, Amy sighed in frustration as she realized she wouldn't find it easily.

"Joey… where are you?" she muttered to herself.

At this moment she heard the sound of someone approaching yet already very close to her. She turned to it, expecting to see Joey, and she was right, although she was surprised to see him that close to her so suddenly. He must have been looking for whoever was there after having heard the sounds of someone prowling around his place.

As soon as they saw each other, something unexpected happened between the two of them. They were very close to one another when they abruptly realized each other's presence. Amy was instantly delighted at having found her friend, and at this sudden moment the two hedgehogs fell into each other's arms, almost naturally.

"Joey!" Amy exclaimed as they hugged each other. "Thank goodness I've found you!"

"Hi," he said, still holding his friend.

"Joey, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," she said emotionally. "Please… please forgive me. I shouldn't have done it. It was so wrong. Please forgive me."

"Okay," he said calmly.

Amy was relieved at his lack of bitterness, but was also surprised. "But Joey… I stole from you! I shouldn't have! I'm really, really sorry…"

"It's okay," he repeated, "don't worry about it. I'm glad to see you again."

Amy was soon filled with an intense feeling of liberation. She was so grateful for Joey's forgiveness and friendship. Still holding him will all her affection, Amy relished the removal of the burden of her apprehension. She had sought Joey tonight out of an irrational instinct, betting on their natural friendship, and she had been right. Still remorseful about her betrayal, she added, "are you sure it's okay?"

Joey then lessened his embrace. "Really, it's all right. It's not that important, anyway."

"But won't you get in trouble?" she asked with worry.

Joey solemnly looked down. "I'll be okay."

Amy watched him guiltily. "Listen, I don't know how I can make it up to you… I should be the one getting in trouble, not you. But if you do get in trouble, I'll come take care of you. I promise." Though they were the same age, Amy felt she might have to be his sister, and not just to compensate for her crime. Joey didn't look like a strong guy, and his life in the woods and in Borealis was probably very harsh, not just physically but also because of his lack of friends and family. In addition, Amy also thought Joey could only be oppressed by the iron fist of his fearsome leader, El, which would account for his shy personality. If she could, she had to help him and protect him.

"Okay," Joey simply replied, with a modest smile, looking trustfully into her eyes. Pulling away from her, he then noticed she was again exhausted and covered in dirt, just like last night. "Uh… Did something happen?" he asked.

Amy nodded. "Yes… they attacked us again. The same guys from last night. And… they took away my friend this time," she said sadly. "I hope he's okay. I had no place to go… They took all of our stuff."

"I'm sorry," Joey said compassionately. "Well, if you want, you can stay here until you sort things out. I don't mind."

Amy smiled weakly. "Thank you so much… but I don't deserve it. They took your key as well… I really wish I could give it back, but this woman from the Floating Island took it from me."

Joey looked down. "I'm sorry you lost it," he said, "it was probably important to you."
Amy could barely believe Joey's altruism. He simply seemed to think that if Amy needed that key, she should have it regardless of her theft.

"I deserved losing it," she told him. "I shouldn't have taken it, it was wrong. It only serves me right that someone else took it from me."

Joey said nothing. Amy wasn't sure if he agreed or not, but if anything, he was showing the greatest sympathy for her plight. After a moment, he suggested: "uh, it's kind of cold. If you want, we can go back to my house."

Amy gladly agreed, and the two hedgehogs were soon inside the cabin. Despite its modest attributes, Amy felt secure being there, thanks to its natural feng shui and to the affection she now shared with Joey. Despite being disheartened at the fate of her two friends, Amy felt she had finally found a little island of peace in a sea of hostility and danger.