XVI: Gold
It hurt to watch her be the one to revive him. She couldn't deny the sinking feeling that she felt not being able to do that for him, but as long as it gave him a chance to breathe again; she would feel whole once more. It didn't matter how he was given strength at this point, all that really mattered was that he was alive. The image of his body lying there like a rag doll with no light and no laughter coming out of him scared her to no end. But if there was nothing she could do that would successfully bring him back, she had to allow someone else to try. No matter how hard it stung.
The sky around them was gray, and the setting was bleak. Stone pillars crumbled around them and Solaris could be heard roaring in the background, signifying that they didn't have much time if any at all. Friends of the blue hedgehog were gathered around, mourning the loss of his life. A strike to the heart from Mephiles was all it took for their hero to fall. However, they had one last option to try and they hoped it would be the one to work.
The seven chaos emeralds surrounded Sonic's lifeless body as Elise mustered up enough strength to call power to the glowing gems. Amy watched apprehensively praying that this would work, not knowing what she would do if it didn't. She also had one constant nagging thought in the back of her mind and she couldn't help it. That girl was hopelessly, devotedly, and madly in love with the same hedgehog as her. She knew the moment she helped break the princess out of Eggman's prison and she talked about a special boy, she just knew it was Sonic. She couldn't blame her though, he was special. Teary-eyed and terrified, she continued watching the scene unfold in front of her only hoping that this girl would be able to do what she couldn't.
"…You have given me so many things. Now it is my time to return the favor. I care not what happens to me. But please heed my voice. Sonic, come back! To me…to us!"
And to Amy's surprise, the human girl leaned down and kissed him. Time seemed to stop for the pink hedgehog as she watched the two connect. Her heart felt heavy, like someone took it out of her chest and squeezed it like a toy. That moment would never be hers, and for some reason the pain she felt was so much worse than any injury she could have ever received from an enemy. There was also a twinge of jealousy she felt, but she brushed it off immediately because she saw his beautiful coat of blue begin to paint itself in a glowing hue of gold. The others cheered in delight, relieved that their friend was alive and he nodded in appreciation towards the princess, catching her as she fell back exhausted.
"Thank you, Elise."
His now ruby red orbs scanned the room making sure his friends had been safe during the moments he had been away, and they lingered on a pair of watery jade eyes for a moment longer than anyone else. Amy was locked on him, scared to look away knowing he could be taken away from her again at any given moment. She shuddered at hearing the beast scream loudly in the background and his ear twitched at the sudden interruption. This enemy was dangerous and they both knew this. She looked at him gravely before touching a hand to her heart.
"Be careful." She mouthed silently, letting a single tear slide down her cheek.
He mimicked her actions, touching his own glove to his heart and smiled softly at her. "Always."
Turning around to the other two hedgehogs who had already turned into their super forms, he prepared himself to go into the belly of the beast. They had to win, for themselves and for everyone here.
The others had gone down to the grass below to watch the battle from afar, but she insisted on staying up on the rocky cliff to feel closer to him. It didn't take long for the trio to defeat the enormous threat, and she watched two flashes of gold make their way towards the majority down below. Another flash passed, the brightest one, made its way towards her direction stopping directly in front of the rosy girl.
"How did I know you'd be here? I think you got directions to the party a little mixed up, it's down there you know." His smooth voice rang in, but she couldn't look at him. Instead her attention went down to his shiny red sneakers.
She sniffled, rubbing an eye and played with the bangles on her wrist. "I just needed to make sure you were okay after-"
He stepped closer to her, giving her a bright smile that showed off his pearly white teeth. "You know I'm all good Ames, I'm fine. Now let's get you-"
"I meant okay after what happened with Mephiles…after you died." Her voice faded into a quiet whisper as the last word left her lips. She made sure to look into his red eyes, wanting to see the raw emotion from his face. She wanted to…no, needed to see how he really felt. Knowing Sonic like the back of her hand came with knowing that his cocky laid-back attitude wasn't all that he knew how to feel, he just rarely showed his other emotions to anyone else.
He sighed while pausing and closing his eyes for moment, before taking one of her hands to hold in his own. Opening his eyes, she saw a look of peace. He was content. She hid a blush at the contact of their hands, breaking her gaze with those red fiery eyes and instead watching the intertwining of their fingers. Normally he wouldn't go so far as to even hug her for longer than six seconds, but this time things were different.
"I'm okay now, Amy. I promise."
He said this in a softer tone and she knew he was being sincere instead of putting up one of his usual fronts. He was scared, like anyone would have been, and this made fresh tears form in her eyes. She didn't even think, just acted, pulling his entire arm towards her and holding him in a hug. He froze as the girl wrapped her arms around his waist softly and cried in his chest. His heart ached witnessing firsthand that this girl in his grasp was selflessly admitting his pain as her own, and after a shocked paused he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, his hand holding the back of her head carefully.
"Thanks for looking out for me. No one does it like you."
Still buried in his chest, the younger girl muffled a response. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Sonic the Hedgehog."
He chuckled softly, resting his chin atop her head. "I can't make any promises."
The two hedgehogs stood there for what felt like hours, but was merely only minutes because for once there wasn't a trial or tribulation facing them head on. They had a moment just to breathe, however like all good moments it was short lived. Sonic knew his time in this form was going to fade soon, and he knew he still had one more task to complete. He gave himself one last moment of tranquility before finding the strength to let go, not because he wanted to but because he knew it was what had to be done.
Amy looked at him sadly, but with understanding eyes knowing that being a hero came first. She nodded at him to go finish what he was meant to do and he winked back in appreciation. She watched him fly away towards the castle with a shiny trail of gold flowing behind him.
Thinking of his time with the pink hedgehog made him smile softly that slowly turned into a frown knowing exactly what was about to happen. Landing in front of the castle doors, he hesitated and thought about everything that had just occurred. The adventure that led to him dying…the battle with Solaris, Elise and Amy. He sighed heavily letting his feet take control instead of his heart. He didn't know why it was bugging him so much to actually go through with this, but he knew deep inside had to. It was a part of his duty to make the best decision for everyone, including himself. Even if it had to hurt.
As he pushed open the heavy drawbridge door, his gold cover began to fade away like flecks of glitter in the wind. Once his blue coat began to remerge and he was inside the castle in the darkness, it only led him to one thought:
He only wished he didn't have to forget it all.
Then a flame went out, suddenly and quietly, like it never happened at all.
A/N: Hi again. I have a confession to make and you guys might kill me for it, but this has been ready to go up since the last chapter before Orange was uploaded. It was ready...but it wasn't. This is obviously focused around Sonic 06 with a couple of changes inspired by moi. It's a little dramatic, but you guys know that's very on brand for me. I love these two so much so I had to cheat by using Sonic's "other color". Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of my beautiful readers and reviewers! Your support means the absolute world to me and it keeps me going. Until the next one! Stay safe loves! XO
