Sonic Forces: Sonamy - Not How It Used To Be

cutegirlmayra

Prompt:

Times were different back then.

"I can do this! I know I can do this!"

Amy held her head down, crying as the teams all looked to her, taken aback by her outburst.

They had all completed their own separate missions… but they were about to retreat for the night, but Amy's mission hadn't been completed yet.

She had some rough spots along the way and was nearly there, but was quickly pulled away when the mission began to seem 'too dangerous' and Sonic pulled her out of there.

She fell to her knees, gripping the ground below her in her desperate attempt to prove herself… but sadly, this was all turning out to be in vain.

Sonic watched a moment, before moving a hand to Tails, "Tails… you head back to base. Don't wait up for us."

Tails turned worriedly to him, "B-but.."

"Now… Tails." Sonic arched his eyebrows back, showing this was gonna take a minute.

Seeing the sincerity of Sonic's concern for Amy, he consented with a nod, and turned to the rest of the teams, holding his hand up and then motioning them on. "Fall back! We'll regroup at HQ!" he flew on as the teams followed.

Shadow and Rouge turned, before Rouge looked back a moment. "I swear… if he comes back with her crying even more… I'm gonna kill him."

Shadow turned to look over his shoulder, not really fully giving her much attention. "Rouge." it seemed like a warning to just move on.

She looked upset, but quickly flew off with the others, the two catching up.

Sonic's footfalls softly approached Amy, before he was about to reach down, she swung her head around.

He flinched his hand back.

"I'm not weak! I'm not just some…. some damsel in distress like before! I'm stronger now. I can do this! I can do this all by myself!" she rose up quickly, and started striding to go back into the fray.

"Amy!" Sonic reached out and held her arm back.

She spun around, "W-what are you doing!?"

He held back his mouth, curling down with gritted teeth, before answering her.

"It's not that I don't think you can. It's that I don't want to lose anymore!"

"…What does that mean?" she looked confused, before looking over the landscape… and then back at him. "I just want to show that I can do this! One mistake, and suddenly everyone is doubting me again!" she swung her head forward and stomped a foot down, before ripping her arm out of his grasp and pacing, shaking in her fury.

"Amy… Calm down. You're only working yourself up." Sonic paced around her, arching her steps as to keep her from running off.

She was furious, and there was no making sense of anything when she was clouded by it.

"You don't know what it's like Sonic! Feeling you always have to be saved, you always have to be helped, you always need a-!"

"Hero?"

Sonic took a step forward.

"What does that make me then? A failure too?"

She halted, her heart suddenly realizing what he meant and slowly turned around to him, looking apologetic. "N-..No, that's not…" she grew self-conscious and put her hands slightly together in front of her, bending her head down, her ears twitching down subtly.

He narrowed his eyes, looking like he was only being sucked into her anger as well. "I failed a long time ago, Amy. You don't see me trying to prove anything!" he swung his arm out, as she continued to avoid his eyes.

"Instead of arguing about your weaknesses, try realizing that everyone can be your strength!" He held out his hand and tightened them in. "That's a lesson I won't soon forget…" he looked down at one fist… as if contemplating what he he wished he had learned before…all this happened.

He closed his eyes, and loosened up, realizing fighting fire with fire was a bad idea when it came to Amy.

It would only help the flames to rise.

He took a calming breath, before looking up again, seeming more in control over himself now. "Let's go home, Amy."

Amy turned around again, shaking her head. "I just… I can't." she threw her arms down. "I… I shouldn't say I understand you, Sonic… but I will say that you of all people should let me go. I have to do this. I have to-!"

He sped forward, done with her act, and gripped her arm again.

"Ah!" she was startled, but looked back behind her.

"I never have stopped you from doing what you felt was right before, Amy!" he started, really fighting to hold her back as she slightly struggled.

"S..Sonic!?" she was confused, angry… but something also stung at her.

Was he holding her back because he thought she was weak? Unable to do it on her own?

"Then why is this different!?" She wanted the truth.

He watched her strain, her tears replaced with anger.

"…Tomorrow." he couldn't say what he wanted too. He wouldn't… he shouldn't!

He gritted his teeth, "I'll let you go."

She stopped struggling a moment.

"..But I'm coming with you." he stopped pulling her back, and stood up straight.

Her eyes widened in shock, looking back up, before frowning and glaring, and ripping her arm out of his grasp again, feeling it had loosened enough to do so now.

"You're doing it again!" She stomped her foot down, fully facing him, her tears threatening again.. "You're treating me like a child! What? Are you so afraid that you're willing to babysit me now!?"

Her words were like daggers, and Sonic wanted to say a thousand things, but nothing was coming out but a frustrated scowl.

"Amy…" he almost growled out.

"No! I won't let you judge me too!" she tried to run, but he dashed and caught her again.

She kicked her feet out, struggling again. "Let… me… go!"

"I.. I can't!"

"Why not!? Why can't you let me show you! I can do this! I know I can! If you just-!"

"The teams are different! Just cause they completed their missions doesn't say anything about you!" he struggled, seeing her really fighting more seriously than before.

She squinted her eyes shut, "How am I any different!? Because I'm just some girl to protect!? Some hopeless.. tag along you can't shake..?!"

It pained her being to speak such a thing.

Sonic saw the affect of those words on her actions, and her power looked like it was slowly draining from her.

"…No. That was never it." Sonic turned more gentle in his tone, before moving to reach over and turn her towards him.

"…I…"

He couldn't.

He held his head down more, trying to force it out.

"…I..!"

He shouldn't.

But he had to say something!

"I care very differently about you!"

She held herself like a frozen portrait.

"I can't let you go… because I'm tried of letting things go! I want to get mad! I want to have my will trump the rest! I won't lose anything every again! Especially those that I care about! You're different! You have no idea what's it's like to truly feel that there's no redemption for you! For once, Amy, just let me have my way!" he let it out. Something he wasn't used to doing.

He breathed hard and stepped back, almost in shock at what he had stated.

Amy's eyes scanned him, trying to read him.

As if seeing that, he quickly retreated to closing off again, trying to be unreadable.

He held his arms down by his sides, tightening and flexing his fists in and out, before looking back to her.

"… I'm not apologizing for what I said." Sonic finally stated, before looking more softer towards her. "But I am sorry for how it came out."

"…." Amy held her silence. She had never seen Sonic let out such great emotion before…

She held a fist up to her heart, touched that he would even reveal those hidden emotions to her.

He panted quietly, before looking away.

"I failed at being the world's hero…" he squinted his eyes shut, his fists almost turning the white of his gloves at how tightly he held them.

It was painful to admit… but..

"Don't let me fail at being yours too."

"My… Hero…?" her eyes widened.

He wasn't judging her.

On the contrary, he was concerned for her.

He didn't want anything to happen.

This wasn't him being suspicious of her skills abilities.

This was him trying to connect with her. To do something for her.

He was only trying to do what he knew how too.

And that was to care about her well being.

"I… I'm being selfish." Amy looked away. "I… I want to go home." she wiped a tear away. "Our real home."

He let out some air, looking back to her.

He walked steadily towards her. Still nervous from all the things he let out, and so he avoided full eye contact.

"It's better to work as a team, Amy… That way…" he stopped in front of her.

A hand reached out to her, and she looked at it, before slowly rolling her head up to his gentle, kind face…

Almost in understanding of her and her state.

"You never have to go it alone."

She teared up even more now, fighting it back was impossible.

She leaped and hugged him.

Ah. A good ol'memory.

He closed his eyes, the shock not getting to him.

Afterall, he should be used to this by now.

It had just been a good long while…

He slowly positioned himself, before…

A hand reached up to her head, and lightly rested there.

After a moment, he ducked his head.

After another second, he moved out of her grasp, and picked her up bridal style, something he almost felt was reflex now.

The movement was swift, deliberate, and almost calculated as if he had missed this.

This feeling…

Holding her…

She looked away before sneaking a peek up at his face.

He looked determined serious.

Don't let me fail at being your hero.

That way, you never have to go it alone.

Sonic's words shifted in her mind, and she smiled softly, allowing her lips to take their time in the action of curling upwards.

Comfort.

She had missed that too.

"You…" Sonic looked away, growing shy.

"You never need to be more than you are… Amy."

"…And you never need to be any more then the hero you already are."

She nodded, lifting a hand gently to his face, as he looked back, unsure of what the hand was doing or what it's action was for…

She removed it and he turned his eyes away, before a the red of the flames seemed to mix with his face, and he darted off home as soon as he could.

Amy danced around the kitchen of the hub, and cleaned things up with a skip in her step and a tune on her mind.

She hummed as she waltzed around,.. while everyone stared.

What a mood swing.

Rouge smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "What? Did he propose?" she mocked, before seeing Sonic come in and act like nothing had happened, just grabbing a rag and rubbing the sweat of the heat from the fresh destruction and smog off his face.

Rouge suddenly looked amazed.

"Well, all be darned."

Tails rushed up to him.

"Sonic? Is… everything okay?"

"Hmm?" Sonic looked to him with the rag still on his face, peeking up, before shaking his head out of it and rubbing it on his quills. "Yeah. Amy just needs some time. She'll be fine."

"…Uh… okay." Tails sweat dropped. "Did.. anything good happen? You know… b-between you two?"

Sonic cocked a brow up, not sure what that was implying. "..Yeah..? Why?"

The whole teams all leaned in closer.

"W-woah! What's with the awkward stares!"

"Soooniicc~3″

Amy twirled up, picking up his hand and placing a chilidog in it. "For you~3″ she almost sang, and kissed his cheek, before 'fluttering' off again.

Sonic's eyes widened.

"Oh no."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho, yes." Rouge put a hand over her mouth, realizing that Amy must have misinterpreted something… and now…

Sonic was going to spend the rest of the Apocalypse trying to deal with it…