C O N T R A S T

by Rowan Jacobs

Life is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it's overwhelming. All we can do is learn how to swim.

2. Candle In The Wind

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 2: Candle In The Wind

---

Sonic looked different in his sleep. While sleeping he wasn't a big hero or the great saviour that people saw him as. He was just a young man. A mere boy, one might argue.

His eyes only lightly shut as if he, at any given moment, would be ready to open them and take in whatever would appear before him.

"Always prepared for the worst.." Amy mused as she carefully observed Sonic's sleeping form.

At first it had been difficult for Sonic to adapt to sleep in a regular bed, years of sleeping upon various rooftops, trees and on the plain ground had affected him quite a bit. He was a light sleeper and tended to move around a lot which might be caused by his legs itching to run. And due to his unusal high body temperature he rarely even needed to be under the covers, though he would often do so anyway in order to keep Amy warm during the night.

Amy studied how the early morning sun's light gave his face a soft shimmer, which higlighted his handsome features. His charming dimples that became even more apparent everytime he flashed that familiar smile of his. A smile that never failed to make her beam as well.

She wondered what he dreamed about, it must be something nice since no frown was visible and he lay almost completely still - if one didn't count the consistent rising and falling of his chest.

With a sudden yearning of hearing his heart, Amy ever so carefully moved in closer and laid her head gently on Sonic's chest which resulted in a clear hearing of the steady beating beneath.

It was at times like this that Amy wished she could sing just as beautifully as Sonic. If she had had any natural talent and not such a high voice she could've awoken him by singing soft tunes to him. Just like a nightingale. Though, she assumed she reminded more of a crow than a songbird.

A brief wistful sigh escaped her lips as she resumed her focus on his heartbeats, trying to keep count of how many that passed during one minute, then two minutes and then three... four...

Amy's mind wandered to yesterday. How Sonic had looked when he'd appeared, how their eyes had finally met again after so long time. That bright, tender gleam that so deeply had laced his stunning emerald eyes. His exciting stories during the dinner, the lovely gift he'd bought her, he wanting her to read for him, their playful yet gentle swaying in the living room...

Then she remembered.

The sudden expression of dread on Sonic's face. It had been there, if only for a second - she'd seen it.

What could possibly have triggered such a reaction from her otherwise always so fearless fiance?

A stray memory, perhaps, of something he'd seen on his recent adventure?

Amy didn't recall him telling her anything explicitly intimidating that could've resulted in a look like that. But, she argued, then Sonic surely would've told her about it, he'd let her know if anything was bothering him, right?

Sonic had gotten better at sharing his feelings with her, even when it came to the matters of the heart, but he rarely touched upon the things that worried him or made him anxious. A little bit of convincing on her part could sometimes make him ease his mind but most of the times he'd simply brush it off and soon enough the subject would be forgotten. Amy shamefully realized that she was easily persuaded by his distractions and charming smiles, maybe she should be more persistent in the future.

She took a firmer grip on Sonic's torso and buried her face deeper into his chest but still mindful of not awaking him quite yet. His natural scent was both familiar and comforting - fresh grass, wind and sunshine, the embodiment of freedom and a force of the very nature itself. To her, nothing could ever smell so appealing as him, and she wondred if her scent had the same effect on him. No, it wasn't possible.

Amy breathed him in while also taking the oppertunity to snuggle on a certain spot of tuft fur which she knew Sonic could get particularly embarrassed about.

The month they'd been apart suddenly felt even longer than before.

When the alarm clock on the left nightstand informed her that it was high time to start the day, Amy both reluctantly and with a sense of eagerness to spend the whole day with Sonic, lifted her head from his chest and reached her head up to his head.

"Hey sleepyhead, it's time to wake up." she cooed softly in his ear and then proceeded to carefully blow at his face.

Just as calmly as if he'd never gone to sleep, Sonic opened his eyes which immediately sought out Amy's, and simply stared at her for a brief moment. He looked slightly dazed but soon enough a warm smile spread across his muzzle.

"I must still be dreaming..." he said as he reached a hand up to stroke Amy's cheek "I dream that I've fallen asleep out in the meadows with the sky above me, and then I see her... - the beautifulest, most loving and gentle girl in the whole world, and she blows on me with her sweet breath and wake me from my sleep. And then I dream that I'm thinking: This is what it must feel like to awake in paradise."

Amy grasp Sonic's stroking hand in hers and holds it still against her cheek before reaching her head up and blow lightly in his ear. It sends a ticklish feeling through his body and he chuckles softly at her antics.

"You're not dreaming, silly." Amy giggled and laid her head down back on his chest.

"I don't know, Amy, I have pretty vivid dreams."

"Will a kiss convince you?"

Sonic gave her a playful smirk and raised a brow "Maybe."

Without a seconds thought, their lips found one another and Sonic has to fight every ounce of his being to hold back his strength and not kiss Amy too passionately. He knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't be able to stop and end up spending the rest of the day just laying here and caress her lips with his own.

They parted all too soon.

"Alright, I'm convinced." Sonic tried to sound dissapointed but it was really difficult after having just kissed his fianceé. Admittedly, his dreams could never truly beat reality.

As the sun gradually rose outside the window, they laid and listened to the flickies chirping lively from their tress, felt how the gentle summer breeze swept in and ever so slightly made the curtain flutter.

Suddenly the familiar itching sensation in his legs made itself known in Sonic's consciousness, naturally they yearned to run after a long night's sleep. Adrenaline shot thorugh his body like an automatic respone to this feeling and he could do nothing but oblige to the urge of running.

With an eager look on his face, Sonic arose from bed and walked over to the window. Gazing outwards, he saw the farstretching hills and meadows and at the horizon he could even detect the ocean with the sun reflecting a bright shimmer on its surface. The sight made his yearning grow stronger and he hastily turned around, only to be met with a pair of slender arms wrapping around his waist.

Somehow Amy appeared even more radiant in the morning light.

She gazed up at him, her face shining of sheer joy at getting to wake up by his side.

"Go running. I'll make breakfast in the meantime." she said, almost as if she'd read his mind.

As much as Sonic needed to run, he also wanted to please Amy and he figured that the every-day fiance didn't require running a few miles each morning - leaving his fianceé to tend to breakfast alone.

"It's okay. I can help you, if you want." he offered.

But Amy merely shook her head and got a slight frown between her eyes "Sonic, you know you can't cook. You'd only be in my way, besides I don't want a hyperactive hedgehog at my breakfast table."

"Heh, thanks Ames."

A grin, followed by a hasty hug and then Sonic disappeared out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door within mere seconds.

When he stepped out on the front porch he was immediately met with the smell of dewed grass and a whole mix of flowery aromas creating a most pleasent feeling. The sky promised a beautiful morning and an even beautifuler day, not a cloud as far as his eyes could see. It was at mornings such as these that Sonic felt he could easily run to the ends of Mobius and then back again, just for the thrill of it. But the thought of enjoying one of Amy's delicious breakfasts halted all further thoughts of actually doing so.

After having breathed in the sweet morning air, Sonic settled with taking a run that only stretched a few miles, but choosing a terrain that was slightly challanging. Got to keep his physique up, after all.

The rush of running at breakneck speed all the while dodging, sliding and jumping over occasional obstacles was something he'd never grow tired of. All that was missing was the potential threat chasing him, and it would've been complete. However, when he did a sharp turnaround at the very edge of a cliffside he at least had a goal to run back to - Amy surely was enough of a motivation to make him push himself even harder.

Back at house said hedgehog was busy preparing a lovely breakfast for her fiance. She'd changed into a pearly white sundress, put on a simple pair of slippers and curled the tips of her quills just a little bit. Her usual white gloves had been neatly put on and her golden bangles shimmered in the sunlight streaming in through the window, with the engagement ring twinkling especially much. The sight of it never failed to put a dreamy expression on her face and a smile to match it.

As Amy flipped pancakes she slowly started to daydream about how her day with Sonic would turn out like. Would they spend it just the two of them or should she suggest they take that picnic with Tails? As much as she wanted to have Sonic all to herself for just one day, she really had missed the little fox as well. He was just as much of a brother to her as he was to Sonic, and a family picnic was just as good as a romantic one. Besides, her and Sonic could spend the rest of the day alone afterwards.

Maybe an evening similar to the one yesterday?

The possible romance that could flourish a day as this made Amy swoon inwardly, and unconciously start to sing the first few lines of a sweet tune she thought of at the top of her head.

"I'll be with you in apple blossom time

I'll be with you and change your name to mine..."

Then, without first registering it, Amy heard how Sonic's melodious voice answered her from just outside the window. Though his singing was much more in tune and caused her entire being to halt for a brief moment.

"One day in May, I'll come and say:

Happy the bride the sun shine on today."

Almost as if on instinct, Amy closed her eyes, losing herself in the sound of his voice. Her heart beat increased significantly, to such degree that she thought it was gonna jump out of her chest and leave her falling to the floor.

"What a wonderful wedding there will be. What a wonderful day for you and me..."

Sonic's voice faded. But Amy could hear how light footsteps approached her from the kitchen door, which stood ajar to let the fresh morning air in. She pretended not to hear him and casually continued the last few lines of the song - despite how the blush immediately rose on her cheeks.

"Church bells will chime, you will be mine..."

Just as Amy was about to turn around and expose the blue hedgehog, Sonic had already snuck up behind her and embraced her. Softly, he whispered the last line in her ear;

"-In apple blossom time."

A short bell like laughter managed to escape her lips before they were captured by Sonic's gentle yet strong pair. Gladly she succumbed to his hold, kissing him back with an almost feverish longing, even though they couldn't have been apart for longer than half an hour.

The smell of slightly burnt pancakes interrupted their moment, causing Amy to quickly pull herself from Sonic in order to avoid further disaster.

"Aw Sonic, you distracted me. I can't focus when you're around." she pouted while trying to scrape the pan clean of burnt bits of batter.

Sonic, however, merely shrugged his shoulders, trying to surpress a smirk and giving her an innocent look - putting his hands up.

"Can't a guy serenade his girlfriend anymore? Besides - you started it, my little songbird."

"I didn't know anyone was listening, oh Sonic, you make me so flustered! Eek! My cheeks are burning, ooh!"

The bashful feeling made her cover her face with her hands and sway from side to side while muttering to herself. Luckily, this time there wasn't any pancakes to be left scorching. Though Sonic stared rather amused at her antics, shaking his head before he leaned over to deliver yet another kiss but this time on the top of her head.

"Come on, Ames, I'm just teasing ya. Let's eat those delicious pancakes of yours before they turn cold, eh?"

Gradually, Amy uncovered her eyes again, nodded in agreement and prepared the last of the breakfast on a big tray. Sonic tried hard not to snag himself a piece of the neatly stacked pancakes or muffins, it hadn't occured to him how hungry he actually was after his morning run until now.

They made their way out into the garden where Amy had already set up the little round garden table with plates tableware. It stood right beneath a rather large and lavish apple tree.

A pleasent conversation followed as they enjoyed their breakfast in peace. Soft rays of sun shone through the hanging branches above them, which also gave them slight shade. Now and again the summer breeze caused small white flowers to loosen from the tree and come sailing down, some getting stuck in Amy's quills and Sonic's spikes.

By his fourth muffin, Sonic had already gulped down double the number of pancakes, three tall glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of handpicked berries mixed with nuts and a bunch of marmalade sandwiches. He had longed to eat a proper breakfast for weeks now and Amy rarely disappointed Sonic nor his stomach - it was truly delicious.

Absentmindedly, he reached an arm upwards with the intention of grabbing an apple from a low hanging branch when he remembered that it wouldn't bear any fruit until the end of summer. Instead he got a handfull of white flowers, which he stared mildly surprised at when he lowered his arm again. Amy giggled at the sight and even more so when Sonic lifted said hand to his mouth and softly blew the petals in her direction, causing them to whirl around for a bit before finally settling on her dress.

"Te-he! Look at us, Sonikku - we look like flowers!"

Sonic grinned while also running a hand through his spikes, brushing off some of the petals "You, definitely. I don't know about me, though."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Amy then brought up her idea about the afternoon.

"So I was thinking we could get that picnic with Tails today, and maybe invite Cream to come along as well. I don't think Knuckles would come down from Angel Island just for a picnic though..." Amy put a finger to her cheek and pondered the probability of that scenario, coming to the conclusion that he most likely wouldn't.

"Well no matter, Tails and Cream will do just fine! Plus it's a great way to catch up with each other and enjoy the sunny weather."

Sonic raised a brow, slightly surprised by her suggestion. He'd been sure that Amy would want to spend some time alone with him, maybe suggesting they go to a fancy resturant or watch some new flick at the cinema.

"A picnic? are you sure, Ames? You don't wanna do something more, eh, special, you know - just the two of us?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure, Sonic! What's more fun than spending some time with our friends, besides I still get to be with you and that's special enough."

"Well then, sure thing! A picnic would be cool, I even know the perfect spot, you'll love it."

"Great! I'll call them right away." Amy said before she quickly arose from her seat, a bright smile on her face as she left to skip inside the house. Giddy as ever.

The sky promised them a beautiful day.

---

Later at noon, the four friends all sat in Tails' plane - the brightly yellow colored Tornado, with its broad wings soaring through the skies. Sonic, of course, didn't techincally sit in the plane but rather stood on top of the left wing, just as effortlessly as if he'd been standing on the plain ground. Years of training and his impeccable ability to keep his balance made such bold maneuvers possible, although to this day Tails still couldn't help but to occasionally glance backwards to see if his older brother still remained upon the wing.

Behind Tails' spot in the pilot seat, there were two passenger seats who were occupied by Amy and Cream. The cream colored rabbit girl had her cinnamon-brown eyes fixated on the view below her. Even if the plane ride wasn't a long one and she had had her fair share of rides, she still couldn't help but always get astonished of how beautiful the landscape looked from up above. The rolling green hills, wide meadows, shimmering oceans and lakes simply took her breath away.

Cream, now at the blossoming age of thriteen, was very much the same sweet, kindhearted girl as she had always been. Still keeping up her well-mannered personality as well as her well-spokeness, though through the years her calm nature has somewhat been affected by Amy's more outspoken personality. Perfectly capable of holding her own and sticking up for others, especially those who can't do it for themselves.

Traits that all came in handy as she was currently enrolled in a private school in Station Square, which she went to a couple of days each week. Her mother, Vanilla, had wanted her daugther to get a good education - not out of any elitist intentions but rather as way of giving her something she had never been able to get herself. School was a loose concept in most places across Mobius and nothing children were entitled to at a certain age. Therefore private schools was an option for those who had high ambitions within specific areas, so mobian children tended to enroll at the beginning of their teenage years when they at least had somewhat of an idea of where they wanted to take their lives.

Cream had been dubious at first when Vanilla had suggested it but had pretty quickly grown fond of going to school, meeting children her own age and even doing homework.

Amy, however, had been inquiring her if there were any boys she found cute, to which Cream would only blush and change the subject. Her pink friend still strongly doubted that it could've escaped anyone's attention that Cream was a very pretty girl, already resembling the beauty to that of her mother.

"Come on, Cream, you can't tell me there hasn't been a single boy who's caught your eye." Amy tried to inquire once again, turning around in her seat to look at the rabbit behind her.

"I'm telling you the truth Miss Amy." Cream patiently answered as she softly patted her chao friend Cheese who laid curled up in her lap "Besides, I don't think mama would approve of anything like that."

"She wouldn't have to know anything, it could be like a secret love, oh - a forbbiden love! Wouldn't that be romantic!"

Tails, who unfortunately had been forced to listen in on the, to him, awkward conversation suddenly glanced back at the two girls in the rearview mirror and with a teasing voice said- "Amy, just because you found your future husband when you were eight doesn't mean the rest of us will."

Instead of a scarlet blush blazing up on her cheeks, Amy put on a proud smile and stuck her tongue out in Tails' direction.

"It wasn't by any serendipitous chance that I met Sonic, you know. It was fate, and if it weren't for the fact that he's such an old fashioned gentleman I would have married him on the spot!"

Cream and Tails burst out in a wholehearted laughing fit to which even Amy caved in on. Soon they heard how someone loudly cleared their throat and found that playfully Sonic shook his head at them.

"Since I'm the gentleman in question, I can confirm that she proposed to me at least fifty times the first year we knew each other."

"I did not!" Amy defended before muttering under her breath "Maybe a dozen.."

As Tails announced that they would soon be reaching their destination Sonic took a quick sweep of the ground below.

He turned his head towards Tails and asked "Hey little buddy, you know where to land, right?"

"Yeah, I know the place."

"Good. See you guys on the ground!"

Then, before any of them could even blink, Sonic stretched out his arms and let himself fall backwards off the wing.

"Son-" Amy began but he was already out of sight, she sighed and shook her head at her fiance's antics.

Free falling from planes was nothing new to the blue hero, he'd done it more times than he cared to count but that still didn't take away the excitment of each time he did it. It was similar to the rush he got while running except that he couldn't do much to affect the speed he fell at, it usually ended all too soon. So the bigger the heights, the better.

"Woohoo!" Sonic hollered as he came crashing through the air.

All too soon did the ground come closer so Sonic curled up his body in a ball like state and braced himself for the impact. Just as he was about to crash into the earth he flipped himself backwards and landed on his two feet in a crouched position, striking a pose. His head shot up, revealing a cocky grin before he shot forward like a bullet and started running towards the Tornado, which was just about to land a couple of hundred meters up ahead.

With the smooth precision of someone who's done countless of landings, Tails managed to just about grace the ground gently with the plane wheels until it came to complete halt and the enigine died down. Cream and Amy applauded cheerfully while Tails offered them a modest smile, taking off his googles and jumping out of the pilot's seat.

"Took you guys long enough, I was just about to start growing a beard down here." Sonic said as he went up to his little brother and playfully patted him on the back with one hand while ruffling his bangs with the other.

Tails shot an elbow in Sonic's ribcage as hard as he could, but the older hedgehog barely felt it and merely chuckled at his attempts to get him off of him.

During the years Tails had done a lot of growing but he was still a head shorter than Sonic, to his big annoyance since he'd always dreamed of being taller than his big brother. Though as an attempt to cheer Tails up Sonic would remind him that he was only fourteen, and that he was probably still growing.

Sonic's behavior had naturally rubbed off on him but mostly in a good way, Tails had still kept his rational side though he'd grown to accept that not everything had a logical explanation. However, that still didn't mean he wouldn't try and find one. His childlike optimism had always made him very inventive and to some degree he was much more grounded than his older brother.

"Hey, cut it out..!" Tails laughed and his usual silvery voice still had a scratchy tone to it, which he'd had ever since he was little.

"Not a chance little buddy!"

The two boys continued to horse around until Amy loudly cleared her throat, getting their attention.

"Ahem! A little help here?" she said and held out the big picnic basket she'd packed from the side of the plane.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese added while folding his tiny arms.

They both smiled sheepishly and hurried over to help the two girls out of the plane.

After having walked for awhile, with Sonic leading the way, the four friends reached one of the many meadows. It laid just at the outskirt of a grove of trees and on the side of a steep hill - leading down to the beach. The waves rolled peacefully against the golden sand, creating a pleasant backdrop to the vast meadow which, to Cream and Amy's equal delight, was to the brink filled with wildflowers of all the colors of the rainbow.

Cream, who could barely contain her excitement, hastily hugged Sonic around the waist - exclaiming "Oh, thank you for taking us here Mister Sonic!"

"Do I know how to pick the best spots or what?"

"You sure do, it's great! Come on Cheese, let's play!"

Amy laid out the plaid picnic blanket on the more grassy part of the meaow in order to not disrupt the flowers too much. She then placed the basket in the middle of the blanket before taking a moment to simply appreciate the beautiful scenery. Carefully, she closed her eyes and breathed in the summer air, the brisk ocean breeze mixed with the sweet smell of inumerous flowers. To top it off the light laughter of Cream ans Cheese had already started to spread across the field. It was impossible not to smile at a time like this.

Suddenly she felt how Sonic grasped her hand, gently squeezing it and planting a kiss on top of her head.

"Do you like it, Ames?"

Amy leaned her head against his arm and squeezed back "It's perfect, how come you haven't showed me this place before?"

"There's a lot of places I haven't shown you yet, but all in due time and all that." he said with a slightly teasing voice though still trying to suppress his excitment at the thought of one day showing said places "Some spots are reserved for certain occasions."

Slightly baffled at Sonic's uncharacteristic crypticness, Amy eagerly tugged at his arm.

"Occasions such as..?"

But Sonic just chuckled warmly at her impatience, a mysterious glint sparkling at the corner of his eyes.

"Patience is a virtue, petal."

"Said the most impatient guy on the entire planet."

When Sonic merely grinned at her she huffed "Aw.. you're no fun."

The hedgehog couple then watched as Cream and Cheese played among the flowers, until the young rabbit abruptly stopped and put a hand over her stomach. A low rumbling noise could be heard.

"Miss Amy, I think Cheese is hungry." she said as she proceeded to run up to Amy with Cheese hot on her heels "Can we eat the picnic now?"

Amy affectionately patted Cream's head, stroking back her long ears before bending down to her level "Of course, sweetie." then she poked her nose with her index finger causing Cream to giggle.

Tails, who had already placed himself comfortably on the blanket, looked up with hopeful eyes. His own culinary skills was quite limited, mostly consuming can food or managing basic recipies Amy'd taught him. Therefore she would invite Tails to dinner as often as she could, and even sending Sonic to deliver him lunch packages whenever the blur blur goes on his daily runs.

On the initiative of Vanilla they'd even began to have traditional Sunday dinners at the Rabbit's household. No matter how busy any of them were, they'd always try their best to take the time and gather for these occasions. Amy was very pleased about the arrangement and would think of it as a sort of family dinner - always warming her heart when they all sat together and laughed, ate and talked about the past week.

With deliberate delicacy Amy unpacked one delicious dish after the other out of the picnic basket while three pair of eyes eagerly watched her every move.

Soon the blanket was covered with - enormous club sanwiches, a bowl of pasta salad, two bottles of lemonade, freshly baked brownies, and a various mix of wrapped candies and cookies.

"This was the best meal I've had in weeks." Tails finally said as he reached over for his umpth piece of mint candy. He'd stretched out on the grass and stared up at the blue sky, bearing a very satisfied expression and a full stomach.

"Yeah, you truly outdid yourself this time Ames." Sonic agreed, letting out a content sigh. Despite having eaten a hefty breakfast, he'd still been the one to eat the most out of the four of them - having just finished his fifth brownie.

Cream was in the midst of feeding Cheese grapes, carefully plucking one at a time and handing it over to the blue chao's awaiting arms. Each time he chewed down on a grape, a joyous chortle erupted from him, immediately prompting for another one. The rabbit stopped briefly in order to turn towards Amy and bow her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for the picnic, Miss Amy. I'm sure mama would've loved it too!"

"You really think so? I was gonna make a blueberry pie as well but I figured it wouldn't fit in the basket. Perhaps I can make one for our Sunday dinner instead."

"Oh, please do! Cheese and I could come over and help you tomorrow morning if you want."

"Chao!"

Amy clasped her hands together, smiling brightly at the pair "Absolutely!"

"I already can't wait for dinner tomorrow..." Tails murmured dreamily with half lidded eyes.

As if on cue, laughter instantly broke out around the blanket.

Much like a painting, painted in the softest shades of a palette was the view before Sonic, where he lay with his head propped up against the picnic basket. The pastel blue sky above held not even the smallest of clouds, it was completely under the sun's regin that shone down upon the four friends.

Among all of the countless colorful wildflowers walked Cream and Amy in a calm daze, occasionaly picking up only the most loveliest of them. Soon enough they both had a bouquet each full of flowers in every shape and size.

Sonic heard how they agreed to make flower crowns out of their bouquets, so they settled down amidst the meadow and quickly got to work. When he listened to their gleefull chatter and felt how the sun warmed his entire being while also hearing Tails' faint humming - Sonic realized that there truly was nowhere else on Mobius where he'd rather be than right here. With his best friends. Together on a lazy summer day...

And in that moment, he allowed himself to drop the burden of being a hero off his shoulders. Today he was Sonic, just a normal guy like anybody else.

Elevated from the darkest, most destructive worries of his mind.

At least for today.

"That's a pretty one, Miss Amy!" Cream said, admiring the flower crown Amy'd just finished making.

"Thanks, I made it for you."

The young rabbit gasped slightly before smiling in absolute delight as Amy neatly placed the crown upon her head.

As far back as Cream could remember she'd made flower crowns with the pink hedgehog, who she held so dear that she might as well could've been her real sister.

"There." Amy concluded, proudly "Now you look just like a real flower queen."

Cream giggled and handed her the crown she'd made, it was decorated mostly with white flowers such as poppies, chamomilles and primroses. Skillfully had they been woven together with small forget-me-nots, which's blue color stuck out nicely against the white.

Amy accepted the crown and adjusted it properly on her head. Then she arose and twirled for Cream to see "How does it look?" she asked.

"Ooh..! You look like a bride now..." the young girl breathed in awe.

And with the white sun dress shimmering faintly in the sunlight and curled quills to accompany the flower crown, Amy did indeed look very much like she was ready to walk down the aisle.

"Let's make crowns for the boys as well!"

"Yeah!"

"Chao, chao!"

The two girls, along with the help of Cheese, eagerly made two new, and slightly bigger, flower crowns. When they were satisfied with each one crown, they went over to Sonic and Tails while giggling gleefully - both bearing rosy cheeks.

As he saw the trio approach Sonic hastily pretended to be watching the sky, even adding a casual whistling while he was at it. Only when they stood before him did he acknowledge their presence.

"Oh, hey you two." he said, smirking "How did the flower picking go? I think I just found a wild rose myself.." his eyes were purposely directed at Amy, who immediately blushed at the remark.

"Sooonic..!" she gushed, covering her cheeks and swaying sweetly on the spot.

"We have made flower crowns for you two." Cream said brightly, showing off the two crowns she held in her hands.

"Flower crowns?" Tails asked slightly dazed from having laid down on the ground for so long.

Sonic on the other hand, promptly sprang to his feet and grinned excitedly "Sweet!"

Cream then gave one of the crowns to Amy before making her way over to Tails who smiled modestly as she offered an especially colorful crown to him. He took a moment to study all the different types of flowers.

"Ah, a cosmos bipinnatus..!" Tails exclaimed with a smile at the sight of a particular cerise colored flower.

"Is it that pretty pink one?" Cream inquired as she and Cheese settled down next to him.

Tails nodded eagerly before poiting to another one "Yeah, and this one is a campanula rotundifolia. It's funny cause it's actually-.."

And then Tails proceeded to tell Cream about all the various types of names of the flowers that adorned his crown - delighted to be able to share his knowledge with someone else.

Sonic and Amy exchanged a knowing look before the blue hero discretely led her a bit futher out on the meadow. Then he turned towards her and smiled warmly at how beautiful she looked with the white flowers adorning her head. Like a flowery halo it highlighted her green orbs in a breathtaking way, causing him to go weak in the knees when she also smiled back at him.

Cream had reffered to her as resembling a bride, but Sonic thought she looked more like a princess that could've been taken straight out of any worthy storybook.

"So.. I assume that one's for me, eh?" he said with a lopsided smirk, gesturing at the flower crown Amy held in her grasp.

Amy nodded, suddenly feeling a bit shy at being under Sonic's full attention and affectionate gaze "Kneel, please." she requested timidly.

Without question Sonic sunk down to one knee, theatrically putting a hand over his heart as he did so. He bowed his head slightly before Amy neatly put the crown on him - giggling at his antics. No matter how old he got or how many battles he endured, he still had a boy's heart...

She straightened up and decided to humor him.

"Arise, my brave knight."

The smirk on his face widened.

But before he stood up, his hand gently grasped her left one and planted a kiss directly on top of her engagment ring. The gesture almost made Amy tear up as she in return let said hand graciously stroke his cheek. Swiftly he arose, bringing her hand along in the motion. With delicacy he pressed her hand closer against his cheek, closing his eyes as he let the sensation savor in his mind.

Sonic marveled at how something as small and fragile as Amy's hand stroking against his cheek could put his entire being at such complete and utter ease. The sliky fabric of her glove felt comforting against his bare skin. Nothing on Mobius could possibly ever feel as soft as her touch or give him as much strength.

Right before letting her hand slip out of his grasp he gently squeezed it three times. Opening his eyes he was yet again met with the sun bathed meadow, gazing tenderly at Amy.

"Thank you, milady." the playfulness was back on his face as well as in his voice.

"May I kiss thee, my knight?" Amy asked softly as she drew closer to Sonic, her eyes gazing up at him with such pure innocence that it tugged at his heart.

"You most certainly may."

Amy had to stand tip toed in order to reach his face but even then Sonic had to bow down slightly, tilting his head for the best angle but then politely waiting for her to deliver the kiss.

She traced her lips on the outlines of his, barely brushing against them until she delicately closed the gap between the pair. The taste of his lips was spicy and felt strangely forbbiden yet so tempting and inviting at the same time. To her it was like kissing the rash, untamed wind itself - having captured it only for a brief moment.

And how the wind fell in love with the rose...

As a natural respone Sonic's arms encircled her, gently drawing her closer as he fought the urge to lift her up in order to bring her even closer and deepen the kiss. A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that his little brother and Cream was still present and that it might not be very appropriate.

For a hedgehog such as Sonic it was still an accomplishment to hold that conviction for more than two seconds until he thought-

"Ah, to heck with it!"

Then without further ado he promptly lifted Amy up in his arms, both of his arms holding her around the waist as her feet dangled freely above the ground.

"Sonic-" the surprised girl managed to utter before her lips were captured by his once again.

Sonic smiled through the kiss and even more so when Amy broke into a fit of giggles, interrupting the act but still being just as enjoyable to listen to. With an excited laugh erupting from himself, he started to playfully swing her around in circles around the meadow - causing flower petals to go haywire in every direction.

"Ahaha! Sonic, careful..! The- flowers..- hahaah!"

Their laughter drew the attention of Tails and Cream, who glanced over at the pair with sparked interest. Even Cheese had started to chortle happily at the sight, possibly wanting to join in on the cheery mood.

"They truly do look lovely together, don't you think so too, Tails?" Cream inquired kindly, letting out a soft, absentminded sigh.

Tails eyed the pair and recongized the look in his older brother's eyes. it was a certain expression he held solely for Amy. An utter warmth, fondness and with an undescribable adoration - like a blind man who sees the sun for the first time. Despite the times he'd occasionally tease Sonic of his infatuation with her Tails knew that his brother wouldn't be able to live without her. She was the air in his lungs, the beat in his heart, the light in his eyes and the spring in his step.

And the young fox couldn't be happier for him.

"Yeah, they do..."

Over at the other side of the meadow, near the lavish grove of trees - Sonic had finally halted their spinning and now carefully put Amy back down on her feet. She wobbled slightly, bringing a hand to the side of her head while trying to stabilize herself. Taking notice of it, Sonic instanly snuck an arm around her waist in order to prevent her from falling over.

"It's alright - I gotcha, Ames." he assured, offering her a somewhat apologetic smile.

As the world came to a stand still, the first thing Amy's eyes caught sight of was something gleaming within the grove. It was sudden and maybe not even real but it had looked like metal claws gripping around a tree and then... rubies.

Not beliving her eyes, she blinked rapidly to get the dizziness out but when she looked again - nothing. The grove stood just as silent and empty as it had before.

It had happened so fast that not even Sonic seemed to have taken notice of her staring. He casually adjusted her flower crown which had gotten slightly ruffled up after their twirling, his own only hung loosely from his right ear.

"...Sonic, did- did you see that?"

"Hm.. What? Where?"

"Over there, just now."

Amy pointed toward the grove.

"Nope, sorry. I was busy looking at you. What was it, a critter or something?"

She shook her head "I don't know.."

Sonic gently took her hand which instantly made Amy turn her head towards him and almost forget what she was talking about.

"Hey, you're probably just dizzy." he chuckled while stroking her bangs from her face "Let's head back to the others and get ya something to drink."

"Okay."

But before Amy could take a step Sonic had scooped her up in his arms, giving her a playful wink.

"Allow me to carry you, milady. And don't worry, I promise I'll take it slow."

They made their way across the vast meadow, and Amy couldn't help but steal glances at him now and again as he carried her. The dizziness had settled and she could now fully focus on every detail of his handsome face. In the beaming sunshine his facial features appeared even more dreamily, even the little scab from yesterday couldn't diminsh him. If anything it added to his heroic apperance. When he cast her a glance, catching her staring he cracked a silly smile while she hastily averted her eyes to her lap.

After having rejoined with their three friends again and drinking some much needed lemonade, Tails suggested they'd head down to the beach. Granted, Sonic was intially hesitant against the idea but gave in when Cream and Amy pointed out that the ocean was calm and no waves could get to him on shore.

Cheese had decided to stay behind and instead take a nap in the basket.. and maybe eat up the rest of the candy.

They reached the slope of the hillside that lead down to the beach and halted at its edge to stare down. It seemed like it was a clear way down with only a few rocks sticking up from the ground.

Sonic got an idea and turned towards his friends with a smug grin "What do you guys say, anyone up for a little competition?"

"Sure!"

"Absolutely!"

"What kind of a competition?" Amy quipped in, curious.

"Simple, we all roll down the slope and the first one to reach the bottom wins." he gestured down the hillside before striking a pose "I know it might be unfair to compete against the fastest, most awesomest thing alive-"

Tails coughed.

"-so to make it a bit more fair, I'll give you guys a head start."

"How gracious of you, Sonikku." Amy said, faking a sweet voice before quickly laying down on the ground and with a kick of her foot - start rolling down the slope "Come on guys!"

Tails and Cream wasted no time in following her, both laughing giddily as they set off the with a surprising amount of speed.

They more or less tumbled rather than rolling all the way down, but it went fast and sometimes they barely managed to steer out of the way for rocks. Still it tickled nicely in the stomach and their laughter echoed all the way up to Sonic who still hadn't started yet.

But as soon as the others had gotten halfway down the slope he got into a crouching position, his soles balancing on the edge of the hill as he grinned widely. Soon enough, a ball like figure came dashing through, shooting past the other three like a bullet.

"Hey, No fair!" Amy managed to shout over the wind, getting herself a mouth full of grass and dirt in the process.

When Sonic was merely a few meters away from the bottom he untaveled himself and with the built up momentum from the spin - kicked himself off the ground and somersaulted in the air. Landing perfectly on his feet at the very spot where the grassy slope meet with the sand dune, marking the end of the hill.

Before him the beach stretched out on both sides, reaching all along the coast line and he had to admit that even the ocean looked quite peaceful at a day like this. The warm summer breeze caused only a few lazy waves to roll up on the golden sand, otherwise it lay completely still like a mirror. Reflecting the sky above with the sun creating an almost sparkling glimmer on top of the water's surface. As if little drops of sunlight had fallen upon it, adorning the ocean.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh ocean breeze, Sonic failed to notice that his friends all came tumbling down on the sand dune behind him.

Tails was the first one to arise, he put both hands on either side of his head "Ahh.. my head's spinning..!" he said, dazed but still with a delighted look upon his face. Amy helped Cream up on her feet before dusting off her dress and then proceeding to do the same on Cream's. She hoped Vanilla wouldn't mind about the grass stains all too much.

Sonic approached them, a smug grin gracing his lips "Well, it looks like I won. Where's my price?"

"We didn't agree on a price." Cream pointed out.

"Besides-" Amy cut in and gave her fiance a disapproving glance "You cheated, we were suppose to roll down the slope - not spin dash."

"Spin dashing is still technically rolling, just more like a ball." he argued, trying to stifle a snicker.

Tails, who always tried to be diplomatic, took off his flower crown and stared at it briefly before voicing his thoughts "The price could be all of our flower crowns." he suggested, glancing over at the two girls and they nodded in agreement. Even if Amy still pouted when she reached over hers.

Granted, the crowns had gotten quite roughened up by their rolling down the slope, with some of the flowers having fallen off, but they still looked decent enough to be worthy as price.

When Sonic held the four crowns in his hands, he winked and gave his friends an encouraging smile "Now, let's build a sandcastle, whatcha say guys?"

He was met with an enthusiastic cheer from the tree of them, and they all eagerly began to get to work right away.

Despite them not having any buckets or spades - the gang still managed to build a rather neat little sandcastle. They sculpted critter like figures and drew different shapes in the sand with their fingers. It turned into a very pleasent time, sitting together in the warm sun and hearing the waves roll peacefully up on the shore. Once in awhile, sea birds would shriek above their heads, some even landing close by to examine what they were doing.

When they felt content with their work they went to collect seashells, interestingly shaped rocks, feathers and other pretty things to use as decorations. During his hunt for seashells, Sonic had stumbled upon a piece of drift wood which gave him an idea of what he wanted to do with his price. On many of his travels around the world he'd seen mobians sending out objects into the ocean on special occasions, it could be everything from flowers to lit up candles. He guessed it had some sort of symbolic meaning but he'd thought it to look very beautiful nonetheless.

Deciding to save it for later, Sonic put the piece of drift wood with the flower crowns and returned to the others, who had already started to decorate the sandcastle with their own findings.

Amy had found a bunch of white seashells along the shore and also a bigger pink shell, which looked very much like a heart. Those she had put on the castle walls and finally the heart shaped one as a bridge leading into it. Tails had found a broken glass bottle amongst the rocks and carefully picked the biggest shards and put them on the sandcastle so that they remsembled windows. And Cream, along with sticks and small stones, had brought back a long, elegant looking feather which she put at the top of one of the towers. To her delight it actually fluttered like a flag in the light breeze.

Sonic whistled impressed at the sight and declared that such a grand sandcastle as this deserved to have a name. So they sat quiet for a moment, trying to come up with one.

"What about Sandopolis?"

"Sand Blast City!"

"Ocean Palace..!"

"Castle de la Sonic!"

The other three stared at the blue hedgehog.

"Just kidding!"

Amy rolled her eyes playfully at him before turning towards Cream "I think Ocean Palace is a great name."

"Yeah, way better than mine." Tails admitted and gave the rabbit an encouraging smile.

Sonic nodded in agreement.

In front of the sandcastle, among all the little sculpted critters, Amy wrote in the sand with her finger, "Ocean Palace" it soon stood in squiggly letters. When it was done she clasped her hands together, tilted her head slightly to the side and admired how it all had come together. It wasn't rather pretty, quite the opposite - it looked crooked and nothing was symmetrical, but at the same time maybe that's what made it so perfect.

A wistful feeling overwhelmed Amy however when she realized that the sandcastle wouldn't remain forever. All too soon the waves would reach it and wash away all evidence of that it had ever even existed in the first place.

It might've been a silly notion to cry about, but for some reason the fragility of reality shook her deeply and made her instinctively reach for Sonic's hand. His grasp was always strong and stable, casuing Amy to feel completely secure again. She carefully squeezed it three times and almost as a natural response he gently squeezed hers back.

The rest of the afternoon they spent playing on the beach - they played ball with a large cooconut, had races up to the slope to then roll back down, made sand angels and splashed around in the shallow water which ended in everyone trying to get Sonic the wettest. It ended with all of them falling face first into the sandbank when trying to catch him.

Ultimately the four friends decided to end their day together by sitting at the shore, where the waves barely reached their feet, and watch as it slowly drew closer to dusk. The heat of the sun didn't hold the same intensity anymore, but had settled to a comofrtable warmth. A softer shade of blue had been painted across the sky that soon would blend together with the ocean that still appeared mirror like. The stillness was complete.

"This is one of my new favorite days." Amy suddenly said earnestly, her jade eyes staring out towards the horizon "I almost wish I could stay and re live it forever."

"It's not over yet." Sonic reminded her, before arising from the ground "Hold on, I'll be right back."

The others stared after him, curious as to what he was up to.

When he returned with the piece of drift wood and the four flower crowns, Tails was the only one to understand what he'd use them for.

To Cream and Amy's confused expressions Sonic began explaining "You see, in some places on Mobius people put little boat like thingies out on the ocean or rivers as a symbol of some kind. It can be for celebrations or memorial, a sort of remembrance I guess." the trio watched him put the driftwood on the shallow shore, placing the flower crowns on top it and how it easily managed to stay afloat "I figured we could send this one off as a way to remember this day."

"That's a nice thought." Cream said in a sincere tone. She smiled at the idea of an entire ocean filled to the brink with small flowers in every color drifting across its surface. And how beautiful it must be to see such sight in person.

"I can do it." Amy volunteered.

She kneeled down and took off her sandals before wading out into the water - bringing the driftwood along. The fold of her dress floated around her much like the petals of a flower. She enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the cool water against her bare skin and how nice it was to have the ocean floor beneath her feet.

When the water reached her to the waist, Amy finally stopped and let go off the piece of wood. With a gentle push she sent it out towards the openess, towards the horizon and towards the unknown...

The four flower crowns sailed further and further away until neither of them could see it anymore.

---

Later that night, Sonic and Amy laid in bed and talked about their day together with their friends. He agreed that it was one of the better days he'd had in a long time, though he argued that the day before was even better due to their reunion.

Soon enough, they had huddled close together and simply enjoyed the silence that had settled in between their little talks. But Amy's mind couldn't help but wander.

For awhile now, actually during most of the time that Sonic had been away, Amy had started to have thoughts about the future. She was eighteen after all and when the fall came she'd turn nineteen, and Sonic would turn twenty-two in only a couple of weeks.

Despite the age gap, she felt a childish sense of satisfaction over the fact that she had never lived in a world without Sonic. It was hard to imagine that there had been a time before him, that he hadn't always been a natural part of the planet like the wind or the very earth itself. He had been a hoglet and after that grown into a kid, a kid that all too soon had developed into a teenager and from a teenager he'd matured to the young man that now laid beside her.

Ever since they had become a couple, Amy had pondred over the future less and less. Somehow it hadn't seemed all that important anymore - though lately she had found herself thinking of it a lot. Maybe Sonic had thought of it as well?

Amy turned her head to the side, and gazed at Sonic's resting face, he looked peaceful enough to fall asleep.

With a gentle tone she uttered- "Sonic?" he hummed to let her know he was listening "Do you ever think about the future..?"

It took a while before he replied "Sometimes, I guess. And as it looks right now - my future couldn't be any brighter." almost subconsciously he reached for her left hand and grasped it - gently stroking his thumb across the golden band she wore "I have the most amazing friends, I get to travel around the world and help people in need, poke fun at Egghead now and again... and oh! - There's that guy in Station Square that gives me free chili dogs every Tuesday!"

Amy rolled her eyes playfully and Sonic gave her a goofy smile that soon changed into a more sincere one "But most importantly, I know you'll be in my future." he glanced at her, curious as to what this all was coming from "What about you, Ames, what do you see in our future? What do you dream about?"

For as long as Amy had known Sonic, she'd dreamed about him. And even though it was embarrassing to remember how she, back in her early teenage days, used to proudly proclaim Sonic as her future husband it was what she'd wanted most of all. To this day, that dream still remained. Even if her younger self hadn't understood the more complex and mature aspects of marriage or what happened afterwards, and she suddenly realized neither had she really thought about that part either.

Sonic had promised her marriage - some day. The golden ring on her finger was proof of that. But then what?

In all honesty, Amy knew that simply living by his side for the rest of her life was enough - ring or no ring. And, to some degree, she didn't necessarily even need him to love her. Simply being his friend would've been fine or merely acquittances bearable. As long as she had been certain of her love for him and that he, with or without it, would've been happy.

But luckily, Amy lived in a world where Sonic did love her and they were engaged. Truly anything beyond this point was mere bonus in her life - an additional piece of heaven she was allowed to experience.

So if her mind was to dream freely of what might happen in their future she could only really think of one thing-

Children.

And for a wonderful moment she imagined a smiling baby boy that was an exact copy of Sonic, how she'd cradle the little hoglet in her arms while Sonic in turn would have his arms around her, and how his voice lulled their child to sleep as she rocked it gently. Then it was hard not to envision a whole bundle of little hoglets running around their feet, all little copies of themselves.

For someone who'd never had a family, Amy genuinely held hopes to create one of her own. Though she wasn't sure if her fiance shared the same eager... They had just about become adults after all. It would be brought up eventually, right?

Amy concluded that she didn't want to freak Sonic out by mentioning children right now, so instead she offered him the closest thing to an honest answer she could give.

"I dream of us." she said earnestly "You and me, living together and all the adventures that might follow."

While Sonic looked deeply touched by the thought of it, he didn't look quite convinced "And what adventures would that be?" he inquired softly.

"I-I don't know.."

"Come on, Ames, you're a terrible liar." Sonic said with a smirk, and crooked a brow.

Amy pouted and tried to hide her blushing face in the crook of his neck "You'll only laugh at me..!"

His playful expression subsided and was instead replcaed by a warm look that shone brightly of tenderness. Then he gently cupped her face between his hands, stroked her cheek with his thumb and stared deeply into her eyes.

"You can tell me anything, I promise I won't laugh."

And when he looked at her with such sincerity and heard the genuine concern in his voice it was impossible not to reveal her thoughts.

Hastily, Amy averted her eyes the best she could.

"Sonic, have you-..." her voice faded, she sighed deeply before forcing herself to meet his gaze again "Have you ever thought about having kids?"

Sonic was quiet for awhile, choosing his word with great care until a wistful smile spread on his lips.

"No, I can't really say that I have."

Amy tried not to look hurt but guessed she didn't succeed very well because Sonic's hand softly pressed hers in a comforting way.

"You... you don't want any?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that." his eyes got distant and his brow furrowed slightly - as if he was remembering something unpleasent "When I was alone... before I met you and Tails. I used to think- I guess I was angry at... my parents. I couldn't understand how someone could abandon their kid like that. How could anything be more important than taking care of your own kid..? And when I met Tails, orphaned before he'd even turned five..."

He halted himself and cleared his throat before continuing.

"I saw myself, Ames. I saw myself in him. Alone and scared with no one to count on but yourself. The only difference was that I still saw hope in his eyes, hope that someone, even a hopeless hero like myself, would be his friend. But he became more than my friend - he was still a kid but I cared for him more than that. I despised the word parent so instead I chose the word brother. Although, looking back, I was probably more like a parent than a big brother, at least at the beginning."

A more content expression took form on his features as he talked about Tails. Then suddenly his gaze shifted back towards Amy and that tender look that was solely evident when he looked at her appeared.

"And not long after that, I met you. That was something different than with Tails, I felt more like... a protector. I simply knew, the moment I laid eyes on you, that I would stop at nothing to keep you safe. And well.. the rest you know. My point being that, we never really needed our parents and what's worse is that if we had had them... then we never would've met."

Sonic's frown deepened "I know it's an awful thing to say, but I can't help but feel glad, even thankful, for the way things turned out. And if I'd have a kid... I guess I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to be there for it.."

His eyes became distant and an ice cold feeling grasped his heart in an iron like grip.

"What if something were to happen to you or our kid because of me, if you got hurt or someone would come after you simply because I am who I am. And what if I then left you out of guilt and became just like my own parents..? What if I turn out just the same."

It was Amy's turn to stare deeply into his eyes and embrace him harder.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, don't you dare speak or even think like that! You would never be able to do that, never. You'd be a great father, please don't ever believe otherwise..."

She hadn't realized that silent tears had begun to stream down her cheeks, and she firmly wiped them away before continuing.

"I don't care how many children we ever end up having as long as you stay by my side." Amy sniffled and buried her face deep into his shoulder "And even if we got in danger, I know that you'd never let anything happen to us. You'll always protect me."

Sonic lovingly stroked her quills while he obeserved his fianceé in silent wonderment. The cold feeling in his chest melted and instead got replaced by an inexplicable warmth.

If Amy had such strong faith in him, how could he ever afford to doubt himself?

"Our own little rose buds..." he finally said with a mindful expression.

Then his face morphed into a bright, carefree smile and a heartfelt laugh escaped his lips that caused his whole body to shudder with laughter. He swiftly rolled his entire body to the side so that he, without putting any weight on her, hovered over Amy's small frame.

"Can you imagine that?" he asked playfully "Little versions of you and me running around and they sure would be running, alright - for, well, obvious reasons."

His laughter affected Amy too and their previous somberness was like blown away.

"How would we ever catch them?" Amy giggled.

He pretended to ponder the question, goofily twisting his face into concentration "We could put trackers on them and perhaps put lead in their shoes."

"Would that have stopped you?"

"Probably not, but it'd be worth a shot."

Sonic chuckled and rolled off of her to lie back on the bed before his expression changed into a more serious one. He looked her straight in the eyes and said with a gentle yet dismissing tone -

"But that's in the future, Ames. Years ahead in the future... We are still very young, and right now my plan is to first and foremost make a world that's safe enough for you to be my wife in."

The moment the last sentence left his lips he knew that he had said too much.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked with a mild surprised look.

"Nothing. I'm just not really the safest guy to be around." He tried to look convincing when he rolled his eyes.

A heartfelt giggle erupted from her. "I think I have some experience with that."

"You should have better judgement with who you intend to marry, Miss Rose. I'm just a penniless hero, after all." Sonic said but his words wasn't without some sort of seriousness in them.

Being a world-renowned hero didn't exactly come with riches or high status advantages. Not that he'd ever seeked out any fourtune or fame when he "took the job" so to speak. If anything, Sonic despised the idea of getting any privileges whatsoever by doing something that, to him, felt so naturally. Saving people in need and defending planet Mobius was so deeply rooted within him that it might aswell have been etched in to his soul. And to preserve freedom and justice for everyone was what he lived for.

But that also meant that he couldn't buy Amy any fancy dresses, not buy her a big house or an expensive wedding ring adorned by diamonds. Despite the fact that he knew that she wasn't anywhere close to being shallow or concerned by material things, it still sometimes hurt knowing that he couldn't give her everything that she deserved.

Reluctantly, Sonic envisioned how Amy, instead of him, got married to a wealthy businessman. How she'd live in a luxurious penthouse in Station Square with a husband that didn't have the fate of the world on his shoulders - a husband that could always be there for her. Hold her close without having to worry about his enemies coming after her, wear his ring without having to hide it. Kiss her passionately as the sound of happily playing children echoed around them...

A sudden rush of resentment shot through his body. An irrational feeling of hatred and jealousy towards the faceless man who had his arms around the imaginary Amy Rose who had a diamond ring as big as a fist gracing her finger.

"Sonic..." the voice of the real Amy Rose interrupted his thoughts as she had inched closer to his face, trying to catch his gaze, and when she did she smiled tenderly and continued softly "You are the only man for me, the only man who I have- and ever will love. I could live anywhere as long as I'd have you."

The kiss that followed was filled with so much love and affection that Sonic immediately felt guilty for having thought of her being with someone else. She was just as bond to him as he was to her, and that bond was forever unbreakable. It was simply impossible for it to have ended up any other way. No matter how much he felt skeptical regarding the concept of fate he knew that this was the one exception - he and Amy were connected far beyond what his own imagination could fathom.

Soul mates was the only definition Sonic could think of being close enough.

He eagerly returned the kiss, brought a hand up the back of her back while the other one reached up to gently grasp her quills and press her head further down which also caused their kiss to deepen. When they parted their eyes locked and slowly began to undo the lacing of her nightgown.

"Amy..." Sonic whispered and looked at her with a hint of hesitance evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry.." Amy reassured.

And when he came with no objections, she easily undid the last lace before becoming notably still. Her eyes held a silent anticipation but also a hint of shyness as she didn't quite dare to meet her fiance's gaze. A rosy blush had appeared on her cheeks and she lightly bit her under lip in an almost childlike way.

Sonic didn't know what to think as he stared at the most adorable sight he'd ever seen in his young life. What had he ever done to deserve this virtuous rose that asked nothing more of him than to simply love her just as dearly as she loved him. His heart welled with mixed feelings of protectiveness and longing to feel every inch of her body.

Delicately he put his thumb and index finger below her chin and directed her face forward in an attempt to lock eyes with her beautiful jade ones.

"My sweet rose..." Sonic whispered tenderly as he pecked each of her rosy cheeks.

With a trail of kisses he made his way down to the top of Amy's nightgown, where the lacing had been fully undone but didn't yet reveal of what was concealed underneath. Carefully, he let his hands brush aside the cotton fabric and then continued to plant kisses down the middle of her chest. Amy's natural smell of roses mixed with her soft moans of satisfaction caused a lightheaded feeling in Sonic's head, and it was an absolute fulfilling sensation.

Amy's hands pulled at the puffed sleeves of the nightgown in a mindless attempt to get the rest of it off, but didn't succeed. Sonic, however, took notice and halted his actions and then proceeded to sit on his knees and pulled Amy along with him.

They now sat before each other on the bed with Sonic's body slightly towering over hers. His hands traveled up her spine and stopped at her shoulders to then swiftly slip off the rest of the upper half of the nightgown. Then, with half lidded eyes, he observed how she slowly but surely slid out of the bottom of the nightgown.

Sonic rested his eyes on Amy's now fully naked body - so petite and delicate that he barely dared touch upon it. But in the end his curiosity took over, and he guided her so that her body got placed astride on his waist. Due to her sitting on his thighs, she got slightly elevated and could almost look at him in the same level, his neck just slightly crooked.

They embraced each others bare forms and could for the first time experience how they felt purely skin to skin.

To Sonic it was close to being addictive the way her entire being shaped after his own.. How Amy's breasts softly pressed against the subtle muscles on his torso, the way her breathing seemed to adapt to the own risings and fallings of his chest, how their hearts synced up to one another in an unison beat and her lips instinctively began plant kisses upon his body while he let his hands explore every curve of hers.

"This must be heaven..." Sonic thought as a wide smile spread on his muzzle.

Amy seemed to be thinking in a similar way and didn't know whether she should laugh or cry tears of sheer joy. Never, even in her wildest imagination, could she have foreseen how it would feel to be this close to Sonic and be caressed with such gentle, caring and loving strokes. And deep within her still innocent mind, she knew that this was only the beginning of something deeper.

A spark of desire bloosomed up deep within Sonic's chest and he carefully lowered Amy down on the bed with his own body following suit, hovering above hers. His lips kept caressing her and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself unless she asked him to. For a split second he wanted to go back on everything that he knew and simply dedicate his entire life to this very moment. Nothing seemed important anymore except the very girl before him.

It was such an otherworldly sensation that Sonic got startled by his own desire "Please..." he breathed before kissing her again "Please, ask me to stop."

"I don't want you to stop.." Amy whispered.

And as predicted he didn't, Sonic continued to caress her body and spent even more time planting kisses upon it.

With flaming red cheeks they uttered moans that erupted as a natural response to what they were experiencing. Their bodies acted as though they had always known exactly what to do at this very moment, as if they had been made for each other and now reunited in a sweet composition of love.

At long last however, the exhaustion overwhelmed the both of them and forced Sonic to break out of the trance. They caught their breaths and stared at each other, bashfully yet vividly aroused. They joined in a heartfelt laughter which caused them to playfully fool around until they ultimately fell into a rather tangled mess.

When their laughing finally faded, Sonic covered them with the blanket that lay at the end of the bed and brought Amy's body close so that he could warm her. Amy happily accepted the gesture, she snuggled up against him and sighed once her head found its place in the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped around her securely before giving her a gentle squeeze.

"One day, Amy... one day I will show you just how much I love you." Sonic whispered softly "But that day you'll be wearing two rings instead of one and I'll have to adress you as Mrs Rose."

"I prefer Mrs Sonic the Hedgehog, if you please." she giggled.

"No way am I going to force you to take my name." he chuckled. Not that it even was a proper last name.

"It's tradition."

"A stupid tradition."

"Fine... Mr Rose."

The last rays of the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon when the two hedgehogs finally fell asleep.

---

Amy was safe.

Sonic's emerald eyes told her so.

Despite her inability to know exactly how she'd gotten off the Little Planet, she had covered her eyes and shut them so hard that it'd almost hurt, she knew that wherever he'd taken her it was somewhere safe.

The dangerous part was over - Never again would anything ever separate them.

As soon as Sonic placed her down on the ground she threw herself in his arms and the young hero responded by giving her a light pat on the back.

"Oh, thank you so much for saving me!" Amy said in a sing-song voice and twirled around in a circle, the orange skirt flowing smoothly.

A confident smirk. Sonic flicked his nose and winked at her, striking a pose.

"Heh, it was no biggie! I'm just glad you're okay, Rosy."

"That's not actually my real name..." she said and suddenly looked a bit shy, scarping her foot in the dirt slightly "It's Amy. Amy Rose"

Sonic blinked.

"Amy Rose." he echoed and Amy already liked the way he said it, as if he was uttering a beautiful word in a foreign language. "It suits you."

Blushing cheeks and bashful giggling erupted from the pair.

Then it happened.

The ground beneath them suddenly quaked so violently that it knocked them off their feet. A deep crack formed, placing Amy on one side and Sonic on the other. At a rapid pace the crack deepened and sent them further apart.

"No..." Amy whispered with a terrified look on her face "No, no! Sonikku!"

She crawled to the edge of the crack and stretched a hand out to her hero.

Desperate to not be left alone. Not again...

"Don't worry Amy! I'll be right there!" Sonic shouted heroically and prepared to leap across the ever growing abyss.

Amy firmly closed her eyes. She didn't dare to watch.

But with surprising ease, the blue hedgehog managed to fling himself forward with such force that he landed completely safely on the other side.

However, when he landed he was no longer eleven but instead fully grown up and scars that shouldn't yet be there for another couple of years, was etched onto his entire body.

Not that she had any way of knowing, but Amy still felt that somehow those scars were her fault.

It had started to rain. The sunny weather had transformed into a full-on storm. Behind the hedgehogs, Little Planet crashed into Never Lake which sent an enormous tidal wave towards them.

Panic shot through Amy's body.

Sonic couldn't swim.

She just knew that without having any proof of the matter.

But it didn't matter because something else grabbed her attention. Out of the abyss there suddenly arose a metalic form with razor sharp claws and eyes so red that it looked like blood.

Metal Sonic.

"No! No, no, no! Sonic run!" Amy screamed while trying to push away the much taller hedgehog.

Sonic merely smiled. That bright and tender smile he held solely for her.

"No one can ever truly hurt me as long as you're safe."

The phrase sparked a memory that wouldn't even be able to be a memory for another decade.

With fearless eyes her hero threw himself at his robotic copy, ready to die for her.

Metal Sonic's claws pierced through Sonic's chest. Blood splattered his still smiling face.

Amy could only watch in complete horror and scream until she no longer had any air left in her lungs "Sonikku!"

She sank to her knees with a sudden intense pain erupting in her chest.

Then she realized.

The blood on Sonic's face wasn't his own, it was hers.

It was her chest that Metal Sonic's claws had bore through.

It was her heart that had been pierced.

Amy was the one who hit the ground - dead.

---

A shrill, bloodcurdling scream was the first thing Sonic became aware of as he awoke from his sleep with an abrupt jolt forward. Within mere seconds, his mind was as sharp as in the midst of battle and adrenaline shot through his veins while he stared around wildly in the dark bedroom.

It was pitch black but his hands somehow managed to turn on the lamp that stood on the nightstand which in turn spread a faint light through the room. When his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they instinctively drew towards Amy's quivering form.

She had curled up into a ball and feverishly pressed her hands over her eyes as if she desperately wanted to claw them out of their sockets. Out of her throat, came yet another gut wrenching scream and her entire body twisted in an uncomfortable angle.

Sonic hastily tried to embrace in order to calm her, but then she flung her arms outwards and feebly tried to keep him away. That caused him to get a glance of Amy's face, which was twisted in a pained expression while her eyes were tightly shut. She was still asleep...

Being careful not to hurt her, Sonic managed to get his arms around her body thus forcing her to stop quivering and fight against his grip. However, it only caused her screams to grow more intense.

"Amy! Come on, wake up!"

When his voice reached Amy's subconscious her body immediately went limp and her eyelids shot open to reveal her terrified jade eyes.

For a brief moment everything went dead quiet until Amy managed to stutter out a weak; "S-Sonic..."

Uttermost relief washed over her face once she recognized Sonic, and he smiled when he noticed that some color returned to her fair peach skin.

"It's alright, Amy.." he cooed in her ear while stroking her back "You're safe.. It was just a bad dream, nothing more."

Light quivers went through Amy's body as the horrible images of the dream, or rather nightmare, still lingered in her mind. She desperately tried to distract her thoughts so that it didn't become a memory.

Sonic's comforting strokes.. their naked bodies so tightly wrapped in one another..

Him dying before her eyes...

A pained whine erupted from her while she firmly clutched on to Sonic as if her life depended on it.

"I'm right here." he reminded her, tightly squeezing her to emphasis his presence.

For awhile they laid completely still, listening to the sound of each others pulses - Amy's was gradually decreasing wheras Sonic held the same steady rhythm as always.

After what felt like an eternity he quietly asked "What was it about?"

Amy rarely had nightmares while he on the other hand had become increasingly more plauged by bad dream as he'd gotten older. Maybe because he no longer possesed the same carefree attitude as he did when he was a mere teenager. Perhaps all the madness he'd been forced to endure was starting to somehow add up. But then again, he'd never been quite this happy in his entire life either. Was he simply so afraid of losing that happiness that it had started to affect his dreams? He guessed it made sense, but it didn't explain why Amy suddenly had them too.

Sonic never shared any specific details of his adventures that regarded any type of gruesomeness, and when it came to Eggman's plots he strictly kept to leaving certain things out or made up an alternate story instead.

Tails wasn't too pleased about Sonic's decision as he'd sometimes be forced to lie to Amy whenever she brought any of it up. His little brother pointed out that he couldn't keep her living in the illusion that none of the things Eggman threatened with ever happened. The longer periods of time they were forced to be gone from home, and the fact that Sonic's body always held a new set of scars each time he returned would soon be too much to simply blame on them helping out with reconstructions of damaged villages.

Though, Sonic refused to listen. Not because he disregarded Tails' reasoning or thought he could keep Amy in the dark forever, sooner or later Eggman would make reality of his threats and then it'd be hard to pretend he'd been oblivious about it all.

But...

He still wanted to shelter her for as long as he could. This was, after all, his choice of lifestyle - not hers. It would be unfair of him to demand that she gave up a life in peacefulness just so that they could be together.

He knew Amy loved him more than she valued her own safety, therfore Sonic had to make sure she didn't end up getting hurt because of what he did. That's why he'd gotten her this house, it was sort of a safe haven, a sanctuary away from all the dangers of the world. For her, but also for himself. Here Amy could live a normal life, here he could be the fiance, and eventually -husband, she deserved.

Sonic's train of thoughts was interrupted when Amy abruptly shifted in his arms, so that she instead had her back against his torso.

"Sonic, I-I have to tell you something..." she whispered "But don't think I'm crazy, okay?"

"Okay."

Amy swallowed hard and hastily entwined her fingers with his.

"Earlier today, during the picnic, when I thought I saw something in the woods."

Sonic frowned slightly "Yeah?"

There was a brief pause. Even uttering the name brought her chills "I think it was Metal Sonic."

"Metal Sonic..?" he echoed questiongly and couldn't help but already feel doubtful. Robotnik hadn't rebuilt any of those since forever and Sonic vaguely even remembered what his metallic copy had looked like.

"I know it sounds strange, because if it were him..- I mean he would've attacked us, right?"

"I'd think so, yeah."

If Robotnik had created new copys of Metal Sonic it was hardly to help flickies that'd fallen out of their nests or something.

"Then why didn't he?"

"Maybe your mind was playing tricks on you." Sonic began to reason while he calmingly caressed Amy's hands "The sun was pretty intense today, perhaps you got sunstroked."

"Maybe... You're probably right, it's just unpleasent to think that Metal might've returned."

She shrugged her shoulders and Sonic took notice of her tone - anxious, with a hint of fright. Suddenly her desperate screaming from before echoed in the back of his head. It was an unusual type of high-pitched scream that he'd only heard a few times in his life. One had been the first time he'd saved her from- Oh...

Slowly he put two and two together.

"Was that what you dreamed about? Metal-.." he swallowed hard and had to suppress the anger that threatened to surface at the mere thought of that metalic demon even close to Amy "-hurting you?"

A few seconds of hesitation passed before Amy reluctantly spoke with a broken voice that revealed she was close to tears "Not me - you, or rather you got hurt because of me. Because I was too weak, too helpless to stop him."

"You're not weak, Ames. You're the strongest, most bravest person I know." Sonic whispered lovingly as he kissed her cheek from behind "It was just a dumb dream that doesn't mean a thing. Metal is not coming back, and even if he was I'd never let him hurt either of us. So, please, don't cry."

Amy giggled softly under her breath as Sonic started to plant multiple short kisses on her muzzle which caused a tickling feeling to spread through her body. She tried to move out of his arms and further back in the bed, but he easily caught her and proceeded to attack her with butterfly kisses.

"Sonic.." she whined half heartedly in between fits of giggles "Stop, It tickles..!"

He halted himself as he enjoyed the sound of her sweet, melodious giggling that warmed his heart stronger than any summer sun could.

"Now there, that's better." Sonic said and smiled "There's the sound I love."

Truly, the contrast between her terrified screaming and her laughter was like night and day, and Sonic knew which one he'd preferred to never hear again and which one he simply couldn't live without.

The dawn of a new day came and Sonic left the house early to take his usual morning run. He felt notably energetic when he came out on the front yard, the adrenaline already pumped through his system at a rapid pace and his legs itched for a really long run. The air was clear and like the previous day it looked as if it were to be yet another sunny day.

Memories of yesterday's evening still lingered in Sonic's mind, causing a sligt pink hue to rest on his cheeks. While at the same time had Amy's nightmare put him a bit on edge - he'd written her a short note just in case.

And even if he tried his best to clear his mind as he sprinted off at neck break speed, his thoughts still reached out to her.

A while later Amy awoke from her slumber where she lay neatly tucked in the blanket Sonic had covered her with. She noticed his absence but quickly found the note he'd left her. His sloppy handwriting read- "Out for a run, back before you know it. - Mr. Rose." and in the corner he'd drawn something that she guessed were supposed to resemble himself wearing a large top hat. She giggled fondly and put the note on her nightstand before then proceeding to arise from bed and stand infront of the wide bay window.

Amy let the blanket fall to the ground, exposing her naked body and letting it bathe in the morning light. The sun immediately warmed every fiber of her being and gave her pink fur a glowing shimmer. She let out a content sigh.

With graceful movements she slid her hands along her body and with blushing cheeks remembered how Sonic had caressed it with such gentle affection merely hours ago. His touch still lingered upon her skin and she could almost feel certain spots tingle where his lips had been. A sweet smile spread on her muzzle at the mere thought of it.

Truly no morning had ever begun better than this one.

Amy had let the kitchen door stand ajar in case Sonic decided to take that way in. The wind blew in, ruffling the tulle curtain and causing it to sway gently in front of the door opening - slightly concealing the garden outside.

In ordinary fashion the pink hedgehog began preparing breakfast, whistling a happy tune as she almost danced across the kitchen floor. Her body felt light as a feather and once in a while she twirled so swiftly that her cream colored dress fluttered around her frame.

Soon Sonic would come home and they'd eat in the garden, then she'd call Cream who'd come over the two of them would bake the most delicious pie to bring to their Sunday dinner with Vanilla. Perhaps she'd learn a new recipe, and she might even ask Tails if he could take for a spin in the Tornado. It had been such a long time ago since last time. Afterwards her and Sonic would have the entire day to themselves, just the two of them.. Oh, she couldn't wait!

Just as she was about to reach for the flour for the pancakes a loud creaking noise came from outside the garden. It sounded as if someone had walked right through the pickett fence.

"Maybe Sonic accidently hit it when he came running..." Amy thought.

She caustiously walked towards the kitchen door but stopped dead in her tracks when something or someone appeared just outside the door. The figure was hidden behind the curtain and only its silhouette was visible.

Amy was just about to push the curtain aside when she suddenly hesitated "Sonic..?" she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper "Is that you?"

But it wasn't Sonic.

The tulle curtain fluttered aside and revealed the tall figure before her. Its metalic body was in a dark shade of blue and easily towered over her in a menacing way. Instead of anything that might've resembled fingers there were long, razor sharp claws that looked like it could cut through a body within the blink of an eye. Along the sides of his arms there were similar sharp blades that stuck out. But what scared her the most, what made her breath get caught in her throat and her body to shrink, was the dead, piercing blood red eyes.

The same eyes that had haunted her dreams ever since that fateful day on Little Planet. A living nightmare.

Metal Sonic...

And despite its intended purpose of resembling Sonic, the robotic copy couldn't possibly look any more unlike him.

Suddenly Amy Rose felt like she was nine years old again.

With a swift jerk of his hand, he ripped the entire curtain down with the curtain rod crashing down onto the floor as well. It rattled loudly and rolled away out of reach.

Then without another second passing by, Metal began advancing forward.

In a instinctively attempt to eacape Amy stumbled over her own feet and fell backwards, hitting the floor hard on her back. A sharp rush of adrenaline mixed with a deafening sense of fear took control of every muscle in her body and she was left with crawling backwards. Trying to get as far away as possible from Metal's reach.

But deep within her mind she knew it was impossible. Metal was both superiourly stronger and faster than her. There was no way of escaping and nowhere to hide.

He continued to calmly approach her, the static eyes observing her until something seemed to spark in them. Then all of a sudden he stopped and uttered something Amy knew she would never be able to forget.

"Little Amy Rose... We meet again."

The monotone yet eerie voice sent shivers down her spine. Never had a voice alone made her so absolutely terrified. It didn't sound quite mobian nor completely robotic, but an uncanny mix of both.

Amy was too stunned to even utter a single word, she merely stared at him with widened eyes.

"Do something, you'll die if you don't!" Amy's brain seemed to scream at her, instantly snapping her out the trance.

Her eyes drew towards the curtain rod and she divde for it with outstretched arms, her hands clawing for it desperately. She managed to get a grasp of it and hastily aimed a swing towards Metal, hoping to knock him off his feet. But to no avail as he easily caught it and with a flick of his wrist snapped the rod in half.

The half he still held in his hand he directed towards Amy, who at the last second dodged it's merciless jab at her torso. However Metal was soon at her again, pressing the rod against her throat in an attempt to suffocate her to death. With all her might she tried to keep the rod away with her hands pressing against it so hard that it hurt.

Then there was that shift in Metal's eyes again and he dropped the curtain rod, and for a brief moment he seemed to have forgotten what he was just doing.

Amy immediately took action and rolled to the side, scurrying to her feet and fleeing into the living room where her first instinct was to reach the bathroom and lock herself in. But the wooden door would probably not even be able to sustain more than two hits until it would come crashing down. The next option was either hide upstairs or to somehow muster up enough strength to sprint towards the sliding glass door and then run as far away as her legs could carry her.

Though she never got to find out as without warning her arm got clutched in an iron grip and before she could even register the pain got flung across the room. Amy's body flew through the air like a lifeless rag doll, crashing against the table that the record player stood upon. Like a house of cards it all collapsed beneath her body, the record player hitting the floor and breaking the fragile record that had laid on it into a dozens of pieces.

An intense pain blossomed up in Amy's back and her head ached so fiercely that she felt like throwing up. Through dazed eyes she saw how Metal came towards her and then brutally heaving her upwards with only one hand gripping her quills. Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground and all she could do was screech in pure terror and agony.

Metal seemed to enjoy hearing her scream. He brought a single deadly claw up to her face and viciously let it slide down her cheek, it pierced her skin just as easily as if she'd been made out of paper. Hot tears blended with the blood while Amy uttered something that sounded like a mix between a sob and a shriek.

One thing was repeating in her mind and that was that she wouldn't beg. Metal could play with her as much as he wanted. He could beat and cut her until there was nothing left of her - but she refused to beg for mercy.

Because she knew there was none.

The robotic copy dragged her by the quills across the floor until they were in the center of the living room. He studied her briefly. Then, much like a kid who had tired of a broken toy, Metal dropped her onto the floor where she remained completely motionless but continued to cry.

A horrible thought flashed through her mind; she would never see Sonic again. Never again would she see him smile.. never again see his eyes... his beautiful emerald eyes. Never hear his voice...

"Please Chaos, let Sonic live." she prayed silently "Don't let Metal harm him. Let him live.."

Amy felt how something heavy pressed against her abdomen and realized that Metal had placed himself astride over her body. Before the worst of thoughts could take form she witnessed how he merely aimed at the left side of her chest with his claw like hand.

Was he planning to rip her heart out..?

"Sonic..- I love you..." Amy whimpered and closed her eyes, awaiting the final second of her young life.

It was then it happened.

Like a bullet shot out of a gun, a blue blur crashed through the sliding doors, glass shattered and spread all across the living room floor in a sea of shards. In the following next second everything happened so fast that Amy was barely able to register all of it.

The blur had unraveled and revealed the familiar figure of Sonic who, within the blink of an eye, had rushed towards Metal's body and tackled him away from Amy.

"Sonic..!" she breathed with a mix of relief and concern. Tears welling up in her eyes and making everything rather blurry.

Sonic and Metal tumbled around on the floor, both trying to get the upper hand while the robotic copy also tried to get back to Amy. Apparently to finish the job.

But through big effort, Sonic managed to get his feet against Metal's chest and then used all his strength to push the robot off of him with such force that Metal's body flew half way across the room and crashed into the bookcase. As soon as his body made contact with it, the otherwise sturdy bookcase wobbled so violently that it fell forward against the floor with a slightly dazed Metal getting trapped underneath. Books welled out from their shelves and like a tidal wave spread amongst the already countless shards of glass.

Sonic knew that he only had mere seconds until Metal would arise and attack him anew, but he still couldn't help to cast a glance over at Amy. However, when his eyes couldn't detect any signs of severe bleeding his focus shifted back towards Metal who already shot up from below the bookcase, sending it to the side.

Once again did the red eyes target themselves at Amy where she lay curled up on the floor. He flung himself at her mercilessly, with his claws aiming to kill. Sonic foresaw the attempt and put himself in the way, having clenched his fist which he directed at Metal's head.

"Don't you dare touch her, you creep!" he shouted furiously.

They collided, and Metal's claws slashed Sonic's raised arm so fiercely that the hero let out a sudden cry of pain, losing focus for a moment.

Metal took advantage of this and directed another jab at his enemy, but this time towards his abdomen. Sonic reacted a second too late and got slashed right across the stomach.

But the slash only seemed to ignite an even fiercer fury within Sonic as he with new found energy and sent a sharp kick towards Metal, that hit him square in the gut. The blow casued Metal's entire frame to bend in an odd angle that ultimately led to him falling over - laying face first on the floor. Acting quickly Sonic got on top of him, taking a firm grip on each of his arms and not even caring that the blades cut into his palms. With a raw surge of strength and an almost fearl cry Sonic tore off Metal Sonic's arms with his bare hands in one swift move.

With horror Amy witnessed how Metal's head still fought to keep itself upright and what was even more frightening was how his eyes still targeted themselves at her. Though it didn't last for long as almost immediately Sonic's hands also ripped off the head. He threw it to the side, disgusted.

Metal Sonic's entire body, or at least what was left of it, fell limp and didn't budge an inch.

When Sonic was sure his robotic copy was completely down, he staggered as far away from it as he could before finally falling to his knees in exhaustion.

"S-Sonic!" Amy cried as she mustered up enough strength to pull herself upwards and desperately crawl towards Sonic. She ignored the pain from the slintered glass that embedded themselves deep into her hands and knees.

To see the state he was in made her heart drop. Fresh blood streamed from the wounds on his arm and abdomen while the cuts on his palms had completely runied his gloves. Small pieces of glass had gotten stuck in his fur and one particularly big shard had found its way into his right leg. But none of it seemed to bother him as his eyes only sought out her.

When Amy reached him he hastily took her into his arms and pressed her towards his chest so hard that it almost hurt.

"Amy..." he whispered softly, clearly relieved to find that she was relatively unharmed "Are you alright? Did..- did he hurt you?"

Amy tried to utter a word but she only managed to splutter a wordless squeaking. She felt how something wet ran down her cheeks and realized that she was crying. A light weeping that turned into a hysterical crying once Sonic shifted her into his arms so that he was instead cradling her. The sobbing caused her body to shake so violently that he had to take a firm grasp on her petite form and gently rub her back.

"S-S-So-... on-i-ic..."

"Shh.. it's okay. I'm here now. Nothing can hurt you." Sonic reassured but found that he also had began to tremble "I'm here.."

For how long they sat there in the midst of the chaos - simply embracing each other, he didn't know nor did he care.

All he was aware of was that fragile little heartbeat next to his.

---

Credits:

In Apple Blossom Time - Albert Von Tilzer, Neville Fleeson