Chapter 4

A few moments earlier…

"Hmm, let's see…" Sonic mused to himself as he made his way along the corridor, having just entered the small building in one of Spagonia's side streets and proceeded upstairs to the second floor. The place was quiet, the hallway lined with multiple doors that led to either small places of business or storage rooms where either file cabinets or janitorial equipment were kept. "I'm pretty sure this is the right address… Ah, here we go."

The Blue Blur came to a halt outside the second-to-last door on the right side of the hallway, looking up at the handwritten sign that hung upon said door, immediately recognising the style of handwriting as Amy's; a neat, tidy diction of dainty cursive:

MYSTICAL ROSE

Holistic Specialty Emporium

-Psychic Readings

-Spiritual Guidance

-Love And Life Advice

-Healing Crystals

-Herbal Teas

-New Age Goods

Personalised Tarot Readings 50% Off - Limited Time Only!

"Heh. 'Mystical Rose' indeed…" Sonic murmured, letting out a soft, knowing chuckle. "'Love and life advice'? Sounds like Amy alright." On that note, he reached up with one gloved hand and gave three smart raps on the wooden door.

"Come in!" a voice called out from somewhere beyond the door, sounding decidedly soft, yet also quite familiar. Sonic couldn't help but grin cockily to himself as he slowly pushed the door open; he couldn't wait to see the look on Amy's face when she saw him, when she realised that he had managed to find out where she worked and what her new job was without her telling him. His grin faltered, however, as he stepped inside the shop, soon being replaced by a look of awe as he gazed around the emporium's interior.

"Whoa…" he murmured softly to himself as he took in the atmosphere and decor. There were dream catchers, peace symbols and even paper cranes hanging from the low ceiling, dangling down on bits of coloured string. There was soft music emanating from somewhere, and there were a number of subtle yet distinct scents in the air, bringing to mind incense and the like. Sonic was honestly taken aback; this place had such a serene aura to it. "Looks like Ames has been—" he started, but was cut off by a sudden surprised exclamation in that same familiar voice:

"S-Sonic!"

Sonic turned in the direction of the cry, and a cheeky but nonetheless warm smile found its way onto his face. "Amy!" he greeted, his tone friendly and upbeat, for there she was - Amy Rose, the familiar pink hedgehog having just leapt out of her seat behind the desk that stood beside an open doorway leading to a back room, said doorway playing host to a curtain of multi-coloured beads. Sonic's smile quickly turned to a look of surprise, however, when he really took in the sight of his friend. It had only been a couple of weeks since Sonic had last seen Amy, but he had never seen her looking quite like… well, like this.

Amy was garbed in a green dress that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly in the soft light of the emporium, a necklace of colourful crystals adorning her neck, the little gem shards angled downward. Her usually gloved hands were bare, showcasing their pink fur, a series of bracelets with smooth surfaces and of cool colours adorning her left wrist. What really caught Sonic off guard, however, was Amy's hair:

The female hedgehog's usually well-brushed, shoulder-length pink locks appeared to have been restyled and given extensions, having become dreadlocks that now hung down past her shoulders slightly, the ends dyed a vibrant shade of indigo blue. A white flower adorned these dreadlocks on the upper left side of Amy's head, the end result making her look very much like a stereotypical hippie.

She looked… different. Not in a bad way; just… different.

"Oh, wow. That's a new look for you, Ames," Sonic commented, still seeming momentarily dumbstruck. Amy, on her part, just stood there, wide-eyed, looking like she was about to go into a state of panic. Sonic then grinned. "And a pretty cool look at that."

"I… Huh?!" Amy managed. She was apparently in such a shocked state that she wasn't entirely sure what Sonic had said to her. She blinked and shook her head, her dreadlocks bouncing and swaying this way and that as she did so. "S-Sorry, what was that?"

"I said your new hair is cool," Sonic told her, still grinning broadly. "Forget cool - it's awesome!"

"O-Oh! Y-Yeah, I…" Amy managed, turning away, her cheeks reddening, the pink hedgehog acting uncharacteristically shy. "I wanted it to be a surprise…" she muttered, more to herself than Sonic, sounding slightly dismayed.

"It is a surprise, and a wicked awesome one!" Sonic assured her. That seemed to cheer Amy up a little, a small smile forming on her muzzle.

'Amy Rose, what are you DOING?' the pink hedgehog then thought to herself. 'This is your shop, girl! C'mon, be professional! You don't want Sonic of all people to think you're just a silly little girl playing pretend, do you?'

"Hey, uh, Amy? You doing okay?" Sonic asked, cutting into Amy's thoughts, a look of mild concern on his face.

"No! I mean, YES!" Amy yelped, flailing her arms wildly in misplaced panic, knocking her Tarot cards off the desk in the process. She stood there for a moment, staring in irrational, wide-eyed horror at the mess she'd made, and then she forced out a desperate, terrified laugh. "Ha ha ha… I meant to do that!" she babbled as she bent down to pick up the scattered cards. 'Smooth, Amy. Reeeeeal smooth,' she internally chastised herself.

"Need a hand?" Sonic asked. Amy looked up to see the blue hedgehog now standing before her, his usual cocky yet friendly and outgoing grin present on his visage, one of his teeth seeming to glint in the emporium's soft light. Amy suddenly felt her heart beating faster, thumping against her chest like there was no tomorrow.

"I… I…" Amy struggled to find the words, just staring up at Sonic in awe. Then she slapped a hand to her forehead with a distinct smack. "Oh, what is the MATTER with me today?!" she cried, frustrated at her own unprofessional behaviour. "Can't even run a stupid alternative gift shop without making a fool of myself and—!" She suddenly froze, horrified at her own outburst, horrified knowing that Sonic was still standing right there, watching her as she made a complete fool of herself. She wished she could just sink into the floor and disappear, never to be seen again.

Sonic got down on one knee so that he was at eye level with his friend. "Hey," he said gently, his tone reassuring, "It's okay. We've all had days where we knock things over and get all muddled up and stuff. It's nothing to be ashamed of; you just gotta try and see the funny side of it and use that good humour as a springboard to get yourself back on track."

Amy gazed into Sonic's eyes, and for a moment, she felt her eyes welling up with tears of gratitude. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to just leap forward, throw her arms around Sonic and just cry onto his shoulder, to just appreciate his hold, his presence… Instead, she put on a determined expression and nodded.

"Thank you, Sonic. I needed to hear that," she said politely, gathering up the last of her cards before straightening up, placing the deck back on the table where it belonged. The pink hedgehog then closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a soft sigh of an exhale before taking her place behind her desk. "Now, let's try this again, shall we? Welcome, sir, to the Mystical Rose, where both the universal energy and great prices are abundant. How may I help you today?"

"Heh. Think that's the first time I've ever had anybody call me 'sir'," Sonic said, taking a seat in the provided chair on the side of the desk opposite Amy. "Actually, I was hoping to ask you something, Amy. That is, if you're… not too busy at the moment," he concluded, glancing around mid-sentence as though he were looking for other customers, even though he already knew that there were none present; the sly look in his eye said as much. Amy suppressed the little amused giggle that threatened to escape her mouth.

"Well, you've come to the right place, good sir!" she said more brightly. "If it's the advice of the spirits you seek, I'm your gal! Please understand, however, that I am merely a conduit for the spirits; I can only tell you as much as they tell me, and what they confide to me could be crystal clear, mysteriously vague or anything in-between. Please keep that in mind lest you should be left feeling dissatisfied, for I'm… not really in a position to be giving out refunds, at least not at present," the pink hedgehog admitted somewhat meekly, averting her gaze. "We've…" She cleared her throat. "I've only just set up shop here in the last week… and you're actually my first real customer, so…"

"Sounds like you've had it rough," Sonic commented, looking thoughtful. 'Guess this isn't the best time to ask her anything too personal.' "Tell you what, Ames: I'll give one of your spiritual readings a go, and if it's really good, I'll pay you double whatever your normal rate is." Even as Amy's eyes widened and lit up at that notion, the Blue Blur leaned forward and whispered, "Just don't tell Tails that I spent the money he loaned me on something like this, or he'll never let me hear the end of it. You know what he's like, with his scientific outlook and all."

Amy chuckled knowingly, "Quite," she said, nodding, "And you really don't have to do that for me, Sonic." She then brought her hands together, twiddling her thumbs and looking at the ceiling. "I mean, I'm not gonna try and stop you from doing what you want with your money, but…" she trailed off, trying - and failing spectacularly - to appear nonchalant about the matter, causing Sonic to burst out laughing.

"Oh, don't worry; I've spent more money on less important things," he admitted, still chortling. "I mean, I did used to own Tails' plane, and even back in the day, planes weren't exactly dirt cheap. I was living life in the fast lane in more ways than one back then; basically threw my life savings up to that point away on a vehicle that I hardly ever used… Giving it to Tails was the right idea. If I hadn't, that plane would probably be rusting away in some forgotten shed right about now." He then scratched at the back of his neck, looking awkward. "Yeah, I should probably save story time for later, huh?"

"Right," Amy said rather dismissively, reaching down to open one of the drawers built into her desk. "So, what kind of advice were you hoping to get?" she asked as she rummaged around inside the drawer, looking away from Sonic as she did so. "Finance? Luck? Potential dangers? Or maybe you just wanna know about the future in general?"

"I make my own luck. We all know that about me, let's be real," Sonic stated, smirking knowingly. "Nah, I say just keep it general. Sometimes broad strokes are better than precise ones, y'know?"

Amy stopped rummaging around in the drawer for a moment and looked up at Sonic. "That's actually really profound, especially coming from you," she mused aloud. She then returned her attention to the drawer. "Ah, there's the little…!" She reached in and pulled out a small crystal ball and a little plastic stand, placing the latter on the desk before her and setting the former atop it. "Don't let its size fool you," she said as Sonic eyed the clear little sphere with visible skepticism. "A medium's instrument of channeling is defined by said medium's connection to the universe, not the stature of the instrument itself."

"Yeah, I'm more concerned with how that 'crystal' ball is very obviously made of glass," Sonic pointed out, that knowing smirk of his still present.

"It is not!" Amy insisted, pouting childishly. "This ball is genuine clear-cut crystal of the highest quality!"

"So if I were to knock it onto the floor—" Sonic began, his smirk becoming a huge, mischievous grin.

"Don't you dare!" Amy positively screeched, quickly wrapping her arms around the 'crystal' ball protectively. "This thing cost me twenty rings! Uh, I mean…" She gulped nervously, tugging at the collar of her outfit, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

"You paid just twenty rings for a 'genuine' crystal ball?" Sonic scrutinised, his eyebrows waggling cockily.

Amy let out a frustrated groan. "Alright, fine, it's glass!" she admitted irritably. "I couldn't afford the real thing, so I had to improvise! I'm hoping to invest in a proper crystal ball once I start bringing in a profit with this job, but for now, this'll have to do! It's still valid! It is!" she insisted, catching the smirk on Sonic's face. "I could conduct moonlit séances with this crystal ball that would scare you silly with the amount of paranormal activity involved!"

"Okay, okay!" Sonic said, laughing now. "As long as you're happy with it, that's good enough for me." He sat back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head and even going so far as to put his feet up on the desk. "Lay it on me, Ames. What 'fortunes' smile upon me, hmm?"

"Sonic," Amy said in an eerily calm tone, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the Blue Blur, his posture putting his cocky arrogance on full display.

"Yeah, Amy?"

"Get your feet off of my desk BEFORE I BREAK THEM OFF!" Amy roared. Sonic burst out laughing as he quickly removed his red sneakers from atop Amy's table. He leaned further back in his chair, still laughing his quills off… and then his eyes widened; his chair was wobbling precariously. Too precariously.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOAAA!"

THUD.

"Serves you right," Amy declared, her tone callous and uncaring. "You know, I was hoping that you might take this seriously, but if you wanna goof off and waste my time, then you just go right ahead, Sonic The Hedgehog. See if I care." On that note, she turned away, her arms folded.

"Ugh. Oh, man," Sonic grunted as he picked himself up off the floor, his right shoulder now lightly bruised. He dared to touch it as he straightened up and let out a light hiss of pain, wincing. "That really smarts." He then turned to look at Amy, seeing her sulking bitterly, looking both fed up and disappointed. The Blue Blur sighed. "Okay, Amy, I… I'm sorry, alright?" he said earnestly. "I was just having a little fun with you, but I took it too far," he admitted. "For what it's worth. I'm still game for this whole thing if you are," he concluded, holding out his hand to Amy. She glanced at Sonic's outstretched palm out of the corner of her eye.

"No more nonsense?" she said at last.

Sonic smiled. "No more nonsense, I promise."

Amy returned her friend's smile and reached forward to shake his hand. "Alright, Sonic. Let's get started. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sonic said, putting on a cheery tone just to make sure that the tension between himself and Amy was eased as he straightened up the fallen chair and sat down upon it once more. He then winced in pain again. "Quick question before we start: D'you happen to have an ice pack on you?"

Amy bit back an irritated sigh, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

Amy Rose… with dreadlocks. The dedicated Amy fans are surely fuming right about now. Lol!

Next chapter soon (maybe).