Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic & Crew, nor do I own "Imaginary" by Evanescence. I'd like to thank TJ the Shadow Freak for helping me find the lyrics.
Of course, thanks again, TJ. Now, here's something for you people. I had been mistakenly given the song, thanks to my friend Samantha, but I found I liked it, and I felt it should be placed here. Tell me if it doesn't sound right for this chapter, and I'll replace it with another song.
(A/n: A bit of mush at some point. Hint of Sonic+Amy is apparent… but it will be nothing more than that, I assure you.)
Broken Hope[Amy's POV]
// Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming \\
// Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights \\
My eyes snap open in a flash, beads of glinting sweat upon my forehead because I could feel the small breeze cool the skin beneath my fur on my face, since the window was open. I could hear screaming, but not in the actual reality.
It's quiet. I always liked it being quiet sometimes, when I felt it necessary to be alone. My thoughts can sometimes seem to bewilder me, or I would have never thought of Shadow coming to save me. Does this really mean something? Does it truly mean that he… likes me? No. It might have been a fluke of time. The soft white bed sheets give me some warmth as I shift around on the top, lulling me back into a sleep..
It seems for me, that it's too easy for me to slip into a comfortable sleep, again… after being bothered by my own repeating screaming I had done in the past. I cringe sometimes. Why do I remember screaming? Oh, yes… Metal Sonic. I remember him now… He took me…. Away from Shadow… but I don't care for that bust-up robot. Shadow got rid of him, that's what counted.
// Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming \\
// The goddess of imaginary light \\
Once asleep…I found myself surrounded by the dark. I didn't like being in the cold, harsh darkness. That was when I began to realize that this was something I had power over, something I always loved to imagine.
I felt as if the whole world I was in were of my own… Everything was a beautiful sight to behold. Enchanting, exotic Flowers dancing with the wind, toying with them as if the plants were mere things to be pushed around playfully. The skies more lavender than blue, since blue was something I didn't care much for anymore. Clouds littered the skies, taking in the hues of the skies, and from the rays of the distant sun, which shone bright over the whole area, giving the flowers their lovely plumes of pigmenting colors, and almost giving life to everything else… even shining over the small pond, filled with lily pads, and flying critters, most likely insects. Birds are chattering love songs, or just out of joy, and butterflies have joined in with the flowers as a part of dancing with the wind.
I had myself sitting on the ground in a field of grass near the flowers, taking in the scents each flower had on it's own, as if I were admiring my own creations. Rose. Marigold. Daisy. Daffodil. Forget-me-not. Pansy. Tulip. Lily. I could name others, but that'd take more time…
// In my field of paper flowers \\
// And candy clouds of lullaby \\
Everything just seemed to calm me down. I had no fear this time; for this place was my envisioned idea of a peaceful time… no worries, no problems, no nothing. Not even Sonic in this land. I was definitely carefree, by the looks of it. Even I laid myself down to seemingly bask in the sunlight on my back, facing the sky itself. It all felt too real, I suppose.
Until it began to rise again…
The screaming.
The pain.
The fear.
There was no way of escaping from it this time. I would have no way out until I would be woken up in a surprised way.
I wondered what a nightmare, a true one at that was really like, but now I have my chance to experience one like I've never done before. And this is something I never wanted to do, too. Everything grows dark a little, but I am not afraid until the point; a looming shadow extending beyond the horizon of a fast-setting sun. It glared at me with ruby-red like eyes, almost like fire and blood mixed in with each other.
My courage halts. I try to see the outline of the unknown figure ahead of the origin of the shadow cast off by the sun behind the object, or person. I do not know, and my fear rises. I can't let it get a hold of me. Well, I didn't look worried, that's for sure. I could remember sitting up, and pushing myself up and off the solid surface of the grassy ground to stand up straight, out of curiosity.
// I lie inside myself for hours \\
// And watch my purple sky fly over me \\
I call out to the figure. No response. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Nothing but damn silence. I do not cower. Something is telling me not to go to the figure and talk to it, but I try because I always believed I could get through to people, like I did to Shadow… though it was only once, and for the good of the Earth. My curiosity gets the better of myself and I step on the shadowy end, slowly making my way towards the unidentified person…. Object, um… whatever it is, or was.
I go closer to the thing that's in front of the sunset, right below the dark clouds. Everything but the wind, and the sound of my shoes crunching on the grass below have died down in the volume of noise. It's nothing but silence, and I'm a little scared, but I continue forward. I am growing a little nervous each step of the way, but hey, who says I can't be nervous? This is my dreamland. But I never remembered seeing such a shadowy figure before.
All I did was attempt more useless call-outs to the mysterious stranger in the distance… and coming closer was the only reasonable way of getting a closer inspection. Who could this be? It can't be anyone I know… but it's worth a guess or two. I squint my eyes slightly to adjust to the light, as the silhouette of the shadow covers my face, and the rest of my body. I can see better, and I can clearly see the outline. Along the lines of a hedgehog, so that crosses out Tails, Knuckles, Jen-Marie, and anyone else that wasn't a hedgehog. There were spikes of quills definitely apparent… it must be Sonic, Shadow or Blizzard!
"Sonic? Shadow? Blizzard? Is that you?" I call out, once more. I got nothing as a reward. Damnit.
I got real close until just three feet from the stranger in my dream… I halt. I still can't tell who it is… even from this distance. Then I jump a tiny bit, my quills bristle only for a second or two before the muscles relax them, because the stranger moved, erm… is actually moving to me. In front of me. Just standing there….
// I linger in the doorway \\
// Of Alarm clock screaming monsters \\
Instead of anything to say, this stranger merely lunges out at me with both hands…. No, more like claws for fingers. I nearly fall back in surprise, and I try to scream. Scream out of pure fear. It's like having something, like a rope for example, to curl around your neck for a while, and tighten in a grasp so strong, it's just about to snap your neck and spine in half… literally tearing your head off of your spine this way. Actually, it felt like a noose. A noose needing to kill me because of whom I am. Those hands were strikingly familiar in all ways, the luster hint to the metal surface plates… those hands curling around my small-like neck, trying to cut the flow of air. Actually strangling me. I try to cry for help, struggling underneath the iron grip that was against my neck.
I heard, nor saw anyone come to help me. It was hopeless wasn't it? Helpless Amy Rose, being strangled by a shadowed stranger. I felt the lapse of tears coming to form along the lines of the bottom of my eyelids. There, they sank from the gravity. My heart was also sinking, for those cold, burning red eyes glaring upon me, attempting to eat away at my soul until there was nothing left of it, gave me the sense that this isn't the beginning of the end…just the beginning of the worst to come.
What happened to my dream of being in a peaceful state? What ever happened to that? What did I do to deserve such horrific torturing?
"Organic Unit Amy Rose, your end is near. I will terminate you. Your existence means nothing to my master. Your existence means nothing to anyone else, or me. Goodbye."
The thing spoke…. No…. no…. no! Nononono!!! NO! NONONONO!!!!! …None other than Metal Sonic… In my own dream…
" Guh! … Let…. Urk…. Me go! Help…gak… help! Sonic! Some…ulp…. one!" I was crying, more tears just falling from my eyes to the ground below, like raindrops falling from the heavenly skies. My continuous struggling was proving nothing against this mechanical monstrosity, who had more power than I could ever imagine.
"No one will come to your aid. You are nothing but a useless little whining bitch. Ever since I kidnapped you, you were nothing but a thorn in my side. Your death will satisfy my revenge…"
I was showing pure fear now, my own two emerald-glazed eyes hinting so much fear, it could have been easy to rip my heart out in a blink, and leave me 'heartless' within a matter of moments… then I would die. I was shaking badly, despite my struggling efforts. I even emitted stifled, fearful whimpering from my throat. I wanted this to end. I wanted it all to end quickly.
To stop. To just let me be, and continue to torture my mind. I hated this. I even thought I never had dreams this horrible. Being attacked by Metal Sonic, and no one to save me. Not even Sonic, or Shadow.
No one.
No one at all.
// Calling my name \\
// Let me stay \\
// Where the wind will whisper to me \\
// Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story \\
Metal Sonic, then in turn, decides to vigorously shake me by my neck violently, jerking me everywhere in a theme of violence, and apparent revenge for all the times I've whined for Sonic to come and save me. I am shaken already, and he just adds more to it as my crying attempts to grow louder. Where is everyone? …
My eyes dart from left to right, desperate for anonymous help. I didn't care who it was, besides the doctor, or his badniks. Wait…
Was that someone in the distance? I couldn't be too sure until the familiarity of a fox with two tails was in my line of sight. Tails! How did he get here so fast? …Huh? Sonic?! It's Sonic!!! He, too appeared out of nowhere. I cry out, pleading to the both of them…. but something is wrong, as Blizzard, Jen-Marie, and Knuckles make their appearances as well. They're all just standing there like droning dummies, watching me suffer from Metal Sonic's wrath, which was disregarding me, and shook my body more, my vision blurring slowly each time I am shaken.
I choked out another plea for help… this time, using a free hand. I extend it forwards towards the group. 'Please… help me…' I was saying that in a figurative way, showing faces of pain, and anguish. No one in the group, not even Sonic, made an attempt to step forward and stop the mad robot. What was wrong with them? Wasn't I their friend? Why? Why aren't they coming to save me? My lungs were burning under Metal Sonic's grip upon my windpipe. The lack of oxygen was scaring me, even though I felt as if I were dying slowly.
No help.
Not one person coming to rescue me…
Everything around me begins to fade. My vision blurs from the lack of oxygen to my brain. I felt like my heart was shattered to pieces again, by the groups' action of not being concerned, or even attempting to try and kick Metal Sonic's ass. My struggling efforts were waning, deteriorating from no more of the air being supplied to make the fight last any longer. No one cared. Not even Sonic. Maybe now I knew what it was like to be hated… no one gave a damn about me. I was dying, too…
I try to turn back and look at them one last time, for help… weakly showing signs of pleading. Still…the didn't acknowledge my presence now. My ears are drooping, and my heart glitters into fine dust. My pupils dilate to close out any remaining light, then clouding up to be solid emerald green dots, making it appear I had gone blind sooner than expected. The one last time I saw them… all of them turned their backs towards me, and I felt shattered the moment I recognized they never want me to exist.
Is it true what Metal Sonic said? That no one will come to my aid? No one will know that I had died. Died by the murdering grasp of the heartless, cold ruthless being know as Metal Sonic. Pounding laughter ringing into my ears, or whatever was left that I could hear, from was all I could hear, from Metal, from Eggman, from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jen-Marie, and… And Blizzard.
No…. please….
Make it stop…
Make It Stop!
MakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopMakeItStopMakeItStopMakeItStopMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOP!!!!!
MAKE IT GOD-FUCKING STOP NOW, DAMNIT!!
…
I hear voices… so vague, and familiar.
Where am I?
I had lost track of time completely.
…
['Ames?!' ] Sonic?
['Amy!! Is she okay??'] Tails?
['I'm afraid not… this is the worst I have ever seen her. The effects are coming in too rapidly. She's relapsing another fever.'] …?
['What are you standing around for, then?! SAVE HER!'] Knuckles?
['Please… you mustn't let her die… please doctor, I don't know how I would explain this to Shadow…'] Blizzard? …
I don't care. I don't care who it is! JUST MAKE IT STOP! I am breaking down, literally. No one gave a care if I died! No one gave a fucking shit about me as I had died in Metal Sonic's grip!!
[ 'AMES!! Wake up!! Please… wake up!' ]
// If you need to leave the world you live in \\
// Lay your head down and stay a while \\
I am thrown into the darkness of death, and despair. And I scream, because I am heartbroken.
I am sad. I am angry. I am pissed. There are more words to describe how I felt, but those are the main ones I had majorly at the time. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I begin to slowly regain my sense of reality, I could also hear the rapid beeps of a machine nearby, my breathing was short and rapid… more voices were said, but I could barely hear them. Then, as if something warm and fuzzy were trying to curl itself around me, I had noticed through touch that there was a pair of arms around me... I could feel them trying to wake me gently, without harming me.
['Amy, please… it's me, Sonic. Look, I know you might, or might not hear me, but I mean this… please Ames, don't you give out on me. Don't give out on anyone else here!']
My ears pick up the sounds of slight muffled sobbing, from the one that was hugging me… Sonic… was hugging me. I feel a warm cheek pressed against my own, and I am still unresponsive. I felt sour for not waking up now… but it was then I heard someone else's voice, more like a doctor's voice…
['May I ask all of you to leave? I need to administer more iron into the blood supply that's being transferred to her bloodstream.']
['Not a problem, Doc, but I need a favor. Can I… be alone with her for a moment? I need to talk to her.]
['Accepted, but make it quick.']
['Thanks, doc.']
A muscle in my left ear twitched as I heard feet shuffling along the ground, outside of the room. The door also shut behind them. I am not sure what was going on, but I didn't have to wait to find out sooner or later.
['Ames… Sometimes I wish I weren't a hero, y'know? Just a regular guy. Regular life, and all that stuff. But nah, I was gifted right from the start… with running. I want to say I am truly sorry for even bursting out at you in anger. I wasn't in such a jolly mood then. Nor am I now, with your life on the line here. I have to admit it… you're still going strong, even despite the second fever attack…']
My left hand was squeezed slightly, but softly. Sonic wouldn't dare hurt me. Nor would he ever think of doing so, I guess.
['I'm also sorry I wasn't there for you when Metal Sonic kidnapped you… once again… You wouldn't know how I really felt. Now I guess you have the right to know… I was pretty much angry at the fact that he took you. Amy, you know I've always been your friend, and you did say you and me were to stay friends no matter what. Just this once, my ego doesn't matter now… I know I've been a jerk, and nothing else to you except as a 'hero', and a friend… but… I… here, this means what I've wanted to say. And you've always chased me for one of these in the good ol' days…']
I wanted to cry out, and hug him, but I felt like I was burning half to death, and I managed to notice I was weak, as well. I had probably regressed back to my fever again when I had first gotten one when I arrived at the hospital. It was possible my nightmare may have triggered it, too… but what was Sonic trying to get at? … As soon as the feeling of warmth upon the skin of my lips came, half of me wanted to reject it immediately, and the other half just wanted it. It was like tug-o-war between two opposing forces within my mind. The feeling of his lips on mine felt so soothing for a while.
My eyelids twitched, the lids opening slowly, hindering the kiss when Sonic spotted me opening my eyes weakly. He gave me a smile, and I just looked at him with my partially blurred vision. I was making out that he was smiling at me, and I gave him one of my small smiles in return.
// Though you may not remember dreaming \\
// Something waits for you to breathe again \\
"Sonikku… You do care. But… I did say that we remain… friends only…"
Sonic's face softens, and he gave a small nod. "I know, Ames. But it's something for all the times I've never given you a present, never been nice to you, or just ignored you on the spot. I realized you're a special friend to me. I can't bear the thought of losing you to Metalhead's attack, and the fever, or anything else. But you're strong, and we all know you're going to pull through. Keep it up, Amy. We'll always be there for you in your worst times."
My own face softens into a caring expression of joy. I felt a little better; since Sonic was reassuring me that was a one-time only kiss. My arms reach out to hug the azure hedgehog I formerly admired so much in my days of being his mega-fanatic. He acknowledges my attempt, and I hug him.
"Thank you, Sonic. Thank you so much…" I feel fatigue come upon me again, as the tone of my tiredness sets in. I need to rest once more, or else I wouldn't be able to keep myself alive without the hospital's help, or my big heart, which is my special gift. Just like Sonic's speed is his gift.
"Hey, you're welcome anytime, Ames. I'll see you later." He departs from my side, and as quick as he did, the door shut quietly. I am off into sleeping soundly… I have not a memory of the nightmare that had occurred during the time my fever attack was triggered off. I believe in myself that I can get better, and I will. For my friends.
For Sonic.
For Shadow…
Shadow… I miss him… But… Blizzard said that he needed time alone. Why? Was there something wrong? I frown a tiny bit, but I also begin to realize how much he did care for me…. Sonic told me that it was Shadow who saved me. I own Shadow my gratitude, but I'm not like I was before… not the fussy child. I finally was able to realize I can't live like a child forever. Snugging further into the bedsheets, I get myself comfortable for another round of sleeping…
"Shadow… please don't be gone too long…"
// In my field of paper flowers \\
// And candy clouds of lullaby\\
// I lie inside myself for hours \\
// And watch my purple sky fly over me \\