"H-he was?" the young girl stammered. "Then – who was my mother?"
"Amy Rose."
"What? But that's impossible! In the stories, you said Sonic hated her!"
Miles smirked and chuckled to himself through the tears, trying to regain his composure. "He did, for the longest time... But then we grew up. I was only eight back then, and I used to follow Sonic everywhere. But after a while, I stopped. I grew out of the phase where kids look up to others, and started trying to prove myself in my own right. In the same way, he grew less self-absorbed, and he started accepting Amy."
Samie shook her head, trying to take all this in. She trusted her uncle like he was her father, but the things he was saying now were too much to believe. "How do I know you're not making all this up?"
Wordlessly, the fox rose to his feet and took an old photo album off the shelf that she'd never noticed before. He blew the dust off it, and flipped through the pages. He looked up from it for a second, and then handed it to her. She opened it and saw the faces of all her childhood heroes. Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Cream... Even the lesser-known figures like Gamma and the Chaotix. They were exactly as her uncle described them in his stories, and she saw her uncle's younger self amongst them all...
"Now you know the truth. Your real name is Samie Rose. I'm sorry this all had to come to light." Miles buried his face in his hands; he couldn't bear to look at her. He wanted to keep the past buried, he thought he could give her a life of happiness...
Samie wiped her moistening eyes. "There's one thing you haven't told me." She met her uncle's gaze and asked, "How did they die? Tell me everything."
Miles sighed deeply. He began to recite everything he knew from about 15 years ago, and both he and his niece shared many tears that night.
------------------------
He told her that her father had died at the hands of the evil genius. After his defeat, Miles took Amy into hiding, here in the forest (at the request of Shadow and the others). He knew the others planned to make a final stand against Eggman... but that was over a decade ago, and he hadn't heard from them since. Miles wanted to get back out there and fight, but Amy grew sicker every day from the knowledge that her one love in life was gone, and he couldn't bear to leave her alone for a second, for fear that she would lose the last of her grip on life.
Then, months later, she gave birth to a daughter, conceived before Sonic's death. Miles could never forget that beautiful moment when she first held Samie in her arms. A sort of peace came over Amy as she looked upon her new daughter. She named her with her dying breath, and passed away happy.
This new death made Miles even more eager to settle the score with Eggman, but he couldn't leave Samie behind, as she couldn't fend for herself, and he was the only one who could take care of her. He considered taking her along, but what if she got hurt? He'd never be able to live with himself if he caused that to happen, so he stayed near the treehouse, vowing to defend it for as long as it took.
Now that Samie was old enough to take care of herself, he wasn't sure what to do. Eggman was still around, and he had surely conquered much over fifteen long years. Now he even knew where the two of them lived, and they were faced with a choice: keep running, or fight.
------------------------
"If we run now, we'll be running for the rest of our lives," spoke the young hedgehog. "Someone has to make him pay for what he's done."
"I know," said Miles. "But if Sonic and the others couldn't beat him, how can we? And even if we do win, it won't bring the others back."
"I know that," Samie replied, sadly. "But we can still save everyone else on this planet. And we don't know that the others are dead... did they even know where the treehouse was?"
"I don't know," he said, and stared emptily out the window.
"Miles," she said, placing her hand on his, and looking directly into his eyes, "I don't think I'd ever be able to take the place of a great hero like Sonic... I'd be crazy to try. But someone has to put an end to all this, and I think we're the only ones who can."
Her words opened her uncle's eyes. "You're right, Samie. I want you to have something." As he said this, he quickly dashed up the stairs, and came back down with a large mallet, painted bright red and yellow. "This was your mother's. It might help you."
------------------------
The Cyclone trudged its way through the forest, leaving the only home Samie had ever known. As the treehouse grew more distant, it seemed to be swallowed up by the thick forest. She knew the woods by heart, so she had never noticed just how well their abode was hidden to anyone who didn't know where to look.
Samie shifted in the rear seat, the safety belt drawn tightly across her torso. "Where are we heading, exactly?"
"Station Square, where this all started. Maybe we can find a clue to the other's whereabouts. I know the Chaotix used to have their base there, at least." Miles ran over different scenarios in his mind. What would Station Square look like, after all this time? Had Robotnik razed it to the ground? Enslaved its people and turned it into a giant factory? Worse yet, could it even be his new headquarters?
The two reached a good-sized clearing, where they came to a stop. "Tornado transformation!" yelled Miles, purely for effect, as the Cyclone blasted into the air, morphing into a jet. They'd be there in no time.
And although neither would voice it out loud, they'd never been more afraid of anything in their lives.
"Amy Rose."
"What? But that's impossible! In the stories, you said Sonic hated her!"
Miles smirked and chuckled to himself through the tears, trying to regain his composure. "He did, for the longest time... But then we grew up. I was only eight back then, and I used to follow Sonic everywhere. But after a while, I stopped. I grew out of the phase where kids look up to others, and started trying to prove myself in my own right. In the same way, he grew less self-absorbed, and he started accepting Amy."
Samie shook her head, trying to take all this in. She trusted her uncle like he was her father, but the things he was saying now were too much to believe. "How do I know you're not making all this up?"
Wordlessly, the fox rose to his feet and took an old photo album off the shelf that she'd never noticed before. He blew the dust off it, and flipped through the pages. He looked up from it for a second, and then handed it to her. She opened it and saw the faces of all her childhood heroes. Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Cream... Even the lesser-known figures like Gamma and the Chaotix. They were exactly as her uncle described them in his stories, and she saw her uncle's younger self amongst them all...
"Now you know the truth. Your real name is Samie Rose. I'm sorry this all had to come to light." Miles buried his face in his hands; he couldn't bear to look at her. He wanted to keep the past buried, he thought he could give her a life of happiness...
Samie wiped her moistening eyes. "There's one thing you haven't told me." She met her uncle's gaze and asked, "How did they die? Tell me everything."
Miles sighed deeply. He began to recite everything he knew from about 15 years ago, and both he and his niece shared many tears that night.
------------------------
He told her that her father had died at the hands of the evil genius. After his defeat, Miles took Amy into hiding, here in the forest (at the request of Shadow and the others). He knew the others planned to make a final stand against Eggman... but that was over a decade ago, and he hadn't heard from them since. Miles wanted to get back out there and fight, but Amy grew sicker every day from the knowledge that her one love in life was gone, and he couldn't bear to leave her alone for a second, for fear that she would lose the last of her grip on life.
Then, months later, she gave birth to a daughter, conceived before Sonic's death. Miles could never forget that beautiful moment when she first held Samie in her arms. A sort of peace came over Amy as she looked upon her new daughter. She named her with her dying breath, and passed away happy.
This new death made Miles even more eager to settle the score with Eggman, but he couldn't leave Samie behind, as she couldn't fend for herself, and he was the only one who could take care of her. He considered taking her along, but what if she got hurt? He'd never be able to live with himself if he caused that to happen, so he stayed near the treehouse, vowing to defend it for as long as it took.
Now that Samie was old enough to take care of herself, he wasn't sure what to do. Eggman was still around, and he had surely conquered much over fifteen long years. Now he even knew where the two of them lived, and they were faced with a choice: keep running, or fight.
------------------------
"If we run now, we'll be running for the rest of our lives," spoke the young hedgehog. "Someone has to make him pay for what he's done."
"I know," said Miles. "But if Sonic and the others couldn't beat him, how can we? And even if we do win, it won't bring the others back."
"I know that," Samie replied, sadly. "But we can still save everyone else on this planet. And we don't know that the others are dead... did they even know where the treehouse was?"
"I don't know," he said, and stared emptily out the window.
"Miles," she said, placing her hand on his, and looking directly into his eyes, "I don't think I'd ever be able to take the place of a great hero like Sonic... I'd be crazy to try. But someone has to put an end to all this, and I think we're the only ones who can."
Her words opened her uncle's eyes. "You're right, Samie. I want you to have something." As he said this, he quickly dashed up the stairs, and came back down with a large mallet, painted bright red and yellow. "This was your mother's. It might help you."
------------------------
The Cyclone trudged its way through the forest, leaving the only home Samie had ever known. As the treehouse grew more distant, it seemed to be swallowed up by the thick forest. She knew the woods by heart, so she had never noticed just how well their abode was hidden to anyone who didn't know where to look.
Samie shifted in the rear seat, the safety belt drawn tightly across her torso. "Where are we heading, exactly?"
"Station Square, where this all started. Maybe we can find a clue to the other's whereabouts. I know the Chaotix used to have their base there, at least." Miles ran over different scenarios in his mind. What would Station Square look like, after all this time? Had Robotnik razed it to the ground? Enslaved its people and turned it into a giant factory? Worse yet, could it even be his new headquarters?
The two reached a good-sized clearing, where they came to a stop. "Tornado transformation!" yelled Miles, purely for effect, as the Cyclone blasted into the air, morphing into a jet. They'd be there in no time.
And although neither would voice it out loud, they'd never been more afraid of anything in their lives.