Chapter 9 - More Late Night Events
After a long and fun filled dinner, the group split up and headed towards their respective domiciles. As Anthony's group filed back into the hotel room, they began to talk.
"I should tell my parents to come here sometime and check out that restaurant of Big's," Anthony said. "They'd enjoy the food there."
"Yeah, but I was more interested in what was going on besides the dinner," Lazer said. "Just how many times DID Ryan and Bristy sneak a smooch during that dinner?"
"I can ask another good one..." Knuckles said. "Anyone notice that Rouge and Shadow didn't seem to stop holding paws during that entire dinner?"
"Aw...I thought that was sweet," Sally said. "At any rate, Shadow doesn't seem to be as depressed as he was earlier."
"One less problem to deal with, at least..." Red Sonic remarked.
"Well...I don't know about you guys, but I feel like vegging the rest of the night," Sonic said, and then looked towards Tails, who was trying to stifle another yawn. He shook his head in disblief and then remarked, "...and it looks like my little bro could use some prime vegging time as well."
"Yeah...well, I appreciate you repairing the TGM, Tails," Anthony said. "That is one AWESOME piece of machinery!"
"Thanks..." Tails said mid-yawn.
"Better get that kid to bed, Sal," Sonic said, plopping down on the couch and putting his feet up.
"I don't know which of you is laziest," Rebecca remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but there's something I want to show Anthony," Mina said, taking the hand of Anthony and leading him towards the secret elevator.
"Dare I ask what?" Anthony asked.
"Just something you might be interested in, since you seem to be over your own slump," Mina remarked as she lead him into the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, Sonic raised an eyebrow and asked, "Own slump? What's she talking about?"
It was then that Amy spoke up, "Something that happened while you guys were gone...but that he's now over."
"Why? What happened?" Julie-Su asked, looking towards Amy.
Amy sighed and then began to explain.
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"So...what did you want to show me, Meens?" Anthony asked as Mina lead him towards the computer room.
"Well...while I was looking up stuff for Aura, if anything, on SonicHQ," Mina explained, "I came across something." She then typed something into the terminal and brought up a page on the SonicHQ site.
Anthony looked at what she brought up. "Ah...info on the new Sonic Advance 2 game, eh?"
(A/N: I originally started this fic before SA2's release, and the fic itself takes place before that time. Blame my love of the .hack games that I couldn't get this fic out sooner...)
"Yeah, and it looks like there's going to be a new character introduced in this game," Mina said. She then brought up a picture of the new character. "Look familiar?"
"Yes, indeed..." Anthony said, trying to stifle a quiet laugh. "Very familiar, indeed..."
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While those events were taking place at the hotel, slightly different events took place at Lisa's home. Kyle, having returned from his day with Cream and her mother, was busy describing his day.
"...and we even went up to the Chao Garden and watched as Cheese played with some of the other Chao," Kyle said. "It's too bad Hogi-San and Ryndar weren't with us, they would have enjoyed it."
"Well...we kind of had our own excitement while you were gone, Kyle," Lisa said.
"Why? What happened?" Kyle asked. He then looked towards Aura, who presently had a worried look on her face. "Aura?"
Aura sighed and said, "It's...nothing important, Kyle."
"Aura..." Kyle said, innocently taking Aura's paw in his own. "Lisa always told me it's better to just say what's wrong than to just hold it in. Come on, tell me."
"Kyle, if she doesn't want to say..." Lisa began to say, but then Aura spoke up.
"No...he's right, Lisa," Aura said, and then turned towards Kyle. "I discovered a new power, but..."
"But what?"
Aura sighed and then continued. "I can use fire now. But...I wished I didn't get this power because my parents died in a fire a long time ago."
Kyle gave a small gasp. "Your...your parents died in a fire too?"
Aura looked up, surprised that Kyle shared something in common with her. "Yes...yes they did. That's why I don't like the fire power."
"Why?" Kyle said. "I mean...despite what happened, I still like to sit in front of one during the colder months."
Aura was now confused. "But...aren't you reminded of what happened to your parents?"
"Sometimes..." Kyle said, "but Lisa told me that even though fire can hurt, it is also a source of warmth and comfort. It doesn't always destroy."
"I told him that after he had a nightmare about his parents," Lisa spoke up saying. "It really helped at that time...especially since I did something else that I thought he needed."
"Which was?" Aura asked. No sooner had she asked that, then she felt someone hugging her. She looked and saw Kyle embracing her.
"This...to show fire is like a hug, since both are warm and comforting," Kyle said.
Aura giggled slightly, and returned the hug to the young wolverine.
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At Rouge's apartment, both Rouge and Shadow were getting ready to go to bed. After Rouge finished up and put on a robe, she looked out at where Shadow was lying on the couch. He seemed to be lost in thought. She decided to see what was up and walked out to where he was.
"Something on your mind?" Rouge asked, sitting down next to Shadow.
"Just trying to catch up with all that's happened," Shadow said.
"Not used to having this many friends, huh?" Rouge said. "I can certainly understand..."
Shadow looked up upon hearing that, sensing that there was more to what Rouge was saying. "You can?"
Rouge sighed. "You might say...you and I are more alike than you know."
Shadow immediately sat up upon hearing that and scooted closer to Rouge. "What do you mean?"
Rouge looked towards Shadow and began her story. "A year before the ARK incident, before I met you...I met and fell in love with a young bat that was visiting Station Square. However, just as we were becoming closer, something happened..."
"What happened?" Shadow asked.
"He was...killed..." Rouge said. "Like me, he was an agent working for Station Square's government, and he was sent to check out suspected activities involving the PHM. Unfortunately, he was spotted by them, and..."
Shadow understood what had happened and placed an arm around Rouge, drawing her into a light hug. As he comforted the female bat, he said, "You were lonely...like I was..." Rouge nodded, allowing a few tears to form, and then Shadow hugged her closer and said, "Then...I will make sure you aren't lonely anymore..."
Rouge whispered a small thank you, and continued to allow herself to be comforted by Shadow's embrace. Shadow then stood up, motioning for Rouge to come up with him and said, "Come on...we've had a long day. Let's get you to bed."
Shadow then led Rouge into her Rouge and seemed to set her into her bed, even going so far as to help her with her robe as well as tuck her in. He then whispered a good night and began to walk back towards his makeshift bed on the couch. However, before he could even walk two steps, he heard Rouge whisper, "Don't go..."
Shadow looked back and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just..." Rouge whispered back, "...I don't...feel like being alone right now."
Shadow smiled a bit and walked back towards her bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Then, much to his surprise, she scooted over. Shadow raised an eyebrow at this. "Rouge?"
"I figured you could use one night in something other than a couch," Rouge said. "There's plenty of room for two."
Shadow blinked at what she said, and then smiled in understanding and tucked himself under the covers next to Rouge. Rouge in turned smiled in gratitude and snuggled up next to Shadow, hugging him in an embrace as the two of them nodded off to sleep.
(A/N: No...it's NOT going there! Stop thinking that! ESPECIALLY you, Marvin!)
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"...and that's when he told Lazer, Rebecca, Red Sonic, and Mina what had happened."
Amy had finished telling the group what had happened while the others were out. Many of them were stunned at what had been told to them. Even Tails began to look worriedly at Sally.
"By the Walkers..." Julie-Su said. "He held all that in...just so we wouldn't get upset?"
"Yes, he did," Rebecca said. "He was so worried at what you guys would think of him wishing we all didn't exist."
"What was he worried about?" Sonic said. "Did he do it out of fear of us hating him?!? I'd never do that!"
"I think...he did it out of respect for your friendship, Sonic," Lazer said. "Last thing he wanted was to ruin that."
Sonic nodded in understanding, and then Sally spoke up. "That poor man..."
"Sally...he's fine now," Amy said. "He managed to get his feelings out, after all."
"Ames, are you sure?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic...I would know..." Amy said in response. "I'm psychic too, and...he's like a brother to me. That combination alone..."
"Gotcha..." Sonic said.
Just as Sonic said that, the door to the secret elevator opened and Mina and Anthony began to walk out, with Anthony finishing up something he was saying to Mina. "...now we'll have two files to print out, if we see Cream again." It was at that point that he looked up and saw the concerned looks on the face of some of the group. "Amy...told you guys, huh?"
"Yes, she did," Knuckles said. "Are you...?"
"I'm fine...now that I had gotten that out of my system," Anthony said. "I understand your concern, guys...but I've already worked through my emotions. Thanks to Amy, that is."
"Yeah, she told us as much..." Lazer said, and then stood up. "Well...I for one think we can talk about this later. I'm sure after all that's happened, we're all wiped."
"Well, except for Tails," Mina quipped. "Seeing as how he napped every so often..."
"Oh, ha ha..." Tails said.
After everyone said their goodnights, they began to walk towards their respective rooms to prepare for bed. It was then that Sonic noticed that Anthony was not going to his room, but towards the balcony. Sonic told Sally he would be in in a moment, and joined Anthony on the balcony. "Hey Anth, you alright?"
Anthony looked towards Sonic and said, "Hm? Oh yeah, I just wasn't sleepy yet and wanted to see what the skyline looked like at night." He then turned back towards the view of the city and said, "I'm kinda curious to see what this city looks like compared to Minneapolis."
"Gotcha," Sonic said. He then glanced towards where Anthony was looking and then spoke up again. "Anth...mind if we talk?"
Anthony sensed something in what Sonic said and looked back towards him. "What about?"
"Well, it's just..." Sonic began to say, and then sighed and continued. "Anth...I don't care what Ames said, I think you still have problems."
"Well...I'll admit I take some extreme risks, Sonic," Anthony said, "but..."
"Anth...your problem is you take things too personally," Sonic spoke up saying, interrupting Anthony. "You care too much."
Anthony was taken aback by what Sonic just said. "I...I don't understand. Are you saying I should stop? I would've expected Vegeta to say something like..."
"No...not that, Anthony..." Sonic said. "I mean, it's great that you do care, and Amy sure appreciates that. But...you can't make all of Arcadia's problems your own. No one can carry that much responsibility...not even me!"
"Ah, I can't help that, Sonic..." Anthony said, sighing as he said that. "I always hate when bad things happen to good people. I can't even get myself to like certain fanfiction unless it has a happy ending..."
"Yeah, but doesn't mean you have to carry the burden of all that sadness," Sonic said. "Speaking of fanfiction, do you know what your author self calls his series of fics?"
(A/N: He'd better...)
"Yeah...'Heroes of Arcadia'," Anthony replied.
(A/N: Good boy.)
"Right...'Heroes'...indicating more than one," Sonic said. "Anth...I may be the big hero on Mobius, but back when I was fighting Buttnik I still needed to lean on the others for support. Especially after losing Johnny Lightfoot...and Muttski..." Sonic's voice trailed off after saying that.
"So...you're saying I should still care, but I shouldn't need to worry as much," Anthony said.
"On the muzzle, Anth," Sonic said. "You just worry about you can handle, and let us take care of the rest."
"I intend to," Anthony said. "Though...I'm still a little worried about what to expect with the upcoming Guardian training..."
"Well, just feel lucky it doesn't involve what Knux had to go through," Sonic said. "For him, he had to watch what looked like his father's death and then accept the job then and there."
Anthony remembered that from the comics info he had read and nodded in agreement. "Hell...I'm lucky Dad and Mom didn't have a fallout like his parents did."
"Yeah," Sonic said, and then started to walk away. "Well...I'll leave you to your sightseeing. I am way behind on royal squirrel snuggling."
Anthony smirked and then said, "Alright. Goodnight, Sonic."
As Sonic walked back towards his room, he saw Amy, presently in her robe, walking towards him. She then asked him, "Sonic? What's going on? I sensed that Anthony was still out here."
"He is," Sonic said. "The guy's just checking out what the city looked like at night, and I just wanted a little heart to heart with him. I'm sure he won't mind you joining him...the guy probably won't mind the company."
Amy nodded in understanding and walked towards the balcony. As she walked up, Anthony looked back towards her. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No...I was just curious why you were still up," Amy said, walking up and standing next to Anthony.
"Just enjoying the view..." Anthony said, adding as an afterthought, "...and thinking."
"Thinking?"
"About all that's happened, and what's going to happen," Anthony replied. He then looked towards Amy and said, "Amy?"
Amy looked up towards Anthony and said, "Yeah?"
"I'm just...grateful for your guys's support," Anthony said, almost with a solemn tone. "Especially yours. I probably wouldn't have even made it this far without your help."
"Aww...it was nothing, Anthony," Amy said. She then allowed herself to be drawn into a hug by Anthony, and looked out towards the skyline as Anthony returned to his thoughts.
As he stood there, several thoughts crept through Anthony's mind...
"What was I thinking? How could I wish none of this existed? I've gone to places I thought were mere fiction before...made friends with people I never thought I could measure up to...and been on adventures Hemmingway would have given his right eye for! Not to mention...I now know a lot more about my family's past than I ever knew existed before. No...I no longer wish these places and people never existed...in fact..."
As his final thought began to take form, a barrier within himself began to break...
"...in fact..."
From that, a power began to well up within his being...
"...I NEED THEM!"
Suddenly, Anthony clutched at his chest as if he was about to have a heart attack. Amy looked up in shock and said, "Anthony! What's wrong?"
"I...something's happening with the Emeralds..." he said. He then concentrated and a bright light formed where his hand was over his chest. He then removed his hand from his chest, and it had the white Chaos Emerald in it, which was glowing brightly.
"What's going on?" Amy asked.
"I think...it's saying...I'm ready..." Anthony said, and then extended the Emerald towards the sky. He then yelled, "CHAOS CONTROL!!!"
As soon as he had said that, the sky seemed to erupt as a meteor shower began to appear in the night sky. Several onlookers on the street looked skywards at the display, seemingly ignoring the cause as Anthony continued to hold the glowing Emerald.
"Wow...Anthony..." Amy said, in awe over what was happening. "How...?" Before Amy could finish, she noticed one meteor approaching the balcony where they stood, and then she cried, "Anthony, LOOK OUT!!" She ducked, but...instead of the meteor striking the balcony, it tood still as Anthony outstreched his free hand and stopped it with a Telekinesis power. He then set the small space rock, which was about the size of a baseball, on the balcony and cooled it down by spraying it with a fine mist from a Hydrokinesis power.
Anthony then lowered the Emerald and placed it inside himself again, and then picked up the meteorite. He then handed it to Amy. "Here you go, Ames. A little gift from me...and an appropriate one at that."
Amy took the meteorite and looked at Anthony, asking, "Wh...what's this for?"
"I couldn't think of a better way to thank you than with...a piece of the heavens themselves," Anthony said, almost poetically.
"Anthony, I...don't understand..." Amy said.
"Like I said, it was mostly because of your help that got me through these tough times, Amy," Anthony said. "You supported me when I needed it and even helped me when I was in trouble. In fact...in a way..."
Amy could sense something in Anthony as he spoke, but was taken aback when he finished his statement.
"...you're MY hero, Amy."
Amy gasped in shock, even dropping the meteorite as she did so. Words could not explain how she felt...
For the time she was with the Freedom Fighters, she tried to help only to just get in the way or get herself captured. Or worse, get in fights with those she considered friends. Now this man, who was willing to take her in as family and even helped her become a Gamemaster, actually considered her HIS hero.
"A...Anthony..." Amy stammered, as tears of joy ran down her face in large amounts. Finally, she just let them all out and grabbed Anthony in a tight hug, managing to choke out, "Thank you..."
"No...thank you, Amy..." Anthony said, kneeling down and returning the hug.
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Knucklse immediately sat up in his bed. He had sensed the use of Chaos energy, and wondered what had just happened. After collecting his thoughts, he quietly got up from the bed, being careful not to wake Julie-Su, and walked out towards the main room. As he entered the room, he noticed what he thought was a cute sight.
Anthony was presently in one of the recliners. Cradled in his arms was Amy, who was sound asleep and appeared to be smiling in her sleep. Anthony, partially exhausted from using the Emerald, was also asleep in the recliner.
Knuckles smiled and shook his head as he viewed the sight. "Maybe he'll tell me tomorrow..." he thought to himself as he turned back towards his room. He turned off the light that was still on in that room as he turned around, enshrouding the room in darkness...save for the light coming from the city lights outside.
After a long and fun filled dinner, the group split up and headed towards their respective domiciles. As Anthony's group filed back into the hotel room, they began to talk.
"I should tell my parents to come here sometime and check out that restaurant of Big's," Anthony said. "They'd enjoy the food there."
"Yeah, but I was more interested in what was going on besides the dinner," Lazer said. "Just how many times DID Ryan and Bristy sneak a smooch during that dinner?"
"I can ask another good one..." Knuckles said. "Anyone notice that Rouge and Shadow didn't seem to stop holding paws during that entire dinner?"
"Aw...I thought that was sweet," Sally said. "At any rate, Shadow doesn't seem to be as depressed as he was earlier."
"One less problem to deal with, at least..." Red Sonic remarked.
"Well...I don't know about you guys, but I feel like vegging the rest of the night," Sonic said, and then looked towards Tails, who was trying to stifle another yawn. He shook his head in disblief and then remarked, "...and it looks like my little bro could use some prime vegging time as well."
"Yeah...well, I appreciate you repairing the TGM, Tails," Anthony said. "That is one AWESOME piece of machinery!"
"Thanks..." Tails said mid-yawn.
"Better get that kid to bed, Sal," Sonic said, plopping down on the couch and putting his feet up.
"I don't know which of you is laziest," Rebecca remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but there's something I want to show Anthony," Mina said, taking the hand of Anthony and leading him towards the secret elevator.
"Dare I ask what?" Anthony asked.
"Just something you might be interested in, since you seem to be over your own slump," Mina remarked as she lead him into the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, Sonic raised an eyebrow and asked, "Own slump? What's she talking about?"
It was then that Amy spoke up, "Something that happened while you guys were gone...but that he's now over."
"Why? What happened?" Julie-Su asked, looking towards Amy.
Amy sighed and then began to explain.
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"So...what did you want to show me, Meens?" Anthony asked as Mina lead him towards the computer room.
"Well...while I was looking up stuff for Aura, if anything, on SonicHQ," Mina explained, "I came across something." She then typed something into the terminal and brought up a page on the SonicHQ site.
Anthony looked at what she brought up. "Ah...info on the new Sonic Advance 2 game, eh?"
(A/N: I originally started this fic before SA2's release, and the fic itself takes place before that time. Blame my love of the .hack games that I couldn't get this fic out sooner...)
"Yeah, and it looks like there's going to be a new character introduced in this game," Mina said. She then brought up a picture of the new character. "Look familiar?"
"Yes, indeed..." Anthony said, trying to stifle a quiet laugh. "Very familiar, indeed..."
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While those events were taking place at the hotel, slightly different events took place at Lisa's home. Kyle, having returned from his day with Cream and her mother, was busy describing his day.
"...and we even went up to the Chao Garden and watched as Cheese played with some of the other Chao," Kyle said. "It's too bad Hogi-San and Ryndar weren't with us, they would have enjoyed it."
"Well...we kind of had our own excitement while you were gone, Kyle," Lisa said.
"Why? What happened?" Kyle asked. He then looked towards Aura, who presently had a worried look on her face. "Aura?"
Aura sighed and said, "It's...nothing important, Kyle."
"Aura..." Kyle said, innocently taking Aura's paw in his own. "Lisa always told me it's better to just say what's wrong than to just hold it in. Come on, tell me."
"Kyle, if she doesn't want to say..." Lisa began to say, but then Aura spoke up.
"No...he's right, Lisa," Aura said, and then turned towards Kyle. "I discovered a new power, but..."
"But what?"
Aura sighed and then continued. "I can use fire now. But...I wished I didn't get this power because my parents died in a fire a long time ago."
Kyle gave a small gasp. "Your...your parents died in a fire too?"
Aura looked up, surprised that Kyle shared something in common with her. "Yes...yes they did. That's why I don't like the fire power."
"Why?" Kyle said. "I mean...despite what happened, I still like to sit in front of one during the colder months."
Aura was now confused. "But...aren't you reminded of what happened to your parents?"
"Sometimes..." Kyle said, "but Lisa told me that even though fire can hurt, it is also a source of warmth and comfort. It doesn't always destroy."
"I told him that after he had a nightmare about his parents," Lisa spoke up saying. "It really helped at that time...especially since I did something else that I thought he needed."
"Which was?" Aura asked. No sooner had she asked that, then she felt someone hugging her. She looked and saw Kyle embracing her.
"This...to show fire is like a hug, since both are warm and comforting," Kyle said.
Aura giggled slightly, and returned the hug to the young wolverine.
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At Rouge's apartment, both Rouge and Shadow were getting ready to go to bed. After Rouge finished up and put on a robe, she looked out at where Shadow was lying on the couch. He seemed to be lost in thought. She decided to see what was up and walked out to where he was.
"Something on your mind?" Rouge asked, sitting down next to Shadow.
"Just trying to catch up with all that's happened," Shadow said.
"Not used to having this many friends, huh?" Rouge said. "I can certainly understand..."
Shadow looked up upon hearing that, sensing that there was more to what Rouge was saying. "You can?"
Rouge sighed. "You might say...you and I are more alike than you know."
Shadow immediately sat up upon hearing that and scooted closer to Rouge. "What do you mean?"
Rouge looked towards Shadow and began her story. "A year before the ARK incident, before I met you...I met and fell in love with a young bat that was visiting Station Square. However, just as we were becoming closer, something happened..."
"What happened?" Shadow asked.
"He was...killed..." Rouge said. "Like me, he was an agent working for Station Square's government, and he was sent to check out suspected activities involving the PHM. Unfortunately, he was spotted by them, and..."
Shadow understood what had happened and placed an arm around Rouge, drawing her into a light hug. As he comforted the female bat, he said, "You were lonely...like I was..." Rouge nodded, allowing a few tears to form, and then Shadow hugged her closer and said, "Then...I will make sure you aren't lonely anymore..."
Rouge whispered a small thank you, and continued to allow herself to be comforted by Shadow's embrace. Shadow then stood up, motioning for Rouge to come up with him and said, "Come on...we've had a long day. Let's get you to bed."
Shadow then led Rouge into her Rouge and seemed to set her into her bed, even going so far as to help her with her robe as well as tuck her in. He then whispered a good night and began to walk back towards his makeshift bed on the couch. However, before he could even walk two steps, he heard Rouge whisper, "Don't go..."
Shadow looked back and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just..." Rouge whispered back, "...I don't...feel like being alone right now."
Shadow smiled a bit and walked back towards her bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Then, much to his surprise, she scooted over. Shadow raised an eyebrow at this. "Rouge?"
"I figured you could use one night in something other than a couch," Rouge said. "There's plenty of room for two."
Shadow blinked at what she said, and then smiled in understanding and tucked himself under the covers next to Rouge. Rouge in turned smiled in gratitude and snuggled up next to Shadow, hugging him in an embrace as the two of them nodded off to sleep.
(A/N: No...it's NOT going there! Stop thinking that! ESPECIALLY you, Marvin!)
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"...and that's when he told Lazer, Rebecca, Red Sonic, and Mina what had happened."
Amy had finished telling the group what had happened while the others were out. Many of them were stunned at what had been told to them. Even Tails began to look worriedly at Sally.
"By the Walkers..." Julie-Su said. "He held all that in...just so we wouldn't get upset?"
"Yes, he did," Rebecca said. "He was so worried at what you guys would think of him wishing we all didn't exist."
"What was he worried about?" Sonic said. "Did he do it out of fear of us hating him?!? I'd never do that!"
"I think...he did it out of respect for your friendship, Sonic," Lazer said. "Last thing he wanted was to ruin that."
Sonic nodded in understanding, and then Sally spoke up. "That poor man..."
"Sally...he's fine now," Amy said. "He managed to get his feelings out, after all."
"Ames, are you sure?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic...I would know..." Amy said in response. "I'm psychic too, and...he's like a brother to me. That combination alone..."
"Gotcha..." Sonic said.
Just as Sonic said that, the door to the secret elevator opened and Mina and Anthony began to walk out, with Anthony finishing up something he was saying to Mina. "...now we'll have two files to print out, if we see Cream again." It was at that point that he looked up and saw the concerned looks on the face of some of the group. "Amy...told you guys, huh?"
"Yes, she did," Knuckles said. "Are you...?"
"I'm fine...now that I had gotten that out of my system," Anthony said. "I understand your concern, guys...but I've already worked through my emotions. Thanks to Amy, that is."
"Yeah, she told us as much..." Lazer said, and then stood up. "Well...I for one think we can talk about this later. I'm sure after all that's happened, we're all wiped."
"Well, except for Tails," Mina quipped. "Seeing as how he napped every so often..."
"Oh, ha ha..." Tails said.
After everyone said their goodnights, they began to walk towards their respective rooms to prepare for bed. It was then that Sonic noticed that Anthony was not going to his room, but towards the balcony. Sonic told Sally he would be in in a moment, and joined Anthony on the balcony. "Hey Anth, you alright?"
Anthony looked towards Sonic and said, "Hm? Oh yeah, I just wasn't sleepy yet and wanted to see what the skyline looked like at night." He then turned back towards the view of the city and said, "I'm kinda curious to see what this city looks like compared to Minneapolis."
"Gotcha," Sonic said. He then glanced towards where Anthony was looking and then spoke up again. "Anth...mind if we talk?"
Anthony sensed something in what Sonic said and looked back towards him. "What about?"
"Well, it's just..." Sonic began to say, and then sighed and continued. "Anth...I don't care what Ames said, I think you still have problems."
"Well...I'll admit I take some extreme risks, Sonic," Anthony said, "but..."
"Anth...your problem is you take things too personally," Sonic spoke up saying, interrupting Anthony. "You care too much."
Anthony was taken aback by what Sonic just said. "I...I don't understand. Are you saying I should stop? I would've expected Vegeta to say something like..."
"No...not that, Anthony..." Sonic said. "I mean, it's great that you do care, and Amy sure appreciates that. But...you can't make all of Arcadia's problems your own. No one can carry that much responsibility...not even me!"
"Ah, I can't help that, Sonic..." Anthony said, sighing as he said that. "I always hate when bad things happen to good people. I can't even get myself to like certain fanfiction unless it has a happy ending..."
"Yeah, but doesn't mean you have to carry the burden of all that sadness," Sonic said. "Speaking of fanfiction, do you know what your author self calls his series of fics?"
(A/N: He'd better...)
"Yeah...'Heroes of Arcadia'," Anthony replied.
(A/N: Good boy.)
"Right...'Heroes'...indicating more than one," Sonic said. "Anth...I may be the big hero on Mobius, but back when I was fighting Buttnik I still needed to lean on the others for support. Especially after losing Johnny Lightfoot...and Muttski..." Sonic's voice trailed off after saying that.
"So...you're saying I should still care, but I shouldn't need to worry as much," Anthony said.
"On the muzzle, Anth," Sonic said. "You just worry about you can handle, and let us take care of the rest."
"I intend to," Anthony said. "Though...I'm still a little worried about what to expect with the upcoming Guardian training..."
"Well, just feel lucky it doesn't involve what Knux had to go through," Sonic said. "For him, he had to watch what looked like his father's death and then accept the job then and there."
Anthony remembered that from the comics info he had read and nodded in agreement. "Hell...I'm lucky Dad and Mom didn't have a fallout like his parents did."
"Yeah," Sonic said, and then started to walk away. "Well...I'll leave you to your sightseeing. I am way behind on royal squirrel snuggling."
Anthony smirked and then said, "Alright. Goodnight, Sonic."
As Sonic walked back towards his room, he saw Amy, presently in her robe, walking towards him. She then asked him, "Sonic? What's going on? I sensed that Anthony was still out here."
"He is," Sonic said. "The guy's just checking out what the city looked like at night, and I just wanted a little heart to heart with him. I'm sure he won't mind you joining him...the guy probably won't mind the company."
Amy nodded in understanding and walked towards the balcony. As she walked up, Anthony looked back towards her. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No...I was just curious why you were still up," Amy said, walking up and standing next to Anthony.
"Just enjoying the view..." Anthony said, adding as an afterthought, "...and thinking."
"Thinking?"
"About all that's happened, and what's going to happen," Anthony replied. He then looked towards Amy and said, "Amy?"
Amy looked up towards Anthony and said, "Yeah?"
"I'm just...grateful for your guys's support," Anthony said, almost with a solemn tone. "Especially yours. I probably wouldn't have even made it this far without your help."
"Aww...it was nothing, Anthony," Amy said. She then allowed herself to be drawn into a hug by Anthony, and looked out towards the skyline as Anthony returned to his thoughts.
As he stood there, several thoughts crept through Anthony's mind...
"What was I thinking? How could I wish none of this existed? I've gone to places I thought were mere fiction before...made friends with people I never thought I could measure up to...and been on adventures Hemmingway would have given his right eye for! Not to mention...I now know a lot more about my family's past than I ever knew existed before. No...I no longer wish these places and people never existed...in fact..."
As his final thought began to take form, a barrier within himself began to break...
"...in fact..."
From that, a power began to well up within his being...
"...I NEED THEM!"
Suddenly, Anthony clutched at his chest as if he was about to have a heart attack. Amy looked up in shock and said, "Anthony! What's wrong?"
"I...something's happening with the Emeralds..." he said. He then concentrated and a bright light formed where his hand was over his chest. He then removed his hand from his chest, and it had the white Chaos Emerald in it, which was glowing brightly.
"What's going on?" Amy asked.
"I think...it's saying...I'm ready..." Anthony said, and then extended the Emerald towards the sky. He then yelled, "CHAOS CONTROL!!!"
As soon as he had said that, the sky seemed to erupt as a meteor shower began to appear in the night sky. Several onlookers on the street looked skywards at the display, seemingly ignoring the cause as Anthony continued to hold the glowing Emerald.
"Wow...Anthony..." Amy said, in awe over what was happening. "How...?" Before Amy could finish, she noticed one meteor approaching the balcony where they stood, and then she cried, "Anthony, LOOK OUT!!" She ducked, but...instead of the meteor striking the balcony, it tood still as Anthony outstreched his free hand and stopped it with a Telekinesis power. He then set the small space rock, which was about the size of a baseball, on the balcony and cooled it down by spraying it with a fine mist from a Hydrokinesis power.
Anthony then lowered the Emerald and placed it inside himself again, and then picked up the meteorite. He then handed it to Amy. "Here you go, Ames. A little gift from me...and an appropriate one at that."
Amy took the meteorite and looked at Anthony, asking, "Wh...what's this for?"
"I couldn't think of a better way to thank you than with...a piece of the heavens themselves," Anthony said, almost poetically.
"Anthony, I...don't understand..." Amy said.
"Like I said, it was mostly because of your help that got me through these tough times, Amy," Anthony said. "You supported me when I needed it and even helped me when I was in trouble. In fact...in a way..."
Amy could sense something in Anthony as he spoke, but was taken aback when he finished his statement.
"...you're MY hero, Amy."
Amy gasped in shock, even dropping the meteorite as she did so. Words could not explain how she felt...
For the time she was with the Freedom Fighters, she tried to help only to just get in the way or get herself captured. Or worse, get in fights with those she considered friends. Now this man, who was willing to take her in as family and even helped her become a Gamemaster, actually considered her HIS hero.
"A...Anthony..." Amy stammered, as tears of joy ran down her face in large amounts. Finally, she just let them all out and grabbed Anthony in a tight hug, managing to choke out, "Thank you..."
"No...thank you, Amy..." Anthony said, kneeling down and returning the hug.
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Knucklse immediately sat up in his bed. He had sensed the use of Chaos energy, and wondered what had just happened. After collecting his thoughts, he quietly got up from the bed, being careful not to wake Julie-Su, and walked out towards the main room. As he entered the room, he noticed what he thought was a cute sight.
Anthony was presently in one of the recliners. Cradled in his arms was Amy, who was sound asleep and appeared to be smiling in her sleep. Anthony, partially exhausted from using the Emerald, was also asleep in the recliner.
Knuckles smiled and shook his head as he viewed the sight. "Maybe he'll tell me tomorrow..." he thought to himself as he turned back towards his room. He turned off the light that was still on in that room as he turned around, enshrouding the room in darkness...save for the light coming from the city lights outside.