Disclaimer: For the millionth time…Sega owns Sonic characters…yada yada blah blah blah…yeah you get the point…But I claim Melody as my own!

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Amy tried to pick up Melody but she was simply too heavy. Grasping her hammer in her right hand, Amy waited nervously, jumping at every sound. She hissed from the side of her mouth, "Lizzey, I hope you know how to fight…because we're in danger!"

Lizzey nodded, determined and not in the least bit afraid. She answered in a voice not lacking in cheerful optimism, "Danger is my middle name!"

A group of middle-aged bulldogs strolled into view, each talking rambunctiously and grinning stupidly as they strutted along. When they came into view, the leader immediately growled, "Well, well, well…what have we here? Looks like a few hedgehogs defenseless in an alley…" The group laughed dutifully along until he silenced them with a wave of his paw. "So, tell me, pink one, why is such a pretty little girl walking around in such a dirty area of town? Didn't you know that punks such as us would attack you? Well…you do now!"

Lizzey couldn't hide a smile, "You're a little old to be a gangsta!"

He advanced on her, drawing a sword, "If you call me old one more time, I'll cut your throat!"

Amy whispered to Lizzey, "Please be quiet! I don't want him to hurt you!"

For the first time, the bulldog leader noticed Melody. He turned to one of his friends, "Hey, Jagged, ain't that the wanted girl? The price on her head is higher than you can count!"

Jagged nodded evilly, teeth gleaming even in the dull light, "I reckon so, Blade,…let's drag her off to jail…besides…our job's already been made easy…heh…she's knocked out stone cold!"

Blade took another step forward, threatening Amy with his short sword. She backed away, shivering slightly and blanching as his rancid breath met her nose. While she was distracted, another bulldog pushed past Amy, kicking Lizzey aside and grabbing Melody, yanking her upright and flinging her across his back.

Melody moaned, eyes slightly opening. It took a few seconds for her to realize the danger of her predicament as she looked around almost drunkenly. She finally snapped to full alertness and clawed at the bulldog's neck, drawing blood. Then she back-flipped to the ground, landing lightly on her feet before drawing her sword and beheading him. She stepped over the crumpled body and swung at Blade's sword with such force that it flew from his hand and clanged to the ground 20 feet away. He lost his nerves completely and grabbed Amy's arm, escaping through the alleys as the remainder of his group followed.

Melody ran after them, gaining speed rapidly as she sheathed her sword. The gang ran into a dead end and surprisingly kept running, disappearing through a wall. Melody stopped right before she ran into it and reached forth a tentative claw, touching the solid, brick surface. "Uh…that's a new trick…" She thought, "Poor Amy…I couldn't help her in time…no doubt that those morons will spread the word about me being here either…and on top of that, I have to perform a rescue mission…" she sighed, "I wonder where Lizzey is…"

Her question was answered as Lizzey ran straightinto the wall face first. "Ow…" she moaned, rubbing her nose as she turned toward Melody. "Who put that wall there?"

Melody shrugged and whispered, "Amy's in danger…and we'll be in danger soon…Try and stay close…"

Lizzey nodded.

Amy whimpered as Blade dragged her to a large hovel, kicking her whenever she struggled. "Shut up!" he barked. (heh…literally!) He opened a trap door and thrust her down a steep stairway before closing the door with a loud thud, leaving her in complete darkness. Amy whined to herself in fear as she cautiously walked downward, trembling uncontrollably. She found level ground and sat down, crying to herself.

Before long, she noticed a pair of sinister red eyes staring at her unblinkingly. She crawled away slowly until she met an earthen wall. Then she begged, "Please don't hurt me!"

After several moments of penetrating silence, a deep voice answered, "I won't…"

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Well, it took a few days but I got to the computer long enough to update! Please submit a review so I can know what you all think about each chapter! Just don't send flames…unless you want me to use them to burn Sonic at the stake! Well...it's been nice typing...but i'm going off to bed. I've had a LONG day!