Before we get started... this chapter is really long! For reference, I try and write about 4.5K words but this one is 6.5K words! A LOT goes down. I was initially planning on breaking it down into two chapters, but then tormenting you guys wouldn't be fun?! I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts! Enjoy this one-off long chapter!
"Sonar and Amy, lovely to meet you." Shadow greeted with a smile as he shook Sonar's hand firmly.
He glanced over at Amy who look like she'd seen a ghost. "Is she good?" He asked the blue hedgehog.
Sonar turned to observe Amy, he noticed how her eyes were locked with Shadow's guest, something he couldn't quite pinpoint. They never once blinked, he could sense an awkward tension between the two.
"Uhhh don't mind her! She's hugely appreciative of your work, it's a bit of a shock you actually came." He laughed nervously hoping to cover up the sudden change brought by Amy. It seemed to diffuse some of the tension.
Shadow turned to Silver with a smile on his face, placing his hand on his shoulder. "This is Silver, I couldn't bring family over so I just brought my partner along."
Silver broke his gaze from Amy and reached his hand out to shake Sonar's. "Silver. Nice to meet you."
Sonar returned the gesture with a smile on his face. Something felt off. He noticed Silver staring at Amy. Once the amber eyed hedgehog became aware that he was being observed, he stepped forward directly opposite Amy.
"Nice to meet you Amy." He brought his hand out for a handshake.
Amy stood frozen. She stopped functioning at his words. How long had it been since she last heard him say her name? Too long. The moments they shared in the office flashed in front of her in one go. Their encounters, the interview, the presentation; everything.
She felt Sonar nudge her to greet their guest. "You too Silver." She barely said.
"Are you still waiting?" Shadow asked Sonar directly, knowing better than to ask Amy.
"Yes!" Amy blurted which caused the other three to turn their heads, their faces concerned.
"...I mean we're still waiting for Damon. Please go inside and enjoy yourselves, we'll be with you shortly."
Shadow nodded and began walking away from them, lifting his head up to appreciate the lighting placed above their heads. Silver hesitated but when the black hedgehog called out to him he proceeded his way inside.
Once they were out of their vision Sonar tugged Amy by arm and forced her to face him.
"Amy what was that? I knew you were nervous about Shadow turning up but what was that?! You didn't even introduce yourself properly." He repeated for emphasis.
The pink hedgehog startled at his statement she had completely froze at the sudden appearance of Silver. She looked up with nervous eyes matching his eye level. "I suddenly don't feel so good. It's nothing."
"Stop lying to me Amy. You can tell me anything, you know that. I know something is up." He said concerned, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Sonar if it was something I would've told you. I'm fine." She removed his hands and placed them by his side. She brought a weak smile on her face.
"We've waited enough. I don't think Damon is arriving anytime soon. Let's go in." She said raising her arm out to him.
Amy's answer did not satisfy Sonar in the slightest. Whatever it was, he could tell it was bothering her. He decided not to pester her with it and leave her be. She was entitled to her privacy and he needed to respect it. The blue hedgehog held her hand as the two made their way inside.
.
"Amy."
The pink hedgehog jumped at her name being called out. She turned around, relieved to see it was only Tails.
"Gosh Tails, a heads up would've been nice." She said swirling the straw in her drink.
The young fox sat down beside her. Amy had been by the bar all night so far. She would be scanning her surroundings every thirty seconds or so, paranoid that Silver would show up. It wasn't the best impression.
"Amy you need to interact with people. Sonar's been signalling you to do that for the last 30 minutes." He brought to her attention, sliding the drink away from her.
"And how do you know that?" She asked him, annoyed why Tails felt the need to guide her at HER party.
"Everyone can tell by this point. Amy you CANNOT mess this up. Rouge has me on lookout for a reason." He reminded her.
"Urgh fine." She said now scanning her surroundings in search for the amber eyes she saw earlier.
Her pupils shrunk at the sight of Silver making conversation with another guest. It seemed as if their talk had just finished as the silver hedgehog clanged his champagne glass with his partner. Both took a sip after the toast.
Silver patted his shoulder leaving the individual behind and made his way forward. He lifted his head, now making direct contact with Amy. She felt a rush of adrenaline as he started making his way towards her. This was her cue to leave. But before that she had to warn Tails.
"Tails," she grabbed his shoulders in urgency, ducking slightly down to his level.
"You CANNOT let that silver hedgehog approach me. Please keep an eye out." She finished. Tails turned to see the same hedgehog Amy spoke of coming in their direction. He witnessed how anxious she was and simply nodded. That was his mission for tonight. Stop that hedgehog from getting in close proximity to Amy.
The pink hedgehog rushed off the bar stool in attempt to flee from the current situation but bashed into someone instead. She slowly tilted her head up in dread, hoping it wasn't Silver.
"Amy," Sonar started, a slight disappointment hinted in his tone.
She turned around and saw Silver frozen, the sight of her and Sonar caused him to turn direction and walk the opposite way. Sonar had scared him off! For once she was thankful of his sudden appearance.
"Sonar, I was going to come find you. Let's go talk to the guests." She said with a fake smile.
"No. Something's going on and you're not telling me." He said placing his hand onto hers. His eyebrows furrowed. The Amy he had known from these past weeks never had such insecurities, she was never paranoid. This sudden change wasn't coincidental, something was up and he was going to find out what.
"You can tell me." He insisted, hoping she would open up to him.
"It's nothing, I told you before." Amy reassured once again.
He huffed at her being so difficult. "... Fine if you say so." He said defeated. It was no use, no matter how hard he tried she wouldn't open up to him.
The blue hedgehog paused, noticing the same fox they brought Amy's dress from beside them. "How is he here?" He pointed at the fox, who looked at Amy for an answer.
"He helped us out with the venue, so I requested an invite to be sent to him too." She cleared.
Sonar shrugged his shoulders, he was paying this much as it is, one more guest wouldn't hurt.
"Well have a great time buddy. Amy let's actually go speak with our guests." He said now pushing the pink hedgehog by her back towards Shadow.
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"I'm sorry for being so rude before, I was so shocked to see you." Amy stated smiling at Shadow.
"Not a problem. You guys have really gone out there with this party." He complimented back.
Sonar nudged Amy slightly, which the black hedgehog picked up on. "Amy is the mastermind behind this."
"Oh really? Well done Amy." Shadow praised as the pink hedgehog blushed at her idol's compliment. It was not everyday Shadow The Hedgehog attended your party and had a conversation with you. She cherished every moment of it.
Shadow brought his champagne glass forward to raise a toast between the three of them. "To the rest of the night and potential deals."
The partners matched his energy, clanging their glasses against his. "To potential deals." They repeated in unison.
Sonar fidgeted with the pockets of his trousers wanting to excuse Amy from Shadow. Though the pink hedgehog happily continued learning about the black hedgehog's journey into the industry and how he became so famous. She admired his work and yearned to become like him someday. From what she understood from his advice, patience and hard work were key.
The blue hedgehog simply observed their conversation at a distance. He was pleased with Amy returning to her normal mood. He had never seen her that agitated before. It worried him, not knowing why he cared so much.
He stepped into their conversation, creeping behind Amy and holding her shoulders, which cause her to jump slightly. She tilted her head back only to see it was Sonar, causing her to shake her head. Shadow paused mid-sentence noticing the blue hedgehog.
"Is it okay if I steal her away?" He questioned with a goofy smile.
Shadow simply smirked at his question. "Of course you can."
Sonar rushed towards an empty table as Amy followed behind, turning back to Shadow with an apologetic look on her face. She stopped now seeing the blue hedgehog take a seat backwards, resting his elbows at the arch of the chair.
He signalled her to take a seat beside him, which she did reluctantly. Sonar simply stared at her, not initiating conversation. The pink hedgehog sighed, it was down to her to ask why he had pulled her aside.
"So, Mr The Hedgehog, what do you need to speak with me about?" She asked formally.
"Nothing really. Just nice to see you back in a good mood." He remarked.
It was true. Amy has completely forgotten about the Silver incident. Sonar's presence had completely distracted her. Not to mention she had a conversation with her role model. Shadow had even given her advice! She really needed to thank the girls for choosing her to be a part of their plan. Such opportunities only came once in a lifetime.
"Yeah and you know who's the reason for that?" She asked looking into his eyes.
The blue hedgehog bought a finger to his chin, thinking carefully about Amy's question. "Well I'd like to think it's me."
The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes at his response, he was always so full of himself. Even now, it was nothing new, she was expecting him to say something like that. "No silly... Shadow. He's been giving me advice and it's changing my perspective on things."
"Hopefully he signs a deal with us tonight."
Amy sighed, "I hope it wasn't just talk. He seems interested, so maybe he'll sign the deal?"
Sonar nodded, having Shadow on board would make their project a 'big deal', which was something they needed if they wanted to blow up in the industry. He pondered for a moment. If worst comes to worst and Shadow doesn't sign the deal they need a back up plan.
"Amy we need to speak with the rest of the guests too, you know, just in case Shadow doesn't sign." He suggested.
The pink hedgehog praised his wise thinking and agreed with his suggestion. "You start off I'll join you shortly." She said getting up slowly trying not to trip on the fabric of her dress.
Sonar raised an eyebrow at her. The last time she had excused herself, Amy had spent a lot of time at the bar. That was not something Sonar wanted to deal with again.
"I'm going to the toilet!" Amy blushed, slightly embarrassed that the blue hedgehog thought she was going to ditch him and go drink.
Sonar scratched his quills nervously, "Ahhh o-okay, you go do that." He said rushing away from Amy. The pink hedgehog giggled at how flustered her companion had become.
She started to make her way to the other end of the venue where the restrooms were situated. On her way there a lot of designers had stopped and had a quick conversation with her, to which she replied she would be back shortly.
After multiple of those encounters, Amy stopped her tracks. She saw Silver sitting at the farthest table away, the one that was in close proximity with the toilets. He noticed her presence and got up, slowly approaching her step by step.
She braced herself, this was it. She couldn't put a finger to what Silver was planning on doing but hoped it had nothing to do with ruining her plan. This was the worst scenario possible, the confrontation. The one she had mentally prepared herself for.
From a distance a yellow blur came into frame, casually bumping into the silver hedgehog. Amy widened her eyes at the sight of a familiar looking fox. Tails! Yes, her saviour. Now having the opportunity to escape, she quickly jogged to the women's restroom, closing the door behind her.
"I'm so sorry Sir. My bad, are you okay?" The young fox asked while the hedgehog groaned.
Silver had the perfect opportunity to talk to Amy and it had been ruined by this idiotic fox. He scanned the room hoping to see the pink hedgehog, but she had vanished entirely. The one chance he had to clear the air between them was scrapped.
"Yeah I'm fine." Silver replied, trying to maintain his composure.
He stepped away from the fox scrubbing his head slightly, "But be careful, you don't wanna hurt yourself." He gave a word of caution. Tails nodded, moving away from Silver and letting out a sigh of relief.
Tails had been keeping a close eye on Silver thus far. Amy warned him to keep him away from her and that's exactly what he intended on doing. Right now had been a close call, far too close for comfort. He couldn't continue to bump into Silver each time he saw him in proximity with Amy, it would be suspicious. Tails simply prayed the pink hedgehog knew what she was doing and would be more aware of her surroundings, to save his awkward encounters more than her own.
.
Amy stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Gosh she looked pathetic. All the hide and seek she was unintentionally playing had gotten her sweaty. She blew out, trying to cool her heated body. It was all starting to get too much: Sonar constantly looming around her, Silver lurking and waiting for an opportunity to attack from what she understood as well as the numerous designers she had to appeal too.
She brought a tissue to her forehead, wiping the sweat away and fixing her hair so that she looked reasonable again. No one had been in the toilet to judge her. She once again stared at her serious reflection, playing with her facial expression and finishing with a fake smile on her face she had mastered in front of the mirror multiple times until capable to hide her nerves.
She opened the door, her head facing the floor hoping not to trip, though a sudden figure took her hand and moved her to the corner of the room. She glanced, her eyes full of fear.
"Silver. Let me leave." She tried to assert dominance, shuffling to let herself free. The male hedgehog instantly let go of her hands, giving the opportunity to flee from him if she wished.
"Amy, since when were you afraid of me?" He paused with sorrowful eyes. "I just want to talk to you and all you do is run away. Have I done something wrong?" He asked, his fists clenched in disappointment.
Amy froze, her eyes softened. "Silver no. I-I... Now's a bad time."
"Something isn't adding up. Shadow said the party is by Amy Elise. I didn't realise it would be you?" He looked up in confusion.
"I'll explain everything," She knew she didn't have a choice. Rouge and Sally would not be happy with a third party knowing the details of their plan but she couldn't do anything else. If he kept pestering her about it, someone else would hear their conversation for sure, word would spread to Sonar and everything she had worked so hard for would collapse.
"Silver you need to tell me why you're here." She interrogated.
"After you resigned, Justin needed to cover up the bad press on the Bailey's turning down our offer. We managed to save some reputation by signing a deal with Shadow. Justin sent me here with Shadow for inspiration for his next collection. Shadow invited me to come with for a party... I didn't realise I'd see you." Silver cleared.
But one question still remained in his mind. "Why are you going about as Amy Elise?" He asked quickly but stopped as the pink hedgehog delivering death glares at him.
"Silver shhh," She started, looking around thankful that no one had heard them.
"Meet me by the beach bar tomorrow. I'll explain everything, for now, please just go along with what everyone else does." She pleaded to which he placed his hand on her shoulder. Now was the time to express how much he'd missed her.
"Damon's here!" One of the guests cheered.
Amy turned her head pleased to see her other special guest appear but frowned upon the sight of his plus twos. No, surely not, not in one night?! The universe must've hated her at that particular moment. Just when she had made things less awkward with Silver she was thrown into another situation.
Who stood by Damon? The Baileys.
Amy quickly turned to Silver who shared the same look of discomfort.
"Silver, whatever happens tonight the Baileys cannot reveal my identity. It's not something I can afford, please." Her eyes started watering, this newfound stress was getting to her.
"Amy, you can always rely on me." He said softly, pulling her into a hug for reassurance. The pink hedgehog pulled away appreciative of his concern towards her.
"Amy, Damon is her-" Sonar stopped his tracks. He noticed his partner's eyes were glossy and the same hedgehog she was terrified of before stood in front of him.
"Do we have a problem here?" He asked Amy in a concerned manner.
The lack of response received caused the blue hedgehog to immediately turn to Silver gripping at his tie. "What did you do to her?" He hissed between his teeth.
"Sonar no! Everything is fine." Amy rushed to his side, yanking his hand off the silver hedgehog.
She turned Sonar so that he could face her directly whilst also signalling for Silver to leave.
"I was so happy that Damon came I got all teary." She reassured him.
"Pathetic, isn't it?" She added at the end of her statement.
"Ames no. Just... don't cry okay? Let's go say hi to Damon." He suggested instead.
.
"Sonar, Amy nice party." Damon shouted over the loud music playing.
He was a peach hedgehog, young and full of life. He was a similar age to her from what she understood and very outgoing too. He had a strong fashion sense, one that the industry became crazy obsessed over. One which brought him fame and attention in the first place. Though he used that as a golden opportunity to start designing tailored suits, something which he had completely mastered. In little time, he became the talk of the town. No one could get enough of him. The combination of good looks and fame made him irresistible.
Amy gulped slightly noticing the Baileys on either side of Damon. Mrs Bailey in particular burned through her with piercing eyes. The pink hedgehog could tell she was 'rejoiced' to see her.
"We were waiting for you. I'm glad you could make it." Sonar spoke politely, shaking his hand with Damon's.
"I wasn't sure who to bring along, so I brought my aunt and uncle." Damon said placing his arms around each of their shoulders.
Amy choked slightly. The potential rivalry she had developed with Mrs Bailey was the aunt of Damon?!
"Wait she's your aunt?" Amy asked immediately after.
Damon raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah...my aunt. You know, my mum's sister."
"That's...wonderful!" Amy quickly formed hoping not to offend Damon and his family.
Damon quickly stepped forward and reach for Amy's hand, pressing his lips against her knuckles and then gently letting it go.
"You look beautiful." He commented to which Amy curtsied.
One other thing she completely forgot about the peach hedgehog was that he was a flirt. He was shameless, taking any opportunity received to be around women. A notorious playboy.
"...Well then, enjoy the party." Sonar said whilst side eyeing Amy to move away as quickly as possible. Thankfully the Baileys hadn't had a chance to talk yet and she hoped it would remain that way.
They moved over, close to the dance floor. Sonar tried to yell over the music playing which Amy could just about make out.
"Damon was acting waayyyyy too friendly."
"He's the twin of this blue hedgehog I know." She replied loudly causing Sonar to roll his eyes.
After her comment, the blue hedgehog quickly shifted to the DJ, who took his headphones off and nodded at what her partner was saying in his ear. Then he turned the music off abruptly. Sonar held a microphone following a large trail of wire, slowly making his way to the centre of the stage. The guests moved away to the edge.
He patted the microphone which led out a large squeal causing everyone to quiver in disgust. After the sound checks were made he began to talk.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're enjoying yourselves tonight. As you know I'm Sonar and that's my partner Amy Elise." He pointed directly at her before continuing.
"We want to open a boutique, Elise and Elegance, but lack expertise. We believe that there is serious potential out there and us, including any of you that'd kindly help us, could profit from this." He stated in determination.
"There is a large market area no one has been able to crack so far; people that are willing to spend money on limited edition items. We believe by opening a boutique, this niche of consumers will grow."
The blue hedgehog paused. This wasn't just his project, he couldn't just speak through it all. He swooped over to Amy handing the microphone to her. The pink hedgehog stared blankly at Sonar before gently grabbing the mic.
"Hello everyone..." She paused for a brief second. The sudden speech was something she hadn't prepared for, with a few thoughts in mind she spoke away. Her dialogue would be on the go, not that she could do anything about it.
"This is where all of you come in. If you are willing to place any limited edition products in our boutique then that'll be a point of attraction. All of this will of course provide you with commission. The hope is to kick-start this boutique and open chains across the nation. Please have a think about this for the remainder of the night and feel free to discuss any concerns. Thank you. Enjoy the night."
With her speech over, everyone clapped, including Sonar. The Baileys kept a straight face whilst clapping, revealing no thoughts on the pink hedgehog's project. The designers briefly talked amongst themselves for a few minutes before scattering away all over the venue.
It was only the two of them left on stage. The blue hedgehog gave a thumbs up to Amy before approaching her with a smirk. "Well what do you know? This party might be a success after all?"
Amy scoffed at his comment, "Whatever I suggest normally works in my favour."
Sonar's smirk was replaced by a genuine smile ignoring her sarcasm. "No but seriously, they all had smiles on their faces. From what I can tell we have serious clients."
Working with designers in Justin's company was a dream Amy Rose had. It was obscure how easily the designers had come by today, only because they had the money to organise a large gathering to peak their interest and confirm that they were serious about it. That was one of the ironies. She was constantly told she has potential, yet lacked the wealth status to even show potential in the first place. Amy Elise had everything too easy.
"Let's just see who approaches us." She snapped out of her thoughts to which Sonar nodded.
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"Great speech Amy." Silver congratulated wholeheartedly.
It was later that night. Sonar had been glued to Amy. With him busy in a conversation, Silver was finally able to share how pleased he was with the pink hedgehog's speech.
"Silver...thanks. But the Baileys, have they said anything? It's them I'm worried about." She panicked.
Silver scanned the room noticing the one Amy feared was in conversation with a group of designers around a table.
"From what I've seen, they don't care. After your speech they've done nothing shady, just talk to all of your guests." He shrugged his shoulders.
Amy let out a sigh of relief. She was willing to do anything to protect her cover but if Mrs Bailey was willing to keep her mouth shut then so be it.
"Sooooo... Can I know why you aren't using your real name?" Silver brought up to which Amy scanned hesitantly.
"I told you!" She whispered loudly. "I'll meet you tomorrow and we can discuss everything."
"Discuss what?"
Amy heard a familiar voice behind her froze. She turned around to face Sonar with a raised eyebrow, two drinks in hand, which she presumed one of them he brought for her. Silver was also shocked to see the blue hedgehog.
"Ohhh. Silver is working with Shadow. He wants to know more about the commission process and how it'll work. I'm just explaining that they need to register their interest and then we'll explain everything in another conference." She blabbered.
Sonar turned to Silver with an apologetic look on his face, "Sorry bud, I don't know what came over me earlier."
"No harm done. You're forgiven." Silver said to which they both shared a laugh.
"It was nice speaking to you Silver." Amy smiled now backing away from him and pulling Sonar to a side which he didn't seem pleased about.
"Hey! I was having a conversation with him. Why did you pull me away?" Sonar asked.
"I've talked to him enough already. Besides you were about to punch him earlier, it doesn't look good." She quickly covered.
Truth was that Amy knew Silver could mess up. She frowned slightly remembering how she had been fired at work before. Maybe, just maybe if Silver had put in a good word about her, Justin would've been less reluctant in firing her. It was small things like this that mattered in the long scheme of things. If he even uttered a word about Amy Rose, she would be finished.
Sonar fiddled with his pockets whilst recalling the incident. He didn't understand what happened back there. Why he felt sudden rage when he saw the silver hedgehog. Why he was so affected by Amy's teary state. Maybe he was exhausted from all the preparations they had been doing over the past few days.
"I said sorry. I'm sure he understands." He said trying to forget that incident. He knew it was bad publicity. If any other designer from their party found out about the incident, they would never sign the deal.
The blue hedgehog was about to apologise to Amy for acting in that particular way with one Silver but was abruptly stopped by a young fox who approached Amy panting heavily.
"We have a problem." He said trying to catch his breath, pointing to the guests that were making their way to leave. Amy observed their facial expressions, noticing frowns, but amongst them one had a grin, an evil one.
She locked eyes with Mrs Bailey, not trying to show how infuriated she felt. This woman had screwed her over once, but not again. She wouldn't allow it this time.
"Sonar, stop the guests from leaving. Tails go help him. I need to solve the root of the problem." She said rushing her way over to Mrs Bailey. Sonar and Tails jogged over to the exit, placing smiles on their faces to hide their attempts at stopping the guests from leaving. He was confused why the fox cared about their problem but the urgency of the situation prevented him from overthinking.
Amy stopped her tracks, she noticed Mrs Bailey having a chat with a separate group of guests. This woman was a witch hidden in the attire of an upper class lady. She simply smiled at the guests before tapping her shoulder.
"Do what I say and we won't create a scene." The pink hedgehog gritted through her teeth, pulling Mrs Bailey's arm in a slightly rough manner, but not enough to cause any suspicions.
.
"What did you do?" Amy asked, her eyes about to pop out with rage.
Mrs Bailey simply scoffed, "Dear me, I didn't know you had such anger."
The pink hedgehog pushed the female against the wall. Enough was enough. "I tolerated YOU all night because you were Damon's guest. Cut the crap, what did you do?" She repeated bringing in deep breaths to calm herself down. She had done enough already as it was. Getting fired was enough, anything more was crossing the line.
"I told them you were a waste of time, you and this little project of yours. That an inexperienced girl like you isn't worth their energy. That you wouldn't take this seriously." Mrs Bailey paused before making her final statement.
"That you're a failure. You were a failure to Justin and you're a failure here. You'll always be a failure." She whispered into her ear.
Beads of tears began developing at each last word she spat. This woman was cruel. She treated her like a crinkle piece of paper she could just walk over. All her life, she had looked up to her. Now she understood the controversies surrounding Mrs Bailey. She mustered her courage and looked up to face her with one last question left to ask.
"Why? ...Why are you giving me such a hard time?" She said now allowing the flow from her eyes drain her face. Mrs Bailey broke her gaze by turning her head to a side.
"The moment my husband paid more attention to you than he ever did with me, was the day you became a failure. I don't know what your intentions are here in this new location, neither do I care but you're not getting away with it, you... husband-stealer." She hissed.
And with that she brushed past Amy, dusting off her dress in the process.
The pink hedgehog fell to the floor sobbing away. In a split second all the confidence she had regathered from after being fired left her system. Was this how rich people covered their insecurities? By wrecking people's lives and lowering their esteem to the point where they nearly hated themselves? If that was the case then she was glad she lacked such status.
But now everything has been ruined. Her eyes formed fresh new tears at the thought of their 'business' being in ruins. With no business, that meant no more interactions with Sonar, meaning no more money to be restored. A failure in the words of Mrs Bailey. Everything had crumbled right before her very eyes. Nothing was salvageable.
"Amy!" She heard a concerned voice cry out, rushing by and crouching down.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Shhhhhh." The male said as he snuggled against her. The pink hedgehog looked up to see Sonar hold her tightly through her glossy eyes. He couldn't bear to see her vulnerable state, she could tell, which caused her to tear up more. She always needed someone by her side, which she hated. It implied she couldn't do anything by herself, which Mrs Bailey insinuated.
"Shhhhhh." He repeated, hugging her close. "Everything is going to be okay. I know this is important to you." He paused at Amy clinging onto him, returning his hug.
"Someone's spread a bad word. Silver's getting Shadow to help us out. It'll be okay." He patted her back, hoping to help her.
At that moment Amy needed reassurance that everything was going to be okay. The only source at the moment was Sonar. She clung onto him dearly in attempt to comfort herself. They both stayed on the floor. He could tell she was broken as she whimpered against his chest. The minimum the blue hedgehog could do was hold her close until she stabilised and that's exactly what he did. Amy wasn't just his partner, but a friend too. One that needed his companionship the most at this time.
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Shadow was now on stage with a microphone in hand. He had heard from Silver about the sudden downfall in interest within the audience. He was going to try his best to save the night, this was his only shot.
"Hello. As you may already know I'm Shadow." He stopped to see a mob of people approaching him slowly.
"I have heard about your doubts with this project. But I assure you once you think from another perspective all your concerns will be gone."
He started walking around slowly, noticing all eyes following him. "Once upon a time, you and I were in their position. We had aspirations of becoming designers and no one believed in us. They all shushed us because they thought we lacked skill. Through hard work and patience, we became who we are. Here we are today, talented and successful!" He raised his mic, causing the crowd to cheer and clap.
"So then why are we becoming the same obstacles that existed we chose to start our pathways? Our hosts have been nothing but generous all night. The least they deserve is support. They're young and determined and will work according to your style. Please think of giving them a chance. I definitely will." He finished, again earning a clap from the other guests.
"I'm going to give it a chance." Damon stated now making his way on stage to unite with Shadow. Mrs Bailey made multiple attempts to stop her nephew from solving her sabotage. Alas, he shook her off his arm and jumped up on stage.
Amy never once brought her head up from Sonar's chest. Throughout Shadow's speech she had stopped crying but was too afraid to look up. Her and her blue partner remained on the floor, leaning slightly against the wall behind them.
Sonar stroked her quills, it had worked in calming her down. The blue hedgehog was amazed by the speech Shadow gave. It had been so inspirational, not to mention that he was willing to become a part of their business.
As a few more minutes went on, more and more designers joined Shadow on stage. The few stubborn ones that remained refused to take any part whatsoever and made their way out.
"Ames, look! Shadow's solved it all." Sonar said thrilled to see the number of designers on stage.
The pink hedgehog removed herself from Sonar, brushing off the stray hairs from her face and focused her blurred vision. Shadow was noting down the other designers' details and wished them a goodnight, allowing the chaotic night to end once and for all.
With Shadow greeting the last guest goodnight, Sonar and Amy got up and made their way towards him. The black hedgehog held a list of names and their details and handed them to the blue one.
"Here. This rightfully belongs to you." He said patting his shoulder.
"Ho-w can we thank you? You've done so much." She was at loss of words.
"Don't thank me. I see potential and I make sure others see that potential too." He said with a smile on his face.
"And that's why you're my hero." Amy shook his hand with a beaming smile.
"I'm honoured. See you later, goodnight." Shadow said now with Silver by his side exiting the venue.
Tails had also said goodbye to the two. Sonar had thanked him for the earlier warning he gave. Tonight was a roller-coaster, but at least it finished off on a good note.
"Let's get you home shall we?" Sonar suggested noticing Amy lost deep in her thoughts. In response to his question she snapped back into reality and nodded in agreement.
.
They were now in the parking of Amy's hotel, still in the car of course. Sonar pulled the handbrake before removing his seat belt.
"Tonight's been a roller-coaster." He stated, putting the steering wheel into lock then looking at Amy.
"Yeah, let's just say nothing went to plan, but we still have clients." She smiled weakly.
Sonar brought out two bottles of alcohol, giving one to her. "We deserve a little treat y'know?"
Amy raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you supposed to be driving back?" She questioned.
"I don't live too far from here. I'll just walk."
With that, both popped the bottles open and gulped down as much as possible in one go. Amy did, in most attempt, to fill the void Mrs Bailey had instilled in her. She didn't know why Sonar did the same. Momentarily however, it brought her confidence.
"Come drop me to my room?" She pleaded to which Sonar instantly opened the car door, stepping outside.
The two had stumbled on their tracks on the way to Amy's room, obviously they were tipsy. Once they had made it there, the pink hedgehog placed her keys in the door, now turning to her companion.
"Well this is me." She said quietly.
"G'night Ames." He said turning his back away from her.
"Wait Sonar!" She called out to him, causing him to flip and smile.
"I-I just wanted to say thank you for the way you took care of me." She said now noticing she was no longer under the effect of the beverage, but more sobered from recalling the incident earlier.
The blue hedgehog made his way closer to her. He stood and tilted her chin so that she looked directly into his eyes, their lips inches away from each other.
"I'll always look out for you." He whispered, his breath still smelling of alcohol.
Her breath hitched as she sunk into his emerald eyes. Sonar cupped her cheek, stroking it softly whilst coming in closer. Amy closed her eyes ready to embrace the moment, she leaned in slowly until their lips touched.
Sonar delicately kissed her, not knowing how she would react. The two of them felt fireworks explode as they united. Her lips had been soft against his, making him crave more. Though Sonar knew better and removed his hand as he parted from her. He looked softly into her eyes. Both breathed in heavily after the moment they shared, turning bright red. He barely uttered 'goodnight' before walking away out of frame embarrassed.
Realisation hit her almost immediately afterwards. She had kissed Sonar and it had felt just right.
Told you A LOT happens! I need to plan the next few chapters, which may take some time. If you have any cool ideas, leave them in the reviews! I might even incorporate them if I feel it fits the vibe I'm going for. Thanks for your time :)