Chapter 3: The Time of Peace

Last time on Maria the Tenrec, Maria ends up the heroes of Mobius during one of the many fights with Robotnik to come. Despite her efforts, she could not sway Eggman into giving up his evil ways and in fact only enraged him into a fury. Now he has his sights set on both Maria and Sonic...

Starring:

Maria Robotnik - Tenrec Pacifist
Amy Rose - Hammer of Justice

Station Square; A Week After the Last Battle With Eggman...

*Maria was back to life like normal; after having a hot dog with Sonic and his friends, they departed to their own ways with Maria returning to a life involving simple pleasantries and home cooking. But as she returned to her apartment...*

Voice: "Mariaaaa!"

Maria: "Hm?"

*Amy runs up to Maria, waving at the girl with a bright smile on her face.*

Maria: "Amy? What are you doing here? Didn't you go chasing Sonic?"

Amy: "Sigh... He, uh... He's a lot faster than I'd like to admit... So I came back to Station Square and decided to rent an apartment for a while. And to do a little shopping too!"

Maria: "Oh? Well, I'm happy for you, Amy." *Unlocks her door and enters to put away the groceries.* "So why chase after Sonic? He seems like a nice enough hedgehog, but he sure does run a lot."

Amy: "Sonic and I are meant to be together..." *Starts to get mesmerized, hearts around her, as she fantasizes about her and Sonic. Maria just looks on with a raised eyebrow.*

Maria: "Um... How? Sonic didn't seem to know you for very long..."

Amy: "Well... We did just meet then... I'm a girl who likes to dabble in Tarot Cards. Are you familiar with them?"

Maria: "Like fortune telling and such?"

Amy: "Exactly!" *Pulls out her Tarot Card deck.* "I gave myself a fortune before going to Little Planet, which told me I was destined to be with someone for the rest of my life. My heart skipped a beat and I immediately knew what this meant... What if Sonic and I are destined lovers? He may reject my love now, but I will chase him throughout the universe until he loves me back!"

Maria: "...I...have a different interpretation of the fortune..." *She says with a slight nervous smile.*

Amy: "Here. How about I give you a fortune?"

Maria: "No thank you. I prefer to make my own destiny." *Puts up her groceries.*

Amy: "Ah come on. Tell you what... One card. How about it?"

Maria: "Just one?"

*Amy nods before shuffling her tarot cards and slamming them on the counter. She then puts her fingers on the top card and pulls it off the deck.*

Maria: "Is all that necessary?"

Amy: "No, but it adds flair. Charm. And..." *Notices Maria not looking all that impressed.* "I'll...just read out the fortune... Ahem... Um..." *Starts to visibly shake as she stares at the card. She then places the card back on the deck.* "Y-You know what? It's fine. You're right. I think I prefer to make my own destiny too."

Maria: "...?" *Looks at Amy with a bit of curiosity before just shrugging, thinking nothing of it.*

Amy: "Boy your home is..." *Looks around the apartment and sees it...pretty light on much. Nice and clean, but so few furniture and no TV.* "Simple..."

Maria: "I like simple. I...don't know why, but I just never found any reason to buy beyond what I need. Which is to say..." *Pulls out a jar filled with money.* "I can't not buy for myself."

Amy: "So wait... You have...that much money...but don't buy anything!?" *Grabs Maria's hand and her jar.* "Girl. Sometimes it's good to feel materialistic. Not that that's a habit to get into, but you need to experiment with more things. You're, like what, over fifty said Tails? And yet, you look this good? Come on, Maria!" *Starts dragging Maria out the door and back into town.*

Maria: "Uh well... Um..."

*Maria couldn't resist or say anything as she is dragged into town.*

Downtown Station Square; Shopping District

*Amy takes Maria to a clothes store, which has Maria looking a bit...nervous as she looked at all the different clothes.*

Amy: "Okay, okay. You seem a bit lost, so how about we try on some clothes first?"

Maria: "Amy, is this truly necessary...?"

Amy: "Most definitely." *Grabs some clothes and hands them to Maria.* "You go inside the changing room and come out once you're ready."

Maria: "...Fine..."

*Amy waits for a few minutes and Maria walks out, now dressed in a casual green t-shirt with an Earth pattern on the front, an orange skirt, and a pair of neat looking sneakers. Amy looks at this before smiling.*

Amy: "Wow! You look amazing! Like really amazing!"

Maria: "Um... I guess this works. Truth be told, I wasn't into it at first, but the more I looked at it... The more it just spoke to me, you know?"

Amy: "Totally! Alright, my turn!" *Enters the other changing room as Maria sits on a display as she waits for her.*

*Maria starts humming to herself, waiting patiently for Amy before the pink hedgehog walks out in a new red dress and red boots.*

Amy: "Well? What do you think?"

Maria: *Looks at Amy up and down with a slightly widened expression.* "Huh. I'm...quite shocked how well that looks on you. In fact, I'd even say it looks especially well on you."

Amy: "Thank you! Oh, this is a must-keep then!" *Heads back into the changing room.*

Maria: "Wait what are you-"

Amy: "I got a bunch of other outfits I'd like to try on!"

*Maria wanted to speak up, but refrained before just waiting more. Amy came out of the room several different times, each time showing off her new outfit, where were all outfits she'd use in various other activities, like the Olympics, hoverboarding, and even a Boom outfit.*

Amy: "Alright! I think I'll just buy them all! Do you mind?"

Maria: *Looks at the price tags of the outfits before looking...understandably shaken.* "N-No... Not at all..." *Pays for the clothes, taking a nasty hit on her jar full of money.* "Right... I should head home..."

Amy: "Aw, c'mon! We still got a lot to see!" *Grabs and drags Maria out of the clothing store.*

Maria: "B-But... Amy...!"

*Hours pass as Maria is dragged to a bunch of shops to quench Amy's shopping spree needs, all the while her money being spent on a variety of things that Maria personally did not want or even need. Her patience with the pink hedgehog gradually started to thin.*

Amy: "Oh my gosh! This has been such a fantastic shopping spree! Seriously, did you get anything you liked?" *Turns to Maria, who frankly looked exhausted.* "Oh! We should totally get our hair done! Serious! I think that would-"

Maria: "ENOUGH!"

*Amy stops at this, startled by Maria's outburst.*

Maria: "Amy... Can you listen for one second in your day!? I don't need this stuff! I never did! I am perfectly happy with what I have already! I never needed materialistic things! I never wanted them! And what's worse, you are running me ragged through town!"

Amy: "M-Maria... P-Please... Calm down... I-I..."

Maria: "I have to be at work in a few hours, I need to rest up, but I'm here spending my time, effort, and money on someone JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ME!"

*Her voice echoes loudly as Amy is just left...speechless... But tears did roll down the little hedgehog's eyes as she felt heart broken.*

Maria: "..." *Stares at Amy, a look of guilt forming over her face, thinking she may have gone a bit far. She reaches out before something immediately lands on the road nearby, sending a dust cloud right at the girls.*

*The dust cloud clears as a metal figure steps forward. Amy's eyes turn from sad to fear as she sees the familiar glowing red eyes glare at the two.*

Metal Sonic: "Objective found. Priority one... Eliminate Subject: Maria."

To be continued in...
The Metal Madness