Chapter 2
Sonic, Amy, Sally and Blaze waited nervously backstage as the studio audience came filing in.
"Are you sure we can do this?" Amy asked Sonic nervously. The blue hedgehog scratched his ear and replied, "I do hope so Amy."
Lights boomed into the studio and a loud voice filled the room.
"Welcome to 'Why do they?'; please welcome your host... Ant the Titch!"
A red ant came walking across the stage. He had surprisingly grown; now being almost four foot tall. He held a microphone in one hand and waved another hand at the audience as they cheered. Ant's antennae had been pushed back and were virtually out of sight, he was wearing a blue t-shirt and black jeans.
"Hello and welcome to 'Why do they?' the show that allows guests to reveal their problems and deal with them," he announced "Our guest today is blue, has quills and more importantly, runs at the speed of sound."
The audience cheered as Ant announced, "Please welcome Sonic the Hedgehog!"
"This is it," Sonic whispered to the girls. Amy planted a kiss on Sonic's cheek as he left the back room and emerged through a door on to the stage.
It took Sonic a while to take in the large audience and their loud cheers. He approached Ant who was sitting in one of the two chairs in the middle of the stage. Sonic sat opposite him in the unoccupied seat and glanced round nervously.
"So Sonic; firstly one of the main concerns about you personally is your current voice," Ant said casually. Sonic shifted nervously in his seat.
"Yeah my voice sounds terrible now… It's a lot more bland than what it was, but you can blame Jason Griffith for that," Sonic frowned.
"And SEGA also caused a bit of trouble for you is that right?" Ant asked. Sonic's eyes narrowed.
"They ruined a lot of things. They portrayed me as a speedy show-off and they wrecked my relationship with Amy."
There was a quick 'aww' from the audience before Ant resumed the show, "Now recently fans have accused you of being a rip-off of Shadow, what do you say to this?"
Sonic's eyes widened. "Where did they get that idea from?" he asked, clearly surprised, "My first game was in 1991, and Shadow's first game was in 2001."
"Yes we know that so why do you think the fans are coming out with this?" Ant asked.
"Probably because they love Shadow so much that they're willing to do anything to make me look bad," Sonic replied angrily, his fists clenched tightly in his lap.
Ant seemed taken aback by Sonic's quick change in mood but quickly resumed, "Why do you think some fans like him more than you?" he asked nervously.
Sonic sighed and answered the question as if it was obvious, "Because he's a misery guts. Personally I have a strong feeling of rivalry. I don't hate him. But I suppose the guy could lighten up."
Ant sighed and asked, "So what would you like to say to those fans that are accusing you of being a Shadow rip-off?"
Sonic faced a camera on the right of the stage and announced, "1991 was ten years before 2001. That means I came first, so according to their logic, Shadow's the rip-off, not me."
The audience cheered as Sonic sat back down. Ant turned and faced the camera that Sonic had just been facing, "Join us after the break when we will be talking to the three of the girls in Sonic's life."
There was loud music as the audience clapped. He sighed, "That went well."
After a quick glass of water Ant resumed the show, facing the camera that he and Sonic faced earlier. Loud music played into the room as the audience cheered. There were now three extra chairs beside Sonic.
"Welcome back! Now just before the break I interviewed Sonic the Hedgehog. Next I will be talking to three of the girls in his life so please give a warm welcome to Amy Rose, Sally Acorn and Blaze the Cat!"
Ant gestured to a door behind the stage as Amy, Blaze and Sally walked in. The audience cheered as they approached their seats. Amy eagerly grabbed the seat nearest to Sonic and she winked at him, causing the blue hedgehog to blush a little. All three girls then focused on Ant waiting for his questions. Ant however seemed to be in a daze at the mere sight of Amy but quickly snapped out of it.
"Right Blaze we'll start with you first!" he announced quickly. Amy gave him an angry look.
"Now what is it that's going on with these fans who think you're a rip off?" he asked, slightly scared of Amy's sulky expression.
"It is not my fault I was a rip-off. Fans have accused me of being a fan character and saying I'm nothing special, just a combination of Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Shadow and they also moan that I stole Big's species," Blaze said with a hint of fury.
"It's not my fault if I'm nothing more than a rip-off of the old characters, which I don't think I am!" she added now standing up and stomping her foot on the ground.
"Also I just want to point out that I have no romantic interest in Sonic, I don't care if people support Sonic and Blaze as a pair but there isn't any point, since there will never be any couples in the games. I was only around for one game, maybe two if I make it into the next-generation game. If you support Sonic/Blaze fine but don't try and make everyone else support Sonic/Blaze too. We canonly have a friendship, nothing more."
The audience clapped loudly as Blaze sat down.
"And finally Blaze, we heard there are a lot of anti clubs going around," Ant pointed out.
"Yeah well, if they want to be childish that's their problem. Obviously the immature group of Sonic/Amy fans didn't like the Sonic/Blaze couple and decided to try and turn everyone against it. Though it's not as bad as the Sonic/Sally and Sonic/Amy wars… yet," Blaze finished, her arms folded.
Ant turned to Sally, "So where do you fit in all these wars, Sally?"
Sally leaned forward and replied, "Considering Sonic and I was an item in the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series and in the Archie comics, possibly the Sonic/Amy fans feel threatened because of that."
"Now a lot of fans are now saying that you and Sonic are a thing of the past?" Ant asked, as if seeking confirmation of the statement.
"Well even though I and Sonic have sort of drifted apart, I find nothing wrong with people supporting both Sonic/Sally and Sonic/Amy. But these immature fans are saying that other fans should support one Sonic couple only which is immature. People can support whatever pairings they want. They are entitled to their own preference, and don't have to share anyone else's if they don't want to."
From the audience CJ the Cheetah, a young teenage girl with waist length brown hair, large ears, hazel eyes and orange fur, randomly shouted out, "I hate immature Sonic/Amy fans who flame Sally! They're destroying the Sonic/Amy fandom!"
A lot of people in the audience cheered and nodded in agreement with the cheetah girl.
"You see, people agree with me, it is pointless bashing the character purely because they don't like a pair they're in. They can dislike the pair but that's no reason to hate the characters involved too," Sally announced, bowing her head.
Ant turned to Amy, "And what are your thoughts, Miss Rose?" he stammered nervously.
"I'm sick to death of it! I hate getting flamed by Sally and Blaze fans! It makes me want to ..." she whipped out her hammer out of nowhere, and stroked it, "...deal with the problem." Amy ranted angrily, almost close to tears, she stood up and shouted at the cameras and the audience.
"For all you Amy bashers out there! Don't mess with me! I don't like being treated like rubbish! I don't think Sally and Blaze like it either!"
Sally and Blaze shook their heads in agreement. Ant, who was again gazing at Amy, got up and encouraged her to sit back down with great effort.
"So what are your final words to the fandom?" Ant asked. Suddenly all three girls got up and began talking at once.
"ONE AT A TIME!" Ant called. The girls sat down and Ant gestured to Sally.
"We ask to be left be. We did nothing to you." she said, almost crying.
"Or to Sonic," Blaze chimed in, "Whatever happens will happen; it changes nobody's mind! It doesn't have to! People can like what they want to!"
Amy then finished off by snarling, "We just want to be left alone. Otherwise, I'll have to do something both sides are going to regret."
She gave her hammer a slow, threatening stroke.
"Thank you Sally, Blaze, Amy and of course Sonic!" Ant announced. The audience cheered as the four of them left. Ant turned to the camera.
"Join us next week when I will be talking to Miles 'Tails' Prower, Cosmo and Cream the Rabbit!" he announced.
Backstage Amy, Blaze, Sally and Sonic were helping themselves to glasses of water.
"Let's hope Tails, Cream and Cosmo have luck next week," Sonic sighed, wiping his sweaty forehead.