A huge thanks to: TheMidnightShadow, Mobius Freak, ShadowsAngel1, MindlessGurl2000, Poetic Gamer, The High School Hero, Fables-and-FairyTale, Yasmine155, Chaotic hedgehog, Steve993, mudkiprox, Eli Swafford and Destructorbolt ! Thank you for all your lovely reviews!

TheMidnightShadow - Pooooooooooossibly, but we'll have to wait and see! ;D

Mobius Freak - Hahahaa, I think everyone's minds are all over the place at the moment! xD There's a lot of beating up at the university! x'D Thank you very much!

ShadowsAngel1 - Thank you very much! Aw, that's so nice! :3

MindlessGurl2000 - Things are very much up in the air, at the moment, aren't they? Thank you, I really hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Poetic Gamer - Bahahaa, am I too obvious? XD Thank you so much!

The High School Hero - DUN DUN DUN! Haha, yeah, the rating will remain the same for now, don't worry! xD Thank you ever so much!

Fables-and-FairyTale - She has got a lot of them; we'll have to start focusing on the other couples! ;D Aw, I'm so glad you think so! We'll have to see how events develop from here!

Yasmine155 - A lot, it seems! X'D

Chaotic hedgehog - Hahahaa, my apologies! Oooooh, burn to Jet! That's very true, maybe we'll get to uncover the Babylon Rogue's true feelings, during the story...? ;D Thank you!

Steve993 - Thank you so much! Things are all a bit up in the air, at the moment, with everyone's intentions! But perhaps more shall be revealed in the next few chapters... ;D

mudkiprox - Thank you ever so much for all of your advice and suggestions. In this edit of the story, I have heavily taken your advice on board, not just for this chapter, but for the whole story, and I feel that the story has vastly improved for it! So thank you very much for your review: it was really helpful!

Eli Swafford - They're all coming out the woodwork now! xD Haha, thank you very much!

Destructorbolt - Thank you ever so much~!

Chapter 6: A Bold Sentiment

(Amy)

When I re-entered the kitchen, I was startled to find that the girls were back out — they must have heard me come in. They were lounging around in the main room, curled up on sofas, or backs pressed against walls. Rouge was lying sideways on the couch, idly flicking through a magazine, with Cosmo perched on the edge, anxiously wringing her hands. Blaze and Cream shared the opposite sofa, slowly making their way through an opened bag of chewy sweets.

Cosmo noticed me first, "Oh, hello, Amy." She scooched to make room for me, but there was more space on Blaze and Cream's couch. I sat in the space that they created, just for ease, but felt bad when I noticed Cosmo's crestfallen expression.

"We've been waiting for you," Blaze smiled, "Fancy a catch up, for old time's sake?"

I was still wearing the dress from my date with Sonic, and the rest of the girls were in comfy PJs. Standing, I headed towards my room, telling them that I would be back in no time, I was just going to get changed.

Something told me that this evening wouldn't be as relaxed as we all wanted it to be.

When I returned, Blaze had pilfered more snacks out of her cupboard, as she casually ripped the head off a gummy snake. I noticed a bowl of popcorn on the table and took a piece, as I went to sit back down.

"This is a little bit different from the first time we had a sleepover together," I said, settling back against the headrest.

"Absolutely!" Cream giggled, "That was the first time you kissed Mr Sonic!"

"And a lot more have come in between then," Rouge winked at my tongue, which I stuck out at her.

Cosmo's expression was misty, but faintly sad, "Things have changed a lot between then and now."

"Not so much that we can't have a laugh like we used to!" Blaze got to her feet, suddenly determined, "How about a round of truth or dare?"

I frowned, wondering where this had come from. Blaze usually hated games like that. Cosmo clearly shared my concerns, as she tilted her head to one side, "Are you sure that's a good idea, Blaze?"

"Yeah. We haven't played it in such a long time, I'm starting to get nostalgic for it! Besides, I'm sure Rouge has got a backlog of suggestions that she's dying to let loose."

"You're not wrong," Rouge laughed.

Blaze nodded, having gotten the bat on board, and turned to the rest of us, "Come on. How about it, guys?"

"I don't see the harm in it," Cream agreed.

Cosmo and I shared a look. Neither of us were entirely convinced, but we were outnumbered here. It seemed easier to just go along with it. We nodded.

The cat grinned, "Great. I'll grab the boys."

"Why hello there," Rouge purred, as the guys all filed in. Blaze shut the front door and began to root around in her food cupboard, looking for an empty bottle which we could use.

"Hey, guys," Cheerfully, Sonic dropped himself between Cream and I. My heart swelled when he paid particular attention to her, asking how she'd been, and elicited a fond laugh from her.

Silver sat beside me, waiting for Blaze to take her place next to him, "Yo."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Rouge had drawn her leg in and sunk back into the couch, clearly expecting Knuckles to sit with her. However, to both mine and her shock, he ducked his head down and sat next to Silver. The ivory bat scowled, though it softened a little bit when Shadow came and joined her.

Tails moved past us and sat between Cream and Cosmo. This would be interesting.

By this time, Blaze returned and squished herself between Knuckles and Shadow, cross-legged on the floor. Placing down an empty glass bottle on the carpet, she gave a confident flick of her wrist and sent the bottle flying.

I kept my eye on the spin, as it passed from person to person. Slowly, it began to drag against the floor, scraping to a halt.

"Knuckles," Blaze raised an eyebrow, meeting his gaze, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever wanted to kiss someone in this room?" Her mouth spread into a wide grin, as the echidna wriggled and blushed. All eyes fell onto him, curious.

Knuckles folded his arms and glared at the floor, growing red, "That's a stupid question."

"C'mon, Knux, you know the rules!" Sonic goaded.

"I mean, sure. 'Pretty sure we all have! S'nothing special, 'kay, so don't get your panties in a twist, Sonic!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause I'm the one getting in a twist."

"Okay, okay, leave the poor guy alone," Silver lightly slapped Sonic with the back of his hand, but there was a similar sparkle in the grey hedgehog's eyes, "Knuckles, it's your go."

Huffing, Knuckles clamped his hand around the bottle and spun it with a lot more force than necessary. It was spinning for a long while.

"Heh. Payback time. Sonic, truth or dare?"

Not fazed in the slightest, Sonic puffed his chest out a little, "Dare. Hit me with your best, Knucklehead."

"Actually, I've got one that I think you'll find less than amusing, Sonic," Rouge interrupted, watching Knuckles for the green light. The echidna nodded, and let her lay out the challenge: "I dare you to sneak into Sally's room and steal her signature blue heels."

We all fell silent, for a moment. No one had expected that.

Sonic frowned, the first to recover, "Are you kiddin'? There's no way I'm doing that."

"You know the rules, Sonic," Knuckles echoed back the blue hedgehog's words, with a smug smirk, "Or are you too scared for this one?"

"Not a chance, Knux," As Sonic rose, I closed my eyes and scolded him for letting his pride get the better of him. He marched towards the front door, fired up, "Which room is she in?"

Tails swallowed. He didn't seem comfortable with this dare, either, but he knew better than to try and convince Sonic, "Next block over. Second floor, flat 5, room B. I was accidentally emailed the room list for that block."

"Thanks, buddy," Sonic gave us all a thumbs up, "I'm up, over and gone!"

He flashed out of sight. All we could do was wait for him to get back, but there was a large pit in my stomach that started to ache.

(Sonic)

I jogged over the address that Tails had given me, but my steps weren't as confident as I wished they were. This was a stupid dare that could go really, really wrong, pretty easily.

Since it was Knuckles' turn, I'd punch him when I got back.

Speeding up two flights of stairs, I crept along the corridor towards flat 5, sticking to the shadows and keeping my back pressed against the wall. Soon, the number on the door was in sight, and I managed to pick the lock and get inside. Room B, Tails had said, to I moved two doors along and started working on the lock of that one, too.

After hearing it click open, I gripped the handle and moved inside, quietly shutting the door behind me. The whole room was dark, so I guessed Sally was either sleeping, or not here. My eyes trailed across the space: a bed, a desk in the corner strewn with papers and books, a wardrobe and low, metal shoe rack. Bingo.

I focused on the blue high heels that Sally always wore, and grabbed them, hoping to make a dash to the door. But the light underneath the door suddenly dimmed, and I knew that someone was coming in. Diving next to the wardrobe, I prayed that I wouldn't be seen. The light clicked on and Sally came in.

As she shut the door, I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that she would either head back out again or go to bed. I could speed towards the door, without being seen, but Sally would hear the opening and closing of the door. This wasn't looking good.

Sinking onto her bed in the far corner, Sally started to take her shoes and socks off. I closed my eyes, entirely unsure of what to do.

But then the door burst open, and someone stormed over to the chipmunk. I couldn't see who it was, but I held my breath, all the same.

"Sally," The unknown girl hissed. She sounded familiar.

"What?" Sally snapped back, utterly pissed off.

"I need your answer!"

That voice was so familiar...

"I've already told you!" Sally got to her feet, "My answer is no!"

The mystery girl growled and stepped into my line of vision. I gasped, immediately recognising her, even though I couldn't see her face. Her red fur was covered up by black, leather trousers; a black tank top, with a belt that clipped around her bare waist. Her auburn hair was pulled back by a yellow ribbon, and her metal shoes made a strong clink sound against the wooden floor.

It was her.

The girl sent a shiver up my spine, when she placed her hands on her hips and leaned towards Sally, "Why? I know you want this. You've wanted this ever since you saw those two together!"

Sally stared down at her lap, "I wanted Sonic. I wanted him so badly that I did horrible things to Amy and their friends. I don't hate Amy, and I definitely don't hate Sonic. I've accepted that Sonic and Amy are together, and I am fine with that."

The girl hummed, teasingly, "Aww. Such a bold sentiment. But who are you really trying to convince? Me or you?"

"You," Sally closed her eyes, desperately.

"Trust me on this one," She straightened up and cocked her head to one side, "Amy and Sonic deserve what's coming to them. Sonic doesn't deserve a happy ending, and I'm going to give him the exact opposite."

"What are you going to do?" Sally asked.

A malicious laugh escaped the girl's lips, "You'll find out very, very soon."

"I won't let you hurt them," Sally said, just loud enough for me to hear, "I won't let you!"

"Ha!" She rocked back on her pointed heels, "Like you have a fucking chance! I'm top fox around here! No one can stop me! Especially not you!"

"In your own twisted way, I get why you're angry at Sonic," Sally stood up, suddenly sounding a lot more determined, "I get it. But it's unfair! What has Amy even got to do with this?"

"Nothing. She's just a pawn in my plan."

"And what about Sonic? Do his feelings mean nothing to you?"

"No. He means nothing to me."

Sally sharply breathed in. I clenched my fists and eyed the door, as it had been left open and I could get out in no time. Standing in a ready position, I willed my legs to run as fast as they could. The bedroom blurred behind me, as I sped towards the corridor. With the blue heels gasped firmly in my hand, I made my escape and held my breath until I was safe.

As I left, I could hear their conversation.

"What was that?" The mystery girl asked, who I hoped I'd never, ever see again.

Sally paused, "Nothing. At least, I didn't hear anything."

Thanks, Sal, I smiled to myself, wondering what would be the next move. I didn't stop running until I reached the front door of Amy's flat, where I could hear her jubilant laughter drifting towards me.

Frustrated, I pressed my head against the door. Eyes shut, I thought about everything that I had just heard. That evil—!

No, Sonic, don't go there.

It had all happened years ago. Why would she still be out for revenge?!

But, whatever the reason, I had to stop her. I wasn't going to let her do anything to the rest of the gang. But I couldn't tell Amy. She'd be out of danger, if she knew as little as possible.

Right?