Chapter 3: Priorities
Hiya! It's Amy! Funny running into you again, friend! I know it's been a hot minute, but it feels like only days since we last saw each other. If I had to guess, I'd say it's been… roughly a good seven or eight months since we last had a chance to speak. Longer than you thought too, right!? You wouldn't believe what you've missed out on! So much has happened, and goodness, do I have a life update for you… You got a bit of time to have a little chat right now, as a matter of fact? Because if you do, then by all means, get yourself nice and comfy. You won't want to miss what I've got to tell ya!
So… You remember how a certain blue hedgehog and I had a huge spat that caused me to lose interest in him, right? Of course, you do. Just checking. So anyway, he spent the first five months after that falling out blowing up my phone to try and smooth things over right away, but I wasn't having it. I admit it wasn't the nicest thing to do, ignoring his messages and calls, but I was so MAD at him! And I still am, to some degree! But get this: He and I had another… encounter about two months ago when he crashed a special playdate I scheduled with Tails. Long story short, Mr. Blue and I got into another argument, he said some really hurtful things to me, and after I gave him a piece of my mind, I told him to leave me alone. And leave me alone, he did. In fact… I haven't heard so much as a peep from him since that day. I… I also haven't seen him since that day, either… and after so long, it started to make me curious about what he was up to… N-not that I cared that much what that jerk was doing! He can do whatever he wants. Hmph!
In the tune of people doing whatever they want, of course, I spent this time really getting around. Hanging out with friends other than you-know-who, picking up hobbies old and new, and generally gaining knowledge about the world around me wherever I went. And this time around, I got to spend a whole day with two of my favorite gal pals, Blaze the Cat and Cream the Rabbit! I could go on for eons about how wonderful these girls are, but I think it'd be better if you got your own impressions of them as I regale you on the oh-so-epic tale of us chilling out and munching on delectable sweets at this gigantic super mall in Central City. Okay, so there Blaze, Cream, and I were, wrapping up our shopping trip and kicking it like the besties we were…
"I must say, I did not expect to have such an enthralling time coming to this… 'mall,'" my good friend Blaze commented as she sat across from me at a big, fancy booth in the middle of the Central City Mall's food court and finished her serving of tea and cake. "I offer my sincerest thanks to you ladies for inviting me," she further let me know, letting her aura of pure, mannerly regality shine through. Mind you, she was dressed super casually in a while bomber jacket with a black tank top underneath, as well as a pair of blue jeans, but she was regal nevertheless!
"Not a problem, Ms. Blaze! I told you you'd like it!" the innocent and entirely adorable young Cream assured Blaze as she shared a sprinkle and cherry syrup-smothered ice cream sundae with her equally adorable bowtie-wearing Chao, Cheese. Cream was dressed in a cute little orange shorts-tank top ensemble like she was ready to go to a sporting event, and she was in good spirits as always.
"Gotta agree with Cream there, Blaze," I remarked with a chuckle as I snapped a photo of my ginormous slice of Berry Blast pie topped with cinnamon whipped cream and a tie-dye gumball. Not that it's relevant, buuuut… I have a new internet food blog called 'Amy's Sweet Tooth Reviews.' I started it a little while ago, and I've made it a point to go to different bakeries, confection stands, and other establishments that sell exotic sweets to give 'em a try and see if they earn my Sweet Tooth stamp of approval! It's… actually the biggest reason the girls and I were at the mall. More on that later, probably. And in case you're wondering what I was wearing… well, I decided to go cute and casual with a bright blue t-shirt and this adorable frilly purple skirt. As I said, cute and casual. Ooh, sorry, I'm getting a bit off-topic. Anywho… "I know you're not one for busy or crowded places, but as long as you don't pay too much mind to everything going on around you, it's a relaxing experience to go shopping!"
"I… will have to trust your judgment on that, I suppose," Blaze shyly replied as she skittishly scanned the busy food court with her eyes. She's… still not terribly comfortable being in big public spaces, but I can certainly tell you that she's a lot better now than she was back when we first became friends. If you know, then you know. "Nevertheless, this has been an enlightening experience," she added as she cleared her head and smiled at us. "Any chance we may be able to plan another excursion like this in the near future?"
"Most definitely!" I assured, excited by the idea of hanging out with Blaze again.
"Yeah! Maybe next time, we can go to the beach! Or to Twinkle Park!" Cream enthusiastically suggested as she and Cheese happily finished their sundae.
"Whatever we do, I've got no doubt that we'll enjoy it thoroughly," Blaze assured with a nod.
"Of course, Ms. Blaze! And when we go, we can invite all our friends!" the excitable little rabbit suggested, though I… will admit I was made a little uneasy in that moment as I stopped eating my pie and focused my attention on the conversation. I had hoped to the high heavens that they didn't see the smile completely vanish off my face as soon as Cream uttered that statement…
"A splendid idea, Cream!" the sophisticated cat cheerfully agreed. "It has certainly been a while since I last spoke to the likes of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. I miss them dearly… especially Sonic," she added as the smile on her face widened just a bit. She even chuckled in that moment, which… I won't lie, made me SLIGHTLY uncomfortable, though I didn't have a good reason why. It's not like she had a crush on him or anything… or that I even cared. Hm…
"Ooh! I know! We can call him right now and let him know you're here!" Cream suggested, quickly shaking me out of my train of thought as I found myself awash with panic.
"Ah, yes! Let's," Blaze agreed, prompting Cream to pull out her phone to place the call before…
"W-wait!" I yelled at the top of my lungs by total accident, startling both girls into giving me wide-eyed stares. "Let's just… take a moment and enjoy ourselves before calling or inviting anyone else, why don't we?"
"Oh? That's quite surprising…" Blaze commented as she gave me an understandably quizzical look. "Are you saying you DON'T want Sonic to come see us?"
"Ah… W-well, not exactly, but… I uh… ya see… erm…" I stammered and babbled as I grew hot under the collar, making Blaze even more confused. Cream… shared no such loss for context. And as a matter of fact…
"Oh, right… Ms. Blaze, we should probably call Mr. Sonic another time," the impressionable young lady that was Cream politely changed her mind without missing a beat, though her tone sounded a bit deflated. If only that was where she stopped talking, though… "Amy and Mr. Sonic are mad at each other right now, and it wouldn't make for a very happy time to call him here now."
"Mad at each other?" Blaze asked in even stronger surprise than mere seconds earlier as she gawked at me. "What happened? Are you two no longer friends?"
"No, no, it's not THAT serious. Just… uh… some personal issues that came up between me and him. No big deal. It's nothing to worry about!" I babbled through my answer as my face grew hot with embarrassment. As you might guess, I didn't want her to find out at all, much less like this…
"Hmm…" Blaze hummed as she narrowed her eyes at me. I could already see that she wasn't buying my flimsy excuse, which made me even more nervous.
"What?" I asked, hoping she didn't try to push the issue further. And yet, as predicted…
"It certainly doesn't sound like it's no big deal," she presumed, reading right through me. Jeez… "Is it something you and I should speak about privately?"
"Ah… W-well… I-I think we should at least wait until a little later…"
"I think Ms. Blaze could help you, Amy! She's really smart and good at solving problems!" Cream interjected in her usual jovial tone. She unknowingly put a ton more pressure on me, but if she wasn't so adorable in the fact that she meant well…! "As a matter of fact, may I go with Cheese to the toy store and the playground while you two figure out how to fix things with Mr. Sonic?"
"Dah, um… W-well…" I stammered, my thoughts totally scrambled in the heat of the moment. That was until…
"You may do as you please, little Creamy," Blaze permitted with a smile as she patted the young bunny on the head. "Just make sure you and Cheese do not wander off too far, okay? And come straight back to us when you're ready to go."
"Okay! Come on, Cheese, let's go look at all the new building blocks and model trains!" Cream happily suggested of her Chao, at which point the two of them shifted past their shopping bags full of clothes on the seat, excused themselves from the booth, and dashed through the crowded food court, excitedly zigzagging past tables and people alike as though their feet were on fire. Well… in Cheese's case, like his wings were on fire, considering he was always airborne, but I digress. Once Blaze and I were alone…
"So… What happened between you and Sonic?" Blaze asked right away as she turned her full attention toward me. And while I wasn't sure where to even begin, and as much as I didn't even want to get into it… I figured that we may has well have gotten this over with. So, after a deep, heavy sigh as I finished my pie…
"…He and I haven't really been speaking over the course of this year because of an incident that happened seven months ago," I began. "In a nutshell, he and I were supposed to have a da—er, hangout, but he showed up extremely late and basically took no responsibility for it…"
"I see. That certainly sounds uncharacteristic of him to be so inconsiderate."
"Yeah, but you'd be surprised at how often it happens," I remarked with a puff of air out of my nose. "We got into our 386th huge argument over it, and we haven't seen eye to eye since. It's to a point where I've spent the better part of this year doing my own thing without him. It's been a lot easier just focusing on myself for once…"
"Oh. Hm…" Blaze acknowledged with a nod, rubbing her chin with a hand as she studied me up and down. "Is that perhaps why you've been so enthusiastic about posting pictures of sweets to your 'blog' and telling me about how much busier you've been since the last time I visited this dimension?"
"Wha? N-no! I was just excited to see you and I wanted to catch you up on what I've been up to!" I defended myself in a mild panic, hoping she wasn't accusing me of using her or anything… At that, Blaze chuckled.
"I see, I see. No need for nerves, Amy," she reassured me. "I am equally excited to see and hang out with you. My only concern is that you've not seemed… quite yourself, in so many words."
"Not quite myself? What do you mean?"
"Well… I will admit that I've noticed you being a little more… entirely insistent on talking about anything and everything other than Sonic since we met up this morning," she pointed out, stunning me almost senseless.
"How do you know that?" I questioned, tensing up as I tuned in to what she had to share.
"Any time his name even came up today, I could see you flinching, freezing, or otherwise getting flustered before changing the subject. In fact, you did it multiple times within the past thirty minutes prior to Cream excusing herself." Aaaand there was the cherry on THIS gigantic slice of humiliation pie. She DID notice me getting uncomfortable about him…
"…I see… I didn't realize you could read people so well…" I conceded, realizing it was pointless to hide it any longer. I can't believe I was being that OBVIOUS, though! Goodness, I guess subtlety isn't my strong suit… Gotta work on that.
"You needn't fret," Blaze sagely assured me as she reached across and placed her hand on top of mine. "And I would never profess myself to be a mind reader, but I do have experience recognizing when someone is dealing with an internal struggle."
"How so?"
"Because I myself had internal struggles that I attempted to hide," she openly admitted. "If you remember, I was very closed-off and unwilling to form meaningful connections with others. If anything, I was rather… as Sonic once described it, 'prickly.'"
"Prickly? That's kinda mean…" I remarked, though I wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear that Sonic would be so blunt with her.
"Perhaps, but he wasn't wrong. I refused to let anyone get close to me because I was afraid to be vulnerable. Afraid to potentially be hurt. It certainly did not help that I had it drilled into my head practically from birth that my only purposes were to be the princess of the Sol Empire and the protector of the Sol Emeralds. Being cooped up in a castle with no friends to relax and let my guard down around for my entire life, as well as growing up to initially view my abilities as a curse that I was forced to bear, made me more unapproachable than I initially thought until I came to this dimension for the first time."
"Wow, Blaze… I never knew that. Gosh…" I sympathized as she clued me in on her past struggles.
"Yes, but that is why I appreciate everything about my first trip here," she fondly remarked. "I learned quite a lot about what it means to live for myself while I also remain dutifully committed to my roles back at home. I've… still got some work to do as far as social interaction goes, as you've seen every so often, but I certainly do feel like I've grown quite a lot since meeting you and the rest of our friends. Particularly, Cream is like the niece I never had."
"Just as I call her my sweet little sister," I excitedly shared as I got more invested in hearing Blaze tell me more about herself.
"So, what does that make us?" she humorously asked, smiling as she awaited my reply.
"You'd technically be my aunt, too, but I don't know if I see you quite like that. No offense," I joked, at which point we shared a healthy laugh with one another. I mean, I'll admit, I always thought she was cool, calm, and collected. It made her seem mature at a glance. But to hear her share her experiences with me like this? It confirmed that belief without a shadow of a doubt… and it made me, as much as I hate to admit it, look up to her. Not quite like an aunt, but you get what I mean.
"None taken. I view us as being on more equal terms anyway," she confidently shared with me, keeping up with the familial energy between us. "After all, I've also learned much from you about how to be more expressive and honest with my feelings." At that admission, I nearly blew my top. She learned something from ME!?
"S-seriously!?" I asked in complete surprise.
"Indeed. Since our first meeting, I've picked up things about you regarding your virtuous and candid, albeit passionate nature. I mean… I understand that much of that passion comes from your love for Sonic, but I still took note of it. And I'll admit, you inspired me."
"O-oh… Wow, Blaze… Thanks for that. I uh… I-I'm glad I was able to teach you something that helped you grow," I nervously bumbled through my words as I stared directly at her in this giant, cushy lunch booth. My face felt like it heated up to a million degrees and my heart was slamming against the inside of my chest, but I… I was happy to hear that I influenced her in a way that helped her along in becoming more mature…
"You have my eternal gratitude, Amy. I mean that sincerely," she confessed some more as her golden eyes locked onto mine. Just from her general aura, I could tell she meant everything she said. Wow… "Of course, it appears I have an opportunity to return the favor, so that you may find future success on your growth."
"Oh? And how do you figure you could help me?" I asked, by all means anticipating what she had to share with me about how I could improve.
"By first revealing to you that attempting to distract yourself from your problems is never going to work," she sagely advised.
"Ah… B-but I'm not distracting myself. I've spent the last few months doing things independently, like I said. Getting to know all my friends better, taking up new hobbies, and just living my life the way I should've been doing all along."
"Which is, by all accounts, an excellent approach to becoming more mature and well-versed in worldly matters and getting to know oneself as a whole. However, it shouldn't come at the cost of you repressing your feelings toward someone you have a dispute with. Least of all, someone precious to you…"
"Precious? Hardly!" I denied as I emphatically turned my nose up at the idea. "He's not precious to me in the slightest! I promise you, I'm over him!"
"Hm," was all she gave as an initial reply. Yet, that's all she needed to do to get me to look back at her… and see how worried she was about me. Man… "Is that how you truly feel, Amy? You feel that you no longer love Sonic because you two are upset with one another?"
"W-well, yeah, but—or, I mean, no, but like… It's just… just…! Gahh, it's complicated, okay!?" I used my excellent linguistic skills to jump all around and basically avoid answering her question. Of course, the totally-not-mind reader Blaze saw right through me again…
"That furious blush on your face tells me all I need to know," she deciphered, flustering me like no tomorrow as I cut my eyes away and scratched my head. "Perhaps you should try reaching out to him. I mean… I'm not entirely sure of how severe the issue between the two of you is, but it certainly isn't something that's impossible to mend, is it?"
"I guess, but I'm in no mood to reach out to him," I standoffishly admitted outright as I rested my head on a hand propped up on the table and continued to cast my gaze at all the people shifting through the spacious, decorative food court. "He's inconsiderate, he's lousy at communication, and he evidently uses that super speed of his to run away from problems he can't fix by bribing people with candy and band-aids…!"
"Oh! Hm… You certainly hold quite a lot of resentment toward him. I can feel it from here…" Blaze half-joked as she cleared her throat. "But I know you're only speaking from a position of being angry with him, as opposed to you hating him outright. Is that safe to say?"
"…Yeah," I admitted with a disgruntled sigh.
"I see. Then in that case, these feelings will pass over time. In addition, you will see yourself beginning to miss your communication with him," she predicted. Of course, I wasn't really fond of the premonitions she had, but… she wasn't wrong. She wasn't wrong at all. Nevertheless, she continued. "You may be in pain right now, Amy, but that pain does not have to be everlasting. It additionally does not need to be the primary reason you're more focused on improving yourself."
"And how do you figure that being in pain is the only reason I'm improving myself?"
"Because you only started making these changes after your falling out with Sonic, if I'm understanding things correctly," she revealed, both surprising and frustrating me in one fell swoop.
"So?" I remarked, none too fond of her implication. Yet, she took no offense. Instead, she said this to me…
"So, a big question remains in how much your self-improvement journey is tied to your genuine interest in seeing yourself develop into the woman you want to be… versus how much your self-improvement is based on you attempting to cut Sonic out of your life, ironically putting an equally huge amount of focus on him as when you were chasing him around to force him to be your husband as soon as yesterday." That statement alone did a LOT of things to me all at once. It infuriated me because Blaze was questioning my entire experience up to this point. It shocked me because of how close to home it hit. But most of all… it broke me. Not because it hurt, though it did… but because it was a question I should've been asking myself from the very beginning… And as my expression changed from one of annoyance to a mixture of realization and regret in that moment of tense silence, I turned my attention right back to her.
"…Why did you have to word that statement so perfectly…?" I asked, my voice wavering as my eyes watered up like a dam about to burst. And before I knew it, I cracked. I buried my face in my hands and wept as I let her words sink into my head… She was right…! I had to ask myself in that moment… How much of this time HAVE I been spending doing things for myself? How much of this time have I been deliberately shutting out every inkling of a thought I had about Sonic…? Memories of almost every passing day since my argument with him outside that restaurant flashed into my head at once… and every memory was of me doing so many things to try and stuff my feelings in a box in the back of my head and hope to just forget about every embarrassing, shameful, humiliating thing I ever did to try and get Sonic's attention… and especially every time he rejected me…
Gosh, I couldn't STAND feeling like this! I couldn't stand the idea that he could still make me feel this way…! I was almost to a point of wishing Sonic would go away and never come back… but I knew that I'd have never, EVER wanted that. I almost wished in that moment that I could say I HATED Sonic for doing this to me… but I knew that I could never hate him… and that he didn't do this to me. I… I did this to myself with his help. And while he still had his part to play in our spat… I wasn't going to get anywhere by pretending the lapse in our communication didn't bother me… or that I could simply block him out of my life and somehow be totally cleansed of my unrequited feelings… And you'd better believe that realization hurt me more than anything else as I continued to cry…
"Hey, hey…" Blaze whispered to me, having rushed over to my side of the table to pull me into a hug. "It's okay… Just take a moment to collect yourself. I am here for you…" she further assured, running her fingers through my quills as I turned to her and buried my face in her chest while I sobbed my eyes out and hugged her back. I couldn't help but feel mortified that I fell apart like this in public, and I had a pretty strong feeling that people around us were watching before too long. So, I did my best to get myself back together as I lifted my head up just enough for me to look up and see Blaze worriedly staring at me. At that point, I knew I needed to get a grip.
"S-sorry for that…" I apologized, sniffling as I gently ended our embrace, at which point she handed me a handful of napkins from the dispenser at the center of the table.
"You have no reason to apologize, Amy. You must've been holding that in for quite some time," the Sol Princess assured as she remained close in case I broke down again. "I apologize for upsetting you…"
"No, no, you were right on the money with what you said…" I assured right back as I wiped the egg off my face and took a deep breath to settle back down. "It's just that I took forever to recognize it for myself."
"Recognize what?"
"That over the past few months, I really had been approaching this self-discovery experience the wrong way," I confessed as I shifted my gaze directly to her. "I mean… despite you not being here to witness the entire thing, you were right in that I'd spent all this time just looking for convenient excuses to not talk about, think about, or even be around Sonic."
"Oh. I see…"
"Yeah. Not to say EVERY experience I had was about avoiding him, but the general vibe was definitely there… and I feel terrible now because I'm probably making things super awkward for everyone around me because you all know to some degree what the issue is while I refuse to talk about it or about him…"
"Well, if it eases your nerves at all, I don't feel uncomfortable," Blaze supportively countered. "I was just concerned because you seemed to be holding yourself back. I expected us to broach the subject eventually, and I'm glad we were able to do so here and now."
"Ah… Well thanks for that. I really appreciate you," I offered my sincerest gratitude, though I still couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.
"And I, you, Amy," she smilingly returned the sentiment. That… actually brought me a huge sense of relief. To see Blaze keeping her cool despite how caught off-guard she was… and for her to keep her wits about her while being so accommodating and supportive… I knew right then and there that I wanted to exhibit those same qualities someday… and someday soon. It was just a matter of where to begin learning. Of course, I had someone who could answer that right in front of me. In fact…
"Blaze, do you mind if I ask you a question?" I prodded as I set my napkins down and straightened myself up.
"Go for it. What's on your mind?" she graciously permitted.
"How do you find a balance between keeping yourself dedicated to your responsibilities and allowing yourself room to grow as a person?" I asked right away, though I wasn't sure she'd understand what I was looking for with such a question.
"Um… My apologies, but could you clarify?"
"Sure. Like, is there ever a point where you take breaks and try to forget what you're supposed to be doing while you indulge in your own personal time? Or is there a point where you feel like you lose focus when you're tending to your guardian duties because you're not getting enough time to focus on yourself?"
"Ah. I understand now. Well…" she began, though she quickly trailed off as she took a moment to scratch her head and cast her gaze upward to contemplate her answer. Within the next few seconds, though, she turned her gaze back to me. "Relative to your situation, I take pride in both my professional and my personal time. I have come to accept my responsibilities as leader of the Sol Empire because they've made me sharp in my intellect, in addition to making me strong for the sake of protecting those who may not be able to protect themselves. I have also come to accept my friends in this world and in my own, as you have all opened my eyes to nearly limitless opportunities to become more amicable and… I believe the term they use here is 'down-to-earth' in personal and social situations."
"Ah… Wow…"
"Yes. Sometimes, those two aspects of my life clash, and sometimes, they provide difficulties in their own respects. However, it's up to me to trust my judgment and the input of others enough to make rational decisions I know I won't regret. In turn, I eventually learned how to accept myself as a whole once I recognized that each aspect of my life shaped me up to be the… well, using Sonic's words, the 'Fierce and Fiery, yet Composed Cool Cat' that you see sitting before you," she shared, at that point blushing a bit as she let out a warm, disarming chuckle. "And I couldn't be happier with who I am as a person."
"I… I see…" I acknowledged with a nod, though I was HEAVILY invested in her statement to the point where I almost began to overthink about how I could apply her words to my own experience. Yet, the next question I had for her wafted from my lips like wind through a… well, a Windy Valley. "So… Do you consider that as like… well, loving yourself?"
"Exactly!" she instantly answered with such excitement that I almost jumped out of my seat in surprise. "And you know what, Amy? I feel like a huge part of your journey to self-discovery… is learning how to love and accept yourself for who you are. Once you are able to do that, it will make many other parts of your life that seemed impossible to understand become clear as a cloudless midsummer day. In fact, I once heard someone say that in order to truly love someone else, you must first love yourself…" she dropped another verbal bombshell. Love yourself first, huh? It… it seemed so obvious and so simple, but… it was the absolute truth. I DID need to start loving myself first. I spent so much time pouring all my love onto Sonic that I prioritized him over my own wellbeing.
"…That makes total sense…" I wholeheartedly agreed, my heart thumping with a newfound enthusiasm as I absorbed everything Blaze told me. "And you know what? From this day forth, I'll be different. Not just for the sake of everyone else, but… for my own sake, too. I'll be absolutely certain that going forward, I generally make moves that simply make me and the people around me happy instead of pushing myself to avoid what makes me unhappy…" I vowed, pressing my fists to my chest and smiling with a renewed sense of determination to be the independent hedgehog I wanted to be.
"Such profound proclamations," Blaze remarked with a grin as we continued to look solely at one another. "Ones that I have utmost faith will guide you to brighter days in the immediate and distant future. You have my unwavering support in your endeavors," she further offered her encouragement as she gestured a hand toward me. Rather than shake her hand, however…
"Thank you so much, Blaze… for all your valuable input today. I mean that from the bottom of my heart…" I confessed as I wrapped her up into a huge hug before she had a chance to recognize what was happening.
"Oh! Ah… Er, O-okay… I am glad to assist…" she stumbled through her words to accept my gratitude as she nervously hugged me back. I could tell already that I scared her by accident, which I felt terrible for. So, I made sure to let go of her after just a couple seconds to avoid making her uncomfortable as we continued to sit at the lunch booth. From the look on her face, I could tell that she was startled, but she fought through it as she flashed me as calm and serene a smile as she could muster.
"Sorry for jumping on you like that," I apologized with a nervous giggle. "I couldn't help myself…"
"No worries. It's just that I'm only used to Cream pouncing on me in such a manner," Blaze assured as she took a breath to ease her own nerves. "Speaking of whom, we should-!" she was about to suggest before a sudden, frightening BOOM like thunder rocked the entire mall, followed by a sudden gust of wind that washed through the food court. And while Blaze and I were both startled out of our wits as we looked around to find the source of the disturbance… I… I already knew what… or rather, who the source was. My ears were fine-tuned to recognize that noise anytime it rang out… and for it to be followed by a rush of air like a fan being blown right in my face? There's only two beings capable of performing such a feat… and only ONE of them liked to visit the Central City Mall, where they sold his favorite brand of chili dogs. Yet, just as I was about to ask Blaze if she was alright…
"Amy! Ms. Blaze!" Cream called as she and Cheese happily rushed back toward the booth. Interestingly enough, Cream came with a bag from the toy store in her hand and a blue visor on her head with the insignia of… well, a certain blue hedgehog on its strap. What struck me as odd, however, was that no one gave her any money before she took off…
"Cream!" Blaze called out, happily waving toward the little rabbit. Within a second, Cream closed the distance as Blaze and I scooted out of the booth and stood up to greet her. "Did you have fun at the toy store? And is everything alright? "
"Yeah!" Cream exclaimed, her eyes glimmering with innocent joy as she smiled from ear to ear. Cheese seemed to share in the excitement as he flashed a toothy grin of his own. It was clear they were the farthest thing from scared, which confirmed that we weren't in danger. "You wouldn't believe what just happened!" she further exclaimed. Of course, just to make sure…
"Is everything okay?" I asked Cream, wondering if she had something unusual to report. And… well…
"Better than okay!" the young bunny exclaimed. "Cheese and I were at the toy store, and we were about to leave to go to the playground. But then, we bumped into Mr. Sonic!"
"Oh!" both Blaze and I remarked in unison, equally surprised by Cream's big reveal. Of course, whereas I didn't know what to say…
"How is he doing?" Blaze went right ahead and asked, her ears and her long, fluffy tail perking up.
"He said he's doing fine," Cream answered with utmost certainty. "He told me to let you know he said Hello, and that he was sorry for not stopping by because of his busy schedule. He wants to hang out with you next time you come to visit our dimension."
"Ah, I see. I shall make it a point to return as soon as I can, then," Blaze promised with a nod. "That aside, I presume that the 'explosion' we just heard must've been him dashing off," she further deciphered.
"Yep!"
"That is certainly a relief. In that case, what else happened between you and Sonic while you were gone?"
"Mr. Sonic and I walked around the mall and talked to each other for a while before he had to go. Before he left, though, he bought me and Cheese a toy train set! Ooh! And he also told me to give these to you…" Cream revealed as she set her bag on the table and dug out two things. "This is for you, Ms. Blaze," she added as she handed the regal purple cat an extremely expensive touch screen music player equipped with a set of wireless earphones.
"Oh! Wow, how generous of him… I'm touched that he remembered," Blaze shared her thoughts as she received the device. I… couldn't exactly figure out what she meant by him remembering to give her a gift, but before I even could, I watched her pull a note from its protective case and unfurl it. She read it for a few seconds, smiled like someone just confessed his love to her, and then stuffed the note into her jacket while staring appreciatively at the music player. I'll admit, I raised an eyebrow in… mild confusion, but before I could even think to question what I was seeing…
"And this is for you, Amy," Cream interrupted my train of thought to inform me as she handed me something that almost completely blew me away…
"N-no way…! Wow…!" I remarked in wonder as Cream handed me a limited edition, sparkling, gem-encrusted ruby headband… that would certainly NEVER be found within the confines of your average shopping mall. And just to be clear, the headband was made from ACTUAL RUBIES. This… This headband had to have been worth THOUSANDS! On top of that, it would have had to come from the most exclusive fashion designers in Chun-Nan… "W-where did you get this…?"
"Mr. Sonic handed it to me and told me to give it to you," Cream shared, at which point my heart nearly burst with a whirling typhoon of emotions. I… I mean, I was still upset at him, but… for him to do something so nice for me out of the blue? I… I almost wasn't sure at all WHAT to think… but I did have SOMETHING on my mind in that moment…
"Did… he leave a note with this headband?" I asked Cream as I held the delicate accessory in my hands.
"No," Cream plainly replied. "He told me that he would rather speak to you in person, but that he's not ready right now."
"Not… ready?" I repeated, astonished by the revelation. Since when has Sonic the Hedgehog NOT been ready for anything? Especially for having a simple conversation with me? That didn't make even the smallest lick of sense in the moment, but… it gave me some idea that he was probably doing his own form of soul-searching, too…
"Yeah. He said you and he would patch things up someday, but only when the time was right," Cream explained, giving me some much-needed context. "He didn't say when it would happen, no matter how much I asked, though… Sorry, Amy…"
"No, no, it's alright, Cream," I assured as I took my attention off the headband long enough to smilingly pat the little bunny girl on the head. In that moment, I had a new sense of faith that things would work out. I wasn't sure how, and I wasn't sure when, but… I knew this was going to get better somehow. "Sonic and I will eventually make up, but… it seems like it'll take a little bit more time…" I let her know. I expected her to be disappointed by that statement, but…
"Okay! I hope you two get it all worked out soon, so Mr. Sonic can be your boyfriend again!" she… naively blurted out, shaking me so INCREDIBLY FAR out of my wits that I felt like my mind was sent beaming halfway to the Space Colony ARK.
"CREAM!" I yelled in embarrassment, my face heating up like Blaze was using her fire powers on me. Hoping no one heard or saw me, I pressed my hands to my face in a feeble attempt at hiding my flustered state. Cream, the adorable kid, was completely oblivious as she and Cheese giggled at me. Joining them on the giggling fit, of course, was none other than Blaze the Cat as she put away her gift and patted me on the back. Ohh…
"We… should probably make it a point to bring this excursion to its conclusion," Blaze offered her sagest advice yet as she cleared her throat and tried (and failed) to keep from laughing at me some more.
"Yeah, mom wants me home before sunset," Cream agreed with a nod as she went over and picked up her train set from the table. "I'm glad we could hang out today, though! I hope we can do it again sometime soon!"
"You bet we will," I cleared away enough of my previous humiliation to assure her with a smiling thumbs-up. "But first, we should take a commemorative group selfie to cap it all off!"
"That's a great idea!" Cream excitedly voiced her approval. Blaze, on the other hand…
"Er… I suppose, but I am… not the most photogenic…" the cat in question vocalized her reluctance, which I pretty much expected.
"It'll be fine, Blaze," I did my best to reassure her. "It's just a simple photo where the only thing we need to do is smile together. It'll be quick and painless. You'll love it!"
"Hm… Well, what if I took a photo of you and Cream together?"
"Aww, but I want a photo of all three of us… Pleeeeeease, Ms. Blaze? Just one?" Cream turned up the charm to beg Auntie Blaze. And… Blaze scrunched her face up into the most adorable shy pout I think I'd ever seen in response. Evidently, she couldn't resist Cream's puppy dog eyes. As such…
"…Fine, but only ONE photo," Blaze blushingly acquiesced, bringing immeasurable excitement to both mine and Cream's hearts.
"Yes!" Cream and I cheered in unison as I busted out my phone and set it to camera mode. Afterward, the three of us scrunched together, practically cheek-to-cheek with each other as I figured out the most appropriate angle to capture our collective beauty. It wound up with Cream and I squeezing our faces onto Blaze's while Blaze herself adjusted to the best of her ability and slung her arms around our shoulders. Cheese squeezed himself in right next to Cream, cozying his adorable self right up to her and smiling as bright as he could.
"Alright, this'll be going on the 'Amy's Sweet Tooth' photo album, so give me your sweetest smiles, girls!" I excitedly requested as I figured out the angle for the photo. "On my mark, say, 'Sweeeeeeet!'"
"Sweeeeeeeet!" Blaze and Cream both hummed in unison, flashing their pearly whites alongside Cheese as I instructed. With all three of us grinning brightly, I snapped the photo that would forever immortalize this special day for the record books… And man, did this photo come out PERFECT! We looked so happy to be spending the day together! TOTALLY going on my blog. I might even make it my phone's screensaver…
"Wow… This actually came out better than I was expecting," Blaze complimented as she took a gander at the pic once we all separated and collected our things from the table.
"Yeah, we look amazing! I can't wait to see it on your blog, Amy! People are gonna love it!" Cream offered her own vote of confidence as she also looked at the pic and beamed with delight.
"No doubt about it! Aaaand… Post!" I happily agreed with both of them as I typed up a little message and uploaded the pic to my blog. And with that, my 'mission' for the day was complete. But, right as the girls and I made our way out of the mall…
"Any chance we may visit another exotic location to try out the confections in the near future? I find myself eager to expand my taste in desserts," Blaze humbly requested to know as we maneuvered through the crowd, past a ton of clothing shops, and toward the front entrance. I wasn't expecting it, but she wound up taking an interest in my little pet project.
"You bet, girl! Cream and I do this at least once a month, and we'd love to have you join the Sugar Squad!" I confidently assured her.
"Yay, Sugar Squad!" Cream cheered, enthralled in every sense of the word to have an esteemed new member in Blaze. "Oh, and just so you know, Blaze, our next spot is going to be a fancy gelato parlor in Grand Metropolis."
"Gelato, hm? Can't say I've ever had that before…" Blaze pondered, scratching her cheek in wonder.
"Trust me, you'll love it," I promised as we found the entrance and kept on strolling on toward the doors. "Cream and I will give you a grand tour while we also catch you up on places we visited in the past. It's only fair that our newest member of the Sugar Squad is brought up to speed on our most successful adventures thus far."
"Do enlighten me then, girls," Blaze happily permitted.
"You got it!" both Cream and I remarked in unison, at which point the three of us (four if you count Cheese) got to chatting about the worldwide wonders of desserts and their undeniable ability to sweeten your soul… but I won't overload you with those details. You'll have to check out my blog for further info. That aside, I was glad to have hung out with Blaze and Cream. They're the best friends a girl could ask for! And thanks to them, I learned a lot more about myself than I thought I would, and I felt like I was finally getting into the groove of understanding what it really meant to let loose and enjoy yourself on your own terms.
Of course, I still had some lingering questions in the back of my head regarding Sonic… and as much as I still found myself uncomfortable even thinking about him, I… I had to admit, I was starting to worry about him. Just as he wasn't ready to talk to me yet, I wasn't ready just yet to try reaching out to him. Regardless, the girls and I owe him our sincerest thanks for the gifts he gave us. It made a memorable day even more worthwhile. I hope he knows that. But more importantly… I… I hope he's okay…