Chapter Twelve:

The Princess in the Woods

Sonic and his counterparts, along with Tails and his doubles, helped with the clean-up efforts in Westopolis and made sure nobody was hurt during the battle. Fortunately, there hadn't been that many casualties and people had gotten luckily, especially since Sonic showed up to take care of the mechanical invaders.

Once everything looked fine, once a G.U.N task force had arrived to make sure that the city was safe and secure, that was when the heroes took their leave with the Sonics and the Tails' taking off, heading back to Tails' Workshop.

As they left the city, Sonic thought about the situation, wondering how things could get crazier. He hoped Eggman didn't bring in more versions of himself or try to pull in variants of other villains.

'Whoa, if that happened, things will get messier.' Sonic thought with worry.

Then there was all of those Eggmen, given that they were both villains, how many defeats was Sonic going to deal them until one of the docs snapped, hijacked the alliance and unleashed some massive weapon of doom and terror upon the world.

After seeing Eggman try to use nigh-unstoppable being of destructions, Sonic was now concerned about which Eggman would pull what and when. He was starting to imagine the impending insanity that would soon befall the universe, and perhaps the rest of the multiverse, when he heard something and screeched to a stop, making the other Sonics come to a stop too.

Both heroes stood in a lush forest, well outside the limits of Westopolis. Tails soon came flying in, his namesakes settling down, and he touched down by Sonic's side before his counterparts flew in too.

"What?" Tails asked, "Why'd you stop, Sonic?"

"Did you hear that?" Sonic replied with a question.

"Heck yeah, it sounded a lot like a flute..." Boom Sonic remarked.

"Wow, someone's got some really open ears for music here." LEGO Sonic said.

And then they heard it, the sound of music, a harmonic flute tune echoed through the woods. They all listened to the melody, it sounded so serene and enchanting. Sonic decided to investigate with Tails, Boom Sonic and Movie Sonic followed suit and they strolled further into the forest while the others remained behind to check their surroundings.

Sonic, Tails, and the former's two counterparts, looked around the trees, hearing the sound of the music as it seemed to increase by the second. Sonic poked his head in a bush, then he popped out and turned, eyes widening and quills stiffening as he came face-to-face with Myrule Sonic.

"It is dangerous to wander alone in the woods." The green-clad hedgehog said, holding his weapon.

"Dude, a little warning, next time?" Sonic told his sword-wielding variant.

"Utmost apologies, good hedgehog." Myrule Sonic replied, "But my Mark of Courage is aglow, sensing someone is close, and the music is bringing us together."

He raised the back of his gloved hand and Sonic saw the glowing Chaos Emerald-like symbol upon it, someone or something had to be close by, hence that odd, but friendly, tune.

"Okay..." Sonic shrugged sheepishly.

Both hedgehogs carried on, catching up with Tails, Boom Sonic and Movie Sonic, the latter of whom, was almost mesmerized by the tune as he seemed to be bopping his head while picking up a turtle and moving it around as though he were dancing with a partner.

Sonic instructed the blue-armed hedgehog to put the turtle down and Movie Sonic did so, placing it gently on a fallen tree stump.

The tune continued and the heroes continued to follow it until they entered a lush meadow, seeing Rickies and Flickies gathering along with a few bears. And right there on a tree stump, playing a glowing flute, was a familiar-looking pink hedgehog, wearing a gold tiara on her head, a red tank top and light-blue shorts with fancy gloves and brown shoes.

Amy, the hedgehog who looked like her, rather, continued playing the tune that both heroes were hearing on the flute, and the animals gathered around her as a green Flicky rested on her bare shoulder.

"Wow..." Tails remarked, "That song... it's so... it's like I want to take a nap."

"Not now, buddy." Boom Sonic told the fox.

"That girl..." Sonic said, "...It's... It can't be... but... it looks like…"

"Princess Amy Rose..." Myrule Sonic said, sheathing his weapon, "Make no mistake, she looks like your world's Amy and the other versions of her..." He glanced at Boom Sonic, "...but I have told you she is a princess where I am from and this is one of the many female hedgehogs from my world named Amy Rose. And yet, she's not the same one whom I know in my timeline."

"Dude, it's still Amy..." Boom Sonic quipped, "...and she's playing remarkably well."

"Why don't we talk to her?"

"Well, we all know Amy." Sonic #1 said, "Of course we'll talk to her."

The hedgehogs and their partner approached the flute-playing hedgehog princess, walking slowly and carefully to avoid disturbing the animals gathering around her. However, a Flicky or two did land on Sonic's shoulder, which the speedster didn't mind after years of saving animals from Eggman himself.

Calmly and quietly, they inched closer towards the stump, and the pink hedgehog's flute playing slowed down until she turned her head, finally paying attention to the guys as they came near her. And fortunately for them, she didn't seem to be disturbed.

"You heard my music..." Princess Amy said, holding the flute, "Well, music is very special and can earn the heart and attention of those who hear it..." She eyed Myrule Sonic, "You aren't the Sonic from my timeline, but you are certainly Sonic, the Hero of Myrule and the bearer of Courage. And by my estimate, you're... from several thousand years before my time."

"Care to tell us about the Sonic you know, your highness?" Boom Sonic asked.

"He's a prince..." Amy held up her hand and showed a ring resting on her finger, "...and I'm currently engaged to him, he proposed shortly before the Calamity struck."

"And this must be way after my timeline's Amy and I just defeated Eggmandorf..." Myrule Sonic remarked, "...which was a couple months ago for me. And the Mark of Courage is glowing, but it isn't because of your presence, it's detecting... Wisdom."

A bear groaned and nuzzled its head against Princess Amy's leg, prompting her to pet it. "Perhaps it is because you are detecting her and not me..." She suggested, "As fate would have it of course, there is more than one being with the name of Amy Rose, just as there is more than one being named Sonic the Hedgehog."

Boom Sonic was silent and Sonic could read the look on his face, his universe's Amy had to be out there somewhere. And they were lucky they had gotten to a version of Amy before the doc and his alternate selves did, Eggman would have a field day kidnapping more than one Amy Rose.

Just then, the bushes rustled and a voice akin to Amy's spoke, "Everything okay, your highness?"

"Everything is fine, Amy." Princess Amy #1 replied, "We have visitors."

That was when she emerged and Sonic's heart thumped, the second Amy looked very different from his Amy and the other Amy; her quills were a bit longer and her hairband was gray-brownish instead of red, she even had a different-looking crown with pointy edges. And, whoa, she looked very stunning, sporting a shapely figure clad in a revealing dark-red and gray-white royal dress.

Princess Amy #2 carried a handful of berries, which she tossed to the Flickies and the birds began munching on them, so too did the other animals.

With the animals fed, the gorgeous princess turned towards the hedgehogs and her face lit up. "There you are, Sonic..." She said, "...and we were wondering when you'd show up, I nearly assumed it would be a different Sonic from mine considering where and when my counterpart is from."

"You'd give Rouge a run for her money with that bod..." Sonic remarked sheepishly.

"Whoa, Sonic!" Movie Sonic threw up his hands, "What are you doing?"

"Eyes are up here..." Princess Amy #2 said with a frown, "...and I was talking to MY timeline's Sonic!"

"He meant no perverted offense, my princess." Myrule Sonic sheathed his sword and walked up towards the pink hedgehog, looping his arms around her hips, and the two hedgehogs kissed right in front of Sonic, Boom Sonic, Tails, Movie Sonic and Princess Amy #1.

"Perhaps we can save the love for after Eggman and his allies have been defeated." Tails suggested, "The doctor may be planning a resurgence right now and we just beat a pair of his counterparts in Westopolis."

"Did you see Eggmandorf?" Princess Amy #2 asked, stepping away from her Sonic, "Ever since I got here, I've had a feeling the King of Darkness is here and forming an alliance with other versions of himself, along with someone far worse. The Mark of Wisdom has been warning me for days and I've seen visions of terrible multiversal events coming..."

"What's goin' on?" Sat AM Sonic came racing in alongside AoSTH Sonic and some of the other Sonics, along with Tails' other selves. When they saw Princess Amy #2, the shapely pink hedgehog princess, AoSTH Sonic ran forward with hearts beating in his eyes.

"Hullooooooooooooo, nurse!" The blue hedgehog said, trying not to drool.

"She has a boyfriend, dude." Sonic told him.

"Maybe we should let them get a room..." Boom Sonic quipped.

Just then, a thundering explosion rattled the woods and the animals scattered. Myrule Sonic drew his sword and Princess Amy #2 drew her own while Princess Amy #1 did the same, Sonic looked at Tails, all coming to the same conclusion; Eggman and his counterparts' forces had just launched another attack, and the Doctor was approaching the heroes' current position...