Oh, hey! My first Sonic story ever written!

I hope you like it!

Chapter 1: A break from heartache!

"SONIC! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Shouted the pink hedgehog known as Amy Rose as she hastily ran after the blue blur known as Sonic the hedgehog, who was doing everything in his power to escape her.

"Can't! I promised Knux I'd help him guard the master emerald today!" Said Sonic as he gained even more speed.

"WE BOTH KNOW HE DOESN'T LET ANYONE OTHER THAN HIMSELF COME CLOSE TO IT!" Shouts Amy, keeping her Piko Piko hammer held high above her head.

"Calm down, Ames! I promise I'll make it up to you, okay?!" Shouts Sonic before noticing a familiar spot in front of him.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST WEEK! WHAT ABOUT TODAY, HUH?! WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE FOR ARRIVING THREE HOURS LATE?!" Shouts Amy, her anger never leaving her eyes.

"I... Uhh... I had other stuff to do!" Says Sonic, taking a sharp right turn which Amy copied to perfection.

"STUFF?! YEAH, RIGHT! YOU FORGOT LIKE ALWAYS, DIDN'T YOU?!"

Sonic smiles to himself as he rapidly approaches the spot on his line of sight. He's ran all around Green Hills multiple times across the years, so he knew the place just as well as he knew his own house by now, which was really helpful in situations like this one. He practically knew every single secret spot, ring to be collected and threatening cliff the landscape had by heart.

Seeing this particular hidden spring approach was a relief.

"SorryabouttodayAmesIswearI'llmakeituptoyoualright?Bye!" Says Sonic right before jumping on the spring hidden in the leaves of the floor, propelling him to the next area.

Amy scowls. "THIS ISN'T OVER, YOU-!"

But before Amy can finish her sentence, she sprints past the hidden spring and falls into the pit ahead.

"Wha-?! AAAAGH!"

After falling for five seconds, Amy lands face-first into a small pool of water. After Amy looks around and recognizes where she is, she swims out of the pond and sits on the edge, taking a moment to breathe.

"Agh... Ah... Oomph..." Amy pants as she tries to stand up, also trying to ignore the wet sensations on her dress, boots and gloves.

After the initial shock passes, Amy looks around the place she finds herself in. Spare parts of badniks could be seen scattered across the area, a clear sign that someone had dashed across this place before, taking out the inventions of the notoriously evil Doctor Eggman in the process.

Those thoughts piece together a particular blue hedgehog in her mind. The same blue hedgehog who had always ran away from her. The same blue hedgehog who had always been on her mind ever since they first met. The same blue hedgehog she's looked up to for as long as she can remember.

The same blue hedgehog who promised to meet up with her at one o' clock at the park for their supposed first real date, yet had the audacity to arrive three hours late.

"Sonic... SONIC... SONIC!" Amy pulls out her now wet hammer and starts to bash it against the wall beside her, letting out her emotions in a rage-fueled tantrum.

"HE BLEW ME OFF AGAIN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?! WHY DOES HE ALWAYS RUN AWAY?! WHY...?!"

As Amy hits the wall more and more, her movements start to slow down.

"Why...?! Why does he always... run away from me...?"

Amy bashes her hammer against the wall one last time before a few tears escape her eyes.

"Why doesn't he... love me...? Am I... really that unlikeable...?"

Amy holds her hammer with one hand and covers her eyes with the other, trying to wipe the tears off her eyes.

Amy takes a deep breath to calm herself down. 'No... I have to calm down... Maybe... Maybe he had a good reason to arrive at four... Like... Like that time he said he was summoned to a medieval era... Or that other time he said he was stuck on a time loop... Or that other time he said Eggman had stolen all the chili dogs on the area... Right...?'

Amy uncovers her eyes before letting out a sigh. This day had definitely not gone according to her plans. It sucked that she had taken about an hour to get prepared for her date with Sonic, combing her quills, planning out the events for the day, saving up for all the spending she'd do for him only to end up wet, alone and cold in some pit below Green Hill.

Amy looks beside her and sees the immense damage she caused to the wall, cringing internally. 'Jeez... Did I do that? I really have to calm down... Maybe walking will get Sonic off my mind...'

With a resigned sigh, Amy starts walking, hoping to forget all about this awful day eventually.

A few minutes later, Tails the fox lets out a proud breath before stepping back from the Tornado.

He had reworked some of its most faulty features, redesigned its wings and had given it a fresh coat of paint himself. It took all day, but as he stepped back to admire the fruits of his own labor, Tails almost shed a tear of happiness. Some might call him a nerd, but his passion for his projects was undeniable. He just hoped Sonic wouldn't mind the small changes he had made to the plane.

Before Tails could get the nearest camera in order to have this moment preserved for posterity, he heard a knock on the door to his garage. "Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me, Tails. Can I come in?"

Tails smiled at the sound of Amy Rose's voice behind the door, though for some reason, she sounded a lot less cheerful than usual. "Ah, Amy! Of course! Just give me a moment..."

Tails reaches for a remote control on his desk and presses a button. In a moment, the door to his garage opens to reveal a very wet and sad-looking Amy Rose, who does her best to smile at her friend. "Hey, Tails..."

Tails' eyes widen at the sight of the pink hedgehog. "Amy?! Woah! What happened?! You look awful!"

Amy steps inside with a frustrated expression. "Not much, just fell into a pit around here..."

Tails raises one eyebrow. "The one near the hidden spring, I'm assuming. I knew I should have covered that pit a long time ago... Want me to help you dry up?"

Amy nods. "If you can, please do. This feels weird..."

Tails nods before pressing another button on the remote. In a moment, a giant fan lowers down from the ceiling and it activates itself, drying Amy with a soft breeze.

Amy smiles. "Thanks, Tails. You're a lifesaver!"

Tails chuckles. "Don't mention it, Amy. You gotta be more careful, though. Even if it's Green Hills, there's a lot of dangerously placed pits around. If you're gonna run around freely as usual, you gotta be more careful."

Amy looks down, still smiling. "Hehe... Well... I might have... had a little too much on my mind at the time to really notice where I was going..."

Tails raises an eyebrow again before pressing another button on the remote to deactivate the fan. "Oh? What happened, then?"

As the fan starts to be lifted to the ceiling again, Amy does her best to style her quills with her hands. "Ugh... I was... Well..."

Tails smiles teasingly. "You were chasing Sonic again, weren't you?"

Amy grunts. "Yeah..."

Tails chuckles. "Yeah, I figured. Amy, you and I know he's like the king of Green Hill. He knows the terrain like the back of his hand. You weren't gonna beat him on a race."

Amy crosses her arms with a small frown. "Right... He always runs around the place, doesn't he?"

Tails' smile drops the moment he sees Amy frown. "Woah... Amy, is something the matter?"

Amy looks at the fox with a sad expression. "I just... I invited him to a date today, Miles..."

Tails nods, getting the feeling that he knows more or less the direction this is headed in. "Go on..."

"I... I said I'd take him out to eat chili dogs with me to that new restaurant that opened in Green Hill... I was even willing to pay for everything myself! He and I agreed to meet up there at one o'clock... and he... He..."

Tails frowns. "He arrived late, didn't he?"

Amy glares. "Yes! He arrived THREE. HOURS. LATE! Ugh! I can't even...!"

Tails puts his hand on Amy's shoulder. "Calm down, Amy... Sonic is... Well... You know how he is..."

Amy nods, trying unsuccessfully to calm down. "I know how he is, Miles! I'm just... getting REALLY tired of the same thing happening every single time I try to ask him out on a date!"

Tails keeps smiling and patting Amy on the shoulder, trying his best to not let Amy's tantrum evolve into a full-on breakdown. "Well... Umm... Perhaps he had something else on his mind today...?"

Amy scoffs, crossing her arms and looking to the side. "Yeah, right. He's had something else on his mind the last nine times I've tried to date him if that's the case..."

Tails pulls back his hand. "Well... I can't say I know what's on Sonic's mind, but I can assume what's on yours. I bet this whole incident frustrated you a whole lot, didn't it?"

Amy rolls her eyes. "Ya think?"

Tails giggles. "I also think you need to give Sonic some time. He might be a bit stubborn but he'll come around eventually! He might run away a lot, but he always comes back, doesn't he?"

Amy looks at Tails with a blank expression, forgetting about her frustration for a moment to think about that statement.

'He might run away a lot, but he always comes back, doesn't he?'

Upon noticing Amy's vacant expression, Tails pokes her shoulder. "Uhh... Amy...?"

Amy shakes her head. "Oh! Sorry, Tails! I think I zoned out for a second."

Tails withdraws his hand. "So..."

Amy starts to walk towards the door. "You know what? You're right! I'll just... give him some time to... come around and... Uhh... Yeah!"

Tails raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're okay, Amy?"

Amy nods. "Totally! See ya later, Tails!"

Before Tails has a chance to say anything else, Amy walks out of his garage. The fox stares at her retreating form for a moment, wondering if he should go after her or not.

With a shrug, Tails decides to go back to work. Amy was a pretty tricky individual to understand. Sometimes she was as readable as an open book, and others she was an enigma. Though, given her history of repeated rejections from Sonic's part, Tails assumed that she'd be fine as always. This was nothing out of the ordinary, right? Amy just needed one good night's worth of sleep and everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

Now, where did he put that camera again?

Amy casually kicks aside a small rock on the grass as she walks aimlessly through Green Hill, still thinking about Tails' statement.

'He might run away a lot, but he always comes back, doesn't he?'

Amy frowns softly upon thinking of that statement.

Sonic knew how she felt about him and that was something no one on the world could deny. She was pretty open about it, after all. Heck, she had even proclaimed herself as his girlfriend at one point! Even though that had happened quite some time ago, her feelings for Sonic never faded away as the years progressed.

Throughout all that time, Amy had been by his side, fighting alongside him on many occasions and worrying about him like no one else. In that time, she got to know him for who he really was. Just a simple guy that loves adventure, speed, and a little bit of competition, nothing more. A blue hedgehog who ran across the world saving others not because he needs to, but because he wants to. That was one of the many things she loved about him.

Though... The more Amy thought about Sonic, the more she realized that perhaps Sonic wasn't the type to stop and smell the flowers.

Sonic knew how to run to save others, sure, but did he know how to be on time for dates? Nope.

Sonic cared for everyone equally and wanted their safety, of course, but did he ever show feelings of romantic attraction towards her? Or towards anyone for that matter? Not that she is aware of.

Sonic always came back for his friends, obviously, but did he come back for her in order to have a date? Nuh-uh.

Amy grunts, looking down as she continues to walk through Green Hill. Tails wasn't entirely wrong, though he wasn't entirely right either. Sonic ran away a lot yet he always came back, sure, but...

He never came back for HER.

When he did, it was only to be sure that she wasn't physically injured after a badnik attack or something like that. Almost immediately afterwards, Sonic would just bolt out of the door in search for more badniks to destroy or people to save.

While that was something she admired and loved about him, it was also something that, deep inside, hurt her. Why couldn't he just spare some more time for her? Was she just not special to him?

Though, this set of thoughts only triggered new ones. Was it selfish of her to think this way? Was she being selfish by wanting him to stay beside her? Would she just be slowing him down? Would she be keeping the world from someone as wonderful as him?

Was he just not interested in anyone romantically or was it just HER he didn't want to get involved with?

Did he see her as an annoyance rather than as a romantic partner? Or even as a friend?

Was she just not enough to keep up with him?

Did he care more about destroying robots and passing time trials than about her?

Amy's train of thoughts is interrupted by a deep, sultry voice above her. "Hey, Rose! Long time no see!"

Amy looks up and notices a certain bat girl looming above her with a small smile. Amy does her best to put on a smile despite her previous inner turmoil. "Hey, Rouge! How have you been?"

Rouge descends from the sky and lands softly beside Amy. "Not too bad. Toying with my little knucklehead, stealing some more jewels, doing some jobs here and there... How about you? Still chasing big blue like always?"

Amy's expression falls. "Yeah... You could say that."

Rouge notices Amy's expression shift. "Oh... What's the matter, honey? Did your man run off to save the day again?"

Amy sighs. "Ran off to get away from me would be more accurate..."

Rouge crosses her arms with a disapproving expression. "Tch, tch, tch. Now that's shameful of him, but that DOES sound about right for him."

Amy nods. "I know, right? Ugh! Why does he always do this? Every single time! I put myself out there, and what does he do? He runs away like I'm just some… some silly little girl! I'm not a joke, I'm serious about this! Why can't he see that?"

Amy kicks a small rock on the patch of grass next to her, and it makes a soft thud sound upon impact. Rouge extends her arms in hopes of calming Amy down. "Now now, calm down, sugar. I'm sure he doesn't think that about you. I'm sure that if you give him time, he'll-"

Amy looks at Rouge, not even trying to hide her frustration and anger anymore. "I can't keep waiting around for him to realize how much I care! It's like I'm just stuck in this endless loop of chasing him, and he doesn't even notice! Does he even want me? Or am I just a distraction to him? Am I not worth it?"

Rouge stares at Amy with a worried expression. "Honey, you can't be thinking that way about Sonic or yourself..."

Amy's anger falters, and her voice softens as the tears start to well up on her eyes. "I'm just so tired of this, Rouge… I just want him to look at me and see me, not just another mission or challenge to beat. I keep hoping he'll change, but maybe… maybe I'm the one who needs to change. I can't keep doing this to myself!"

Rouge's expression turns into one of pity and empathy. "Rosy..."

Amy sinks to the ground, hugging her knees, feeling the weight of her emotions crashing down on her. "Why can't I be enough for him? I just… I just wanted one chance to show him how much I care. Is that so wrong? But... It's like I could disappear and he wouldn't even notice..."

Rouge kneels down to hug Amy, stroking her hair to calm her down. "Don't say that, honey. We'd all be incredibly hurt if you disappeared, and knowing big blue, he'd take it the hardest..."

Amy sighs, calming down. "I know, I know... I'm just being dramatic now, but... I can't help it. I'm just so... done. I'm so done with this happening day after day after day..."

Rouge stands up, trying to get Amy to do the same. "I know you are, but you know how boys are when it comes to feelings, don't you?"

Amy nods, standing up with Rouge's help. "I know... But still... Why did I have to fall in love with a boy who always runs away and never looks back to me? Someone who never stops to smell the flowers..."

Rouge smiles reasuringly. "Cheer up, Rosy. Tell you what, now that you mention flowers, I think I know exactly what you need."

Amy sniffs back the remaining tears on her eyes. "What's that?"

"You need a change of scenery."

"A change... of scenery?"

"Absolutely."

Amy raises an eyebrow. "Why do I need to go somewhere else? I like it here."

Rouge lets out a small chuckle. "I know you do, but this place is also bad for you, hun. Big blue runs across this place all the time, and I bet the last thing you wanna do right now is bump into him, am I right?"

Amy looks to the side for a moment. "Right... But... You think that'll help? Just… leaving?"

Rouge smirks. "Undeniably. Trust me, darling, sometimes all it takes is a little distance to figure out what you really want. Besides, Green Hills isn't the only place with a beautiful view, you know. There's a whole world out there, waiting for you to explore! Fly in the freedom, sugar! Get to know the world so you get to know yourself!"

Amy's expression starts to soften up as she considers the idea. "I guess… maybe you're right. I could use some time to think. But where would I even go?"

Rouge giggles. "Leave that to me. I've got a few spots in mind that would do wonders for that cute little head of yours. You'll come back refreshed, maybe even with a new perspective on a certain blue hedgehog."

Rouge gives Amy's hair a little nudge as a big sister would, getting a small chuckle out of her. "Alright… I'll give it a try. I think I really need this."

Rouge grins. "That's the spirit, hun. Besides, you never know who you might meet when you're not busy chasing after Sonic."

Amy chuckles lightly, feeling a glimmer of hope for the first time in a while. "Thanks, Rouge. I needed that."

Rouge smiles, flapping her wings as she starts to fly away. "Anytime, darling. See ya later!"

As Rouge leaves, Amy waves at her from the ground, feeling slightly better than how she felt before.

After a moment, Amy turns around to walk home, thinking of the conclusion she came to with the help of her friends. 'Finally, no more of this. I can't keep chasing after someone who doesn't see my worth or doesn't have the time to stop for me, even for a bit. I think I finally realize that I deserve better than this. It's time to let go. I'm done waiting for Sonic. I'm going to take a break… for myself. I just hope Rouge knows where she's sending me off to.'

One day later...

'Oh, wow... I knew Rouge had fancy taste, but this is a bit too much.'

Amy smiles when she steps out of the bus, taking in the sight before her. The bat thief was well-travelled and had a taste for luxurious stuff, so it was no wonder she recommended a place like Emerald Coast to her. Amy had never been to Emerald Coast before, but she heard it was a remote and peaceful town, perfect to have a relaxing getaway. The only drawback was the pricing for the hotels. Rouge had been generous enough to pay for her stay, though, so all Amy had to do was find the correct hotel and get settled.

As Amy walks through the streets of the small, peaceful town, she smiles to herself, now understanding why the place was called "Emerald Coast". The sea was as clear as a blue diamond, the windows of each building sparkled like precious jewels and the buildings themselves were jewel-themed, being coated in fancy paint colors with small sparkles dotted around to give the place a more flamboyant look. With each step Amy takes, the ground below her makes a small tapping sound each time the heels on her boots make contact with it, since even the floor had to be greased and polished as if it were glass. It was no wonder most of the people around were wearing sunglasses.

Amy stops walking once she finds herself on the hotel Rouge recommended. Amy supresses a giggle at the sight of the laminated sign of the hotel, displaying its name in vibrant purple glitter. 'The people around here sure take the name of the town seriously.'

Amy enters the hotel and walks towards the counter, where a squirrel about ten years older than her is typing something on a computer in front of her. Probably handling more reservations, Amy thought. As the squirrel noticed Amy approaching, she smiled tiredly. "Good afternoon! Welcome to the Ruby hotel! How can I help you today?"

Amy looks up at the squirrel with a smile. "Hi! A friend booked a reservation for me. She's called Rouge-"

"-the bat? Yeah, we know her. You must be Amy Rose, then."

"That's me!"

"Well, nice to meet you, miss Rose! Your room has already been prepared. Miss Rouge booked a one-month stay for you, does that sound correct?"

Amy nods, trying her best to not appear surprised. 'Wow... A one-month stay? And ROUGE paid for it all?! Did she really feel THAT bad for me? Just how much of a mess was I when I bumped into her?'

The squirrel nods. "Right. Everything seems to be in order. Your meals are already included in our service, miss Rose. You will be given the key to your room in a moment. Anything you'd like to ask?"

Amy shakes her head. "Not at the moment."

"Well, then. We hope you like your stay!"

Amy lets out a relaxed sigh as she stares out into the open sea. Settling in the hotel hadn't taken as long as she thought, since she hadn't packed a whole lot for her trip. Even so, she had rushed her unpacking in order to get to the nearest beach as soon as possible since the water looked incredibly inviting. Now she was on the edge of the beach, ready to get some rest and relaxation at last.

All she had to do now was find somewhere to get changed.

Amy looks around for a bit until her eyes spot a green dressing room not too far away from her. 'Wow, the beach is clean, there aren't many people around and even the changing rooms look like emeralds! I gotta say, Rouge sure is a classy girl!'

Amy smiles before walking towards it. 'It's nice to just relax for once. No badniks, no chaos… just the ocean and some quiet time away from anything that could remind me of... him. Maybe Rouge was right about the whole getting away thing.'

Amy walks up to the dressing room, placing her bag on a nearby bench and stretching her arms above her head, preparing to go inside. 'Alright, quick change, then maybe I'll go for a swim and I'll grab something to eat afterwards. I'm actually starting to feel—'

But before Amy can even finish her thought, a loud crashing sound makes her freeze on her spot. Before she can even register what's happening, the dressing room is destroyed in an instant.

Amy turns around and spots a group of robots flying towards the beach at high speed, their metal frame gleaming in the sunlight and Eggman's insignia glowing on their chests.

Amy looks at the incoming robots with wide eyes. "What the-?! These guys here too?! You gotta be kidding me!"

After the robots identify Amy, they lock onto her, their mechanical eyes turning red as they speed up towards her.

As the robots start to fire energy blasts and homing missiles towards her, Amy leaps back on instinct, dodging the blasts from the robots which completely destroy the dressing room behind her and rip her bag on the bench, ruining her swimsuit.

Amy groans. "Really?! Alright, egghead! NOW you've done it!"

Amy pulls out her hammer out of nowhere and dashes towards the group of robots.

As the robots notice Amy approach, their arms turn into cannons, which start to shoot out large cannon balls. Amy leaps into the air, spinning as she dodges, landing gracefully on the sand before charging at the robot with her hammer raised. "This is for ruining my vacation!"

Amy hits the robot closest to her, creating a shockwave that stuns the other robots. As soon as she notices this, Amy throws her hammer towards a group of robots and she charges towards the rest. Her hammer hits the group of robots, making them blow up on impact as she destroys the others with a homing attack similar to Sonic's own move.

Before Amy can rest, she notices that more robots seem to be approaching her. "Eggman never knows when to quit, does he? Fine! Neither do I!"

Amy runs towards her hammer and grabs it with a swift move, facing the incoming robots head-on.

But, before Amy can move or the robots can start firing, the leader of the metallic group is crushed by a cannon ball which appeared out of nowhere.

Amy steps back in surprise. "What the-? Where did THAT come from?"

Before the robots can react, the group is single-handedly destroyed by a blur from above which crashes on top of them like a meteor.

Amy coughs away the rising smoke emanating from the destroyed robots. "Ack! What was that?"

Then, a figure rises from the smoke, and Amy tries to take in every detail about him.

It was a dark Indigo blue hedgehog with significantly smaller quills than Sonic's or Shadow's. He had brown eyes, a serious expression and he appeared to be wearing a black jacket of sorts, a dark blue shirt, sky blue sneakers, a metallic necklace with a red gemstone and for some reason he was wearing something akin to gear for war. His left eye was almost covered up by what seemed to be an eyepiece for quick analysis and his wrists were covered up with metallic bracelets.

Amy looked at the newcomer with some confusion. "Who... are you?"

The hedgehog looks at Amy with indifference. "Where's Robotnik?"

Amy tilts her head. "Robotnik?"

The hedgehog rolls his eyes. "Robotnik, Eggman, you know who he is. The creator of these things."

Amy shrugs. "Dunno. Why do you ask?"

The hedgehog groans before looking to the side. "Whatever. Run along now, little girl. It looks like he's sending more of these buckets of bolts this way."

Amy scoffs, indignated. "Excuse me? Who are YOU calling 'little girl', mister? You don't look much older than me!"

The hedgehog steps away from the remains of the robots. "Whatever. This place is still dangerous. Step aside and leave it to me."

Amy scoffs again. "What? But I-!"

Before Amy can react, the red gemstone on the hedgehog's necklace starts to shine. The hedgehog then extends his hand and aims it towards the robots.

Amy looks on, admiring the newcomer but also feeling slightly offended. 'Who does this guy think he is? Screw him! I'll show him I can defend myself!'

With newfound confidence, Amy pulls out her hammer again and starts running towards the incoming group of robots, grinning confidently.

Unfortunately, the unknown hedgehog was too slow to notice her.

The hedgehog looks on in horror as he releases the energy stored in his necklace through the bracelets on his right wrist, shooting an energy ball towards the robots right as Amy is charging at them. "What the-?! Get out of the way, you id-!"

The energy ball and Amy's hammer make contact with the leader of the robot group at once, sending every robot backwards in pieces as Amy is launched back.

Amy lands on her back next to the hedgehog with a loud thud sound. "Oof! Agh..."

The hedgehog rapidly approaches Amy and helps her get up, looking at her with a frustrated expression. "What was that?! I could have hurt you badly!"

Once Amy regains her sense of balance and direction, she yanks herself away from the hedgehog, glaring softly at him. "I could ask that to you! What happened?!"

The hedgehog groans. "I was planning to shoot out a large energy ball at them to destroy them all at once! It was all calculated!"

Amy keeps glaring. "More like, you were too slow to attack them head-on! In the time it took you to plan all that and charge that attack those robots could have hurt someone for all we know!"

The hedgehog scoffs with a bitter laugh. "Hah! Unbelievable! Who are YOU to lecture ME about battle tactics, huh?!"

Amy's patience lowers. "I'm Amy Rose, and I've fought against Eggman more times than you, mister!"

The hedgehog grunts. "My name is Julius, thank you very much. I don't know who you are, but I what I DO know is that you're lying!"

Amy scoffs. "Julius, huh? Well that's a fancy name that doesn't sound completely false at all, isn't it? And what do you mean by that, huh?"

Julius tries to not get angry and ignore Amy's comment about his name. "Robotnik is a heartless monster who wouldn't spare someone like you if he had his chance! Plus, your approach was crude, raw, and utterly thoughtless! There's no way you could have survived numerous attacks from Robotnik with approaches like those! Why, you got in the way just now!"

Amy stomps her foot on the ground. "What?! Look, JULIUS... From my perspective YOU are the one that got in the way! Who does an attack like THAT while trying to save people?! You could have hurt someone if that energy ball thing got out of control!"

Julius crosses his arms. "I'm not here for heroics, I'm here to-"

But before Julius can finish his sentence, a giant robot falls out of the sky, landing beside the couple with an incredibly loud sound, which roots them to their spots for a moment.

Amy looks at the giant robot with a glare. "Oh, DON'T you even start! I'm not in the mood, you glorified tin can!"

The robot stares at the couple for a moment before its arms turn into laser guns.

Amy puts her hands on her hips. "Aww, look at that! Big ol' rusty is trying to be intimidating! Well, I think NOW is a good time for you to try that energy ball thing, Juli-"

Amy looks to the side only to see that the Indigo hedgehog is no longer beside her.

Amy audibly groans before looking back at the robot with a scowl. "UGH! Why do all hedgehogs do this to me?! Alright, big guy, you want a fight? Let's do this!"

Just as the robot starts to shoot lasers at her, Amy does a sommersault backwards while pulling out her hammer once again.

Amy dashes towards the robot, dodging its laser attacks in the process before jumping high, spinning with her hammer in the air. "Tell Eggman that I'm not in the mood for this today!"

Amy hits the robot's chest with all her might, but much to her surprise, the robot doesn't even look phased. Then, the robot grows an extra pair of arms with chainsaws replacing its hands.

Amy keeps glaring at the robot, though she starts to get a feeling that this'll be harder than she thought. "Okay, you're a bit tougher than the usual tin cans... That's fine by me! I'm not giving up!"

Amy charges at the robot again, but before she can run very far, the robot extends its arms to attack Amy with its saws. Amy raises her hammer just in time before the chainsaw can danage her face. "Oof! He's strong too..."

The robot stats to walk towards Amy, combining laser attacks with its saws. Amy tries her best to block the robot's attacks, but its strength and power seem to be too much even for her. With a final attack, the robot slams its saw hands against Amy, managing to make her fall on her back and throw her hammer away from her.

Amy looks at the menacing robot looming above her, knowing that she's in trouble. "Oh oh..."

The robot makes a mechanical whirring sound before closing in on Amy.

The pink hedgehog closes her eyes, bracing herself for impact.

Fortunately for her, it never comes.

Slowly but surely, Amy opens her eyes and sees that the robot has stopped walking towards her. After a moment, the robot's eyes dim out and its legs stop supporting it. With a loud thud, the robot falls face-first down on the sand.

After the robot falls down, Amy sees a familiar Indigo hedgehog crawling out of its back.

Amy's eyes go wide. "J-Julius...? Did you do that?"

Julius nods, looking at the robot with disdain. "I can't stand these things."

Amy looks at the fallen robot with some admiration. "But... How did... you...?"

Julius gets off the robot with a shrug. "Simple. The robot was trying its hardest to stay in front of you, so it must have been desperate to keep your eyes off his back. I flanked it while you were keeping it dstracted and I found its power core. All I had to do was climb up to its back and rip it out myself."

Amy nods, understanding Julius' plan at last. "I see... Huh..."

Julius smiles softly. "See? Sometimes taking it slow and planning things out works wonders."

Amy chuckles swkwardly. "I guess so..."

Julius looks down for a moment before looking at her with a softer expression. "Oh, and by the way..."

Amy looks at Julius expectantly, noticing the shift in his demeanor. "Hm?"

Julius looks at Amy with an apologetic expression while extending his hand to her. "I'm... sorry."

Amy looks at Julius' extended hand, raising her left eyebrow. "Sorry? For what?"

"For... hitting you with that energy blast back there, I should have been more careful. And I'm also sorry for... Well... Leaving you alone just now. That was uncalled for."

Amy looks at Julius with a surprised expression on her face before a big smile appears on her lips.

Amy playfully puts Julius' hand away. "Oh, don't worry about that! I was a bit reckless too! And I'm also kinda... used to hedgehogs running off without me, so I didn't take it personally."

Julius looks at Amy with a concerned expression. "That sounds awful... But still! Forgive me for what I did to you today!"

Amy smiles reassuringly at the Indigo hedgehog. "Relax, Julius. It's all in the past now, isn't it?"

Julius rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess so... But I still feel like I let my emotions get the best of me..."

Seeing that the hedgehog was still on the fence, Amy decides to point him to the beach they were standing on. "Tell you what, I came here to get away from some stuff at home but egghead's toys interrupted me. Now that you're here, why don't you stay with me for a bit? We can chat if you want and I'll show you that there are no hard feelings between us."

Julius looks at Amy with a surprised expression before shaking his head with a smile. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

Amy pouts in slight disappointment. "Huh? Why not?"

Julius steps back from her. "I gotta go. Lots of stuff to do and so little time, you know..."

Amy nods with a small smile. "Oh... Alright, then."

Julius giggles. "I still appreciate the offer, though. You were wonderful back there! You sure know how to swing that hammer."

Amy blushes slightly. "Huh? You mean that?"

Julius shrugs with a sincere smile. "I do. Why wouldn't I mean it?"

Amy shakes her head to dissipate the blush on her cheeks. "Well.. I... It's nothing, really..."

Julius nods. "Alright, then. Goodbye, Amy! Watch out for robots next time!"

Amy waves at Julius as he walks away. "Bye, Julius!"

Amy stares at Julius' retreating form with a small smile. 'Hm. What a weird guy. He looks a little bit like Sonic but he's like, completely different. Wonder if I'll ever see him again. Either way, it's back to the beach for me!'

Amy turns around to enjoy the beach, only to be met by the sight of a dusty beach filled with smoke, scrapped metallic parts and oil spillings everywhere. Then, Amy directs her gaze back to the dressing room only to see its remains blowing off some smoke into the sky and her bag laying on the floor, keeping her now ruined swimsuit barely in shape.

Amy sighs with a half smile. "Guess that'll have to wait... again."

"Boss, I don't think you're gonna like this..."

The round-shaped man known as Doctor Eggman turns around, looking at his subordinates with a frown. "What is it?"

Orbot looks back at the panel behind him. "Well... We just got reports from Team Theta... I think the operation... Uhh... Failed...?"

Eggman raises his right eyebrow, baffled. "What?! How could they fail?! All those buckets of bolts had to do was secure Emerald Coast in order to build a base of operations there! I specifically chose that location because it's a calm town far apart from anything resembling Sonic! How could they fail if there was nothing to stop them?!"

Orbot lets out a nervous chuckle. "Well... Umm... Our troops were able to report Amy Rose in there. We assume she was the one who fought them off."

Eggman doesn't sound convinced. "That pest? That doesn't make sense. Why was she at Emerald Coast TODAY of all days? And how did she manage to defeat my precious Theta commander on her own?!"

Orbot looks back at the panel again. "By the looks of it, there was also an unidentified target in the battle, boss. Perhaps HE helped her get rid of our troops...?"

Eggman raises his eyebrow again. "An unidentified target, hm? Let me see him."

"Oh, uhh... Right away, boss."

Orbot presses a button on the panel an a holographic image appears in front of Eggman, who squints his eyes at the sight of the now visible Indigo hedgehog.

Orbot looks back and forth between his maker and the hologram. "So... Do we know who he is?"

Eggman shrugs. "Eh. Looks like another one of Sonic's worthless friends to me. He's probably some forgettable schmuck who got way in over his head."

Eggman turns around, to which Orbot deactivates the hologram. "So what do we do now, boss?"

"Simple. We try again in a week."

"Try again?"

Eggman nods, a smile finally appearing on his lips. "Indeed. Amy Rose is nothing compared to Sonic, and that unknown hedgehog seems like an irrelevant variable that has no real place in my plans. They might have fended off our troops for now, but they won't be laughing next week. Emerald Coast will be mine one way or another..."

Eggman starts giggling softly, and his giggles soon turn into a maniacal laughter.

Right... Guess that does it for the first chapter.

I still have a lot to do at college, so I'll probably take a bit longer to update this story.

Guess I'll wait and see what people think in the meantime.

Thanks for reading! Leave your opinion if you can!