A/N: Ayo! This doesn't follow exactly Frontiers to a T, but its close enough. I just kinda let my imagination run with it lol

Been meaning to do this for a while, I love that game with my whole heart. Lemme know what you guys think! I might come out with another Chap on Sonic's POV, we shall see

Hope you enjoy!

I didn't know what happened. At one moment we were flying towards the mysterious islands, Tails piloting in the seat ahead of me with Sonic perched up on the Tornado's wing. And then we hit some kind of turbulence out of nowhere - the plane was shaking violently against whatever force was messing with it. I knew well enough that it wasn't just strong winds that caused the sudden interruption. The last thing I remembered was alarms ringing in the cockpit, Tails trying desperately to steady the jolting plane and Sonic gripping onto the wing for dear life as we spiraled out of control in the sky.

Next thing I knew, I found myself alone in a strange state. It seemed like it all happened in a blink of an eye; everything drastically changed. I was no longer in the plane, or on the ground, or… seemingly anywhere physical. I was awake, I was conscious, but I could not feel my body. My eyes did not seem to work properly either; I could not see clearly, it was like some sort of glitchy shield was pulled over in front of me. Everything was so distorted and dizzying. It was confusing, it was numbing.

I was scared.

I had no idea how long I was stuck like this for. It felt like eons. Was I knocked out before being placed into this imprisonment? How did I get trapped in whatever cage this is? If this even was a cage of some sort. It sure felt like it.

I was restricted, I knew I was, but how could that be possible if I could not feel my body?

Was I dead?

My mind was going berserk trying to figure out what was going on but at the same time, I couldn't think straight. My brain felt submerged, my thoughts scrambled.

It wasn't until I heard a muffled, distorted sound that shook my sporadic concentration clear. It was different than the static-like commotion that I had become accustomed to. The strange sound broke through the white noise that had filled my ears nonstop like a beacon of light - it gave me a glimmer of hope. My eyes desperately tried to search, tried to see past the blurry veil that covered them.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

As much as I wanted to yell, I could only muster something above a whisper. It was the first time I had tried talking and it was beyond difficult. It felt like there was an obstruction hindering my voice box, suffocating any attempt to speak. I focused more, straining my eyes in search of anything at all - and that's when I saw it. That familiar tinge of blue.

Could it be?

"Help me!" I cried out, my voice managing to project clearer than before.

Although warped and contorted, the blue shape seemed to come closer, the distorted sound becoming louder, the blue becoming more vibrant. I couldn't see or hear clearly, but it had to be him. It had to be Sonic. I just knew it.

But as quickly as the shape appeared, it vanished, leaving me alone again in this confusing torment.

Who knows how long went by before the blob I assumed was Sonic came back. Again, time meant nothing in whatever state I was in. My consciousness felt suspended and frozen; it was unbearable.

I chose to focus everything I could on the blue that was kaleidoscoping in front of me. My thoughts were all jumbled but one thing I knew for certain in my soul is that I ached for freedom; I ached for Sonic. I wanted nothing more than to break free from this, fall into him and feel his arms around me.

Then suddenly, it was as if something out there heard my will and desires; I felt the barrier loosen its hold around me, the restriction becoming less intense. As my confinement slowly dissolved away, I was able to slightly feel my body again. The heavy fog that was plaguing my mind lifted and I could think with clarity once more – it was like taking a breath of fresh air.

I had been floating a few inches above the ground apparently, and as my feet landed I instantly realized something was still off. Although this was definitely better than whatever other state I was in, I wasn't fully back to normal, I could feel it. A swirl of black and red energy drifted past me as it was being sucked towards the left. My eyes darted just in time to see it begin to seep into Sonic.

When the energy hit, he crouched down in retaliation, his eyes shut tightly as he struggled with the force colliding into him; it looked painful. I turned to face him fully, taking a few steps towards him. Within those few steps, I felt a strange kind of weightlessness; something was wrong. Glancing down I saw the state of my body for the first time and gasped – I was barely visible, barely existent.

Hearing a grunt, I turned my attention back to Sonic, any worries about myself taking an immediate backseat.

"Sonic! Are you alright?!"

Sonic straightened up from his crouched position, his face still strained as his left hand and arm pulsated with whatever was corrupting it. When he made eye contact with me, I could see some relief wash over his features but it was quickly replaced with concern.

"Me!? You're the one who's only half here!" he came towards me, his eyes scanning over my body in alarm. "Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?"

He reached his infected hand out to touch me but then pulled back, glancing down at how his limb was still flickering; I could tell he was nervous. He then looked deep into my eyes, searching for my answer.

As soon as his emerald orbs made contact with mine, a sensation immediately rolled through me. When Sonic was concerned, his focus on you was like lasers; sometimes it made me feel naked, like he was starring right into my soul. He stared at me with such importance it made my head spin.

"I-I'm fine." There was no time for me to get into how I was feeling, he didn't need to worry, there was far more pressing things going on. My eyes darted to his glitching arm and I quickly redirected the conversation, "But the energy that was holding me prisoner went straight into you!"

Sonic looked down at his hand again, the black and red corruption gradually fading into his body until it no longer noticeable. He held his wrist, flexing his fingers while he observed them; the movement looked stiff. Turning his attention back on me, he nonchalantly placed his knuckles on his hip, his posture relaxing greatly.

"Eh, I've been infused with weird zappy stuff before, no biggie." He shrugged lightly, "Plus, it feels like it might haven given me some sort of an advantage!"

I eyed him, supressing a sigh. Of course he would play this off as no big deal. But he did seem to be okay, at least for now, and there was no point arguing with him. Not when neither of us had any answers yet.

"Well in that case… We should get moving. If I was trapped, Tails must be too."

And if Tails was trapped, we needed to get him out of that hell as fast as possible. I kept that detail to myself though, not wanting to upset Sonic – he would be far more reckless if he knew Tails might be suffering… Or that I had been.

Sonic grinned at my response – clearly pleased that I was on board to get moving already.

"Good call, Ames!" Sonic approached me, his arms scooping downwards in a way I've seen countless times – he was getting ready to pick me up. But as he went to make contact, his hands went right through me, causing us both to take a step back in alarm.

It felt extremely weird, his hands passing through me; it didn't hurt but it didn't feel pleasant either. We locked eyes, Sonic's expression now serious.

"Sorry, I-… I know you're not fully 'here' but I just figured I would still be able to carry you…"

I didn't know what to say. I almost didn't believe it, it was just too bizarre. I looked down at my flickering hands, trying to comprehend what was going on. I could feel the ground beneath my feet, so why can't I feel anything else?

I went in front of him and paused, starring into his eyes with apprehension before I outreached my hand. As my fingers went to touch his chest, they passed through him. My eyes never left his and I could tell it felt weird for him just as it felt weird for me. I pulled my hand back, starring down at it again.

How ironic. Here I had been wishing to feel Sonic, to feel his arms envelope around me, erasing away any stress or worry. I had thought my prayers had been answered before but it appears I was wrong. I may be free to see and roam, but I am still a prisoner.

I suddenly felt overwhelmingly hollow.

Sonic then brought up his thumb and forefinger up to my chin – a gesture meant to lift my face towards him, but instead he just hovered it there gently, only barely touching my faded outline. His thumb and finger didn't go completely through me so it didn't feel uncomfortable like before, but it was just enough pressure that I could still just scarcely feel him.

"Hey, it's going to be alright. I'm going to get you back, okay?"

I could feel tears welling in my eyes as I looked at his sincere expression. I wondered if it was even possible to cry in this state. When I did not reply, he spoke again.

"Ames, do you trust me?"

I just nodded, unable to speak, a slight devastation taking hold.

"Good. Because I won't let you down." He moved to bring his arm around me but stopped, catching himself. I could tell he was yearning for contact too, that he was just as frustrated at the situation. It made me feel a bit better realizing that he wanted to hug me as badly as I wanted to hug him.

"I'm going to scout out the island, see what's up with this place. Then I'll come find you, sound good?"

I nodded again, my eyes looking down as I tried to fight this panicking feeling that was creeping up inside. I didn't know if I could handle being stuck like this; I felt so vacant.

Sonic then dropped down onto one knee, his face appearing down where my eyeline was.

"Hey, I'm gonna need more than a nod from you! Do we have a deal?"

I couldn't help but smile a bit at his attempts of reassurance, "Deal."

Seeing my tiny crack of a smile made him grin, "Good! Now that's more like it!" he stood up, a look of determination taking over, "Be back in a flash."

Just as he dashed away, I couldn't help but yell out a small "Be careful!" as I watched him leave. I thought he was too far gone to have heard it, but before I could turn around he had zipped back past me, heading in the other direction. Sonic skidded to a halt only a few feet ahead and looked over his shoulder, his trademark smirk on his lips.

" 'Careful' ? Where's the fun in that?"

And at that, he took off again, a flash of blue disappearing over the horizon. I sighed; even with feelings of despair, a small smile still managed to find its way onto my face.

Three days had gone by since I've been able to roam around freely. The island was absolutely huge, there was so much open space to explore that it made me feel small. Sonic had been going nonstop, searching high and low for answers, and I was very thankful that his gift was speed - it would have taken weeks to cover the ground he had managed to cover in only a matter of days.

I tried to be useful but it was hard. I wanted to at least help gather some food for him so he didn't have to worry about finding it himself, but I couldn't grip or pick up anything. All I could do is roam around and wait; it was frustrating to say the least.

Sonic told me that there was some kind of "digital tokens" that he needed to collect in order to help get me back to normal. He said that's what he used to free me the first time around. I don't quite understand why or how that works, and neither does he, but ever since he's been collecting them it seems to be working.

I do feel a little bit more like myself each time he's found them. It's strange though, I cannot physically see what they are, I can only feel when they get absorbed into me. I had asked Sonic what they looked like but he got all squirrely. He simply ended up telling me that "there just pink". I don't know what his deal was but he took off after that. He's hiding a detail of some kind, I can tell by his reaction, but it's puzzling me on what it could possibly be.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll have lots of time to pester him about it later.

I've also found that I feel a special connection to the island in this form. I can't explain it but I have a kind of understanding towards the piece of land. The nature and views are breathtaking, but there's an underlying loneliness. I get this empty and sad feeling, like it used to be exploding with life before an awful tragedy happened.

I feel haunted by its ghosts.

Sighing, I stood by the edge of a small cliff and watched the sunrise in the distance.

Day four already.

One thing about this digital form was that I can't sleep, or more so, I didn't need to. That meant I got to witness some pretty beautiful sunrises these last few days.

A strong gust of wind blew past, causing my quills to blow up in different directions, before I felt Sonic's presence beside me. I turned my head to the right to see him, his attention focused on the sunrise.

"Pretty sweet views here, huh?"

I smiled, looking back forward along with him.

"Yeah, but… Something's happened here. Something awful. I can feel it."

Sonic glanced towards me before crossing his arms against his chest.

"Yeah… I think so too. Have you seen any of the ruins yet?"

I turned to him, a little surprised. "I've seen some stone-like structures, but I wouldn't call them ruins…"

He locked eyes with mine, his expression uneasy.

"There's some really strange stuff around this place. There are buildings that look like ancient ruins but the technology attached to them is out of this world. Its way more advanced than Eggman's or Tails' tech."

Now this peaked my curiosity.

"Where?"

Sonic stared at me for a moment, studying my face. "…Do you get tired in this form? Can you walk long distances?"

I shook my head, "Nope, I don't feel anything like fatigue or hunger."

He nodded slightly to himself, as if he was debating whether or not it was a good idea to show me. There was silence for a few beats and I felt some frustration arise.

"I'm not a child, if you don't want to show me I'm quite capable of finding them myself."

I was getting sick of being on the sidelines, doing nothing but just waiting around.

He brought his hands up in defense, "Whoaa, easy. I know that, I'm just… I'm just thinking, alright?" he paused again before letting out a breath – it was hard to read his expression.

He then pointed to the right of him, "Go North-east and stay along the escarpment. You'll know it when you see it. But don't interact with anything, okay?"

I gave him a deadpanned look, "Really? Did you seriously just say that?" I gestured to my flickering body; I couldn't interact with anything even if I tried. God I wish I could.

Sonic looked me up and down, as if assessing my state, before replying.

"Every day you're looking better and better. These tokens are working and who knows, you might just be able to connect with the technology somehow. It could react different to you than it does to me. I still have no clue how it all works."

He made a good point but I still highly doubted it. Besides, if I'm the only one that can connect to this technology, maybe that's a good thing! Maybe I'm the key to getting my own self back. I gave him a small shrug, "Alright, alright, sure."

I think he might have said something else, but I wasn't paying attention. My eyes had already wandered towards the direction he had pointed to - I was getting eager, my mind racing with all sorts of new theories and possibilities.

SNAP

"Hellllooooo? Are you listening?"

I blinked, his hand lingering in front of my face after he had just snapped his fingers in front of me. He must have noticed I zoned out. I glanced over to him as he spoke,

"Amy, I'm serious. I can't lose you again."

The tone in his voice alone made me fully pay attention to him, but the way he was looking at me… My heart fluttered.

"Promise me."

For as much as Sonic could be a goofball and a reckless maniac, when it came to others he was so protective; it was a very sweet aspect of his character. I loved that about him, he always made me feel so safe, so guarded. So cared for.

"O-Okay, I promise."

We stared at each other for a long moment, our eyes conveying a deep understanding. I got lost in the connection, completely forgetting about everything for that short time; past and present.

Sonic then smiled, giving me a thumbs up, axing the intense moment.

"Sweet!" The seriousness disappeared off of his face as fast as it came, leaving me feeling dizzy from the whiplash of emotions.

He lifted his foot and arm, about to take off, when I suddenly realized something,

"Hey, Sonic?"

Placing his foot back down, he turned towards me and I couldn't help but sense he was nervous. "Yeah?"

"When's the last time you've slept?"

His face screwed up with a mix of confusion and relief, like he was almost happy for that question and not something else. "Huh?"

I walked so I was in front of him, ignoring whatever the hell he was so relieved about, "I may not need sleep, but you do. And it's been four days now."

Sonic chuckled, shrugging off my concern "C'mon, have you seen how big this island is? How can I sleep when it's so much fun to explore?!"

I did not like that answer. It irritated me so much when he couldn't do the simplest things to take care of himself.

"Sonic…"

That earned me a sigh, although a small smile was still on his face, "Ames, look. I've been busting my tail trying to get you back, but I promise I've stopped for some shut eye here and there, okay?"

I squinted my eyes in disbelief at his answer, "I hear you breaking the sound barrier all throughout the night, y'know. You can't fool me."

"Hmmm, note to self, stay just below the sound barrier at night…." he replied with a cheeky grin, pretending to talk to himself while looking away from me.

"Hey!" I went to playfully wack his arm, as I always do at his teasing, when my hand once again went right through him. I pulled it back immediately, holding my hands to my chest. Even though I've been like this for a while now, I still forget…

But that time, I recognized that it didn't feel as weird to go through him. Which could only mean I was getting used to it…

Am I slowly going to forget what the sensation of touching feels like? Eventually, will all I will know is what it's like to be a hallowed out, empty void of space? Flickering between existence and something else?

Getting lost in my increasingly anxiety riddled thoughts, my face must have been showing how I was feeling, because once again Sonic was right there. He brought his arms around me but hovered again, only just barely touching the glitching outline of my body.

"Can you feel me?" he asked softly.

Surprisingly, once again I could. Just the tiniest whisper of a touch, but it was there.

"Y-yeah, a bit." I choked out.

"Good, because I can feel you too. And that's a good sign, right?"

I listened to his sweet tone, his words coating my harsh thoughts like honey.

"You are here, Amy. You are here."

Gods, I wanted to cry. I wanted to squeeze my arms around his body and press my face against his chest SO BADLY it made me want to scream. His actions and words grounded me though; they made me feel present, made me feel like I wasn't going to just float away into oblivion.

Made me feel like it was going to be okay.

Sonic pulled away and leaned downwards in order to come face to face with me.

"It's only a matter of time, alright? We got this. And then we'll get Tails and figure out what the hell is up with these crazy islands."

I let out a breath, giving my head a shake. He's right, we got this.

"Right. Let's do this."

It took me about a day to reach the ruins that Sonic had told me about. I stuck alongside the escarpment, just as he said, which made it easy for him to periodically find me and check in. It was sweet he kept making sure I was okay, but now that I had a new goal, I was honestly doing pretty well.

With my mind busy with a task, it was easier to not spiral out.

There was quite a few crazy enemies I came across along the way - Sonic had mentioned to keep my guard up, but they didn't seem bothered by me at all. My running theory is that I'm somehow a part of this island, now that my physical body isn't fully here. Which is crazy to think about but it kind of makes sense. If these… 'tokens' of mine are all over the island, and the rest of my body is clearly somewhere here too, it would explain why I feel so connected to it.

I also came across some weird little creatures that seem to inhabit the island. They're just little round things made of stone by the looks of it and at first they reminded me a lot of chao. That is, until they started talking to me.

I knew they were speaking in a strange language but for some reason I could recognize what they were saying. I found out they were called Koco, and although I could understand them, sometimes they spoke with a certain dialect that made it hard to follow what exactly they wanted.

Sonic told me the Koco are littered all around the island and that he finds them in the most insane spots - spots that he has no clue how they managed to get to. He was shocked I could actually hear what they were saying, and I was equally shocked that he couldn't. It just makes me further think that my theory is right and that everything here is all connected somehow.

It's been nice having these little Koco tag along though, they definitely make the journey a lot less lonely. But boy, are they ever chatty. I get this feeling that they are in desperate need of something or that they are desperately seeking something, but I'm not sure what. Even though I can understand them, they don't always seem to listen or understand me. It's a very one sided conversation – I wonder if how I speak is too difficult for them to comprehend?

I walked through the last bit of some foliage and found myself in a clearing. The sun was shining so brightly that I would have normally had to shield my eyes against it. But it didn't bother me now, I barely noticed it…

I brushed away the thought, scanning the open area – it did not take long to see the huge, intricate ruins scattered about.

"Wow…"

I ran down towards the first cluster, looking at the expert craftsmanship of the stone with the intertwined abandoned tech in awe. Sonic was not exaggerating at all when he described these…

The Koco followed close behind me, the wind chime-like sounds they made softly filling the air. I inspected the ruins carefully, paying attention to all the strange symbols inscribed everywhere. The tech that had been incorporated into them was like a purple glass, and the closer I got to it the more I felt a vibrant frequency going through me. It didn't make me feel nervous though, it didn't seem threatening or dangerous. But whatever ancient civilization lived here, whatever tech they created to protect this island, it was definitely some serious stuff.

All of a sudden, a vibrant beam of light shot up into the air in the distance, catching my attention. I stopped what I was doing to stare, hoping it didn't mean something bad. Could it be an enemy? Eggman? Maybe Tails?

It took me a minute to recognize that type of glow. It was a chaos emerald!

I started running towards it at full speed, hoping it meant Sonic had gotten to it and not something else. The light slowly disappeared from the sky but I kept running, leaping and avoiding the many obstacles that laid in my path. I supposed I could probably just run right through them, but I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I needed to remain as normal as I could to keep my sanity, and that meant not embracing my ghostlike abilities.

On the plus side though, it was a crazy sensation being able to run at full speed without my breathing becoming laboured or experiencing any muscle exhaustion. It was freeing in a way but I got a weird longing for it. Strange, I'm at the point now where I'm yearning to even feel pain…

I got about halfway there when I saw a blue flash making its way down a tall mountain side. Before I fully slowed down, Sonic was in front of me with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey! Fancy seeing you here!"

I smiled at him, "I saw the light, did you manage to get an emerald?!"

Sonic held the gem out for me to see, "You bet I did! Check it out, not too shabby, eh?"

I felt some relief – this was huge. At first we didn't know if the emeralds were on the island at all but now that we have one, the others must not be too far. I watched him half-heartedly twirl it around in his hand as he looked at me.

"One step closer! See Ames? I told ya we'd be making progress in no time!"

His confidence was infectious. I don't know why I was worried, of course things were going to work out! Finally, I was feeling a little hopeful again. Sonic always knew what to do, he would figure things out.

"Absolutely!"

"And even more good news, I think I know where the second one is. Are you planning on staying in this area?"

I nodded, looking over my shoulder to the ruins I left behind. "Yes, I'll be here for a long while, I only just started checking it out." While I looked back, I noticed the Koco making their way towards us, only a few feet behind. "There's so much mystery here… I wonder if Knuckles knew about these islands."

Sonic looked past me and watched the little Koco's as well, "I thought about that too. The Echidna's may have had some sort of contact with this civilization way back when... It's definitely possible. Once we grab Tails, I think we might have to make a trip to Angel Island."

I spun around, an excited grin on my face – not only at the promise of visiting Knuckles, but the promise of freedom.

"That's a great idea! It's been so long since we've seen Knuckles!"

Sonic chuckled, "Yeah, well he might feel differently about that. Anytime he sees the Tornado I'm sure he wishes he could shoot it out of the sky."

I couldn't help but laugh at that comment – I could picture Knuckles angrily yelling at Sonic and Tails to get off of his island so vividly in my mind.

"Yeah well, you two always drag him into some kind of trouble, I don't really blame him."

Sonic scoffed, bringing his pinky up to scratch the inside of his ear. "It's not my fault he's so grumpy and boring! We're doing him a favour in my opinion, the old man needs some excitement."

I raised my eyebrow with a smirk, "Old man? Isn't he only like, a year older than you?"

"Well he acts like he's 90."

I laughed, unable to suppress my grin. It was a good thing I would be a part of this visit. For one, I did miss Knuckles, and for two, I was usually able to stop any fights from breaking out. Tails was the usual peace keeper but when things start to get too physical, there wasn't much the kit could do.

All I had to do on the other hand was whip out my hammer and it more than often made the boys pause, even if it was for a few moments.

"Well keep the old man comments to yourself! We need him to help us and for that to happen, you can't be teasing him."

Sonic gave me a wink with a grin, "Impossible."

I shook my head with a smile – yeah, Sonic was impossible alright.

I noticed as the direction of the wind picked up his ear flicked, causing him to turn his head to look in the distance. I looked as well - the way the air shifted felt off, but there was nothing visibly different. He glanced down at the glowing gem, his grip around it getting tighter.

"Alright, I'm going to head out. Hopefully the next emerald won't be too tricky to get." His eyes fell on to mine, his grin already melting into a soft smile. "Hang tight Ames, I'll see you in a bit!"

Sonic took off, the burst of air and dust that blasted backwards not affecting me at all. That was something that normally annoyed me – Sonic had no regard to the wake he left behind when he took off at such speeds, but I found I yearned to feel it against my skin, dust and all. I decided to watch him as he ran – he wasn't running anywhere near top speed, so I could still easily make out where he was.

Then, just up ahead of him, I noticed a large space glitching slightly.

"Huh?"

Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me? I squinted, trying to see if I was imaging things, when the strange space grew, the glitching becoming heavily noticeable.

Could Sonic see it? What was going on?

Suddenly, a black monstrous being appeared out of thin air – it was MASSIVE. I gasped, taking a few steps back from the pure shock of its size. Sonic was running straight for it, and with how quickly it appeared out of nowhere, he didn't have time to change direction. The giant smashed its foot down, aiming straight for Sonic, who just barely managed to dodge it. The whole ground shook and trembled from the contact – even I had to brace myself against the quaking earth in order to not to fall over.

Sonic had skidded to stop, looking up at the beast for the first time. The magnitude of this thing compared to him was insane, I could not get over how big it was; it very clearly towered over most of the mountains and high structures on the island.

I watched Sonic stand there for a few moments, just starring up at it. What was he doing?!

Please tell me he's not stupid enough to go against this thing.

Who am I kidding… Of course he is.

I began running towards Sonic – there was a good distance between us but maybe I could get there in time to talk some sense into him. The beast had not made any moves yet to attack, maybe it was simply guarding something?

As I got closer, I noticed Sonic wasn't just starring at the giant but rather there was a small… Girl? Floating a few feet above him. She seemed to have the same colour patterns of the beast and as well as that weird energy – black and red.

"Leave. Immediately."

I stopped running, thinking I was close enough to hear their exchange, but I couldn't hear Sonic's reply. Odd, I could hear her perfectly…

If she's part of this island too, maybe I can hear her from so far away because we're on the same frequency or something? I ran a bit further ahead, attempting again to get close enough to Sonic.

"Do not approach the Titan."

"Heh, sorry kid, but I gotta job to do." He took off past her, heading straight towards the monstrous enemy.

Shit, too late.

"Sonic, don't! It's too dangerous!" I yelled after him, causing the floating girl to shoot me a surprised glare. I didn't pay attention to her though, my eyes were only focused on Sonic. I could tell he had heard me because he glanced over his shoulder for a split second, making eye contact, before continuing on, ignoring my pleas.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the floating girl turn her focus back onto Sonic as well.

"If we are fortunate, it will destroy you."

That got my attention. I narrowed my eyes, the anger inside me igniting into a fury at her threat. I extended my arm, palm open to summon my hammer; if she was part of this island just like me, hopefully she'd be able to feel my hammer smash into her face!

I waited but nothing happened. My eyes darted to the empty air beside me and a panic rose in my chest. I tried again, looking desperately at my vacant palm – why can't I summon my hammer!?

The girl, now turned away from me, lifted her own hand into the air, that same black and red energy from before glowing around it. Whatever she did, it made the beast come back to life.

What did she call it again? A Titan?

This wasn't good.

Sonic ran towards it, a cocky grin on his face, welcoming the challenge – he almost looked excited. I held my breath, the realization that I couldn't do anything but watch finally hitting me.

The Titan slammed its foot down again on the ground, this time with way more force, causing an actual earthquake. I went to brace myself against a tree and fell, of course going right through it. All of a sudden the area got dark and I immediately looked up; huge boulders were air born, their mass big enough to block the sun. I gasped as I saw Sonic, hurdling with the boulders – he must have been catapulted up into the air along with them.

His body was tumbling out of control from being flung so violently, it was hard to watch. He eventually crashed into one of the boulders and I watched him contort his body so his sneakers and hands slid against the rock, making his trajectory come to a halt. Sonic then took a few steps forward before jumping up into a ball, spin dashing his way from each rock, heading towards the Titan itself.

I stood up, watching with bated breath. He managed to land a hit on the Titan's face, the contact from his deadly spin dash creating an awful, grinding sound. I could see sparks flying but it was hard to tell exactly everything that was happening from where I was – they were so high up from the ground!

The sparks stopped and I searched the sky until I saw Sonic's tiny figure up in the distance, free falling a few feet away from the Titan's head.

How was he going to land!? Where was he going to land!?

The being had barely flinched from the attack, and I can see why – Sonic was the size of a flea in comparison. Instead, it reached its huge arm forward, snatching Sonic within its grasp.

I froze in terror.

Within seconds, the Titan leaned back, its impossibly long leg lifting off the ground as it wound its arm up. The being slamming its foot back down, its arm thrusting forward - throwing Sonic with all its strength.

A piercing scream erupted out of my mouth as I painfully watched Sonic hurdle across the sky with such an intense speed – he was heading directly towards a group of tall structures.

He hit the first one with a sickening smash, the stone exploding and collapsing from the collision. But astonishingly that didn't stop the velocity at which his body was flying at; he was flung so hard that he then hit another structure, that one also crumbling from his body pummeling into it. He finally then hit the side of a mountain, creating a small crater before eventually falling to the ground, lifeless.

Before my mind even knew what was happening I was sprinting – I ran directly through trees, rocks, ruins, everything. It made my body feel awful but I didn't care, nothing mattered more than getting to him. I could hear the Titan moving away, feeling the vibrations on the ground with each step it took; at least that was one relief. If he continued to seek out Sonic after a hit like that, I-

I couldn't even think about it.

It didn't take me long to reach the mountain – I think I must have run the fastest I ever have in my entire life. There was a slight path that went upwards, curling around the edge of the mountain. I sprinted up it, going and going until I saw a weird metal platform. It reminded me of something Eggman would have made.

As I got onto the semicircle platform, my eyes desperately scanned the area until I saw a smidge of red just peaking around the bend. I ran towards it, Sonic's sneaker coming into full view as I rounded the corner.

Gods, please be okay, please be okay, please be okay, please be okay, please-

My mind wouldn't stop reciting that phrase, over and over again. I dashed towards his limp body, instantly collapsing to my knees beside him. He was unconscious, lying on the ground like a ragdoll tossed to the side, forgotten.

"SONIC!"

I tired shaking him but my hands of course went straight through him. My heart sunk into the pit of my stomach; in my frantic mind set it didn't occur to me that I wouldn't be able to aid him at all.

"Sonic please, a-are you okay?! Can you hear me!?"

In my desperation I tried again, my hands flowing through him every single time.

No, no, no!

I rushed to him but for what!? I can't do anything to help! I'm USELESS!

The sheer terror that was coursing through me made me feel sick. Tears began to flow, but I could not feel them as I normally would. They were not wet, they did not caress my cheeks with the same hot sensation. It felt like drips of static.

What can I do, what can I do!?

I leaned forward, my ear hovering over his mouth. I let out a small, shaky breath – okay, he's at least breathing. I pulled back, starring at him; he looked so torn up. He had scrapes, cuts, bruises littered all over him.

I let out a loud, frustrated wail, pounding the ground with my fist. When it made contact, I felt a buzzing feeling, my fist actually making an impact of sorts.

UGH! Why can I make contact with the ground but NOTHING ELSE?!

I slumped forward, my head going into my hands in heartbreaking exasperation. What am I suppose to do!? What can I do, I need to do something, anything…

My head snapped up at a sudden idea.

The Koco.

I got up and began to run off the platform. As I rounded the corner, making my way to the path, musical little chimes filled the air.

Thank Chaos.

I heard them before I saw them; they were quite a ways away from the platform but I was grateful they were so close by and I didn't have to hunt them down. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, they've been acting like my shadow this entire time, following me everywhere.

I spoke with them frantically, hoping of all the times that this was the time that they would understand.

But all I got was blank stares. Most of them stopped hopping from one foot to the other and focused on me, but that was it. I tried explaining, I tried gesturing to them what direction I needed them to go in, I tried running up the path in hopes they would follow, but I received no reaction.

I collapsed onto my knees, sobbing uncontrollably, the weight of the situation crashing down hard on me.

"Please…" I fell forward onto my hands, bowing my head with my eyes shut tight as I continued to cry, "Please help me… He's hurt and I can't help him…"

My fingers dug into the dirt and that buzzing feeling electrified; but I was too consumed with my grief to comprehend it.

"I love him so much…." I sobbed. My sorrow and helplessness was so intense that I briefly just gave up.

Jingle, jingle, jingle

My head slowly rose at the sound. Were they leaving?

No…

I looked around and saw all the Koco parading past me, up the path, towards the platform. I sat back, watching in a dazed awe.

What-?

Shaking my head, I sprung up and dashed past them, taking the lead towards Sonic, "Thank you, thank you!"

It was such a breakthrough but I couldn't focus on that, I needed to somehow make sure Sonic was okay. That was all that mattered.

As I reached his unconscious body, I crouched down beside him, the Koco trailing just behind me.

Okay, now what….

Think Amy, think.

I glanced up at the hot sun beating down on us – I couldn't feel the heat, but Sonic sure would be able to. Getting him into some shade would be step one.

"I-I need your help move him." I looked around, frantic to find a good spot quickly; I didn't want to lose their attention, I wasn't sure how long this would last. There was a perfect little spot right against the mountain side, the rock walls protruded out far enough to act as a small shelter of sorts.

"Right there, okay? Can you guys do that?" I scurried over the area, pointing to it. "Here, I need you to move him here. As carefully as possible."

Much to my surprise, without hesitation, the Koco all began to shimmy under Sonic, his body slowly starting to lift into the air. The small army of them held him above their heads, carrying his lifeless body over to me like a colony of ants. They placed him down gently, looking at me for further direction.

"U-Uhmn… Water, I'll need water!" I glanced around the area – I actually don't remember seeing any fresh bodies of water on the island. There must be some though, Sonic couldn't last this long without any, but where?!

Their musical sounds brought my attention back down towards them. Half was marching past me, back down the hill, and the other half was staying right by Sonic, hovering around him on all sides.

It didn't take me long to make my decision.

"You guys stay here with him, ok?" I took off, following the travelling group. They were heading somewhere with a purpose and I could only hope it was to a water source.

It took a while but eventually they led me to a small lake. I watched as they grabbed large leaves with deep curvatures, one by one all filling them with water before turning around and making their way back to the mountain.

I closed my eyes, holding my hands to my chest; so much gratitude washed over me at the fact that they understood.

They understood and they were willing to help.

But still, there was only so much we could do.

Waiting was a nightmare.

I did my best to inspect Sonic's injuries and clean his wounds with the Koco's help but they weren't able to accomplish much. It wasn't their fault, they didn't really have hands, but it was so frustrating not being able use my own.

So we had to just sit by and hope he woke up.

The hours dragged by, each one feeling longer than the last.

He didn't move. His breathing was shallow.

And we just had to wait.

After returning with the water, I never left his side. Any task I had to accomplish, I trusted the Koco to do it, and they fulfilled it with no issues. I thanked them constantly, glad for their assistance and company, but I was not in the mood to chat with them.

As fascinating as it all was, I was consumed with my worry for Sonic.

It was hard to know, but I think about a day and a half went by before he began to stir. At first, his leg twitched ever so slightly, which caught my eye, but then out of nowhere he sprung up into a sitting position, gasping for air like his lungs were starving for it. The sudden movement and harsh sounds from his laboured panting made me jump out of my skin with freight, but my alarm quickly turned into pure relief.

Before I could say anything, his face immediately scrunched in pain, his hands lifting up to cradle his head with a loud groan.

"Sonic!" I scrambled to sit in front of him, my heart racing. "Are you okay?!"

He lifted his face up a bit to see me, "H-Hey…" he groaned again, his hands slowly falling away from his head. "Never been better."

I could feel the static running down my cheeks freely but didn't care – I couldn't help but let out a laugh at his all too familiar snark.

"It's such a relief that you're awake, you have no idea." I glanced down at a Koco that was bringing over a leaf filled with water. "H-Here, have some water."

Sonic looked to me and then down at the Koco; he was still a little dazed and confused.

"Uh… Thanks little guy." He grabbed the leaf awkwardly before downing it in one gulp, obviously parched. Another Koco immediately brought over another leaf which caused Sonic to raise an eyebrow. He glanced around, noticing just how many were surrounding him for the first time.

"You really rallied the troops, eh?" he looked over to me again, looking impressed. "Are you their new leader or something?"

I smiled at him, "Maybe? I have no idea. When you got hit they happened to be nearby and for some reason finally started listening to me…"

Sonic nodded his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

But I soon ruined his thoughtful peace when the relief faded and I remembered just how angry I was at him.

"BUT HEY!" he jumped a little at my explosion, not expecting the sudden change. "Just what the hell was that?! What made you think you could possibly go against that thing!? What's wrong with you?!"

Sonic shrugged, "He didn't look so bad. I thought I could take 'em."

Such a simple answer for such a stupid action. I shook my head, furious.

"Do you have any idea how terrifying that was to watch!? How awful it's been hoping for you to wake up? What if you died?!"

Sonic leaned back against the mountain, wincing at the movement. "Sorry Ames, I don't know what to say. I usually don't have an audience when I do stuff like that I guess."

"That doesn't make it any better?!"

Is he kidding right now!? I'm sick with worry and he thinks telling me that he does suicidal, reckless things constantly, alone,would be comforting!?

He let out a small chuckle, giving me an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, okay? I'll make sure to… Think things more through next time. Honest."

I let out a huff, annoyed but finding it hard to stay mad. At least he seemed sincere.

At least he was alive.

"You will be the death of me. I don't know how Tails deals with you all the time."

Sonic smirked, rolling his eyes slightly, "Ohhh don't worry, I get the same thing from him too."

At the mention of the little fox's name, Sonic went quiet, his demeanor changing greatly. He then began to stand up, grunting the entire time, his body surely aching.

I jumped up, readying myself to help him but then bitterly remembered it would do no good.

"Welp, I'm not taking that thing down the traditional way, that's for sure."

"What do you mean, what are you talking about?"

Sonic stretched, his face flinching. "I'm definitely going to need the chaos emeralds. And maybe a little luck…."

"Sonic…"

He barely just woke up and he's already onto plan B.

Sonic intertwined his fingers together and then stretched them, effectively cracking his knuckles.

"What? It's not going to take down itself, now is it?" he grinned at me, his eyes twinkling with determination. Although my heart was heavy with concern, a smile found its way onto my face; how could it not?

He bent down, grabbing another water filled leaf and downed it in a matter of seconds, before turning towards me.

"Thanks again for everything, Ames. I'll come find you soon!"

I watched him take off once more; it was inspiring to witness his sheer will shining brightly in the face of adversity.

Despite that scary ordeal, the hope that bubbled inside me was stronger than ever. It was impossible not to feel it with Sonic around.