Amy of the Roses rested her head on the back of her seat in the Baymilla airport, staring out the window at the buildings past the runway. The glistening ocean they overlooked, the nearly full moon in the midnight sky blocked out by planes taking off and coming to land all the same. "Ms. Roses, are you still awake?" Cream asked, skipping to Amy's side.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure for how long I'll be able to keep it that way," Amy sighed, smiling at Cream and then glancing at Big, asleep on the floor.
"That's okay, we ran for quite a while to get to this city. We can all sleep on the plane," Cream recounted, staring in the same direction Amy had been for a while now. "You're sure Sonic took Chocola-Chao and Froggy all the way to Parduil? That's in Soumerca!"
"Yeah! I always know where Sonic is," Amy sighed, daydreaming. "I don't even need my tarot cards to tell me where to find him anymore. I just sort of… feel him nearby. It almost feels like one of his cozy hugs when we're close. And that warm emotion never fails! That's why we were waiting by Seaside Hill, I just knew he would end up there. I wish I could have seen him right then and there, though."
"Mother once told me that people who really care about one another always find each other, no matter the distance," Cream stated. "I'm really worried about Chocola-Chao, and I know Mr. Big's worried about Froggy. But we're going to find our friends, I just know it! And I think you'll find Mr. Sonic too."
"Thanks, Cream," Amy yawned. Cream held a foam cup of coffee close to Amy. "Coffee? This late?"
"The flight isn't ready for another forty minutes, you need something to keep you awake," Cream giggled. She handed Amy the coffee. Even with the thin cardboard ring around the cup to keep people from burning themselves, It was the warmest thing Amy had touched all day.
Team Sonic flew high above the nation Parduil in the Cyclone. The sky was dark orange, and below them was a bright blue futuristic city, Grand Metropolis. The city belonged entirely to HexaCo, an Eggman-owned business. HexaCo itself was named after the Lost Hex to prey on people's positive feelings towards the time-honored tradition of the Hexagonal Eclipse. And the dismal condition of Erius was never more apparent than when smaller countries started to sell out to the Big Three nations to avoid annihilation.
"Eggman's nearby," Sonic muttered, seeming unusually tense. He then unclenched his fists, and looked to Tails and Knuckles with a smile. "We're gonna take him down, right, team?"
"Heheh, yeah," Tails chuckled. Knuckles smirked a little. "Should we land the Cyclone?" Tails asked, looking at all the huge Red Eye mechs monitoring the area ahead. It looked like they were defending the Power Plant, but it was safe to assume they would go on the offensive if any member of Team Sonic was spotted.
"Sounds good, my legs are falling asleep," Sonic chuckled. Tails flew the Cyclone onto the roof of a skyscraper.
"Okay, Sonic. Where are we headed?" Tails shouted over the wind, as Sonic and Knuckles hopped onto the rooftops and the Cyclone transformed back into a mecha for Tails to walk around in. "We can't just run through all those Red Eyes, right?"
"Sure we can! When have Eggman's security systems ever been a problem?" Sonic asked, grinning.
"Sonic! I found you, my little needlemouse!" Amy's voice exclaimed from behind them. Sonic's focus broke, and he spun around to face her. Tails and Knuckles turned around as well to see all four members of Team Rose on the skyscraper behind them.
"Amy? What are you doing here?!" Sonic asked, seeming a bit bothered by her presence. Amy didn't notice.
"We know you have Froggy and Chocola-Chao!" A rabbit that none of Team Sonic recognized shouted. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Where are my manners…? Could you please give them back?" The rabbit now looked a little embarrassed as she pulled her ears down over her eyes.
"We don't have any frogs or Chao with us," Knuckles called. "Are you trying to challenge me?" The rabbit's mouth dried up. She cautiously flew the rest of her team over the gap between skyscrapers, and Sonic only then realized that Big the Cat was there. Sonic hadn't seen him since his days in Giganima.
"I smell Froggy," Big stated. "Did you take him?!"
"What? No! Amy, tell your friends that we didn't take their pets, please," Tails groaned.
"Wait, everybody," Amy sighed. "Let's all NOT fight! Sonic, why'd I see you in the newspaper taking Froggy and Chocola?" Sonic gulped, stepping back. "S-Sonic…?" Amy felt her heart sink, as she stared into Sonic's cold eyes.
"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about!" Sonic chuckled, closing his eyes and combing his spines with his hand. Tails and Knuckles glanced over to him confusedly. Big, Cream, and especially Cheese all stared daggers at him. "It must have been someone else. Anyways Tails, Knuckles and I have to go stop Eggman. So we'll be leaving now." Sonic turned around and began to charge up a Figure Eight Peel Out. Tails and Knuckles walked away in the direction Sonic was facing.
"You're not going anywhere!" Big yelled, throwing a weighted fishing net over Sonic and stopping him from running. "Give Froggy back to me!" Tails instantly retaliated, switching to stun gun mode and firing at Big. Big deflected the shots with his umbrella.
"Cheese, use Tornado!" Cream shouted, as Cheese spun around the Cyclone at high speeds and threw off Tails' control of the mech. Fed up, Tails grabbed Cheese by the bowtie and held him in place. "Oh no!" Cream cried.
Watching the fight from the other side of the skyscraper, Amy sighed and walked over to a trawled Sonic. She thought about what to say to him. "When are you coming home?" She finally asked, kneeling down by Sonic as Big attempted to bodyslam Knuckles. Knuckles responded by punching Big back by a good few feet. "I've missed you so much. I came all this way to find you, you know."
"Heh… I've been thinking about coming back. I'm not quite sure yet," Sonic chuckled. "Mind letting me out of this net?"
"If I do, will you marry me?" Amy asked, fluttering her eyelashes Sonic's way. A second passed where Sonic didn't say anything. The world seemed to disappear around Amy as she stared deeper into his eyes.
"... Maaaaybe," Sonic murmured. Amy tore an iron weight from a corner of the net and lifted it so Sonic could escape. She grabbed his hand to help him up.
It was freezing cold.
"Are you feeling okay, darling?" Amy asked, pulling Sonic up despite the frigid sting. "Do you need another Flame Shield to warm you up?"
"What? I don't feel cold at all," Sonic replied, as Amy let go of his hand.
"Riiight…" Amy mumbled, unsure of the situation. "So you're after Eggman again… Whatever happened to finding the World Instruments?" Sonic looked surprised for a second, and then gritted his teeth.
"He's a much more immediate threat," Sonic sighed. He turned around, looked down, and dusted off his arm. "I need to do this."
"Have you heard from Professor Pickle, or Ata?" Amy asked, confused as Sonic gazed out to the surrounding Grand Metropolis. "They haven't been picking up the phone."
"They're safe," Sonic assured her. Amy's heart skipped a pound.
"How do you know that for sure? I'm still a bit worried after the Ccino lab was raided," Amy tried to confirm. "GUN's been put under suspension. But what if the Dark Gaia monsters that were controlling them target the professor and Ata again?" Cheese escaped Tails' grasp and shot towards Sonic. Sonic ducked, and when he got up, he swatted Cheese away. "SONIC!" Amy scolded him.
"I don't have time for your games, Amy," Sonic groaned as Cheese bounced back over to Cream. Sonic began to run off.
"Just wait a minute!" Amy shouted, holding forth a tarot card with an illustration of a broken analog clock. A sudden flash of light. A pink mist rolled in over the area as time slowed to a crawl for everyone in the bubble except Amy. She walked up to Sonic. "None of this makes sense! The Sonic I know doesn't act like this. He never hurts Chao, he's never so mean! He DOESN'T run away from me anymore! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!" Amy realized that Sonic was moving at the same pace as everyone else. "Sonic… should be able to move fast enough to not be affected by this spell, shouldn't he?" Amy froze. "Who are you?!" She screamed, as her focus on controlling the spell broke. Ergo, time broke. "You're… you're not Sonic!" In an instant, somebody plunged a sharp metal object into her abdomen. The thing pretending to be Sonic wasn't in front of her anymore. She screeched as the object was quickly pulled out of her stomach, but none of her friends could hear her. They couldn't react in time as they were sliced into little shreds by a blue blur. Amy fell down, hardly able to register what had happened as she stared off into the city. Maybe one of the flying cars dotting the skies could see her. Maybe they could help take her to a hospital.
And in another instant, the Power Plant exploded. Amy's eyes overflowed with tears as the destructive blast razed Grand Metropolis into a crater. The fake Sonic returned to his original position, standing over her. He looked down upon her with a robotic resolve. And with the tarot card used to initiate the time breaking spell in its hand. Amy closed her eyes as the blast reached the skyscraper.
Amy then opened her eyes, back on her feet. The pain was gone. Her friends were alive. The city was back to normal. Time gradually resumed. "What happened?!" Amy cried, immediately clutching the seemingly healed wound on her torso. She looked to the thing that appeared to be Sonic. It wore that unmistakable Sonic smile.
"Hey, Amy. You conked out for a second there," Sonic said, walking up to her with a single sweat appearing on his forehead. Amy staggered away, backing up from Sonic as he walked closer. Everybody else stopped fighting and looked their way. "Whoa… hey, everything's cool. It's just me. You dropped this card, want it back?" Amy looked to the card, then to Sonic. He held it forward, nearly nudging her with it.
"Amy, are you okay?" Tails asked, concerned.
"I didn't think AMY would ever run from SONIC," Big mumbled to Cream. Amy held her arm and looked over the edge of the skyscraper.
"Guys… I think we should get going," Amy sighed. "It's not safe to fight up here."
"What? But he took Chocola-Chao and Froggy!" Cream exclaimed, devastated. "We followed him all the way here!" She looked away with a squeak, immediately embarrassed after such an outburst. "Don't you want to get them back?"
"It'll have to be some other time, Cream," Amy grumbled. She walked off, but Sonic grabbed her by the shoulder. She shivered, and turned back around to face him. "Ah– Sonic!" Amy forced a smile. Maybe it really was just some kind of daydream from her tired, overactive imagination.
"Sorry, guys. Need to have a word with Amy real quick," Sonic called to the others. They all exchanged glances as Sonic wrapped his arm around Amy and turned away from them. "Well done." He whispered in her ear with a monotone voice. "Most other living beings would certainly crack under the weight of what you have just experienced. I am impressed you chose the right thing." Amy gasped quietly, her eyes widening. "Please refrain from screaming, crying, throwing a fit, etcetera. My speed far outclasses yours, and I could destroy you in the blink of an eye. I am Sonic, after all. And you will continue to refer to me as such for the remainder of your lifespan." It gently yet quickly opened Amy's hand finger by finger and placed the tarot card into it. "You already know what will happen if you don't. Leaving the city will not guarantee your safety. Whatever you do, do NOT tell anybody else. They probably wouldn't believe you anyways… For now, farewell, my love." It scampered off at high speeds, down the highway of pure energy. Amy was left at the very edge of the building, having to hide her terror.
"Ah! Sonic, wait up!" Tails called, clearly distressed. He and Knuckles hopped into the Cyclone, and flew off after their false friend.
"Are you okay, Amy?" Big asked, waddling over to Amy.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy mumbled, turning around, cocking her head, and assuming a big smile.
"Are we still gonna follow them?" Cream asked, watching as Team Sonic disappeared behind a building. Amy was left to think and let everything sink in.
"I don't know," Amy answered as best she could. "Looks like he doesn't have Chocola or Froggy with him anymore, do you figure he left them somewhere else?"
"Yeah, but… where?" Cream asked, putting her hand to her chin. They all stared out at the vast Grand Metropolis, uncertainty washing over them.
Amy's Tails Electric then buzzed. She held it in her hands, and looked to her notifications. An unknown number had messaged her. "Hey. Meet me in Casino Park, Chun-Nan. I have something to tell you. No time to explain, really."
"Casino Park?" Cream asked, looking over Amy's shoulder along with Big. "That's pretty far away."
"Who is this?" Amy typed into the onscreen keyboard. She sent her reply. Whoever was messaging her took a good minute or so to type, but only ended up sending a few words.
"It doesn't matter."