Dark Sonic Forces

Ch. 6

By: Cutegirlmayra. (This should be the last chapter, it's been a fun ride, eh!? My first makeout Sonamy... maybe my last, lololol I think I just like the cuter side of things, but with all the hyped up drama! I hope you guys enjoyed the story and the ending! It's a short story, but it was full of emotions and feelings! And I hope you continue to read my works. Here comes dinner and desert! Bon appétit!)

The sands swirled as Sonic took his embrace with Amy and lifted her into a whimsical turn. She was amazed at how... free it all felt.

She laughed as he set her back down, but honestly didn't mind taking in the hot wind that cooled her reddened cheeks as he turned her around in the air, appreciating it's touch that helped her realize this new bond with Sonic could remain and become her new norm.

The sun beat its unparalleled rays upon the golden land as Sonic moved slightly back to see her face, glad he had made her day with that little stunt. Placing her gently down, she didn't want her feet to touch the ground, but wanted to remain weightless in his arms.

"You were missing for days." she puffed up the side of her cheek, but her true annoyance was from him stopping his loving hold and spin. However, the expression that Sonic now knew all too well left him hunching down and almost falling to a knee at how much he had grown to love that puffed up cheek and squinted eyes. It overwhelmed him with her charms and he was glad he could finally let the feeling seep in like moisture absorbing into a drying world.

He didn't want to lose this feeling... Had she always been such a light in the dark? The first thought was yes, but the second told him he knew that all along, just never bothered to notice it as much as he was doing lately.

Oh, it was better than a warm patch of grass under the sunshine any day, with dew that would sit and cool to make it just the right temperature.

He may have been battling previously, but with her and her selfless acts in his heart, he could fight a thousand battles and still be smiling.

Now this was paradise, even in the sandy dunes that were overrun by Eggman's evil domain... she was renewed springtime and light rain.

The look her gave her left her happy except for the aching in her cheeks as she deflated them quickly and put her hands up to her face, bashfully. She had never seen him so openly adoring her, and she couldn't help but notice the subtle but gentle shift of his nature towards her.

He was always kind, but stayed aloof.

Now, he was staying and remaining in the moment with her, making no attempt to disrupt it's tender passing. It was like his fingers would reach out and let the intangible time slip off his outstretched hand like the rivers of a quiet stream glazing against his white gloves upon the surface of the water...

In that imagery, he also extended his hand to lightly stroke and pat her head, "I'm glad you're safe. You always tend to find me, Amy, when I need ya the most. How about that, huh?" those words and the smile that never could leave his face for a second now splashed the knowledge of what Amy had hoped for since the first day she first met him.

She was now within that stream, also feeling sweet mercy of this scene wash over her and take every fear or doubt she could ever have and rid it from her system forever.

He could enjoy her being there, what a wonderful thing to feel and know. He wanted her with him, the joy she felt at finally knowing that couldn't be described. He would fall in love with her and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it,... That felt like she was right at home.

She held that moment so much more tighter in her grasps then Sonic's wafting hand through time. To her, the water was quickly running down her hand, the droplets bursting like memories against the drought that was created from so many days without him... Especially when all thought he was lost forever.

Her hand squeezed so tightly, even to keep this one, small bundle of water locked in her grasp for all time and eternity... but as he looked to see that strain in her eyes, he turned concern and put his hands—almost awkwardly as though not really touching her at all—to the sides of her shoulders as his head turned left and right.

"Amy? Is everything okay? Did you get dizzy?" His adorable care over her sent another deep breath through her like a refreshing waterfall.

No need to relive those painful scenes of the past. It didn't matter anymore. He was here now, and he wanted to stay with her. That was all she would ever need to know, till the day her own waters slip off the edge of the world and time stops, that would fulfill her endlessly.

"I'll be okay." she responded, almost as if answering her own quiet questions that lingered in her mind. That time away from him... That time not knowing, but absolutely believing there was a miracle just around the bend... That somehow, he was still alive and fighting the war with them. That he had never abandoned their strife nor left them to their misery...

Sonic wouldn't leave this world with work still left to do, and he wouldn't just carelessly stray from his friends.

And now, she knew he wouldn't betray her trust in him either.

He blinked, still not certain how to take her response, but seeing a hopeful look in her eye and being content with it. "Well... alright then." He nodded, letting it go and removing his hands.

'Stay...' she begged within the twinkling of her love-struck eyes. 'Don't go.' Her eyes tried to communicate this to his hands as she watched them drift off of her, but she knew it was to no avail-

But then his hands paused...

As she watched them, her face shifted to an unimaginable surprise that tickled her with sudden joy. She looked up to Sonic, wondering if he actually could read the desperate longing that she didn't verbally speak...

They glided seamlessly back to her sides... and gave a little pressure to their hold on her shoulders. It was as though they were saying they'd never leave again, if that's what she wanted.

Time all but halted in amazement at the looks they gave one another just then, and for a moment, it let the two reside in it's space away from itself, making it their own.

Sonic lowered his shoulders as though relaxing into it, and moved to place his nose as comfortably close to hers as he would allow while still in public.

"You sure... you didn't miss me?" That's what she heard, but his eyes...

She could finally read their secret meaning.

'Okay. I missed you.'

She almost couldn't stop herself, the bubbling geyser in her wouldn't be contained anymore. She jumped back into his arms, her giant open smile let Sonic know she had understood the meaning and received his returning affections. He hugged her back as well, smiling gently into the embrace again as though never wanting to part from such a moment as this. This... was his true strength.

This all happened while Knuckles approached from behind, not sure how to interpret Sonic's sudden approval of Amy's usual, and often over-enthusiastic, displays of affection.

He made a face of confusion with the side of his mouth snaking into a side-frown downward, before his eyes sudden widened with the thought of Sonic getting triggered again, and rushed over with his hands out in an attempt to remove her from him.

"Amy, it's not safe-!" he had seen the darkened quills in that medical lab, had experienced Sonic's weird outburst of power, but Sonic held up a hand from behind her and lightly looped an arm around Amy.

He gave Knuckles a soft look, as though to let him allow her to take in the moment and not disturb it.

Knuckles swayed his head in disbelief, scratching the back of it too as he didn't understand Sonic's odd behavior all of a sudden.

"You two are a bundle of mysteries lately..." He admitted, grumbling a bit in his ignorance to everything they went through to bring Sonic back to his normal senses again.

He stepped to the side and turned away, giving them another second of privacy but not sure exactly why they needed it. He looked up at the sky and tried to count any small clouds he could see. However, the pollution made it more like counting puffs of smog...

Hearing Knuckles's complaints behind her, Amy breathed in one more minute of the exquisite and rare treat of being held back by Sonic, and then pulled away. Sonic kept a loosened hold of her, but understood the need to return to the broken world now. After all, it still needed to be saved, and let her exit the tranquil and mutual scene of grandeur moments to come that they had created together. At last, Sonic was willing to be affectionate. What more could she ask for now?

She turned to Knuckles, "When is anyone or anything not a mystery?" she quipped, even though she had just discovered the channels of communication that remained unknown to most of Sonic's friends... but now, she could clearly read his expression, his eyes, and even that charismatic smile.

He had given her a key to see his true heart and real thoughts... it was more than anything she had ever wanted. It left her completely content.

But there was a being who was not so content.

Two in fact that immediately saw that interaction, and as though monuments of forgotten evils... they schemed in still observation.

Eggman pulled up in his Eggmobile, flying off as Infinite and him had shared an unspoken idea...

Infinite suddenly let out a laugh, alerting everyone to his presence.

"Isn't that just cute..." He put a hand over his mask, leaning down as thousands of red cubes suddenly began to materialize in pixels, shifting in rubik movements. He bent down as though charging up, the cubes' random turns and shifts intensified around him, more appearing as he dipped his head down. His body tilted low and far to the side, "You've found a counterweight..." and the entirety of the space around them was almost blacked out by the red cubes.

"What the-!?" Knuckles looked around, knowing that one touch from those cubes could send them into a world of hurt.

Infinite took off forward at incredible speeds, that whistle sound was still as threatening as ever when he pushed off the ground and targeted Amy, whipping so fast through the sands that he created a massive tunnel-wave of speckled grams of the yellow particles.

The cubes spun backwards and formed clones that immediately began attacking Knuckles and his troop, keeping them at bay as one swooped in and pushed Knuckles back away from the two. Another attempted to grab Sonic, but he used his other hand to punch above his opposite shoulder and reach for Amy.

However, Infinite was moving unusually precise, not enough for Sonic to think faster than and although Amy reflexed back he shot into her stomach with a powerful headbutt, ramming like an arrow and wrapping his arms around her to make sure she couldn't escape. He had a goal in mind, and drove her back, making sure Sonic couldn't interfere...

"Ammmyyy!" Sonic cried out, swiping the air and then having to adjust his footing. He stumbled through the loose sand, trying to get a running start but kept having to drive his hands into the hand to get a good enough footing for his feet.

There wasn't much of a chase, Infinite threw Amy and punched her down, leaving her prone before repeatedly not letting her up. "Patheic... Hahaha!" He then swung a kick that sent her flying off while he bent to dodge Sonic, rotating his back in a circular motion as he dove over him, and flew back to continue his beat down on her again.

Clones tackled into an airborne Sonic to keep him from reaching the ground again and pursuing Infinite at the remarkable pace by which he had summoned to himself. This speed... could it be? Was it the same that he had used to foil him before?

"Infinite!" Sonic called out, getting held back by the piling clones in the air that held him suspended. His face slowly went out of sight along with the rest of his body as more and more clones piled into a large ball around him, making sure there was no escape or chance for him to break out and save her.

Amy coughed to try and get her breath back, gripping her sore stomach and fighting through the pain. Her head ached from the whiplash of his assault, but hearing the whistling sound again, she swung her head back and tried to summon her hammer. Attempting to break his speed and fight, she prepared to intercept his rapidly moving body, but the wind spiked around Infinite as he flipped up to stop himself from hitting her hammer's guard and used his tail to smack her down. "Ahh!" she fell hard as he stomped on her hand to release her hold on the hammer, kicking it away.

"Just stay put while I finish you off..." Infinite flared his hand a moment, as though fashionably thinking how to continue this pathetic pursuit, knowing she was no match for him. "You can't possibly defeat me. None of you could." He walked around her, seeing her trying to scatter the sands and crawl away to get her bearings again but he wouldn't have any of that.

"I'm not sure how you countered what we implanted into Sonic..." He began, but this was something still new to Amy. Sonic was implanted with this dark element? But why? "But you're not going to stop our plans..." He bent down and gripped her three quills, forcing her head up.

"For what purpose?" She spat out, punching her fist into his covered eye where she figured a blind spot would be. It temporarily disoriented him, making him shake his head and let her go, grabbing his mask as she tried to take the opportunity in stride. She got up, a bit wobbly, but started a stumbled run.

While still holding where his face got shoved against his mask from her blow, he shot a beam at her back and she fell again, tumbling down the dunes as he floated after her.

He spread his arms out, "Just succumb to your end... Amy." His form bobbed in the air above her, "It's futile... you... and your resistance will end. By your own hero's-"

"Shut up!" She turned her body over, "I don't know what you're trying to do to Sonic but-!" she tried to force herself to not feel so-

"...You're too weak to oppose it." he pivoted his body, lowering his arms as though done with the showmanship. "That darkness must grow into an unfathomable power... only then can my transformation be complete!" he summoned more cubes, and they all—one by one—shot towards her and sent her through the phantom realm, exploding and contorting reality to leave her absolutely unconscious.

As she was flung out of the phantom realm, he waited a moment and stared at her limp body sliding into the sand, then rolling to a complete stop.

"...And that is that." As though to dust off the sand that might have gotten on his glove, he flicked his wrist and looked over the dunes to see Sonic on his hands and knees, his eyes shaking at Amy's form, having defeated the clones in a hurry to reach her.

The clones all laid on the ground behind him, turning into pixels of the cubes as they disappeared... out of reality from the power he displayed.

"No..." Sonic's whole form seeped out into darkness, getting triggered as Infinite's one eye narrowed in satisfaction.

"I've snuffed out your light of hope, Sonic... Now you truly have failed... for the last time, I'll finish you!" he flew up into the air as a ripple cut out through Sonic's body and exploded in dark, lashing vines.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO...!"

The vines thrashed the sands as though a kraken in the sea. The vines soon felt what was giving them power, and stiffened themselves like a spear to shoot out and stretch towards Infinite, Sonic's emotions seemed directly tied to him... and they were starving for power and dominion again...

Infinite's head tried to follow their movements but there was too many of them, and they overtook him, entangling him in a tight grasp that squeezed his sides. It sounded like metal denting in... along with the marks that revealed some flesh... a cyborg's strained growl of pain was the only sign that this dark mist was in fact affecting him. It seamed as though searing him, but no evidence remained of its internal damages...

He tried to struggle out but the vines quickly shot him down towards the ground, grinding him against the sand as they dragged him in a curve around in the sand. Mounts of sand sprayed up in his wake, getting his face skidded against it and his mouth shoved full of it. When the vines brought him back up, the clones had already reappeared and dashed after him in random directions from the air, trying to tear through the vines to free their origin, but Knuckles's men mounted the tip of the dunes.

"Fire!" he cried out, "Aim for the Phantom Ruby!" Knuckles hadn't seen Amy yet, and was solely focused on the mission at hand. The men took to a knee and held up their wispons, firing as lights and abilities shot through the air but all seemed to miss their true target. Instead, the clones crowded the skies to take the damage, fading into pixel red cubes upon impact.

Then Knuckles looked down, seeing Amy. "Oh no..." He began moving down the dunes, sliding himself to stay balanced but then noticed Sonic close by, pitch black as night... "Oh double no..." he looked worried, fearing for Amy and his men, seeing the vines were directly connected to him. "Of course, why did we let him out again!?" he scolded himself under his breath and continued to turn back to his men. 'Amy... I can't abandon my men at this time...' he closed his eyes, his teeth gritting against each other. 'You'll have to settle this one on your own... stay safe.'

Her dress flapped in the wind, but with her back towards him, he didn't know the full situation...

It wasn't obvious from the blowing sand, and he was too far up the dunes to really see if she was okay or not.

Sonic's bared teeth locked as his glowing white sockets targeted Infinite. He came after him on all fours, picking up speed with wafted sand in his dashing as the misty dark beast surrounded Sonic's body like it had before, controlling him through his unleashed emotions.

"I'll save Amy, you take care of the rest!" Sonic called out to Knuckles, who looked to him as though amazed he still was somewhat himself in that form.

"Holy Chaos!" He cried out, never having seen Sonic full-blown encased in a see-through monster before. "You just keep getting worse, don't'cha!?"

Infinite was able to cut through the vines with his claws, gaining some strength back against the darkness. "Yes... It's ready." He watched them spurt out black mist as though steam escaping quickly from a gas pipe. Sonic used the beast's mouth to bite down on Infinite as he leaped into the air. Infinite had been monitoring the vines and didn't realize their massive length and size was growing because of Sonic charging from below. Sonic had jerked his head forward, as though cuing the beast on what to do, as it's powerful and large jaws extended from Sonic's head and grabbed Infinite.

"HaaHH!" He threw his head back as the beast did the same, tossing Infinite as the beast shook him a moment before letting him go, as though a dog with a stuffed animal. Once Infinite tumbled back to the ground, Knuckles ordered his men to seize him, and headed in. With that moment to assess, Sonic ran over to Amy, not sparing another second. He slid in to then stand protectively over her, on his feet again, as the beast settled once again into covering his body like a ghostly costume over Sonic's smaller body. "What have you done... does your evil know no bounds?!" he was raging, his body twitching as he wanted justice for this.

The Beast snapped at the air, before moving from Sonic's raised head to looking down, his face at his chin now as it stared at Amy...

It tried to move a ghostly hand to reach her but Sonic whipped his arm back and it resettled back into a monster's figure over Sonic's outline. "No... Don't touch her."He warned the dark essence beast. It whined in protest, rearing a bit as though trying to break free from Sonic's form but couldn't. It clearly had a mind of it's own... and it didn't seem want to be held back, especially from whatever it wanted with Amy...

Amy lay motionless... her quilled hair blowing in the intense puff of wind from Sonic's exceptional speeds as he came to her, but now the wind was naturally beginning to whirl around the area...

Infinite placed a strained hand to the ground, rising before stretching out his claw and shredding it through the air, pushing back Knuckles's men as he did so and unleashing more Phantom Ruby rays to keep them back. "Insects." he scoffed. "I'll finish you all after I enhance the Phantom Ruby's power... making it truly unfathomable!"

The dark vines suddenly emerged slowly again, slithering from the beast as Sonic couldn't steer them away or pull them back. "No... Stop, leave her alone!" they began to pull off of him like growing tentacles, sensing Amy and moving around her form...

However, they wouldn't get to her, as Infinite reached down in his exhaustion and pulled them up to him, having arrived over her body in blur of lines before materializing, thus was his infinite speed...

Sonic's form continued to quake in hopelessness, unable to pull back the vines, but not willing to leave her.

The beast lurched forward, crying out a painful sound like a screech as the tentacle dark vine wiggled in its struggles as Infinite stood up and held it up to him, twisting his wrist to hold it by his Phantom Ruby. The rest of the vines moved off of Amy and were like squiggly lines of black mist, Sonic didn't want to hurt Amy, but as he reached out to try and grab Infinite, he was suddenly paralyzed by the claws of the beast wrapping around him in a tight restraint. "What!?"

"Why fear her..? She's not a worthy host, you were meant to join to me!" Infinite held the vine towards the Phantom Ruby, shoving it to touch and flop against the ruby until it began to glow, and the vine suddenly began wrapping around Infinite.

"Grr..! Sonic noticed Infinite was pulling the beast to separate them... as though trying to rip them apart. "Infinite! What are you doing now!?" The Beast wailed back, the sands getting dug into by Sonic's resisting feet, but the ghostly shadows of the beast started transferring... starting shaping back...

Infinite began to steady himself, getting up and pulling the vine he had grasped like a rope, closer and closer to himself, more tighter like a boa constrictor around him. It was growing in power, getting thicker around his body as he began pulling it in and the vine started dipping itself into the Phantom Ruby. He continued, one menacing step more towards Sonic, "It's time... it's ripe for the taking..." His low toned laughter sent a chill up Sonic's spine. What was he talking about?

"Now... behold!" he yanked the vine as Sonic was forced forward, but used the momentum to dodge tripping over Amy and came at him with a fist fully drawn back, ready to strike.

"Over my dead body..!" Sonic didn't know what Infinite wanted, but knew whatever it was, he wasn't getting it out of him!

The two brawled once more, but Infinite matched Sonic's punches with his own, making it hard for Sonic to land a direct hit. All the while... the coiling of the vines began to turn misty and freeing to Infinite, giving him more range to move as he threw a kick up and pushed Sonic back.

Since Sonic was still connected to the vines, however, the dark essence flung him back to Infinite, who smirked under his mask and twisted the vines further around him before hitting Sonic with his large tail as he ducked low and swooped it to trip up Sonic, swinging himself and then grabbing Sonic's chest as he finally got him close enough. "You're ultimate destruction is nigh, Sonic! And all of your friends will end up the same!" his Phantom Ruby glistened and began to glow with the black mist flaring out from it. The vines made Infinite look like he had a massive, intertwining thread all around him of mist.

Infinite and Sonic began to struggle then, as they both felt the effects of the dark essence...

"What... are you doing to me!?" Sonic felt like his heart was being ripped out his chest!

The dark essence began to withdraw back inside Sonic, and the beast's mouth enlarged into a roar before subsiding as the dark vines began thrashing much more centralized at Sonic's chest, getting pulled out by Infinite's power as his hand began to pull an unseen force.

"Your own power... this essence that has fed off of you for so long... will now be mine!" he gripped the darkness that was seeping out of Sonic, like a shard fragment that leaked oily black substance. Once it was freed, the last of it's gooey threads finally snapping from Sonic's chest, Infinite injected it into his Phantom Ruby, and pulled back from Sonic as it began to devour his form in dark mist.

"None can make me afraid!" he let it consume him, and the beast grew larger over Infinite's body than when it enveloped Sonic.

Sonic felt like all his energy had been sucked out of him. He couldn't feel and he couldn't even summon enough mental strength to think. He had gotten his literal, awful emotions pulled out of him, but it didn't provide him rest or peace at all. His eyes dampened in their color as he returned somewhat to normal and fell on his knees.

His eyes turned droopy, as though about ready to succumb and faint to the weariness. His head bobbled a moment, almost as though he couldn't even keep it straight on his neck. His body tilted and he would have to adjust himself, but it was clear he was beyond fatigued.

"What... have you done..?" He repeated, but his entire being drew him back to Amy, forcing himself to turn around... reaching for her weakly... crawling desperately to aid her, to aid him. "Am...y..." he fell just in front of her turned and still body.

Infinite laughed as the darkness covered him in black mist and formed the creature, like a Dark Gaia fox with his white hair like exhaust from a car rippling as though to match the greyed clouds that resembled a fox spirit's tails. This time, the Phantom Ruby was situated where the beast's one eye seemed to manifest in the smoky mirage of a monster, making Infinite hover by it's head in the air as the ghostly beast sent out another devastating cry.

But then... it bit at itself, its neck, its foot, as though its hunger could not be quenched in this host.

"W-what!?" Infinite's eye shook at the immensity of Sonic's emotions mixed with his own. His own fear was overtaking him, and mixed with Sonic's growing hatred, despair, and anger... Infinite found that his mind was being consumed by the dark essence beast as well. "N-no!" He gripped his head. "Stop, wait! I'm the master of my own element! How is this..!?"

When there was nothing left to feel... All sonic could do, was muster enough of himself to think about Amy. The feeling drew him to not give up, to keep pushing through his weakened state... just a little farther... to see her smile again.

All the while, Infinite was in agony, his emotions literally eating him alive.

Sonic's darkness was suffocating him, unused to it as his own humanity had been mixed with cyborg pieces. How can a half-robot experience such intense, living feelings and still function optimally?

His frailty of mind and heart couldn't comprehend nor channel Sonic's stored, negative emotions. They greatly outweighed his own.

In his moment of desperation, he tried to claw his way out of the misty body of the dark essence beast, his actions caused the beast to start losing its shape. Fear... and other negative emotions impacted his sanity, but so did his endless fight to free himself of the impact from Sonic's emotions stored heavily within the dark essence. He looked up with a maddened eye to realize that no matter what he did, his claws would simply be swiping at swirling black mist.

He found that there was no way out of this dark abyss. Though Sonic had conquered his feelings, how can Infinite put himself in Sonic's shoes and also master the complexity of emotions that weren't his own? It was an impossible feat that clearly held the consequences Infinite and Eggman had not foreseen.

"NOOOOoooo...!" He triggered the Phantom Realm, engulfing the beast and himself into it as the beast fought the lesser host to get to a new one, but both became trapped in the false reality.

In his weakness, the dark essence beast could not feed as immensely as it could before, and therefore devoured him instantly with his simple worry of being weak, and then ate at the stored negative emotions that were reserved from Sonic. Infinite felt the mental pain of being eaten by ones own emotions... but also by a complete stranger's pain as well.

The realm faded as they were brought into it, and Sonic blinked his weary eyes open. He felt the dryness of his mouth, smacking his lips as he tried to get back up.

"A...Amy." He crawled towards her, "Come on... Stay with me... Don't..." He collapsed again, breathing heavily. "Don't... leave me... alone..."

...Amy's body slowly leaned as though turning to roll towards him.

"Amy... I need... I need you... more than... ever."

She turned fully, her arm flopping out towards him.

His eyes were closed, panting in his exhaustion as he tried to reconnect with himself, but found that he was too exhausted to feel.

"Don't... Don't go... let me... erk... save... you..."

A loving hand rested gently on his cheek, having spider-crawled with its fingers to reach him.

He lightly let his eyes rapidly try and see through the haze of thrashing sand from the heavy winds that had picked up.

"Am... Amy?"

He couldn't see clearly, but then looked to the side of him to see the Phantom Realm open again.

His teeth pushed together, his fist bundled up.

But to his surprise, Infinite's body fell limp.

Having fainted from the agony of emotional turmoil, he had passing out from the beast's hunger for bigger, better feasts—his fright had been his ultimate panic and undoing.

The distorting wall that lead to the portal of the Phantom's other dimension suddenly brought out what looked to be a storming black cloud, misty and falling over itself as though moving.

Sonic yanked his hand forward and reached out to what seemed to be Amy on the other side of the whirling sand, trying to get her away from the on-coming, starving essence that bubbled as though vaporized black oil...

"Amy... look out!" he watched as an inky thread suddenly gripped and stuck to Amy's boot.

But she didn't move.

"Amy!" he cried out, as more and more of its corrupted self began to latch on and form over her. With one inky thread at a time, they continued to crawl until it began to seep into her. Sonic tried to punch at it, reaching above her but when he withdrew his hand, it was just covered in dripping blackness... "What..?" He he suddenly felt a flash from his memory, gripping his head.

"It's sole purpose is to eat at one's emotions, their rage, insecurities, and struggles. The more it feeds, the more power it will give it's host, in exchange for control, of course. Once their humanity is gone, it will continue to feed till every being is drained of what makes it human!"

Eggman's voice echoed in his head, the blissful but diabolical words suddenly made him realize something.

"It's after more than emotions, it wants to destroy life from the inside. Amy!" It was a perfect plan for a mad roboticist. It made since if Infinite couldn't wield it, he had already lost so much of his humanity, turned mostly robot... and If Eggman could suck dry the essence of what makes people feel alive, he can easily roboticize the world without having to lift a finger.

Amy... Amy had kept Sonic human.

Or else...

He shook off the ink from his hand, seeing that it wouldn't stick. Was he immune? Or was it after something full of life, to devour and give power in exchange for those valuable emotions that give life meaning and purpose..?

If this was an experiment to make Infinite even more powerful, it failed... But what if there was more to it than that? What if it was also meant to completely wipe out humanity by leaving everyone as living vegetables to be plucked up and fully converted into obedient machines!?

'He's lost it this time.' Sonic finally managed to grab Amy, ripping the ink off of her as though trying to fight the darkness away. He felt her. It had to be her. Through the rushing sandstorm that had picked up and forced Knuckles and his team to duck behind the dunes, creating small holes where sand flew up and around them, Sonic was able to pull Amy to him as the darkness continued to consume her into its new host.

Fighting the wind, the pelting sand that stung his eyes and got stuck under his fur and in his shoes, grinding against his skin and making it raw as he moved; he continued to try and wake her up, but saw her form turn black under his sandy vision.

The darkness had successfully claimed her, it was in her now,... what could he do?

"Amy! Remember what you said, right!? You have to calm down, you can't give into it! It's not worth losing what makes you, you!" he cradled her in his arms as he tried to shield their faces from the raging sandstorm, the worst possible time for that to happen.

The darkness continued it's reign over her body, seeping into her and her once, bright pink fur turned magenta, showing the effects already starting, but not turning too dark just yet...

It was still searching for the negative emotions, searching for a way to cause a living soul to choose emotional death for physical power.

What a twisted world Eggman wanted to invent.

Sonic could barely breathe and turned his head into her own, whispering as he hunched over and turned his back to the sand and wind, hoping that was enough to keep them alive.

"You can't turn on me... You can't let it consume you, Amy... you're too smart to let Eggman have his way!" He felt it then... that spark of light, it was like he was learning how to create it again, all on his own...

Love.

"I remember... I remember when I first saw you weak and defenseless on the ground, up against that rock! ...I was so mad I was so late." He tucked her head deeper into his chest, trying to use his hands to curl around her head and give her some clean air to breathe while the sand began to sink him further down and cover him quickly. "I remember... I remember wearing cologne." He let out a slight puff of a chuckle, "I can't believe I wanted to impress you, I was so worried when you didn't think anything of me being in your room... the way I was. I had always thought you were more inclined to thinking of me in a certain way, when I realized you weren't, I guess I wanted to make my own judgement right. I wanted to be attractive to you. And your drawings? Heh, they- they gave me feeling when I wanted to stop feeling anything at all!"

Soon, Sonic saw the orange through the sand above him, and realized they were going to be buried alive as the sun was getting blocked out.

Not only Amy... but now the world was going to go dark.

He couldn't stand for this.

A hero wouldn't abandoned his rescuer.

He had to find shelter and he had to find it now, but where... Thinking fast was, thankfully, his specialty. He was glad he at least had that much at this point.

He looked around and had to shake his head of continual sand spraying into his face, spitting it out as he felt it lodge in his ears and clog up his nose. At last, he saw a moment of clarity, and the portal... still open...

He gripped Amy closer to him and began to try and lift himself out of the sand, it having piled into the gaps of where his hunched body once stood, and finding that the spark of hope became a firework that triggered more strength within his being. No... it was more than hope... He knew that now.

He held Amy bridal style and began to try and lift his feet from the weights of sand that were now created there in his wake. Struggling, he managed to wiggle one foot free, and then the other. He squinted his eyes against the sandstorm and continued to tread through the dunes to the portal, hoping it would hold a little longer...

With each step, he seeped further down into the sand to where it was almost like trudging through muddy water, but this was dry and desolate. Sand was going to consume every particle inch of him, and he didn't think anything of it.

He kept Amy above the steady flowing sand, the harsh lashing of it's currents through the air, and wouldn't allow even a single grain to be their undoing.

the Phantom Ruby on Infinite's chest still swirled and glowed red... as he walked by it, it was evident that it was still working; unaffected by the still somewhat human-side of Infinite, it kept it's power like programmed clockwork... waiting for an order, perhaps... or working entirely on its own.

Sonic turned away from the sight, no wanting to dwell on the sad fate of a creature that was already dead before it's metallic existence began.

"You took care of me,... only you could shut my complaining up... and give me a reason to not be mad anymore..." His feelings continued to rise in magnitude as he confessed his growing affections, as he admitted how much she helped him out of his vigorous slump.

"You fixed that awful smell in my shoes, you made me want to smell good, you... you taught me that it's not weakness to care about... about..." He stumbled on his words, which lead that brilliant light inside of him to begin to falter, and he started falling to a knee, his physical form showing his fatigue both spiritually and outwardly. He was having so many revelations about this and that... but he still found it difficult to face some of them. To face... Amy.

"No... No, I can't give now..!" he shook his head, feeling the weight of the sand being thrown around and fought it with all his might, looking out towards the portal as it began to glitch. He shifted his weight and swung Amy's body with his arms, making his legs follow the actions as it gave him more momentum. He couldn't run as the sand kept rising over his legs. He was at a huge disadvantage, but he wouldn't give up on himself again! And he certainly wouldn't quit on Amy!

He was now wading through more than raging sands, but his own resistant emotions. Figuring them out, speaking them out loud did help, but embarrassed him as a man. Still, he didn't let that stop him. If anything he said brought Amy back to him, kept the darkness back as she had done for him, than he would harbor these embarrassments and work through them. He would tell her... he would explain himself... he would confess anything and everything to keep her from losing her humanity. Her light. The light that had saved him again and again, maybe when he didn't even deserve it either...

But he had to force every good feeling out, give it to her as she had for him. If that meant giving himself, he would gladly bear the shame and save her.

Anything to save her.

Save her.

At this point, it was like a desperate plea from his heart, and he wouldn't ignore it. He was the hero she wanted him to be, or at least, he would be!

"We might get stuck in here, you know? Not likely... Not while I'm around. But I just have to hope Knuckles and his team can make it back to the tank in time... it was badly damaged, but it should hold as a shelter,... for now..." He continued, one weary foot in front of the other as Amy's form began to grow darker... and darker...

He almost felt himself panting in fear more than the fight to get to the portal. He stopped only a moment to see her condition, then gritted his sandy teeth, filled with determination as he continued to swing one heavy, sand-filled foot in front of the other through the rising piles of an endless sandbox.

"I can't... I can't feel this way about everyone, Amy. I care about Tails, Knuckles... Silver and Shadow... Rouge and the Chaotix... but it's not the same. They couldn't get me to feel like you did. They couldn't reach my heart because I wouldn't let them... but you've always gone against that, Amy. You've always fought that battle and when I needed you most, you went for the extreme and ended up saving my life... if it weren't for you, I'd be over there, limp as Infinite." he looked back, realizing his words had pushed him all the way passed the limp form of Infinite, almost fully buried in the sand.

His mask was fully within the sand now, and only parts remaining exposed were some of white hairs, and his protruding tail...

That moment of seeing Infinite terrified him, but he kept advancing, not willing to let him and Amy end up the same way. "I have to admit, erk!" he stumbled to the portal, seeing it so close..! "I can't imagine what your pain and suffering might be like! What emotions it will try and urk you with, or what will make you want to yield to it's power, but it's nothing like the strength you've given me, Amy! It could never compare! That strength... that... has always... beeeennnn-" he tried to move himself closer to the portal, and tried pushing her through it, but there was some backlash as the darkness spread out its misty vines from her and like a plug, tried to repel Sonic from pushing Amy inside it. It materialized into a solid, gooey form. It was as if it, too, was using its own will to fight against humanity and destroy even his pride as a hero, and now his last hope. It was his last stand against the darkness, his last try to console the emotions he had felt while under it... to accept the emotions he never wanted to admit. "Inside of you!" he, and Amy, were both pushed back as the portal finally faltered and closed.

Trapped.

The sands would be picking up and burying them at any moment now.

"Darn it!" Sonic smashed his hand to the ground, knowing he wasn't strong enough right now to fight the rest of the trek up the dunes behind them to the damaged tank.

He looked behind him, "...Come on, Sonic. Think! If not for yourself then..." He shut his mouth, looking back to Amy's limp form.

He could remember everything... Her gentle massage that calmed his muscles from their tense state. He covered his eyes and leaned back against the hard sand as he fought his breathing, feeling emotional as he remembered her leaning against the large rock, not wanting her to see him a failure... how everyone had worried faces when he arrived instead of being overjoyed. He had ticked him off, being such a disappointment. He remembered wanting Amy as though food, like a necessity to fight the darkness before realizing that wasn't the way... before giving in to the tender embrace, the sweet taste of their first real kiss, and slipping back into his humanity that she had fought so hard to keep within himself.

Amy... It was all her.

Tails had tried, but he made him fail. Knuckles, to an extent, and the rest of his friends all were going to 'let him figure it out' and leave him be without realizing the spreading influence of the darkness. That dark essence forced him into that state, and no one would have realized until it was too late.

Amy's efforts... Amy's love... her light drowned out the truth, suffocated his rebellious appetite for the power over the feeling, and saved his life.

"Amy..." He felt... was it water? Around his dry eyes..? "Amy, don't listen to it." He sounded almost as if he was begging, pleading with her. He got up from his back and moved as though his last effort was a gentle but weak one, weak only in strength, but not in the might of his racing heartbeat. He pulled her closer against him and embraced her, letting the sand take them... deciding that if this was what was going to happen... that he'd protect Amy, even till the end.

Her eyes opened to a blinding white glow, her transformation almost completed.

His heart almost dropped into the merciless, unforgiving sands... watching his heroine shifting into that awful monster's ruse.

"Don't, Amy... Don't give in to it's deceit." He shook his head, putting a hand up to her cheek to block the sand as best he could from her face. "Teach me more!" he cried out, his voice turning hysterical as he... cried.

Gripping and rubbing his head to hers,... he allowed himself to cry.

"Teach me more about how to love!"

Amy's white eyes suddenly seemed to beacon out, and the rest of her body filled with immense power. The misty vines thrashed out at the sands, almost as though not wanting to be buried beneath them and have its new host die before it was full of her misery and rage as well.

"Don't let me lose that... I never knew I had, not till you showed me. Not till you refused to leave me in my pain!"

Eggman stood above the winds, having summoned them with a massive, flying fan that he had designed just for the dunes. Three turbines pushed against the sands, but when Eggman saw a white light within a surrounding darkness in the flying sand, his eyes glistened with promise.

"Ammyy!" He called out, their necks filling with sand now. "Don't change! Not for me, not for the darkness, not for anyone or anything!"

Her arms raised up, and a blast of darkness shredded through the sand, making large fissures in the dunes as the dark vines summoned through them and reached out, spearing through the air and cutting into one of the machine's propellers.

"Change me! Don't give up!"

Was she just a manipulated puppet? Or was she really waking up?

Eggman pulled back, his arm coming up to protect him from the blast as the machine faltered in the air, before crashing down to the ground, the two others moving to fill the gap where it once flew.

Eggman's teeth gritted, not sure what this could mean, and hoping the figure that was the dark essence's new host was Infinite. He looked down but couldn't see through the storm, only watched as the dark vines whipped around in the air.

He wasn't aware Infinite was rejected, that he had no more humanity left to consume... so no power gain, only emptiness... where the dark essence couldn't grow from there...

For a being who was meant to one day surpass infinity... it was an ironic turn of phrase.

Sonic felt some of the dark vines loop around his body like quickly spreading foliage over an abandoned wall's side, they splintered to truly bind him and toss him different directions without letting him go. It seemed the dark essence, much like when it resisted against Amy, wanted Sonic away from her. Flailing him in the air, Sonic was jerked left and right, all the while Amy still seemed consumed and controlled by the dark power. "Amy..!" He tried to fight them off, trying to get through to her like she did for him, but without his super speed, something stable under his feet, and a way to break the dark vines it just didn't seem likely that any good solution would fully work in time.

Then he saw it, the moment her lower eyelids came up slightly as though she was in distress. Could she hear him, at last?

How could her light be snuffed out so easily? He didn't want to believe it, but seeing her look of pain... triggered something mighty within him.

The spirit of a hero blazed in Sonic's eyes, as he fought the dark vines by trying to get into a curled up position. The splintered threads began to snap at his force, and finally... ducking his head in, he was able to curl fully into a spinning homing attack that shredded the dark vines' hold on him, confusing them as they didn't understand where the rest of him had gone, or where their other appendages had gone off too.

The inky, oily goo splashed against the sandy ground as Sonic spun down and landed to curl and roll up to his feet, heading straight for Amy.

While the dark vines seemed distracted, he held up his hands to her shoulders, as though to shake her out of it, but also to keep her attention squarely on him and his voice. "Amy... every loving thing you did proved more than your loyalty. It meant something more than that. Please... Don't laugh, okay?" He suddenly lost his ferocious attitude to the vines and became gentle, smiling weakly up to her as he moved closer. "I don't know what you're mad at..." he took a step as she remained with her arms out-wide, her face clearly showing she wanted to cry in the anguish the dark essence was targeting in her. "I can't pretend and guess that I know what you're going through... or even begin to comprehend what it could be that you're upset about... For someone who seems so wonderfully flawed, and so impossibly perfect... you... you are my hero."

Her face suddenly turned as though regaining consciousness, as though before she was lost in her fragility of her knocked-out spirit and soul but now, she seemed able to hear and understand the world around her.

Did it trap her inside herself? Or was she just waking up from that previous pummeling done by Infinite? Either way, the clock was ticking, the sands moving swiftly... he needed to act now in order to help her snap out of it and get the darkness under control... instead of the opposite effect.

But what was going on with her?! Who better to understand what the dark essence does to someone than Sonic? Who's been through it? Who knows how hard it is to fight back against it when it's so alluringly strengthening?

"You're the hero I want to be... from now on, Amy." He cupped her face, as she shook her head, as though wanting to say something but he wouldn't let her. "One day, when I'm ready... I want to know what pains you bury deep inside yourself." The sands were already to their knees, threatening with each passing second like an hourglass. It was a beautiful metaphor, but maybe a badly placed pun since the threat of them being buried alive was so evident now.

Reaching close to his waist, he looked down to see the danger, and how Amy's dark vines were only hovering in the air now, stilled by his words...

They swayed two and fro as though dancing serpents... waiting...

"Wasn't it you who said," He couldn't help but chuckle again, finding humor even in the most darkest of places as he looked back up to her, completely surrendering to the moment.

"You can't stay mad at a kiss?"

Amy's mouth opened as though gasping lightly, he had no clue what she was going through, but she had been feeling worried if he truly loved her or not. Was it all the darkness, was it all in her head? That moment of confession... and that tender but meaningful kiss that he let linger upon her while the sands covered them entirely...

From their shoulders up, they were soon consumed in more than just the dark vines thrashing and trying to dig themselves and their host out of the sands... they were now consumed in that one... lasting... kiss.

Sinking far below the sands,... there was now a still in the once spraying, shaky grounds as the winds kept beating against the loosened ground.

Eggman raised his hand and the two remaining fans slowly powered down, hovering in the air as he flew ever so slowly down to the pile where they once were.

Then... time stood still.

"Heh, Infinite was so incompetent! Want to deal with an induced moody hedgehog? Do it yourself!" he still wanted the dark essence, but if the host was dead, it would just move on to another, so his experiment ultimately seemed to exceed his expectations. "Well, fine. I'm used to doing the dirty work. Like cat litter, their wretched stench of heroism and rebellion will finally fall." He got up, feeling a moment of victory as he gave a respectful bow to the sand heaps. "Adieu... Sonic The Hedgehog, my most honorable adversary... hohohoho!"

He then began to scan for the Phantom Ruby, knowing it was a bit more precious than just to leave as a treasure in the ruins...

But then there was a rustle in the sands...

He began to turn before seeing it, having the movement catch his eye as he leaned over and hovered slightly closer to get a good look at it. His eyes squinted as a few grains of sand rippled from something beneath them pushing up and tumbled with a gentle roll speedily down the piles.

Then, from their epicenter, they all started vibrating and circles began to ripple through the sands as it dipped in with something pushing out. "Oh no." Eggman's glasses slightly drooped down his nose with a startled tilt, revealing his extremely small eyes as he pushed the glasses back into place again and began to try and burst away, "Take covvverrr!"

With a burst of darkness, Dark Amy's hand breached the surface, stretching out as dark vines streamed from the mist around her and began to reach out, looking for anything to grasp onto.

"What!?" Eggman could see the bracelet on her wrist, and knew who had been channeling the power. "It can't be! What does Amy have to worry about!?" he griped, before trying to leave the location that much faster. After all, he needed time to collect himself and get a new plan formulating.

He didn't have much time though, as the the dark vines entangled the flying fans, pulling them down in an attempt to get out of the sands, but it wasn't enough...

"That's it, I'm outta here! I've got a whole world to conquer, I don't need some stupid-Hilylik!" The second he was willing to give up on the dark essence experiment, a dark vine shot through the air and whipped around his neck, having heard his cries for escape.

As he strained for air and tried to pull it off, his Eggmobile tugged up, making it worse for him but a prime moment to get out of the sand for Amy. Dark Amy's hand gripped the vine with a twist of her wrist, his force actually helped pull her and Sonic out from the sands that gave way as they were practically roped out of their desperate situation.

"Like I'd let you die after saying all that!" Amy spat out the sand from her mouth, speaking directly to Sonic, "Don't doubt me Sonic The Hedgehog! Love knows no bounds! Even the dark kind!" She looked to Eggman, rotating her wrist again to wrap the vine into an even tighter grip. "And you..." She tugged back, having Eggman feel the collapse of air from his lungs again, flailing his arms now and desperately pulling on the vine to get it off him. It looped around his mouth now too, as Amy's eyes twitched in her rage, "You put this thing into my precious Sonic, didn't you!? News flash, Egghead! Love doesn't die! It can't be controlled, and it certainly can't be broken! It can grow, feel defeated at times, but it is one thing your darkness can't consume! That's because it's-!" she swung the vine, moving him like a lassoed pigeon, and tossed him to the ground with a swing around her head to give it more force as the sand sprayed up in the impact.

Realizing her aggression, she breathed hard and saw that she took out the fans while doing that... they exploded and Eggman laid with some injuries in his crashed Eggmobile in the sand...

"Hope."

She looked down at Sonic, then her hands.

She was trembling... rage and sorrow... she gripped her head.

"No... No, don't be this... don't get mad, Amy. Don't be sad..." she felt the tears... and worried she had already fallen too far...

But she wouldn't give up.

Not for Sonic's sake.

With both fans and Eggman having successfully pulled them up from the sands, Sonic began to dig himself more out, watching as the dark vines entangled around him too, and kicked to keep them at bay. "Geez, it's like multiple hands!"

"They like you." Amy teased, glad he wasn't suffocating as they had kept some air between each other during that... high-stakes exchange.

The dark vines didn't seem to hurt or bother him either... strange, weren't they always reaching for her too?

She looked herself over, wondering how this strange power worked, but then quickly turned back to Sonic, concerned for him again.

"No, what they like is how you feel, and if they see me as a threat, I don't know what they'll do!" He was being lifted up by them, but they didn't seem super hostile like they were towards Amy. Was he not giving Amy enough lov-EHEM-light?

"It is... different." She was still halfway covered to her hips in weighted sand, so she put her hands down on the ground, not able to... feel the sand quite right.

Sonic was draped over one of the dark vines, trying to wiggle away from them, as two more just seemed to want to slide around his body. Not liking the sensation, he kept whacking and kicking them away. "Hands off!"

She looked up, spooked by him pulling her out of her odd thoughts and decided it was probably best to hide how uncomfortable she was.

"Hehe, yeah, he's mine!" She pulled the dark vines with a swing of her hand that still gripped the root of them all, and they flung to the side as Sonic came crashing down.

What power... what strength... but then why did she still feel so weak? On the inside?

"W-woah!" sliding and rolling, Sonic sighed in relief that it seemed like they were going to be okay... but...

"Amy..." He got up, rubbing his head but giving her a serious expression, "That darkness still has to come out of ya..." Getting up with purpose, he began to move towards her. She again flinched, looking up a little worried.

"I'm still somewhat buried in the sands, want to help me out?" She extended her arms towards him, trying to be cute and not show him whatever 'lack of feeling thereof' she was going through.

However... she soon realized Sonic wasn't going to help dig her out.

He kept moving as though calculating what to do while he was moving towards her... she began to grow a bit afraid, which wasn't like her at all. She tried to move back a bit, but was firmly stuck in the sand, though she did find some wiggling room... she wouldn't be fast enough to get away from whatever he was planning to do.

She trusted Sonic, so what was going on? 'What's wrong with me?' she thought to herself, 'This is Sonic, I shouldn't be so scared. What's going on?'

"W-wait..." She still felt trapped as Sonic bent down and seemed to reach out for something... her hand?

She went to give it to him, hoping he'd help her out and that she was wrong about judging his actions differently but instead, he placed it just above her chest.

Her darkened fur around her cheeks suddenly rose with a red blush, "Wha-what-wah-wait-wait-wait-!" She wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but her heart raced a moment as the dark vines turned jagged and rippled as though being electrocuted.

Now Sonic was a threat...

When they straightened out from Amy's nerves, they immediately pointed themselves to stab through Sonic, but he gently pushed his palm down, rubbing it in as Amy continued to freak out, but her eyes looked up to notice the dangerously hostile darkness targeting him. "No!" she pulled her hands far behind her, forcing the dark vines to jerk back.

"It's not enough Amy... I will always need more."

With what he was doing and what he just said, he was deeply confusing her.

However, it wasn't like what she was perhaps thinking at all.

The dark essence suddenly was drawn towards Sonic, getting lured by his rage at how Eggman threatened Amy's life yet again, how Infinite had hurt her and he was powerless to stop him... even so much as to knock her out for half the battle. Then the inky mess of blackness began to seep out of Amy, as her eyes almost cried the substance out from her.

"No, Sonic!" She shook her head, realizing he was taking it back... as her hands stopped flailing a moment in her surprise and instead, gripped his hand to try and pull it off from just below her neck. "It hurt you! It'll keep hurting you if you don't give it up!" she cried out, but she felt her power draining as her worry for Sonic sent light and love through her being.

The dark essence shook again in rigid, zig-zaggy lines and Sonic was suddenly very appealing again as a host...

"I won't let it hurt you again! I can defeat it!" she closed her eyes, ducking her head down from trying to plead with him and tried to think of all the memories she had of Sonic.

It was working, the dark vines were freaking out, but Sonic was thinking and triggering himself to feel all those awful feelings of regret, shame, and the high expectations of his friends that he had failed. He was still failing as a hero... and now, she was saying she'll do it for him?

"But I can't give you up, either." Like a micro-action, he shook his head, squinting his eyes and trying not to show his pain at the darkness seeping back into his being.

Her fur grew darker, but she pulled at his hand to try and keep the darkness away from him. It suddenly flamed around her while turning back into black mist... withdrawing into her to transfer to Sonic's more aggressive, negative emotions...

"I can't let you do this! Even for me!" Amy felt the darkness leave her tears as her eyes returned to her, her sockets not glowing anymore with the negative chaos-like power. "Let me suffer for you!"

With that, something in him blasted a fierce anger. "I never asked for that!" His sockets grew white and his eyes disappeared, his fur turned into a misty dark blue and Amy felt the emotional weight set in and the lulling drain of numbness after the dark essence had left her.

Her darker magenta turned back to a light pink, and she couldn't fight him off as her body slumped forward a bit into the sand.

Sonic detached his hand and with it, the dark mist blasted through him.

"AHHH!" He leaned his head back and arched his back, it once again took over his being, finding all his emotional complexities; the anger and sorrow at hearing someone he cared about willing to suffer in his place...

That's not what he wanted.

She knew what he wanted, no... needed.

He flinched in his pain and fell back to the sandy ground as Amy struggled to get out of it, still completely in tears. "SOOONNICCC!" she cried out, reaching for him as she pushed herself out, causing more small grains to roll down the heap or sink beneath her. She put one desperate hand in front of the other, trying to bundle enough sand under her grasp to 'scoop' herself up and began crawling to him, her feet still feeling like they were being dragged down into the dry abyss.

Sonic breathed hard, feeling his emotions rise like an uncontrollable desire to seek revenge, to enact justice... something to satisfy the hunger that wasn't just his own anymore... but the darkness's as well.

He looked at his trembling hands, felt his back arch forward from his emotional outburst, and knew he needed her again...

He tried to think of Amy... but that only caused his negative emotions to blast skyward and feed the dark monster in him further... a never-ending appetite for the misery of the living soul, and the torture of its many, complicated feelings...

He clutched his stomach, "I can't win..." He admitted, realizing he couldn't calm himself down like last time... Memories alone weren't enough now.

She became a trigger, not a cure.

He wanted to protect her, but was failing that. Just like how he had failed the world.

"AHH!" he clutched his head, trying to stop the depressing, self-pitying thoughts, but to no avail. "It's not enough... Amy, I need more!" he repeated his last plea... but made no effort to reach her in return, just trying to keep a raging monster beneath the surface of his skin...

Amy, gasping from forcing herself to slide over the sand to reach him, dipped her head down and squeezed her eyes shut. "Sonic..." Her voice almost cracked under the compassion she felt for him, not wanting him to feel so out of sync with his emotions... so lost for control over himself.

"I have... nothing left to give."

His head reeled up, his eyes blazing in the light of the chaos-like power, the mist forming what looked to be the start of vines but it wasn't enough... the dark essence had lost a lot of power from its starvation with Infinite, and Amy's feelings for Sonic weren't quite frustration or anger, but instead, care and concern for him. Her sorrow and insecurities were drowned out by Sonic's act of mercy and deliverance... his words took away her fears and the darkness was once again stripped of a meal... along with a new host it just barely acquired.

Sonic was the last thing around... and though Sonic did worry about Knuckles and his team, he was consumed in himself and in the moment...

Forced to his stomach, he fell and tried to grip the ground, but couldn't feel the small, fleeing particles as he couldn't fully grasp sand...

They slid off him and left him wanting to destroy something... to grab anything and take the pain away... this made the darkness's temptation of feeling nothing more and more alluring... but he wasn't going to fully lose himself to it again! He knew better now.

But still, that didn't mean he couldn't help... how he was feeling right now.

"How can you say that!?" He hollered out, and Amy could tell he couldn't control what emotions the darkness had targeted first. He must have felt so helpless to save her... the dark essence must be eating him alive with all the emotions he was feeling...

She looked back up to him, as though extremely sorry he didn't understand. "I can't give you... everything..."

His anger spiked, without Amy, how was he supposed to fight this rage!? Just get consumed in it!?

He didn't know how to control his want to fight, to destroy for her sake. He didn't understand, only that maybe she was drained of what motivated her to be so kind to him... but that didn't seem like Amy at all.

She loved him... didn't she!?

"I don't understand... Weren't you just saying love has no bounds!? No limitations!?" he swiped his hand out, getting back on his knees and hitting the ground. A pulse of darkness shifted the sands again as darkness burst like a circled aura around his being, powering up... "Amy, I need you to help me!" Even saying that... his pride was lost, and the darkness continued to overwhelm him.

He truly felt... pathetic, looking down at the ground, now fully realizing what he was feeling and saying. He looked at his gloved hand, flaming with the misty dark blue power...

He let out a puff of air as though ashamed of himself, why couldn't he fight his own thoughts? His own anger and sorrows?

Why couldn't he have recognized what it was doing to him sooner? Instead of relying on Amy to take it all away? Wasn't that what he was doing with the darkness? Letting it take it all away too?

Was the solution... also the problem as well?

The dark monster began to snap with it's teeth from his neck, only it's bite and little eye showing through as though it wasn't fully able to regain itself yet. It was trying to form, but wasn't fully there let, and looked like a necklace of teeth protruding up from Sonic's shoulders, chest, and back as though around him. It needed time to feed... it needed more...

Amy.

Sonic's hand he was looking at flexed and tensed itself as though wanting to form a fist, shaking as he glared towards Amy... but not in a hostile way, but as though realizing no one could help him now... but still wanting her to try.

As he hunched himself down, the dark vines slowly wiggled themselves free of him and started to intertwine around Amy... almost as if Sonic's desire to have her was effecting them as well...

But it was more than that, the darkness was influencing him to give up on himself, and he knew that Amy's hope in him could revive him... if he could just convince her to come closer... to hold him... to believe in him and love him enough to try again.

But he wasn't thinking nor feeling clearly anymore... and if he was, he would have seen what this looked like, and knew it was wrong.

Amy was unaware of what was going on his mind, lost from that once beautiful connection of seeing through to his heart and his real intentions... now it all seemed like a pitch black darkness that blocked even her from viewing Sonic's true soul and nature.

More than the weights of the sand... was the weight on both their hearts, as Amy watched the man she love suffer in being unable to control the darkness targeting emotions he never particularly paid attention to until now... and Sonic beginning to realize how Amy couldn't be his saving grace anymore...

"The last thing I can give..." She slowly got up, feeling the inky vines slide over her skin and wrap around her. She knew he needed her, but from now on, it wasn't quite like this. Sonic thought the power came from the feeling, but it was so much more than that. Besides the physical comforts of one another, a kiss for assurance and validation, a loving hand for support and contentment... it was the love in her heart that fought the dark essence more than any of the actions she had done previously. For the moment, she tolerated dark vines, knowing Sonic still didn't understand her and the darkness was probably feeding off his confusion. His emotions were being thrown out of control for the sake of trying to get him to yield to numbness... to unfeeling her light.

"Sonic... I can't give you all my love... I can't give it to you...yet."

Sonic took a breath of comprehension.

The vines jolted off of her, as though stunned by the sudden rays of hope that shot through Sonic's soul.

She took all her strength and finally pulled her foot out of the sand, hitting it hard against the ground to force the sands to compact and give her footing. Her foot sank slightly... then finally held firm.

She skid it against the sand and finally rose her other foot out, "You... You can't always look at how something makes you feel, Sonic... You also... urk!" she slid and hit her chin, having some sand spray up in her face as Sonic's hand reached out for her, the vines zig-zagging as though suffering under his heroic spirit at watching her struggle.

"Amy..!" he leaned forward, not sure why he wasn't able to move... it was like his body was turning numb slowly... as though secretly giving in before he was realizing it consciously.

He began to panic, looking at his legs and realizing there was a tingling sensation, as though they were asleep. He couldn't move.

Amy continued to advance, one step at a time towards him, but fell to all fours again, unable to fight her own exhaustion enough to remain upright...

She struggled to have just enough strength... the last of her being... to offer him.

"You have to look into how someone else feels too! What their words and actions mean to you! That's something that can't be physically felt, although... emotions do effect the body sometimes... as you are experiencing now." she looked up at him, amazed he looked so helpless and afraid, searching his legs with his eyes as though something was off and he was just realizing it. She wiped the sand off her chin with the back of her wrist, and began to keep moving... trying to not stumble as she made her way back towards him. At least there was no blistering wind. "I may not be able... to give you what I've never known... but I can give you it someday. Sonic... I can give you my heart for now." She put her hands to his face, sliding her weary feet under her, not having the power of the dark essence anymore as she slumped a little and had to shake herself back upright again.

Her actions... it moved Sonic.

He stopped looking to himself and instead... focused entirely on her.

She looked into his white glowing sockets, desperate to see his eyes again and know what was going on. She had just gained that new superpower... where he willingly showed her the mechanics of what was happening on the inside... but the dark essence had taken that away from both of them now.

It broke her heart to see she couldn't understand him again, and never wanted to feel that distance again!

"If this is what you can feel, Sonic... if this helps you get out of that dark void that sucks everything you are... all those wonderful traits about you into an oblivion where you can't even see or feel them anymore... Then I'll do it. I'll sacrifice everything I am to free you... you shouldn't be ruled by anything, Sonic. You're a free soul, a spirit that can't be beat!"

She felt the strength of hope rise in her at the last possible moment, and getting him so stuck in the moment, she moved forward and kissed him again.

Although this time... there was nothing.

Sonic felt nothing.

The numbness couldn't even feel her lips.

He wanted to dive into it and force a feeling but...

He didn't want her to do any more...

Lightly,... knowing the darkness was making him aggressive, he fought the impulse and placed a hand to her shoulder, pushing her just enough away that he could see their lips had parted... but held a sorrowful frown upon them.

"Sonic..?"

His eyes searched the sands... he wasn't mad at her, she couldn't keep distracting him like this. She was right, if he wanted to be free, he had to face this... He couldn't keep relying on her own light, or he'd suck her dry of it like this once beautiful land that was now a decimated wasteland.

It was too much on her. He knew what she was saying now, she wasn't saying that that was the end of her affections for him...

She was saying that a kiss will never be enough, just like now, he couldn't even feel her touch... and that one day, he'd have to commit to her and only her for the next level of her love to be unlocked, and right now, this wasn't the way that they should feel about it.

All of this... "It's wrong." Sonic turned his head away from her, "Everything I'm doing... I've learned so much from you... but I haven't done anything that you've taught me to do..."

She had always striven for marriage, but he didn't mean to pull a declaration... no, an oath like that out of her right now.

He swallowed, feeling the dryness and the heat of the desert as he also suddenly felt this was all his fault. He relied too heavily on Amy, which sunk him deeper into this trap.

She had rescued him, now it was time for him to take what she gave him and learn to create light himself. To fight his own issues without pulling her down deeper into darkness as well.

His eyes bent as though seeing how awful this truly was now. He should have control over himself. He can't just rely on her as a 'cure-all' and use all her energy like this!

The dark essence was a constant void, seeking more and more... he wanted to give more than take. He wanted to give Amy the same light that she had so bravely given him in his fits of rage and his self-wallowing of shame.

As she came to give him another kiss, probably supposing that his words meant he should kiss her too, he placed his hands firmly to her shoulders and stopped her from advancing.

"I have to do this... More than just for my own honor... but for you as well." His arms locked, and he looked down, thinking his next moves through. "Amy... you don't deserve to shoulder my burdens like this forever. I would never take something that is given through tears of anguish..." He looked up and lifted his thumb under her drying tears, not able to feel the grind of sand against her soft cheek... and looked to the vines that were threatening to surround them in a ball-like grasp... "Enough! Leave her alone!" he swiped them back, off of her and away from him as well. "Amy, you're not the source of my power, but you are the one that taught me how to handle this." He rose up, hoping she understood and would stand back.

"S-...Sonic?" she was stricken with worry then, nervous that he was too far gone to accept the last bit of energy she had left to give. But also... she failed to see how much respect he was giving her, how much he didn't want her to suffer just because he was.

This isn't her fight, she has done enough, and now it was time for him to step up and take back control over his own life.

She didn't need to give everything, and it was wrong of him to keep needing so much of her for this!

He clenched his jaw, enough to give him a headache but he couldn't feel it at the time. He formed a fist and looked to the skies, knowing that he had to fight a battle within himself... and wasn't sure how to go about it.

"...You're right, Amy... I'm sorry." He shook his head as she tried to move towards him, making sure she didn't touch him again as his head turned to the side... His eyes closed in his rejection of her, but he couldn't allow her to have any further part of this. Worse than Infinite hurting her... was him tormenting her with feelings that weren't even hers to subdue. "You've done enough... so much of you has already been given to help me out of this darkness... but that's not fair to you. That's not how it should-!" He bit on his words, growing upset with himself again before turning back to her, not meaning to shout in her face and shake her up a bit, but accidentally doing it under the dark essence's influence. He put his hands back to her shoulders, as her eyes just showed the fear of whatever was going on. "That's not what I want for you! Constantly saving me... constantly throwing yourself like a sword to slay this thing over and over again..! That won't kill it... it will only kill you!" he pushed her away, having her fall back and not meaning to be so rough with her, but his aggression couldn't be contained like last time.

She tumbled a little down the dunes, but caught herself and summoned her hammer, finally having some adrenaline from him shaking her, his eyes angled so far down she barely saw the white of his sockets, and using such a loud aggravated voice.

His heart was in the right place, but the darkness was starting to take effect and his form began to shift with the ghostly silhouette of the monster.

Amy got back to her knees, forcing herself once again to rise, leaning on her sinking hammer. "Sonic... I'll always love you." sand stuck to her cheek from her drying tears again, not because they weren't flowing enough, but because the heat was making it sticky with the winds having been cut off completely. "You're the only one for me..."

Her words made him stop, gripping his head.

All he wanted to do was figure out how to summon that light to himself again... and repay an infinite debt to her.

"I... Don't understand." He chuckled to himself as he stumbled in the sand, his speedy foot reflexing to catch him before he fell down more dunes again. "How is the darkness so dark..?" As he tried to walk away from her, his back faced her, and his heart grieved over his own incapability to rationally discipline these emotions again. "My heart is so full of love for you." He clutched his chest, panting again in the strain at keeping himself upright, but felt the world crashing in from the inside.

"I'm surprised I'm still so dark."

Amy's eyes glossed over at his words.

"I don't want you promising me... something so precious to you... when I'm acting like... this!"

He looked over his arms, crunched to the bone in his anger from the dark essence's evidence everywhere, writhing in his animosity towards his enemies and himself.

"A monster!"

The darkness thrashed out of him in powerful dark vines, larger and thicker than anything Amy had seen from him before.

Amy quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, letting the sand scrape against her as she got up to her feet, filled with purpose once more. She had to dodge the dark vines first, as their movements were random, and swung her hammer to whack them back in a counter.

"You're not a monster! I'll wait for you, Sonic The Hedgehog!"

She cried over the desert that once was Green Hills as Knuckles stuck his head out from the damaged tank, hearing a strange sound over the dunes as her voice got distorted from the distance. He had dug a tunnel and collected his men through it, guiding them all to safety.

She shouted over his scream, and he piped down, too tired to argue and fight anyway... as a corner of his mouth curled at her endearing words... which he had heard so many times, but never felt like this before...

"Wait for me... Amy."

His whole being slumped forward, his arms feeling like they were carrying heavy weights.

"Always." Amy nodded, her lower lip trembling as she had never seen Sonic so defeated before.

His emotions were his to master, not her responsibility to tame. Seeing him come to an understanding like that... it gave her so much more love than she ever thought possible to feel for someone.

With that, Sonic chuckled again, kicking the sand before grinding his foot into it. "Not yet... I haven't lost yet..." he smirked, even through his weariness, a powerful surge of untapped potential rose in him... as the darkness seemed to screech out in a whimpering wonder at this new found power.

He hunkered down, rising his shaking hands up to his face as he dipped his head down, bringing all of what he felt to the surface now... "I still have one more fight!"

It was time to let go of his disappointments, to release his anger once and for all, and to remind himself that Amy was still alright... that they were going to be fine. That the future was still ever so bright...

"I will defeat this evil inside me... on my own terms, I will conquer my emotions!" He growled out, his real green eyes blinking in and out from the glowing white of his sockets, as though he was fighting through the pains of his own heart. "My emotions... won't be controlled or experimented on-!" he flung himself up and arched his back, having the darkness burst out of him like a black sun around his being.

Knuckles and his forces watched in awe as the sky filled with darkness, the sun being blotted out again... as then a yellow light seemed to emerge from the center...

"But... He doesn't have the Chaos Emeralds...Erk!" Knuckles shielded his eyes with his arm, unable to handle the light source from within burning through to his retinas.

Gathering all his strength into one last hoorah, a final stand, Sonic was prepared to defeat his own evil...

"They're mine!"

He shoved the darkness out as it formed a different Sonic, a blast of light and darkness split like the ending of an eclipse as Eggman's glasses showed the duality of a shadow Sonic and a blazing light-filled Sonic floating in the air as the other was forcefully shoved out of him.

Eggman shot at the dark vines, freeing himself.

"That can't be..." Eggman's eyes widened before narrowing as he pushed his head closer to the light and darkness in both glasses's lens, the two Sonics became like figurative Ying and Yang... as a solar Sonic stared down a lunar Sonic. Two opposites of the same soul... about to duke it out all in the name of love... for humanity, and for the sake of a girl they couldn't bare to watch suffer anymore for their sake.

One soul... two conflicting sides.

Enduring the painful struggle, Sonic had pulled the dark essence out of him, and was ready to physically fight it.

The other Sonic seemed to not have a baring on it's body, and twitched a moment in the air to get a feeling for itself. Almost zombie like, it figured out it was a living reflection, and looked at it's curled hand crank each finger's joint out... before looking back to Sonic, knowing what was to happen. The dark essence had created something of itself, but only had enough reserved emotions to exist in this way for a time. It still needed a living host... to suffer through their emotional eating... it's eyes were a white light that seemed to cut off the momentary light-show Sonic had created.

No more darkness... just two sides of the same coin, ready to rumble.

"I get it now..." Amy stood in amazement, but also seeming to try and connect the dots that had alluded her for so long. "I know what I was missing."

She watched as the two Sonic's rammed into each other, fighting the good and the bad, finding compromise in a sea of emotions and envies.

"I wasn't missing attraction," She wiped her eyes, "You're more than my friend and my hero... Oh, Sonic! You're the one I want to be with forever!" She continued to cry as the two sides squabbled, equally matched, painfully attacking the other.

In the air, their forces raged. One for dominion over his own heart, and the other to consume it. One punch after the other, one swing and one jab to the next. It was all a blur of white and black likes zooming around and ramming into each other.

Eggman scowled, displeased. "So... this isn't some Super Sonic." He concluded, "But then... what the heck is going on!?" he flicked down a keyboard with a small screen that was wedged out from the front of his Eggmobile with a click of a button. He began scanning the power sources... but it didn't make any sense... "His power is coming from removing the dark essence from the equation... does that mean..." His eyebrows rose as he slowly looked over to Amy, torn by seeing her hero suffer through his own battle... one she didn't know how to further help in anymore.

"...Remarkable." He turned his Eggmobile slowly towards her, and saw... "The same reading..." it seemed the mystery wasn't so mysterious, but powerful emotions gave super-human strength to these creatures... by removing all the bad, Sonic's body was filled with- "The light of hope." Eggman snarled, his mustache twitching with each syllable he attested to, hissing the words out in his anger.

He was bested...

By a mere girl...

"Gah!" he flew off, not wanting to experience the 'aftermath' of another failed experiment! However... He was just moving a safe distance, out of sight so he could still observe what this could all mean...

Positive emotions fueled Sonic now,... and Eggman wanted to see how parallel they were... could one overcome the other?

The shadow Sonic blocked a punch and then pulled his fist forward to reach out and bite Sonic's shoulder, as Sonic let out a grunt of pain and ripped his head back to get him off of him, punching him down to the ground.

The shadow Sonic kicked his leg out, hovering above the ground as though to use the power of dark energy it had stored to blast back and knee light Sonic in the gut.

"I still can help you fight this! You don't have to be all alone!" Amy cried from below the fued, the two polar emotions tearing into one another. She got up to her feet, summoning her hammer before sliding again and tumbling to the ground as she tried to get closer to them.

The two Sonics suddenly stopped, pinned with their arms and hands against each other in the sky, before looking down at Amy.

They both shoved the other off and flew towards her.

As they both reached out, Amy saw the humanity in both sides.

She rose her head to see the worried expression on light Sonic's glowing yellow energy... and the aggressive protectiveness from the dark energy flaming around shadow Sonic. It was as though the dark essence was taking Sonic's negative feelings and portraying them just the same as his light form was...

Then, miraculously, Amy saw their expressions match... it was still Sonic. No matter what angle you looked at it. Even in his darkest of days... he would still come to save her from falling.

She held up her hammer, watching the two sides begin to rejoin in unison at a common goal: Amy.

Their forms began to flash into one, and if that happened, Sonic would still be locked in an endless battle. However, it looked like they had found something to agree on, something to calm the raging storm... Her safety.

"HHHAAA!" Amy shouted out a battle cry as she moved her hammer over her shoulder, flinging it back and taking a powerful step forward. Feeling so much weight on her hammer now, she realized just how exhausted she was from everything. 'I can't quit now!' she wouldn't allow the dark essence to rejoin with Sonic, if she destroyed it, the feelings would return to Sonic... but at least, he'd have control over them. He'd be the master of his own emotions again. With no more tears left in her eyes, she smashed the dark essence that was the core of the other Sonic, just before it could fully fuse to Sonic again.

In shrieking shrills, the other Sonic seemed to flinch back as the flash still returned Sonic's emotions too him... but the dark essence crashed against the weight of the hammer and slammed to the ground, it's smaller dark vines jagged and pointed as it struggled under the hammer's blow.

Sonic tumbled down, crashing into the sand like a bomb's explosion of light and sand mixed. He lay as Amy took her foot and stomped on her hammer, trying to destroy it before seeing it start using it's inky threads to crawl along the hammer... needing a host.

"Not this time!" she rose the hammer again as it leapt at her, and seeing it form what looked like a web that mimicked a creature's face, and then slam it back down to the ground with her immense feelings giving a boost to her hammer's strength.

The Piko Piko Hammer glowed with a rippling wave like effect over the gold plating it possessed, and shone as though with radiant passion as the darkness's monster face gave an open-frown and was consumed in the light. "I won't let you take these emotions away from us again!"

There was an immediate burst as her Piko Piko Hammer struck at it's center and a burst of darkness spread out through the sands like a sonic boom.

Amy braced as Sonic, now returning to his normal color as the silhouette of the shadow Sonic rejoined with his own fully, shook his head and wearily looked up with unfocused eyes. Once he had taken in the situation around him again, he looked to Amy and quickly sped to her, grabbing her to duck her head and then attempting to block the rippling effects of destroying the dark essence material from hurting her... it contained so much of different people's emotions... but mostly Sonic's.

They felt that force and strained against it, falling to their knees as Amy clutched her head, feeling the headache of her insecurities again. Sonic just kept her down and held it tightly to him... as another wave of his utter defeat and torture on the moon washed over him—for the last time, this was the end of being forced into feeling a certain way about it, and have it drawn out only to be swallowed hole and converted into demonic power.

As though being triggered by the destruction of the object that had sucked it's own host dry, the Phantom Ruby was triggered fully alive and active again, the small amount of emotions getting flung back into Infinite... it's own host. He burst from his sandy tomb, gripping his ruby and feeling the same rippling effects of black and red pulse over his body as it kept him functional and able to fight another day...

"No... I can still... Fight..." he held out a weakened hand to the scene of Amy and Sonic embracing... but his form flew back, gently hovering over to Eggman as he was about to complete his speedy retreat.

But as Eggman was reaching for his body, it burst into small streams of light like small confetti streamers that dolphin-hopped through the air. They all reverted back to the Phantom Ruby, the source of their life and power... much like how Chaos would reform back into the Master Emerald.

Eggman grabbed the Phantom Ruby and glared with a pulled back, teeth-baring frown at the terrifying power of Sonic's and Amy's emotions.

"Perhaps ruling humanity through a dead soul isn't an option." He looked at the Phantom Ruby, "I'll reconstruct your physical form, Infinite... but don't fail me again. With the new power they've founded together... Your emotions will have to be even more compelling towards my victory over this planet than ever before!" with that,... Eggman vanished through a portal made by the re-sparked Phantom Ruby embers of it's abilities still remaining... 'infinite' truly did describe it's magnificent resilience...

Holding one another, completely out of breath, Sonic and Amy spent their last seconds of consciousness looking at each other... smiling...

Amy weakly held a hand to Sonic's face, and as his eyes failed him to focus, he shifted his face more into it and lightly pressed his lips on her fingers.

She felt that connection again, knew without looking into his eyes what he meant. 'We won.' he was saying. 'Together.'

She let out a faint chuckle, before closing her eyes and feeling her hand slide down his chin. He followed the action and let his nose catch her slightly,... then slowly... also helped it to the ground.

The two collapsed in quiet affection for each other... laying into the other on the ground.

When Knuckles and his team arrived, sliding down the slopes in sloppy, uncoordinated patterns... they were amazed to find the two still in their embrace, loosely now, sleeping alongside the other in what looked like an endless surrendering embrace.

-The Grand Celebration, after the war, and before the final reconstruction efforts take affect-

"Cheers to Sonic!"

"Sonic! Sonic! Sonic!"

Silver had gotten what he had asked for, and for the first time, was experiencing a party! However, there was a minor set back... Where was the main leading man that was to set off the stage and show?

"He couldn't have gone far." Tails worried, though knew he easily could have just ditched, but hoped that wasn't the case. "But I know Sonic, he wouldn't just abandon a party! Especially one in his honor!"

"Actually..." Knuckles looked off, as though thinking that's exactly what he would do.

"Maybe he still wants some space." Silver worried, looking down at the program for the show and seeing the band already jamming to keep the crowd entertained.

Seeing the forlorn look of disappointment on Silver's face, Tails shook his head and put a hand to his shoulder. "Not likely! Sonic wouldn't let you down! He came back after being trapped on the moon, after all. He was really out of it then... but now, he's more back to his former self than ever! Even more peppy, if you ask me." Tails didn't know what had happened to make such a turn-around, but he figured maybe Amy had snapped some emotional sense into him.

After all, Sonic was being more considerate towards him and the others since he woke up from the Green Hill dunes...

Outside the base where the festivities were being held, Amy and Sonic were enjoying the last bites of a spontaneous picnic.

The landscape would still need several helping hands to clean up, but the flying fans that Eggman had helped clear away a lot of the sand from Green Hills, and the rest of his destroyed or rusted over machines were useful in being repurposed for the reconstruction of the world too. The clean-up would continue as planned, but a little quiet time before the celebration and work wouldn't hurt anyone.

It was the only location that the 'renewal' part of the rebellion plan had actually worked on before Silver spoke up about the flyers, seeing everyone had forgotten about it. Sonic was planning to host, even though he was the man of honor for it, to show a bit of gratitude to all the helpful hands that had made their victory possible over Eggman.

As they, together, began to clean up the picnic, Sonic was in a pickle. There was something very specific he had wanted to get out of this whole 'retreat' from the others before returning with Amy...

As his hands skimmed the blanket, pretending to help flatten it out for folding without wrinkles as Amy wanted it, he thought about how utterly catastrophic his once brilliant plan was. He was failing again... but a little practice never hurt anyone, he just... wasn't sure how to get the 'practice' going!

Amy had seemed to only talk about winning the war, dedicating the picnic to his efforts as a way to have a 'personal' gift to him, and completely unaware of the mood he was trying to set. Instead, she would obliviously cut him off at every venture he took to try and lay it out, and his plans were quickly going up in shambles, like pieces of paper being flung up in the air, drifting down in silent fury...

He had attempted to draw closer, only for her to notice how bright the stars were when some of the pollution smog had cleared up for a brief moment. He wanted to lean towards her but seeing her hands interlocked together and her eyes sparkling up at the clear gap in the smear of smog he decided against it.

Wasn't the right moment.

Later, he thought Amy was attempting to feed him, and though uncomfortable, turned to open his mouth but noticed she was just placing some more food on his plate.

He decided it best to pretend he was in awe at how pretty she looked, but she seemed to just placed her hands on the side of her face and blush away from him.

He was confused, how do most people get these things going? He didn't want to trick Amy...

Buuuuut... A little bit of sneaky charm never hurt the atmosphere, right?

Sonic sighed and turned to his side, laying down and pouting. He put a finger to his ear to show he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying anymore, and waited for her to notice his obvious indifference.

During her long run of words, she suddenly stopped as though noticing this, and looked away. 'I've been trying to be so delicate with Sonic's state right now... I know he only recently defeated the demons in his heart... but... I'm still not sure if he even wants us to start dating or not...' she thought it was obvious by now, but wanted to keep to her promise... 'Oh well, time will tell. I'll be waiting.' she smiled to herself, finally having packed all the items away in the picnic basket before turning to see Sonic hadn't picked up the blanket they were on yet.

"You don't want to get that corner?" she offered, but he continued to remain silent and unresponsive.

She puffed up her cheek, "Oh! Sonic! That's so rude!"

"You're the one not paying attention." he took his finger out of his ear and flicked whatever was on it. "I finally get you alone and all you want to talk about is me, me, me..." he yawned. "As if I don't know enough about it." he closed his eyes, placing his hands behind his head as a cushion...

When he heard her huff a bit, he peeked an eye open to smile warmly with a hint of teasing pleasure at her still inflated cheek.

He did adore it so.

"You know, Amy... I wouldn't mind laying down and looking at the stars a bit longer." He stretched out, turning on his back and trying to flex a little to look 'tempting' but Amy seemed to not notice, turning her head away in annoyance. "That pocket of clarity isn't going to stick over our heads for long." he raised an eyebrow, looking from her face to her hands that were now placed on her sitting lap, her knees under her.

He slowly went to reach for her hands, but she got up suddenly and he flinched, quickly reverting to scratching his nose as a way to avoid her suspicions.

But maybe it was best to make her suspicious? He didn't like having to work so hard... but he also didn't like his efforts being ignored.

'Man, I really don't want to screw this up!' a bead of sweat formed on the other side of his head, as though it—too—didn't want to expose how much of a dunce he was looking like right now. 'But... how else do you learn?' he smiled to himself, closing his eyes as he laughed at his own suffering. It was a sweet suffering, one he'll just have to figure out as he goes along.

He didn't mind working for it, he just... wasn't used to being on the 'giving' end of it.

It was kinda... thrilling!

"Still... if I don't get a moment longer with her now, then we might not get another opportunity to be alone any time soon...' he didn't like thinking so much, but the puzzle of figuring out where to go from here or what to do next wasn't exactly a challenge Sonic didn't expect. He just thought she'd fall into him like usual... so this, was definitely something that would test him a bit.

He rolled to look even more tempting to her, waiting to see if she'd catch on to what he was up to anytime soon...

'Come on, Amy.' he laughed inside his head, 'It's not like I'm being sneaky about it... subtle, yes. Sneaky, no.' he mocked her a little, but in a sweet way. As though calling out her innocence and how slow she was to realize how attracted to her he was. 'Eh, she'll figure it out.' he didn't want to worry too much. After all, he could just race them back to base in no time at all, seconds flat even.

But... he did want something before that time came.

'So hurry up, you silly, hopeless romantic!' he grinned and kept a chuckle to himself.

Amy seemed lost in her thoughts too... not even looking at him, really.

'He's making it hard to baby him.' she resisted and sat down beside him, making him frown at how trusting she was of his word... not seeing the playful hints he was trying to portray.

"You know, I feel a little down..." He moved his hands to stroke her back, moving it up her spine and just inches away from actually touching her, but she leaned forward and tucked her chin into her hands, looking bored.

"Uh-huh." she rolled her eyes, "Well, you said you'd figure that stuff out on your own." She wanted to help... but in her mind, he was cutting her out from knowing his thoughts and emotions again. She wanted to keep him at ease, but he making it so hard for her! If she looked at him, she'd swoon and probably try and kiss him again...

She knew he wanted time and space to figure himself out and who she was to him, she just hoped it would be sooner than later. He did confess... didn't he?

She shook her head, sighing as though down as he flinched his hand away from her back, the corner of his mouth being dragged down at how unrespective she was being.

'He's such eye-candy, stop it!' she closed her eyes, truly believing Sonic wasn't meaning to start anything with her quite yet.

Ohh... how wrong she was.

"Here." without missing a beat, her better-self gave in to his momentary plea and she started rubbing her hand to his chest, then to his forehead as she blushed and looked away, "I guess I could sing to you if that's more comfortable for you..."

It was an absolute devastating blow to Sonic's charisma. Not only did he feel like she was treating him like a child, but that she was once again not seeing him as the man he wanted to be.

He looked away with a scowl, 'Sheesh! She's makes flirting look like a technique not allowed to be played!' he groaned from within, not able to see an opening that would suffice for her dense senses.

'Is this what I was like..?' that sudden realization made him look back up at her hand ruffling along his forehead in calming, motherly motions...

It's not like he didn't like it, but it seemed degrading, so he moved her hand away with the back of his own. "No thanks." He turned a bit from her, not sure where to go from here.

...Could Amy even sing?

He shook the thought, 'No! I won't be treated like a baby!' he mentally scolded himself.

But a lullaby... didn't seem all that bad, but definitely not the tone he wanted to set in place for tonight.

He leaned up, moving his muzzle to her shoulder, still trying to play it subtle. 'You never gave up that easily, and now, neither will I!' he pretended to look up at the stars while his cheek touched her's, "It's just kinda cold down here on the ground..." he rolled his eyes back over to her, tilting his head slightly, then puckering his lips slightly as he dipped his eyelids down ever so subtly, "Might be warmer if you joined me..." he teased.

"Oh, is the blanket turning soggy?" she lifted the blanket a bit and his mouth formed a tight line, his eyes blinking off as though getting more annoyed by her not realizing his efforts at seducing...

'She can't be this dense.' he convinced himself, 'is she openly rejecting me!?' he turned away, his ego completely shot at that thought. 'But... But I'm Sonic The Hedgehog! She loves me..!' he put an offended hand up to his chest, as though mortally wounded for life. 'Well, at least for half her life, she did! And she even had the audacity to make me believe she still did!' it was something to be laughed at, and Sonic knew she probably just wasn't used to his way of flirting... He'd have to be more direct... but that slight bit of shy modesty in Sonic held him back. He hit his heel into the soft ground a moment and let it skid across it, thinking...

"Gee, this was a lot easier when I was a dark-infused rage monster..." he rubbed the back of his head, but his words caught her curiosities and she turned to him over her shoulder.

"What? Could you not feel the coldness of the ground through the numbing of the darkness?" She asked; 'So innocently, this poor woman.' Sonic continued in his thoughts, 'She can't even see how much I'm trying.'

"You're completely unaware, aren't you?" He finally pulled away, placing a cheek to his hand and an elbow to his Indian-style laid knee. "So pretty and attentive to actions, but so dim to words..." He was throwing off the gloves, 'Maybe just telling her how I feel could solve this whole mess? It's only getting worse by the second... and we don't have much time left to just... be together... alone... like this.'

In all honesty, maybe Sonic was being a bit anxious...

"Huh?" She still felt she was supposed to take it slow with him, that she didn't realize the meaning of his words. 'He seems nervous.' she noticed, but not sure why. Was she not being far enough away? Did he want more distance?

He had put his head on her shoulder... even whispered about her warmth... maybe he was just utterly oblivious to his own actions and what they looked like. Was he feeling he had to be something for her? She constantly tried to push these thoughts away and just enjoy the moment with him.

He was her Sonic... that was all that would ever matter to her.

"Haa..." He let his chest fall with that sigh, "Guess it's my turn to experience it... after all, I gave you a run for it too..." He was referring to all the times she tried to flirt with him, and suddenly empathized now, "I never realized how much I conditioned you into trying so hard... I guess this is my burden to bare then." He felt bad about his youth, so uninterested but still caring about her... he had no idea how much that affection would grow in such a short time. But he knew now how he felt... he just didn't know how to go about it.

But he wanted to make her happy. He wanted to talk about her. See her smile. Honor her efforts as she literally trusted him in such a dark state with her first kiss too... She sacrificed her ideal romance to give him a bold enough reason to stay intact... to keep who he was alive.

Without Amy, he would have been a husk that the darkness would have left to rot...

But then... this was kinda hard... trying to woo someone he thought would want to be attentively looked after but it was all just really disappointing now. He really felt for her past self then, seeing as when your affections and hopes go unnoticed... you feel so helpless towards the person of your affections.

He decided to just be bold, like she was. It took a lot of effort, but he summoned up that bottled, wonderful feeling of light and let it rise like a stream of shaken pop, letting the fizz build up inside him as he slowly rose his spine to be perfectly straight up... removing his hand down to his knees.

He took a deep breath, then smirked to her, slyly.

He still had an image to maintain as her beloved hero, after all~ He couldn't afford to look like a sap now! Just because it got a little tough and rocky in the beginning, didn't mean he couldn't salvage the night like she had retrieved his heroic, free soul back.

"You usually kissed me when I was feeling down." he puckered up his lips and looked to her, parting them in a big, 'Muaw' sound but with the smacking of his lips.

'There.' he thought, remaining still to see her reaction. 'There's no way she could misinterpret that.'

It only took Amy a blink of her eyes to suddenly realize what in the world he was talking about, "O-Oooh!" and immediately looked flustered and exploded out into being red in the face. Her body seemed to grow big in it's erupt actions too, spreading out as she tried to adjust her sitting and ended up losing balance on her bum to roll and be back on her knees again, facing him in absolute shock and excitement she was desperately trying to keep together.

Her hands danced along the blanket before jumping up to her now steaming cheeks, seeing what he wanted out of all the subtle hints.

'So they weren't just oblivious signs he was throwing out!' she suddenly concluded, squeeing into the blanket as it smelled like sandy grass...

He chuckled, 'Got'em.' he thought it was cute, but also blushed as he hid his very exposed red muzzle by wiping his nose along his finger. "Took you long enough..."

"B-but what about-!" she looked up again, however, seeing his eyes and knowing that the playful look in them meant he loved her... "Ahh!" she squeaked back into her blanket and mushed her face around in it a little more.

He grinned and closed his eyes, satisfied that she got the picture he was trying to paint now. 'Glad that's over with.' he was relieved he didn't have to play more of that stage... but now...

Amy turned her head away a little in the folded blanket, giggling a second as she tried to think things through.

But she tossed it to the wind, not letting her thoughts distract her any longer. "Sonic, you should know something." In a very mature way, Amy placed her hands down on her lap again and coyly turned her blushing cheek towards him, hiding the rest of her smitten face from his view. The past didn't matter anymore, she was glad he was moving on, and elated that he seemed to want to be with her... in a better light now...

She kept her excited squirming to herself, "You... you can kiss me anytime you want to. No permission needed." She then acted tough and mighty with a powerful swing of her head back to him, a haughty disguise for a moment with her nose up above as though the unattainable, uptown girl the boys would only dream about. "Besides! Why should I be the one to initiate it all the time? You have to pull your own weight and chase after me too, Sonic The Hedgehog!" She lifted a finger up as though now instructing him, but her power-play only made Sonic that much more attracted. He knew she was only messing around, and ... he kinda liked her attempt to keep him on his toes.

"Everyone has to in any relationship." she nodded, and flicked his nose, which was like starting the car engine.

He started to lean towards her, knowing she would melt if he took over the moment... but in all honesty, he was relying too heavily on her to get things started. 'Maybe she was right...' he suddenly lost a bit of his energy, as though second-guessing himself like when he was younger...

That fifteen year old boy... what would he think of himself now? That twelve year old girl... what would she think if she knew how much he cared about her now? How grateful he was to have her? Well, not 'have' her, b-but to have her beside him in his life? To love him... to love... her...

It was as though that doubt was blasted away by the beaming light of his heart, a light she had freely given him to fight any darkness that ever crept into his thoughts again.

"You promise?" he suddenly waited for her to open her eyes, to see the love so openly on his face.

She was nervous, ha! Her act was only to try and cover up how much she did love him. How much... he was doing right.

She did blink her eyes delicately open, and he could see that soft look that felt like she thought she was dreaming again...

That little girl had grown up... but there was still something that would solidify that growth... For both of them to realize that, Sonic moved ever so closer to her... on all fours as he leaned his head up to her ear, having his shoulder just next to nervous breathing...

"Anytime I want to? I can just... do it?" He decided to take another peek at her face.

Oh, she was loving it. Her mouth was swiggling at how much she was hiding how into this she was.

So? Maybe he did have a knack for this 'charming' stuff, after all?

"Spur of the moment... and everything?" he ducked his head down more to speak right into her cheek, hearing her swallow hard but not realizing how fast her heartbeat was pacing...

She was quiet now, and so he settled in front of her and began to move a hand to her own. He was still nervous... but Amy sure gave him a confidence boost.

His heart was in the right place, she would love anything he tried to do, but he didn't know that...

He was careful, moving more slowly than he thought possible for himself and feeling uncomfortable doing so.

But he wanted to make her even more happy... he wanted to go passed any daydreams she had ever imagined, and be something that was worthy of her affections, her hopes, and her expectations.

It was more than a debt, he wanted to repay her tenfold. He did feel it. The same feeling she must have endured all those years while he continued to be unsure, certain only that he didn't want any harm to come to her.

Now... he only wanted joy to be with her. A joy he was honored to be allowed to give, if she'd still have him...

"I'm serious," he spoke now as though really, truly asking for her approval. "Do you mean that? Whenever I want... whenever I feel like it..?"

He tilted his head towards her, moving from the side and speaking directly to her, "I want to give you that same freedom too,... Amy..." looking her in the eyes. His nose slightly traced the lines of her muzzle from the bottom of her eyes and it made her ticklish, cutely squinting and giggling but then immediately entranced by how close he was again.

"Sonic..." She breathed out his name, and the intensity of the moment suddenly got to Sonic's body.

Could miniature race-cars drive circles around one's body outline a thousand times? To Sonic, the answer was a resounding yes.

His hand moved to loop around hers but seeing her flinch at his speed, he stopped... and slowly continued the action, trying to be more aware of her but...

He was becoming less and less aware of his own hormones...

"Ehem," he moved his head in a quick jerk away from her, looking down and growing sheepish like he was at fifteen.

'What am I doing? I know what I'm hoping for... but I can't seem to follow through no matter how much she keeps telling me I can.' he seemed to be too in the moment, and when reality came back, he wondered if anything he was doing was considered the right move or not.

He worried, not about being enough, but that his image of her 'hero' would suddenly shift to a realm he didn't know he could live up to.

But he wanted to. He wanted to try... it felt right to do this... so, why hold back so much?

He was so inexperienced... he felt his entire being jazzed and normally, wouldn't think twice. But this was for Amy, not himself, and he didn't know exactly the bounds of this feeling either... What should he do for her? What would be right for them?

These thoughts had never plagued Sonic more than ever before in his life. It was a big, momentous step. But he wanted to charge headfirst into it, just didn't know how to correctly go about it...

What would be best for Amy? What would make sense to venture to and save for later? Adventure for Sonic was always fast and exciting, but what about Amy? She loved adventure too... but he also knew there were limits and lines he couldn't cross. Was it right to ask now? Were they too late for that? Would it kill the moment?

He nervously hesitated, Amy, as fast as his eyes could trace it and with a speed that surprised him, grabbed his upper arm and pulled him to be slightly over her. The action returned the closeness of their faces but now... having their bodies replicate that even further...

Her grip told him everything he needed to know... to go on. To not hesitate anymore...

"Amy..." he couldn't help but say her name back, looking into her eyes and seeing her answer already so apparent.

She nodded, before realizing his arm and then fiddling with her hands, letting him go as though pretending to remain completely and falsely demure about the whole thing.

That got him going, he smiled with a raised eyebrow at how quickly she could shift her emotions when it came to getting what she wanted. But in all actuality,... she was making it easier for him to relax into his own emotions... There was a feeling of nerves that she completely dissipated by her charm. She was beautiful... she was extremely alluring in how she was helping him seduce her.

Which was also strangely embarrassing and almost comical to Sonic, how much she was letting him lead when secretly... she had the reigns from the very beginning.

"I'll never figure you out, will I?" He was amazed that even in a moment like this, she was considering him and helping him through his emotions again, too. "You can't help but guide me, can you?"

She cutely spread a captivating smile across her muzzle, and then looked away and continued to shyly play with her fingers, looking up to him every now and then as though not wanting to steal his spotlight or thunder.

He let his head fall and shake in defeat, chuckling as he rubbed his eyes at how pathetic this must have looked like. One day, he hoped he wouldn't need her aid so much... but another part of him said that he never wanted to forsake such kindness from her again.

Her overwhelming 'yes' to everything was something he should have known, but... he just didn't want to make a mistake and come across as something she wouldn't want. Something that wasn't her lifelong hero and love.

"In that case," Seeing that he had already won her affections long ago... it was all about expressing his now. "Could I..." He moved between the gaps of her arms and legs, breaking that distance even further now as Amy's eyes completely fixated on him now, dropping her act. He held her closer to his chest, "Kiss you once?"

"I had thought you already did..." She gently placed her hands on his chest, waiting... But her light rubbing of his thin fur made those racecars all travel to the same location, and start doing donuts under his skin where her fingers touched and gently circled to entice him further.

'How was she so good at this!? Her twelve year old self was not this good!' Sonic's inner thoughts were only getting more hyped up along with his body, which wanted to jet into the action already and quit with the theatrics.

But he knew Amy deserved some fanfare before the fireworks... might as well give the girl what he knew would please her.

So nice and slow... but all at once, too.

"Then..." He looped his hand around her own on his chest. "Could I kiss you again after that? Even when I don't need to clam down anymore?" he turned a little coy too, raising an eyebrow as though still wanting Amy to lead a bit now that she was aware of his inexperience. His eye turned away from her as though modestly dismissing his want for her to join him, but if he only knew how it felt like a refreshing springtime breeze that was dumped over her head as though a blessing by immersion.

She melted into a warm hot-spring of gratitude, as though all her prayers and wishes for the future were answered from so long ago... When she heard his possible M.I.A status, she had returned to that frequent, desperate hope that everything would turn out alright again.

She had scrunched herself in her bed and refused to cry, believing that her dreams of seeing Sonic again and having that fairy-tale reunion could still happen. She never gave up the longing to see him again, and knowing that he would come in the nick of time to save them all.

Who knew that this time... it was her who would save her world? For in her heart, Sonic was her whole world, and the world would have never been the same without him.

She nodded, as though all those feelings accumulated for her in patches of budding roses, springing to life inside her chest. She moved her nose up to his, a warm invite to keep going, to never stop, and to keep amazing her with how hard he was trying to woo her. "Em-hmm." it was almost like a purr to draw him even closer... though they were already pretty tied together at this point. Her hands looped up to his ears and lightly squeezed one, as though coaxing him to fall deeper into the dream-like moment. Her acceptance only made the light inside him warm to a boiling point... and her own heart danced with the absolution his eyes promised her then.

He tilted his head to the side, as though opening the gates, whispering as he looked up and down between her eyes and her lips. "You know... I don't think you're as bold as you've tried to convince me to believe all these years..."

"And you're not as fast to the point as you made me think you were." she rubbed her nose back and forth against his own, teasing him at his attempt to avoid further intimacy. "We don't have to... you know?"

He stopped her thought dead in the moment, placing a hand behind her and dropping down with her. "Could I kiss you... right now?"

Now their hearts were pumping blood at an exciting rate, Sonic's slow and steady method went out the door and through the window, within and around the loop-de-loop before it was very much out of sight. He didn't want to lose this moment... he didn't want her to second guess his conviction or how much he truly, strongly did feel about her.

Her concern for him was touching, but not the kind he was looking for at the moment...

But speaking of touch... she was trembling.

Was it the thrill or..?

That's when he realized how nervous she really was. Just like him, she must have been bluffing her boldness a little too strongly. This was still new for her just as much as it was for him, and no matter how much she wanted something like this, she must have still felt the uneasiness from lack of knowledge about the unknown. What happened after the confession? It was her first experience with Sonic being flirty and forward about his feelings too... She couldn't do anything, barely speak as her own body seemed to be kicked into overdrive.

She jolted from his returning, intense gaze and closed her eyes, leaning her head up as though expecting him to lean down and seal the deal...

He was aiming for her lips, what was she..?

His eyes suddenly blinked and he almost chuckled, realizing how she must have thought he was going to do something to her neck or...

Or...

He grew nervous again, seeing that with one little lean... something big could happen.

He immediately pulled her head back down as softly as he could, and pecked her lips, as though hoping that would convey he didn't feel they were ready for something like that quite yet. Leaning back up, he laughed the atmosphere away to quiet his own heart that rampaged at his refusal to engage. Amy wasn't ready for what she was trying to say she wanted... and he knew that it was respectful of her to not pretend he didn't notice that. No matter how much he wanted to be with her... it wouldn't be fair if they were both awkwardly nervous about every little thing they were doing.

She comforted him... again. But how could he comfort her...?

He rolled to her side and laid down beside her, "Haha! That's what I'm supposed to do, right?"

It was immediate anger from Amy, her mouth hanging jaw-struck at his clear retreat. Flustered and upset, she jammed a fist into his side.

"Ow!" he scooted a bit from her, gripping his arm where she had hit him. "You jammed my elbow into my rib!"

"Don't you dare fib with me, Sonic The Hedgehog!" she stuck out her tongue at him, not sure how to punish him further but deciding they were both too nervous to really start anything quite yet... even if they wanted too... it was hard to know what to do.

And... she didn't want to admit that she had no idea where he was going with this. She wanted to be ready, but she still didn't know his morals at this point...

And how they were talking... and how far they seemed to be dipping into the other...

W-wasn't it going to go places!?

She laid back on the damp grass and just breathed a moment, trying to get herself back and out of the strange trance she was put under. "It's not nice to play with a delicate girl's heart." she fumed, but it was only a mock battle as she tried to hide her actual explosion of heartbeats. It was like a mini sonic boom but played on loud speakers. However, he waited... watching her with every bit of intention to still kiss her.

'But I'm not playing around.' he rubbed the back of his head in silence, still thinking of the moment her hands reached into his quills and glided up to his ears... 'I just want to make sure I don't spook you.' he took another affectionate look towards her, wanting to make sure he did this right.

He didn't know how to be a prince about things, nor how to parade like a shining knight and dip the girl into a kiss.

But he knew that as a hero... he needed to make sure she felt safe with him, and didn't fib it for his sake.

Now he felt bad about calling her out, calling her not as bold as she let on... it was too true, and he didn't realize her 'help' could have been slightly forced... did she not want to disappoint him either?

"Delicate?" he rolled to her side, using his hand to turn her face back towards him again, looking down at her love-struck face, "Amy Rose... I seem to think of you as being the strongest woman I have ever known." Was that enough? Would that state that he'd never hurt her or do anything she didn't want him too?

But when he saw her face, there was no fear. It seemed the message was sent loud and clear. With that, he signed a contract upon her lips, and Amy was officially within his heart now... forever.

When they broke apart only to breathe, she patted his chest as though not sure she was really in reality anymore, "You... You weren't joking?" her sincerity left Sonic taken aback. Did she really think he would just leave her hanging like that?

"That's what a man in love with you is supposed to do now, right? Make your heart race faster than ever before? Hold you close and whisper in your ear... sweet nothings, was it?" he was... he was playing with her, relaxing her in his jokes. In the most beautiful way possible, he was saying that this wouldn't be the last time he'd smoothly soothe her into a kiss. "Though, I have to admit... these don't feel like 'nothings'. I'd... hate to call them that." He began to lean forward again, feeling far more than that numb of 'nothing' he knew too well. And... it wasn't as scary as he first thought it to be.

He would never go back to that dark numbness... especially not if Amy Rose had anything to say about it! 'Ha!' he went to continue again but Amy was amazed and continued to think too much.

Not wanting to ask about his limitations, she didn't know what was to come next, and so she pushed him away again and threw a fake tissy-fit, "This isn't romantic at all!" she looked at her dress, getting up as Sonic had to shake himself free of the feelings and try and put the pieces together of what was going on. "I'll get grass stains! And your shoes!" she was purposefully lengthening this out... wasn't she?

He chuckled, realizing she didn't want him to just kiss and run back to the party...

It made sense... but tell that to his anxious heart!

She had no fear... she felt safe... so what was he missing?

"Is not that patch of star-lit sky enough to be called beautiful?" He decided to give her a second to adjust, since this wasn't easy on him either. But it felt like it... when they did kiss, he just fell right back into it. It wasn't like that struggle, where he had to use anything to fight the dark essence with. This was just... something that they could pick-up again and again... as much as they wanted to...

So why rush it?

He put his hands behind his head and laid back, but he couldn't calm himself down. He wanted to kiss more... hold her closer like they had been... Where for just a moment... he could feel the blasts of her heart-beating against his own... feel the softness of her touch beneath his quills...

'Ahh! I don't want to just give up!' he hid his small, frustrated tantrum well as he tightened his fists and hit the ground to the side of him, away from her gaze. He then spun back to her and continued his wooing, casually as if he had everything under control.

But those cars that sped through every red light in his highway of veins... they wanted many more laps to come, and it was getting harder and harder for Sonic to put Amy first and himself last.

But he'd never lose that competition, no matter how much he was influenced by his own heart now, he'd never forget that it was her who had truly set him free and brought him back from the brink of despair and nothingness.

"This, technically,... isn't our first time having an 'unromantic' or 'not so beautiful' first, Amy." He teased, trying to close the distance again by his foot tap on her hip, waiting for her to join him on the ground again. "And as for stains, I don't mind swinging by to do a laundry and shower day again..."

He realized what he said and saw her slowly turn to him, her face completely reddened.

"I didn't mean it like that!" his eyes suddenly shrunk as she covered her mouth in shock. "Dang it, Amy, now you're making me sound dirty!"

"All the more reason for you to shower at my place, then?" her flirt left him speechless...

His mouth hung open before closing as he actually thought about the idea...

There was a pause as his teasing smile suddenly turned a little more serious... as though he didn't want to make a joke when this could be her way of subtly asking about his expectations too.

He suddenly realized he hadn't thought about it much... what did he want from Amy? An eternity of this amazing feeling? Kisses galore? Make up for lost time? Nah, that sounded too much... he didn't want to overdo it...

He decided on a honest question instead, "You... wouldn't be uncomfortable with me shoeless and gloveless again..? In your... own home?" he looked down a moment, remembering what she was like before and wondering if that had... maybe... changed?

"I wasn't uncomfortable." She admitted.

He frowned, narrowing his eyes, "Yeah, that was the problem."

"...Is it still?" she seemed to be implying something...

His eyebrows rose as though understanding, and he thought a second about it again. 'Man, I've never considered something so much in my life.' he slightly laughed at himself, but was glad he finally was giving it some time. "...You know what? No. Not a problem at all."

"So long as... those are... the only things you'd be taking?"

They stared at one another a moment, as though a silent exchange of wanting to talk about the future of whatever this was between them now was necessary.

He decided to go first, gently raising his back and knee up to lean on it as he spoke. "I agree, going forward, this should be special... I'll try my best to be more 'mature' next time." He waited for her to see that secret message in his eyes.

When she picked up on the subtly, she continued, "Are you only... interested in the mature parts?" she looked away, but that seemed to be something on her mind.

It was now that Sonic's eyes bounced at that odd expression she made, not realizing that that was probably something she still needed his help on. Assuring her, he gently move up and held her hand in both his own, trying to show some honesty in what he was about to say. The whole of her actions surprised Sonic, not having realized she was probably more worried about that than anything. Did he give off the wrong impression? Is that something... he could want? The mood seemed already killed but his feelings weren't dying without a fight.

This was the last puzzle-piece, the final step in truly stating why he wanted to be with her, what this was, and that she needn't worry about his feelings or intentions anymore. 'It's certainly hard... focusing on someone else's emotional state... when you can't even fully comprehend your own.' he turned her hand in his grasp a moment, as though gently flopping his two hands from side to side with her's sandwiched between the two. He was really thinking... trying to make sure that what he said next, would end any further discussion that they felt needed to be stated.

He loved her, he trusted her, and he wanted her. Now for the grand finale...

"I'm not kissing you for that." he admitted, and moved closer to encase her in his legs, not wanting any more excuses from either of them about things they already knew they felt.

"You look upset." he lightly kissed the side of her hair, the quill curled as though defensive, but he knew it was just Amy's nerves and excitement. After all... his quills were slightly tucking at points too... "And I worry about that." He kissed the side of her head, drawing closer to give her a path he was clearly making make to where they once were... her own lips...

It was to show once more for Amy that he was more concerned about her heart than all the other stuff combined.

He loved her. Man, he loved her so. He loved her not because of the sensations she gave him, nor just for gratitude's sake alone. He loved her for who she was, and waited to see if she accepted that or not.

She slowly... lowered herself back to the ground in front of him as he continued to lightly kiss down her head, making a turn at sweet red cheek's street... and looking back at the stars to tease her ever so slightly.

She nervously smiled back to him, as he grew weak in the knees and sheepish at how awfully adorable she was. She could make him feel a whole superstar track inside him, and he wondered if she knew it now.

Well, she was about to.

He smirked, seeing she didn't want to admit her surrender was because she was worried about why he was kissing her again... and that it wasn't just for the physical things.

Well, good thing to get sorted out right away, yeah?

He crawled closer and over her again, picking up back where they left off... "And that thing about worrying is..."

He continued to lightly kiss her, twice on the cheek, then smeared his lips down to her neck and shoulders as he felt her arms wrap around him again. Had to leave her waiting one last time... since this time, he didn't want any further interruptions. He knew she had worried about him so much during the drama of the dark essence, but he was never worried about her feelings for him being affected, in a sweet way, he knew she'd feel the same way about him so long as he never let the darkness hurt her.

When it overtook her, he worried only that she would be hurt, and seeing her pain, it was enough to leave him weakened at his very core. But even then, he knew she had what it took to break free of it, and he knew she had given him the same power too.

And at last, he could return it to her. Full blast, and no more second-guessing.

This light could grow, and turning to fall on the ground beside her, he didn't want to be above her. In all regards, he wanted to learn more about his feelings, and how to control them better. He wanted to know her feelings better, so little pauses like before didn't need to happen as much. He admired the strength that was unseen in her, and wanted to develop these found emotions better... For her sake, he only wanted to keep what they had gained.

Maybe... because finally,... he could admit he was happy here, in this moment with her and his emotions, too.

"That's basically the only sign I know of... for being in love."

It was the spark to the flame, the match that began a bonfire of events. They couldn't stop now, kissing and twisting in bold confessions. Lips sliding over the others as they held each other closer than ever before. No more darkness to worry about, no more trying to save the other... it was just... them. Together. Their feelings as one.

Though the grass was damp beneath them, there was a tender, careless sense of the world around them as they closed their eyes and dug for further understanding. What was this unknown? And how could they enjoy it better?

The scent was her, the sensations were her... the feelings and the tingling in their hearts and minds...

His arms... his touch... was this what all those romance novels called the coming together of two hearts? Where the pining and the longing finally amassed into one, huge declaration that seemed like it would never end on the screen?

When they pulled apart, there was an immediate desire to check on the other. Almost like a mutual, 'How are we doing? Is this alright?' and when they both noticed the other doing the exact same thing, they chuckled at their own innocent affections for the other.

Amy brought her thumbs up to line his eyebrows, sliding their arched outlines as she couldn't get enough of his eyes... dilated and honed in on her smile.

Her button nose taunted him. She kept rubbing it delicately against his own as though encouraging more snuggles after so much intensity. He leaned his forehead against hers and just sighed out a breath from his nose as though releasing something that had been dormant inside him for years.

Yearning... He had never felt this close to another being before.

"I can't stand the fact..." He whispered out lightly, rubbing his forehead with a careful amount of sweet pressure against hers once again. "That I have left you in this state for years... and never did a thing about it."

It was infectious. For a good minute, Sonic and Amy completely forgot about the party waiting for their hero's swift arrival. At this point, it was beyond fashionably late...

His hands played her back like a guitar string and she protested it tickled, but her playful fighting only made him laugh and want to do it more. She nipped at some of his quills that had curled so much they almost waved like a ocean's curl over her fingertips. IT was almost like they thought he was going to form into his hedgehog ball, but it was only out of excitement.

"You know I can feel that, right?" He played, poking her as she got one in her teeth and yanked slightly on it with a cute growl.

"Does it hurt?" she spoke while still having her mouth clamped playfully on his own. He thought it weird, but she gave him a look that stated that no matter the answer, it was fun to do anyway.

"Only if this doesn't!" he quickly reached up and bit one of her bangs, figuring that if he made one thing awkward, then the rest of the mood would be sullied to any new thing.

She blushed as the pleasure and slight tinge of pain as he ground the bottom bang-quill tenderly between this teeth and then spoke through them, "Well?"

"You're getting bold!" she flicked his nose as he released her, and rubbed her nose into his chest in her embarrassment. She was so happy. Insanely happy. She laughed as he tickled her again, "What's with all the tickling!?" She had only dreamed of something like this, but he was, in reality, privately affectionate it seemed.

She had only seen trances of an underlining attraction that she hoped he would express more fully one day... she had no idea he had so many walls before then. Before, this would have probably freaked him out to the point of no return, but now... Now he wanted to cuddle with her and kiss her constantly.

What more could she ask for? He had given her everything he had discovered and trusted her with learning more about his heart and his feelings... It was perfect.

"I just like seeing your 'I'm a brave woman trying to be super attractive' face break into the Amy Rose I've always known!"

Her 'delighting in the moment' raised smile and crushed eyes suddenly dropped to a look of fake offense, lifting off his chest and swatting a teasing scold with her hand at him.

"Why you-!"

Then a loud speaker really did sound on, and the static made the two break as their quills were sticking out in all sorts of directions, their clothes messy and full of grass stains.

"And now, it's time for our main hero, Sonic, to join us on the stage!"

"Oh, yeah... that." He smiled weakly, a curl at the tip of his smile showing that he honestly didn't want to leave yet. "We were just getting warmed up too... Barely started..." He sweated awkwardly but then sighed and reached for Amy again, acting like a crybaby. "I don't wanna~" he rubbed against her face and she sweetly held it up against her own.

"There, there~" she lovingly patted his cheek as he smiled at her motherly affection. "Didn't you say you'd want to kiss me again after this?"

He pulled away and gave her a very sly look, dipping down as though suggesting he wasn't done with 'this kissing' just yet, but she withdrew into herself as though turning shy at such a gaze.

He flung himself back on top of her with a few more kisses on her neck and ruffled up her quills before scooping her up and dashing back to the party, having her cry out in joy the whole time. "Ah! Sonic! Eee!"

"Man, the one night I want to myself." He joked, but Amy just kept massaging the nape of his neck...

"Hehe, I honestly can't believe that just happened... I'm ... I'm over the moon." she leaned her head against his shoulder, but then immediately realized her mistake and looked back up at him. "Sonic! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

He shook his head, "It's fine, Amy. It doesn't bother me anymore." He gave her his iconic wink. "Besides, it got me a girlfriend... kinda... didn't it?" he smiled confidently down to her.

She was overwhelmed in released butterflies at his words, but then coyly countered, "You always had a girlfriend, silly!" and pinched his nose, wiggling it around as he scolded her.

"Hey, hey! Watch it! Geez... you're suddenly obsessed with my nose now, or what?" He crinkled his nose and made a funny expression while doing so, trying to shake off the painful tease but Amy just laughed.

"I'm obsessed with every part of you~ Equally!" She poked his cheek and wiggled it in to taunt him further.

It was working... and he really didn't want to head back.

Sonic remained silent... just looking down at her with a red cheek that revealed his false frown entirely.

Then a thought skimmed passed his mind and he looked down at her with raised eyebrows...

"Ah! Don't think those things!" she hammered his head and made his footing stumble a little, but he kicked himself back up to speed and just looked away.

"I never said I was thinking anything,... ow." He squinted one eye at the hammer, though it wasn't her usual size and force. She covered her face, blushing as he shook his head at the typical 'Piko!' noise it made off his head. "You said it, so I don't know why I'm being abused..." He mumbled, and they continued that back and forth banter before finally arriving at the party.

"Heya, guys!" he beamed, but he completely forgot about how he and Amy looked... "Tails! How are ya?"

He was too happy... too beaming...

Tails, Knuckles, and Silver just stared, frozen in their gawking at their friends' appearance. However, their eyes were darting as fast as a pinball machine. Knuckles was putting two-and-two together, judging by their looks and how they acted on the battlefield... he was old enough to recognize a 'spontaneous rendezvous' when he saw one, being the oldest out of Tails and Silver too.

"Where were you two!?" Tails finally broke the shock on his face and shook his head, very stressed at the amount of time it took to find them. "We've been waiting forever! How long does it take to have a picnic?!"

Knuckles shoved his fist into his mouth, as though Tails said something Knuckles didn't want hear.

Sonic nervously noticed Knuckles was catching on... surprisingly... fast and decided to put Amy down. "We... um... were..." He slowly motioned his eyes to Amy, as though to ask for her assistance.

She was in dreamland... her eyes drooped with delight and wobbled as though drunk passed an innocent Silver, who thought out then.

"M-maybe they might have been fighting renegade robots still left in the area on their way back..?" He wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, showing signs he didn't feel comfortable scolding them so openly, "Besides, it's a party to honor him, so..."

"Rolling around in sandy, wet grass~" she cooed, waving a hand behind her as though to dismiss Silver's well-intended idea to the side. Shame, could have been a perfect cover-up too, but Amy didn't feel the need to lie or fib about it. "Hedgehogs! Whoo! We like to roll with it!"

Silver was still confused, "Then... what were you two-" He was cut off by Knuckles placing another hand in his over face, and looked to him to understand why he had one hand in his mouth and the other on his face. "K-Knuckles..?"

Sonic clutched his stomach and held in a coughed chuckle, but then smiled as casually as he could to his friends and fixed his hair and gloves, saluting them as he darted up to the stage.

"How's everyone doing tonight!?"

They cheered, excited to see him at last. He pointed his finger out as he gripped the stand-mic, "I'm feeling pretty good myself! Not gonna lie!" he tapped his foot down and for a second, missed Classic him... He could have filled in... even if he didn't—under any circumstances—need to know why.

"I have something very important to say, but before I do, I want to apologize for being tardy to my own party!" Making the finger-guns and jamming them out to the sides of himself, everyone got riled up again, and he adjusted the mic on the stand to match his height. "Alright, alright, but before we get into the festivities... I gotta recognize you guys. Not only did we risk our lives to take down Egghead and his finite goon." everyone cheered, "We also saved our planet... once again. And I honestly don't know if I could have done that without you all... So... from the bottom of my blue heart... Thank you." He nodded, and the crowd seemed to quiet down a bit, as though noticing his tone had turned a bit serious. "But there's gotta be an extra special call-out tonight, too. I mean, my friends did everything to pull me back from some... some crushing blows! Let me tell ya..." He pointed to where he knew Tails, Knuckles, and Silver were... as their faces lit up at his mention of them. "Or let me not..." He muttered out the side and back of his mouth, as though not wanting to bring up the 'dark, misty monster' side of things. "But I gotta publicly thank them too... without them, I couldn't have been the hero you're all honoring today. In every bit of the word... they are my heroes too."

Amy smiled from the crowd, watching as Sonic's eyes then met hers.

"Their valor... and bravery... is something I hope to never live down, to never stop striving towards... to make them proud to call me their friend and hero."

His eyes caught her up again, and she was swaying like that pining twelve year old again, unable to stop herself.

"But let me talk a quick second about Amy Rose for ya..."

Her eyes widened then and her body tensed up into a stick-like straightness as some of the crowd began to talk to themselves, confused, and then looked to her beside them.

"Not once, but twice did this girl fly two military armed vehicles into Eggman and Infinite's faces!" he pointed directly to her, as the crowd went right back to cheering and hollering their praises for her. "If that's not love..." He let all the energy subside and suddenly went limp as he met her glossy gaze again... she was so overwhelmed by his kindness... was this really the Sonic that used to run from her all those years before? "Then I really don't know what is."

Backstage, Silver began to wonder again, "Hmm... What does the future hold for for you all now..? Especially those two." He placed a hand up to his chin as though in deep though, "Without Amy, how else would we have gotten through to Sonic?" Clearly, speaking out loud seemed to be a habit of his.

Knuckles shrugged and wobbled his shoulders as though to shake off the uncomfortable knowledge he didn't want to express to the two younger boys, though they were clearly at the age that they should have known or at least noticed... he figured he didn't need to be the one to break it to them. "Whatever it is, I'm sure they'll tackle it head-on together." Knuckles coughed into his glove again after hearing himself say something off, as though trying to not think about perverted things as he shook his head. Rouge taught him a thing or two, though... "I'm sure they just had an innocent exchange... of words!" his eyes shrunk, "I meant to say words." he uncomfortably patted his gloves to his sides and tried to not make eye-contact with anyone.

Tails and Silver just looked to each other, not sure what to make of Knuckles's odd coughing fit.

"Now then, let's get this party started!" Sonic started up the band and began to sing with them, his voice was surprisingly well-pitched and decent, making it obvious that he had an affinity towards music.

I never knew I could fall in love so quickly,

Should have kno-o-wn it at fifteen.

Only took me a kiss to figure it out, beast threatened with doubt. Oh, no-o-o...

Made a vooooid, blackened my heart.

Shut everyone else out and tore myself apart.

But you came in like an angel

Bearing light, like a sentinel

You changed my life... My li-i-fe.

And loved me out of my mind.

Now, I can finally saaaay-ay~

He leaned into the mic, intensely staring her down as he bent to look down from the stage, eyes fixed on her.

"I love you."

It was the first time she had heard him say those words, and she covered her mouth as tears started flowing down her cheeks. The party had become a concert, and even though Sonic was on center stage, she knew it was all about her. And he was making is so... How easy would it have been? To just listen to Sonic and have left him all alone in his misery? Not easy for Amy Rose..!

I know that love is made through bliss,

Can't stay mad at a kiss!

I've got this,

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me baby! Come on!

I love you!

Shout it out!

I need you!

Kiss me till it's light's out.

I've never known, until it was shown, that love could be-e so free~

It would have challenged everything she was, and everything she had ever known to leave Sonic in that state. She was glad she never gave up now, and seeing him singing and getting the crowd energized with his stage presence, she knew that his presence in her life would far out last this humble gathering... these forces of love couldn't be snuffed out with a heavy darkness... light couldn't be hid, and he couldn't help but jump around the stage in his joy. She loved seeing it... his joy... which she knew, he gave her most of the credit for.

I never knew I could fall in love so quickly,

Now I kno-o-w, clo-o-se my eyes and she's

The light of my life~

The light of hope!

The light of truth!

I fell hard, I fell fast!

I wanted each and every moment to last.

I got hit, I got beat

Thought of defeat, but you wouldn't retreat!

You still never left my side! Oh, I-!

She held her hands up as though at a rock concert and banged her head a bit, deciding to dance with him. Seeing that, he smiled widely and began to get even more into the beat. Now the crowd was simply wild with the lights and entertainment, and Sonic truly was showing off his best vocals tonight! The taste of her still lingering on every note he sang...

I never knew I could fall in love so quickly,

Sensations grew, I fell for you

But you were always with me!

Ecstasy! Inside this heat! My fury couldn't stand

Made me realize, gave me time

To fall in love with you... was like falling into the blue

Blue heart~

Ohhh, Amy~

Don't say maybe~

Cause I can't stay mad at a kiss!

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me baby! Come on!

Beat the darknesssss~ With the Forcessss~

Of lo-o-ve!

Oh-woh-oh~ Oh, oh, ohhh!

Needless to say... there were plenty more things that happened throughout the night of partying, but two friends to lovers sat quietly upon a damaged rooftop, watching the stars comet by as more pockets of clear sky began to form a beautiful reminder... that love was far more eternal and powerfully more infinite than any other emotion could ever be.

Fin

(I think I'm done with the smoochies-smoochies and want to go back to just good, ol' and faithful, in-character fluff lolol. But hey, for a first attempt, I didn't do half bad, right?! I gave it a shot, and I died of feels. The end lol. Shall I place the bill now, good sport? It's free as blue hearts! hahahah look up the meaning of a 'blue heart' you'll die of further cute haha! Also sorry this took so long XD I was... you know what? I'm just gonna say I squealed too much at trying to write through those 'romantic' parts, okay?! I truly hope you did enjoy your meal, tho... and NO SEQUEL or SECOND SEASON for this! I'm done! I can't write hedgehogs smooching for so long and keep a straight face! MY CHEEKS HURT. My face is permanently red and my doctor says the aching feels of joy in my heart are lethal now. Don't even get me STARTED on Instincts or Metallic Need! I'm still trying to write a second season for those smoochie-like stories! lololol my suffering can never end X'D But then... it's still a good kinda pain lol Please enjoy my many other stories and those yet to be written. Stay tuned~)