Amy saw Sally at breakfast the next morning.
"Sally? I'd like to go back to my own world. I'll do what I have to."
Sally nodded. "The mission's planned. We'll be ready tonight, if that's alright."
Amy likewise nodded. "Everyone back home must be terribly worried about me! It's time, you know? Just time."
"I understand completely. Work with Bunnie and Rotor on the shells again, and then take a nap after noon. We're going in tonight."
Amy nodded. "Sally? Just… well, thanks for everything. For taking me in, and going to all this effort to send me back."
"No one should have to stay here who doesn't want to," Sally said.
"Like I said, thanks."
Amy shivered despite the heat. Just how missed was she? There was no way to know. On the other hand, she was quite sure that if someone from Knothole went missing, everyone would know.
It was so different from home. Back home, everybody could be miles away for days at a time, and that was normal. But normal was also safe back home. Here, there was danger every day that was unheard of in Station Square—but there was also a sense of community she'd never known.
"Hey Sal," said Sonic, entering the room at high speed. "It's time for the ring. Wanna help me snag it?"
"Sorry, I'm busy," Sally said. "Here, Amy, do you want to go?"
"What'll I be seeing?" said Amy, confused.
"Just say you'll come," said Sonic.
"I'll come," said Amy vaguely.
"Alright, past cool. Hold on to the straps, Ames," he said, gesturing to his backpack.
A few blurs later, Sonic came to a stop alongside the clearest pool of water she'd ever seen.
It was deep for its small size. It was smaller than a typical swimming pool, but about twenty feet deep. The waters themselves were clean, like the creek around Knothole; indeed, the waterfall that fed this pool looked like it came from the creek, and water flowed out of the pool along the creek's course. Amy peered into the waters and spied some sort of machine, nestled at the bottom.
Abruptly, that part of the waters began to glow gold. "Alright, just in time," Sonic said. He trotted over to a long log that extended over the pool. "C'mon, Ames, gimme a hand."
Amy followed him, noting that the end of the log was right before the glow's source. She extended a hand to him; he grasped it and used the balance to reach further out over the water.
Without warning, the glow intensified, and something shot up out of the water, spraying the very cold liquid everywhere. Amy looked away, but felt Sonic lunge; then he was back on the log, hustling her off of it.
When both were on solid ground again, Amy looked to Sonic to see him holding a large ring. It was about a foot in diameter, and it looked like it was made of pure gold. It was glowing in his hands, emitting a soft light that encouraged Amy to stare.
"This is a power ring," Sonic said. "My uncle made 'em. They're my not-so-secret weapons. I use this thing, I get a way-past-huge boost of energy. Doesn't last too long—usually just long enough to scoot-and-root outta there. But hey, that's all I need it to do."
"Wow," Amy breathed. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah," said Sonic. Then he clutched it to his chest and closed his eyes.
Amy knew enough about this world to understand what this meant. To Sonic, this wasn't just a weapon or a tool. It was hope in solid form. Using these, Sonic could survive when he otherwise wouldn't. These rings had doubtlessly saved him often, and they promised to do so again.
And if he could just keep surviving, then maybe, one day…
Sonic stuffed the ring in his backpack. "Gotta hang on to this for tonight," he said. "You ready to go home, Ames?"
"Am I ever!" she said.
Sonic laughed, then turned away. "It ain't so bad, you know," he said. "Living here… you get used to it. Heck, people go out of their way to try and find this place, trying to live here."
"It's probably better than most other places on Mobius," she said.
He chuckled. "Yeah, that's right. C'mon, let's get back to Knothole."
An oasis in the desert.
Ten eyes peered out of the Great Forest's border, gazing across the sea of grass at the hostile city waiting for them.
Sally looked at her companions. Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, and of course Amy. Sonic, Rotor, and Sally all wore backpacks. "Are we ready?" she asked.
They nodded. Amy did, too, and the motion caused her stomach to clench itself in knots.
Sally held up her wrist. "Synchronize… now."
Four watches beeped as one. Amy hadn't been given one because, if the mission succeeded, she'd have no chance to return it.
"You know what's up," Sonic said to Bunnie and Rotor. "Catch ya on the flip side."
"Later, sugar-hog," Bunnie's cheery voice returned. Bunnie and Rotor were already setting off across the brown.
Sonic yawned. "We've got a few minutes to kill, if we're going in with my speed."
"No, I want us to be less conspicuous," said Sally. "We'll walk."
Sonic grimaced. "C'mon, Sal. You know I hate going in there at anything less than full throttle. 'Sides, Amy isn't used to it. She'll be noisier than my running."
The words surprised Amy. It was the first time that she could remember where his criticism was meant in all seriousness—and it hurt more for that fact.
Sally's face had uncertainty. "Amy, can you handle it?" she said.
Another surprise—Sally was trusting Amy more than Sonic was. "Sure," she said, not knowing if she spoke the truth.
"We can always use your speed if we have to," Sally said, "but for now, we walk."
A twinge of uncertainty passed over Sonic's face—but it was gone just as quickly. He yawned again. "Fine, fine, but it's so BORING. Can we nail a Swat-head, just for fun?"
Sally answered him by setting off at a jog across the brown.
Sonic laughed, and caught her easily. Amy did the same, and confirmed what she already knew—outside of the city, she was much faster than Sally.
But it didn't matter.
The second trip into Robotropolis was not quite as terrifying as the first. Amy had gotten some good advice about how to protect herself, and she was putting it to use. Close your eyes as much as you can get away with; never look up, it hurts your eyes and scares you more; focus on where you're going, especially when following someone; and keep your ears open, despite the city's cacophony.
It gave her a small surge of pride to know that she was adapting quickly, that she could manage herself much better now.
That pride was squashed when she realized that Sonic was almost as good as Sally at stealth.
"Subtlety… isn't something my Sonic needs," she gasped during a short break. "You could teach him… quite a bit, I think."
He smirked. "I'm sure he's cool in other ways. I told you already, I am the coolest there is, no matter what world I'm on."
"Don't get carried away, Mister Freon," Sally said. "The hardest is yet to come."
She was quite right.
The first time Amy had come here, Sally had only taken her to the outer rings of industrial production, the Freedom Fighter's favorite hunting grounds. This time, they had to go much deeper, towards the R&D facilities nestled close to the Headquarters.
Amy remembered the advice again—"Don't look up, and never look at the HQ"—but it was hard to resist. The city's nerve center was imposing as well as gigantic. Amy found it difficult not to look at it when she was heading right for it. Other problems began to manifest, also—the temperature was much higher here than around the city's edge, and the pollutants were still thicker. Amy felt for sure she'd hack up a lung before they reached their target.
The only good thing about the city was that some of the buildings weren't in use. The factories, facilities, power plants, and processing stations were all enormous, but the buildings around them were leftovers from the Mobians who'd lived there before—so they went unused. As thick as the city's industrial development had become, demolishing and disposing of all the old buildings was apparently too large a project, even for Robotnik.
This meant that there were several places where it was safe to stop and rest. Sally seemed to know them all by heart.
Sally led them to their target without incident. "There," she said. The three animals were hiding behind a bundle of cables, each cable thicker than Amy's thigh. "That building is where Robotnik was running his experiments. We confirmed it the other night—all the equipment it still there."
This side of the building did not have the main entrance. When Amy peered through the smog, she could barely make out a door, and a camera above it.
"How are we going to do this?" she asked.
"This building is almost the same as it was before the takeover," Sally said. "That used to be a fire escape. I'm pretty sure it goes all the way up. The target we're looking for is on floor twenty-two."
Sonic and Amy grimaced—which surprised Amy, at first. Then she realized that you can't go super-fast on stairs. "What about the camera?"
Sally looked at her watch and began mouthing numbers. "Sonic, we need you to get us across the gap quickly. Get us to the door and inside… from now… fifteen seconds."
Sonic scooped up Sally, Amy grabbed at his backpack, and he began counting.
The camera abruptly stopped moving. Sonic was to the fire escape almost before it ground to a halt.
Then they were inside, out of the smog—and into darkness. Robotnik might not have destroyed the fire escape, but he had neglected it.
"Remind me to say thanks to Rote," Sonic said. "He knows his job."
By now Sally was using Nicole as a flashlight, and was already headed up the stairs. "Come on," she said, "we don't have much time."
With the improvement in the air quality, Amy felt some of her strength returning. Even so, twenty-two flights of stairs drained her just as assuredly as the smog had.
On the twenty-second floor, Sally authorized a short break. "Is everyone okay?" she said.
Amy pointed down the stairs. "I lost my thigh muscles about the fourteenth floor, but I'll be fine," she said. "Just don't ask me to go get 'em again."
Sonic smiled. "Good one, Ames."
Sally looked at her watch. "We're a little behind," she said. "We've got to hurry."
As they left the safety of the fire escape, they entered a short hallway with T-intersections at each end. Sally led them forward, making no sounds. At the T, she glanced right and left, waved them on, and proceeded down the right hall. Again, another hallway, this one with doors on both sides; at its end was another T intersection. As before, Sally led the group forward—but once they were past all conceivable cover, disaster struck. A group of Swatbots, guarding a cart bearing some kinds of experimental circuitry, entered the intersection ahead.
There was no way to avoid them or hide from them—Sally shouted, "Sonic!"
The hedgehog zoomed ahead of his companions and zipped around the bots, the wind and motion throwing off their balance. Sally had already launched into a full sprint, at the same time digging into her backpack. Amy was by Sally's side; without taking her eyes from her goal Sally tossed Amy the borrowed mallet.
Amy got it in her hands just as she reached striking range. She could see one of the Swatbots turn to her. It began to raise its hand—
Amy leapt, mallet raised, almost scratching the ceiling with her weapon. She brought it down on that menacing dome head—and watched the dome give way to her fury. The red eye shattered and the entire dome imploded. Amy followed through with her strike, bringing the Swatbot all the way to the ground.
Amy shook, arms almost numb from the force of the impact. Within a moment she rose to help her friends—but the battle was over. Two Swatbots had had their limbs detached by Sally's skill and dexterity, while another had suffered what Amy clearly recognized as a Sonic Spin.
Sally took charge immediately. "This changes things," she said. "Time to go all-out, they'll find us in a matter of minutes."
"Sal, there," said Sonic. They were standing near a series of windows; the windows looked over some kind of bay. At the end of the bay was a heavy door; along the side of the bay was a control station.
"That's it, right?" said Sonic. "Those doors block the dimension-thingie, right?"
Sally glanced at the wrecked Swatbots, then at the window. "Sonic, we're going through," she said.
"You bet we are!" he said, smiling broadly. He cleared himself a little room, then charged the window with a spin. It gave way before him. Sally and Amy followed him down into the bay, then raced over to the control station.
Sally plugged Nicole in hastily. "Nicole, analysis."
"AFK encryption only, Sally. Estimated time to break: fifteen seconds."
"Do it," she said. "We're in luck—it's not the full encryption, just the codes that protect it while a bot goes and does something, then comes…"
WHAM!
Amy panted with exertion, but gave the bot another strike. She hadn't gotten a running start, so the first blow hadn't knocked it down; she had to hit it often to keep it off-balance.
Sonic rescued her. With one attack, he finished the bot and sent its parts skittering off across the bay.
"Good catch, Ames," he said. "I sure didn't see it 'till you jumped him."
Amy's heart fluttered involuntarily, but relief was a more pressing emotion.
"I'm through," Sally said. "I'll need a few seconds to configure the… oh no…"
"What?" said Sonic, as he and Amy gathered around Sally.
"Mmeh heh heh heh…"
Sonic and Sally were on-guard, but Amy was still wondering what was going on.
"Mmeh heh heh heh…"
Laughter—menacing, dark laughter, very deep in pitch. It came out of the darkness like a cold wave, chilling Amy from every direction.
"Mmeh heh heh heh…"
On the side of the bay opposite the portal, a giant screen flashed to life. The sudden light forced Amy to look away—and when she looked back, she gasped.
The head was almost laughable—cone-shaped, with metal pegs in place of ears and a fly-away mustache. But, as with Sally, it was the eyes that got you—black eyes with red pupils, deeply malicious, frighteningly cunning, inescapably sinister.
Amy had never seen this face nor heard this voice, but even she knew it was Robotnik.
"Hello, princess," he said—his voice carrying just enough charm to be terrifying. "Why, whatever are you doing here? Poking around again… nosy, aren't we?"
"We're sending this girl back," Sally said, staring back at her foe. Amy felt more like a child than ever witnessing this clash of wills.
"As I knew you would," he answered. "I discovered that, during my last experiment, something—the size of a person—had passed through. Imagine my surprise when, two days ago, I get this picture?"
A small image formed in the corner of Robotnik's screen. It clearly showed Sonic and Sally snooping near the building they were now in.
"The rest was simple," he said. "And expected."
Amy's insides began to freeze. She heard clanking footsteps—more clanking footsteps than she ever hoped to hear in her life.
The windows overlooking the bay began to fill with Swatbots.
"But I am not unreasonable," said Robotnik. "I see you continuing to work, even as you try to stare me down. I am not stupid, and neither am I unfair. This girl has no need to be here. I'll allow you to send her back unharmed… on one condition."
Sonic smiled viciously. "We're sending her back anyway, Robo-butt, and you can't stop us."
"Can't I?" said Robotnik, eyebrow raised.
"Name your condition," said Sally. Amy seized up—was she stalling for time, or actually listening to the proposal? Sonic seemed to be wondering the same thing.
And so did Robotnik. He recovered quickly. "Simple," he said. "You send the girl back… but you go with her."
"What?" said Sonic, voice dripping with scorn.
"Imagine it," said Robotnik. His voice was equally soothing and malicious. "You'll be able to escape this needless war without death. No one else needs to die, or even be Roboticised. You obviously can't get away, so one of those things will happen—but you can solve all of that, just by stepping through the portal. I'll even be content to make peace with Knothole, after you're gone. I'll stop my searches for it altogether."
He smiled. "This very generous offer is one-time only, I'm afraid. I'll let the girl go home, as long as you follow her—or all of you die. Well?"
The portal doors began to open. Sally unplugged Nicole and herded her companions toward it, never taking her eyes off of Robotnik. "You've broken enough pacts, Robotnik," she hissed. "I know better than to listen to anything you say."
The footsteps continued to grow in number and volume; every window was bristling with blasters. Red eyes glared from every vantage point. "Anything I say? Well then, judge me by what I do. Even now, more Swatbot reinforcements are pouring into this building. You can't get out. To escape, you must go through the portal."
The doors were fully open now, and so were the gates that had held back Amy's fear. "Do what he says," she said.
"What?" said Sonic, whirling.
"Come with me," she begged. "It's the only way! My world is safe—you don't have to worry about it!"
"Didn't you learn anything while you were here?" said Sally.
"There's no way we can leave now," said Sonic, gesturing emphatically.
"Touching, but you're out of options, hedgehog." Robotnik's voice had a grain of annoyance now. "There's no more posturing to do, no more pretending. It's time to face the facts—you were never going to win, and we all know it."
"Get out of this nightmare, please!" said Amy.
"It's a nightmare, sure, but it's our nightmare," said Sally.
Robotnik shook his head, making sounds of disapproval. "A true shame, princess. You never struck me as the foolish type."
The clanking stopped—though apparently the cause was running out of room to move in rather than running out of Swatbots. "I'm begging you, you're gonna be killed!" Amy said. "Just come with me!"
Abruptly, Sally and Sonic eased out of their battle-stances. They looked at each other for a brief moment, and they smiled, as some decision was made. Then Sally turned full to Amy, her eyes aglow with compassion—and some of Sonic's recklessness. "We told you before," she said. "This is our world. This is our home—and we're going to get it back! You have a world, too. You have a place to go back to. So… go home!"
Sally was on Amy before Amy could suspect what she would do. Sally performed some kind of throw—and Amy found herself going through the portal.
But even as she fell, she saw Sally slipping a hand into Sonic's backpack.
All Amy's orientations fell apart as the nothingness enveloped her; suddenly she was looking at the roof of the bay, and it was all so far from her, farther every second. She saw a blinding flash of gold—and heard an agonized scream that sounded very much like it had come from Robotnik.
And then she was falling, falling, falling, falling… again.
Sonic tapped his foot impatiently. "Five days she's been gone," he said again, to no one and everyone at once. "Five days! Something's wrong."
"We know, we know," said Tails, in harmony with the rest of the police station.
Sonic threw his hands into the air. "Fine, I'm out of here." He had neither the patience nor the inclination to sit around, waiting for nothing.
The business of Station Square went along as normal, unaware of Sonic's desperate search. He'd been over this many times already—heck, he'd done five sweeps of the city in the first hour after she disappeared—but there was nothing else he knew to do.
He decided to start at the place he'd noticed her missing, the middle of 3rd Street. He sped in that direction and was greeted with an unusual sight.
A hole hovered in mid-air.
He drew close to it, half-curious and half-suspicious. He knew better than to stand under it, but he circled it tightly, wondering all the while.
Without warning, Amy Rose tumbled through the hole, impacting on the pavement.
"Amy!" Sonic shouted, rushing to her side. He glanced up long enough to confirm that the hole was vanishing, then turned his full attention to the prone hedgehog.
She was stunned by the fall, gasping for air, but when she realized who it was, she gained new strength. "Sonic!" she screamed, and with what little energy she could muster, she clamped on to him.
"Amy…" said Sonic, blushing mightily. It wasn't just her actions; she had a coating of muck and grime over her fur and she smelled terrible. He tried for a few seconds to get her off of him, but when he paused slightly, he realized she was weeping. He stopped what he was doing, letting her hold onto him, feeling her tears soak into his shoulder-fur.
"I'm… home…" she said, between sobs.
"Yeah," he said, ruffling her hair. "You're home." Her tears intensified again. Sonic's hands were idle by his sides, his uncertainty paralyzing. But as seconds passed and she showed no signs of change, he slowly began moving them. After several aching moments, he settled one hand on her shoulder, one on the small of her back. He looked to the sky.
And Sonic Hedgehog, who was widely known to have no patience whatsoever, who was unable to sit still unless physically unconscious, held that pose until Amy Rose finally passed out.
"Well… I wish some of the components had fallen through the hole, at least."
"Tails!" Amy shrieked. "Here I am, pouring out my heart to you, explaining the biggest and most terrible adventure I've ever been on… and all you can think of is, Why didn't she get me a souvenir?"
"I'm sorry!" Tails said, shrinking. He waited until her anger had abated before adding, "But you should be glad I'm even listening."
Amy huffed. "Yeah, Sonic left town as soon as I was back."
"You did embarrass the heck out of him in the middle of town," Tails said.
"I guess," Amy said emptily. Of course, she thought to herself, he didn't really freak out until AFTER he'd gotten me safely to my apartment…
"Hey, you're spacing out," Tails said.
Amy shook her head. "Sorry. But you know, I've had a lot to think about."
"Sounds like it," said Tails, turning back to some mechanical components.
Amy smiled. "Yeah, I can see how much you care."
"Give me a break, you've been telling me about it for three hours now! I need to let my ears regenerate."
Amy laughed. "Alright then, how about I explain it all in one or two sentences?"
"I'd like to see you try," Tails replied.
"Then I will," she said defiantly, and sat back in her chair to think. Almost a minute passed, but then she sat forward and spoke very clearly.
"The people of Knothole had strength, and bravery, and all the other things you're supposed to have when your life is tragic, incessant warfare. They had all the sorrows and joys normal people have, too, and still something more that makes them unforgettable. They could find, in each other, the strength to carry on… no matter what."
Silence.
"That was three sentences."
"Tails!"
"Well, the only reason I encouraged you was because I thought it'd take more thinking than that!"
"Keep talking like that, Tails, and I'll run an experiment with those components that involves repeated blows with a mallet."
"Augh! You… you enemy of all science!"
"Not at all," laughed Amy. "Just when I want to
be."
"Alright, time for you to go home!"
Amy laughed. She laughed because she knew.
She was home.
FIN