Amy and Cream
To Sonic the time around dawn is usually the quietest but the most impactful.
When the bugs and nocturnal creatures slowly silence their songs and rest as golden rays stretch across the sky to tangle with the faint streaks of red and purple clouds high above. The air can be crisp and dewy as shadows linger outside of the spots the light touches with its budding warmth. The diurnal creatures are waking from their sleep and joining the world with their own songs, their activity slowly bringing life to it. He loves seeing how zones can almost completely change between the last night ending and the new day beginning, on more than a few occasions he’s tried to keep pace with it, racing across the globe to keep the sun just below the horizon, Tails tried to explain to him that it was more that he was chasing the night than the day since he had to go away from the sunrise to keep it there but he wasn’t worried about all the technicalities.
He enjoyed the beauty no matter what it was called or how he stumbled on it.
Being chased by Cupid Sonic made enjoying the views more difficult for sure, but he wouldn’t be the fastest thing alive if he couldn’t buy himself short moments of reprieve by burrowing underground or looping back through forests, towns and cave systems. Cupid Sonic has a great sense for finding him and the speed to keep up, even if it’s with wings rather than his feet, but he didn’t have a tracker on Sonic, which was great for the blue blur but also meant when he did lose the shorter he was sure to spring back up again without warning, so breaks longer than a handful of minutes to breath and pick a new direction to run were out of the question.
“Come on,” Sonic complains under his breath, he had ducked into the cave to avoid another onslaught of arrows, and as he looks deeper to the various paths his nose is filled with the smell of deep earth and metal. The walls were solid dirt and rocks packed behind intervals of wooden slabs, strings of lights hung from the low ceiling to light the way and minecart rails run along the ground branching from the different intersections with the occasional lever to help switch tracks. “Hurry and pick a path, don’t know how long he’ll wait out there before coming in and you have no idea if there’s any other exits.”
He takes off down the path closest to him, kicking up dust and sending the lights swinging. It’s a short dead end though so kicking off the back wall he flips around and heads down the next one, zigzagging down the rows with each row getting longer and lower into the cave system. Kicking up so much dust in such a small area is aggravating on his nose so he’s grateful when one of the tunnels finally opens to a wider cave system. Feeling the thrill of finding a new location he can’t help grinning and grinding along the rails as they continue on, winding through the brightly lit cavern and jumping between lines when there was a stray minecart still on the tracks. He launches himself into the air with a whoop when two minecarts block his path, spindashing through a hanging sign before landing back onto the rails and picking up speed as they decline, going deeper into the system as the lights becomes more sparse and shadows along the walls get larger and thicker, the rails finally end off at a short blockage wall that he flips onto to scan where he had ended himself off at. It was a smaller cavern than the one that had been closer to the surface, not as well lit or picked at as it had been, likely a newer discovery by whatever group had found this location but with little supplies left behind he couldn’t make heads or tails of who said group could be so instead of getting distracted by that he decides to focus on the faint light he sees off to the right side of the room coming from a small opening. It’s more natural than the light bulbs which means it might be another exit so crossing the room he lets his eyes adjust to the new brightness as he walks into a new cavity, this one though isn’t enclosed like the other two had been.
“Whoa…” He gasps slowly, an awed smile spreading across the hedgehog’s muzzle as he takes in the beauty around him. This one is deeper where the others had been wide and has a large gash in its upper ceiling that exposes the lightening sky, allowing the rising sunbeams to slice through, its golden tones bathe the room and the water that drips in create refracting rainbows that bounce across the eroded walls, sending ripples across the shallow pool in front of him. “This must be a sinkhole, can’t tell if it’s natural or from a past battle though. I’d love to stick around and explore but I’ll have to leave that for later, can’t get caught while taking in pretty views after all.”
Nodding to himself he runs along the walls, with a small push off he races up it to jump out the opening, he enjoys a breath of fresh air after the dustiness of the caves before looking down the hill rise to notice he was actually a few short miles outside of Emeraldville Ruins. He might get the chance to run through Restoration HQ for some water before Cupid Sonic catches back up. Though even if he does, the ruins would give the speedster plenty of cover to dodge behind before he takes off again, with that figured out he zips down the hill towards the wrecked city.
Just outside of Restoration HQ Amy takes in the morning air and beauty of the dawning sky. Being underground for long stretches already drives her crazy enough half the time, but helping Jewel learn the ropes of management and coordinating group efforts has been a feat in and of itself. Not by any issue on Jewel’s side, honestly Amy was so thankful the beetle had volunteered to take over her position and she had already been doing amazing work, the issue came from the fact that there was just so much to do. From the war and it’s recovery efforts, learning about the Ancients and their history on the Starfall Islands to even the most recent crisis with the metal virus nothing seemed to be settling down long enough for them to take more than baby steps in the direction of recovering, houses and businesses having to be rebuilt and people once found now missing again with no means of getting in contact with loved ones, not to mention there being no signs of the remaining Deadly Six since Zavok had been carted to prison last she had heard. Overall everything had been ground to a halt and was just starting to get back into motion again, she was proud of everyone’s efforts but she couldn’t say it wasn’t exhausting.
“Miss Amy? Are we going to finish getting what we need? We have to hurry before everyone is up so it can be a wonderful surprise!”
But no matter how exhausting or how many times bad things happen she’ll work hard to help get everyone home and everything fixed, she’ll keep a smile on her face and hope in her heart just like the sweet, strong young rabbit next to her.
“Just got a little distracted, don’t worry about me Cream, we’ll make everyone the best Valentine’s Day sweets ever!” Amy cheers, grabbing the girl’s hand as they giggle and run into the ruins with their baskets swings on their elbows. “We just need some berries and roses from Silver’s Garden then we’ll have everything we need to make our treats and rose tea! This will totally bring up peoples’ spirits and who knows, maybe it might get some people to confess their feelings! Oh~ wouldn’t that be so cute Cream?!”
“It would! Everyone has been working so hard and been so down, but I’m sure our sweets and getting to celebrate will make everyone feel better!” Cream nods her head, her ears flap and lift her off the ground a bit in excitement as Cheese chirps along and flies between them.
“Of course it will, Valentine’s Day is all about love! It’s so wonderful, all the hearts and gift giving and acts of affection!” Amy giggles dreamily, using her free hand to cup her cheek, almost slipping into her fantasies; she quickly snaps out of it as a gust of wind whips by, it pulls at the two’s clothes and fur and she rushes to push her dress down. She gently pulls the smaller girl out of the air with the hand she’s still holding and stands protectively in front of her, facing where the wind had faced as she readies herself to summon her hammer or tarot cards. “Cream! If I say run-!”
“Whoa-Take it easy! Sorry to scare you two, I didn’t know anyone would be out this early, my bad!”
Cream pokes from behind Amy’s back, smiling widely as she still holds the older girl’s hand. Cheese coos from next to her, giving his own greeting as she talks. “Good morning Mr. Sonic, we are ok, just surprised! How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine, just on a bit of a mission so I was hoping to run by HQ for water and head out.” Sonic returns Cream’s smile with his own, dashing back over to throw an arm around Amy’s shoulders and pull her into a friendly hug while patting Cream’s head between her ears. “What are you two doing up so early? Heading home after being stuck at HQ too long?”
Amy huffs good naturedly, leaning into the hug to enjoy it while she can. Sonic typically isn’t the one initiating their hugs, that’s mainly left to her and Tails, on the occasions he is really worried, so it’s nice to take in just how close they’ve gotten over their time knowing each other and fighting together. “I wish, sadly there is still a lot of work to do. We’re heading over to Silver’s garden to pick up some berries and roses to make Valentine’s Day desserts for everyone in the HQ as a pick-me-up. If you’re not in too much of a rush you could join us for a bit? And what’s this mission you’re on anyways, I don’t remember Jewel mentioning sending you on any yet?”
She watches curiously as he looks around the ruined buildings, his casual smirk is on full display as usual but she notices the slight tension behind it, how his eyes are more focused than a casual glance would warrant. He’s looking out for something, Amy doesn’t know for what or who, she debates asking him about it but he also doesn’t seem genuinely worried or stressed like he would if there was an actual threat. Sonic can be cocky and arrogant, Amy has known this basically since they met and it’s nothing he hides, however she also knows he cares deeply and would never put his friends in danger intentionally. He would take any threat against her or any of the others very seriously, so if whatever he’s looking for isn’t serious enough to bring up then she’ll trust him like she always has, if anything she can try to prod Tails about it later if need be.
“Ah it’s not really an official mission or anything like that, just something I gotta take care of.” He shrugs, pulling away to shrug his shoulders and spin to walk backwards, keeping pace as they continue their walk. “It should be finished by the end of the day so it's no sweat. It’s sweet of you guys to do this for the others by the way, I likely won’t get to stay long but I can at least join you on the way to the garden, besides I didn’t know Silver had gotten it all set up and all. Wasn’t this whole area ungrowable because of the bombs and such, how’d he get anything to grow?”
“Ah Miss Blaze helped with that!” Cream pipes in, swinging the hand still being held in Amy’s and leaning around her to look at Sonic. “Apparently Miss Blaze taught Mr. Silver that burning the ground helps get rid of the bad chemicals that were hurting the ground. Once they did that Mr. Silver was able to start growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables and even some flowers. It's been very nice having fresh ingredients when cooking.”
“Whoa really? That’s pretty cool, I think I might have heard something about that before but never really thought about it.” Sonic muses, eyes sweeping around them again before tilting his head towards Cream to give her a playful grin. “Heh~ I love nature but I just don’t have the patience for gardening, not quite my speed you know?”
She giggles with Cheese while Amy huffs again, her own playful smile making its way to her muzzle. “It might do you some good to learn that patience, you can start your own garden and maybe grow some lilies instead of that big head of yours.”
“Ha ha, I’ll have you know my head is all natural, grown with plenty of sunlight and everything.” Sonic huffs back, one hand resting against his peachy chest fur while the other runs through his quills to smooth them down teasingly. His eyes shut as he tilts his head back slightly, while still walking backward he misses the eye roll Amy shows to Cream, causing the rabbit and her chao to giggle again, before he rightens himself in time to spin around and stop with the toes of his shoes at the edge of a crater.
It wasn’t the hugest, only half a block around and about ten or so feet deep -Amy had seen bigger and more destructive ones during other battles with Eggman- but what made this one special was what was nestled at the bottom. Among the repurposed rubble that had been turned into a stepping stone path and growth-bed markers there was a small multi-section garden in various stages of growth, like Cream had mentioned before there was a small variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers; like tomatoes, pumpkins and sunflowers along with the berries and roses they had come for. There is a sewer pipe sticking out of the hole’s wall that had been made into a drain pipe for rainwater, filtering it into a barrel beside a quaint shed-like structure made out of broken wall sections that had been cemented together with a cracked glass door as its entrance. A wind chime made out of colorful broken bottles had been tied to the metal roof and would clink when a breeze swept into the crater.
It really wasn’t a lot taking it as it was, but where it is, how it has come to be and what it means to Silver and those in the HQ made it more than it appeared.
Amy couldn’t help taking it in with a smile every time she saw it, and looking over to see the same soft proud smile on Sonic’s muzzle and she couldn’t help but appreciate it that bit more. She knows he’s been through a lot, has seen in small ways how everything lately has taken a toll on him no matter how much he brushes it off. So getting to see this softness again, this peace at taking in one small, nearly meaningless, thing and knowing there’s still hope, she’s sure it means a lot to him.
She shifts closer to Sonic, leaning lightly into his side only to feel a poke on her other side. It surprises her and she blinks down at Cream but the rabbit isn’t paying her any mind as she talks to Cheese about how many roses they will need and if they could take any extras to Chocola and her mother. She turns to Sonic and he’s still taking in the garden, hands resting on his hips and foot tapping absentmindedly on the asphalt in a lazy rhythm.
She remembers when Sonic would run away just at the sight of her, he hardly talked back then or really interacted with anyone besides Tails and Eggman, so after growing up a bit and reflecting on those times she could see how she would have been pretty overwhelming for him. She remembers constantly stumbling on him during his adventures or chasing him afterwards to practically beg for a minute of his time, to get to know her hero, the hero that would risk his life constantly for the freedom of others and the protection of nature, she wanted to be with someone that selfless, strong and caring. Sonic was all of that, she would be one of the first to sing the blue hedgehog’s praise, but she’s also gotten to know that he isn’t just a hero; he’s a guy that enjoys the praise but doesn’t do what he does for that, he does it for his friends and for total strangers because they never stay strangers for long, he enjoys getting to be a show off and doesn’t shy away from his own cockiness because he always backs it up with genuine skill and talent in anything he does and if he screws something up he’s always willing to admit it and work harder to be better even if it knocks that cockiness down a peg or two. His warm emerald eyes and kind heart were just as beautiful to her as the rube eyes and empyrean aura of his super form, the thing he becomes when he takes the wishes of the whole world onto his shoulders to perform miracles at the risk of his own life every time.
She’s learned and loved so much about her hero, but she’s learned about the boy underneath with all his faults and mistakes and loved him even more…even if it isn’t the same way she did before. And maybe acknowledging all of that she’s come to another realization, but she’ll think about that later.
Ignoring Sonic’s questioning look she sets her basket on the ground and steps closer to cup his hands in hers, pressing them to her chest and meets twin pairs of emeralds with her own, his eye ridges raise but he doesn’t pull away so she smiles lovingly and lets the words bubbling in her throat spill out. “I love you Sonic, we tease and sass each other but you’re such an amazing person and I’m so grateful we’re friends because we’ve both grown so much and been through so much together. While I’m not in love with you like I used to be when we were younger, I hope we both find someone in the way we want.”
Sonic’s eye ridges widen even more, she would almost be hurt but his silence if she couldn’t practically see the smoke coming from his ears as he tried to process what she had said.
Chuckling softly she steps back slightly but holds their still joined hands between them, rubbing her thumbs over the backs of his hands. “I’m not sure what brought that on honestly, but I just really felt like I had to get that out so Happy Valentine’s Day, Sonic the Hedgehog.”
“...Thank you Ames, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.” He finally seems to process what she said and his soft smile returns, his slack hands from before strengthen to gently squeeze hers back. His eyes shift to something behind her and sharpen slightly before flicking back to her with renewed determination. “You’re one of my best friends, you deserve the best in the world and I’m sure you’ll find someone who fits you way better than me. Sadly my mission has caught up so I have to split, save me some of those desserts and tea?”
She blushes a bit but nods firmly, releasing his hands to plant hers on her hip and give him a cheeky thumbs up. “Only because you gave a good answer, now go do whatever you’re needing to and you better not forget or I’ll eat them myself, got it?”
“Loud and clear, Ames! I’ll be back tomorrow, wouldn’t miss out on them for the world!” He returns the cheeky thumbs up before twisting around her to pat Cream and Cheese, who had been watching quietly. “See you later Cream, keep being cool and Cheese keep watching her like you are, little guy.”
“Bye Mr. Sonic!” Cream calls into the ruins as he disappears into a blur of blue, Cheese cooing his own goodbye as well. “Mr. Sonic really is amazing Miss Amy, he’s so kind and friendly and helps everyone, I wanna be like him and you when I grow up!”
“Aww like me too, Cream?” Amy coos, giving the smaller a quick hug before picking up her basket and leading them both down into the crater.
“Of course Miss Amy! You’re amazing too, you’ve done so much to help everyone and being brave when things are scary just like Mr. Sonic, like he said ‘you’re the best’! Of course I would want to be like you!” Cream cheers, kneeling down by the berries to start picking some with Cheese.
Her gloves get a little dirty pressing against the ground and shifting through the leaves but she’s gaining a steady pile of the fruits as Amy takes the shears out of her basket to carefully snip away roses from the bushes, making sure not to take too many so it doesn’t ruin the growth. They work in peaceful silence for a few minutes before Cream draws Amy’s attention by giggling.
“What’s up Cream, did Cheese do something?” The pink hedgehog asks, turning from the rose she was going to snip to the brown rabbit still on the ground.
“No no, Cheese is behaving besides taking a berry now and then.” The girl assures, dusting her gloves before turning around to look at Amy. “I did have a question though Miss Amy, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Amy smiles, turning back to the roses. “Not at all Cream, ask away!”
Cream giggles again, closing off her basket so Cheese can’t get to the food inside. “You told Mr. Sonic you don’t like him like you used to and you used to want to marry him…so does that mean there is someone else you want to marry Miss Amy?”
-Snip-
Amy gasps, stumbling back a bit as a branch of the rose bush is cut off, Cream gasps as well but the hedgehog spins around to chuckle in embarrassment and hide the shears -and damaged bush- behind her. Her muzzle feels like it’s burning and flashes of purple fur and golden eyes cross her mind only making her blush more as she shakes her head. “W-Well-I-I mean-not marry-like-maybe waaaaaay later-s-she might not even l-like me like that-just-I haven’t even asked her on a d-date yet let alone-!”
Cream crawls over as Amy slowly sinks to the ground, her peachy muzzle red before she covers her face and groans lowly. The rabbit pats her shoulder, trying to comfort her while still smiling sweetly. “Don’t worry Miss Amy, I’m sure Miss Blaze likes you too, maybe you’ll even get to see her today since Mr. Sonic said she would try to visit.”
Amy just continues groaning, she wonders where Sonic went so she could help him instead of facing this.