HOME | DD

Description
Amy stood atop the shrine of Angel Island. Behind her and to her left, leaning against a nearby pillar with a cocky smile, was Sonic. To her right, idly inspecting her glove, was Rouge. Beside her was Tails, his twin tails shifting nervously. At the base of the shrine were Gemerl and Omega, their sensors linked to the Tornado and Auto-Tread, the transforming vehicle that Rouge and Omega had arrived in, keeping a vigilant watch for any of Eggman’s forces.

Standing before her, his arms folded across his chest and brow furrowed, was Knuckles. His impassive face was framed by his dreadlock spines, his pointed knuckles projecting through his gloves casting short shadows across the backs of his hands. Behind him, the massive Master Emerald sat in its cradle, the sunlight refracting through its crystalline interior casting a soft green glow across the paved stones of the shrine.

Sighing, Knuckles rubbed his forehead. “Let me just make sure I’ve got all this. You can’t attack Eggman, because he’s got this energy shield around his ship.”

Nodding, Tails clasped his hands behind his back. “Yeah.”

Nodding, Knuckles continued in an unusually calm voice. “And Eggman is using Shadow to power this shield. Because of this, you can’t break the shield without hurting Shadow.”

“Right again.” Rouge answered in a bored voice.

Shooting the pale-furred bat a momentary irate glance, Knuckles took a calming breath. “So to get around this, you plan on using Chaos Control to teleport onto Eggman’s ship.”

Closing his eyes, Sonic idly tapped his foot against the paved surface of the shrine. “Three for three.”

His eyes narrowing, Knuckles fixed a penetrating gaze on Amy. “And since Eggman has all the Chaos Emeralds, you want to use the Master Emerald to make this work?”

Taking a nervous breath, Amy nodded. “That’s about it.”

“Hmm.” Tapping at his elbow, Knuckles turned and walked towards the Master Emerald, seemingly absorbed in thought. Turning, Amy glanced anxiously at Sonic, who grinned and started counting off the fingers on his hand. 5........4........3........2........1......

“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!”

Wincing at Knuckle’s irate bellow, Amy almost would have found his expression funny if the situation wasn’t so serious to her. “Never mind the sheer idiocy of using the Master Emerald for that, do you even have a concept of what the word ‘guardian’ means?” he ranted. “It is my job to protect the Master Emerald from people like Eggman. And you want to basically drop it onto his front step? Would you like to gift wrap it while you’re at it?”

Rolling his eyes, Sonic sighed. “Come on, Knucks. You know we would never let Eggman take the Master Emerald.”

“Oh, stuff it, Sonic. This is the most moronic plan you have ever come up with.” Raising his hands, Knuckles shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I want to stop Eggman and help Shadow as much as anybody. But there is no way in hell that I am going to let you take the Master Emerald onto Eggman’s ship.”

Pushing away from the pillar, Sonic gestured impatiently at the stubborn echidna. “Knucks, cut us a little slack, will ya. We’re not going to let Eggman have the Emerald. The only we can stop Eggman and save Shadow is if we get on the Egg Carrier. And the only way we can do that is if we use the Master Emerald. It’s the only thing left with enough power to get us all there. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t tapped into the Master Emerald before. Remember when we had to stop the Ark from falling out of orbit? You tapped into it then.”

Gritting his teeth furiously, Knuckles tried to suppress the urge to punch his friend. “That was a completely different situation. Besides, the Master Emerald is the only thing keeping Angel Island aloft. What do you propose to do about that?”

Rolling her eyes in irritation, Rouge huffed. “Oh, don’t give me that, Knuckles. I can recall at least one occasion where you have purposely smashed the Emerald to keep it out of Eggman’s hands, and you certainly weren’t worried about the island falling out of the sky then.”

Cautiously stepping forward, Tails gestured towards the Master Emerald and nodded. “And this time, we can make sure the island has a controlled, easy descent, instead of just falling.”

Shaking his head, Knuckles held up his hands. “Fine, fine. But this nuts. You’re talking about using the Master Emerald to initiate Chaos Control. It’s not like using a normal Chaos Emerald. The Master Emerald is the most powerful artifact on the planet. I’ve been guarding it all my life, and even I have no idea just how powerful it is. You could end up accidentally killing yourself if you lose control, Sonic.”

“Sonic won’t be doing it. I will.”

His eyes widening in surprise, Knuckles looked at Amy. “What? You? Why?”

Taking a deep breath, Amy screwed her eyes shut. “Because for the last five months, I’ve been training with Shadow. And Chaos Control is one of the things he taught me.”

Silence descended on the group. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles looked at her in surprise and astonishment at her proclamation, while Rouge simply observed quietly. She had to admit, it was somewhat gutsy to admit something like that.

Sighing, Amy continued. “Look, Sonic, you’ve teleported using Chaos Control what, once? None of the rest of you have ever done it. I’ve done it twice. Besides, this was all my idea. I’m going to be the one to carry it out.”

For one of the few times in his life, Sonic was speechless. Wow. So that’s what she was up to. That’s.......kinda crazy.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.” Holding out his hands, as if to ward off the sheer insanity of what he was hearing, Knuckles shook his head. “This was your idea Amy? Okay, I would almost expect something this crazy from Sonic. Stupidity is kind of his thing. But you? Fangirl crush aside, I always thought that you were pretty smart. But to come up with something like this, I seriously can’t believe it.”

Recalling how Amy had reacted in her apartment when she had mentioned her former crush, Rouge winced, waiting for the inevitable explosion. Ah, Knuckles, you thick-headed echidna. Way to go.

Much to everyone’s surprise, however, Amy remained silent. Her face held a sad expression as she looked at the ground, her spines obscuring her view. Finally, she spoke. “Knuckles, please. I know that this is a lot to ask. If there was any other way, any other way, I would take it.” Raising her head, Knuckles was astonished to find tears in her eyes. “But there is isn’t. This is the only way. I wouldn’t even think of asking you to do this if it wasn’t. So please.” Grabbing his hands, Amy clasped them to her heart. “I’m begging you. Please help me. Help me rescue Shadow.”

Sonic almost wanted to laugh at how awkward Knuckles looked, but not right then. “Come on, man. We owe it to Shadow. He’s put up with a lot, more than pretty well any of us. We owe him this.”

Pulling his hands out of Amy’s grip, Knuckles turned and walked back to the Master Emerald. “Aaaaaugh.” Laying his hand on the massive gem, he remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he sighed. “This is completely insane. There is no way I am letting the Master Emerald out of my sight.”

Turning, he grinned. “So you had better have room for one more on this trip.”

Abruptly, Amy slammed into him and hugged him tightly enough to make his ribs ache, burying her face into his neck. “Thank you.” she whispered, struggling to contain the rising tide of happiness and barely suppressed fear within her.

Smiling awkwardly, Knuckles gestured to Sonic with a ‘help me’ look, but the blue hedgehog simply shook his head and shrugged helplessly as he grinned. “Uh, sure thing, Amy. No problem.” he said, awkwardly patting her back.

-

Half an hour later found Amy sitting at the very edge of the island, her feet dangling in open air as she gazed forlornly at the horizon. She could feel the faint rise in her stomach as the island drifted down out of the sky, like when you were in a descending elevator. Her thoughts were awash with what they were about to embark on, her heart thumping with the truth that she had finally accepted, whole-heartedly. Taking a deep breath, she sighed.

“Hey.”

Barely blinking at the voice behind her, Amy leaned back and braced herself with her arms. “Hi.”

Standing with his arms folded as he leaned against a tree, Sonic studied the girl in front of him. “Mind if I join you?”

Amy shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

Settling down beside her, Sonic sat with one leg bent beneath the other, his hands clasped over his knee. Neither hedgehog said anything for a long time, just gazing out across the ocean together. Smiling slightly, the azure one rested his head on his knuckles. “You know, I don’t think we’ve ever done this. Just sat together.”

Closing her eyes, Amy tilted her head back slightly as a breeze wafted over her. “No, I don’t think we have.”

“Hmm.” Several long seconds passed, and finally, Sonic sighed. “So, I’ve got something to say. You probably don’t want to hear it, and if you leave, well, I wouldn’t blame you. ”

Turning to look at him, Amy studied the blue hedgehog. For once, his face wasn’t cocky, or proud, or any of the usual expressions that could be found there. She didn’t say anything, simply waiting. Maybe she felt that she owed him just that much for agreeing to help her. Maybe she was genuinely curious about what he had to say. Who could tell? But she stayed.

Chewing over his thoughts, Sonic felt awkward for the first time since he could remember. “Okay, here goes. Amy, I.........” shifting uncomfortably, he searched for the words, then sighed. “......I’ve been a jerk. And it’s been my fault.” Resting his forehead against his knuckles, he gazed at the ground. “I should have been clear about how I felt about you from the beginning. When we first met on Little Planet, I........let’s face it, I was a kid. Back then, love was this weird girly thing that I didn’t care about.” He sighed. “But that doesn’t excuse how I treated you for the next ten years. I ignored how you felt about me, because I just didn’t want to face it. I was a jerk and a coward, running away at the first opportunity. And it kills me, because in doing that, I might have alienated one the people who have always stood by me, when I should have been a real friend and returned the favor. And for that, I’m sorry. I understand if, after this, you don’t want anything to do with me anymore.” Screwing his eyes shut, he sighed again. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

For a long, agonizing moment, Amy was quiet. Returning her gaze to the distant horizon, she thought about his words. Finally, she sighed and bowed her head. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Sonic. It’s my fault that we’re in this mess. I spent ten years blindly ignoring the obvious, chasing a dream that was unfair to you. I should have seen that we were better as friends than as a couple. I was just too afraid to be honest with myself. And because of that, I’ve hurt us both.” Drawing her knees up to her chest, she hugged herself. “I hope you can forgive me for that.”

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Sonic looked at her in amazement. “Me, forgive you? Amy, I should be asking you to forgive me for being a lying prick all these years.”

Turning an anxious gaze on him, Amy shook her head. “I was the one being a stupid fangirl all the time.”

The pair stared at each other, then blushed and looked away, the tension broken. “Heh, look at us. Still arguing over who’s fault it is.” Sonic chuckled.

Nodding, Amy wiped a tear from her eye. “Now we’ve just switched sides.”

A moment passed as they stared at the horizon again. Amy sighed despondently. “Let’s just admit it. We were both to blame.”

Nodding, Sonic smiled softly. “Yeah. We were young and stupid.” Turning to gaze at her, he held out his hand, palm up. “Can we at least still be friends? I’d honestly hate to lose you, Amy. I might not love you the way you wanted me to, but I still care about you a lot.”

Looking at his white-gloved hand for a moment, Amy blushed slightly, then nodded. “Yeah.” Taking his hand, she gave it a slight squeeze. “I’d like that.”

Grinning, both hedgehog’s turned their attention back to the horizon. For his part, Sonic was just happy that he had his friend back. As for Amy, she was marveling at just how much she had changed. A few months before, she would have given anything to be in a situation like this, just holding hands with her biggest crush. Now, sitting there with one of her closest friends, she understood just how precious that ability was.

A comfortable silence passed, and yet, something started niggling at Sonic’s mind. “So, since we’re friends again, would you mind if I asked you a question?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Sure. What is it?”

Unsure of what to say, the blue hedgehog scuffed at the ground with his foot. “Amy, what was that about back there? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you asked me for help. And you know that I’d always jump at the chance to spoil Eggman’s day. It’s just....” mulling over his thoughts, he paused. “It seems like this is different for you. Like this is something really important. And when we’ve been talking about it, you always seem to emphasize more on rescuing Shadow, rather than stopping Eggman.” Raising his hands defensively, he swallowed and backpedalled mentally. “Not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just......is there something else going on? I’ve never seen you act like that, and I’ve certainly never heard you beg for anything.”

Mulling over his words, Amy stared over the edge of the island at the ocean below. She was quiet for a long moment, trying to decide how best to voice her thoughts. “Yeah, there is something else.” Sighing, she leaned down and began tracing in the dirt between them. “I guess I should start at the beginning. Do you remember the day that you........‘broke up’ with me?”

Sonic nodded, his eyes following her finger in the dirt. “Yeah, I remember. Don’t think I’m ever going to forget that day.” he joked.

Smiling softly at his words, Amy tilted her head a vague shape formed beneath her finger. “I guess you could say everything started on that day. After I had finished.......with my little tantrum, I ran into Shadow again. I guess the place that I had planned on taking you to was where he went to think. Anyway, he told me that I only had myself to blame, that it was my own fault for deluding myself all these years. It hurt to hear it, but he was right.”

Grinning slightly, Sonic nodded again. “Shadow has never had a problem with being honest, has he.”

Giggling quietly, Amy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s true.” Smiling sadly as her thoughts drifted back through the memory, she continued. “One of the things that he told me was, as long as I relied on others to save me and take care of me when I was in trouble, I would never be able to move on. And he was right again. I mean, I taught myself to fight just so that I could impress you, not to actually protect myself. So, I asked him to train me.”

Sonic glanced at her. “And he said yes? No offense, but I just can’t see that happening.”

“Hmm.” Pulling her hand away to study the mess of lines, Amy shook her head. “Actually, he refused at first. Said that it was a waste of his time.”

Grinning, Sonic laid down and interlaced his fingers beneath his head. “See, that’s the Shadow I know.” His expression grew somber. “So, what made him change his mind?”

“Honestly, I’m not completely sure.” Returning to her drawing, Amy tilted her head. “When I asked him, all he said was that he had made a promise, and that he always kept his word. Didn’t say anymore, and I didn’t press him on it.”

Tapping his foot on the ground, Sonic gazed up at the cerulean sky. “Huh. Wonder what he was talking about.” he mused.

Amy shrugged. “Anyway, we started the next day. He took me out to this place out in the wilderness, so that nobody would interrupt us. Shadow takes training very seriously.” Poking the ground in a couple places, she smiled. “And that’s where we stayed, for five months.”

Chuckling, Sonic shook his head. “Man, I still find that so hard to believe.” Turning slightly, he looked up at the pink hedgehog beside him. “But, I guess today has been pretty weird all around.”

Smiling down at him, Amy brushed a couple of her spines out of her face. “Then this part is really going to blow your mind.”

Frowning, Sonic propped himself up on one elbow, steadying his head in his hand. “Oh yeah? Try me.”

Leveling a cool gaze at the azure speedster, Amy smiled coyly. “Remember Cream’s birthday party?”

Nodding uncertainly, Sonic wondered where she was going with this. “Yeeeaaaaahh?”

“The next morning, I kissed Shadow.”

“What!” So surprised was he, that Sonic’s head actually slipped out of his hand and struck the ground, making Amy giggle. “Ow!” Rubbing the side of his head, he sat up and gave her a disbelieving gaze. “You kissed Shadow? Okay, now I know you are making this up.”

Giggling, Amy brushed the dirt off her gloves. “Nope. It’s true. Ask Rouge, she walked in on us.”

Flabbergasted, Sonic could hardly believe his ears. “How did that happen?”

Turning her malachite gaze out of over the ocean, Amy sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. We were out there for five months. Over time, something just............changed. I don’t know how to explain it.” She smiled softly. “And then that morning..........We had talked for a little bit. I think I learned more about him that morning than I had the whole time we’ve known him. I got swept up in the moment, and........kissed him.”

Studying the expression on her face, Sonic wondered. Silence passed for heartbeats, then he spoke up. “Amy, do you love him? Is that why you’re doing this?”

Blushing, she stared at the ground, then turned and embarrassed look at the blue hedgehog. “Is it that obvious now?”

Grinning, Sonic chuckled. “Kind of, yeah.” Laying back down, he blew a breath between his lips. “Wow.” A thought occurred to him and he glanced at her. “What about Shadow? Does he love you?”

Smiling, Amy smoothed out the dirt between them. “I think so. I mean, it happened again yesterday, except that time, he kissed me.” Blushing furiously, she brushed a couple loose spines out of her face again. “It’s just, we haven’t said it. I mean, we couldn’t say it. Shadow has never been in a situation like this, and I admitted it to myself today.” Looking at Sonic sadly, she blinked back faint tears. “That’s why this is so important to me, Sonic. When I saw him in Eggman’s message, what he was doing to him...........I couldn’t bear it.”

Grimacing, Sonic nodded. “Yeah. This is a new low, even for Eggman.”

Amy shook her head. “No, it’s more than that. Shadow hasn’t had an easy life. Even if I can’t be with him, I have to at least tell him the truth of how I feel.” Brushing her hand across her eyes, she tried to quell the rising tide within her. “He deserves some happiness in his life.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Sonic sighed. “Yeah, I understand.” Pausing for a second, he frowned. “Actually, I don’t understand. What'd you mean, ‘even if you can’t be with him’? I get that Shad’s hasn’t been in a situation like this before, but that shouldn’t matter. Am I missing something?”

Sighing, Amy hugged her knees to her chest. “It’s........complicated, Sonic.”

Sitting up, Sonic shook his head. “Why? If you love him, and you’re pretty sure he loves you, what’s stopping you?”

Burying her face into her knees, Amy tried not to cry again. “It’s just..........it’s just the way it is, okay? That’s all.” Sighing, she got to her feet. “Come on, we should head back.” Turning, she walked away without another word.

Staring after her, Sonic frowned in confusion and concern. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. Why do these things have to be so confusing? he thought as he got up and followed her.

-

The pair were nearly back to the Master Emerald’s shrine when they felt a shudder run through the island as it settled into the ocean. Breaking into a run, both hedgehogs looked up as a shadow passed over head, revealing itself as Rouge. “I was just coming to look for you two. Where have you been?” she asked, her wings gracefully sweeping through the air.

Glancing at the silent Amy, who resolutely stared ahead, Sonic shrugged. “We were sorting some stuff out.”

Nodding, Rouge gazed at the pair quizzically. “Whatever. Let’s go, the sooner we get this show on the road, the better.”

Grinning, Sonic accelerated. “No argument here.”

Glancing up in time to see the three arrive, Tails grinned as he finished adjusting his Miles Electric computer. “Hey guys.” Noting the downcast look on Amy’s face, he frowned. “Uh, is everything alright?”

Giving herself a mental shake, Amy nodded. “Yeah. Sonic and I had just been talking.” Smiling, she grabbed her hammer from where she had left it in the Tornado-1 and hefted it onto her shoulder and smiled bravely. “We’re friends again.”

Smiling in relief, Tails loosed a pent-up sigh. “That’s good. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”

Tossing a thumbs up at his best friend, Sonic grinned. “No sweat, bro. So, what’s the plan?”

As the group gathered into a circle, Tails activated the holographic projector on his computer, creating a glowing green cross-section of the Egg Carrier in the air as Rouge stepped into the middle of the group. “Okay, here’s the deal. Amy, with Knuckle’s help, is going to teleport all of us onto the Egg Carrier, into this storeroom here.” Pointing, she glanced at Tails, who zoomed in on where she was pointing. A small cluster of pictures formed around the image. “And before you ask, Knuckles is just going to help you because he’s familiar with my Emerald. Think this will be enough to focus on?” she asked, giving the pink hedgegirl a pointed look.

Looking at the image, Amy frowned, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Rolling her eyes, Rouge sighed. “Good enough. Once we’re on board, we’ll split into three teams. Team Two, consisting of Tails and Gemerl, will head for the nearest computer terminal and hack in. Your goal is to shut down that shield, both so that we can hopefully be able to get Shadow unhooked from the system, and provide us with an exit route. You’ll also provide technical support on the fly. Got it?”

Both Tails and Gemerl nodded in agreement. “Once we find a computer, between the two of us, it shouldn’t be too hard to get past Eggman’s firewall.”

Nodding, Rouge turned her attention back to the schematic. “Good. Team Three, Knuckles and Omega, will stay on the move. Once Eggman figures out how we got on board, there is no way he’s going to pass up the chance to steal the Master Emerald, especially when he thinks he has the advantage, being on his own ship and all. Expect a lot of Eggbots.”

Grinning in anticipation, Knuckles punched his spiked fists together. “I’d like to see them try. Eggman’s tin cans couldn’t best me on a bad day.” Opposite from him, Omega ran a short diagnostic. “Eggman’s inferior robots will be nothing but scrap.”

Smiling at her teammate, Rouge chuckled. “Naturally.” Turning to Sonic and Amy, the pale-furred bat stuck her thumb into her ample chest. “Team One, comprised of myself, Amy, and Sonic, will go rescue Shadow. Most of the pressure will be divided between us and Team Three, but that’s not really a concern.” Grimacing, she turned back to Tails and handed him a data card. “This will be.”

Plugging the data card into his computer, the young fox gazed uncomfortably as the holographic image changed, forming the shape and image of a familiar intimidating figure. “Mecha Shadow.”

Raising his hand, Sonic grinned. “Dibs on Robo-Shads.”

Amy looked at her friend worriedly. “Are you sure? Eggman was right, even you’ve never been able to beat Shadow. Do you really think you can beat something that can?”

Chuckling, Sonic gave her a thumbs up. “No problem. Eggman loves to build his plans of shaky ground. I’ve never beaten Shads because we’ve never finished a fight. Something’s always come up to interrupt us. So yeah, I may have never beaten Shadow, but Shadow has never beaten me either. So this copy beating Shads doesn’t mean anything.”

“Ahem.” Both hedgehogs looked at Rouge, who stood with her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face. “It might help if you actually knew something about this thing.” Turning back to the floating image of the robot, she grimaced. “Mecha Shadow is state-of-the-art Eggman. He’s got more firepower than even Omega, and I don’t mean in conventional weaponry, though it has those in spades. This thing has full access to Chaos powers, and being powered by at least one Chaos Emerald, that makes it dangerous.” Turning back to the pair, she started tapping her fingers on her elbow. “Not only that, but it also uses an advanced camouflage system that keeps it virtually invisible, even when moving at full speed. This thing can come at you, and you wouldn’t even know it. Furthermore, when Shadow and I faced this thing last night, it was being powered by FIVE Chaos Emeralds. That’s why Shadow lost. He’s powerful, and had a Chaos Emerald of his own, but even Shadow can’t stand up against that kind of power alone, let alone you Blue Boy.”

Put off, Sonic grimaced. “Okay, so it might be a bit harder than I thought.”

A coy smile formed on the thief’s face. “Oh, come now, giving up already? I didn’t say that you had no chance of winning.” Taking a step back, Rouge leaned against the Master Emerald, drawing a wary glare from Knuckles. “After all, we have something Eggman doesn’t.” She grinned. “Welcome to Phase Two of the plan. Team Three will get to a good defensible position. There, Knuckles will use the Master Emerald to knock out the Chaos Emeralds. Without them, taking down Mecha Shadow will almost be like taking down Metal Sonic, and how many times have you done that?”

Everyone, save the robots, grinned. Continuing, Rouge pushed herself away from the Master Emerald. “Once Eggman loses the Emeralds, Sonic will go after Eggman solo, while Amy and I will meet up with Teams Two and Three in the main hanger, sabotaging the Egg Carrier as we go along. Tails has set up a remote control system for our planes, all of which are holding Extreme Gears. As soon as Eggman is out of the picture, we get out of there. End Game.” Taking a short bow, Rouge stepped out of the circle.

Crossing his arms, Sonic grinned. “Awesome. Eggman is going down big time.”

Shutting down the projector on his computer, Tails slipped it into his backpack. “There’s just one more thing we need to remember. Rouge is pretty sure that once Eggman’s shield goes down, the G.U.N is going to act fast. They’re not going to hesitate to try to take out the Egg Carrier.”

Nodding in agreement, Rouge folded her arms. “I checked in with HQ. General Tower is still arguing against launching a missile strike, but it’s a losing battle and he knows it. The President is going to have to do what’s best for the United Federation. I’ll send the General a message just before we jump to the Egg Carrier, and that may buy us a little time, but I’m not going to count on it.”

Sonic shrugged. “So we’ll have a deadline, so what? We go in, smash some bots, rescue Shadow, beat Eggman, and get out. Easypeesy.” Turning, he looked at Amy in concern. “You sure you can get us there? I mean, you might have some experience with Chaos Control, but you haven’t moved this many people before. Think you’ll be okay?”

Shaking her head firmly, Amy clenched her hammer. “I don’t have a choice. Either I do it, or we give up now, and that’s not a choice at all.” Smiling appreciatively, she placed her hand on Sonic’s shoulder. “Besides, with Knuckles giving me a hand, I’m sure there won’t be any problem.”

Sighing, the echidna in question turned and placed his hands on the Master Emerald. “Alright, enough standing around yammering. If we’re gonna do this lets do it already.”

Grinning, Sonic rolled his eyes. “And he says I’m impatient?” Chuckling, he clapped Amy on the shoulder. “You know what Amy? I think you’re gonna do fine. You’ve never let me down in the past, you’re not gonna start now.”

Amy suddenly embraced him, taking the hedgehog by surprise. “Thank you Sonic. That means a lot to me.” she whispered.

Smiling, for once in his life Sonic returned the hug. “Hey, come on. No mushy stuff right before a mission.” he chuckled. “I’m glad we’re friends again, Amy. You’ll be great. I believe in you.”

Smiling, Amy wiped the tears from her eyes as she released the hedgehog, and stepped up to the Master Emerald, taking a breath as she stood opposite from Knuckles. The muscular echidna eyes her in concern. “Hey, you sure you can do this?”

Taking a deep breath, Amy fixed her hammer to her back and nodded, placing her hands on the massive gem before her. “Yeah. Like I said, I don’t really have a choice.” Taking another breath, she swallowed as she felt the pulsating hum of energy beneath her palms. I think.

Knuckles shrugged. “Alright. Just, don’t force it. Let the power come to you.” Both of them closed their eyes, and taking a deep breath, Knuckles began intoning. “The servers are the Seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The heart is the controller. The controller serves to unify the Chaos........Lend us your power, Master Emerald. Take us to where we must go, that we may do what must be done.”

The hum of energy beneath Amy’s hands pulsated in response to the prayer, and she concentrated firmly in her mind the image of the storeroom within the Egg Carrier. Her breathing quickened as energy flowed up her arms, filling her with an unbelievable sense of power. As when she had used the Chaos Emerald, she had a distinct sense of the energy being alive, thrumming with activity, but this time it seemed much more directed, purposeful, as though there was a distinct something behind it. Concentrating, she let the energy build up inside her, and remembering what Shadow had taught her, sent the energy out into the world.

To the outside world, a bright orb of light expanded over the shrine, then vanished.

Description
Amy stood atop the shrine of Angel Island. Behind her and to her left, leaning against a nearby pillar with a cocky smile, was Sonic. To her right, idly inspecting her glove, was Rouge. Beside her was Tails, his twin tails shifting nervously. At the base of the shrine were Gemerl and Omega, their sensors linked to the Tornado and Auto-Tread, the transforming vehicle that Rouge and Omega had arrived in, keeping a vigilant watch for any of Eggman’s forces.

Standing before her, his arms folded across his chest and brow furrowed, was Knuckles. His impassive face was framed by his dreadlock spines, his pointed knuckles projecting through his gloves casting short shadows across the backs of his hands. Behind him, the massive Master Emerald sat in its cradle, the sunlight refracting through its crystalline interior casting a soft green glow across the paved stones of the shrine.

Sighing, Knuckles rubbed his forehead. “Let me just make sure I’ve got all this. You can’t attack Eggman, because he’s got this energy shield around his ship.”

Nodding, Tails clasped his hands behind his back. “Yeah.”

Nodding, Knuckles continued in an unusually calm voice. “And Eggman is using Shadow to power this shield. Because of this, you can’t break the shield without hurting Shadow.”

“Right again.” Rouge answered in a bored voice.

Shooting the pale-furred bat a momentary irate glance, Knuckles took a calming breath. “So to get around this, you plan on using Chaos Control to teleport onto Eggman’s ship.”

Closing his eyes, Sonic idly tapped his foot against the paved surface of the shrine. “Three for three.”

His eyes narrowing, Knuckles fixed a penetrating gaze on Amy. “And since Eggman has all the Chaos Emeralds, you want to use the Master Emerald to make this work?”

Taking a nervous breath, Amy nodded. “That’s about it.”

“Hmm.” Tapping at his elbow, Knuckles turned and walked towards the Master Emerald, seemingly absorbed in thought. Turning, Amy glanced anxiously at Sonic, who grinned and started counting off the fingers on his hand. 5........4........3........2........1......

“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!”

Wincing at Knuckle’s irate bellow, Amy almost would have found his expression funny if the situation wasn’t so serious to her. “Never mind the sheer idiocy of using the Master Emerald for that, do you even have a concept of what the word ‘guardian’ means?” he ranted. “It is my job to protect the Master Emerald from people like Eggman. And you want to basically drop it onto his front step? Would you like to gift wrap it while you’re at it?”

Rolling his eyes, Sonic sighed. “Come on, Knucks. You know we would never let Eggman take the Master Emerald.”

“Oh, stuff it, Sonic. This is the most moronic plan you have ever come up with.” Raising his hands, Knuckles shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I want to stop Eggman and help Shadow as much as anybody. But there is no way in hell that I am going to let you take the Master Emerald onto Eggman’s ship.”

Pushing away from the pillar, Sonic gestured impatiently at the stubborn echidna. “Knucks, cut us a little slack, will ya. We’re not going to let Eggman have the Emerald. The only we can stop Eggman and save Shadow is if we get on the Egg Carrier. And the only way we can do that is if we use the Master Emerald. It’s the only thing left with enough power to get us all there. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t tapped into the Master Emerald before. Remember when we had to stop the Ark from falling out of orbit? You tapped into it then.”

Gritting his teeth furiously, Knuckles tried to suppress the urge to punch his friend. “That was a completely different situation. Besides, the Master Emerald is the only thing keeping Angel Island aloft. What do you propose to do about that?”

Rolling her eyes in irritation, Rouge huffed. “Oh, don’t give me that, Knuckles. I can recall at least one occasion where you have purposely smashed the Emerald to keep it out of Eggman’s hands, and you certainly weren’t worried about the island falling out of the sky then.”

Cautiously stepping forward, Tails gestured towards the Master Emerald and nodded. “And this time, we can make sure the island has a controlled, easy descent, instead of just falling.”

Shaking his head, Knuckles held up his hands. “Fine, fine. But this nuts. You’re talking about using the Master Emerald to initiate Chaos Control. It’s not like using a normal Chaos Emerald. The Master Emerald is the most powerful artifact on the planet. I’ve been guarding it all my life, and even I have no idea just how powerful it is. You could end up accidentally killing yourself if you lose control, Sonic.”

“Sonic won’t be doing it. I will.”

His eyes widening in surprise, Knuckles looked at Amy. “What? You? Why?”

Taking a deep breath, Amy screwed her eyes shut. “Because for the last five months, I’ve been training with Shadow. And Chaos Control is one of the things he taught me.”

Silence descended on the group. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles looked at her in surprise and astonishment at her proclamation, while Rouge simply observed quietly. She had to admit, it was somewhat gutsy to admit something like that.

Sighing, Amy continued. “Look, Sonic, you’ve teleported using Chaos Control what, once? None of the rest of you have ever done it. I’ve done it twice. Besides, this was all my idea. I’m going to be the one to carry it out.”

For one of the few times in his life, Sonic was speechless. Wow. So that’s what she was up to. That’s.......kinda crazy.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.” Holding out his hands, as if to ward off the sheer insanity of what he was hearing, Knuckles shook his head. “This was your idea Amy? Okay, I would almost expect something this crazy from Sonic. Stupidity is kind of his thing. But you? Fangirl crush aside, I always thought that you were pretty smart. But to come up with something like this, I seriously can’t believe it.”

Recalling how Amy had reacted in her apartment when she had mentioned her former crush, Rouge winced, waiting for the inevitable explosion. Ah, Knuckles, you thick-headed echidna. Way to go.

Much to everyone’s surprise, however, Amy remained silent. Her face held a sad expression as she looked at the ground, her spines obscuring her view. Finally, she spoke. “Knuckles, please. I know that this is a lot to ask. If there was any other way, any other way, I would take it.” Raising her head, Knuckles was astonished to find tears in her eyes. “But there is isn’t. This is the only way. I wouldn’t even think of asking you to do this if it wasn’t. So please.” Grabbing his hands, Amy clasped them to her heart. “I’m begging you. Please help me. Help me rescue Shadow.”

Sonic almost wanted to laugh at how awkward Knuckles looked, but not right then. “Come on, man. We owe it to Shadow. He’s put up with a lot, more than pretty well any of us. We owe him this.”

Pulling his hands out of Amy’s grip, Knuckles turned and walked back to the Master Emerald. “Aaaaaugh.” Laying his hand on the massive gem, he remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he sighed. “This is completely insane. There is no way I am letting the Master Emerald out of my sight.”

Turning, he grinned. “So you had better have room for one more on this trip.”

Abruptly, Amy slammed into him and hugged him tightly enough to make his ribs ache, burying her face into his neck. “Thank you.” she whispered, struggling to contain the rising tide of happiness and barely suppressed fear within her.

Smiling awkwardly, Knuckles gestured to Sonic with a ‘help me’ look, but the blue hedgehog simply shook his head and shrugged helplessly as he grinned. “Uh, sure thing, Amy. No problem.” he said, awkwardly patting her back.

-

Half an hour later found Amy sitting at the very edge of the island, her feet dangling in open air as she gazed forlornly at the horizon. She could feel the faint rise in her stomach as the island drifted down out of the sky, like when you were in a descending elevator. Her thoughts were awash with what they were about to embark on, her heart thumping with the truth that she had finally accepted, whole-heartedly. Taking a deep breath, she sighed.

“Hey.”

Barely blinking at the voice behind her, Amy leaned back and braced herself with her arms. “Hi.”

Standing with his arms folded as he leaned against a tree, Sonic studied the girl in front of him. “Mind if I join you?”

Amy shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

Settling down beside her, Sonic sat with one leg bent beneath the other, his hands clasped over his knee. Neither hedgehog said anything for a long time, just gazing out across the ocean together. Smiling slightly, the azure one rested his head on his knuckles. “You know, I don’t think we’ve ever done this. Just sat together.”

Closing her eyes, Amy tilted her head back slightly as a breeze wafted over her. “No, I don’t think we have.”

“Hmm.” Several long seconds passed, and finally, Sonic sighed. “So, I’ve got something to say. You probably don’t want to hear it, and if you leave, well, I wouldn’t blame you. ”

Turning to look at him, Amy studied the blue hedgehog. For once, his face wasn’t cocky, or proud, or any of the usual expressions that could be found there. She didn’t say anything, simply waiting. Maybe she felt that she owed him just that much for agreeing to help her. Maybe she was genuinely curious about what he had to say. Who could tell? But she stayed.

Chewing over his thoughts, Sonic felt awkward for the first time since he could remember. “Okay, here goes. Amy, I.........” shifting uncomfortably, he searched for the words, then sighed. “......I’ve been a jerk. And it’s been my fault.” Resting his forehead against his knuckles, he gazed at the ground. “I should have been clear about how I felt about you from the beginning. When we first met on Little Planet, I........let’s face it, I was a kid. Back then, love was this weird girly thing that I didn’t care about.” He sighed. “But that doesn’t excuse how I treated you for the next ten years. I ignored how you felt about me, because I just didn’t want to face it. I was a jerk and a coward, running away at the first opportunity. And it kills me, because in doing that, I might have alienated one the people who have always stood by me, when I should have been a real friend and returned the favor. And for that, I’m sorry. I understand if, after this, you don’t want anything to do with me anymore.” Screwing his eyes shut, he sighed again. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

For a long, agonizing moment, Amy was quiet. Returning her gaze to the distant horizon, she thought about his words. Finally, she sighed and bowed her head. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Sonic. It’s my fault that we’re in this mess. I spent ten years blindly ignoring the obvious, chasing a dream that was unfair to you. I should have seen that we were better as friends than as a couple. I was just too afraid to be honest with myself. And because of that, I’ve hurt us both.” Drawing her knees up to her chest, she hugged herself. “I hope you can forgive me for that.”

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Sonic looked at her in amazement. “Me, forgive you? Amy, I should be asking you to forgive me for being a lying prick all these years.”

Turning an anxious gaze on him, Amy shook her head. “I was the one being a stupid fangirl all the time.”

The pair stared at each other, then blushed and looked away, the tension broken. “Heh, look at us. Still arguing over who’s fault it is.” Sonic chuckled.

Nodding, Amy wiped a tear from her eye. “Now we’ve just switched sides.”

A moment passed as they stared at the horizon again. Amy sighed despondently. “Let’s just admit it. We were both to blame.”

Nodding, Sonic smiled softly. “Yeah. We were young and stupid.” Turning to gaze at her, he held out his hand, palm up. “Can we at least still be friends? I’d honestly hate to lose you, Amy. I might not love you the way you wanted me to, but I still care about you a lot.”

Looking at his white-gloved hand for a moment, Amy blushed slightly, then nodded. “Yeah.” Taking his hand, she gave it a slight squeeze. “I’d like that.”

Grinning, both hedgehog’s turned their attention back to the horizon. For his part, Sonic was just happy that he had his friend back. As for Amy, she was marveling at just how much she had changed. A few months before, she would have given anything to be in a situation like this, just holding hands with her biggest crush. Now, sitting there with one of her closest friends, she understood just how precious that ability was.

A comfortable silence passed, and yet, something started niggling at Sonic’s mind. “So, since we’re friends again, would you mind if I asked you a question?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Sure. What is it?”

Unsure of what to say, the blue hedgehog scuffed at the ground with his foot. “Amy, what was that about back there? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you asked me for help. And you know that I’d always jump at the chance to spoil Eggman’s day. It’s just....” mulling over his thoughts, he paused. “It seems like this is different for you. Like this is something really important. And when we’ve been talking about it, you always seem to emphasize more on rescuing Shadow, rather than stopping Eggman.” Raising his hands defensively, he swallowed and backpedalled mentally. “Not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just......is there something else going on? I’ve never seen you act like that, and I’ve certainly never heard you beg for anything.”

Mulling over his words, Amy stared over the edge of the island at the ocean below. She was quiet for a long moment, trying to decide how best to voice her thoughts. “Yeah, there is something else.” Sighing, she leaned down and began tracing in the dirt between them. “I guess I should start at the beginning. Do you remember the day that you........‘broke up’ with me?”

Sonic nodded, his eyes following her finger in the dirt. “Yeah, I remember. Don’t think I’m ever going to forget that day.” he joked.

Smiling softly at his words, Amy tilted her head a vague shape formed beneath her finger. “I guess you could say everything started on that day. After I had finished.......with my little tantrum, I ran into Shadow again. I guess the place that I had planned on taking you to was where he went to think. Anyway, he told me that I only had myself to blame, that it was my own fault for deluding myself all these years. It hurt to hear it, but he was right.”

Grinning slightly, Sonic nodded again. “Shadow has never had a problem with being honest, has he.”

Giggling quietly, Amy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s true.” Smiling sadly as her thoughts drifted back through the memory, she continued. “One of the things that he told me was, as long as I relied on others to save me and take care of me when I was in trouble, I would never be able to move on. And he was right again. I mean, I taught myself to fight just so that I could impress you, not to actually protect myself. So, I asked him to train me.”

Sonic glanced at her. “And he said yes? No offense, but I just can’t see that happening.”

“Hmm.” Pulling her hand away to study the mess of lines, Amy shook her head. “Actually, he refused at first. Said that it was a waste of his time.”

Grinning, Sonic laid down and interlaced his fingers beneath his head. “See, that’s the Shadow I know.” His expression grew somber. “So, what made him change his mind?”

“Honestly, I’m not completely sure.” Returning to her drawing, Amy tilted her head. “When I asked him, all he said was that he had made a promise, and that he always kept his word. Didn’t say anymore, and I didn’t press him on it.”

Tapping his foot on the ground, Sonic gazed up at the cerulean sky. “Huh. Wonder what he was talking about.” he mused.

Amy shrugged. “Anyway, we started the next day. He took me out to this place out in the wilderness, so that nobody would interrupt us. Shadow takes training very seriously.” Poking the ground in a couple places, she smiled. “And that’s where we stayed, for five months.”

Chuckling, Sonic shook his head. “Man, I still find that so hard to believe.” Turning slightly, he looked up at the pink hedgehog beside him. “But, I guess today has been pretty weird all around.”

Smiling down at him, Amy brushed a couple of her spines out of her face. “Then this part is really going to blow your mind.”

Frowning, Sonic propped himself up on one elbow, steadying his head in his hand. “Oh yeah? Try me.”

Leveling a cool gaze at the azure speedster, Amy smiled coyly. “Remember Cream’s birthday party?”

Nodding uncertainly, Sonic wondered where she was going with this. “Yeeeaaaaahh?”

“The next morning, I kissed Shadow.”

“What!” So surprised was he, that Sonic’s head actually slipped out of his hand and struck the ground, making Amy giggle. “Ow!” Rubbing the side of his head, he sat up and gave her a disbelieving gaze. “You kissed Shadow? Okay, now I know you are making this up.”

Giggling, Amy brushed the dirt off her gloves. “Nope. It’s true. Ask Rouge, she walked in on us.”

Flabbergasted, Sonic could hardly believe his ears. “How did that happen?”

Turning her malachite gaze out of over the ocean, Amy sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. We were out there for five months. Over time, something just............changed. I don’t know how to explain it.” She smiled softly. “And then that morning..........We had talked for a little bit. I think I learned more about him that morning than I had the whole time we’ve known him. I got swept up in the moment, and........kissed him.”

Studying the expression on her face, Sonic wondered. Silence passed for heartbeats, then he spoke up. “Amy, do you love him? Is that why you’re doing this?”

Blushing, she stared at the ground, then turned and embarrassed look at the blue hedgehog. “Is it that obvious now?”

Grinning, Sonic chuckled. “Kind of, yeah.” Laying back down, he blew a breath between his lips. “Wow.” A thought occurred to him and he glanced at her. “What about Shadow? Does he love you?”

Smiling, Amy smoothed out the dirt between them. “I think so. I mean, it happened again yesterday, except that time, he kissed me.” Blushing furiously, she brushed a couple loose spines out of her face again. “It’s just, we haven’t said it. I mean, we couldn’t say it. Shadow has never been in a situation like this, and I admitted it to myself today.” Looking at Sonic sadly, she blinked back faint tears. “That’s why this is so important to me, Sonic. When I saw him in Eggman’s message, what he was doing to him...........I couldn’t bear it.”

Grimacing, Sonic nodded. “Yeah. This is a new low, even for Eggman.”

Amy shook her head. “No, it’s more than that. Shadow hasn’t had an easy life. Even if I can’t be with him, I have to at least tell him the truth of how I feel.” Brushing her hand across her eyes, she tried to quell the rising tide within her. “He deserves some happiness in his life.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Sonic sighed. “Yeah, I understand.” Pausing for a second, he frowned. “Actually, I don’t understand. What'd you mean, ‘even if you can’t be with him’? I get that Shad’s hasn’t been in a situation like this before, but that shouldn’t matter. Am I missing something?”

Sighing, Amy hugged her knees to her chest. “It’s........complicated, Sonic.”

Sitting up, Sonic shook his head. “Why? If you love him, and you’re pretty sure he loves you, what’s stopping you?”

Burying her face into her knees, Amy tried not to cry again. “It’s just..........it’s just the way it is, okay? That’s all.” Sighing, she got to her feet. “Come on, we should head back.” Turning, she walked away without another word.

Staring after her, Sonic frowned in confusion and concern. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. Why do these things have to be so confusing? he thought as he got up and followed her.

-

The pair were nearly back to the Master Emerald’s shrine when they felt a shudder run through the island as it settled into the ocean. Breaking into a run, both hedgehogs looked up as a shadow passed over head, revealing itself as Rouge. “I was just coming to look for you two. Where have you been?” she asked, her wings gracefully sweeping through the air.

Glancing at the silent Amy, who resolutely stared ahead, Sonic shrugged. “We were sorting some stuff out.”

Nodding, Rouge gazed at the pair quizzically. “Whatever. Let’s go, the sooner we get this show on the road, the better.”

Grinning, Sonic accelerated. “No argument here.”

Glancing up in time to see the three arrive, Tails grinned as he finished adjusting his Miles Electric computer. “Hey guys.” Noting the downcast look on Amy’s face, he frowned. “Uh, is everything alright?”

Giving herself a mental shake, Amy nodded. “Yeah. Sonic and I had just been talking.” Smiling, she grabbed her hammer from where she had left it in the Tornado-1 and hefted it onto her shoulder and smiled bravely. “We’re friends again.”

Smiling in relief, Tails loosed a pent-up sigh. “That’s good. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”

Tossing a thumbs up at his best friend, Sonic grinned. “No sweat, bro. So, what’s the plan?”

As the group gathered into a circle, Tails activated the holographic projector on his computer, creating a glowing green cross-section of the Egg Carrier in the air as Rouge stepped into the middle of the group. “Okay, here’s the deal. Amy, with Knuckle’s help, is going to teleport all of us onto the Egg Carrier, into this storeroom here.” Pointing, she glanced at Tails, who zoomed in on where she was pointing. A small cluster of pictures formed around the image. “And before you ask, Knuckles is just going to help you because he’s familiar with my Emerald. Think this will be enough to focus on?” she asked, giving the pink hedgegirl a pointed look.

Looking at the image, Amy frowned, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Rolling her eyes, Rouge sighed. “Good enough. Once we’re on board, we’ll split into three teams. Team Two, consisting of Tails and Gemerl, will head for the nearest computer terminal and hack in. Your goal is to shut down that shield, both so that we can hopefully be able to get Shadow unhooked from the system, and provide us with an exit route. You’ll also provide technical support on the fly. Got it?”

Both Tails and Gemerl nodded in agreement. “Once we find a computer, between the two of us, it shouldn’t be too hard to get past Eggman’s firewall.”

Nodding, Rouge turned her attention back to the schematic. “Good. Team Three, Knuckles and Omega, will stay on the move. Once Eggman figures out how we got on board, there is no way he’s going to pass up the chance to steal the Master Emerald, especially when he thinks he has the advantage, being on his own ship and all. Expect a lot of Eggbots.”

Grinning in anticipation, Knuckles punched his spiked fists together. “I’d like to see them try. Eggman’s tin cans couldn’t best me on a bad day.” Opposite from him, Omega ran a short diagnostic. “Eggman’s inferior robots will be nothing but scrap.”

Smiling at her teammate, Rouge chuckled. “Naturally.” Turning to Sonic and Amy, the pale-furred bat stuck her thumb into her ample chest. “Team One, comprised of myself, Amy, and Sonic, will go rescue Shadow. Most of the pressure will be divided between us and Team Three, but that’s not really a concern.” Grimacing, she turned back to Tails and handed him a data card. “This will be.”

Plugging the data card into his computer, the young fox gazed uncomfortably as the holographic image changed, forming the shape and image of a familiar intimidating figure. “Mecha Shadow.”

Raising his hand, Sonic grinned. “Dibs on Robo-Shads.”

Amy looked at her friend worriedly. “Are you sure? Eggman was right, even you’ve never been able to beat Shadow. Do you really think you can beat something that can?”

Chuckling, Sonic gave her a thumbs up. “No problem. Eggman loves to build his plans of shaky ground. I’ve never beaten Shads because we’ve never finished a fight. Something’s always come up to interrupt us. So yeah, I may have never beaten Shadow, but Shadow has never beaten me either. So this copy beating Shads doesn’t mean anything.”

“Ahem.” Both hedgehogs looked at Rouge, who stood with her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face. “It might help if you actually knew something about this thing.” Turning back to the floating image of the robot, she grimaced. “Mecha Shadow is state-of-the-art Eggman. He’s got more firepower than even Omega, and I don’t mean in conventional weaponry, though it has those in spades. This thing has full access to Chaos powers, and being powered by at least one Chaos Emerald, that makes it dangerous.” Turning back to the pair, she started tapping her fingers on her elbow. “Not only that, but it also uses an advanced camouflage system that keeps it virtually invisible, even when moving at full speed. This thing can come at you, and you wouldn’t even know it. Furthermore, when Shadow and I faced this thing last night, it was being powered by FIVE Chaos Emeralds. That’s why Shadow lost. He’s powerful, and had a Chaos Emerald of his own, but even Shadow can’t stand up against that kind of power alone, let alone you Blue Boy.”

Put off, Sonic grimaced. “Okay, so it might be a bit harder than I thought.”

A coy smile formed on the thief’s face. “Oh, come now, giving up already? I didn’t say that you had no chance of winning.” Taking a step back, Rouge leaned against the Master Emerald, drawing a wary glare from Knuckles. “After all, we have something Eggman doesn’t.” She grinned. “Welcome to Phase Two of the plan. Team Three will get to a good defensible position. There, Knuckles will use the Master Emerald to knock out the Chaos Emeralds. Without them, taking down Mecha Shadow will almost be like taking down Metal Sonic, and how many times have you done that?”

Everyone, save the robots, grinned. Continuing, Rouge pushed herself away from the Master Emerald. “Once Eggman loses the Emeralds, Sonic will go after Eggman solo, while Amy and I will meet up with Teams Two and Three in the main hanger, sabotaging the Egg Carrier as we go along. Tails has set up a remote control system for our planes, all of which are holding Extreme Gears. As soon as Eggman is out of the picture, we get out of there. End Game.” Taking a short bow, Rouge stepped out of the circle.

Crossing his arms, Sonic grinned. “Awesome. Eggman is going down big time.”

Shutting down the projector on his computer, Tails slipped it into his backpack. “There’s just one more thing we need to remember. Rouge is pretty sure that once Eggman’s shield goes down, the G.U.N is going to act fast. They’re not going to hesitate to try to take out the Egg Carrier.”

Nodding in agreement, Rouge folded her arms. “I checked in with HQ. General Tower is still arguing against launching a missile strike, but it’s a losing battle and he knows it. The President is going to have to do what’s best for the United Federation. I’ll send the General a message just before we jump to the Egg Carrier, and that may buy us a little time, but I’m not going to count on it.”

Sonic shrugged. “So we’ll have a deadline, so what? We go in, smash some bots, rescue Shadow, beat Eggman, and get out. Easypeesy.” Turning, he looked at Amy in concern. “You sure you can get us there? I mean, you might have some experience with Chaos Control, but you haven’t moved this many people before. Think you’ll be okay?”

Shaking her head firmly, Amy clenched her hammer. “I don’t have a choice. Either I do it, or we give up now, and that’s not a choice at all.” Smiling appreciatively, she placed her hand on Sonic’s shoulder. “Besides, with Knuckles giving me a hand, I’m sure there won’t be any problem.”

Sighing, the echidna in question turned and placed his hands on the Master Emerald. “Alright, enough standing around yammering. If we’re gonna do this lets do it already.”

Grinning, Sonic rolled his eyes. “And he says I’m impatient?” Chuckling, he clapped Amy on the shoulder. “You know what Amy? I think you’re gonna do fine. You’ve never let me down in the past, you’re not gonna start now.”

Amy suddenly embraced him, taking the hedgehog by surprise. “Thank you Sonic. That means a lot to me.” she whispered.

Smiling, for once in his life Sonic returned the hug. “Hey, come on. No mushy stuff right before a mission.” he chuckled. “I’m glad we’re friends again, Amy. You’ll be great. I believe in you.”

Smiling, Amy wiped the tears from her eyes as she released the hedgehog, and stepped up to the Master Emerald, taking a breath as she stood opposite from Knuckles. The muscular echidna eyes her in concern. “Hey, you sure you can do this?”

Taking a deep breath, Amy fixed her hammer to her back and nodded, placing her hands on the massive gem before her. “Yeah. Like I said, I don’t really have a choice.” Taking another breath, she swallowed as she felt the pulsating hum of energy beneath her palms. I think.

Knuckles shrugged. “Alright. Just, don’t force it. Let the power come to you.” Both of them closed their eyes, and taking a deep breath, Knuckles began intoning. “The servers are the Seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The heart is the controller. The controller serves to unify the Chaos........Lend us your power, Master Emerald. Take us to where we must go, that we may do what must be done.”

The hum of energy beneath Amy’s hands pulsated in response to the prayer, and she concentrated firmly in her mind the image of the storeroom within the Egg Carrier. Her breathing quickened as energy flowed up her arms, filling her with an unbelievable sense of power. As when she had used the Chaos Emerald, she had a distinct sense of the energy being alive, thrumming with activity, but this time it seemed much more directed, purposeful, as though there was a distinct something behind it. Concentrating, she let the energy build up inside her, and remembering what Shadow had taught her, sent the energy out into the world.

To the outside world, a bright orb of light expanded over the shrine, then vanished.