I had the original version on my mind before I started fanfic. It's my first first-person story. My challenge to you (yes, you. The person reading this) is to try to guess the character telling this story. I won'ttell you who, so you'll have to figure it out yourself. Good luck!

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How long have the sunsets been gray? I don't remember, but it's been a long time. It seems like the sunsets have always been gray in this city, due to pollution and chemicals. Oh, how I wish I could leave this place. But I made a promise to someone I'd stay. Sometimes I regret making that promise, but the past cannot be undone. So for now, I just stand on the balconey, watching gray sunsets go by.

I hear footsteps, so I see who arrived. Someone in a long, dark green cloak walks onto the balconey. It has various holes and rips in it, memoirs from long off street fights. My visitor lifts a cigarette to his mouth, his face mainly hidden under the hood. I can see the stiches on his cheek, the ones he never got removed. He used to have one on his other hand, but the scar from that is now covered up with a tatoo. The hands are ungloved, claw-like fingernails painted black. As my visitor finishes his smoke, he lifts up his hood, revealing more scars, a torn ear, and pale green eyes.

"Hello, Sonic." I say to him. He makes an effort to smile for once.

"Hey," he replies back, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Watching the sunset again?"

"Yes. They used to be so beautiful." I know they still are in other places, but I haven't been out of this cold city for eighteen years.

"Everything used to be beautiful," Typical of him. He always seems to be pessimistic. What happened to change the hero, the one that was once idolized by all? Heartbreak. The memory of his downfall comes back to me all to fast.

It all started twenty years ago. Sonic and the rest of us had defeated Dr. Eggman. On accident, he had died. Sonic didn't mean to, but he killed. That wasn't what broke him. After the fight, Amy and Sonic got married. Amy was soon pregnant with his child. Though both of them were young, they were overjoyed. Then, the tragedy happened.

Sonic and I were in the waiting room, while Amy was giving birth. We heard her scream. After a while, we heard the doctors screaming too. Sonic tried to go in, but the nurse told him it was alright, they were just having complications. Sonic sat down, and I tried to comfort him. But after a while, Amy stopped screaming. All was quiet for a while. Sonic was really worried now, so he went to check on him. I followed. We came in as they wheeled off Amy to the emergency room, a doctor following with the baby in his arms. He turned to us as he noticed our pressence.

"She's having some complications," the doctor told us, "and we need to check up on the baby too. All will be fine."

"Hey, you awake in there?" I snap out of my memories, Sonic waving his hand in my face. "Hello? Sonic to-"

"I'm awake," I say to him. I'm suprised, he was acting like the old Sonic. That must mean he hasn't gotten drunk or anything. Good.

"Okay, I guess you want to be alone. I'm going to bed." Sonic turns around and leaves. I just watch the sky fade to darkness, and decide to go to sleep.

---

I wake up in the middle of the night. What is it this time? I look around. No creeps in my room, that's good. A few stars are out tonight, the bright ones that cut through the smog. I can hear someone crying in another room. I get out of bed, wandering towards the source of the noise. I enter the living room, almost tripping on an empty bottle of wine. Sonic's curled up on the couch, crying. A half-empty wine bottle rests nearby. Obviously, Sonic was drinking again. I've tried to help him knock it off, but he always managed to sneak one past me.

I walk over to the drunken hedgehog, sitting next to him on the couch. He pays no attention. I begin to stroke his quills, the way Amy used to do when he was upset. The result is an elbow to my chest. I wince a bit, continuing to stroke my comrade. He calms down eventually, he always does when I stroke him. I try to hear what he's saying, but it all comes in as mumbled words.

"Unfair...why'd she die...did nothing...barely held her..." Words like this came from his lips, and I knew he was thinking of his past.

We waited for hours on end. Everything was silent, as if we were in a crypt. We watched as people passed us by, some of them parents with children in their arms. Meanwhile, we heard nothing of Amy, or the child. We were losing hope, but Sonic was trying to keep his cool.

"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl," Sonic said. "Amy said I could name it if it was a girl. Want to know what I picked?"

"Sure," I said, though I was honestly wondering if the child was even alive.

"Amethyst." he said quietly. "I just picked it. When I saw the kid, I noticed it had purple fur, so I came up with that. Think Amy will like it?"

"It sounds perfect," I said. It actually was a beautiful name. We waited for a while longer, Sonic finally losing his patience. We marched to the emergency room, and we ended up getting in as the doctors finished. They turned to us, they shook their heads.

"We are sorry to report that Amy died," One of them said, as if he were talking about the weather. "The baby is still alive though, but we don't know for how long. Would you like to hold her?" Sonic agreed, soon holding the baby in his arms. There were wires attached to her, to keep track of her vital signs. Sonic was trying not to cry as he held on to his child. She feebly tried to cry, the weakest little cry I ever heard.

"It's okay," Sonic said gently. "Daddy's here now Amethyst." But even his comforting words weren't enough. The baby had a harder time breathing, but the doctors just watched. Her pulse slowed dramatically, and still they did nothing. Sonic was openly crying, still trying to comfort his daughter.

"Please don't go Amethyst," Sonic asked softly. "I just met you, darling. I can take care of you, just stay." The baby let out a feeble cry, which despite the noise, cut through all other sound. Sonic just stared at the child, I watching the pulse as it turned into just a straight line. The baby had died.

"Go away," Sonic says, once again snapping me out of my memories. Last time he said that was after Amy and Amethyst died. I left for a year, returning to find Sonic in an even sorrier state than the one he's in now. I tried my best to help, promising him I'd stay until he said I could go. So here I am, once again comforting Sonic, the hero that fell from grace.

"Sonic, it's alright, just me," I say.

"It's my fault she died," Sonic sobs, though I don't know which girl he's talking about.

"No, it was never your fault."

"Shut the hell up!" Sonic yells, pushing me away with all his might. I fall on the floor, the wind knocked out of me. Sonic realizes this, beginning to sob once again. I catch my breath, getting up to calm him. He's shaking so hard that I can't touch him, so I just sit next to him.

"Sorry for being there," I say quietly. He shakes his head, facing me with eyes full of tears.

"Don't leave me!" He cries. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be in a worse hell than this. You...you're the only one who stood by me in the end. Everyone left, but you came back. Is it just because you promised?"

"No," I whisper quietly, softly stroking his fur again. "I care about you Sonic, and I hate seeing you so miserable." I continue to stroke him as tears began to fall out of my eyes. We just sit here, crying in silence until we fall asleep.

---

I wake up alone. I look around for Sonic, but he's nowhere to be seen. I guess he went to his room, so I get up to go make breakfast. As I finish setting the table, I notice a note on my side of the table. I open it, reading the message inside.

I have finally decided. I'm leaving this place for good. You've fulfilled your promise. Feel free to live out the rest of your life, for both of us.

Sincerely, Sonic.

I silently wonder where he went off to. He couldn't of gone far if he was drunk, I could probably find him easily. I read over the note again, realizing where he went as I noticed an extra part of the note.

P.S: If you ever decide to follow me, I want you to tell me if the sunsets are any better. Oh, and I'll tell Maria you said hi.