That was that. I had done it. Everything was back to normal. Tails had just two tails and was my best friend, Knuckles was the last of the Echidna's, protector of the Master Emerald on the Floating Island, and nobody was none the wiser. Even I had forgotten almost everything about it, with just the faintest of memories lingering in my mind as if they were just a fictional story within my imagination. I had nothing to go on, and almost no memory of what had happened or why.
It was dark. Very dark. But yet still the light shone. It wasn't much light admittedly, but it was enough. The light of a trillion stars, each more than a billion light years away. It wasn't often that Sonic had taken the time to admire them, but today for some reason he thought he would just sit and watch. The moon hung low in the sky, just above the sea. It had risen over the horizon in the last hour, not that the blue hedgehog was aware of just how much time had passed.
"It is you," came an excited cry. Sonic didn't reply, continuing to gave across the sea at the horizon of stars before him.
"Hey Sonic," Amy continued, "Where you been? I've not seen you in ages."
Again, Sonic didn't answer, focusing his eyes firmly forwards, and not towards Amy.
The pink hedgehog was starting to get annoyed now. She didn't like being ignored, least of all by the man she would, if she got her way, one day marry. "Sonic, I'm talking to you,"
"Oh," Sonic mumbled, "Sorry Amy." he replied quietly.
"What, no sprinting off, no 'get away from me'?" Amy asked rhetorically.
"Not now," Sonic replied calmly, before focusing back on the sea.
"What's up?" Amy asked. She couldn't be too sure, as Sonic wasn't usually the one to show it, but she was partially convinced something was bothering him, "It's not that creep Eggman is it?"
"No, it's not Robuttnik," Sonic half smiled, before continuing, "I just can't help but feel I'm forgetting something?"
"like what?"
"Dunno"
"I'm sure it will come to you eventually Sonic," Amy continued optimistically.
Sonic didn't reply, but he continued staring. It didn't bother him too much, whatever it was, but there was something in the back his mind that said it was important. Sonic tried to ignore it, and pretended to listen as Amy continued talking.
Amy sat down next to Sonic on the cliff edge. He didn't budge, he didn't feel as though he should now, even though he knew Amy would misinterpret this simple kindness later on. Sonic pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, along with the thing he couldn't remember. Tomorrow he would go back to his usual ways, but there was something about today that was making him feel sombre. All Sonic wanted to do was spend tonight watching the world go by, rather than his usual approach of going by the world. Sonic had seen a lot of the world, but he'd never given any of it any real thought before.
The two hedgehogs sat for several hours, neither saying much, Amy was soaking up simply being in Sonic's company, and being honest with himself, Sonic felt like he needed the company. The pair sat staring out at the sea from one of the cliff edges of the Emerald Hill Zone, just gazing out into the depths of space.
"Do you ever stop and think," Sonic said slowly, "That maybe there's alternate realities where things are different for everyone?"
"How d'ya mean?"
"like maybe Tails can't fly, or there's no Chaos Emeralds, or maybe you used a crossbow?"
"I've no idea how I'd even get a crossbow Sonic," Amy laughed, "let alone know how to use one."
"You get what I mean though, right?"
"Yeah, and I don't see why not," Amy answered, before adding, "I'm probably your girlfriend in all of those too. I have to be."
"Maybe in a few," Sonic replied, "but definitely not all."
"How can you be sure?" Amy asked, slightly offended by the notion that she and Sonic weren't destined to be.
Sonic didn't answer, but he didn't like the idea he was with Amy in any universe. He let it slide now, he was too tired, for some reason it had felt like it had been a long day for him, longer than normal. A small yawn escaped from his mouth.
"Are you tired Sonic?" Amy asked.
"I'll be fine," Sonic replied, as a bizarre looking object began to sail over the horizon. As it got closer, Sonic recognised it as that of the Floating Island. Sonic wondered about Knuckles for a moment, and shook his head confused, as several unusual images filled his mind. Sonic yawned again, and Amy followed suit soon after.
"You must be tired," Amy said authoritatively, "You keep yawning," she said, herself again yawning.
"We both must be," Sonic replied.
Amy instinctively looked at her watch, "I'm not surprised," she said, "it's nearly five. I'd better get going, I promised Cream I'd spend the morning with her, and if I don't get any sleep soon, I'll fall asleep shopping!" Amy continued. With that she got up, "What about you?"
"I think I'm going to stay here for a bit longer," the hedgehog replied, "it'll be sunrise soon, and I've always loved dawn."
As Amy walked off to slumber, the thought finally came to the forefront of Sonic's mind. He did indeed love Dawn…
Well, that's the end of Unreality. If you read this far in, let me know what your thoughts are. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it (even if it did take two years to finish).
Ever wondered how else it could've ended though? Don't think too hard, as the alternate possible endings will be revealed in "It Could've Been So Different...", coming shortly.