The Story of Amy Rose: The Capture

As Pressure Closes In

In third person

Italics = thoughts/ emphases

"Italics with quotations" = mind speaking/telepathy

Chapter 10: As Pressure Closes In

Her heart was neither heavy, nor light. With her palms cupping in her lap, her eyes glazed over as the dull grey pulse of the heart pendant pulled her mind into a trance.

Sitting at the edge of her bed, back hunched slightly as if wanting to curl into fetal position, she waited, her arms stiff and limp. The space of her childhood room did not bring her the comfort she sought. The candle Ovaria lit for her was across the room on the vanity, casting light shadows on the wall beside her bed, the shadows seeming to loom over her.

I never knew. These things I used to fight... to keep up with Sonic... these abilities that others identified as talents of mine and helped me develop and hone... were never gifts of my own.

Amy curled lower into herself, struggling to sit upright, her back to her bedroom door as a subtle knock failed to break her from her thoughts.

I thought I was a useless nobody before... when I trained and struggled to prove to Sonic and the others that I was a useful part of the team in my adolescence, yet... here I am, reliving those days all over again, but tenfold. How am I supposed to show my faces to them when I feel this way? When I'm devoid of my combat abilities? Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, Cream, Tails... or the entirety of the kingdom for that matter? I'm just a rag doll. I don't even have my hammer... Would I even be able to hold it up if I did have it?

As her door opened, the urge to cry welled up inside her.

"Amelia? May we enter?"

Amy's ears twitched as she straightened. She sniffed and stretched a small smile across her muzzle before turning to look behind her.

"Yes, come in."

As her door creaked, Queen Argentina, King Amelius, and Prince Argentine walked into her room in that order. Lingering near the entrance, the prince closed the door, enclosing the rose with her blood relatives.

Amy stood from her bed slowly, taking a short breath before turning to meet her family at the center of her room. Three sets of eyes waited to greet her, all with deep levels of warmth and concern. She rubbed her arm, unsure of how to approach these familiar strangers.

"Amelia. We know it has been a long time since... well.. since you've been anywhere near your true home, but we want to welcome you back and apologize for our disappearance, along with your involvement in the prophecy. It was not our intention to put a strain on your life or relationship with us and the kingdom by giving into the whims of the Oracle, but we had little choice," King Amelius began.

Amy looked into his eyes, a small frown in place where a warm smile should be. The king looked pained for a moment as a memory seemed to glint across his vision.

"If we had ignored the Oracle, your life might have been very different. There's no telling what the dark prince would have accomplished if we hadn't sent you away," the queen interjected.

Amy looked over the three of them and felt the urge to stop them.

"You don't have to apologize for sending me away. I can only imagine the pain you all went through when you did. You are both selfless rulers that would do anything to protect Aumoris and I'm proud to have been given life by such noble people. You saved my life and the life of the kingdom and made hard choices along the way. I'm just glad that all of this madness is coming to a close," Amy said with a small smile.