“So… what are we supposed to do?”

  …

  — Eggman’s Base (Capital District) —

  Solid thinks to himself in this moment; it’s not like he’s outside and peacefully walking. No, he’s in a place where it’s a life-or-death situation, with a mayor who’s working for Eggman. Looking around, he watches Woofa and Amy teaming up while protecting an innocent crane. “... At this point… I don’t even know what missions I’m being brought up into… As long as I’m saving this world from Eggman.”

  Suddenly, a large number of recruiters appear behind the mayor, showing off how outnumbered they are. Although they’re unsure how many recruiters there are in this base, all they know for now is that they have to strategize this entire fight. “H-How are we supposed to find our way to…” Woofa mutters to herself, frustrated by the position they’re currently in. “… ARGH!!! I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT!!!”

  While Woofa is too busy getting pressured, Amy questions herself, “… Min has been here before, so what if she…” That’s when she has a remarkable idea, something she usually never does, but miraculously leads her to one. Min remains scared, her whole body trembling, unsure what the team would do to get her out of this place and divert this entire situation. She hopes for a positive outcome, something without anyone getting hurt. “Hey, Min!” The pink hedgehog happily whispers to her, “Have you by any chance looked around in this base before you were captured?” She says with a reassuring smile, to make her understand who's there with her.

  Although Min’s tone sounds too anxious, she does respond, but she’s unsure whether her answer would satisfy Amy. “I… I’m not sure if this is good information… but I’ve seen some cameras throughout the base. Uhh, umm… maybe-”

  “No…! No…! That’s what we need, Min!” The camera is exactly where Amy planned this entire plan; it may or may not work, but with enough dedication, this could potentially be their saving grace. While they conversed, Solid had actually overheard them, hearing every detail of the plan and finding it useful. So when both hedgehogs looked at each other, they nodded in approval, already having a great understanding of the plan. The last person to convince of how revolutionary this plan is is the frustrated dog. “Woofa, listen to this! There are cameras around this base!”

  “Yeah, so? What would the cameras do other than capture our fight and let Eggman review it?” The dog genuinely doesn’t want to hear her out, yet she has a slight curiosity looming in her mind.

  Amy understands her friend’s frustration, finding the situation tense as well. Nevertheless, someone has to find a way to solve with a solution in their hands. “The cameras around the base aren’t just linked to Eggman himself; if they’ve gotten the wires from somewhere, the only thing that it’ll mean…”

  “... That it connects to the city hall!” The dog finally understands how this plan works perfectly, simultaneously saying it with Amy. With renewed hope, they excitedly cheered for each other, holding each other's hands. Though their cheer looks pretty… off-putting to say the least, not because Solid and Min genuinely looked confused, but also the recruiters and Ism had the same reaction.

  After their brief celebration, Woofa remains curious for a moment, thinking about the plan. “If so… who should go there and who should stay here to deal with them…?” She and Amy looked at the orange hedgehog and the crane, solidifying their entire gameplan.

  “You gonna stall there or what?!” Ism yells out, crossing her arms and smirking at the tense standoff. All the recruiters can do is point their guns at them, awaiting their leader’s response. However, the lack of movement and response from the team forces the llama to take full control. “Tch. Whatever. Recruiters, open-!” Unexpectedly, an orange flash dashes his way past the recruiters, pushing them away while holding the crane’s hand. The unexpected move stuns the mayor, who’s not only irritated by her enemy’s move but also by the lack of response from her own recruiters. “WHAT THE HELL, GUYS?! SHOOT AT THEM!!!”

  Following her orders, numerous gunshots were heard throughout the base, forcing the Solid and Ism to lower their bodies and cover themselves while fleeing. However, the recruiters only focused on the fleeing ones because Woofa unexpectedly appears and knocks their guns away. Even if they could retrieve their weapons, they’re eventually crushed by Amy’s Piko Piko Hammer. Whether they should aim at the fleeing duo or the attacking duo, it doesn’t matter, because either one would result in them losing.

  Due to this lack of professionalism, Ism exclaims to her recruiters yet again, “NEVER MIND!!! SHOOT AT AMY AND WOOFA!!!” Thus, Solid and Min escaped the base, entering the elevator to return to the City Hall. “I’ll just let my guards deal with them…”

  With the two successfully escaping, Woofa and Amy can finally focus on the recruiters; both quickly deal with each of them one by one. It wasn’t pretty, but it was sure fast as ever; once all the recruiters’ guns were destroyed, they fled, never to be seen again. Scoff. “Not a bad fight for the two of us, huh?” The hedgehog casually winks at Woofa, taking this with such optimism.

  “Indeed. Not bad for the two of us.” The dog winks and giggles alongside her, finding her mood heartwarming. “Just how we do it.”

  Seeing the entire outcome for the mayor, this frustrates her even more; her enemies won the battle, and her recruiters are useless as ever. “Why do I even have citizens like them as my recruiters?” Groans… “Whatever… Those two pissed me off anyway…” She instantly throws away her glasses, ready to put on a show for the two. “Your fellow Solid already saw the way I fought, and he lost the battle. Now, pay attention to how I fight… maybe I’ll make this city better from this motivational battle once I get your faces beaten up by the mayor HERSELF!”

  Woofa tenses up now that Mayor Ism is ready for a fight, her entire attitude changing after she yelled. “... I don’t like where this is going… I just hope that whatever Solid and Min are doing… they’re doing the job…” She mutters to herself and her friend, looking at her with reinforced confidence, hoping nothing goes horribly wrong.

  “Don’t worry, Woofa, we got this, and they’ve got this covered. Just remember that we’re a team!” Amy's grip tightens on her Piko Piko Hammer, ready for Ism’s next move, though she glances at the cameras, awaiting the two to succeed. “This plan will work, and it’ll be great once-”

  PUNCH!!!

  “AMY!!!” Woofa yells, helplessly watching her friend get punched by the llama and being sent to the wall.

  Ism laughs at the pink hedgehog; she stands right in front of her, grabbing the collar of her dress to speak directly in her face. “Look at yourself, you’re twelve years old, right? You’re technically still in middle school, yet you chose to skip classes… That’s truancy! Additionally, that hammer of yours is an offensive weapon! Tch. Tch. Tch. No wonder you deserved the punch from me… young ones like you who commit such crimes should deserve harsher punishments! You know what… maybe I should implement a new law, including the doctor’s approval.” Chuckling menacingly…

  However, Amy remains strong enough to talk back to the llama’s face, grabbing the mayor’s wrist to showcase her remaining strength. “At least… I’m not from around here… so I can skip how many classes as I want… And my hammer, which you said was an offensive weapon, was used to destroy the guns, not harm your recruiters! I have my reasons to justify!” Even though her argument wasn’t enough to trigger the mayor, she does drop a bomb. “For you… You’re a mayor who’s secretly working for Eggman, and the majority of your citizens, including my friend Woofa, see him as a criminal. That’s called political corruption, and you’ll ruin your entire reputation if this information gets exposed.”

  Triggered by the hedgehog’s words, the mayor glares at her with a death stare. “Oh, so you want to talk now?! I don’t care what you say… I have the power… and I have the authority to raise my voice! Because as a mayor… people would believe me-!”

  KICK!!!

  “Not everyone, Mayor Ism!” Yells out Woofa as she helps Amy up, mocking the mayor. The dog checks her friend’s injuries; luckily, they aren’t anything too major. In fact, it looked like the mayor’s punch wasn’t even strong. Yet, to her concern, she questions her friend, “Are you alright?” for a quick check-up.

  “Fine as always, Woofa. Not too concerned about myself, but I’m concerned about what you did to the mayor.” The hedgehog points at the llama from afar, the same death stare that she presented before. “Head up, we should prepare this time.”

  Shifting their focus back to the mayor, what Woofa did to her was a test. This time, the mayor is going to do it for real; she cracks her knuckles, preparing for the fight to continue. “Why do you two even team up? That’s like the most unfair thing for the mayor...” She instantly flashes towards them, focusing on her next attack; either the dog, the hedgehog, or both of them. Amy swings the hammer at her, and Ism barely dodges the attack, but she doesn’t focus on Woofa, who takes a kick to her stomach. The blow felt very similar to someone that the llama had previously fought; crashing to the ground with a loud- “OOF!”

  Slowly recovering from the blow, she stared at the dog with a knowing expression. “... Your boyfriend taught you that? Same form… same power… Ohh…! You’re so influential with him… maybe I don’t need to capture him and let the right-hand man do the entire job. Maybe I need to kill someone for my own fun… ” She eerily smiles at them, not only having the intent to harm them, but also to cause literal death.

  “Die…!”

  Woofa’s eyes widened, her instincts alerting her to do something immediately after seeing those eyes. Looking at how the llama is prepared for a lunge, she knows it’s going to be a devastating fight. Knowing Amy is too precious for a friend to get injured or killed, she decides to sacrifice her own life. “AMY, MOVE OUT!!!” She pushes her friend away, taking in a powerful uppercut to her stomach, flying into the air. However, the mayor wasn’t finished; she continued her assault by rapidly punching the dog before sending her to the ground, forming a crater upon the impact.

  “Woofa…?” Amy watches the mayor standing over her defenseless friend even more. Seeing how vulnerable she is in her state, she wastes no time and rushes to the mayor, screaming and swinging her hammer at the llama. “I DON’T THINK SO!!!” However, Ism knows her presence and grabs her hammer, leaving nothing but a powerful grip. “You’re not going to kill her in front of my eyes… You gotta get past me first, you EVIL, CORRUPT, DOUBLE-CROSSING MAYOR!!!” Amy’s strength outmatches Ism's grip, sending her away from the two of them. Right away, the concerned hedgehog checks on her friend’s well-being. “Woofa? Woofa?!” She desperately shakes her body to wake her up, but no response from her friend, and the situation quickly worsens. “WOOFA, WAKE UP!!!”

  “HAH! That dog friend of yours won’t be waking up anytime soon! By the time she does, my skills and strength outmatch yours… Losing to the mayor… Losing to death…” Ism clenches her fists, trusting her strength more than some useless weapons out in this base. “Come, Amy. An alien being in this kingdom, this state, and this city alone… Let’s show how your Mobian blood outstrengthens my strength!”

  The tension reached its peak; all Amy felt was pure hatred from the mayor. Getting betrayed and now seeing her friend injured really put her on edge. She slowly stands up, looking at Woofa one more time before she grips her hammer tighter and glares at the llama. She had an optimistic personality, never resorting to rage, but it never lasted long after this moment. And now… she can’t hold it any longer, the pressure finally builds up inside her.

  “Fight me… Ism.”

  — City Hall (Capital District) —

  Inside the elevator, both Min and Solid continue to take steady and deep breaths, thankful that a single bullet never hit them. Silence ensues throughout the ride; the elevator music in the background eases the moment, but they still wonder how they managed to survive. The two didn’t want to look at each other, not wanting to start a conversation after that hectic moment. Eventually, Min finally breaks the silence, asking the hedgehog a question. “So… you’re Solid… Solid the Hedgehog, huh?”

  Solid looks at her, noticing that it’s their first interaction together; he notices how she feels, trembling with nervousness, but takes his chance to strike up a conversation. “Yeah. I was just helping you three out. I mean, you saw me get beaten by the mayor. Took a hard hit, and…” He pauses momentarily, rubbing his eyes out of exhaustion before continuing, “... uhh, well… that hurt.” Slightly bringing up a joke to ease up the mood with the elevator music. “Anyways, how are we going to do this? If so, do you know where it’s all at?”

  “I… I think I do recognize the location… It’s not pretty, but… hopefully we’ll make our way through. We can access this with the badge I have.” She shows off her badge, convincing him of how well prepared they are. It’s probably not the ideal way, but if it’s the only way they can access through rooms, then sure.

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  Ding!

  Once the elevator door opens, they sneak their way past the area. For the part, Min does work here and is perfectly normal to others; Solid is a trespasser. Being caught would mean a failure on their end, especially as both Woofa and Amy are heavily counting on them. Luckily, the orange hedgehog is still wearing his guard outfit, hoping it will help him blend in with the environment.

  Throughout the private area, they casually and innocently passed by many guards and politicians in a calm demeanor. The atmosphere remains tense, especially as every conversation they strike, Min’s heart beats faster with each passing second. But everything so far has been a smooth ride; no one suspects Solid of being a trespasser due to his appearance, and what’s going right is going right.

  Reaching the particular hallway, they were relieved that the hard part they considered was over. “The room is somewhere around here. It’s one of these doors if I remember correctly…” She taps her chin, wondering which door she remembers is the right door. Though, because of how surprisingly empty this hallway is, they easily check every door. “Just hope that I still remember after being trapped in that stupid cell!”

  Whenever they opened each door, they were met with disappointment, seeing that it was the room they were not looking for. The trend continues, almost as if this room that they’re looking for doesn’t belong here at all. It’s really getting on Min’s nerves, because she believes that the room is around here, but it’s just not there. Noticing how desperate she is out there… like really desperate, Solid decides to question her. “You know, Min… you don’t have to rush-”

  “I need to!” She stops him from advancing further, halting their mission for a moment. “The mayor is a traitor to our society! She can’t… remain loose and act all innocent while taking care of our city!” Her voice conveys a sense of concern, hurt by the situation. “I’ve been locked down there for two days! At least they gave me food and water… but still… we need to stop her, especially if Amy and Woofa lose their fight against her! We can’t afford to lose!”

  Solid fully understands her feelings; it hurts watching someone emotionally hurt, but he remains calm and focused. “... We’re trying… I mean, I wish I knew this place well, and it would certainly help. Though... don’t let yourself down. We’re a team; we’ll find ways to get through. We got this.” All he can do for now is give her a reassuring nod, not resorting to defeat just yet. “Put trust in them, I’ve seen them fight. At minimum, they’re gritty and tough, and I think they’re stronger than what you or I have seen together. If I were fighting alongside them, I would be making physical and mental mistakes out there. But don’t treat this like it’s the end of the world. That reactor is going to take days to complete, and with you here, you are intelligent enough to help us with this mission.”

  To his credit, his words thankfully lighten the mood, refreshing the crane’s mind. “...I-I guess…” After some time taking deep breaths, she finally relaxes her mind. “... Thanks... Solid… You’re way too kind for that appreciation.”

  The orange hedgehog softly smiles at her; a genuine, warm change in attitude was enough to ease the tension for a moment. “Can’t let our emotions run high. It’s not simple, but what I know is-”

  THUD!!!

  “HERE THEY ARE, MRS. MIN THE CRANE HERSELF AND THAT ORANGE HEDGEHOG SHE HAS…!!! GET THEM!!!”

  Caught by the guards, Solid instantly grabs Min’s hand and starts running through each hallway, fleeing from the guards. Since they’re basically trapped in this place, they want to find the right door with no room for error. “Do you want me to use your badge?!” Suggesting that if he held the badge, it would be more practical and faster than periodically stopping and letting the crane do the job.

  Because this is their one shot at something big, she hands the badge to him, understanding his strategy. “Don’t destroy it! That thing costs more than one hundred Lunars!”

  The hedgehog and the crane continue to run around, quickly checking every room while running away from the guards. It’s a tedious, yet hectic situation to be in, especially as the number of guards continues to rise. But now they’re really in a rush; unsure how long Amy and Woofa will endure with the mayor, they hope to stall her for their time.

  “Hold up…” Min mutters to herself, her brain processing this specific hallway layout. “Stop!” Letting the orange hedgehog stop, she points at the door ahead on the left. “It’s right there!” Solid instantly listens and runs the room, using her badge to enter, before they proceeded to shut and lock the door. Thankfully, the guards didn’t know that they had entered, and they all ran right past this room, allowing the two to remain safe. To make them safer, he adds some furniture alongside miscellaneous items to block the door, solidifying their safety.

  Inside the room, Min turns on the computer screen and configures it. Solid remains close to the entrance, making sure that the coast is clear. “You can handle this while I protect this place?” He says, watching the door and Min simultaneously.

  “Yes, I can handle this. I previously worked for a similar company that offered higher pay before joining here. Someone gotta risk it, don’t they?”

  “Yeah… I trust you.”

  — Eggman’s Base (Capital District) —

  BOOM!!!

  A powerful shockwave collides between Amy’s hammer and Ism’s fist, followed by multiple hits to each other, and neither will give in. This entire fight is an opportunity to prove their strengths; both unleashed their strongest blow and collided with each other. The majority of the time, Amy’s hammer would definitely crush someone’s hand, maybe even disintegrate one. However, the llama’s strength was not left to disappoint, outmatching the hedgehog’s strength, pushing her slightly. With a smirk on the mayor’s face, she stumbles Amy and punches her in the stomach. But whatever her determination is, despite taking the punch in the stomach, the hedgehog follows up with a swing to the llama’s waist.

  CRASH!!!

  “What are you made out of…?” For the first time in the fight, Ism acknowledges that the fight progressively becomes difficult over time. “No normal hedgehog would tank a random blow from my fist… Not even Solid…”

  “Answer that to yourself. You know what you’ve done to both of us… That’s why I tanked your attack, because of how EVIL YOU ARE!!!” Amy pours out her emotions, lashing out with pure rage. She immediately rushes in for another attack, ready for another swing. But as usual, Ism recovers at an instant and aims at her ribs, this time for sure, kicking her away.

  “Just as expected, a purified asshole… You’re only strong when you’re thinking about that Blue Blur and your weak friends…” The llama watches the hedgehog get up, seemingly not regretting fighting against her in this battle. In fact, she enjoys every single bit of this moment, every second of the tension and rage building up from Amy. “I had to endure myself when I was young! What friends?! You have the support, but you gotta do things yourself! Screw the friends you have, once you become successful, there’s no turning back!” Her voice roars, echoing throughout the ruined base like a monster.

  Continuing to fight, both girls flash throughout the base, knocking over and destroying things around while simultaneously avoiding the reactor. The colliding hits of the hammer and the fist blasts shockwaves throughout the area, creating a shaking sensation. It even reaches the point where those in City Hall are experiencing some light rumbling, but they don’t seem to mind it because of its weakness, some thinking it’s from the train line underneath. Until then, this place is a literal battlefield, and nothing can stop the two from fighting. A worst-case scenario for Amy would be losing her iconic hammer, something that Ism thought would be her perfect strategy. The llama uses her chance to focus on the hedgehog’s hammer and decides to knock it far away, ultimately leaving her defenseless. “The mighty Amy Rose is without her Pike Hammer thing! Aww… you miss your thing? Sorry, but you gotta fight with your-”

  PUNCH!!!

  “Fists? Yeah, I got that covered. In fact, you’re already feeling one coming straight into your face!” She exclaims, hopping around excitedly after the mayor realizes her own mistake. “You’ve made me even stronger without my iconic hammer!”

  “Oh, great… someone’s gotten better because of my decision.” Despising what she’s currently seeing from Amy, she rubs her own face, feeling the pain linger on her cheek. However, after thinking about it, a difficult fight must mean an enjoyable one, something she has anticipated. While the hammer was nice in a battle, it wasn’t nearly as fun as what she’s currently seeing. Her expression once again turns 180, menacingly smiling once more. “I totally regret what I said earlier...” Chuckling… “COME NOW, AMY!!! ARE YOU GOING TO WIN AGAINST ME?!”

  Without a doubt, both lunged in for another powerful punch. Ism landed a powerful punch; the punch was so strong that it crashed Amy through multiple control panels. Still, even with a powerful punch, it wasn’t enough to make her exhausted, because the hedgehog instantly got up, not giving in to her injuries just yet. Going right back at it, both females land blow after blow after blow. Their punches, kicks, and even a rare headbutt from Amy, intensify the combat. It’s gotten so out of control that they temporarily pause their battle, after knocking each other back, taking a breather.

  “Why must you… be so difficult… to fight…?” Ism questions with a smirk on her face.

  “If you didn’t hurt Woofa… I wouldn’t have made this fight harder on you…” Amy says with resentment, clenching her fists to await another blow… “That’s probably too late for that now…” She glances at her friend, who’s still down and not awake. Seeing Woofa down makes her heart ache, telling herself to- “Don’t let her win…”

  “Wise words… AMY!!!”

  Resuming their entourage of fighting, they continue taking blows at each other. Not enough to break some bones, but strong enough to feel the pain. Their determination has allowed them to continue this painstakingly long fight, with more destruction than ever. They don’t know when this fight will come to an eventual end; all they can think about is how they’ll approach their fight. However, this battle is entirely even, both in terms of their speed and strengths. Each collision continuously creates powerful shockwaves, repeatedly knocking each other back and homing in.

  Eventually, someone had to break free from the entire fight; Amy became exhausted, and Ism understands that this fight is on her side. The hedgehog lunges in for a punch, but unlike her usual strong posture and menacing stature, this punch was too weak. It was too weak that the mayor wasn’t even pushed slightly, so she landed a powerful punch. Amy crashes to the ground, sliding until her back bumps right in front of the reactor, ultimately giving up.

  Once Mayor Ism stops to see her defeated position, she hops and skis over some piles of destruction before standing right in front of her. Amy looks at the mayor, her shadow blocking the view with the lights flickering, her fingers twitching during this exchange. “I gratefully enjoyed that battle… Amy… You put up a fight that I’ll remember in my tenure as a mayor. But fights don’t last, hon; eventually one gets weak, one gives up, and one loses. In the aftermath, only one wins the fight, and you already know what the other gets…” She grabs a sharp blade that’s coincidentally next to her, having those murderous eyes.

  “Yeah… whoever loses the fight, dies…” While Amy feels the end of her adventure, the camera's lens flickers from afar, signaling Solid and Min’s success. The moment she saw the camera flicker, she regained her confidence; seeing their success, she finally did her part to finish off this mission. “Why are you doing this, mayor?! WHY?!?!”

  — Woofa’s Apartment (Downtown District) —

  Inside the living room, it’s an entire mess.

  Litters of soda cans, snacks, and some food are all dedicated to watching every basketball game while the two boys are betting. Tricky is 7-0 against Knuckles in betting basketball games. This game, in particular, is finally on Knuckles’s side, where the basketball team he bet on is currently in the lead. Despite having a quarter left of the basketball game, if the team continues its momentum, it could finally lead to the echidna’s first win and potentially earn back his rings. “Watch out, Knuckles. There’s a quarter of a basketball game left, so don’t go celebrating. I’ve seen chokes before, and this could be a prime example if you do manage to celebrate early.”

  “Hmph. Nothing’s gonna lose against me! You’re saying that to make this game on your side, which won’t happen!” Knuckles proudly ignores him, excessively eating his grapes and watching to keep himself comfortable. The porcupine next to him continues to make this a tense atmosphere. However, while the game was played, the screen turned black- “WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE-”

  “Important and urgent announcement from the City Hall, here is exclusively, Mayor Ism!”

  …

  Throughout Haven City, every TV, digital billboard, and even some car radios have transitioned their broadcasts to City Hall. Everyone has the opportunity to listen to or watch the mayor’s important message; she has been one of the most popular political officials throughout this entire kingdom alone. As the mayor of the largest city, she is obviously well-known to everyone, having become accustomed to the lives of the people. So for her to make an urgent announcement must mean something to everyone, where the broadcast finally begins…

  Underneath the City Hall, the base is an entire wreck, filled with piles of debris. The reactor is fully intact, but the scenery isn’t what caught most people’s attention… It’s the mayor herself. The multiple cameras directed at Ism from afar stood right in front of a defeated Amy, who had been praised on the internet the previous night for her bravery. And now they’re witnessing the mayor showing her dominance against her. But for those listening on the radio, her speech effectively kills her mayoral term and trust.

  “Amy Rose… People who support you… are PATHETIC!!! I only supported everyone to push my political agenda! Ever since those months passed, my citizens kept me motivated, but I wanted something more interesting in my life… not the boring mayor job I have received. When Doctor Eggman offered me some assistance… I have to do something in return. He told me about you guys and the Master Emerald he still has to this very day. Once every reactor is finished, he’ll unleash his ultimate project, and he’ll keep me as the mayor, but also conquer this entire kingdom, reshaping this world. Our alliance is a powerful one, and once you interfere with my alliance, you’ll regret everything you have ever done to me…” She takes a step forward, the noise echoing throughout the area; Amy flinches from her reaction, looking terrified. The mayor retains her eerie smirk; unknowingly, the footage shows her smirk in public media.

  Faces full of reactions; shocked, horrified, but most definitely furious. The mayor, whom they had voted for and trusted, has betrayed almost everyone. It was the most appalling news that everyone has witnessed in today’s history.

  With the live footage spread throughout every household, when Tricky and Knuckles watched the entire footage, they immediately stormed out, forgetting about betting and about the mission itself. Even forgetting about the mess inside Woofa’s apartment, they’ll clean it soon (probably not).

  Back on the streets, Sonic didn’t care about the TV screen, too busy finding the base. Tails stopped him, showing live footage of the mayor and the base they’re currently looking for. Watching Amy being captured in the footage reveals to them that the base they’re finding was inside the City Hall. With them in shock, they immediately ran there, not only to investigate, but also rescue their friends.

  As Ism was about to finish off Amy with her weapon, she received a notification on her phone. Not one, tens, or hundreds, but thousands of notifications. When she opens one up, it is entirely about the viral clip that surfaced throughout the internet. She and the speech she had given exposed her true identity to the public. Her phone drops from her hands, feeling the weight of her entire world crashing into her. She looks at the cameras, finally noticing that they had been secretly recording her, which was the reason why the public reacted to her speech. She throws multiple debris with pinpoint accuracy, breaking the cameras and stopping the footage. But it was too late; all the footage already shown to the public, and she remained frozen, her hands trembling.

  That was her entire reaction…

  A single viral clip ruined her entire life.

  However, the llama has unfinished business to deal with, glaring right back at the hedgehog with those same murderous eyes. This time, Ism snapped, uncontrollably laughing. “THAT’S AMAZING!!! NICE ONE, AMY… NICE ONE!!!” Amy closes her eyes, knowing she did her part…

  But what else?

  What outcomes are there other than death?

  She thinks about everyone; all those fond memories shared with her. The good and the bad, she doesn’t consider them friends… but as family.

  “THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT?! THAT’S HOW YOU WIN?!?!?! HAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!!! HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!!! I’LL KILL YOU…!!! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU!!! YOU’RE NEVER ESCAPING FROM MY-”

  BONK!!!

  Thud!

  …

  Amy opens up her eyes; Ism is knocked out cold, still alive, but not enough to be awoken. She doesn’t know who knocked her out, but she knows one person who would had the audacity to knock her out cold.

  “Woofa…”

  Woofa had awoken and, surprisingly, wields Amy’s hammer with one hand. No show for effort, and had deemed herself strong. She helps her friend get back up from the now damaged base. Both of them sustained injuries, but they’re resilient enough to keep on standing, embracing their strengths once and for all. “Never count me out… As always.” She winks back at her, both of them sharing a giggle to one’s end.

  Giggling. “Aww…! Woofa back at it with the usual jokes!” The dog rightfully hands the hammer back to the original owner, stretching her arms and having a blast of a day. Amy follows up by immediately hugging her friend; the hedgehog’s emotions get the best of her yet again. “Don’t die in front of me… I tried waking you up, but my emotions… I was filled with rage… and look at this mess-”

  “Shh. Shh… Whatever rage you’ve got, it did one thing… Beat the crap out of Ism…” Woofa returns the hug, tightening the embrace, patting her back, and comforting her. “You’re a strong friend, and I would never underestimate you. And hopefully… maybe your friend, Blaze, will make this team stronger than ever… As long as I meet her, yeah?”

  Hearing Blaze’s name comforts Amy to her fullest. She misses her, and the mission feels lonelier without her presence. Not just her, but those with her initially: Cream, Shadow, Silver, and Rouge. She misses them.

  Until then, she at least has a backup… a noteworthy backup friend for her to support if her usual friends aren’t there for her. “Thanks… Woofa… Grateful to be your closest friend… As I mean Mobian and Havener friendship! Havener or Aurorian…? Ah, who cares?! We’re friends anyway!” Slowly releasing from their hug, both beam with a reassuring smile. “For now…” Their gazes shift to the knocked-out llama, knowing they have saved the day once again… “Let’s finish this mission...”

  “Together.”

  - - ACT 1: Stage 5 (City Hall) || COMPLETED - -