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Waterfall
Fade in:
Ext. Bygone Island: Waterfall - DAY
We tune into an intense battle with Team Sonic against Dr. Eggman and his Burn Bot. Things seem to be going in Team Sonic’s favor as Eggman and his robots are pushed to the edge of a roaring waterfall.
SONIC: “Take that, Egg-Face!”
He said in his cocky attitude.
Sonic performed a homing attack on Burn Bot’s side. As Burn Bot staggered backward, Knuckles pounded the ground with his fist, causing the robot to sway in the other direction. Ready to deliver another blow at its flank, Amy rose her hammer only to have it met with Burn Bot’s flailing arm.
Amy, Eggman, and Burn Bot all went tumbling down the waterfall.
(All except Amy)
TEAM SONIC: “AMY!!!”
Sonic zoomed to the waterfall’s edge. He looked down in horror to see nothing but an abyss of thundering mist. Sonic looked around frantically. At the waterfall’s side, a series of jagged edges and cliffs followed the way down.
Tails descended aerial while Sticks and Knuckles used nearby vines and branches to traverse down. They arrived at the waterfall basin to find a beautiful lake hidden under the blanket of mist seen from above.
Sonic was the first to land on the ground near the lake.
(Shouts)
SONIC: “Amy!”
His voice echoed off the rock walls of the waterfall. It can barely be heard over the roaring water.
(With hands cupped around their mouths)
STICKS/KNUCKLES: “Amy! Amy!”
(Scanning overhead)
TAILS: “Amy!”
The water remained still.
Sonic jumped from rock to rock, searching the water frantically.
SONIC: “Amy!!!”
The group quickly grew more worried.
TAILS: “Knuckles, Sticks! Search underwater! We have to get her out of there quick!”
Sticks skillfully dived into the water while Knuckles jumped in and sunk like a stone.
Sonic peered over the edge of a rock, scanning the water for any sign of movement.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a splash and a gasp for air. Sonic spun around to see Eggman clinging to a rock for dear life, sputtering up water.
SONIC: “Eggman!”
Sonic jumped to the rock Eggman was slumped over and lifted him by his suit collar.
SONIC: “Where’s Amy! Did you see her down there?! Answer me!”
He shouted, half throttling the old man.
EGGMAN: “Wh-a n-no. What are you talking about?”
He resumed his coughing fit.
***
Ext. Waterfall: Underwater - DAY
We see Sticks and Knuckles diving down with cheeks full of air. They both stop and Sticks makes some secret hand signals to which Knuckles responds by staring blankly at her, clearly not getting the message. Sticks rolls her eyes and gestures for them to search in separate directions.
After a bit of searching, Knuckles spots something and waves to get Sticks’ attention.
***
Ext. Waterfall: Above Water - DAY
SONIC: “Amy fell down the waterfall thanks to you! She’s still down there! Did you see her?”
He demanded more than asked.
EGGMAN: “I’m sorry, no. I didn’t know she-”
He was cut off by the sound of splashing and Sticks’ voice calling.
STCIKS: “Sonic! We found something!”
Knuckles surfaced next to her and slowly revealed Amy’s hammer in his two hands.
Sonic immediately unhanded Eggman and jumped to the nearest rock to them. Knuckles looked down at the hammer in sorrow.
KNUCKLES: “This was- all we could find.”
He said slowly.
Sonic looked down at the hammer Amy once wielded.
The sound of the waterfall drowned out the silence.
Tails looked down from above with his ears drooped. Suddenly, he looked up, determination written on his face. He wasn’t willing to give up hope just yet. His eyes darted to the waterfall then back to where the rest of the group was. He followed to where Eggman was on his rock. Tails’ eyes widened with a sudden realization.
TAILS: “Knuckles! Where did you find that?”
He said, pointing to Amy’s hammer.
KNUCKLES: “Just under this spot. Why?”
TAILS: “If Eggman was carried here… and Amy’s hammer, with its considerable weight, managed to be carried by the current over here… Amy would have been carried farther- right around… there!”
He pointed to a spot just under some giant rocks in the direction where the current led.
Sonic sped across the water and scaled the massive rock structure. Tails flew overhead as Sticks and Knuckles swam over. Eggman was left at his rock.
TAILS: “Okay, the current is especially strong here because of the vacuum-like rush of water. If any of us go in, I don’t know if we are going to be able to get out.”
He informed his friends.
SONIC: “Okay, what do we do?”
He said urgently, regarding the pressing situation.
TAILS: “We have to pry these two big rocks apart so the vacuum is broken.”
SONIC: “Ping-pong maneuver.”
He nodded to Tails.
Tails nodded back before instructing the team.
TAILS: “Knuckles, climb up here and get under this ledge. I’m going to need you push these two rocks apart. Sticks, come back here and tie down this rock, we don’t want Amy to be crushed.”
He directed.
TAILS: “Sonic, you know what to do.”
Everyone got in their places and waited for Tails' command.
TAILS: “Sticks, is the rock secure?”
Sticks had tied down the rock at the back with a strong braid of vines. She gave Tails the clear.
TAILS: “Now Knuckles!”
Knuckles, wedged between the two giant rocks, started pushing the two apart with his back and his feet.
TAILS: “Alright, Go Sonic!”
Sonic performed a powerful homing attack in the air and hit the two rocks like a ping-pong ball between two paddles, causing the rocks to topple down in opposite directions. Once the water settled, a small pink figure laid washed up on the rocks.
SONIC: “Amy!”
He shouted as he rushed to her side.
The rest of the gang followed in suit, gathering around her limp figure.
Amy was lying on her side, her wet quills draped over the right side of her face. Sonic moved her bangs out of her face to reveal a large gash on her forehead. They all gasped at the bloody sight. Knuckles nearly fainted.
Her eyes remained shut, as if she were merely asleep.
TAILS: “We have to stop the bleeding.”
Knuckles looked all the more ill with even the mention of blood.
Sonic removed his scarf.
SONIC: “Here.”
He said, handing his scarf to Tails.
Tails skillfully wrapped the scarf around the injured side of her head and tied it tight.
TAILS: “Let’s get her back to my house. I have a first aid kit.”
Sonic lifted her lifeless body in his arms. She was cold to the touch.
He quickly sped off, followed by the rest of the gang, leaving Eggman in the middle of the lake.
EGGMAN: "Uh- guys? A little help!”
He yelped.
***
Int. Hedgehog Village: Tails’ House - DAY
We see Amy being bandaged up by Tails on his couch. Sonic paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, glancing up at Amy every other second. Knuckles sat on the couch on the opposite side of the room, hunched over with his hands clasped together. Sticks looked down from Tails’ ceiling fan.
A thick silence settled on the room.
TAILS: “There. I’ve bandaged her wound. Now, all we have to do is wait for her to wake up.”
SONIC: “How long will that be?”
TAILS: “It’s hard to say. I don’t know how hard she hit her head. The most we can do for her now is hope it was a minor head concussion.”
STICKS: “Will she be okay?”
TAILS: “I don’t know. The sooner she wakes up, the better.”
***
Int. Hedgehog Village: Tails’ House - NIGHT
Everyone in the house had fallen asleep, all except for Sonic, who insisted on keeping an eye on Amy. He couldn’t sleep anyway. He sat on the couch at Amy’s feet, waiting for her to wake up.
Sonic let out a sigh of frustration and averted his attention elsewhere. He tapped his foot rapidly. Ever since the accident, he couldn’t stop worrying. It was so unlike him to worry, but who could blame him? He half blamed himself. If only he had known. If only he was faster. If only…
Sonic shook his head. Dwelling on the past wasn’t going to change the present. He turned back to Amy, her eyes still sealed shut. She looked so peaceful. The rosiness in her cheeks had returned with the warmth of Tails’ house. He forced himself to tear his gaze away, the pain at having to see her like this becoming too much to bear.
Instead, he looked to the door. He felt a restlessness creep up inside him followed by the strong urge to run. Running never failed to take his mind off things. But he wouldn’t budge.
Never in his life had he ever felt so… powerless.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Amy stirring.
SONIC: “Amy?”
He said, hopefully.
Amy’s eyes slowly flickered open. She turned and squinted at Sonic. Amy then quickly sat up, immediately regretting doing so as she gripped her forehead in pain.
SONIC: “Easy there.”
He said softly as he placed a hand on her back.
AMY: “Ugh. My head… What happened?”
She groaned.
SONIC: “While we were battling Eggman, there was an accident…”
He said, trailing off a bit.
Well, that would explain why it felt like she just woke up from a coma.
Amy felt the bandages on her forehead.
AMY: “And I thought we had enough sports tape on already.”
She slightly laughed to herself, trying to lighten the mood.
Sonic reciprocated, relieved that she was indeed alright. He found himself staring at her again, this time into her jade eyes. He was grateful he could see them again. All at once, he felt a strange feeling rise in his chest. He pushed it down and cleared his throat.
SONIC: “How are you feeling?”
He asked with concern.
AMY: “Just a little sore.”
She said, rubbing her arm.
AMY: “But I’m okay.”
She quickly added, giving him a small smile.
Sonic smiled back before averting his gaze, that feeling threatening to make its way up again.
AMY: “How long was I out?”
She asked, leaning to the side to look past him, noticing that everyone else was asleep.
SONIC: “For about 9 hours now.”
He said, looking at his communicator and rubbing his neck.
SONIC: “What’s the last thing you can remember?”
Amy paused, processing the question before running a hand through her three front quills.
AMY: “Umm… I think I remember us eating at Meh-Burger. Knuckles did something dumb like stick a french fry up his nose.”
She said, sounding unsure.
SONIC: “Close, it was a straw.”
He laughed slightly.
AMY: “Oh yeah! He meant to blow bubbles in his soda but ended up breathing it in instead!”
She gripped her stomach, like it pained her to laugh.
Sonic undoubtedly noticed this. His laughter subsided.
SONIC: “It was after that we had that battle with Eggman…”
He said distantly.
Amy looked at him with concern.
AMY: “What happened?”
She asked hesitantly.
SONIC: “You… fell down the waterfall. We- feared the worst…”
He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes.
Amy gently placed a hand on his, getting him to face her.
Sonic cleared his throat and stood up.
SONIC: “Uh- Tails told me to replace the bandages on your head if you woke up…”
He stuttered, fetching the first aid kit.
AMY: “Okay.”
Sonic returned with the kit and took a seat next to her. He ever so carefully unwrapped the bandages on her forehead, revealing the tender gash that had already formed a scab. He felt a pang of guilt at the sight of it, a bloody image flashing in his mind. He blinked hard to erase the image before continuing to tend to her wound.
He took a cotton swab and placed some disinfectant on it, then tenderly dabbed it on her cut. Amy winced at the sting.
SONIC: “Sorry.”
He said quickly with his ears back.
He took a fresh roll of bandages and wrapped it around her head, careful not to put too much pressure on her injury. After he had finished, he looked over his work. Sure, the bandages were a bit uneven, but it got the job done. Still, not as good as Tails would have done it.
He returned his gaze to her eyes. Amy only now realized how close he was to her face. A mad blush quickly spread across her muzzle.
Sonic brought a caring hand to her cheek, his expression reading worry. He tilted his head down and gently rested his forehead on hers, breathing out a sigh.
SONIC: “I- I’m sorry.”
He said with guilt laced in his voice.
Amy remained still out of fear of scaring him away.
AMY: “What for?”
She asked softly.
No amount of bandages would change the fact that there was a gaping gash on her forehead… and he was to blame.
SONIC: “I should have- I should have been there. I should have saved you.”
He said sorrowfully.
AMY: “Sonic, you did save me.”
She reassured him.
Sonic separated himself from her and looked away, realizing she was right.
Amy reached out and touched his arm.
AMY: “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. What matters is that everything turned out alright.”
She said with a smile.
Sonic turned to her again. He then looked at the bandages on her forehead.
SONIC: “Almost everything…”
AMY: “After a fall that high, I’m lucky to be alive! Things could have certainly gone a whole lot- worse-”
Amy stopped herself when she suddenly felt a sharp pain at her forehead. She shot a hand to her head and shouted.
SONIC: “What’s wrong?”
He said with concern.
Amy didn’t respond to him. She couldn’t hear him over the ringing in her ears. She tried to clam herself, but the pain pulsated. She gripped her forehead and yelled again, snapping the others out of their sleep.
Tails quickly got out of bed. Sticks shrieked and instinctively got in a battle position. Knuckles rubbed his eyes and yawned.
TAILS: “What happened?”
SONIC: “I-I don’t know. She was fine just a second ago.”
He said in a panic.
KNUCKLES: “What’s with all the ruckus?”
He said groggily.
Sticks brought herself back to her senses and ran over to Sonic and Tails. She looked at her friend in worry. Amy was shaking at this point. Her breathing staggered as she let out a whimper.
TAILS: “Amy, can you tell me what’s going on.”
He stated calmly, taking out one of his machines.
Amy was unresponsive.
Tails brought out a gizmo and held it in front of her head. The device beeped rapidly and showed drastic wavelengths and fuzzy thermal images.
TAILS: “She’s suffering from severe headaches.”
He informed his friends.
SONIC: “What do we do?”
TAILS: “I have some medication, but that won’t do her any good in this state. Right now, all we can do is wait for them to stop.”
After a moment, Amy’s whimpers died down and her breathing went back to normal. Tails took another reading of her brain activity. The wavelengths were steady. Amy took a moment to recollect herself.
TAILS: “Are you okay.”
He asked, wanting to confirm.
AMY: “Y-yeah.”
She stuttered.
Just a second ago, she thought she was going to die.
She slowly lied back down and stared up at the ceiling in bewilderment.
Tails went to get medicine and a glass of water.
***
Int. Hedgehog Village: Tails’ House - MORNING
Amy slowly opened her eyes to the morning sun seeping through the window. She didn’t even remember falling asleep last night.
She lifted her head up and looked around.
AMY: “Hello?”
That’s when she spotted Sonic sleeping on the couch across the room.
TAILS: “You really gave him a scare.”
Amy turned to see Tails in the kitchen.
TAILS: “Sticks and Knuckles are outside eating. We got you some breakfast.”
He said, holding a bag of take-out.
Amy licked her lips at that proposition. Tails walked over and pulled out some breakfast tacos.
TAILS: “You know… in all the time I’ve known Sonic, I’ve never seen him react to a situation like that.”
He said, laughing slightly.
TAILS: “It really says something.”
Amy took a potato and egg taco.
AMY: “What do you mean?”
Tails gave her a smile.
TAILS: “It really shows how much he cares.”
Amy looked back at the sleepy hedgehog on the couch and smiled.
AMY: “Yeah, I guess it does.” <3
Fade out: