Chapter Text
Sonic opened his eyes to find an unfamiliar room.
Sunlight was streaming in from a window. Had he really slept that late? But . . . that wasn’t really important right now. Sonic pulled himself up into a sitting position, concerned that he didn’t recognize anything around him.
The room certainly looked lived in, with little nick knacks, posters, and various belongings scattered around the walls, the floor, and the shelves. Even the foot of the bed Sonic sat on was decorated with multiple guitar picks, each a different shade of red or blue. There was a bulletin board on one wall displaying postcards from places all over the world.
But none of it looked familiar.
Sonic brushed the blankets on his lap aside and stood up. He faintly realized that aside from his name, he couldn’t really remember anything. For some reason, he didn’t think that was too concerning though.
Curiously, Sonic went to the door and opened it, advancing into the house beyond. It was . . . well, it was a house. And it looked lived in as well. Sonic specifically noted the picture frames on the walls, showcasing a figure he recognized as himself with various other unfamiliar people. The most prominent of these strangers was a fox boy with yellow fur and two tails. In some of the pictures, he was young, maybe around ten years old. In others, he was much older, standing at about a head taller than Sonic himself. He’d clearly known this fox for many years. Apparently.
There were little notes scattered across the walls, but Sonic didn’t try to read any of them. He was exploring right now. He could read them later.
Eventually, Sonic found the kitchen and discovered a note stuck to the fridge by a magnet. It was written in small, neat handwriting. This one looked important, like he was supposed to read it, so he did.
Sonic,
Don’t panic. Everything’s okay. You have amnesia and you’ve had it for a while now.
I’m Tails (the fox in the pictures) and I’m your little brother. I had to leave for a conference for a few days. I’ll be back on Saturday.
If this is the first day, Amy will be here soon to take care of you.
If this is the second day, Amy is the one who woke you up and made you breakfast.
If this is the third day, I’ll be home soon. Amy is the one who woke you up and made you breakfast. Knuckles will probably get to the house before I do. He’s going to bring you some fruit from his island.
See you soon, bro! Love ya!
~Tails
Sonic read the note over again. Amnesia. That made sense. And if this had been happening for a while, with Tails trusting him alone, that meant he was probably going to be okay. He just had to wait for this ‘Amy’ to get here.
Deciding he was hungry, Sonic found himself easily able to locate the cereal and the bowls. It was like muscle memory. His body remembered where things were, even if the cupboards and kitchen themselves were unfamiliar. He was happily munching away when he heard the doorbell ring.
Sonic got up from the table and took a second to actually find the door. Slowly, he unlocked and opened it, peeking around shyly to stare at a pink hedgehog girl wearing a red dress.
“Hi, Sonic,” she said gently, but cheerily. “Did you find the note?”
“Mmhm,” Sonic mumbled. “Are you Amy?”
“I am,” Amy nodded. “Can I come in?”
Sonic thought about that for a moment. Amy was supposed to take care of him, right? Then, she was supposed to come in, right?
“Okay.” Sonic stepped aside and opened the door wider.
“Thank you,” Amy said with a smile. She took some kind of sign down from the wall next to the door and walked inside with it. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Just started,” Sonic mumbled awkwardly, closing the door behind her.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Sure.”
Sonic’s amnesia had started six years ago, just a few months after Starfall. It had been very gradual at first. He’d forget random details, but remember them soon after. Then he’d forget entire events and no amount of recapping could remind him of what happened. Then he started forgetting people.
They knew something was wrong. They tried to help him. But no amount of doctor visits or treatments helped. Before long, Sonic’s amnesia settled into a pattern. Every day, he woke up, having absolutely no memory of anything besides his name.
His personality tended to fluctuate with every new day. Some days, he was shy and reserved, others, he was paranoid. He’d be outgoing, or immensely depressed, or angry. Sometimes he could take care of himself relatively fine. Others, he’d freak out and try to bolt like a frightened animal.
It hurt Amy’s heart, but she’d learned to accept it. They all had. They’d fallen into routine over the years. They had to take things day by day. Any plans made in advance that included Sonic were always subject to change depending on what kind of day he was having. One year, they planned to have his birthday party at Rouge’s casino, but that was the day his brain decided it hated all people with a fiery passion. Tails had only just barely managed to coax Sonic out of his room that day. They ended up just having a movie night to celebrate. Just the two of them.
Today, when Sonic opened the door for Amy, she was relieved to see that he seemed to be having a good day. He seemed pretty quiet today, but that was one of his more ideal personalities. Amy had wanted to get here much sooner, just in case he woke up feeling like he absolutely needed to run straight to the Tornado and fly it off to who knows where, but her neighbor had needed some plumbing help. Amy was so glad Sonic hadn’t tried to run off before she arrived.
Amy had taken care of Sonic a few times before, so she knew what to do. She spent the first few hours doing activities with him, trying to gauge what exactly his mood would allow for today. Later, when he didn’t jump at the chance to help her with chores, she allowed him to sit on the couch and fidget with the rubix cube Tails had bought him. He’d only ever managed to solve it once, and that was when he’d been intensely focused.
Once the laundry was done, Amy offered to take Sonic out to the park so he could run around. He reluctantly agreed. Once they were there, Sonic proceeded to run circles around the playground equipment. He came back with a big smile on his face, no doubt feeling very proud of himself.
Amy didn’t fail to notice the stares of parents and children directed at Sonic. Specifically at his vest, the one Amy had insisted Sonic put on before they went out.
It was red with white lines criss-crossing the fabric. Sewn onto the back was a message.
Please be kind.
I have amnesia.
They’d had the vest custom-made years ago. Sonic himself had actually requested it, back before he’d completely lost himself. Everyone had resisted, not wanting to believe they weren’t going to find a way to fix this. Sonic had just smiled and told them everything was going to be okay.
The vest wasn’t the only thing with a message letting people know about Sonic’s amnesia. Whenever Tails wasn’t home, there was a sign by the front door of their house that read: “Please be patient. I have amnesia and it may take me a minute to find the door.” And there were notes all over the house itself, meant for Sonic.
Notes reminding him the names of each of his friends. Notes assuring him that everything was okay and explaining his amnesia. Notes reminding him to eat, to drink water, to put on his gloves or vest, to make sure he went to bed.
It was rough.
But it didn’t change their love for Sonic. It especially didn’t change Amy’s love.
Presently, Sonic had somehow started a conversation with a six year old cat boy, who was enthusiastically showing him some kind of trading cards. They sat together in the sandbox. Sonic laughed at one of the kid’s jokes, smiling pleasantly.
Amy watched them with a smile. She was about to get up and try to engage in their conversation when a cat woman suddenly sped towards the sandbox. She scooped her son into her arms, who protested in vain.
As the woman passed Amy on her way to her car, she gave her a sheepish glance. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to bother you,” she said. In a flash, she had loaded her son into the car and they disappeared.
Sonic looked up at her with a heartbroken expression. “What . . . did I do wrong?”
“Nothing!” Amy promised. She shot to her feet and soon found herself kneeling in the sandbox, wrapping her arms around the blue hedgehog in a hug. “I’m sorry, Sonic. Some people just don’t understand.
“They . . . don’t understand I have amnesia?” Sonic asked in confusion.
“They . . . do,” Amy said hesitantly. “They just don’t understand that . . . it’s still okay to play with you.”
“Will you play with me?” Sonic asked.
“Of course!” Amy let Sonic go and smiled warmly at him. “What do you want to play?”
A mischievous smile stretched across Sonic’s face. “Tag!” He reached out and tapped Amy on the shoulder. “You’re it!” He got up and raced to the other end of the playground.
Amy smirked. “Oh, it’s on!”