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If Amy got to have her way, she would have made a stop at the Resistance HQ to clean up before meeting royalty. At the very least, she would have gotten all the oil out of her quills first.
Amy ran a hand over her quills, pressing them back into their proper, bobbed shape as she rounded a corner into the town square. Black liquid dripped from a spike and onto her gloved finger. She sighed and wiped it off on her skirt. It didn’t matter if that got any dirtier — it was already stained various shades of charcoal thanks to her last encounter. It’s a lesson she’s learned time and time again: never wear your nice clothes to a Badnik fight. Not that she had much choice, but still…
“Could be worse,” she muttered under her breath. “I could have worn my party clothes. It would have been festive enough.” As if on cue, a firework burst far above, filling the evening sky with lights. Ahead of her, the folks in the town square cheered, raising cups and sparklers above their heads to make a toast. It was a beautiful sight… and it would be even more beautiful if Badnik parts weren’t lining the waterways.
Soleanna. The City of Water. It was sporting a new look. Its formerly-crystal clear canals were now darkened with oil (a feeling that Amy felt kinship with at the moment). The buildings were damaged, marred by black marks and broken walls. A few bridges here and there had collapsed, and many of the murals and cultural symbols were tarnished. It was looking rough here.
And yet it was still beautiful. The destruction didn’t hinder Soleanna’s majesty; in contrast, it proved it. Despite everything that had happened recently, despite all the trouble everyone had been through, Soleanna survived. The next day would be brighter than the last, and that was cause for celebration.
It was an idea Amy had always liked. And she guessed the people of Soleanna agreed, considering how hard they were partying.
The town square was enraptured by the festival when Amy arrived. The whole city was, of course, but here it was stronger than ever. Banners proudly displayed the holy eagle that stood for the country — as well as some less-than-flattering depictions of a man with goggles and a bushy mustache. Fireworks lit up the sky, flames burned in torches and sconches, and everyone — human and otherwise — danced,sang, and cheered. Amy almost forgot the place was a warzone not too long ago.
She continued down the path, following the sounds of laughter and maybe a little too much merriment. Eventually, though, she saw what she was headed for: a massive structure in the center of several converging waterways. Atop it was a large monument alight with roaring flames, tended to by people in robes.
Amy was about to step on the boat to ride over there when she heard a sudden voice: “I wouldn’t go up there if I were you. Things get hectic on the ceremonial brazier. Believe me.” Amy turned to see a girl watching her. She was a little taller than average, but Amy could tell she was still a teenager. She had pale and freckled skin, red hair stopping at her chin, and dazzling blue eyes. Her attire was elegant; a white dress with splashes of orange and red and plenty of frills. Atop her head was a little headband with white feathers.
Amy immediately recognized her, suddenly feeling both very underdressed and woefully unprepared for the conversation that was beginning. “Princess Elise!” She hurried into a curtsy, bowing her head low as she continued, “It’s nice to meet you. I came as soon as the Resistance got your message.” She glanced down at her stained dress and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about how I look. I had to deal with some Badniks on the way here and I didn’t have time to get changed. I hope that’s alright.”
Elise smiled. It was a warm expression, certainly, but Amy could tell when someone was hiding behind a mask. The bags under her eyes betrayed many sleepless nights, and her hair was not as well-groomed as it usually was, being a little more ruffled than it looked on TV or in pictures. Despite that, she held herself with a dignified seriousness that was befitting a princess… even if it certainly wasn’t normal for a teenager.
Elise chuckled. “It’s alright. I think you might actually make a few friends here by looking that way. Anyone who can break one of Eggman’s machines is a hero in Soleanna.” She glanced down at her dress and noticed a speck of black on her collar. A black speck that was not there before Amy whipped her head down.
Amy’s eyes widened. “Oh, princess, I’m so sorry; I hope I didn’t ruin your dress.” Elise shook her head. “Even if you did, you also helped save the world. I’d give up a thousand more dresses if it could pay you back.”
Amy rubbed the back of her neck. “Heh. Thank you, princess. It means a lot to me. But it was a team effort, really. The Resistance all had to work together to stop Eggman. I’m not sure we could have won if it wasn’t for everyone involved.”
Elise glanced over at the flames burning on the ceremonial brazier. “Oh, I know. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen people work together like this… Soleanna owes you and your friends for more than you know.” That was cryptic, but Amy decided to brush it aside. She didn’t want to offend Elise by asking too many questions. “So, your message said it was pretty urgent. Is something wrong?”
“Physically, no. It seems that peace has returned to Soleanna.” Elise leaned against a railing that looked out over the canal, her eyes turned to the revelers nearby, several of whom were kicking at a broken Badnik that had been abandoned there. “But there are more subtle problems plaguing my people. Things have been difficult for everyone. I… I was hoping you could help me find a way to figure out how to help.”
Amy nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can, but…” Her brow furrowed. “Why me? I mean, we have lots of experts at the Resistance. Some of them probably know more about how to help than I do.”
“If this were governing or military advice, I might agree. But this isn’t a problem that can be solved with violence. It’s a problem of the heart.”
Amy blinked. “Are you… Are you asking for me romantic advice? Because trust me, I have not been successful in that department.” Not for a lack of trying.
“Not quite.” She cast her eyes to the sky, where fireworks popped off in a dozen different colors, each one denoted by faint booms. “I suppose I wanted to know how you manage to deal with all of it. Your adventures, I mean.”
Amy moved over to the railing and mimicked Elise’s pose, watching the fireworks above. “It’s not easy. I love exciting things like fighting bad guys and helping people, but even I need to take a break sometimes. I do what I can; watch movies, bake, spend time with my sister Cream and my other friends; but it takes a while to get used to everything.”
“It must be hard to take a break.”
“Mhm. I didn’t want to, but Knuckles said he’d throw me out of HQ himself if I didn’t take a week off.” Amy scoffed. “I told him I’d like to see him try. He almost did it too — Silver had to break us up before it got worse.”
Elise let out a laugh like a ringing chime. “It must be nice to have friends like that to help you. As the princess, I don’t get much time off, not even during the aftermath of a crisis.” She sighed. “And it feels like there have been a lot of crises lately.”
Elise pushed away from the railing and gestured for Amy to follow her. The two headed down a nearby street as she continued, “My people still remember seeing Eggman televise his threat with the ARK worldwide. Then the Black Arms invaded not long after, followed by the earth splitting apart. That's not even mentioning Solar—” She took a sharp breath, glancing at Amy before turning her attention forward again.
“That is to say, we've experienced a lot of worry lately, with Eggman's conquest being the most recent. My people feel helpless, not sure when the next disaster will strike…and I'm just as unsure.”
Amy frowned. “Yeah…I guess when you're not one of the people in the middle of it, its even scarier. It had to be hard on all of you. I'm sorry.”
Elise bowed her head in acknowledgement. “The people of Soleanna look to me for guidance. They need someone to help them move forward.”
Amy offered a smile. “Well, if there's any way I can help you, princess, I will. You're not alone.” She forced herself to hold a triumphant smile as she raised a fist up. “There's nothing to fear when Amy Rose is here!”
That had the intended effect. Something about her optimism, or maybe her silliness, broke through Elise's melancholy. Her eyes widened with surprise, then gave away to a laugh. “I had a feeling. I guess I just wanted an expert's opinion on how to deal with…” She waved a hand in the air. “All of this. No offense to your friends, but you're the most normal one of them. I hoped you might have advice.”
Amy snorted. “You know we're weird when the girl with a massive golden hammer is the normal one. But I'd be happy to help, princess.” Amy glanced down at her battle-marred dress. “I know what it's like to feel alone in all the chaos. But as long as we’re together, nothing can stand in our way.”
“Thank you, that means a lot to me. And please, call me Elise.”
The two of them walked into a wider plaza area, where a local band played music, blasting as loud as the speakers would allow. A crowd of people were dancing to the beat, giving in to the pure joy in the air. Atop a nearby stage, a man wore a fake set of blue quills on his head as he rocked out on a guitar. The crowd was chanting, Sonic Man! Sonic Man! Sonic Man!
Amy couldn’t keep herself from giggling. He’s not the real thing, but I have to admit: he has style. Maybe the true Sonic could take a few notes.
Elise gave a wistful sigh. “I wish I could relax like that. What I wouldn't give to just stop thinking about princess things for a few minutes.”
Amy looked between Elise and the crowd of people. “Why can't you?”
“It's not exactly appropriate. Royalty are held to certain standards.”
“And? You're a person first, a princess second. If I can go around looking like this—” She gestured to her oil-covered dress. “—then you can let off a little steam. It'll be fine.”
Elise shook her head. “Even if that's true, I'm not sure I have the confidence to do such a thing.”
Amy's smile was both heartwarming and a little sinister. “If it's confidence you need, then you can borrow mine!” She took Elise's hand and pulled her into the crowd. “Follow me!”
Elise yelped as she was dragged along, surprised by Amy's unexpected strength. “What are we doing?”
“Taking your mind off being a princess, Amy Rose-style!” Once they were in the middle of the crowd, Amy started to dance, a cute and energetic bit that was like she was releasing six months of despair into a grand display of happiness. “C’mon, Elise! I’ll look silly if I’m doing this by myself!”
Elise glanced around at the other people, as if thinking, You’re not by yourself, though? Still, after a moment, she began to timidly mirror Amy’s motions, dancing with far less enthusiasm, though it seemed to be more shyness than a lack of interest. “Am I doing this right?”
“Yeah! Just follow my lead! Let’s show everyone that their princess knows how to have fun!”
The festival continued deep into the night. The two danced until they were exhausted. After that, Amy convinced Elise to enjoy some of the snacks and drinks the people were providing, taking time to chat with her over small-talk between joining the other townsfolk for whatever activities they had planned.
Amy knew what tomorrow would bring. She’d wake up exhausted from having so much fun and would be socially drained. Then she’d drink an entire boat-full of coffee before going to meet Elise at the castle. There, they’d get to work: organizing assistance between Soleanna and the Resistance; planning out how to start repairs to the city; helping Elise cope with the stress and finding ways to help the people too. It’d be a lot of work, and she couldn’t say it would be easy.
But that’s why they were having fun now. Elise needed to de-stress, and she needed someone to encourage her. The two of them would stand together, party, and get to know one another. That was the first step. After that? She could deal with the work. Especially if it was with a new friend.
In a way, it felt like something that was long overdue.