Chapter Text
Getting ambushed by crazy evil robots was not on his camping bucket list, but here he was, surrounded. This was totally the plot of the second star wars movie, that one Tom only barely tolerated.
He tried to think of something snarky to say. Maybe 'What am I a tin can magnet?' or something about toasters. He couldn't find this voice and instead braced himself, ready for a fight.
Just then, a fast movie object plowed through the enemies, dancing in a graceful circle. It took him a second to realize it was a ginormous hammer. Welding it was an ominous cloaked figure. If Sonic had family backing him up, he might crack an Obi Wan joke.
Then the hood was lifted and Sonic was met with the face of other hedgehog. She was pink with cat-like blue eyes, a fine red dress, and big golden wrist cuffs. His jaw dropped to the floor like a scene from the mask. He could almost feel Jim Carey's spirit coursing through his veins.
The pink hedgehog gave him a respectful nod and descended the mound of metal scraps to meet him.
"Um... thank you."
Maybe that was pathetic. It probably was, but he really couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. The girl stated at him blankly, then tilted her head I mild confusion. As if she was trying to evaluate what he's just said.
"I-" she started, but she soon cut herself off. Her voice was low. "None... C'mon L'nguage."
The words were vaguely English. Probably intentionally so, she was trying her best to imitate English. Maybe she'd just crash landed here and was trying to get home, or maybe she'd been tracking down those freaky clone droids. Either way, she'd saved him, or at very least kept him from injury. He tried to think of some way to help her in return.
"Follow me." Sonic ushered. He hoped Tails' translation device might provide more answers.
The pink hedgehog seemed to understand as Sonic threw a ring into the air. He manifested near the campsite.
The girl shook her head violently as she pointed the the portal.
Sonic frowned. "The ring? It's fine." He reasured. "Promise."
It didn't seem to work. She retracted her hammer into a small tube, which was super freaking cool, and planted her feet firmly. She wasn't going anywhere.
"I'm taking you to see my family." Sonic tried to explain.
The girl didn't seem to get it at first, then a Realization dawned on her, "Your Tribe? "
Sonic squinted in an attempt to unravel the word. For some reason it sounded familiar. "My... tribe? Yes." Sonic answered, nodding.
The hedgehog considered a moment. She pointed to the portal and said, "No."
She didn't seem to like the ring. Sonic sighed. He hated wasting one, but hey, what was he going to do? Force her through?
"Okay, no ring." Sonic said, letting it disperse. "But, you need to trust me on this."
Thr girl didn't understand and Sonic felt a little bad about it. He held out his hand. She looked at it, and then at him. Then, she took it.
"Okay, I'll need to carry you." Sonic said. He knew she couldn't understand, but hopefully she would trust him more if he still made an effort.
He lifted her into his arms. She seemed stiff at first, and Sonic was a little worried she's absolutely pummel him, but as soon as he broke into a sprint, she calmed.
Within a few minutes, they were back at camp. Sonic set her down and raced around to find the others.
"Tom! Maddie!" He called, in his best there-is-definitely-nothing-wrong voice.
Tails brushed through the undergrowth first. "Sonic! We were worried when you-"
The portal closed and Tails was met with the sight of an unfamiliar face. "Who's that?"
Sonic shrugged. "I'm not sure. She doesn't speak English. I was hoping you could help me out."
Sonic fell into step with Tails and the new hedgehog trailed behind, war hammer on her shoulder like Mary Poppin's umbrella.
Maddie and Tom were waiting by the fire, a scarlet color painting the sky to match the light of the blaze.
Tom's face shifted from stressed to relaxed the moment his eyes locked with Sonic's. He'd obviously been worried when Tails and Knuckles got back without their bluest brother.
Maddie's eyes imediantly snapped to the newcomer, alert in her motherly way. "Sonic, you've brought a friend."
Shock instantly stole Tom and Sonic tried to act nonchalant. "Yeah, I did."
Tails went to get his translator, excited to put it to good use. Sonic began to try to explain the situation.
"So, I overshot the finish line a wee little bit." Here he chuckled and was given two very unimpressed stares. He began to gesture wildly.
"Then there were these robots all around me like clone wars! And then BOOM! Hammer girl." He explained, as if it clarified anything at all.
Maddie put on a pleasant smile. "Thank you for helping Sonic. Though I doubt Hammer girl is your name." Maddie said.
The pink hedgehog just kept a very blank stare.
"She can't understand us." Sonic explained.
"Hopefully I can fix that!" Tails said, bounding up in skips.
Tom nodded. "Your translator. Good thinking, Tails."
"Thanks dad. Anyway, this should detect her speech and tell us what she's speaking. Then, it'll translate for us." Tails explained.
The device was held right up by the girl's mouth and she sniffed it curiously. Sonic thought her mannerisms felt oddly familiar.
"Go on, speak." Tails offered, talking into the box and then offering it back to the girl.
"I'm Amy Rose." She said. "Apologies, but I don't speak the Common Language."
The device began loading. Tails rocked back in forth in excitement, eager to see his improved invention work. "I have over 18,000 languages programed," He said, "Any currently spoken language is in there."
A strange beep came from the machine. Tails frowned and looked at the screen. Something alien lit up his features: confusion.
"I'm guessing this isn't one of those 'over 18,000 languages.'" Sonic guessed.
Tails shook his head. "It isn't. But if I can cross reference the syntax, tone, and inflections with the data base of the ones I do have, I should be able to estimate the approximate region of the dialect and maybe find a sister language. It might be similar enough to get some ideas across."
Sonic was lost, and Tom looked lost as well. Maddie nodded, though. Somehow, she understood that all. Tails began typing away at the box.
The pink hedgehog waited patiently. She seemed to be looking around.
Maddie leaned down to her, trying her best to sound kind, even if the girl couldn't understand her. "We'll figure this out, hon. Promise."
Knuckles appeared from the surrounding woods a moment later. "I've had no luck in finding- oh, Sonic. You've returned."
Suddenly, the pink hedgehog began to vibrate with what Sonic assumed was excitement and ran towards the Echidna.
"Wha- back creature! I am an Echidna warrior!" Knuckles shouted fending her off with a flailing arm.
"Be careful! She's harmless!" Maddie called.
"Well... not entirely." Sonic added, thinking back to the crushed bots.
"You are who I've been searching for! At least, I think? You're Knuckles, son of Wynmacher, right??" The Pink Hedgehog asked.
Knuckles went pale and lept back from her as though he'd touched fire. He ended up slamming into a tree.
"Woah! Knuckles!" Sonic sped over and helped him up. "What's the matter?"
"She- how..." Knuckles began. "You speak this language?"
The campsite went quiet. Even Tails stopped typing. Sonic knew that Knuckles very rarely used Echidnian words. But he'd heard the occasional one. This language was definetly his, and the hedgehog girl was speaking it!
"Yes. I realize this must be confusing for you. I am Amy Rose. Apprentice to Chief Kneecapeon Mace of the house of Le. It's lovely to meet you. " The Pink hedgehog said.
Knuckles took one last shuttering breath and felt backward. Sonic just barely caught him before he hit the ground unconscious.
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Knuckles felt the world spin around him as he came to. For a moment he though it was a horrible dream until he woke up to see the pink hedgehog sitting around the campfire with his family.
Knuckles tried to get up quickly, but Maddie stopped him. "Just calm down, baby. Deep breaths."
"Sorry if I scared you." The female hedgehog -Amy Rose, she'd said her name was- apologized.
"I was not scared, merely-!" Knuckles cleared his throat. "You surprised me is all. I wasn't scared."
Miss Rose didn't seem convinced.
"Excuse me, Sonic the hedgehog here, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?"
Knuckles sighed. "This is Amy Rose. She speaks Echidnian and is claiming relation to my people."
"Wait, wait, wait. Pump the brakes. I thought you were the last Echidna?" Sonic said.
"I am. Which is why she is clearly lying." Knuckles explained.
Tails cut in. "Are you sure? According to my translator, you're both speaking the same dialect of language."
"A trick, likely." Said Knuckles.
"Hon, maybe you should give her a chance to explain herself." Maddie said.
Knuckles huffed but turned back to Amy Rose. "My people were killed by Owls. Tell me how you know my language."
Tails suddenly interupted. "I got the translator working on Echidnian! It should translate well for us now. Just let me know of there are any bugs."
The words he said were turned into Echidnian. Amy smiled. She took the device to vocalize to the whole group. Her words were changed into the common language.
"The warriors of your tribe went after a threat on the island, an Owl named Longclaw."
Sonic cringed. Tom set a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.
"They manage to eliminate her, but she called reinforcements."
Sonic gasped in shock. The others seemed surprised as well. Knuckles did not.
He spoke in the common language and let the translator do the heavy lifting. "I know this part of the story. I lived it. The owls attacked and I ran to find the warriors. They were slain when I got there. The village was doomed."
"The Owls attacked your village? After your warriors had left?" Sonic asked, horror finding his eyes.
Knuckles didn't look Sonic in the face.
"You didn't tell me!" The blue hedgehogs voice suddenly rose. He was yelling now. "How could you keep that from me?!"
"Sonic, calm down. We can talk this over." Tom tried.
"I did what I thought would keep the peace. You seemed happy, why burden you with it?" Knuckles admitted.
"Burden me!?" Sonic practically screeched.
"Boys! Enough! Let's let our guest finish." Maddie scolded.
Knuckles imediantly backed off. Sonic was fuming but stayed quiet. Amy continued.
"Some warriors survived Longclaw and ran back to the village. They found it destroyed. They overtook the remaining Owls. There were only a handful of survivors from the village. All in all, less than three dozen Echidna remained. They counted the bodies, but couldn't find yours."
"So what? Ten years later they send some common hedgehog to find me? I find it hard to believe they wouldn't search for me themselves." Knuckles spat.
"They found bones in the stomach of an Owl. All these years they thought it was you. But it wasn't!"
"They... what?!" Sonic actually looked sick.
Knuckles frowned. Tails decided to fill in. "Owls have been know to eat the lesser species. Mostly mice and tenrecs. It's not far fetched to assume that one could have-"
"Tails, please stop. We get your point." Maddie interjected.
Amy ignored the cacophony and focused on the Echidna in front of her. "Knuckles, I heard about you on my Warrior's Quest. Chief Kneecapeon told me I needed to bring back something from our old village. I chose to bring back you."