Amy Rose often woke up early.

Not out of any schedule she had, mind you. Not because she is so eager to start her day and experience life and its wonders, nor an obligation to do so just for the sake of it.

It's just that Amy liked to think. A lot. Especially at the wee hours of the morning when the sun is still young and no one is around. It has been a habit of hers for a while. It's what wills her to even get out of bed at that point.

What things would make such a young, cheerful lass be in deep thought, you might be asking? Well, it was mostly here and there. She'd recount the events of the previous day; the missions and adventures the freedom fighters got into and sort important facts she learned about and stored them into her mental bank to recall later when needed.

...Of course, that's not to say all her early hour's deep thinking were, all the same, every day. Some days she would do nothing but lament over Sonic's daily rejection. Or weekly, more accurately.

Every outright rejection. Every random joke made on her behalf. Every time he brushed her attempts at asking for dates.

Amy knew he was simply denying his feelings. After all, they were destined to be together. Her tarot cards never lied. He joked about her clinginess but in the end, he was simply trying to keep up an image. "He was too cool for her" was the message he was trying to portray for the rest of the fighters and his fangirls.

Amy's blank face which was staring at her room's pink ceiling soured.

She could at least understand his reasoning as selfish as it's. Heck, she laughed along when he told all those silly jokes but why couldn't he be a little bit nicer to her? She never showed it but it hurt. It hurt how her crush and idol made fun of her every time she was around him. How he wouldn't take the time out of his day and casually chat with her yet talked to the weak skanks he called fangirls.

Those trend-hoping-whores don't know him as well as I do. All they see is a handsome hedgehog.

Amy didn't like Sonic for just his appearance or his personality. Those were all superficial reasons and she was smarter than a lot of people gave her credit for. She liked Sonic simply because he was the gravitational pull in her life. It's only because they sent messages back after he saved her from Little Planet that she got to meet his friends and have friends of her own. It's because of him she gets to have a normal life and join the freedom fighters.

Really, how could she not love a person as selfless and amazing as her Sonikku after all he did to her? Even her worthless feelings won't make up for all did for her and just for her.

She dreaded what person she might've turned out to be if it weren't for him especially given her worryingly violent tendencies.

But Sonic was taking too long to confess his love for her and despite herself, she was getting impatient and frustrated.

Very very frustrated.

So frustrated in fact, she'll grab her hammer now and blow some steam on Robotnik's dumb metal cans.

Amy pulled her arms from under the covers; stretching them and yawning. She pushed off the covers and got off the bed.

Slipping on her fluffy pink slippers, she raised her wrist to her face and checked her watch. It was 8:00 am but looked anything but that outside. It looked like it was a little past dawn.

If the little droplets outside were any indication, it has been and still is raining intensely. Those were no morning dews as far as she was concerned.

Her attention was cut off by the radio.

"-attack Golden Hive Colony late last night by the maniacal Ivo Robotnik that left hundreds of civilians dead and more injured. Dozens of citizens are seeking refuge, and the economy is crashing. All because of a single man. Will you talk to me again about what's and what isn't ethical again, Mrs Sasha? Till' when are we going to leave our kin like lambs in the slaughter to be killed, raped and made homeless just because some damn overlanders with their heads up their asses want him alive?"

"Mr Jack, please try to be civil and-"

"If any of the freedom fighters are listening or watching this then I'd like to say that you could've prevented those deaths. I also like to urge king Elias to issue a killing order for this mad man!-"

Amy smashed the radio into pieces with her palm and sighed. This isn't the first nor will it be the last time the media will make fun of them. Any two-bit show host who wanted some juicy views would do the same while their privileged sheeple of viewers at station square, Empire City or here in Central City would equally follow. Folks at Knothole, the place where the Freedom Fighters HQ is located, seemed to be one of the few places that still appreciated what they did.

Why was such hatred directed at them, you may wonder? Well, it wasn't always that way, not that the public didn't have their doubts in a group led by and consisted of adolescents but when they failed to deliver some relief packages some nights ago to Mercia after Metal Sonic attacked the train they were on, public opinion went haywire on them. And in the end, even though someone like Tails could act like a lawyer at sue media outlets that mocks them, it will be taken by the majority of people as suppression of free speech.

Something that contradicts their very name.

They couldn't do anything but take the ignorant masses' defamation with thick skin; risking their lives for the same people who slander them.

Amy looked out at the windows, the rain day's wind violently fluttering the carpets. She pushed them off only to find water splashing against her face and lightning reflecting on it. Her eyes twitched and she slammed the windows shut while sighing.

Making her way over to her closet; she pulled out her favourite winter coat given to her by Blaze in the Holoska Winter Olympics some years ago. She couldn't help but bring it over her face and sniff its scent. It smelt homey and always helped her relax. Even though she would never admit it out loud, she came to care about the girl in a non-platonic manner. But it ultimately didn't lead to anything because Blaze never gave off the feeling of being interested. Plus, she started seeing Silver and settling in her period soon after.

Putting on her dark, red coat and equally coloured hat, she brushed some of her bangs out of her left eye. She turned her flip phone on and stared at the screen blankly. Nicole had called her at least 3 times last night.

She was one of the few people that noticed her solemn attitude the last time they all hung out.

Shaking her head whilst closing the phone and putting it in her pocket, she grabbed her hammer and gave it a few experimental swings. She opened the door and pushed against the harsh winds to get out. When she did, she stared at the faint glowing of the titanic buildings above before speeding away, not noticing the ominous glow that was radiating from her beloved hammer.