Present
"Give the emerald to me, Amy, and you will not suffer the consequences."
Normally, that sentence would have no effect on me. I am able to go through anything to keep my dignity, and no matter how much physical or emotional torture I go through, I am able to keep myself from giving up.
Actually, the only thing bothering me is the fact that 'Amy' and 'suffer the consequences' were in the same sentence. That's the bottom line. I struggle and scream in a desperate attempt to once again free myself from the chains' grasps. Again, my efforts are useless, the way I'm not use to, so I just go with the yelling and cursing. I receive a glare that almost silences me, if it weren't for the fact that the owner of those black eyes was now threatening Amy. And I don't like it when anyone threatens Amy.
"Shut up, you blue rat," Midlen hisses.
"Heh. This is coming from someone who would pucker her lips up for me?"
"It meant nothing," was the reply. Jeez, don't I feel appreciated. "I was only after one thing, and I succeeded by using you. Now, listen here, pinky. If you do not give me that jewel, I will force you to."
I want to yell a million things at once. I want to curse a million things at once. I want to scream a million things at once. But I choose one out of the three million without even a thought of doubt. "Just give it to her Amy!"
"No!"
I want to think she's stubborn. I want to think that she's trying too hard. But I know she isn't. I don't know what that emerald Midlen wants is or why it's so important, but I know that it's dangerous. And Amy is the only one who knows about it. Now, despite all the times of doubt we've had about Amy and all the doubt we have now, she's still willing on giving herself up to protect just one stone that can change the world. She's being the heroine here, and she's well worth being praised.
And she's going to pay for it, even though it shouldn't cost a thing.
"Very well," Midlen sighs. She kneels down and puts her finger under Amy's chin, lifting her head so that she's forced to look at the smug grin back at her. "How about we start with something all girls are scared of?"
Next thing I know, Amy's screaming and crying and tossing and turning to get away from whatever is happening. She is held in place though, thanks to the damn chains. I'm panicking, she's panicking and I swear I'm going to lose it here. When Midlen pulls her hand away, Amy's panting and gasping for breath. Midlen takes Amy's hand and shows it to her. Whatever is so special about her hand seriously freaks Amy out, because her eyes go wide and she cringes away into the pillar trying to hide herself from what she can't run from.
"Yes, it's real. And you know what? Those endless hours of torture weren't even a second here. Do you wish to reconsider you decision?"
Amy just stares at her hand. I think she's considering it, and I damn want her to. I can't stand her being so freaked. I don't care if the world comes to an end. Seeing Amy so panicked is just…unbearable.
"No," Amy whispers, and I see a side of her I never knew existed. I admire her for her endurance and long-suffering. I don't know what she's going through, but I don't think I'd be able to handle what she's handling now.
It doesn't change the fact that I want her out of here, safe and sound, even if it means giving up the jewel.
"I don't think you want to do that. Why don't I show you what will be anticipated if you don't?" And Midlen does it again. Amy tries to throw her head away from Midlen's hand, but it's no use. Midlen's hand is placed on Amy's forehead and I brace myself for the screams.
God, there is nothing you can do to prepare for those screams.
The screams are worse, as if she is watching a murder. Her screams pierce into my ears and travel instantly to my self-control.
Now, I seriously can't take it.
"That's going to be what you look like—and smell—if you don't do as I say," Midlen says.
I'm desperate, worried and mad. I'm hating all this with a passion.
Don't worry. I can help you. All you have to do is let it all out. It's as simple as that.
Oh yeah, that voice is persuasive. It knows that I want to run my fist right through Midlen's stomach. It knows that I want to save Amy from whatever she's suffering. It knows that I want to damn get out of here. And it knows that the only way to do that is by plunging into that never ending darkness and losing myself to it.
I restrain myself, not wanting to scare Amy and make her think differently of me.
She won't think anything at all if you don't.
And that got me. I don't even hesitate to losing myself. When I am deep in the bottom, I just float there, letting my instincts take over. This power…it's so real. It's addicting; it is so damn good. It feels right, like this is the reason for living. I feel like I can do anything, including the action of murdering Midlen because of all the pain she's caused for Amy. I see everything around me, but this time in different colors. Right now, everything is floating and black, all but the two girls next to each other. Midlen's in a deep blood red color (how much it suits her) and Amy is in her same color.
Now I yell.
Midlen looks over and grins. That only pisses me off more. I give it my full force, shredding the chains into a zillion pieces and charging towards Midlen faster than the speed of light.
I have no idea how she sees me.
Suddenly her hand is on my forehead and suddenly I'm in water and I'm drowning…literally. I'm not consumed anymore. Now, I'm drowning in literal water and I can't do anything about it. I look around me, but I can't see anything but miles and miles of sea. I'm going to die here. My second weakness was getting to me. I never wanted to die in the hands of my fears. I wanted—heck, I want—to die with at least the dignity I well deserve. But no. I'm going to die because I never learnt to bloody swim.
I can't keep my legs kicking anymore, and now I'm sinking. I hold my breath, but I know I won't hold it long. I'm desperate for air. I start to feel dizzy. I am losing consciousness. Damn it, I'm really going to die.
Suddenly, I'm back in the big, smelly dark room again, but I can't notice because I'm coughing and gagging and am overcoming my trauma. I hear people talking, and I instantly know whom they are. No one can miss that low, deadening voice.
"Don't try that again, hedgehog. And don't even think about hitting me again, Miss Rose. It doesn't matter if your lover is dying; you are just plain stupid to interfere.
I hear Amy scream again, but only for a short second. I feel so useless, knowing that I can't do anything to end these nightmares within a nightmare. I know now, only a little, of what Amy was suffering. Illusions? No, they aren't.
I'm all wet.
I hear Midlen walk out of the room, leaving only the sound of water drops, rat squeaks and Amy's sobbing. When I catch my breath, I look up at Amy.
I can't believe this.
She has bites all over her, and from the looks of it, they're pretty deep. They are like vampires had bitten her all over. She has a cut on her face too.
"Amy," I gasp. "What did she--what happened?"
She looks at me with some sort of look of pity, then looks away, saying, "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. You shouldn't be suffering like this. Look, I'll find a way to get you out. I'll convince Midlen to let you escape. I'll do something-"
"Amy," I interfere. "It's not your fault! We didn't listen to you, even though you were trying hard to convince us. You are the one who should get out of here."
And, for the first time in my life, Amy glares at me.
"Don't start that again," she says. "You and I both know that you aren't thinking a word of what you said. Don't try to get all sweet with me just because I'm screaming."
What is this? Of course I'm thinking it! How dare she think that?
"What?" I exclaim a little too loud. "How can you know what I'm thinking? I'm not getting all sweet with you, Ames. I'm seriously worried and I damn mean what I said."
She isn't convinced, but she just turns her head away. She would have walked away I'm sure, if it weren't for those stupid chains. She must be too tired and shaken to argue, like she normally did. And that seriously worries me.
"Tell me," I whisper. "Tell me what you saw."
She stays quiet for a few moments, then finally starts talking, her voice chocking slightly. "Spiders, dead people and an guy who tried to kill me."
Okay, so spiders aren't that bad. But then you see dead people and a guy who tries to kill you? Amy does not need to experience those. I have no idea what sort of abilities Midlen has, what they do or how they work, but I do know that they are threatening.
Amy goes into details. "I was just standing there, in plain darkness, when suddenly Midlen was there in front of me. Next thing that happens is that there are billions of spiders on me. There wasn't one place on my body that didn't have a spider."
Okay, that's creepy.
"I try not to scream, but then one bites me. Then I lose it, and then the billions of spiders just keep coming and coming. It was so scary. I couldn't move, no matter how much I tried.
"Then, as for the dead people, I was in a foggy field. I didn't want to walk, but my legs were being controlled. Then I look down and there are dead bodies everywhere."
Suddenly her pupils go small and she twists away from me and ducks her head. I know exactly what she's about to do.
I hold back her quills as she throws up at the thoughts. Of course she's sick. Midlen's illusions are real. Amy probably smelt the dead people. And she must have seen a field's worth of dead bodies. The sight of just one of them was something I would never wish on anyone, especially not Amy. Like, especially not Amy. Oh god, poor Amy.
Amy's done her puking session and she wipes her mouth. She then squirms away from the mixed elements towards me with tears in her eyes.
Now I'm pissed.
I feel the darkness inviting me again. I am able to restrain myself, but not so much that I stop myself from punching something. I punch the pillar Amy's attached to, and unintentionally break the chains. They fall onto Amy's lap, who just stares at my hand with a blank expression that I hate seeing. Heck, I don't care what emotion it is, I just want to see Amy with some sort of feeling on her face.
She doesn't do anything, so I lift the chains from off of her lap. She stares at where my hand was, so I do the only thing I want to do. I pull her into an embrace, wanting her to just forget everything she had just experienced. I know she won't though. She starts crying in my chest and her hands are balled into fists and she's pulling my fur, but I don't care. I hug her more tightly.
Just forget it all, Ames. Please.
She falls asleep in my arms after a while, and I'm just relieved that she's able to. The odor of the puke isn't the best thing to smell, so I carry Amy to the opposite end of the room, just far from the walls. I lean my back against my pillar with Amy in my arms, resting my head on Amy's. I feel so guilty. This is all my fault.
Six months earlier…Sonic the hedgehog was a free blue boy. No rules, no regards, no nothing. That was the way Sonic planned everything to be. The hero was never in one place for more than a second and simply let the wind guide him to his next destination. He did things on his own accord and stopped for no one. He belonged to himself, and no one could take that from him.
No one but Amy Rose.
She made him slow down and smell the roses. Her very existence made him look at things with a different perspective. Nothing was fast anymore. His plans were crashed and he found himself standing for minutes without once moving his feet at the very mention of the pink hedgehog's name. His destinations were wherever he could find Amy, and she was the only one who made his heart run faster than his feet. He belonged to her, and only she could take his heart from him.
Yes, Sonic the hedgehog had fallen in love with Amy Rose.
However, big matters such as these were not easy things to accept for the blue blur. He avoided her presence, trying to overcome the overwhelming sensations that came upon him at the very sight of her. The way she smiled at him made his heart pound in his ears, which was the very thing that angered Sonic. He was not to love anyone. He was meant to live his own life for himself, not for someone else.
These things are impossible to deny, though, so the very reason for his infiltration of Eggman's flagship was to save his beloved, even at the cost of his own life. He broke in to the room where Amy was being kept as hostage, where the evil scientist waited for him. His irritating smile widened, resulting the increase in Sonic's intensified glare. Behind Eggman were two capsules, each containing a female figure. One of them was Amy. The other however was a rather attractive female mongoose with a concentrated black color.
"Chaos Emerald?" Eggman simply implied, reaching out his long arm. Sonic simply gave him a look and dashed towards the control panel, which was the very action Eggman presumed he would use. Sonic fell into a trap and was lifted above the floor by a mechanic net, created by the mad scientist himself. He did his Santa Claus laugh as Amy banged on the doors. The other girl, however, was scraping a large circle in the class with lipstick. Sonic didn't think that it was the time to give herself a makeover, that is, until he saw a laser escape from the tip of the makeup appliance. The mongoose kicked open the hole she created and started to beat up Eggman, who escaped with his flying invention. The mongoose let Sonic free, but took no notice of the pink hedgehog hammering on the glass of her capsule.
"Hey, that was pretty cool," Sonic said casually, not liking the fact that a girl helped him. He couldn't deny that the girl was rather talented, not to mention attractive above the hot meter.
The girl laughed and twirled her long hair with a finger, which was a sign of flirtation. Sonic, not being familiar with the signs, took no notice of this and merely smiled.
"It's no biggy," she said. The left-out hedgehog banged madly on the glass, yelling to be unleashed from the crowded tube. Sonic finally took notice and let out Amy from the contents of the capsule.
Somehow, Amy's presence was not noticed by the blue hedgehog and the mongoose, who were deeply entwined in a conversation. Amy tried to include herself by stating her opinions on different things, however her remarks were brushed off. Her being shunned was very distressing and painful for the girl, but nothing could compare to the pain she experienced when she got a glimpse of something she didn't want to see unless she was the receiver of it. She had an immediate assumption that Sonic was having feelings for the new girl.
There was only one thing that could come close to equaling the uneasiness Amy Rose felt in the current situation. It was the mongoose who possessed a deadly color of black that Amy prejudiced as a bad girl type of color. The reasons for her distress on the girl, however, were different than what you and I would first think. It all started with the malicious smile the mongoose threw at her. A message was delivered to Amy in one instant, saying "You better watch your back," and she knew that she had better do just that. She also knew that she was using Sonic to get to her, for whatever reason she had. It was the fear that Sonic may get harmed in the process that worried the poor pink girl.
She did whatever she could to stop whatever conversation the two had, but she was only misjudged for her intentions and the two kept walking. Amy only lingered close enough to hear one sentence.
"By the way, I'm Midlen."