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Author's note: I've kinda put "Red and Purple" on hold for now. I've had this idea rattling around in my head for a few days now, though, and you wouldn't believe how much of a headache all that rattling gives me.
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Chapter 1: The Ruby Necklace
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It was rather late, and the sky was dark. Rain was pouring down so hard, nobody dared go outside. The only person who did not have a roof over her head was one hedgehog girl named Amy Rose, who was taking shelter under a tree.
"Oh, man," Amy said to herself. "I never should have gone shopping this late. If that super-special ruby necklace hadn't been on sale, in fact, I never would've left my apartment at all. I wish I'd brought an umbrella."
Lightning struck, and Amy decided she shouldn't stay put for much longer. She decided to take refuge in the nearest building, which happened to be Tails' lab.
As Amy wrung out her clothes, she casually looked around. All kinds of mechanical devices riddled the room, large and small. It was too complicated for Amy to even dare to comprehend. However, she noticed someone hiding in the rafters.
Alerted by the unknown presence, Amy took a defensive pose. "Who goes there? Show yourself, whoever you are up there!"
The figure dropped to the floor, landing somewhat stylishly, and Amy recognized her in an instant. "Rouge! What did you come here for?"
Rouge folded her arms. "Amy Rose, from apartment 29 in Central City. I followed you back here after you bought that ruby necklace. You know how much I like valuable jewels, and I find that necklace particularly inviting. Now hand it over before I have to get violent!"
"I will not hand over the necklace!" Amy shot back. "It's a gift for Sonic, and I'm not going to give it up to the likes of you!"
"So be it!" Rouge finished, opening her wings. In response, Amy withdrew her hammer from her pocket and brandished it.
Amy made the first move and jumped into the air, attempting to bring her hammer right down on Rouge's head. Rouge, however, did a quick backflip, kicking said hammer out of Amy's hands and across the room.
"By the way, Amy," Rouge asked casually, "how DO you carry such a large hammer in such a small pocket?"
Not paying attention to Rouge's question, Amy dashed across the room and seized her hammer in preparation for a counterattack. She didn't get the chance, as Rouge had snuck up behind her and now attempted to grab her and choke her.
"Give me the necklace!" Rouge commanded.
"I won't!" Amy screamed, prying herself loose and dashing across the room to try to get away. The lab was a little dark, so Amy collided with the wall and fell to the floor.
Rouge now had Amy cornered. "Amy, if you hand over the necklace now, I'll let you go."
Amy, however, was not in a necklace-handing-over mood. Realizing that the light switch was within arm's reach, she reached up and flipped on the lights, temporarily blinding Rouge, who was more accustomed to darkness.
This opportunity was not one Amy was about to pass up. She ran up and hammered Rouge with an underhand swing, sending her flying. Recovering in mid-air, Rouge turned herself and landed on the wall, then jumped off and hovered several yards above the ground.
"You can't hit what you can't reach," Rouge taunted Amy. "Give up the necklace!"
Still not intending to heed Rouge's command, Amy swung her hammer around and threw it, striking Rouge directly and knocking her to the ground.
Amy approached Rouge, who was lying on the floor and rather dazed. "All right," the hedgehog girl said, "any last words, Rouge?"
"Yes," Rouge replied. "For the fifth time, give me the necklace!"
In a surprise move, Rouge kicked Amy in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Rouge also took something out of her pocket and threw it on the floor next to Amy.
Upon getting up, Amy noticed the object, which resembled a marble. She didn't realize what it was until it was too late, as the thing suddenly released a cloud of gas that filled the immediate area. Rouge was a distance away, so she was unaffected.
When the gas cleared, Amy was out like a light. Rouge flew down and inspected her. Good old sleeping gas capsules, Rouge thought to herself. Useful for subduing security guards, police officers, and annoying pink hedgehogs.
Rouge stood up. Amy will be out for a few hours. Now to get that necklace. I can't frisk Amy here; someone might notice. I'd better take her back to the club first. Now what's the fastest way back?
Looking around, Rouge noticed a booth marked "TELE-TRANSPORTER". Evidently, Tails had invented it in his spare time. A clipboard on a nearby table explained how to use it.
TELE-TRANSPORTER OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Step 1: Turn on the tele-transporter by pressing the white button.
Locating the white button in question, Rouge pressed it, and the machine hummed to life.
Step 2: Once the tele-transporter is on, choose the desired destination using the touch-screen control panel. Once a destination is selected, a green light will come on.
Rouge looked over her shoulder, and noticed a screen displaying a map of the area. She touched the screen with her finger, focusing on the street outside Club Rouge, until a light on the side of the machine turned green.
Step 3: Once the green light is on, have the passenger enter the booth and stay inside.
As prompted by these instructions, Rouge picked up Amy and deposited her inside the booth. She would get in herself as soon as she read the rest.
Step 4: Once the passenger is inside, pull the blue handle right next to the booth to start the process. The rest is automatic.
Reading this, Rouge dropped the clipboard, stood inside the booth with Amy, and reached out and gave the handle a tug. She quickly withdrew her hand as an energy field enveloped both females. With a flash of light, they both disappeared.
It doesn't look good for Amy, does it? Well, it gets worse. Rouge had not read the clipboard all the way down, and if she had, she might have noticed a warning printed at the bottom.
WARNING: It is only safe for one passenger to use the tele-transporter at a time. If two passengers try to tele-transport in one go, the process may fuse them into one being.
Uh-oh. And Amy and Rouge were both in there. I have a bad feeling about this.
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I always enjoy a cliffhanger. Well, almost always. Did you notice how the narrator got a little character at the end? I enjoy using that technique.