AN: Hey there guys! I thought I'd update you with another chapter. Thank you Aliciathewolf45, Janttun3n, Shadrougeforever, CrimsonLove16, CrimsonDestroyer, Sad Little Demon, and MissMJS for the reviews. Y'all the bomb!
•~•
Hidden away in an old dressing room of a closed theater, Rosy sat in a makeup chair as she worked on a healing ointment to mend the wound she received earlier that night. Still damp from the rain, her scratch was throbbing like crazy and with a limited amount of time, she needed to tend to her injuries before Shadow found her again. Rosy worked on whipping up a purple paste that consisted of a glue-like texture in a bowl. Finishing it, she scooped an amount of it onto her fingertips and rubbed it along her upper thigh where Shadow had scratched her. The wound was surprisingly deep, but Shadow had used his werewolf side to inflict it.
Rosy hissed as she rubbed the ointment into her wound, covering it completely. "Ah…damn it."
Afterward, Rosy reached for a jar of red liquid and unscrewed the cap, revealing a dropper. She sucked up some of the liquid and proceeded to drip the liquid onto the purple substance. As the liquid hit the ointment it hissed and began to bubble away. "Shit," Rosy hissed, feeling the remedy heal her injury.
Feeling that she was finally safe, Rosy relaxed, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a moment. It was just too bad that moment of ease was cut short when a whoosh of air flew past her. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was handcuffed. "What the hell!"
"My apologies, I don't feel like catching another bad headache," Shadow smirked arrogantly standing before her. Mighty entered the dressing room and lowered his hood, but stood by the door as he watched Shadow confront the witch.
Rosy held her hands out in front of her, analyzing the relic-looking handcuffs. "A dark object…" she mumbled before turning infuriated. "How the hell did you find me?" she screamed.
"I sniffed out your depraved scent," Shadow answered. He reached for the front of her shirt, wadded up some of the fabric in his hand, lifted her off the floor, and smashed her up against one of the walls. "Now," his tone hardened. "Let's get to the important matter at hand. You will release Amy, NOW!"
Rosy let out a chuckle, unfazed by his tough act. "Best not damage the packaging or you might never see your little girlfriend again," she mocked with a grin.
"I'll take the risk," he spat.
"Hah, some boyfriend you are," she taunted. "I've been feeding off Amy's energy for days now. I was even sneaking out at night and you didn't even notice!"
He pulled her away from the wall and slammed her against it again, angered by her ridicule. "Shut up!"
"Release me and you can have what's left of her," she wagered.
"No," he replied sternly before using her other hand to shove his finger into her healing wound. Rosy cried out in agony as she felt his finger dig into her thigh, inflicting more trauma in the fresh wound. "I'll just torture you until you give her back."
"Screw you, hybrid!" she hissed.
"Shadow, wait a second!" Mighty pleaded, forcing him to stop. "Why don't you let me talk to her? Perhaps I can get some information out of her without resorting to violence."
He pulled out the finger he had dug into her open wound. "You truly believe she's going to spill anything to you over me?" Shadow challenged with doubt.
"We won't know until we find out. Just allow me to talk to her for a few minutes alone. I'll be fine by myself, especially since she can't do anything with those handcuffs on."
Shadow sighed and forced Rosy to sit back down in her makeup chair she had originally been stationed in. "I'll give you five minutes, but we can't waste too much time. Amy's life is on the line along with those missing children."
"I understand," Mighty replied. "Now, go." Complying with his orders, Shadow left the room, allowing the two to talk privately.
Once alone, Mighty stood a few feet away as he stared at Rosy with scrutiny. "Alright, let's get down to business. Where have you hidden the children?"
Rosy snickered before crossing one leg over the other. "Is that any way to talk to someone that saved your life," she scolded playfully.
Mighty stared at her, unclear of her comment. "Saved my life?" he repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"I was the one that released you from that spirit's hold," she answered.
"That was you? Why did you help me? I don't know you and clearly you didn't know me, so why do such a selfless act?" he interrogated. "It seems…out of character for you."
"Nobody likes having someone use their body like a hotel," she cracked. "You owe me for your gratitude. After all, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be under that Original's control," she reminded.
"Well, thank you for that…" he spoke sincerely. "I really appreciate what you did for me, but I need you to tell me where you're keeping the children."
Rosy ignored his question as she hummed over another idea. "How about this, you set me free and we'll call it even?" she pitched.
Mighty crossed his arms over his chest, growing irked with her avoidance of answering his questions. "You know I can't in good conscience do that, Rosy. Killing them for power is wrong."
Her wicked expression softened and turned to concern. "But who said they had to die?"
Mighty's hardened stance faltered for a moment in doubt. "Well, I just assumed from your files-"
She shook her head softly and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong," she sighed. "They don't have to die, they just have to stay asleep," she lied. "Come on, Mighty. Don't you want a power that would have every witch running in fear from you? Just think, once I'm done, you could go destroy anyone who's ever wronged you," she manipulated.
Mighty mulled over the thought for a moment. The one person who had really wronged him was Gala-Na. Oh, how he wished he could finish her so she'd never hurt anyone ever again. He couldn't understand why Shadow was keeping her around in the first place—clearly, he loathed her too? "It does sound rather promising…"
The door opened and Shadow walked back inside now that the five minutes were up. "So, are you done here?"
Rosy stared at Mighty optimistically, praying that her manipulation had infected him. Mighty looked over to Rosy for a moment, seeing her eyes were pleading him to join her. He turned his gaze away from her and looked towards the hybrid. "Yeah, I think I've gotten all the information we need," he lied. With quick precision, Mighty clasped his hands together and weaved a sign that forced Shadow to feel a mind attack. "Fus-guh!"
Shadow screamed in agony, as he was rendered helpless before he was levitated and thrown through one of the drywalls. Mighty walked over and saw that Shadow was knocked out, for the time being, giving them enough time to escape. Grinning maniacally, Rosy hopped out of her seat and held out her wrists, still bound by the cuffs that prevented her from performing magic. Mighty held out his right hand and snapped his fingers, making the chains release and drop from her wrists. Rubbing at her freed wrists, Rosy sauntered over to him. "Thanks for that, handsome," she complimented while linking an arm with his.
Mighty felt his cheeks heat up as she pressed her ample chest against his arm. "Heh, no problem."
"Now, let's go," she urged, tugging him in her direction. We don't have much time left."
"Right," Mighty nodded, following her lead as they walked over Shadow's collapsed body. Rosy turned her face away from him for a moment, smirking wickedly to herself. She was proud that she had managed to get this fool to comply with her demands. Now working together, Mighty and Rosy left the abandoned performance theater to finish the spell.
•~•
Afterward, Rosy led Mighty to the location where she was hiding the children. The pink hedgehog directed Mighty into the back part of a warehouse and pointed him in the right direction. She yanked the heavy metal door closed behind her, sealing them away in her hideout. "They're hidden over there," she said, nodding her head to the right.
Mighty looked around, only seeing crates covered in saran wrap all over the room. He couldn't spot a single child that she was pointing to. "I don't see anyone."
Rosy smirked. "That's because they're cloaked. Just watch." She lifted her arms slowly and closed her eyes, mumbling an incantation. "Gumbla." Suddenly the children appeared, all sprawled across the floor unconscious. Mighty looked in awe as he counted the children in his head. There were nine of them in total, ranging from ages 6-16, both male and female.
"There's so many," he uttered.
Rosy knelt down to examine one of the children. "Yes, and now that I'm back, we can start the process, but I have to admit…I told a little lie earlier."
He blinked a few times at her in surprise. "About what?"
"In order to save the many, we gotta sacrifice a few. You understand, right?"
Mighty nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I understand…"
"Good," she smiled wickedly before turning her back on him. "Then we can sta-"
WHACK!
Feeling something with hard force hit the back of her head, Rosy grunted and fell forward, crumbling on the floor as she was knocked out from behind. Mighty stood over her, wielding a lead pipe he had picked up while she wasn't looking. He looked down at her body in disgust and held up the metal pipe, allowing it to rest against his right shoulder. "Yeah, I figured you were lying earlier," he smirked.
•~•
Back at the house, Silver and Blaze spoke to Shadow in the kitchen once he returned home after finding out they had been blindsided by Mighty. "He lied to us?" Blaze asked aghast. "No, no, this has to be a misunderstanding."
"I don't think it was a misunderstanding when he chucked me out of the room and knocked me unconscious," Shadow challenged. "This is why I don't trust easily," he growled in frustration. "For once, I should have listened to my mother…"
"So you have no idea where Rosy might have taken him, then?" Silver questioned.
Shadow leaned against one of the kitchen counters. "Obviously the same place she's keeping the captives, but I have no inkling as to where that is. She seems to have cloaked herself again." Suddenly, his phone began to ring. Rustling his hand into his jean pocket, Shadow pulled out his phone and saw that Mighty was calling him. Growling at the sight of the caller, he answered the call and placed the phone to his ear. "When I find you, I'm going to rip your head from your neck," his voice rumbled.
"You might want to hold off on that beheading," he warned. "After all, I took down Rosy and found the children…"
Shadow seemed rattled by the revelation. "Are you telling me that was all an act back there?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Shadow," he apologized. "I had to make it look convincing. If you were in on the plan, Rosy would have known."
"Yes, of course, blasting me through that drywall really sold it!" he grumbled in annoyance. "But your plan did seem to work," he sighed in defeat. "Good job locating the young ones."
On Mighty's end, the armadillo squinted as he spotted something troubling. Kneeling down to Rosy's level, Mighty realized that Rosy's nose was bleeding, but as he looked around the room at the rest of the children, they were also bleeding from their noses. "Hold the accolades there for a second…"
"Now what?" Shadow droned.
"…Now we got a problem," he answered with a sigh. "These kids, they're all linked to her. Which means if she dies, they all die."
"Text us the location and we'll get there as soon as possible."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll get working on drawing up the spell designs on the floor in the meantime. Oh, and Shadow?"
"Yes?" he responded.
"Bring Amy's real body with you," he requested.
•~•
Once they arrived at the warehouse, Shadow carried the unconscious pink witch to their now ready spell triangle to perform the unlinking spell. Silver carried Amy's original body while Blaze followed him close behind. "Lay them inside the salt triangle," Mighty pointed.
Following his set of instructions, Shadow knelt down and laid Rosy on her back, resting her hands on her stomach and Silver mimicked his action, resting Amy's original body on the floor next to Rosy. "Now what?" Silver asked, standing back upright.
"Do you want to be one of the ones that go inside Rosy's mind in search of Amy, or do you want to be the anchor to strengthen my magic?" he inquired.
"I'll go inside her mind," Shadow volunteered. "She'll be most comfortable with me looking for her," he answered.
"Very well…" Mighty glanced over to Silver. "In that case, Silver, I'm going to need you to be my magic conductor."
Silver walked over to the armadillo. "Do whatever you need to do."
"Now, everyone listen carefully," Mighty announced. "Amy is buried deep inside Rosy's subconscious and Rosy will not give her up without a fight."
Shadow cracked his knuckles, feeling his adrenaline pumping. "Then she'll get a fight."
"You say that with confidence, but you're entering Rosy's mind. If she kills you in there, you will be lost forever, and if you kill her before you free Amy, then Amy will be gone forever," he made explicit.
Shadow nodded, comprehending the information given. He couldn't be cocky while in there and would have to be cautious and pay close attention to his surroundings. "I understand."
"Once you have Amy, then, and only then can Rosy be dealt with."
Shadow stepped forward. "What do I do now?"
"Lie down next to Rosy," Mighty instructed. "Then take her hand and hold on. I will act as a bridge into her mind." Shadow got down on the floor and laid next to Rosy and reached out and clutched her hand in his.
"Oh, that reminds me," Mighty remembered as he searched in his satchel. "You'll need a weapon."
Shadow lifted his head slightly and watched as Mighty pulled out a simple dagger, one that he had snatched off Rosy after knocking her out. He knelt down beside Shadow wielding the knife, but Shadow shot him a deadpan expression at the sight of it. "How exactly am I supposed to take that thing in with me?"
Mighty gripped the handle of the dagger with both hands, closed his eyes, and spoke in a foreign incantation. Once the spell was completed, he opened his eyes and looked down at Shadow. "This is going to hurt a little," he warned. Without further explanation, Mighty stabbed the dagger into Shadow's right shoulder making him cry out.
"God damn it!" he hissed before suddenly fading to unconsciousness. With Shadow now knocked out, Mighty walked over and took Blaze's hand in one hand, and Silver's hand in the other. Looking at the two of them, he cleared his throat. "You ready, Blaze?"
The feline nodded confidently. "I'm ready."
"Good," he smiled before closing his eyes and focusing. He and Blaze began to repeat their incantation in unison as they held onto Silver to amplify their power. Even though they were indoors, a strong wind began to pick up around them.
•~•
In Rosy's subconscious, Shadow inhaled a sharp gasp of air as he came to. He screamed in agony as the pain he had felt for seconds in the real world came back with a mean vengeance. Sitting upright, Shadow clutched at the handle of the spelled dagger before ripping it out of his shoulder. "Jesus Christ…" he panted.
As he collected himself, Shadow took in his surroundings, realizing it looked like he was in some sort of old, run-down motel. He sat on a green, stained rug in the middle of a hallway and stared at the multiple doors on either side of him. Getting to his feet with his knife at the ready, Shadow began to walk down the hall in search of Amy. He passed a few doors, reading the room numbers as he passed them.
A flickering overhead light caught his attention and he looked up at the ceiling, seeing it was cracked, stained, and was littered with cobwebs. If this is what the inside of Rosy's mind looked like in the hallway, he feared what could be behind some of those closed doors. Suddenly a familiar scream erupted down the other end of the hall. Shadow turned on his heel, recognizing the scream as Amy's immediately. "Rose," he mumbled before racing off in that direction.
Shadow came to a door at the end of the hall that was boarded up. He pressed his ear up against the door, trying to listen for her voice. "Amy?" he called.
"Shadow?" a muffled voice replied from the inside.
Sensing it was Amy; Shadow tucked his knife away in the back of his pants, backed up, and kicked the door in, making the door swing open and crack into pieces. He stepped inside the darkened room and spotted Amy sitting on a dirty twin size bed in the corner. "Amy!" he smiled happily.
Looking relieved, Amy ran into his arms, embracing him for dear life. Shadow held her tight, making her feel safe for the first time in days. "Shadow, I didn't think you'd be able to rescue me…"
"Are you mad?" he chuckled lightly. "I'd die trying to get you back." He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "Anyway, you're safe now."
"—You people just don't give up, do you?" a wicked voice called coming down the hall.
Shadow pulled Amy out of her room, seeing that Rosy was making her way down the hall towards them, looking as pissed as ever. Shadow placed his hands on Amy's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I want you to run and not look back."
Amy faltered by his demand. "But Shadow-"
"—Run," he commanded more sternly.
Following his directive, Amy bolted down the next hall, leaving Shadow to deal with Rosy on his own. Now ready for battle, Shadow turned to face Rosy with resolve. Rosy continued her formidable stride towards the hybrid and brought her right hand upward before forming a tight fist. Shadow dropped to his knees as he felt his bones begin to crack one by one. "GAHH!"
"You think you're strong in here?" she shouted intensely. "In my world?" she laughed. Shadow withered on the floor as every bone in his legs began to break one by one, inflicting insufferable pain. A pain he hadn't felt since he changed as a werewolf over a thousand years ago. "I'm the one who makes the rules around here! I'm the one who says how you die!'
Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as the bones in his arms began to break "Ahhh!" Shadow screamed.
•~•
In reality, Mighty and Blaze continued to uphold the spell to keep Shadow inside Rosy's subconscious, but Silver grew distressed when he noticed Shadow twitching, as well as bleeding from his eyes. It was apparent that Shadow must have been putting up a fight or was losing terribly.
The wind whipped violently around them as Blaze and Mighty focused on chanting their conjuration.
"Hang in there, brother…" Silver encouraged.
•~•
Back in Rosy's head, the pink witch straddled Shadow as he stayed on his back, inflicting more torture on him. She used her thumbs to stab Shadow's eyes out repeatedly and took great pleasure in watching him cry out in agony. "The great and terrifying hybrid," she cackled. "How does it feel to be so powerless in my world?" she ridiculed.
She took her fingers out of his eye sockets, watching as his vampire nature healed them within seconds. While she was distracted looking at his face, Shadow had been working on reaching his knife tucked in his pants. Shadow opened his now healed eyes, with dried blood seeped down his muzzle. "You're the one who is about to be powerless," he shouted, lifting his hand with the knife ready to strike.
Luckily for Rosy, she caught sight of the weapon and knocked the knife out of his hand, sending it flying behind her. She laughed manically by his pathetic attempt. "How cute! You thought you'd win in here with ease, but this is my court, hybrid," she sneered. "Now, time to finish you off once and for all. She gripped him by the throat tightly. "Sayonara Shad-" Rosy froze, as she felt an intolerable pain in her right side. She looked down, noticing a knife plunged in her side.
Standing behind her was Amy, looking defiant and fed up with the pink witch. "Get the hell off my boyfriend, you witch!" she shouted before slugging Rosy across the face. Rosy toppled over from the punch, landing on her side with the knife still sticking out of her. Now choking on blood, Rosy stayed curled up on the floor as her life slipped away.
Shadow grunted as he sat up, still recovering from his injuries. "Rose…you saved my life, again."
She smiled at him before helping him stand. "Nobody gets between me and my man." A bright light began to form behind them and it seemed like the world was shrinking in on itself. "What's going on?" Amy asked, getting closer to him.
Shadow held onto her. "I'm not sure…"
•~•
Back in reality, Blaze, Silver, and Mighty were forced apart by an unseen force and quickly stabilized themselves from falling backward. The wind died down and their eyes all immediately flew towards Shadow and Amy, hoping they had succeeded. Shadow was the first to wake up and panted, trying to catch his breath. When he saw the other three looking in his direction, he turned his head looking at the other two bodies next to him. "Did you kill Rosy?" Silver inquired,
Shadow nodded and rubbed at his throat. "Not by my hands exactly, but she's dead. Why isn't Amy awake?" Shadow asked, feeling anxious about seeing Amy still unconscious.
"Perhaps her spirit is still settling?" Blaze conjectured.
Suddenly, Amy's body sat upright, inhaling a deep breath. Shadow mollified seeing her awake. "Thank god." Shadow leaned over and kissed Amy passionately. Smiling through the kiss, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. While the couple rekindled their lost time, another voice piped up in the distance.
"—Where am I?" a young female voice asked in the next room over.
"It's the children," Silver realized.
Mighty ran over and stepped into the room, where he spotted all the children beginning to wake from their long slumber. Most of them seemed very disoriented with their new surroundings and even frightened. "Everything's okay. You're safe now," he smiled with assurance.
Silver and Blaze joined Mighty in the next room, pleased to see everyone was safe and unharmed. Silver knelt down and lifted a frightened female blue chameleon into his arms and stood. "Let's get them back home. I'm sure Hendrix will be elated."
•~•