•~•

Later that evening, Shadow and Silver patiently waited in the dining room for their unwanted guest to arrive. Growing impatient, Shadow looked at his wristwatch, seeing that his mother was nearly fifteen minutes late, causing him to groan in frustration. He pulled at the collar of his suit, already growing tired of wearing it. "Are these outfits really necessary?"

After pouring fresh water into all the glasses, Silver turned to look at his younger brother. "Appearance is a way of showing respect. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions if she thinks she has our respect," he reasoned.

Shadow rolled his eyes at his theory. "Well, I doubt her guard will drop because I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer," he grumbled.

Silver struck a match, igniting a flame. "We need every advantage we can get," he countered while lighting the candles on the table.

Shadow watched his brother walk around the table, making sure everything was in its proper place. "You always did excel at diplomacy, but just know if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces," he said with a dark smile.

An unfamiliar chuckle arose from the dining room entryway, and a black and red armadillo sauntered into the dining room in a dashing black suit. "You two still haven't changed a bit," the stranger chuckled darkly as he stopped at the other end of the table. The brothers exchanged uncertain looks before focusing back on the stranger in their household. Seeing their confused expressions, Mighty continued to uphold a devious smile. "You do realize linens and silk can't disguise your pathetic self-loathing." His eyes focused on Shadow in particular. "And you…despite your arrogant façade, you're still the same paranoid little boy full of hate and fear."

Silver slowly made his way towards the armadillo, already quite insulted by the stranger's criticism of his brother. "Forgive me, but I don't believe I've had the pleasure…"

Mighty feigned offense and placed a hand on his heart. "Aw, you mean you don't recognize me?" Hearing silence as their response, he scoffed by their ignorance. "So much for the unbreakable bonds of family," he tsked.

Shadow's eyes narrowed as it finally clicked—his pompous attitude, his knowledge on both of them, and finally how he carried himself. "Mephiles…"

Mighty smirked. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat." The three brothers took a seat at the dining room table together. Shadow snapped his fingers and a compelled waitress came in and poured them all a glass of wine.

Silver stared hard at his older brother from across the table, studying him intently. "Mother brought you back, too?"

Mighty nodded pleasantly. "Yes, she figured we needed to start off fresh." He lifted the glass of red wine to his nose and inhaled the delightful earthy aroma. "Ah, yes, what an aromatic Bordeaux."

"Well, it was a challenge to find a good pairing," Shadow disclosed as he swirled the wine in his own glass. "What wine goes well with treachery?" he said passively.

"Oh, don't pout, little brother. Tonight is meant to be a happy occasion," Mighty scolded playfully.

"And what exactly are we celebrating?" Silver questioned.

"Why, my return, of course! I'm rather enjoying this new body. Especially when I can stroll about my lovely city, that you two have made your home," he said a little bitterly. "Please though, catch me up on what I've missed since I've been gone."

"Everything has been relatively pleasant since I killed you after you tried to take away everything I ever loved."

"Let bygones be bygones," Mighty dismissed as he waved a hand. "You needn't worry, though, I have no intentions of hurting Amy again or my little niece," he assured. "The time to sacrifice your daughter has passed and would gain me nothing in return at this point."

"I doubt you'll make it out of this dinner alive if I have a say," Shadow snapped.

Silver leaned back in his chair, looking rather annoyed. "Is mother going to grace us her presence, or has she decided on eating elsewhere?"

"She's coming," he assured. "And when she arrives, she'll be sitting at the head of the table," Mighty gestured.

"Why have you decided to side with our mother anyway?" Silver probed. "Do you not remember when she tried to kill us all five hundred years ago?"

"Mother made me see the errors of my way while I was in purgatory with her. She convinced me to come back and help you two see the light. She wants us to be a family again. Change is inevitable, dear brother."

Shadow let out a hearty laugh by his subtle threat. "You would dare challenge us as mere mortals? The only thing inevitable is your death," he pointed.

"Same old Shadow. Still using threats to show off your bravado," he said as he shook his head in pity. "With all this entertainment, I'm rather enjoying my evening."

"And I'd enjoy it too if you got to your point," Shadow growled.

Mighty looked between his two brothers. "What's with the attitude? You've always treated me so unfairly. Why have you and Shadow always resented me?"

Silver crossed his arms over his chest. "Because like father, you've always despised our supernatural existence once it was discovered that mother had an affair with another villager. You and father tortured and abused Shadow daily. I watched day after day as you two ganged up on him, beating him, making him feel worthless and weak. You've always been pretentious and dull, much like how this meal has turned out to be," Silver finished passively.

"—Oh, my darling sons," a feminine voice spoke from around the corner. All eyes shot in that direction only to see Aurora enter the room in a black ball gown. She clasped her hands together. "How I've missed you."

•~•

In the city, Amy and Blaze met with Gala-Na to start the soul-branding spell. With twenty minutes into the spell, Amy was already growing bored. "So, how much longer is this going to take?" Amy questioned as she watched Gala-Na work independently.

Gala-Na stopped stirring her cauldron with her spoon. "You want me to soul-brand the resurrected spirit of a thousand-year-old witch—it's best I take my time and do it correctly," she spoke directly. "Speaking of which, I need the enchanted item now."

"Right," Amy replied as she pulled out the necklace. Gala-Na took it from her and Blaze and Amy watched the witch carefully.

"How exactly does this work, Gala-Na?" Blaze questioned as she took mental notes for the future.

"The next time she jumps into a body, she'll be marked with a distinctive symbol on the back of her right hand," she explained. "This way you'll always know who she is. The brand will look just like this bird pendant."

•~•

Back at the dinner party, things were still incredibly tense now that their mother had shown up. Shadow glared at her across the table with a frown. "Why don't you just say what you came here to say already, so we can end this wretched evening?"

"It pains me that you and Silver look at me with such disdain," Aurora spoke sadly. "I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you."

"You actually believe that, don't you?" Shadow scoffed in regale. "I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional."

"If you can, forget the hatred that you cling to, try and remember all the times I've mended and healed you," she pleaded. Shadow grumbled as he shifted in his seat. Aurora looked over to Silver for backup. "Silver, do you recall the day Shadow challenged your father to a duel?" Silver looked over to Shadow as he remembered the event. "Did I leave your brother to die alone?" she continued. "What did I say when you came to me and asked me to help him?"

"…That you would rather die than watch any of your children suffer," Silver recalled.

~Flashback~

Aurora followed the sound of an agonizing scream echoing through the forest. Following the cries of pain, she eventually found the one she had been searching for. Now sixteen years old, Shadow was pinned to a tree with a sword plunged through his right shoulder. Seeing the austerity, Ivy rushed to his side. "What happened?"

"I-I challenged him," Shadow answered as he shut his eyes, wincing in pain.

"What were you thinking?" she scolded.

"I thought if I could just beat him, just once, he would see that I'm worthy," Shadow explained through pained gasps.

Aurora placed one hand on the handle of the sword, while her other hand rested on his shoulder. "You need to hold still."

With one quick pull, she yanked the sword out of his shoulder, freeing him from the tree. Shadow screamed as it was ripped out of his flesh. "GAHH!" He slunk down the tree into a sitting position trembling.

Ivy collected some moss off the ground and pressed it up to his wound. "Shadow, calm down," she cooed. "Everything's going to be fine."

"He laughed at my challenge," he gasped. "He said he would take this from me as a prize after defeating me," Shadow explained as he held up his beloved bird necklace. "We began to fight and he knocked me down—he cut the bird from my neck and I grew so angry," he uttered.

Ivy's eyes grew wide as she listened to his tale and description. "What happened next?"

"I hit him, again and again. I even cut him…"

"Is he still alive, Shadow? Did you—did you kill him?" she asked almost terrified to hear the answer.

Shadow shook his head weakly. "No, he's still alive. Once I had defeated him, he was so enraged that he struck me with his sword." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I wouldn't let him take this necklace from me because it was your gift to me," he spoke proudly.

Ivy smiled at him. "You're a good boy, Shadow. You did the right thing."

~End Flashback~

Shadow blinked a few times, coming out of his daze as he remembered that faithful day. "The necklace…it wasn't spelled to protect me. It was to make me weak on purpose," he realized.

"I sought to protect you from yourself," Aurora defended calmly. "If you would've killed your father in that duel or anyone over the course of your youth, you would have activated your werewolf curse."

He smashed his hands on the table. "—You ruined me! You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength."

"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could," she argued.

"No, you lied to me to hide your own transgressions because of your own fear," he pointed accusingly. "My whole life, I sought the approval by the male I thought was my father, but you turned me into the weakling he hated," he spat. Aurora lowered her head solemnly and Shadow stood from his seat in disgust. "You rant and you rage about the monster I've become, but you, mother," he leered. "You are the author of everything I am."

Right as he finished his tirade, Aurora's eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she slumped over in her chair. Silver and Mighty stood from their seats in alert, while Shadow just stared in hatred, trying to calm his nerves. As Silver went to touch her, Aurora began to stir. "Huh, where am I?" the young teen questioned groggily.

Mighty grinned deviously, realizing his mother spirit had left her body's host. "She's gone." Seeing this was his cue, Mighty snapped his fingers causing Silver's neck to break instantly. The white hedgehog tumbled to the ground, temporarily dead for the time being. The real Aurora, gasped, suddenly growing very frightened by everything occurring around her.

Shadow growled and charged towards the armadillo. "Where is she?" he barked.

But before he could get too close, Mighty raised his hand sending a powerful unseen force that rendered Shadow immobile. Shadow was frozen in place as he felt an agonizing pain radiate through him before he collapsed unconscious.

Mighty looked over to the real Aurora, now completely confused and terrified by the sight around her. "I'd run if I were you before these two wake up." Obliging, the young teen fled from the house without another word.

•~•

Meanwhile, at Gala-Na's store, the mature echidna was still in the process of completing the soul-branding spell. Gala-Na stood in front of a bubbling cauldron as she squeezed a dead snake's blood into the pot.

Amy cringed in reaction, before looking away repulsed. Even though Amy was now a vampire, blood and gore still really creeped her out. "Yuck…"

"I know it's hard to watch, but it's a sacrificial spell. It's not pleasant to perform, but this will get the job done," Blaze assured.

"I realize that, but it still gives me the creeps," Amy shuddered.

After squeezing every last drop into the cauldron, Gala-Na took the bird pendant and tied it around the lip of the pot. "It's almost done," she confirmed before wafting the smoke emitting from the cauldron. She kept her eyes closed. "Mur-rah, ru-mah, mur-ra-" Gala-Na froze and stopped her chanting. Her head dropped downwards and she leaned her hands on the table for stability.

At first, the two girls thought it was a part of the process, but as time ticked on, the girls shot incredulous looks to one another by her strange behavior. Then finally, Gala-Na slowly looked up and around at her surroundings.

Blaze took a step closer, sensing something was off. "Gala-Na, are you all right?" she asked, concern caked in her tone.

Gala-Na continued to look around the store. "Yes…"

"It's just, you seem confused?" Amy noted, eying her strangely.

Gala-Na lifted her right hand and touched her face. "I'm just getting my bearings," she replied.

It was then that both Amy and Blaze eyes widened when they spotted the branded mark along Gala-Na's hand. It was there, clear as day—the bird pendant used for the spell, branded on her hand. Somehow Ivy had managed to possess Gala-Na's body!

"The mark!" Blaze pointed as the two females stepped back in fear.

Gala-Na raised her hand and clenched a fist, keeping both girls frozen in place, and preventing them from running off. "Don't you two go anywhere now, we have much to discuss," she smiled darkly.

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, the two brothers woke up after being knocked out by Mephiles. Shadow paced around the table, still miffed about the disastrous dinner party, but oblivious to the fact that Amy and Blaze were now in danger. "Our mother orchestrates this entire evening, just to torture us and then vanish? It makes no sense."

Silver stroked his chin as he contemplated the thought. "What if we weren't' the only minds she planned to poison tonight?" Silver deduced.

Shadow stopped his pacing just as his eyes widened in fear. "Amy…"

"—And Blaze," Silver realized.

•~•

At that same time, back at Gala-Na's store, Amy and Blaze stood in a standoff with the ancient witch, wondering what exactly she had in store for them. It was then that Amy felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but was too terrified to answer it in fear of Ivy's wrath.

Although the two girls looked too petrified to move, Ivy was busy cleaning up her appearance. When she heard Amy's phone vibrating, she looked towards her with a gentle smile. "Go ahead, answer it," she encouraged.

Reluctantly, Amy answered the call and put the phone to her ear. On the other end, Shadow was relieved to hear Amy pick up. "Rose, where are you two?"

"We're at Gala-Na's shop and-" Gala-Na waved her hand and Amy's phone shut off, cutting off her phone call with Shadow completely. Amy shot her a bewildered look by her action.

"That'll be enough," Gala-Na smiled as she lowered her hand.

Blaze tried to refrain from showing she was intimidated. "Shadow and Silver are going to come for us you know."

Gala-Na chuckled. "My darling, that's been the idea all along."

•~•

After hearing the phone conversation cut short, Shadow and Silver feared the worst and anxiously made their way towards their destination. The two sped down the road into town. "Why would she want Blaze and Amy?" Silver questioned, having horrendous thoughts go through his mind. The possibilities were endless and were making Silver feel sick to his stomach.

Shadow clenched the steering wheel at the thought himself. "To kill them, to punish us," Shadow conjectured. "There are a number of reasons—all of which will be rendered moot when I send her screaming back to hell," Shadow growled angrily.

•~•

Back at the shop, with the boys on the way, Gala-Na believed now was the perfect time to pitch the two girls her idea. "First of all, it's so lovely to meet the two girls who captured my son's hearts," Gala-Na started. "Tell me, do my sons ever acknowledge the good you bring into their lives?" Her eyes directed towards Amy after they refused to respond. "After all, it was you who gave them Faith."

"What did you do to my friend now that you're in Gala-Na's body?" Blaze interrogated.

"Oh, you mean Aurora? She's perfectly fine, she's got control over her body once more. She's free."

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "And what exactly do you want with us?"

"I want to offer you freedom—the gift of a new body. Freedom from being a vampire," she specified.

Amy looked surprised and also intrigued by the proposal. "You…you do?"

She nodded. "I have the ability to return to you all that you have lost—to make it so you can have a family of your own. You can have more children and enjoy the life you once had as a mortal."

Amy found herself lowering her guard by the proposal. "Wow, that's some offer…"

"—Don't listen to her, Amy," Blaze warned. "She's just trying to manipulate and deceive us!"

"On the contrary, I am only trying to give those what they desire. I know Amy loathes the fact that she is a vampire—which she should," she added. "That's why I am offering her the chance to have the life she truly craves."

"How can we even believe you?" Blaze countered with scrutiny. "I've heard the stories. Not to mention you were the one ultimately behind Faith's sacrifice."

"I can offer you what you desire as well," she hinted.

"Well, I'm already a witch and a mortal, so I doubt there's much you could offer me."

"That's true, but your beloved is not a mortal," she countered, hitting a note for the cat. Blaze lowered her guard, and Ivy smiled seeing she had caught her attention. "That's right, I know you dwell on the idea that although you are hopelessly in love with Silver, he will remain the same and you will age. Eventually, you will pass on and he will live on this Earth for eternity."

Blaze shut her eyes, trying to block out the witch's manipulation. As hard as it was to hear, Ivy had made some fair points. Somehow, she had managed to tap into Blaze's greatest fear and exploited it right before her. "I also know you wish to start a family with him, but you're unable to since he's a vampire. If I were to give Silver a mortal body, you could accomplish all your hopes and dreams and start a family with him."

Blaze fell to her knees. "You're…you're lying."

Gala-Na crossed her arms over her chest. "Not at all, my dear, and I think deep down, you realize that, too. Oh, and as for Faith, I didn't want to kill her, but that child is going to be a very powerful witch, and I was trying to save her."

"Save her?" Amy repeated with scrutiny. "How is murdering an innocent child best for her?"

"Because of the power she holds, I can tell you that her life will not be an easy one to live. Once she gets older, people will come for her, and try to weaponize her for their own sick desires," Gala-Na explained. "I was strong at her age and there were many times in my life where people came after me or my family to harbor my magic. Based off my senses, there will be one day she'll even outmatch me in power."

"If you come after her-"

"I don't plan to now, I've decided that I will help Faith nurture her gifts and teach her all I know. If she is going to live in this cruel world then she needs to know how to protect herself."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Who says I'm letting you anywhere near my daughter?"

Gala-Na gave a coy knowing smile. "I know there will be a time where you'll come for my help. Just you wait."

"—Mother!" a familiar male voice shouted from the back of the store. Amy and Blaze turned and smiled in relief to see their boyfriends come to their aid.

"Shadow!" Amy smiled. Shadow embraced her but refused to take his eyes off his mother from across the room. Amy pulled back from her hug when she felt his stiff stance. "…Shadow?"

"Stay behind me," he instructed as he moved in front of her. "Now, as for you," Shadow pointed toward Gala-Na as he marched towards her, but Gala-Na quickly threw some sand towards him, putting up a boundary spell. Shadow growled as he was prevented from getting any closer. "You hide behind your spells like a coward…"

"I did not come here to wage war," she spoke sternly.

Silver kept his arm around Blaze protectively. "Everything you do is an act of war. If you hurt our girls, so help me-"

"—Amy and Blaze are free to go and they are unharmed," she cut off. "I've spoken my piece and they know why I'm here. After all, I have come to heal our family, Silver."

Shadow scoffed at the notion. "Well, that's a grand sentiment coming from you." He looked to the two girls. "Get out of here," he ordered.

Amy and Blaze nodded and quickly left the store, leaving Shadow and Silver alone with their mother. "My intent was never to harm, only to heal, as I have already done with your brother Mephiles," Gala-Na defended. "For you two, I will undo everything that has been done, thereby giving you a new life," she pledged.

Silver stared skeptically at his mother. "And how exactly do you intend to carry out this promise?"

"Ask your girlfriends to share with you my loving proposition," she smiled sweetly.

Shadow's fist clenched at his sides. "You're a fool if you think we'll accept anything you offer."

"Oh?" she laughed. "You are wrong, Shadow. There will come a time when you'll beg for it." With her final words, a bright light formed behind her, forcing Shadow and Silver to shield their eyes from the intense brightness, but when the light dimmed, she was gone.

•~•

Once safely back at home, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, and Amy sat in the living room to discuss the offer Ivy had pitched. "Besides our mother's rebirth, what else did she say?" Silver probed.

"She rambled a lot, but she said she wants to make us all mortals and take away our vampirism," Amy answered simply.

Shadow raised a brow by her tone. It almost seemed like Amy was possibly considering it. "I hope you're not seriously thinking about taking up her offer."

Amy rose from the couch. "Well, what do you want me to say, Shadow? That I've never thought about being mortal again? We all know that would be a lie. So yeah, when your mother offers to wipe the slate clean, excuse me if I'm tempted."

Shadow stood from his seat and approached her. "Amy, I know how much you hate being this way, but we can't trust her."

"I have to be honest here," Blaze piped in. "I've considered her offer as well, but not for me…" She turned and looked to Silver sitting beside her. "But for you."

Silver shot her a solicitous look. "Why?"

"Because you know how much I'd love to start a family of our own," she explained. "I know it's selfish, but I want to have children with you, Silver—Also, I don't want to outlive you and know that I'll never be able to see you again," she finished feeling tears prick her eyes.

Shadow sighed as he looked between the two females. "I can see that Mother has accomplished her motives tonight…"

"What if for this one time she's actually trying to do good?" Amy theorized. "Is there no possibility of that?"

"For as long as we've known our mother, she has always had a wicked agenda. After all, it was her coven that tried to take our daughter from us!" Shadow argued.

"Stop!" Silver spoke seeing tensions were rising. "Let's not get into any arguments tonight. We'll sleep on it and in the morning we'll discuss it further—sound fair?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. Girls, why don't you head to bed and get some sleep?" he advised.

Amy and Blaze left the living room and headed upstairs. Once they were gone, Shadow looked to Silver, looking concerned after seeing the girls had bought into their mother's promises. "Our mother—the female that brought us into the world and made us who we are, lied to me for most of my life. She made me weak. We cannot trust her."

"You're wrong, Shadow," he spoke turning around to face him. "You were never weak. You are and always have been the most fierce of us all."

Shadow blinked in surprise by his compliment. "You really think so?"

He smiled warmly and shook his head, seeing Shadow startled by the accolade. "In a thousand years, I have never seen anyone successfully stand against you—not even our wicked father," he reminded. "Not one of the countless enemies devoted to your destruction has succeeded." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll protect our home even in the face of an adversary such as our mother, because of that, brother, that is what you do."

Shadow smiled and patted him on the back. It was nice to hear Silver speak so highly of him in this moment, especially when there was once a time they had been distant. "You remain ever the wise counsel, brother. The rest of the family could learn something from you."

•~•

Back at the cemetery, Gala-Na recounted to Mighty on how her meeting went with Amy and Blaze. "Sounds like you've got the females on board, but as for my brothers…you must've known they would never give in without a fight?"

The echidna poured herself a cup of tea. "Of course. Tonight was not an ultimatum, it was an invitation," she elaborated. "I just wanted to get them thinking. After all, only those who know they are lost will ask to be found."

Mighty watched as she came back over to the table with her tea in hand. "Shadow and Silver are defiant by nature and they've grown very strong over the years. How do you expect to show them the errors of their ways?"

She chuckled lightly at the thought. "It's simple. I will systematically destroy everything they hold dear," she answered with a smile. "I've already taken the wolves from Shadow and made them my own. We will take their pride, their joy, and their love and lay it all to ruin."

Mighty chuckled darkly at the notion. "You are delightfully sinister, dear mother."

She smirked. "Yes, and when they're at their lowest point—in their deepest despair, they will have no choice but to beg me to release them from their pain. And because I love them so much—I will."