AN: Hey guys, I'm back! I lost power for about 7 days after Hurricane Irma, but I along with my family are fine. Sorry, I took so long to update, work has been quite hectic. Also, today is my birthday, so I'd thought I'd celebrate by giving you a new chapter to read!

•~•

In a darkened and haunting looking forest, a young thirteen-year-old version of Silver wandered the maze-like woods, desperately trying to seek out his family. With a heavy fog enveloping the lower parts of the forest grounds, it made it very difficult for the young teen to navigate the woods. It was becoming very disorienting for the young hedgehog. "Shadow?" he called. "Shadow?" Silver stopped momentarily as he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up.

"—There you are," an older male voice said from behind

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Silver spun around only to see an older version of himself with blood splattered around his muzzle, standing under some trees. He appeared quite nefarious as his amber eyes glowered back at him.

The teenage Silver froze in place, terrified by the sight of him. Slowly and with a stoic expression, the older version sauntered towards him before stopping a foot away. "Are you afraid?"

The teen version of himself gulped nervously. "I-I don't understand…You look just like me. Who are you?"

"I am the darker version of yourself," he answered while he took another step closer, making the younger Silver take a step back. "One day, only the monster shall remain."

•~•

Meanwhile, in reality, Silver lied in bed twitching and grumbling as he battled with the ongoing nightmare occurring in his mind. Shadow stood by his brother's bedside, watching as his brother trembled under the bed sheets. Blaze stood on the other side of the bed with a hand over her mouth as she stared down at her fiancé, feeling helpless by the sight.

Shadow sighed and knelt down to his level as Silver continued to tremble. "I know you are locked in battle, brother. However deep in your mind, our mother has set the stage, please hear my voice," Shadow pleaded. "Our mother thinks she will win because she has left you alone, but you are not alone."

"Is there anything else you can do?" Blaze questioned as she watched on sadly.

Shadow looked back down at his brother before an idea came to mind. "Just one."

"Please, try then," she begged.

Shadow placed his right hand on Silver's forehead and closed his own eyes and focused his energy to compel him. "Let me in, brother," he commanded, trying to infiltrate his brother's mind. As hard as he tried, Shadow was unable to break through but did not relent his efforts. "Let me help end whatever torment she has forced upon you."

Out of nowhere, Shadow was forced back by an unseen force, making him collide with the wall. Blaze gasped from the sudden jolt. "Oh my goodness, what happened?" She frantically walked around the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Shadow got to his feet. "I'm fine," he panted, after feeling the velocity. "I thought I'd be able to enter Silver's thoughts to wake him up, but as it turns out, my mother locked me out."

"Damn it…" Blaze bent over her lover and gently caressed the side of his face. "Silver, please, come back to us…" Then, out of the corner of her eye, Blaze noticed something suspicious on Silver's neck. She moved some clothing fabric away, only to find a scab that resembled a flower. "Is this the mark your mother put on him to keep him in this endless slumber?"

Shadow took a closer examination after not having seen it. "I haven't seen this since I was a child…"

"What is it exactly?"

"When Coal would return home from battle more blindly temperamental than usual, our mother would use the petals of a rare orchid to put him to sleep. It usually gave us a bit of relief from his barbaric tangents. But in order to get him to wake up, she'd take the roots of the same plant and make it into an ointment and apply it to the wound."

"Which means if she has access to it now, then maybe it also grows nearby," Blaze speculated with optimism.

"I'll try to track it down," Shadow volunteered. "Only problem is, I don't know the recipe for the ointment…"

"You find the flower for me and I'll do some research on how to make it," Blaze avowed.

"I'll get going then," Shadow replied as he began to make his exit.

"—Wait," Blaze called, causing him to halt. He looked back at her with his full attention. "There's something else I plan to do today, but I'm going to need some help…"

•~•

Downstairs, Amy sat on the couch gently patting Faith's back as she tried to burp her after a feed. But once she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Amy shifted her focus towards the sound and saw Shadow come in her direction. "Hey, how's Silver holding up?"

"Not great, but I'm hoping to alleviate that. There's a rare orchid that when turned into an ointment can help bring him out of his stupor," he explained stopping in front of her. "I'm about to head out and go search for it."

"You know where to find it?" Amy questioned as she continued to lightly pat Faith's back.

He shoved his hands into his jacket pocket. "I have some leads."

"You sure you don't want some help? I could always come with you," she offered kindly.

"That's a generous thought, but I'm not going to be the only one busy this morning. Blaze informed me that she has her own goals to achieve today and is going to need some spare hands. It's a tall order, so I called in some reinforcements to help her with her own mission," he stated. "She said she'd need your help, too."

"Oh, of course," Amy smiled cheerfully. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll see you around later?"

Shadow nodded before leaning in and giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Like always," he smiled playfully. He carefully took Faith from Amy's arms and gently rocked her in one arm while his other finger gently tapped her button nose. "Best to keep your eye on your mother for me, little one. She loves to find danger in her life," he smirked playfully.

Amy crossed her arms and shot a playful annoyed look back. "You're one to talk. Danger should be your middle name, Mr. Original." She reached over and took Faith out of his arms. "Now get outta here and find that flower," she laughed.

•~•

At the cemetery, Mighty sauntered inside their makeshift home in one of the larger mausoleums. He stopped in his tracks as he saw his mother sat at the altar, looking like she was in deep meditation. "I see Silver's no longer with us," Mighty observed, breaking the silence.

Gala-Na didn't respond at first and instead kept focused, keeping her eyes shut and her mood calm. Mighty gulped sensing the tension thickening in the room. "Mother, did you hear-"

"—Why didn't you tell me that you had brought Coal back?" she abruptly cut off.

"Oh, that…" Mighty felt his heart sink knowing repercussions were looming. "Believe me, I wanted to tell you, but-"

Her eyes shot open. "—He could have killed your brother! Then what would have happened to our plans?" she snapped, sending him flying back into one of the walls with an attack.

Mighty grumbled from her attack as he got his bearings. "My apologies, I was delicately trying to handle the situation myself," he defended while getting to his feet.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking beyond disappointed. "You're lucky that Shadow took care of your father himself. I can't believe you kept this from me, Mephiles," she reprimanded.

"I can tell you are clearly irritated with my irrational decision. What would you like for me to do to make it up to you?"

"I'm going to need some time to accept it. This was a reckless and impulsive move. I would appreciate it if you gave me a few days to mull this over and process it."

Mighty turned around and headed for the exit. "Fair enough, I'll give you some space," he said before departing.

•~•

After making some calls, Andrew and Caleb met up at Shadow's mansion and sat on the sofa while Amy and Blaze waited for their final guest to arrive by the large living room window. Caleb looked at his wristwatch before shaking his head, clearly irked and growing impatient. "Will you just tell us who we're waiting on already?" he grumbled in annoyance. "Whoever it is, they're fifteen minutes late to the meeting."

Amy clasped her hands together feeling awkward for the delay. "Just give them five more minutes, I'm sure they're just-"

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Amy quickly made her way towards the front door. "Oh, that's them right now."

Seeing this as her cue, Blaze quickly walked off herself. "Be right back, guys. I'm going to go grab the supplies for the plan."

Andrew huffed and crossed his arms as he sunk further into the couch. "Someone needs to get this ass hat a watch," he muttered.

Amy came around the corner holding onto the arm of their guest. Andrew and Caleb craned their necks to see their newest arrival but felt their jaws drop in disgust. "Guys, Sonic is going to be helping us today."

Caleb's eyes burned into the hedgehog. "You," he leered.

Sensing a conflict arising, Amy put her hands up defensively and stepped in front of Sonic. "Caleb, listen," she begged, watching him get to his feet and storm towards them. He brushed past her, ignoring her pleading look. "Wait a second, we don't want to start any-"

SLAM.

Before she could finish her defense, Caleb had already grabbed ahold of Sonic by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall making it crack. Sonic held his cool and collected attitude and stared into the eyes of the pack leader. "I ought'a kill you slow and painfully for what you did to Jax."

"I know what I did is unforgivable, but I want to personally apologize for what I did to your pack member. You gotta believe me, the last few months, I've been coming to terms with all the horrendous things I did during the time my humanity was shut off. Honestly, pal, I am just as disgusted with myself as you are."

Amy placed a hand on Caleb's arm as he continued to hold Sonic in place, refusing to relinquish his hold. "Please, Caleb, listen to him. He wants to help us and pay us back."

"How could you ever trust this guy again, Amy?" Caleb snarled through clenched teeth. "He killed Jax, one of your friends, one of my pack members!"

"Just give me a chance and I'll prove that I'm not a bad person," Sonic pleaded as he continued to keep his cool.

"Maybe if you let me break a few ribs, a leg, or an arm, I'd feel a bit better," Caleb suggested with a wicked grin.

Andrew walked over and placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder. "C'mon man, Jax is gone. Taking out your anger out on this loser isn't going to bring him back," he countered.

After what seemed like an eternity, Caleb released his hold and stepped back. "You're right," he agreed, before turning his head to look at Amy. "I'll work with him, but don't expect me to like it," he muttered before walking off back towards the couch. "I'm doing this for you and Shadow," he pointed.

Amy smiled weakly at the dingo. "I appreciate that, Caleb. You don't have to like Sonic, but we need to work together."

A few seconds later, Blaze entered the room carrying an old storage box and looked around curiously at the silent room. "Everyone reacquainted then?" she asked breaking the silence with a forced smile.

"You could say that," Sonic grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Caleb scoffed on the couch and made Sonic frown in response.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get started," Blaze began. She walked over towards the coffee table and plopped the box down. "I think these will benefit us greatly in taking down Mephiles and detaining him in proper fashion," she spoke confidently.

Everyone leaned over, hovering over the open storage box to get a look. Disappointed with what was inside, Andrew pulled back and looked up with a deadpan expression. "Great, a box full of dusty old junk. We're saved," he droned facetiously.

Blaze furrowed her brows at his comment. "Actually, they're dark objects my uncle left for me when he died. These can be used against witches specifically. They're quite powerful, but hard to come by."

Sonic reached inside and pulled out a pair of old-fashioned cuffs and chains, and held them out to admire. "Kinky," he quipped with a smirk.

"Ha, ha, very funny, but these aren't meant to be used to explore your S&M fantasies, Sonic. When you place these on a witch, they can't-do magic as long as they're on," Blaze clarified.

"Pretty nifty then," Amy observed.

"Right, but we won't get the handcuffs on Mephiles while he's surrounded by a werewolf entourage," Andrew reminded. "Remember, half our pack is still brainwashed and on his side."

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, but can't we just lure them away then? I'll volunteer myself for the job if that's what's needed."

Blaze tapped her fingers against the side of the box as she contemplated a plan. "Yes, that's exactly what we'll do, but we'll need some bait to lure Mephiles in." It went quiet until all eyes suddenly fell on Amy standing awkwardly off to the side.

Amy's ears fell down in submission as all eyes lingered on her. "Wait a second, why are you all looking at me?"

Sonic crossed his arms over his broad chest and smiled knowingly. "You're attractive and you've got history with the guy. All we have to do is prey to his weakness and dangle you out in front of him before we strike."

Amy huffed in offense and clenched her hands into fists by her side as she was objectified. "Excuse me, but how exactly do you know this will work? Why not Blaze?"

"I'd gladly be the bait, but I'm orchestrating this plan so I won't exactly be able to be apart of it," she excused.

"Why not?" Amy questioned.

"Shadow needs me to do some research on how to make the ointment for Silver once he finds that flower. Also, I figured I'd stay behind and watch Faith since she will need a babysitter," she explained.

Amy placed a hand on her hip and looked uncertain of the plan. "Well, I doubt Mephiles is into me. After all, he was the one that killed me in the first place."

"Yeah, about that…" Sonic piped up. " When I worked with Mephiles with my humanity off, there were a couple of times he'd, um, mention you…" Sonic reminisced uncomfortably.

Amy raised a curious brow. "Mention me, how so?"

Sonic looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. "You know, he'd make comments about how he'd like to-"

"—Okay, I think I've got the picture," Amy quickly interjected and sighed. "Fine. Just make it look convincing, Mephiles is pretty smart."

•~•

The doorbell jingled as a new patron entered the quiet floral facility, catching the owner's attention. A young teen rabbit, no older than fifteen, hopped off her stool behind the counter and walked over to approach her newest customer. She put on her friendliest smile and stopped in front of the male. "Hello, sir, may I interest you in our latest deal on our fresh white roses?"

Shadow stared down at the young girl. "Oh, no thank you, but I do have some questions about floral arrangements that I'm hoping you could help me with."

She blinked a few times before nodding kindly. "Of course, sir. I'd be happy to help you." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. "My name is Cream by the way."

Shadow shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Cream. My name is Shadow."

"Wonderful, now if you'll just follow me over to my counter, I can properly help you with your inquires."

Shadow followed the girl as he led her to the counter where a computer, monitor, and cash register were present. "Right, well, I'm in search for a rare orchid," he started.

Cream resituated herself on her stool behind the counter. "Do you know the name of it? We may have them in stock."

"It goes by the name of Dragon's Mouth," he specified.

"Ah, yes, I have heard of those before, unfortunately, I can already tell you we don't have them in store. They are quite rare and on the pricey side," she noted. Cream began to type into her computer searching her database for other stores that might carry them.

Shadow leaned his arms across the countertop while she worked. "Price is not a concern of mine."

Cream's eyes scanned her screen as she gathered her information. "Hmm, well according to the database, there are no stores in the entire city that carry them. You see, despite their expensiveness, they're not in popular demand at the moment. In fact, they haven't been for several decades."

Shadow sagged at the statement. "Great…"

"But if you really want to get ahold of one, there may be a chance you could find one on your own. After all, they are in bloom," she replied, peaking his interest.

"I'm listening…"

Cream turned her screen so he could get a better look. "You see Mr. Shadow, this is what the flower looks like in full bloom." Shadow stared at the screen. The orchid was a vibrant pink with white pastels splattered along the petals, giving it a water painting like feel.

"It's gorgeous."

"Yes, it is quite beautiful. These flowers grow usually in very humid areas like swamps. They grow to about 15 centimeters and sprout usually one bud."

"Where would you recommend I start my search?"

Cream tapped her chin quizzically for a moment. "There's a swamp I know of, about thirty minutes from here. I could always print out a map."

Shadow smiled appreciatively. "Perfect, also write me up an order of two dozen white roses, it's the least I can do for helping me out."

Cream smiled appreciatively. "Right away, sir."

•~•

Later that evening, at one of the hottest nightclubs in town, Mighty sat at the bar drinking whiskey as he listened to the Jazz band performing on stage. A crowd gathered around as they swayed and danced to the upbeat tune, while other patrons drank at the bar. The three musicians playing, finished their current song and the bar erupted into a roar of applause. Mighty circled the rim of his glass in boredom, but his hearing perked when he heard a familiar voice nearby. "Excuse me, excuse me!"

The armadillo turned his head and spotted the owner of the voice at the other end of the bar. It was none other than Amy Rose looking quite enticing in her strapless white crop top that showed off a bit of cleavage, along with her short black sequined mini skirt that showed off her toned legs in her white stilettos. He watched as she desperately tried to flag down the busy bartenders tending to their customers. "Hey, excuse me!" she continued.

Seeing her flustered from the lack of service, Mighty hopped off his barstool and navigated through the crowd as he made his way over to her end. He eyed her up and down, taking in her alluring figure before coming to a full stop right beside her. "Hello Miss Rose," he purred, startling her.

Amy gasped as she turned to look at him. "Muh-mephiles…"

He reached out and took her right hand and brought it up to his lips before giving it a soft peck. "Charmed to see me again, I'm sure." Amy yanked her hand out of his in disgust before hurrying off. Mighty couldn't help but notice that she looked quite frightened as she fled. Shaking his head in annoyance, he followed after her. "What's the rush, dearest?" he chuckled.

Amy glared at him over his shoulder as she stormed off. "Leave me alone, you creep!" she shouted as she rounded a corner, but quickly groaned in frustration seeing she was trapped in a sea of people.

Mighty chuckled at her failed attempt to escape. "Darling, I don't intend to harm you," he pledged, putting up a hand of allegiance. "Wait a second, where's that brother of mine?" he asked before taking a glance around the room.

Her ears fell sadly at the mention. "We had a bad fight and I don't know if I ever want to see or talk to him again," she lied. "I had to get out of the house and get some fresh air," she answered. "And go someplace he'd never be able to find me…"

Mighty tilted his head curiously by her description. His brother fighting with Amy? And now, here she was, vulnerable, possibly heart-broken, and in need of some company? This was just too easy and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to prey on her, especially with her looking as fetching as she currently did. He wrapped an arm around her waist tenderly, pulling her in. "Oh, you poor soul, let me get you a drink and you can tell me everything," he smirked charmingly.

•~•

After a bit of a drive, Shadow arrived at the wetlands that Cream had told him about. Once he parked his car, he began his walk through the soggy soil. Tall trees surrounded him covered in moss and other aquatic vegetation. The stench around him was quite putrid, but Shadow ignored the smell, determined to find the flower.

The hybrid walked through the swamp hearing the slushy sound of the wetlands cling to his shoes with every step he took. His eyes scanned the perimeter as he desperately searched for the rare orchid. Shadow continued his trek through the wetlands and shoved his hand into his jacket pocket pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and glanced at the image Cream had printed out of the coveted rare orchid for reference. "I know you have to be around here. I can feel it," he spoke to himself.

•~•

Back at the bar, Amy and Mighty had gotten very acquainted with one another after a couple of drinks. "So, he doesn't want you to be mortal again? That's what the fight was about?" Mighty probed.

Amy nodded solemnly. "I hate being this way. When Shadow and I started getting close, I told him I had no intention of becoming a vampire."

"My dear, I completely understand. I loathed the vampire side of me when I was like you," he related.

She fiddled with her hands nervously. "So, is it true then? Can your mother really make me a mortal again?" she asked curiously.

"Of course she can, that's all my mother wants to do with her intentions," he promised.

Amy smiled with optimism. "You know, Mephiles, talking to you tonight wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I've learned a lot about you tonight, but I just wish I could learn more if it wasn't so late."

Mighty's eyelids lowered seductively as he gave her an alluring smile. "There's a lot you could learn about me tonight if you gave me more time," he hinted, placing his right hand on her upper thigh.

Amy's face went red as she felt his hand reside there. She moved away one of her bangs from her eyes and gave him a shy smile. "Well…I do want to have some company tonight," she lied.

Mighty hopped off his bar stool and offered out his hand for her to take. "Then it's settled." Amy gracefully slipped off her own bar stool and placed her hand in his. Mighty escorted her out by his side and slyly placed his hand on her lower backside, grazing her buttocks. Amy shot him a sheepish smile with a blush as he took a cheeky grope of her ass. "Uh," she spoke, making him stop in his tracks. "Do you mind if I just use the bathroom real quick?"

"Not at all."

"Great, be back in a few minutes!" Mighty watched as she walked through the busy crowd towards the restrooms, but was alarmed when she completely vanished after walking behind a couple. Concerned for her wellbeing, Mighty scoured the area where he last saw her and found her nowhere in sight. Seeing that the exit to the club was relatively close to the bathrooms, he walked outside to do further investigation, but once he was on the main sidewalk, there was not a soul in sight. Just when he was about to give up, his hearing picked up a female scream from the alleyway.

Following the cries for help, Mighty stumbled across a hooded figure hovered over Amy as he bit into the side of her neck viciously. Amy cried out in agony as the figure held her down during his assault. Mighty scowled at the sight and rushed towards them. "Stop!" he yelled.

The hooded figure looked over his shoulder at the other end of the alley where Mighty stood, but his identity was still cloaked by his hood. Mighty squinted, spotting the figure's yellow illuminating eyes peeking out through the shrouded hood. The warlock made a running start towards the stranger, but the attacker made a mad dash and jumped from wall to wall before escaping onto one of the rooftops. When he finally got to her side, Mighty dropped down to his knees to get a look at Amy's status. Moving her neck slightly, his eyes widened when he saw the deadly werewolf bite on her neck. "You're safe now, but how are you feeling?" he asked.

"It hurts," Amy gasped.

"Rest assured, I'll get you tended to," Mighty spoke, until he heard a whistle. The warlock stood upright looking around for the source and turned around looking at another building where he spotted the same werewolf that had attacked Amy, standing defiantly in the distance. His yellow eyes continued to glow as he made a gesture with his hand, beckoning for Mighty to come after him. "That son of-"

Suddenly, the mysterious werewolf darted off, leaping from the rooftop and onto another as he ran away into the darkness. Mephiles looked back down behind him, expecting to see Amy still there, but instead found her body had completely disappeared. "Damn it!"