Chapter 24 – Tears and Rain.
A/N: This chapter does all the talking; I'm just here to say thanks:
HHH – Glad you enjoyed reading it as I did writing it, just one question though – what's the four boxes checked thing mean?
Komodo – Well, my writing style doesn't appeal to everyone and I'm first to admit that – I'm very descriptive and this can drag.
TH – Put Dimitri down; I need him for this chapter, and besides you don't know where he's been. Go and work out that Red Bull high in the trampoline room and, oh, wait, Spectre asked me to dictate a message: don't give Athair any Red Bull or else…oh my God, that's DEPRAVED! For your sanity and mine I can't repeat what he just threatened, but let's just say electromagnets were involved…
She drifted in the darkness; it wasn't scary, but nor was it comforting – it simply…was.
She couldn't see anything, not even the rest of her own body as she twisted to look down at it. There appeared to be no gravity here; she could tumble and roll without impediment, but she felt a gnawing need even as she did so. She was not supposed to be here, this was artificial – there was somewhere else she needed to be, something else she had to do.
"But what?" She spoke into the blackness surrounding her, the inky atmosphere simply swallowing her voice completely it failed to reach her ears and there was no reply. She struggled more fiercely now, thrashing against the cocoon she was bound within, her fists and feet striking out against the imprisoning blackness as the fires of need, cold, hungry and all-consuming, leapt up in her chest; there was something else, no, someone, she remembered with a gasp. Someone had placed her here, but why? What warranted her banishment to this place of nothingness? Determination rearing up inside her, Amy fought harder to escape and seek the answers she craved and feared at the same time.
XXX
He heard the muffled sounds of increased movement, struggling from the sounds of it, through the partially closed bedroom door at the same time he felt the power he had used dim. Still, I didn't want her under for too long; Dimitri nodded to himself as he slipped off his armoured gauntlets and gently eased the helmet off his head, shaking his dreadlocked spines out to fan across his shoulders; though I do want to talk to her, I can't take too long – Kragok was right, even I can't afford to dally too much, the guardians have an unfortunate knack of getting organised at very short notice. As he felt the last vestiges of the energy he had expended on drawing Amy into a temporary catatonia dissipate to nothing, he realised the time was close and mentally prepared himself, running the words he had formulated over and over in his head again as he reached over and flicked on the kettle.
XXX
With a final, violent lurch, Amy snapped open her bloodshot eyes and twisted over in bed, ending up almost nose to nose with her alarm clock. As the red lights blinked in he vision, the hedgehog screwed her eyes up, trying to clear her fuzzy head as she yawned, still feeling bone-tired, as though she hadn't slept at all for days. She brought her hands up to massage her eyes, feeling the sleep itch against her tear ducts, for some reason, the corner of her eyes ached as she rubbed the dried up tears to powder against her eyelids. She yawned once more, wondering if she had to go to work today, then blinked her eyes open, clearing her swimming vision to look down at herself.
It was then she froze.
I'm wearing pyjamas; throwing back the covers, she looked down at the material covering her whole body, confusion warring with definite unease; I never wear pyjamas – I wear a night gown. Desperate, she tried to remember back to what had happened; as though they had been waiting all along, the memories rushed back to her, slicing into her sensations of peace as rending claws normally tear through thin fabric.
Her hands flew to her mouth, her hands, she noticed appalled, still dotted with the dried blood from sweet Athair, most gentle and loving of the guardians, who she had attacked, been forced to attack, to help a monster. And I released him, I set Dimitri free; intestines knotting into a cold, hard ball, Amy felt tears flow once more from her, a low moan of utter horror escaping her lips as everything, everything, that had been said by Dimitri and his infernal descendents came back to her. She felt nothing but despair; by believing his lies and the selfish, selfish desire to be free of the beast in her head, she had brought doom to Angel Island and all who dwelt upon it. They're all there; Amy collapsed back into her bed, misery shredding everything positive in her life; all my friends, Sonic, Cream, Tails, all of them, at the mercy of that crazed echidna and his stupid beliefs – I've put them in danger, just because I wanted him to get out of my head.
The coldness came for her again, her emotions extinguished like candles in a gale and yet they were not; for some ineffable reason, she carried on feeling the hurt, the pain, the complete worthlessness she directed at herself; she couldn't shut off. Anything's better than this – Dimitri should have…but then he wouldn't; Amy pummelled her pillow, the awful knowledge that the thing she had released had let her carry on living, carry on hating herself for her forced actions, maybe knowing she could never forgive herself, surely that was a sadist's trick. Fortunately, her dire train of thought was derailed by a simple, little thing; from outside her door, she heard a click and a rumbling sound, the unmistakable sound of a kettle boiling.
Anger filled her; she remembered refusing the offer of joining his cult of the machine before she fell into the darkness she'd just fought her way out from. Who else could it be – was he here to see her misery, to feed on her guilt and sorrow. Well, there's nothing for you here; she embraced the anger, let it empower her for it was easier to stomach that guilt. With her new found strength, she threw herself off her bed and onto the floor, not even pausing to pick up her Piko Piko Hammer in her haste to face this demon for the last time. She had been weak once and let him win, but there would be no repeat of that weakness, not now; defiance, even as futile as it was now, would be her final gift to Dimitri, grandmaster of the Dark Legion.
XXX
He hear her footsteps and realised from the sound of them alone that she was furious; good, rather that than depressed and hopeless. For a spilt-second Dimitri was unsure if what he was doing was the right thing; should he really show his face here, risk upsetting her again? As he tried to make up his divided mind, the decision was suddenly reached for him; with a bang, the door to the kitchen was thrown wide open and Amy was framed within it, her eyes hard and dangerous as she pointed a threatening finger at the echidna trespassing in her home.
"What the living hell do you think you are doing here?" Luckily, his speech didn't leave him, not even in the shock that flooded him; he'd never seen aggression so naked, not even in the eyes of his brother during the final fight. Hefting the two cups he'd poured out, keeping an eye on her movements, Dimitri gestured gently towards the table,
"Sit down Amy". Her finger wavered; resolve uncertain; had he really just said that?
"What did you say?"
"I asked you to sit down", the echidna pulled out a chair for himself as he deposited both the cups on the table, beckoning to her, "I needed to speak to you, privately, away from the prying ears of my great grandchildren". Her lip quivered for an instant, but then he saw it and braced himself for the storm.
"Talk!" Amy shrieked; Dimitri suddenly felt very glad he'd thought to used some of his powers to sound-proof this apartment; the last thing this situation would need would be a knock on the door from some busybody neighbour wanting to know what the shouting was about, "what have you got to talk about? You used me; you forced me to betray everyone; I hate you, I'll always hate you. I wish you…you'd just…" words failed her; she leapt forwards, eyes aflame with the desire to maim, to inflict hurt upon him as he had upon her.
Holding in a sad sigh, he raised a hand, the crimson glow surrounding it again; Amy felt herself freeze against her will, nothing in her body moved despite her will. She resisted, muscles straining and sweat erupting from every pore as she tried to concentrate all her loathing into movement, something that could be used to set her guilty conscience to rest once more. Yet even as she struggled motionlessly, she heard Dimitri speak once more, his voice calm amidst the chaos,
"I know what you wish for me, and I do not blame you in the slightest; I have used you, hurt you terribly and there is no punishment severe enough for that heinous act". Amy felt her mouth released from whatever he was using to hold her in place,
"So why are you here?" She spat the words like a machine gun spits out hot lead, "why did you bring me here; to laugh, to gloat that you won? To tell me what you'd do…"
"Never!"
For a second Amy was cowed into submission; Dimitri had shot to his feet in a fury, the grip around her tightening painfully as his anger was conveyed through his power. Both his tracing pupils rounded on her and she gasped; there was anger there, true enough, but pain also, and deep, deep remorse. Under the gaze of that unnatural face, Amy felt her own anger drain out of her like water down a plughole; he can't be lying, he can't fake his emotions that well. Consciously reminding himself to loosed him telekinetic grip to avoid hurting the hedgehog accidentally, Dimitri began,
"I do not want to hurt you Amy, any more than I already have. I knew I needed freedom but to gain it I would have to harm you, coerce you into acts you found abhorrent, just because you're that type of person. I meant what I said down in the chamber; I respected you then and if anything I respect you even more now – the fact you're arguing with me proves your strength of character; a weaker person would never have found the courage to face me like you are. I hated doing what I did, not because I didn't want to be set free, but because in doing so I hurt someone I knew didn't deserve it", he paused to take a breath, noticing with relief that his words were having an effect on her anger and implacable fury, "and you didn't deserve it Amy; if nothing else of this conversation registers, remember this – I am sorry, for what I forced you to do".
XXX
He's not lying; that one thought reverberated around and around in Amy's mind like a ping pong ball, breaking her anger apart and by doing so, sending her deep into confusion – what was she supposed to feel now? Unlike Eggman, who had been all too plain and callous in his desire to use Amy amongst others to further his own goals, Dimitri was regretful, really regretful, for manipulating her. Against Eggman she had felt anger and disgust because he had never apologised for his actions, not even at the time of his capture with Nack ready to take him apart with his bare hands; the bad guy apologising was as far out the bathtub as it was possible for Amy to think. Besides that; Amy let her head drop a little as she recalled the other main difference between past kidnaps and this successful attempt; with the egg, I could always rely on Sonic or the others to rescue me – now I'm completely on my own. She was so caught up in her confusion that it took a few minutes to realise that she was subconsciously scratching one of her ears; she glanced at her hand and then at Dimitri,
"Sit down Amy", the echidna repeated, pointing at the seat opposite him, weariness now in his manner, though whether this was due to Amy's obtuseness up to this point or just general tiredness the hedgehog couldn't tell. Pulling out her seat, keeping her senses sharp for any chance of treachery, she took her place at the table and asked her own question, tone guarded and suspicious,
"So, why did you bring me here? What else do you want?" He didn't answer at once; instead, he flicked two of his fingers over his shoulder and caused the two mugs on the side of the kitchen unit to float over to the table obediently. Hoisting them out of the air, Dimitri examined each and, with a smile, passed one over,
"White, just one sugar", he announced, watching as the shocked hedgehog wrapped a hand around the warm cup and mechanically took a sip, "did I get it right?"
"Yeah", she replied breathlessly, shocked at how normal yet extraordinary this scenario was; this guy kidnapped me, controlled me and downright freaked me out, and now he's drinking coffee with me and chatting normally? Satisfied with her response, Dimitri leaned back in his seat and spoke again,
"Now, to answer your questions; why bring you here? Simple; this is your home", he explained as Amy's eyes widened alarmingly, "I saw in your face that you, ah, don't agree with my teachings yet and that is perfectly understandable – there will always be struggles in the face of the truth, it's the way of things. But I digress", he corrected himself; he remembered he hadn't come here for a theological debate, "I knew you were uncomfortable with me and to a lesser extent my grandchildren as well, so I needed to take you somewhere safe, where you could feel protected and, and begin to heal from my, actions", he looked at her directly now, earnest in his next request, "and that is what I want Amy; I want you to recover from what I was forced to put you through – I want the girl I was melded with, the Amy Rose I know, to come back".
Maybe that was the second that it truly sank in; the words, combined with the complete honesty in Dimitri's face, combined to finally convince Amy that this was the truth – Dimitri simply didn't want to hurt her any more than he had to. And now he was free, he simply wanted her to get over what he'd done. For a second Amy felt a sudden surge of gratitude towards him, but that was replaced almost immediately by sudden worry as her concern for herself was replaced by concern for others.
"What about…"
"My word is stone", Dimitri reminded her sharply, maybe aggrieved that she didn't trust him, "our pact remains; I shall not harm any who oppose me any more than I have to; there will be bloodshed as people resist my efforts at salvation, but I will do all in my power to ensure it remains as little as possible".
"So what will you do then?" Amy felt the question leave her lips almost before she'd thought of it, "you have to beat the guardians, how can you do that? How will you stop them?" I've got to know – how terrible can you be to them Dimitri? What manner of creature are you?
"I thought about that for a long time Amy", the older Mobian drained some more of his coffee as he composed himself to deliver his answer, "I must neutralise the guardian threat posed by my brother's descendents, the most recent of which, by the way, is Knuckles".
"Knuckles?" It felt like she hadn't heard the name in years, but at the mention of the echidna Amy suddenly felt the memories flow back to her like they'd never been forgotten, "wait, your brother", Dimitri nodded, watching her make the connections with a wry smile, "that means, he's, Knuckles…"
"Is my great nephew God-alone-knows how many generations removed, as are all the Brotherhood", Dimitri finished for her smoothly before shaking his head and getting back to business, "but that's not important, what is important is that he and his grandfathers are a threat to me. As such, I will have to remove them as a threat".
"How?" A hundred horror scenarios darted through her mind, each more gruesome and unpleasant than the last as he tested the boundaries of his oath to the limit; please don't hurt them…
"I have a way", Dimitri turned his head away, not meeting her eyes as he continued, "I remember the device that we, Edmund and I, used to create the Chaos Emeralds; it was named the Chaos Siphon. I reconstructed and used the device once to create the Bloodstone from my own absorbed little ones and my own power; I shall do so again to remove the powers of the Master Emerald from Edmund's descendents and so end our struggle forever".
Amy flushed first hot, then as cold as though she'd been dipped in liquid oxygen; could Dimitri really do what he proposed? If he can; she licked suddenly dry lips, mind blanking again as she jumped to heinous conclusions; he'll take their power, then turn them into unfeeling robots as well, to save them all from death. Without the guardians, the Master's at risk and no-one will be able to stop him.
"And, and the others?"
"Some of them can utilise Chaos energy; the black hedgehog Shadow is remarkably adept from what I can tell of such things, though for some reason he chooses to repress such a strong gift", in his mind, the echidna was grateful when she didn't press as to how he knew about Shadow's unusual past, "the same will be done to them, but no more; I will eliminate the threat they pose, then they may do as they choose".
"So, you'll just turn them in robots?" Amy said lifelessly; Dimitri saw her expression blank and, reacting on instincts that had been long dormant, reached across the table and softly took her hand in his, taking care to keep his lethal spurs well away from her.
There was a twitch, but Amy didn't pull away directly, merely staring from the entwined hands to him and back again, mouth hanging open in disbelief. For a long minute, both Mobians were immobile, neither daring to break the contact; Dimitri almost thought he felt her give a very gentle, almost imperceptible squeeze; possible subconscious gratitude for the contact; before finally came back to her senses and snatched her hand back, nearly knocking her chair over as she shot to her feet, spines extending in rage as she bristled,
"Don't touch me, don't you ever touch me you…"
"Good", Dimitri also rose and planted his hands on the table top, meeting her glare as much as was possible for his uncontrollable pupils, "get angry; I had to do that because it saved you from depression", Amy's confusion returned to drown her anger as the echidna continued, "you're hurt because you think this is all your fault, well listen to me Amy – I came here to deliver three things. Firstly, an apology for treating you the way I did, second, my assurance that your friends, and anyone else for that matter, would be treated as gently as possible if they stood against me, and lastly I came here to say this; what happened was not your fault".
Not my fault; for the first time in too long, the pink hedgehog felt a tiny, fluttering spark of hope flicker in her chest – she was being forgiven, no matter that it was by the beast she had unleashed, she was being given the chance to unburden some of the guilt weighing down her soul. It was a hope she grasped and drank deep from as Dimitri continued,
"The power of the Bloodstone is great, as strong as that of the Master Emerald. When I called, I used its power to ensure you would answer – against it you stood no chance at all. How many could stand against Knuckles when he was powered up by the Master into his hyper form, and yes I did see that from your memories before you ask? You see", Dimitri looked at her once more in earnest, needing her to see and understand what he was saying, "against the full power of the Bloodstone, you could do nothing; you had no choice but to come to me. The Bloodstone was created from my own flesh and the little ones I bear; there's no stopping something that strong. No who know what the Chaos Emeralds are could condemn you; not the guardians, not the EST and certainly not your friends; the only one who must forgive you, is yourself".
The words hit her hard, and she knew there was truth in them; much as she would like to disbelieve otherwise; she couldn't have stopped dreaming her way to the Bloodstone, it would have driven her mad had she ignored them. But I can't; Amy thought for a fleeting instant about what she'd done and how many people she'd put in danger by doing it, and all thoughts of forgiveness were dashed; I should have been stronger, I'll always think that – no matter what anyone says, I can't forgive myself. Amy looked up, tears marring her eyes and Dimitri knew it was over; he had done what he could, what happened next was up to her; she'd either forgive herself and move on, or fail to and fall behind. Standing up, the echidna bowed is head in deference,
"I'll go now".
"Wait", the tone was serious and sharp as the hedgehog looked up at him, "will you turn them all into robots, save them all from death?"
"They'll come round in time", he said evasively, not meeting her eyes as he continued, "we are making progress on restoring artificial emotions, some time in the future we may be able to upload them into the saved ones, but I must save them all first. There is no fate worse than death – one day, when everyone is spared from its clutch, people will realise I was right, and I will receive the thanks I am due". With that, the red glow surrounded him once more, his outline was blurred and then vanished completely; Amy didn't even blink as the grandmaster of the Dark Legion simply disappeared out of her life, leaving her at the mercy of her own sense of judgement.
For how long she remained there, at her own kitchen table, staring blankly at the cup of coffee Dimitri had made for her, she didn't know. She simply observed as the steam rising from the cup slowed and then ceased altogether, but still she didn't move, torn between what to do next. Part of her, a big part, wanted to seize the cup and dash it to ruin against the nearest wall, yelling a curse on Dimitri for all time for what he'd done, what he was going to do to Angel Island. But at the same time, a second part demanded she drink, taste the bitter poison she had released on others, take a measure of their suffering in their stead. Still more of her wanted to retreat, withdraw into somewhere safe and quiet and never come out, while another facet of her personality wanted revenge, wanted to seek Dimitri out and absolve her shame forever – then she could be forgiven for her trespasses. Thoughts flew and clashed within her mind but still she did nothing, watching on uncaringly as the coffee in the cup grew cold and a skin began to form on the surface. It was only when fingers of light began to claw their way into the drab atmosphere of the kitchen that the sole occupant reacted; standing slowly, Amy made her way into her bedroom, still unseeing, still undecided as to what to do next, unaware that something would make her mind up for her.
It struck her she wandered into her room, stood proudly by her dressing table; the light from one corner of the frame shone directly into her eyes and she squinted, making her way over to the dressing table and moved the object so she wasn't risking blindness. It was only when she felt the glass under her still ungloved thumb that she rolled her eyes down to look at it; when she did, she thought someone had punched her hard in the stomach.
It was a picture, a skilful charcoal rendition of Team Rose outside Vanilla's house; looking into the picture, Amy's heart was twisted cruelly by the sight of Cream; she might never see Cheese again; smiling as she always did; robots can't smile, robots can't feel – she'll never survive like that; as she delivered her pose. Tears dripped onto the glass shielding the picture as Amy clutched it close to her; because of me, my little sister's in danger – I have to save her, but I can't. I'm not Sonic, I just tried to be like him – I can't run as fast, I'm not as strong or as smart, I can't even…WAIT!
Suddenly, that one single memory, almost lost and frozen out because it had come at the darkest time, resurged into Amy's mind; over and over, she heard her own voice say the two words, felt the strange sensation playing over her fur and skin and saw the images Dimitri must have projected into her mind to choose her destination. From deep within herself, a desire rose up and inflamed, burning so brightly it hurt, demanding every scrap of her energy, every iota of her being. I used a Chaos Control – I can go back; Amy swayed as the plan speeded before her mind; this is the chance – releasing him was my mistake, I've got a chance to correct it – then they won't blame me. In that instant, the internal power struggle ceased for all time; her goal fixed in her mind and nothing short of the death Dimitri was so fearful of would possibly stop her. Amy ran, simply ran and wrenched open her front door, stopping for nothing as the desire to earn her forgiveness, both from herself and everyone else, consumed her utterly; pausing not to get changed, put shoes on or even grab her Piko Piko Hammer, Amy raced to the one place were her path to salvation lay.
Outside, the first speck of rain fell from the gloomy sky.
XXX
This is bad; the guard of the train, identified as Wilson by his name badge, looked out into the three feet of outside he could feasibly see; the rest of the normally bustling platform was being pelted non-stop with rain coming down in sheets as thick as lead. Grateful for the shelter of the train doorway he was stood in, he shucked up his raincoat again and readjusted his idea as a couple of hailstones ricocheted up from the concrete under his feet and bounced off his shoes; this is worse than bad. Idly checking his watch, the guard toyed with the idea of setting off a couple of minutes early; after all; his bored gaze flicked out over the station he could see, grimly noticing it was virtually submerged; no-one in their right mind going to be travelling in this weather. Stepping back into the comforting warmth of the train, he brought the whistle to his lips and made to wave to the drivers cab.
"Wait", he shook his head, trying to clear his ears as the phantom shout reached him; no, that wasn't…
"Wait"; that was; amazingly, there was someone out there, coming closer if the increase in volume was anything to go by. Delaying his command, he peered out again, looking for the source of the sound. A blurry figure emerged, and then suddenly someone burst out from the curtain of rain pouring off the train door and stood before him.
"I need to go to Mystic Ruins".
There was no argument; Wilson simply nodded mutely, stepped aside and offered his sodden passenger into the carriage. The hedgehog simply walked straight past, not even registering his presence as she sat down at the closest table, her thin clothing squelching as she began wringing her hands, looking forwards blankly, her eyes huge and terrified as though confronting some nameless fear. Wilson regarded her for a moment, wondering whether he was doing the right thing by letting so obviously deranged onto a public transport system; after all, you read about what nutcases could do on the news. Should he contact someone, just in case she'd escaped from somewhere? Thankfully, common sense prevailed; Wilson was getting on a bit, but he reckoned he could handle anything this strange figure could muster and anyway, dressed in her soaking pyjamas and with no shoes on her feet, the pink hedgehog looked a pitiful, wretched sight rather than a psychopath in disguise. Shaking his head and giving a toot on his whistle, Wilson allowed himself a wry smile as the door slid shut automatically and the familiar vibrations of a moving train reverberated up his boots; well I was right – no-one in their right mind would travel on a day like this.
XXX
Throughout the journey, Amy simply stared ahead, physically immobile but her mind was racing faster than even Sonic could managed; she ran and reran the idea that had forced her into this desperate run over and over again, each revisit renewing the need, the outright hunger for absolution. She felt nothing beyond the need to follow her plan as swiftly as was possible, all other concerns were secondary; she felt the biting cold that assailed her through her wet clothes, but she didn't care enough to register it; all her thought, all her energy and all her emotion was pinned on the goal she had to complete, the only way she'd ever make up for her terrible failure.
XXX
"Mystic Ruins, last stop"; even before the words had left his lips, Wilson wasn't surprised to see the solitary passenger moving. Without saying a word, she headed towards the exit of the train, eyes still wide and unseeing as though she couldn't feel the water in her fur or hear the thunder that was now rumbling outside. Driven by concern for her well-being and his own conscience, the train guard interposed himself between the passenger and the door, looking down at her seriously but with compassion in his manner,
"Sorry miss, but I don't think you should get off here", as though to offer evidence, he waved an arm towards the nearest window, "hark at it, it's raining cats and dogs, no offence to you Mobians, but it's not safe to go out like you are". For a second she was still, but just as Wilson was about to pat himself on the back, the hedgehog looked up, fixing him with those sad, lonely eyes of hers.
Never before had he seen such desolation, such bleakness in the gaze of a living creature; all that was there in her otherwise empty eyes was an all-consuming fire that threatened to overflow from her at any moment, at the barest hint of provocation. Once more, he simply stood aside, afraid to stand against that fire in case it charred him; he pressed himself as close to the wall of the narrow exit as he could manage as she walked past, barely flinching as the first flicker of lightning flashed across the sky like the whip of the gods. She paused on the threshold, just long enough to speak five words, five words that cut through the rolling thunder like a dagger through silk, piercing into the mind of the perturbed train guard,
"I go, because I must". With that and a possible shiver as she felt the teeth of the gale, the last passenger stepped out into the storm and was lost from his sight.
XXX
Sheltered from the ferocity of the squall by the sturdy construction of his self-made dwelling, Big allowed himself a smile as his intuition had paid off again; he'd been right to stock up on fish the day before, he certainly wouldn't be able to go fishing today. Hopefully though, the storm would stir up the silt at the bottom of the streams around his home, maybe unearth a couple of eels for him to pick up when it all blew over. Not really the season for eels; Big thought before shrugging – no telling when he might get lucky and besides, if anything was going to unearth one of the hibernating behemoths he was sometimes lucky enough to hook and land, it was going to be weather like this. He felt a fleeting stab of panic for Froggy but just as quickly shrugged it off; he'd known his oldest friend long enough to know that he'd find a nice rock to hide under while this passed over. As he decided on something for breakfast and began to heat the water he needed over his small stove, he reached for his favourite wet day activity, sharpening the twig against a claw before dipping the resulting sharp tip into the fire, adding the ingredients as he needed to make the soup he'd decided on. What should I draw now?
XXX
She couldn't see the way in front of her and so often she fell over, defeated by the slipperiness of the grass under her feet and tumbling headlong, but it didn't matter, she was getting there, she was closer with each step and that was all that concerned her, all that could concern her. Amy kept going, not feeling the strain of her headlong dash or the flares of pain when she fell and skinned her elbows, hands and knees. Another spark of lightning illuminated the way; she could see the trees in front of her, a way distant yet but she was closing all the time. The need burned ever stronger, she pushed herself harder, drowning out everything else in the drive for efficiency.
A short time later she was plunging through the thickets of Mystic Ruins, the branches catching her ragged clothing and slapping at her exposed face, sucking mud beneath her feet slowing even her remorseless efforts. No good; Amy realised that she couldn't remember the exact way to go in this darkness and to continue blind would lose precious time; throwing back her head, voice rising to challenge even the thunder itself, Amy called for the one who held the key to her salvation,
"BIG!"
Distracted for a second by something, the cat sighed in wistful annoyance as he pressed down a bit too hard and smudged the line he was tracing. Rats, and that wasn't too bad either; he held up the pencil for a closer examination, trying to gauge if it needed sharpening, when the distraction came once more, piercing the storm and causing him to straighten up in his chair, ears extended to their fullest as he clutched his armrest; surely he couldn't be right? Who would call his name; who would be out there, in this weather? But there it is; Big pushed himself upright and rushed to the door of his home, ripping the door open and bracing himself for the biting cold as he listened, waited again…
"Big"; the voice was faint but he could hear it and his hands flew upwards, covering his appalled dropped jaw. Oh my lord; the cat blinked as the desperation of the scenario sank into him; someone was out there, probably lost, in the dark and in a storm like this; they could die out there! Without a second thought, Big raced outside, the door of his hut banging emptily in his absence as he roared back,
"Hello; keep shouting!" The land around his home was treacherous, especially in bad weather; time was essential here and Big swore he wouldn't let anything bad happen in his place if he could possibly prevent it.
XXX
He's coming; the pink hedgehog heard the return but there was no time for relief, there was no time for anything but to push on; Big could lead her to the Chaos Emerald she needed to return to Angel Island and face her nemesis. She forged on, pulling herself out of the knee-deep mud onto firmer ground, keeping up her calling, drawing her route to salvation closer like a moth to a flame. And sure enough, after a few moments, there was a movement in front of her and the Mobian she had called crashed out a copse of trees in front of here.
XXX
Despite his need for speed, Big had unconsciously watched fro a few minutes before moving; he hadn't had a choice in the matter. His mind simply couldn't take in what it was seeing; Amy, what is she doing here now? The mere fact it was his hedgehog friend would have been shocking enough, but as an obliging lightning strike bathed the scene in pearly phosphorence the true nature of what was in front of him really struck home.
It was certainly Amy, and it looked like she'd been through hell to get here. She looked like she was dressed in nothing but slashed and torn rags, the thin material not up to the task of fending off the plentiful thorn bushes of Mystic Ruins. Up to her knees were covered in mud so he couldn't tell if her feet were covered, but her hands were definitely ungloved, the fingers cut and raw in places. She was soaking wet, rivulets of water running across her fur from her saturated clothing but for some reason she wasn't shivering, simply walking forwards determinedly, still calling his name and pressing on, her tone oddly chilling and soulless.
"Big". She needs my help; he galvanised his frozen muscles to move, help her deal with whatever was terrible enough to force her here in the first place. Setting aside all his questions for now, the cat emerged in plain sight and shouted over,
"Amy, wait there".
XXX
He's here; a tiny flicker of relief helped stoke the furnace of her hunger as she watched the cat come closer, his purple fur hidden in shadow as she pressed forwards to meet him, her feet drawing clear of the mud with concentrated slurping noises.
"Wait there", the instructions were obeyed without question, the panic in Big's voice evidence of danger, "that mud's deep, hold on". Skirting around the dangerous patch, Big moved as close to Amy as safe and, thinking quickly, snapped a sturdy branch of a nearby tree, shoving it forwards with a hoarse instruction, throat raw from shouting,
"Grab hold"; he felt pressure and put all his effort into pulling up, raising his arms over his head to try and lift Amy clear of the suction of the mud, the branch bending but not breaking due to the hedgehog's weight. Suddenly she came free with a jolt; without fully being aware of it, Big raised his branch vertical and let his friend slide down it, right into his waiting arms.
"Amy, what are…?"
"Where's the Chaos Emerald?" What?; the hedgehog's question and tone stopped his line of thought dead; she came out here, for that thing?
"Where is it?" There was more urgency now, without really thinking Big answered her,
"Umm, it's back in my house, I've kept it safe and…"
"Give it to me", this time Big managed to muster the courage to look down as Amy made her demand, "I need it, give it to me".
It spoke volumes of Big's grip that he didn't drop his friend as he saw her face; the fire, the sheer relentless need in her whole pose, her whole body struck him harder than any blow from her formidable hammer ever could. He was stunned into immobility for a second by the emotional impact, suddenly coldness not caused by the weather flooding him as his numb lips formed the barest start of a question,
"Why…?"
"I need it"; no time, need to get on with this now; Amy began to struggle as it became apparent to her that Big wasn't going to help, she needed to get back to her search for an emerald. In response, the grip holding her in a hug tightened; the fire engulfing her reared up, demanding release.
"Let go!" She managed to work and arm free and used it to pound on the encircling limbs, trying to loosen them enough to writhe free. They didn't move and her quest was held up; she felt like howling in frustration when something else smashed into her.
XXX
Big hadn't taken his eyes off her face, even when she started attacking him; he could take the pain and a lot more besides. It was her look and what was causing it that had caught his undivided attention. He had seen the desire there; she truly wanted that Chaos Emerald more than anything else in the world right now, and she was willing to go to any lengths, through any obstacle to get hold of it. But why; that was the question; as his observations were run over again and again in his memories, he became aware of something else, the fuel behind the fires of her wanting; I see the reason, but why's it there? She's the nicest person I know, what could she have done? Even as he considered the thought, he realised there was only one way he could find out, and he braced himself for it,
"Why do you want it?"
"I need it"; the same voice, but maybe a bit higher pitched this time; progress then.
"Why, what for?" He felt the struggle renew, he was getting close now, she was desperate to get away from him, keep running away from whatever was hounding her.
"I just need it"; a scream this time, tears trickling unfelt down her cheeks as the blows softened; Big nearly lost it then, nearly let her go but at the last second heeded the danger; now for the first time in his life he needed to be completely ruthless to help someone, someone he called a close friend, someone who had shared a desperate adventure with him, someone who needed his help now more than ever before. Forcing his face as close to hers as possible, the cat shouted down to her,
"You don't need an emerald Amy, you need to talk. Why are you here, dressed as you are in this weather? What caused that – who's after you? What happened to you Amy?"
XXX
What happened to you?; the words echoed in her head, lancing at the fire that had thus far driven her remorselessly. She'd been running so hard she'd never stopped to think about answering that question; what had happened? Now, pinned in place by someone so much stronger than she was, she couldn't run away from it any more; the emotions she had buried since she had awoken to find Athair's blood on her hands burst forth from the dam she had held them behind. Misery, fear and guilt made a dreadful cocktail, every sensation, every nuance of what had happened flooded through her and drained the heat from the fire she had built atop them, quashing her blazing strength with freezing blame, robbing her of the every desire bar one; for lack of options, she took the only path open.
Her arm dropping limp by her side, Amy Rose finally let it all go – she buried her face in the soft fur in front of her, screamed shrilly and burst into fresh tears. She had cried for others, cried for the fact her friends were in danger, now, finally, she cried for herself, the terrible things that had been done to her, and the weight that had placed on her shoulders now. Tears of sorrow cleansed a path down the mud on her face, just as they cleansed fresh tracks down the guilt that stained her soul.
XXX
Big couldn't feel the storm any more; all his emotion was bent on the shivering, freezing ball of misery he had crushed to his chest. He stalled his own tears through sheer force of will; he had to be strong for Amy now. She sobbed and shivered, clawing at him desperately as she sought solace from her peril; he kept his grip steady, supportive but not constricting as slowly, so slowly she wouldn't feel it, he turned around and began to carefully pick his way back to his home, back to the wind to prevent it chilling Amy's already wet body. As he walked, he listened as best he could; Amy wasn't making much sense as she was lost in her grief, snatches of broken phrases were all he could make out, the most frequent one of which was made up of three words, three words that Big didn't believe for a moment, even if it was Amy that was saying them,
"All my fault". I'd bet my rod it isn't; the cat thought determinedly as he made out the light of his home; whatever it is Amy, I'll help you with it, and you'll see it isn't as bad as you think.
XXX
Amy could cry no longer; her tears had run dry and she fell into a swoon, bordering on the brink of consciousness as the cold permeating her threatened to freeze her out of her own body. She was barely aware she was moving, or someone was moving her in her stead; suddenly something passed overhead and the light levels increased; with a muffled thump the sound of the storm was cut off and the temperature rose significantly to let the hedgehog feel how cold she really was. As she was set down on something soft, her body finally reported in and she gasped at the pain of the cold; she could barely feel her extremities and every inch of her felt like it had just been carved from ice. Teeth chattering, she hugged herself into a tight ball instinctively, but then something held her shoulders and forced her to straighten out a little. Looking up, her sore vision let something large and purple swim into vision. Her chilled brain made the connection and her numbed lips mumbled a name,
"B,big", she shivered again and tried to stop stuttering, "you came…"
"Yes I came for you", the cat turned around to reveal the huge blanket held in his paws, face serious and concerned at the same time, "now we need to get you dried off and out of those wet things before you catch your death". Amy nodded, dimly recalling something about hypothermia setting in and struggled with the buttons on the front of her ruined pyjama shirt; her fingers felt like pink sausages, unwilling and unable to deal with the difficult buttons as they slipped again and again. Big noticed this and realised now was not the time to be concerned with modesty,
"Let me", Big reached forwards and deposited the blanket right next to the shivering hedgehog, sliding free one of his natural weapons; Amy nodded and held her shirt as far from her body as possible. He set his claw in the shirt collar and with a single fluid movement, slid it through the front of her shirt, the waistband of her trousers and span on his heel to allow her some privacy. His ears were alert for any sound of discomfort; the tiniest mewling of pain would have him at her side in an instant, but he heard nothing but shuffling,
"I, I'm fine"; that's a lie; Big turned back around and picked the hedgehog up again, blanket and all, carrying her to the meagre warmth of his stove like a midwife would carry an newborn wrapped in swaddling clothes.
XXX
The heat felt like the gentle kiss of the sun; Amy closed her eyes and relaxed, feeling some of the cold banished by the fire's glow. As well as this bounty, she suddenly felt Big's hand move outside the blanket, rubbing her down rigorously, simultaneously drawing the remaining water from her and bullying some heat back into her body. Slowly the cat's ministrations worked their magic; life began to fill her again, filtering down into every molecule of her body as the cold was forced to retreat. Big concentrated most of his efforts on her legs and feet especially as these had been exposed to most of the elements; even he, who had seen part of the run Amy had put herself through, was shocked at the amount of mud, water and blood that came free at his touch. His desire to know what had happened, help her with whatever problem was bedevilling her enough to drive her to this madness increased exponentially, but still he held it in check. I have to get her out of danger first; the cat increased his rubbing of her feet, they were still cold to his touch and he needed to get them warm to prevent frostbite setting in.
It took time and plenty of it, but eventually he was content that she was warm enough to deal with for now; reaching for his spare hung covers, the cat spoke over his shoulder,
"Amy, I'll throw you a clean blanket; put the other one on the floor and wrap yourself up in this, okay?"
"Yeah"; he heard the thump of the old, soiled bed sheet impact on the ground and in response threw his spare over his shoulder. After that he waited patiently until he got the all clear,
"Okay, ready". He turned around and regarded his unexpected guest by the light of his fire, trying to put the ominous thunder from his mind as he regarded her face.
XXX
I must look like some kind of ghoul; unusually Amy didn't smile at this thought – it was as if all the lightness and laughter had been crushed from her spirit. She simply looked back at Big as he completed his inspection – from his resultant expression she guessed he had deduced nothing good. Slowly he took a step forwards and, not taking his eyes from her, slowly sat down facing her; she mimicked the action, curling up into a sitting position under her blanket, awaiting the inevitable as Big leaned forwards,
"Are you hungry Amy?"
As if the words reawakened her digestive tract, the hedgehog was suddenly assailed by crippling hunger cramps, almost doubling over as the pain ripped through her gut. Reading that as a yes, Big quickly removed the lid from the pot he'd had on the stove and gave the ingredients one last stir. Amy moaned as a wonderful scent hit her nose and caused the hunger pain to redouble, the started as a large metal dish was placed in front of her and Big quickly poured out a large measure of his meal,
"Eat this, it'll help". She didn't need asking again; the spoon in the bowl rocketed backwards and forwards at super speed, the hot soup melting its way into Amy's denied stomach, heating her on the inside as Big kept topping up her portion, refilling her bowl as fast as she could empty it. Soup spilled down her chin but she didn't care to wipe it away; all her current energy was focussed on assuaging her vehement hunger. There was silence in the cabin for at least fifteen minutes, punctuated only by the sounds of liquid being displaced from one container to another and ravenous eating. The dish Big provided wasn't fully cooked and was missing half the ingredients it was supposed to contain, but at that moment, Amy could have sworn blind she'd never tasted anything more heavenly in her life.
Finally it was finished; the soup pot ran dry at the same time as Amy's hunger. The hedgehog settled back and slowly wiped her chin with her bare arm, the clear green of the liquid food staining her pink fur in a ribbon. As she pushed her bowl away, felling strangely bottom-heavy after such a large meal, a voice intruded on her fugue state,
"Amy", she looked up into the familiar, passive face of Big, "take your time, but I need to know what happened out there; you ran to my house in the night in the middle of a typhoon; why? What's gone wrong; I'll help you if I can but…" he cut off at the sound of weeping, more controlled than before but present nonetheless. Looking up and sighing, he moved to comfort the traumatised hedgehog,
"Hey, hey, shhh"; to his surprise, she backed away, not wanting him to come closer, as she raised an arm to ward him off,
"Don't touch me Big – I'm a, a monster; because of me, everyone's in danger, they could all be turned into robots and it's my fault, all my fault". Her head dropped and her chest heaved with fresh sobs; she'd looked up, seen Big's expression and without realising it, her mind ad drawn parallels between him and Athair. From that one name, they'd come back, the memories of what had happened, what she'd done, and once more she couldn't stop the tears; she could control the slightly better, but she couldn't stop them.
"Shhh Amy; I don't believe that for a moment"; but it's true; "something's hurting you deep inside, something terrible and scary, and the only way to stop it hurting is to let it out, get rid of it. Talking will help you Ames, and if it's within my power to do so I will as well". You say that now; there was a certain fatalistic doom that prompted her to speak – once he knew the truth, Big would just run a mile to get away from her, but it was better to get it over with now, let him see how bad she really was. Slowly, voice dead and head down, expecting the sounds of movement and a door slamming at any time at any time, Amy told him everything.
From the first dream about running in a dark place towards something red, through Twinkle Park and the Boxing Day Bash (Big asked a lot of questions here, trying to focus her on something positive), to arranging a trip with the Chaotix and seeing the Bloodstone for the first time. Then the call from Knuckles, about how the guardian had arranged to met them all on Angel Island, and the gang's surprise on realising the new population of echidnas. She might have skimped on the details of how Knuckles had introduced his family and the descriptions of each of them, but she did go into detail of how she had attacked Athair, the flying one, and from that had somehow used a Chaos Control to go back to the mine shaft where, after a struggle, she had cravenly caved in and granted Dimitri's request for freedom. Big listened mostly in silence, building a picture in his unique mind as the hedgehog finished her sorry story,
"and now he'll turn everyone into a robot so they can't die", she bunched her fists and sank her head down onto them, knuckling her forehead painfully in an act of self-flagellation for her sins, "everyone's under threat; all those echidnas, they won't stand a chance against him and that red rock, and it's all…" there was a sudden rush of movement and she was supported, something propping her up as the tale ended.
"Amy", Big squeezed her tightly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as his voice broke up a little, "in everything you've told me, everything that happened, I can't see a shred of evidence that says that; there was nothing you could do. None of this can be blamed on you; you're innocent".
Innocent; the word was like a drop of water after nearly dying of thirst; someone thinks I'm good. In the comforting warmth of the large cat's embrace, Amy drew strength she had lost through her trials, belief and hope rekindling themselves as she threw her arms around her friend, not caring as the blanket slipped slightly; she was somewhere she was safe and where the burden of what she had to do next felt less heavy on her mind. Big didn't move, letting her take as long as she needed to reassure herself that he wasn't going to leave her, that he didn't, truly didn't, blame her for what had happened. It took several minutes, but when she finally began to drop her arms, he kept his gaze forwards and then sat down, letting her get comfortable once more before asking,
"When I found you, you were shouting about a Chaos Emerald"; he saw her face darken and made to repeat the previous exercise but was stalled by her voice; there was no sadness or guilt within it, just a plain, matter-of-fact tone that was possibly even more worrying,
"I need it to go back to Angel Island", she looked him square in the eye and he saw the fire spark up in her eye again, "I used a Chaos Control, I know I did, and I know I can do it again. I've got to go back and face him Big".
"Amy, that's madness…"
"I need to", the spark burst into flame, her features becoming haunted with guilt once more as she continued, "I made a terrible mistake Big, innocent or not, and I need to make it right; there's no other way. You were right, something horrible is inside me, and I need the emerald's power to face it. Please Big", she looked up at him with concerted pleading in her face, the desperate look of someone who's entire life depends on your next action, "give it to me".
XXX
I can't stop her; the cat was caught by that one realisation – he simply couldn't argue or talk her down on this. He couldn't stop her, nothing could; if he said no, she'd simply find another, maybe even more dangerous way to face whoever it was she'd set free, Dimitor if he'd heard the name through her sobbing correctly. I can't stop her going after him and trying to sort out the mess she thinks she's made; the cat took a breath as he decided to try and play this delicately; but I can make sure she's as well prepared as possible before she does it.
"I'll give you it Amy, but", he held up a hand to the look of hope mingled with hunger on her face, "not now".
"Big, there's no time", Amy took small steps forwards, the oversized blanket covering her like a shroud, "there's no telling what he's doing now; he could…"
"No!" The cat leapt up, the sudden anger in his voice serendipitously coinciding with a particularly loud thunder crash to shock Amy into speechlessness for a moment; calming down, the cat strove to explain his reasons, a pleading expression now on his face as he tried to get her to understand,
"I want to help you Amy, but you need to help yourself. I won't sugar coat this; you look like you haven't slept in days and I bet that was your first square meal in at least twenty-four hours. It'd be suicide to try and tackle this Dimitor now, especially if he's as powerful as you say he is. You need to be as ready and fit as possible", he hid a smile as Amy let out a huge yawn, the bags he saw under her eyes threatening to drag her eyelids down as he finished, "so you can start by going to sleep".
"But I", Amy tried to struggle on, nothing could stand in her way, she couldn't let herself slow down or Dimitri would win, but it was no good; just as before with the food, once her body had been reminded about what it had physically lacked, it instantly rebelled to get what it needed. Amy slumped down as her legs nearly buckled under her, knees turning to water as sleep deprivation kicked in; she just about managed to drag herself towards the bed as her vision darkened and she heard a final speech in her ear,
"Sleep Ames, I'll be right here when you wake up; it's all right, he can't touch you any more". Big doubted she was awake any more than seconds after he set her down in the large litter of heather twigs he collected as a bed, her gentle snoring at complete odds with the raging, storming hedgehog washed up by the rain not an hour ago. He waited a few minutes to check it wasn't a trick, then considered his options before suddenly snapping his fingers; I've got a bit of an errand to run later, once this weather's blown over. Sitting back down in his chair, Big set aside his sketch pad, all desire to draw lost for now, and waited for the storm to blow itself out.
Behind him, for the first time since the rescuing of Rouge from Seraph's dark clutches, Amy Rose slept completely free from the influence of the Bloodstone; the silent siren's call lost for now, letting her dream in peace.
A/N: So Amy has a plan, but what has Dimitri been doing in her absence? What impact will this have on her friends? Who will survive and what will be left of them (gotta love old, cheesy horror classics – the remake was awful but the original is a terror classic). Next chapter will see the full power of Dimitri and his Bloodstone unleashed.