Chapter 27 – No Hope, No Fear, No Forgiveness.
A/N: Enjoy this chapter, but first I have a gauntlet to throw down:
HHH – IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! So, you have a mind that can break any code and reveal any cliff-hanger eh? Well, what say we have a little challenge on that – here's the deal. Before you read the rest of this chapter, you have to drop either a review or an e-mail to me, saying what you think is going to happen; you never know; if you're right, you might get a special prize…
TH – Well, I'm not all that worried, Seraph's armour's blast-proof, but then again it's a hell of a job trying to scrap author remains off a fancharacter, so ok I give; here's a new chapter for you. Now please, please just stay there and stay quiet; I might need your help in a minute (author points to where caffeine high Sonic characters are rampaging through his story and making certain changes – author notices one and goes white) TAILS NO, I FORBID IT! You can not write a bedroom scene involving yourself and Lien-Da; for the love of all that's holy it's a K+ fic and that's illegal in at least fifty states! Oooh, this is going to be a long day (author dons more protective gear and sets out to clear off mess, turning to TH). If I don't make it back, Seraph's yours – okay, you lot, let's rumble!
The tube slid to the floor with a mild tap, the imprisoned chameleon unable to make a dent in the glass surrounding him even using the sharpened point of his ninja stars. As he extended his influence to Sabre, Dimitri spoke over his shoulder,
"Don't bother trying to break out; that glass is coated with a shatter and impact proof coat of adhesive that can't be harmed by anything you have; it's also what makes the glass sound proof. So no point blunting your stars, or spurs on it", he might have looked hard at Sabre at this point before jerking his head sideways to indicate Knuckles, "that goes for you too".
"The prison hasn't been made yet that can stop us collectively" the guardian spoke back sneeringly, Tails nodding in assent as he recalled several daring rescues in the past.
"Well I do what I can" the grandmaster said chidingly, only serving to infuriate his youngest nephew more before adding almost as an after-thought, "oh, and before anyone tries, the first person who challenges me to a duel of honour – I will accept and you will not walk away; I am a lot more powerful than any of you, even you Thunderhawk", the lavender echidna glowered at the mention of his name even as he subconsciously rubbed out that mental plan; Dimitri was telling the truth. With the Bloodstone at his command, the Dark Legion commander had a far more powerful and potent connect to his power source, greater even than the guardians did to the Master Emerald with the possible exception of Edmund himself.
He didn't press the point for gloating, or at least obvious gloating, was not something he found enjoyable; instead he continued to ferry his captives from one form of imprisonment to another, their struggling quashed by his telekinetic grip. He had hoped that by ferrying the smallest first, he'd prove to the most dangerous members of those who stood against him that he really did mean what he said about not wanting to hurt anyone. With a gesture, he reached for the next one to be moved.
XXX
With a start, Tails felt something like a rope wrap itself around his waist and slowly, irresistibly, pull him upwards into the air. The kit struggled, fought against the force with everything he had; for a brief second he thought he could make headway, but then more ropes of the same persuasion caught around his arms, legs and tails, stopping him from moving and twisting him so he was laid flat on his back. He saw that he was lifted upwards a little; then, without visual provocation, he floated along towards the waiting capsule designated for him. It may have been enjoyable had the situations not been so dire; here he was, moving completely independently of gravity or forces of motion of any kind. He was still for a second, but as the rim of the tube made itself visible to the bottom of his eyes, he threw himself forwards in one final effort but his bonds held firm, rotating him so his feet touched the floor. As if that was a signal, they fell away completely, letting him stand on his own two feet once more; as he fought to regain his balance, with a tiny hiss, the glass tube extended from above and touched the floor, sinking into the rubber seal and the bottom and seeming to vulcanise itself shut.
Tails knew better than to struggle; not that he trusted Dimitri further than he could have thrown him, but one look at the interior of the glass was enough to confirm that the glass was unbreakable from this side; the slightly grey coat that clung to the inside of the tube was the same that covered the windshield of the Tornado. Hasn't failed me yet, so I can't see it failing here; throwing the echidna a filthy look, the fox sat down on the soft rubber interior of the tube, curling his tails under him as a makeshift cushion.
With a grim fascination, Tails watched to see who'd be next for the zero-G treatment; for a second he thought it might be Rouge as she rose a little in the air, but as she sank back down he realised she must have been strained from being stood up so long. It was as Dimitri pointed he realised it must have been Locke; Knuckles' father was lifted upwards and twisted as he had been, though to his credit he fought still. He was in possibly a better position to try and escape than either the fox, the Chaotix or Cream, who had all been imprisoned before the technocrat had moved on to the Brotherhood.
Tails idly wondered if he'd be able to communicate with his lab partner by discolouring the coat of anti-shatter chemicals into words, when he suddenly shot to his feet; Locke had nearly broken free, he was almost touching the floor as he broke the hold Dimitri had over him. Come on, just a little more…no, no luck; he sank back down, despondent as the blip in the flight path was reversed, the guardian carried like a live coffin into the tube next to him. As Locke found his feet again, his escape route was cut off by the tube from above; Tails saw his mouth move violently and was suddenly glad that he couldn't hear what Locke was saying; it was probably not fit for ears as young as his. He looked over to see who was next; his guess was Sabre, when he noticed Dimitri seemed to be taking a break, hunched over and inspecting his gauntlets.
XXX
What was that?; the grandmaster looked at his hands accusingly, even as he realised they could not be responsible; that disturbance in the force, what caused it? He wasn't sure, but there was one way to find out and he had the time to spare. The chamber glowed like the inside of a furnace and he soared through the energy, his spirit seeing what his eyes could not. Unsure of where to look, or even what he was looking for, he spread his net over the whole of Angel Island equally, sensitive for anything that may have triggered the flux in the Chaos energies of the Bloodstone. Wait, there it…was?; for the first time since he had reclaimed his flesh, Dimitri tasted the first trickling of adrenaline and nervousness – for a second he had thought there was something, but even as he made to shrink his attention over the anomaly, it had vanished in the blink of an eye. Strangely, his vision was dimmed around the area he had been trying to scan, as though something had stirred up the murk from the bottom of a previously crystal clear lake. Recognising that this may warrant and even require further attention, Dimitri kept his senses steady where they were as he moved back to his original task, though now there was a greater sense of urgency, more roughness in his hold as he kept half a mind on what had triggered the sudden reaction from the strength of his pride, joy and life.
XXX
As the glow faded, Amy wasted no time in racing into the shrine of the Master Emerald, seeing the green glow at the interior of the edifice used to protect one of the most powerful energy sources in existence. But Amy wasn't interested in the Master this time, all she needed was the power of the comparatively tiny jewel that the Master was currently neutering in power, the red Chaos Emerald. With the yellow and the red, I've got a better chance of doing this; with this hope burning in her, the rose hedgehog sprinted into the shadow of the building's lee, rapidly moving into the cooler interior of the shrine. As she moved towards the centre, she suddenly slewed to a halt, looking down at the emerald Big had given her; with a sickening lurch she realised it was dimming, the power it contained dying out. No, you can't leave me now; the pink hedgehog was stricken with fear as she was left with only a single emerald to stand against Dimitri with. Trembling with sudden trepidation, she tried to draw on it as she had not moments before; she let out a gasp of disbelief and denial as her worst fears were confirmed; compared to the tide she'd unleashed earlier, this was a mere trickle, barely enough to tingle her skin. Still, it got me here; Amy blinked back tears, setting her face as she tried to stay positive; I can still get the red one and that should do – not like I had high hopes anyway, but that's immaterial now.
Stepping forwards again, the faint emissions of the yellow jewel getting feebler with each stride, Amy reached the centre of the shrine, the Master Emerald as always on its dais at the exact middle of the room. Ignoring it totally, the pink hedgehog ran towards the pedestal off to the right, housing the red Chaos Emerald; the smaller gem reminding her uncomfortably of the Bloodstone as she reached for it. Heart thundering with hope, she lifted it from its pedestal…only to find it as dry and lifeless as the one she held already.
XXX
Though still disconcerted, Dimitri let the net fall from most of the island, keeping only a close eye on the immediate area around the anomaly; he was on the cusp of victory and could afford no mistakes now. Still, with all his nephews bar one caged, he grunted as Spectre fought him both physically and with the powers of the hated green, the strength of the Master Emerald threatening to negate the Bloodstone's grip on the eldest guardian, this matter could be explored more fully in a matter of minutes.
XXX
With an inarticulate howl of fury, Amy hurled both emeralds as far down the corridor as she could; it was simply not to be borne. I came here from nothing with no intentions other that to help save my friends, and now, thanks to these flaming stones, I can't even do that! Curse it, curse all the Chaos Emeralds, Master Emeralds and Bloodstones forever; breathing heavily, she whipped out her hammer and advanced towards the helpless emeralds menacingly with the full intention of reducing them to the dust they had sprung from. She pulled it back for the first shattering blow, the emeralds lying in full view of her hammer, and suddenly it fell; it was then that, thanks to nothing other than pure luck, her quest continued.
Rather than connecting with the red emerald full-on, her hammer glanced off, one of the cut facets deflecting her strike and, as a consequence, sending the stone spinning into the air back towards its harasser. Amy gasped at a pang of pain in her shoulder as though hit with a catapult shot; instinctively she snapped a hand to her injury, inadvertently clasping the red emerald to herself. Oww, that was dumb, maybe I should just leave them instead; it wasn't until she twisted her head to look at the offending stone that it sank in.
The ache in her shoulder had gone already.
That means…; holding the stone so tightly the edges of it cut into her gloves, the hedgehog felt her spirits rise unstoppably as tiny dribbles of strength for the stone, similar to the one that must have fixed her shoulder far faster than nature could have, sank into her. Another yell echoed around the shrine, this time one of elation; ...I can still do this!
Wasting no more time, the pink hedgehog scooped up the yellow Chaos Emerald and ran, no, she didn't run; her soul had wings and she flew, buoyed up with renewed hope and dedication to her cause, back to the entrance. It must be something to do with the Master Emerald; her mind was feverish with excitement, mad for things to consider as the fact she would have something meaningful to resist Dimitri with; it must somehow counteract the Chaos Emeralds – I'll have to ask Knuckles about it, that was dumb not to do it earlier. She had never thought to ask the echidna what he did with the Chaos Emeralds when he had with them; she simply assumed he hid them with the Master and that was that – such a small but potentially deadly oversight now. There was so much she didn't know, so much she needed to ask her friends when she'd freed them; happiness hardened into resolve as she realised that thirst of information would go unquenched if Dimitri had his way. Bright sunlight beckoned up ahead and she burst into forth into it, already harvesting the power she needed to make her last jump. A slight smile twitched on her lips even in such a serious moment as this; I can use the thing that damned me now, to find the snake that I set free from it.
XXX
The net tightened instantly; all at once, Dimitri lost sight of all objectives bar this, a possible threat to his supposed mastery of Angel Island. Shrinking his sphere of influence to as tight as he could manage, still obstructed by the strange interference that muddied his emerald powers, Dimitri just about suppressed a gasp of shock. Little ones; he recognised the trademark signatures of Chaos Emeralds instantly; they impart their power to another, but there's no-one left who can use it so. The grandmaster flicked his eyes around the room, noticing there was only Sonic left to put away and he certainly couldn't use the strength of a Chaos Emerald at this distance. He had captured everyone who could have been a threat, there was no explanation for this, unless it was merely a coincidence. Yes, that may work; the scientist mulled that theory over – it may have been possible for a mind, partially and maybe only temporarily free from the fetters of linear thinking, to come across Chaos emeralds and, without realising it, draw power from them. He'd have to do some experiments when he had the time – at what point of the emotions was a mind so fraught it could…; fraught with fear!
Cold slush filled his stomach as memories of his last night as a helpless wraith flooded back to him; I made her use the power by subjecting her to terror that she should never have felt, but I gave her the power in the first place! I touched the little one, her body had to change to let me store it, and now she can use it as well as any guardian! Spurred into action by what must be happening next, and what Amy planned to do with the emeralds she had, Dimitri came to a decision; he had to get the others secure and there was not time for subtlety. Seizing Sonic roughly, the echidna catapulted the hedgehog towards the tube, aware in the back of his mind that all the time more and more power was being called on. He slammed Sonic down and pulled the base of the tube into place so hard a network of airline cracks slid upwards with a resounding tinkling noise. With the last few seconds he had before the symptomatic flare of a Chaos Control, he tried to compose himself for meeting her once more even as a tiny fraction of his mind formed a grotesque, heathen thought in the quagmire of doubt he was now in; to come after me, to help save them, a true girl in a million.
XXX
Spectre had his face so close to the glass of his prison his breath was misting it up and he had to keep wiping it away with his gloves. Despite the Mobian-made fog problem, he couldn't mistake the evidence of his own eyes; Dimitri must have been rattled by something that he could not as yet sense. The black echidna was sufficiently accomplished in the art of reading body language to see that his nemesis was clearly shaken – the way he had almost brutally forced the blue hedgehog into his prison, so unlike the most gentle flight he had experienced even as he fought against it, was a sure sign of nerves. Looking away for a second, Spectre rubbed his chin, trying to think both sensibly and quickly; nothing's changed that I can see, so I can assume that whatever's eating him must be something to do with Chaos powers, there's no other logical explanation. It was the only thing he could think of that made any sort of sense for he had felt his own ability to feel for Chaos emeralds in the vicinity muted by some machination of the Bloodstone, neutering his guardian powers completely. Therefore, it was the only thing Dimitri could feel that none of the others could; what could have changed though – what could scare him now when he has the Bloodstone? It was as that question entertained his mind that another red glow suffused the air; for a second the black guardian dismissed it as another light show from the dark Legion's commander – it was only when he looked sideways at Thunderhawk's frantic pointing that he deigned to look again, concerned by what was forcing his son to press his face as close to the glass as that.
XXX
It was there, all in her memories; from the red light in her dreams, through the awe she had been assailed by the first time she had lain eyes upon it to the horror and hatred that engulfed her when she realised its true purpose and what its master meant to do with it, the Bloodstone stayed firmly embedded in the consciousness. The great red ruby reared up as she channelled the power from the smaller version in her paws; she was nearing the threshold but she wasn't there yet. In her mind, she saw her reflection dance upon the surface of the stone, how it had blinked, smiled then silently begged for freedom; and I granted her, or him, that freedom; she snarled, fury in her heart as the she forced the Chaos Emeralds to work faster, give her more power while the sight of the Bloodstone was clear in her mind. As soon as she was ready, when she knew her time had come, the pink hedgehog gripped her emeralds tightly and spoke in a hushed whisper,
"Get ready Dimitri, I'm coming for you. Chaos Control now!"
And over half the island away, almost as if hearing her very words, the echidna in question called on his own store of power and readied himself for what he must do next.
XXX
I am not seeing this; Sonic shut his eyes; surely that last trip from Dimitri had pushed him over the edge; that was not the flare from a Chaos Control and Amy did not just appear next to the Bloodstone. His first instinct was disbelief and he clutched onto it with the ferocity of a limpet; Amy was safely hidden away in Station Square, far away from Dimitri, protected from what he could do – there was just no way she could be here, hammer in one hand, a pair of Chaos Emeralds in the other, eyeing up the armoured echidna like he was nothing more than a tin can to be pounded flat for the recycle centre.
"Hello Dimitri".
It was in that infinite second, as her voice pierced the silence that had descended on the room, that reality hit CTRL/ALT/DELETE on his whimsical fantasy; Amy was here now and, dreadful certainty slammed into him as almost without conscious thought he crushed himself to the front of his glass prison, she was putting herself in the gravest danger imaginable.
"Run Amy, get out of here!"
XXX
She saw the others react to her, casually noticing the shock, horror and, her lips twitched into a smile, hope that brightened some of their faces. Sonic appeared to be shouting something to her and she recognised he looked abjectly terrified before her greeting was answered,
"Amy", she faced front to see Dimitri looking deflated and weary; though unable to focus on her, his eyes still managed to convey some measure of reproach to her presence here, "why did you come here?" I already know the answer…
"Because I made a mistake", the hedgehog replied, shifting her grip on the hammer to let it rest lightly in both her hands, her pose ready to spring equally from attack to defence at a second's notice at the same time she sought to draw more energy out of the emeralds she held; she'd need every scrap to succeed, "innocently or not, I still set you free from the Bloodstone. I intend to correct that mistake", she raised her face to meet his eyes, face serious as the grave, "and only the death you fear so much will stop me trying". Out of the corner of her eye, she saw most of the imprisoned Mobians lower their expressions into looks of foreboding and dread for her sake.
XXX
He needed time to think; he couldn't didn't, would never want to hurt Amy again – he had to delay the conflict as much as was possible to give himself a chance to end this bloodlessly,
"You can't hope to defeat me Amy, I…"
"There's always hope", she cut him off sternly, beginning to stalk towards him, the Piko Piko hammer head casting a doom-laden shadow towards his own, "I can and do hope to beat you; it remains to be seen if I can". The statement threw him, cost him valuable seconds; for some reason he couldn't get the sight of that massive pink mallet out of his mind – it crowded his mind, made it hard to concentrate on the important thing in this final struggle. It was as the shadow of the hammer merged with his own, sending a few butterflies fluttering in his stomach, that he took a flash of inspiration from the presence of the weapon; hopefully I can call on her sense of fair play – that should buy me some more seconds.
"A second please Amy", he held up a hand, summoning a very faint red glow around it as a slight warning for her to stop, "as you can see, I am unarmed, yet you threaten me with your hammer drawn".
"So get yourself a weapon" the hedgehog replied, not lowering her own for even a second, wary for any hint of treachery; nodding and concealing his smile as his plan worked after a fashion. There was a trace of redness in the air as Dimitri called forth the one item of his ceremonial armour that still retained its edge in a fight. My skills with a blade were keen once; the echidna thought to himself as he guided is weapon to his hand; maybe a show of skill, a little fencing, will be enough to make her lay down her arms? Somehow, he doubted it.
XXX
This was torture, worse than torture; Sonic fervently wished that the glass was soundproofed both ways; at least then he would have been spared the speech that let Amy sign her own death warrant. For a fleeting second when she had taken her first step forwards he had been consumed by the hope that she would simply lay her hammer down at Dimitri's feet, but then he saw her face. She wore that look when she chased me; the blue hedgehog gently rested his head on the glass in front of him, the memories tasting like a bitter wine as the thought that soon they could be all he had left of Amy, bubbled back to the surface. I was a fool, a hundred times a complete, utter idiot; only now when he stood to lose the one close to his heart that he had consciously ignored, did the sense of loss bite all too keenly. Hot tears burned a path down the fur of his cheeks as he could not look away, couldn't miss a second of this, the last time he may ever see his life's light.
XXX
Like solidified lightning, a silver bolt streaked around the crack in the door Dimitri had created with a little telekinetic push and homed in on his open paw. Snapping it shut with remembered ease of long practise, the grandmaster smiled as he tested the weight and balance of his keen blade, taking a couple of practise swipes to reacquaint himself with his sword, taking care to keep an eye on Amy's reaction; there was a slight jolt of panic as she remained completely impassive, not even blinking as he skilfully held the blade at an angle to shine the light into her eyes. Grateful that age had not dulled the sword's fine blade, Dimitri spoke,
"So let it begin; now we…" something whipped towards his chest and he parried desperately, the flat of his sword clipping the side of the Piko Piko hammer and diverting it from its murderous course.
Sword clashed against hammer haft, pink hearts cloven in twain by the sharp edge as Dimitri fought to keep them from blinding him, reminded of a conversation between Amy and Thunderhawk that had let him in on that little secret. Snarling at not being prepared fort he quick attack, he gave ground, seeking to reassert his feet and get within the sweep of the hammer; once there he could disarm the hedgehog and demand her surrender. He slid his feet backwards, waiting for his moment but, to his surprise and consternation, it didn't materialise – Amy kept up her attack relentlessly but not recklessly, there were no gaps in her defences even for a blade as fine and well-wielded as his. His arm rang with impacts of the heavier weapon against his guard, threatening to waver as she sought to bludgeon through his own defence right into him. Abandoning his original plan, the echidna set his teeth and stood firm; feeling the crash of the hammer on his sword, the strength in Amy's arm combined with the weight of the mallet almost forcing him to his knees. For a second he held then, with a great roar, threw her backwards and slashed out with his own weapon, his first offensive move that would draw the first blood.
XXX
She saw it coming a mile away; either he was underestimating her badly or, more likely, he was merely toying with her before ending it. Amy realised the sword was coming at about high stomach height and she skipped back out of range, holding her stomach in as she felt air skim over her dress, the attack had missed. Thinking on her feet, the hedgehog darted forwards; the head of her hammer was in the wrong place to make much of an impact, but then again it wasn't the only dangerous part of her weapon. Swinging the head downwards behind and to the side of her, it acted as a counterweight to the base of the haft; she caught a glimpse of understanding and fear in Dimitri's look as he moved his free hand to try and catch the weapon and twist his head out the way, but too slow. The dull thud of impact travelled up her arms and she instinctively sprang backwards, spinning the hammer around to the ready position as Dimitri, ignoring the jarring hit on his cheek and throwing off the worst of the shock and disorientation of losing first blood, launched his own assault.
XXX
Had he thought listening was a torment?
Had he really?
As his feverish eyes relayed every second of the battle, his brain felt every impact, took every step and tasted every hot breath Amy was forced to take in this fight, a fight Sonic prayed to every god he knew that she would walk away from. The blue hedgehog didn't need to look at the others; he knew their reactions would be similar to his, similar, but not the same – not as vivid, not as gut-wrenchingly awful as his impotent fists twitched and clenched without meaning. He would have given the earth and sky to be there with her, fighting by her side even unarmed; anything than be here, unable to look away from watching her participate in this slow waltz with death.
XXX
Parry, parry, push back and swing – this is all wrong; Amy gritted her teeth in frustration as Dimitri wrestled the upper hand away from her, his quicker, lighter weapon giving him a crucial advantage in two respects. Firstly it meant he could strike faster and, due to the keen edge of the sword, more lightly and still do a comparable amount of damage compared to her hammer, and secondly, more importantly in the long run, it preserved is endurance. She was already panting and he looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat yet; she needed something to tilt the balance back her way, before the battle truly began. Deep down, she recognised that the grandmaster was holding back on her, not giving in to the full battle rage just as she was fighting to keep it contained for now. The faster than light responses of thrust and parry had to be conserved for when they went at it hell for leather, no quarter asked for or given as blows would be traded almost faster than the eye could follow. They were a way away from that point yet but, as Dimitri suddenly retreated several paces, dodging her last swing, she realised with a wicked grin that they were heading that way fast.
"That all you got?" She took the opportunity to catch her breath, not lowering her guard for a second as she smiled indulgently at her foe, who returned her unpleasant leer with one of his own.
"I've barely begun, though I have to admit", he added idly, toying with his sword edge by running it along his gauntlet, "you've more skill than I gave you credit for. However", his face suddenly darkened, serious as a cloud passed over the face of the sun, "this is a fight you cannot win Amy; can't you see that? If it were anyone else assaulting me in this manner they would be bleeding on the floor by now, but not you. I offer one last time", he moved to the side, lowering his sword tip as he extended an arm towards the door, "you may leave this place free and unharmed; all your friends will join you in a week at most, none of them touched in any way. Please Amy, take the chance; don't throw your extraordinary life away in pointless combat".
XXX
The hedgehog could almost tangibly feel the eyes of her friends on her back; she was profoundly grateful that she wasn't facing them as the looks on their faces may have been enough to topple her resolve like nothing Dimitri could have done ever would.
"Sorry, but all of them would do the same for me", she guessed the slump of Dimitri's shoulders was echoed in every glass chamber in the accursed prison, "this is something I can't walk away from. Let's go". She made to advance, mind trying to second-guess his most likely strategy, when with the speed of a mongoose he acted; bringing the palm of his free hand towards her, Dimitri sent a blast of pure Chaos towards his opponent. Without thinking about it, without being totally aware she was doing it, she called on her own sources of power to protect her.
He lowered his arm, having looked away fractionally to avoid loosing his sight from the glare of impact from his emerald blast. He blinked and looked up, fully expecting to see Amy unconscious in front of him, ready to be returned to Station Square, under armed guard if it was necessary to ensure her remaining there. What he did not expect was to see the pink hedgehog charging towards him, untouched by the attack she should have been laid out by; the shock of this fact, and the instinctive indecision between fight or flight shaved a second off his reaction time and, before he could spring away completely, there was a stinging impact on his sword arm that should have slewed him around, ready for a blow that would have smashed into his unprotected back. He used the force of the hit to throw himself sideways, rolling quickly to his feet as he subconsciously inspected the damage; his armour had stopped a lot of the damage making it through to his arm but it now ached abominably. He had to clamp down on his desire to press his free hand to the injury as it would interrupt the flow of his sword strokes. He ground his teeth together as Amy, facing him once more, laughed a grating laugh and pointed to the emerald she had in her hand,
"Lest you forget Dimitri", she grinned wolfishly and he felt his temperature rise further, "I can do pixie-tricks too!"
XXX
Praise the Master; Spectre let out the breath he'd been holding as it became apparent that Amy could use the Chaos Emeralds for defence as well as for transport. He sincerely hoped she could use it to attack as well but, he reminded himself, there was no point in her being rash; if anything, she'd surpassed most of the guardians who had faced Dimitri in the past by lasting this long against him. A low growl passed through the walls of his prison as the grandmaster answered his assailant, voice guttural with rising rage,
"So I see"; with that and a flare of light, he was gone, vanished – before Spectre's wide, appalled eyes, Amy was still for a spilt-second then did likewise, using their respective emeralds to relocate themselves in a game of cat and mouse, each seeking a split-second of extra time, so crucial in this frenetic battle, to land the fatal hit. To his eyes, it was like being in the middle of Athair's exuberant welcome once more as colours burst in front of his vision and the two figures appeared and then faded from view once more, occasionally clashing arms for seconds at a time before one or the other, most often Dimitri, would vanish into thin air once more. Stay safe Amy Rose; for the first time since his childhood, the ebony echidna closed his eyes and intoned a solemn promise that, whatever the outcome, Amy would be remembered in the annals of guardian history as an example to all; standing up to those who would threaten liberty for no other reason than to save the lives and powers of others.
XXX
Sweat, warm and itchy, clung to her compressed quills as her quarry disappeared once more from view, leaving her to go after him once more. Amy snarled; this game of catch-up was doing her no good in the long run – if anything it was probably weakening her. She had to remind herself, in the lee she had during one of her tiny jumps to both catch up with the echidna and make sure he couldn't get the drop on her, that his power supply was much greater than her own, and he could somehow recharge faster than she could. He doesn't even need to touch the Bloodstone; for a second she was envious, then reflexes took over as she re-emerged into the chamber, eyes wildly seeking her target and just catching him tense his blade for a swing even as the Bloodstone glowed in the background, funnelling more power to Dimitri; it was this light that let Amy see though the trick.
XXX
"It's a trick Amy!" Sonic felt his throat begin to ache as he bawled the warning again; if the logical centre of his brain told him no matter how loud he screamed she wouldn't hear him he chose to ignore it – he had to do something to help her. He recognised what Dimitri was doing almost immediately; it was something Eggman had tried so often in the past hat seeing it as a pattern was almost second nature to him. He's wearing her down; the blue hedgehog thought frantically to himself, still weak-kneed and nauseous with worry about Amy having to be quick or be dead as she still held her own in this battle, though he though he could still see a few signs of fatigue from her as the deadly dance went on; he wants her to use all her Chaos energy, then he'll spring, I've gotta warn her. He drew in the breath to shout again, realising that she was closer to his prison this time, when she suddenly ceased movement, standing perfectly still with her eyes closed. For a brief, terrible second, Sonic though that was the end, that the exertion of using so much Chaos energy had drained her too much and his mouth went dry, but then she moved, snapping her eyes open as a fearsome war shout echoed throughout the room.
XXX
Stillness of body, stillness of mind; Thunderhawk's words echoed through her as she tried to calm herself down, let all the anger, rage and frustration melt away to nothing as the now-familiar flare of red light silhouetted Dimitri's latest getaway. She couldn't carry on like this, she was using more energy than she could extract from her emeralds; she needed to do something else, something he wouldn't expect. Amy rested for a second, closing her eyes as she tried to sensitise herself, make herself more aware of other wielders of Chaos energy in the vicinity. The guardians can sense each other by their powers; the reminders from Haven offered her hope if only she could capitalise on the example Knuckles' ancestors had unwittingly provided for her. She was still, as still as stone, forgetting the clamour of battle as the emeralds pulsed in her hand, feeling for any disturbance that Dimitri would make. It was timeless, the wait stretching far beyond anything it should have been, when a tiny ripple preceded the resurfacing of her enemy.
Without hesitation, she was moving, sprinting towards the location where he would, she just knew he would reappear, hammer held high to bear down upon him in the brief second when he'd be regaining his bearings. She could feel the slight ruffled of air displaced from her running rippling her fur, saw the grandmaster finish his Chaos Control almost as if it were a slowed-down film. She was almost upon him as he finally completed his technique; the slowly dawning look of shock was priceless as se let out her most fearsome battle scream, hoping to shock him a little more as the Piko Piko hammer descended. His reflexes were honed and he brought his blade up, but there was no way he could be fast enough, not after she'd surprised him so well. The heavy head battered his already injured arm, knocking away the sword arm and opening him up completely; she saw the fear in his eyes as he tried to grasp the hammer haft, buy himself some time to recover, but with a savage snarl she reversed her stroke, slapping his hand away with the butt of her weapon. Howling in triumph, in elation, in feral delight at her long-awaited revenge and redemption, Amy swung the hammer over her head and brought it around like a wrecking ball. Not even the Bloodstone can bail you out of this one; she saw the glow around his body as he threatened to cheat her by teleportation, but before his technique could trigger fully, the hammer connected solidly with the side of his skull.
XXX
Sonic sagged down to his knees, relief flooding through him as he saw Dimitri flung away by the sheer power of the hit Amy had landed on his unprotected head, his tardy Chaos Control activating as he was still in mid-air, cheating Amy of a second strike but it didn't matter, she had landed a stunning attack that Dimitri would be lucky to recover from. You can do this Ames; Sonic glanced around to see Shadow, who was next to him in this procession of inverted test tubes, leap with elation and, just beyond him, the blurry outline of Rouge yelling herself hoarse with encouragement for the battling hedgehog. Hope, a concept so distant mere moments ago, lit up a spark in his chest and there it glowed brightly, mimicking the flare of power as Dimitri, still in motion as he hadn't been able to check his flight before the Chaos Control had triggered, smashed heavily into the floor metres from him. The echidna lurched drunkenly to his knees as Sonic, not caring that the glass was soundproofed, bellowed at the top of his lungs,
"Finish him Amy; this is it!" To his relief and joy, she must have heard him as she sprinted towards the lame form of the previously invincible grandmaster of the Dark Legion, now reduced to a mere mortal by her cunning move. He could see her running, feel the fire in her eyes and hunger on her face as she raised her hammer – he doubted she was more than a few metres from her nemesis when Dimitri span on his knees and thrust a hand forwards, simultaneously stopping Amy's attack and blasting the hope, so recently restored to Sonic's emotions, back into the void of nothingness.
XXX
Filled with the thrill of the hunt and savouring her victory, Amy raced forwards heedlessly, the tiny part of her mind that was still able to think clearly screaming that this would probably be her best chance to finish Dimitri off. That stroke would have felled an ox, another would put him down for good. Just as she began to swing her hammer up, she saw him begin to move; she looked not at his body, but at his face, and the sheer loathing that was there now, a world away from the compassion he had shown her earlier, caused her to falter minutely and lose some of the impetuous of her charge.
She saw his hand shoot out but before she could focus on defence something akin to a giant's fist smashed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her completely and catapulting her backwards like a sling stone. She skidded away across the floor and away from him, just about keeping a grip on her weapon as pain made stars dance in front of her eyes; she heard a skittering noise from nearby as she finally came to a halt, lungs heaving terribly as her brain tried to sort out the damage. She was winded, no doubt about that, and her back was sore from where she'd been dragged across the smooth steel floor, but as she scrambled to her feet, afraid in case Dimitri followed up his attack and she was left prone on the floor, she saw something ahead of her that made her pain feel as insignificant as a candle in a blast furnace.
Laying some ten feet ahead and to the right of her, winking merrily, was the yellow Chaos Emerald, knocked from her hand by the grandmaster's telekinetic attack. And I can't get it back; a cold, clammy sweat formed on Amy's brow as she suddenly felt horribly vulnerable, hefting her hammer once more as the crimson glow of the Bloodstone lit up once more, far brighter now that she had ever seen it at the same time its master, slow deliberation in his every move, pushed himself to his feet. Just from the look on his face, Amy knew with horrible certainty that the warm-up was over.
XXX
Cream was closest to where Dimitri had fallen, and as the echidna raised himself back to a vertical base she cowered as far from him as her prison would let her go; malice and rage were etched in every line of his face as he retrieved his sword and, after screwing up his face for a second, spat out a mouthful of watered-down blood. The nasty mixture landed at the feet of Cream's container and the rabbit noticed something gleaming dully in the red gore that surrounded it; a tooth; she thought with horrified fascination as the enamel showed up clearly in the light; Amy knocked his teeth out. Rather than amusement, however, Cream felt nothing but black terror as the renewed fire of the Bloodstone was reflected from the walls of her prison, making her feel like she was in a pillar of fire as words, guttural and ugly, were snarled through the redness,
"My patience, is, ended!" With a flare of power from under the soles of his boots, Dimitri was gone from in front of her and moving towards Amy, sword flashing n a deadly arc as he used the power of his Bloodstone to up the tempo of this dance macabre.
XXX
From the first block that nearly sheared straight through her defence like a chainsaw through cheese, Amy knew for certain this was it; the grandmaster had spoken the truth earlier – this was a fight she couldn't win. He was too fast, too strong and she couldn't draw power from the one emerald she had left as fast as she had to use it to keep his ravenous attacks at bay, trying to predict where he'd reappear next in order to form a defence against it. Her own speed and skill meant next to nothing in the face of this onslaught; his blade was everywhere and so was he, appearing just fast enough to strike and gone again before she could even think about counterattacking. Sweat streamed down her face threatening to blind her as it searched for her eyes; she flicked her head to the side, arms aching with fatigue as the fight, no, the last defence to spite him, wore on into minutes. I know I can't win Dimitri, but you'll have to kill me to stop me fighting.
XXX
Her heart is fearless and her spirit is pure; Spectre's tear rolled down his cheek unimpeded as the ancient echidna saw the end approaching; but she can't hope to win against him now, not when the Bloodstone empowers him so. It had been a truly brave effort, something that all present would carry with them to the end of their days, but surely she could not last much longer. Even as he watched, Dimitri pinked the side of her arm with the point of his blade, the redness of her blood staining her fur a much darker red as the wound added to the strain of trying to fend the rampaging technocrat off. With a flare of power, he was gone once more and Amy was left breathless, spinning around in time to try and parry the next attack, falling back a pace under the relentless assault. He knew logically that it was all but over, though emotionally, even for one normally as reserved and observant as Spectre was, when Amy made the fatal misstep in her routine, the echidna felt himself do something he hadn't done since childhood – he sank to his knees and burst into tears as the last hope of Angel Island fell before his eyes.
XXX
It had been unexpected, and the unexpectation cost her dearly; her exhausted emerald strength barely registered as the grandmaster approached from behind her and she span on her toes, arms about to fall limp with fatigue forced to bring her now chipped and battered hammer up to face the threat. The blade had swung from nothingness, catching her fully, the impact sending her stumbling backwards as her numb fingers struggled to hold the hammer. She was already seeking where Dimitri had gone to next, but this time, Dimitri hadn't gone anywhere. The echidna must have realised she was flagging and stayed to press his advantage; another impact rattled her and she lashed out reflexively a tiny spark of adrenaline giving her to energy to strike once more; wait, he's gone! Wildly looking around with powers from her emerald, she knew he was behind her; she span, hammer held high, only to feel a cold rush of artic wind rush over her stomach, followed by warmth that seeped over her skin and into her dress. She felt no pain but shock, looking directly as Dimitri as his sword finished its wide arc, the blade having done its deadly work.
Amy's back was to her; it wasn't until she saw the blood staining the sword's edge that Cream realised what must have happened. Her first instinct was to freeze up completely; if she didn't move, none of this would be real, it would all turn out to be a horrible, horrible nightmare. For a second, nothing changed; the echidna still held his sword out to one side and Amy's hammer didn't waver; Cream dared to hope…then screamed, a long, loud scream that only she could hear as her beloved sister's hand opened and the beautiful red emerald she had been holding dropped to the floor.
As the Piko Piko hammer fell, dropped from a nerveless unfeeling hand, Knuckles felt a hatred so hot it made any emotion he had ever felt towards Eggman seem a pale shadow. He threw himself at the glass in front of him, battering at it with his spurs, trying to break through and help her as tears fractured his vision.
Sonic's mind went blank and his heart shattered forever; he fell forwards against the glass he had been throwing himself against since Dimitri had upped the ante, the pain of his bloodied knuckles nothing as everything bar the scene in front of him melted into blackness. As Amy began her slow, graceful fall backwards, Sonic knew forever, with sickening certainty, that Dimitri had been and would always be wrong; there was a fate worse than death, and now that fate was his – to watch the one he loved die in front of him, with the full knowledge that there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
XXX
The ground under her back felt strangely cooling, a detached coldness, welcome from the whip of acid that covered her front as she curled up a little instinctively. Amy's hands clutched at her wound, trying to feel how bad it was and more importantly hold it shut. Her shocked brain was finally able to discern from the ocean of pain feedback that the cut was deep, though not fatal; a savage weal that stretched from the bottom of her ribcage on the left side to the tip of her pelvis on the right; had Dimitri willed it, a perfect disembowelling slash. The emerald was gone and so too was any hope of healing herself and continuing the fight; she knew she was beaten. Every cell of her being ached from the strain of the conflict and her mind pounded with duel pain and nausea from using so much Chaos energy in so little time. A shadow fell over her, blocking out the light and she squinted up, making out an outline that slowly shifted back into focus, even though she knew who it must be. Sword still stained with her own precious blood, Dimitri stood over her, earlier rage and power both expended, face drawn with concern and resolve as he looked down at her basically helpless form.
"You fought well Amy", as though those words could console the dreadful knowledge that she had failed – no matter how bold the attempt, she had still not managed to overcome her nemesis, "but you should have listened".
The echidna's voice deepened and became more regretful, as though once more despairing of the nature of youth not to listen to the wisdom of age,
"I told you the Bloodstone could not be resisted, none can stand against its power; not even the little ones can compete with its strength. Forged from my own imparted gifts and flesh, it cannot be opposed by any mortal, even one as courageous as you". Amy lolled her head to the side, barely listening to his words as her eyes found the stone in question, still spinning quiescently on its axis; she almost felt it mocking her as she gazed at it hatefully; you brought me to this – the only reason he beat me was because he had you and I didn't – if you didn't exist, he'd never have called to me and…and…
He saw the change in her face and recognised it immediately; the transition of defiance to acceptance of what was to happen. Dimitri took another step forwards, one of his eyes almost unconsciously seeing Sonic pressed against the glass of his prison, wanting nothing more than to look away, but unable to tear his eyes from Amy's form. He'll never know how sorry I am that it had to come to this; with a heavy sigh, he lowered his weapon a fraction and spoke matter-of-factly,
"Is there anything you would like to say?" He gestured towards the row of horrified watchers, not daring to look any of them in the eye in case he lost his nerve due to their mute hatred; Amy was still for a second, then her lips moved, he voice plain and strained,
"Just", she winced and stopped a second, getting used to the pain from talking, trying to make herself block it out and expect more in the near future, "just two things; a question and a request". Dimitri nodded and lowered his sword still further, determined to go through with the dread act when she was finished,
"You did that, didn't you?" He was confused until he saw her finger twitch, following its course until he realised she was pointing at the red Chaos emerald, still on the floor just out of reach of her hand, "I could never use them before, you changed me didn't you?" The echidna nodded,
"Yes; I needed the power of the red little one to ensure you could get to the Bloodstone again and the only way to do that was to make you more receptive to its power". She nodded, smiling slightly even now, at the end of all things,
"Thought so", a laugh, faint and pain-filled, bubbled up from her lungs before being cut off with a gasp of pain, the sudden juddering of her torso aggravating her wound, "so, could you do me a favour Dimitri?"
"Our bargain remains Amy", he reminded her sternly, flicking his eyes towards the capsules, not lingering long enough to make out details of any faces; looking down again, he saw her smile widen a little more,
"Good, well then", her left hand flexed a little, reaching for the handle of her battered weapon as she asked, "pass me my hammer; I've had it so long now I…" he cut her off by moving, reaching over and lifting it easily one-handed, surprisingly light, he considered, for such a large hammer. He stood at her feet, not deigning to use his gifts as he lent down and offered it to her gently,
"Take it Amy". She smiled once more, inwardly bracing herself for the pain she was about to put herself through,
"Thanks", her face hardened instantly, the fire in her eyes rekindled as she sprang her trap, "moron!"
XXX
One of the oldest tricks in the book, but still one of the most effective; keep your enemy talking. When he thinks he's won, he'll try and, depending on his character, offer a last request, boast abut how he did it or even how his victory was always assured right from the start. All the time, while he's speaking, you can listen, get information, plot a way to escape from him, anything that could save you neck. The most efficient victors will kill you without a word, and Amy had been counting on Dimitri's respect for her delaying the death stroke while she concocted a last ditch plan.
Just about holding in a scream of pain, she thrust out with both feet, ignoring the agony that sheeted up from her wound as the sudden movement tore the edges of the gash apart once more. She connected solidly with the echidna's kneecaps and, off balance and unsteady due to the weight of the hammer, Dimitri began to fall, too shocked to think of using his Chaos powers to check his collapse. She rolled out the way as he crashed to earth where she had been lying, pain threatening to drag her under as it tinged the edges of her vision with grey. She snatched up her weapon and ran blindly towards the one thing that could still help her, the one thing she had sworn she never wanted again, her damnation now her salvation as she screamed over her shoulder,
"You say no mortal can hope to stand up to the Bloodstone Dimitri; well…", breath came in tortured gasps, blood following freely from her wound but it didn't matter now; she heard a last cry of panic and shock from the grandmaster as he saw where she was heading and tried to stop her, but too late; she was there and nothing would stop her.
Arms wide as though embracing a long lost friend, Amy Rose threw herself straight at the greatest Chaos Emerald of all; there was a tide of power that she had never dared or dreamed would ever be hers to control, then all the pain and worry melted away for good.
XXX
I've been here before; numb as he was from the emotion trauma he'd just been put through, Sonic nevertheless realised there was a similarity between the nightmarish cauldron that had announced Dimitri's rebirth into the world, and this new nebula he now found himself within. But it was more different than similar; where the first had been a raging storm of clashing colours and tones, this was more gentle, a lightly stirred sauce of different shades all blending together in a graceful dance of peace and, rose shades. Amy, what are you doing now? Sonic still couldn't help but feel sick with worry about what was going on, but, almost as if in response to his question, a voice, so faint he could hardly hear it, slipped into his cell with him.
"Trust me, it'll all be okay". It was a voice Sonic could recognise without difficulty; he felt as though someone had poured liquid warmth down his throat as Amy's words echoed in his head and the sea of pinkness around him began to drain away.
It was as the tide retracted back to the point of its origin that Spectre, tears dried up and heart lightened, snapped his fingers and gave a roar of triumph; genius Amy, sheer, unadulterated genius. Dimitri had sown the seeds of his own destruction in the person he'd most likely thought he'd never see again; Amy's question came back to the black echidna and he finally saw it for what it was; not some fatal curiosity, but part of a much greater, more complex idea that had turned out dividends. He gave her the power to use Chaos energy; Spectre felt faint with relief as he traced over the route Amy must have taken in her mind; as it was him who did so, he must have unwittingly given her the power to use the Bloodstone as well – despite it's nature, it is still at heart a Chaos Emerald, just more powerful. And now; the guardian grinned wolfishly as Dimitri's figure, standing upright in confusion, sword held loosely by his side, was revealed, silhouetted against the glow of light rose that surrounded the Bloodstone's location in a hemisphere; things are even again. It was as he thought so that the first blow in the new war fell, and it landed squarely on the grandmaster of the Dark Legion himself.
XXX
Something shot out of the contracting nebula, hurtling forwards like a comet, tail blazing with sparks and stars as it careened towards the immobile form of Dimitri. He saw it coming threw up his arms in a guard, a red glow around his forearms as he sought to prevent the missile connecting with him. It was slowed down as it approached, loosing speed as if it was travelling through water, but then it touched the red shield itself and, to his ineffable horror, sundered it apart as though it were not there. As the fragments of his defence were reduced to red wisps upon the air, the comet slammed into him bodily, lifting him off his feet with the impact alone, the heat it generated scorching his armour and causing his cloak to smoulder. Every particle of air was crushed out of his lungs as he was dumped unceremoniously on the ground, hunched over his aching gut as he watched the blazing missile through watering eyes, seeing it retreat to the pink halo that had spawned it. It was only when a hand, still encased in a now spotless white glove, latched onto the tail of the comet that it was stilled; sixteen collective gasps filled he air as they saw what it was.
The Piko Piko hammer, but not as any of them had ever seen it before; all the chips and splinters cause by Dimitri's blade had been smoothed out completely and the head polished like the day it had been made. From the haft, small objects fell and exploded like miniature supernovas; the hearts that Amy was proud to have adorning her weapon now glowed with a life of their own. The hammer was lowered as, with a final flare, the pink hemi-circle finally collapsed in upon the one who had caused it. The hammer was levelled at Dimitri once more as its owner called out in a voice like a clarion,
"…can you stand against it?"
Pulsing with redness like the heart of a star, a belt of hearts circling around her waist and all her previous wounds healed, Amy Rose gazed at the grandmaster as smiled challengingly, her new powers ready to rival his own. For his part, the echidna stared, not at her hammer, not at the circling stars that now surrounded her, but at her, her eyes; for the first time since he had come back to the flesh, Dimitri found himself in the presence of something that none of the Brotherhood could have provided, the one he had thought lost with Edmund's passing.
His equal.
XXX
Hope and confusion reined in equal measure; Amy's gone hyper, but how did she know she could? Sonic didn't consider this question for more than a second because it didn't matter – a second ago she had been at death's door, now she was here, healed and ready to pick up where she had left off earlier. The blue hedgehog felt exhausted, wondering how Amy could have stood to watch him battle with Metal Sonic and Eggman the way she had without suffering peptic ulcers and panic attacks; heck, he was a wreck right now. She had this one in the bag now; nothing could stand against him in his hyper form except…; another hyper form; as he became lost in another sea, this one dark as a deep red wine, doubt and worry clawed at him again as he knew, he just knew, what that meant.
XXX
It was done quickly; the grandmaster faced her again, fire from the barely contained power he was holding crackling over his body as he leeched as much power as he could muster from the Bloodstone; he needed nothing less to stand a chance now. How could I have let this happen?; he snarled as he realised he had gone from assured victory to at best a fifty-fifty chance; now, as it had been in the battle with Edmund, luck may prove the decisive factor. Holding his sword ready, he answer the hedgehog's challenge, his earlier resolve lost once more to give way for cold anger,
"Let us see". For a long second they stood there, each sizing the other up, before they both called on the powers bestowed on them both through the Bloodstone and charged.
In front of fifteen watching, worried pairs of eyes, invincibility and invulnerability smashed into each other in a winner-take-all battle, Angel Island as the prize.
XXX
It was impossible to watch, even for Sonic and Shadow, long experienced at seeing high speed battles and chases; the attacks were too fast and exchanged too frequently for it to be viewed properly. Amy's hammer left blurring trails of white energy that took seconds to fade, while Dimitri's sword opened red lightning trails wherever it went, each weapon dancing as its control sought an opening.
Unavoidable attacks sought impossible targets, unstoppable attacks met impenetrable defences; each fighter was appearing and disappearing almost instantaneously, neither one concerned about the power this was expending as their power base was virtually limitless. Occasionally there was a streak of lightning or brilliant sheen of defensive pyrotechnics as pure chaos missiles were exchanged like balls at a tennis rally; equally occasionally one of the fighters would be hurled backwards as an attack landed, though the damage dealt was negligible; it would be virtually impossible for either to damage the hyper form of the other. It was a dynamic stalemate, as Tails would have said; though they were both moving and striking at each other, nothing much was actually changing save the structural integrity of the room they were duelling in. Possibly Dimitri still had the advantage in that, eventually, Amy's hyper form would expend itself and she'd be back to square one unless she could touch the red rock once more. So the deadlock may never have been broken, except for one simple factor; since she had seen the way to become Dimitri's equal, Amy hadn't stopped thinking about what he'd said.
XXX
He is the Bloodstone, it's a part of him – he said he made it from his own flesh and power; the hedgehog had one eye on the fight, working tirelessly to earn a little more time to think and breathe while the other part of her mind did the actual thinking. His sword flashed once more, dodging her more cumbersome hammer; almost immediately, one of the hearts at her waist whipped up to interpose itself between her and the blade. It exploded with the force of the hit, the shockwave of the blast avoided with a swift Chaos Control; while Dimitri made to play catch up, the hedgehog thought of a plan; risky, but if it worked, there was the potential to end this fight now. Realising he was about to reappear, she span to face him, carefully dropping one hand from her hammer haft, opening a deliberate gap in her defences.
She saw the madness in his eyes as he swung for her, she made to block the swing with her hammer, giving the pretence of not wanting to get hit, but all the time she really wanted to just slow the sword down a little, just enough to let her unburdened hand whip out and touch the arm guiding the sword, senses alert for anything unusual that could result from the contact. She felt contact and, more importantly, she realised her theory had been correct; she was still wearing her triumphant smile when Dimitri's reversed stroke sent her flying upwards, not realising what she was plotting in her mind as she reflected the emerald blast he sent rocketing up at her back to him. Well; she licked her lips as an idea so downright naughty lodged immovably in her mind and demanded she act on it; I'm a big girl now, so here we go. If anything, her smile grew as she flipped over, pushed off the ceiling and sped down to the waiting grandmaster like a falling star.
XXX
She had to wait a few agonisingly long seconds for the opening to arise; she needed to stun the echidna before she administered the deadliest attack she had. She returned to the fray with speed and skill unrivalled by anything that had gone before, even Dimitri himself hard-pressed to keep pace with her blistering strikes. I just need one decent hit; she ducked under an attack meant to remove her head from her shoulders and stepped aside from the reverse blow that should have split her down the middle; just one. She feinted a jab to the middle and quickly reversed her strike, aiming for the knee, only for the hammer to pass through mid-air as Dimitri evaded the swing. She ground her teeth together with frustration; she knew how to finish it, it was just doing it that was proving to be the hard bit. Furiously chasing after him, she activated her own power to catch up; it was then that the little bit of luck she needed came to light.
By sheer good fortune, she had landed right behind him and her boots sank into the carpet; what carpet? Flicked her eyes downwards, she realised with a stab of humour and surprise that she wasn't on a carpet at all; she'd Chaos Controlled onto Dimitri's cape and was pinning it to the ground. He was flailing to reach her with his whickering sword blade so, wasting no more time, she brought her hammer down squarely on the top of his head at the same time she hopped back, off his cape, allowing him to turn around and, as she had expected and hoped swung at her dazedly, the blade passing over her ducked head. With a triumphant shout before even he could recover from the impact, she leapt upwards, dropping her hammer as she bounded right into him, seeking the target she needed; snaking her arms around his neck, she pressed her face close to his and turned her Lovely Kiss attack into a genuine kiss of death.
XXX
It seemed to be affecting all of them the same; all across the contained glasses, miraculously untouched by either fighter, heads were roving this way and that, silently questioning their neighbours for an answer, any answer, to the very obvious question of what had possessed Amy to try a move like that. Looking to his left, Shadow wasn't all that surprised to see Sonic plunged right into the depths of ambivalence; he looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to burst out laughing or throw up. The black hedgehog offered a very confused smile and a slight shrug before Sonic suddenly looked back up and his face went white; pounding on the glass and looking Shadow directly in the eye, the blue blur thrust a finger towards the strange embrace, the fingers of his free hand dancing up and down as though playing a keyboard. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he nevertheless looked and it struck him also; with a fierce rush of joy, he realised what Sonic had meant by the strange gesture – the fires around Dimitri's body were dying down, drawn away from him through the contact Amy had forged. Part of his flesh; the former ultimate life-form slammed a fist into his palm, grin threatening to split his face in half as he realised what she was doing and why; he can drain energy out of the Bloodstone from a distance because it's part of him, but it's a two-way stream. She's drawing energy out of him, maybe she's the only who can because he messed around with her to get the power from the Chaos Emerald; you've got him Amy, you've got him!
XXX
Dimitri's mind was lost amid a whirl of emotions, each one more powerful and primal than the last as the kiss lingered, Amy's tongue wrestling with his own as, like the two Mobians themselves, they fought for dominance. First he had been in pain from her hit, then angry with himself for letting step within his guard, then confusion had come as her lips touched his and from that had emerged something stronger, more powerful than anything he had felt since his release. His arm tightened around her back, supporting her weight as he kissed back fiercely, a slave to passion as Amy suddenly writhed in his grasp, eventually slithering free with a wet, sucking sound. She kissed me; the grandmaster stood rooted to the spot, barely noticing as Amy made it to the floor and flexed her hand. Both his confused, questing eyes rolled to the floor, strangely upset that she seemed about to swing at him; now she's attacking me? That doesn't make sense. Still, he threw off his surprise as the hammer started moving, though he was in no position to raise his sword to block. It was only when he called on his powers to teleport to safety that the icicle dagger of fear stabbed him right through the heart; finally he had seen through her tactic and, as he saw something pink and heavy move towards him at high velocity, he realised he was far, far too late.
XXX
Not even the memory of a millennia-old hatred, festering from the recent violation of their ancestral home, could stop every member of the Brotherhood wincing in sympathy as the last strike connected solidly; it caught the grandmaster right in the middle of the back and forced his stomach forwards; for a second he achieved a position most limbo dancers can only dream about before, with a shrill cry of agony, his back gave way and he crumpled to the floor, spine completely shattered by Amy's attack. Without pause, face a mask of burning vengeance, Amy swung her hammer up once more and took a pace forwards, ready to bring it down for the last time.
XXX
This was it; the end had come for him – this extraordinary hedgehog had accomplished what not even his brother had managed to do. Dimitri existed in pain, knew only pain and the grim certainty that his life was about to end, the Grim Reaper was to have his due. I think I can hear him laughing even now; raising his eyes, he thought he could just make out the blurry shape of a scythe hanging just above his head. For a long, long second, it was still; in the final few seconds of mortal time left for him, the grandmaster of the Dark Legion said a swift prayer that, though he may die, his grandchildren would carry on his noble work, then closed his eyes for the end.
XXX
Amy was alive with the exultation of victory; Dimitri was down and there was no way she was letting him get up again. She darted forwards and slowly, just enough to let him see what she was going to do, before smiling viciously to herself; you abused me Dimitri, you forced me to violate my ties of friendship and for that, there's no reprieve – but he wanted only freedom, he said he'd have taken another path. The second thought broke in on her unbidden and her grip trembled for a second; he, he'll enslave everyone – he's doing what he thinks is tight – he's wrong, it's evil – but that he can't see that – I've got to do this, for the good of everyone – YOU'RE NOT A KILLER!
She was in two minds, unable to think of what she should do next, left with only a second to choose; she whipped her eyes around for a final time, then gazed down at her defeated enemy. It was then that her divided mind added itself up again; with a yell that rang throughout the base, Amy brought her hammer down with the all the force she could muster. There was a resounding crunch upon impact, then a long, solemn silence after the deed was done.
A/N: So HHH, did you get it all right? So where can it go from here – can the others forgive Amy's decision? And what of the cataclysm she was supposed to unleash? Answers are coming…soon.