ATTENTION ALL READERS! STOP SCROLLING! HALO HAS PROGRAMMED A FATAL VIRUS THAT WILL TRANSFER TO YOUR COMPUTER IF YOU DO NOT HEED THIS WARNING!

TO SUMMARIZE, IT INVOLVES A HORDE OF CARNIVOROUS CHIMPANZEES TRACKING YOUR EXACT LOCATION IN ORDER TO FEAST UPON YOUR NASTY, WARNING-IGNORING, PAGE SCROLLING FINGERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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Did we get'cha?

Okay, onto the real warning, which you should SERIOUSLY PAY ATTENTION TO:

BEFORE YOU READ THIS, READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER.

WE POSTED TWO AT ONCE.

THIS CHAPTER WILL MAKE NO SENSE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE OTHER.

STOP NOW. GO BACK AND READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER.

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Are you back now? Great. This chapter is still rated "T", but not for violence. More like creepy elements and some… dark moments (Halo: *rimshot*). You have been warned.

Now let's get reading before you strangle Halo and me to death! (...bad choice of words. Sorry. TOO SOON, ERA.)

Amy's POV:

"Well… this is bad."

Shut up, Rin. Now is really not the time.

Slowly but surely, Dark was getting back on his feet. That hammer swing to the head hadn't done him any favors, but somehow- somehow- he was still alive and kicking. Manic was laying on the ground only a few feet away, barely breathing. But at least he was breathing. Unlike-

Nope. Don't think about them right now. You can't think about them. You're barely holding it together as it is-

"If I am being honest, you are holding up quite well."

Shut up, Rin! I won't ask again.

Dark's eyes flashed dangerously; in the time it took for me to blink, he rushed forward in a spindash, nearly slicing me in half. I yelped and jumped aside, almost falling backwards but gaining back my footing just in time. I gritted my teeth, my grip tightening on my hammer as I swung it straight into Dark's stomach.

He toppled backwards, tumbling into the dirt with a grunt. I readied myself to strike again, but to my confusion, he calmly stood to his feet as if I hadn't hit him at all (although the stream of blood trickling from his gut said otherwise).

"So… you're Amy," he stated; it wasn't a question.

I raised my hammer higher. "Got a problem with it?"

Dark smirked, taking a slow step forward. He squinted slightly, as though he were examining something about me… everything about me. He smirked, chuckling to himself; something about his laugh made my hair stand on edge.

"Sonic has told me all about you, you know…" he sneered, the glint in his eyes growing wild and giddy. "I've been so eager to properly meet you."

I bit down on my lip, shaking with fury. "Don't you dare talk about Sonic, you sick, stinking piece of-"

"Eh, eh, eh, language, Pinks," he crooned, zipping forward and pressing a finger to my lips. "Wouldn't want anything to dirty that pretty little mouth of yours."

Before I could even react, Dark's fist curled around my upper arm and tossed me to the ground before grabbing hold of my hammer and snapping it over his knee. I scrambled to my feet and launched a hard left hook into his chest, sending a shudder through him that I hadn't expected. I summoned a fresh hammer and pitched it forward into his shoulder, grinning as he yelped in pain. My victory didn't last long, though; in a flash of blue, Dark lunged forward and snatched my hammer from me, striking me in the gut with a loud thwack. I staggered backward and fell to my knees, heaving for breath. Chaos, how hard could he swing?

Dark's hand crept under my chin and grabbed hold of my jaw, forcing me to look up. He smirked, staring down at me with a look of cruel gratification and squeezing my cheeks with an iron grip.

"Don't make me hurt you, Pinks," he mused, rolling his tongue over his lower lip. "I won't bite unless you want it."

I grimaced, wrenching myself out of his grasp. "I'm not scared of you, Dark," I spat, my fists shaking in fury.

"Scared?" he said, sounding mock-offended. "You think I'm trying to scare you?" Dark grinned, eyes glinting. "Is it working?"

I scowled, lunging forward to deliver a hard uppercut. Dark zipped out of the way, dodging nearly every hit I tried to land and striking me with blows of his own, laughing all the while. It sent a chill down my spine and made me want to hit him even more if that was possible. It didn't take long before I was breathing hard, rivets of sweat running down my forehead. Dark wasn't exactly in good condition from his fights with the others, but that infuriatingly arrogant expression of his remained.

Rin was shouting at me to summon another hammer and bash his head in, and honestly, there was nothing I wanted to do more. The more I looked at him, the less I saw Sonic. Dark was a monster, some twisted mirror image that didn't deserve to exist.

And if I had my way, he wouldn't be existing for much longer.

I noticed Dark was limping and decided to take advantage of it; faster than he could react, I summoned a hammer and slammed it into his knees, sending him toppling to the ground with an infuriated yelp. I grinned, and for a split second, I thought he was down for good. I was wrong.

In the time it took for me to blink, Dark had spin-dashed my hammer out of my hand and had me pressed up against a tree trunk, his fist gripping my neck like a vise. Blood was trickling into his eyes from a deep cut in his forehead and nearly every inch of his body was freckled with bruises, but his hold on me was as strong as if he were in perfect health.

"Y'know…" he sneered. "If you keep this up, I'm going to have to kill you."

I grimaced. "Right, like you were planning on doing anything else."

"Oh, I have some ideas."

Something about the way he said that sent a chill down my spine. He chuckled, licking his lower lip and narrowing his gaze. Was he…? If he was implying what I thought he was implying-

"Amelia?" said Rin after a moment, her voice light and steely. "Might I suggest that we tear this scoundrel limb from limb?"

…Sounds good. I struggled against his hold, kicking at his legs, but Dark didn't seem to concerned. He just… stared at me with something akin to curiosity.

"You know, Pinks, you're somewhat of a mystery," Dark drawled as he brushed the side of my cheek. "Sonic's memories and knowledge of his friends has been useful to me beyond all measure, but you-" he chuckled sending shivers down my spine, "All I have of you are a few lingering feelings and events. I suggest you make this easy and just tell me- where do your powers come from?"

His grip tightened slightly so my reply was strained out. "I… don't… have… powers… jerk."

"Uh-huh. Right," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Care to explain where the hammer comes from, then?" He smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you hide it somewhere on you?"

I flicked my wrist to summon a hammer, and in a second Dark was sprawled on the ground, a bloody lump forming where I had smacked him in the forehead. I scrambled back, well out of reach. "You figure it out!"

Blood poured down from his wound in rivets, washing over his eyes and briefly blinding him. He shook his head, staring around in confusion for a moment before his eyes fell on me, a look of bewilderment spreading across his features.

"A…Amy? What… where..?" He wiped the blood from his eyes, and just for a moment, I could've sworn they flashed bright green. My heart leapt into my throat; how...? This couldn't be possible-

"...Sonic?"

Sonic looked around again in panic. "What's going- ARRGH!"

His hands flew up to his head and he dropped to his knees, twitching in agony. Instinctively, I jolted forward to help him, but before I could even take a step, a spear of flickering energy whizzed passed my shoulder; I yelped, ducking down just in time to avoid it.

Dark growled softly as I got to my feet, any sense of the hedgehog I once knew in his expression long gone. His eyes were smoldering, and the flash of bright green that had once been there was again replaced by a dark, muddy black. "What did you do to me?"

I felt a surge of white-hot anger bubble up in my stomach and readied my hammer to strike. "If you're so smart, you figure it out!"

Dark snarled, zipping forward in a flash of blue. I managed to roll out of the way but Dark intercepted my landing, snatching my hammer and tossing it aside before slamming me face-first into the ground, pinning my arms behind my back. He leaned into the side of my face, close enough to my ear that I could feel the heat of his breath.

"What. Did. You. Do?"

I twisted my head around to glare at him; my eyes fixed on the brightening blue color of his quills and Dark's clear unease and despite myself, I cracked a grin; I wasn't imagining it. I couldn't be. Dark sneered and gritted his teeth, pressing even harder down on my back. My smile vanished as I cried out in pain as a few ribs cracked; my lungs felt like they were collapsing as I struggled to breathe.

My voice came out as little more than a rasp, "It doesn't- matter… what you do to me…" I choked out, my breath shallow and more than a little forced. "Those shots?... they were a cure… a cure- to you."

It might've been the dark spots dancing in my vision, but I could've sworn a trace of fear flickered across Dark's face for a moment.

I allowed myself to smile for a moment. "You've lost."

In an instant, one of my ribs snapped and my world exploded in pain. I knew I screamed, but somehow, the noise seemed very far away.

"You delusional idiot," Dark hissed in my ear. "I am an immortal being. You can't win. You can't kill me."

I chuckled, which was cut off by the stabbing in my stomach. "You might be… your host isn't… Even if we… didn't have the cure… you'll be dead… from your injuries… in an hour at most." I winced in pain. "Trust me… I'm a nurse."

The pressure on my back increased for a moment and I thought I was going to explode- until suddenly, it released. I gasped for breath, gulping down lungfuls of precious air and ignoring the bursts of agony rupturing from my chest. My arms were still pinned, but at least I could breathe again. Sort of.

"I don't doubt it." Dark's voice was unusually flat. "But there are always other options."

I frowned into the dirt; I didn't like the way he said that.

"Amelia. Listen to me. Enough thinking, it is time to charge. Summon thy hammer and destroy this mongrel immediately."

I rolled my eyes; Rin, I tried that. You can see how well that worked out.

"Surely, there is still something more we could try!"

Well, it's not like this situation could get much-

"Interesting…" Dark drawled.

I squirmed in his iron grip, trying desperately to get free. "What?"

"Your chaotic energy…" he mused, looking as if he were thinking hard. "It seems to be projecting around you, like a field. And the field is emanating from… this." Dark poked at my right bracelet and I felt a shiver travel through my body. No. No, he couldn't possibly-

"I wonder…" Dark's smile had returned and I felt my stomach jump to my throat. He suddenly grabbed my jaw and twisted my head around to see the hand he was holding up- one now letting off a steady pulse of ink-black energy. I felt the color drain from my face; he smirked.

"What are you…?" the question died in my throat as he reached for my wrist. I began to struggle again, but Dark had increased his pressure again, effectively pinning me down.

"Rin…" I found myself whispering, the panic in my voice beginning to rise. "Rin…"

Dark seized my bracelet and this time I felt a jolt of energy travel up my arm like a burst of electricity. Dark released my arms; this was my chance. Ignoring the searing pain in my ribs, I whirled around and summoned a hammer-

-only for it to vanish before it ever made contact.

Dark was just… standing there. Looking at me with something akin to curiosity.

"Lady Amelia," said Rin, her voice slightly higher than usual. "I hate to interrupt, but I do believe we have a problem."

What? What kind of-?

"Hello, 'Amelia.'"

I felt the blood drain from my face. My eyes slowly dropped to my right wrist, to the ring where Rin resided in. The gold was now decorated in little black lines, vein-like cracks that were steadily spreading across the once-pristine metal. My skin around it had turned an ashen gray and I felt a scream rise up in my throat.

Dark- the one in front of me- smirked. He didn't move his mouth, but I knew he was the one talking.

"Seems like I'm not the only one in the possession business. Did your beloved 'Sonikku' know he was dating two girls at the same time?"

Rin, get rid of him. Get him out of my head.

"I'm trying, Miss Amelia but- ARRGH!"

"Rin!" I shouted, instinctively grabbing my rapidly blackening wrist.

Dark laughed, his voice dimly echoing in my skull. "Your 'Rin' is but a simple foot soldier. I am a GOD."

"Apologies, m'lady. This demon, he- he is too strong. I will hold him off as long as I am able."

"No!" I whirled around and punched Dark square in the face. "Leave Rin out of this!"

Dark stumbled back, a fresh dribble of blood flowing from his nose, but his smile didn't falter. "Now Amelia, you should know better than that. Sonic is a pawn- a pawn that is quickly losing its usefulness. So by all logic, I'll be needing a replacement." Dark grinned and took a step forward. "True, you won't be quite up to par with my original host, but you'll do. At least until I find a better one."

I pulled out my last shot of the cure, hands shaking. "Or, I can just immunize myself and leave you to die."

"Not so fast, Pinks." Dark chuckled, stepping closer. "Despite your team's feeble attempt at a cure, I still have quite a bit of hold on this hedgehog. And besides..."

A blinding flash of light shone from around Dark, forcing me to look away. When I looked back, I felt my stomach drop; Dark's injuries were slowly beginning to heal as the seven Chaos Emeralds hovered around him. He waved a lazy hand towards me and I found myself suddenly able to breathe, my bruises and broken ribs mending.

"No matter your choice, I will remain. I win."

"Amelia, do not listen to- GAAH!"

And suddenly, there was quiet.

"Rin...?" I whispered, hardly daring to believe what was running through my imagination. "Rin, talk to me-"

"I… I failed thee, Amelia," Rin gasped, her agonized voice penetrating every corner of my consciousness. "Twas… twas an honor... to serve with thee."

Sharp tears pricked at my vision as I watched the ring's golden luster fade into pitch black. An uncomfortable sensation formed in the back of my mind; it was as if a weight had been lifted from me, leaving an alien feeling of lightness.

For the first time in five years, my head was silent.

And like the monster he was, Dark didn't even give me a moment to grieve. It was seconds after the realization hit me that I heard Dark's maniacal laughter begin to rise in volume. How dare he. How dare he-

Tears were streaming down my cheeks and blurring my vision, but I didn't care; Dark was going to pay for this. I held out my fist to summon a hammer-

-nothing happened.

No… no…

Dark laughed, "Face it, Pinks. It's over. I win."

"...Why are you doing this?" I demanded, my voice quivering.

Dark shrugged. "Why not?"

I almost punched him again but managed to restrain myself, my mind racing. I had to think through my choices here. Option one: cure Sonic and let myself get possessed. If that happened, Dark would most likely kill Sonic right away, or use the emeralds to raise him back to full health before possessing him again. Mobius is destroyed.

Option two: I could immunize myself, but Dark would probably just kill me after that and find a new host somewhere else. Mobius is destroyed.

Neither seemed like good ideas.

My thoughts trailed off. I fingered the cure and swallowed down the bile in my throat.

"Wake up and smell reality, Pinks- you're stuck. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

My breathing hitched for a moment as I bit back a tear. This was it. I had to decide.

"...okay."

Trying to keep from quivering, I stumbled forward and plunged the last of the cure into Sonic's arm. Dark didn't even try to stop me.

The cure was finally starting to kick in; the blue-black hue of his quills faded and his eyes flashed bright green again as Sonic dropped to his knees. Immediately, I sank down beside him, grabbing hold of his shoulders and desperately hoping that Dark hadn't tried to fry his brain or something.

"Sonic? Can you hear me? Say something!"

He blinked blearily, his eyelids fluttering open and shut. "...Ames?… that you?"

I almost laughed in relief, fighting the urge to hug him and never let go. "Y-yep… It's me." Most of his injuries were healed enough that they were of little cause for concern. The emeralds around us were as dark as… well, Dark. He must have corrupted them.

"What… what's happen-" Sonic's voice cut off.

I looked up, confused. "Sonic?"

His hands began to shake and his voice was little more than a whisper, "Oh Chaos… Amy, why did you-"

"Shhh…" I pressed a finger to his lips. "It's alright. You're alright. That's all that matters."

"You shouldn't have… you should have killed me… Amy, you don't understand, he's too strong! You can't win! We can't win!"

The knot in my stomach was growing tighter; I had to do it now before I lost my nerve. Hesitating only for a second, I fingered the object in my pocket and took a deep breath. "I know." I said, locking eyes with him and allowing myself to smile, "This wasn't your fault. Remember that."

"...Amy?"

I swallowed down the fear. "I… Look, Sonic, I… I've always..." Chaos, this was too hard. I couldn't say it. Not now. Not when I knew what was about to happen. "Thank you. For everything."

I pulled out the object and stabbed it into my leg, biting down on my lower lip to keep from crying out.

"Wait- what was that?"

That? Oh, that was just a dose of poison my good friend Knuckles let me borrow. I'll be dead in thirty seconds.

And so will you.

Sonic's POV:

At first, I thought I was dreaming.

It was just a nightmare, right? I was having a vividly realistic nightmare about being trapped in my own head by some crazy… demon… thing… who was out to destroy everyone and everything I cared about. No biggie.

One problem: I wasn't waking up.

Believe me, I tried. I pinched myself, slapped myself across the face, screamed until my throat was hoarse; literally everything I could think of that would wake someone up. Nothing.

When I realized it wasn't a dream, I tried to fight back, but it was too late. Way too late.

I don't know how long I've been out. The whole concept of time lost its meaning awhile ago.

Sometimes Dark would visit me. He'd show me things he said he had done. I was never sure if he was telling the truth or just trying to psych me out.

It was like being in a movie theater. I'd watch through his eyes as Shadow was pummeled into the ground, as Dark smashed Robotnik into a pancake. It seemed so detached from me, far away… it didn't feel real. Then again, not a lot did anymore.

I felt so tired… if I closed my eyes, I could feel myself slowly dissolving into nothing. It was almost a relief. I was floating away…

Until I wasn't.

Someone had shook me awake.

Everything hurt.

Something had hit me, making my forehead explode in pain. Something wet began to trickle down my face into my eyes, coloring my vision a dark, blurry red.

The silhouette of someone stood before me, holding- what was that, a mallet? Instinctively, I brushed away the red from my face, blinking till its features came into focus. No way… it couldn't-

"A…Amy?" I stuttered, my hands trembling. "What… where..?"

The silhouette lowered its mallet, stepping closer. Big green eyes that reminded me of gemstones, soft pink quills that were longer than I remembered, an all too familiar hammer…

It was her. It was really her.

"...Sonic?"

This had to be a trick. One of Dark's mind games. But… this felt real. Was it real? Or had I finally snapped?

I shook my head, stepping backwards. "What's going- ARRGH!"

A crippling pain pricked at my forehead and washed over my body; clouds of inky blackness framed my vision, closing in on me faster and faster; something was pulling me back. He was pulling me back. Amy's face was quickly fading, and in seconds, her voice was nothing but a muffled hum. After a moment, that was gone too.

I was nothing again.

The sun hurt my eyes; I didn't remember it ever being so bright.

I was on my hands and knees, but the ground was so unstable I was sure I was going to fall over at any second. There was something in front of me, holding my shoulders steady and blocking the blinding light, but I couldn't make it out at first. In the back of my mind, I thought I heard someone shouting… was that my name? Who was-

Wait. I knew that face.

"...Ames?… that you?"

Her face broke into a grin, tears spilling down her cheeks. Her fingers dug into my shoulders so hard it almost hurt, but I welcomed the gesture. This didn't feel like one of Dark's tricks.

Come to think of it, this didn't feel like Dark at all…

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me, and it was disorienting. There were no voices… no flashes of darkness. Something that had been there before was somehow… gone.

"What…" I whispered. Dark was gone. Gone, gone, gone… "What's happen-"

Wait.

If Dark was gone… where did he go?

"Sonic?" Amy asked, looking confused. I looked up into her eyes, not daring to believe what I was almost positive had happened.

"Oh Chaos… Amy, why did you-"

"Shhh…" said Amy, pressing her finger to my lips. "It's alright. You're alright. That's all that matters."

I pulled away, shaking my head. This was wrong. "You shouldn't have… you should have killed me…" I whispered, my breath shallow and quivering. "Amy, you don't understand, he's too strong! You can't win! We can't win!"

Amy's expression faltered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know," she murmured, refusing to look away. Her voice hitched for a moment; "This wasn't your fault. Remember that."

"...Amy?"

She looked away, "I… " she stuttered, biting down on her lower lip. "Look, Sonic, I… I've always..." Amy took a deep breath, glancing back to me. "Thank you. For everything."

In the blink of an eye, Amy whipped out something small and metallic and stabbed it into her thigh. She grinned triumphantly before going cross-eyed, swaying back and forth before falling into my arms.

"Amy!" I shouted, feeling the panic rise in my chest. "No, no, no… what did you do? Amy, what did you do?"

Amy's eyes were drifting between being open and shut; her mouth was moving as if she were trying to form words, but couldn't quite make them reach her lips.

"Not… not your… f-fault…" Amy gasped.

"Stop it, Ames, stop it, please…" I begged, gripping her tighter than I ever had before. "Please, I can't..." My voice got caught in my throat; no. I couldn't finish that sentence, I couldn't-

Her breathing was getting slower and more shallow as the knot in my stomach tightened; the corners of her mouth trembled with effort, twitching into a smile.

Amy's eyes fluttered shut and her chest fell; it didn't rise again.

T here weren't a lot of sounds I hated, but silence was one of them.

Amy had stopped talking. She'd stopped moving.

The steadily-growing lump in my throat was practically cutting off my oxygen, but I didn't have the energy to care; Amy couldn't be… she couldn't, no, she wasn't allowed to be-

"Amy," I said forcefully, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. Her head lulled back and forth with no resistance, her expression so peaceful it was jarring. "Amy!"

Pulse. I needed to find a pulse. My fingers fumbled at her neck, desperate to feel something, anything-

Nothing.

I hardly felt it when her body tumbled from my arms; she was gone. Ames was gone.

I'd never liked crying. The tears streaming down my face seemed to burn and hiccups ripped painfully through my chest, making my head throb and my face swell up. Gone, gone, gone… I pressed my forehead against Amy's and felt the sharp drops of saltwater run down my cheeks. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening...

I lifted up my teary gaze to the surrounding area. Lying only a few feet away to my right was an unfamiliar green hedgehog, blood still flowing in rivets from the multiple wounds that he'd suffered. From me. Not far from him was another magenta hedgehog crumpled on the ground; large purple-blue bruises had formed around her throat and her face was frozen in a twisted, gaping expression that hurt to look at. Even further away were the still corpses of Shadow and Rouge, both oozing blood in places where I didn't even know you could. I quickly skimmed over what remained of Knuckles, my eyes locking on the distant yellow fox. The first to die. Because of me.

I stood to my feet and turned away from the scene. I wanted to run, to run till I reached the edge of the world, then keep running because there was no point, they were gone and there was nothing left, there nothing left to save, I just needed to run, keep running and never, ever stop-

"Not so fast."

The voice was soft, but commanding; it echoed in my head, so light and ethereal it felt like more like a passing breeze than someone's voice. I instantly recognized it, my fingers instinctively curling into fists.

"Oh, so now you show up!" I shouted, whipping around to face her. "Where were you when I actually needed you? Where were you when anyone needed you?"

Tikal didn't answer. She glanced down at each of my friends, sorrow etched into her features but remaining passive in her posture.

"Maurice…"

I flinched, clenching my teeth. "Don't call me that."

"Sonic, then."

"Don't call me that either." I swallowed the lump in my throat, staring intently at my blood-stained shoes. "Sonic was a hero. Not… not this."

Tikal shook her head, clasping her hands in front of her. "This wasn't your fault. I should have prepared you for the role you were called for-"

"Are you saying this was supposed to happen?"

"Of course not," Tikal spat, folding her arms over her chest. "Do you really think Chaos would want His last living guardian to die without an heir?"

The thought of Knuckles brought back the urge to hurl, but I managed to swallow it down. Don't think about it, think of something else, anything else…

"Your family line acted as the Protectors of the Dark Emerald for at least a thousand years. Maybe longer," said Tikal. "Due to that, you were born with a connection to the Dark Emerald, and when it was disturbed…" she trailed off, refusing to look me in the eye. "The energy was attracted to you and you were not prepared for it. That mistake lies within myself and your grandfather."

"I never knew any of my grandparents," I mumbled. "All of them died before I was born, so I'm failing to see how any of this could be their fault."

"He failed to teach your uncle the secrets of this valley- and as a result, both of you grew up in ignorance," Tikal said sternly; she paused. "I'm sorry."

… sorry?

A spike of red-hot anger rose up inside me, and even if I tried, I couldn't have held it back. "SORRY?" I shouted, clenching my fists. " 'SORRY' DOESN'T FIX ANYTHING! THEY'RE DEAD, TIKAL! THEY-ARE-GONE! AM I SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT?"

Tikal's gaze remained even and steady. "They're in a better place… well, the jury's still out on three of them, but their final act of stopping Dark should carry a lot of weight in the afterlife."

"Well, good for them." I spat, gritting my teeth. "Can't Chaos do something?"

Tikal shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing He can-"

"Oh, don't give me that garbage," I interrupted, not caring if I was being rude. "Whatever happened to the miracles of the servers?"

"Dark drained the emeralds of all their power. We have to wait until they can be used again, and by then, it'd be too late." she murmured, shaking her head, "Besides, bringing back those who are... gone is a Dark ability- unnatural. The previous Guardian before Knuckles knew this. And even if you could manage to bring them all back, there's no guarantee that you would survive the process. It would be more likely to destroy you than for it to actually work. You have to let go, Maurice. This is now your responsibility. I regret that the circumstances are not ideal, but-"

"No."

Tikal paused, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment."...What?"

I turned to face her, the tension inside me beginning to build. "You heard me. En-Oh. NO. I'm not doing it! I refuse! IT'S NOT HAPPENING!"

Tikal's frown was etching itself deeper and deeper; her brows furrowed together with hurt and confusion as if she were trying to sort through her thoughts. "But you're… you're the Protector-"

"BIG DEAL!" I practically screamed. "I never asked for this- for any of this! Why would anyone ask for this?"

"Sonic-"

"Shut up! Just… shut up!" I snarled. "What I do isn't your decision, or Dark's, or anyones! WHO CARES if I'm a 'Protector'? I sure don't!"

"Sonic, be reasonable-"

"You first."

Tikal didn't answer.

I looked around me, my eyes falling onto each of the now drained chaos emeralds. All were a dull, lifeless gray, an insulting parody of their usual vibrant colors. I felt a scream rise up in my throat and die before it was released; this was hopeless.

I trudged forward past the lifeless bodies of my friends and teammates, my feet growing heavier with each step. Part of me wanted to just collapse where I stood, stop moving like the rest of them, but I kept moving like I was in a trance.

Behind me, Tikal was speaking softly, something about the afterlife and peace and junk like that, but I didn't care. Not about her. Not about anything.

Well… one thing.

An eternity later, I reached Tails. His face was permanently twisted into a look of shock and agony; it hurt to look at him, but I couldn't tear myself away. My legs buckled beneath me and I dropped to my knees, staring down at my little brother's tiny, unmoving form.

He looked so small...

Against my better judgment, I cracked a lopsided grin as a fresh wave of tears dotted my vision. "H-hey... little buddy," I said quietly, my voice and hands shaking as I attempted to gulp down the painful lump in my throat. "I… I-I'm-" I hugged my arms tightly, digging my fingers into my skin and wishing I were anywhere but here. "...I'm sorry. For… for everything. I promised I'd protect you… that I'd never hurt you…"

I let out a humorless chuckle, unable to tell him how I felt, even if I knew he couldn't hear. Guess all I ever did was hurt him. Forgetting about him, abandoning him, lying to him, losing him... and now I- I killed-

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling sharp, salty tears run down my cheeks. "Miles… I…" The words seemed caught in my throat but I forced them out. "I love you, little bro. Always will."

Tikal's voice came gently, "He always knew that. And he never gave up on you."

I looked up to snap at her about privacy when a distant glimmer in the grass caught my gaze; it was dim, but it was there. Something about the way it glowed drew me towards it, Tikal ghosting behind me. I pushed aside the tall grass to find an all too familiar emerald covered in mud and blood, so black it looked as if it were sucking up the light around it. It resonated with the all-too-familiar feeling of Dark, it's aura making me feel sicker every minute I looked at it.

Tikal took a few steps to distance herself from the object, clearly uncomfortable. "That emerald must be returned to its shrine before Dark's power grows out of control. Please, Sonic."

Dark… he was inside that stupid thing. I felt my rage build even more as I snatched up the rock and held it in my hands.

"Sonic, wait-!" Tikal stepped back, eyes wide with fear.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "What?"

She continued to stare as if expecting something to happen. My attention turned to the black emerald. The surface was smooth and cool to the touch; I wiped away the mud and blood with my glove, allowing the glow to shine through.

Tikal took several more steps away, the color in her cheeks replaced with a ghostly shade of grayish-white. "Sonic, put that... thing in the cave this instant. The longer it is out, the more likely Dark is to come back. Neither of us wants that."

No, I didn't… but I did want something else.

"You… you said it's a dark power. Right?" I said, my eyes flicking over to Tails.

"What is-?" Tikal's eyes widened as she realized what I was talking about. "No. Absolutely not. No."

"Well, Chaos isn't about to lend a hand, is He?"

"Maurice, that is insane," said Tikal sternly "As I said, the process is not guaranteed to work. You could make things worse- this could disrupt their paths to the afterlife, perhaps permanently. Dark could take the opportunity to possess you again. You could die!"

"And?" I glared at her.

"If you do this, and you fail, you could doom the world to an eternal hell." Tikal tightened her hands into fists as she bit down on her lower lip. "They wouldn't have wanted that."

"They're dead, what do they care?"

"Sonic, you don't even know how to do what you're asking."

"Why does that matter?"

"This is selfish and dishonors their sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice?" I whirled around. "You wanna talk about sacrifice? I have given everything for Mobius. Everything. My family. My friends. Myself. And I am done giving."

Tikal reached a hand out to me as if to touch me, but the distance was much too far. She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and a single tear slid down her cheek. "If… if you do this… I can't help you. No one can."

I took a deep breath, turning away. "I know."

As quickly as she had come, Tikal vanished.

And I didn't care.

Using the black emerald wasn't actually too difficult to figure out. I simply had to close my eyes and do what I do when I "go Super". Clear my head, focus on the power inside the emerald and then… become it, so to speak.

There were some obvious differences; instead of feeling energized, it was like someone was sapping all of my strength (or what strength I had left). I wasn't able to see my fur, but I could picture it blackening rather than turning gold. And of course, there was no 'righteous fury' or whatever you wanted to call it. There was only cold, hate, and fear.

I reached outward, using the dark energy to locate every lifeless body, attaching an invisible string that connected me to their wandering souls. I shut my eyes tight, regaining some focus on what was next.

Suddenly, my vision tunneled and I was suddenly falling; down, down, down, into the bottomless pit, the vacuum of chaotic energy that was sending me spiraling out of control; Tikal hadn't been kidding, the dark energy was too much, too much to handle-I screamed, but whatever sound I made was consumed by the invisible monster that was tearing me to pieces and eating me alive- I could feel my genes ripping apart and stitching themselves back together, over and over again and it was too much, too much, TOO MUCH-

Darkness.

Suffocating, drowning darkness; that was all I registered for the first few moments. The further I went the worse it became; I was immobilized, but the urge to run, to move, it itched at the back of my mind to the point where I felt I'd surely be consumed by it- my lungs began to burn with want of oxygen and I realized I couldn't breathe- gotta move, gotta breathe, gotta find the air, where's the air-

The bubble broke with a hiccup, jolting me back to something that only vaguely resembled sanity. The space around me was still pitch black, but at least breathing became easier, and I could move my arms and legs again.

The air was dead silent, so quiet it practically seemed to be vibrating (but that might've just been the ringing in my ears). The pain that had enveloped me only moments before had been sapped from my body, leaving me numb; the stillness of it jarring, yet almost comforting.

"Hello, Sonic." The all-too-familiar voice sent chills down my spine and I couldn't breathe for a moment. "I didn't think I would see you so soon after our parting."

"I like to keep people guessing." I snarled as I turned around, curling my fists up. I glared into the nothingness, determined to show no weakness. "I'm sure this is a surprise."

"Nothing surprises me, boy. You of all people should know that."

I felt my hands quivering as the old fear began to build. I didn't want to go back to the dark, and the cold, and the crushing, unbearable numbness of it all, I couldn't do it, not again-

"That's right, boy. Learn from the past. You couldn't beat me if you tried- so don't waste your breath."

My breath quickened and I took a few steps back. "You're not going to take me. Not again."

"Hmm… agree to disagree."

Something slammed into me from behind, sending me sprawling onto the ground. Or... what I assumed was the ground. There was no way to tell except for the sudden pain that erupted from the undersides of my arms as they skidded across the gritty flooring.

"What was that you were saying? About me not taking you back?" Dark chuckled. Beside me, I could hear the soft thumping of footsteps against the shadowy ground; I opened one eye and nearly jumped out of my skin- a pair of blood red sneakers were standing mere inches from my face. I scrambled backward, glaring up at my smirking mirror image.

"This is my domain, Maurice. My game. You've never had power here before, and you never will." Quick as a flash, Dark launched his foot forward into my side, so hard it sent me flying back nearly three feet.

Dark ambled over to me, his steps slow and deliberate. He crouched down, looking me dead in the eye. "I am the single most powerful entity to exist since Chaos Himself," Suddenly, he grabbed hold of my jaw, pinching the sides of my cheeks and forcing me to look at him. "And you belong to me."

The feeling of gazing at a darker reflection of myself was one I could never get used to. Why were we so alike? I didn't want to be like him. I didn't want him to look like me-

He flickered.

I flinched; maybe it was just a trick of the light?

But there was no light…

The longer I stared at him, the less his facade seemed to remain stable. His nose shrank down to a stub and bushy gray eyebrows sprouted from his forehead; his quills were suddenly longer and adorned with strange, flashing tattoos… like Knuckles, but… not like Knuckles?

Just as quickly as it had come, the illusion changed to something lighter, more feminine, but whose skin was a sickly white and whose eyes glowed bright red. In the blink of an eye, it shifted back to a hedgehog, but it definitely wasn't me; for one thing, his fur was dark emerald green, with icy blue eyes that seemed to stare right into my soul. Deeply-cut scars ran up and down his arms and his ears were littered with piercings, but it was his smile that unnerved me- huge and intense, like an overly eager carnivore; his left canine tooth was chipped so severely it almost resembled a fang.

But it didn't stop there- Dark's features morphed into dozens of faces I couldn't recognize, each one's transformation growing in speed until his face was nothing more than a shadowy blur. I couldn't tear myself away, there was too much to take in, who were these people-

Dark's features suddenly reverted back to the ones I knew all too well. I collapsed, dazed from what I had seen; I had always thought Dark was a more sinister branch of myself- that, or some foreign spirit or ghost that was somehow tied to the black emerald. But I'd never realized how… ancient he was. If Dark could take on my image and he'd only been possessing me for a short while… who else had he managed to target?

Suddenly, Dark's grip on my jaw tightened and I felt myself being lifted from the ground. For a brief moment, he smiled- then chucked me across the room.

Well. This was going poorly.

I struggled to my feet, ignoring the stabbing pain in my hands and torso. I clenched my teeth in fury, curling my shaking fingers into a fist. I zoomed back to where Dark stood- my attempted punch was sloppy, easily caught in his hand.

"You never learn, do you?" Dark smirked as he increased the pressure on my hand. I gasped in pain, dropping to my knees in an attempt to alleviate the pain. "You are a fool for trying to harness my power, and I can personally guarantee that you will not be making this out alive." The rising vapor around him flicked purple and black, threatening to envelop me in its cold embrace as it grew into a massive, electric cloud.

Out of nowhere, I got an idea. A bad idea, but still- it was an idea. And it was all I had to go on.

Up to this point, I had been trying to fight like I did when I was super: I'd run around and pray I hit things that would explode and eventually win the day. There wasn't a lot of skill involved with that- the power of the emeralds did most of the damage as I zipped through robots and buildings, wrecking everything in sight. But when it comes to darkness, you can't run around blindly, mostly due to the fact that you are blind.

Dark said this was his game. Maybe it was time to start playing by the rules.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the haze of darkness to wash over me. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to run, to get away, to fight, but I sucked in every bit of mist I could see. I started to hear these whispers in the air. Voices in the mist flowed in and out of focus as this sense of… wrongness settled over me.

"Any final screams, dear Maurice?" Dark crooned, his voice echoing in the corners of my skull. "See, you're not the first to try and my power for yourself. You'll suffer the same fate as all the other lost souls locked here. There's no sense in-"

I opened my eyes and landed a solid punch in the jaw.

Dark went reeling back, clutching his face with a look of shock. "...Who in Chaos do you think you are?

"You've destroyed the only things in this world I care about," I growled. "What did you expect?"

Dark glared at me, cracking his knuckles. He didn't speak again as he lunged, ready to tear me limb from limb. I raised my hands, more than happy to oblige.

Instead of coming at me with a physical attack, Dark raised his arms, thrusting the black mist at me like a tsunami. I stood my ground, holding out my hands to welcome the flickering vapor. It wasn't as jarring this time; something about it felt very right, but also very… wrong. I shouldn't want it, but I did.

It was my birthright.

With a flick of my wrist, the darkness gathered together into a massive ball of energy, hurling it towards Dark with a sneer. He was knocked back with a crash and for a moment there was silence.

But I wasn't done.

I had never realized before how good it felt to hurt something, really make them feel pain. But every time I summoned the mass of energy to smash Dark into oblivion, it was like I was letting go of the burden I'd been carrying since going Super had failed so spectacularly. Soon I was laughing, laughing like I hadn't a care in the world because he was hurting and I was glad.

Soon I was out of breath and panting, rivets of sweat pouring down my body, but I didn't care; I was too focused on the fact that Dark was no longer moving.

Was he…?

No such luck. After a moment, he stirred, grunting in pain.

"I… I am the c-controller of the dark." rasped Dark as he struggled to his feet, any smugness he might've had, gone. He looked up, his first glimmer of fear finally visible. "How… how are you doing this?"

I laughed. It was a low, harsh cackle that would have freaked me out an hour ago. Now, it just seemed natural. "Don't you get it? You're trapped in this emerald- limited by the darkness inside of it. I'm not." With that, I reached out towards him, the energy crackling between my fingers as I let the darkness consume us both.

Dark was screaming from his chains, but I ignored him. I was much too busy to worry about any concerns he might have with his 'lodgings'. The darkness was tricky to manipulate, but not impossible. It just needed someone to push it in the right direction.

It's... difficult to explain what I did exactly. The simplest way of describing it would be like reaching your hand out to grab another person. But it wasn't like that either since there was no physical bodies, just spirits and souls. Finding the souls themselves was like trying to find a dark spot in a dark space. But it was also like finding light in light.

You know what? Forget it. I can't explain what happened. Not with words, at least.

I couldn't how long I was there. I also had no idea if I was doing anything right as I stumbled through the dark, trying to keep my wits about me.

The release was sudden and unexpected as a large gust of wind swept across me. Except I was pretty sure that the wind didn't have a voice, much less seven of them. Each whispered to me, their voices hardly more than faint whistles blowing in my ear. Unsure if I had actually succeeded, I reached out to see-

My knees gave out and the darkness seemed to swallow me up to my waist. A searing sharp pain flared through my brain, making me scream in agony. I pressed my hands against my head, willing the pain to stop.

"You idiot. Look how far you've fallen for your 'family'. How pathetic."

The pain increased and I screamed again, sinking further into the inky pool of shadow. It was as if someone had taken an ice pick and was hammering it into my mind, each strike driving it deeper and deeper.

"At least you'll be joining me in this miserable prison. And who knows? You may prove more capable than those before you and retain your actual form."

No. No, Dark was not going to win.

Never again.

I'm not sure where the strength came from, but I forced myself out of the blackness. The pain increased, making me stumble, but I pushed onward, towards the "lesser" dark, until I hit a wall. The edge of the emerald.

"Aww… is the little hero trying to escape?" Dark cackled from behind. "This emerald was made to contain darkness. And you're now part of the dark."

"Not yet, I'm not," I said, slamming my hands against the side, pressing them flat on the surface. The dark energy flowed from my hands into the walls, but the walls canceled it out. Another spike of pain drove me to my knees. I grimaced, forcing myself back to my feet.

"We'll get out of here someday, Maurice. Who knows? Maybe we'll destroy your world together."

"I'm not trying to escape," I growled. "I'm trying to make you shut up!"

"And how are you going to do that?"

I slammed my hands again, focusing on the energy outside the emerald. "I'm your guard. You're the prisoner. What happens when the guard burns down the prison?"

"...What?"

"Yeah, I'm falling. But this entire thing is in my head, right? Which means my physical body is still holding onto this stupid emerald! You need this emerald to remain in the world, right? Without it, you have no body. You're just a soul. And where do souls go?" I slammed against the wall again. Something cracked beneath my hands. "The next life."

Dark's smirk wavered for a second before returning. "...Are you sure?"

"Um, duh. Why else would you be afraid?"

Dark shouted in protest behind me as he fought against his chains. "If you destroy the emerald, you destroy yourself! You're tied to it just as much as I am!"

Another spike of pain flared in my mind and I fell the ground, grinding my teeth into nubs. "At least you won't come back. Ever again."

The last thing I remember was Dark's unearthly scream as I forced my last ounce of strength into one final spindash. I charged-

And the darkness shattered around me.

Someone was shaking me. Desperately shouting my name, over and over again. All I wanted to do was sleep. Fall into the dark. It felt good being dark…

But they sounded so sad. So… scared.

My eyes fluttered open and I cringed at the burst of light. Amy was staring down at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth was moving, but whatever she was saying, I couldn't process it; her words were blurry, muffled nonsense. Behind her was Tails, whose face was pale, hands shaking, his gaze locked on mine.

I wanted to smile, tell them I was fine, but with each second my grip was slipping. All I could do was blink, desperately trying to stay there. Was I... dead? Were they dead? I didn't care. I was near my family and that was all that mattered to me.

Two figures entered my vision, sharpening into focus for only a few seconds. One was standing behind Tails, gripping his shoulder. Messy green quills covered part of his face, but I could still see the two piercing blue eyes that seemed to peer into my soul. Where had I seen him before…?

The other stood beside the green one, holding his hand tightly. Her violet eyes were full of concern and as she brushed her magenta bangs behind her ear, I felt something flare inside me; a memory flew to the front of my mind and the strangers were no longer strangers.

"S-sonia…? Manic…"

The corners of my vision began to blacken and fade; no. No, no, no, no, no- I just got everyone back, I couldn't let them go again, no, not again, please not again-

I felt my breath becoming short and shallow; panicking. Stop it, just stop it, get it together, Maurice, you're stronger than this, just GET A GRIP-

I think that's when something snapped.

Feel like you don't have enough angst? Go listen to "It Ends Tonight" by All-American Rejects. Pretty much sums up this chapter.

Uh… yeah, I have no words of comfort or anything. A thousand apologies for the LONGEST WAIT EVER. Hiatuses suck and so do we. Reviews may help us get our motivation back because GOSH DARN IT HALO AND I ARE DETERMINED TO FINISH THIS STORY. We just need a little motivation, I guess….

Anyway, hello again. Hope you all enjoyed (I use that word very lightly) the chapters. There are several concepts and ideas that Halo and I did not really dive into so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a review or PM either of us for clarification. This chapter is already 9000+ words (and we actually cut part of the chapter, so be grateful) so we cut a lot of Tikal's explanation and Dark's exposition because WE NEEDED TO GET TO THE END.

So, hopefully the next chapter will be up very, VERY, soon. Or as soon as we can, anyway. Cross your fingers. I'm hoping it will be soon because the next chapter shouldn't be super long (as it is what we decided to cut from this chapter because of length issues).