A/N: Okay, so I bet you guys are excited that I get to his chapter. Haha, nawt, but you guys can enjoy the story when azngirlchibi writes her chapter alright? Sure you can, she'll bring you a better chapter I'm sure. I've seriously been working on this forever, but everyday I was only able to contribute a paragraph due to my busy schedule which is why this chapter took so incredibly long! In fact, we've had the majority of our track meets already, if you can believe it! Just yesterday we faced our old rival, the Anna coyotes, to decide if we get to go to state! I had to run the 200, the 400, and the 800. Coach wanted me to the 400 relay but the UIL rules states that I can only compete in three events so I didn't have to do it, haha!

It was awful, cause Koda and I had Chicken Express on the way there, and after we ran our first events, we both threw up. It was disgusting! At least Koda managed to hold it in before I got there, that way we could both look over and see the chunks of chicken flying out of each other's mouths. (I'm totally being sarcastic by the way.) And we still had to run the other two! We were miserable! And because I was so woozy from puking, I only got third in the 800. I was so pissed, I mean, come on, wouldn't you be!?

But that's not the worst thing that's happened, oh no, no. We found out my stepdad was cheating on my mom, and they're going to get a divorce this summer! That means I can't be Gangstalicious' sister anymore! And not to mention that I'll lose my stepbro, Karson! I cried for two days straight, but at least I still have six more weeks with them. Even if it is full of finals and hardcore raging parties that I really don't need right now.

Oh, and, apparently, I've been elected to join the NHS as their new vice president. Not that I have a flippin' choice, because according to the rules if more than eleven people elect you, you have to become a member of the National Honor Society. I'm currently getting petitions saying I'm too irresponsible while receiving paperwork for a club I DID NOT VOLUNTARILY JOIN! I've done everything to try and get them to leave me alone! Actually, I'm skipping a very important meeting as I type this. Thank God for Koda and his Dodge. Oh! And Starbucks, the perfect place to skip your teenage duties and just write your chapter with a mocha latte! I could not have done this without you guys!

Just to let you know, this chapter was incredibly hard to write and because I kept forgetting while I wrote, so there might be a lot of repetitive descriptions or mistakes. I'm real sorry, but I really did try! And I kept using the same words, so my bad. Not to mention it's wway to short! I'm really sick of softball, since we didn't even qualify for the district tournament! They say teamwork is important, but at this point, I just wish I could make everyone suck less. I kind of freaked out after Britanny missed a pop fly that could have tied us with Richardson. I threw my glove down on the ground and I told everyone I quit. But I know Coach isn't gonna let me, so I'm enjoying my minivacation while it lasts. Plus I tore my MCL again while trying to perform a jump serve after going on three tennis tournaments for our school, so I don't have to go to practice in an hour!

Ah, sweet, sweet laziness. I missed it, I really did. With all the drama in my life, I need this. Anyways, sorry for ranting. By the way, the quote I used for this chapter actually comes from one of my favorite books of all time! Come on! How can you not love classic literature? It's the culture that provides a structured reading capable of increasing your mind power. Not like Harry Potter. (Sorry HP fans, but I am an antiHarry girl all the way. I just don't see the point. Who cares about a bunch of creepy goblins or a British boy that can't even find himself a girlfriend? I'm just not really attracted to magical schools that don't have any teen drama or villains that pop up when it's convenient, sorry.) Just thinking about all the great backbones of our English enlightenment…I get strangely happy. Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Lord of the Flies, Uncle Tom's cabin, oh I could go on forever! …(cough) Uh…sorry, you didn't see that. (Looks around shyly) I'm just gonna leave…enjoy!

Dedicated to Marianne

The Queen of Aces

"Yea woman, thou sayest truly! Better had he died at once! Never did mortal suffer what this man has suffered. And all, all, in the sight of his worst enemy! He has been conscious of me. He has felt an influence dwelling always upon him like a curse. He knew, by some spiritual sense for the Creator never made another being so sensible as this he knew that no friendly hand was pulling on his heartstrings, and that an evil eye was looking curiously into him, which sought only evil, and found it. But he knew not that the eye and hand were mine! With the supersticion common to his brotherhood, he fancied himself given over to a fiend, to be tortured by frightened dreams, and desperate thoughts, the sting of remorse, and despair of pardon; as a foretaste of what awaits him beyond the grave. But it was the constant shadow of my presence! The closest PROPINQUITY of the man whom he had most vilely wronged! And who had grown to exist only by this perpetual poison of the direst revenge! Yea, indeed! He did not err! There was a fiend at his elbow! A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial
torment!"

The character: Roger Chillingworth
In, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Technically speaking, you can never make anyone feel the dimensions of your own pain.

There is no way you can make them cry all the times you wanted to, or make them want all the things you desired in fleeting moments. You cannot make them crave what you were suppressing all those years, or make them hear cruel words and force them to digest it the same way as you did. You cannot give them the nights when you could not sleep, or make them face every worry that has ever crossed your mind. You cannot take away the dreams that gave them hope because they are not the same. You cannot slip into their body and haunt their every move, bruising their tender subconscious with blow after blow of memories. It is nearly as impossible as cradling water, or surfing on a cloud.

Amy stood at a crossroad no one could see, staring into the distance with such a feeling of absurd confusion that it seemed unjustified to let it go unanswered. She seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened, as if the previous scene had moved too fast for her though all they had done was ramble on and on. As a whole, their conversation had not made sense, the idea of his words growing more idiotic with every second that passed by. The tears from her unexplainable and sudden despair were starting to dry, leaving her to find the world that he had managed to complicate in her hazy vision clouded by grief.

She recalled the look of his face, beaten though determined. The way he had almost smiled when she touched his shoulder, the feel of his lips as heavy and burdening as his senseless riddles. The wind blew unusually warm at that moment, the sky seeming too blue and the ground all around her as soft as quicksand. As she stared at the path he had taken, her head tilted, her nose scrunching as if she didn't realize what he had just said to her. Rouge and the twins just watched, not knowing what they should do, what to say. Naomi was clinging to Nathaniel's arm, peeking through her curls as if this reality was too sad, like this whole situation was painful for her. Rouge was biting her glossed lips, her eyelids lowering in pity for the pink hedgehog. Nathaniel just stared, caught between running to his mother and letting her heal on her own.

When she finally did speak, it was edged with disbelief. "He wants…" she paused, thinking it over once more. "He wants to die?" The words were almost too cold for her to speak, too strange and unworldly to ever be real. Her hands formed fists in the dirt, molding it until she pretended it was someone's hand. She thought of his words, the certainty and uncaring tone when he discussed his plan. To keep her safe no matter what. Taking a risk that was not even needed, almost as if he was looking for a reason. "But…" her words shook, compelled. "He said he was sorry…for…being…" She shook her head, bowing until she had her forehead rested on the back of her fisted hands. "He said…" And then there was the revelation, as hard and as unforgiving as stone. "He hasn't changed at all."

Rouge found it in herself to shake her head, approaching Amy with a caution that she believed would protect her. One arm grazed her back, sympathizing. "No, hon," she breathed to let herself be heard. "He's going to go and fight Tails so you two can be safe. So you can revive Ruby and then just go. Because…he doesn't care if he dies for you. He just cares about keeping you alive. You and those twins, that's all he cares about." She seemed to be repeating herself, emphasizing this one fact, trying to imbed it into Amy.

The moment she finished her sentence, Amy jerked upward in frustration before falling back down with all of her force, her fists crashing onto the earth with a sickening crash. The primitive scream that followed seemed to belong to a dying creature in a cursing unimaginative amount of hurt. She did this over and over again, pounding the ground until her hands twitched and uncurled, lying there in an injured mass as she screamed. Rouge cried out in shock, withdrawing her hand while she watched in horror. Amy began to throw her hands into the ground again, in a hysterical fit. The twins surveyed their mother quietly, their eyes wide.

Naomi continued to watch, her eyes filling with tears as she tightened her grip on her brother. "Mama…" She choked out, before she lifted her head to try and see the reaction of her twin. But to her great surprise, Nathaniel stood with an emotionless face and in his pupilless irises; Naomi could see the mirror reflection of their mom. The contorted image of her face, twisted in agony, the swollen abused regions of her hands striking the ground, all visible as if he was projecting the image in his own heart. Then Nathaniel sank his head down, his bangs masking the expression on his face. Naomi stared in awe, her mouth parting open in a gasp. She buried her face in his arm, not wanting to see anymore.

Rouge swallowed hard, not knowing what she could do for her old rival, caught between choices to make. She watched Amy lift her head up, but then as if someone had extinguished the flame of her anger; her body lurched as she fell sideways, her hair scattering all over the dirt like a soft place to land. Rouge reached towards her, concern burning away her pride. "Amy!" she called out, fear nearly cutting off her ability to speak. She crawled over to where she lay; taking the young heroine in her arms like she was the daughter she never got to be. "Oh Amy," Rouge whispered into her hair, trembling so hard that her body looked like it was experiencing the smallest of seizures.

Amy merely gave a shallow breath, suddenly too exhausted to fight anymore. "After all that," she was whispering, the light behind her eyes becoming dull. "And he…" With every blink her eyes seemed to lose color, the soul being drained out of her. "He still…" with that, she took another breath and curled into a ball so tight that it seemed like pure instinct. "He's doing it again," Amy mouthed, shaking her head. "He hasn't changed." She said again, while Rouge opened her mouth to speak.

"Amy, what are you talking about?" she asked, her colored eyelids lowering. "I don't understand…"

"What he's doing…" Amy filled in, as quiet as a breeze of wind after a hurricane. "Acting all depressed…saying he doesn't care…that's not my Sonic." The pain that settled over her heart almost too much to bear at this point. "I left him because he became someone else…you know," she explained. "I ran because I didn't like the man in front of me, who he was starting to become. Someone who didn't care…someone with no will…someone willing to betray us…someone with no personality…"

Rouge closed her eyes, fighting her own tears. She didn't dare tell her the truth. "But he loved you," she tried to manage with a strong tone. "He loved you so much, Amy. Just like he loves you now."

Amy jolted from her position, in a split second she was upright and in the face of the bat, challenging. "So what if he does?" she objected, nearly as monotone as Sonic had been. Her eyes slowly turned down, her voice fading. "If he's not the Sonic I fell in love with," she looked back up. "Then what does it matter?"

The entire universe stilled at her profound words. And poor bat had nothing to say, so Amy kept continuing.

"I fell in love with him because of all the things he used to be," Amy backed away from Rouge, sitting on her knees while tears caught on her dress. "Because he was stubborn, and cocky, because he never gave up even when the rest of us did. He was so incredibly prideful, never letting himself fall apart. He was strong, he always managed to make us smile…" her shoulders started to shake. "He wasn't…" her wounded hands upturning as if asking for something tangible. "He wasn't this…" she whispered, hanging her head. "I didn't ask for this…"

But then again, had she asked for children? Had she asked for her entire life to be flipped around? Had she asked for all of her friends to become her worst enemies? Had she asked for the right to kill them?

"It didn't matter that we were on the run." Amy confessed, letting the words come freely for the first time. "I was scared, but I was never doubtful. I knew that Sonic would keep us safe. And when we were together…I forgot about all of that bad stuff…" her throat began to swell, making all of her words sound coated with the thick voice of grief. "But then he changed. I had to leave, Rouge, I had to. If I left, if he didn't have to deal with all of these problems…I thought he could be himself again…" She let all of the thoughts come, not caring about their content. "And then I see him here today…and he hasn't changed…" she was trying hard to keep her cool, losing miserably. "He's the same and I can't ever get him back…"

The four animals were so caught up in the urgency of her sorrow that they did not even notice the woman who had been watching with teardrops forming, staring at Amy Rose as if she were the only person left in the world. Only when she let out a sob did everyone look up and see her standing there. At the knowing she'd been discovered her mouth parted open, as if she was about to start crying. But the one thing that came out of her mouth was the softest, sweetest sound, incapable of sadness. "Amy?"

Amy watched her face, as if she did not quite believe what she was seeing. She saw the same rounded cheeks, the caramel whiskey of those familiar eyes, the long rabbit ears marked with darker spots. "Vanilla?" she tried, her lips going numb as if the very name was poison. Slowly and with an air of affection, the mother rabbit gave the smallest smile as a confirmation, making the blessed numbness spread over her bones, into her veins. It gave her strength, the will she needed to stand up on her own, uncoordinated hands swiping away her tears in shame while the air still smelled as crisp as a fresh blanket of snow after an epidemic. Giving a few timid steps, Amy wondered if maybe she had just gone insane.

Rouge stood up behind her, equally as entranced. "Where's Ruby?" she muttered, her wings slightly curving as if trying to protect her from the words that might come. There was an uneasy moment before Vanilla turned her head to the tree she had previously been hiding behind; the smallest line of a form now visible as the wind rustled, pushing the bat toward her little girl. Aqua eyes widened, a peony of hope blooming over her heart. "Ruby?" she kept quiet, taking slow steps as her hand unfurled and became a bridge to connect them. She walked all the way over to her, taking in the image of her daughter with careful eyes. It was her, sleeping against the tree, skin pale but her happy smile still there.

"She's pretty." Nathaniel suddenly spoke up to everyone's shock. His stoic expression was broken by one of curiosity, continuing to stare at the sick little echidna. He saw the outline of her soft features, those straight locks of red that were nothing like his sister's. Or her skin equally as tan as his own, a companion used to the sun. His eyes cleared, a smile forming where his frown had been. "Can I go play with her, Mama?" he asked suddenly, urging as he looked at her. When she could not answer, still transfixed by the presence of Vanilla, he skipped on over to her, delighted. Rouge felt her heart race as she kept her eyes on the only person capable of saving her daughter, expecting a miracle.

Amy did not notice anything at all, not even on this earth anymore. When she finally did speak, she found herself timid and shy as if her grace had found its way back to her. "You're here," she whispered, her words coming out in the quietest of gasps. Vanilla did not have time to reply before the young mother had pounced with outstretched arms, tears glistening as she broke through the wall others had put to keep them apart. They found each other with ease, no jagged edges to cut them as they tried to fit together, the rabbit catching her friend before she even hit the ground and holding her so elegantly that one would think they'd been doing this forever. Amy was crying again, she could not help it. But she liked these tears, loved the taste they left in her mouth and the imprint they performed on their skin.

She did not mind crying this one time. As much as she'd done it over the years, out of regret, anger, sadness…within the past few months she'd sobbed almost too many times to be declared healthy. And yet she was urging herself to do it once more, as proof of how much she had missed the only adult involved in her past life. Before it had all happened, hadn't Vanilla been her adoptive mother? She wanted to give her the knowing that she had been missed, and how great it was to be here in her arms. There was a stroke of her hair, a hand running circles over her back gently. "You've gotten so beautiful," was all Vanilla said, as Amy buried her face into her chest. "I almost didn't recognize you. You look so grownup…"

"I didn't forget you," Amy whispered, twisting her hands into the dress to try and keep them together forever. "I thought about you all the time. I wanted to call you…to tell you…that I'm sorry…" With all the confessions, she wondered if maybe everything would turn out alright afterward. She thought of Cream, and found herself strangely proud. Her face went bright red with shame, her body fevering. "It's all gone so wrong," there was a weight against her heart. "Everything's messed up."

Naomi stepped forward, tugging on the dress of the older woman she did not know. "Hi." She spoke quietly, her eyes peering up in admiration while her little curls bounced, the ribbons decorating her headband swaying in the chilly wind. "I'm Naomi." She said intelligently, before pointing to the rabbit. "Are you my mama's mama?" She gave a light smile, enough to bring sunshine to their barren wasteland of feelings. Her arms extended, opening like an invitation. Vanilla looked at Amy for a minute, before the pink hedgehog pulled away, wiping her tears away as Vanilla bent over and picked Naomi up gently just like a mother should. She was about to tell the little darling that no, she was not Amy's mother, no matter how much she wished she was.

But at that moment, Amy joined them again, her voice passing over. "Yes," she told Naomi urgently, with a sense of joy. "She is my mama. She took care of me when no one else would." Her fingers fumbled over Naomi's cheek, a comforting gesture. Her quills seemed to be glowing, her skin made of light. Then she turned over to Nathaniel, only to see that he was bent over Ruby, shoulder-to-shoulder with Rouge. The little echidna gave a shuddering breath as her eyes crept open slightly, the pupils completely dilated and void of any color.

Amy watched her son scoot closer to her, curiosity overwhelming his perfect features. A specimen of perfect health though the other two children were not. His hands twitched as if he wanted to hold her, though the dimples of his smile were still present.

Then he caught sight of the curled shambles of her wings and turned to Rouge. "Can she fly?" he asked in awe, as Rouge gave a nod. He turned back to her and gave a chuckle. Ruby, as if she was in the state to understand, rolled her eyes over to the mysterious boy and gave a smile that was shy and breathtaking. Nathaniel saw this too, and to everyone's great surprise, his face became a palette of embarrassment, a blinding blush becoming all too obvious.

"My," Vanilla replied with an understanding grin. Amy wondered why she was feeling this spark of jealousy in her chest, why she wanted her son to stop stuttering at the girl and just revive her already. Naomi gave a frown, her eyebrows knitting down.

"Nathaniel!" she called out, only to be dumbfounded when her brother did not even notice. His eyes remained on Ruby, trying to form a smile like the one she had given him. But Ruby had closed her eyes, and everyone started to notice her breathing becoming shorter, weakening with each second.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with her?" he asked Rouge with a devastated tone as his bangs fell over his eye. "How come she's all sleepy?"

Seeing her chance, the jewel thief replied casually. "She needs you to wake her up." She uncurled her fists, showing the boy the wide regions of her palms. "Don't you have any special super powers? Any magic, to wake her up?"

Nathaniel's face suddenly became dark. "No." he nearly shouted, scooting away from them. "No magic. No powers. No anything, ever."

Amy realized what was going on and stepped towards them. "Nathaniel! This time, I want you to use your magic!" she gave a laugh. "This time, you actually need to."

Naomi nodded. "Or else she'll be sleepy forever!" she concluded, as her twin brother blinked. Then, the girl lowered her eyelids slyly. "I wanna meet your girlfriend too!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Nathaniel screamed, his hands flying out, swatting at open air. Then in an instant he was calm once more, walking over to Ruby with certainty. "But I do wanna play with her." Though even as he said this, his face was cherry red.

He closed his eyes, hovering over the dying little echidna who at this point was really more of a mix and set his fingers over the rise of her belly. Had they not have been looking for it, they would have missed it. The spark of green lightning that was gone at the same moment it began, exactly what they needed to bring Ruby back.

Then, as Nathaniel pulled back to see his own powers unfold, everyone held their breath to wait for the results of cheating death, twice.

A/N: Hey, it's azngirlchibi. Wow, fanfiction sure has changed a lot. I haven't been here in a while (well, in the documents section, anyway) and... whoa, the new system is pretty messed. As in, cool, yet confusing. So yeah... and I know, I neglected answering reviews again. I'M SO SORRY! I really am, I know I keep saying I will answer you guys, but... I'm just so busy! I'm really, really sorry. If I could photograph my expression and send it all to you guys, I would. Except you might get sick from looking at the shady valleys under my eyes.

The Queen of Aces got this chapter to me about a week ago... (is about to explain excuses, when people start walking away) WAIT! DON'T YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT MY LIFE TOO?!

... OF COURSE YOU DO!

Anyways, our country (you should know which country I live in... right?) is having a music festival/competition, and little me was a part of it. YAY! I got first in one of my piano competition too, 'cause of all my practicing (see, people, practicing really DOES pay off!). Anyways, consider it lucky that I got this up now... I almost joined the flute competition and the singing competition too... then this thing probably would've waited another week. The only reason I didn't join flute was because we have to wake up at an ungodly hour of the morning just to practice, and for singing... well, let's just say I despise my teacher's... incompetence. I'm not kidding... she hands you your music, and goes, "Here, learn!" ... Or she teaches us off her extremely off-key piano. My ears hurt just thinking about it...

Oh, I also figured out I have five exams. Yeah, five freaking exams. Where's the fifth one from? Saturday foreign language school... (Sigh) At least I get the credit, I guess...

By the way, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a very good book. Only reason why I didn't read it earlier was because... well, there's a lot of classics to pick from, y'know? I never got around to it. Anyways, it's way better than that "Lovely Bones" crap I had to go through. Sorry if anybody likes that book, but I can't believe one of the professional reviewers for that book actually put it in the same vein as "To Kill a Mockingbird." Harper Lee kicks the crap out of Alice Sebold any day.

Oh, and also, about Sonic fanfiction... WHY THE HECK ARE ALL THE STORIES ON THE FRONT PAGE ABOUT FANCHARACTERS GOING AT SHADOW'S CHEST FUR?! Honestly, what happened to variety? It was one of the reasons I deleted "A Canopy of Roses" in the first place, because it was starting to sound a lot like, "Bloodlust." Granted, they're not all "LOLZ! LET'S GO BE HAPPY 2GETHER, SHADZ!" but about 90 percent of it is! It wasn't always like this, but when I read complete bull crap like the brain-numbing things on the front page... I just... I just... (sobs). And no, I don't think it's necessary for me to got to the fiftieth page to look for a good story. C'MON, GOOD AUTHORS! STOP GOING TO GET LIVES! I know that the Sonic fandom is in shambles right now... BLAME YOUTUBE, GOSHDARNIT!

And in other, non-literary news, I can't freaking wait for Sonic RPG (the full name is too long to type...) to come out. I really just can't wait.

OHH! AND I FINALLY GOT BRAWL! Gimme F.C, please? I don't play much anymore, unfortunately, but it'd still be nice to practice - don't want my mad skillz getting rusty.

Just kidding.

Final note: If you're looking for a good Sonic sci-fi, read "In the Ashes of Mobius" by Rau866. Beautiful, poetic discriptions, a compelling world with rich history, and good general writing skills all around. And yes, there is a reason I'm plugging it - I'm beta-reading it. Heh. Honestly though, I'm not overplaying it or anything. I really had to dig to look for things to critique. SO GO READ IT!

Thanks for reading!

The Queen of Aces

azngirlchibi