Act II: REVELATION
Chapter I: Per Aspera ad Inferi
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." – Revelation 1:3
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One more stick added to the fire.
He could feel the heat radiating onto his fur, and with a few rubs of the hands he could feel the cold subsiding.
The cave was still dark, despite how large his fire had gotten. He had gotten used to the cold darkness of the cave, yet the shivers that constantly ran up and down his spine were no comfort in his new shelter.
Hobbling up to his feet, ignoring the incessant shaking in his legs, Sonic rubbed the growing beard on his muzzle. He began limping away from the fire, ignoring the stirring heat in his gut.
With one cough, he caved over, entering a fit of coughs and hacks that ended up in yet another spat of blood onto the cold stone.
He sighed, wiping the trails of crimson fluid from his lip. He clutched his stomach once more, feeling more sweat collecting into the dark hairs on his muzzle. Sonic continued limping towards the mouth of the cave, ignoring the tiny cryptids that darted around him.
The further he got from the fire, the more the light of the outside kicked in.
As he approached the mouth, he saw that the sky continued to hold its red color. Clouds continued to darken and collect, blotting out the natural sun. The red sky toiled and thundered, only deepening the dread that Sonic already felt.
How many days had it been since he was in this cave? He couldn't tell. Yet he was certain he'd never leave.
Watching his minions patrolling out in the desert – he couldn't imagine that he would get far. He hoped for days, praying that someone, anyone, would come and rescue him.
Hope was not only thin, but it was gone. Taking a seat at the mouth of the cave, Sonic removed his hat, running his hands through his overgrown quills.
Any day now. Any day now he would come and kill him.
He needed it to be now.
He didn't know how much more he could take.
Taking one more look at the red sky, he felt his eyes fluttering shut.
He allowed himself to give into sleep, feeling his consciousness fade as he let his body fall onto its back, gazing up at the roof of the cave.
Any day now.
Any day.
TWO MONTHS EARLIER…
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"And…fire!"
Amy slammed the hammer down, allowing the revolver to pop and pop off the leash, shattering the four glass bottles set in a row.
"Well, well, well! You keep it up and you'll be shootin' faster than me!" Sonic exclaimed, giving Amy's shoulder a squeeze.
Amy shrugged, feeling red pepper her cheeks. "Oh, stop! You're too kind to me!"
Sonic snickered. "Heh – what can I say? I know how to sweep a girl off of her feet!"
He reached forward, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into her arms, enticing a shriek that turned into giggles from Amy.
He planted a kiss on her cheek, nuzzling his nose with hers.
"Oh, Blue Blur – what have I gotten myself into?"
Sonic chuckled, ruffling the hairs on her head. "A nightmare, Ames."
She snorted, tipping his hat lower onto his face. "You can say that again."
It had been two years since the demise of Robotnik and the destruction of his church and Westopolis. The town had been Undertaker free since then, and the old Westopolis had returned to fervor.
Now Sonic saw the legends that he had heard so much about with his own eyes. The bustling, abundant, and horrifically busy town he had heard so much about was here.
After the events of two years prior, the new build of Westopolis headed by Khan and Relic made Westopolis bigger, better, and shinier than before. Population skyrocketed, and the town grew larger and larger then prior.
A lot can change in two years – even in relationships. As Sonic held Amy in his arms, he couldn't be happier with his life.
So long was the life of an outlaw – a homebody cowboy suited him much better.
As Amy chuckled at a joke Sonic whispered in her ear, her brow furrowed as she investigated the distance. Tilting her head, Sonic could tell something had caught her eye. Pulling his nose from her ear, he scowled.
"What's got your eye, Ames?"
"Who are those two horse-riders strollin' over here?"
Sonic turned around, seeing that Amy had indeed spotted the silhouettes of two horseback riders approaching them. He pulled away, stepping closer towards the two - cupping his mouth with his hand.
"Hey! Welcome to Westopolis! Can I show y'all around?! Whoever you are…?"
One of the riders stopped, and the silhouette of a woman slid off from her horse. Rushing over through the sand, she removed her hat – shaking around her mop of pink hair that sat messily on her head.
"I dunno, can 'ya?"
Sonic's eyes widened, feeling his mouth dry up. Amy tilted her head, shaking Sonic's arm.
"Sonic, who is that?"
Sonic scoffed a chuckle, shaking his head rapidly.
"My sister."
Sonia approached through the sands, smirking as she wiped some black paint from her muzzle.
"How 'ya doin', little bro?"
Sonic shook his head, cackling as he darted over. "Well, well, well! If it isn't my princess of a sister!"
The two laughed, as Sonic gave his sister a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight.
"It ain't just me, yanno? Check out messy behind me."
Sonic pulled away, shaking his head with a big, dumb smile.
Sonic's brother, Manic, removed his hat – immediately fixing his falling bangs and toying with an earring.
"Huh – fancy seein' Mr. Middle Child here!"
Sonic cackled. "This is a surprise to me too, bro!"
Manic rushed forward, giving his brother a giant hug. The two squeezed tight, giving each other a few claps to the back.
"What the hell are you guys doin' here?" Sonic asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Well, we heard our brother was some big-shot hero here, we had to see it for ourselves!" Sonia began, brushing stray hairs from her eyes. "'Course, we've also heard the same legends about Westopolis – so that was reason enough. Sorry it took so damn long to get here though, trackin' down Spikey-Bangs over here was no easy task."
"Pays to be a drifter these days," Manic shrugged, "Once she found me though, it was obvious where we were headin'."
"It's so great y'all are here – and thank god you didn't come around when The Undertaker was here," Sonic responded.
"Oh yeah, heard all about that," Manic said, leaning against his horse, "Guess we came at the perfect time! And uh – who's this lovely girl?!"
"Cut it out, lover-boy," Sonia spat, flicking Manic's arm, "So, you got a name, hun?"
Amy swallowed, taking in Sonic's sister. She was basically perfect – her mere posture was enough to intimidate Amy.
"This is my lovely, lovely girlfriend, Amy Rose!"
"Well – Sonic actually found someone to put up with him! What a shock!" Sonia joked, holding her hand out, "A pleasure to meet 'ya, Rose!"
Amy shook Sonia's hand, laughing slightly. "Yes! You – you as well!"
Manic nodded at her, pointing a finger gun towards the hedgehog.
"Well, since you're here, guess I should show you around, hm? There's some folk to meet and such!" Sonic exclaimed.
Sonia shrugged, checking her watch. "Should be fun – guess it'll pay to see what the true hoopla around here is all about!"
Sonic smirked, turning to Amy and pecking her on the forehead. "Shall we, then?"
"Sonic – why didn't you tell me you had siblings? We've been goin' steady for almost a year now!"
Sonic was flushed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Ah, I dunno! It just never really dawned my mind. I haven't seen them in so long, and I wasn't exactly around as a kid. They just – they haven't been a big part of my life."
"Why not? Didn't you miss havin' some family around?"
"Well – of course, but I guess I got used to bein' without 'em. But now they're here, and we can have a fresh start. I'm just happy you get to be part of it!"
Amy smiled, rubbing Sonic's wrist. "So am I."
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"BOOM!"
The container of the locomotive exploded, earning jumps, leaps, and hollers from Bean. Jet rolled his eyes, leaning against the burlap bag of money.
"That's the second container you've blown up, Bean! We got our score, let's get the hell outta here, yeah?"
"Ah, what's the big rush! Shit's fun!"
Wave rolled her eyes, sitting atop one of the bags of money. "Guess we better let him get it outta his system - so he doesn't blow up a building back home."
From the distance, Shadow approached, followed closely by Bark and Rouge. He inspected the money around the Rogues, nodding at the number.
"Good work. We'll get this money back to Nazo and Zero and that will be another successful heist."
"Are you suuure we can't keep it?" Storm asked, rubbing his chin.
"Oh, Stormie – I know you want all of this, but you'll get a cut!" Rouge said snidely, brushing a finger underneath her chin.
"Rouge is right, and besides – this is more money than we'd ever know what to do with!" Jet said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the desert winds.
"Jet turning down money? Unheard of," Rouge remarked smarmily.
Shadow sighed, removing his hat as he felt the windows blow past his body. He turned to Bark, raising an eyebrow.
"You still don't want a cut of this?"
Bark shrugged, investigating the hills in the distance of the desert. He ignored the flurry of flames that blew through the wind from the train, biting his lip at the prospect of getting a cut of money.
"Maybe a bit. I do want to move soon," Bark said dryly.
"We can negotiate for big guy," Wave said, "I think Nazo and Zero will be gracious enough."
Jet hopped to his feet, stretching his back out with a loud groan. "Alright, are we ready to get goin'? It's gettin' too damn hot out here."
Shadow nodded, lighting a cigarette and sticking it in his mouth. "Sure. Round up the bags, let's get moving."
Before Shadow could take even a single step, a loud shriek was heard in the distance. He scowled, squinting through the dust at the silhouettes of a few buildings.
It was a small strip of buildings – definitely a ghost strip. There was nothing there anymore but empty, downtrodden buildings.
No one should be there – so why did someone shriek?
"Y'all heard that too, right?" Storm asked, squinting through the distance.
Shadow fastened the revolver from his belt, chewing on the cigarette as it hung from his lip.
"So…should we just act like we're hearin' things and get back? Maybe someone's just gettin' robbed," Jet asked.
Bark tilted his head, inspecting the strip in the distance. He sighed, brushing falling hairs from his eyes. He stole a look at Shadow, who was gritting his teeth tightly.
Shadow couldn't place it, but he felt a gnawing at his stomach. Something was wrong there – and his gut was telling him to investigate.
"Get moving – we're goin' over there."
Shadow began picking up in a run, followed immediately by Rouge and Bark. Jet groaned, standing up as he hoisted a few bags of money.
Storm and Wave followed suit, and the crew rushed through the sands, passing by drifting tumbleweeds and blowing dust.
Gaining closer to the strip, they were met with four solitary buildings. Downtrodden, covered in broken winter planks, and the sound of a creaking windmill were all they noticed.
It was completely dead – yet there was no mistaking that shriek.
"Come on – start investigating," Shadow said, pulling his revolver from his belt.
They followed Shadow, peeking throughout various buildings. Most of them were empty, not a person or scene in sight. Shadow cursed to himself. All of these buildings were empty – where the hell did that shriek come from?
The last building, they had yet to check. Shadow approached, carefully inspecting the door. With a sigh, he kicked it open, allowing the natural sunlight to pour inside.
There were candles lit, and Shadow allowed his eyes to adjust to the candlelit room. The place seemed to be some sort of mechanic shop, though Shadow couldn't be sure – given how messy it was.
The crew followed him inside, and their eyes all fell on the same thing Shadow's did.
A mangled corpse, propped up on the wall, with their face slashed and a pitchfork through the chest.
Rouge choked back bile, turning away from the sight.
"Jesus shittin' what the fuck…" Jet muttered.
Bark crossed his arms, standing by a queasy Bean, feeling it difficult to look away.
Shadow approached, seeing a pentagram drawn in blood on the ground. He bent down, seeing unlit candles, ripped sage, burned crosses –
And seven bowls lined up around the pentagram.
He sighed, blowing some of the dust from the bowls. He choked slightly at the sight, shaking the bile from his throat.
"Shadow, what the hell is this?" Rouge muttered, standing by Wave as she investigated more of the room.
Shadow bit his tongue, sighing at the sight.
"It's a mess, ain't it?"
The crew whipped around towards the door, seeing the source of the voice leaning against the door.
"Who are you?" Wave asked, narrowing her eyes.
Stepping inside, a shark walked in, removing his hat and tucking a dagger in his belt.
"Names Razor. I heard the shriek, came over to investigate. Found this mess myself. I've been walkin' around, tryin' to find somethin'. I'm as empty handed as you are."
"Where are you from, Razor?" Shadow asked.
"Everywhere. Sort of a drifter. I was poppin' through here to try and get to Westopolis when I heard the scream."
"We're from Westopolis – you can head back with us," Rouge said, still finding her eyes drawn to the scene in front of them.
"Yeah – you're Shadow and Rouge, ain't ya? And y'all are the Babylon Rogues."
"Guilty as charged. Hopefully we ain't charged with anythin' though…" Storm trailed off.
"Hey – I ain't mean to interrupt, but why hasn't anyone seen what this dude wrote on the wall?" Bean asked, pointing towards the wall behind the corpse.
Shadow turned, walking over the pentagram, ignoring the corpse positioned against the wall. He could smell the flesh rotting, and the scent alone made him want to throw up.
Removing his hat, Shadow craned his head, feeling his breath hitch in his throat.
Written in blood were three phrases.
"PREPARE FOR THE TIME OF DESOLATION!"
"THE SEVEN WRATHS ARE DUE!"
"ECLIPSE IS COMING."
Shadow felt his heart plummet through his stomach.
Eclipse is coming.
"Good Gaia..."