I hope that this chapter is somewhat of a payoff for all of you lovely readers. I know I have been gone for a long time, and really I won't be updating too often until the turn of the year, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I still exist. I still want to write my stories, it's just taking a while to get to a financially stable place in order to do what I love without worry. The economy certainly isn't helping me, but I refuse to give up on the things I want to accomplish outside of handling my regular adult responsibilities. I will become a full-time writer one day, that goal may just be a little further than I thought.
I don't know if you can tell, but, at this point, I'm ready to write something a little different in the Shadamy realm. And after rereading this story to get back into it, I've come to realize there are many things I would change and revise if I were to edit this story in the future. Let's just say my writing style has changed in the past few years, and that will reflect in the next stories I write. Please enjoy what steam I have left for this story and look forward to the start of another by the end of the year.
For now, onward!
Chapter 14: When the Dawn Brings No Sunrise
The scent of a snuffed flame brought Amy out of her sleep, concerning her as she tried to groggily address her surroundings. She found herself tangling her body further into her bedding, smothering her quills into further disarray in an attempt to return to the pleasant dream on the edge of her memory. Unfortunately, her body ached with the desire to move. The sun hadn't surfaced quite yet, but the faint traces of light from the dying embers flickering around her room were enough to illuminate the edges of her furniture. Sighing dejectedly as she shifted in the rumpled sheets, Amy furrowed her brow as her arm bumped what she thought was a pillow.
Mm, this pillow is so soft. I wonder if it's imported… wait.
She blinked the fog from her eyes to catch the silhouette of the slumbering ebony hedgehog, resting on his back as he angled toward her body as if to shield her from whatever dare come through her windows. With one arm under a pearl-colored pillow, the other at his side as his hand cupped his chest, Shadow slept peacefully as the blankets draped aimlessly across his lower half. Amy watched the ebony hum pleasantly, the events of the previous night flooding her mind, as did a blush to her cheeks.
"Shadow… Shadow and I …"
As she sat up, the image of Shadow's flushed face surfaced, as did the image of the dark hedgehog situated above her as he mumbled sweet nothings into her ears, caressing her softly as he planted delicate kisses anywhere she would let him. He'd been gentle, yet eager to express his affections for her, as if he'd been waiting to do so for a millennia. Amy remembered feeling as though she would burst from his ministrations, but also distinctly remembered the moment she became overwhelmed with heat, and Shadow had backed away from her respectfully, kissing her forehead and telling her goodnight.
All the while, the things he'd said to her made her vibrate as she tried to keep from going into shock.
You are my everything, Amy Rose.
I want you, and I refuse to leave your side until you understand that.
I'll stay for as long as you want me.
Amy's breath hitched as she began to burn up. It was too early for this. Yet, a moment later she found herself leaning toward Shadow, eyeing his relaxed form with a curious glint, not sure if he would appreciate her waking him before sunrise. Fortunately, she wasn't left to ponder this for long, as her looming form prompted the ebony to stir.
"Hmm. Good morning."
Amy quelled a squeak, waiting for her heartbeat to relax before she responded.
"You stayed."
That's all you could muster, Amy? C'mon, at least say good morning in return.
As Amy mentally facepalmed, the ebony brandished the handsome smile from the night before, shifting to reach for her. Amy flushed as he hesitated before brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.
"You asked me to stay. Did I cross a line?"
"No. Not at all. I guess, I just…"
Retracting his hand, Shadow sat up, facing Amy with calm, understanding eyes.
"I guess I was just expecting to wake up alone with my thoughts again. I have.. an important decision to make today."
Shadow watched her ears fall, Amy's face contorting in mild irritation.
"Well, no matter what you decide, just know that I have made my decision, and I have no intention to go back on it."
Amy faced him, her heart racing as she watched him bring his knees in to rest an arm on them, his body lines illuminated by the receding moonlight. He offered her a twitch of his mouth as she studied him.
"I guess I'll have to get used to you, then, won't I?" Amy said in hush, her trial at humor earning her a hum from her dark companion.
Shadow reached for her hand, gracing the back of it with his lips as he regarded her with low, glistening eyes.
"As I said last night, I'll be here for as long as you want me."
Amy's reply got caught in her throat as eager footsteps echoed through her hall, under her door and to her twitching ear. As Shadow tilted his head to address the mild panic growing on her face, Amy pressed Shadow back to her bed by the shoulders, covering his mouth as he opened it to protest. He gave her an eyebrow as Amy felt her heart stop.
"Amelia?"
Oh, Chaos. I'd rather it be Sonic, Rouge, or even Argentine at my door right now! With my luck, there is a custom forbidding this kind of thing.
The familiar lilt of her mother's voice made Amy frantic as she sprung from her sheets, flinging the blankets over Shadow in an effort to hide him. Quickly bounding to her door on the tip of her toes, Amy made it as far as her vanity before the queen began to open her door. As Amy froze in place, she sought to think of an excuse, a way to stall her mother, or anything to keep her and Shadow out of trouble, when the door jammed. Amy's ears perked as she spotted Shadow's golden shoulder piece blocking the door.
"Oh, umm, good morning, mother! Is there something you need?" Amy voiced, inching toward Shadow's clothes.
"Yes, well, I came to check on you, but it seems the door is stuck," the queen replied as she tried the door again.
"Oh, right! It looks like something is in front of the door. Here, close the door a moment and I will get it for you."
Shadow's head surfaced from the sheets just as Amy scooped up his discarded adornments from the previous night and shuffled to his end of the bed. He met her eyes only to be burdened with the pile, pulled out of bed and shoved forward. At first he thought Amy was beckoning him to escape from the balcony, but she passed the doors on her way to the wardrobe in the corner.
"Rose, what are-" Shadow muttered.
"Shh! Just give me a minute," she begged, stopping in front of the tall doors.
"Amelia? Have you cleared the door jam yet?"
Amy ripped open the wardrobe, pulling out an armful of dresses, making space for the ebony to enter. Something golden glittered in the corner of her eye and she caught a fresh idea.
"Um, hold on! This, um antique that was on the ground is … really heavy," she huffed, feigning exhaustion.
"Well, if you've cleared it from the door, let me come in and help you with it."
Shoving Shadow inside the wardrobe along with all the evidence, she gave him a final pleading look before securing the doors gently. She rushed to throw all of the dresses onto her bed, fanning them out to make it look like she was struggling to choose. As the door creaked, she scooted over to the shelf, leaning over and putting her arms around the large, golden antique, letting out a sigh of approval.
"There we go! Come in! The door is all clear."
Inching her way through the door, looking around with an eyebrow raised, Queen Argentina loomed in the door arch, scanning the room for her daughter. Seeing Amy by a shelf on the other end of the room, she looked to the floor, thinking there was something wrong with her door.
"I don't see what could have jammed the door that was heavy. Maybe I need to get your door replaced, Amelia?"
Amy tapped the golden antique, smiling at her mother before meeting her in the center of the room. Behind the queen, she spotted a vase full of roses on her vanity that she hadn't noticed before, wondering if one of her secret admirers had dropped them off at some point.
"No, I was just moving things around last night. I thought the, um, flowers Shadow brought me last night would go really nicely on that shelf and I moved this lovely antique by the door to have it moved to another room. But, I decided I wanted to keep it, so I put it back. Lights up the room, ya know?"
"Shadow came by your chambers last night?"
The queen's tone made Amy feel uncertain and a small sweat formed on the back of her neck as Amy tried for a genuine smile.
"Yes. He… treated me to a dance last night at the banquet. Then he promised to stay by my side. He brought me flowers and wished me a goodnight," Amy confessed, bending the truth just a bit.
Queen Argentina swept her daughter up in an embrace, pressing her to her chest.
"Oh, what a gentleman! And what did you say? Did you agree to marry him?" the queen urged excitedly as she released Amy and gripped her shoulders.
"Erm, there was no marriage proposal, just a confession and-"
"What's with all of the noise?"
The two turned to see King Amelius meander in, a nonchalant look gracing his features as he opened his arms to his daughter and his queen.
"Ah, good morning Amelia. I see you're eager to see what the day has to offer you. Shall I inform all the eligible bachelors to prepare themselves as you might meet them for breakfast within the hour?"
"There will be no need for that. Sir Shadow has asked for her hand!" the queen interjected.
Blinking twice to absorb and process the news, King Amelius perked up with a knowing smirk.
"Well this is wonderful news! Should I prepare another celebration for tonight? It's a bit short notice, but I'm sure there is enough resources to make a small gathering work, in between negotiations and the late binding ceremony we've already planned."
"Sir Shadow?" Amy muttered, as the king and queen began a conversation
"N-no, there's no need. You see S-shadow didn't ask for my hand-" Amy began.
The queen shushed her without looking her way.
"My dear, prepare to announce Amelia's betrothal tonight. We can host a small gathering and move the binding ceremony to another night."
Amy couldn't manage to wrap her mind around it all as the king started rambling to himself before kissing both of them on the forehead and rushing out through the doors. As her father's voice echoed through the halls with orders and excitement, Queen Amelia grabbed Amy by the shoulders and moved her to the vanity, pushing her to sit in the chair. As Amy stared at her flustered reflection, her mother rushed around behind her chair, grabbing three dresses from her bed, and throwing them over her chair.
"Y-you don't have to rush this marriage announcement," Amy voiced loud enough for her mother to hear, picking at the garments that fell over her shoulders.
"Oh, nonsense, child. The people of Aumoris need to hear this news. After all of the turmoil they've been through,they need to hear of the engagement of the future queen of Aumoris, to someone as noble and brave as Sir Shadow no less."
Amy huffed and slouched in the chair, fiddling with a brush, listening to the shuffling of the queen as she rummaged through a drawer near her.
"Right. About that…becoming queen thing."
Queen Argentina didn't hesitate as she closed the drawer, depositing a few delicate bottles onto the vanity. She moved behind the vanity chair, directing an eye to the fabrics.
"Yes, Amelia?"
Amy looked down, discouraged by not only the tone of her mother's voice, but her eyes that remained glued to the three dresses in her hands.
"Well, I think… maybe I should spend some time thinking about whether or not becoming queen is the right choice for me."
The queen froze, looked into the mirror, blinking a few times before looking to the door in thought. She forced a gust through her nose in a less than elegant fashion and turned to the dresses once again.
"Amelia, I don't think time is on our side. I'm not sure if that is possible."
Amy shrank into the chair with sigh, but perked back up to address her mother's hasty march to her wardrobe.
"Wait, don't-"
"Honestly, Amelia, you're already showing such promise as a ruler of Aumoris. You even went out of your way to pick something to wear. Though your choices are… quaint, your efforts are admirable nonetheless."
As the queen's fingers grazed the handle of the wardrobe, Amy's heart stopped. Catching the green sparks flitting between the doors, she thought quickly.
"Mother, wait!"
The queen flinched and stared at Amy incredulously.
"Heh… um, will you pick out something red at least? I'm feeling a little festive today."
As Amy brandished a sheepish grin, the queen raised an eyebrow to her, but nodded at her daughter's request. The wardrobe shook beside the queen and she gave it her curious eyes before pulling open the doors.
"I say, Amelia!"
Amy stilled, swallowing.
"You chose anything but the festive dresses! Look at all of the colorful garments I stored in the back of this wardrobe?"
Amy deflated, puffing her bangs into order with a sigh.
Bless you, chaos control.
~aAa~
"Hey, buddy, will you pass those rolls? Sal is about ready to bite my arm off."
"Sonic, the last thing I want to do is bite you."
"That's not what you said last night."
Tails, passing the entire plate of bread rolls to the couple across the table, stuffed a cut of meat into his mouth, looking down at his plate with a blush. All the while, Sally shook her head with her arms crossed.
"Don't think you're off the hook, Sonic. Just because last night was pleasant, doesn't mean there won't be consequences for your other actions," Sally mumbled, lifting her hand to pick her roll.
Sonic, glued to Sally's side with his arm draped over her chair as he sat on his own, loomed over the princess, pressing lips to her ear. Sally could feel his sneer as she closed her eyes.
"To what are you referring, m'lady? My actions before or after I got rid of your clothes?"
Sally wasted no time in shoving her elbow into Sonic's gut, with enough force that he almost dropped the rolls. Tails chewed slowly as his muzzle burned uncomfortably.
The door to the dinning hall creaked, drawing their attention while Sonic heaved.
"Good morni- Mr. Sonic, are you okay?"
A thoughtful bat and a hungry echidna trailed in behind the rabbit. As Cream approached the table, worried, Sally shooed her away from Sonic to the other side of the table.
"Don't worry about him Cream. He and his breakfast are just having a disagreement. He'll be fine."
Cream blinked at the couple, but turned to Tails and gave him a twirl, pulling the hem of her favorite purple sundress in delight.
"I found this in the bag you packed for me. Thank you, Tails," she said promptly.
"It's nothing, really, Cream. You had it layed out on your bed at home. We were supposed to see a movie the day after Knuckles' birthday party, and I think you were planning to wear that," Tails mentioned as Crem took a seat next to him.
"I remember. I guess we'll have to pick up where we left off when we get back."
He nodded in agreement as he handed her a tray of sweet biscuits, Rouge and Knuckles taking seats beside them, silent. Sonic rubbed his chest, pushing his plate away from him as he suppressed the urge to regurgitate his meal.
"What's wrong with him?" Knuckles asked after he filled his plate.
"He's just enamored with this lovely array of food," Sally explained.
"I'm fine, Knucklehead. What we all want to know is how you managed to put the moves on Rouge last night when you could barely walk. And don't try to be modest; we could all hear you," Sonic managed through a tight smirk.
Knuckles raised an eyebrow and barred a fang.
"Why don't you ask her? She's right in front of you, smartass."
Sonic leveled a cautious glance to the bat, clearing his throat when she didn't make eye contact with anyone at the table, opting to focus on the greens she'd thrown on her plate. Trying his luck, Sonic leaned across the table, giving the bat a toothy grin and nudging her arm with his fork.
"We don't have time for your antics today, blue boy. Tails, is everything ready for departure or what?" Rouge snapped, shoving her fork toward Sonic, then to the kitsune.
Tails, who'd been sneakily forking a sweet treat off of Cream's plate, straightened and put his fork down, fidgeting with his wrist watch before answering her.
"Yes.. erm, well everything is in place for the most part. The king's vessel is fueled and ready to fly. We've already loaded everything, including our ship. We can leave within the hour."
The unenthused echo of clicking utensils was the only thing that filled the hall for several breaths, along with a sniff and a few swallows.
"Has anybody seen Mr. Shadow?"
Rouge's seat screeched against the stone, and Knuckles tripped over himself in his attempt to stop her as she rushed toward the doors.
"Let me go! I have to find Shadow! I need answers!" Rouge cried, pulling against her captor.
Knuckles had her by the waist, pulling her to sit. She thrashed against him in her haste, and Knuckles spit the tip of one of her wings out of his mouth as he dug his heels into the floor. Cream watched the two with a hand to her mouth, as Tails shrank in his seat, wishing he were somewhere else. Sally sighed as she took a sip of her drink and Sonic leaned back in his chair, amused.
"Rouge, please! You said you'd let him handle it on his own this time," Knuckles tried to reason with her.
"I know, but if anyone knows how he's feeling right now, it's me. He's probably threatening the locals and moping in a corner right now and none of you seem to care! So, let me go. He needs me!"
"Need you to do what exactly?"
Everyone froze and watched the ebony seemingly materialize into the hall. With an eye quirked up, he stepped toward the group, fluffing out his chest fur and leveling a half-lidded look at the bat, his air shoes clicking against the steps.
"Shadow…" Rouge mumbled as she stopped fighting.
Shadow waited at the head of the table as their eyes found their way to him. After unhooking Knuckles' arms from around her waist, Rouge approached Shadow cautiously.
"So… how did it go last night?"
Shadow straightened as he eyed the bat and the events of the previous night flooded him. Where should he start? And did they really need to hear all the details?
"Well… I don't really want to give any details without Rose's permission."
Sonic snickered and slammed his glass on the table.
"Oh, come on, Shad. You got six people to wingman you last night and you can't spare a single detail?" Sonic said, throwing a pointed glance at the ebony.
Shadow crossed his arms as Rouge leaned against the table, shaking her head lightly at the blue blur and his prying words.
"I don't see how it's any of your business, faker," Shadow grumbled.
"Chill, Shads, chill. All you were supposed to do was confess your feelings, right? You act like you went as far as proposing to her."
Before Shadow could amend Sonic's statement, both doors to the hall were thrown open, and King Amelius waltzed in, bowing to the dining heroes before making an announcement that rattled the walls.
"Good morning, heroes of Mobius. It is my greatest honor to present to you, along with this lovely arrangement of edible delicacies of the finest nature, the newly engaged Princess Amelia Rose, the future of Aumoris."
Sonic choked on the candied nuts he'd just popped into his mouth. Sally patted his back as Cream gasped in excitement and Tails namesakes frazzled in surprise. Knuckles paused mid-bite and Rouge watched the doors as she began to disassociate momentarily.
"E-engaged?" Rouge repeated, turning to Shadow.
Shadow simply cleared his throat with a light flush to his cheeks, focussing on the doors rather than the bat boring holes into his skull beside him.
As King Amelius drew away from the doors in an exaggerated flourish, Argentina strode in draped in maroon and gold, pulling a stubborn Amy on her arm. Argentina beamed as she guided Amy toward the table, Amy strapped from neck to toe in a feverish-red party gown with a blushing underskirt and golden seams that outlined rose-like patterns on the surface. She had a fraudulent grin plastered on her face and her eye twitched as she tried to address everyone's fazed look in her direction.
"H-hey, guys. I hope you enjoyed the banquet las-"
"Thank you all for joining us this morning, humble freedom fighters. Though the sun has not brought the promise of the new day, the news I have will bless you for years to come, sun or no sun!" Argentina interjected.
Rouge found herself slowly backing into her chair only to fall into Knuckles' lap as Argentina pushed Amy to stand where the bat once stood, facing Shadow. As a light sweat formed on Amy's head, Shadow stood before her, solemn and unmoving, with eyes that bled into her own. Argentina stood between them, addressing the room with her announcement.
"Today, I declare the engagement of Shadow and Amelia and seal their future marriage with our blessing."
Argentina reached for the right hand of each hedgehog and placed them together. Cupping their overlapping hands, she muttered a prayer under her breath before a glow bloomed from the center. As the queen drew away from the couple, the blossoming light condensed and split in two, each bead of light tracing a bright ring pattern around the fourth finger of each hedgehog. As an imaginary force pulled their hands above them, Amy found herself in awe.
"Now you are bound to each other."
As Queen Argentina's statement resonated around them, Shadow and Amy gingerly pulled their hands apart, the gentle magnetic force between the two rings mystifying the new couple. The queen placed her hands on each of their shoulders and their rings faded into their fingers. Shadow lifted an eyebrow and Amy turned her hand over a few times.
"Soooo can we get upgraded rooms while we wait a few months for the ceremony?"
Everyone turned to regard Knuckles as he held a stunned Rouge in his lap. Tails gave him a tired glare and Rouge blinked at him. He shrugged.
"What?" Knuckles asked.
Before anyone could retort, a crescendo of rushing footsteps drew their attention to the door once more. When the doors shot open this time, a gust of smoke and dust followed behind the breathless Aumorian prince.
"Argentine!"
"My son!"
"The oracle!"
Stumbling into the hall with a crumbling bundle in his arms, Argentine fell to his knees, gently depositing a sizzling brown robe on the stones, cradling the hood. With the occupants of the dining hall gathering around him, the prince took off his cape and covered the heaving oracle, looking up to find his mother's glowing eyes.
"She doesn't have much time."
As Argentina knelt beside her son, King Amelius towered over them, the freedom fighters flanking him on both sides, unsure of how they could help. Amy pressed through her friends, folding to the ground and placing the oracle's hooded head in her lap. Blood splattered on the stones beside her skirts.
"Do not fuss over me. My fate has been sealed, but the fate of Aumoris is still fluid."
Amy held in her breath as the oracle's hood fell back revealing a frog-like face, the skin bubbling as an odorless smoke caressed her head. Swallowing her horror, Amy watched as the oracle's smoggy eyes drifted to her own, the oracle's face shifting from that of an old wretch, to a young woman, then a seemingly wise adolescent. A small sweat formed on the back of Amy's neck until the warm glow of her mother's healing invocation pulled her from those all knowing eyes.
"Argentine, what happened?" Argentina harshly whispered.
Argentine shut his eyes, his adrenaline thinning and unveiling the panic from underneath. With the Oracle safe within the confines of the fortress, nestled between his mother and his sister, he relinquished the oracle's receding form and held himself, soothing the shudders as best he could. He opened his tired eyes and looked up at his father.
"After the banquet, I left with three nobles from Kestral to take a ride out to the border late into the night. It was just supposed to be a rejuvenating ride where we'd get to rekindle relations and engage in friendly competition, but we were drawn to the growing smokestacks in the east."
Sonic strayed from the group as Sally knelt beside Amy, putting a hand on her shoulder. They shared a look and Sally placed the Oracle's head in her lap, enabling the pinkette to shift toward her brother. Amy moved to Argentine's side and rubbed his back, watching as he tried to regain control of his trembling hands.
"I'm guessing you and the other nobles found him… prince Riven?" Amy muttered dejectedly.
Argentine swallowed.
"We had our suspicions when we saw the smokestacks in the east, but I assumed that the remnants of Riven's forces were just doing as they were programmed, operating on Riven's last orders alone. I couldn't fathom how the prince could have survived. I saw him vanquished at the hands of the dark one. There was nothing left of him."
Argentine turned his quivering crystalline eyes to Amy's emerald, torn between two truths. Yet, as Amy searched his eyes for confirmation, Argentine seemed as if he was reliving a nightmare right before his eyes.
"But I saw him with my own eyes, and he had not a sliver of flesh on him. He was siphoning something from the oracle as he had her chained to some torturous contraption. And when he discovered our presence and sought to kill us, his eyes held no fear, nor concern for our infiltration. It was then I knew he had discovered the extent of the prophecy by way of forcing it from the Oracle…"
Argentine shut his eyes once more and curled into himself.
"… and he knows that there is not a single Aumorian that can hurt him."
"Where are the nobles you left with, my son?" Amelius asked.
Argentine's body shook like a leaf as Amy attempted to sooth him with more urgency. The white prince shook his head, covering his mouth as if to quell the urge to vomit.
"The others did not survive the confrontation with the dark prince. I only made it out unscathed because the Oracle took a fatal shot aimed for my throat after I managed to release her. I fled with the Oracle as fast as I could. In our haste, the Oracle alerted me of Riven's intentions. He'll have us surrounded before midday, with no intention of taking any prisoners aside from you, sister."
The queen quickened her invocation as she listened to her son's story. Sonic peered through the door of the dining hall, looking out of the creaking door that the prince used to get inside. An ever present dust coupled with smoke shrouded the land ahead, blocking out the sun as a muted light colored Aumoris in a dark gradient. Shadow approached the blue blur promptly, and the two of them exchanged a silent message.
"Argentina….it is of no use to waste your efforts on me. Save your gifts for the battle ahead," the Oracle croaked.
Lifting her bubbling hand, the Oracle nudged the queen, gesturing for her to come closer. As Argentina lowered her face, traitor tears coating her cheeks as she unwillingly revoked her healing spell, the Oracle's hand cupped her cheek and neck.
"Breathe with me, gifted one."
As Argentina and Oracle drew in a lengthy breath in tandem, Argentina jerked upright with eyes glossed over. The king dropped to their level and supported the queen's back, lifting her head by the chin as she came to. She blinked the clouds from her eyes as a somber essence encased her form.
"No. I cannot… you mustn't give this to me! You will live, Adalesca! I can heal you!" Argentina cried, reaching for the Oracle's robe.
Argentina's outcry stilled any and all movement in the dining hall, all eyes focused on the queen and the Oracle's final exchange.
"Please, find me in my next life, gifted one. My successor will benefit from your kindness and your guidance," the Oracle coughed.
As she laid her head back onto Sally's lap, her eyes flitting to the stone ceiling, the Oracle clasped her hands together over her chest, her shallow breaths slowing.
"Fight to protect this land, all of you. It is possible that you can prevail if you make use of all resources available to you. Know that my wisdom is still with you…"
With a twitch of her head, the Oracle caught Amy in one of her clouded globes of omniscience.
"…and know that there are consequences to defying fate."
Amy's fur stood on end as she looked away from the Oracle's fading form, only to find her mother's eyes flit to her momentarily, before returning to the Oracle in her final moments.
As the Oracle receded into an infantile form, Sally blinked several times before lifting the frog-like child into her arms. No sooner than she lifted the Oracle into the air did Argentina snatch her from the princess. Bringing what was left of the Oracle to her chest, Argentina mumbled a prayer in a foreign language as she rocked back and forth for what seemed like an eternity, the heroes around her lowering their heads.
"Aumoris will always be with you, Adalesca."
And when the queen unfurled her hands, all that she cradled in her palms was a sifting mound of green dust that fled between the spaces of her fingers. Stifling a sob, she let the remainder of the dust slip through to the stones below.
"Heroes of Mobius…"
Everyone looked to the king as he stood, bringing his queen to stand with him.
"Please march with us into battle… for one last ast time."
~aAa~
Frantic footfalls from behind the walls of the stuffy room brought an unnerving hum to Shadow's twitching ears, his sensitive hearing making him prone to premature headaches in instances like these. Moments where the futility of the situation brings the people around him to bicker and fight. The seconds before fatality strikes and everyone finds themselves choked up by the hand of fear. Those crucial heartbeats that thrum the beat of what may be the final march.
It was maddening to say the least.
From Shadow's damp corner, he crossed his arms as he pressed his weight against the wall and watched as the men in the center of the king's strategy room engaged in a heated exchange. He recognized Ranenkai and Prince Argentine, both flanking the king as he stared deliberately at the illuminated strategy table before him, seeming to tune out the nonsense. As he watched arms and insults flail about, Shadow was drawn to the flickering glow to the right of them, finding himself far more interested in what waited beyond the translucent glass double doors to their right. If he squinted hard enough, he could just make out the fuzzy white outline of the queen, hard at work beyond the frosted doors. If only he'd been invited to supervise.
"Why didn't that blasted Oracle tell us who was destined to defeat Riven before she croaked?"
"The Oracle could not glimpse the destiny of anyone from Adrelis, because not a single one of those cretins is completely mortal, their rulers especially. You know she would have if she could!"
"It matters not! Riven and his army of freaks are likely waiting at the Omniprotectant as we stand here losing ourselves. He has always feared the power of the white rose, but now that he knows that none of us truly have the power to end him, he fears nothing."
"But the Oracle said we can still succeed! That means she saw a flicker of Aumoris thriving before her death. Maybe we should try and enlist the help of our guests, then. They are not Aumorian, so maybe they are the key? We will owe them for a millennia, but it is worth it if we can preserve our home. They are not able to return home until we eliminate Riven's forces anyway. Let us give them a chance to fight for their lives as well!"
"No! We promised them protection within our borders. Sending out foreigners to fight is dishonorable."
"And three of their sons were killed last night. Whether their son's are to blame for their own foolishness or not, we cannot ask anything of them when they are mourning such loss."
Shadow flattened his ears with a grumble. Movement from the other end of the room caught his eye and he watched as Sonic conversed with Tails. Whether the Aumorians were purposely forcing the Freedom Fighters out or not, the frustration that frazzled the kitsune and the blue blur was tangible as they stooped and stretched to looked through the tight spaces of the Aumorian leaders, trying to view the pieces that lay scattered across the hand-etched borders of Aumoris. Just as Tails shook his head and turned away, the door behind him creaked, bidding Sally, Cream, Knuckles, and Rouge entrance into the stuffy space. They had all changed into clothes suitable for battle.
"We still have a chance. We have the Freedom Fighter's at our side. They are not Aumorian, and we know that one of them possesses the power to vanquish the dark prince for good!" Renenkai affirmed among the feuding men.
"Don't spout that nonsense again, Ranenkai. The dark one had the chance to finish Prince Riven, and clearly he was not successful! Leave your prized Freedom Fighter's out of this!"
Before Shadow could make his way over to his friend's, Rouge lunged at the crowd of flustered nobility. The only thing that saved them from an onslaught of bat wings and sharp fangs were the strong arms of the echidna. As the men parted and grew quiet, Rouge's cry reverberated the walls. Cream and Tails backed away from the group as Sally and Sonic crossed their arms and watched the display with a neutral glance to the silenced Aumorian men.
"Excuse me! Don't you dare talk about Shadow as if he isn't in this room! He saved all of your asses several times over already and he does not deserve to be treated like an ass wipe," Rouge bellowed.
Everyone stood behind Rouge as if to defend her statement, the standoff between them and the Aumorian nobility searing the atmosphere before the king finally doused it with his decisive voice.
"I asked the Freedom Fighter's to join us this last time. I know that they will be pivotal in Aumoris' survival in the wake of this nightmare. They are not of this world, and they have already proven to be effective against prince Riven and his army of immortal savages. If anyone should be at this strategy table, it should be them."
King Amelius simply glanced at the men at each corner of the table furthest from him. With a bow, they relocated, all the others that lined that edge vacating the area without a word, leaving room for the mobian heroes. Sonic unfurled his arms and his frown, approaching the table with a dark smirk directed to the men around the table. Sally followed behind him, placing her hands on the strategy table and putting all her efforts into memorizing the formation on the table. Rouge huffed and stalked up the table before sitting on the edge, flicking a wing at the noble closest to her, mentioning something about needing space under her breath. Knuckles scooted behind her seated form, placing a fist on the table as he sandwiched himself between Rouge and the noble she'd flicked with her wing, giving him a quick glare. Tails and Cream trotted up to the table together, Cream opting to float over the table with a flutter of her ears, a hand to her chin.
Shadow prepared to make his way to the table when the glass door creaked with motion. A pink form flooded his peripheral vision for a moment, and then Amy was in front him, free of her feverish red dress and tucked neatly into a long-sleeved black athletic one piece that stopped mid thigh. She gave him a weak smile without looking into his eyes fully and he turned to give her all of his attention. He found his initial question trapped in his throat when he noticed the remnants of tears along her muzzle. Gently, he graced her cheek with the back of his hand, warmly beckoning her to look at him as he changed his approach.
"How is it in there?" Shadow voiced.
"Tense. My mother is still upset about the Oracle. Apparently they grew up together," Amy explained with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Rose," he muttered, shifting to caress her cheek.
Amy sighed and rubbed an arm, blinking a few times as if she were struggling to remember something.
"My mother said the Oracle gave her everything she needed to help her complete the prophecy on her own, including some magical code to help create enhanced armor of some sort. Apparently, when you fought Riven last, the timeline of the prophecy shifted abruptly. I'm guessing something pushed the prince to make one final attempt to take Aumoris now rather than later."
"Regardless of the prophecy, I'll handle him, Rose. I won't let him lay another hand on you. I swear it."
Amy tucked a quill behind her and looked away with a blush.
"How is it in here? I thought I heard Rouge screaming for a second there…"
"Stifling. But it looks like we've finally been given a seat at the table."
Both hedgehogs parted and focussed on the tense standoff at the center of the room. Amy, wishing she could get some air, looked to the balcony behind them, making a plan of escape. Amy's heart dropped when she noticed the gray essence that permeated the kingdom now, a product or Prince Riven's war preparations. Forcing a breath through her nose, she headed to the table reluctantly, Shadow trailing behind her.
"So, now that we're done playing grab ass, let's get down to it. What are we looking at, your highness?" Sonic asked.
King Amelius nodded to the blue blur before turning to his son. He waited only a moment as the white prince came to, the king requesting the knowledge bestowed upon his son by the Oracle with his eyes. Argentine, who'd folded in on himself up until this point, cleared the sand from his throat.
"T-the dark prince intends to use the power he siphoned from the Oracle to negate the magic used to hold up the Omniprotectant. The magic he siphoned isn't enough to take down the barrier as a whole, but it will give him the means to create a gap large enough to allow his army to breach our lands. The dark prince knows all too well that the barrier keeps us Aumorians in as well. Typically, we station magically enhanced knights at certain access points to break the barrier at weaker points to enable Aumorians and the like to pass through," Argentine began.
"So, he wants to play dirty and trap us in here with him?" Knuckles snarled.
"Prince Riven has the knowledge that no Aumorian has the power to end him, the royal bloodline included. He knows that much from peering into the Oracle's mind and collecting the missing parts of the prophecy he was not privy to up until this point. He thinks he is unstoppable and his fearlessness drives him now. He believes that by trapping us in our own lands with him and his army of undead, we will be gripped by panic and desperation, driving us out of our walls and straight to his slaughterhouse. With Aumoris backed against the wall, he will only stop his onslaught if we turn my sister over to him," Argentine continued.
Listening while standing in the shadow of her friend's, Amy shivered for a moment, remembering Riven and the places he'd touched her before, the sensitive areas of her body he'd violated in his pursuit of her hand in marriage. Though she knew he could have done worse things to her, the mention of the dark prince reminded her only of the unpleasant nature of the interactions she'd had with him. Her discomfort fuelled her in that moment, rekindling a fire she didn't know had gone out. She perked to the ebony as he moved to make space for the two of them to enter the fray between Tails and Sonic. As she joined the group illuminated by the light reflecting off of the strategy board and their stricken faces, Amy found the twisted, purple placeholder on the map that signified Riven's probable position in the east and her blood curdled.
"Why don't we use that fearlessness against him? His overconfidence could be the death of him if he's thrown all caution out of the window," Sally suggested.
"Sal's right. A cocky son of a bitch is a roasted son of a bitch, if you ask me. With a little extra elbow grease on our part, we can send this guy to his grave for good," Sonic agreed.
The King took control of the conversation with a simple wave of his hand, beckoning to the figures standing at attention across the strategy board.
"Currently, I have forces assembling at these seven access points several paces outside of our limits. They are to keep Riven out at all costs and mitigate the damage to our home. Those men are waiting, not only for Riven and his abominations, but for their leaders and their king to step in front of them with a plan of attack. With the women, children, and elderly retreating to the catacombs under the fortress as we speak, I fear that we will need to go on the offensive as our defense will not hold long against the undead."
"If we fail and try to abandon Aumoris, it will be nearly impossible to get everyone out, since the Omniprotectant takes hours of careful chanting to undo. Creating a hole large enough to see everyone out takes the power of several magic user's to hold open for the time we'd need to vacate, and only my mother is equipped for such a task. And since we are bound and trapped by our own protective barrier at this stage, we'll need to meet Riven where he stands with more than just our measly swords and shields. If you think that we should use Prince Riven's lack of foresight against him, then we should plan accordingly and include a few extra contingency plans. There is too much at stake to think no further than our noses," Argentine affirmed.
As Argentine frowned and moved to fiddle with the placeholders on the board, Amy's mind twisted. She started to imagine the dark, unhinged smile of Prince Riven and in an instant she wanted nothing but to end him herself. As the urge to summon her hammer arose, she remembered that the prince had confiscated her prized weapon, and she deflated.
There's got to be some way I can end this. I don't want anyone to live in fear of this guy anymore. I don't want to live wondering if he's going to come find me again. If only I hadn't missed when I tried to shoot him.
"We won't need to plan for every failure if we come up with a fail-safe. Look at where the fortress is located and all of the trees Prince Riven will have to go through before he gets to the heart of Aumoris. If you're so worried about your pathetic swords and shields holding up, why not not trade them out for something a little less, well, robust," Rouged interjected.
Rouge shifted and caught the eyes of her former partner, giving him a twitch of her lip.
"You thinking what I'm thinking, partner?"
Shadow raised a brow, but traded his look for that of approval as he got on her wave length.
"If we attack from the trees, we may create an opportunity to turn the tide at the start of the battle," Shadow thought aloud.
Sonic threw his head back with a short laugh.
"You two want to place guerrilla warfare on their shoulders? Bold move… when do we start?" Sonic chided.
"You won't be doing any of that, blue boy. You'll blow our cover in an instant. You're more of a flashy, frontline kind of guy, if you ask me," Rouge coalesced.
"Rouge may be on to something. It's less than elegant, but using the terrain to our advantage could give us the edge we are looking for. The prince will expect a rigid and formal battle from the Aumorians, and we may catch him by surprise if we take some of our forces and prime them for an attempted ambush. Even if Prince Riven does suspect it, we could still do considerable damage," Sally voiced, picking up a few loose placeholders and scattering four across the forested areas on the board.
Tails shook his head and drew their attention as he brandished a projected screen from his wrist, typing away.
"But there is still one thing we haven't taken into consideration. We still don't have a way to permanently down Riven's soldiers. If we attack them, they'll just get right back up. The only one who has been able to take them out permanently is Shadow," Tails countered.
"It's not Shadow, but the chaos energy that takes them out for good. Maybe, if we were able to distribute it somehow…" Cream began.
"But we only have one emerald. And Shadow can't take on an army on his own," Knuckles stated.
"Two emeralds, actually. There is one in the ship that I'm using to power it," Tails corrected.
"I can grab the spare emerald and take a stab at a few chaos spears. I've managed chaos control once or twice, so how hard can it be? No going super, though. We don't have enough emeralds for that," Sonic added.
"Chaos control? A spear of some sort? Super…?" Argentine asked in between their quick exchange.
Sonic shrugged and shook his head.
"A story for a later time, princey."
"Chaos energy is not a plaything, faker. I would not suggest you go running around practicing on a legion of lethal undead freaks in the middle of an all-or-nothing battle. We're better off giving the second emerald to Knuckles. He has a deeper connection to the emeralds as guardian of the master emerald. He can tap into the power and use it to his advantage as well, he just chooses not to," Shadow grumbled.
"Is that true, buddy?" Sonic directed his question to the echidna, baffled.
Knuckles shrugged, scratching the back of his head.
"I've never really thought of using it in a fight. I can call on its power to try and take on these guys, but don't expect me to go throwing any chaos spears, or whatever."
Amy backed herself into the shadow of the people around her once more, thoughts knocking about as her mind moved a mile a minute at the mention of chaos energy.
Chaos energy. Maybe, if we draw him out somehow, and put everything we had into a giant chaos blast of some sort, maybe we can end this from the beginning? But how am I going to get him alone, and what do we have that could produce such a blast?
The rose found her eyes drifting over to the kitsune as her thoughts left her, her intuition taking hold now. As the other leaders at the table whispered to one another, Cream lowered herself and pressed against Tails' side as she observed his screen, an idea forming. She watched as he flipped through files with images of mockups and prototypes. As Tails started to flip through the files for the inventions he had stocked in the ship, his scrolling slowed. He flitted past an image of the ship's engine, an intricate metal tower with the yellow emerald housed at the top, only for Cream to stop him and point.
"Tails, wait! Can't we use this somehow?" she asked.
"All we can do is give the emerald to Knuckles or Shadow; they are really the only ones who can call on chaos energy for combat effectively."
Cream grabbed the kitsune by the shoulders and shook him a bit.
"No, they aren't the only ones who can tap into it. You've used it to power the ship. You can use it for combat, too!"
Amy, who'd been consumed by their conversation, perked toward the young couple, a thought sparking her engagement. Cream's outburst had reminded her of something.
"That's right. Tails, you fashioned a chaos cannon that you used in space to use against Prince Riven's forces when you guys came after us. There's got to be a way you can replicate that somehow," Amy added.
Tails rubbed his chin as Cream nodded to Amy and flipped through Tails' screen as he held out his arm for her.
"The cannon was destroyed during the battle in space, but maybe if I reroute the energy into something smaller scale…" Tails mumbled to himself.
Amy pulled Cream and Tails away as a plan formed in her head. Behind the group, Sonic, Sally, Knuckles, and Rouge moved the pieces along the board and started to form a solid offensive pattern, Shadow simply observing. While they conversed, Amy lowered her head and begged Tails with her eyes.
"Tails, if you can replicate that cannon, we could create a blast large enough to take the prince out for good! If we draw him out somehow, then we can hit him with everything the emerald's got. With the prince gone, his army will stop following his orders and then we'll be home free," Amy suggested.
Tails gave her a look of uncertainty before Cream agreed.
"Yes! Take out the source! You've got something that you can use to route the ship's engine through, right? And you have great aim, Tails! You could take out the prince in one shot! Just be sure not to hit anyone with it," Cream ranted.
A spark of realization peppered the kitsune's face as something clicked. Amy and Cream waited patiently for his genius to show.
"Of course! I need to hit everyone. Why didn't I think of that?"
Cream and Amy deflated for a moment, wondering if the kit had a screw loose.
"Um, Tails, maybe we shouldn't hit anyone else but the prince with raw chaos energy?" Cream amended.
"No… I mean, yes, but… well the swords. They are the perfect material for housing chaos energy temporarily. If I can find a way to reroute and direct the energy of the chaos emerald in the form of a blast or laser of some sort, I can distribute it," the kit explained to the two girls.
Before they could solidify their plan, King Amelius seized control of the room again.
"What say you, Freedom Fighter's? What is your ultimate suggestion? Time is not on our side," King Amelius interjected as his leaders grew silent at his call.
Sonic gestured to Rouge, who took a moment to whisper furiously over Sally's head to the blue blur. As Sally picked up their plan with her arms crossed, she took it upon herself to explain all of this to the king in a way that only she knew how. All the while, Amy shifted back into her place at the table, Tails and Cream continuing their discussion in the corner near the door. Sally placed her hand on the table to draw everyone to her as Sonic and Rouge finished their conversation on either side of her.
"Your highness, we'd like to propose a simple plan of action. We'd like to divide our group into teams to lead several Aumorian groups into battle. The first group will be a team of flexible maneuvers, hiding among the vegetation and doing damage from the trees in an attempt to agitate the prince. We deduced that since the prince controls these men himself, we can alter his mental state and potentially frazzle all of Prince Riven's men as a result and gain control of the battle early on," Sally began as she enraptured everyone including the Freedom Fighters.
"Our second team will deal damage to Riven's men as they emerge from the brush. We'll meet Riven's men with the same number of men, the same ferocity, and the same drive if possible."
"What of this chaos energy you spoke of? You say this is the mystifying power that the dark one used to destroy Riven's men and nearly end the dark prince himself. How will you make use of it to win this battle?" King Amelius inquired, directing his chin to Shadow and Knuckles.
Before Sally could answer, Amy stepped forward, moving Sally over gently as all eyes fell on her. Although her nerves were screaming, the cold eyes of the dark prince haunted her as she prepared to speak and the flitting images of all that he'd done to her friends drove her to speak out. Shadow moved to her side, curious and unsure, but supportive nonetheless.
"Tails will take the emerald from our ship and disperse the chaos energy to the forces on the second team. The power of the chaos emerald will temporarily imbue their swords and weapons with the power to take out Riven's men and Prince Riven himself if he dares walk the frontlines. We can also use Shadow's emerald to our advantage. If we use the first team to frazzle the prince and divide his forces, when they emerge from the brush, we can take the separated men, pull them into smaller groups, and have Shadow do some crowd control, taking out several at once. We can do this by directing the first group to go from the trees to the floor with team two, breaking off into groups of four or five to contain sections of Riven's men, pinning them in place through combat as Shadow makes his rounds with chaos energy."
"Amelia…" the king muttered, seemingly speechless as he contemplated her plan.
"Sister… but what of the prince? We'll need to go after him at some point. We will not succeed until he is vanquished," Argentine began.
"I've been thinking about that and I don't think it's a good idea to go after him and face him head on when he's protected by his men and likely expecting someone to come for him directly," Amy began,"I think it would be best to draw Riven away from his men and have someone take him on alone. And I think I should be the one to do that."
Before the room broke out into an uproar, Sonic and Shadow reached for her shoulders and pulled her aside. Shadow's grip was stronger, but Sonic's movements were faster, and he turned her with such force that she spun into Shadow's chest. She stared at Sonic's chest rather than his face as Shadow held her steadfast and Sonic began his tirade.
"What are you thinking, Amy? You've lost it if you seriously think any of us are going to let you rush off to your death and take on that nutcase alone!"
Amy's throat seized as Sonic lowered his head to look her directly in the eyes. His emerald orbs had lost their sparkle and he looked simply irate, but Amy swallowed her urge to cry and stood her ground as Sally and Rouge took Sonic's flanks, Knuckles standing just behind him with his arms crossed as his purple glance pierced hers. In her peripherals, the Aumorian leaders beseeched their king in anguish, denouncing Amy's plan, afraid of the potential loss of their future ruler and their kingdom in one day. The king and prince worked to calm the frantic leaders as the Freedom Fighters attempted to reason with their pink companion.
"Amy, what in chaos' name would prompt you to make such an outlandish suggestion?" Sally asked in a steady, controlled tone.
"You're out of your mind, hun. You don't even have your hammer? What good will you be against the prince if you don't even have a weapon?" Rouge spouted over the blue blur's shoulder.
Before she could answer any of their questions, Shadow twisted her around, taking her by the shoulders and tilting her to look him directly in the eyes. His rubies were alight and Amy almost broke down right then and there.
"Rose, I cannot allow you to go head first into a battle with the very man who caused this whole debacle. Plan or no plan, you won't win this by throwing your very life away," Shadow reasoned, mouth tight.
The rose took a step forward to assert herself and her decision, though the ebony didn't step back like she'd hoped, and she found herself nose to nose with him as his eyes dared her to challenge him.
"Shadow, we have no choice. Riven wants me more than anything and only I can draw him out and get him alone. We can't fight him with soldiers on all sides of him, and he won't come to me if I bring back up. I will go out and face Riven alone and end all this."
"No, you will not!"
All went mute and turned to the frosted double doors where the queen emerged, braced up against the stable frame of Ovaria as the queen gripped her burning staff. As she caught her breath and blew air through her bangs, she made an attempt to compose herself.
"Mother," Argentine started, but the king forbade him from running to her with a stern grumble under his breath.
"Amelia, you are to stay here close to the walls of the fortress where you can get to safety and protect yourself and our people in case things go badly. We will send the most capable to go after Riven when he dares to rear his ugly head."
"But-"
Without a second thought, the queen stepped away from Ovaria, brought her staff between both hands and breathed in a long and turbulent breath, a voracious wind lifting her quills and skirts and everyone watched in reverence. On the back wall of the room, a flickering circle looped to completion and eight sets of shining armor grew out of the wall and stood at attention before them.
"The prophecy Adalesca saw will be completed as told. With the prophesied armor complete, we can fight under Adalesca's blessing and cleanse the land of Riven once and for all," Queen Argentina affirmed, standing upright on her own and moving to her new creations, critiquing her work as she poked and prodded at the glistening suits of armor.
The freedom fighter's were all slowly drawn to the queen's creations, Sonic moving to regard the armor with vapid excitement first. With a whistle, he admired a set of golden armor, highlighted with speckles of aqua. He regarded the queen with his trademark smirk as the rest of his team pooled around him.
"So, you made special armor just for us? I guess the Oracle saw us coming in one of those fancy visions of her's?" Sonic voiced.
"Actually, the only armor associated with the prophecy are these three right here. Adalesca only saw Amelia, Lady Rouge, and Lady Cream in her vision, preparing for battle in these very suits. The other's are by my own design, created using a similar material and formation as Adalesca's ultimate formula. This should keep you all relatively safe. You all have risked so much by coming here to protect my daughter and I couldn't bear it if one of you lost your lives for our sake. If you wear this armor, you all will be the only one's left standing if we are not able to turn the tide in our favor," the queen explained to the blue blur, fidgeting with the three suits of armor in the center.
"Your majesty…" Sonic began, his smirk down turn.
The queen gave the hedgehog a sad smile, turning to head to the strategy table as she left the Freedom Fighter's to gawk and examine her offering.
"Although I disagree with Amelia's involvement in drawing the dark prince out, I think her plan is sound, given we have the means to distribute this chaos energy. We'll have one force to agitate the prince, and another tasked with taking advantage of their frazzled state, separating the masses and then taking out what we can with the use of this chaos energy. All our other forces can defend, and when needed, shift to another formation, be it retreat and regroup, or divide and conquer," Argentine muttered, King Amelius nodding with his son.
Queen Argentina sought her husband's judgment, frowning and directing a hand to the Aumorian leaders at the table.
"If we are to proceed with this plan, we will need to choose a fighter capable enough to go after Riven. Who do you suggest should give chase and draw out the dark prince?"
The king rubbed his chin and looked to the other side of the queen to observe the Mobians.
"I believe Sir Sonic would make a fine adversary for the dark prince. He's got the speed to avoid his rapid attacks, he can use chaos energy like the Sir Shadow and Sir Knuckles, and he's sure to find Riven, no matter where he is hiding. Sir Knuckles and Sir Shadow can back him up if need be, but I think it wise to use them as an elimination force since they are most attune to the chaos energy," King Amelius affirmed.
The queen nodded and turned to the Mobians once more, as the king directed his men and assigned them to designated teams across their lands, the leaders around him saluting, gathering their bearings, and beginning to file out of the room one by one.
"The battle ahead will be tumultuous, but I believe every one of you has the power to make Riven fear for his life with your abilities. Lady Rouge, I have enabled your weapons and your armor to give you the flexibility you will need to lead a team in this guerilla warfare of yours. I did the same for you, Princess Sally. Lady Cream, I task you with working the emergency medical care huts, as your prophesied weapon is of the healing sort."
With her announcement, the queen lifted her hands, palms upturned, drawing in a breath that called a twisting force to encircle Cream, Rouge, and Amy. Within the miniature windstorm, the star, diamond, and heart pendants lifted into the air and found their place somewhere on the respective armor of their owner. As the pendant melded into the surface, Cream and Rouge blinked and regarded their armor curiously.
"I have prepared weapons for the rest of you as well. I will explain their functions on our way to the battlefield. Let us proceed. The dark prince is waiting for us," Queen Argentina finalized.
"I won't stay behind."
Argentina twisted only to find Amy standing behind her friend's, having not set a foot toward her rose gold tinted armor like the rest. When Argentina focussed on her daughter, the pinkette's face was contorted in defiance and she faced her mother with an unwavering determination.
"Amelia," Argentina warned.
"I refuse to stay behind while my friends fight for their lives, for everyone's lives! I will fight alongside them. You can't just glue me to this damned fortress to watch as everything goes up in flames!"
The Aumorian leaders that were left eyed the exchange with a sweat, the king moving away from his place to wrangle the stilled Freedom Fighter's and draw them away from Amy and her mother's standoff. Queen Argentina stabbed her staff into the floor once, but Amy didn't even flinch.
"Amelia, you will not disobey me and put your life at risk. Renounce this foolishness at once and get ready for battle."
Amy turned away from her mother and gave her designated armor a once over.
"Fine. I'll put on the armor right away, and head out to meet Riven myself."
Before Amy could take two steps, her mother ripped her away from her friends and dragged her to the double doors on the other end of the room. Argentina swung open both doors with a breath of magic, throwing Amy onto the balcony and shutting the two of them outside before Amy could breath a protest.
"Amelia, listen to me. You cannot go to the frontlines and face the prince on your own. You are not equipped to do so, and the prophecy remains!"
Amy fisted the bottom of her athletic shorts as she and her mother stood in defensive stances, her mother's staff directed at her face.
"I don't want to stay here, keeping watch, while my friend's are fighting for their lives! My place is by their side, watching their backs and doing my part to end this!"
"Your place is here, Amelia! You will be nothing but a liability to us now if you go frollicking through the battlefield like some false hero, looking for nothing but glory and death!" Argentina screamed, bucking forward as if to charge her daughter.
The color drained from Amy's face as she recoiled.
"Y-you… do you really think that's what I'm trying to accomplish? On Mobius, I am a hero! I fight the enemy and save people's lives. You don't know anything about me, the real me! You have no right to tell me who I am and how I should fight my own battles!"
"I may not know the Amy of Mobius, but I know the Amelia of Aumoris who was cast away with gifts that were not her own! You may have been well adapted to the war-torn climate of Mobius and made use of the gifts hidden within you, but you no longer possess those gifts, Amelia! When you returned those talents to their rightful owners, you became nothing but an empty vessel!"
Amy found the oxygen in her lungs leave her
"Empty…"
Queen Argentina stalked forward with every statement. Amy backed away until the small of her back hit the railing of the balcony, the tips of her quills drifting off the edge. With her irate mother's face inches from her own, her staff stabbing her chest in an accusatory manner, she could do nothing but grip the railing behind her as she took her verbal punishment.
"There is nothing left in you from Mobius aside from that reckless mindset that plagues you now. You are to be queen of Aumoris and that role does not leave room for you to dabble in foolish behaviors. I will not lose you again, Amelia, and I will ensure your safety even if I have to do it by force!"
Amy tried to calm her breathing as the Queen drew her staff away from the pinkette's chest. She bent down gruffly to draw a circle in the ground with her staff, and she coaxed an embellished bow from the magical crevice. Cradling the weapon, she presented it to Amy promptly.
"I task you with defending from afar, Amelia. Take your prophesied weapon and use it wisely. The ammunition for this particular weapon are infinite, so you may find it more useful to you than any of the gifts you may have been fond of."
Amy took the bow gently, observing the elegant arch of the enchanted weapon. Argentina did an about face and headed for the double doors, expecting Amy to follow. When she didn't hear the sound of Amy's footsteps, she waited, an ear twitching in irritation as Amy began to stutter.
"Y-you can't keep me here. Riven is doing all of this because of me. If you keep me here, he will come for me and threaten all of the Aumorians hiding in the catacombs! Do you really want to risk all of their lives just to keep me safe?" Amy tried, one last time.
Argentina signed and turned to address her question.
"The dark prince will direct his attention to the fortress whether you are behind its walls or traipsing through the battlefield. It makes no difference, so don't you dare use that as an excuse to go charging head first to frontlines like a rabid animal. Leave that to your Freedom Fighter's. That is what they do. You no longer align with their kind, Amelia."
Amy felt the fight leave her as her powerlessness sunk in again, wishing she could wrap her fingers around the handle of her hammer instead and feel powerful as she had once upon a time. Her hands tightened around the new weapon and angry tears threatened to spill over.
"There are consequences to defying fate, Amelia. You'd do best to remember that now that everything is falling apart."
~aAa~
A/N: I just wanted to update you lovely readers on my current predicament, while also giving you an idea on what to expect if I do have time to update my stories.
Currently, I have picked up a second job so that I can afford to buy a home next year. So, unfortunately, I do not have the time to stick to an updating schedule since I don't have any real days off and there are several days where both of my jobs intersect. I wanted to update once a week, but I won't be able to do that for a while. The idea is to only work the second job until the end of the year, but I may stick with it until the summer of next year. When I finally buy my first house, then I will be in a position to just work one job, and then spend all of my free time on my writing endeavors. There are so many writing projects that I want to complete, both fan-related and original work alike, but my financial status comes first. I won't stop striving to reach my writing goals though, I just have to put it on hold so that I can get to a place where I can consistently work on my craft and become a full-time writer one day.
After I update the final chapters of this story, I plan to start some of the other stories I have. I won't be able to update them regularly, but I will update what I have when I get the itch to write in the limited free time I do have. I want to make my future chapters shorter so that updating is less of a chore, and hopefully make the time between updates shorter (not years in between updates). I'm hoping my newly adopted writing habits and tricks will bleed into my fanfiction endeavors and help me get more content out to you all. Below, I have outlined which stories I want to write next and what those projects entail.
- Shadamy Fanfiction:
Mobian Apocalyptica: This is a story I've got all planned out already that I want to update alongside the prequel to this story, The Story of Amy Rose: The Promise. ~ Amy's high school days are numbered. With her ultimate goal to earn a full ride to college underway, the only other achievement she has left to complete before she graduates is to gain the love of her childhood crush and leader of their band of misfits, Sonic the Hedgehog. It seems the cards are in her favor when a note signed by the dazzling blue blur himself slips from her locker one fateful afternoon. But what awaits the pinkette on the other end of that note are a series of truths that lead her down a spiral of unpleasant events, and our frightened young hedgehog finds herself alone on the far end of town at the start of the apocalypse. Shadamy, Knuxrouge, Sonally, light Crails(?) ~
The Story of Amy Rose: The Promise: This is the prequel to this story. After I write this one, I will be writing the sequel, which is currently just a vague brain baby with some semblance of plot. I figured it might make sense to write a story outlining what happened to Amy before all of this, how she went from fighting alongside her friends, then spent a threeish year gap away, and returned to them as she is in this story. ~ Under the watchful eye of Vanilla, Amy earns her keep by looking after the rabbit's shop, and quells her desire to fight alongside her blue hero by training herself silly and daydreaming of the day he asks her to join him in the fight against Eggman. Though Vanilla's intentions are in the right place and Amy is nothing but grateful for Vanilla's help, Amy can't help but feel a bit like she doesn't quite fit among their tight mother daughter unit. After another uneventful evening, Amy falls into a chance encounter with the ultimate life form. Together they stumble into an altercation with Eggman, and effectively alter the trajectory of their given paths by sealing their fates with a promise. Light Shadamy(friendship development), Knuxrouge, light Crails, Sonally ~
Unnamed Sonic Riders story: This is a random brain baby of mine that I never imagined would culminate into a coherent story. It all started with a couple of fanart images I was obsessed with a long time ago, then a few scenes surfaced from the depths of my mind, the scenes stapled themselves to my brain, forcing me to do something with them lest I be cursed with eternal writer's block, and the rest is history. ~ Mercia is the last stronghold in the everlasting battle against the robot menace that has taken over the majority of Mobius. The unrelenting barrier that encapsulates all of Mercia is the key to the survival of the Mercians, along with all of the mobian refugees that have sought comfort among the cities of Mercia. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles live in Metal City, a melting pot of Mobian's from all corners of the planet, running a small EX gear repair shop. With the desire to return home with the resources to help end the war, one announcement makes all of their dreams possible: the call for the start of the EX Games, a competition where the winner is rewarded with fame, riches, and the heart of Mercia's princess. Princess Amelia (Amy) wants nothing to do with the EX games; she doesn't want to be a prize for some narcissistic EX gear fan boy, nor does she want to marry a stranger. With nothing but her friends by her side, Cream and Rouge, and the forbidden magical abilities she inherited from her deceased mother, she decides to participate in the games herself and fight for her own hand, or die trying. Unbeknownst to our rising heroes, there are other forces that would rather prepare their graves than let any of them win the ultimate prize. Shadamy, Knuxrouge, Crails ~
My writing style will change, as I've gotten more experience with writing through my self-publishing progress and creative writing studies as of late. I've been reading a lot of really well written fantasy books as well, and I've found that I need to work on my dialogue, the length of my descriptions, and a few other nitpicky things that could really help my readers enjoy my stories. Overall, expect my writing to tighten up in the future and for chapters to be shorter and more digestible (and hopefully reflect the character's personalities more accurately through nuance). If you have questions or just want to chat about my stories, feel free to PM me! I will respond when I have the time. Chatting with you lovely readers keeps the flames alive.
Look out for the last half of this chapter within the next few weeks. I split this in half because I know myself and what was supposed to be a 30 page chapter closing off this story with a battle turned into, well, nearly double the amount of content. So, we have a final battle left and an epilogue left and then I would like to move on. I already have a rough draft for the battle, I'm just finalizing some choices I made that will help lead into the sequel when I get to it in the future.
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