"Shadows of Evil" Authors: Francis Tolbert and Robert Brown Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law. Author's Note: Yo. It's me again, Geogre. I'm writing another stinking Author's Note (against my wishes). This story, I should warn you, we wanted to do a different style. So you're going to get a few shocks here and there. I would also like to take this time to thank Dan Drazen for looking over this story beforehand. I'm sure you will let us know what you think of this, so I'll just say: Peace, see ya later. Cast of Characters(in order of appearance) Alexi Kavenoff### ?????????????????? Rosie Princess Sally Acorn Sonic Hedgehog Tanis Shi-rat*** Donovan### Antoine D'Coolette Bunnie Rabbot Nadia*** Voltaire*** Maurice Hedgehog*** Patricia Hedgehog*** Kelly Min Hedgehog**## Knuckles Echidna Dr. Robotnik Rotor Dulcy ?????????????????? #25 The skunk known as Alexi Kavenoff wandered around the vast desert Bunnie's ancestors had placed him in months before. The heat didn't bother him. The lack of food and water didn't bother him. What did bother him was that there was no one to play his game. "All this suffering, and no one to give it to!" he yelled into wasteland before him. "The time is approaching, yet I have no place to hide!" As he crested a dune, he spotted a black-robed figure at the bottom. The Kavenoff smiled evilly. "At last, someone to play with!" He dashed toward the figure, swinging his runesword wildly. The robed figure merely stood there, hands folded before him. When the Kavenoff came close, he found that he no longer wanted to strike him. Alexi looked at the figure, confused. "Where's my anger?" he complained. "I finally find someone and I can't do anything to him!" "Be calm, Kavenoff," the figure said gruffly. "The time is approaching, but not the time you think. No, a time of rebirth approaches. The rebirth of Chaos!" The Kavenoff dropped to one knee and looked at the figure in awe. "I have located the phylactery in which all of Chaos' evil power is contained," the figure continued. "I will teleport you there, that you may prevent it from falling into any hands that would win this accursed Race. Feel free to use the power as you wish, but never forget to whom the power truly belongs." The evil smile returned to the Kavenoff's lips. "I know exactly what misery to use it for," he said eagerly. "Let my game truly begin." The figure smiled, though its face was hidden in the shadows of his hood. He extended his hands toward the Kavenoff, and a black whirlwind surrounded the skunk. In seconds, Alexi had vanished. "Now to summon another to my cause," the figure said, fading from sight. Rosie sat in her hut, enjoying the spring breeze that wafted in her window. Most of the snow had melted over the past month, though there was still enough for a couple of Knothole residents to engage in a snowball fight. She smiled, remembering when she and Tanis had been like that. A sharp pain hit her heart. Rosie clutched her chest and struggled to draw in breath. She started to call out for help, but even then the pain started to ease. Rosie sat back in her chair, waiting until the pain had left completely. "It's getting worse," she thought, relaxing. "I can't blame it on my age anymore. My time is near. "I had hoped to see Mobotropolis restored and Sally queen before I died, but it does not seem to be in my future. I just wish I had some more time. More time...." "Hey Rosie!" Sally called, appearing in the window. "Sonic and I are heading over to Sanctuary. Want to come?" "I'll be right with you, Sally," Rosie said, standing up slowly. She made her way to the door and opened it. "I hope you two won't mind if we walk today. I fear I'm not up to holding on to either one of you." "You OK?" Sonic asked, concerned. "You're looking a little pale." "Just feeling my age," Rosie said, trying to smile. "I'm not so young anymore." "We'll take it easy," Sally promised. "That is, if my fiancee can actually walk somewhere." "I'll try," Sonic said, unusually muted. They started for Sanctuary, Sonic actually moving slower than the other two. Sally fell into step next to him. "What's the matter?" she asked in a whisper. "I haven't seen you like this in months." "I'm just worried about Rosie," Sonic admitted. "She hasn't been feeling well lately. I hope it's not something serious." Sally sighed. "I was thinking the same thing," she said. "But I think she'd tell us if something were really wrong." "Not if she thought it would distract us from the Race," Sonic pointed out. "You know how she is, always caring for everyone else but herself." Sally nodded. "OK, when we get to Sanctuary, I'll have Tanis take a look at her." In Sanctuary, Tanis was deep in conversation with Donovan. "The time is almost upon us," he said. "You know what must be done." "I am aware of that," Donovan said. "I just wish I didn't have to get anyone else involved." "You know the legend. It will require three to destroy the Kavenoff. I must go as the only Holy One capable of handling his power. The other two must be...." "I know, I know," Donovan said tiredly. "Friends who were once enemies. But to ask Antony to do this, especially seeing he was supposed to be married by now." "I understand. But you know there are no others who qualify." Donovan sighed. "Very well. The sooner I get him, the better." "I'd teleport you, but I need to conserve my power as much as possible." "Fine. I just hope I can catch him away from Bonnie." Tanis nodded and walked him to the door. As Donovan rocketed off, he saw Sonic, Sally, and Rosie approach. "Welcome," he said, smiling. Then he noticed they were walking in. "Is something wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned. "I'm just feeling my age," Rosie said. "But it's nothing to worry about, really." Tanis saw the worried looks on Sonic's and Sally's faces. "Maybe I should take a look at you," he said. Sonic and Sally nodded quickly, but stopped when Rosie turned around to glare at them. "I didn't come here for you to fuss over me," she said, a little angrily. "If you're not going to trust me, I might as well go home." Tanis sighed. "You're still as stubborn as ever. Very well, come on in." Donovan flew to Knothole, hoping that Antoine was somewhere by himself. Unfortunately, Antoine and Bunnie were sitting together, just enjoying the mild weather. "Greetings Donny," Antoine said, spying Donovan. Donovan landed in front of them. "Hello Antony, Bonnie," he said, nodding at each one. "Hi there, Donovan," Bunnie said. "What are you doing out here without Nadia?" "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to Antony about something." "Certainly," Antoine said. "Alone," Donovan amended. Bunnie raised one of her eyebrows. But before she could say anything, Antoine stood up. "If you will be excusing me," he said, bowing to Bunnie and kissing her hand. "I don't think Donny will keep me long." Bunnie stood up. "I'll go," she said. "I got some stuff I gotta do. But don't forget you're coming over for dinner." She kissed Antoine quickly, waved to Donovan, and walked off. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Antoine asked when Bunnie was out of sight. "Something I was hoping I wouldn't have to," Donovan said regretfully, taking off his shades. "I need your help." "Why am I feeling that this is no ordinary help?" "Because you know me better than that. I don't know how to put this." "Put it bluntly. You never have been good at...how does Bunnie put it... beating around the bush." "Fine, here goes. You know that I've been tracking the Kavenoff for a number of months, correct? Well, the time has come to vanquish the beast." "Is that possible?" Antoine asked. "I thought whoever kills him becomes him." "That is true. However, on the second day of a blue moon, the Kavenoff becomes vulnerable." "Blue moon? But the moon is white." Donovan sighed. "A blue moon is the second full moon of a month. At that time, the Kavenoff goes into hiding. But if you can find him and strike him, the demon can be destroyed." "Can it be that simple?" Donovan just looked at Antoine, his eyes saying everything that was needed. "I see," Antoine continued. "What else will we be needing to do?" "I'll let Tanis explain everything. Let me just say this, someone may not come back," Donovan said, his voice very grave. Antoine let out a low whistle. "I will have to tell Bunnie about this. She will not like this at all. Have you told Nadia of this yet?" Donovan, instead of answering, just put on his shades and walked away. "I will be taking that as a 'no,'" Antoine muttered. "Just be at Sanctuary at dawn," Donovan called over his shoulder, activating his rocket boots. "The blue moon is in two days' time." Nadia sat typing at the computer when Donovan came into the hut. "Hey there!" she said, getting up and hugging him. "Where have you been all day? I missed you." "I missed you too," Donovan said, hugging her back. "I just went out to clear my head." "You were gone how long? And just to clear your head? Why do I find that just a little hard to believe?" "Just like I'm supposed to believe that you left that book in the library?" Nadia made a cute grimace. "Point made. Still, I would like to know where you were." "You will, in due course. I promise. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a nap." "Can I join you?" Nadia asked mischievously. "I'd like to show you something I read today." "No, not tonight," Donovan said with a small chuckle. "Knowing you, I won't be able to get out of my bed for a few weeks if you do." Donovan walked into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Nadia shrugged and sat back down at the computer. "Computer, I don't suppose you know where my boyfriend was, do you?" "No I do not." "OK, bring up all surveillance tapes for the last half-hour and tell me if he appears on any of them." The computer took a few minutes to search through the tapes. "He was in Knothole." "Knothole? What was he doing there?" "Visiting the guard." "I wonder why he went to see Antoine," she thought. "And more to the point, why didn't he want me to know about it? I'll find out tomorrow." Later that night, Bunnie and Antoine were talking after dinner. "I don't see why you have to go," Bunnie said, washing the dishes. "If it's as dangerous as you say, won't this affect the Race?" "Perhaps," Antoine admitted. "But I do not think Donny would be asking this of me if it would. But perhaps it would affect the Race more if we do not." "Will you be coming back here tomorrow night?" she asked suddenly. Antoine nodded. "As far as I know, Donny only wants to speak with me during the day." He glanced at his watch and stood. "I should be heading to my hut now. I must be meeting him at dawn. Good night, my lovely doe." He kissed her neck and left the hut. Bunnie stood there, unmoving. "I don't know why I'm so nervous," Bunnie thought, her hands shaking so badly she dropped the plate she held. "I just have this dreadful feeling that tomorrow night may be my last night with him. I know what we agreed, but I have to try. I want to have at least one more memory of him." Deep in the night, when the nearly full moon rose high above the tower known as Dragon's Nest, a black-robed form suddenly appeared at the base. The air was heavy with the stench of decayed flesh as the body of Voltaire, the evil dragon, had lain unburied since being vanquished by Rotor and Dulcy. No ordinary Mobian could stand the sight or smell of this area. But then, the one in the black robes was anything but ordinary. The figure surveyed the scene before him for long moments, then placed his hands on the body of Voltaire. Words began to spill from his lips, words that Mobius had not heard in many years, and no decent soul would ever utter. His voice rose in intensity and volume, making the very ground shake with his power. The body of Voltaire twitched in what could be mistaken as death throes, if he had not been dead over a month already. Blue and red lightning arced over the body, seeking out the wounds and healing them up. One bolt, darker than the figure's robes, made straight for Voltaire's heart. Once it found its mark, the dragon's eyes snapped open. The figure stepped away, pleased with his work. Voltaire slowly got to his feet, looking around in wonder and fear. "I was dead," he said, his voice seeming to come from miles away. "You still are," the figure spoke. "But I have called your soul back that you may serve the bidding of Chaos." Voltaire regarded the figure before him with a grudging respect. "Are you he of whom the legends speak? The one who will bring Chaos to Mobius once more?" "I am. If you help me in this, you shall have a place at his side. If you refuse, you return to oblivion." "How can I refuse such a generous offer?" Voltaire asked sarcastically. "What would you have me do?" "It is simple. You will guard one place for me, and all that is within it. Let no one approach; living, dead, or undead. But do not fail. If anything gets past you, your body will crumble into dust." "Where is this building?" "I will take you there." The figure raised his hands again and summoned a black whirlwind to transport them. Antoine awoke the next morning well before sunrise. He was planning to slip out of Knothole before anyone woke up and knew he was gone, especially Bunnie. Not even bothering to shower, he slipped into his uniform and left his hut. The moon had not quite set yet, so the land was lit up by its ghostly glow. Antoine made his way silently through Knothole and to the path that led to Sanctuary. He was in luck, nobody seemed to be up yet except the night watch. Bunnie's hut was dark, and no sounds came from within. He walked by carefully, looking for anything unusual. He passed by the hut without incident and breathed a sigh of relief. As he neared the edge of Knothole, he cursed under his breath. "This is not Bunnie's night to stand watch," he thought. "She must have switched to catch me leaving." Antoine looked around for another way. Every path that led out of Knothole and toward Sanctuary passed by this spot. It was too dark to blunder through the forest blindly, so he settled down to wait for an opening. As he waited, the wind started to pick up. Before he knew it, he was sitting in the middle of a small cyclone. He shielded his eyes against the wind and against a bright flash of light that engulfed him. Bunnie threw down her night goggles in frustration. She had been keeping an eye on Antoine ever since he came within range. But now he was gone, and she had a pretty good idea of who had gotten him. If he had left normally, Bunnie would've had every right to tail him, seeing how late it was. But with Tanis bringing him straight to Sanctuary, Bunnie had no chance of getting out of her watch before it was over. Sighing, she picked up the goggles and scanned the forest half-heartedly. Around this time, Donovan was waking up in the hut he shared with Nadia. He started to stretch and get out of bed when he realized that Nadia had her arms around him and was snuggling into his chest, as usual. "Problem," he thought. "Everytime I get away from her, she immediately wakes up. And this is one morning I don't want her up." He tried unlocking her arms and slipping out of them, but she started to stir as soon as he moved. "Easy," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I'm here, I'm here." Nadia smiled and seemed to return to a deep sleep. Moving slowly, Donovan finally was able to get out of her embrace. Nadia seemed restless, but did not wake up. He tiptoed to the bathroom where he had a bundle hidden in a wall. He drew it out carefully and stuffed it in a backpack. Slinging the backpack over one shoulder, he headed for the door. Nadia was waiting for him. "And where are you going this early?" she asked, adjusting her bathrobe. "Just have to go out for a while," he answered evasively. "Nothing to worry about." "Really? Then what's in the backpack?" "Just something I have to drop off on my way." "You're not going to tell me what it is?" "What's with all the questions this morning?" Donovan countered. "Is it a crime to wonder where the squirrel I love is going off to?" Donovan's mouth twisted to one side. "Understandable. Tell ya what, I'll talk to you when I come back." "When will that be?" "Some time tonight." Nadia nodded reluctantly. "Very well. But know this, I'm going to have a special dinner planned. And," she added with the hint of a smile, "maybe a special dessert." "The 'special dessert' scares me." "I wonder why?" Nadia asked in a sing-song voice. "It's not poisoned or anything, and it'll be made with a lot of love." "That's what I'm afraid of. I gotta go." Donovan hurried by Nadia and out the door. Nadia waved goodbye and shut the door behind him. "All right," she said, suddenly serious. "Computer, tell me everything you know about where he's going." "I'm not sure where he's going," the computer said, "even though I have an idea. But I do know what was in his backpack." "And that was?" The computer sighs. "I was afraid of this. This is something very serious." "Stop stalling!" "Very well. In his backpack are his father's sword and his father's uniform." "And just where is it that you think he's going?" "Sanctuary." Nadia's eyes bugged. "That son-of-a.... Computer, teleport me to Knothole, now. And make it as close as you can get to Bunnie's hut." "Are you sure you don't want to get dressed first?" Nadia blushed momentarily. "Good point. But as soon as I'm done, teleport me." Donovan flew off to Sanctuary, arriving after about ten minutes. Tanis and Antoine were waiting for him inside. "Welcome Donovan," Tanis said. "We were waiting for you." "Sorry for the delay. I've brought something that I need you to keep for me till tomorrow," Donovan said, handing over the bundle he carried. Tanis' hands trembled slightly as he took it. "As you wish, Donovan," he said, slowly. "But this is really not necessary," he added silently. "Shall we begin?" Donovan asked. "First of all," Antoine said, "I believe I should be told exactly what I am to be expecting." "My apologies," Tanis said. "I have been over this so many times with Donovan, it slipped my mind that I have not said anything to you. Let me begin at the beginning." As Tanis was explaining everything to Antoine, over in Knothole, Bunnie was dragging herself to her hut. "I should be going after sugarfox," she thought. "But I ain't never been this tired. Maybe a quick nap will perk me up." She opened the door and stumbled to her bed. She almost threw herself down on it before noticing that someone was sitting there. "Nadia?" Bunnie asked, yawning. "What the hoo-ha are you doing here?" "Did Antoine leave early this morning?" Nadia asked, ignoring Bunnie. "He went to Sanctuary, I think. At least, that's usually where someone goes when that whirlwind surrounds them." Nadia sighed. "We need to talk to Rosie, as soon as possible." "Can't this wait till I get some sleep?" Bunnie whined. "I've been up all night." "It can, but then you might lose any chance you have to stop him." Bunnie's eyes snapped open. "Give me five minutes and I'll meet you in front of Rosie's hut." Five minutes later, Bunnie and Nadia were in front of Rosie's hut. Bunnie knocked softly on the door. "Rosie? Are you awake?" No answer. Nadia knocked, a little harder. "Rosie? You in there?" "Who's there?" a weak voice asked from inside. Bunnie and Nadia exchanged looks of concern. They opened the door and walked inside. Rosie sat up when the came in, though the movement obviously pained and fatigued her. "Oh, hello you two," she said tiredly. "What brings you here this early in the morning?" "Rosie?" Bunnie asked concerned. "You feeling OK? You don't look so good." "I'm fine, dear," she said with a wan smile. "Mornings don't much agree with me anymore. But I think I've lived long enough to sleep in every once in a while. But enough about that. You came here for something; what is it?" "We were wondering if you knew what business Donovan and Antoine would have at Sanctuary, and why they would want to keep it a secret from us." Rosie thought for a moment. "Tanis has seemed quite preoccupied lately," she said. "He keeps reading some ancient text every time he gets a chance. Just the other day, I interrupted a conversation he was having with another Holy One. I asked him about it, but he never did give me a straight answer." "I say we confront those three men about it," Nadia said. "I brought some extra teleport chips so we can go there right away. I don't know how close it'll leave us; I'm pretty sure Donovan didn't put a receiver chip actually inside Sanctuary. Give me a moment to check." "I'm coming too," Rosie said, rising slowly to her feet. "Are you sure you're up to it?" Bunnie asked as Nadia began talking into a communicator. "Would you let a little weakness stop you from finding out what Antoine was up to?" Bunnie smiled. "Good point. Whenever you're ready Nadia." While the women were discussing all this, Antoine and Donovan were leaving Sanctuary. "Where will we be going?" Antoine asked. "Depends on what kind of training you're looking to do," Donovan replied. "Whatever it will take to deal with the Kavenoff." "Either someplace flat with no place to hide, or someplace mountainous with a lot of obstacles." Antoine was about to suggest something when he saw Maurice approaching them. He had his head down, as if something was terribly wrong. "Is something the matter, Maurice?" Antoine asked as they got close. Maurice said nothing, but just kept walking until he was right next to Donovan and Antoine. "Is something wrong, Maurice?" Donovan asked. "As a matter of fact," Maurice said in a strange voice, "there is!" Before either one could react, Maurice reached up and grabbed them both by their throats with a strength that was not his own. His head shot up, and they could both see that his eyes were solid white. "You both are still breathing!" Antoine and Donovan fought back out of instinct, shocked by what they had just heard. They tried to pry Maurice's hands off their throats, but they couldn't even budge them. "Time to return some of the misery that you have caused me!" Maurice cackled, squeezing tighter. At that moment, Nadia, Bunnie, and Rosie appeared beside them. It took only a second for them to assess the situation and react. Bunnie shifted her arm and legs robotic and grabbed Maurice by his neck. As Nadia and Rosie held on to Donovan and Antoine, Bunnie extended her legs, forcing Maurice to let go. "What's going on here?" she demanded. "Well, if it isn't the incomplete rabbit!" Maurice cackled. "Now that you're here, I guess I ought to thank you." "Kavenoff!?" Bunnie exclaimed. "There's no way that Maurice would've killed you; he knows better!" "Your ghostly friends thought they'd be smart by sending me somewhere there was no one that I could make suffer! Little did they realize that they sent me right to the core of my Master!" Bunnie retracted her legs, bringing Maurice slamming down to the ground headfirst. Maurice looked around at everyone. "Next time I shall return with a bigger messenger. In the meantime, know this: your worst nightmare has come to pass!" Maurice cackled for a bit, then screamed as every nerve in his body fired at once. Bunnie backed off and everyone just watched helplessly as Maurice's body convulsed. After a few moments, he collapsed, completely spent. "Maurice!" Patricia yelled, running down the path with a crying Kelly Min in her arms. She knelt by his side. "What happened to him?" "I was hoping you could tell us that," Nadia said. "From how he sounded, it was like he was the Kavenoff!" "That's impossible," Patricia said, feeling Maurice for a pulse. "We were taking a walk, just enjoying the spring air. Suddenly, he gets this strange look and takes off for here. I've spent the last fifteen minutes catching up!" "Does not sound like how the Kavenoff usually possesses a body," Antoine said. "I am thinking we should bring him to Tanis and see what he thinks." Tanis was preparing to contact one of his brethren when the doors opened and Maurice was carried in. "What happened to him?" Tanis demanded as they set him down. "I don't know. Maurice just came and tried to separate Antony's and my heads from our bodies." "I can't believe that," he said. "What could make him do that?" "He was sounding much like the Kavenoff," Antoine said. Tanis' eyes bulged. He placed his hands on Maurice and concentrated. "I feel the remnants of the Kavenoff's evil," he said. "But he was not taken over as the Kavenoff normally does. It was meant to be temporary." "How could the Kavenoff do something like that?" Nadia asked. "I thought it was all or nothing." "He did mention something about finding the core of his Master," Bunnie said. "What?" Donovan nearly yelled. "You don't suppose...." Tanis began. "It looks like my neglect may have doomed us all," Donovan said, head bowed. "Antoine, Bunnie, I need you to get Sally, Sonic, and anyone else you can here as quickly as you can," Tanis said. "In the meantime, I'll summon Knuckles and Robotnik." "Why do you need them here?" Rosie asked, sitting down on one of the benches. Tanis fixed her with a blank stare. "If we're right, the Kavenoff has found the Shadow Emerald." Within an hour, Sanctuary was filled with all interested parties. The main core of Knothole's Freedom Fighters were there, with the exception of Dulcy and Rotor, who were waiting outside. Sally thought it best not to alarm everyone, and was taking strict precautions until she found out exactly what was going on. Dr. Robotnik was there too, and he kept a watchful eye on the others, as they kept one on him. Knuckles had arrived just seconds ago, and he seemed very agitated. "What do you mean the Kavenoff has the Shadow Emerald?" he nearly yelled. "Keep your voice down," Tanis ordered. "Do not forget where you are." Knuckles made a supreme effort to control himself. "Very well, Shi-rat. But will someone please explain all this?" "We don't know how he obtained the Shadow Emerald," Donovan said. "But it was apparently somewhere I didn't think to look." "He mentioned something about my ancestors sending him there," Bunnie said. "I guess that kind of makes it my fault; they did it to protect me." "What do you mean your ancestors sent him there to protect you?" "He invaded my family's sacred resting site. I was there to complete my training when he showed up. Their spirits teleported him somewhere, but I didn't hang around long enough to find out where." "I believe I heard Tamara mention something about a lot of sand," Antoine said thoughtfully. "Does this help?" "The Desolate Sands," Donovan said, angry at himself. "Why didn't I think to look there?" "Probably because there's only one building out there," Knuckles said. "Guess where I hid the Shadow Emerald. But I don't see how he got to it. My spells specifically were designed to keep evil spirits like him out." "Be that as it may," Sally said, "we have to do something about it." "We were already going to do something about it," Tanis pointed out. "Antoine, Donovan, and I were just now preparing to deal with the Kavenoff once and for all." "How's that?" Sonic asked. "If you kill him, he just takes you over, right?" Tanis sighed. "Let me explain it to you. You've all heard the phrase, 'Once in a blue moon,' right? Well, it isn't just a saying. A blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in a month, the blue one being the second. On the second night of a blue moon, the forces that tie spirits to this world weaken, even the Kavenoff spirit. If one knows how, one can banish the spirits from Mobius for all eternity. "In texts passed down through my line, it is written that three animals must accomplish this feat. The first must be a Holy One, as we are the only ones with the power to do so. For a spirit as powerful as the Kavenoff, I am the only Holy One capable of handling him. The other two must be friends who were once enemies. This is because they would share a bond that has survived their conflict. The only two I know of with enough skill to do what is needed are Donovan and Antoine. "To deal with the Kavenoff specifically, the three must find his host body and destroy it. But you are correct Sonic, whoever does this will be taken over. But on that specific night, when the spirit is weak, whoever kills the body retains his will longer than normal. In that time, he must take his own life." "No!" Nadia, Bunnie, and Rosie screamed together. "There is no other way. If he is successful, the spirit will be driven into the air, and given a form of its own. If that form can be destroyed, the Kavenoff will be forever sealed in the Abyss. There are two ways to do this. If either Donovan or Antoine destroys the host body, I must expend all my power to destroy the spirit. If I were younger, I'd have a good chance to survive. But now, even if I did, I wouldn't have the strength to call upon my powers ever again." "You said there were two ways," Nadia said. "What's the second?" "I must destroy the host body. The energy released by my death will weaken the spirit so badly that it could be struck and killed by a blessed blade. It will all come down to whoever gets the open strike." "All this is well and good," Robotnik said, stroking his mustache. "But now the beast apparently has use of the Shadow Emerald. It will not be as easy as that." "You're correct, Robotnik," Tanis said. "That's why you are here. We must get him away from the Shadow Emerald in order to have any hope of defeating him. Because of who's going, it will certainly give the Emerald to the Freedom Fighters." "With your permission," Knuckles continued, "I can waive the battle clause as I did with the Earth Emerald. But know that if you don't, neither side will probably win the Race, and Chaos will be unleashed on Mobius." "You must think me a fool to let my enemies get more of an advantage on me," Robotnik scoffed. "I would never--" The doors to Sanctuary were blown off their hinges by a powerful blast of lightning. The massive form of Rotor began squeezing into the building, his eyes as pure white as Maurice's had been. "By the Almighty!" Tanis yelled as everyone dove for cover. "Oh, he had nothing to do with this," Rotor said, his voice echoing with the Kavenoff's madness. He breathed a stream of fire straight for Tanis. Tanis raised his hands, invoking a magical shield to repel the fire. He started chanting and a nearby rope entwined around Rotor, preventing any movement and sealing his mouth. "You don't have a runesword to break the rope this time," Tanis said, advancing on Rotor. Rotor strained against his bonds, but could not break free. Tanis laid his hands on Rotor, about to expel the evil from him, when the ropes suddenly disintegrated. Rotor's tail lashed around, smacking Tanis into a wall. "Now that I have your attention, I just wanted to invite you to come play my game. The rules are quite simple. Destroy me before I destroy you! Oh, and one more thing. Thank you so very much, Guardian, for showing me the location of the Emerald. I didn't know where it was, until you used it!" "Enough of this!" Nadia yelled, rushing at Rotor. Rotor looked at Nadia, confused for only a second. He breathed a thin jet of poison gas right at her. Nadia rolled underneath it and grabbed Rotor by his neck. A strange, grey light emanated from her and surrounded Rotor. "What is happening?" Rotor demanded, howling in pain. The grey light forced its way inside Rotor, expelling a dark purple cloud of energy. Rotor slumped to the ground, completely unconscious. "Rotor!" Dulcy yelled, squeezing her way inside. "What happened?" "He was taken over by the Kavenoff's evil, and the Shadow Emerald," Nadia said. "I guess if you want to deal with the Shadow Emerald, you'll need the Life Emerald. Remember what it did for me; I still share a bond with it." "Tanis!" Rosie yelled, hurrying to him. "Are you OK?" "Only a little sore," he said, standing with Rosie's help. "The Almighty protects me." "Still think this is a fool's errand?" Knuckles asked, looking Robotnik square in the eyes. "Now that I know I caused him to find it, I have to make it right, whatever it takes." Robotnik took a deep breath. "I will want a concession, of course." "If it comes to Armageddon, you will choose the battleground." Robotnik nodded, wiping his brow. "How can we protect ourselves from that thing in the meantime?" "I can keep the Shadow Emerald's energy away from both Knothole and Robotropolis, but you all must return there at once." "As for those going with me," Tanis said, "the Almighty will shield us." "We'd all better return home and wait this thing out," Sondra suggested. "It might not hurt to offer some prayers for their success either." Everyone left Sanctuary then, each one more than a little worried and even more afraid. Everyone except Tanis, of course, and Rosie. "I want to stay here and pray for a while," she said. Tanis nodded. "I'll be in my room healing myself. I know you want to talk about this; we will later." He bowed to her and walked, a little stiffly, to his room. The Kavenoff paced around his inner sanctum, extremely worried by what he had just seen. "What am I to do?" he asked the air nervously. "What am I to do?" "Would you stop your whining!" the black-robed figure demanded, stepping out from a shadow. "But my game may be over before it even begins!" "How's that?" the figure asked. "Someone has tapped the energy of the Life Emerald to stop the power of the Shadow!" "Hmm. That is a problem. But she is not one of the three who seeks you out." "But if she should happen to come--" "_If_ she comes, there are ways to deal with her. Remember, all we have to do is delay them until the moon sets tomorrow night. Then no one can destroy you, and even she will be powerless to stop you." "But they will try again at the next blue moon!" "By then, Chaos will reign, and you will be protected by him." The figure vanished into a pool of liquid darkness. Rosie sank down to her knees in front of the altar. "Almighty One, hear my prayer. I know I haven't been the most religious of animals, nor did I ever want to be. And I have no right to expect anything from you, because of the anger I still harbor over you taking Tanis from me all those years ago. But please, listen to me. "Tanis has much left to do in this world. Even without his powers, everyone I know respects and listens to him. My time on Mobius is nearly done; it wouldn't be right for him or anyone else to sacrifice their lives when they still have so much to live for. "I guess what I'm asking is this: grant me the strength to go with him, whether he allows me or not, and defeat the Kavenoff. Let it be my one act of true selflessness, and my final act on Mobius. This I beg of you." Rosie knelt there for a moment, whispering her prayer over and over. Just when she was about to pass out, she felt a warmth fill her. A smile touched her lips. She was about to give thanks when she felt a strength fill her like none she had ever known. Her heart, which had begun to beat very irregularly recently, now beat slow and strong. Her limbs, given to tremors as arthritis took them over, now moved surely and steadily. She hadn't felt this good since she was eighteen; if she had ever felt this good. "Thank you," she whispered, rising to her feet. "He won't like this, but then again, he won't know about it either." She sat down on a nearby bench and waited for Tanis to come out. That evening, in three different areas of the Great Forest, a very similar discussion was occurring between three couples. "You know I cannot be allowing Tanis or Donny to give their lives for this," Antoine told Bunnie in his hut. "Tanis is the last of the Shi-rat; he must stay alive as long as he can. Donny has just found true love in Nadia, they deserve to be together. I have had my chances with you; it is my fault for not making good on them when I had the chance." "I should be the one to give my life," Donovan insisted to Nadia in the hut they shared. "Antony is engaged to Bonnie; they have their whole life to live together. Tanis is like a father to me. It would not be right for him to die because of my carelessness. If I had found the Kavenoff earlier, then maybe I'd have been able to stop him. Because it was my error, I should make it right. I'm glad we've had the time together that we had, I just wish it could've been more." "My life is nearing its end," Tanis told Rosie in Sanctuary, "theirs are just reaching their prime. They both are in love, and probably will marry very soon. I am the oldest; I'm the one who should give my life. I've lived a full life with only one complaint. I wish I could've spent it with you. But sometimes choices are made for us, and I don't regret where life has taken me." The three women being spoken to, all three different and unique, all had only one thing to say: "Hold me. Just hold me tonight." All three men just stared. They had all been expecting an arguement, and were ready for them. But those simple words had deflated all their bravado, all their self-assurance. They each wrapped their arms around the woman before them and did as they were asked. Nothing else happened that night, but each of these six could sense sadness in the other he or she was with. They all knew this could be their last night on Mobius. Antoine, Donovan, and Tanis gathered at Sanctuary the next day. Antoine was dressed in his best uniform, and a curved sword hung at his side. It was a present from Bunnie; she had insisted he take one of her swords, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He ran his finger absently across the hilt and crossbar, trying to focus on the task at hand. Donovan was wearing something very unusual for him: an all-white uniform similar to a karate gi only with longer sleeves and no rank belt. Even his gloves were white. It was his father's uniform he wore, and it was his father's sword that hung at his side. He was not wearing his shades, and his purple eyes seemed thoughtful and determined. Tanis was dressed as he always was, a long robe with hood. But where before his robe had been black or grey, today it was a dark red, almost the color of blood. "Are you both ready?" he asked, his voice even and measured. "I am," Antoine said, bowing. "So am I," Donovan said. "If I may be asking," Antoine said, "why are you wearing a red robe?" "Holy Ones wear red robes when they willingly go into battle against a creature of Chaos," Donovan said. "You remember," Tanis said, smiling. "The texts state that the first Holy One who fought an agent of Chaos was killed in battle, his blood staining his robe. Since then, we have worn the red robes in his honor." Antoine nodded, satisfied with the explanation. But Donovan scowled. He knew that Tanis hadn't said everything. The red robes were enchanted to send a Holy One's soul straight to the Almighty if he should die in battle. Donovan now knew that Tanis intended to give his life for them, and he was even more determined not to allow him to. "If there is nothing else," Tanis said, "we had best go. We have only the time between moonrise and moonset to destroy the Kavenoff." The doors to Sanctuary swung open. "We're ready too," three females said from the doorway. "Bunnie, if you think--" Antoine began. "Don't even start," Bunnie said. She was dressed in the same gi she had worn when summoned by her ancestors. Her other sword was strapped around her waist, and the belt around her waist was as red as Tanis' robes. "If you think I'm going to let you go into this without me, you're crazy." "Nadia, get back--" Donovan started. "Computer tried the same arguement, and it didn't work," Nadia said. She had on her sweatsuit, and held Donovan's old sword in her hands. "I may not be the best with a sword, but you've already seen me handle the Shadow Emerald once. Admit it, you need me." "Rosie, you have no business--" Tanis argued. "Maybe not," Rosie interrupted. Out of everyone there, she was the only one in her usual clothing. "But someone had to be the third member of this group. I was not about to let anyone else risk their lives over this, especially when I'm already emotionally involved." The three men sighed. "Are we having a chance of winning this?" Antoine asked. "What do you think?" Donovan asked in return. "Very well," Tanis said. "Come here, there's something I need to do before we go." When everyone gathered around the altar, Tanis asked them to place their blades on it. He touched each one in turn, saying a prayer over them and asking the Almighty to bless them. The blades glowed with a soft, white light that soon faded. Tanis noticed with a little surprise that Bunnie's sword turned blue just before it faded out and Antoine's turned green. "Where's mine?" Rosie asked. "There's no way--" Tanis began. "I believe your exact words were, 'It will all come down to whoever gets the open strike.' What if I am the only one who gets it?" Tanis looked to the others for help, but none met his gaze. "You're on your own," Donovan said, speaking for everyone. Tanis grumbled to himself and then closed his eyes. In a few seconds, Knuckles faded into view. "I hope you know what you're asking, Shi-rat," Knuckles said coldly. "I know it full well," Tanis said gently. "I wouldn't ask this, but we are short on time." Knuckles nodded and presented a long box to Rosie. She opened it up and drew forth a sword that glowed with its own light. "I trust you will take care of it," Knuckles said, taking back the box. "That is a very special sword; it is the one my ancestor used to vanquish Chaos." "You can count on me," Rosie said simply. "But how will I hold it? I saw no scabbard." Knuckles smiled and the sword vanished. "All you need do is picture it in your hand, and it will appear. And don't worry about not knowing how to use it. It's enchanted to make even the most unskilled animal a master." Rosie nodded. Knuckles looked at her a moment, as if just seeing something about her. Smiling to himself, he waved to the others and vanished. "If there's nothing else," Tanis said, looking around, "the sun will be setting soon. There's not much time." Everyone linked hands and formed a circle around Tanis. He chanted in a low voice and a whirlwind rose around them, teleporting them to where they needed to go. "This is it?" Nadia said disbelievingly. The structure they stood before was old, almost as old as Sanctuary. But where Sanctuary was in good repair, this building more than showed its age. "I can't believe Knuckles would've hidden an Emerald here; the thing will crumble if it's touched wrong!" "Can you think of a more perfect place to hide it?" Donovan asked. "Yeah, especially one that won't kill you on your way to get it." "Looks can be deceiving," Tanis said. "There are strong forces at work here, not just the Kavenoff or the Emerald." "Well, we ain't gonna do anything standing around here," Bunnie said, punching her left fist in the air. "I am agreeing," Antoine said. Then he looked at Bunnie. "Is something wrong, my doe?" Bunnie stared at her arm. "Give me a second," she said, punching the air again. "What are you doing?" Nadia asked. "M-My arm! I can't change it!" Bunnie yelled. "Impossible!" Donovan said. "That was part of your wish, wasn't it?" "You were there, you heard it. I've never been stuck like this since I made my wish. It's almost like I never made it." "Almost?" Rosie asked. "Well, my arm and legs are still normal; they didn't go back to being robotic." At that point, Donovan yelled in pain and fell to the sands, holding his leg. "Donovan!" Nadia yelled, rushing to his side. A snake reared up in front of her, eyes solid white. "You!" she yelled, grabbing the snake by its throat. "As you can s-s-see," the snake hissed in the Kavenoff's voice, "I have decided to change s-s-some of the rules-s-s. And this-s-s won't be the last!" The snake went into violent convulsions, much as Maurice had yesterday. Nadia threw the snake with all her might. She pushed Donovan's hands aside and examined the wound. "Poison!" she said, seeing the skin around the marks red and inflamed. "Tanis!" Tanis hurried over and took everything in at a glance. He laid his hands on Donovan's leg and used his power to draw out the poison. It took a couple minutes, but Donovan was soon able to stand on his own. "How are you feeling?" he asked Donovan worriedly. "Physically, I'm fine," Donovan said, limping off. "Mentally?" Nadia asked, following him. "I'll worry about that once we get out of here." "You won't be going anywhere!" a voice thundered from high overhead. Everyone looked up and saw a large form dropping down on them. They scattered in all directions as the form landed. "You will never enter this place alive!" "It cannot be!" Antoine said. "This is looking like the dragon Rotor and Dulcy said they killed!" The black and grey scaled dragon whipped its head around, sending a tongue of dark flame right at Antoine. He dove out of the way, and the fire struck a rock where he had been standing. But the rock did not melt. Rather, it crumbled into sand, as if aged and eroded. "His eyes aren't white," Rosie said, the sword appearing in her hand. "The Kavenoff doesn't control this one." "Maybe not, but the six of us should be able to defeat it," Donovan said, drawing his sword. No sooner had he said that than dark lightning arced from the building, striking three of them. In a blast as dark as the dragon, Tanis, Donovan, and Bunnie disappeared. "No!" Rosie yelled, then she had to dodge another blast from the dragon. Antoine charged the dragon. "If you are Voltaire, then I shall return you to your eternal punishment!" He struck the dragon, his sword cleanly slicing off an arm. The dragon just smiled as if he hadn't even felt the blow. The severed arm turned to dust as it hit the ground, and the stump left by Antoine's blow extended and grew into another arm. "Foolish mortal, you cannot kill that which is already dead!" He struck at Antoine with his claws, just barely missing. "What do we do now?" Nadia asked. "I don't think my Emerald will have any effect on him." "Just keep him busy," Rosie said, circling around. "I have an idea." "Hey ugly!" Nadia yelled, waving her arms. "You couldn't hit me if I was standing still." "Let's put that to the test," Voltaire said, ripping of his own arm. He threw it at Nadia and it grabbed her, pinning her down against the sands. "Now let's see how bad my aim is." Antoine saw that Rosie was still moving into position, so he got between Voltaire and Nadia. A shower of purple ice flew from Voltaire's mouth, covering Antoine in a heartbeat. "Idiot," Voltaire muttered, smiling as the ice solidifed around Antoine. "Now you both die!" Rosie took advantage of Voltaire's distraction and snuck up behind him. She plunged her sword into the back of his head, twisting it almost all the way around before pulling it out. Voltaire screamed in pain. "This can't be happening!" he said, staring in horror as his body crumbled away. "Chaos himself fell to this sword," Rosie said. "No minion of his can stand it." Voltaire tried desperately to breathe something at Rosie, but his entire snout was crumbling, making it impossible. Rosie just watched as the rest of him turned to dust, and that dust was blown away by the desert wind. The ice imprisoning Antoine melted, as did the claw pinning Nadia. "Gross!" she said, dusting herself off. "Now what do we do?" "We go in," Rosie said, slicing through the doors with the sword. She hadn't even broken a sweat during the fight. "But can we be doing it by ourselves?" Anotine asked. "Won't we be needing Tanis? And he is--" "He is not dead," Rosie said calmly. "If the Kavenoff could've killed them like that, why didn't he kill us all? No, he just separated us from the ones he thought were the most dangerous to him. They're still alive; for now, at least. The longer it takes to find them, the less likely we'll find them alive. Now let's get moving." They entered the dark building and were hit by a wave of fear and evil. Nadia and Antoine shivered from it, but Rosie seemed unaffected. "This way," she said, pointing down one of the three tunnels before them. "The closest one is down this tunnel." As soon as they had gone a little way down the tunnel, the shattered door glowed with a black light. The pieces lifted of the ground and reformed into the door, trapping them inside. They glanced back at the door in concern but pressed on, knowing they had no choice. They might have felt differently about that if they had seen what was going on outside the doors. The dust that had been Voltaire gathered together, forming a cyclone. Two red eyes peered out from its depths, the glint of evil strong in them. The cyclone moved rapidly away from the temple, forming red horns and a grey-black tail as it did. When her vision cleared, Bunnie had suddenly found herself in a long hallway. One end of the hallway stretched off into the darkness. The other opened up into a well-lit room. "Better check out the room first," she thought, drawing her sword and walking toward the room. When she reached the room, she saw that the light seemed to come from all around her. In the center of the room was a strange blob of darkness that seemed to suck up all the light around it. "How strange," she thought, approaching it carefully. She poked at it with her sword, ready for almost anything. Red eyes glared at her from the darkness. "NONAUTHORIZED LIFEFORM DETECTED," a robotic voice droned. That was something Bunnie had not been prepared for. She backed up, not knowing what to expect. But what emerged from the darkness made her blood run cold. A robot emerged, looking exactly like her. "PREPARE FOR TERMINATION," the robot droned, "BUNNIE RABBOT." "Oh my stars," Bunnie whispered, her sword nearly falling from her hands. The robot didn't just look like her, it sounded like her, much as Metal Sonic sounded like the real hedgehog. "What kind of sick joke is this?" A laser shot out of the robot's eyes. Bunnie avoided it instinctively, but was still caught by a glancing blow. It didn't hurt, much to Bunnie's surprise. But where it had caught her left elbow, the flesh had been replaced by metal, much to her fear. Even worse, that same area on the robot had turned to flesh, much to her horror. The robot smiled and looked at Bunnie. "AND PREPARE TO BE REPLACED," it said, its voice just slightly less metallic. "What the hell are you talking about?" Bunnie demanded. The robot fired again, this time missing Bunnie completely. "Fine," she said, charging the robot, sword slashing. Metal claws extended from the robot's fingers. It grabbed Bunnie's sword and pulled her in close. The robot fired at Bunnie, trying to hit her at point-blank range. Bunnie released the sword and dropped to the ground. She kicked at the robot's legs, trying to get it prone on the floor. The robot jumped up before Bunnie made contact and came down on one of her feet. Bunnie yelled in pain and twisted away, rolling to her feet. She was lucky that her foot had not been broken by the blow, even though it hurt as bad as if it had. "YOU WILL TIRE OUT," the robot said. "YOU WILL FEEL PAIN. I DO NOT. THEREFORE, I WILL WIN." "It ain't as easy as all that," Bunnie said, holding her hand out. The sword flew from the robot's grasp and to her hand. "I still got a lot of fight left in me." The robot slowly approached Bunnie. Bunnie just stood there, an idea coming to her. When it had closed half the distance, the robot shot at her again, but Bunnie was ready this time. She used her sword to deflect the laser, trying to hit the robot's left elbow; the one place on it that was flesh. The laser hit its mark, restoring it to metal, as well as her own to flesh. "I'm on to you now," Bunnie said, circling sideways. "ARE YOU?" The robot extended its hands toward Bunnie and shot its claws at her. Bunnie dodged most of them, but one caught her just above her eye, leaving a jagged rip in her flesh. At the same instant, the robot fired at the place Bunnie would have been if she had dodged all of the claws. But since she didn't, the laser missed her completely. Bunnie wiped away at the blood that was starting to flow into her right eye, half blinding her. The robot extended its claws again and fired, shooting its laser at the only place Bunnie could safely dodge to. Bunnie didn't dodge this time. She dropped her sword and grabbed each claw out of the air. "I think you lost these," she said, throwing them back at the robot as if they were shuriken. The robot flew up, avoiding the claws. "CATCH THESE," it said, shooting lasers from its palms. But Bunnie was already moving. She picked up her sword and ran underneath the robot just as it started firing. She jumped up, slicing at the robot's legs as she passed underneath. The rockets which extended from the robot's feet suddenly turned full blast, nearly frying Bunnie. But Bunnie was moving too fast, and she passed through the flames with only her gi getting a little singed. The only other thing was that the wound above her eye sealed up, cauterized by the fire. Bunnie whirled around and slashed her sword through the air twice, one slash crossing over the other. Blue fire appeared in the air where she had slashed. The fire started spinning around, it's light changing to red, and then to white as it spun faster and faster. At a word, the fire sped toward the robot with incredible speed. The robot half-flipped in mid-air so that it was facing Bunnie, but was upside-down. It shot at the fire with its eyes, but they absorbed them with no effeect. The fire struck the robot and passed through it, slicing it in four separate parts. "MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED," the robot said, then fell to the floor. "DESTRUCTION IMMINENT." The pieces exploded, throwing Bunnie into a wall with tremendous force. Bunnie crumpled to the floor, breathing very heavily. That was when Antoine, Nadia, and Rosie showed up. Antoine knelt beside Bunnie and put her head in his lap. "Bunnie?" he asked softly. "What has happened?" "I fought a robot who looked like me," Bunnie said weakly. "It was one step ahead of me at every turn, so I had to pull out all the stops. Problem is, whenever I use the Starfire, I better hit 'cause I'll be too weak to do anything else for a while." "We have to keep moving," Rosie said. "If Bunnie had to deal with this, who knows what the others are facing." "I'll carry her," Antoine said, lifting her up in his arms. "Your arm," Bunnie whispered. "Why is it metal?" Antoine looked at his right upper arm through a tear in the sleeve. "It seems that I am not being affected by what has taken your wish," he said. "Even though it is taking a long time to be turning back normal." "Uh-oh," Nadia said. "I hope I'm not right, but we'll find out soon enough." "Come on," Rosie said. "We have to find the other two and soon. The moon is rising. Don't ask me how I know; I just know." Donovan was sitting on the cold floor of the building in a hallway very similar to the one Bunnie had found herself in, only both directions were dark. "What hit me?" he thought, rubbing his head. He stood up slowly, testing out the ankle that had been recently hurt and healed. "Well, time to start moving." He looked down both directions of the hallway, but couldn't see very far. "One doesn't seem any better than the other," he thought, and started walking one way at random. "Oh, you'll be moving all right," a voice said behind him. "Six feet under." Donovan turned around, sword drawn. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Oh, don't you know?" a figure said, stepping out of the shadows. Donovan just stood there, shocked. Before him stood...him. The figure before him looked exactly like him, only it was in his black outfit. The sword the figure had was Fiorar's, the sword he had used before regaining his father's. "After all, I am you," the figure said, smiling. "I don't know what you are," Donovan said, his eyes turning red, "but you will soon be a distant memory." "Come on and try it, then," Donovan's double said. Donovan charged the figure, sword ready. But before he had gone three steps, he tripped over a crack in the floor and fell facedown in front of his double. The double dropped an elbow right into the small of Donovan's back. "Oh, you can do better than that," the double said, rolling to its feet. Donovan stood up and advanced on the figure slowly. When he was within range, he slashed with his sword. The figure parried his blow and countered with one of its own. A huge swordfight broke out, the two combatants evenly matched. Or rather, they would have been, if Donovan would have been able to stay upright for more than a minute. "I've never been this clumsy before," Donovan said, just avoiding a thrust from his double. "Even without my wish I'm not this bad." The double laughed. "You're pathetic, you know that? The Kavenoff didn't take your wish." It struck suddenly. Donovan avoided it, but fell into a jagged piece of the wall face-first. "He reversed it." Donovan pushed away from the wall, holding his left eye. Blood seeped out from between his fingers, and Donovan knew he had lost it. "See what I mean?" the double said, advancing. "Now, instead of avoiding danger, danger will follow you wherever you go. Anyone around you will be in constant danger of getting hurt...or worse. And any attempt you make to avoid the danger or stop it will fail." It struck at Donovan, who barely blocked the blow, but was disarmed in the process. Donovan fell back, looking around with his good eye for the sword. The double slashed at Donovan, nicking his arms, legs, and chest; toying with him. It knew Donovan was beaten mentally and emotionally. "Ironic, isn't it," it said, moving in for the final blow. "You spent half your life trying to revive your parents. Now, you will join them in the Great Beyond. And don't worry, I'll take good care of Nadia for you." Donovan fell to his knees, tears coming from his eyes as well as blood. His defeat was total, his humiliation complete. He had let everyone he had cared about down, and now there was nothing left. He waited mutely for the end to come, wishing only that Nadia could somehow be spared all this. Out of nowhere, his sword flew at the double, lodging all the way up to its hilt in the figure's chest. "What the hell is this?" the figure gasped, dropping to its knees. "You were defeated. Your wish was reversed. Yet here I am, dead." It fell sideways and dissolved into dust. Donovan stared at the figure, confused, but happy to be alive. The sword pulled out of the double and flew into the ground in front of Donovan. Donovan struggled to his feet and grasped the hilt of the sword. As soon as his hand closed on the hilt, he fell to his knees, his head resting on the hilt of the sword. "Donovan!" Nadia screamed, running to him and hugging him. "Thank the Almighty you're alive." Then she got a good look at him. "Oh no," she whispered. "I'm alive all right," Donovan said, breathing hard. "Barely. And not of my own accord." "What happened, Donovan?" Rosie asked, helping him stand with Nadia. "You look like you had a close brush with Death himself." "I almost left with him," Donovan said. "Let me do what I can," Rosie said, propping him up against a wall. "I don't have Tanis' powers, but I should be able to heal the minor stuff." "Not that it will do any good." "This is not sounding like the Donny I know," Antoine said. "I am almost thinking you are giving up." "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm needed, I would. And even then, I'm thinking about it." "What's the matter with you?" Nadia asked as Rosie finished her work. "I've never heard you like this." Before Donovan could answer, a rumbling shook the hallway. The ceiling collapsed over the passage they had just come down, sealing it off completely. "I suggest we leave before my wish traps us in here," Donovan muttered. As if on cue, a rumbling sounded in the other direction. Nadia picked up Donovan over her shoulder and they all hurried into a nearby room. But the ceiling collapsed before they all made it in, and some stones struck Antoine on his right forearm. He dove the last few feet, just making it before he was trapped. "That was too close," Antoine said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. Bunnie screamed. She pointed a trembling finger at Antoine's hand. "It can't be," she whispered. Antoine looked at Bunnie for a second, then his eyes slowly moved to his hand. Where his hand was supposed to be, all he saw was metal. Oh, it was still his hand, but now it was robotic. Antoine tore the right sleeve off his jacket. His entire right arm had turned robotic. Frantically, he unbuttoned his jacket and was relieved that it had not spread beyond the arm. "What is happening?" "It's like I feared," Nadia said, bandaging Donovan's eye with strips of cloth she cut from her sweatshirt. "The Kavenoff has somehow changed what happens when you get adrenalized and made it affect more of your body. Every time it happens, a little more goes robotic." Antoine leaned back against the wall, trying desperately to calm himself. But Bunnie just sank down on the floor, crying. "You got that by saving me," she whispered. "Now it might be the end of you." "Oh, it won't be just that," the Kavenoff's voice rang through the room. "It will be his friend as well!" "And what's that supposed to mean?" Nadia demanded. "I notice you haven't done anything to me yet. Maybe it's because I have this?" She reached into a pocket and pulled out the Life Emerald. "You stole that from Sonic?" Rosie asked. "I wouldn't say stole," Nadia said. "After all, I did ask him." Donovan took a step forward, and tripped. The sword flew from his hand heading straight for Antoine. Antoine raised his arm, his left arm, to block it, and it clanged off the forearm. The sword deflected and headed straight for Nadia, but stopped in mid-air. "Nice try," she said as the sword returned to Donovan's hand. "Oh, but you see, dear," the Kavenoff's voice came, "there's more than one way to cause misery to somebody! His misery is yours too!" "We'd better find Tanis," Rosie said. "We're starting to run out of time." "I'd better stay after all," Donovan said. "You see, the Kavenoff didn't merely take my wish, he reversed it." "If you're staying, I am too," Nadia said. "And don't even argue," she said, cutting off his protest. "I told you I'm with you for life; this hasn't changed anything." "But you're the only one who can control the Life Emerald," Donovan said. "You'll need that edge to stop the Kavenoff." "Like I'll be able to concentrate knowing you're here waiting to die. And don't say you're not. Either we both go, or we both stay." "Umm, guys," Bunnie said. "Since when do stalactites grow in a building?" "Looks like I may not have to wait after all," Donovan muttered. Nadia picked Donovan up again. "Stay close to me," she yelled, running for the exit. Everyone huddled close to Nadia as they moved toward the exit. All the stalactites started falling, but those that came too close were held at bay by the Life Emerald. They made it safely out with no one getting hurt. "Are you having fun yet?" the Kavenoff asked, laughing maniacally. "The fun's just starting," Nadia said slowly. "After all, we haven't reached you yet, now have we?" "The question is, will you reach me? And if you do, will it be in time?" "Let's go," Rosie said. "We've got to reach Tanis, or all this is for naught." Meanwhile, Tanis was sitting calmly in a dark room. "You cannot scare me, Kavenoff," he said. "I am protected by the Almighty. There is nothing you can do to unnerve me. All I'm going to do is sit here and wait for the others to find me." "Will I do?" a voice asked. Tanis turned his head to look at the voice, and caught his breath in shock. Before him stood a mouse in his late forties or early fifties. He had the same grey fur that Tanis had, but his hair was dark black, much as Rosie's had been when they were young, except for a single shock that had gone grey. There was something about this mouse that both fascinated and repulsed him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Who are you?" he asked, standing slowly. "Why, I'm your son," the mouse said. "Well, the son you could have had." "By the Almighty," Tanis breathed. "The Almighty had nothing to do with this, I assure you. In fact, this is all your doing." "What kind of dark magic is this?" Tanis demanded. "I would never have done anything like this." "Oh, but you did; the moment you decided to replace your dead brother as a Holy One." "There was no decision," Tanis said, looking away. "I had to do it, that was all." "Wasn't there? What about Gwendolyn?" "Oh no," Tanis whispered, his body going cold. "Oh yes. Your sister was more than eager to take your place. Your parents knew the damage becoming a Holy One would do to your relationship with Rosie, and they were going to let you out of it. But you made the decision to forsake her, therefore forsaking me. A soul was already set aside for me to be born on Mobius; a soul that has languished in Limbo for fifty years. If I had been born, my soul would be filled with love and warmth. But now, I only know hate; hate for you for doing this to me." "Almighty protect me," Tanis said, sinking to his knees. "Banish this spirit from my sight!" "The Almighty cannot protect you from your own conscience," the mouse said, his voice growing hard and filled with anger. "But don't worry, I'll be leaving Mobius shortly. In fact, I'm going to take you with me." He grabbed Tanis roughly and hauled him up to his feet. "You have a choice, Father," the mouse said, sneering. "Use your power to destroy me, or allow yourself to be destroyed. Tanis tried to pull away, but the mouse held him with a death-grip. Slowly, Tanis could feel his life energy slipping away, but he did not resist. For years, he had lived with this shame. Everything the mouse said was true, and every word had been like a dagger in his heart. He wanted to die, wanted his pain to end. But then he remembered the Kavenoff. He had to be there to stop him, or everyone else would die. His soul could never rest with their blood on his hands. "Forgive me," he whispered, tears falling from his eyes. "Do what you must, Father." Tanis grabbed the mouse's wrists, but did not try to break their hold. Instead, he grasped them tighter and started chanting, calling up the magics necessary to banish a spirit. His own hands started glowing, and the light traveled into the mouse, disintegrating him. In moments, the spirit was gone, destroyed by Tanis' power. "Forgive me," he whispered again. A silver ring floated down from the ceiling and hovered in front of his face. With a trembling hand, Tanis reached out and took it. There were some words inscribed on the inside. "To Rosie, with my love forever. Tanis." Tanis sunk to the floor, his spirit broken. This was the final cruel blow. He had gotten this ring for Rosie just before he had answered the Almighty's call, but had never given it to her. It was with this ring that he had planned to ask her hand in marriage. When he had tried to find her all those years ago and couldn't, he had hidden the ring behind a stone in Sanctuary, intending for it never to see the light of day again. But here it was, another reminder of how he had failed her. "Tanis!" Rosie cried, running up to him as she and the others found him. "Are you hurt? What happened?" Tanis just broke down into tears. "Oh Rosie, can you ever forgive me?" he whispered brokenly. "Forgive you?" Rosie asked, kneeling down next to him and holding him in her arms. "For what?" "For leaving you all those years ago." "I forgave you a long time ago," Rosie said. "But you know that. Why are you bringing it up now?" "I lied to you," Tanis said, pulling away from her. "I wasn't forced to leave you, I left willingly. I put being a Holy One ahead of being with you." "But I thought you had no choice!" Tanis shook his head. "Gwendolyn, my sister, could have taken over the duties instead. In fact, my parents encouraged me to let her. But I felt as if I would be dishonoring my brother's memory if I did, and I put that ahead of you. Can you ever forgive me?" Rosie just hugged him again. "Oh Tanis, you always did have a tendency to punish yourself more than you're supposed to." "Why does that sound familiar?" Nadia whispered, nudging Donovan in his side. Donovan, instead of answering, just held his finger to his lips. "Did you think I would be angry with you again?" Rosie continued. "Or maybe you thought I'd love you less? None of that matters to me. I do love you, Tanis. Nothing will change that." Tanis just wrapped his arms around Rosie and hugged her tight, crying into her shoulder. Rosie rocked him back and forth, soothing him as she would a child. "I saw him," Tanis whispered. "Him? Him who?" "Our son. Or rather, the son we should have had. The Kavenoff tortured me with him, having him attack me and forcing me to destroy him to save myself." "How low can this thing get?" Bunnie demanded. "I mean, what else can happen?" "We don't have that long to find out," Rosie said, helping Tanis stand. "The sooner we get to him, the sooner we stop him. And now that we're all back together, it can't be that far." They walked down the tunnel, considerably more somber than they had been. Unseen to everyone, Tanis slipped the silver ring into a pocket of his robe. He patted his pocket and sighed. He knew that it was his destiny to give his life to destroy the Kavenoff. He had squandered his one chance at true happiness; he would not allow any of the others to lose theirs. When they reached the end of the tunnel, they figured they were finally at the Kavenoff. Imagine their surprise, and dismay, when they found themselves back in the original corridor, this time all exits had been blocked off due to a cave-in. "We went down the left originally," Nadia said. "And we came back through the right one. Anybody want to bet the Kavenoff's down the middle?" "No need to bet that," Bunnie said. "All we gotta do is get to him." "And we'd better do it soon," Rosie said. "The moon will set in less than two hours." "How are you knowing this?" Anotine asked. "I know you have said not to ask, but this I must know." For answer, Rosie simply walked over to the doors and slashed through them. "Believe me now?" she asked, pointing at the moon only halfway visible above the trees. Then she did a double take. "Wait a minute. This desert has no trees." Tanis came to stand beside her. "We're not looking at a desert anymore," he said quietly. "It looks like we're staring at the Dark Swamp; the very place where the Kavenoff was first called to Mobius." "Are you telling me he's out there somewhere?" Bunnie asked. "He could be anywhere! He may not even be here." Donovan walked toward the others, an idea forming, when he tripped again. A loose pebble that he kicked on his way down hit the rocks covering the middle passage, bringing it crumbling down. All of a sudden, everyone was being sucked toward what looked like a Void portal, but the colors were all wrong. Instead of purple and yellow, the portal was red and black. "Everyone! Grab on to something!" Tanis screamed. "That's a portal to the Abyss!" Antoine dug his right hand into a wall and grabbed on to Bunnie with his left, just noticing now that both hands were robotic. Tanis and Rosie, standing next to the door, weren't all that affected by the portal. Nadia was able to brace herself against another pile of rubble. But Donovan wasn't so lucky. If he hadn't had the instinct to grab on to the edge of the hallway, he would've been sucked through in an instant. As it was, the stones were crumbling beneath his fingers. "Donovan!" Nadia yelled. "Hold on!" Tanis took a step toward the portal but Rosie grabbed his sleeve. "Are you crazy?" she yelled. "I'm the only one who can shut it," Tanis said. "I'm not going to lose Donovan." He pulled away from Rosie and ran toward the portal. Nadia reached out and snagged him just before he passed her. "Thanks," he said. He pointed a finger at the portal and spoke a few words harshly. The portal weakened visibly as Tanis spoke. Just as Donovan lost his grip, the portal winked out entirely. "Is everyone OK?" Rosie asked from the doorway. "Looks to be," Tanis said. "How about you, Donovan?" "I'm fine for a luckless oaf," he grumbled. "By the way, Nadia, you lost that bet." "At least he still has his sense of humor," Antoine muttered. "But now what are we to be doing? The Kavenoff could be anywhere in that swamp." "True," Donovan said, getting to his feet. But without another word, he simply walked out the door. "Hey, where are you going?" Nadia asked, catching up to him. "To the place that would be the most ironic: the temple where it all began." "That's so simple, it might just be right," Bunnie said. "Get ready everyone." It didn't take them long to find the buried temple, and the hole Sonic had dug down to it over a year ago. "Who goes first?" Rosie asked. "There's only enough room for one at a time." Before anyone could answer, Donovan tripped headlong down the tunnel. "There's your answer," Nadia said, jumping in after him. She was followed by Bunnie, then Antoine, Tanis, and finally Rosie. They stood before the temple doors, Nadia helping to right an upside-down Donovan. "This is getting truly monotonous," Donovan complained, brushing himself off with Nadia's help. Nadia opened her mouth to answer, but screamed instead as a force picked her up and threw her into a wall. She crumpled silently down, leaving a trail of blood on the wall. "Nadia!" Donovan screamed, running to her. But something tripped him, sending him sprawling. He rolled to his back, and saw a runesword placed against his throat. "If you don't like monotony," the Kavenoff said, "I can surely end it for you." "Hey, ugly," Bunnie called, drawing her sword. "How'd you like a taste of Starfire?" "It would probably taste bitter," the Kavenoff said as Bunnie began her slashes. "But you must ask yourself, who's mouth will it hit?" He picked Donovan up and held him as a shield. "Damn," Bunnie swore, letting the fires die. "I can't do anything to him while he has Donovan." From behind, Antoine slashed at the Kavenoff, his blade streaked with green fire. The blade bit deep into the Kavenoff's shoulder, but did not do the damage Antoine had intended. Alexi roared in pain and threw Donovan at Bunnie so he could give Antoine his full and undivided attention. Antoine fell back, but he saw that half of his blade had broken off and was lodged inside the Kavenoff's shoulder. He stood there for only a moment, trying to decide what to do. But it was a moment too long. The Kavenoff grabbed Antoine by his jacket and hauled him up. "I think I'll finish what was started!" Antoine caught his breath in horror as he could feel his body being roboticized. He twisted and turned every which way, but could not break the grip. Bunnie charged the Kavenoff and grabbed the broken blade in his shoulder. Using both her hands, she drove it in even deeper and twisted it. Alexi whipped Antoine around and smacked Bunnie back into the tunnel with him. Then he tossed Antoine, who had not been completely roboticized yet, at Donovan, who had just started getting up. "It's time to play a new game," the Kavenoff said. "It's called 'Hide-and -Seek.' Only I hide and seek." "You're not going anywhere," Tanis said, arms outstretched. A glowing cage appeared around the Kavenoff, trapping him for the moment. "Except to the Abyss!" "You are strong, old mouse," the Kavenoff said. A hole appeared in the cage, formed by the power of the Shadow Emerald. "By my master's power is stronger!" "As I well know," a weak voice said. Nadia had somehow struggled to her feet and was approaching the Kavenoff. "The only thing stronger than his evil is his very life force." In a trembling hand, she raised the Life Emerald and pointed it at the cage. The hole closed just before the Kavenoff could escape. "Someone get him now!" Nadia said, down on one knee. "I can't... hold him much...longer!" "A moment will suffice," Tanis said, drawing out a slim dagger from his robes. "It ends here, Kavenoff!" "I don't think so, old mouse," the Kavenoff said, brandishing his runesword. Flames flew from the sword, striking both Tanis and Nadia, sending them flying and breaking the spell that held him. "Now all five of you will suffer!" Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Five?" The Kavenoff's body stiffened in sudden pain as a blade emerged from his chest. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was withdrawn. The Kavenoff turned around, stumbling, and stared into the eyes of Rosie. "Like Tanis said, it ends here!" She struck again, plunging the sword into his gut and lifting it up through his chest. Alexi's body shrunk down to a more normal size for a skunk as his eyes turned from white to a light brown. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice now normal. "My soul...is free." He fell backward, finally at rest. "Rosie, no." Tanis whispered, tears falling from his eyes. Rosie smiled sadly at Tanis, then shuddered as she felt the Kavenoff's spirit invade her body. "It was...the only way," she said through gritted teeth. She propped the sword hilt-first against the ground and fell on it, making sure it pierced her heart cleanly. "Finish it," she whispered, then was still. A black spirit rose from her body, highly agitated. "You will not stop me now!" it screamed. "For as long as there is misery and suffering, my game can never end." "No," Tanis said, standing and walking to the spirit. "The game will go on. But you will never play it again!" Tanis brought his hands together and chanted ancient words in a loud, clear voice. A white light surrounded Tanis, making it impossible to look at him directly. When the light was at its brightest, he pointed finger at the Kavenoff and the light shot from his hand, surrounding the spirit. The spirit screamed in pain for a bit, but then stopped. It looked around for a second, and then just started laughing. It was that cold, heartless, maniacal laugh that each one knew so well. But even as it laughed, it was destroyed. Tanis poured everything he had into the spell, making sure to obliterate every last wisp of the spirit. Finally, when the light died, nothing of it was left. The Shadow Emerald hung in mid-air for a second, then dropped to the floor. Tanis nodded and smiled. "It is done," he said, then collapsed. He crawled over to where Rosie lay. Somehow, he found the strength to take the silver ring from his pocket and slide it on her lifeless hand. "I should have lived my life with you, Rosie," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Instead, it seems that I will die with you." He held her body close, drew in a shuddering breath, and died. Though the whole area was a place of death and evil, there came into it a being whose goodness and light more than balanced the dark. It was clad in a simple white robe, but light seemed to emanate from the very air that surrounded it. The being floated down through the ground and came to rest where everyone lay, either dead or unconscious. "My children," it said, its voice a strange mixture of both male and female. Nadia began to stir and the being floated over to her. "You are the one least physically scarred by this," it said, placing a glowing hand on her head. "Yet you have learned much about evil this day, and will forever carry those scars on your mind and your heart. Awaken, Nadia." Nadia opened her eyes just as Donovan started to stir. The being floated over to him. "You have lost your wish today and with it, your sense of self- worth. But you have still performed admirably, even facing your greatest fear. Now you know you are not alone, and there are those that will stand by you regardless of your situation. I will restore your wish, but your eye will remain lost to remind you of your battles this day." The being placed a hand on him as it had on Nadia before. "Awaken, Donovan Osaya." Donovan opened his eye and stared at the being in wonder. But before he could speak, Bunnie started to stir, and the being moved on. "For most of your life, you have wanted only to be whole. You thought you had found that when your love returned to you, and then again when you made your wish. But even without your wish, your honor and will remained, and you never wavered in your purpose. I return your wish to you, but shall let your scars remain so that you do not forget all that you have seen." It laid a hand upon her. "Awaken, Bunnie Rabbot." Bunnie awoke and tried to focus on the being. While she was still groggy, Antoine began to move, and the being went to him. "You have spent most of your life denying your heart for the sake of another," it said, laying a hand on him. "The memories of your perceived failure have haunted you, and you wished that you could have taken her place. To an extent, you got that today, but far more than you deserve. Your body will be returned to normal, save the one spot that has always been affected. Let it now remain robotic to not only remind you of the events of this day, but to finally put your soul at rest. Awaken, Antoine D'Coolette." Antoine's eyes fluttered open and he slowly sat up. The four looked around, not sure of what was going on, but knowing that something special had occurred. Then their eyes fell on the lifeless forms of Tanis and Rosie. "Oh no," Antoine whispered. Donovan got to his feet and walked over to where the bodies lay. He knelt down next to Tanis' body and laid a trembling hand on his shoulder. "Farewell, Tanis," he said, his voice nearly choked of with tears. Nadia and Bunnie wept openly, hugging themselves and leaning against the wall. Antoine made his way over to Donovan. "They will be missed," he said solemnly. "But we will never forget the sacrifice they have made for us and for Mobius." "At least they're together at last," Donovan said, wiping tears from his good eye. "Be not saddened," the being said, hovering over the bodies. "Their work here on Mobius is not yet done." All four looked at the being, as if just seeing it for the first time. They each wanted to say something, but they were dumbstruck by the being's presence. The being caused both bodies to float up next to it and laid a hand on each. "You both have given the ultimate sacrifice for your friends, your world, and for Me. Yet you both were denied the happiness that was destined for you. Returning your lives is simple enough, but I have something else in mind for you." Tanis' and Rosie's bodies started glowing with the same life that was around the being. They both started to breathe as life returned to them. But then something else happened. The years started to drop off them. The wrinkles on Tanis' face smoothed out, and his fur became a darker grey. Rosie's hair burst free from their curls and turned a long, lustrous black. The other four watched in amazement as the changes completed and they lowered slowly to the ground. "Awaken, my special ones," the being said. Tanis and Rosie opened their eyes and sat up together. "What happened?" Tanis asked, still dazed. "I'm...I'm supposed to be dead," Rosie said wonderingly. "Did I fail?" Then they stopped, hearing how different their voices sounded. "What's going on?" they asked, looking at themselves and each other. "It is a miracle," Antoine said, dropping to his knees in awe. "You are quite correct," the being said, the hint of a smile in its voice. Tanis and Rosie looked at the being above them, and Tanis immediately scrambled to his knees. "I am not worthy to be in your presence, Almighty One," he said fervently. "Almighty...One?" Rosie asked slowly, as if she couldn't believe it. "Yes, Rosie," the Almighty said. "Tanis has served Me better than almost any other Holy One in all history. But he sacrificed his own happiness for that, as well as yours. Because of his diligent service to Me over all these years, I am giving you both another chance at life, and another chance at love. You both are welcome to stay in My service, but I would understand if you merely want to be with each other. The choices are yours." The Almighty gestured at each of them, teleporting each to their homes. When they were gone, the Almighty picked up the Shadow Emerald. "I only hope this power is never misused again," it said, transporting it to Sally's hut. It turned to face the temple. "I will seal this place of evil away forever, that none may ever find a spirit like the Kavenoff again." A blinding light filled the area, and the Almighty and the temple vanished. Even the cave in the ground where the temple stood was filled with blessed waters. But one thing remained, forgotten in the waters. The Kavenoff's runesword lay at the bottom, dull and lifeless. A dark portal opened in the wall next to the sword. A black robed arm reached for the sword, and though in immense pain from the holy water that surrounded it, retrieved the sword and quickly closed the portal. Needless to say, Sally nearly jumped out of her skin when the Shadow Emerald dropped from thin air and landed on her stomach. At first, she didn't know what had happened. But when she saw it, her mouth opened in wonder. She grabbed the Emerald and ran straight for Bunnie's hut. "Bunnie!" she called. "Bunnie are you here?" "We are both here, my princess," Antoine said, stepping out of the hut with Bunnie right behind him. "What's going on here?" Sonic asked, running up with most of Knothole in tow. "Man, you two look like you've been to the Abyss and back." "Sonic!" Sally said, nudging him with an elbow. "No, Sally-girl," Bunnie said, "Sonic's right. Me and sugarfox feel exactly like that." A low murmur went up as everyone saw Bunnie's scar and Antoine's right upper arm. "Are you two gonna be OK?" Tails and Sondra asked, worried. "We'll be fine," Antoine said. "But I am wondering about the others." "You mean us?" Nadia asked, landing with Donovan right next to her. Many there flinched away at the sight of Donovan's eye. "I guess I'll be wearing a patch from now on when I'm not wearing my shades," he said. "We just wanted to thank Rosie for all she did," Nadia said. Sally looked over at Rosie's hut. No sound emerged from within. "But I thought everyone went home," Nadia said, confused. "She probably is," Donovan said. "Just not where you think." Indeed, Rosie was home; but her home was now at Sanctuary. "Will you stay with me here?" Tanis asked. "Do you even have to ask?" Rosie asked, smiling. "You know you would have to become a Holy One, like me," he said. "I know the Almighty said I could do something else if I wished, but I've been doing this so long, I want to continue." "And you won't be alone this time," Rosie said, placing her left hand on his cheek. "Oh, and one other thing: yes." Tanis looked confused for a moment, but then felt the silver ring cool against his cheek. He smiled and took her in his arms. "Let this be the first day of our lives together," he said. "The first day of many years," Rosie said. "Many years."