The young man held her face on his hands, his cold eyes piecing her heart. They both knew it was the end of it all and there was no stopping it. He looked at the woman in front of him with caring eyes and pondered on his decision as he looked down at her pleading face. His ultimatum was too hard to bear for both, but it had to be done.He brought his lips to her forehead and there he laid a sweet kiss. She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her face. Saying good-bye was the hardest thing she had ever done… and yet… there she was, letting her beloved follow an eternal life of solitude.Without looking back the man released her and began to walk away, into the darkness that had once imprisoned him, although this time, he was its master. Thanks to her.The sound of his vanishing steps was carried away with the night's air and only the echo of his last words remained."A heart lost in the darkness will always find the light. You're the one that lit my path..."THE ENDAmy Rose closed the book in her hands with watery eyes. Her gloved hands trailed along the sharp edges of the book as she let out a quiet sigh. The passion she bore for love was overwhelming and it had manifested in her fixation for romance novels. She had finished one more, but unlike the others, the ending wasn't quite what she had expected. The complications, the twists and turns, the endless obstacles—didn't all that lead to happy ending? To love bravely demolishing the walls that tore the lovers apart?The sound of the train whistle interrupted her thoughts. She looked out the window of her compartment to find herself moving closer to her final destination, the prosperous town of Evergreen, her home town. 'Has it really been four years since I left?' the girl pondered. The town certainly reflected the passing of time. It was bigger and more beautiful than she remembered. Her emerald eyes lit up, as the train grew closer and closer to the prominent town.If the years had changed the town, how had it changed her? The pink hedgehog looked at her reflection on the window. She was now eighteen and she didn't look very different. Her short quills remained in the same state; they were not longer or shorter. Her intense emerald eyes were still captivating and her bright smile complimented them. The only difference she seemed to notice was her body; naturally, as she had grown older, her body developed in certain ways. She was beginning to flourishing into a full-fledged woman.The young hedgehog continued to look at her reflection. The pearl Victorian dress she wore was quite beautiful; the corset hugged her figure tightly and the lace secured it at the back. The high neckline and long pagoda sleeves were decorated with golden lace at the edges. The fabric of the skirt fell in cascades at the front, with the same golden lace as the others. The back bore the classic 'bump' of the same color as the lace of the skirt, boosting the dress up with a big ribbon and a medium-sized cascade. The ivory gloves and a matching headband completed the outfit nicely.The train whistle sounded again, her destination just a few feet away. The pink hedgehog placed her novel in a purse and got ready to walk out of the compartment. As she walked through the hall and to an exit, she felt her heart thump in her chest. She felt excited to go back to her old home. As her feet touched the ground, she heard a soft voice call out her name."Amy, Amy!" a young rabbit exclaimed eagerly.The rose hedgehog felt staggeringly happy at the sight of her friend and she rushed to her side. She opened her arms and wrapped them around the younger girl. She was moved; her best friend had been waiting for her to arrive and that was the sweetest start to her life back at Evergreen. "I'm so happy to see you Cream!" she said in a loving voice."I'm happy to see you too Amy," replied Cream the Rabbit in her gentle voice.The young woman released the girl from her embrace and then examined her carefully. Her emerald orbs traced the changes that time had made on her friend. The rabbit was definitely taller and she was beginning to resemble a young version of her mother. Her white dress with orange lace, similar to her own, made her look like a porcelain doll; which suited the rabbit quite nicely."You sure have grown!" the older girl pointed out.Her friend smiled and replied, "You have too and you look beautiful Amy. I'm sure that Mr. Sonic will fall in love with you when he sees you for sure!"The sound of those words made Amy's heart ache. She knew that she would have to face him sooner or later, but the thought of encountering the charming hedgehog seemed to almost cause her distress. Whatever had happened before her departure four years ago still affected her deeply. She knew things were different and the thought of the past events weren't going to spoil her return. She was there to be with her friends, and that included Sonic, whom had been there for her numerous times and was an exceptional friend of hers.Before she was able to reply, running steps attracted their attention. They turned towards the direction the sounds came from and they spotted a yellow fox running towards them."There you are Cream," Tails stopped running and slowed down, approaching the young rabbit, "I lost you in the crowd the moment the train arrived." The fox's attention turned to the older woman, a smile spread across his face as he said, "Amy! I'm glad to see you have arrived safely.""Thank you," the rose girl replied and then continued, "Are you Creams' escort?""Y-yes," the young boy answered shyly.Amy looked at the young couple; Tails was as shy as ever, blushing at the sound of the question, and Cream remained cheerful, always so innocent. It wasn't a surprise to see them together. The idea of young love was very romantic to her. The dates, the smiles, the shyness, the moments… it was all very wonderful.Cream's eyes lit up, "We should go get some refreshments and catch up."Tails broke from his temporary flustered state and said, "That's a great idea!"The pink hedgehog nodded, happily following the lead of the young couple. She was eager to hear the stories and news that awaited her; she wanted to know everything that she had missed in the time she was gone. The day was young and she wanted to take advantage of it. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol but it was drowned with the sound of laughter and loud music playing in the background of the noisy saloon. Tables filled with drunken men and gambling addicts were a great part of the atmosphere. Away from the loud scene at back room stood a dark hedgehog in front of a hooded shadow; both met in secret and talked in a low tone.The hedgehog was a male with black fur and sharp red streaks on his quills, arms, and legs. He bore an unhappy expression accompanied by intense ruby eyes. He wore a long wine-colored trench coat with maroon pants, the shirt underneath the coat could not be seen and only the black tie stood out. The stranger was hidden in the shadows, only a pair of yellow eyes shone underneath his cloak."Where is he?" snarled the ebony hedgehog.A low grim voice spoke, "You know I cannot tell you that… Shadow."The dark hedgehog placed three fingers on his forehead, thinking. His troublesome chase had led him to another dead end. He grew annoyed at the lack of information and futile efforts resulting from the meeting with the shadowy figure. Suddenly, ruby eyes shot to the door. Shadow sensed a presence and decided to end the encounter then. He signaled the figure to leave by turning to see it; cold orbs locked on the figure. The cloaked shadow melted away and was absorbed by the floor, vanishing from sight.The black and red hedgehog opened the door that separated him from the noisy saloon and found a blue hedgehog waiting for him on the other side. Emerald orbs from his new company moved to see him; the glaring sight made him grin, "It's you again."The heroic hedgehog, Sonic, was leaning on a wall of the hallway, his arms crossed and his confident expression planted on his face, "What can I say? When I spot a challenge, I don't back down."Shadow snorted, "You should know when to give up when your adversary is superior."Both hedgehogs looked at each other with eager eyes, the tension in the small hall increased. The noise from the bar could be heard from their location. The piano played happily and the girls danced. However, neither paid any attention to the distractions. Slowly both moved to fighting stances, knowing what was coming. The hedgehogs shut off the noise and concentrated on each other.A few seconds passed before the blue hedgehog threw a punch at his dark counter part. Shadow held his adversary's fist on his hand and then threw one of his own, but it was stopped in the same fashion by the other male. Both stood in the hallway with strong stances, forcefully attempting to overpower one another."I know you are the one responsible for this!" said Sonic, holding his ground.Shadow snickered under his breath, "You know absolutely nothing."Knowing they were evenly matched, the blue hedgehog decided to jump back and launch another attack. He ran with enough speed to power up the force behind his fist. The ebony hedgehog got ready to deflect the attack and, surely, he was able to grab the blue hedgehog by the arm and throw him past the open door and against the wall of the room he had previously been in.The cerulean hedgehog grimaced as he hit the wall with enough force to go through it and then landed on the sidewalk outside the back of the building on a pile of rubble. The, now overpowered, hedgehog slowly stood from the mess with his knee on the floor and the other supporting his body. He cleaned the blood that dripped from his lip with his glove and grinned.Shadow stared at his opponent with dark eyes. Once again, after countless encounters with the blue male, he was forced to engage in combat. He knew from his previous fights that the persistent hedgehog had a lot more fight left in him. He grew annoyed, at the thought that the fight was far from over. However, the quarrel was interrupted by a voice that called out his adversary's name."Sonic!" Tails exclaimed as he ran to his friend. Behind the fox came two girls running, worried about the serious situation that the blue hedgehog seemed to be in.Knowing that the battle was over, the mysterious hedgehog began to walk way, towards the direction of the trio. The three watched as he grew closer, threatened by his presence. However, as he walked closer to them he expressed no interest in getting them involved. A pair of bright emerald eyes observed him as he continued, very familiar to the dark hedgehog.Amy observed the ebony hedgehog that was walking the opposite direction. Her emerald orbs examined him carefully as he came closer. The moment they were side to side, his ruby eyes moved to see her, catching her off guard. When their eyes met she felt time stop, it was as if they were alone and the world around them had disappeared. Her heart stopped and so did her breathing. As they froze, no spoken words were exchanged, but their eyes took a chance to converse."Who are you…?" her eyes asked innocently and curiously.His solemn reply was a simple, "No one…"Her emerald orbs explored his features; it all seemed so familiar to her. She looked back at his cold eyes and something struck her, "Don't I know you…?""Perhaps…" he responded in a low voice only loud enough for only her to hear him. His eyes moved off of her features and the timeless moment ended, and so he walked away, leaving her behind.The rose female wanted to stop him, but she froze in place. All she did was look back and see him go. Her heart began to race, reality was back, and she could finally breathe. She was certain that she had met the mysterious hedgehog before, but she could not recall where or when."Amy, are you okay?" a soft voice called out. Cream was standing in front of the pink hedgehog with concerned eyes."Y-Yes, I'm fine," she stammered. Her attention moved to the two males standing behind the rabbit. Both were talking to each other, exchanging information about what had happened. The blue hedgehog seemed to be fine and even brushed off the dust from his clothes. The fox turned to see Amy and seemed to be telling Sonic about her arrival.The blue hedgehog turned to see the girl and seemed to stare in awe. She looked truly beautiful, even he couldn't deny it. He walked towards Amy and smiled, "It's nice to see you again. Tails told me you guys are heading over to get some refreshments, mind if I tag along?""N-Not at all," she answered. The pink hedgehog inspected the male, trying to make sure he was okay."Don't worry about me! I'm doing great," he gave the young woman his arm and smiled eagerly, "Let's get going!"The cerulean male began to walk side to side with Amy, his emerald eyes locked on her. The rose girl, however, was distracted and looking back. She walked mindlessly through the streets, her head elsewhere, perhaps with the thoughts of the dark hedgehog.
