ARAAT2: Eclipse - Part 1

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A Rose And A Thorn 2: Eclipse

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: The Most Intelligent Reviewer award this week goes to Skittle Sama, because she drew a really quite magnificent picture of Shadow and Amy having sex, then told me in her review, and I managed to pinpoint almost the exact moment it happens. I can practically hear them groaning in passion!

Froggy: Our first fan art! I’ll tell you what, people, draw more good fan art of the ARAAT series, and you’ll get ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but we will be damn grateful.

Harley: This takes into consideration the fact that a crippled monkey could draw better than I can. Okay. Now we get on with the REAL plot. Oh, come on, the fic isn’t getting an NC-17 for giving birth and a little mild depression. We need serious mental problems to do that! (My apologies to anybody who does have mental problems; my psychiatrist says I have Aspergers Syndrome)

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Chapter Four: Kidnap

Amy stared down lovingly at her favourite black hedgehog. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. Shadow was her favourite black hedgehog too. She loved them both equally, that was the important thing.

Eclipse was just a fortnight old now. He didn’t cry a lot, he just watched everything. He cried when he was hungry, and when he needed changing, and that seemed to be all. She stroked his quills, "Nap-time, honey," she told him. He fidgeted slightly, "You go to sleep, and when you wake up, daddy will be home and-" someone pounded on the door, "Bugger," she said. Eclipse reached out for her, "No baby, you go to sleep, I'll be only a minute," she told him. The banging was becoming louder, more insistent, "I'M COMING!" she shouted at the door.

Eclipse started to cry. She sighed and picked him up, going into the living room, "Okay, okay, I'm-" the door burst off its hinges, and a Guard Robo stamped in. Two more followed it, "What are you doing in my house?!" Amy shouted, enraged. Eclipse was crying louder now.

"Give Us The Child Or Further Steps Will Be Taken," the Guard Robo droned. Straight to the point.

"What?" Amy stared. Eclipse was really screaming now, clutching her. She recognised this type of robots - Eggman's design, he'd sold them himself to raise money for some of his world domination schemes, "You can't have him!"

"Then We Will Take Him."

Amy looked at the three Guard Robos. Then she ran into the bedroom, locking the door, putting Eclipse in his cot, and pushing the bed against the door. She pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer, cursing her rashness - there was no phone in this room, so she couldn't call for help. No matter. She'd fight them all off herself if she had to.

The door splintered, and broke open. Amy started to sweat. Eclipse was wailing louder and louder as the three Guard Robos bust their way in. Amy swung her hammer, and a pink whirlwind hit the first one full on, knocking it back. It exploded in the living-room, but the second tramped straight in, firing up its electric prongs.

"Give Us The Child," it droned.

"NEVER!" Amy screamed, and fired off another Pink Typhoon at the Guard Robo. It blocked the attack automatically, and fired a ball of electricity that knocked Amy off her feet. She staggered to her feet and stood between it and Eclipse's cot, "Over my dead body!" she shouted.

"Your Proposal Is Acceptable," the Guard Robo droned. As Amy drew back the hammer for another swing, it stuck its prongs into her side and fired an enormous burst of electricity into her body. She screamed, and fell to the floor. It stepped over her and picked up the screaming Eclipse. The other Guard Robo blew up the safe and took out the Chaos Emerald within.

Amy tried to get to her feet, and failed. As a last resort, she wrapped her arms around the Guard Robo's leg, and it dragged her halfway through the living room.

Its double droned, "Body in Pursuit." It stuck its prongs into Amy's back and electrocuted her again. She screamed in agony, and it finished by knocking her back into the bedroom where she slammed into the wall and slumped, unconcious.

The two remaining Guard Robos left, taking a wailing Eclipse with them, and leaving one destroyed Guard Robo, an unconcious mother and a trashed apartment in their wake.

~~~

Not long afterwards, Shadow arrived outside their apartment. He’d managed to work himself up for asking Amy to marry him again. With his connections and Lady Vanilla’s help, he’d managed to reserve places at a rather exclusive resturaunt in Central City for next week, and he was planning on having Lady Vanilla look after Eclipse for the night and proposing to Amy then.

But something didn't feel right. He slowed down to a jog, his senses alert, looking for danger. He didn't know what he was looking for... nor why there would be a danger to worry about, but he didn't question his instincts. Then he saw the splintered door. He instantly threw caution to the wind.

"Amy!" he shouted as he rushed through the ruined door. He shouted her name again as he frantically looked around for her, his heart racing in fear. Seeing the bedroom door in similar shape, he hopped through it. There he saw Amy on the floor, unconcious. Shadow fell to his knees, rolled her onto her back, and gently shook her, "Amy! Amy, please wake up... please be alright..."

"Ugh..." Amy's breathing was shallow, but there didn't seem to be anything particularly wrong with her. She opened her eyes and looked up into Shadow's concerned face, "Shadow... I'm so sorry..."

"What happened? Who did this?” Shadow looked around frantically at the destruction, “Where is Eclipse?" he asked, his voice breaking, “Where’s the Chaos Emerald?”

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." It seemed to be all Amy could say. She was clearly in shock or something.

Shadow scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to him, "I'm here now... you're safe. Just talk to me..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Amy managed. She started to cry, "I'm sorry..."

Shadow started to shake gently, fear clutching at his heart, "Where is Eclipse?" he asked again, "I have to know."

"I'm sorry... they took him... I'm sorry..." Amy started to cry louder, "They took him! They took him!" She started to scream the words over and over, "They took him!"

Shadow clutched Amy tighter. It was like his worst nightmare had just come to life. Who could have done this? Shadow's mind struggled to form coherent thought, his insides a jumbled, confused mess of emotion. "I - I'm taking you to a hospital," he said in a daze, "I'm getting you out of here..."

Amy was just wailing now, struggling in Shadow's arms. The electric shocks and the loss of her child were clouding all rationality, "Let me go!" she wailed, "I have to find him!"

Shadow continued to hold her tightly, closing his eyes, "He's not here, Amy. I can't feel him."

Amy wasn't listening; if Shadow hadn't been holding her so tightly she might have been able to fight free of him. She beat her hands against his chest weakly, "I have to... have to... have to find him!" she wailed.

Shadow picked Amy up and carried her out of the home, still holding her tight and doing his best to calm her... although he didn't feel nearly as calm as he seemed. He had to hold himself together for her, though. Taking off running, he soon took them both to the hospital.

As soon as he got there doctors and nurses took Amy from him. She was fighting everybody, screaming at nobody, going into hysterics, "Let go of me!" she screamed at a doctor, "I have to find my baby! They took him! They took him!"

"Calm down Miss Blossom, you're going to make yourself ill, you're not in any state to-"

Amy punched the doctor in the face and tried to fight free, falling to the floor. A doctor pinned her down, and accepted a hypodermic needle from someone else.

"Don't hurt her!" Shadow demanded of the doctors, but he didn't stand in their way. He knew some of them from previous visits and trusted them to know what they were doing. They did save his life, after all.

"What are you doing?!" Amy screamed, "Let go of me! They took my baby! The robots took my baby! They took him! What are you doing?! Let go of me!" She was kicking at the unfortunate man desperately, even as he injected her with the sedative, "I have to... find my baby... The robots... I have to..." her head fell back as the sedative took effect.

The doctors lifted her onto a stretcher, and one faced her, "Your... girlfriend is in shock from an attack. When she comes around, she should be calmer. But for now she has to sleep. Can you tell us what's happened?"

Shadow gathered his thoughts. "Yes... Someone attacked our home and knocked her unconcious. Our baby is missing, and she told me that some robots took him... that's all I know."

The doctor frowned, "Mister Lifeform, you should file a report with the police as soon as possible. When Miss Blossom comes round in about eight hours, she can help you both."

Shadow nodded quietly. He watched as Amy was wheeled away, pale and silent in her unnatural sleep.

~~~

Shadow walked into the room where he was told Amy was being held. He couldn't wait any longer. "Amy?" he asked as he walked in.

Amy was sitting up in the bed, rocking her body back and forth. She wasn't screaming any more, but tears were fast rolling down her face. She didn’t look up at him. Shadow walked over to her, crouched down, and wrapped his arms around the pink hedgehog.

"They took our baby..." Amy whispered, "They did, they took our baby..."

"Who did? Who took Eclipse?" he asked quietly, holding and trying to comfort her.

"Robots..." Amy managed, "Guard Robos, like Eggman sells... three of them... They took our baby!" She clutched Shadow's fur and began sobbing into his chest.

Shadow gently rocked Amy back and forth as she cried into his chest, "Eggman..." he whispered. An old, familiar feeling began to rise in him that he didn't think he would feel again. The feeling of hate. The desire for vengeance. Violence was something he had turned away from recently, but for this, he figured it would be acceptable for him to make an exception, "I'm going to get Eclipse back, Amy. I promise..."

Amy didn't seem to hear him, "I want him back, I want him back!" she sobbed. If she'd been thinking straight, she might have tried to stop Shadow, or told him to wait, but she wasn't even hearing his words properly, only the breaking of her own heart, "I want him back so bad..."

"I do too... I'll get him back..." Shadow whispered as he held her, his eyes closed. He felt burning hot tears run down his own face, fear, guilt, and rage mixing together within him, overwhelming him. He kissed her cheek, "I have to go, Amy. I have to do something. But you won't lose me... I'll come back to you."

"NO!" Amy wailed, tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry, Shadow, I should have fought harder... I'm his mother... I should be able to protect him... it's my fault... don't leave me, I'm sorry!" In her dazed, half-drugged state, she was convinced that he was leaving her forever.

"It wasn't your fault,” he reassured her, "It wasn't. And I'm going to come back to you with Eclipse, I promise. Everything is going to be alright..."

"No... no, you can't go... you can't..." Amy lay back on the bed, exhausted, "You can't go alone... I can’t lose you too!"

Shadow gently kissed her lips and pulled away, "I'll be back soon, I promise..." Then he turned and started to walk away.

Amy continued to cry, suddenly feeling very alone, "I want him back... I want him back..." her words followed Shadow out of the room. Her head fell back on the pillow, and she dropped into a fitful sleep.

Shadow didn't want to leave her like that, but he had to do something. As he stepped out of the hospital, his features hardened, and he let the anger rise up in him. He transformed again into the creature he had locked away within him, becoming the old, angry Shadow again. Eggman was going to pay for what he had done. But first, Shadow had to find him. He’d bet a certain two-tailed fox could tell him where to look...

~~~

When Shadow arrived at Tails' house, he instinctively went to the garage. Tails' feet were sticking out from under the Cyclone. He must have heard something, because he called out, "Hey Sonic, pass me a Number 3 Ratchet!"

Shadow picked up something with a lot of cogs and screws and passed it to Tails' grasping hand. Was Sonic here? Damn.

“Thanks,” Tails took the thing, "Hey, this isn't a - DAMN! That was my thu– ARGH SHIT! That hurt! Sonic, what are you-" He came out from under the Cyclone, rubbing his hand, and realisation dawned on him, "Oh, hey, Shadow.”

"Hello Tails. Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time," Shadow said calmly, hiding the anger within him remarkably well.

Tails rubbed his sore hand, "Well, I'm a little busy," he admitted, smearing engine grease over his face, "And uh..." It was then that Sonic walked into the garage, "So, hey guys," he said, "Look, don't fight, not here in my garage. Something could get broken."

"I'm not here to fight," Shadow said, "I was hoping you could help me find Eggman."

"Huh?" Tails nodded, "Oh, sure... Well, I know all his bases... I just can't always know where he is, 'cus he moves around a lot."

"That will have to do," Shadow said with a nod. Sonic kept his distance, wondering what Shadow was up to.

"What's he done now?" Tails asked him, "If he's trying another world-conquering plot, shouldn't we all get into teams and beat his ass off together like we normally do?"

"No, this is something I must do alone." Shadow growled, letting his anger seep through. He silently cursed himself for that.

"What, has he done something to you and Amy?" Tails asked.

Shadow didn't answer directly, just saying, "Eggman has made his last mistake."

Tails looked at him, "He's done something personal, hasn't he? Look, you can't just go off without any backup, that's worse than crazy, it's stupid too."

"Tails is right," Sonic began, "If you're going after Eggman, you need to-"

Shadow turned and pointed a finger in Sonic's direction, growling, "You can shut the hell up right now, Sonic! You are lucky I never plugged you one in the head!" Turning back to Tails, he asked, "Are there any weapons you have lying around here I could borrow?"

"Well... yeah, but..." Tails didn't sound too certain, "You could at least tell me what this is about..."

"I appreciate your desire to help, and I thank you for it, but I don't want to get you mixed up in this. It will be over shortly, anyway." He respected the kit, but he didn't want to drag him into a personal vendetta.

Tails frowned, flew up to a high shelf and unlocked a cupboard, "Borrow... like you're gonna give me back the shit when you're finished with it..." he muttered, "Okay... I got these..." he threw down a semi-automatic and a pistol, "And these..." He dropped a box of grenades on a work-surface, "And these..." He flew down with the components of a sniper-rifle in his hands, "I don't keep much ammo around the place," he told Shadow, dumping a large box at his feet, "This is all of it."

"It'll have to do," Shadow said as he rummaged through the weapons, looking for those he thought would be useful. "I didn't you know you had conventional weaponry here, actually. I was expecting ray guns and the like."

Tails shrugged, "Well sure, if you want to end up clanking when you walk and exploding when you sit down. They're still in an experimental stage," he put his foot on the ammunition box, "You're gonna try and kill Eggman, aren't you? You want my advice? Don't."

"Advice noted and ignored," Shadow answered coldly. He found a .45 that he liked. He stuffed that in an armpit holster he found, a few spare magazines on a belt. The MP5 appealed to him, lightweight and good for spraying lead. He strapped a shotgun to his back; that would be good for close encounters. The fourth and final weapon he chose was one of Tails' hand-held ray guns. It had a better punch than most guns, "I will not let him be a threat to my son!" he snarled, probably revealing more than he wanted to.

"You what? Has he done something to Eclipse?" Tails asked.

Shadow cursed mentally, "You want to help me?" Shadow asked, "Then go to Amy and take care of her. Keep her safe for me. She's at the hospital right now."

"The HOSPITAL?!" Tails stared, "Look, just tell me what's going down okay? If you won't tell me, I'll ask Amy instead."

"Fine. Eggman has taken Eclipse," Shadow said quickly, "I'm going to save him and make sure that Eggman never harms anybody ever again."

Tails absorbed this, "Okay..." he said, "Look Shadow, I know you're angry, but you can't just go off alone on a... a rescue mission! You need backup! Going off alone on an impulse is the sort of stupid thing Knuckles does!"

"I'll go with you, Shadow," Sonic said, approaching the black hedgehog, "Two hedgehogs will be-"

"NO!" Shadow said, whirling around to face Sonic, pointing the pistol as he did so, "You stay out of this! I don’t need your help!”

Tails swallowed, "Fine, if you won't take backup, I won't tell you where I think Eggman is," he said. Shadow turned to face him, a burning rage in his eyes, and he flinched, "I think he's operating in Frog Forest at the moment," he said quickly.

"Thank you," Shadow said as he walked towards the door, "Just keep Amy safe for me..."

"Look Shadow, I'm your friend!" Tails shouted, "I'm just giving you some damn good advice! For once in your life listen to someone other than Amy!"

Shadow paused before his hand touched the doorknob, contemplating Tails' words, "...I'm sorry. Not this time." Then he suddenly disappeared in a flash of blue light. Chaos Control.

"Damn!" Tails slammed his fist on the bench, "Damn damn!" He nursed his sore hand, "Sorry Sonic... I should have held out more..."

"I don't think anything would stop him from going," Sonic said with a sigh.

Tails smeared some more grease over his face, "I'm gonna clean up here and then go see Amy. She probably won't be happy about this either..."

Sonic nodded silently, thinking about the twisted situation. He wanted to help Shadow save Eclipse and bash Eggman's head in, but he knew how Shadow would react to that.

"I just hope he comes back okay, without having to do something stupid," Tails said, "You know something? He's just as stubborn and impulsive as he ever was. The more things change, the more they stay the same."

~~~

Harley: Oh, no! Eclipse has been kidnapped! As has the Green Chaos Emerald!

Froggy: Geez, is Shadow ever gonna get the chance to propose to Amy?

Harley: Is he even going to live long enough? Keep tuning in to Adultfan to get your daily doses of sex, drugs, violence and unmitigated perversion to find out.

Froggy: And draw fan-art for us!