01-28-2023, 12:54 AM
When Amelia awoke the next morning, it was to a headache and the smell of pancakes.
She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only to find something gently holding onto her that prevented her from moving. It took a few minutes to get her bearings, but once her vision cleared she realized that Luz was holding her close with one arm around her while the other was lazily having breakfast in bed. Seeing her take a bite of pancake slowly drew her attention to the cart that hadn't been by their bedside last night. Luz glanced over to catch Amelia's gaze and gently smiled.
“Buenos días cariño,” she softly spoke. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired and wanting to strangle the person who gave me this pounding headache,” Amelia bluntly replied, earning a chuckle from her girlfriend. As she reached up to rub her temples, her fingers grazed her cheeks and realized they were wet, following the trail until it became clear that she had been crying. “What happened?”
“I... don't know...” Luz carefully admitted as she released Amelia to start fixing her a breakfast plate. “Everything seemed alright when we went to sleep last night, but then at some point, you woke up screaming and on the verge of a panic attack. It woke me up and I held you close until you kind of cried yourself out and fell back asleep.”
That's when it all started coming back to Amelia. She'd been struggling with the stress over trying to figure out how to make amends with Ivy and if the other woman would even give her a chance to finally come clean after all these years, and she'd kept it bottled up for so long that last night the memory of that day where it all came to an end had haunted her dreams for the first time since Luz had become a constant presence in her life. She could only lower her head at this as Luz helped her sit up and handed her a plate of pancakes.
“I'm not going to force anything if you don't want to talk about it,” Luz told her, “but you definitely need some food and water in your system after that. Kind of why I called for room service as soon as I woke up.”
“You're the best, querida,” Amelia replied as she took a moment to eat a bite or two and get a drink of water that Luz had poured for her. The couple ended up eating in silence for a moment before she took a deep breath. “I think I should talk about it though, or else this is only going to weigh on me even more than it already has. I kind of wanted to come clean to Ivy first, but I don't think waiting to do so at the expense of my own well-being is going to do anyone any favors, especially if she doesn't want anything to do with me.”
As they ate, Amelia explained the nightmare that she'd had, clarifying that what she'd experienced was a memory of what she considered to be one of the biggest mistakes of her life. As she laid out the day she'd been forced to sever all ties with Ivy when she'd been her best, and really only, friend up to that point and how she'd let all the anger she felt even then to her parents out on her, Luz had stopped eating as her mouth hung wide open in horror, her hand tightening so much around the glass of orange juice she'd poured for herself that they were both surprised it didn't shatter.
“I never saw her again after that day,” Amelia finished somberly. “I don't know if my parents followed through on their threat even though I ended up doing as they asked or if she just disappeared so she didn't have to ever cross my path again, but for 18 years I never saw or heard from Ivy until that chance meeting a few weeks ago.”
“Just when I thought I couldn't hate your parents any more than I already did... fuck...” Luz said with hints of barely restrained anger in her voice.
“I honestly blame myself more, even though mom and dad instigated that whole mess in the first place,” Amelia admitted. “I should have just told her the truth... Ivy was understanding enough that we could have figured something out, maybe pretended to cut all ties with each other but find a way to at least chat here and there. But I was so angry at being made to lose her in the first place and I was spiraling trying to find a way to do it so they wouldn't hurt her and her family... I hated myself for years for not being able to stand up more against them, and that along with losing Ivy was a big reason why they were able to sink their hooks even deeper into me and turn me into the cold-hearted bitch I used to be when we first faced off.”
“You were only seven, Ames!” Luz pointed out, and while she was a bit aggressive about it Amelia knew who the anger was actually directed toward. “You did the best you could and God only knows what they could've done to you if you did try to fight them any more than you did. Hell, the fact that they pulled that stunt on your freaking birthday just... damn it, I wish there was some way to maybe coax your parents out of retirement just so we both had a legal excuse to kick their asses for everything they did to you.”
Luz wanted to keep going but found herself trailing off as Amelia draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her in for a soft kiss.
“Thank you, Luz,” Amelia softly said. “Thank you for coming into my life and helping me realize that I can be free of their toxic ways. I just wish I had a way to actually try talking with Ivy... even if she doesn't want to be my friend again because I did hurt her, she at least deserves to know the truth about that day.”
Luz hummed for a moment around the last bite of her pancake, and once she swallowed it she set her plate on the cart and reached for her phone. “Let me see if I can help set something up.”
Amelia tried not to think about that too much as she turned her full attention to getting some food in her stomach. After a few minutes of eating while Luz was texting on her phone, she turned to look at Amelia with a hopeful expression.
“I just texted Gage,” she told her girlfriend. “Apparently, he and Ivy have been talking about you after they saw what we had to say to the Happy Farmstead Friends two weeks ago. The fact that Ivy wasn't expecting to see you opening up a bit while wearing that onesie seemed to open her up a bit, but Gage is going to talk with her more today to see if she'd be open to the four of us meeting up so you and her can finally talk things out. That way, he and I can also be there to mediate if it helps make things as comfortable for both of you as possible. It won't be the easiest thing since we might have something lined up for Body, Heart & Soul we'll have to work around, but one way or another we'll figures this out Ames. You and Ivy deserve at least that much.”
Amelia could only nod, fighting back tears as she silently questioned what she had done to deserve having this incredible angel in her life who was more than willing to go out of her way to help her no matter what the issue or how far she'd have to put herself out there to make it happen. It inspired her to hope for the best that maybe, just maybe, she and Ivy could work things out after all, and even if they couldn't, then at least they'd both get some long overdue closure on the whole situation.
It was just the hope she needed to silence the storm raging in both her mind and heart so she could put her best foot forward come Breakdown.
One of the more impressive sites in Atlanta is Centennial Olympic Park, a living legacy of the state's hosting of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The park is host to many impressive sites, but the one we currently find ourselves at is the Fountain of Rings. With the sun having gone down as the park approaches its time to close for the evening, the various spouts of water shooting up around the shape of the Olympic Rings are all lit up in dazzling colors. This is the sight we linger on for a moment before slowly shifting to find Amelia Blythe seated on the steps that lead down to the fountain area, her hair out of the ponytail we're used to seeing as it blows gently in the breeze as her face is illuminated by the changing lights. For a moment, she looks to be at peace as she observes the breathtaking spectacle, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Finally, with a deep breath, she turns to face us.
“Beautiful, isn't it? This centerpiece to an entire park created to honor the legacy of the state of Georgia... it's all proof that a legacy that you build for yourself can withstand the test of time if you're willing to put in the work and be proud of what you create from it. Even now, almost three decades after those Olympics, this place has become one of Georgia's greatest landmarks, a living memorial of one of the greatest honors they could ever have.
It's sights like this that remind me of the choices I've made in my life and reassure me that I am finally in a place where I can build a legacy of my own... one that is all mine and not an extension of my family name.
To be honest, I needed a place like this to help me sort through my thoughts because, to be honest, I've been struggling to wrap my head around the way things have gone since Luz and I have come back for another try in SCW. Watching Luz and her team be eliminated from Trios by disqualification because Bear made a very rash decision, her and I being disqualified from a very competitive match with him and Penguin because Pro couldn't wait to get her hands on them... if that wasn't frustrating enough, watching her get a Tag Title opportunity out of the deal because she caught the interest of The One in her own game she's playing has left the both of us more than a little irritated. The whole... whatever that was with James Evans last week has only left us questioning more and more if coming back to try again was a wise decision.
I was serious about one thing I said last week though: I refuse to allow my girlfriend and I to be lost in the shuffle. It doesn't matter who we have to challenge to earn our place, we will find a way to keep ourselves in the hunt and we'll do so our way. And this week? It seems like someone respected that determination enough to give me the honor of trying to earn the first SCW championship for The Light In The Darkness.”
Amelia reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a purple hair tie, taking a moment to look at it the way one would perhaps look at a friend they haven't seen in a very long time. Nodding to herself, she then uses it to start tying up her hair into her familiar ponytail as she continues.
“You might be curious why I'm especially fixated on doing this our way. For the record, it has nothing to do with our encounter with James from last week. That has been the way we've always tackled things in this business... that's the way I've wanted to do things ever since Luz came into my life and saved me from myself. You can take shots at me all you like because you disagree with the way I do things, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror and say, with no hesitation, that I'm seeing the real me. I want to be the kind of person others actually want to get to know outside the ring, I want to be a competitor who can earn her place in this sport with nothing more than my bare hands and the skills I have spent years honing and know that it is, in fact, my own achievement. If I can't be that person, then what was the point of busting my ass to get to this point in the first place?
I know, that probably sounds 'boring' to someone like Polly Playtime, but at least I'm being honest with myself.
I don't know what to make of you Polly, and believe me, I've tried figuring it out. I even asked for Luz's input since she's more capable than I am of trying to think on the same wavelength as you, and she got a headache questioning what exactly you're trying to accomplish here. I'm not going to discredit you because you've reigned as TV Champion for almost two months now and have several defenses to your name, and you have indeed proven you can do this on your own without your Playgirls assisting you. And yet... last week you told Chance that you were holding the 'working women's championship' because you were determined to make your challengers dig deep to dethrone you, then immediately spat in the face of that very concept because all work and no play makes Polly bored and we can't have that, now can we? Heaven forbid that Polly Playtime goes too long forgetting her own namesake because she might earn the respect and recognition that she's been desperately demanding for so long by constantly being the kind of challenge she's so keen to brag about.
It's funny... I actually wanted to appreciate the fact that you were at least being honest with yourself Polly, even if it conflicts with my own wrestling philosophy. But with these conflicting messages, how am I supposed to know who Polly Playtime really is to show that respect you yearn for?
I'm sure this is the point where you'll get all upset and start trying to get under my skin however you can because I'm not the kind of person you feel should succeed you as TV Champion. You'll no doubt insist that I couldn't possibly hold that title because I'm not 'entertaining' enough for it, ignoring the work I have put in to reach this point and will continue to put in defending that title every single week I hold it to prove that it is indeed the kind of championship you claim it is. Maybe you'll even claim that all of this is an act and I've been lying this whole time about being honest to both myself and everyone about the kind of person I truly am...”
Amelia seems to trail off a bit here as she lowers her head, hands moving to fold onto her lap in a way that would make her look very proper if it wasn't for the obvious strain she's showing in her posture now. When she raises her head again, there is no emotion to be found on her face as she stares coldly into the camera. Even as she speaks, it's with a tone that sounds methodical and measured in the contempt delivered through it.
“Would you prefer to face the Amelia Blythe that truly wasn't her actual self, but rather a facade that had to be maintained because who I truly am is irrelevant when my sole purpose was to be the next chapter of the Blythe family legacy? Because that Amelia would have been even less likely to indulge in your games and called you out for what you truly are: afraid. Afraid because you know full well that you cannot outwrestle me and the only hope you'd have of walking out of Atlanta with the TV Title still around your waist is by hiding behind your little wheel and relying on some silly little stipulation to save you. I would have made it clear that you are a waste of breath that only exists on this roster to be given false hope until you are inevitably fed to someone who could snap every bone in your arm without much effort and leave you regretting ever thinking you had any right to call yourself a wrestler in any sense of the word, and the only solace you might have been able to take away from being exposed in short order by your once and eternal superior is that your wheel could cushion your bruised ego just slightly by being able to claim in the aftermath that I didn't beat you in a pure wrestling match.”
Amelia shakes her head, almost as though she's snapping out of a trance, and she takes a moment to recompose herself as her hands grip the sleeves of her coat as a means of comfort. It takes her a minute as she turns her attention back to the fountain, with a bit of assistance as a familiar arm reaches into the shot from behind the camera to take Amelia's hand and gently rub circles in the back of it with her thumb, but soon enough she's returned her focus to the viewers and gone back to being her true self.
“Did any of that sound fun to you, Polly? I highly doubt it, especially since there was a lot of truth in those words. That was just a taste of the person I had to be for the longest time, maintaining this image of perfection and superiority at all times not because it was expected but because it was required of me. Blythes never show weakness... that is the family motto that was beaten into me every single day of my life from the moment I could comprehend what wrestling even was, and my parents would have considered anything less than the vilest truth I could speak a sign of weakness. In their eyes... in the eyes of their so-called 'perfect prodigy' even, you'd have been seen as a sideshow act at best that lucked her way into a title reign up until this Breakdown.
The real Amelia Blythe, however, wants to give you the benefit of the doubt.
All I want is the best match you can give me Polly. No tricks, no wheel or gimmick, nothing but support from your Playgirls just as Luz will be out there supporting me and nothing more. You have my word that you will get nothing less than my best because I could never give anything less, especially when a title is at stake. That is what that championship deserves, that is what will legitimize your reign and prove to anyone who still doubts you that you are, in fact, the challenge you claim to be and worthy of respect. If you can give me that Polly, then I will shake your hand and show you that respect. If you can't, or if your best simply isn't good enough on this night... I'm sorry Polly, but just because you may not see me as a worthy successor to your title reign does not mean you will automatically get your way, and if that ends up being the case then maybe you'll walk away having learned something you can apply for the next title you challenge for.
I, meanwhile, will proudly go on to defend that title every single week against anyone and everyone, because that is the kind of challenge that will only allow me, and ultimately The Light In The Darkness as a whole, to keep getting better and showing the world that we are here and we will overcome anything to cement our own legacies.”
Amelia slowly stands up and nods her head, her determination clear in her expression, before she starts to leave and the scene fades.
She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only to find something gently holding onto her that prevented her from moving. It took a few minutes to get her bearings, but once her vision cleared she realized that Luz was holding her close with one arm around her while the other was lazily having breakfast in bed. Seeing her take a bite of pancake slowly drew her attention to the cart that hadn't been by their bedside last night. Luz glanced over to catch Amelia's gaze and gently smiled.
“Buenos días cariño,” she softly spoke. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired and wanting to strangle the person who gave me this pounding headache,” Amelia bluntly replied, earning a chuckle from her girlfriend. As she reached up to rub her temples, her fingers grazed her cheeks and realized they were wet, following the trail until it became clear that she had been crying. “What happened?”
“I... don't know...” Luz carefully admitted as she released Amelia to start fixing her a breakfast plate. “Everything seemed alright when we went to sleep last night, but then at some point, you woke up screaming and on the verge of a panic attack. It woke me up and I held you close until you kind of cried yourself out and fell back asleep.”
That's when it all started coming back to Amelia. She'd been struggling with the stress over trying to figure out how to make amends with Ivy and if the other woman would even give her a chance to finally come clean after all these years, and she'd kept it bottled up for so long that last night the memory of that day where it all came to an end had haunted her dreams for the first time since Luz had become a constant presence in her life. She could only lower her head at this as Luz helped her sit up and handed her a plate of pancakes.
“I'm not going to force anything if you don't want to talk about it,” Luz told her, “but you definitely need some food and water in your system after that. Kind of why I called for room service as soon as I woke up.”
“You're the best, querida,” Amelia replied as she took a moment to eat a bite or two and get a drink of water that Luz had poured for her. The couple ended up eating in silence for a moment before she took a deep breath. “I think I should talk about it though, or else this is only going to weigh on me even more than it already has. I kind of wanted to come clean to Ivy first, but I don't think waiting to do so at the expense of my own well-being is going to do anyone any favors, especially if she doesn't want anything to do with me.”
As they ate, Amelia explained the nightmare that she'd had, clarifying that what she'd experienced was a memory of what she considered to be one of the biggest mistakes of her life. As she laid out the day she'd been forced to sever all ties with Ivy when she'd been her best, and really only, friend up to that point and how she'd let all the anger she felt even then to her parents out on her, Luz had stopped eating as her mouth hung wide open in horror, her hand tightening so much around the glass of orange juice she'd poured for herself that they were both surprised it didn't shatter.
“I never saw her again after that day,” Amelia finished somberly. “I don't know if my parents followed through on their threat even though I ended up doing as they asked or if she just disappeared so she didn't have to ever cross my path again, but for 18 years I never saw or heard from Ivy until that chance meeting a few weeks ago.”
“Just when I thought I couldn't hate your parents any more than I already did... fuck...” Luz said with hints of barely restrained anger in her voice.
“I honestly blame myself more, even though mom and dad instigated that whole mess in the first place,” Amelia admitted. “I should have just told her the truth... Ivy was understanding enough that we could have figured something out, maybe pretended to cut all ties with each other but find a way to at least chat here and there. But I was so angry at being made to lose her in the first place and I was spiraling trying to find a way to do it so they wouldn't hurt her and her family... I hated myself for years for not being able to stand up more against them, and that along with losing Ivy was a big reason why they were able to sink their hooks even deeper into me and turn me into the cold-hearted bitch I used to be when we first faced off.”
“You were only seven, Ames!” Luz pointed out, and while she was a bit aggressive about it Amelia knew who the anger was actually directed toward. “You did the best you could and God only knows what they could've done to you if you did try to fight them any more than you did. Hell, the fact that they pulled that stunt on your freaking birthday just... damn it, I wish there was some way to maybe coax your parents out of retirement just so we both had a legal excuse to kick their asses for everything they did to you.”
Luz wanted to keep going but found herself trailing off as Amelia draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her in for a soft kiss.
“Thank you, Luz,” Amelia softly said. “Thank you for coming into my life and helping me realize that I can be free of their toxic ways. I just wish I had a way to actually try talking with Ivy... even if she doesn't want to be my friend again because I did hurt her, she at least deserves to know the truth about that day.”
Luz hummed for a moment around the last bite of her pancake, and once she swallowed it she set her plate on the cart and reached for her phone. “Let me see if I can help set something up.”
Amelia tried not to think about that too much as she turned her full attention to getting some food in her stomach. After a few minutes of eating while Luz was texting on her phone, she turned to look at Amelia with a hopeful expression.
“I just texted Gage,” she told her girlfriend. “Apparently, he and Ivy have been talking about you after they saw what we had to say to the Happy Farmstead Friends two weeks ago. The fact that Ivy wasn't expecting to see you opening up a bit while wearing that onesie seemed to open her up a bit, but Gage is going to talk with her more today to see if she'd be open to the four of us meeting up so you and her can finally talk things out. That way, he and I can also be there to mediate if it helps make things as comfortable for both of you as possible. It won't be the easiest thing since we might have something lined up for Body, Heart & Soul we'll have to work around, but one way or another we'll figures this out Ames. You and Ivy deserve at least that much.”
Amelia could only nod, fighting back tears as she silently questioned what she had done to deserve having this incredible angel in her life who was more than willing to go out of her way to help her no matter what the issue or how far she'd have to put herself out there to make it happen. It inspired her to hope for the best that maybe, just maybe, she and Ivy could work things out after all, and even if they couldn't, then at least they'd both get some long overdue closure on the whole situation.
It was just the hope she needed to silence the storm raging in both her mind and heart so she could put her best foot forward come Breakdown.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the more impressive sites in Atlanta is Centennial Olympic Park, a living legacy of the state's hosting of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The park is host to many impressive sites, but the one we currently find ourselves at is the Fountain of Rings. With the sun having gone down as the park approaches its time to close for the evening, the various spouts of water shooting up around the shape of the Olympic Rings are all lit up in dazzling colors. This is the sight we linger on for a moment before slowly shifting to find Amelia Blythe seated on the steps that lead down to the fountain area, her hair out of the ponytail we're used to seeing as it blows gently in the breeze as her face is illuminated by the changing lights. For a moment, she looks to be at peace as she observes the breathtaking spectacle, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Finally, with a deep breath, she turns to face us.
“Beautiful, isn't it? This centerpiece to an entire park created to honor the legacy of the state of Georgia... it's all proof that a legacy that you build for yourself can withstand the test of time if you're willing to put in the work and be proud of what you create from it. Even now, almost three decades after those Olympics, this place has become one of Georgia's greatest landmarks, a living memorial of one of the greatest honors they could ever have.
It's sights like this that remind me of the choices I've made in my life and reassure me that I am finally in a place where I can build a legacy of my own... one that is all mine and not an extension of my family name.
To be honest, I needed a place like this to help me sort through my thoughts because, to be honest, I've been struggling to wrap my head around the way things have gone since Luz and I have come back for another try in SCW. Watching Luz and her team be eliminated from Trios by disqualification because Bear made a very rash decision, her and I being disqualified from a very competitive match with him and Penguin because Pro couldn't wait to get her hands on them... if that wasn't frustrating enough, watching her get a Tag Title opportunity out of the deal because she caught the interest of The One in her own game she's playing has left the both of us more than a little irritated. The whole... whatever that was with James Evans last week has only left us questioning more and more if coming back to try again was a wise decision.
I was serious about one thing I said last week though: I refuse to allow my girlfriend and I to be lost in the shuffle. It doesn't matter who we have to challenge to earn our place, we will find a way to keep ourselves in the hunt and we'll do so our way. And this week? It seems like someone respected that determination enough to give me the honor of trying to earn the first SCW championship for The Light In The Darkness.”
Amelia reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a purple hair tie, taking a moment to look at it the way one would perhaps look at a friend they haven't seen in a very long time. Nodding to herself, she then uses it to start tying up her hair into her familiar ponytail as she continues.
“You might be curious why I'm especially fixated on doing this our way. For the record, it has nothing to do with our encounter with James from last week. That has been the way we've always tackled things in this business... that's the way I've wanted to do things ever since Luz came into my life and saved me from myself. You can take shots at me all you like because you disagree with the way I do things, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror and say, with no hesitation, that I'm seeing the real me. I want to be the kind of person others actually want to get to know outside the ring, I want to be a competitor who can earn her place in this sport with nothing more than my bare hands and the skills I have spent years honing and know that it is, in fact, my own achievement. If I can't be that person, then what was the point of busting my ass to get to this point in the first place?
I know, that probably sounds 'boring' to someone like Polly Playtime, but at least I'm being honest with myself.
I don't know what to make of you Polly, and believe me, I've tried figuring it out. I even asked for Luz's input since she's more capable than I am of trying to think on the same wavelength as you, and she got a headache questioning what exactly you're trying to accomplish here. I'm not going to discredit you because you've reigned as TV Champion for almost two months now and have several defenses to your name, and you have indeed proven you can do this on your own without your Playgirls assisting you. And yet... last week you told Chance that you were holding the 'working women's championship' because you were determined to make your challengers dig deep to dethrone you, then immediately spat in the face of that very concept because all work and no play makes Polly bored and we can't have that, now can we? Heaven forbid that Polly Playtime goes too long forgetting her own namesake because she might earn the respect and recognition that she's been desperately demanding for so long by constantly being the kind of challenge she's so keen to brag about.
It's funny... I actually wanted to appreciate the fact that you were at least being honest with yourself Polly, even if it conflicts with my own wrestling philosophy. But with these conflicting messages, how am I supposed to know who Polly Playtime really is to show that respect you yearn for?
I'm sure this is the point where you'll get all upset and start trying to get under my skin however you can because I'm not the kind of person you feel should succeed you as TV Champion. You'll no doubt insist that I couldn't possibly hold that title because I'm not 'entertaining' enough for it, ignoring the work I have put in to reach this point and will continue to put in defending that title every single week I hold it to prove that it is indeed the kind of championship you claim it is. Maybe you'll even claim that all of this is an act and I've been lying this whole time about being honest to both myself and everyone about the kind of person I truly am...”
Amelia seems to trail off a bit here as she lowers her head, hands moving to fold onto her lap in a way that would make her look very proper if it wasn't for the obvious strain she's showing in her posture now. When she raises her head again, there is no emotion to be found on her face as she stares coldly into the camera. Even as she speaks, it's with a tone that sounds methodical and measured in the contempt delivered through it.
“Would you prefer to face the Amelia Blythe that truly wasn't her actual self, but rather a facade that had to be maintained because who I truly am is irrelevant when my sole purpose was to be the next chapter of the Blythe family legacy? Because that Amelia would have been even less likely to indulge in your games and called you out for what you truly are: afraid. Afraid because you know full well that you cannot outwrestle me and the only hope you'd have of walking out of Atlanta with the TV Title still around your waist is by hiding behind your little wheel and relying on some silly little stipulation to save you. I would have made it clear that you are a waste of breath that only exists on this roster to be given false hope until you are inevitably fed to someone who could snap every bone in your arm without much effort and leave you regretting ever thinking you had any right to call yourself a wrestler in any sense of the word, and the only solace you might have been able to take away from being exposed in short order by your once and eternal superior is that your wheel could cushion your bruised ego just slightly by being able to claim in the aftermath that I didn't beat you in a pure wrestling match.”
Amelia shakes her head, almost as though she's snapping out of a trance, and she takes a moment to recompose herself as her hands grip the sleeves of her coat as a means of comfort. It takes her a minute as she turns her attention back to the fountain, with a bit of assistance as a familiar arm reaches into the shot from behind the camera to take Amelia's hand and gently rub circles in the back of it with her thumb, but soon enough she's returned her focus to the viewers and gone back to being her true self.
“Did any of that sound fun to you, Polly? I highly doubt it, especially since there was a lot of truth in those words. That was just a taste of the person I had to be for the longest time, maintaining this image of perfection and superiority at all times not because it was expected but because it was required of me. Blythes never show weakness... that is the family motto that was beaten into me every single day of my life from the moment I could comprehend what wrestling even was, and my parents would have considered anything less than the vilest truth I could speak a sign of weakness. In their eyes... in the eyes of their so-called 'perfect prodigy' even, you'd have been seen as a sideshow act at best that lucked her way into a title reign up until this Breakdown.
The real Amelia Blythe, however, wants to give you the benefit of the doubt.
All I want is the best match you can give me Polly. No tricks, no wheel or gimmick, nothing but support from your Playgirls just as Luz will be out there supporting me and nothing more. You have my word that you will get nothing less than my best because I could never give anything less, especially when a title is at stake. That is what that championship deserves, that is what will legitimize your reign and prove to anyone who still doubts you that you are, in fact, the challenge you claim to be and worthy of respect. If you can give me that Polly, then I will shake your hand and show you that respect. If you can't, or if your best simply isn't good enough on this night... I'm sorry Polly, but just because you may not see me as a worthy successor to your title reign does not mean you will automatically get your way, and if that ends up being the case then maybe you'll walk away having learned something you can apply for the next title you challenge for.
I, meanwhile, will proudly go on to defend that title every single week against anyone and everyone, because that is the kind of challenge that will only allow me, and ultimately The Light In The Darkness as a whole, to keep getting better and showing the world that we are here and we will overcome anything to cement our own legacies.”
Amelia slowly stands up and nods her head, her determination clear in her expression, before she starts to leave and the scene fades.
![[Image: VU13RwA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/VU13RwA.png)
Tag Team Record: 17-7*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 8-5
Amelia Blythe Solo Record: 4-5-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship (81 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [2] (Current)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)