THE NEED 2 SPEED

Tikal: And In Our Darkest Hour...


Three months.

Three whole months ago, Chaos used his incredible powers to join our consciences together into my body. He had been suffering for so long from the strain of the Seven's temptation that it had all but broken him. I loved him, but it seemed that as he quietly sobbed in fear, the one I loved was getting farther and farther away.

Until that night three months ago when it finally became too much for him. He was determined to stay away from me forever, fearful of harming me again.

But I knew the man I loved was still somewhere in there, and I would never give him up for anything.

So with one last ritual, he dissolved his aquatic body, and fused our souls into one.

He still existed, as an odd presence that spoke to me in the back of my mind.

But he was not alone...

I gained his powers and between the two of us, we were able to leave the Master Emerald.

But every moment of every day... I could feel it too...

The distant pull of the Seven... A never ending sensation of loss, despair and hatred. Chaos had feared this, but I was glad to help shoulder his burden.

And I did, until two days ago...

I was sitting in lotus position before the Master Emerald, meditating. I had found that, with great focus and concentration, I could create a plain, a mirror of the real Angel Island in my mind's eye.

And there, Chaos and I could be together. It was real... It was all in our mind, but it was a true expression of our souls. It was the closest I could ever come to feeling his arms around me...

But a sudden scream pierced our collective consciousness...

And the feeling that had always tugged in the deepest, darkest shadows of my heart were gone...

The loss turned to joy, the despair became a sense of freedom...

And the hatred had changed to a fierce desire for revenge...

"Something is wrong..." I whispered fearfully.

Chaos held me tighter. "I feel it too..."

"Do you really think it has happened?" I ask.

"There is only one way to know for sure," he said, rising. "You must go to Sonic, go with great speed my love."

We embraced one final time, then my eyes snapped open, and I was back in the real world.

Go... he urged in my mind.

I ran to the edge of the island and leapt off towards the sea below...

Within minutes, between my speed and agility and Chaos' powers, we had arrived at the hospital.

Amy was sitting in his room.

Alone...

Cradling what we had feared... The blue... the final chaos emerald...

"He's gone..." Amy's hollow voice cracked with sobs. "He's gone forever..."

He was too far gone... Chaos said sadly. His mind, body and soul all belong to the Seven now...

--------------------

Today we had a funeral, just for us... The rest of the world would mourn in a few days...

But this was for those lucky few he called his friends.

Knuckles and Tails combined science and strength to shape an impressive life-sized statue.

Rouge and I gathered the most beautiful flowers we could.

Shadow, who had steadily regained his speed, scoured the earth for the best spot possible for the ceremony. He found a beautiful cliff on the coast, with a view of the endless water that seemed to go on forever.

And Amy...

She refused to leave his hospital room...

Somehow, Tails convinced her to come to the ceremony, but she looked as lifeless as when she had been in the coma...

It was for the best I suppose, funerals aren't meant for the dead... They are meant for the living...

We gathered around the newly-placed statue. A visage of Sonic, facing the ocean, his right arm outstretched as if to grasp something, and six indentations in the hexagonal base.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked as I looked at the green Chaos Emerald in my hand.

"Eggman's dead," Shadow said coldly. "No one knows were this place is, they'll be safe here. Besides..." He gripped his white emerald tightly. "He deserves this honor more than any of us."

"But," I began, but Chaos stopped me.

They don't know... Let them have their moment of peace, we will do what we must with the Seven later...

We each took our place around the statue and decided to begin.

Knuckles stepped up and held the red emerald before him.

"Sonic," he began. "I never asked for your help. No matter what disaster or evil would threaten the Master Emerald, I never asked you, or anyone for help...

"But you gave it anyway... There was no reward, nothing in it for you... it was just... the right thing to do... And that was always enough for you..."

He lowered the gem into it's place.

"All the way up to the end..."

He stepped back, already tears were filling our eyes, except for Amy, though her breath seemed to be a bit ragged.

Tails was next. Like Knuckles he stepped forward and raised the yellow Emerald above the indentation next to the red one.

"Sonic..." He said after a moment to get his sobbing under control. "As long as I can remember, I've followed you wherever you went. I wanted to make your speed, your courage, your strength my own. And somehow, somewhere along the way, you taught me, without ever saying so, what it was that made you so strong."

He placed his gem.

"Your heart, and always being true to it..."

Rouge placed a hand on Tails' shoulder before she started.

"Sonic..." she began hesitantly. "I didn't know you as well as the rest, but what little I knew was more than enough. You never backed down, never gave up, and never held onto any regrets... I envied that I suppose... Thank you for sharing your strength and bravery with all who knew you..."

She lowered the purple Emerald into its place.

"I shall continue to be strong... in your memory..."

I sighed as Rouge stepped back. I still had no idea what I was going to say. Everyone sounded so wise and loving...

Just speak from your heart... Chaos said. Say what you feel when you think of them, and they will think the same of you.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Sonic..."

"From when we first met, from all the time I knew you, till that day we last spoke... you never took the easy path... You would fight, and struggle and search for some way to defy whatever fate threw at you. You would always blaze your own trail, find your own path... And no matter where that path led..."

I placed the green Emerald, and it may have just been me, but I could've sworn it glowed a bit brighter in the statue's base...

"You would follow it to the end..."

And for just a moment, it was like Chaos was next to me, holding me in approval...

Shadow stayed back for a moment, but then stepped up.

"Sonic..." he said slowly, as if he was more unsure than I had been.

"I... I was always envious of you... You were surrounded by friends, you were always seen as a hero... I guess I wanted the life you had made..."

"But as time passed, and I learned more about you, I saw how nothing came easy for you. Yours was not a life of joy handed to you on a silver platter, you faced hardships and worked to earn all you had. and I guess you inspired me to try and to the same..."

He carefully inserted the white Chaos Emerald.

"For what little it's worth... you have earned my eternal respect..."

To be honest I was in awe of what I had just heard. For Shadow to be so bold, so open... I was just... shocked...

Don't forget Chaos reminded, He and Sonic shared a special bond, having been the only two, besides us, to have truly felt the power of the Seven...

It was silent for a long moment, it was as I had worried... Amy simply wasn't ready to say goodbye... not yet...

"Amy..." Knuckles gently prodded.

"Sonic..." She began, the first word I heard her say today, but she finally collapsed into a sobbing heap. The dam of her composure had burst, and her true feelings now flew forth.

She cried...

She screamed...

She beat the ground with her fists...

But she threw off any who tried to comfort her...

"Sonic..." she said again in a shaky voice...

"It is no secret that I loved you" she whispered between sobbing fits. "And that I still do... and always will... And even... even if you never loved me back... I didn't care. I was always so happy just to be near you... And now I'll never see you again..."

She chuckled bitterly. "But I'm not going to give up... I'm not going to kill myself... I will try to be strong... to be like you... Because that's what you would want... And God willing... My reward will be that I may see you again... Someday..."

She struggles to place the aquamarine gem through her tears, but finally succeeds. She then holds Sonic's Emerald to her heart and falls to her knees...

"I can't do this..." she whimpered.

So Shadow and Knuckles helped her to her feet, and placed Sonic's cobalt emerald in the statue's hand.

The result was a beautiful tribute. Sonic's visage was bathed in a rainbow of light, six emeralds in a ring around his feet, and the seventh raised triumphantly to the sky... It like he was alive, standing right here among us...

But he wasn't, he was gone from our world...

All we could hope was the obvious...

That he was in a better place, that he had found some peace...

But somewhere deep inside, I feared that suffering like his, powers like the Seven, they could not be stopped by death...

And unfortunately, it turned out I was right...

"Sonic..." A cold voice similar to Shadow's growled. "Sonic, Sonic, Sonic..."

I can't speak for the others, but something about this voice triggered an innate sense of fear within myself...

And Shadow himself...

His usually cool demeanor was replaced by abject terror...

"No..." he said fearfully. "No... no no no no NO! Not after all this!"

"Shadow... What...?" I began.

"There's no time! Run!"

The voice grew louder. "Sonic... SONIC! It's ALWAYS SONIC!!!"

The Chaos Emeralds began to shake and glow brightly. Suddenly, the white emerald unleashed a mighty blast of light, launching shadow some distance away.

"Shadow!" Rouge called.

But before we could react, more of the emeralds leapt to life. Red, purple and yellow; scattering Knuckles, Rouge and Tails in different directions.

"What's happening?!" I wondered aloud as Amy fell to ground in shock.

I don't know... Chaos replied. But I fear we will be next... be ready for anything love...

I adopted a fighting stance and stared the green emerald down... but it wasn't the emerald that caught my attention...

You don't understand... I soft voice whispered in my heart.

'Chaos?' I thought...

What is it? He replied, but a moment later he spoke again... The burden pains you... You who carried it for three months... whereas I have carried it three millennia!

A puddle began to appear in front of me... Small at first, but quickly growing into a human-sized vortex.

"Chaos..." I gasped in awe...

No Tikal! It's not me... It's a trick!

NO! I am NOT you... he seemed to answer himself. I am all that you desired... All that you wished you could be... All of what you feared... And we all tire of hiding, repressed in your shadows!

Tikal, look out!

I was so distracted by the conflict in my mind, I failed to notice the pseudo-Chaos had launched towards me like a small tidal wave...

I am your dark side... Your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your desires... And I WILL step out into the light!

As I was swept away by the forceful torrent, I struggled to break free, to get some air...

And then I was there... in that mental projection of Angel Island... Chaos had stepped in...

Like a terrifying daydream, I watched as my eyes shined a viridian light, and I shattered my aquatic prison from within.

"INSOLENT FOOL!" My formed bellowed, but in Chaos' voice. "You DARE defile this memorable day with your presence..."

And I launched myself forward towards the re-forming shape of my lover.

I DO dare!... It shrieked in our shared mind. Because we are all stronger, braver and more true to ourselves than you fools will ever be!

In Chaos' fear and rage, his attacks flew wildly and without focus, allowing our foe to easily evade every strike.

I looked around, and saw the others had returned, but they we not alone...

Like Chaos, doubles of them had appeared, only different, glowing with the might of the Chaos Emeralds...

And it looked like Shadow and Knuckles were the only ones who were holding their own...

Tails and Rouge were already bruised and bloody, but their doubles just kept up their assault...

But it was Amy's double that horrified me the most...

"You killed him you know..." the Chaos Amy said as she stood over the true Amy's shaking form.

"No... I would never..." She replied.

"But you DID... You lived... you survived when he wanted you dead..." Chaos Amy interrupted. "You made him fail, and it was his hatred for you that made him give in to death..."

"I... I just... I just wanted to live..."

"Ha!" Amy's twin laughed bitterly. "You've said on countless occasions that you'd do anything for him..."

"I would!" The real Amy responded without hesitation.

Her opposite grinned maliciously. "Then prove it." She stepped aside and pointed at Amy's Chaos Emerald. "Do what he wanted. End your pathetic existence and grant him his last wish..."

Amy hesitantly reached out towards the teal emerald and held the point to her arm...

"We are all that you ever desired..." Knuckles' twin said...

"All the knowledge you sought..." Tails' clone added...

"The courage you coveted..." Chaos-Rouge continued...

"The power you wished for..." said our own opponent...

"The speed you could NEVER possess..." Pseudo-Shadow chimed in...

"The love and devotion you CLAIM you have..." Amy's double concluded...

"And we grow tired of watching you live your lives in the futile struggle for these things..." They cried out together...

"You..." Knuckles said as he spat some blood from his bloodied face.

"You were the one's we heard!" Tails realized.

"But they're just like us... only stronger... and faster..." Rouge growled as she narrowly avoided a flurry of attacks.

"They ARE us..." Chaos shouted. "The emeralds bring out our innermost desires... And our darker intentions as well..."

"But if they're everything we wish we could be..." Shadow said. "We can't take them... We need help... We need..."

"SONIC!" Amy cried out as she dragged the emerald's tip across her wrist, letting her blood flow...

Suddenly, the Earth shook with an incredible fury... And time seemed to grind to a halt as the twelve of us froze in place...

"The servers..." a voice whispered though the frozen air. "Are the seven Chaos..."

Then the gem in the statue's hand began to shake and shine brilliantly...

"Chaos is power... enriched by the heart..."

The light grew brighter and brighter, until it's glow was all I could see...

"Finally... After all these years... I see... I've made peace... But more importantly..."

I could suddenly move... and lifted my arms to shield me from the light, until it slowly died down...

"Most important of all..."

The light suddenly grew much dimmer, and I lowered my arms...

...And nearly fainted from shock...

There he stood, the greatest hero we had ever known, who had fought and sacrificed so much for us all...

Super Sonic the Hedgehog...

"I finally understand..." he said...


A/N: Yes, yet ANOTHER cliffhanger! Mwahahaha!!! (ahem) Right... As usual, I apologize for the late update... I REALLY wanted this up by X-mas but well... let's just say it's been a crazy month, for better or for worse...

JaydenSkyehawk: AHHHH!! ZOMBIE! (gets his shotgun) It's great to see ya again man! Glad you're still around. Yeah they booted my "Knuckles goes looking for love" (which is probably for the best) too ;; But thanks a ton for emailing me those SAABB2 chappies, way to fight the system man.... or something... Anyway, keep the humor coming and I promise I'll finish this... someday...

Daikonran: Yeah, I wanted to off Sonic, but do it in a way that maintained his heroics and selflessness. To be honest, that was my intention of the first one, but people demanded his return and a continuation of the story...

kuro-kitsune: Well I DID kill Sonic, but as you can see it will take more than death to stop our blue blur... But like I've been saying thus far, I have to say it again, all will be answered... in due time... (also, once I finish this story, I intend to revamp- and continue "The Truth...")

Az the Dragon: (waves his hand in front of Az's astonished face) Hello? (shrugs) oh well, but yeah, you're right... Sonic DID find another way out... what is was, well... you'll see...

Kirby-Chan263: Thank you very much for saying that. It's really a sign that my work does resonate with the readers out there... Keep up the feedback, it's reviews like that that keep me going.

MysticJon15: No, TN2S will be 10 chapters long, just like the original. As for Sonic, I knew his death would be a gamble, but I felt it made a more dramatic scenario, plus I must admit... I was kinda going for the shock factor

Piper T. Hedgehog: Thanks, though something tells me that by the time this fic is completed, people will be sick of my constant re-hashing of the sequence of the seven heroes (Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, Chaos, Shadow, Amy and Sonic)...

Spyke the Hedgehog: Yeah, well I DO have issues, just not with Sonic, lol... But seriously, that's why I write. By giving my personal demons form on paper (or computer... whatever...) I find it easier to confront them...

Pink Shimmer: Well, like I said before... It was a gamble to kill Sonic, but I thought it made a more compelling story... Plus LOOK! He's BACK! Did he really die? Stay tuned!

Just one last thing before I go. Barring some major king-sized screw-up, the next chapter WILL BE THE LAST! I mean it this time... The orignial Need For Speed was meant to be a one-time thing... but so many people wanted more I had to make a sequal...

BUT NOT THIS TIME! It is my intention to tightly and neatly tie things up with my last chapter, so I hope you will all be satisfied with it.

Thanks to all who read this, and a BIG thanks for those who reviewed.

thag-the-upset