Aria: Aiieee...I've dawdled in updating again... Ah, but I have an excuse this time! I've been pretty busy with schoolwork and such, so time for this has been limited.
Twister: -yawns- Yeah... -stretches- ...but, at least, now that you have your creative writing class, I get used more.
Aria: -shoots a look at him- You hardly helped with my last writing assignment, so shut up.
Twister: Whatever. -curls up and goes to sleep-
Aria: Thank you again to Crystalstorm21. Though, I must admit, I was expecting a better turnout with the last chapter. Oh well...you win some, you lose some. At any rate, let's start up Part Nine! -snaps her fingers-
(Disclaimer: Aria Zephyr does not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any related material)
Aria Zephyr Proudly Presents...
A Matter of Life or Speed:
An Archie Sonic Fanfiction
Part Nine: Despair and Hope
Shock. Dismay. Disbelief. Anger. Despair. Terror. All of these filled Sally's eyes when she heard Sonic's revelation. Her eyes had grown so wide, everything shone clear through them. Finally, she looked down, hiding them from view. Her shoulders began to shake, so Sonic pulled her against him, only to discover that he too was shaking.
"...H-h-h-how...?" Sally whispered. "What?" Sonic asked. Sally looked up at him. "How did it happen? You'd better not be lying, Sonic the Hedgehog," she stated. Sonic shook his head. "I'd never lie about this, Sally," he said. He looked away from her to Tails. Never before had the fox boy looked so traumatized. Sonic's eyes watered just looking at him. Somehow, he began to speak, holding Sally tight against him.
"It happened after the mission," he began. "Tails and I had stopped to rest for a moment. We were talking about how well the mission had gone when Tails was shot." Sally stiffened in his arms and Sonic tightened his embrace. Sonic continued relating the story of how Tails had been killed, how he had fled into the forest and sprained his ankle, how he had met Taimat, and how exchanged his speed for Tails's life. When Sonic had finished, Sally was crying, at the sorrow Sonic had felt at Tails's death, at the sacrifice he had had to make to save Tails, and, ultimately, at the indecision and worry that had prevented Sonic from revealing the story until now. Sonic cradled her in his arms, trying to comfort both himself and her.
"Sonic..." Sonic looked up from Sally to see Tails. The fox boy stood perhaps only two feet away, tears coursing their way down his face. "Sonic, you gave up everything just to save me!" he cried, making more tears flow. He looked up at the core, which was glowing a brilliant red now. "I almost wish that you had left me dead. Then, maybe, we all wouldn't be doomed to die here," Tails said wretchedly. At his words, Sally's sobs were stilled and Sonic stiffened.
"DON'T EVER SAY THAT!!" Sonic shouted. Tails cringed and Sally whimpered. Sonic gently extracted himself from Sally's arms and walked over to Tails. The fox boy cowered, his ears drooping sadly, his tails hanging down, and tears still streaming from his eyes. Sonic knelt down before him, taking Tails's face in his hands. Tails's eyes were shut tight.
"Tails, look at me," Sonic said. Slowly, Tails opened his eyes. "Tails, I don't want you to ever think, even for a moment, that things would have turned out better if you had died and I had kept my speed," Sonic said, slowly and distinctly. "You're my little brother, no matter what, and I'd do anything to save you, even if I had to give up my life to do it. Same goes for Sally. 'Cause this life ain't worth living if I don't have my little brother and Sal around to enjoy every minute of it with me," Sonic said, with a smile.
Sniffling, Tails looked at Sonic with shining eyes. "You mean it?" he whimpered. "Of course, I do, silly. Would I lie to you?" Sonic said. Tails looked over at Sally, who had stopped crying and was now half-turned around to look at them. "Sally?" Tails asked. "He's right, Tails," she said softly. "We'd do anything for you and I know Sonic would do anything for us." With a cry of happiness, Tails hugged Sonic tightly. "Thank you, Sonic. You're the best person ever," Tails declared. "Careful, Tails. We don't want that to go to his head," Sally joked. Tails laughed and Sonic looked back at her with a lopsided grin. "Aw, c'mon, Sal. You know me better than that," he said. "Indeed, I do," she replied, reaching over to mess up the quills on his head.
Suddenly, a loud sound cut into the moment. "ATTENTION! TEN MINUTES UNTIL CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION! ATTENTION! TEN MINUTES CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION!" a loud, feminine monotone blared, echoing through the chamber. "Oh no..." Sally said, getting to her feet. Sonic stood and looked around them. Everything in the room was tinted red from the crazy red light of the core. Its once faint white glow was now a bright flashing of slowly brightening red.
"What will we do? There's no way we can get out in time, now that you can't outrun it," Sally said, fear flickering through her eyes. Sonic looked at her and Tails. "I didn't just save Tails to let you, him, and me die. Even if I may not be able to outrun the core's self-destruction, we can still try!" he said determinedly. Sally smiled and Tails nodded eagerly. "Let's do this!" Tails yelled, throwing a fist into the air. "Well, then, twin-tailed wonder, how about you get us over the acid?" Sonic said. Tails nodded and grabbed Sonic's wrists. After he had flown Sonic over the danger, he went back and got Sally.
Just as all three turned around to run back into the halls of the building, they stopped. A cloaked figure stood right in front of them, where the catwalk led back to the halls. "You've certainly impressed me, my boy. Despite the fact that you should have told them that a long time ago," the figure said. Sonic looked at the figure in bewilderment until he recognized the voice. "TAIMAT!" he cried. "In person," Taimat replied, sweeping a royal curtsy. Judging from that, and the skirts peeping out from beneath Taimat's dark cloak, it was obvious that Taimat was female.
"So, you're Taimat?" Sally asked. "Yes, I am, and it is an honor to finally meet you, your highness," Taimat replied, her voice as mysterious as always. "Now, then, on to why I am in this awful establishment," Taimat said, turning to Sonic. "As I have said, you've impressed me, my boy. And, I can assure you, I am not easily impressed," she said in a sagely manner. "But you...you have proven to me that you have one of the purest hearts, if not the purest, of anyone I have ever dealt with. Not only did you give up something very important to you, but you have proven that you do not regret giving it up and if you had been forced to, you would have given up more. You love your friends more than anything else, and for that, I admire you. And, even though you well know that you have a very little, if any, chance of escaping alive, you face this with immense courage and determination, and I respect you for that. And, despite the fact that I have observed that you are impatient, you have a tendency to tease, and it is obvious that you hate to be the messenger bird that gets shot, you have impressed me."
"And, because of all of these things, you are more than deserving of what I will return to you," Taimat said. "You mean...?!" Tails gasped. Taimat laughed. "Yes; I will give Sonic back his speed," she said. "That's wonderful!" Sally cried. However, Sonic was a little more suspicious.
"How do I know there aren't any strings attached?" he asked. Taimat chuckled. "Well...there is one string attached, but only one," she said. "And that would be...?" Sonic asked. "That you promise to keep your heart as pure as it is now, always and forever," Taimat replied. Sonic couldn't help but grin. "That's something I can't change," he said. "I know," Taimat laughed.
Once again, the monotone warning boomed. "ATTENTION! SEVEN MINUTES UNTIL CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION! ATTENTION! SEVEN MINUTES UNTIL CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION!" it screeched. "How annoying..." Taimat remarked. "Seven minutes?! Taimat, please!" Sally cried. "No need to worry, your highness," Taimat assured. "Now, if you and the young fox boy would please step away from Sonic here, I could conclude this ordeal," she said. Sally and Tails moved away from Sonic.
"Are you ready, Sonic?" Taimat asked. "More than I'll ever be," he replied. "Very well, then," Taimat said. She stretched out her left arm toward him, covered in a wide, flowing sleeve, pointing at him with one dark-gloved finger. Suddenly, her hand started to glow with a blue light and a bluish glow started to emanate from Sonic. Taimat opened her hand and held the palm upward. The bluish glow on her hand and on Sonic became stronger and brighter. Suddenly, Taimat clenched her hand into a fist and a column of blue light surrounded Sonic. When Taimat unclenched her fist and dropped her hand to her side, the column of light dissipated.
"It is done," Taimat said. "How will I know for sure?" Sonic asked. "I'd tell you to try right now, but now is not the time," Taimat said, looking up at the speaker that continually warned of the remaining time. She looked back at Sonic. "Just trust me," she said. Sonic nodded.
"ATTENTION! SIX MINUTES UNTIL CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION! ATTENTION! SIX MINUTES UNTIL CORE SELF-DESTRUCTION!" the speaker warned. "You'd better go. You barely have enough time as it is now," Taimat said. "But, what about you and the..." Sally began, looking back at the stunned guards. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself," Taimat said. "And as for them..." she said, looking at the guards. "I'll handle it. They'll be fine once I'm through with them." She brushed past them and walked up to the stunned fox. She reached out and touched the fox's hand.
"What do you mean? Do you mean to say that you can cure them?" Sally persisted. Taimat turned to look at her. "Princess, to say that I can cure them is folly: no creature, how matter unfeeling, could be fully cured of what this does to them. They'll suffer horrendous emotional pain once they're back to their normal selves. No, I cannot cure them; but I have the power to change them back," Taimat said. Sally made a move to question her again, but Sonic put a hand on her shoulder.
"I will see you again. Then, I will explain everything," Taimat said, turning back to them. "Now, GO!" she ordered. They nodded and ran out the door.
Quotes from Part Ten: Not Out of the Woods Yet
"We're going out the quickest way possible: out the front."
"FINAL COUNTDOWN INITIATED!"
"Let's go home."
Aria: Mysterious, ain't it? And for those of you who are humming the theme from The Twilight Zone, please zip it!
Twister: -twitches an ear- The Twilight Zone? What's that?
Aria: You don't want to know.
Twister: Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Whatever. -turns around and walks off-
Aria: I hope everyone liked this chapter, despite the large amount of dialogue. Last chapter didn't have much, so I guess this one makes up for it. And as the name of Part Ten says, they're not out of the woods yet; they still need to get out. So, sit tight everyone; it's all coming together.
Twister: -pokes his head into the room- You still need to write Part Eleven.
Aria: I know, I know! I'll get on it. Sheesh... Anyway, that's all folks! Please read and review, everyone! Bye! -vanishes with muse into whirlwinds-