Chapter 13 – Fallout Again

Mecha's POV

I ran through the halls for a long time, holding onto the scratch I got. It was painful to hold onto, but I need to cover it up. I felt blood staining my fingers that weren't covered by my gloves. Through my blurry vision, I found a room and locked myself in it, pushing pass the Chaotix who were nearby.

Wanting nothing but to be away from others, I slammed the door shut.

I was still angry, so I had little control of my actions. I wanted to throw something.

I spotted a lot of wooden crates and broke weapons, so I started throwing them around. The first few things I blindly picked up were slammed into the wall, bits of pieces flew everywhere.

After exactly 2 minutes of destroying things by throwing them to the wall, I started stomping up and down on a broken weapon. I kept screaming and cursing as my rage gave me a lot of energy and steam to let out.

When I was done, I slid down the door, looking around the messy room. I heard myself breathing heavily and my heart pounding in my chest, blood rushing to my head.

I couldn't believe that Emerald decided to tell the Yellow Squad about my secret and it would be about time that my secret would spread around.

I placed my hands onto my face, trying to hold back tears. But those little voices played in my mind.

"No one cares about you."

"You don't deserve to live."

"No one will listen to you."

"You are a mistake."

"Why won't you just die?"

"You are a mistake."

"You are a mistake."

I banged my fist to the wall in frustration. I looked down. Honestly, I didn't know what was going on or what I was doing. Emerald must have figured out about what I was hiding and yet, she decided to spread it around like some sick rumor. I didn't want anyone to know about my past or let myself remember about it; but it went out of control. And someone decided to make fun of me. I knew it. I knew that my stupid past would make me pathetic.

I looked around. All bits of wooden pieces were all over the place. I was in this mess and I couldn't do anything else to fix it.

"I am such a mistake," I thought, trembling.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Mecha?" said Vector. "Are you alright?"

"Go die in a hole," I snapped back.

"Mecha!" said Sebastian's voice.

I froze hearing that voice.

I heard him trying to open the door.

"Mecha," said Sebastian. "Captain…it's me, Sebastian. Please open the door."

I didn't move. I didn't want to show him how pathetic and stupid I was.

"No…" I kept thinking. "They won't understand. They won't…"

"I can see your shadow," said Sebastian.

He waited for a long time, before sighing in defeat.

"OK…" said Sebastian, his voice wavering. "Yeah…I get it. I get it. You are trying to ignore me. Like how you did all the time. Can…can we just talk for a minute?"

I didn't make a word. The lime wolf proceeded to talk.

"Listen, dude…I know…I know that Finn died because of that Infinite monster. I know what happened to him. I know you were there. It's not your fault. Bubblegum isn't in the right mood, so she just blurt it out without thinking."

I remained quiet.

"I know that I don't always tell you the things you want to here, but...the reason why I follow you is because…I kind of wanted to be like you. I wanted to be as strong and as fast and as smart as Mecha…you look like some kind of hero to me. Like a brother I…I always want. But…you're can't be a good brother…if you only care about yourself. I hate saying this, but…Bubblegum is kind of right. You haven't been…kind to anyone…every single trash thing you did back at town…"

Sebastian was starting to break down. For almost the first time, I heard him…cry. Mustering up the courage, I slowly opened to door to see Sebastian's watery eyes. Espio placed a hand onto the lime wolf's shoulder.

"Sebastian…" I managed to say.

Sebastian sniffed and stepped closely to me. "Look…I'm…I'm always available when you need someone to cry on…I won't judge you…I'm sorry of how much you have to go through…I just want to be your brother…I…I love you as a friend…you don't have to say it back, though…"

I was speechless. Those words swayed me so much that I didn't know what to say to make Sebastian feel better.

However, I felt like I didn't deserve his kindness.

"Sebastian," I said quietly. "Honestly…I can't bring myself to be the brother you want…I'm sorry…"

Sebastian looked hurt. "Then when…when will you learn to care for once? To respect others for once?"

I looked away, hesitating. "Just…please don't. It won't work that way."

Sebastian forced a smile on his pained face. He then shook his head and walked away, silently crying. I watched as Sebastian disappeared around the corner with Espio and Charmy following him.

Vector looked at me with a look of skepticism and concern.

"Is this all about your bully act?" he questioned.

I nodded.

"Do you really have to be like this?" Vector said, like a strict teacher. "You can be a jerk all you want, but you need to face reality!"

"What reality?" I hissed in a strained voice.

"The fact that you're actually hurting others! Even during this time in a WAR!"

I clenched my teeth, but my voice was too weak. "And so? Most people here can be jerks as well. What makes me one who isn't like the others?"

"Well, I wasn't the one who tripped over that Rookie and got him crying. Even if it's not that much of a deal, it's kind of similar to how people are beaten down on the battlefield. You're not better than Infinite."

At the sound of that jarring name 'Infinite', my eye twitched. I closed my eyes, clenched my fists and sucked the air through my teeth.

"You know what, mate?" I said. "I wish that Infinite would have killed me when the war started."

I grabbed the door and was about to slam it when I saw Minty…glaring at me from the distance.

But I wasn't bother.

I closed my eyes and slammed the door.

I stood still for a while, thinking about what Sebastian and Vector said to me. Then, there was a feeling. One that I haven't felt in a long time for my bullying.

Guilt.

"Kid!" called Vector from the other side. "Don't you dare-!"

"I can't take this anyone," I said. "You can forget about me all you want."

I turned around…only to face my Yellow Wisp who must have got into the room, catching me off guard.

"Hey!" I said. "What are you doing?"

He babbled in an angry and worried tone.

"Just…go away. Screw off and stick with Sebastian instead."

My Wisp just sighed and took out something. It was a yellow sticky note. I took it and read the message.

I just want to see if you're OK. I know that you haven't been fair to others, but nobody deserves to be hurt. Especially you.

I looked away. "Just…leave. It's the simplest thing that anyone should understand."

That was when he flipped the note over.

If it's OK, I like to stick around you, but I won't bother you. Is that alright for you?

At this, I finally gave up. I slumped onto the floor, putting my head into my hands. I felt my Yellow Wisp sitting on my head, but I didn't care.

"I am such a mistake," I thought.


Clay's POV

I ran through the hallways while pushing people aside, not caring what they had to say. The voices continued to play in my mind.

"Why not? You're all weak and the strong should live. You – on the other hand – are weak. AND look pathetic. You don't belong here. You don't belong ANYWHERE. You SHOULDN'T even exist."

"Armies always want to have the best soldiers they have. Even though they just said that age or experience doesn't matter, they are still hiding the fact that you have to be strong. I don't think they would want anyone who can't fight. From what I saw when lifting those dumbbells, you can't fight. You look like one of them. You have the strength of a woman."

"But that DOESN'T mean you get to make more mistakes!"

"TAKE THAT BACK, IDIOT!"

"YOU ARE AS BLIND AS A GLASSES-WEARING RED WOLF!"

I tried to block out those painful words, but that failed.

I was able to get to the bunk rooms, opened the door and buried my face into my bed, hugging my pillow close to me.

Stupid.

Failure.

Mistake.

That was what I was. Letting myself lost control of my anger and nearly killed my teammates. I didn't mean to. I was just very upset of Mecha insulting my brother. I didn't want to be anyone's enemy, but I made a jerk of myself. It was my own fault. Nobody cared about me. I was just in a world full of strangers and there was almost nobody I could trust. My brother was taken away from me and there was nothing I could do about it. I continued to cry in my pillow in anger, sadness, stress, fear and anxiety; pure pain.

Then, I felt it again.

The darkness.

It was buzzing in my right hand, but it started to move up to my waist…

Sitting up, I looked at where it came from.

I saw this…

…from under my glove, blackness started to cover my fur. It started to spread slowly and went up to the hallway point of my arm.

I realized what was going on and remembered how it was like.

"You will know soon, Dark Wolf. Soon, you will be filled with sadness, anger, pain, stress and anxiety…you will finally know how it feels like to be weak. You will take it all out on everyone. You will become…the ULTIMATE DARK WOLF."

Fearing if that was true, I quickly grabbed a long roll of bandage that was left on a table and wrapped up my arm. I stopped when the bandage covered my wrist to my elbow. I could still feel the darkness, but it didn't go further.

"No," I thought. "This can't be real. This can't be real."

But it WAS real. Even slapping myself wouldn't help. This power...was why I attacked my teammates. I let it go to my head and took control of me.

"Dark Wolf…"

"No…please…"

"Dark Wolf…"

"Please go away…"

The voice still called out for me. I was trapped. Trapped in a cage where I could only go free if I let the beast inside me took over.

"Rookie?" said a voice.

I looked behind to see the Sapphire Squad; Shark, Gen and Alexia were there.

"We saw what happened there," said Gen. "We thought you need some help."

Alexia sat next to me. "Yeah, dude. Are you feeling OK?"

I shook my head.

"Want me to beat up Mecha?"

I shook my head again.

"Why's that? He was the one who pushed you to the edge."

"Don't even think of doing so," said Shark. "Even though Mecha is a horrible person, he doesn't deserve to die. A lot of people are dead already. We are in the middle of a war and killing each other won't solve anything!"

"Sorry," said Alexia. "I thought that would make you feel better."

I just looked down. Even if the others would forgive me for what I did, that didn't change the fact that I might lose my temper again. There was a monster inside me and it would always wait inside me until I decided to let it out; intentionally or unintentionally. I might hurt others and even worse, kill them. I didn't want that to happen again.

Besides, my brother was gone, so…what was the point of living?

There was only one more request I want them to do.

"Kill me…" I whispered.

"What?" said Shark.

"Kill me!"

"What?!" said Gen. "We can't do that!"

"THEN DO IT ALREADY AND THROW MY BODY IN A FURNACE!" I yelled.

"But…" said Shark. "That's just murder! We can't do this!"

"But NO ONE CARES ABOUT ME! Don't you understand?! I nearly killed my own squad! What if I hurt others?!"

"Maybe not!" said Alexia. "What if we sort things out and find out what's going on with you? Maybe there's still hope-?"

"ARE YOU PEOPLE STILL GOING ON ABOUT THIS DISILLUSION?! Open your eyes! Everything is bleak and hopeless! I can't go on living like this. There is some monster waiting inside me to be unleashed. I'M DONE! I'M DONE WITH MY LIFE!"

"ROOKIE!" barked Shark. "You are not well and you are overtired, so calm down before anyone gets hurt, OK?"

I just glared at him. Without a second thought, I pulled out my Wispon. "Fine then. I'll do it myself!"

Suddenly, my Cyan Wisp came out of my Wispon. She squeaked and shook her head.

"Get back inside!" I ordered.

The Wisp didn't dare to do so. She continued to babble angrily.

"Rookie!" said Alexia. "Enough of this! You still have a lot to do-!"

"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" I yelled out in anger. "I'M DONE! I CAN'T GO ON! I CAN'T GO ON LIVING LIKE THIS! DO YOU THINK THE REST OF THE RESISTANCE WOULD WANT THAT?! DO YOU THINK I SHOULD…I…should…"

I slowly trailed off. For some reason, I…I remembered what Belt said.

"I know it's hard, but not everything's perfect. Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. One day, you may make a huge mistake that makes you feel like you lost everything, but remember this; you have to learn from your mistakes. It will be tough, but in the end, you will get your problems sorted. If you give up, then it won't solve anything; you will lose everything."

I…I guess that might be true. I made a huge mistake and I messed up. But…I have to learn from it. I have to say sorry to those who I hurt. I…I can't give up on Belt yet.

Still, my heart hurt.

I dropped my Wispon.

"You can't do it either," said Gen. "Can you?"

I let out a howl full of pain and agony before collapsing onto the floor. I became a miserable crying pile of waste. I shouldn't have done that since I was in front of people, but I couldn't help it. It was too much.

"Why am I such a coward?!" I bawled through tears.

Shark slowly got me up. "It's OK…we are here for you."

I slowly whispered under my breath. "I want my brother back…"

Shark froze. "What?"

I quickly realized what I said. "What? N-No! I…I didn't say…"

"What did you say?" said Gen firmly.

"I…I…"

The memory of Belt being captured overwhelmed me. Then…the nightmares of watching Belt die in front of me. I couldn't say a word. I only whined like a puppy and hugged myself.

They heard it.

"Rookie," said Shark slowly. "I'm so sorry. Look, everyone lose their loved ones. We did as well."

"For me…" said Alexia, looking down. "It was my sister…she fell into the ocean when the bridge we were on broke off during the war. She tried to swim up, but she was crushed by the debris…never to be seen again."

"For me…" said Gen, tears in her eyes. "It was my parents…I found them lying dead with fatal wounds when I was trying to find them in Sunset Heights. They told me to stay at our house…but they never got back."

"For me…" said Shark bitterly. "It was my entire family…when I was just five years old. During one of Eggman's invasions, he attacked my home…I was the only one to survive by a miracle. That loneliness is forever for me."

I looked at them in shock. To think that I lost my brother, I didn't know that they lost someone close to them. They all came to avenge their families by joining the Resistance to take down Eggman. Maybe I forgot that everyone lost a loved one during the war.

"The saddest thing about life there, Rookie," said Gen tearfully. "You will have family and friends…but you won't be able to be together with them all the time. People die all the time…and that's the hard thing in life. We're sorry about what might happen with your brother."

"J-just please…" I begged through tears. "P-please don't tell anyone about this yet…"

"We promise we won't," said Shark. "But you need to tell the truth. After all, it is YOUR brother."

I started to cry hysterically and wrapped my arms around Shark. At that moment, I realized that I was not alone. I was hoping that someday I might be able to tell about my missing brother, but I would just hide it until it was the right time to say so. The only thing I was worried about was myself.

"Why would I be afraid of Infinite…?" I thought as I cried while Shark stroked my head. "…when the real monster is always inside me?"


Bubblegum's POV

I sat on the edge of the rocky top of the hidden Resistance HQ, lost in my thoughts and I kept thinking about what happened back there. For some reason, I kept remembering those bad times when I was yelling or bullied.

"You guys are so PATHETIC. I wonder why you guys get to live."

"TAKE THAT BACK, IDIOT!"

"He shouldn't have got us killed! Maybe it is best to kick him out!"

"Unlike me, you don't know all the moves. Besides, you don't look that strong with that stupid face of yours."

"Look at how stupid you've become. I wonder why you get to live in this boring world. You are worthless. Nothing. Useless. Just only a mistake. I have no time for failures like you."

"Where is she?" said Emerald.

"Look!" said Richard.

"Guys…" said Sonic softly. "Let me talk to her."

I heard him slowly walked up to me. In response, I took out my Wispon and pointed it at him without looking.

"Go away, Sonic," I said.

"I just came here to see if you are alright," said Sonic.

"Just please go away."

"…look. I'm sorry for what I said. With…you should be suffering for 6 months…I…I guess I got a bit upset that you nearly hurt my friend."

I slowly looked at him. "…I understand…"

He sat next to me. "Look…I don't know what happened with that fight, but why did you get upset after Mecha gave you those goggles?"

I stared down at the goggles that wrapped around my neck. It felt so wrong. I shouldn't be wearing them.

They belong to Mecha.

"I…I'm not sure," I said. "Look. We only know each other for a day and…and…I still don't know you on a personal level."

"Then I won't judge you. I want to see what's bothering you."

I looked away from him…but chose to tell him anyway. Even though I talked with him before, I felt at my worse.

"…OK then," I said. "I'm not sure how you will react to this…but I trust you, OK?"

Sonic nodded.

I took a deep breath and looked up to see the beautiful sunset over the horizon with its dashing gradients of orange and pink colors. It was as if God has took a large brush and painted a picture to cheer me up.

"You remember us being on that shuttle…" I said, slowly turning to Sonic. "Sitting together on that bench…we sat there and I…I described how I wanted to be a great police cop…wanting to make the world a better place…"

"You kept telling me that all the time," said Sonic.

"I…I really badly want that dream to come through…but it has been six months and the world is in danger. The war is still going on. Who knows how many people have to die next? I am good in fighting for justice and stuff…I trained so hard…I feel like it's my job to protect those…but nobody can escape from the hands of evil…I can't save everyone…I lost my family…I lost my friends…I'm…I'm just a big failure."

Sonic sighed. "You know that none of us can make the world perfect. Nobody always have good expectations of anything."

I sighed. "However…the thing is…the reason why I really badly want to save the world is not just only because I want to honor my father. Not only to make everyone safe. I…I want to feel special."

"Huh?"

"The thing is…I had been a victim of bullies for my entire life. Ever wonder why Mecha and I are not on good terms? That's because he has been a bully. He bullies me A LOT. That's why I don't like being around him that much. However, he isn't the only bully. Many bullies like to mock and tease me a lot. Both boys AND girls. I don't really know why, but they said that I am WEAK, UGLY and a FAILURE. Now I thought about it, I think the boys are underestimating me for my gender. The girls gossip about me, spreading false rumors around town and also threaten to cut my hair. Most of the town civilians wouldn't believe in those lies, but it hurt for me."

Sonic was shocked. Tears started to fill my eyes.

"It's been troubling. It only gets worse when my parents passed away…I have been slightly depressed for a while. When I saw my father being killed…this only made my depression worse. I was able to recover, but I still feel miserable whenever I get hurt or if anyone gets on my nerves. Do you know why I have been mean to people or try to not make any mistakes? I don't really think of this much, but I feel like I should be mean towards others as well. Why care? Why support? Why listen to those who are too naïve to see how cruel the world is? That's how it feels like. I just always feel like if people bully me, then I should be the 'bully' as well. Try to be 'perfect'. I just can't stand screwing up."

I looked down. "I can't stand being seen as a failure, even when I lost my friends to Infinite. I just thought that…if I can be something better…act like those who boss around…I would be respected…that never happened for once…the only thing that stops me from going too far is because I still remember my father. I want to keep his kindness for as long as I can, but…I messed up. I've been so mean to you and the others…I messed up, Sonic. I messed up so badly! The opposite of what my father want me to do. I hurt people. I say things I shouldn't say…people would hate me for what I said…I know they do. I…I said something awful to my friends because I was so frustrated…and when the war begins…they died in front of my eyes…I've never get the chance to say sorry.

I looked away. "Worse...some people believe that I'm responsible for their deaths."

Sonic looked concerned. "W-What?"

I sighed and took out my phone. I didn't know why, but I turned on my phone and found the email Zach sent.

He gasped at what he saw.

And I know the email TOO well.

Dear everyone,

You all probably know about how Bubblegum is weak. That should be obvious by now. A while ago, she joined the police forces to become a police cop. I mean, all police cops are men, so should they REALLY hire that girl to join them?

I mean, after that, I saw her failing at the tournament. She was so close to the finish line, but she wasn't looking. She smashed into a large pillar. That showed that she doesn't look left and right. She never looks before she leaps. She has no literal sense of direction. That is one reason why she should be kicked out of the police forces.

You know what's more messed up. She is the reason why Addison, Yumi, Taffy, Jade and Finn died. She is there when Infinite attacked and wiped out the four girls. This proves that whoever hangs out with Bubblegum would eventually die because they can't stand being around her. She is the one who have anger issues.

As for Finn, sure Bubblegum wasn't there at the time, but Finn was a friend of her. This also proves that Bubblegum didn't care to come save him. She just left him to die.

This is almost like the time when she costed her parents' life. They are better off without her.

I'm a bit disappointed that the police chief died. If it was up to him, he should fire Bubblegum for being such a pathetic failure. You know what? I'll let you place bets on if Bubblegum should be in the police. After all, nobody wants a stupid girl like her. Is she becoming better or dumber?

I hope all of you feel better for not sticking around her. Best to be away from her then becoming dead. For your own safety, stay away from her.

I know.

That email is SICKENING.

However, I failed to stop that email from spreading to others. It was already too late.

I looked back at Sonic. He was…shaking. He nearly threw my phone into the ocean, but quickly tossed it back to me.

"What the heck…?" he said quietly, before his voice raised. "What the hell? WHAT THE HELL?! Just why those pinheads made something THAT horrible?"

I sighed. "Because they're idiots. They're idiots and they have no idea about anything because they either need to see a therapist or are brain dead. But…what I did next wasn't pretty."

"What did you do?"

"Just after the email was sent, I figured out that this jerk named Zach was responsible. I found him and then I…"

A lump appeared in my throat.

"I attacked him…I won't explain the whole thing, but it ended up Zach being in a critical state. He was badly injured and placed in a coma. I was in trouble. However, Mayor Wills just gave me a firm warning and told me that he would inform everyone about what Zach did. That didn't help. Because of my actions, the rumors spread like wildfire and almost everyone gave me dirty looks."

Sonic was silent for a while. "Did Mecha said anything about this? I mean…you know what I mean."

I shook my head. "I spotted one of Zach's cronies talking to Mecha about it…but Mecha doesn't look interested. Even if anyone mentioned it to him, he would just tell them to cut out from technology. He isn't above cyber-bullying."

"…so when Mecha said that you're 'responsible' for getting this Finn person dead, this reminded you of the email? Is that why you became easily…angered?"

I nodded. I started to shake and my voice started to crack as I speak. "Y-yeah…this…this isn't right. I shouldn't be hurting others when I get hurt. I…I just hate being bullied and I DON'T WANT to be bullied…but everyone does…it's really stupid for me to copy everything stupid thing they did! Looking back, I didn't have the right mindset. I…I hurt Rookie…I hurt people…and I can't change. The reason why I didn't say sorry is that…sorry doesn't fix everything…sorry doesn't make everyone feel better…sorry doesn't mean that we can just rest in peace…it doesn't make everything better. I'm not sure how I'm going to say this, but…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I-I-I have been mean to nearly everyone. I'm…I'm such a f-f-failure."

The pain was unbearable and for the first time, I started to sob hysterically. I hugged myself and looked down, bawling my eyes out. Tears started to rapidly come out, rolled down my cheeks and fell to the ocean below them. After all those years of being pushed, kicked, smacked, loathed, bullied, hated, ridiculed and universally being a bastard, I couldn't take it anymore. I was so tired. I couldn't forget the mistakes I made. I felt like as if no one would care about me anyone.

I felt like giving up.

Sonic slowly crept up to me and placed his hand onto my shoulder. I stopped crying.

"I'm sorry," said Sonic.

I sat up. "Why? After all I did, why do you feel sorry for hell's sake? I'm a bad person."

"You do act like some dark and brooding rebel who gets so frustrated and angry that you lose your temper in front of others. You are not a bad person. All I see is a little girl. A girl who have high dreams, but who had been sad, lonely, confused and suffering from anger. You remind me of Tails."

"I'm nothing like him," I said.

"But he was bullied before! Didn't you know? You see; before I met Tails, he was all alone. I met him and that was when I learnt about what he was going through. He had been bullied by many people because of his two tails and his love for machines. I felt that it was wrong to treat someone so young and bright like him, so I gave him a home."

I sniffed. "You…you really like to help others, do you?"

"Yep! That's what I do! Does Emerald try to do the same?"

I looked away. "S…she does…even though her plans sometimes fail…it's sweet. However, if I'm having a bad day, every-time Emerald tries to cheer me up makes me feel like I was thrown off a cliff."

"Listen, I don't know what happened at your town, but do you think that your friends would forgive you even though you can be so mean?"

"I don't know."

"That's not the right answer. Answer my question properly."

"Well…I did yell at my friends…but they always stick together with me…even after an incident happened…"

"Do you think they want you to move on from your mistakes?"

"Yeah…but it's not easy…"

"I know. You're just scared. And I will admit that I am scared as well."

I laughed dryly. "Scared? You were never scared. You were always brave and you fought tons of enemies. You are a GOD KILLER. So what do you have to be scared of?"

"The thing is…" said Sonic. It's minor, but I swear I saw tiny tears in his eyes. "When I was tortured for many months, I would see back down on Earth all the trouble everyone went through. I was scared that everyone would be mad at me for leaving them or they might be gone. I was scared of failing…but when you saved me, I realized that there was hope after all. I was happy that my friends are relieved that I'm alive, but I want to stop Eggman so badly like you. I may be the hero, but that doesn't mean I don't have any feelings. I do get scared of failing, but I always put on my bravest face to encourage others to keep going. When I succeed, I can finally breathe and there is nothing to worry about. We may be different, but you have some things deep inside you that I might not have. You might have something that's better than me. I don't know what it is, but you are not a failure, Beth. What you did wasn't right, but you need to at least apologize to others. Hell, if they don't forgive you, you don't need to listen to their negativity all the time. You are better than you think."

I have to admit that speech made me feel happy. I chuckled heartily. I shed a few tears, but not tears of despair. I was deeply touched by Sonic's words.

"Bubblegum!" said Emerald. "I'm here!"

I looked behind to see Emerald, Amy, Tails and Richard.

"Guys!" I said. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk."

"It's OK," said Emerald. "We heard what you said. I know that you are very frustrated, but look at yourself. No matter what you do to us – or what you THINK about us – everything will be alright. And if I annoyed you too much, I'm sorry. I thought it would be best to show you good things instead of facing those awful times."

"It's normal to get emotional about something you care about," said Amy. "Especially in a situation. For example; Richard. He gets so frustrated and worried about the war that he wants to get revenge from Infinite!"

At this, Richard opened his mouth, but just nodded.

"What she said," Richard admitted shamefully.

"But…" I said. "I still yelled at you, guys…I yelled at my friends and I can't take it back…that's not OK. Being in the Resistance isn't worth it if I was so mean to others. I just want to not mess things up."

"Aww!" said Emerald smiling. "You are never mean to me! Even though you seem to, you are better than that!"

Richard walked towards me and kneel down. "You are no idiot here, Bubblegum. You are not really a jerk. But you know what that makes you? Just like everyone else. We are all in the same boat here. We want to bring the world to peace like you. Believe it or not; my whole life, I thought that my anger issues would make me different and there is no one I can relate to. But now, I know who I can relate to. It's you. You have difficulty with others and sometimes blow your anger up. But this does not define us. This is not who we are. You know who you are."

I smiled while feeling a bit of a blush on my cheeks. I took a glance at Amy who gave me a smirk.

OK. Maybe I DO have feelings for Richard.

"But…" I said. "Do you think Rookie will forgive me? Do you think Mecha will forgive me? I'm still a horrible person. I'm not sure if I can change."

"I think they will," said Emerald. "VERY soon. I'm not sure, but I think the problem is this; you made a lot of mistakes that you didn't mean to and you feel like that what makes you who you are, but that is not true. Despite all those bullies, you have a lot of people by your side, but standing around feeling sorry for yourself is not going to help you. Forgive yourself. Redeem yourself. Learn from your mistakes and become a better girl. Your father would be proud of you."

Smiling, I hugged Emerald. Something I needed. It was a beautiful moment…especially with the sunset in the background.

"Thank you…" she said. "Thank you for being my sister."

"No probs!" said Emerald.

When I let go, I saw Tails walking towards me. I noticed how shaky he was at the moment.

"I-I'm sorry about what happened to you," said Tails. "I know. I had experience before. You seemed to have that experience for a longer time than I did."

I smiled and ruffled his hair. "It's OK. It's nice knowing that I'm not alone. You are one good fox, Tails."

He smiled.

I looked at everyone. "Thank you, everyone for helping me. I hope that I can still stay civil and may God forgive me."

"I…don't know who this 'God' you are referring to," said Richard.

"Never mind. I just hope that I will be able to apologize to the others. For now, give me some time alone. I need some space for a moment, but I thank you all for your comfort. It's nice to talk with someone about my problems."

They all smiled. Emerald, Sonic, Amy, Tails and Richard walked off.

"Aww…" said Amy, kissing Sonic on the cheek. "That is so sweet of you for helping someone!"

Sonic laughed dryly as Amy walked passed her. He then wiped off where he was kissed.

"Still not comfortable with that," he said.

I laughed seeing this. I sat back at the edge of the rocky top, staring at the sunset. It was going to set beneath the horizon, so the next day would be a new day for me to make up for my mistakes.

"Hmmmmmmm…"

I heard something. I stood up and looked at where the sound came from. I saw something hiding under a large gap in the rocky walls that surrounded me.

I bent down and gasped at what I saw.

It was a Pink Wisp, crying under the hole; her single blue eye bloodshot and wet.

"W-what?" I said in shock.

That was when that Wisp stood up and noticed me. It was when it flew out and smashed into my face. When my vision came back, I was face to face with the angry Pink Wisp.

I realized that it was the same Wisp I had been with. The same Wisp who was close to me. The Wisp who powered my Wispon.

"P-Pink?" I said. "Listen…I…"

That was when my Wisp started to babble to me. She sounded REALLY mad and as she continued to talk in her alien language, more tears rolled down her face.

I bit my lip.

Once she was done, she noticed that she was crying the whole time. The Pink Wisp turned away, embarrassed. She said something as if to say to not look at her.

I sighed. "Look…I…I am really sorry about what I said. I'm…I'm just so frustrated. Today was really hard. Seeing both Mecha and Rookie losing their tempers. I…I just don't know what to do…I…"

I stopped myself as I stuttered. My Wisp looked at me and babbled, trying to say something. She stopped herself and then pointed at my ear piece.

"Hmm?" I said. "What about it?"

She pointed at it again in frustration.

"Oh…"

I realized that my ear piece can easily translate any language into English. I pressed my ear piece and scanned my Wisp. She then continued to talk and I managed to get what she was saying.

"Thank you, Bubblegum. I got to tell you that there's been something up with your group. However, I noticed how insecure you have been. This might sound weird, but I heard EVERYTHING here. What you said to Sonic. Ugh…this is really embarrassing to say, but I'm forcing myself to suck it up. I think you need to hear from my side. I'm REALLY worried about you. I know that I don't really act in the way you want me to be, but because I'm with you, I want to look out for you. I met a lot of people, but you're the only one who have issues other than the war. I was thinking of telling you that, but after I saw you yelling at Rookie, I thought that it would be best not to talk to you…ARGH! It's not like I'm scared! I'm not scared!"

I sighed. "Girl…honestly, I feel scared about everything here, so there is no reason to act as if you are ALWAYS brave. I know that. And if I scared you for losing my temper, I'm sorry."

My Pink Wisp sighed. "OK…the reason why I don't go soft is because I don't want to be judged. I know that Pink Wisps are normally harsh, but for me, I just decided to act mean just because I don't want to humiliate myself. I've always want to be friends with animals or humans like you, but I never get along with anyone. Seeing you makes me feel a little better and it hurts me to see you upset. I might not know what is going through your head, but I do know that you're upset of being seen as a failure by the world. I made a lot of mistakes in my life and I'm not proud of them, but they are big steps I can take to go forward. In order to move forward is to accept what happened and learn from past actions. I know that you're struggling, but at least you never give up! You helped saved those civilians back then and you even get to aid Rookie. Even the Wisps that helped Rookie and Mecha told me that you did a fantastic job. Even though we still have to fight, heal yourself. NEVER LET ANYONE OR YOURSELF TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE A FAILURE! Got it?"

I nodded, feeling tears in my eyes again. "T-thank you. It's nice having you around. Having a Wisp partner. You guys are pretty helpful and even understandable."

That was when my Wisp tried to recoil in disgust. "H-hey! It's not like I care or anything! J-just shut down your device now!"

I chuckled a bit and turned off the translator. I gently grabbed my Wisp and cuddled it. She grumbled something…but she softened instantly and hugged me back.

I held onto my hopes that I can still make the world a better place.


Third Person's POV

The sun had set and everyone settled down.

Sebastian met up with Bubblegum and Emerald. Even though Bubblegum didn't like Sebastian that much – since he is Mecha's sidekick – she asked if he was feeling OK. He was pretty fed up to the teeth with the fight that happened.

Also, Rookie seemingly disappeared and hid himself in the bathroom, so Bubblegum, Emerald and Sebastian decided to leave the turquoise wolf alone for a while. They found his Cyan Wisp, but she failed at telling them of what Rookie was going through.

They sat at one of the cafeteria tables when they noticed that Rookie wasn't ready to come out and so was Mecha. Apparently, after hearing Sebastian's moving speech, he needed some time alone. The mood for the Black Squad was nearly miserable and depressing. If they didn't do anything about the situation, they would be lost. Bubblegum was feeling a little better, but she was wondering what was happening to Rookie.

"OK then," said Knuckles at the meeting room. "I see. I will talk with the Pink Squad later. Guess that Angelica will never learn."

"Let's not suspend them yet," said Amy. "We still have a war out there and we need all the help we can get."

"Alright. Just to let you know, we got information that Eggman's forces are located at his headquarters in Metropolis! He will be there until tomorrow noon."

"Infinite isn't with him at the moment," said Espio. "He's been assigned to check the Death Egg until tomorrow night. This can be our only chance to take the city."

"Exactly! That's why we're focusing on a mission on a full frontal assault on Metropolis! I'm calling it, 'Operation Big Wave'!"

Crickets.

"Who cares what it's called?" said Silver, breaking the silence. "What's important is to have a well-thought-out strategy."

"We already got one," said Knuckles, pressing a button on the main computer's keyboard.

The monitor showed a map of Metropolis.

"As Tails pointed out," explained Knuckles. "There is a Phantom Ruby generator in Metropolis. It's there in the middle of the Metropolis at the tower of the headquarters."

A red dot appeared in the center of the map.

"We will first barge into the city and we're not going to stop until Eggman's army is destroyed. As there are about millions of robots there, someone needs to get to that generator. With the army distracted, that's when the Red Squad will sneak into the tower and destroy the generator. Once the generator is destroyed, we will continue to get rid of Eggman's army and reclaim back Metropolis."

"Ha!" said Vector. "Great speech! Let's give Eggman an old-fashioned beat down!"

"They have more in sheer numbers," pointed out Tails. "But with the amount of soldiers we got, the idea of a quick, focused attack isn't bad. We also have Sonic, so I have no doubt we can do this! Also, if we can destroy the Phantom Ruby generator, we can stop the mission and return back to the HQ. Eggman is there, so if we can capture him, then the Eggman Empire will be powerless."

"Hold on," said Amy. "We all know that we will be sending all squads out there, but what about the Black Squad? We know that there was an incident that happened and I'm not sure if they are going to work with each other well."

"About them," said Knuckles. "I will separate the members into different teams just for this attack. Mecha will assist the Red Squad while Sebastian join the Yellow Squad. Rookie, Bubblegum and Emerald will go along with the Sapphire Squad. The attack will happen tomorrow around noon, so we all better get ready. I want all troops to get ready before 6 am."

"OK," said Sonic. "I guess that we are ready! Time to save the world, people!"

Everyone cheered along with Sonic. Tails did as well. However, he felt someone tugging on his tails. He looked behind to see Minty.

"We need to talk," she said.

She dragged Tails out of the meeting room and into the halls.

"What is it?" said Tails.

"Remember about that video we saw in Mystic Jungle?" said Minty. "That cyan figure?"

"What about him? He…Shadow killed him, so what's the point?"

"I believe that guy is ALIVE."

Tails was dumbfounded. "What?!"

"Yeah. And that guy was MECHA NISM."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. Believe me! That figure on the video…he had cyan feathers and wore something black on his forehead. Mecha…has CYAN FEATHERS and wear BLACK GOGGLES…I mean he said it's turquoise, but it's the same color."

"So it's him?"

Minty nodded.

"So…what about him?"

"I think he's working with Eggman," said Minty.

Tails was shocked hearing that. "No way. He's with us."

"But maybe he's a double agent. He must be spying on us to know our every move and send it to Eggman."

"That's a bit biased. How can you tell?"

"Remember how he attacked almost everyone in the training room?"

Tails nodded nervously. "Yeah. He is pretty out of control."

"Maybe he DID want to kill them."

"But he was in an emotional and vulnerable state back then. At that point, he might want to kill, but what makes you think so?"

"I have my doubts about him for a while now. I think he's up to something. I'm not sure, but his bully act shows that he doesn't seem to care about anyone. When I asked him questions about that video, he threatened violence to me unless I don't tell anyone."

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Maybe it's more than that. I think he's trying to hide the fact that he is working with Eggman…and he doesn't like it. He must be making this mean act because he feels like to. That must be how bad guys act, do they?"

Tails thought about it. Mecha? One of the Resistance soldiers? An Eggman lover? That was impossible AND ridiculous. And by the looks of him, he was only 15 years old – a bit too young to join Eggman's empire. But because of Mecha's difficult behavior, he couldn't deny that what Minty said seemed to be so true.

"I…I guess you are right…" said Tails. "Also, in that video, he seemed to try to break up the fight between Shadow and Infinite. I think that he was trying to defend Infinite, but got injured. I'm not sure if that bird will do such a thing…there's probably more to this! But I'm not sure what to do…I saw his actions during the rescue mission and…he admitted that Rookie's and Bubblegum's skills aren't bad."

"But would YOU trust a bird?" questioned Minty. "Think about it. According to Knuckles, he told me once that you, he and Sonic were rivals with the Babylon Rogues. They are birds and a bunch of sadists. And that female member? She teased you. They steal jewelry…gems…rocks…statues…sculptures. Those were stolen from many places and were sold through the blackmail market for money…and they are not even grateful or satisfied for even one bit. She called you 'shorty' and made fun of your gadgets. How many bullies bullied you before? Probably most of them were birds. Almost every bird is like that; plucky…snarky…greedy…mischievous…nuisances. And how can I tell? Back in high school, there were a lot of birds who like to make stupid, annoying pranks and teased me because of my looks. They are bad guys and it's no lie. Now do you believe that we can trust birds like Mecha?"

Tails stayed silent. He remembered how the Babylon Rogues would teased him for being the youngest of them all. He couldn't remember how his bullies were like before he met Sonic…but what Minty said must be true. He knew how cruel birds could be, so the young fox had to admit it. Let's not forget how narcissistic Angelica can be.

"So…what do you think we should do?" said Tails.

"Either tomorrow night or the night after that," said Minty. "I will bring him in for interrogation. Right now, there's nothing we can do about it. It's going to be difficult to convince the others until we have some hard evidence."

"You know that I already sent the video through the Resistance Network System. So far, nobody picked it up. I can try to find it through the system."

"In the meantime, just be careful. Mecha may know about this and he will snap both our necks. We have to stop him. I'm done of having bullies and hypocrites on our team."

Tails reluctantly nodded. "OK. We will keep this between us. No pressure, Minty."

"Good."

The mint green hedgehog nodded and walked off to her bunk room.


AN: I know that Minty is VERY prejudiced towards Mecha. This is part of her character; having an immature mindset that there are good guys and bad guys in the world. She is pretty judgmental on things. But is she right or wrong? Let me know in your review.

I like to discuss about Bubblegum's background; originally, I wasn't planning to have as a likely victim in bullying, but I realize that being nasty because of one person and losing her father wouldn't be likely to produce such behavior. I know that I'm a little harsh to Bubblegum, being bullied by almost everyone in town. I needed to find some way to build up her snarky and snappy manner.

It's just how most people (like me) deal with peer pressure by trying to act like how jerks and know-it-alls these days...

If you enjoy this chapter, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. Make sure to review this chapter on what you think about this chapter. I'm OK of hearing improvements from you (please no flames).

Until next time, keep on rocking!