AN: Here we are again! A special Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
It took me a long time, but the story has hit 1000 views. Thank you all so much!
Chapter 22 – Are You OK?
Bubblegum's POV
I opened my eyes.
My head was dizzy.
My body was in pain.
I got up.
I looked around.
I didn't recognise my surroundings.
Everything was…dark.
There was almost nothing.
There were only net-like grids above and floating purple cubes. I was lying on…well nothing. I was somewhat standing on some invisible ground. Just in a black void that stretched throughout the entire place.
It was…almost nothing.
I remembered what happened. I was trying to help Rookie get out from the portal…I grabbed his hand…used my grappling gun to pull both of us out…but I failed.
I didn't know how long it had been since Rookie and I got sucked into the void.
I called out Rookie's name.
Silence.
I called out again.
Silence.
My voice echoed as I called out more…calling out where that turquoise wolf was.
There was no reply.
I heard a tiny squeak.
It was my Pink Wisp.
She was angry.
She flew in front of my face and started yelling at me as if scolding me getting us stuck in…Null Space.
"I-I'm sorry," I said. "I…I…I thought I can get Rookie out of there."
She screeched and crossed her tentacles as if trying to say 'but we are separated from him'.
"I know," I said. "Don't worry. We can still-"
"Bubblegum?" said a voice.
I froze.
I recognized that voice.
A voice I was hoping NOT to hear again.
And he was behind me.
I turned around.
Standing there was a dingo with black wrist bands, a black belt and sneakers. However, he was in a reddish-brown tint and there was a glitchy aura around him.
"Z-Zach?" I said.
My Wisp cooed in confusion.
"Oh," said Zach bluntly. "It's you again, soft kitty."
I bit my lip. "Oh…so…so you remembered me…eh?"
Zach narrowed his eyes. I noticed his right eye was black, there was a scar on his left cheek and a few patches of his fur were missing.
…OK. You guys are wondering what happened to him, huh? I'm just going to say this once. When I immediately attacked him those months ago, I grabbed out his switchblade he was carrying and slashed the knife over his body. Don't worry: I didn't stab him. I only scratched him.
"How can I forget the girl who…gave…me…THIS?" snarled Zach, pointing to his black eye.
After a period of silence, I said, "You shouldn't have sent that sick email."
Hearing this, Zach immediately laughed loudly.
I noticed that Pink's eye twitched at the sound of the dingo laughing.
"I-It's not funny, OK?!" I yelled. "Yes, I screwed up, but that doesn't mean you get to lie to people that I'M responsible for my friends deaths! And they are not losers!"
"Oh!" howled Zach. "How can I forget? Does everyone hate you now? Is that why you're here?"
I gritted my teeth. "No…let's get to the point. I got stuck here because I was trying to help my teammate from Infinite, but how come you're here?"
The smirk on Zach's face faded as his eyes suddenly darkened. "Well…after you beat the heck out of me, everything was black for 10 minutes. When I woke up, I found myself here. In this…weird place. I found out that I have powers and I REALLY love it! However, when I tried to get back to the real world…I can't wake up. I heard many people talking and there's a heart rating machine…but I can't wake up. I don't exactly know why I am here, but…it's fine."
I inhaled nervously.
My Pink Wisp looked at me, babbling in inquisitiveness.
"Yeah…" I said. "That's because I…caused you to be in a persistent vegetative state. The doctors are still checking on you, so you have been asleep for 6 months."
The dingo gritted his teeth. "It's all because of YOU. YOU did this to me. YOU trapped me in this place. YOU freaking injured me. And at the last minute, YOU decided to steal the job of joining the Resistance. I should be the one to join them. I should be the one everyone praises. Not you."
I could have asked why he knew that I joined the Resistance, but I decided to conclude that there were some doctors talking about that and Zach heard it in the real world.
I sighed and shook my head. "You idiot. I didn't attack you so that I could join the Resistance. I didn't even do anything. It was Emerald's fault for dragging me, but I'm actually fine being a soldier. I don't care if I'm seen as a celebrity, but it's the world I want to protect. At least I can try to prove to you that I'm not a failure. Besides, the Resistance called us 6 months after you fell into a coma. You're being UNREASONABLE here, dummy."
Suddenly, all the life in this place disappeared.
Zach's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk.
I realized that I messed up.
BADLY.
"I'm…being…unreasonable?" said Zach quietly.
I pretty much forgot that 'unreasonable' is his trigger word. He HATES being called 'unreasonable'.
His whole body turned completely red.
He started to laugh.
It started with a soft snicker…
"Ahahahahaha…"
…before becoming louder…becoming a laugh…
"Ahahahahahahahahaha!"
…and then a maniacal laugh.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
His head started to glitch from hanging upwards or tilting in a disturbing angle.
My Pink Wisp shivered and hid behind me.
"Z-Zack?" I said nervously. "You're scaring me."
Without a warning, he teleported in front of me. However, I spotted that his teeth became sharp like a wolf.
"BuBbLeGuM!" snarled Zach in a creepy tone with a scary grin. "I cAn'T bElIeVe HoW sTuBbOrN aNd DeLuSiOnAl YoU aRe! YoU gOt eVeRy BiT oF aTtEnTiOn WhEn YoU dOn'T dEsErVe It AnD iT's SuPpOsEd To Be ME To HaVe ThE sPoTlIgHt. NoT yOu! I'm ThE gOd AnD yOu ArE nOtHiNg! WhY dId YoU REALLY jOiN tHe ReSiStEnCe? ArE yOu MaD bEcAuSe ThE tOwN tReAtS yOu LiKe TrAsH aNd YoU wAnT To eScApE? cRaZy BeCaUsE yOu WaNt 'To MaKe ThE wOrLd A bEtTeR pLaCe'? Or Do YoU HaTe YoUrSeLf So MuCh BeCaUsE yOuR sTuPiD fAmILy AnD fRiEnDs WeRe KiLleD bEcAuSe Of YoU?"
He settled down a bit and the demonic tone slightly changed.
"You know that you're nothing. You just don't want to admit it. If you can't take this, how about ending your life? Or even better. Have you ever thought of begging Infinite to kill you? I'm sure it will end the war for you."
I gritted my teeth.
"Zach," I said firmly. "You crossed the line already. I think that's enough."
"Enough?" said Zach. "I didn't cross the line. You did. You were the one who insulted your own squad and let Infinite get away. How shameful."
My heart stopped. A wave of nausea flooded me.
D-Did Zach said…?
He knew that I am in a Resistance squad?
"W-What?!" I said. "Y-Y-You know?"
Suddenly, the whole place turned black and red. Everything started shaking like a heartbeat.
Zach's eyes suddenly turned black and the pupils turned orange.
"That's right," he said. "I know everything happened. Maybe it's because I have these powers and I can look at what's going on down below. I saw everything. I mean LITERALLY everything. Your memories. You losing your temper multiple times and putting people down. That wimpy wolf hiding from everyone and act like a weakling. That foul bird who has been hiding his parents' divorce and his friendship with Infinite."
My eyes widened.
HE KNEW ABOUT US.
HE KNEW ABOUT ROOKIE'S DEPRESSION.
HE KNEW ABOUT MECHA'S HORRIBLE CHILDHOOD.
And there was nothing for me to stop him.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no…you can't be serious!" I exclaimed.
Zack smirked. "I am serious. And I can't wait to tell everyone about it back home. This will DEFINITELY spread killer rumors! When I mean that, I mean ACTUAL TRUTHS!"
I stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. Instead of putting my hand to my face, I quickly blurt out the first thing that came to mind.
"You may try!" I snarled. "But you know: once everyone knows what we've been through, we won't be treated like losers ever again!"
Zach narrowed his eyes. "Losers? Are you calling me one?"
"Technically no, but your sick lies won't harm me anymore!"
"…fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you. I thought I can break your spirits, but it looks like now I have to break YOU. I came here to see yours and that stupid wolf's death…but now…I'm gonna have to kill you. I mean LITERALLY kill you!"
"B-But…this isn't how it works! And what will the Mayor think of you if you kill me? What will the town think of you! This isn't some kind of game!"
"No…it's a GAME OVER for you. But first…I like to spend time TORTURING YOU FOR THE LAST TIME."
He placed a hand onto my forehead and everything turned black.
"Help, please!"
I gasped and opened my eyes.
When I came to, something that made my stomach dropped.
The whole scenery changed to the top of a tall tower. The whole sky was dark green with black clouds.
Next to me was Zach…dangling a crying Emerald.
"EMERALD!" I screamed.
"Aw!" sneered Zach. "Do you sweetly care about her? How pathetic!"
I started to shake.
"N-No!" I said. "This isn't real! This can't be!"
"Do you think so?"
I tried to stop Zach…
But he let go and I could only watch Emerald fall and disappeared into the green fog below. Her screaming could be heard before being cut off by a loud thump.
I gasped.
"I don't think YOU know what's real, Bubblegum," mocked Zach before suddenly disappearing.
The scenery changed again. The next one was…that same day when the war began. At my home. I saw my friends trying to fight Infinite.
"FIRE!" screamed one of the civilians.
The people took cover behind some low rubble and opened fire throwing everything they got; rocks, balls and some of them were armed with guns. For some reason, I was far away from them, unable to move.
"I mean you need to wake up!" yelled Zach's voice at me. "Look at yourself! When your friends died, do you TRULY believe that you can save everyone on this planet?"
Infinite crossed his arms as bullets bounced off his body; none of the shots were able to affect him
"Idiots…" said Infinite. "There is no reason to resist. Your savior…is no more."
And at this, there was a charging power in his hand.
"NO!" I screamed.
The people tried to run, but it was too late. The masked creature blasted a red beam of light and swept across the people.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The laser wiped out most of the people. Those who were shot screamed in agony for the last time before they lied onto the ground, their eyes closed shut. They were all covered in horrible burns.
I felt the laser blasted through me…but…I felt no pain. I looked at my body. It was fine. For some reason, I wasn't shot.
I looked at the lifeless bodies lying on the floor.
Not moving.
Or breathing.
I wanted to scream.
They all died and I didn't do anything to stop it.
"Look at yourself! A pathetic little girl trying to prove that she is worthy as her dim-witted father."
I shook my head to stop hearing Zach's voice. Ignoring Infinite laughing, I ran to the Addison who was covered in burns.
I bent down and held onto her arms.
"Addison!" I said. "Wake up!"
Addison didn't move. She didn't seem to be breathing. Her eyes were still closed.
"N…no!" I cried, shaking Addison. "You got to wake up! Please! Wake up! Wake up! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!"
I backed away in horror.
"Snap out of it," I thought to myself. "This is just an illusion…this isn't real. This isn't r-!"
The scenery changed again.
This time, I was little.
It was the time when I lost my father!
I couldn't hear a thing, but I didn't need to.
"But you aren't! You will NEVER be. Because YOU killed him."
It was me going through the event again. It was all silent except for a glitching noise and Zach's creepy breathing. I saw myself at a younger age, arguing and fighting with Mecha at an unstable bridge due to him stealing something from me.
The bridge started to break.
The two of us quickly ran, trying to escape.
My father appeared, hearing me screaming out for help. He quickly picked Mecha and me up, and ran to the edge of the bridge.
That was when the bridge snapped.
My father quickly threw Mecha and me onto the safety away from the bridge. But my father hung onto the broken bridge. I quickly ran up to him and pulled him up along with Mecha.
The bridge snapped again.
The bridge broke into pieces and fell…along with my father.
The last thing I saw from him was his worried and concerned face…for how his daughter would live without him.
I would never forget that day.
"It was all your fault. People are dying because they are near you. People hate you because of what you said to them!"
Suddenly, Zach pulled me into madness. The scenery changed again. I found myself falling through memory lane.
"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!"
"I thought that you would learnt your lesson why Finn died in your arms!"
"Unlike me, you don't know all the moves. Besides, you don't look that strong with that stupid face of yours."
"YOU DIRTY, WANNABE TOMBOY!" yelled Mecha, grabbing my vest and pulled me close. "You're saying that it was MY FAULT that I let Finn died?! You think that HE doesn't deserve to exist?!"
"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."
I screamed loudly.
The memories were too much.
Eventually, I found myself lying on the ground as I returned to the black void.
Zach hovered over me, red cubes surrounding his body.
"I know we all hate Infinite," stated Zach. "But do you HONESTLY think that you can stand against Infinite?"
"Look at you. You are shaking. You can't hide it: you are scared. I can smell your fear, dollface. Give it up. You're weak…you're flawed…you're helpless…you're a failure. After all, you're only a little girl."
Hearing that masked jackal's voice made my blood ran cold.
I remembered.
It was what Infinite said to me before.
And Zach was taking advantage of that.
Because of him, he must be replaying those memories in my head to beat me down.
"No…" I said in dread, looking up at Zach.
"If you were good enough, maybe your family and friends would be still alive," continued Zach. "But hey, it's their fault for trusting you!"
"You always push people away, soft kitty. You always yell insults at them without a care for them. You see, if you didn't call them these names, you would still have your friends back. You would still have your family back. But it's not all your fault. It was their fault for being weak."
"Please…just leave me alone…"
"Do you think people need failures like you?"
"Pfft. You always push people away. You always yell insults at them without a care for them. You see, if you didn't call them names, you would still have your friends back. You would still have your family back. But it's not all your fault. It was their fault for being weak."
"I'm not…"
"Oh really? But how come you fail to kill Infinite?"
"You think that I'm lying?" snarled Infinite. "Do you think I'm faking the fact that all of you are weak? Unsubstantial failures? Are you too young to join the battlefield? I mean...you're 14? 15? How can I take on weak children like you? You are just too young to join the Resistance, crying like wimps. This world has NO PLACE for weaklings like you and only the strong rise above."
"I'M NOT!" I screamed, standing up.
"Yes, you ARE!" snarled Zach. "You couldn't even face your own past, weakling."
"Do you know what happens to the weak? They get trampled by the strong. The strong gets to live. You are weak. You will never defeat me. You will never defeat Eggman. You will never save the world."
"YOU'RE WRONG! YOU'RE ALL WRONG!" I screamed at Zach. "YOU AND YOUR LIES! YOUR SICK RUMORS! YOUR STUPID WORDS! YOU AND INFINITE! YOU'RE ALL WRONG ABOUT ME AND I'M NOT WEAK!"
"You are saying the opposite. You are just a stupid girl."
"You will never defeat me. You will never defeat Eggman. You will never save the world. Most of all…you let your friends and family die. ALL OF THEM. It's all your fault. Just give in…and accept your death. Face reality. You are nothing, but failures…mistakes…I wonder why you were born."
"NO!" I screamed again. "YOU'RE WRONG! I WILL STILL FIGHT! I WILL…I…will…"
I started to trail off. Despite my effort in shutting those bad things down, I couldn't ignore those ignores. I felt like I was falling apart.
With Zach flying over me, I couldn't help but feel…intimidated. He had the power in Null Space and abused it by hurting me. He knew about my memories. He kept pushing me all around. He knew I hate remembering the bad times.
"Hmph…" huffed Zach. "You are so dumb. It's easy to fool people when they're already fooling themselves. Just like you. Do you know what others think about you?"
He formed a turquoise fist and threw it to my stomach. I let out a cry of pain.
"Bubblegum?" whispered Rookie's voice. "Why? I didn't mean to…"
"R-Rookie?" I said. "W-what is this?"
"Do you even know what is in their minds?"
He made a cyan fist and threw it to my head. I fell onto the ground, pain throbbing my forehead.
"Why can't she just get out?!" screamed Mecha's voice. "I don't want her to come around! She is just a weak loser!"
"P-Please…" I begged. "Stop it…"
"Sorry not sorry," said Zach. "You got to know what people think of you."
He made more fists, every one of them a specific color that was related to people I know before.
He controlled them to fly to me. Every single hit, I could hear my friends' voices.
"Bubblegum," said Addison's voice as a fist hit me in the eye. "Why did you do that?"
"What's wrong with you?" snapped Jade's voice as another fist hit me in the leg. "We were just trying to help!"
"I can't believe what she just did," muttered Taffy's voice as the third fists hit me in the chest. "Will for once will she settle done?"
"I don't think Bubblegum's a good friend," whispered Yumi's voice as the fourth fist tripped me over as I tried to get up. "She's always being unreasonable."
"I don't understand," said Fuchsia's voice as the fifth fist hit me in the face again. "Why can't she just be more friendly without insulting?"
"Why, Bubblegum?" pleaded Emerald's voice as I attempted to shield myself from the next fist. "Why are you always negative?"
"Gal," moaned Sebastian's voice as I was relentlessly hit by more fists. "This is not cool that you fight with Captain. You are out of control!"
"I wish I can figure out what's wrong with you," said Finn's voice. "You never listen to what I say…"
"Why can't you improve more?" yelled Tom's voice. "Why can't you just do this like I do?"
"Bubblegum!" cried Cassie's voice. "Please stop fighting! You're just going to get yourself into trouble!"
"I wonder why she acts that way," said Sonic's voice. "She is acting as if she is on Eggman's side."
"What's wrong with Bubblegum?" whimpered Amy's voice. "She is just putting all of us in more despair…"
"I can't believe it," sniffed Richard's voice. "She…she didn't think straight."
"That stubborn girl," said my MOTHER'S voice. "When does she have the right to talk to us THAT way?"
The more punches I got, the more voices I heard.
They kept asking me.
Why I pushed them away.
Why I ignored them.
Why I never said sorry.
Why I turned a blind eye. Why I made mistakes. Why I was mean to others. Why I let my friends die.
I couldn't understand what was going on.
The pain that Zach was inflicting on me didn't help.
Then, there were voices, insulting me.
"You are worthless."
"Weak."
"Pathetic."
"Worthless."
"Useless."
"Ugly."
"Mistakes."
"Brat."
"Stupid."
"Flawed."
"Hopeless."
"Coward."
"Failure."
Finally, Zach stopped hurting me. I laid there on the ground, breathing heavily. Bruises appeared on my entire body, but I was grateful that I didn't bleed. The dark creepy environment I was in suddenly became calm, peaceful and quiet. Some place where a person could relax in. But it was hell. A hell for those who lost hope. I gave myself up to help win the war.
My bravery. My strength. My energy. My stamina. My hope. My determination. My heart. But at what cost?
I hurt people. With my words. My punches. My frustration. I did all of this because I was…angry. I didn't mean to. I'm not a bully like Mecha.
But I remembered how upset people were despite pretending that it was alright.
My mind kept on telling me that my heart was dark. It would ALWAYS be dark.
Just cold.
Heartless.
My friends are dead.
My parents are gone.
Some of the soldiers I befriended are gone.
I…wanted to say that it wasn't my fault. My mother influenced me that I shouldn't make mistake. I had been targeted by so many bullies that this lead me to become cold to everyone.
But it was my own decision. My own choice. And I blew it.
I am ashamed.
I hate myself.
I hate my life.
I hate my job.
I hate my decisions.
I hate my childhood.
I hate my GENDER.
I didn't know what to do. There was a chance that the Resistance would win, but my loved ones are gone. Rookie was missing. Mecha, Sonic and Tails might be gone already. The Phantom Ruby was still out there. Nobody knew what Eggman's real plan was. The world was still doomed.
The tears began to flow and sobs shook me. Before I could process what happened so far, I wept for the death of people, the lost of hope, the cruelty of others and how much of a jerk I was before. Again, I felt like I was letting all the fizz out of my bottle because of all the suffering I went through. There were so many voices insulting me that faded away. My voice rose over the snarls and offends. I didn't care if Zach was watching me. Everything was so horrible and it was too much.
I felt darkness inside me and taking over my body.
As I rubbed my nose, I saw my arm…it was…turning dull. I looked at my arm. My once bubblegum pink fur started to turn…grey.
My whole body was turning dull and grey.
I looked at myself on the reflective floor.
Even my eyes turned grey.
I felt like a complete idiot. I hugged myself in shame and doubt.
I felt like I lost myself.
I heard my Pink Wisp crying at me.
I forgotten about her.
I looked back to see her keep babbling at me, tears rolling down her eye. She was…surrounded by cubes hitting her head.
I looked up to see Zach. He was also hurting my Wisp. He must be also giving her hard memories of her life.
And then…she lost her own faith. My Wisp started to cry as well, her tentacles wrapped around her body. As she cried, to my horror, her entire body started to turn grey. Her eye even turned grey. It was horrible to see someone as colorful as I once was fallen into despair.
I tried to reach out to my Wisp. "I-I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"
That only made her agitated.
She pushed away and looked the other way.
I cried again.
"Aw…" said Zach in a fake 'genuine' voice. "Look at you…look at you…you see, you still don't understand. I just thought that if you look at other people's thoughts, then you would think more clearly than ever. You know...you shouldn't really exist."
I covered my eyes hearing that. That bully was nearly reciting Infinite's words and I couldn't take it anymore.
"You know it's really satisfying to see you hurt like this," continued Zach. "But making you remember memories is inadequate for the 6 months of me being humiliated and left to die for. And with all that, you ruined my appearance, my whole body and my own health state."
I slowly stood up, trying to stand up against him. However, I was still crying. "Z-Zach…I…"
"What you need, Bubblegum…" snarled Zach. "…is to suffer."
Suddenly, red chains appeared and wrapped around me. I screamed as they tightened around me.
"Do you think that me watching you remember those stupid times you have as a weakling…?" questioned Zach.
He grabbed my Pink Wisp.
"Or do you think telling you what others think about you would be enough?"
With his strong hand, he started to squeeze my Wisp. She started to scream in pain as her body was getting squished by Zach. Knowing him, the dingo is stronger than me.
"PINK!" I screamed.
"No," growled Zach. "The most suitable punishment for putting me into a coma is to kill you, but after you watch what I take what…you…love…MOST."
He threw my Wisp onto the ground and started pressing her with his own foot. My Pink Wisp let out a cry of pain as more tears rolled out from her eye.
"I'll first get rid of your meddling runt and then I will find Rookie. He is still here in Null Space, so I'll make sure that he will howl to the dead moon when I cut his throat in front of you."
I started to tremble. I knew Zach as a bully, but I never saw how BRUTAL he was before. If I didn't do anything, my Pink Wisp would be killed and it would be my fault. Zach would love that I was suffering from watching him hurt my friend. I can't stand losing another friend.
I can't.
"STOP!" I cried. "STOP! I'LL DO AS YOU WISH! I'LL DO IT! If you stop hurting her! Make it stop!"
Zach smirked. "Ya sure?"
As he said that, his foot squeezed on my Wisp harder that led to the point that she was going to explode. She didn't scream because of the lack of oxygen from the pressure.
I narrowed my eyes. "Make…it…bloody…STOP."
Zach smirked and stopped.
My Pink Wisp wasn't hurting anymore, but she was still under Zach's foot.
"Hmph," grunted Zach in pleasure. "Just what I thought. Trying to act heroic and brave. If you are brave enough, how about you do something brave for once?"
A pistol appeared in front of my face. It looked like a gun, but I could see in the barrel that there was a REAL bullet.
The chains around me suddenly disappeared.
"Then do me a favor," said Zach. "How about you just stop…end your life…end your ugly little decisions? And if you don't pull the trigger…then it's death…for everyone."
My eyes widened.
I looked at the gun.
Did he want me to…?
"W-What gave you that idea?" I demanded.
"During the time after you lost your family and friends," explained Zach. "You would cry on your bed like a baby whining 'it's all my fault, it's all my fault, I want to die'! That's what you wanted, huh?"
My jaw hung opened. "I-I was just in an emotional state that time!"
"Coward. If you want to prove that you are brave, then how about you point the gun in your face! I know you want to see your pathetic friends again. Do it like man, girl!"
My mouth twitched.
My Pink Wisp let out a wince.
I stared at the gun. It looked harmless, but I knew that it could cost a life. Worse, I felt the urge to pick it up and shoot. The temptation kept swaying in my mind and crashed into the borders that prevent my emotions from overpowering my better judgement.
With a shaky hand, I slowly reached to grab the gun. If I want to save my Pink Wisp, then that meant my life would have to end this way.
I felt like giving up again.
I should give in like the rest of the world. Almost everything I loved is gone or in danger. I could just end the pain right there. Just one click and then it would be all over. I wouldn't be able to worry again.
As soon as I grabbed the gun, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Oh my lord," echoed Xander's voice. "Did she just…you know what? Doesn't matter. She will get over it already. HE is the one who is making this difficult for him…"
I let out a shaky gasp.
That was Xander's voice.
I knew him for his blunt and jaded personality, but at that moment, thinking about him…he never said a bad thing about anyone…
"I wonder why Bubblegum is struggling like this. She doesn't deserve to be this hurt. She doesn't. I don't believe so."
…he must have…never thought a bad thing about anyone…
…including me…
"What?" said Zach confused.
"Beth…" called my FATHER'S voice. "My little Bethlehem…I wish I was there for you when those kids bully you…you don't deserve to suffer this pain…"
A face appeared in front of my mind.
It was from my own memory.
It was my father.
His kind blue eyes. His happy smile and his love for me.
"D-Dad," I said, tears rolling down my face again. "D-Dad! Please stay! I want to see you again!"
My father's voice spoke again, this time in a panicked tone.
"No! No! Please! Please don't break! Please don't break! Please don't break! I…no…oh no…my…my little Beth. Please…I love you. I'm so sorry that I won't be there for you…please keep living. I hope that you make the world a better place…"
I gasped again. Those…those must be my father's last thoughts before he died. Right when he was dropping into…
"Oh," said Zach with an annoyed look. "That did it. I forgot you are hearing other people's voices already. That includes HIM."
I found myself remembering all the times I fell down, but…people encourage me to get up.
"Don't worry. I get it. We are all afraid of failing. But since we are safe – even when a few mistakes are made – there will be a solution to stop Eggman and end the war. We may be able to stop that killing machine Eggman made. Just remember to do not let your fear own you. There will be a moment for you to shine."
"I know you can do it! Prove me wrong! Prove them wrong! Show them that you are not a waste of space! If there are any stronger words, I would have said them to you."
"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."
"Can you hear me? My little Beth? I know what happened just now. I know that you are angry at yourself, but please don't be. You're broken. I am still your father, right? Do you still believe that? I know that almost everywhere you go, you feel like nothing. That is not true. I know that someday, you will grow up to become like me. I see this spark, Beth. I see this light of hope in you somewhere. But it's YOURS. I…I know that you can't hear me, but...whenever you need me, I will be there for you even when I'm gone. I can put you back together."
"I'm sorry for yelling at you…but…there's a lot of pressure of being bullied a lot, especially by Mecha. And…I only want to make things right without screwing up like a failure. You don't have to forgive me back…but I lost my parents 4 years ago and it is forever for me. It doesn't have to be for you…I promise that I will help you save Belt…your brother…I promise…"
I remembered those words my friends said to encourage me.
To get me back onto my feet.
I remembered all the good times I had.
When I was little and happily playing with my family.
When I was hanging out with my best friends.
When I was Emerald's adoptive sister and being welcomed to the Stone family.
When I had my 14th birthday despite the raging war.
When Sonic chat to me for the first time.
When I apologized to Rookie.
When I accepted Rookie and Mecha as my new friends.
When I started to hang out with Richard.
"I'm…I'm just so happy. Thank you for…being with me. I…I thought I was alone for the whole time…but this lone wolf…found a new friend. I-I like you…as a friend…my first best friend."
I remembered what Rookie said to me. He said that…I…I…I am his best friend. Rookie…was all alone the whole time. Belt was gone at the time and he had no one to look up to. I decided to put my wing over him.
I became a sister to him.
He is…my best friend.
And it isn't worth letting him worry if I kill myself.
I turned on my translator and looked at my Pink Wisp who was still under Zach's foot.
"When I give you the signal, JUMP," I mouthed to her.
"Jump?" she squeaked.
"Just do IT!" I mouthed.
I threw the gun at Zach's foot. He flinched and jumped back as his gun went flying to his foot. As he got out of the way, my Pink Wisp was free. She jumped and landed onto the gun, skidding across the ground, far away from us.
To my horror, I saw that the gun was moving towards the edge of the platform.
To my relief, my Pink Wisp used the last of her energy to jump off the gun before it fell off the platform and disappeared into the black void below.
I glared at Zach. "No…I…won't."
Anger riddled across the dingo's face. "What did you say?"
"I won't. It's not my fault that I am a failure. It's YOUR fault. YOU are the one who put me down along with many other bullies! I'm not going to die…I'm going to live…I'm going to make the world a better place."
Zach looked at me in shock before looking at my Pink Wisp. She was lying on the ground injured and unable to get up, but she glared at Zach…her eye…turning back…from grey…to blue.
Was she…?
Zach gritted his teeth and turned to me.
"So I see how this is, huh?" he growled.
The entire place shook again.
"I thought that I can easily defeat you. But I should have thought bigger. I can't put you easily down with words, but actions speak louder!"
He lunged forward and tackled me to the ground. I screamed as I hit the floor. When I opened my eyes, I saw Zach on top of me…with a blade in his hand.
"Looks like your so-called friends aren't here to save you now!" he taunted, laughing like a lunatic.
I tried to get up, but Zach was too strong. I couldn't get up. He was on top of me and there was no other way for me to escape. My eyes shifted to the blade that was about to stab me. I felt like as if this was going to end. This was how I was going to die.
"I'm sorry, everyone," I thought sadly. "I can't make the world a better place…"
I closed my eyes and waited for my death.
…but it never came.
I didn't feel any pain.
I could hear…glitching.
"Oh yeah?" said a familiar voice. "Who are ya calling 'so-called'?"
That voice…
…one that I thought I would never hear again.
I looked up.
To my surprise, I saw…Addison.
She was all in pink and had a flaming pink aura.
Zach was as shocked as I was. His attention turned away from me and at Addison.
"Y-You?!" screamed Zach. "YOU?!"
"I won't let you hurt ANYONE again," said Addison.
At this, Zach seemed to have gone mad again. He formed a gun in his hands.
"GET AWAY!" he screamed as he fired. "THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"
However, the bullets went through Addison's body as if they were nothing. She didn't even seem to be in pain. She must be a…
…she didn't look like she is an illusion…
…she is just a ghost.
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?!" yelled Zach, firing again.
Addison just smirked and raised her hand.
A pink aura surrounded Zach and lifted him up. He tried to break free, but couldn't. That was when Addison snapped her fingers.
I watched in confusion and shock as Zach's body twitched violently. His head was glitching again, tilting from side to side. I noticed bubbles floating out from Zach's head and when there were about a hundred of them that formed a cloud, they exploded. White particles flew all over before disappearing.
The dingo dropped to the ground. The red tint on his body slowly turned back to brown. He was breathing heavily and when he regained his energy, he stood up.
"H-Huh?" he said.
He got up and looked around like a lost child.
"W-Where am I?" he said. "What's this? What happened?"
Addison caught his attention.
"A-Addison?" he said in disbelief. "I thought you were-!"
His body suddenly glitched.
He screamed, but was cut off when he disappeared.
I just lied on the floor, unable to speak.
Zach must be back in the real world at the moment.
I looked back at Addison. It was so long since I saw her that I barely remembered how she looked like. I wasn't with her for 6 months. She came back to save me and she didn't seem to be an illusion.
Not made by the Phantom Ruby.
"Even if I'm gone," said Addison to me. "I'm here for you."
My mouth trembled.
It isn't an illusion the Ruby made.
It is her.
The REAL ghost of my deceased best friend.
"ADDISON!" I cried.
I leapt to my feet and hugged Addison in broken tears. To my surprise, I could feel the fox's body. Addison wrapped her arms around me.
"It's OK," said Addison. "I'm here for you. Always."
I sniffed as I let go. "I'm…I'm…"
"You don't need to. It wasn't your fault. It was my fault for getting myself killed. I accept your apology…for what happened and what you said to me. You just need to forgive yourself."
I looked down. I knew that Addison would ALWAYS accept my apology, but…I couldn't forgive myself. It was difficult for me.
A high-pitched squeak could be heard. It was my Pink Wisp.
I ran to her and picked her up. I noticed the sore bruises all over her body. When I touched her, she winced in pain.
"Are you OK?" I said.
My Wisp shook her head and wrapped her tentacles around my fingers as if wanting a hug.
I turned back to Addison.
"How do I know if I'm talking to the REAL Addison?" I asked.
"Simple," said Addison.
She waved her hand and a fiery pink streak covered her entire hand, letting its pink tails flying through the air as she moved her arm delicately.
"I'm just a ghost," explained Addison. "I can appear in different worlds that are far advanced than real life."
"…what did you do with Zach?"
"Him? I erased his memories of the past 6 months. He is now waking up from his coma back home."
"Does that mean…?"
"Yes. I'm sure that he will forget everything you experienced…completely."
I slightly pressed my Wisp to my chest like a doll. "D-Did it hurt when you were…killed?"
Addison nodded. "It did. I never felt pain so much before...but now in this new life, I don't feel physical pain anymore. Don't worry. It's not your fault. It was Infinite's…but I can't help but feel sorry for what made him to who he is now."
"W-Where are the others? Yumi? Jade? Taffy? Finn?"
"They already moved on. We ALL did. It's just that a month ago, I was the only one who decided to see how you were going. I'm the only one recently."
She then got a bit closer to me. "But…I…I never saw what happened to my parents. I was only focusing on you and your own problems. Please tell me…are they OK?"
I hesitated. "Your parents…they are fine. They are just struggling to move on by the fact that you were killed. Their arguments became more infernal, so I have to calm them down. It took a while, but they miss you. They are angry at Infinite for killing you."
A single tear rolled down the fox's face. She sniffed and took a deep breath. "That is what I want to hear. I'm happy that they are OK, but I want to see them again."
I looked down.
At this, Addison bent down and gently took out the prototype from my vest pocket.
MY Phantom Ruby prototype.
I was crying the whole time and I forgot about it.
"It's not your fault that everything is a mess," said Addison. "I feel bad for everything to overwhelm you."
The prototype glowed. I stared at it. I realized that I could use it to escape.
But...
I turned around, lost in thought.
"Why do you hesitate?" asked Addison.
"I…I don't know," I said, turning around to face the fox. "I…I don't know what to do. I'm…I'm lost…I'm…I'm sorry for all the things I did."
"C'mon, girl," said Addison. "You don't need to apologize. You do, but not every time. You know everyone forgives you for your mistakes."
"…I…I don't know what to do…I'm not good enough…"
"You are good enough…"
"I'm not strong enough…"
"You are strong enough…"
"I'm not brave enough…"
"You are brave enough…"
"I'm not good-hearted like you…"
Addison paused. "No. You are more good-hearted than me now."
I stayed silent for a while, my Pink Wisp looking up at me. "I'm…I'm scared…I'm scared of all of this…this is too much…it is easy for me to do my job…but it is hard to accept the fact that not everything will always go my way. The world is so…messed up…"
"It's OK to be scared. Everyone is scared. Everyone is scared of everything. Failing. Mistakes. Fights. Strength. Enemies. Keeping up. Even the smallest things can make people jump. I'm scared as well. Even from the beginning. I'm scared of you. I'm scared FOR you. I'm scared that you won't be able to catch up…learn to say sorry…learn to forgive…trying things too hardly…yelling at other people. It's even scary than seeing you been beaten up by the town's jerks! The scariest thing? I don't think you are seeing yourself right. Whenever you look at yourself in the mirror, you only see yourself as a failure."
She gingerly took my hands in hers.
"Me? I see a young girl from a town. You love your family. You love your friends. You love your town. You did your best to make them so proud. You stand up on your own and for others. You make your people proud. Even better; you applied for a job no other girl in town would ever dare to do. You would do ANYTHING to make your father proud. You even made me proud for being a friend."
I looked down. "Look…I…"
When I couldn't say something, I decided to let Addison to continue talking.
"…but all of these things can leave a scar. Rookie and Mecha have these scars, but they can heal and reveal the old shell inside you. That same flesh that shows who you are. They never show mistakes. You don't have any…but you have them on the inside. I know they might be from mistakes or sacrifices…but they show that you learn and moved on from your mistakes. Your love for your sister – Emerald – your team – Tom, Xander, Cassie and Fuchsia – your former rivals – Mecha and Sebastian – and a new friend – Rookie – will define you. The things you learnt so far will guide you. You've come so far and it's all because you believe in their light of hope. Your light of hope will shine in your heart forever."
I smiled…but looked down. "How can I? Will I win against Eggman and Infinite?"
"Oh shut up, idiot," said Addison.
My mouth opened widely. This was the first time Addison would say 'idiot'. But this wasn't in a cold way.
"Many people have been afraid ever since the war, but you pulled them out of the shadows. You were able to beat Infinite once in a battle. Those are some things you should be proud of. You are giving up soon. Maybe you are a failure…maybe you are broken…but that isn't too bad. You learn from your mistakes and flaws. It's a badge of honour. Something the police can accept. You're so much stronger than anyone. In fact, you're stronger than any of us back home. You know it all the time and it is true…if it wasn't for you, Rookie OR those children back in San Francisco wouldn't be alive today. Don't feel bad about yourself. You still got your friends, the Resistance and the only thing that can stop the war once and for all. You got the prototype and you have the power to bring back peace. You can't let your fear get to you. You have to fight, Bubblegum! I believe in you. We all do. You are better than you think you are."
I sniffed and wiped my tears. I smiled and hugged my best friend. Tears rolled down my face, but they were of joy. I had forgotten about all the things my friends said to me, but they had came back to her to remind me of what I truly am. I felt better than I thought I would be.
Addison wrapped her arms around me to return the embrace.
I felt my Pink Wisp nuzzling into my chest.
"Thank…thank you…" I whispered. "…I will not let everyone down. Maybe I will win…maybe I will lose…but I will try. I will do this for all my friends…both past and now. Thank you for being my best friend…"
Addison smiled. I swore I saw tears forming in her eyes. "Well…NOW there is a friend who needs help…somebody who is now your best friend."
I remembered that I wasn't the only one to be stuck in Null Space.
"Alright," I said, taking the prototype from Addison. "I will find Rookie."
"Let's go," said Addison.
The fox's body suddenly turned bright before exploding into bright streaks of pink light. They flew upwards and entered inside my Phantom Ruby prototype.
"I will guide you," said Addison's voice. "Go north."
I nodded and ran to her north.
I am going to find Rookie, wherever he is.
We will go back to the real world and take down the Eggman Empire once and for all.
I stopped for a while. I decided to have a quick check on my Pink Wisp.
"Can you fly or do you need to rest?" I said to her.
She shook her head weakly and started to hover upwards…only to fall into my hands. With my translator still on, she started to squeak in pain.
"I…can…still…get up!"
I sighed. "By the looks of this, I think you need to rest."
"But how come YOU'RE the one who isn't injured?"
"…Zach didn't hurt my body a lot. I'm sorry."
"S-Shut up!"
I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Whatever you say."
My Pink Wisp was silent for a while before pointing to my eye. "Your eyes…"
"Huh?" I said.
"They…they are blue again."
I looked at my reflection in the prototype. My eyes...they were once grey...but they turned back to their natural light navy blue colour.
I smiled. "We both have our blue eyes back!"
My Wisp tilted her head. "W…We do?"
I nodded.
I couldn't tell how she must feel, but the way she moved her eye show me that she felt better already.
I placed her onto my head and continue to look for Rookie.
There was one thing in my mind.
"I'm NO LONGER a failure."
Third Person's POV, Metropolis, 7 pm
Tails was desperately searching through the rubble of the destroyed building. He was looking through the damage for a long time, but he was trying to look for Sonic. He couldn't lose him. Not after he returned from Death Egg.
All of a sudden, he heard static on his ear piece. There was a mixture of static and random gibberish.
Then, the connection became clearer.
"C…mon…it…has to…got it!" came Sonic's voice. "The signal is back!"
"SONIC!" cried Tails out in relief.
"Oh…sorry, buddy."
"Where are you? I've been trying to find you in that destroyed building for half an hour!"
"Before the building collapsed, I quickly found an underground level and got in there. Now, I tried to open the door, but it won't budge due to the amount of rubble blocking it."
"Where are you?"
"The door to the underground is right next to where the elevator is...or 'was'."
Tails ran to where the elevator was – broken and destroyed – and found the hatch door to the underground level under a large pile of debris.
"HOLD ON!" called Tails.
The young fox ran over and started to pick up the rubble, to clear the hatch. It took a long time for him to get rid of all the trash – as he was just a young kid – but he managed to clear the debris. He opened the hatch and immediately hugged Sonic who was inside.
"Whoa!" said Sonic chuckling. "Easy there! I'm alright!"
"You nearly died…" said Tails nearly crying.
"I'm fine! See? Perfectly fine."
They let go off each other.
"Wait," said Sonic, remembering what happened. "Where's Rookie and Bubblegum? What happened to Mecha?"
Tails gasped. He was so worried about Sonic's safety that he forgotten about Mecha.
"Sorry…" said Tails regretfully. "I forgot about Mecha. I already tried to contact Rookie and Bubblegum…but their connections are out!"
Sonic inhaled sharply. He remembered seeing Rookie and Bubblegum flying into that portal and apparently ended up in this 'Null Space' place. Mecha is missing, possibly taken by Eggman and Infinite. He just befriended those three cadets and at the moment, they are gone. Just when he is starting to know them…AND like them.
Worse, he isn't sure of how Emerald and Sebastian would react to this.
Sonic sighed sadly and looked down. "Where's Eggman?"
"He went off," said Tails. "I saw Infinite flying pass by before you called me. They are heading back to the fortress I believe."
"We will look for them. But first, let's look for Mecha. He must be still in the city."
"Alright."
The two went away from the large area of debris. They ran through the streets, trying to find the lost bird.
However, they couldn't find him.
There were no traces of him OR any remains of him.
They tried to contact him, but the connection refused to work properly.
Sonic gulped as he thought of the dreadful idea that Mecha was killed by Infinite.
"Huh?" said Tails, noticing something. "What's that?"
He was looking over at a fountain. As the two came closer, they saw something yellow that was just floating in the water...lifelessly.
"Oh no," said Sonic, realizing who that was in the fountain.
He quickly reached in and grabbed the yellow figure.
It was Mecha's Yellow Wisp!
He looked fine, but there were marks on where Infinite squeezed him and he was unconscious.
"T-That must be Mecha's!" said Tails.
"Is this Wisp alive?" said Sonic worriedly.
That was when the Yellow Wisp snapped open its eye. He looked around in confusion before shifting his eye at Sonic.
"Are you OK, little buddy?" asked the blue hedgehog. "Do you know where's Mecha?"
The little Wisp shook his head and started to cry. He squeaked something, but Sonic and Tails couldn't understand what he was trying to say.
"Don't worry," reassured Sonic. "We will find Mecha."
Speaking of the devil, the connection to Mecha came back on their ear pieces.
The first thing they heard from him was…crying.
It sounded like Mecha was crying.
This surprised the two. It sounded so emotional…heartbreaking…and hurtful.
They could hear the loud cries from Mecha.
He was crying hysterically.
The Yellow Wisp trembled hearing that.
"What?" said Sonic.
"Huh?!" called someone. "Who's there?!"
Sonic and Tails quickly turned around…to see Tom.
"Oh," he said bluntly. "You again?"
"Did you find anything?" said Mayor Will's voice from far away.
"Well…just two stragglers."
That was when Mayor Will, Nicki, Cassie and Xander appeared. They were amazed to see Sonic again.
"Ah, why isn't it the hero here again," said Nicki cheerfully. "Along with his adorable little hero."
Tails blushed at the sound of this.
"Uh…can we talk with you for a while?" said Mayor Wills.
Sonic sighed. "Just make it quick please. I'm trying to find someone here."
"Well, we are looking for Beth Lehem, Mecha Nism, Sebastian Von Tsunami and Emerald Stone. Apparently…we made the decision to try to take them back to the safety of our bunker."
Sonic hesitated.
They must be from the same town the Black Squad lived in. They are looking for the Black Squad. The bad news is…Beth or called Bubblegum is gone.
"I…"
Sonic trailed off when a loud clattering could be heard. The group looked up and saw a large garbage bag flying out from an alley.
Crying could be heard from there.
"I'll just check who it is," said Tails, deciding to investigate.
He walked off while Mayor Wills turned to Sonic with a firm look.
"Well?" he said.
Sonic sighed reluctantly. He knew that they won't be happy if he told them the bad news. "Sebastian and Emerald are fine. They are with the Resistance and are getting ready to stop Eggman at the Eggman Empire Fortress."
"What?!" said Tom and Cassie in unison.
"So…they are going to fight?" said Xander.
"Yeah," said Sonic. "They did fine though. Before, they managed to fight large armies of robots and saved civilians from danger! They were able to survive!"
Tom sighed and rubbed his face. "Reckless people. Where is Bubblegum?"
"And where is Mecha?" said Nicki. "He's my twin brother."
Sonic bit his lip. "Uh…something just happened. Mecha must be in that alley…and Bubblegum…she was sent to this place called…Null Space."
"What?" said Tom.
"She's…she's gone…I'm sorry…"
Tom and Cassie gasped. "WHAT?!"
"Bubblegum is dead?!" said Xander.
"I don't know," said Sonic. "All I know is that Eggman threw Bubblegum into some kind of portal before it closed!"
Tom's eye twitched. "You…you disappointment!"
"Excuse me?"
Tom grabbed Sonic by the throat. "You had ONE JOB and you let her die like the rest of them?!"
Mayor Wills quickly pulled Tom away. "Calm down. You have no right to treat a person like that."
"By letting him get away with it?!" snarled Tom, slapping the Mayor's hand away.
"It was chaos!" said Sonic. "There wasn't much I could do to help her! I can't stop things that would come up unexpected."
"But…you didn't do anything for the past 6 months…" said Cassie.
"Yeah!" said Tom, glaring at the blue hedgehog. "You think you could just go away for half a year and come back to find that world is already destroyed?!"
"If you decided to step up for once, why didn't you get rid of Eggman in the first place?!" said Nicki, getting agitated as well. "You could have just taken down Infinite easily!"
"JUST SHUT UP!" snapped Sonic. "I TRIED TO, BUT I CAN'T SAVE ALL OF THEM, OK?!"
Tom, Cassie and Nicki froze.
They never heard Sonic losing his temper before.
Even if this is the first time seeing him.
Cassie and Nicki took note of the blue hedgehog's appearance.
Faded scars riddled his body from his legs, arms and torso. Despite nearly unnoticeable, it just proved how much Sonic went through during his time at Death Egg. The 6 months of torture that was barely heard during the war and Sonic had to face it. Even if nobody really knew how much he had to go through, it didn't make his trauma fade away completely.
There were…tears forming in his eyes. This is one of the rarest moments of when Sonic would become very upset. The pressure is nearly too much for the blue hero to take and with all the frustration through trying to stop Eggman and Infinite…not everyone can handle the hardest challenges.
…especially Sonic.
"We're sorry," said Cassie sincerely.
Sonic just quickly wiped his eyes before the tears could fall. "Sorry that I couldn't find Bubblegum."
"It's fine," said Xander genuinely.
Nicki calmed down, but Tom remained glaring at Sonic.
"Wait," said Nicki. "Is Mecha in that alley?"
Mecha's POV
I thought I was dead, but somehow...I survived.
Apparently, when Infinite dropped me, I landed onto a large garbage bin that was filled to the top in an alley. The soft bags of trash were able to break my fall.
However...when I woke up...I was...angry.
I should have been dead.
Again, my insanity kicked in and I lost my temper, nearly destroyed the entire alley. I was breaking a few things apart and throwing them around as I screamed.
I was upset.
I was upset about what happened.
I was upset about being a mistake.
I was upset for not facing my fear.
But I was very upset that I lost my friends.
Just when I changed from a bastard to a kinder person…but redemption always have its consequences.
Eventually, I tired myself out and collapsed onto the floor. I curled myself into a ball and started muttering how much of a mistake I was and that I should have just died. Tears rolled down my face.
I lost my friends again.
I am all alone again.
I failed to save lives again.
Like how I failed to save the Jackal Squad from their demise.
"I'm weak," I kept saying. "I'm weak…I'm weak…I'm weak…I'm weak…I'm weak…"
I heard noises, but I didn't care. Whoever that was, I wished that they would KILL me.
I rather be anyone other than being in this world.
"Let me talk to him."
I finally unwrapped myself and laid on the floor, looking up at the sunset sky.
"This is hopeless…" I muttered.
"Did that make you feel any better?" asked Nicki.
I slowly sat up to see...my twin sister, Nicki.
I recognized her cyan feathers and her colorful shirt.
I would have been surprised, but I groaned.
"Get lost," I grumbled.
"What's the matter, brother?" asked Nicki.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came here to find you. I just want to see my brother again."
I just stood up and looked away. "Why does it matter now?"
"You look very upset," said Nicki, coming towards me. "The last time I saw you with tears was when you got that scar. What are you upset about? Your jackal friend Zero?"
I turned around, eyes widened.
"How did you know that?!" I snapped.
Nicki smiled innocently. "I read you diary."
I face palmed. I forgot that Nicki would sometimes break into my house to spy on me. Even the house's defensive system didn't work. She would ALWAYS escape the booby trap I set up near my front door. Nicki must have read MY DIARY when I wasn't looking.
"Why do I always write my life in a stupid journal…when I want to forget them?" I muttered before sighing. "Well…yeah."
"So?" said Nicki, raising her eye.
"I…I rather not talk about it."
"Please brother. I rather try to get you to spill out the truth than let you sulk all day. You never told me ANYTHING for the past 5 years and I'm really worried about you. Please tell me."
I sighed. I knew that there was no turning back, but she was my sister and I learnt how to share my own issues. Before I knew it, I found myself telling Nicki the whole experience of my time in the Resistance. My struggle with accepting the fact that Infinite was a former friend of mine. The fact that Finn died. The fight I created with Rookie and Bubblegum. Including me revealing my shaky relationship with my mother.
Nicki's smile disappeared as she absorbed in the news.
"What?" said Nicki before leaning close to me. "Brother…is all of this true? Those near-death fights? Your change of heart? Your friend as a monster?"
I nodded tearfully.
Nicki sighed. "I knew that Infinite was a real person after all. Everyone back home still think he is some kind of robot."
I wrapped my arms around myself. "I-I don't know what to do now."
Nicki sighed and thought for a while. "Mecha, you have to join the rest of the Resistance and stop Eggman."
I sighed sadly. "There's no point."
"That's where you are wrong."
"You're right. I am wrong. I am wrong my entire life. I thought joining the Resistance would get my father to finally notice me and I would prove myself to our mother that I'm better than she thinks I am…but not at the cost of my friends. Not when I'm starting to like them."
Nicki sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you so difficult?"
"Difficult?" I asked monotonously. "I have no idea. Maybe…maybe I'm meant to be like my parents…stubborn…heartless…cold…angry…some jerk who believes that there is no love in the world. Having this stupid scar and deformities. Being a stupid hybrid. Maybe the world doesn't need someone as cruel as I am."
"You're not cruel! You let me on your tournament team, tried to change a monster's heart and even apologized to the one you like to hurt a lot."
"But how does that change ANYTHING?! Maybe…maybe our mother is right. I'm just a mistake. I will never change. I can't force myself to kill Infinite. Maybe…maybe I should have just take my own life when I had the chance to do so. The world is better without me."
Nicki sighed as I sat onto a broken stool. I could tell how disappointed she was, but I couldn't see the picture of myself.
She sat beside me.
"As I was saying," explained Nicki. "That's where you are wrong. All your life you went through this pain, but you never stopped believing that you can be better. And you WERE right. Who isn't the smartest and the strongest bird in Forest Tournament Town?"
I shook my head. "That doesn't change the fact that the smartest and strongest bird is the biggest poop in the town."
"Listen. I am ALSO scared of our mother. I didn't exactly know how you were feeling when she gives you the edge, but I'm hurting that I didn't do anything to be by your side. I should have stand up for you when I had the chance to, but I'm just scared as you are. Like the rest of our brothers and sisters. I even missed our father. I wished that we can see him."
A gentle smile appeared on her beak.
"However, I never stop believing that our mother will be kinder one day and that our father will return. Despite what you did, you are still strong and became the greatest of all of us. And now, I see you a new light. Do you know why I begged you to let me join your tournament team?"
I nodded, but did not answer.
"I looked up to you. I am who I am because of you. I want to be like you. I want to be as strong and as fast and as smart as you. The rest of our teammates even want to be like you. That's why we became your team. I know that I pushed you too much at times, but I only did this so I could make you realize what you are doing. The wrong things you shouldn't be doing. Look at how much you have improved. I wouldn't have come here…if it wasn't for you."
I sighed and wrapped my arms around my legs. What Nicki said reminded me of what Sebastian said to me before.
"But what can I do?" I asked as if asking for help. "I don't know if I can face Infinite again. He was an old friend of mine and I'm still scared of hurting anyone I care about."
"I know that it's hard, but you have to move on," said Nicki. "Zero is evil. He already destroyed many lives. You have to focus on helping others than just one person who is responsible for the war. You must do the right thing, even though it can be very difficult. At least try to get rid of that ruby. You're gonna need to beat some sense into him…literally."
I looked down. Maybe she was right.
"It doesn't matter what you do or what you are," said Nicki as she got up. "Do you think that our father doesn't want you to give up?"
I hesitated. "I…I don't know…but I think so…"
"That's the spirit," said Nicki, playfully grabbed my beak and shook it. "Don't let what our mother said to you GET to you. Those 'deformities' don't make you a mistake. You are not a mistake. You are better than that. Just like how you were before. Just like how you are NOW. A much better man in the now."
I stared at Nicki. I was told many times that I was good enough, but at that moment, I finally saw that I am indeed a pure soul. My sister might be right. All my life, I thought I was just a mistake, but I never give up proving I'm. I succeeded in many things. Even though I bullied others in past, I was starting to learn to be nice to others. I might have thought that I was alone, but at least I got a lot of people who were willing to be with me.
Zero…I mean INFINITE was still out there and I need to stop him despite my fear. That jackal can't hurt any more people.
I did everything I could throughout the war.
Besides – for the first time – I agreed with my sister.
I stood up. "OK. I'll try to do the right thing."
"Good brother," chirped Nicki as she shook my beak again.
"Just please be safe. I'm not sure if you can go onto the battlefield yet…not now. I want you to head to the Resistance HQ and stay there until I come back."
Nicki nodded. "Don't worry. I will."
Nicki was about to go, but she took something out from her bag.
It was a YELLOW AND BLACK JACKET.
MY jacket.
I gasped.
I hadn't wear it for a long time. I remembered that I tossed it in the bin at the beginning of the war.
"I found this in the bin," said Nicki as she passed me the jacket. "I was planning to give it to you on your birthday…but…here's your late present."
I just held onto the jacket dumbfounded.
"Be the Death Shocker I know," said Nicki. "Make father proud. Make Finn proud. Make us proud."
Smiling, Nicki ran and went off.
I just stared at my jacket, surprised.
Understanding what the right decision was, I put my jacket on and covered my head with the hood.
The jacket that symbolized the Death Shockers.
For some reason, I heard something behind me.
I turned around.
To my surprise, I saw…
"F-Finn?" I stuttered.
The teal wolf smiled.
He was surrounded by a flaming turquoise aura and his body was all in teal.
That…was…strange…
Skeptical, I slowly moved my hand towards Finn to make sure that he wasn't an illusion from the Phantom Ruby. However…when I pulled my hand out from the ghost, turquoise flames danced around before disappearing.
I blinked.
I couldn't believe that it was Finn.
As a ghost.
"F-Finn?" I stuttered. "I…Is that you?"
The teal wolf nodded.
I looked down, tears forming in my eyes again.
I remembered that day he died.
"I-I'm sorry that I couldn't save you…" I said. "I'm…I'm sorry for turning my back on you."
Finn just smiled. "It's OK. At least I get to spend my years with the brother I wanted."
In tears, I wrapped my arms around Finn.
He did the same.
I was hugging Finn for the first time after six painful months. I knew that I would be disgusted for being embraced, but this one...this one was one I needed. I was crying hardly. I never thought that I would see one of my deceased teammates one last time.
When I let go, Finn's body was starting to disappear.
"Please win the war for me," said Finn. "I'll be there for you."
And with that, Finn was gone.
I wiped my tears. I didn't know if it was my own thoughts or the Phantom Ruby, but the ghost of Finn felt…real to me.
I was glad that I get to see him one last time.
I will make Finn proud.
"Mecha?"
I turned around to see Sonic…holding an injured Yellow Wisp.
I gasped. "Sonic! Yellow!"
Hearing my voice, my Yellow Wisp looked at me and squeaked in joy. However, as soon as it moved one of its tentacles, it whimpered in pain.
I rushed up to them. "I-Is my Wisp OK?"
Sonic scratched the back of his head. "He's fine. He just have bruises over his body. I think he needs to rest for a while."
That was when my Yellow Wisp jumped up in an attempt to fly, but eventually fell down. I quickly grabbed him before he hit the ground.
"B-Buddy," I said to my Wisp. "I'm so sorry."
My Yellow Wisp moved his eye in a way as if he is happy.
"Who was that there before?" said Sonic. "I saw something cyan hugging you."
I glanced at Sonic before looking down sadly. "That's…just a vision of my deceased friend. He was killed at the start of the war."
The blue hedgehog frowned. "I-I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine."
The two of us just stood there for a while awkwardly.
"I want to tell you something," said Sonic. "I like to apologize you for thinking wrong about you."
"Hmm?" I said. "In what way? You never said a bad thing about anyone."
"Well, I threatened you when you tripped Rookie."
I looked away, embarrassed.
"Look," explained Sonic. "When I first saw you, you were acting like a bully. I was a bit annoyed with that and I started to think if you are like the Babylon Rogues. However, that changed when I heard something about this 'mother and father' thing. I'm happy that you learnt your lesson, but I am still a bit wary of you...even when you admit that you were a friend of Infinite. I don't really know what you are going through or what's in your head, but I do get that you are struggling with everything. It's OK to not feel OK and you know that I am here if you want to talk to. I know that you hurt others as a bully, but you apologized to your squad and everyone. That is a good thing. I know that you said that you can't change, but you are TRYING to do and that's enough. All I'm trying to say that you may have been a bully…but you can still be something better than that. You are not a mistake…and you are not weak."
I just stared at Sonic for a long time. He talked to Rookie and Bubblegum to solve their insecurities and I thought he wouldn't need to talk to me.
I am grateful that he did.
It made me feel better.
I smiled. "Thanks…Sonic."
The blue hedgehog smiled as well. "See you at the fortress."
He ran off, leaving me and my Yellow Wisp.
Suddenly, I felt DETERMINED.
"Time to put an end to this endless war," I said, narrowing my eyes. "In the name of the Resistance and my home, I will stop Eggman AND Infinite. For Finn."
I placed my Yellow Wisp onto my head and then followed Sonic.
There was one thing in my mind.
"I'm NO LONGER a mistake."
Clay's POV, ?
I didn't know what happened. I had no idea how long it had been when Bubblegum and I were sucked into that void. All I knew was that I was separated from her and got transported to an unknown place.
I blacked out.
The next thing I knew was that I was back in the dark world.
I couldn't see anything.
No people.
No buildings.
No sky.
No clouds.
No sun.
Nothing.
I looked around.
"Oh no," I thought. "Not again…"
Again, I didn't know why everything was completely…dark. Even thought there was no light, I was able to see my body in full light.
I called out if anyone was there.
I cried for help, but no one came.
I was all by myself.
I heard my Cyan Wisp appearing behind me. She squeaked at me in fear.
"I-I don't know where we are either!" I said to her. "We got to-!"
However, something came out of the dark.
To my horror, it was those dark shadows I saw in my dream. It turned into some tall humanoid monster. It had yellow glowing eyes, a built torso, arms and legs, nearly looking like a dark overlord of all hell.
I stood in the middle, scared.
I stared at that shadow monster's glowing eyes.
They looked menacing…evil…and heartless.
"Uh…" I struggled to speak. "Hey…um…"
My Cyan Wisp hid behind me.
That was when I heard the monster snickered.
"Uh…hey…I'm right here…can you please tell me…?"
"Weak…"
I was taken aback. "W-what did you say?"
"Weak…" it said in a gruff male voice. "You're weak. You are just one step away from joining Eggman and you decided to step down? How selfish and pathetic are you."
I sighed. "The only thing selfish and pathetic is you trying to turn me into a monster."
"Then why do you dare try remain positive when everything is so dense? If you are upset, then can you…I don't know…let me go?"
"Not happening!"
"Like I said before, don't play dumb! You know that you lost your older brother from them."
I froze.
"See? You wanted to find your brother and yet, you failed. It was so POSSIBLE for that to happen."
I started to stutter.
Belt?
Him?
Dead?
Impossible!
I knew that I cried when Eggman claimed that Belt was killed, but at that moment, I found it difficult to believe.
"T-That was just a set-up," I said, trying not to cry. "He's still alive somewhere!"
"BUT WHAT IF HE ISN'T ALIVE ANYMORE?!"
Silence filled the air.
"It's pretty hard to try to define who you are, but…when you remember back in the days…when Belt was captured…and when the war struck…did you HONESTLY think that you would be able to save someone who is older than you?"
I growled in anger. My hands clenched into fists.
It can't be. Belt can't be dead.
"You really think that anyone would care about you?" said the shadow monster. "Pathetic."
"You're wrong!" I said.
"Am I?"
"YES!"
The shadow monster just stared at me…before it hung head and laughed out loudly.
"What's so funny?" I said.
"YOU are! Do you really think they like you? Personally?"
"Well…"
"You're wrong! You don't deserve their love! You don't deserve their love! You know that they just gave that to you because they felt sorry for you."
I looked down. I started to think about its words. Maybe…as much as I wanted to deny it, it was right.
"See? That's what I was trying to tell you about! Don't you know that you can still make the world in OUR vision?"
"B-But…it's your vision!" I said. "I don't want the world to die."
"Well, as your fear grows, you seem to want to."
It pointed to my right black arm. I held onto it.
"You know that it was your fault that your brother died," it continued.
"MY FAULT?!" I said in disbelief. "I…I wasn't the one who killed him! And if he is dead, it was Eggman's fault!"
"Really? You made a promise to find him…and now it's broken. Just face it. You lost. Do you think that he will forgive you for abandoning him? Do you think he is happy to call you his brother? After locking you up in a treehouse for too long? Besides, because you are meant to be the Dark Wolf, nobody will trust you. Nobody will care about you. And…if you think you can save the world, do you think that everyone will forgive you for the mistakes you did?"
Suddenly, my mind was overwhelmed by all the horrible things that happened in life.
My brother being captured.
Infinite killing those people.
Being alone for six months.
Bubblegum yelling at me for screwing up our first mission.
Mecha mocking me.
The fight we all got into.
Infinite taunting me.
Having those nightmares.
Seeing Belt's broken glasses.
Since I already went through them, I tried to ignore them.
"No…" I thought. "I…I can't…I can't back down…I can't back down…I can't back down…I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"
It was all too much. I screamed in agony and pain, and I started to cry loudly. I placed my hands over my eyes, crying hysterically.
My Cyan Wisp gasped, seeing me crying.
"Well…pity," muttered the shadow monster. "If you want to give into the darkness, then I'm happy to let you."
"N-No way…" I choked through gasps. "I…I won't…"
"You're weak."
The shadow monster continued to insult me.
"I told you before; I'm the darker side of you, so I control all the negative feelings that you keep inside you! I want to let it out so that we won't have to suffer and lie down on the floor to die! I am made to make you a creature born of hunger, anger and darkness. We will be more powerful than anyone else. We can show the world how we feel. Make them burn like how we burn. But you don't. You're soft and you are just becoming more pathetic than ever. You're weak. I just…don't understand why you won't give in. If it wasn't for you, you wouldn't have lost your brother. If it wasn't for you, you would have saved those weaklings back at Forest Tournament Town. If it wasn't for you, you wouldn't have dragged these people to this mess. It was all…your…fault…for bringing your brother down. Those mistakes will ALWAYS tell you how much of a failure you are."
"STOOOOOOOOOPP!" I yelled.
However, the shadow monster kept laughing at me.
I couldn't get up.
I was too upset.
My brother is gone, so I am all by myself.
I will never get to see him again. I will never get to hear his voice. I will never get to have the hug I can always have from him. I will never get the chance to be near him again.
I will never even say goodbye to him for the last time.
I just laid down on the floor and continued to cry as I heard those words.
"You are weak…"
"…pathetic…"
"…worthless…"
"…useless…"
"…unsubstantial…"
"…coward…"
"…failure…"
"…mistake…"
"…flawed…"
"…stupid…"
"…ugly…"
"…hopeless…"
While I was crying, I opened my eyes. I saw my left arm…it was turning…grey.
I just sighed.
I saw a reflection of myself on the ground. My body was turning grey.
My turquoise fur turned grey. My eyes turned dull.
I just hugged myself and closed my eyes. I was too upset to care.
I just sat there…listening to the shadow's voice.
"!"
That came from my Cyan Wisp. Oh, she looked REALLY mad. She flew towards the shadow monster, screeching angrily.
For some reason, the monster understood her. "Shut up. This is none of your business."
My Wisp just let out another screech. This time…it sounded VICIOUS.
"Venus Heist," grumbled the shadow monster. "Why don't you just drown yourself?"
Cyan froze.
"That's right. I know what you told the Dark Wolf. Your pathetic backstory."
"W-What the hell?" I whimpered. "Why?"
My Wisp started to tremble.
"Do you really think that your own family will be proud of you? For joining the war? For trying to be a suck-up for that measly wolf? You are just as weak and pathetic as him. It's pretty easy for you to try to help someone with low self-esteem!"
Hearing this, I let out a sob.
My Cyan Wisp slowly looked at me. She was trembling badly and lightning was coming out from her body. A fiery turquoise glow surrounded her. She had tears forming in her eyes. It looked like she was going to break down, but NO.
I was wrong.
She let out an unearth cry of rage and blasted herself through the shadow monster.
ZAP!
When she made it to the other side, the monster had a hole through its chest.
However, it was unfazed.
Its chest formed back together and it stared menacingly at my Wisp.
"Ow…" it said.
My Cyan Wisp let out another screech and flew towards the monster. This time, the latter quickly grabbed the former and threw her to the ground.
WHAM!
I let out a shaky sob as I watched my Cyan Wisp banged onto the floor. She didn't look too injured but she was hurt. She looked at me before holding my muzzle gently with her tentacles. She let out a squeak as if trying to get me up.
But…I couldn't…
"I-I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I…I can't move forward…I shouldn't exist and I shouldn't be in this world anymore…"
That was when another voice entered the show.
"ROOKIE!" called a young female voice.
I slowly sat up and looked behind.
I saw…Bubblegum.
Her whole body was grey as well…all except her eyes which were glowing blue. She was holding her Pink Wisp which also lost her pink colour except for her blue eye.
She looked at the monster in fear, before shaking her head. She went up towards me and helped me get up.
"B…Bubblegum?" I said quietly.
"R...Rookie…" she said. "…it's me…"
I heard the shadow laughing at me. I bit my lip and closed my eyes.
"You are pathetic."
Bubblegum grabbed my hand. "Let's go."
She got me up and dragged me away. I didn't make any hesitation to walk. My Cyan Wisp followed along, glaring at the shadow monster.
…but the shadow monster followed us.
"…useless…"
"Get lost," said Bubblegum.
"…ugly…"
"Please…just go…"
"…stupid…"
"Go away."
"…coward…"
"Leave us alone!"
"Weak."
"Pathetic."
"Worthless."
"Useless."
"Ugly."
"Mistakes."
"Brat."
"Stupid."
"Flawed."
"Hopeless."
"Coward."
"Failure-"
"JUST SHUT UP, IDIOT!" roared Bubblegum at the shadow monster.
The shadow monster remained quiet.
It then spoke again.
"So…you are just going to accept this little freak?"
"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" yelled Bubblegum outraged. "NOBODY ELSE CALLS HIM THAT!"
The shadow monster shrugged. "OK. I won't. Maybe the people in his past WOULD. He can't erase those memories. Besides, wasn't it YOU who called him an idiot? Why would you want to protect an idiot like him? Why would you EVEN bother to care about him? Wasn't it you who think that you are far better than others?"
Bubblegum gulped. I then remembered the times when Bubblegum would snap at me for messing up. My mistakes. I felt tears rolling down my eyes. Even though I knew that she didn't mean it, it would scar me forever.
Bubblegum put on a determined face.
She turned to me.
"OK…" she said. "I know that I called you an idiot many times…but…do you want me to call you one now? For just giving up?"
I stayed silent. I struggled to talk. I was able to form words from my mouth. "No…I-I'm…I'm…just…facing…reality. It's…it's my fault…for letting my brother die…"
I continued to cry while the monster laughed again.
Bubblegum rolled her eyes.
"That's where you're wrong," she said. "Get over yourself! Yes, we are all in this mess because we weren't able to save those we care about. But you want to save the rest of the people for danger, right?"
My eyes widened. "Y-Yeah…"
"Do you know why I joined BOTH the police AND the Resistance? Yeah…I always seem to be trying to make things perfect, but I'm just sick of being a failure. I'm sorry for putting up with that attitude towards you. However, all my life, I want to make the world a better place. Just like what my father always told me. He would never give up to protect those who are innocent and those he loved. He was a great cop. But…it was my fault that…he died. He died…because Mecha and I weren't able to rescue him long ago. I lost both my parents. You lost your parents as well. And for me, it's forever. But it doesn't have to be for you. I believe that your brother is still alive. Eggman…must be lying. He must be using Belt as a tool somewhere else. Your brother is the Light Wolf. He HAS the rings. These are what Eggman was after for. I swear that I will STILL help you find your brother, no matter what!"
"B-But…what am I going to do? I'm…I'm just a failure. I shouldn't exist…"
"No. You are not a failure. I am not a failure. WE are not failures. We can't worry about mistakes for a long time, but we can learn from them and make sure that doesn't happen again. You know what? The only things that makes you who you are is the goodness in you. You care for other people. You care for your brother. You care for the world. You even care for me and Mecha even though we weren't kind at first. Do you remember how you saved those civilians in San Francisco?"
I nodded.
"Of course. Because WE were with them. That is one thing you should be proud of. Here is another thing: making Mecha realize that he is not alone. You were able to show him what he did and how he can move on. Move on despite hurting us in the past. That worked and Mecha is becoming a better person. You helped him and he's even happier to be a friend of ours! Do you remember how we got into the Chemical Plant? We were able to shut down the Death Egg's weapon system! Giving Sonic the chance to blow up Death Egg! What is the real thing we all have? We are scared. We are all scared that if we fail, it would be all over. Mostly, it's not true. You are not weak. You are not a mistake. You are not a failure. You are born to be you."
She paused for a while
"Why do you think God let you exist? Just to make you suffer? NO! He wants you to be a good wolf here on Earth. He wants you to help others in need and keep the world safe! You are not alone in this! We are all together in this mess! The truth is that things are not awesome. It's not good all the time. But that doesn't mean it will ALWAYS be bad. We can work together to make things right…because that's what makes things great. This is real. I am real. Don't listen to those illusions because they are NOT real. You are thinking of stuff that isn't real. I'm here…I believe in you…I know you can do it…you can't let your fear own you...just let it guide you convince you to move on and survive! You have to fight, Rookie! Show them that it is our light of hope that makes us shine. I will say this again; I know you can do it! Prove me wrong! Prove them wrong! Show them that you are not a waste of space! If there are any stronger words, I would have said them to you. What else do I have to say?"
I was stunned of what Bubblegum said. I just stared at her in shock. Suddenly, I remembered.
"If you give up, then it won't be solve anything; you would lose everything."
"Don't let your worries and fears get to you. You're stronger than you think."
"Believe in yourself. I believe in you. God believes in you as well."
However, those words were drowned out by the negative words from that shadow monster. Regardless, I…I felt…happiness. Something I hadn't found for a long time. I thought about it and I realized that I had been hiding away from everyone because I was afraid of messing up. I still stood up. I wasn't finished yet. I joined the Resistance because I wanted to help those in need and find my brother. I started to care about the people who surrounded me. They cared about me. Even though it was out of pity, I knew they were trying to and it was genuine. Because of the hope and love I was given, I moved on from my nightmares. I tried my best…sometimes I win…sometimes I lose…but I was able to get all of us safe in the end. And yet, I was starting to turn back to who I was before…the old me I thought I would never see again…
…the happy and sweet wolf I was before…
And that is what I am going to do.
I felt warmth in my heart.
Tears rolled down my face…but in joy.
A smile crept on my muzzle.
I felt…hopeful.
Bubblegum smiled. The monster gasped.
"W…what?" it said. "H-how can it…?"
"What is it?" I said.
Bubblegum pointed to the floor.
I looked down and saw my reflection.
My eyes were glowing golden.
The monster growled. "Smart move, rookies. I guess I'm going to do things the hard way now!"
It raised its hand up and I felt something painful.
I gasped and held onto my right arm.
My eyes shifted down to look at it.
The darkness was slowly moving over my shoulder part and started to…spread through my body. It gradually went through where the arm connected with the torso.
"Oh…oh no…" I said, realizing what that meant.
"Not so fast, you little diesel," said another voice.
My ears perked out.
I saw Bubblegum's prototype glowing…pink.
Something came out.
Pink flaming streaks flew out and turned into a fox.
It was that female fox. The one I saw who was killed by Infinite when I got to Forest Tournament Town.
"W-What?!" said the monster as the fox ghost went near it. "Didn't I saw you…? This can't be…"
"TOO BAD, MONSTER!" said the fox ghost. "Because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm not gone from memory or anyone's heart!"
At this, she raised her hand and a pink aura surrounded the shadow. The aura suddenly flared up in flames, seemingly burning the monster.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHH!" it screamed in pain as its glowing eyes widened. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! You can't do this! Not when I'm ready to change him!"
"You can't change anyone's heart," said the fox. "Only the true person can change their OWN heart."
As she spoke, I noticed that the darkness stopped on my body. I couldn't feel it. It slowly disappeared and it stopped at the right shoulder part.
My right arm remained black, but I feel numb.
Finally, the pink aura disappeared.
The shadow monster dropped to the floor in defeat. We looked at it as it breathed heavily. Defeated, it stood up slowly, trying to maintain its balance.
"Well…well…well…" it said. "I guess you're…half right…but…it's not over yet."
It transformed into a fog of shadow and flew into my rings.
"You will know when will be the time to let that monster out."
I stared at my rings in shock. "S-So…it's not over?"
"I was able to stop a majority of the darkness to consume you," said the fox. "It was all I could do."
I saw the furious look in my Cyan Wisp's eye. She started ranting angrily.
"Cyan?" I said. "A-Are you alright?"
She just glared at me and continued ranting.
Bubblegum flinched. Her translator from her ear piece was still on. "She…she is angry about what that monster did to you."
I looked back at my Wisp. "Please…calm down."
But she didn't. She continued to screech and scream…that was until Bubblegum's Pink Wisp regained the energy to fly towards Cyan. Pink babbled something to Cyan for a minute, talking in a calm tone…and the latter finally relaxed a bit, looking down. Cyan babbled something, a little guilty.
"What did your Wisp said?" I asked Bubblegum.
"Ah…" said the pink cat, reading her translator. "She told your Wisp to calm down and that we can deal with the shadow monster later. She said other things, but I want to make it brief; Cyan doesn't have to be furious at everything for the way they are."
I nodded, looking back at my black arm. "I'm…I'm still worried about this…"
Bubblegum placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm still here for you. I won't let you go."
I didn't know what came over me, but I felt touched.
I started to cry again.
Immediately, I threw my arms over her, hugging her. She even wrapped her arms around me. Again, I felt so happy to be with her and I know that I'm not alone.
"T…thank you…" I wept. "…for being there for me…"
I heard her beginning to cry as well. "You're…you're welcome…you're most welcome…"
We continued to cry and hug each other for knowing that we are strong and not alone. It felt so…relieving.
Then…I felt something warming up in my own body.
Hope…
Compassion…
Joy…
Peace…
"Guys…" said the fox ghost. "Take a look at yourself."
I opened my eyes and I saw Bubblegum…her whole body…turning back to pink.
I looked at my own.
It was turning back to turquoise.
Our bodies were once grey, but turned back to their true beautiful colors.
I smiled, feeling happy that I was back to being me.
I saw that Bubblegum's Pink Wisp was turning from grey to hot pink. She squeaked in joy as she noticed this.
"Not so dull after all," said the fox
I chuckled before looking at the ghost. "Wait. Who are you?"
"I'm Addison," said the fox. "I was Bubblegum's best friend before."
Bubblegum smiled. "Thanks for…being with me again."
"It's alright. You got a new best friend here. I think this one, you will get along well. Better than me."
Bubblegum chuckled. "You're wrong. Of course, both of you are my best friends. You know that I will always cherish both of you."
Addison smiled.
I grinned, feeling my tail wagging.
At that moment, I could finally call Bubblegum my best friend again.
"There IS still one last thing to do," said Addison.
Bubblegum and I realized what she meant.
The war.
It was still happening on Earth.
We didn't know what Eggman would do.
"Do you think we will stop Eggman?" I said. "Do you think we can get there in time?"
"I think so," said Addison. "This is Null Space. It doesn't apply to the normal laws of time and space back on Earth. You can get back to your home literally ANYTIME. All you need is to use your prototype."
I took out my prototype from my vest. In my hand, it glowed.
I looked at Bubblegum's.
"I guess we both have our own," I said.
"Good," said Addison. "Now make the world a better place."
Bubblegum nodded before giving her a quick hug. "Take care, sister."
Addison smiled and returned the hug. "Don't worry. I will always be with you."
She turned into pink flaming streaks and flew into Bubblegum's prototype. The pink cat smiled seeing this. She looked at me with a determined expression.
"Let's save the world AND your brother," she said.
I gave her the same determination. "Let's do it."
I took out my Phantom Ruby prototype.
My Cyan Wisp clung to me while Bubblegum's Pink wisp hung onto her owner.
"Are you going to be fine now?" said Bubblegum to her Wisp. "You have been injured…"
Her Wisp just squeaked in defense.
I looked at my Wisp and she gave me a determined look.
Bubblegum and I held onto each other and concentrated. A low humming noise could be heard. I looked around to see a glitching aura around us.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
"NOW!" shouted Bubblegum.
Everything went white.
AN: In the first place, I wasn't planning to have Zach return in the story, but I need to find someone who is a demon to Bubblegum and he is the ideal person for the job. Just to note that during this time, he is unstable and losing his sanity because of how long he lived in a coma, so his ways of torturing Bubblegum are violent and nearly messy. The scene where Zach tried to break Bubblegum down are inspired by scenes from the movies 'Captain Marvel', 'Spider Man - Far From Home' and 'Aladdin'.
Also, apologizes to everyone who thought that Sonic is dead again.
This chapter is REALLY tricky to write as I need to find ways of how to recreate a despair moment again in the story since the characters (nearly) got over their problems, handling them well. All I can do is have Clay and Bubblegum go through their personal hell places.
As always, thanks for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, 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!
