Silver: Welcome to the most unexpected and unanticipated final, hyper, silver, inordinate, superlative, maximal, astronomical death watch of the decade!

Metal: Your advertisement is not only false, but utterly lacking in humor. I will break this down for your simple mind: This particular idea of a match-up is mundane and unoriginal to the point of being clichéd, thus "unexpected" is just short of an outright lie. I believe you meant to say "death match". Your little "of the decade" line is just as uninspiring and dull, not to mention equally inaccurate. In short, this effort was equivalent to intellectual suicide.

Silver: At least I had fun…

Metal: At the expense of our good time and better senses, yes. After passing, your simple kind will be doomed to wander, washed up witnesses to the wonderful writing unshared by them in life. Is this advice strange to you, ghost?

PoA: Heheheheh! PrisonofAnswers712 declares that none of the characters used or abused within the burial confines of this plot are of his personal creation. Such morbid certifications are held by Sega and the handlers thereof. Now, I would say the fresh white skin of paper is best brought out by thick crimson angst. Little puppet agrees?

Tails Doll: ?

Metal: Rounded performances are preferable to overused emotional engagement. Try sticking to the stone cold facts you've made for yourself, ghost, and recall this: Words are not best remembered for the hurt they make, but by the bony barriers they break.

PoA: Perhaps when I "Rise" next, I will put your theory to the test!

Tails Doll: O_O *touches plush arms and 'ribcage'*

Silver: Um, can we just read the chapter now? Harmony and peace…please?

PoA & Metal: Kill me first.

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The One Holding the Power

(Act I)

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Where was the great cosmic destroyer; the super villain he was fated to narrowly defeat?

Where was the power of friendship and love that could free his friend from mind control?

Where was the happy ending, the vacation at the beach, the fattening smell of chilidogs?

Silly, these things didn't matter, not now. Yet Sonic was neither quick nor eager to latch on to the reality that had frozen the world in place. Stoutly clinging to his crumbling dreamland, he senselessly said "Tails, let's go home bro. Remember that vacation we talked about? Well, let's do it; let's go back and prepare for another adventure. I think we deserve it, don't we?"

Somewhere inside, Sonic knew his words were valueless, but delirium or fatal hope pushed him to keep talking "You'll love it, I know. We'll pack up a dozen hotdogs and mint-chocolate chip cookies, fix up the Tornado and go on the best vacation ever. Just you and me, Tails, just like it should be."

As if by some suspicious miracle, Tails did appear to be making an effort to respond, as he cocked his head to the side, asking "V-Vacation? You want to…go someplace? With me?" The flaming being shuddered and sighed with evident discomfort, but his face was curious: A few screens of color flickered in his eyes, before locking on a youthful shade of electric yellow.

"Sonic, step away from him!" Tikal's voice intervened. She and the fighting body of the team then frantically formed a defensive stance in front of the hedgehog. Separate members all shot him passing comments about his condition, while fixing their stares strongly on the glowing threat standing idly by.

"Are you alright?" She asked him stiffly, waiting only for his nod before saying "There's no time to talk. We need to flee this place, now!"

Lacking clarification and possibly still absent of his better mind, the mad hero could only shake his head in disbelief. A feeling of sickening betrayal came over him as he saw his otherworldly allies spread out in an antagonistic formation around the possessed fox. Corroded in judgment, Sonic wondered if these 'friends' of his realized who they were prepared to harm in his defense.

Espio wore a frown that showed his understanding, so much so that he addressed the fox directly "Miles, what has Robotnik done to you?" No reply came, yet the vulpine's childish expression said he was listening. Realizing this while inching forward hesitantly, Espio raised another question "Miles, if you can understand me, answer this: Who am I? What is my name?"

Incredulity fell upon the fox's features, while his irises shifted to a jade green, cohesively voicing his surprise "You? How could I forget you?"

Inquisitively, the chameleon narrowed his reptilian gaze, but the fox hadn't finished speaking "You have a name, but I know you better by your greed; yes, greed, envy, lust, you have all of these traits. Your heart is so hungry, so starved for satisfaction. All this abuse has made your spirit very sad and horribly lonely, but perhaps...perhaps I can help."

With an almost comforting look, the being raised Miles' palm skyward. In no time at all, Espio began to sweat as if his body had been exposed to an open furnace. At first, his skin took on a dull tint of red, but soon his scales began to peel from his arms and torso at a frightening rate.

Vector rushed to support his long time partner; however his hands reflexively flew backwards in pain. The momentary touch had eaten through the crocodile's gloves as if they were common sheets of paper.

Shadow saw this and restrained his anger long enough to call up a javelin of chaos. Hurling the beam at Miles resulted in the fox's stumbling in agony of his own. The dark hedgehog spent no time examining his foe before he had another chaotic charge prepped and ready to strike with. Only part of his dreadful focus was compromised when the figure arose from his position; his eyes were now a cyan blue, dampened by a steady stream of tears.

"His pain is over now." Tails' mouthpiece choked slightly; seemingly restraining a sob, the voice pleaded "You understand, Shadow! You know how it feels to have your happiness stolen by someone else. You know the pain of loving someone, but being unable to bring yourself to hate the one who took them from you. It's all the same: Family, friends, humans, mobians, in the end, people always lose someone or something dear to them."

Slowly, the creature turned to face Shadow head-on and asked "Isn't it easier to simply forget? How can you feel pain if you don't even recall what pain is? In a world without pain, there can be no conflict, no war. True peace can be mastered this way, and I can make it so, with precious time. Give me time, and I will make it so…for everyone. World peace is no dream in hands of blessed chaos."

Shadow strained against the sudden mental and physical assault with great willpower, retorting in his anger "Whoever you are, powerful or not, you have no fundamental sense! How can humanity master peace if there is no one left to embrace it? Is that how you have it, beast? Would you craft a world of blind conformity, or of robotic slavery? In the words of the late Professor Gerald "Neither the dead nor the victims of oppression can come to comprehend the value of intrinsic morality!""

Inside, the dark hedgehog felt his chest swell as if it was starting to combust. Wracked with further pain, the hedgehog drew closer to the possessed fox, while making his final assertion "As for me and my comrades, we prefer to feel the pain and learn from our weakness! We will choose to face our worst demons before succumbing to ignorance! As long as we are able to think and act freely, we will oppose you; Miles himself will oppose you!" Shouting furiously, Shadow stabbed the being at close range with blade of energy, just as the power forced inside of him erupted; setting his fine black quills ablaze.

Having witnessed the terrible scene unfold, Vector slumped next to his fallen friend, hoping to rouse him "Espio, come on man, wake up." He sputtered out weakly, unable to accept what he was seeing. Grudged by this unfair dissociation with reality, Vector did not notice the chaotic creature's subtle approach.

Despite its established malevolence, the spirit maintained a tender guise as it asked "The child, how will he be raised?" The fox's luminous hand settled on the lizard's scaly arm, as its eyes were dipped in a royal coat of violet "He is a special boy, with an innocence and purity this world will never come to accept. You love him enough to work in the pits of crime and shadow for the rest of your life; however, this world's condition is no more capable of changing than the boy's. When you die, it will swallow him whole, devour him without pity."

Vector appeared to be listening to these words intently. Forgetting to ask how the spirit knew of the bee in his care, or even to question if this was a mental ploy, Vector dejectedly nodded and replied "I wanted to give him a chance, a shot at seeing the good stuff in life; to give that nutsy bee a taste of the happy things this world's got to offer. I guess I've never been bright enough to dream bigger and better than that. And yeah, there's no denying that I'm gonna die and he'll be left alone. I mean…I see your point."

Turning his long mouth towards the spirit, Vector admitted almost sentimentally "Miles always had to get the 'one-up' on me. That's going to change now, is it? Thinking about it, things really are…hopeless."

With swift and careful motions, the hostile being reached gingerly for the crocodile's forehead. Yet before it could recoil, the possessor felt a sliver of false intention within the reptilian mobian.

It was too late, as the vulpine's fur ignited when pointblank exposed to Vector's dragon-esque impersonation. The red flames flared up around the being's unnatural blue fire, driving the spirit's vulpine body back temporarily.

"Tikal! Grab Sonic and let's bail!" After scooping the presumed corpse of his comrade up into his arms, the gang leader grunted dismissively at his spectral foe "But you know what, creep? My crappy life is my problem, and so is my kid. And any scumbag who touches my family is going to need a hell of a lot of burn ointment when I'm done with them!"

Spewing a second jet of flame the monster's way bought his allies a bit more time, but even with the opening, Vector was unable to retrieve Shadow's scorched body. Giving up the one-sided clash, the crocodile reluctantly retreated, catching up to the echidna maiden with a violently resistant Sonic in tow.

"Surrender what is mine."

All three had to stop as their path was obstructed by their persistent opponent. Now Tails' optical pigment had taken on a metallic black shade with cords of milky ivory. Two of the trio could almost recognize the sound of the voice, but only Tikal fully realized the speaker's identity.

"Onyx." It had stayed in her mind for eons, the name her father called to on the eve of her death. After life, she had come to understand the corrupt head of the Sacred Seven better. The grey figure of her torment and the weapon of her father's revenge stood coldly before her once again.

Swelling with the inherent wrath of her clansmen, Tikal growled at the Chaos Spirit "Demon! Was the massacre of my kin not enough for you? And after all I did for your family, all the homage and loyalty I showed your kind! I stood by your altar, praying that one day your power would bring peace to this world, but instead you brought forth disaster. You killed those who where loyal to you and razed the land we called home. You have no right to lay claim to anything in this realm!"

"Lady Tikal." The figure spoke almost fondly, but its tone faded into apathy as it stepped forward "Unlocked, I am the Power of Chaos made real; did you not consider the irony of asking me to bring order? Regardless, this world has no such hope of redeeming itself; your father and Robotink knew this when they summoned me. They too wanted peace, but unlike you they understood the price."

Kneeling down, Onyx pressed its hand to the ground. A patch of grass illuminated with a blue glow, yet the surrounding greenery was burnt away by the enhanced blades of emerald "Matter is destined to reenter a state of discord. The one I dwell within is the medium by which my power is best conveyed because of his natural dissonance. Miles is full of great hatred and immense love. These two make him a fantastic force of basic nature; a nature that, after having consumed the competition, will..." At its bidding, the glowing strands of grass burst into a foul puff smoke that smelled of death "Pull itself apart at the seams."

Gesturing now in Sonic's direction, the monster spoke with sharp authority "Yet I there is something I lack; it is the blue one who has what I desire. There is a quality he bears that makes him unique, and I require it."

No one made a move, as from behind the demon the team could see the most unlikely ally had snuck up on it. Half a second after Onyx caught wind of the surprise attack, a heavy crescent-shaped claw smashed into the evil one with all its might. Caught up in the moment of breathtaking, almost comical intervention, none of the three survivors could make a sound. They were both delighted and slightly frightened, having been spared by the triumphant Crab-Watcher, ridden by Maria, Amy and Charmy.

"Is everyone alright?" Maria called out, instinctively switching her attention over to the dwindled number of friends present "Where are Shadow and Miles? And where is, oh my… Es-Espio? What happened?" She grew sickly fainthearted upon noticing the severely burned body carried by Vector. Scrambling out of her steel vehicle, the young Robotnik raced up to the chameleon's side, gently stroking his forehead while pressing her question "Where are the others? Please, Vector, tell me!"

For all her emotional pleas, Vector could scarcely stand to reveal the truth. Full of fear and a sense of disarming helplessness, the crocodile shook his head harshly, not having the courage or the composure to explain how bleak the situation had become.

Meanwhile, Amy had trailed behind with the intention of conversing with Tikal. Yet as she came within close proximity, a thumping or persistent hollow tapping swelled up from behind. Not menacing, but more curious in nature, the noise had lured her into turning around. There then came a shrill metallic screech, as she caught sight of the Crab-Watcher's claw disintegrating into thin air. The team, especially Maria, was bluntly stunned by the passive destruction, but Amy herself merely assessed the situation with a piercing stare. In the back of her mind, she could loosely make out the identity of the figure encased in sapphire light.

A listing step backwards caught her from a sudden fall. For a cause she could not identify, an overwhelming sense of joy filled her heart as she ran headlong into the burning image. She could faintly hear sounds of, if they had been in range, sharp warning against her actions; however, the unafraid child ran up and gave the being the strongest embrace she could manage.

"It-it's you, you're here!" She hummed blissfully, squeezing harder as her voice rose "I knew it! I just knew you were okay!"

Though the host of heroes in the background was forcefully walled off from reaching the two, the figure spoke to Amy as a loving sibling "Don't cry, Amy." Returning the embrace carefully, the figure's blue aura diminished slightly as it said "Now listen, I have something I need to take care of; someone that needs my help. Bad things will happen, but I need you to be there for him when he wakes up. No matter what, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Nodding tearfully, Amy replied firmly "I can do that, I can, honest. It's just…I'm really going to miss you."

Tears boiled down both of their faces, until quietly and with a smile of restful release, Amy was lowered to the ground. Her body lay perfectly still as the creature softly slipped itself free of her arms, while turning to face the blocked out heroes.

Appearing to struggle from its previous deception, the rough, earthy voice of Onyx suddenly rose as if enraged "Seek repose beside the corpse of your fallen friend!"

In a faded instant, the vivid appearances of Sonic's teammates were swallowed by a infernal black void. Encased for all but a moment, the bodies of Vector, Maria and Charmy appeared again; on their backs they lay motionless, with miniscule scorch marks lining their bodies. Tikal herself had simply been erased from sight; not a trace of her ethereal presence had been left behind.

Turning to the sole spared hedgehog, the demonic entity extended its hand for Sonic, saying with a handsome approach and amiable tone "You truly are a remarkable being, Sonic. Resisting my influence aside, I presume your liberating presence has successfully stirred the one I have suppressed."

Onyx, immediately following this smooth speech, seemed to lose its balance slightly as the puppeteer's voice abruptly grew increasingly confused "Sonic…Sonic? Hm, yes that name seems, familiar? Sonic, Sonic, Sonic, Sonic…ngh. Is that your name? The-Then who am…who am…am I?"

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End of Chapter Fifty-four

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This is technically not an intended cliffhanger. I simply had to split the chapter up to make it easier to follow. I will post part two after I have it completed and edited.

Until next time.