PoA: The second half.

Silver: You mean you had to split this in two?

Metal: You had to use your fingers, didn't you?

Tails Doll: Shh!

Silver: Yeah, Meta-wai-whabba-nubba-gruu…?

Metal: "Gruu…"? Have we reached an agreement?

PoA: Naturally.

-l-

The One Holding the Power

(Act II)

-l-

Part of sonic held out for the small hope that someone else would come to his side; He secretly wished that Rouge or Tikal would appear to console him, or that Knuckles would arrive to give him a much needed kick in the right direction.

Nothing…no one ever came. The night stayed just the same except for a muted eruption in the distance, followed by the crackling of fire and a short but shrill scream.

No one was left; not a single person he had come to trust was left standing, but it was a sting, just a stab compared to the gut-wrenching pain it should have been. It was all as fake and transparent as his past; nothing could be paler in his mind than another loss.

Nevertheless, Sonic woke up from his hopeful delusion to see not a brother, not a friend either, but a foe staring him down. Tender memories stayed safely out of reach, allowing the hedgehog to reform himself well enough make a single, challenging statement "Alright, you wanted me, here I am, but there's no way I'm letting a monster take me down without a fight."

Sonic had anticipated an immediate response from Onyx itself, as with staggering steps, the creature whipped its burning eyes left, right and all around as if frightened or even lost. Eventually, burying its head into hands that weren't its own, the miserable monster moaned and squirmed while struggling to cover its entire face.

With its head still bent downwards, through the gaps between its palms, an ashamed noise, barely even a voice, said "What I truly want is your freedom."

Sonic bit back, swallowing a gulp of his own acidic saliva. He had to fight it, the urge to let himself get hijacked by the words trying to worm their way into his heart. Choking down the last of his distress, the hero addressed the figure coldly "Freedom? What do you mean? Why?"

The fox's expression was open, full of honest wonder, as the speaker whose identity he could not discern said "The freedom...freedom to roam where you please, and when you please. To travel across the world, even through the dimensions themselves, freely and…happily. Freedom, can you give me that?"

Sonic never had it in him to barter with his opponents; however, unable to truly see around the face he struggled not to love, he was ready to make his only exception "Just as soon as you release my friend, we'll talk. Where I come from, what you give is what you get."

After hearing his offer, the spirit heavy-fox asked with great intrigue "Release him? So, if I grant him freedom, I will also receive it?"

"You have my word." Sonic simply answered, with more sincerity than he had intended.

Tipping its face down, the nostalgic voice replied in the same manner "I see…thank you."

Unfamiliar as a feeling, Sonic almost felt happy, even in the sadness. For in his deep down, he knew there would be no peaceful resolution. Planting his foot backwards seemed like pulling the hammer back on a loaded gun. His foe's cerulean body ignited in opposition as well, as the pair squared off. Despite this, somehow or another, the vague request had made perfect sense to him.

Now it was just a matter of who would be freed first.

Transfixed on the few words he could trust, Sonic sped towards his enemy. Ripping knuckles to flesh, he tore a gash into Tails' soft white cheek. It was a fast, snap decision that seemed too abrupt, and it caused him to question whether he had made the right call or not. The sight of Tails' blood stained over his hand was a curse all on its own; it was one of the few sights that Sonic wished he had never lived to see.

Something told him that he had no choice; still it burned as his fingers sank into another flat portion of sensitive skin. Having taken assaults of chaos and fire before, the creature should not have reeled from these blows. Yet somehow, it was shaken quite badly by each strike until it retaliated in turn; a torch of cerulean light filled its hand as it reached for Sonic.

The hero, unable or barely trying to evade, allowed the hand to clench the warmth of his neck.

A pair of black-sliver gems looked him over disinterestedly, contentedly eating into his fur while an itchy wound started to form. The scratch on the hedgehog's neck soon turned into a gap dripping with blood. Grunting as the claws curled tightly around him, the hedgehog could almost taste the iron rich flavor in his dry and sour mouth. He hoped faintly for a miracle, or some unlikely aid to arrive and help him fix this mess he had made.

Expectedly, no direct aid would come, but something inside still wouldn't allow Sonic to surrender.

Letting the red fluid drain into his stomach, the hero fought the hold by slamming his fist into the possessed figure with supersonic velocity. Submissive thoughts were jarred apart, as Sonic subsequently drove his foot into Tails' chest with a sickening snap. Released, he had just enough time to turn his head aside to let out a stomach full of disgust.

Trying not to think, he wiped his chapped lips clean, curled into a spiral of safety and started to collect energy. A bright teal aura enclosed him for but a moment, before he propelled himself repeatedly into the fox. Impact after impact, he struggled to keep his eyes closed; splashes of color on his sharp quills and white gloves told him all he needed to know. His attacks let up only when the creature collapsed, truly appearing winded by the hedgehog's advance.

Pulling itself up hastily from Sonic's potent offensive, Onyx's placid voice sounded out "Sonic, this is not a battle." Holding its ravaged arms and hands out pleadingly, the spirit made what it no doubt considered to be a welcoming gesture "I do not wish to kill you, I wish for you to unite with us. That is why I have held myself back. Your death would be so regretful, for both Miles and for me. Please…resist us no more."

Standing with eyes still shut tight, Sonic moved his head silently in the stagnant wind "He could never hide anything from me, not ever: Whether he was hungry or ready for a nap; whenever he felt like busting my nose for not listening to him. Whatever he was thinking, I always knew."

Showing his emerald irises again, Sonic shouted, bitterly smiling as he cried "Tails is the one thing, the one person I love more than anything else in this world!"

Visibly paused in misunderstanding, Onyx narrowed its empty gaze, wondering aloud "That being the truth, why would you seek to injure one you care for?"

Evidently straining to hold back a sardonic laugh, Sonic corrected the spirit "He's the one rejecting you, Onyx. I know because I understand him, better than if we were really related. Don't you understand? Don't you have siblings, or do you shut them out just to hear yourself talk?" Choppily exhaling in mix of peace and apprehension, Sonic went on to say "He's telling me, as clearly as if he had said it out loud. I know exactly what he wants me to do."

Sonic then stared the creature down, with a sniffle biting at his face and tone "Two on seven seems unfair, but I've got the advantage. I work with the people I love; I listen when they speak, even if I don't like what I hear." Uncaring of how Onyx would answer, Sonic wiped back the dampness of his forehead and reapplied his self-imposed blindness.

Onyx lifted the puppet's arms upwards, proclaiming smoothly "Regardless, with or without your potential at my side, as the Power of Chaos, I am compelled to unmake this realm. Perhaps a better planet can be formed when the chaff of this world is blown away; when the spirits of my siblings are free from the wickedness in the minds of men and animals alike."

Radiating with a grim light, the supernaturally infested fox whispered calmly "Sentient beings created this fire, and by this fire will they be erased."

Strands of hair thin, rigid lines of shining blue light speared up out of the earth and down from the sky. These tiny lights like fine needles inserted into the body Onyx controlled. All at once, the shimmering thickened within the creature's vessel.

Meanwhile, Sonic positioned himself to move, but his balance tumbled as a sudden rot started to cover the earth. A sort of deadness in the air steadily began to sap away his strength, while the hero strained against the energy that had restricted him to the ground.

Only with great effort was he able to raise his chin up to see the monster's new state.

Retaining much of its current vessel's appearance, the visual difference mainly lay in seven glowing compositions. Swirling around in small vortices, the lights fluttered in locomotion similar to that of birds; radiating with a luminescence that sizzled and swam with an overflow of chaotic energy.

Sensing he was far out of his league, Sonic nevertheless noticed a more important feature of the 'omnipotent' beast: Onyx's ebony metallic eyes were shifting uncontrollably, as an expression of confusion was cemented in the monster's facial features. Eventually this appearance contorted unexpectedly into one of excruciating pain.

"So, this is the raw form of chaos without a master…how awful."

With a startled gasp, Sonic found that he remembered the speaker very keenly. Yet as now wasn't the time for a greeting, he merely nodded and weakly admitted "I can't beat this guy. That Onyx psycho has Tails supercharged with chaos. I need to borrow some of that power for myself if I want a chance at stopping him."

"And did that serve you well last time? I'm sure you realize by now that any power you absorb would be corrupted regardless."

Sonic sighed in understanding, feeling, despite the danger of doing so, that he could trust this voice implicitly "Then what're my options? I can't do this without some advice."

"Based on what Onyx said and the information I've gathered, this is my conclusion: The Power of Chaos, it isn't something the spirits created; it's merely what they're composed of. Supernatural and difficult to explain, chaos is energy generated from raw emotion. As such, you have the energy enough to become this creature's slave or victim. Yet, something this creature can never possess has likely protected you up until now."

Feeling his composure leave him rather suddenly, Sonic answered hazily "You?"

"No Sonic, it's you and your capacity for empathy; it gives you immense inner balance against the chaos within you. In this state, I have started to see you for who you really are: You have an insatiable love for everything and everyone you meet, even your enemies. This is exactly what helps you keep your spiritual chaos in check, and where your drive for freedom comes from."

Feeling the cold touch of the kindly presence, the heated air that had been weakening him was immediately negated. Sonic felt greatly relieved and refreshed by this late arrival's words of comfort and company.

"You already know what you have to do. Now, I will do what I can to weaken this demon inside Tails, but once I fade out, the rest will be up to you. Don't worry; I won't be doing this alone. But you can't afford to hesitate. Do what needs to be done. Do it for him, Sonic…do it for the one we love."

Agreeing to his last ally's plan without resistance, Sonic's limbs pumped to life again. At the same time, his vision refocused to see the ripple of distortions and mess of color the sky had become. Rising up again, the hedgehog felt vivid and alive compared the monotone destruction he saw all around.

The one standing at the center of the mayhem could barely comprehend the hedgehog's revival at first, much less the destructive chain-reaction it had instigated. Any sense it had left came out as a frenzied blend of optical hues attempting to usurp Onyx's dominance. To Sonic, the change seemed more accidental than intentional, as Onyx's unstable reaction rang out "Truly? How can you two sinners bear to face me? Consider this: All the vile energy you have ever produced in your lifespan has now been forced upon the shoulders of this poor scapegoat. Through him, this world will suffer the pain of its own iniquity; the same impurity we have contained far beyond the reckoning of the echidnas."

Starting off in slow revolutions, the beast's tails like the arms of a clock were paced independently from one another. Body drenched in a viscous aura, Onyx made another declaration "As the lady said, you humans and hybrids are the true origin of this chaos. But even as the source of our strength, we are free from you this time. This…is our victory. We will never be known as the "Seven Servers" again. This world is a prison, we are its liberators. Living creatures are the evil ones, we…we are their saviors!"

Onyx's conflicted persona was then swallowed and diluted by the vat of souls it had made out of Tails' body. The palms of his puppet reached out eagerly side to side, while the lines drawn out by its thin strands of light now pulsed as if drawing something out of the planet itself. Each bulge in every vein pumped into the monster while the fire it conjured grew suspiciously all the while.

Sonic could say he truly held hatred for this particular foe. At the same time, something inside of him said that Onyx's judgment held some validity, yet the spirit's solution was far too cruel. Everyone would suffer for his wrongdoing, and the wrongdoing of all generations past unless he came up with the strength; strength great enough to kill the only true friend he had left in this world.

Beyond better sense and reason, Sonic bolted forward, becoming a spinning disc strong enough to decapitate a steel machine. He didn't feel the heat, whether due to his spiritual ally's protection or his own hardened will, it mattered very little in the end. Yet as he feared, the blow would not be over with in an instant. The cycling lights came to their controller's defense, by stabbing and crashing into Sonic at random intervals.

Knocked back temporarily, Sonic felt he had suddenly been granted immunity from their violent rampage. Stepping invisibly past the barrage, he saw a shielding purple aura dissipate behind him, along with the comfort of the friendly voice's presence. Saddened by the loss of his last conscious companion, Sonic offered a grateful, but sorrowful "Thank you."

Unprotected, he touched the ground; head down and preparing for a mad marathon dash. Speed was almost sure to fail him again. Nonetheless, with a scrape of his shoes against the dehydrated earth, he plummeted towards his target. Unexpectedly, his foe pulled away from him, dragging its nearly incorporeal strings attached to the earth and sky along with it. These beams created a tunnel of pearly blue stripes for the hero to enter at his own peril.

Glaring, smirking, laughing, snarling, sneering, crying or numbly staring, the flying demon rotated in and out of various emotional states; winding and weaving its way around the wooded landscape, the creature's burning aura ominously continued to grow.

Sonic had to contend not only with the natural and decaying hazards of the island, but also with the seven lights. Seemingly in a diminished state, they had returned to assist their vessel in various alternative ways, only identifiable by the colors they emitted:

Yellow created springing shafts of chaos that carelessly bounced around in a deadly, playful manner. Red directly shot lines of pinpoint chaos in an attempt to snipe him off his course. Blue discharged a smoke; obscuring the pitfalls and dangers of the treacherous road. Green let loose a slew of gelatinous orbs loaded full to bursting with explosive chaos energy. Violet shades would noxiously permeate the air, altering Sonic's internal balance, making his footwork slow to cooperate. Cyan would rarely, and unexpectedly, send a rippling wave of healing over the hero's wounds. Grey was potentially the most destructive, as it widened noiseless zones of dead, obsidian chaos, similar to the blazing void that had swallowed and scorched four of Sonic's comrades.

Midair acrobatics and fantastic agility kept the hero relatively intact from the potential threats, yet the clock was ticking; Sonic had only had a vague idea of what the growing inferno around the fox meant, but he doubt it boded well for himself or the world abroad. Sadly, the malicious shades were making full use of Tails' maturity, by outmaneuvering or predicting most of Sonic's offensive attempts.

With both sides at a stalemate, Sonic knew he would still fail if he allowed too much time elapse. Having nothing he wasn't willing to risk, his latest charge led him straight into the oncoming fire of lethal chaos. His boldness did in fact pay off, when the remnants of his violet barrier returned to offer him a boost of much needed protection.

His chance had come. Leaping up in full force, Sonic slipped into another razor-edged disk, crashing into his opponent at maximum speed. Though it was too fast for him to realize, the strike had not only knocked his target off balance, but it had also dislodged one of the glowing lights. The stray orb then fluttered to his side, following after Sonic with determination matching his own.

Another blow landed, another colored light fled. Yet before he could make his seventh pass, the angry spirit formed a collection of spear-shaped energy in its hand. Too fast even for his reaction time, Sonic unknowingly came face to face with the same impaling beam that had previously taken Amethyst's life.

In a moment of poetic intervention, the violent cannon fire of chaos was blocked by a familiar purple outline that dissipated as quickly as it came. At the same time, the swirling six lights gathered around the blue-quilled spectator. Voiceless as opposed to the rambling of the insane spirits, these mute globes skated around the hero with a peculiar fondness. Sonic never truly noticed their presence, but instead he took his rebounding off of Onyx as a chance; his final moment to steady himself before taking another shot at reaching the manipulated vulpine.

Onyx, Tails or whatever the being's identity, retained its barbs within the planet, but it seemed less inclined to engage the hedgehog directly. Instead, it continued on its flight course, making a straight path out into the open sea.

Sonic never stopped, not to think, not to contemplate, not for anything at all. Only speeding up, the hedgehog ignored his greatest innate fear slapping at his feet. Seconds passed as the two shot across the potentially deadly waters, with each meter carrying Sonic further away from safety.

Having come far enough, the island eventually vanished into the background. By this moment, the distance between the two combatants had almost come to a close.

Onyx, now a beacon of almost pure white flame, held his hand out for Sonic; longingly, and with an almost distressed look its eyes. To accompany this, another gathering of darkened chaos swelled within the creature's palm.

Sonic locked eyes with the fox; finding only at his maximal speed enough of a foothold to propel himself towards his former friend; curling into sphere as he made his last ditch attempt at stopping Onyx.

It was never in doubt which of the two would be successful; the already charged beam naturally traveled faster than even Sonic himself could hope to move. Piercing him squarely through the back, due to his inverted position, the hero was perfectly speared by the thick beam of energy.

Critically wounded as he was, Sonic's momentum remained unbroken, as he collided with his foe at peak velocity. The six lights that had been following him around seemed to amplify the cutting power of his homing attack; a deep and equally mortal wound was carved into the chest of the levitating fox.

Of the two opponents, Sonic fell into the sea immediately, leaving a writhing Onyx to look over its broken body not with horror, but a deeply mournful expression "Is this the end for us? My perfect vessel is…" Not finishing its thought, Onyx gazed at the six remaining lights, tears forming in Tails' eyes while it asked "My brothers, my sisters, why have you done this to me? Did we not have the same goal to fulfill? Did we not wish for liberation together?"

"Are we not…family?"

The six lights did not reply, but merely remerged with their oldest sibling. The flames that had covered Miles' body head to toe discharged with an aggressive crack; the noise produced a sound wave strong enough to send the water below surging outwards with torrential force. Additionally, each unnatural line the spirits had anchored into the world abroad snapped and fell to Tails' sides like cut strings.

Little by little, the creature's blue glow dwindled, soon returning the fox's body to its original yellow hue. The waves immediately afterwards ceased their rampage, leveling out to an almost perfect state of calmness. As a single silver ball of light left his body, Tails' lifeless frame fell into the sea without a sound.

Sonic, meanwhile, let the waters incase him as he fell freely into the depths below.

-l-

End of Chapter Fifty-five

-l-

This was easily the hardest chapter for me to write to date. Initially expecting a simple two-part add-on to the final battle, I instead found a number of details I decided to throw in or change at the last minute. Naturally, this one took hours and hours around school and regular work to complete. I'm aware that an intentional cliffhanger is a cruel move, but I don't regret it. With the ending set in stone, but still unwritten, I'm afraid you'll all just have to wait and see what I have in mind. Enjoy the chapter for now, if you please, but first…

DanceDream: Do have any idea how happy I am to know that you're still reading this? You and the others have more than made my day by going through the trouble to read this exhaustingly long mess of a story. I just don't know what to say, other than I am so pleased to know that you still find this worth your time. And to be fair, I loved reading your long reviews, but if shorter suits you better, then I'm perfectly fine with that as well. I hope and pray this last battle met your expectations :)

Serenity: Don't apologize, ever. You have stuck with me so long it's hardly fair to you or Renegade, but I'm so grateful nonetheless. With all your PMs and 'Mad' encouragement (you know what I mean XD), I've kept my sanity while writing this between my busy schedule. If I ever do become a writer, which I still sincerely doubt (my skill just isn't up to snuff, I'm afraid), I will never forget or disregard the wonderful reviewers here at FFN that have given me confidence. You guys, gals, have been too wonderful to nothing author like me. P.S. Glad you like this version Amy still. I think she is a great character when her teenage side isn't so over exaggerated.

RenegadeFlight: Raven, how many odd back and forth conversations have we had? From serious discussions to crazed nonsense, I really love the chats we've always had. You have really have been a fresh and fantastic encouragement in recent days past. I really hope I stop being as busy so we can have more chats and start discussing aspects of that bigger fic you want to write (you can and you will XD).

Prowerboy: I haven't forgotten our PMs together, and though I might be delayed I love sharing ideas on your fic. I really want you to have the same (if not hopefully much better) success I've had. I can't overstress how important it is to have good people around to encourage and correct you every step of the way. Infamousplot, gamveloverx, jakeroo123, Techgoatgoesbah, and so many others that I can't remember. Some may not review anymore, but they helped me greatly along the way. I needed their help, just like you will need other people besides me. Everyone is a contributor to our creativity.

Kindra McKleen: It was clichéd, Shadow's part I mean, nevertheless, I hope I get to hear from you on this latest chapter. You've been just as kind as everyone else by reviewing after so many long droughts. Thank you for correcting me and offering your opinion on scenes I can improve :)

knight of the windZ10Z: Despite your personal matters, you're finding time to review and PM with me as well, and for that and more I thank you so much. You're one of those who have been around since longer than I can remember. Thank you so much for keeping me strong and I hope that matters troubling you are resolved. I will be praying hard for you, my friend :)

Quillink14: I saw your updates and I thank you for always being there to support my works. I'm so sorry I haven't yet reached them, but just ask CutProductions if you want another example of my limited story reading. You don't have to review until I review for your work first. It's perfectly fair, and I don't expect otherwise.

CutProductions: Onettsons, Onettsons, I must read ONETTSONS! Honestly, I have no excuse besides work and school, but that alone is not sufficient. I haven't forgetten Dark Perceptions either, which I am especially excited about (you write Zelda fics well, I assure you). Thank you for your honesty, yes I do tend to be hard to follow with my ambiguity. I should settle for more absolute depictions as opposed to letting the reader get lost in the mess of transitions I've made. Even now, I have a great deal to work on. Thank you again, and I will hopefully reach your works soon (after my closing shift tonight DX).

Super Shadix 520: Even if you lose your touch for error-checking, I will still look forward to your PM-based reviews. I understand it can be easy to get lost in these fics of mine, so please just enjoy and don't worry about much else. You're a credit to my reviewers and I value your imupt regardless :)

Sparkling-nexis137: Hope you can find it in your time to review one of these days. No rush, but I do miss your sparkles being added to this rather grim tale of mine XD

Infamousplot: As one of my greatest inspirations and critics, I want you to know that I value you and your help very highly. Whether you read this or not, I want you to know much I appreciate all you've done for me. Thank you so much, Ip.

Until next time, everyone!