(Chapter Thirty-Four! Some Tengen Toppa Festival last chapter, huh? How could it possibly get any bigger?
We'll just have to see!)
All about Möbius, people cheered on the Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters. Mace and Demi-Na and Rutan and all their classmates - along with their principal Hawking - sent their best wishes to Miss Alicia up there in the battle. Rouge, Breezie, and Sara of the surface-based Galaxina Village gave their prayers to Lady Cosmo alongside their fellow villagers. Venice the mink from Galahad Village, his wife, and their daughter and two sons clasped their hands in reverence of the greatest Face Gods of all in their battle against the Skull Devil. Ivo Robotnik, former chief of Knothole Village, and proprietor of the now-wrecked Ivo's Steakhouse, clenched his fists in determination as he gazed up at the battle through his bifocals. The red fox girl, Fiona, and her posse from Knothole Village gave their best wishes to the fox boy they had so mocked seven years before. Even the criminals of Marble Prison who had mocked Tails in such mean spirits sent their best wishes up to that two-tailed fox, and his Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters.
Across the planet, three million people set their will against the Anti-Spiral.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:
Try Believing In Us Spiral Races
"Not yet!" Tails grunted, trying in vain to hold back the flow of universal energy from the Infinity Big Bang Storm attack. Cracks appeared in his star-shaped shades as he strained himself. "We're not done yet...!"
Lucus appeared in Tails's eye.
"Tails!" he growled. "Leave this to me!"
And Tengen Toppa Freedom's jaws snapped open.
The Huenlonix Head, trailing Spiral Power behind it, sprouted a long, silver chin, its horns elongating significantly as it left the reach of Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl. A thin dark-purple torso with spines along its shoulder guards, a green drill rather than a green orb in the middle of its chest, just over a fang-filled maw. Spiny arms and legs appeared, a black cape trailing from each shoulder guard, and as its arms crossed, a shout of green flame burst from its back.
For the first time in two-thousand years, Lucus Darkoak's Spiral Energy burned green instead of red.
天元突破
ホゥエンロニックス
Tengen Toppa
Huenlonix
"TENGEN TOPPA HUENLONIX... OVERLOAD!"
Its jaws burst open, revealing blocky red teeth, and the newly born Tengen Toppa Gizoid tore off through the Anti-Spiral's attack, its own Tengen Toppa Spiral Shield blocking the attack where the others had failed, dark-purple drills as thin as needles emerging from every joint on its body.
And then Tengen Toppa Huenlonix deactivated its shield, its drills converging to a single point that held the Infinity Big Bang Storm back.
But the drills were already cracking, the immaculate black capes trailing from its shoulders fraying.
"Father!" cried Tengen Toppa White Seed.
Lucus's face was twisted in glee, his eyes glowing a very bright green.
"Do not grieve for me, daughter," said the former bio-computer. "My soul once drowned in a sea of despair and weariness for two-thousand years, but has now been reawakened! If the life of this temporary body can create a tomorrow for all Spiral life, then I will gladly give it!"
Cosmo, eyes shining with horror at watching her father die twice in her life...
Nodded slowly.
"Yes. I understand completely."
The Avatar of Avalon's attack was diminishing.
YOUR DEATHS WILL BE FOR NOTHING! the Anti-Spiral shrieked, clenching its four hands tightly, funnelling the rest of its Infinity Big Bang Storm attack at Tengen Toppa Huenlonix. Now, PERISH!
Tengen Toppa Huenlonix broke apart rapidly, starting with its drills, working down to its hands and feet, the next closest to the blast, then its arms and legs, then its torso and shoulders, and finally, its head.
"Tengen Toppa Huenlonix..." Helen cried out. "It's undergoing quantum breakdown!"
But Lucus's face did not show any signs of fear or loss. Rather, jubilance.
"That's what I was WAITING FOR!"
And Lucus Darkoak - and G-Merl - were gone from the universe.
The last burst of the Infinity Big Bang Storm crashed down on Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl once more...
Turning to one color.
Green.
The green of Spiral Power!
impossible! said the Anti-Spiral, no small amount of fear in their voices. he allowed himself to undergo quantum breakdown so that he could convert the energy?
The four galaxies' worth of Spiral Power converted into a drill twice the size of Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl, and Tails could have sworn he heard one last echo of Lucus's voice screaming Tails, take it!
I will... he thought. Lucus... No... Father... Let's do this together!
Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl took the drill, and it flew into Tengen Toppa Freedom's maw...
And Tails never felt more energized in his life.
He had to share this!
The green flames coming from Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl's back became emerald drills, and each lanced out, thin as a needle, impaling the Tengen Toppa Gizoids.
And everyone felt a rush of the desire to move forward, inexorably, to godhood.
"This energy is...!" Rotor shouted over the open comm channel from Tengen Toppa Great Freedom.
"My father's dying wish!" Cosmo's voice rang from Tengen Toppa White Seed.
"ALRIGHT!" Tails bellowed for all Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters to hear. "Everyone! Let's do the old YOU-KNOW-WHAT!"
"Do what?" asked everyone else - except for Shadow, Sally, Elias, Meg, Rotor, and Nicole.
The former five were present when ARK attacked Acorn Village, and Nicole was programmed about what happened then by Sally.
"It should be obvious what I mean!" Tails roared, a golden light overtaking his body. "WE'RE GONNA COMBINE!"
The golden flames expanded outwards from Tails, engulfing Emerl and the empty Freedom, then Typhoon Freedom Emerl, then Super Galaxy Freedom Emerl, then Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl.
Each and every one of them broke down at the subatomic level, becoming the most pure form of Spiral Energy in the universe.
Its color changed to gold.
The green drills that were coming out of Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl's back became golden-yellow as well, turning the Tengen Toppa Gizoids into their own subatomic Spiral constituents, every person and mecha within becoming part of a larger whole, transcending what they once were.
Becoming beings of pure Spiral Power.
The blazing green flames of Spiral Energy turned golden-yellow...
The Tengen Toppa Gizoids merged into a single ball of gold fire...
Which burst outward into a hedgehog-shaped figure of golden flames with spiky red shades and a billowing red cape, which dwarfed the galaxies as a Gizoid dwarfed a speck of dust back on Möbius.
what in the world...? the Anti-Spiral said, at a complete loss for coherent words. how could you possibly control such prodigious quantities of spiral power?
The universe-sized hedgehog of pure Spiral Power crossed His arms and looked down on the Avatar of Avalon, as though pondering how to squash it.
inconceivable! the Anti-Spiral exclaimed.
And the transcendent being before it spoke, shaking the heavens.
We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before, said He in Tails's voice, an ethereal echo behind his words.
スーパー天元突破
フリーダムエメル
Super Tengen Toppa
Freedom Emerl
Little by little, he continued, we advance a little further with each turn. That's how a DRILL works!
By this point, the Anti-Spiral were wrathful beyond the comprehension of human minds, and just as fearful. At the very least, this solidified their singular resolve once more, even if the level of their anger would have crushed a human mind with madness.
If something of that level of Spiral Power, something that breached the dimensions above and below it just from existing, returned to the third dimension, it would be disastrous.
Match them move for move and finish it quickly.
THAT IS THE PATH THAT LEADS TO EXTINCTION!
(If the pilots of Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl had still been physical beings, their heads would have exploded under the force of the Anti-Spiral's shout.)
Beneath the Avatar of Avalon, a pool of blue flames began to spread out from beneath, carrying the red-burning Anti-Spiral mecha upwards and above the head of Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl.
Why Can't You See The Limitation...
The torrents of cobalt fire coalesced into a cohesive shape: a cherub-faced girl in Her mid-teens, composed entirely of blue hellfire, save Her red flaming hair flailing wildly behind Her, and Her flaming red eyes. In the middle of Her forehead burned a red jewel which contained the true Avatar of Avalon. She held a staff in one hand and wore billowing robes.
ぐらんど･あゔぁたー･おぶ･あゔぁろん
grand avatar of avalon
And She brought Her right hand up as though to catch a falling flower pedal...
...OF THE SPIRAL RACES?
...and a drill of blue fire with straight grooves down its length appeared over Her right forearm, and the Grand Avatar of Avalon thrusted it at Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl.
This universe isn't big enough for the two of us.
Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl brought up His own right arm lazily, and a golden drill of pure Spiral Power emerged and brought the Grand Avatar of Avalon's blue drill to a halt.
No, that's your limitation! Tails said, and his face appeared momentarily behind Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl's shades. You sit here in your closed-off universe, locking away other lifeforms like you're some kind of king or queen! That's nobody's limitation but your OWN!
He's right! came Sally's voice. We Möbians used to have someone much greater than us! For his sake alone, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD!
The spirit of Spiral beings is limitless! came Cosmo's voice as well. I've staked everything on its greatness as well!
The blue and golden drills shattered against each other.
Take this! Tails bellowed, Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl flipping to a distance of ten billion light-years... Finishing Move!
WE WILL MATCH YOU MOVE FOR MOVE! the Anti-Spiral screamed in return.
SUPER TENGEN TOPPA...
grand avalon...
Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl pointed His right hand to the heavens that He pierced by existing, as the Grand Avatar of Avalon raised Her staff in Her left hand...
GIGA...
Giga...
And a drill of golden energy ten times larger than Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl emerged from His right fist, at the same moment that a cold-blue fire drill of the same proportions emerged from the Grand Avatar of Avalon's staff...
DRILL...
Drill...
And Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl pointed His drill at Grand Avatar of Avalon, and She mirrored His move...
DRIVER!
DRIVER!
And the two godly beings launched themselves at each other.
The resultant explosive force of the twin universe-sized Giga Drills colliding sent stars flying to the ends of the universe at a speed far exceeding that of light, rending the galaxies which they had been part of for the two-thousand years the Anti-Spiral had inhabited this artificial dimension they created.
If any life at all existed in this universe, it all would have been extinguished by this strike.
But even so, the Super Tengen Toppa Giga Drill Driver and the Grand Avalon Giga Drill Driver continued to drill into each other, neither side backing down, the gods of evolution and stagnation in equal opposition to each other, as evidenced by the mutual opposition of the colors of blue and yellow. But their collective powers were double that of infinity, and the battle would likely last forever.
After an eternity, the galaxies and stars which had survived the initial collision were being slowly drawn in by the mass generated by the two dueling gods.
Drawn in to the point where the mass was most concentrated:
The points of the two dueling Giga Drills.
The Spiral Nemesis occuring within their own artificial universe nearly drove the entire Anti-Spiral race to madness, but it also drove the Anti-Spiral to further their goal: crushing the Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters.
And the Grand Avalon Giga Drill broke the Super Tengen Toppa Giga Drill, the Spiral drill turning into a field of pure golden Spiral flames.
And Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl emerged from this inferno, its flames also burning golden-yellow now, all of its skull-like faces in place now - apparently, every Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighter was piloting Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl again.
And it brought back its right hand and, producing a Tengen Toppa Giga Drill, struck at the tip of the Grand Avalon Giga Drill.
The Anti-Spiral forced their energy even more powerfully upon the Tengen Toppa Giga Drill.
The Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters' roar was long and loud, and full of spirit...
The Grand Avalon Giga Drill cracked.
And the Anti-Spiral were filled with panic.
imIMPossIblble! their voices were slipping out of sync. our powER wwaasas supposwas supposeded to beebe unbUNBREreakable!
The Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters had now returned to their physical forms, Cosmo sitting across Tails's lap (her and Shadow's Emerls lay inactive beside Freedom Emerl in Typhoon Freedom Emerl's Spiral Engine).
And Tails - having realized something about Cosmo while they were in Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl - let tears flow freely as he spoke.
"MARK MY WORDS!" he shouted, affixing the Grand Avatar of Avalon with a steady gaze. "This drill will open a hole in the universe! And that hole... will become a path for those who come after us!
"The dreams of those who have fallen...!"
One stream of tears turned to blue energy, and in that energy could be seen images of Sonic, Knuckles, Lucus, the four Helix Generals, Jet, Storm, Wave, Molly, Tommy, Frances, Ray, Amy, Shade, the other Fremerald pilots who died, countless Black Arms, and the unnamed former pilots of the Emerls.
"The hopes of those who will follow...!"
The other stream of tears became red energy, which showed images of Silver, Blaze, Marine, Elias, Meg, Alexis, Mace, Demi-Na, Rutan, the other students of South Island, the hundreds of thousands of children born on the surface, and the countless as-yet-unborn children of the future.
"Those two sets of dreams weave together in a double-helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow!"
Those two streams of energy wove a double-helix around each other, emerging from Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl's third-eye gem, intertwining with the Tengen Toppa Giga Drill, which turned to gold.
The cracks in the Grand Avalon Giga Drill got deeper.
The shattered remnants of Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl - a head and its right arm - and Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl, and Super Galaxy Freedom Emerl, and Typhoon Freedom Emerl, and Freedom Emerl all bellowed in Tails's voice:
"And that's breaking through the heavens! That's Tengen Toppa! That's Freedom Emerl!"
Tails thrust Freedom Emerl's controls.
"My drill is the drill... THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!"
The Grand Avalon Giga Drill shattered, and Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl shot towards the gem in the Grand Avatar of Avalon's forehead.
Grand Avatar of Avalon slammed its staff on an invisible platform, several cobalt drills lancing out, forming hands at the end, tearing Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl to pieces.
Super Galaxy Freedom Emerl emerged from the golden flames, following Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl's old course.
Grand Avatar of Avalon's eyes shot out needle-like drills.
Super Galaxy Freedom Emerl was pinned down.
The panels beneath its eyes opened.
Typhoon Freedom Emerl blasted out.
Avatar of Avalon - surrounded by crimson flame - blasted several black drills from its mouth.
Typhoon Freedom Emerl was impeded from its mission.
The panels around where its mouth would be opened.
Freedom Emerl blasted out.
Like a giant matryoshka doll.
The gem in the Avatar of Avalon's forehead - that which guarded the Anti-Spiral homeworld of Avalon - erupted with countless drills.
Freedom Emerl produced a Giga Drill, smacking the drills aside.
But it, too, was overwhelmed.
"FOX BOY!" Shadow shouted, Freedom reaching up and wrenching Emerl free, the yellow of Freedom's body returning to silver as its arms and legs contracted.
Only one thing to do.
And Shadow had seen it before:
Cannonball Attack.
"GOOOOooo...!"
Emerl blasted straight through the crystal shield around Avalon, and entered the space inside the Avatar of Avalon's forehead.
Avalon was a gargantuan planet, built up over thousands of years until it was finally too large and too massive to orbit its own star, or even to exist without collapsing into itself without probability alteration algorithms to keep the planet at a pleasant Class 1 gravitational force. Much of the surface was covered with the stasis tubes containing every member of the Anti-Spiral race.
There.
There they were.
The Anti-Spiral.
They looked frightened.
Well, as frightened as a silhouette opening into chaotic nothing can appear.
They were only a couple miles away now.
Emerl produced a golden drill from its third eye.
Several tentacles lanced out from the Anti-Spiral's staff.
Emerl's arms and legs were ripped off, and Emerl was enwrapped in tentacles of thought.
And slammed facefirst into the steel surface of an alien world.
The canopy burst open, and carried by the forward momentum of the Cannonball Attack, Tails & Cosmo, his right hand wrapped around her left hand, charged.
"FINAL..." Tails shouted, his golden Spiral Power twisting to a point around their entwined fists. His star-shaped shades shattered.
"GIGA..." Cosmo continued, her own green Spiral Power twirling betwist and between Tails's, forming a drill of gold and green Spiral Energy.
"DRILL..." They both yelled, the energy becoming a pearl-white drill with four spiraling grooves, two glowing gold, the others glowing green. Their eyes glowed their respective Spiral Power colors.
"DRIVER!" The drill began to spin rapidly, Tails & Cosmo carried by force of will towards the Anti-Spiral even as the gestalt thought being sent more tentacles at them and finally brought its own staff up to defend itself...
Tails & Cosmo landed on the other side, a glowing-white hole punching straight through the Anti-Spiral's chest.
if this is how it must be, said the Anti-Spiral, their voices becoming weaker by the second, then please, protect the universe, at all costs...
Tails did not face them, the Final Giga Drill dissolving.
"Of course we will," he said. "The Spiral races aren't that stupid that they'd destroy the universe."
And the Anti-Spiral dissipated.
Tears streamed down Tails's face.
The conflict was finally over.
But killing Cosmo was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life.
And everything began to collapse in on itself.
Almost immediately, a steel and glass coffin nearby began to rattle a little.
A pile of ornate purple robes laid in front of it.
As did a golden staff ending in a blue-green gem.
Tails marveled at the serendipity of it all.
He looked at Cosmo.
She looked at him.
She nodded.
お前のＸＸＸよ、そそり立て！
The spectacle in the sky showed what looked like an explosion and an implosion at the same time. The opening into the Anti-Spiral's universe collapsed inwards, the sky lighting up in fire that became a cross of light, and then it faded, the sky becoming night momentarily...
And then the color of the sky became blue, and all was right with the world.
Silver and Blaze smiled at each other warmly. They had no other words for each other. Years would follow in which they could talk to each other about this day and what it meant for Spiral life.
Alexis babbled happily.
Marine bounded up and down, putting one fist in the air, then the other.
Ash rested an arm around Mina's shoulders. She blushed, looked down at his hand, then smiled at him. He smiled back.
Cobar smiled serenely.
And in the rows of houses around them, the other New Government officials' comm channels went berserk.
Far above, in orbit of Möbius, a hodgepodge collection of starships appeared.
Super Galaxy Great Freedom, its entire left engine bank missing, its right eye cracked deeply...
The Blue Typhoon, its right engine cracked deeply, a dark streak down its hull...
Freedom, holding two Emerls in its hands...
And nineteen more Emerls, each containing a Möbian. Several of them floated beside a Star Gizoid.
The nineteenth held a steel-and-glass coffin.
"What happened?" asked Elias.
"It would seem that the energy that held together that universe between dimensions has gone away," Rotor explained.
The pilots of the Emerls found in the Death Spiral Field were perplexed at the steel coffin held by their first Emerl, but questions could wait for later.
Now, they were just relieved that it was all over.
Tails held Cosmo in his arms, and they were just happy to be near each other.
Just happy to be alive.
Silver appeared on Emerl's main screen. He looked harried, but overjoyed.
"Tails? Can you hear me? Tails? We're receiving messages from across the galaxy! The freed Spiral races are sending us messages of joy! We have so many friends out there!"
Tails nodded, smiling to himself.
Tails looked at Cosmo.
Cosmo looked at Tails.
"It's over... Cosmo."
"Yes... Let's go home."
魔導師マリーナ
Minutes later, programming Super Galaxy Great Freedom to retreat to a point one-million miles away from Möbius so that its mass would not negatively affect the planet, the Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters descended to their homeworld.
The Emerls marched down the streets of Sonic City, and the recovering citizens cheered themselves hoarse at the conquering heroes who had did the impossible, seen the invisible, touched the untouchable, broke the unbreakable, fought the power, and saved the universe.
When they reached 121 Chestnut Lane, Elias & Meg threw themselves onto Blaze and embraced their infant Alexis tightly, the baby squealing with delight at the reunion with her parents.
Rotor & Cobar embraced tightly moments after Rotor climbed out of his Emerl, both joyful that neither was killed in the duration they were separated by battle.
Blaze and Marine were almost inconsolable with sorrow when they were told of Knuckles's death. It was agreed that a funeral service would be held the next day, to honor all those who had fallen fighting the Anti-Spiral.
Shadow emerged from Freedom, after setting down Cosmo's Emerl and his own, crossed his arms, and stood silently in the corner.
As soon as she bounded from her Emerl, Nicole - her old sniper rifle body lying forgotten in the cockpit - leapt onto Sally and kissed her full on the mouth. Sally was stunned by this forwardness, but the lynx girl pulled away before she could react any other way. Nicole gave Sally a look of boundless reverence and love, her hands on her maker's shoulders, traveling down her hips to her hands. They smiled warmly at each other.
Mighty, Espio, and Vector gave each other a high-five as soon as they emerged from their Emerls, beginning to discuss something about a Chaotix Detective Agency.
Lobo & Lupe, emerging from their Emerls, were bowled over by their children, Marcos and Maria. They were being looked over by one of the neighbors across the street from 121 Chestnut Lane, and were watching the battle intently from the moment the Avatar of Avalon appeared overhead.
Charmy and Cream, climbing out of their gun-gray Emerls, looked like they were twice as old as when they'd left. Many great friends had died in this battle, and they would not forget the sacrifices made. Especially not Molly's.
Chris climbed out of his Emerl, then helped Helen into her wheelchair, which was folded up in the back of hers. She rested a hand over his, and smiled at him. He smiled back, scratching the back of his head.
Big and Bark clamored from their Emerls, stood before each other, and gave each other a fist-bump.
Bean sprang from his Emerl, trying to do a handstand in his excitement, but falling over.
Ari climbed out, shook a couple hands, and smiled.
And Tails & Cosmo...
They left their Emerl - the Emerl - last.
Tails strode out, stood atop his Emerl, and held his Core Drill to the sky.
"KICK COMMON SENSE OUT AND GO BEYOND THE IMPOSSIBLE!" everyone cheered. "THAT'S THE FREEDOM FIGHTER WAY!"
Tails smiled down on them all.
"Thank you," he said softly. "We lost a lot of people fighting the Anti-Spiral, but... we learned something fighting them:
"Spiral Power is destructive. If left unchecked, it could lead to the destruction of the universe. That's what the Spiral Nemesis is: every lifeform in the universe becoming a full-sized galaxy at the same time, and causing the universe to collapse into a black hole.
"We can't just do what we want with Spiral Power, just because we can. We can't really kick common sense out or go beyond the impossible; you saw what happened when we did with Super Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl."
Tails then bent down, hoisting out Cosmo, who was wearing his coat still, buttoned up to preserve her decency.
She was carrying a bundle of purple robes.
And a gold staff, tipped with a large blue-green gem.
"So..." Tails continued, bending over the steel-and-glass coffin in Emerl's arms.
"I brought one of the Avalonians here, so that they can see our new age of responsibility with Spiral Power."
A wave of shock and fear swept those present, and panicked responses broke out.
But Tails waved them off with a smile.
"Don't worry. She's just one out of five-hundred-trillion. She can't do anything anymore."
And he held up his Core Drill.
Most people thought that Tails would smash the glass open...
But he placed the Core Drill over a slot on the side of the stasis chamber...
And turned it.
The tube unlocked.
And a pale, slender hand grasped at the edge.
Reaching down, Tails picked out a pale - and nude - human girl, apparently in her mid-teens... but no human girl had naturally pointed ears, or naturally magenta hair. Her arms and shoulders bore intricate tattooes of ancient filigree that held no meaning to the Super Galaxy Great Freedom Fighters.
She was clearly very weak.
She blinked sunlight out of her eyes.
'Where... am I...?' she asked faintly, like a breath of wind, in a voice one could have heard out of Mercia.
"Why the hell did you bring her?" Vector shouted angrily, and the Avalonian girl's arms, hanging at her sides, almost flew up to her ears.
Vector wasn't the only one. Bringing back one of the former Anti-Spiral race was not a popular decision, clearly. Sally and Nicole glared fiercely, holding hands, Charmy and Cream gave the girl hateful stares, and most people around generally seemed either nervous or angry about this. Only Rotor and Espio seemed calm about this, even curious.
"I said," Tails said, a shade of impatience in his tone, "That I brought her along so that she could see that the Anti-Spiral aren't the only race that can be responsible with Spiral Power. But... we won't be as scary-dogmatic - or nearly as genocidal - about it."
He smirked.
"Who the hell do you think I am?"
He looked down at the girl from Avalon.
"What's your name?"
Her lips barely moved.
'M... Merlina... daughter of Marlon Merlin's son...' She cast her eyes about weakly. 'Where is... my staff...?'
Tails set Merlina down on her feet, but she would have fallen over almost immediately had Cosmo not handed her her staff, settling her robes about her shoulders, to keep her decent.
Merlina leaned heavily on her staff, which Tails helped to keep propped up.
'It is alright, man of the Spiral,' she said faintly. 'I am already trying to recover my Spiral Energy just enough to stand on my own.'
Already her skin was looking less clear and more its natural tone, but her grip on her staff was clearly weak.
Merlina faced Tails.
'So... You brought me, the President of Avalon with you, so that I may bear witness to your brand new world, Mister...?'
"My name is Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails."
'Mister Miles Prower.' Merlina nodded. 'Your parents had a strange sense of humour. Can someone please pass me a flower?'
Maria, Lupe's daughter, skipped to the front of Number 123, picked a marigold, and handed it to Merlina. Lupe pulled her away from the former President of Avalon quite quickly.
But Merlina had made no moves to attack Maria; indeed, she offered a soft Thank you, child to the wolf-girl, bringing the flower to her nose and inhaling deeply.
'Your flowers have a peculiar, but not unenjoyable scent here. I suppose... I shall have to get used to it.'
葬儀
The next day...
The tears ran freely as those friends and family of those who died consoled each other in their grief.
The Wandering Orphans had lost their founding member, Knuckles The Echidna of Gawain Village.
The Fremerald Squadron was a shell of its former self with almost half of its forces killed by the Anti-Spiral in their various attacks.
It was decided that a burial site would be dedicated to them at the site where Great Freedom was taken.
Where Sonic died.
Photographs of the fallen sat atop a white plinth one-hundred feet from the katana marking Sonic's grave, high-relief sculptures of those warriors on the side carved with Tails's Core Drill. Knuckles was at the lead, a drill emerging from his right fist as spirals swirled in his eyes.
"E-excuse me... Tails?"
Tails turned.
It was a red fox girl.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Fiona Fox, from Knothole," she said.
And Tails remembered.
"Oh, yeah! You were a part of that posse that thought I was a weird, dirty little kid."
Fiona averted her eyes.
"Yeah, about all that... Sorry. We treated you like shit, and now you saved us all. What I gotta say is..." She smiled at him, and there was something almost alluring about it. "I'm grateful, is all."
Tails was stunned. He had not even known this girl's name, and she tracked him down here to apologize after all this time?
He smiled.
"Don't sweat it. Sonic wouldn't have wanted anyone to hold a grudge like that."
They shook hands and parted ways. Returning to his seat, Tails saw Sally & Nicole holding hands.
The funeral service was filled with speeches and tears from loved ones for loved ones who had been killed in battle against the Anti-Spiral, but only two would be truly notable.
Cosmo strode up softly to the podium set up before the plinth, and said:
"Thank you."
Those two words summed up her gratitude, not for herself, but for all Spiral life that could live now because they had sacrificed themselves.
The last speech was given by the last person anyone expected to be there.
Merlina strode quietly up to the microphone, trying to pretend that those intense stares were focused on the mountain range behind her and not on her.
Drawing herself up to her full height, Merlina - her bearing as steady now as it was at the height of her regime as President, two-thousand years before - addressed those who wished her nothing but ill:
'All these fine men and women, dead because of my race... I am sure that they were excellent to know in life, and this universe is lesser without them. I assure you all that your feelings towards me are entirely justified, and that I actually feel I deserve even greater resentment from you, Spiral races of Möbius. I admit that my race's actions these past twenty-hundred years were extreme, perhaps even reactionary. I only offer my sincere regrets for the losses of your great men and women at the hands of my own race, and at the hands of Lucus Darkoak and his Black Arms.
'However, I do not believe that we Avalonians were entirely in the wrong. Rampaging evolution will destroy the universe, as my grandfather discovered, and I am not entirely convinced that the Spiral races of Möbius have the resolve to willfully restrict their own Spiral Power. In our battles, I noticed that they sought victory only by applying much greater amounts of Spiral Energy, reaching higher and higher to ensure their triumph. I can only hope that this attitude towards Spiral Power is different in times of peace, lest the deaths of these fine warriors be in vain.'
Merlina closed her eyes as she finished, expecting catcalls and jeers and hate-filled declarations that she did not deserve to be anywhere near this white tomb.
Instead, she got a small amount of applause.
It was not much - only Tails, Cosmo, and Shadow clapped, and they stopped rather quickly - but it was better than vitriol.
The rest gave her neutral, unreadable expressions.
Not wanting to test her luck, she strode quickly down from the podium, pulling up her purple hood.
She faced Tails.
'I can only hope you know what you are doing, Miles.'
Tails smiled warmly at her, putting out a hand.
"We can do it, Merlina. Just give this a shot: Try believing in us Spiral races."
Merlina looked at his hand in wonder, then - wearing an angelic smile - she took his hand and shook it.
"We don't have to go crazy restricting Spiral Power, but we're not gonna be completely dependent on it, either. We'll take the middle road. We'll work to evolve ways to use less Spiral Power and still get stuff done effectively."
Merlina nodded, her staff resting on her shoulder as she brought up her hand and smelled the marigold again.
It was still bright and alive, even now.
'Yes...'
She looked to the skies.
'Grandfather...'
つづく
To be continued...
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The fighting is over, and the Spiral races are allowed to live life the way they want to live it...
But Spiral Power, like all other types of power, comes with responsibility.
Next time on Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl: "Thank You, Everyone".