Chapter 29: The Past Finale
"Attention everyone!" The mayor called out. "We have something urgent that needs to be addressed!"
The townsfolk then began to gather around the town square, wondering what was going on.
"You all may recall a certain member of our community that had vanished over half a year ago, Tangle."
"That lemur girl?" He heard someone call out from the crowd.
"Yes, the same one." The mayor said. "It had just been brought to my attention that she is in grave danger, and is awaiting an execution in a nearby village."
This got the crowd to start clamoring.
"Please, I don't take this decision lightly, but a valued member of our community needs our help! We must take action and…"
"Oh please, like we're gonna believe that!" Said a voice from the crowd.
The Mayor looked over and saw Howard.
"That freak used to always come up with stuff like this to get attention, why would this time be any different?" Howard asked.
"Yeah! She used to come to us all the time about being bullied, when my son was the one who came home hurt!" A parent called out.
"She destroyed my garden and tried to pin it on another kid, when she was the one covered in dirt!" Another followed.
"That little creep deserves what's coming to her!" Howard said.
Then, everyone looked at Howard in shock… or rather, they looked at someone behind him.
Then, he felt a very… very threatening aura from behind him.
"Hello there… you must be Howard."
Howard turned around and saw Sonic standing there.
"Wh-what in the world…?"
"I don't appreciate you talking about my friend that way." Sonic said very calmly. "She's done a whole lot for my friends, and even helped save this entire planet multiple times. So, I'm gonna have to ask that you never call her a freak again… are we clear?"
"I… I…"
"Are we clear?!"
"YES SIR!"
"Good. Now, I believe the mayor was in the middle of something?"
Howard stayed silent, and just watched and listened to the rest of the Mayor's speech.
Sonic then stepped up on stage.
"Listen, I won't stand here and pretend to know anything about what things were like with Tangle here." Sonic said. "However, I can tell you what I know about her. Tangle is a selfless, courageous young girl who wants nothing more than to be able to help others. Tangle is the kind of person who would hold up an entire building by herself, then let it fall on top of her if it meant saving as many lives as she can. How do I know that? Cause she did just that a couple of months ago.
One time, she told me that she taught all the kids in town how to swim… is that true?"
A few of the parents in the crowd nodded in confirmation.
"That means that she has done some good for you all, and I doubt that is everything! So please, I want you all to not think of all the bad that you think she's done… but think about all the good you KNOW she's done, cause a town full of crazy people are planning on executing her just because she is just a little bit different from them, and we are the only ones who can help her!"
Jewel then stepped on stage, and everyone immediately recognized her.
"Everyone please… Tangle is all the family that I have left… she means everything to me… we have to save her, no matter what!"
The crowd then looked at Jewel in shock. None of them knew about just how close those two were.
And they all remembered what happened to…
All at once, the crowd began to cheer, seemingly in agreement on what to do.
Sonic then looked to Jewel and smiled.
"Alright, here's the plan…"
"Everyone, may I have your attention!" Said the Jackal in the town square. "I call you all here to bring wondrous news! The filthy abomination that escaped our justice eight years ago has finally been captured!"
"LET ME GO YOU CREEP!" Tangle shouted from the cage she was trapped in.
The crowd cheered at this reveal.
"The trial was conducted last night, and she was of course found guilty!" The Jackal said.
"All you did was pull on my tail!" Tangle shouted. "How do you call that a trial?!"
"So, today, we are finally going to end what started all those years ago." The Jackal said.
He then pulled out a sword.
And Tangle… never felt so afraid before in her life.
"Please… don't do this…" Tangle said.
"It is on this day that the evil shall finally be-"
Then, they heard something, the sound of an engine running overhead.
Tangle took a look up and was very happy with what she saw.
"The X-Tornado…"
"What is that?!" Someone in the crowd called out.
The plane then transformed into the X-Cyclone and landed just outside of town, and Tails and Jewel hopped out.
And people began to scream.
"Another one!"
"The day of reckoning is upon us!"
"Everyone, remain calm!" The Jackal said.
"… Is that…?" Tangle heard Shout say besides her.
"Huh…?"
"That's… the Prower's son… isn't it?" Shout said.
"How do you know that name?" Tangle asked.
"…"
"Hey, answer me you creep!" Tangle shouted.
"It matters not, he will be meeting the same fate as you." The Jackal said. "Well Mr. Prower, I guess you decided that your feeble existence means nothing if it brings suffering to others! I notice that your treacherous parents aren't with you. This can only mean that they were killed by the curse that was brought upon them! The curse YOU brought upon them!"
Tails stood there in silence… the words clearly hurt him.
"Tails…" Jewel said.
"No… I'm fine." Tails said. "You're wrong you know."
"Oh? And what exactly am I wrong about?" The Jackal said.
"I'm not here just to let you kill me." Tails said.
"Oh? And what are you here for?" The Jackal asked.
"Oh, we're here to keep you distracted while our friends get into position." Jewel said.
Then, they saw it.
The giant crowd that emerged from the bushes behind Tails… on the other side of town… everywhere.
The entire crowd looked on in horror as a small army had them completely surrounded.
"We're ALL here to take our friend back." Jewel said.
Tangle teared up at this. "Jewel…"
"Grrr… everyone! Defend the town with your lives if you have to!" The Jackal said. "We must extinguish the evil before us no matter what!"
The crowd cheered as everyone charged at the army.
Sonic looked to Jewel and nodded.
"CHARGE!" Jewel shouted as everyone began to do so.
Tangle could only look on in awe as all her friends… and everyone from Spiral Hill were fighting to save her life.
Sonic spin attacked through a group.
Tails swiped his tails into a couple of others, then when someone grabbed them, he spun them around and sent them flying.
Amy sent people flying with her hammer.
Knuckles… well, did what Knuckles does.
Jewel was using a club to fight… something that Tangle knew she didn't like doing.
She even spotted Howard among the crowd.
"… You really made some great friends, didn't you?" Shout said.
"Like you care…" Tangle said.
"…"
"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I am going to be getting her out of here now." They heard a voice from behind them.
Turning around, they saw Rouge.
"Rouge!" Tangle said.
"Stand back." Rouge said. "You too if you don't want a boot to the face."
Shout didn't say anything, and took a step backwards.
Rouge then kicked the cage, and managed to break it in one strike.
"Here, let me get those ropes off of you." Rouge said as she began to untie said ropes.
"Thanks Rouge." Tangle said.
Before long, she was free.
"Thank goodness." Tangle said. "Now… I'm gonna go and bust some heads!"
"Wait…" Shout said. "You should leave… they'd do anything to kill you!"
"Yeah? So? I'm not gonna run when my friends are out there fighting!" Tangle said.
"… Very well." Shout said.
"Come on Rouge." Tangle said.
"Wait!"
"What now?!"
"… You really did grow into a wonderful woman…" Shout said.
"Hmph." Tangle grunted before charging into the crowd.
First, she made her way over to Tails.
"Hello stranger!"
"Hey, good to see you!" Tails said as she ducked under a punch and knocked the attacker away.
"You alright? What that jerk said must of hurt…"
"Geez, I'm more worried about you right now!" Tails said with a laugh. "I'll be fine… we'll talk more about this later."
"Alright…" Tangle said as she used her tail to launch a group of enemies into the air. "PULL!"
Then, Sonic came out of no-where and spin attacked them, knocking the group out cold.
"Good work!" Tangle said.
"Right back at ya! Stay sharp though!" Sonic said before speeding back into the fight.
Tangle then made her way over to Jewel.
"Hey, miss me?" Tangle asked.
"Of course!" Jewel said.
"Surprised that you came to help! You're not much of a fighter!" Tangle said as she punched someone in the face.
"Yes well, someone taught me that you should never abandon your friends." Jewel said as she lunged her club into someone's stomach.
"Really? I'd like to meet them." Tangle said with a laugh.
"I'm sure you wo-AH!"
"Jewel?!" Tangle shouted as she turned around.
That Jackal was holding Jewel.
"If you want your friend to live, you'd let me kill you." The Jackal said.
"You stinking little…" Tangle said.
"Tangle, don't worry about me!" Jewel said.
"But…"
"Please… just… don't."
Tangle didn't respond, and simply stepped forward, closed her eyes and spread her arms out.
"I'm sorry Jewel…"
"Hehehe… DIE!" The Jackal said as he began to swing the sword.
"TANGLE!"
Without thinking, Jewel stomped on the Jackal's foot, and pushed him away from her.
"Jewel!" Tangle shouted.
"GRRR, YOU LITTLE!" The Jackal shouted before preparing to swing at Jewel.
"JEWEL!"
BANG
…
…
…
When Jewel opened her eyes, she… didn't know what to think.
The Jackal was on the ground, clutching a wound in his right eye as his sword laid to his side.
"What in the world?" Tangle asked.
"SNIPER!" She heard someone shout and point towards a tree.
Tangle looked over and saw a wolf, holding some sort of rifle.
"…Whisper?" She heard Shout breathe out.
The wolf didn't say anything, and left.
"Heh… guess we got a guardian angel watching out for us." Tangle said before going over to Jewel. "You alright?"
"Yes… thank you."
"Right, let's finish this!" Tangle said as she got back to work.
And before long, they were done.
"Whoo! About time!" Tangle said. "You guys were really cutting it close there!"
"Geez, you almost died, and you're already back to your normal self…" Sonic said.
"Yeah well, I always knew you'd come through!" Tangle said. "Surprised you convinced these guys to come though."
"Right… speaking of, I think someone has something to say to you." Sonic said.
Howard than stepped forward. "I'm… sorry for what I said and did for all these years."
"… yeah… ok…" Tangle said. "Just… leave me alone…"
Howard didn't say anything, and just left.
"Tangle…"
"I'm not ready to forgive that creep just yet." Tangle said. "At least he won't be bullying me anymore though."
"Yeah, at least there's that." Sonic said.
"Kinda wish I saw the look on his face when he found out I wasn't lying about you guys though!" Tangle said with a laugh.
"Oh don't worry, I got it recorded!" Tails said.
"MY MAN!" Tangle said as she gave Tails a high five.
"I'm glad that you came Franklin." Shout suddenly said.
"Anything for Tangle." The Mayor said.
"Wait… you two know each other?" Tangle asked.
"Of course! How do you think you wound up in our village?" The Mayor said. "Shout here found you after your father's… unfortunate passing… and he took you to Spiral Hill."
"HUH?!" Everyone shouted.
"Wait… why would he do that?!" Jewel asked.
"Cause I wanted her to survive of course!" Shout said. "Your father was a great friend of mine… there is no way that I would just allow them to kill you!"
"Wait, but I saw you! You were the one who sold her out!" Jewel said.
"What? How would you…?" Tangle asked, but then realized the answer.
Tikal.
"You really think that's what happened?" Shout asked. "No, what really happened was…"
"I'm sorry…" Shout said as he left.
When he left the property though…
"So, you saw it as well." The Jackal said.
"… Yes… I did." Shout said. "How did you know though?"
"We have eyes all over the village." The dog said. "We are gathering everyone up to take her tonight."
"… Very well…"
"See you then." The Jackal said before leaving.
"After I found out that your father was killed… I was convinced. I needed to do everything I could to let you live." Shout explained. "So, once everyone went to bed, I went out and searched for you. Luckily, you started crying at the right time and I was able to find you."
"After that, he made his way to Spiral Hill, where he met me." The Mayor said. "He explained the situation, and left you in my care."
"Then, I pretended to search for you for the last eight years…" Shout said.
"Ok… but this begs the question." Tangle said before turning to the Mayor. "Why did you suggest that I leave if you knew I would be in danger?"
"I knew that you were against using your tail at the time." The Mayor explained. "There's no way they would of recognized you if you didn't stretch it out, so I figured you would be safe."
"Ok… but why did you attack Tangle?" Tails asked Shout. "If you wanted to keep her safe, why bring her here?"
"She was spotted." Shout said. "A villager saw her use her tail to gather some firewood… and I was ordered to bring her here."
"You could of refused." Sonic said. "Sounds to me like you were ready to die for her."
"I was… but…"
"But?"
"They told me that if I didn't… they would send someone and kill her on the spot." Shout explained. "I figured her best chance of survival was to go after her, wait as long as I could… and take her in."
"You were counting on someone coming to rescue her." Amy said.
"Exactly." Shout said. "It was the only chance we had…"
"I see…" Tangle said. "Thanks… I guess…"
"Well, let's get going!" Sonic said. "We gotta get all these guys in a jail cell after all."
"Right, let's move!" Tails said before everyone began to leave.
...
"WATCH OUT!"
"Wha-" Tangle said as she was shoved to the side.
Then she saw it.
The Jackal from before holding the sword, which was currently in Shout's stomach.
"Shout!"
"You TRAITOR!" The Jackal shouted before pulling his blade out.
Everyone was in shock at what happened next.
For the one who attacked the Jackal wasn't Tangle…
But rather, Jewel.
The Beetle put all of her power into a punch that went straight into the Jackal's face, knocking him out.
"That's for hurting my sister!"
After the shock wore off, Tangle went to Shout's side.
"Hey, stay with me!" Tangle said.
"Heh… I was always prepared to die for you… never thought the day would actually come though…" Shout said.
"Don't talk like that! You're going to be fine!"
"Tangle… please… I beg of you… find my daughter… find Whisper… and tell her I'm sorry."
"Shout… I promise…"
Shout smiled at this, and closed his eyes.
The next day, a hill nearby
"Are you alright?" Jewel asked.
"Yeah… I'll be fine." Tangle said as she placed some flowers on the ground.
Here Lies Shout the Wolf
Friend, Father, Hero
"He died for me…" Tangle said.
"He dedicated his life towards keeping you safe… this is what he wanted." Jewel said.
"… Doesn't make it hurt any less…"
"Tangle…"
"Come on, the other's are waiting." Tangle said as she walked away.
"Right…" Jewel said as she followed.
On the way back they began to talk.
"So… you really did a good job out there." Tangle said.
"Yes well… I don't think I'll be going out of my way to get into any fights any time soon." Jewel said with a laugh. "Was nice to be your hero for once though!"
Tangle just laughed at this.
"Seriously?" Tangle asked.
"What?"
"Jewel… you've always been my hero…" Tangle said.
Jewel smiled at this as she pulled Tangle in for a hug.
"And you'll always be mine!"
The two hugged it out before continuing their walk back to the others…
Little did they know though…
"Hello father…" A wolf said as she approached the grave. "I just wanted to let you know… that I forgive you…
So please… rest easy…"
And with that, she left.
She still had to find her team after all.
End of Chapter 29
Yup! Whisper! She made her debut here!
…
And that is all we will be seeing of her for a while.
Yeah, her role in the story isn't really gonna start until we get into Act 2. It will still be quite a bit earlier than it would normally be, but still gonna be a bit.
In case you're wondering, yes, Whisper is also a bit younger in this story, at the age of 13 when the story started, but her birthday is gonna line up with her first appearance, so August 15th. This means that at this point in the story, she is 14. Jewel is also 14, and Tangle is 13 for those of you keeping track.
Anyways, next chapter is… yup, one more original chapter, but it is gonna be picking up right at the very end of Episode 42.
…
…
…
…
"… Hey…"
"Not gonna lie, I didn't think we would meet again."
"Me neither… not after what happened the last time."
"Yeah…"
"… You're gonna have to tell her you know…"
"…"
"You're friends now… it's only a matter of time until she finds out… and if she doesn't find out from you…"
"I know… I just… need some time…"
"Very well… I'll leave that up to your discretion then…
…Sonic…"
