Speed Park
Speed Park was quite a unique place in the world of Station Square. It was typically a small park for skateboarding, filled with half pipes, rentable skateboards, and a few snack stands. Here, Duplex and Aria would find themselves sitting on the edge of a halfpipe, towards the back of the park. "I don't get it," Aria began, "how can you wear that ice cream tub on such a hot day?" Duplex nodded and smiled at the question, before rubbing the lip of her costume. "Haven't you heard the phrase? 'Dress for the temperature you want, not the temperature you have?'" Duplex answered, garnering not much but a head tilt from Aria. "Firing back, how come you don't wear anything but your fancy crop top and dress skirt, even in the winter?" Duplex questioned, which made Aria hug herself. "It's a traditional garb that represents purity. You're supposed to at least keep it on all the time. I never said I didn't freeze..." Aria responded, which got a snicker out of Duplex. "I wish I had something that cool and important. I never got any 'traditional garbs' from my mom," Duplex stated, as she kicked the air with her pegs.
"Maybe that ice cream tub could be your traditional garb? You could start some sort of twisted ice cream family tradition..." Aria commented, which made Duplex's eyes widen. She seemed to actually think for a moment, before her eyes became serious again. "No way, poor kid will look like a dork!" Duplex said, cueing Aria to scratch her head. "And you don't, huh?" Aria stated, which made Duplex shake her head. "It's on brand with me," Duplex said, before she got up, and prepared to begin walking. Suddenly, though, she was stopped in her tracks by a sudden and rare sight: towards the front gate of the park, three distinct figures were walking inside. One crocodile, one chameleon, and one bee. Duplex and Aria both watched in interest as the three walked inside, and began looking around. Seemingly eyeing each and every single person. Until, finally, their eyes landed on Duplex. "You!" The crocodile said, before suddenly dashing towards Duplex. And to say that Duplex was scared was an understatement. "AAAH!!!" She yelled, before she suddenly began running in the opposite direction, in an attempt to get away as fast as possible. Aria was too stunned to react, and simply ducked when the crocodile and the purple chameleon ran past her. However, the bee looked at her, and stopped. "Are you two together?" He asked Aria, who turtled at the question. "No way," Aria remarked shyly, unsure if Duplex was involved in something illegal. "But you were sitting next to her?" The bee pressed on, but Aria was unwavering. "N-no, still don't kn-know her..." Aria insisted, before the bee shrugged, and followed the others. Aria was left completely confused.
After they had completely left, the smoke had settled, Aria was completely alone. She hated being alone in such a public place, especially one like a skatepark, where she had absolutely no reason to be. So, as quietly and calmly as she could, she started getting up and preparing to leave. But, as she readied herself, and dusted off her dress, she was suddenly approached by two security guard lynx, who seemed concerned. "U-uh," Aria 'asked', while looking up at them, and they looked down at her. Slowly, from their back, they pulled out a strange small blade, and held it up. Aria recognized it almost instantly as hers, she must have dropped it at some point and they must have found it. It was an extremely unique golden blade, that was closer in size to a cooking knife. Both sides, however, were covered completely in sharp, strange ridges that looked like curved, sharp teeth. "Any reason you brung this blade to a skate park, ma'am?" The guard asked, before Aria waved her hands frantically. "It's not a lethal weapon!" She began, "it's for self defense. The ridges are meant to damage other weapons." After Aria said this, the two guards gave each other a side glance. "I think we can allow a self defense weapon. After some psycho came in here with a hammer it feels extremely safe," one guard said, handing the knife back to Aria, who gave a smile, and put it away under her dress. "Don't go around causing trouble and we won't have to confiscate it, okay?" The other guard said, as Aria gave a small nod.
She was mostly just afraid of them taking her sword, since it wasn't really in any danger of hurting others. It was far too meak and rigid, and the effort it would take to hurt anything would be dramatic. So, she just made sure it was tucked out of view, and that the guards could see that she was responsible. And, after they felt it was left in safe hands, they walked off. Aria readied herself before walking off, too, towards the park entrance. She had more than enough action for one day, so she decided that it would be best to go home. After all, the Chao Garden that she lived in needed her monitoring, so she couldn't be absent for too long. As she curved around the entrance, and started walking down the street, she pulled out her phone and began scrolling to open Duplex's messages. Nothing yet. Aria was sincerely left to assume that Duplex got arrested, and that she'd probably be on the records by tomorrow morning. At this point she was expecting a call, and hoping that Duplex wasn't waiting for bail or something. As Aria's mind wandered, and she put away her phone, she began to slowly walk down a neighborhood, leading to quite a long path towards Central Station Square.
"Can I bring Duplex lunch to her jail cell? I sure wonder..." Aria pondered, as she took step after step down the long sidewalk. And suddenly, from far behind her, she heard a noise. She thought nothing of it, and kept walking. It was just a little startling. But moments after she had ignored the sudden noise, she heard a series of faint, but loud footsteps clacking behind her. They even seemed to be matching her speed. Finally, curiosity got the best of Aria, and she quickly looked over her shoulder. What she saw was a purple cat in a regal outfit, tight pants, and red high heels, following far behind her. What Aria found bizarre about the cat was the red gem on her forehead. Such a style was extremely outdated, and she'd only seen gemmed foreheads on her ancient ancestors. Although the cat was just strange at most, it seemed that they were staring straight at Aria with laser eyes. Aria quickly turned her head back, and started staring straightforwardly. She was probably also on her way to Station Square Central, and it might be rude to stare. As Aria walked, though, she couldn't help but feel the footsteps grow in frequency. As if the cat was starting to pick up speed. Aria's shoulders stiffened as she made a hard pivot onto the street, and began walking towards the other sidewalk. If the cat was in a rush, then Aria should move out of the way.
As she pressed her feet against the other sidewalk, she let out a sigh of relief. Although it clearly wasn't intentional, the cat was really starting to freak her out. She felt happy to lose her, until she suddenly heard the loud footsteps clacking against the sidewalk directly behind her. And then her heart dropped. Aria's eye widened in panic as she realized that she was being followed. No one switches sidewalks when someone else does. That's weird! Aria was far too terrified to possibly look back, so she just kept walking. She was getting desperate to lose this person, too, so she was trying to construct a non-aggressive plan. Finally, Aria hatched an idea. If she walked in the middle of the street, then she's less likely to be followed. It's dangerous and silly enough that few would try. So, with yet another hard pivot, Aria turned onto the street, and began walking. And, yet again, the footsteps followed. Finally, it was made clear that enough was enough, and that Aria would have to confront the cat. She was going through lines in her head, ways this could possibly go, and many different scenarios. If she was very forward and direct, she might startle the person, and make them realize that they looked weird. It's also possible that she dropped her knife again, and the person might just be trying to catch up to her. Whatever the case, she stopped dead in her tracks, breathed in, and turned around.
"H-h-hello..." Aria bumbled, which stopped the cat in her tracks. "You're... Like... Um... Following m-me... You know... So..." Aria stated, as the cat stared at her with blank, wide eyes. Aria was slightly afraid of the silence. It felt like something straight out of a horror movie. "Haha... W-what's... Like, um... Wrong?" Aria asked, now skimming the cat from top to bottom. Aria's confusion was only building as the cat stared. Suddenly, Aria's attention was pulled to the cat's hand, and the object inside it, which reflected against the light. It was her golden knife, which caused Aria to let out a huge sigh. "Oh m-my goodness... Wow... You scared me... You're probably just as anxious as me..." Aria stated, before slowly stepping towards the cat. "I'll take it back now-" Aria stated before, suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, the blade lot on fire. And not a small fire, either. A large, and very scary, blaze. And, before Aria could process it, the cat threw the blade like a dart, directly towards Aria with incredible speed. Aria threw her head back as the fireball ripped across the air, dropping ashes all around as it traveled, before it finally landed on the ground, several yards away. Aria's heart rate spiked as she slowly looked towards the cat, who was now in a running position. It was clear now, without a shadow of a doubt, that Aria was gonna die.
Without so much as a greeting or a scream, Aria kicked the ground under her feet, and took off running at a blistering speed. She was horrified, she was afraid, and she, sincerely, did not want to die. As she ran she leaned over and grabbed her knife, sheathing it as soon as possible. Catching a glimpse of the now angry looking, blazing cat behind her. She was covered in a tornado of fire, and was preparing to run. Aria's path on the street was looking long and empty, she knew there was no hope for her running down it. So, she held her breath, readied herself, and pivoted around. The cat suddenly began running towards Aria, covering half the distance in a single step. And, without wasting even a moment, Aria ran directly towards the cat, passing right behind her, and continuing to run. "AAAH!! AAAAAAHH!!!" Aria yelped as tears poured from her eyes, and her feet squished against the ground. Aria was sure that the cat was preparing to turn around and start running, but at least Aria had a fair start this time. She took no time to dash down the road, running with all her might. Soon, she heard loud footsteps behind her, and the loud booming of fire igniting. "Enough!! Burn!!" The cat said, as she began to aggressively and sporadically fling fireballs towards the street that Aria was stepping on. Each time Aria skipped about in her fear, her tears falling and sizzling against the ashes. "PLEASE!! LET ME GO!!" she hollered back, but to no avail. The cat was determined and refused to even humor Aria.
The two ran for another solid minute, having their strenuous back and forth as the cat only drew closer and closer. And finally, a large truck turned and began driving down the street that they were on. Normally running towards a big, hulking truck would be horrifying, but Aria saw it as her only way out. So, Aria took her chance, and dashed directly towards the truck head on. And suddenly, as the truck honked and drew closer, she tripped and fell on the floor. The truck kept honking louder and louder, but it was too close to possibly turn. "MOVE YOU IDIOT!!!" the driver shrieked, and the cat came to a sudden halt. Instead of staying on the road, she jumped out of the way, watching the intense scene unfold. Aria simply stretched out her body, and braced for impact. And suddenly, with a loud shriek, crack, and a boom, the truck collided directly with Aria, and screeched another few feet forward, before stopping. "Oh god, I wasn't paying enough attention, I'm sorry!!" The truck driver yelled as he opened his door and hurriedly rushed out. "Was that your friend?! I swear, it was an accident!!" The driver said, panicking, shaking, and even beginning to cry. "... No," the cat began, "she needed to die. Thank you." After the cat said this, she started walking towards the now smoking truck, bending down to see Aria, limp below the chassis of the truck. "She's useless to me dead, though. But that's one less obstacle," the cat said, before turning around, and beginning to run down the road, towards the direction that Aria was specifically going.
"Oh god..." The driver said, trembling and looking at the limp Aria. "I killed her... I... I need to hide the body," he said, quickly going to the front, ducking down, and grabbing Aria by her legs. It took a few moments of pulling, but he eventually dislodged her horns, and she came out smoothly. The truck driver was crying as he held Aria in his arms, completely unresponsive. "So this is the end of the story, huh?! Damn it, and I'm the one who caused it!!" He uttered, running down the street with her, panicked and afraid. He ran into greater Simple City, since it was so close by, and dashed into the alleyway of the nearby ice cream shop. "Oh god... I'm sorry little friend... You were so pretty and happy... May God take you into his loving arms!!" He said, before lifting Aria, and lodging her inside of the dumpster. He took of his hat, kneeled, and cried, before he ran away. And, for another few minutes, only silence fell upon the alleyway. Eventually, though, the trash can began to rustle, and Aria slowly surfaced from it. "I fainted, I think... How did I get here..." Aria mumbled, as she looked side to side. "Hold on, I definitely tripped and took that truck head-on... Oh, I definitely damaged it, didn't I... He definitely must have been so mad that he threw me in the trash... I guess I get it," she stated, slowly lifting herself out of the trash, and preparing to set off. Until she remembered what happened with the cat. And she hesitated.
"That cat definitely wants me dead... But for what?? And who are they..?" She pondered to herself, before she suddenly hatched an idea. "Hold on... Purple fur... Peculiar appearance... Empty stare... Yes, I know who that was..." Aria began, her eyebrows twitching. "It must be... BIG THE CAT!!! It makes perfect sense, too! He's helped save the world, even teaming up with Amy. And that definitely looked like a cat that would be friends with Amy... But... She's not very big, so she must have lost weight, yeah..." Aria thought to herself, slowly leaving the alleyway, and beginning to make her way down the street. "Now I just have to hide and wait out enough time!" She stated, beginning to think about her next hiding spot. Inside a mailbox? Maybe, but if Blaze found her, then she could just light it on fire... Well, maybe something more practical, like hiding in a crowd could work. But then again, if she was as crazy as she seemed, then she would just light the whole crowd on fire. Aria was strained for options and, apparently, strained for time. As at the end of the street, just out of view, Blaze was questioning a group of people. "Right, I'm looking for a goat with large horns and a tribal outfit. Has she been close by at all?" The cat asked, as the small group of teenagers that she was questioning shook their heads. Aria panicked. The two of them were far too close, and Aria had to go as quick as possible, but hadn't even constructed a rough plan. And just as the horrible spirit of bad luck seemed to curse Aria over and over again, the cat turned her head and looked directly toward Aria. And, for just a moment, the world freezed. Aria's eyes began to well up again as the cat stared her down. But, before either could move, they suddenly heard extremely loud music from just down the street. Both's attention was ripped away from the moment, as giant parade floats began to turn the corner, and go down the street. Covered in four leaf clovers, pots of gold, and rainbows. That's right. The St. Patty's Day parade.
"What?!" The cat shouted, as many people clad in green shirts turned the corner. "It's St. Patty's Day, m'lady!" One man said, as the cat's confusion only grew. "Who is Saint Patrick?! Why do we have to celebrate him now?!" She yelled, but was suddenly interrupted by someone who pinched her elbow. "HEY?!" she shrieked, while the person laughed. "Don't wear green, and you get pinched! That's the rules!" He yelled, as she snarled. But it was too late, as a bunch of people began reaching towards her for pinches. While the purple cat was in agony and rage, Aria took no extra moments to run away. And now with the crowd of pinchers slowly burning through the sidewalk, she had to get out of the way. Instead of running through the crowds, she decided to take yet another large risk, and instead turned on the street. Using all the strength in her arms and legs, she climbed onto the lead parade float, and got on top. None of the performers seemed too distracted except for one, who was startled by Aria. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get out of the crowd!" She stated, before she started running in the opposite direction, running down the parade float, and jumping off to the next in line. And that's what she would continue to do for quite a bit, using the floats to go back and pass through the street quickly. "No!!" The cat yelped, as she broke away from the pinching, and began running through the crowd. Aria was panting, but determined. She was mostly determined by fear, but it was fueling her to attempt this ridiculous stunt, so it didn't really matter.
Finally, she found another place she could turn. It was a large building and it didn't seem to be an apartment or anything of the sort. Maybe, just maybe, Aria could get help inside, or even hide. She dipped off of the parade float and landed in front of the building's doors, quickly opening them and running inside. Blaze soon followed, albeit giving more than enough time for Aria to manage herself. As she barged inside, panicked and sweating, she immediately went to the front counter. "Hello! H-hi!!" She began, getting the attention of the tall lady behind the counter, who turned and stared at her. Aria suddenly froze up. She had no clue what she was going to do, say, or ask. She didn't even know where she was. "U-um... Aah..." She muttered, starting to lose the confidence that she had used to scale parade floats just moments ago. "What do you need?" The lady behind the counter asked, causing Aria to shrink even more. "Oh, I um... I'm being... Um..." She mumbled about, unable to push out or muster any sort of sentence to get her point across. And, as Aria waffled on, the cat came through the door, and immediately began pacing in her direction. "EEEEEEE!!!!" Aria screeched, before she suddenly started a mad dash away, towards the next door that she could get her hands on. The cat ran to the counter and made quick eye contact with the lady. "What is this place?!" She asked, as the lady jolted back. "A random, unlabeled 5 story building with a staircase??" The lady responded, as the purple cat nodded, and dashed towards the staircase that Aria had just entered.
"Why does Big want me dead?!" Aria asked in a panicked huff as she was practically climbing the stairs up, sweating buckets as she scaled. "Maybe she's a hitman that was hired to kill me?! Maybe she just wants someone to kill!!" Aria rationalized, as the cat suddenly banged the door open, and began following Aria. "I'm gonna die!! I'm gonna die!!!" Aria yelled, tears streaming down her face, as the two circled around and around the staircase. Eventually, Aria reached the top of the staircase, and threw open the doors, continuing her frantic dash until she reached the edge of the roof. And then it dawned on her that she was on the rooftop at all. "Oh dear..." She said to herself, gazing at the 5-story drop before her feet. She could see the cars, the people, and all the floats from that high. "You've gone far enough," the cat's voice suddenly boomed, inching past the roof's doors. "Please... Please!!" Aria pleaded, beginning to turn back. In her head she was panicking horribly. She was surrounded by death from all sides, one fiery, and one painful. The best she could do was hug the ledge and move sideways, just to delay the inevitable execution. "Stalling for time, I see. How bold. It doesn't matter, though," Blaze stated, lighting her hands on fire. And suddenly, a thought popped into Aria's head.
"Bold... I have to be bold..." Aria said under her breath, which made the cat pause. "What?" She asked, before Aria's eye widened. "IF I WANT TO SURVIVE, I HAVE TO BE BOLD!!" She shouted, which caused the cat to raise an 'eyebrow'. "Random inspirational nonsense can't save you now, you know," the cat stated, before throwing a fire ball. And, in a fit of pure luck, Aria fell backwards, off the ledge. "Um!" The cat stammered, suddenly running towards the edge in shock. And like a miracle sent directly from the aether just to save her, Aria had managed to fall onto and hug a randomly places power line. "What's the meaning of this?!" The cat shouted, which caused Aria to break out of the terrified daze she was in. "Bold... B-b-bold..." Aria muttered to herself, as she slowly mustered the strength (albeit while trembling) to haul herself on top of the rope, and begin standing, much to the purple feline's genuine shock. "I... GOTTA BE BOLD!!!!" Aria shouted, before she suddenly started running on the incredibly thin power line. "WHAAAAAT!!!" The cat shrieked, before jumping onto the line, and beginning to follow Aria. "SURVIVE! SURVIVE! I WANT TO SURVIVE!! she shouted, running as fast as she possibly could on the power line, before jumping onto the next building. "Get back here!!" The cat shouted, trying her absolute hardest to pursue Aria as she jumped to the next building. "Can't... Take time... To think!!!" Aria stated, before she immediately jumped on the next closest power line, and began running down it, lining the street with her steps. The cat eventually followed, too, as the two of them began running with all their might, before Aria jumped into an open window.
She was huffing and puffing at the top of her lungs, as she gathered her breath in the dark room. But before she could fully think, she heard the sound of fuming ashes just outside. And, without even a second thought, Aria launched up, and looked out the window to see the cat readying a mighty leap. And the moment she went airborne, and barreled towards the window, Aria slammed it shut, causing her to bounce off and scream as she fell. "Bold... I was so bold..." Aria muttered as she reopened the window, and slumped her body over its edge, taking in the wind with a huff. The police were clearly beginning to take note of the chaos, as she could hear the sirens all around, going off so much that she could barely pay attention. After she was done breathing in, she decided to sit. The cat wouldn't be able to find her quickly from such a random room, so she was free to finally take a breather. "I have to survive... If I stay bold, then the universe will help me to survive..." Aria mumbled under her breath, before another voice in the room suddenly boomed. "Ah yes, spoken like a true anime princess..." The voice came out, startling Aria. It wasn't until a few moments later that she untensed at the sight of a large man sitting at a computer, in a corner, in the dark.
"W-what?" Aria responded, before the man, glasses on his face, looked up. "All true anime queens are bold and face action head on..." He muttered, before returning his gaze to his computer. "... A-anime q-queen... Y-you're right, I am pretty c-cool..." Aria spoke, filling in the blanks all by herself. "Yes, I've been taught by my faithful anime waifus that you must fight with your instincts! Impulse and bravery is the most valuable weapon! Better than any super powers or weapons!" The man proclaimed, as he frantically typed on his computer. "Y-yeah... T... That's right! I can do anything i-if I just... Do it!!!" Aria said both sheepishly and excitedly, as she stood up, with newfound inspiration. "'Die a warrior, or die a coward?', this is one of my favorite quotes from Good Good Candy Girl, yes..." The man said, which caused Aria to look down. "But I'm too weak and I have no powers... And my enemy has so many... I'm vastly inferior... What should I do..." Aria mumbled, as the man snarled. "I'll tell you, as I am quite a high leveled warrior myself..." The man said, causing Aria to sit down cross legged in curiosity.
"Within my sacred realm I am known as AlphaSlayer97... I am level 382..." He stated, causing Aria's eye to widen. "You're unbeatable!" She said, which caused the man to slam his fist. "Wouldn't you think!! But those... God... Damn trolls... Levels far above me... Make a mockery of my superb gear and incredible manliness!!" He confessed, causing Aria to deflate again. "Oh... How do you ever defeat those worrisome foes?" Aria questioned in full curiosity, making the man cross his arms. "I tilt the odds in my favor... By cornering them and executing them when they least expect it... As any smart warrior does, yes..." He stated, causing Aria to look up in inspiration. "Your advice is to... Corner my enemy... And tilt the odds in my favor? Is it even possible?" Aria questioned, which made the heavy man turn around on his swivel chair. "Grasshopper... Will you die a warrior? Or will you die a coward?..." The man asked, which made Aria's eyes glisten. "G-grasshopper... Y-yes... I understand!" She said, before standing up. "Now go! I, Alpha Slayer, must return to episode 165 of Kiss, Kiss Fall in Love Highschool..." The man stated, before turning around on his chair, and stationing himself back on his computer. "Thank you, master!" Aria stated, before opening the window and jumping back out onto the power line, running away. The man's door shot open seconds later, as the cat ran in, and freezed upon seeing the window. "GOD!!" she screamed, before running towards the window, and jumping onto the power line. "You did it, Jacob... You really talked to a woman... And you sounded so cool..." The man said to himself, processing what might have just been his first interaction with a woman in his adult life.
"I have to be bold... I have to corner her!" Aria said, running down the power line with incredible speed. "But where can I level the playing field..." She thought to herself, before snapping her hand. "I know!!" Aria shouted, as she dashed with all her might down the power line, hastily jumping to the next. The chase was on, as for what seemed like forever the two ran on power lines, all throughout the city. It was intense, but Aria was really starting to get the hang of running on the power lines. "Almost there!" She muttered, before Blaze began to light her hands on fire. "I don't know what you're doing, but it ends here!" The cat stated, before she jumped high in the air, and shot a fireball towards the power line. "Have to... Be... Bold!" Aria shouted, before she, too, jumped in the air, and the entire power line bursted into flames. "Now, die!!" The cat proclaimed, turning into a tornado of flames, and shooting herself at Aria. "I refuse!!!" Aria shouted back, pulling out her blade, and hitting the cat with it head on. And just the mere strength of the collision sent Aria flying into the air. The cat was shocked yet again as Aria traveled higher and higher forward, before she suddenly hit a building, and grabbed onto it. "I-I made it!" Aria said, as she looked up. She had grabbed onto a huge cell tower, and it seemed like the collision threw her halfway up. "Just... Have to... Climb!" She said, before beginning to scale the tower bit by bit.
Just below she could see the cat land on the building's roof below, and began climbing the large staircase that led to the top of the tower. "I can't make it..." Aria said to herself, as her hand began to slip. And, suddenly, she heard something faint in the back of her mind. Almost like a voice calling out to her. "Will you die a warrior... Or die... A coward?..." Alpha Slayer's voice boomed in her head, which caused her eye to shoot open. She had to hold out. She had come this far and she couldn't fail! She wanted to die a warrior!! So, as the voice left Aria's head, she glared, and tightened her grip. And, with no more words to utter in her mind, she began to climb like never before, with no strength she had ever used. The two scaled with incredible speed, nearly rivaling each other. But in the end, Aria was faster, and grabbed onto the high platform of the cell tower. "It doesn't get any more bold... Then this!!" She said, before fully climbing on top of the large pentagon platform, overlooking the entire city.
As she stood and waited, she pulled out her blade, and pointed it towards the staircase. And, finally, just as expected, the cat finished running up the staircase, and arrived on the platform, too. And stopped directly in front of Aria, clearly not expecting her to be there. "You... W... We're suspended over 200 feet from the ground... A fall from here will kill either one of us..." Aria began, brandishing her blade in the cat's direction. "If I have to take your life in order to survive... Then I will," she finished, staring the cat straight in the eyes. "... Bold," the cat responded, before lighting her hands on fire. "I... I challenge you to ritual combat!! To the death!!" Aria said, and Blaze gave a half smirk. "I accept," she muttered, before she suddenly shot forward, launching a punch at Aria. Aria barely dodged it, before she attempted to slash the cat several times with her blade. It made contact each time, but only disturbed the cat's fur and gloves, which caused the feline to draw back. "It's blunt?" She questioned, before Aria suddenly inched forward. The cat regained attention quickly, though, and hammered Aria in her other arm. "Ahh!" She screamed, nearly falling over, but quickly regaining her balance. The cat took the opportunity to light her fists on fire and punch Aria's horns, filling tipping her over. The cat quickly pounced on Aria, and prepared to rush her with punches, before Aria grabbed her blade, and blocked her face, taking one punch head on. And another, and another. "I wont die a coward!!" Aria shouted, before kicking Blaze off of her, and standing back up. "Just make this easier, and give me your head!!" The cat said, before the two of them became locked in a battle of punches and kicks. Both hammering each other with all their might, and making any and all attempts to hurt the other. "Why such determination when we both know you'll die?!" The cat shouted, as Aria rushed towards her. "You're afforded no mercy on this platform! All it takes is one error, and you're dead!" Aria shouted back, launching a flurry of stabs towards the cat, who began dodging them with ease.
"All it takes me is one error... And all it takes you... Is nothing!" The cat said, before suddenly lunging forward, and grabbing Aria by the shoulders. "Agh!" She gasped, before she was suddenly picked up into the air. "The world doesn't need a curse like you, you damned kid!!!" The cat shouted, which caused Aria to freeze. "I-I'M NOT A KID?!" Aria yelled, before she was suddenly hurled high into the air towards the top of the cell tower. And he body couldn't regain control in time, as her horns collided with, and completely destroyed, the satellite dishes on top. And as she crashed down to the platform below, her horns bounced, and threw her off the edge. "NO!!" She yelled, before she grabbed onto the ledge, just saving herself. But before she could have even wished to pull herself up, Blaze walked to the edge, and held her foot out. Aria was defeated. Her body couldn't take another blow, and her mind was boiled. She knew that this was where her boldness ended. "I-I didn't know you could b-be so c-cruel... Big... The cat..." Aria muttered weakly, which caused Blaze to stare blankly. "My name... My name is Blaze. Blaze the cat. Who is Big??" She asked, which caused Aria's eye to widen. "... My name is Aria," Aria stated, causing Blaze to stare in genuine confusion. "Oh..." She stated, and Aria looked down. "Seems there's a bit of... Like... Confusion here," Aria stated, as Blaze nodded in agreement. Now Aria was beginning to feel silly. Blaze the cat? She had never heard of a Blaze the cat. And after a few seconds, it seemed that Blaze had never heard of her, either. "I'd... Like to call a truce?" Aria muttered, and Blaze nodded. "Truce," she said, as she reached for Aria, and pulled her up slowly.
Station Square Chao Garden
"Ah yes..." Blaze said, slowly sipping her cup of hot chocolate. "Finely boiled in delicious chocolate, made with the finest milk, and... Hold on... Is that a bit of whipped cream I taste? Yes, I think it is," Blaze admired. "This drink is comparable to an artisan's work- no, wait... A beautiful Greek sculpture..." Blaze said, finally putting her hot chocolate down calmly. "Now explain what the hell happened before I spill all of my hot cocoa on you," Aria said, causing Blaze to close her eyes eyes and give a half bow. "I was targeting someone based on a description and name, which at the time sounded similar to you," Blaze said, causing Aria to nod. "... You were targeting a kid?? ... Well, what was the description?" She asked, causing Blaze to put her hand on her chin. "Hair that hugs the sides of the muzzle... Light color scheme... Grey eyes... That's about it," Blaze said, causing Aria's stare to turn blank. "That... Is vague," Aria stated, as Blaze bit down on her glove. "On reflection, yes, it was a bit of a mistake on my part..." Blaze stated, which made Aria frustrated, but not to the point of anger. "I think we can both move passed this situation with a bit of an open mind... Maybe you should try to... I don't know... Explore different methods of catching your target," Aria said, as Blaze nodded in agreement. "I might try something a little different yes," Blaze agreed, petting one of the sleeping Chao at her feet. "You're a bold one, though. It's been a pleasure meeting you," Blaze said, as she petted one of the sleeping Chao at her feet. The two of them were in the outside Chao Garden, built on a mountainside. (the Chao Garden from Adventure 2, in this continuity, exists just outside the Chao Garden from 1.)
"It's time for these little ones to go inside and sleep. Thank you for joining me to formally make-up," Aria said, as Blaze stood up and bowed. "We will meet again, Aria. I'll be traveling far, but I'll try not to forget you," Blaze said, before walking towards the exit, and going away. Aria got up and began to round up the Chao, allowing them to go inside the mansion-esque interior Garden. And eventually, she was ready to enter, too. "Hold on," a deep voice suddenly called out to her. "Huh?" She muttered, before looking back and freezing. Sitting atop the rocks, just above the caves entrance, was someone. A person Aria had never seen before. He was a dark red echidna, with many thin dreadlocks that lined the side of his head. His eyes were completely white and he wore a large frown on his face. His chest was extremely large, and he was wearing a big, dark red shirt with white stripes around it. Most noticeable of all, though, were his incredibly long legs, which he had folded just to sit. "Your name is Aria... Right?" The large echidna said, as Aria shyly nodded. "How did you... When did you..." Aria stammered, but the Echidna shook his head. "I am Marshall. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said, beginning to stand up. "Nice to meet you, too..." Aria responded, seeming to only become smaller as Marshall approached.
He walked up to Aria's side, before stopping. "Now's the time that all the babies go to sleep, right?" Marshall said, as he stared straight forward, into the neighboring indoor garden. "O-oh, yes. C-closing time starts now..." Aria shyly muttered, as Marshall slowly bent on one knee. "Good job," he stated, which caused Aria to stare in curiosity. "You managed to fight through absolute hell and chaos, and managed to be home in time to send the children to bed... In just one day, you've managed to accomplish more than most people can in their lives," Marshall said, which caused Aria to nod slowly. "That's a kind thing to say to someone you've never met before... You aren't planning to kill me too, right??" Aria asked, tensing up slightly, before Marshall suddenly dropped a hand on her shoulder. "If we stay on our own paths, we will never become enemies. Stay strong, lucky goat. I wish you luck," Marshall said, before finally beginning to step forward, and walk away. Aria watched in silence. After all the action she had experienced today, she appreciated the compliment and good will. But she didn't quite know how to take in all the events that just transpired, and such a strange meeting while it was all over. As Aria closed the Chaos and herself into the Garden, she turned off the lights, sat by the fountain, and called them all to her. She was too tired to possibly climb the mountain to her normal sleeping place, so she decided to camp out with the Chao instead. As they piled on top of her she quickly drifted to sleep, not knowing what tomorrow had in store.
"Raaaaarw!!!" Vector screamed, jumping out of the cardboard box. "I'm gonna destroy all of Tokyo! And I mean it! I'm Vectorzilla and I've got a bone to pick with all of you!" Vector stated, as he rampaged on a cardboard street, in a comfy, warm living room. "No need to fear, Ms. Peg Legs is here!" Cream said, jumping out from behind the couch, dressed in a cardboard ice cream tub. "Well I'll be!! I'm gonna eat you, though!" Vector responded, which made Cream stick a finger up. "You shouldn't eat me, because, because, in this story I'm a werewolf, too!! And I'll give you furballs!!" Cream stated, making clawing motions with her hands. "A werewolf, how far-fetched!!" Vector said, crossing his arms. "Too bad, I make the rules!! I'm gonna dribble you like a basketball!!" Cream proclaimed, before being interrupted by her mother, Vanilla. "Oh, you two playing make believe again. Come and have some cookies, they're fresh out of the oven," Vanilla said, causing Cream to spring up onto her feet and to run into the kitchen.
"Hey, how am I supposed to fight a werewolf?! Is there someone I can complain to about this script?!" Vector jokingly questioned, which made Vanilla giggle. "You know little kids and their active imaginations. Ice cream werewolves seem like a crazy conspiracy that you would come up with, Vector," Vanilla responded, making Vector give a smug smile. "A conspiracy that would theoretically be backed by evidence and solid proof!" Vector commented back, which made the two of them giggle. "Whatever the case, fantasy is just fantasy. Why don't you just turn into a giant werewolf eating worm and just eat her?" Vanilla commented, which made Vector laugh. "Oh yeah!! I could totally do that, too!!" Vector shouted, which caused Cream to glare. "No fair, werewolf-eating worms don't exist!" Cream commented, shoving cookie after cookie into her mouth. "Werewolves don't exist either, scrub! You're going down!!" Vector said, as the three of them laughed and bickered the night away. Questioning all that was real, fake... And fantasy.