Author's Note: I realize it's been a long, LONG time since this story last updated. I offer no excuses save that the delay was just as much a result of my wanting to make sure I got this right as it was lack of time overall to work on it. But enough stalling; time to give you what you came here to read. I hope you enjoy this, the last full chapter of Blood Pact. ^_^

Continuity info: This takes place in the Archie comic's continuity immediately after the infamous #134("Say You Will", featuring what Dan Drazen aptly titled "the slap heard 'round the fandom" and Sonic and Sally splitting up…again…). Everything that happened after that issue is disregarded. The events depicted in this story act as a substitute for the events that take place at this point in the comics.

Where once was light
Now darkness falls
Where once was love
Love is no more
Don't say goodbye
Don't say I didn't try

-"Gollum's Song", Emiliana Torrini

Chapter Twelve: Upheaval

Taking stock of the scene directly below him, Knuckles tried to piece together what had happened. On the one side, Sonic, Sally, and Tails stood in front of the rope he'd thrown down to them, ready to leave the horrible temple that had been a battlefield for the last few hours. On the other, there was that strange bat Lilith, a goat Knuckles had never seen before, and...and someone…some THING…else. A tattered mass of red upon which a floating skull rested. It was the skull that gave Knuckles the most pause, because he had seen it before, carved in stone on the top of Death Mountain. "That must be…" he realized with no small fear. "That must be Daxis…"

In the sanctuary below, the two sides both stood in deadlock, each trying their best to make their moves without setting the other off. Sally, Tails leaned against her body, was slowly guiding the fox toward the lifeline Knuckles now held with soft and subtle steps. Sonic, meanwhile, stood protectively in front of both of them, arms cautiously spread out in a shielding position. Like a tiger, Lilith stood crouched now, wings flexing predatorily every so often, anger clear in her gaze. Amodeus had shaken his shock off and now held his staff tightly. Then there was Daxis, floating still, eyes transfixed intensely on Sally. His form was hooked, as if at any moment it would spring forward like a spear and pierce whoever was in its way. "You cannot escape, Child…" he threatened, crooking his head to the side.

Sally, however, was unshaken. She began swiveling Tails around toward the rope as Sonic swiped his nose at the Walker. "Tough talk for someone who just got his ethereal ass handed to him!" he spat back.

Amodeus sputtered with rage. "Your tongue's run free long enough, whelp!" he roared. "We don't need you anymore, so it's time I did something I've been waiting a LONG time for!"

Even as winds whipped around the goat's body, Sonic glanced behind him. Tails and Sally were both wrapping their hands around the rope. Clenching his fists and tensing his body, the hedgehog readied himself to take the charge and give them the cover they needed to escape. Then, in a heartbeat, the powder keg was lit. Amodeus, staff now a pillar of flame in his hands, moved to strike, but Sonic cut him to the quick. Blasting forward, he rammed the Shaman with all his strength, sending him flying with a yelp. Lilith was quick to react, striking at Sonic with claws bared. "RUN!" the speedster shouted to his friends, dodging out of Lilith's way and jumping just in time to avoid the sinkhole Daxis had made for him. "RUN, RUN, RUN!!!"

"Go, Tails, GO!" Sally urged, and the fox began to climb as best he could.

Turning back, the squirrel's eyes rested upon Sonic, still dancing about through the many attacks of his enemies while simultaneously shifting their focus off the rope, but soon she too began to climb.

Up above, Knuckles tried to pull the rope up to no avail. The two Mobians clinging to it were too heavy. "I can…I CAN…" he thought briefly, but shook it away. He'd learned his lesson. Hiding his weakness did not make it go away. "J…Julie-Su!" he grunted, still trying, "Help them up! Quickly!"

In a heartbeat, the pink echidna was at his side, pulling the rope with all her strength. Feeling her warmth at his side…knowing how close he had come to losing that warmth forever because of his stubbornness…it gave Knuckles pause. Yet he did not lose sight of their shared goal. Slowly but surely, their efforts proved successful: inch by inch the rope climbed up, and with it Sally and Tails. The fox came up first, stepping onto the cracked stone, adding his own arms to the effort. Sally's form soon came into view, yet she did not let go of the rope. "C'mon, Sally, we have to get out of here! Somehow!" Tails urged, the last word a concession to the fact that he had no idea HOW they would get out; Lilith had destroyed the kunai they'd used to enter.

Rather than follow that instruction, however, Sally remained still, feet pressed to the broken ledge of rock. "Knuckles, Julie-Su…thank you both for coming to help me." She said, looking up at the two echidnas with a warm smile. "And Tails…I love you. So, SO much."

"Aunt Sally…?"

"This isn't goodbye, Tails. There's just something I have to do. Take care of yourself and the others, OK?"

Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Tails all stood stone still, not quite sure what to make of Sally's statement. It became a bit more clear when she released her hold on the rope, her feet leaping off the stone's edge. With an athleticism she had not used for some time, the Princess flipped back down to the Sanctuary, landing on the tips of her toes. Looking out ahead, she saw that Sonic was still playing decoy. Yet he was slowly being boxed in; the sanctuary's roof may have been all but gone, but it was still ultimately a confined space, and the less of it Sonic had to use, the worse. Still, at the end of the day, HE was not the one they wanted. He was a hurdle to overcome for them, and one they would dismiss without hesitation if their true goal was within reach. Knowing that, Sally took a deep breath, than shouted at the top of her lungs, "DAXIS!!!"

Sure enough, all three froze mid-motion, and slowly their gazes turned toward the Princess. "You…" Daxis hissed, eyes flaring up in intensity.

"Yes. Me." Sally answered tersely.

As before, a brief stillness settled upon them all, but this one was far briefer. Body bubbling and throbbing like a flame fed fresh kindling, Daxis rose up like a serpent into the air with a howl that spoke of terrible evils. For a moment, the Princess felt a familiar, choking fear well up inside of her…a fear made of nightmares and dark voices…but it passed quickly this time. Daxis was still dangerous on a level few others could be, but he could not control her with fear any longer. That was why she was here now: this was a fight she could not run from. This had to end. HE had to end.

From below Daxis' body, the ground cracked and splintered into chunks, swirling up like a dust cloud around him. Then, with a pulse of crimson, they dispersed, flying out at Sally with their sharp edges face forward. Leaping out of the way, the squirrel found herself rolling across the floor as the stone knives flew about, crashing and shattering behind her. "You should have escaped when you had the chance, Child," Daxis shouted angrily at her, "because now…you will NEVER leave this Temple!"

Even as she continued evading the flurry of rocks and stones, feeling the fragments nick her body along the way, the squirrel wondered what the Walker's plan was. "Does he intend to kill me?" she wondered. "I thought he'd want me alive to finish the job…"

She did not let it worry her; regardless of Daxis' plans, HER plan was to stop him either way. Breaking out of the roll with which she'd evaded attack so far, she began running as fast as she could, stone still shattering close behind. Yet in the corner of her vision, she could see Amodeus and Lilith both preparing to join their Master in the attack. "Time to stop playing defense…" she thought sternly, beginning to change her direction.

She was not alone in that regard. Sonic had not spent his window of escape from attack idly. The whole time he had been backing away from the trio, hoping to put a solid deal of distance between them before striking. Now, back to the wall, the hedgehog braced himself. "Hang on, Sal, here comes the cavalry!" he thought before revving his feet up and around. "A good ol' fashioned Triple Eight Peel-Out oughta do it!"

With a fierce spring he sped forward, fists outstretched. "LOOK OUT!" Lilith shouted, her sensitive ears picking up the sound of Sonic's movement.

Though Amodeus and Daxis both moved out of the way, the time Lilith had taken to warn them left her without time to dodge the attack herself. So it was she found herself rammed into by the hedgehog, moving at top speed and carrying her like a train down the hall. As they rushed past Sally, the hedgehog's gaze briefly met the squirrel's. It was a split second, neither one stopping for knowledge of the battle still being fought, but it was a powerful moment for both even so. All too quickly it was over, however, and the fight continued. "This is wrong!" Amodeus shouted to Sally, stepping forward in front of Daxis and raising his staff up defensively. "You and Daxis are ALREADY linked, Child! Why fight the inevitable?"

The Princess did not bother to answer. Knowing Daxis controlled the ground around him, she instead leapt into the air, tackling Amodeus and grabbing at his staff. If she could rest it from him, the Princess knew, it would deprive the goat of much of his strength. "I beg of you, see reason!" the shaman growled in an oddly pleading way, "This is the only hope for our world!"

"I've heard that line enough times!" Sally replied sharply, feeling the goat's grip on his staff loosening.

The furs on the back of her neck, however, prickled. The ground beneath the two struggling Mobians began to sift away like sand. Gasping, Sally reluctantly rolled off the shaman and dashed for cover. Behind her she heard Daxis' haunting shriek and heard stone once more begin to crack. From above, however, flashes of light burst down toward them. "The Source?" Sally briefly thought, but soon realized it was laser fire.

Julie-Su, beam rifle aimed, fired off another round at the floating spectre. Knuckles stood by her side, Tails leaning on him. "C'mon, Sally!" the fox shouted. "Get back up here!"

"You too, Sonic!" Knuckles cried.

He tossed the rope back down into the Sanctuary. Sally looked back and forth between it and Daxis, unsure now what to do next. There was no way she could leave this fight unfinished: Daxis had to be stopped. Yet in the Temple, he had the advantage, and though she and Sonic were holding their own for now, she knew they would never be able to win on this battlefield. To retreat with Knuckles and the others, however, meant invoking Daxis' wrath on them as well, something Sally could not bring herself to do. Ultimately, however, the choice was made for her: Sonic scooped the Princess into his arms, circling back and leaping up onto the rope as high as he could get. One hand on the rope, the other holding Sally close to his body, Sonic then began to struggle upwards as fast as he could, Julie-Su's continued laser fire providing them cover. "Come on, COME ON!" Knuckles shouted encouragingly, "You're almost there!"

"Hurry up, I don't think this is going to work forever!" Jule-Su added, watching as her beams passed harmlessly through his body.

The Walker gave soft grunts of annoyance at her continued attacks but, beyond light burns on the red of his cloak, showed no signs of harm. Yet he made no move to attack the retreating group. With an intense and unwavering glare he watched Sonic reach the top with Sally, climbing up to join his friends at last. Amodeus lifted himself off the ground, a bit shaken at almost being submerged by his Master. "My Lord?" he asked softly. "Why do you not pursue?"

"They should be DEAD already…" Daxis snarled in reply. "They should have died the moment I wished it so."

"Your body is…incomplete, Master," Amodeus said soothingly, but silenced himself at the reproachful way the Walker's body glowed.

"LILITH." He barked, watching the group above retreat down the upper corridor, out of eye sight.

The bat, wearied by Sonic's unexpectedly forceful assault, nevertheless roused herself and stood back up. "Yes, My Lord?" she asked.

"Pursue them. Kill them all if you can."

"ALL of them?" she asked uncertainly.

The wraith nodded. For a moment, Lilith hesitated, but it passed quickly. "If only things could have gone differently, Blue…" she thought sadly before answering aloud, "As you wish."

With that, the bat took to the skies and flew after the others. "Should we not join her?" Amodeus asked anxiously, afraid to question his Lord's judgment but unsure of just what he was planning.

"We have more pressing matters to attend to." Daxis answered firmly. "Take me to the Deadlands of Northwood."

The goat felt his heart skip a beat. "N…Northwood?" he asked, coughing a bit. "But…"

"NOW."

Loyalty and fear overrode hesitation, and the shaman nodded in acquiescence. Slamming his staff to the ground, the light of teleportation erupting from it, he only prayed that whatever they were travelling to Northwood for would not disturb those who rested there…

XXX

For all the excitement surrounding them, there was a stunned silence surrounding Sonic and the others when he and Sally finally finished their climb. The squirrel removed herself from Sonic's arms, trying hard to say "thank you", or else chastise the hedgehog for forcing retreat on her, or SOMETHING, but somehow nothing came out. Sonic too wanted to ask Sally what in the world she had been thinking coming back like she had, perhaps congratulate her on giving Amodeus a good thrashing, and he failed just as much as the Princess. Instead, they both kept their gazes unfocused and away from the other. Julie-Su, the nozzle of her rifle still smoking, did not feel so patient. "Hey, sleepyheads!" she said forcefully, "We need a way out of here, right now!"

Both immediately snapped back to attention. Sally reacted swiftly. "I should be able to move us out of the Temple…I did it once before." She said, remembering her earlier escape.

Sonic, meanwhile, was looking back down the hallway toward where the Sanctuary was. Why weren't they being attacked already? The Order had the power to strike them at will in here, yet no one had yet appeared, and it unnerved him deeply. It could only mean they were planning something truly destructive. "Sonic!" Knuckles called to him, "Come on, we're getting out of here!"

The hedgehog turned back to see Sally kneeling before their unconscious team-mates. Geoffrey, Hershey, Rotor, and the three Arachne all remained still and motionless on the ground. The Princess was linking their hands together. As he watched her help, the hedgehog smiled; she really WAS back. It was hard to believe, thinking over the panicked and frightening memories that rested prominently in his mind. After all that chaos, the idea of things going back to normal seemed impossible, but…there Sally was, leading like she had in the good old days, confident and sure, and it felt right. "C'mon, Sonic." Tails urged, adding his own hand to the growing chain.

"Right, Big Guy."

Sally took his hand into hers, holding it tightly. She too felt the warmth of memory in that moment, the comfort of these people who were such a strong part of her life. To have that back…to have those constants thought lost given back…meant so much to the Princess. It was how she had gotten this far, after all. Again, the urge to say SOMETHING to Sonic reared up, but she knew escape had to come first. Recalling how she had done so before, Sally focused her mind upon the floor, envisioning the Main Hall where the exit was located.

Then, from right beneath them all, Lilith burst out of the floor. Knuckles and Tails were tripped off their feet by her appearance, but Sonic, Sally, and Julie-Su reacted fast enough to avoid the bat. Despite her sudden and severe entrance, however, Lilith seemed oddly calm. There was a resigned melancholy in her eyes, and Sonic, looking up at them from his crouched position on the ground, could see it clear as day. Though it did little to relax his tensed and ready-for-battle posture, it piqued the hedgehog's sympathies. Sally saw it…sensed it…too, and so, immediately stepping in to be the voice of reason, she asked simply but sternly, "What do you want?"

Lilith shot her a cool but contemptuous look, then replied in kind, "To make an offer."

Sonic gritted his teeth. "No offer YOU could make is worth listening to!" he snapped.

Yet he soon realized Lilith was not paying attention to him. She was, instead, focused entirely on Sally. "You want Blue to walk away from this place alive, too, don't you?" the bat asked, tone blending loathing and understanding in equal measure.

Sally nodded gently, eyes looking straight into Lilith's, trying to gauge the bat's thoughts. "Then here's the deal," Lilith said bluntly, "YOU, Princess, and ONLY you, surrender to me, and I will let Blue and all your little friends leave without lifting a finger to stop them."

"Not a chance!" Sonic snapped venomously, rising up and striding in front of Lilith. "In case you didn't notice, we thrashed your Big Bad Boss back there. We can get out of here WITHOUT your help!"

"You think that NOW," Lilith replied tersely, "but I guarantee your tune will change very soon, Blue."

"We're not afraid of Daxis!" Sonic retorted, not willing to concede an inch.

"In THAT case, you're dumber than I thought!" Lilith shot right back.

Sally had to blink as she watched the two bicker. Just as before, there was an air of familiarity to their arguing, only this time it was tempered with feelings of unease. The way Sonic and Lilith argued…it was just like how SHE and Sonic would argue…right down to that subtle but undeniable sense that beneath the frustration and genuine conflict, there was a spark of something more. It was most disconcerting to see for the Princess. "I'd almost forgotten…" she realized. "The way the two of them were side by side when they showed up in Knothole two days ago…how close they seemed…"

Yet she steadfastly refused to allow such thoughts to sidetrack her now. Instead, she placed her hand on Sonic's again, to let him know he had given Lilith an answer they all agreed on. The hedgehog's sudden silence as he felt her touch made it clear he understood. Lilith noticed him stop, noticed WHY he stopped…it made her blood boil. Clenching her fists, she backed away from the group slowly. "I see…" she said lowly. "THAT's your choice?"

Sonic's only answer was a nod and a wry grin. For a moment, the bat felt sorrow…but it passed quickly. If the hedgehog was so determined to die with his Princess, who was she to stop him, after all? Bowing mockingly, she said, "Fine. Then consider this Goodbye, Blue. I've clearly mistaken you for someone else."

"Clearly." Sonic agreed. Then, a flicker of regret in his eyes, he said, "But…you don't have to stay here, either."

Everyone looked at the hedgehog in shock as he said that. Ignoring their gazes, he continued, "I know…the person you thought I was…knows you, Lil. You can leave this place, leave the Order, and still be happy."

The bat smirked, chuckling grimly. "If that's what you truly believe…" she said bitterly, "then I really HAVE lost you…"

With an ominous glare fixated upon Sally, the bat sank into the ground. No sooner was her head out of sight did the temple begin shaking violently. Sally felt ill all of a sudden, like waves of nausea were overwhelming her. "That backstabbing, underhanded…" Knuckles barked angrily, struggling to keep his balance. "She was STALLING us that whole time!"

"Everybody, link hands!" Sally shouted, fighting against the cold sickening sensation that felt like poison in her veins. "We've got to get out of here, NOW!"

XXX

The unending gray of the Deadlands was only slightly livened by the column of light that cracked down upon it. The light faded, and Daxis and Amodeus emerged into what was once Northwood. As it had before, the sight of the barren land stirred up painful memories for the Shaman. Before, he had been in control of them, hopeful that this dark symbol of what freedom truly entailed could convince the Child of the Source to give up her fight. Yet now…now he had NO idea what he was doing in the graveyard of his closest, dearest friends, and their dying howls were fresh in his thoughts. Even the fact that it was at Daxis' command that had brought them here did little to stifle that, and that too disturbed Amodeus. "Daxis' word is law, I've known that for years now." He thought tensely. "So why…why does his order to bring us here fill me with such dread?"

"This is where you and I first met, is it not?" the Walker asked coolly with his back turned, bringing Amodeus' attention back to the present…somewhat.

"Y…yes, my Lord…" the goat replied.

"The place where you saw the truth of your race and recanted your old Gods for me, yes?" Daxis pressed, the sound of hidden purpose in his rumbling voice.

"Yes, Lord Daxis…" Amodeus repeated, feeling his body quiver, a cough suddenly racking its way through him.

With frightful speed, the wraith turned to face him. "What were your EXACT words, Shaman?" he asked sharply.

Another cough preceded Amodeus' answer. "M…my Lord, that was…many years ago…"

"Your VOW, Shaman…" Daxis growled, eyes burning brighter. "Repeat your VOW to me."

The scar over Amodeus' face burned like a red-hot branding iron. Hissing in pain, he choked out, "I…I swear to you…your name alone shall be the one…I take in worship..."

"And other names which hold claims of sanctity?" Daxis asked, remembering his own words with the perfection of his timeless memory.

"F…falsehoods…" the shaman answered as he had all those years before, "Pretenders…Ignorant Gods…who do not understand the true value of this world Mobius…"

"Will you serve me loyally? Speak my message flawlessly? Carry out my wishes without question?"

"…Yes…I shall serve you with loyalty and faith…to create your new world!"

The burning in Amodeus' scar stopped. Lurching over in relief, the goat gasped loudly. "Hold that memory strong, my Shaman…" Daxis said ominously.

Amodeus found it hard to hold ANYTHING strong at the moment, though his vitality was slowly returning. Nevertheless, reciting his vow had left him even more unnerved; there were very few reasons Lord Daxis would ask for such a clear and powerful affirmation of loyalty, and none of them were pleasant. "We are closer now than ever to our victory," Daxis said, "If we wish to grasp it, we must make…sacrifices. My body is incomplete, too weak to finish the job. We MUST strengthen it to succeed."

"Lord…Daxis…?"

"Summon the Echoes of Northwood, Shaman."

Amodeus felt his heart freeze. Bach…the troops…all the souls who had died on that fateful day…the Echoes were the last shred of existence they had left. The rest had been lost to the ethers of time and death. To take that away from them…to effectively kill the only thing of his friends that remained…it staggered the goat's mind. "My…my Lord…is there no other way?" he asked desperately.

"The Echoes are fragments of pure life force," Daxis explained, "and I know of no other place on Mobius that holds them in such magnitude. Summon them to this plane so I might take their strength and add it to my own."

Again, terrible coughs choked out of Amodeus, trying to rationalize what was being asked of him. Daxis had his reasons, he thought. Daxis needed to claim the Child fully, he thought. This was the only way, he thought. Yet none of those thoughts overcame the guilt swelling in his stomach. "I…I…Lord Daxis…" he wheezed in fear, knowing defiance was unacceptable, but…, "I don't know…I don't know if I can…"

He felt his scar begin to grow warm again. "You mean you don't know if you WILL…" the Walker growled.

"They are my friends, Lord Daxis…" Amodeus said pleadingly, tears forming in his good eye despite his efforts to hold them back, "You are asking me to…erase them from existence…forever…"

"Yes I am," Daxis answered bluntly. "And you will. Because that is what NEEDS to happen in order for us to succeed."

The goat licked his lips anxiously, still feeling that eerily alien moistness in his eye. To create a better world…a world where War was dead and tragedies like what happened to Bach would be silenced forever…that was why he had turned away from Aurora and her teachings. That was why, when he had felt himself hovering between life and death on the scorched battlefield and that faint, powerful voice had spoken to him, he had listened. That was why, when he had awoken, a scar ran along his face to remind him of his promise. That was why he had kidnapped an innocent young girl from her home and subjected her to terrible torture. For Daxis. He had done it all for Daxis and the new world he had promised. In all this time, that had been enough. "SHAMAN!" the Walker roared, all patience lost. "Summon the Echoes! NOW!!!"

It had been enough before. It would be enough now. It WOULD be enough now. It WOULD. Repeating that thought over and over and over in his mind, Amodeus nodded, blinking his tears and doubts away. "Yes…Master." He answered.

Closing his eyes, the goat whispered the words needed to bring the Echoes forth. "Tes'p Rof-wad, Coeshe, out'n sith nelpa… Tes'p Rof-wad, Coeshe, out'n sith nelpa… Tes'p Rof-wad, Coeshe, out'n sith nelpa… "

Again and again he recited the spell, each repetition a little louder than the last. From the ground, threads of mist began to rise up, coiling like snakes around each other. There were voices, whispers from within them that chorused together in a strange sort of blissful agony. Vague faces and shapes pulsed inside the mist as it rose higher and higher, growing thicker and thicker. "Yes…yesssssssss…" Daxis hissed eagerly as he watched them emerge.

Amodeus' chant continued, his eyes gazing only at the ground, unable to look upwards for fear that what he would see could crush his will to continue the spell. Daxis opened his cloak, revealing the empty red interior. "Come to me, Echoes…" he whispered hungrily. "Feed your True God…"

They obeyed. Without question or will, they obeyed, flowing into the endless red of the Walker. As they entered, their moans began to distort and mutate. The beauty…the twisted harmony…of their anguish vanished, replaced with pain. Pure, unending pain. Amodeus shut his eyes, wishing as hard as he could for that noise to just go away…but then, in one last gasp, he felt his mind reverberate with familiar words: "…Preacher…Man…"

"Bach?" he gasped aloud, looking up before he could stop himself.

Perhaps it was the goat's mind playing a cruel trick on him. Perhaps it was real. Whatever it was, though, Amodeus saw as clear as day the tusked face of his long-dead friend in that final wisp of mist, only to watch it sucked away like water into a drain, melting into nothing within Daxis. Growling lowly, the wraith felt the Echoes flowing inside of him, their power feeding into his own. For a moment, he simply trembled, but then, in a burst of light, the skull ascended into the sky, body rising up like a towering inferno. Caught off guard, Amodeus found himself literally blown away as waves of sheer force emanated from the blazing Walker's body. Roaring inhumanly in pleasure and triumph, the demon glared down at his servant. "You have served me well, Shaman…" Daxis rumbled. "Now…we must return to the Temple to finish this."

Exhausted physically and mentally, Amodeus could give no answer. The Walker did not mind; he did not need the Shaman's help any more. With a bolt of crimson, both had vanished from the place once known as Northwood.

The Temple quaked at their return.

XXX

The trembling that shook through the Temple was getting worse, to the point where pieces of stone had begun to chip off the wall. It was thus little ease on the growing tension that racked her body that Sally emerged with a gasp from the floor of the Main Hall, Sonic and the others still circled around her. The giant gate loomed before them, the promise of escape in its open doors. "OK, now what?" Julie-Su asked loudly. "The end of the hall's the only way out, but it'll take us forever to get there with so many unconscious bodies to drag around!"

"I can run 'em out in no time!" Sonic answered, already beginning to scoop Geoffrey into his arms.

"Are you sure you can still move through the walls, Sonic?" Knuckles asked, even as Tails' eyes found themselves falling to the floor; up until now, he and the others had not given much thought to the fact that Sonic's blood was what had gotten them into the Temple to begin with, which could only mean…

"He won't need to." Sally replied swiftly, responding quickly to the fox's distress. "I'll go with him."

Knuckles nodded silently at that. No risk that Sonic would fail, then. Tails too gave a soft "mm-hm" of approval. Neither, however, felt much more comfortable about the fact that had just been brought back to the fore of their attention. Nevertheless, the more present problem kept them alert. With Geoffrey in Sonic's arms, Sally silently crept onto the hedgehog's back. His prickly quills were uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Once he was sure she was safely on, the hedgehog sped off into the dark tunnel.

The self-imposed silence between the two remained even as they sped past the ruined remains of the Hovercraft. Before too long, the end of the stone hall came into sight. Sally shut her eyes, focusing as best she could. "Outside…" she thought strongly. "Take us outside…"

Sonic leapt without pause into the wall, passing through it at last into the outside world. It was strange for the Blue Blur to behold that world again with his eyes wide open, stranger still that his first glimpse was of a storm swept field that was the very portrait of dull grey misery. Laying Geoffrey softly upon the ground, he immediately turned back to the trembling dome. Again, Sally focused, and again, Sonic entered. Back and forth they went, the quake growing worse with each trip. Before too long, only one of the Arachne remained. "Almost there…" Sonic comforted his friends, kneeling down to lift the spider up.

Sally slid off his back. At this point, the group would travel together sans Sonic's speed. As soon as her feet touched the floor, however, the tight pressure in her gut restricted like a vice. Taken by surprise, the squirrel gasped in pain, doubling over. Immediately, all eyes went to her, but they had little time to react. A screech, like the dying call of some unnatural animal, tore through the air, and with it came a trail of shattering stone, a crack that moved like a serpent through the ground like a bolt of lightning. Then, from out of the bolt's edge, a tendril of throbbing red, like a fountain of blood, lashed out and whipped toward the group. "Look out!" Julie-Su shouted, drawing her pistol.

The red wave crashed downward, causing the group to scatter. Sally, still feeling her insides burning up, stumbled in her step, tripping over but quickly recovering. "It's him!" she cried out through the pain. "It's Daxis!"

Sonic, still holding the Arachne in his arms, felt the small ninja begin to stir. "W…what…?" the spider mumbled in confusion.

Tearing through the stone floor, the throbbing red tendril lashed out again, this time at Sonic. Dodging quickly, the hedgehog attempted to run toward Sally, only to be cut off by another thrash from the tendril. "Man! Just a few minutes ago, this guy couldn't even touch us!" Sonic yelled in frustration as he dodged again. "How'd he get so strong all of a sudden?!?"

There was no time to answer that question, for soon another screeching sound joined the current one. Before long, the first tendril was joined by a second, both whipping to and fro wildly, ripping the chamber apart. "His…his body…" the spider clutched to Sonic's chest whispered. "The Source warned us…his body can absorb life force…"

Circling around the chamber, even as it fell further and further apart under the continued thrashing of the crimson enemies, Sonic attempted to regroup with the others. "Glad you could join us." he muttered sarcastically to his passenger.

"My brothers…" the spider coughed, body beginning to move more and more in Sonic's arms, "Where…are my…brothers?"

Another attempt to get back to the others thwarted, Sonic leapt back as yet a third pillar of red crashed out of the ground. "Outside, which is kinda where we were hoping to go!" the hedgehog answered.

"SONIC!"

It was Tails. Still leaning on Knuckles, who was clearly running himself ragged dodging the attacking tentacles with the extra weight on him, the fox's fearful eyes were cast to the skeletal throne on the far end of the room. From within its bony structure, eyes of sheer flame were slowly emerging. Taking notice, Sonic knew time was running out. They had to get out now, or it was over. "Hey, spider-guy…" he said, "how you feelin'?"

"Weak…but growing stronger…" the Arachne replied.

"Strong enough to go for a little spin?"

"Wh…what do you…?"

Before the spider could finish his question, Sonic bolted to the side as a tendril crashed down toward him. Then, rather than try to head toward the group as he had before, the speedster took to the wall, rushing across its surface so swiftly it was as if his feet were stuck to the stone. One of the tendrils took notice of his movement, hurtling toward him. "Right on cue…" Sonic whispered smugly.

Leaping into the air, the hedgehog curled into a Sonic Spin, taking the Arachne into the swirling attack with him. With a buzzing strike, he collided with Daxis' arm, quills spinning fast enough to cut through steel. It was an odd feeling, passing through the Walker…his body felt like slime, thick and wet…but there was something else as well, something not felt so much as sensed. Something chilling…something hateful…something familiar, buzzing in the back of his mind. Pushing through it all, Sonic's cutting body emerged safely on the other side, chilled by the experience but still sturdy. "Sonic, over here!" Tails called out.

He had made it to Tails! He and Knuckles were not far from Sally and Julie-Su. All of them had managed to retreat closely to the gate as the monstrous tendrils closed in on them. Suddenly, Sonic felt himself relieved of the Arachne's weight as the ninja swiftly leapt out of his arms. Trembling a bit, head spinning, the spider tried to compose himself. "Please…if ever you do something like that again…" he mumbled, "warn me first."

"Let's make sure there's a 'next time' for anything first!" Knuckles replied.

Sally, the pain in her body reduced to a dull ache, watched the throbbing claws of red with suspicious eyes. As the others moved cautiously toward the gate, she could not help but feel something was…wrong. The burning eyes remained in the throne, unmoving. "What is he waiting for…?" she wondered cautiously.

Rolling out of the way as a tentacle smashed down toward them, Sally's suspicions only grew as the red claw tore down one of the gate doors, making escape even easier. "Aunt Sally, c'mon!" Tails cried as the group retreated into the corridor. Watching their forms fade into the shadows, the squirrel's mind raced. "This is a trap, this is a trap, this is a trap…" her panicked thoughts warned her, but what form would that trap take?

That was when it hit her. "NO, DON'T!" she shouted in fearful realization, dashing in a desperate attempt to grab one of them.

Too late. From behind her, all three tendrils rose up, merging into a single wall that knocked Sally into the corridor and blocked the exit. "I can't merge through the walls of the corridor…" Sally thought. "Now that his body's blocking the entrance, we're trapped between here and the exit…and if Daxis was trying to trap us in here, that means…"

The dull ache flared into searing pain again, confirming Sally's fear. The floor…she felt something moving through the floor. Even as the others turned back in surprise at their entrance being blocked, it continued to snake beneath them. "Move…" Sally urged, eyes fixed on the ground. "Move, MOVE!"

Everyone began running as fast as they could toward the exit, save Sonic, who maintained a slowed pace to keep the others in sight. Yet none of them could have moved fast enough. "Move…move, MOVE!!!" a taunting echo hissed from all around. "Yes…flee from me, FEAR me…quiver in my shadow, as your kind has always been meant to!"

From out of the ground, from the walls, from the ceiling, crimson whips lashed out of the cracks and stone. Before any of them could dodge, all five found themselves tangled up in the red, slimy tendrils. Arms, legs, torso…all wrapped up. None of them could move.

"In the end, though…" Daxis gloated grimly, "you cannot fight Destiny."

Though his body was thinned considerably, stretched out across the hall as it was, the wraith still made an imposing figure as he rose out of the stone floor. The blood marks upon his skull pulsed and shimmered rhythmically, as did his blazing eyes. Looking closely upon the face she had so neatly memorized from her nightmares, Sally realized there was a beat to those pulses…her heart. Each beat of her heart, and the marks…the eyes…glowed a little brighter. Struggling against her slimy restraints, the Princess stared the Walker down as best she could. Sonic too fought to free himself, grunting from the effort even as his eyes darted to and fro between Sally and Daxis. The Walker, however, paid him no heed, focused entirely on Sally as he spoke, "The Source tried to protect you…after you first made contact with it, it sensed my presence within you and sought to insulate you from my powers…it failed. Just as YOU failed. Now…at last…I can finally reclaim what is mine…"

He coiled back, snake-like…and lunged forward.

"NO!"

Several snapping sounds. A blur of blue. A gust of wind swooping into the ground. It all happened so fast, Sally could barely tell anything had happened at all. Blinking for a minute, she quickly pieced together what had occurred, finding herself freed from Daxis' clutches. Tails, Knuckles, and Julie-Su had been released as well, the tendrils having sunk back from where they came. Flipping over, Sally pressed her hands upon the floor, trying with all her might to will herself through the stone. It did not work. "He took Sonic…" she whispered desperately, "that monster took Sonic!"

XXX

Down, down, down Sonic fell through shadows and cold, hands gripped tightly against the bony shoulders of his enemy. Entangled in the demon's amorphous body, they plummeted down into the deepest, darkest level of the Temple, finally crashing on the dank floor. Like quicksand, Daxis covered Sonic's body, pinning the hedgehog to the ground. "STILL getting in my way, 'Hero'?" he asked incredulously.

"Call it a bad habit…" Sonic cough-chuckled beneath the pressing weight of the Walker's body.

"Fine…I'll deal with you first, then."

The wraith's skull and shoulder blades sank into the red robe, flowing through it and emerging again next to Sonic's head. "Flexible little bone-head, aren't ya?" he quipped, feeling a strange vertigo as the push of the threads became upward rather than downward, as if the flowing form had reversed direction.

There was an eminent heat in Daxis' eyes as he looked over his struggling prey. "Do you think you're stalling me?" he asked calmly. "Think you're sacrificing your life to protect your friends? Your beloved Child?"

As if pulled by an invisible string, Daxis rose upward without actually bending a single piece of his form. Feeling as if a hundred tiny hands were pushing him back, Sonic nevertheless replied, "Can't…can't really say I thought it through that far. Just knew I had to keep you away from Sal…'n' I did."

"For a moment, perhaps." The wraith whispered ominously, a lone tendril stroking the scar that ran along Sonic's chest; to the hedgehog's surprise, it stung as if the wound were fresh, even though it was two days old by now. "But she will not leave you behind. None of them will. She will come back for you, just like she did in my Sanctuary earlier. What do you say to THAT?"

"I'd say…" Sonic said, pausing a bit to hiss at the continued probing but finally finishing, "I'd say you're…ngh…in big trouble."

The tendrils tightened their grip on him. "For one in as poor a position as yours, you sound quite confident…" Daxis growled.

"I've…hrn…danced this dance before, Skull-Face..." Sonic replied, doing his best to look the Walker in the eye. "'Buttnik, Eggman, Naugus…urk…Mogul, the Xorda…they all had power too, 'n' they all thought we were nothing compared to them. Same old…same old song 'n' dance…they lost. YOU lost...because…"

For the briefest of moments, he saw all of them…his family…his friends…Sally…right before his eyes clear as day. That was the reason Robotnik had lost in the end. Why Eggman and Mogul and Naugus all failed. It was an image that faded quickly, however, as the soft sensitive sting turned to sharp stabbing pain. Blood trickled down Sonic's body as Daxis' claws drilled into his scar. "Lost? There is no LOSS for me, 'Hero', only infinitesimal delays!" the Walker snapped furiously.

Sonic tried his best not to scream, but the squirming tentacle slowly burrowing into his body made that impossible. Howling out in pain, he thrashed about, trying harder and harder to bust out of the Walker's body. Yet this time, there was no give to the crimson robe. It held him down strong and tight, forcing him to endure. "Crow all you want about the strength your bonds of Friendship have given…think all you wish of how deep your affections for the Child run…but in the end, your Blood is MARKED by my touch…and I can see through it into EVERYTHING you are." Daxis growled, a strange hunger in his voice.

Deeper and deeper the wraith's claws sank. At first they felt like hot metal, but as they crawled down further they began to feel…cold. Ice cold. "L…look all ya want," Sonic spat in challenge, trying to ignore the biting shiver racking his body. "You…won't…find anything…"

Yet even as he said it, Sonic felt the claws clench inside of him. Shrieking out in pain, his mind filled with horrid images. Charred trees strewn across a burning landscape…houses crumbling to ash…and in the middle of all, Sally was staring up at him in horror. Antoine, Bunnie, Rotor…all were by her side, all shared her frightened expression. "Hm hm…your time in my service wasn't the first time you've fought your friends, I see…" Sonic heard the Walker's clearly-amused voice over the scene...and slowly, he began to realize why it all looked so familiar.

Looking down, he felt his blood chill at the sight of his hand: metal where once was flesh, a blaster warm from having just fired jutting out of his wrist. "Quite the thrill, wasn't it?" Daxis taunted. "Getting to let go of your inhibitions…running wild with Power, no need to regard the safety of others for once…you enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Being Roboticized was a nightmare!" Sonic hissed, closing his eyes and trying to will the memory away. "I NEVER wanted to hurt my friends!"

Against his will, the hedgehog's eyes opened, and a stream of crimson energy blasted out of them, igniting another batch of Huts and trees. "Yet I can feel it…" Daxis said, breath deep as if he was taking in some wonderful aroma. "Buried beneath the fear and confusion, there is glorious exhilaration…"

The fires finally began to fade. The cold, mechanized shell of Metal Sonic seemed to peel away like dead skin. Only now, there was another familiar and unwanted image from the past standing in front of him. Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, and Tails…all crumpled on the ground. He was in the heart of the Freedom Fighters' base, on a mission for…Robotnik? "Ahh…ANOTHER battle with your friends…for people you supposedly care for, you've come into conflict with them quite often…"

"Not…my fault…" Sonic insisted weakly. "Robotnik…he messed with my head…"

"Yes…but you still DREAM of these battles, don't you? You still think long and hard about what they were like…what it felt like to apply your power without Rules. Without restrictions." Daxis whispered exuberantly, taking in the wondrously conflicted sensations pulsing through his prey.

He gasped suddenly, eyes widening as his claws sensed a deep, lingering darkness within Sonic's blood…a memory from another time. The wraith's claws clenched, and Sonic watched as the world in front of his eyes morphed again, a whirl of colors dissolving one scene into the next. This time, however, Sonic felt himself moving with it…his body and thoughts shifting into the flow of change. "No excuses now, are there?" Daxis asked as this new scene set itself. "This time…it was you and ONLY you ready to break those chains…ready to cut loose with all you had…"

Sonic was now in a deep, dank cave. His body was covered in bruises and cuts, and a pair of hard and fierce hands were gripping down at his shoulder and head. Pressing back up fiercely, animalistically, he could feel the strain of physical and emotional exhaustion gnawing at his very bone. He was grappling with Geoffrey St. John, exchanging heated words with the skunk, but that was only vaguely known to him. All that mattered was the rage…the blood-pumping RAGE that was the only thing that kept his body moving in that moment. Sally was dead, the world blamed him, he had been chased over and under and all around and he was tired and angry and Sally was dead and…

"And you want HIM dead too, don't you? You want to finally cut loose, let go, end it…you can do it…you have the POWER…"

"NO!!!"

With a sudden gasp, Sonic felt himself awaken. The memory was still there, but he no longer felt like he was inside it…he knew where he really was. "I'm not…" he urged strenuously, still feeling the sting as Daxis' claws probed inside him. "Not…like…that…

The push and pull of the Walker's flowing form felt stronger against Sonic's body, like the pull of the ocean tide sucking him off the beach. "But you ARE, my little 'Hero'…" Daxis hissed, his head suddenly emerging directly in front of Sonic's face. "For all your pretensions of nobility, in the end your actions are NEVER about love or honor or duty…they're all about that next thrill, that next rush. THAT's why it was so easy for Lilith to seduce you: because you'd grown bored of only applying yourself in the ways Heroism demands. You were ready to find a NEW path, a more PRIMAL path that would unleash all the pent-up energy inside you and lash out against EVERYTHING…friend, foe, what would it matter?"

Sinking…Sonic felt himself sinking beneath the Red. His breath grew shallow, the claws felt sharper. "…you're…wrong…" he protested weakly, finding it hard to even speak anymore.

"I'm right. And you KNOW I'm right." Daxis laughed triumphantly.

Pressing his cold forehead against Sonic's, the wraith looked him straight in the eye. "Tell me, brat…how does it feel?" he asked, sadistic joy dripping off every word. "How does it feel to know everything you tell yourself you are is a delusion? That you're nothing more but a bloodthirsty animal looking for the next Kill to sate his desire? How does it feel to choke on your own Soul?"

Sonic's thrashing had calmed. His struggles had weakened. Though he still looked Daxis square in those blood-red eyes, his body was simply falling deeper into the wraith's formless being. Daxis pushed him down, ready to feast on even MORE life force. "Can you sense it, Child?"he thought proudly, eyes looking up to where he knew his true prey still rested. "I have your friend on the edge of Death…come save him, if you can…"

XXX

Sally gasped, clutching her sides as she felt those words force their way into her thoughts…felt as if her own hands were around Sonic's throat, choking all life out of him. The strange, ethereal connection that still tethered the Princess to the wraith had focused at his command, forcing
Sally to feel what Daxis felt: wave after wave of suffering heaped upon the helpless hedgehog with sadistic glee. "Leave him alone…let him go!" she thought angrily, even as she noticed the others approach her in concern.

Just as suddenly as the pressure had come, it left, and Sally backed away with a second gasp, pressing her back to the wall for balance. Her body still felt sick, a back-of-her-mind queasiness that served to remind her that while the closer, deadlier encounter had passed, the underlying link beneath it still remained. "Sally…" Knuckles spoke cautiously, aware of what had likely just happened.

"He's…using Sonic as bait…" Sally answered roughly, struggling with short and heavy breaths. "…torturing him…near to death…"

All those around her could hear the sheer, knee-buckling pressure in her voice. None of them had anything to offer. What solution was there? Going back was far too dangerous; Daxis had shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with as he was, there was no doubt he could make good of his designs for Mobius if he were to complete his body. She could not be allowed to fall into his clutches again. Leaving Sonic behind, however, was also unacceptable for obvious reasons. Of course, that was not a unanimous belief. "We…we should leave…" the Arachne spoke up softly, clearly uncomfortable in his suggestion. "It is…it's the only thing we can do. The hedgehog sacrificed himself to protect you, Child…and the Chosen One must be taken out of danger as well. Your…your lives outweigh his…"

There was little conviction in the spider's words, taken as they were from the fogged and blurry memories of his Master…the only thing of the Source that remained. Yet he knew them to be his mission. No matter how much it seemed cold and unfeeling to him now, the spider knew that mission was sacred and had to be followed. "Not how we do things…" Knuckles answered curtly. "Still…going back without a plan is as good as suicide…"

"Our odds would be better if we could get that Monster outside." Julie-Su offered as coolly as she could. "At least then he wouldn't have so much control of the terrain."

"But how do we do that?" Tails asked.

"You don't."

Everyone turned in surprise at the new voice coming from down the Hall. Sally recognized it instantly. "Amodeus…" she hissed lowly, feeling herself recovering and readying for another fight.

Yet as the elderly goat came into view, his gait was so haggard, his face showed such obvious exhaustion…it looked as if he might collapse at any second, leaning as he was upon his staff for support. Whatever fight he could give, Sally realized it probably would not amount to much. That, however, begged the question of why he'd chosen to reveal himself. "You're still alive…all of you…" the shaman observed, the feeling in his strained voice allusive. "Quite…quite an impressive feat…"

He slipped on the ground, stumbling for a step before recovering. "What do you want?" Julie-Su asked pointedly, laser rifle aimed at the goat.

"To see…a better tomorrow…" he answered, coughing harshly between words. "That's…all…I've ever wanted…"

He slumped against the wall suddenly. "It seems…seems I may have overexerted myself…trying to do so…" he chuckled ruefully, a laugh that briefly hinted at sobbing before it finished.

None of the others said anything. None of them were quite sure what to say. Snarling out suddenly in rage, Amodeus looked up at Sally, his open eye quivering. She saw in his gaze the eye of a man scorned, a man whose faith had proven misplaced. The squirrel realized with no small amount of unease that he was not looking at her…but into her. To the blood which had mingled with the Source of All. With a deep, guttural sigh, the Shaman's eye drifted back down to the ground. "I fear…I've lost my way…" he said, his voice devoid for the first time of any edge. "I thought I'd found it again…but I believe now I was mistaken…"

Slowly, Sally approached the shriveled goat with tentative steps. She had witnessed for herself the wild shifts in mood that Amodeus had displayed throughout her stay in the Temple, but this…this was something else. This was the first true sign of doubt she had seen in the Shaman, and that meant there was a chance…a chance to save Sonic. "Sally…!" Knuckles whispered sharply at her, not nearly so convinced.

She knelt down in front of Amodeus, ready to move at the first sign of trouble…but feeling increasingly certain there was not going to be any the more time passed. Resting his head upon his knee, the goat groaned, this time out of pain. "I wanted…wanted to believe…SO badly…" he said, voice now tinged in clear anguish. "But…the God I chose to believe in…the WORLD I wanted to believe in…I've seen now…neither one can ever truly exist…"

He coughed again, leading Sally to reach out to him. He quickly batted her hands away, weak though his arm was. "D…don't…misunderstand…" he growled. "I turned away from YOUR ways a long time ago…and I have no intent of turning back…but…"

A light cracking noise emanate from his staff...Amodeus' grip on it had grown strong enough to splinter some of the wood. "…but at least with you…the world still has a hope of changing…"

Suddenly, a mighty wind began to twist around his body. The staff's wooden form slowly peeled away, transforming from mere wood into a pillar of flame that seeped through the cracks between Amodeus' fingers. Beams of light began to peak out of his body, coalescing into an ever-growing orb of brilliant white that slowly began to encompass the entire hall. Blood slowly trickled out of his nose…his ears…his eyes…it was all but too much for his already-weakened old body to bear, pushing the spell this far…but it was what had to be done. "Amodeus…" Sally whispered pleadingly as she saw the toll he was enduring.

"No…words, Child…" he rasped, feeling his heart beating slower and slower as the light continued its expansion. "I don't deserve…a Farewell…"
With one final lurch, the light became all consuming.

XXX

"Come on. COME ON!"

Geoffrey's hands moved desperately across the tapestry of Mobius. He and the others were all searching for a way back inside, ANY way. Alas, though they had been searching since rousing from unconsciousness, they had yet to find one. "Please…" one of the Arachne begged of the skunk, "there is no way back into the Temple. Only those with blood marked by Daxis can enter…"

"I know that!" Geoffrey snapped sternly. "You explained before. But our friends, your BROTHER, are still inside there, and we can't just…leave them!"

The ninjas shared a glance with each other at his words, falling silent. "Our spider friends have a point." Rotor observed, still tracing his finger along the wall of the domed building. Even as Geoffrey turned a heated gaze to him, he continued, "I'm not saying 'give up', but simply looking around isn't going to help. Given how entry into the Temple works, the Order had no need to build doors, secret or otherwise. We're not going to get anywhere this way."

"Then what do you suggest?" Geoffrey asked, clenching the tapestry as he realized the walrus was right.

"Hmm…how about heading that way?" Hershey asked, pointing out into the rain that still poured over the fields.

"Why, luv?"

"Because there's a big glowing light over there."

Geoffrey, Rotor, and the Arachne all turned to the cat. Following her finger, they saw the sphere of white off in the distance and past the hills. "Let's go!" Geoffrey ordered, running off with the others not far behind.

XXX

It took Sally a minute to soak in the scene that emerged from the fading light. Rain pouring down heavily upon her…fields and hills all around…Knuckles, Julie-Su, Tails, and the Arachne nearby…and Daxis, looking confused and enraged, looming high above her. At her feet, Amodeus lay limp on the ground, crumpled like a discarded rag. Sally felt a deep sting of sorrow at the sight…but though she did not let that feeling fade from her thoughts, the Princess knew why the Shaman had made that monumental sacrifice…the opportunity he had given them, stripping Daxis of his malleable battlefield. Part of her wished it was not so easy to process it like that…

"Traitor…"

Daxis. His eyes were fixed squarely on Amodeus' corpse. Every inch of his body throbbed and bubbled, anger emanating from the entirety of his being as he hovered over the goat's lifeless body. Sally did not back away as he approached, however. Not yet. She wanted to…the fury she felt pumping through him into her was like a berserker army raging in War…but not yet. She had to see first…

"TRAITOR!!!"

Like a tidal wave of spears, the wraith's body sharpened and struck down toward Sally and Amodeus both. The Princess leapt out of the way, a small and irrational flicker of regret at not being able to drag Amodeus to safety as well hitting her as she watched the goat sink beneath the jagged tide. Still, her eyes remained focused on the Walker's body as it burrowed deep into the ground, looking…looking…THERE! It was brief, it was small, but she saw him. Just barely, through the folds and gaps, she saw Sonic. Struggling. Alive. And as that all-too-brief vision passed beneath the ground, a piercing sensation cut through the Princess right down to her very being. Sadness…doubt…regret…for a moment, she believed it to be her own emotions stirred by Daxis once again, but she realized soon that they were not her thoughts…but Sonic's. She could feel him through Daxis, and they weighed every bit as heavily upon the Hedgehog as they had upon her. "Get back from there!"

Julie-Su, grabbing her shoulder, pulling her away…! "It's Sonic!" Sally responded quickly. "Sonic's inside his body, we have to get him out before it's too late!"

"Inside?" the echidna asked in disbelief, wondering how it was this day kept finding things to surprise her with. Still, it was an easy enough surprise with which to deal. "Fine…then let's get messy."

Releasing her hold on the squirrel, Julie-Su cocked her Blaster and motioned for the Arachne to join her. While the spider hesitated, Knuckles, Tails still leaning on his shoulder, stepped forward. The young fox slowly eased away from him, feeling a bit more able, and joined with Julie-Su as well. "Knuckles…" Julie-Su whispered tensely.

"I know, I know…" The Guardian replied, "but…you'll need all the help you can get."

Looking at the three of them, standing together and ready to fight, Sally braced herself as well. There was terrible risk in placing herself within Daxis' reach, she knew, but that risk was outweighed...by the connection she shared with the Walker which gave her a critical insight into his movements…by the knowledge that the risk did not simply disappear if she stood back…by the fact that she could never live with shirking from a risk her friends embraced so readily…and because Sonic needed her. Those terrible emotions storming around inside him she'd felt so clearly before… they were just like the ones she'd been forced to confront during this ordeal. And he was sinking beneath them just like she had. She had to let him know…just like he had for her…

"I'm going too." She stated firmly, both to herself and to the others.

"You…you mustn't!"

It was the Arachne. He had not moved since Julie-Su had signaled for him, instead stuck to the spot as if magnetized. "If Daxis absorbs you…the Blood Pact will be completed, and his body will be restored completely." The spider said, clearly frightened. "If that happens…if his full power returns…"

A sudden gasp from Sally stopped the Arachne's sentence from finishing. "He's coming!" she shouted, feeling the wraith's fervent anger shooting up toward them.

Sally, Knuckles, Tails, and Julie-Su ran away from the cut in the ground Daxis' previous impact had made just as he soared out of it, body ablaze in crimson light, howling with anger. "My Shaman…MY Shaman!!!" he seethed incoherently. "He dares to betray ME? DARES to turn his back on ALL we worked for…!"

The clawed edges of his body dug into the ground as he stomped about, head swiveling around desperately. And then…he settled upon a lone, trembling figure beneath him. One of The Source's Bugs, too frightened to move. Anger still seethed from him, but Daxis felt calmed by the promise of fresh meat. Small comfort, but it would have to do.

Looking up from his quivering position on the ground, the disoriented Arachne could only watch in terror as one of the Wraith's claws slowly rose out of the dirt, sharp and ready to pierce. Coated in the shadows of the storm-filled sky, the already-imposing Walker looked all the more frightening. It was truly a delight to see that fear in the spider's eyes for Daxis…the fear he would bring to every last one of the wretched crawlers who infected this world. Mixed with his rage, it made him all the more dangerous. Raising his claw to the sky, he crooked his head softly, whispering, "What's wrong? Abandoned, little one? Betrayed?"

Not too far away, the others turned back and realized they'd lost one of their number.

"I sympathize." Daxis continued to taunt his helpless victim. "Indeed, I too have been betrayed…"

Sally and Julie-Su immediately began dashing forward, Tails and Knuckles not far behind.

"…so do not worry, little one…the Source may have abandoned you, but I am a true God…I will cease the feelings that torment you so!" Daxis' claw plunged downward…

With Julie-Su taking the lead, Sally motioned for Knuckles and Tails to follow her as she subtly broke away from the pink echidna. Sure enough, the serpentine claw of Daxis swerved at the last second toward her, even as another crawled out of his body to take its place in attacking the Arachne. "I extend the offer to you as well, Child!"

The Princess rolled out of the way of the incoming claw, and when it began to continue after her, she lifted her hands up as if in surrender. It did not slow the tendril's approach, but it was not meant to. Reacting instantly, Tails took to the sky, swooping forward and lifting Sally up into the air. At the same time, Julie-Su scooped the terrified Arachne into her arms, dashing past just in time to avoid the new-born claw's sharp thrust. "Come at me! All of you!" Daxis laughed, the thrill of battle further fueling him. "Come alone, or all at once, or in pairs, or in THOUSANDS! Or perhaps you'd prefer to perish running away from me? Hm hm hm…so many flavors of Death, so little time…"

His two claws began to stretch out towards their targets, one up in the air toward Sally and Tails, the other along the ground toward Julie-Su and the Arachne. A third slowly crept out of the seemingly-never ending mass of Daxis' body, aimed squarely at Knuckles, who could only stand, watch, and wait. Then, against the rumble of the thunder, a soft whistle cut through the air. Immediately, all three arms converged into one another, forming a single wall of red in front of Daxis' head into which sped a sharp arrow. "Keep that cloak up, mate; I'd rather not have to keep looking at that ugly mug o' yours!"

Running toward the battle while reloading his crossbow, Geoffrey led Hershey, Rotor, and the other two Arachne bringing up the rear. "Reinforcements at last…" Knuckles sighed in relief as Sally and Tails landed next to him.

"Just more bodies for the pile…" Daxis snorted, reabsorbing his shield into the rest of his body.

"Wonderful to see you up and about, luv!" Geoffrey greeted his Princess, though his eyes and bow remained locked on Daxis. "Mind filling me in on what we've missed and just what in the blazes THAT nasty critter is?"

Sally shook her head. She could feel it…cold…darkness…slipping…there wasn't much time left. "Long story, I'll have to fill you in later." She answered solemnly, then added softly, "Sorry I can't give you a better greeting at the moment."

The skunk couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "Same old Sally…"

"Here he comes again!" Knuckles warned as Daxis began to claw his way toward them.

Geoffrey immediately fired at the demon. "Move!" he shouted, his arrow flying straight towards Daxis' skull, only for another tendril to emerge from within his form and swat it out of the air.

Even as she joined Knuckles and Hershey in moving out on one side of Geoffrey while Rotor, Tails, and the Arachne went in the opposite direction, Sally felt a brief…flicker…across her body as she watched Daxis deflect the arrow. It was all but impossible to fully sense beneath the drowning squall of Sonic's emotions still pouring out at her, but Sally was sure it was there. "Something about the arrow…it was different from all our other attacks against him…but how?"she pondered.

Continuing his savage march toward the fleeing Freedom Fighters, the sheer heat of Daxis' anger made it difficult for the Princess to ponder that question. The wraith lashed out toward them, only for a barrage of laser-fire to distract him from finishing the attack. As they had before, Julie-Su's shots passed harmlessly through Daxis' blood-colored body, but the echidna was persistent. Feeding on the intensity of the atmosphere around her, she continued her attack while Sally and the others attempted to use the time she'd granted them. "This one's got your name on it, Demon!" she shouted, the Arachne she'd saved now nestled on the ground below, quivering in terror.

The next shot proved a surprise: this time, Daxis did not simply take it, but instead dodged out of the way. Again, Sally felt that strange twinge. "The lasers as well…?" she wondered, watching the serpent-like movements of her enemy as he repositioned himself.

And as he continued snaking about, that was when realization dawned on the Princess. "His skull…" she realized, seeing how he was consistently moving to keep it out of harm's way. "His skull is vulnerable somehow! He's been trying to protect it from attack!"

Whatever doubts she may have had that her conclusion was wrong were erased when the Walker turned his eyes on her with full intensity the moment that thought crossed her mind. "How much longer do you intend to waste your finite lives struggling against me?" he roared, twin tendrils forming from his body: one launched at Julie-Su, the other at Sally.

"THE SKULL!!!" Sally shouted at the top of her lungs, over the storm's thunder and the cracking of the ground as Daxis once again hit muddy turf in place of his elusive targets. "THE SKULL IS HIS WEAK POINT, FOCUS YOUR ATTACKS THERE!!!"

Without need for further instruction, Geoffrey and Julie-Su took the Princess' advice to heart, firing their respective weapons at Daxis' head as fast and as furiously as they could. Bobbing and weaving around the beams, blocking and crushing the arrows, the Walker did not seem daunted. "Your struggle is hopless!" he taunted. "My body is incomplete, but even at this repressed level, I'm more than a match for you miserable sub-creatures!"

Just then, however, two unexpected new weapons disrupted his movement: a pair of kunai, with a strong chain linked through their hilts. The Walker was caught off-guard and unable to dodge in time; the daggers passed by unimpeded, holding the chain taut until it collided with Daxis' body and, through the force of its carriers, wrapped around him tightly. Taken by surprise, the Walker's bound body flopped to the grass. "Fascinating…" Rotor observed aloud from the sidelines, "Energy Constructs such as laser-fire pass through his body, but physical objects like metal can still affect him…"

"Nice to see you two pullin' your weight again." Geoffrey teased as he reloaded, knowing just who had scored their first blow against the Walker.

"We…apologize…for our earlier inaction…"

The two Arachne seemed to appear from nowhere at the skunk's side, though in truth they'd been there the whole time. "We are not used to…life without…The Source…" one of them said. "But that does not excuse us…"

"Apologies later!" Geoffrey ordered, moving toward the incapacitated Daxis while reloading his crossbow. "Let's finish what you started!"

Both spiders nodded, following him. Julie-Su was also on the move, leaving the third Arachne alone with newfound shame; where he now shirked in fear, his brothers acted with courage. Even without The Source to guide them…it boiled in his gut

Thrashing about, the chains holding him down already beginning to snap, Daxis hissed and growled savagely as his encroaching enemies circled him. "Shoot, shoot, SHOOT!!!" Geoffrey ordered emphatically.

It was too late. With a ferocious, bloodcurdling howl, the wraith broke off his bonds, sending his tendrils flying out wildly, both to attack his foes and defend himself. Uncoordinated though it was, his assault proved effective. Geoffrey, Julie-Su, the Arachne…all four found themselves struck by the Walker's razor-edged arms, cut badly and fallen to the ground. "JULIE-SU…!!!" Knuckles shrieked helplessly from the sidelines.

"I warned you…" Daxis growled, rising over them like a typhoon ready to consume its helpless victims. "But you didn't listen. Your kind NEVER listens…"

With all his murderous heart now focused on the struggling prey beneath him, Daxis' claws bared sharply, plunging down mercilessly. Too far away to help, Sally watched the attack as if it were in slow motion. "No…" her mind begged desperately, searching for a way to save them….the Arachne, Geoffrey, Sonic…she couldn't let it end like this.

"NO!!!"

It was a thought to which she attached herself completely and utterly, both a plea and a battle cry…the cumulative toll of the battle's strain and the brilliant flare of defiance…sharpened and shot, lit and exploded, pouring from her mind out of her lips like a force of nature unleashed upon the world. It was every emotion she had, raging out in a sudden violent burst.

And in its wake, Daxis felt it clench inside of him.

For a single moment, the sheer intensity of her cry barreled into him like a drill through the link that connected their spirits, causing the wraith to flinch. It was only a moment, though…a blink of an eye. To him, it was all but nothing. But it was time still lost. And in that lost moment, a new weapon speared its way toward him. Another kunai, one that hit its mark perfectly. Sally watched it move, felt her spirits soar as it ledged itself inside Daxis' skull, right in the center of the mark made from her blood.

"You…will not harm…my brothers…!" a trembling but stern voice shouted as the weapon's blade sunk into its target.

Standing up now, arm outstretched from its fierce toss, the third Arachne still felt his body trembling and his heart pounding, fear eating away at his every nerve. But…his brothers had felt that same fear, and still acted to fulfill their Mission. To protect them…he could do no less. "GO, PRINCESS!" he shouted, "THE MARK IS PIERCED, HIS LINK TO OUR WORLD IS DISRUPTED!!!"

Sally knew even as she heard the words that they were true. For the first time since her dreams had become a constant pattern of Nightmares, the claws held around her heart felt…loosened. Still there, but not as strong. And that meant her chance was now. "Hang on, Sonic…hang on, everyone…" she thought, taking off toward the now-throbbing wraith.

Knuckles wanted to object, but he knew this was something she needed to do. Instead, he followed her up to where Julie-Su, Geoffrey, and the Arachne now lay. "Are you OK?" he asked the pink echidna softly, propping her up.

"Been…better…" she murmured, hissing a bit as the scratched area on her stomach flared in pain. "But…still good…"

Knuckles sighed in relief; the others seemed to be OK as well, though their wounds were deep. Taking Julie-Su over his shoulder, he turned to watch as Sally continued her dash toward Daxis. "Good luck…Sally…" he thought anxiously.

"You…can't…" Daxis' voice scratched out to the squirrel, flickering in and out, intensity wobbling up and down. "YOU CAN'T…DO THIS…"

Even as he struggled to move, the Walker's body slowly trembled like his voice. Suddenly, it split open, tendrils and claws thrashing about aimlessly. Daxis screamed in agony, the blood on his skull moving about as wildly as his body. This sudden outburst of chaos did not stifle the incoming Princess; on the contrary, looking through the vines of crimson, she could see…exposed plainly at the center, still embedded within…

"SONIC!!!" she shouted out to the trapped hedgehog.

Something was wrong. Before, when she'd seen him, it had looked like he was struggling, but now…his eyes were closed and his body was completely still. Was she too late…? "No, I can't think like that!" she told herself sharply, now right at the tip of Daxis' splitting arms. "If there's even a small chance, I have to take it…"
That was the thought…the hope…that the squirrel used to push her feet to the ground and leap straight toward Daxis' core. Her hands latched firmly onto the hedgehog's sides, though beyond them his body was submerged within the wraith's chaotic form. "Sonic…" she grunted stressfully, trying to pull him out..and failing, "Sonic, can you hear me?"

No answer. She kept pulling, even as strands of Daxis cut at her arms. "Please…Sonic…" she continued urging, feeling Daxis' body wriggle and writhe against her fingers. "I know you can break free…"

Knuckles, meanwhile, had received help from the third Arachne in bringing Julie-Su, Geoffrey, and the other Spider Ninjas to safety. Rotor and Hershey joined up with them, checking each one's wounds. "Hope I didn't…give you too much of a fright, luv…" Geoffrey said softly to Hershey, trying to sit up despite his injury.

"You? Never." The cat replied, though it was clear she was lying. Keeping her husband steady (and laid down), she turned an eye to the Arachne brothers. "You spiders…you know more about how all this works than any of us. What's going to happen to Daxis now?"

The three ninjas looked cautiously at each other before the unwounded one spoke, "He is wounded, but only just. Before long, the damage to his link will heal, and his current form will be restored..."

Indeed, when Hershey and the others turned their eyes to the primordial thrashing of Daxis' wild body, they could see it: the kunai in his skull was slowly but surely being pushed back out, the markings of blood it had cut off beginning to reform around it. "…unless…", the Arachne continued, "…unless the Princess can give him a more grievous wound before he heals, something harder to recover from. Combined with the wound he has already received, it could be enough to stop him…"

"A more grievous wound…" Knuckles repeated thoughtfully. "Like…breaking his hold on Sonic…?"

The spider nodded. "He is feeding on Sonic's lifeforce…but if the Princess can free him, the backlash would harm the Forbidden Walker severely."

"Then we gotta help her!" Tails said frantically, already lifting off.

He found himself grounded by a firm hand on his shoulder. "No…" Knuckles said, eyes now fixed on the Princess and the hedgehog. "Sally is the only one who can do this…right now, we'll only get in the way…"

The fox relented with no small amount of hesitation, turning his own gaze toward the battle. "But the second she needs us…" he promised beneath his breath, "we'll go."

Truth be told, if she believed it would do any good, Sally would not have minded calling for that very help just then. Her body was slowly but surely becoming peppered with scars from Daxis' out-of-control limbs, and despite her best efforts, Sonic would not budge. That did not stop the Princess, though. She kept pulling. She kept talking, hoping something would get through. "Please…" she begged in a gasp, feeling her chest tighten with each second as the beast she and Sonic were entwined with slowly moved toward healing himself fully. "Even if you can't feel me…or see me…please at least be able to hear me…"

She dug her nails into the red ooze sharply, feeling the hedgehog's body on her fingertips. "I know what he's doing to you, Sonic," she said, "what he's putting you through. He reached inside of you…took out the deepest, darkest parts of you he could find and rubbed your face in them…made you drown in them…"

A flash…sudden and sharp...coursed through Sally's mind then. Memories…Mecha-Sonic's attack on Knothole, Sonic's amnesiac fight, a tussle with Geoffrey…and her, lit by the glow of the Temple's crystals, crumpled at his feet in pain…she saw them all pass through her mind's eye in a split-second. So this was what Daxis had found to use against Sonic…at least now she knew. At least she'd gotten a reaction. "I know how you're feeling right now, Sonic," she continued urgently, "You're doubting yourself…everything you are, or were, or ever thought you'd be…"

The shrill screech of the Walker roared out around Sally, trying to drown out her words. Yet she would not be silenced. "But I know those doubts are wrong!" she shouted above Daxis' din. "Because I know you, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog!"

Her hand suddenly slipped, sinking deeper into the red before she yanked it back up. The Walker was almost there now…time was running short very quickly. Renewing her grip, she placed her forehead upon Sonic's, a soft motion but a strong touch. "I know you…and that's why I know…what happened to you, what drove you to them…I understand now, what they did to you. But I also know…no matter what part of you they used, no matter what they made you think…in the end, you are the same hedgehog I have always known. This…this fight…it isn't your fault, Sonic. It's mine."

Her voice was no longer loud or frightened. It had hushed down into a gentle, intimate whisper. Yet she saw Sonic's ears flicker just a bit as she spoke. She knew, at last, she had gotten through, if only so much. "I was scared…scared of how it felt to finally have this deep, powerful thing I'd kept inside for years out in the open, and I didn't know how to handle it. I pushed you away, just like they wanted…"

The smallest hint of give from the constriction…

"But I'm done being scared. I'm done trying to hide what I feel. Sonic…Sonic Maurice Hedgehog…we have shared so much together. Lived so much together. No matter what tries to pull us apart…those ties bind us together always. No one…not Father, not Geoffrey, not Lilith, not Daxis…no one can take that away from us. So focus on those ties, Sonic. Focus on those memories…"

Daxis' claws closed in slowly, even as the hedgehog's eyes finally opened. The Princess felt her breath catch in her chest briefly at the sight of those eyes…his, but so…empty. He looked up at Sally as if trapped in a dream. "…Sal…" Sonic spoke, voice coarse and deflated, "…I want to...I do…but…I can't. I threw all those memories away…because…I couldn't be the person you needed me to be. Even now…I can still remember the life they gave me…the person they made me. That's who I really am, Sal…that arrogant, selfish guy just lookin' for the next chance to show off, no matter who it hurts…"

To her own surprise, Sally laughed, softly and soothingly. Even as one of her hands continued to pull him away from the wraith, the other reached up and touched his cheek. "Haven't you been listening?" she asked him, voice still not rising above a delicate whisper. "I know who you really are…I've seen who you really are…"

More flashes. But these were not memories Sally received. They were memories she gave.

Within Robotropolis…Sally's body was no longer flesh and fur, but metal, and she stood with an ice cold gaze looking into a Roboticizer tube, where Sonic's palms were pressed to the glass, his voice pleading with her. Her hand hovered over the button that would seal his fate…but it was staid…

Soft glow illuminated them in Knothole…a celebration, long awaited…she delicately hung the medal of honor around the hedgehog's neck with a tender touch. He hadn't just beaten Robotnik; he'd saved her life…

The city, smoldering around them…the attack from above still pouring down in all its fury…yet despite the chaos, the only thing she could look at now was him. He was home. After so long away, Sonic was finally home…

Side by side in the comfort of the Palace… she garbed in a more regal garb than usual, he in uncharacteristic armor… dressed for a special occasion: at long last, Sonic had earned Knighthood. A kiss to his cheek was Sally's own reward to the hedgehog…

A remote cliff…the world falling apart at its seams…and he had to leave again. She desperately wished he didn't, but she knew he did…and so she held him, and kissed him, and told him again and again how she felt. Because Sonic was a part of Sally, and she could not stand to lose him again…

"Sonic…no matter your faults or your failings, you could never truly be that person Daxis molded. That person could never do what you do, give what you gave…to Knothole, to Mobius…to me."

Tears welled up in Sally's eyes. "You're a pigheaded show-off who always puts speed before common sense," she said, whisper rising into a plea…a confession… "…and I've seen you give so much of yourself for the people you care about, and not just playing the Hero or fighting the War. You've been a shoulder for your friends to cry on, a voice to give them encouragement. It's all you, Sonic…and that's just the way it should be. Because if any of it was different, you wouldn't be you anymore."

"BE…SI…LENT…" Daxis struggled to interrupt, his hands all but completely enclosed upon them now…

But Sally, crying plainly now, paid him no heed. His voice held no power over her any longer. "And I love you, Sonic. More than I can ever tell you, more than I can ever show you…I love you so much!"

She shouted. She pulled. And this time, there was no resistance. A burst of emotions and memories coursed out, bursting like a sunrise into the darkness. Daxis broke apart again, his tendrils snapping as if they'd been heated to dust, and Sonic flew from his claws into Sally's arms, the two falling out of the towering demon back into the pounding of the rain of the storm.

Crimson strands shriveling away, Daxis' screams of anguish were like a howling wind, mixing with the storm to create an unholy din. His blazing eyes dulled and weakened, skull cracking and splintering. "CURSE YOU…" he howled in pain and fury, "YOU CANNOT DENY ME MY BIRTHRIGHT…YOU CANNOT ROB ME OF LIFE AGAIN…"

Beneath him, the ground began to tremble and quake, shattering along with his power. "I AM A GOD OF THIS WORLD…ITS PROTECTOR AND ITS SAVIOR…" he continued to rant even as his form thinned and dissipated, "ONE DAY…I WILL CLAIM IT…FOR DEATH CANNOT CLAIM ME, AND SO…ALL I HAVE LEFT TO DO…IS WAIT!!!"

And with those final words, the remains of Daxis-a cracking skull filled with dull light in its eyes connected to wisps of crimson so thin as to be all but invisible-sunk into the broken ground, plummeting into its deepest depths…and vanishing from sight.

As he fell away, Sally and Sonic landed from their fall, tumbling through the wet grass. All the while, the Princess could hear his voice…Sonic's voice…speaking from the past, from his memories and thoughts…

"Don't you go changin' on me, Sally Acorn…"

"Come back, Sal…I need you…"

"What would I do without ya?"

"Heh…she cares."

"I'll come back, Sal…I promise…"

"Know that for a fact: I'm gonna get you out of here, Sal. Because I love you…"

At last, they stopped rolling. Sally's back lay on the ground, Sonic's limp form on top of her. In moments, they were surrounded by their friends, standing in a protective circle around them. It was all so much to take in at once…as the voice of Sonic's past faded, the squirrel looked to him, hopeful to see him move…hear him truly speak…

"...and I thought…I was the one who liked cutting it close…" he finally coughed, eyes now looking into hers again, the light of life restored to them.

Sally, tears still staining her face, laughed and sobbed at the same time, her arms tightening around him all the more. "Thank you…thank you, thank you, thank you…" she whispered over and over again, nuzzling against his shoulder.

"I think…I'm the one in the Thank You position right now, Sal…" Sonic replied, still limp atop her body.

She smiled even as she continued to cry, simply replying, "Let's just call it even for now, OK?"

Knuckles grinned, averting his eyes from their happy little scene. No need to interrupt. Tails, however, was less courteous. "YOU'RE OK!!!" he shouted joyously, kneeling down to them both and wrapping his arms around them. "YOU'RE BOTH OK!!!"

Hershey chuckled at the young fox's antics, while Sally returned his embrace happily, Sonic still unable to quite move but content to simply smile at his friend. The Arachne walked up alongside Knuckles, looking at the chasm into which Daxis had fallen. "So…is he dead?" the Guardian asked them sternly.

They all looked to each other. "We don't know for sure," one of them answered at last. "If he is alive, however, his powers are greatly weakened. The Princess wounded him deeply, releasing the life force he had absorbed and cutting off the bridge between worlds. He will no longer be able to heal himself, and will most likely remain trapped beneath the surface of Mobius forever…"

Knuckles grunted a bit, not quite satisfied with the answer. Feeling Julie-Su's hand upon his shoulder, however, he found it at least a little bit easier to live with.

Rotor helped Sally and the weak Sonic to their feet, Geoffrey fiddling with his radio to try and get a signal through the storm. "Welcome back, both of you." The walrus said warmly, giving his friends a powerful bear hug.

"Thanks, Rote…" Sonic answered gently, leaning on him and then Sally for support.

Sally simply nodded to the mechanic. She had no words right now. After all this…all the suffering and violence and effort and destruction and revelation…it was over. She could still feel the faintest trace of Daxis, lingering inside her like a scar…she suspected she would always feel that from now on…but it was no longer a hold on her. And Sonic…Sonic was safe. All her friends were. Whatever else happened down the line, this fight was over. At long last, it was over. "Hey. Sal…" Sonic…! The Princess turned her head toward him…

…only to find his lips softly but lovingly pressed against her own. How long it had been since she'd known that sweet, simple, and undeniably glorious sensation. The hedgehog pulled away before too long, much to her (and, she could see in the brief glimpse of Sonic's eyes, his) disappointment, but the point had been made. There was still a lot left for them to work through, yes, but that was the point: they would work through it. Because she loved him, and he loved her. That was how it worked, regardless of all the other complications surrounding it.

"OK, Team," Geoffrey said, wound still stinging but tone all business, "I got through to the Palace. They're sending a Jet to our co-ordinates to pick us up and take us back to the City." His voice shook a bit as the full of the experience finally caught up with him, "We're going home."

Sally smiled brightly at the statement. But looking around her…at Rotor, now in a debate with the Arachne about the nature of Sprits manifesting as physical beings…at Geoffrey, standing tall and proud with Hershey nudging him playfully…at Knuckles and Julie-Su, hand in hand and both looking weathered but satisfied…at Tails, grinning joyfully at her and flying circles of celebration in the sky above…and at Sonic, a grin stronger than any she could remember from recent times and a hand at last strong enough to give her shoulder a loving squeeze…she knew a jet wasn't necessary.

She was home.

At long last, she was home again.

END