Blood Pact Chapter 12b

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