GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project

August 20th, 2003

"Bowser, Aeris and Cloud: The Rescue"

Part IX:
"Any Price To Pay"

August 20th, 11:30 AM
The Doom Ship


Bowser was agape. Snake had shot the remote right out of his hand. The remains of the single purpose device were now scattered around the floor. His control room was littered with plastic splinters. The only part of the apparatus that seemed to still be intact was the singular button, with a tangle of loose wiring left over. Bowser barely had enough time to pray that the gadget hadn't triggered its explosive payload, when the ship took a sudden lurch to one side, slamming him into a control panel.

Snake was crouched down, bracing himself against one wall. The secret agent was smiling lightly. The accursed pistol was still in his right hand. Bowser tried to shift his position slightly to pick himself up, and felt his armored shell pierce through a row of video screens. The ship rocked to one side, and Bowser dug his claws into a panel to prevent him from being thrown around again. Bowser landed on the ground, and began to give Snake his most hostile glare.

Despite Mario's reckless example, most people knew better than to mess with the king of the koopas. Bowser was massive, strong, and spikey all over. His armored shell had sharp spikes sticking out in every direction, ready to impale anyone stupid enough to approach him from any direction. Bowser flexed his enormous arms, and let his claws shine in the air. The bracers he wore on his arms were similarly barbed with piercing edges, and were a perfect match for his teeth.

Snake was backed up into a corner of the room, and Bowser began to shuffle in his direction, baring his enormous teeth and letting a small spurt of flame escape his nostrils. The secret agent trained his pistol on the enormous turtle, and Bowser chuckled to himself. He had survived worse. And by the time he was through with him, so would Snake.

But then something caught Bowser's eye, distracting him from his prey. All over his ship, fires were bursting out. Fires that he hadn't started. The delicate frame of his ship was showing his strain. On every video screen he could see the results of the blast Snake had managed to trigger. Walls looked like they were cracking. Various screens were blank, and the whole ship was flying unsteadily... like a whole portion of it had been blown away. Quickly remembering himself, Bowser grabbed the wheel, and tried to force the ship higher into the air, making rapid adjustments with his other hand. After the ship began to stabilize, Bowser turned around and glared at Snake, who had since picked himself up off of the ground.

"You...."

"There's more where that came from, Bowser."

Mario's nemesis snorted. "What are you trying to do, get us all killed?"

"If I have to, yes."

Bowser gaped at the man. The secret agent was clearly insane. His attention was once again distracted by the displays showing the dire state of his ship, as the man's voice droned on.

"In less than half an hour, another set of mines will go off at the engines. You can figure out what happens from there. If you're not off the ship by then with everything you consider worth saving, you'll be buried with it. Feel like going down with your ship?"

Bowser shivered involuntarily. This wasn't fair... he'd spent so much time getting everything ready... poured his whole life into it, it felt like. And now the doom ship was, well, doomed. He really had to start thinking of some better names for the things. "My precious ship..."

"... is history. You just half to decide whether or not you want to share its fate. Your choice here is quite simple." Snake smiled, and let his gun slip back into its holster, apparently no longer worried about Bowser's possible advances. "You can either hold on to Aeris, or your four enemies which you have trapped here. It's the same choice you gave me."

"And what if I do nothing?"

"Then we all die here. Cloud and his friends in their traps, Aeris in her cell, and you and I standing here talking to each other like old friends. Which of these lives means the most to you? The clock's ticking."

Bowser stared down the secret agent, giving Snake the benefit of his most sinister sneer. Snake's expression was inscrutable. He stood there as still as a statue. Bowser could feel the seconds ticking away... it was all coming to an end one way or another. But what could he do? He couldn't leave Snake here in his control room... his eyes wandered over to the screens displaying his captives, and then display of his own ship which had Aeris's location marked. He had it all in front of him... it had all fallen into place. And now he had to choose which of his prizes he wanted to keep. The consequences either way would be dire.

"And that's the real trick, isn't it?" Snake whispered. The secret agent never grew tired of taunting him. "Keep Aeris... or guard Cloud and his friends. You have to decide whether you're going to follow your own wishes... or his. Sephiroth's." Bowser started suddenly, looking at Snake in surprise. How could he possibly know? He had to be bluffing... but he was right regardless. He would either have to break his deal with Sephiroth, or give up his captive, and in all likelihood his life. Bowser's eyes swept quickly over his control room, looking for any switch, any lever, any last minute gizmo or contingency plan that might get him out of this mess.

And then his eyes settled upon the single readout on the side wall displaying how many people were aboard the doom ship. Bowser grinned in relief. It was about time. He caught Snake following his gaze, and quickly stepped between himself and his foe. It was time to act.

----

When Bowser opened his mouth for the final time, it wasn't to offer any more taunts or threats. This time, he meant business. Snake hit the floor as a wave of flame poured out of the Koopa's mouth. Snake began rolling to one side, trying to extinguish any lingering flames on his person, when he realized that Bowser was no longer breathing fire in his direction. The turtle was turning around in a slow circle, torching his entire control room.

Snake whipped out his socom pistol again and began firing as fast as his shaking hands would let him. Bowser flinched from the balls of lead piercing into his shell, but continued his act of self-arson. Snake braced himself up with one arm, and continued his bombardment of shells into the armored villain, trying for a clear shot at the Koopa's head. It wasn't until the smoke began to clear that he realized that Bowser had already left the room. The Koopa King was surprisingly agile when he wanted to be. He was doubtlessly already on his way to pick up Aeris and make his own escape from the flaming aircraft. Which left Snake with very little time.

Snake stepped over to the control panel and looked around for anything that might be of use. It didn't look good... most of the readouts and control panels had been melted away. Even the steering wheel looked unusable... the ship was locked into a singular course for the remainder of its life. The only thing Snake could spent that might be of any use was a set of video screens at the end of the room. The one part of the cabin Bowser hadn't managed to liquefy quite as effectively, in no small part due to Snake's efforts.

The four screens mostly confirmed what Snake already suspected. Sonic was running straight up a flight of stairs. He might as well have been running on a treadmill for all the progress he seemed to be making. Both the hedgehog and the stairway seemed to be enchanted somehow... it was quite clear to Snake that if Sonic hadn't managed to ascend the stairs by now, he never would. The second screen showed a heavy barred door, surrounded by patrolling koopa guards. Judging by the burn marks on the ground, and the fact that Sonic was otherwise occupied, Samus must be held there. The third screen showed Mario... asleep. Snake began to wonder if this was another one of Bowser's tricks, when he noticed the plumber was mumbling idly to himself and rubbing his belly. Mario was clearly still all right, but from the looks of things, he was probably trapped in a pit somehow. And the last screen was the most confusing of all... a room filled with flaming girders, moving platforms, all of which led to a single cage... that was entirely black on the inside, like no light could penetrate it.

Taking a step back and reexamining the surviving equipment, Snake noticed a few details he had missed before. The surface of each of the four screens had a small indentation, with a red dot at the center. Snake's experience suggested it might be a camera or microphone of some kind. Also, there were a few switches left on the dashboard below them... Bowser just might have a system left in place that he could use to his advantage.

Snake flipped the first switch.

----

Sonic was still running. He hadn't run for this long in a while. The dimension for the tournament was too cramped... and besides, there was nowhere to go. But this was just perfect... getting there was half the fun, and it looked like he'd be able to keep that up for a while. The corridor stretched upwards forever... and inexplicably, he felt no signs of tiring. His mind was perfectly clear. He felt alive, animalistic, and focused somehow. Like this is what he should keep doing forever.

"Sonic..."

The hedgehog kept running, trying to ignore the distracting voice. You know, if he started taking these stairs three or four at once, he might be able to make better time on this thing...

"SONIC!"

The voice pierced through his consciousness, and a crackly image began to appear in the distance in front of him. Sonic raced after it, but it kept running away from him, like a carrot being dangled in front of his nose.

"Sonic, you've got to turn around and get out of here. You're never going to get anywhere like this."

Sonic slowed himself down slightly, and was surprised to watch the staticy image stay in place relative to his position.

"Are you my conscience?"

"No, you little... I mean... yes. Yes, Sonic, I'm your conscience."

"Oh, that's good, cuz for a while I thought you sounded like that guy Solid Snake."

Sonic thought for a moment that he could hear his conscience swear under its breath.

"Listen Sonic, you need to turn around and get out of there. It's a trap... you're never going to get anywhere. You just need to get away from these stairs... you have much more important things to be doing."

"Like what?" Sonic began inching forward again, intrigued by the effect on the wavering image.

"Like rescuing Aeris?"

Sonic had to scratch his head at that one. Aeris didn't sound like the name of any of his friends. Aeris sounded like a human name. Hadn't he been searching for someone like that? His whole head felt funny... like he was inside mecha-sonic again, just watching himself go through a bizarre series of actions. Sonic stopped himself suddenly, resting on a single stair. He needed to think.

"Sonic, just turn yourself around, get out of there, and meet us back at the entrance. I'll see you soon."

Sonic began to inch his body around on the narrow stair. The road downwards did seem more inviting somehow, in that he could nearly see the end of it. Sonic reversed his course and began racing down the stairs. He reached the bottom in a matter of seconds.

"Woah, I must have been making some good time there!"

Sonic turned around and looked the stairs again. Suddenly his whole mind began to clear... what had he been doing taking that much time going nowhere? He felt weird all over... and his body suddenly began to ache. How could he have wasted that much time? Had he forgotten about his mortal fear of climbing stairs?

Sonic zipped away as soon as he could remember which way was most likely to take him back where he came from. It felt good to be actually going somewhere.

----

Satisfied to see Sonic dashing off into the wild brown yonder, Snake take a second look at the next display screen. Broadcasting a message to all of Bowser's minions might not be a wise idea. Unless... Snake's hands fiddled around the control panel, until the display gradually shifted to the inside of Samus's cell. Smiling, Snake flipped the second switch.

----

Samus was still doing a whole lot of nothing. The bounty hunter realized she was at the mercy of her captors, and had little more to try in the way of escape attempts. Her mind wasn't occupied with regrets or filled with any sort of anger... Samus merely took the time to update her own maps of the airship and try to reconcile them with what she had already learned. Aeris's location was still a mystery, but there was a finite number of locations Bowser might possibly be hiding her. If she could escape, or one of her companions came to spring her, she had to be ready to act.

Salavation came from a flickering beam of light on the wall. Samus had long since spotted a projector and microphone hiding in the wall, but had failed to ascertain their usage. Now, the projector was shining out scattered points of light... Samus realized she was standing in the way of the beam, and sidestepped to allow it to dislpay itself onto the wall.

To Samus's surprise, Solid Snake's face began to appear on the wall, squinting back at her. Samus was momentarily concerned for his safety, when she saw a crack in his face... but realized it was only on the camera. There must be something wrong at his end.

She couldn't help but smile at the presence of the secret agent who had promised to avoid their mission. She noticed him returning the grin, even if he couldn't see as clearly the evidence of her own amusement.

"I thought you said you were going to leave this to us." Samus said wryly. In a bizarre moment, she wished she wasn't wearing her armor... so that Snake could see the twinkle in her eye. That they were face to face... together. Solid Snake looked so perfectly serious and reserved as always. Part of his hair was singed, and he looked like he was sweating still. Her own trip had been dangerous enough... Samus couldn't imagine what he must have gone through to get to wherever he was... or why. "So what made you come along?"

Snake shrugged. "Figured if you were going to do this thing, might as well be done right. Didn't seem fair to let Bowser have his way here."

Samus smiled again. Snake was a master at dodging unwelcome shots. "You still didn't answer my question."

Snake rewarded her with a little half smile. "Yeah, well, I think the answer's staring you in the face."

Samus took a minute to realize what he meant, until she noticed the reflective door in front of her. Clever. She smiled coyly at Snake, despite the futility of the gesture. "Yeah, about that... you planning on getting that out of the way for me?"

"Will do. Just have to check up on your friends first. When that door opens... shoot everything that isn't me."

"All right."

Snake's image blipped out of existance, leaving Samus alone again in her cell, with only the fake Aeris doll for company. She began charging her cannon in preparation, backing up against the wall. The waiting seemed to go easier now that she had something to look forward to. When Snake came for her... and he would... she'd be ready.

----

Time was ticking away, and Snake was all the more eager to get going. Snake flipped the third switch.

----

Mario was still surrounded by a world of never ending pasta. Rivers of tomato sauce flowed through a valley where linguini grew on trees. Parmesan cheese sprinkled from the clouds like raindrops, seasoning the declicious feast in front of him. Mario leapt unto a pizza growing tree with frenzied abandon, hungrily devouring its tasty leaves and branches. But no matter how much he ate, his hunger still couldn't be satisfied. And then there was the matter of the annoying voice telling him to wake up.

"MARIO!!!"

The plumber groaned as he felt himself returning to reality. The hard stone floor began to fade back into being, and his stomach began to growl nearly as loudly as the voice that was nagging him to wake up.

"All right-a Luigi, I'm up, I'm up!"

"This isn't your partner in plumbing, Mario. You're addressing Solid Snake, and you've got to get out of there. This whole thing's going to blow before you know it."

Mario scrambled to his feet and looked around. Snake's visage was imprinted upon the ceiling above him. He could barely see the edges of the pit he had fallen down from.

Snake's head disappeared from view. He looked like he was fiddling with something offscreen. "Now let's see what I can do here... try jumping around now."

Obligingly, Mario leaped into the air. He was rewarded with his head thudding into a metallic block. Mario leaped onto the platform, and leaped into the air to reveal another hidden block.

As the plumber scaled his way out of the pit, he saw Snake shake his enormous head. "Why on earth would Bowser make something like that?"

"Eh, he's-a Koopa. I think deep down he wants-a to let us get through all right."

"Whatever you say, Mario. We'll try to meet up by the entrance... don't get sidetracked."

When Mario finally escaped from his pit, he was greeted by a shivering pair of fire brothers. One of them tried huffing a fireball in his direction, but it just rolled onto the floor and came to a halt. The other just kept shivering, and waved at Mario idly. It was kind of pathetic really.

Mario left the room as quickly as he could, using every ounce of willpower he had to keep himself from going back to the kitchen he had found earlier. It had been a fun ride, but it was about time to get going. No need to overstay Koopa's hospitality.

----

Snake flipped the last switch.

----

Cloud was still alone. No one had come for him. The brief bit of hope awoken in him by the possibility of Snake showing up had long since faded. Even now he felt like a darker presence had come to rest inside the doom ship. The world outside seemed all the more harsh and grim. When the airship had suffered its explosion, and been rocked about, all he had felt was a dim hope that this might somehow end his misery. But the chaos had died down gradually. And he was left alone again, in the privacy of his own mind.

As far back as he could remember... he had never felt like this. The closest he had been was when he had first learned of his connection with Sephiroth... and even that he had learned to deal with in time. Now... it was like all the hope and life was sucked out of him. Stolen. Not that it made a difference. Even if any of us friends came for him, there was no way he could get out. There was only lava surrounding him. Cloud leaned over the edge of his cage momentarily... he considered leaping and ending it all... but he shuddered at the thought. Bowser would eventually come for him, to send him back home after his loss by forfeit, or merely to mock him again.

His petitions were answered far sooner than he had expected this time. Cloud heard a faint blip, and knew that Bowser had doubtlessly reappeared on the opposite wall. "Go away" Cloud mumbled to himself.

"Cloud, are you in there?"

Cloud looked up slightly, disbelieving. That certainly didn't sound like Bowser... or any of his companions, past or present. A grizzled man with a bandana tied around his head was staring at him from the wall, looking straight past him.

"Snake... what are you doing here? You were right about this whole thing... you should get out."

"Believe me, I intend to. This whole thing's going to come crashing down on us in less than half an hour. Bowser's on his way to where you are right now, I think he's after Aeris. She has to be near you. Can you get out of there?"

Cloud turned around, looking at the bars of his prison. He rested one arm on them feebly. He felt so numb...

"I don't understand... there's no where to go."

There was a pause. Finally, Snake's voice came back again, speaking slowly and clearly. "All right Cloud, this is what I see here. So far as I can tell, you're in a pitch black cage, surrounded by a network of moving platforms and flaming jets of lava. I'm pretty sure you could make it out of there if you put your mind to it."

Cloud shook his head. That sounded like what it had been before... but that was all gone now. "You're wrong... this cage isn't dark... everything's light in here. All the platforms are gone... I'm stuck here." Cloud slipped down onto the floor, exhausted from the effort of talking. "You should leave yourself, just get out of here. Please save Aeris for me. Tell her..."

"You'll have to save her yourself, Cloud!" There was a harsh edge to Snake's voice. Cloud winced at the man's words. Why couldn't he just leave him alone... "You can get out of there, there's nothing keeping you from going. You just have to make up your mind and come back the way you came. You're the only one who stands a chance at getting to Aeris in time, and if you don't act now, you may be dooming both her and yourself."

Cloud groaned. "You're wrong... it's all some trick. There's nothing I can do... it's all hopeless. Just get out... I'm sorry..."

"'Sorry' won't save any of us, Cloud. The only thing holding you back is yourself. You can either do nothing and die, or get out of there and try to rescue Aeris. Just. Go. While you're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, your friends who've risked their lives for you are trying to escape as well. I have to do what I can for them too, I don't have time to mollycoddle you. I'll meet you at the entrance to the airship, and you'd better have the girl in tow. Now get out of there."

Cloud cringed as Snake raised his voice, and felt a momentary surge of relief as the image flickered away. The relief soon passed, as all his emotions did now. He was left with nothing but his stagnant dreary existance. Although if Snake was telling the truth, it would be a short one.

The worst prisons to escape from are the ones we build for ourselves.

Cloud started. That voice... it had come out of nowhere. It didn't even feel like a voice... it felt like a pure strain of psychic thought... like it was coming from his own head, communicating directly with him.

Your choice is the same as it has always been. Press on at the risk of being manipulated or failing, or just give up, and let the world decide its fate without you. You have always known the risks. And you have always believed your efforts to be worth it. What holds you back now is merely grief, and you have overcome greater obstacles.

His palm was shining... the emblem of the Triforce of Power... Cloud dimly remembered the circumstances under which he had acquired it. Another useless trinket of power... worthless, for all the good it had done him.

You are correct, I can do nothing for you to free you. You have to free yourself.

Free himself? Cloud had to snicker. For what purpose? To be another stain on the wall, or another bit of fuel for the flames below him?

If you believed that, you would never have come this far. Your enemy holds you here, not against your will, but by bending your will, and using it against yourself. You know his machinations all too well. You must fight them, and take a leap of faith.

Cloud looked out into the lava. Entering into it would be just what Bowser wanted him to do... and Sephiroth... he would like nothing better to see Cloud die here, unmourned and unrecognized. Cloud felt his head spinning. So many conflicting thoughts and emotions were racing back and forth. The one thing that held out clearly was the voice of the Triforce in his head.

I chose you because I believed you to be a champion of spirit. I saw in you the clarity of mind and the strength of will and character necessary to free yourself and others from the enchantments which bind the spirit. You must not prove me wrong, or all is lost. You can overcome the curse which shackles you, and the curse that binds your dearest friend. All you lack is the faith in yourself to do so. You can succeed, and you must do so. NOW GO!

Cloud found himself walking towards the edge of his cage. Looking over a final time... there was still nothing to see but an endless expanse of lava. The whole thing weighed heavily on his heart... but he might as well end it now. The Triforce's promise was the only clear thing he had left to trust in. But it was still so hopeless... only death awaited him below.

You must see with different eyes. Your senses are lying to you. You can not trust in them, or your mind itself. You have to take a leap of faith, and rely only on your spirit.

Cloud backed up, and began running towards the edge. Squeezing his way between the two bars, he leapt out into the great unknown, preparing for death or deliverance.

And then, everything changed again.

He landed squarely on the platform from which he had entered the cage so many hours ago. The lava outside him bubbled warmly. The platforms continued their methodical rise and fall around the room, presenting a hazardous path back to the entrance. The bursts of flame continued unabated... like they had never stopped.

And in truth, they never had. When Cloud looked back at the cage resting in the air, it was still filled with darkness. Reaching out with his newly awakened senses... he realized something he had missed before. The whole thing was cursed.

Magical wards filled the cage. An aura of sadness and depression filled it... Cloud realized he had spent his whole time inside the cage under a curse of sadness. The entire thing bore Sephiroth's touch. A master at manipulating emotions himself... only he would know how to focus and direct such a mental attack, and direct it specifically to him. Cloud felt his blood warm up as he thought about how he'd been manipulated yet again. The room had been there as a trap. A trap from which he could not have escaped, because he was his own jailor. His own lack of will had kept him from escaping. Only the presence of the Triforce within him had saved him from succumbing to the dire influence of the steel prison. And yet its effects still lingered on him... he could still feel a mark of apathy upon his soul.

There is one cure for sadness. Fury.

Cloud suddenly saw a score of images flying in front of his eyes... all his memories of his time with Aeris... everything from their first meeting, their date, the promises he had made to her... to her death, and her more recent capture. And Bowser had stolen all of that from him, his second chance with her. All the depression and sadness faded away and were replaced by a cold fury at the Koopa. He had to rescue Aeris before the ship went down... or there would be hell to pay. Hades had taught him the meaning of those words all too well.

Even now, both your adversaries seek her. But there is still time. Now, fly!

If Mario had been watching, he would have found nothing to complain about in Cloud's technique. The plumber might have felt like taking a few notes, in fact. The mercenary dove through the flaming jets and leaped around the obstacles like he was a burning sphere of flame, capable of soaring through anything. Cloud felt like he was on fire, pressed on by a will strengthened by the Triforce, and filled with a focused rage. He had overcome all his mental obstacles... the physical ones would have to get out of his way, or they would suffer the same fate. Wherever Aeris was, he would find her.

----

Koopa Troopa number three hundred seventy two was still patrolling around as usual. He kind of liked it, to tell the truth. There was a comforting regularity to his routine. One of Bowser's guests had come by, and they'd managed to shut her away. With their task complete, they had only to continue guarding the cell and wait for future orders.

He wore a red shell, marking him among the more elite of Bowser's forces. He was pretty sure the others who were aware of what his status meant looked up to him. At least, the hammer bros usually gave him a pretty wide berth. But that might just be the smell. He hadn't washed his shell in a few days, and he really ought to get his feet looked at...

Suddenly, the peaceful monotony of his patrol was broken by an explosion. Koopa Troopa #372 began running in the direction of a cloud of smoke... it was coming from one of the other hallways leading into the room. Maybe it was Bowser, burning things up again.

A few hammer brothers rushed past him, clanging into his shell and knocking him to the ground. Koopa Troopa #372 was about to yell at them to respect his rank, when he realized he didn't know to talk yet. That required at least a few more promotions. Hopefully he'd live that long.

The soldier began to have momentary doubts about that fact, as he saw a shadowy shape slip out of the tangle of guards and make his way to the cell door. In retrospect, it was kind of clever for an intruder to use. Create a momentary diversion, distract the guards long enough to slip through and accomplish your objective without ever having to fight. Knowing Bowser's setup as well as he did, he was surprised he hadn't thought of it himself.

Koopa Troopa #372 futilely tried to pick himself up, or roll over, but he was stuck. It'd be a while before someone would come by to tip him back over, and by then it would be too late. The shadowy figure planted a swift kick into a distracted hammer brother, and fired a silenced shot at a second one still guarding the door.

It was kind of depressing actually. His life was an insanely boring routine of pacing back and forth, broken by fast paced action in which he was a minor player, and fights which usually only lasted a matter of seconds. Koopa Troopa #372 was somewhat less than satisfied with his life. Plus, getting annihilated in the line of duty tended to knock you down a few ranks. Bowser wasn't going to like this one. Maybe he should switch sides team up with Mario, with all of his experience, the plumber might be able to appreciate him...

And then the door swung open and a charged shot burst forth straight into the inverted turtle.

Samus was as good as her word. The one woman army dove out of the room with guns blazing. Her first shot disintegrated a lone Koopa sprawled on its back. Samus quickly sent a stream of quick blasts into the largest group of enemies near a cloud of smoke, and finished them up with a missile. Eager to make up for lost time, Samus began mowing down the scattered forces with renewed energy. As the surviving troops and troopas all began to converge on her, the bounty hunter took a leap into the hair and fired her grappling beam into the ceiling. The beam caught hold of the roof, and Samus spun around in a full circle, laying waste to what was left of Bowser’s army. Hammers bounced off of her metallic skin, and paratroopas tried running into her, only to be spun away. In under a minute, she had cleared the room of its inhabitants. Well, all save one. Samus was a woman of her word, after all.

Snake picked himself up off the ground where he had taken cover, and shook his head. "You’re not much for stealth, but that’s as good of a way as any to take care of them. Nicely done."

"And the same to you." Samus dropped down from the ceiling and lowered her blaster. "I’ll still want to hear how you managed to reach Bowser’s control room in this death trap."

"Some other time." Snake said curtly. Samus could tell that he was relieved to see her... but he was holding it back again. It was just business as usual for Solid Snake. Another day in the life of a hero, rescuing a damsel in distress. Samus had to hold back a laugh of the thought of herself as a helpless damsel.

Snake peeked inside the door from which she had emerged and peered into her former cell.

"There’s nothing worthwhile in there, it was just a trap. Unless you know of someone who could really use a life-size Aeris doll."

Snake scratched his head. "Well, there’s Tommy Vercetti, for one."

Samus’s only response was a discharge of another charged blaster shot, decomposing the false image of Aeris in less then a second.

"Sometimes you still manage to surprise me, Snake."

"It goes both ways." Snake grinned at her, and gestured towards the passageway which he had come from. "Come on, let’s go."

----

Cloud raced down the long corridor that had led to his custom-made trap, trying to consider all of his remaining options. The whole passageway, everything he had done had been to lead him into a trap. That much was clear now. But the fact remained that Bowser had to be hiding Aeris somewhere. There was no getting around it... and apparently Bowser was heading for where he was even now. Aeris had to be nearby.

Cloud tried to quiet his mind, listening to his inner spirit, or the spirit of the Triforce for guidance... but there was nothing. Now that the danger had passed, the Triforce of Power was as still as it had been before... Cloud had only himself to rely on. Cloud reached out with what magical talent he had, and tried to search for a powerful presence that might be hiding somewhere.

His first efforts forced him to withdraw in horror... for Cloud sensed an all too familiar aura pervading the ship... not only in the trap he had escaped, but all the more personally. His nemesis was here somewhere... but Cloud couldn’t even begin to imagine where... it was too hard to get a fix on him, and he risked exposing himself...

But he had more important things to worry about. Aeris’s more gentle spirit had to be hiding there somewhere... Cloud tried to focus his mind, not on her power, but her purity. Cloud concentrated on all the memories he could recall of their time together, wishing for her presence, longing for her, trying to imagine her there with him as hard as he could. And then he felt something... Cloud stopped and turned to one side, disbelieving that he could finally have found her. The sensation felt like Aeris did... only muffled and covered up somehow... like she was calling out to him from across a vast distance. Cloud tried to zero in on the sensation... and found that it seemed to be coming from the wall beside him.

Cloud ran one hand against it, feeling for splinters or any loose planks. There didn’t seem to be any trap doors or hidden entrances. Cloud hesitated only momentarily before drawing his sword. Up until now, he had preferred not to go slicing his own way through Bowser’s dungeon, hoping to follow the same route the turtle did himself... but if Bowser had Aeris hidden away somewhere off of the main routes, there’d be no telling where she might be. This was as good of a place to search as any.

Cloud stabbed his sword through the wall and cleaved it in a downward stroke. His sword sliced beneath the frame of the partition, and it tumbled forwards onto the ground. Cloud stepped through, and was found yet another branching hallway. It appeared be another maze... but Cloud had no time to explore. Cloud closed his eyes again, trusting to whatever powers still favored him that he could find Aeris in time. Cloud began to run forward desperately, swinging his sword at anything that could possibly be in his path, following only the instincts of where his mind was leading him. He felt like he was in a dream. The last twelve days had been a dream. He had spent all his time searching and striving for the impossible with so many obstacles in his way... but now he just didn’t care any more. This was his last chance, and if he didn’t make it to Aeris in time, it would all have been for nothing.

And when Cloud opened his eyes again, he saw the face of the girl he had spent a good portion of his life chasing. Aeris was sitting down squarely on the floor, smiling at him.

"Don’t you think you could have knocked? You’re looking a little tired there."

Cloud couldn’t believe he was hearing that cheery voice again. It was like nothing had changed. They were all going to die if they didn’t get off of this death trap in a matter of minutes, and she was still in her own little world... or rather, more focused on his. She had always known him better than he did himself. They could be fighting off dragons, or any number of monsters, and the first thing on her mind would still be how everyone was. She was incredibly focused on people. In many ways, Cloud knew her sensitivity might make her a better leader than he was. Cloud glanced behind him... Aeris was right. Apparently he had run through more then his fair share of barricades. He didn’t even remember slicing through some of them. It all seemed so unreal now... like he had never been anywhere else but with her.

"Yeah, sorry about the remodeling. But I doubt Bowser will have the time to appreciate it."

Aeris laughed lightly, and picked herself up off of the ground. Her eyes were shining with hope. Being left alone for countless days had not hurt her gentle spirit. Cloud was amazed at her resilience... particularly having been a prisoner himself not too long ago. But she immediately began trying to cheer him up, and find out what she had missed since being kidnapped by Bowser.

Cloud grunted apologetically. The story was far too long for the telling... he wasn’t even sure if he remembered it all by now. He felt like a fool. He had never had enough time for her. There was always something to distract him. Some world-shattering event, or climactic battle had always grabbed his attention, bringing him from one chaotic climax to the next. It was the life of the warrior. And he hated it. By the time he had succeeded in all his goals, and given up everything to beat Sephiroth... he had lost the ones that were dearest to him. There was never enough time for everything. Cloud swore a silent oath to himself to make the most of whatever chances he had left after this... short as they may be.

Aeris was still looking up at him with an expectant gaze. Cloud realized he’d been staring at her... he turned his eyes away, it was no time to get lost in his emotions.

"I’m sorry Aeris, but I’ll have to explain later. This whole ship is rigged to explode... we have to escape. I promise I’ll talk to you as soon as we’re out of here. You won’t be able to get me to shut up. But now...we’ve got to escape."

Aeris nodded, and Cloud thought he caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. But the ancient grasped his hand firmly, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"All right Cloud." She smiled feebly. "I’ll follow you anywhere."

Cloud began to lead her through the splintered passageways, as best as he could figure a path that might lead them back to the exit. Twelve days, and he hadn’t thought of a single thing to say. If he had been smart, he would have spent the time writing poetry or sorting out his own feelings instead of wasting his time with Bowser’s traps and watching fights he could neither affect nor by affected by.

"So how’s your friend, the girl? The one who came by earlier."

It took Cloud a minute to realize that Aeris was talking about Samus. "She’s fine, I believe. She came here to try to rescue you as well. Sonic, Mario, even Solid Snake. They all came here... for you."

Aeris smiled brightly at him. Cloud couldn't bring himself to look away from here. He felt like shielding his eyes from the brilliance of her smile. He couldn’t believe how much he had missed her face. "I think they came because of you Cloud. You’re a hero to them. They came because they believed in you. Just like me."

That was the one thing that never failed to amaze him. Despite his own often cynical and detached nature... he had still been able to find friends. There had been those like Aeris, and Tifa, who were willing to care about him regardless, and believe that he could be something better than what he was. He had been lifted up by their dreams for him... until he was resting on the top of the world. He knew they all put much more faith in him then he did in himself... but looking at Aeris’s eyes in the moment... he couldn’t help but wonder if some of it was true. Like he could do anything. Like there had to be something worth believing in there.

"Bowser..." Cloud realized he had spoken the name out loud. The Koopa was still on his mind, despite being reunited with his dear friend. Cloud cleared his throat apologetically. "I’m sorry about him, I’ll deal with him as soon as I get the chance."

"Please... don’t, Cloud." Aeris shook her head lightly, her ponytail gently brushing back and forth.

"Don’t? But how can you say..."

"Please. He’s not like Sephiroth. He’s not as bad as he pretends to be. He’s just a little insecure." Aeris smiled. "Besides, he can be kind of funny sometimes when he doesn’t know it. He doesn’t deserve to die. He’s just a little confused."

Of all the things Cloud had expected Aeris to say, this wasn’t high on the list. Shrugging his shoulders, he forced himself to agree verbally. "Fine, whatever."

Aeris squeezed Cloud’s hand as they continued to walk, at somewhat of a forced pace. Aeris rubbed the back of his palm curiously, then raised it up, and looked at Cloud quizzically. "What’s that?"

"That..." Cloud looked at the point Aeris had been surprised by. On the back of his hands there was the emblem of the Triforce. "I consider it a gift from a departed magician. It is the Triforce of Power... a magical artifact native to Link’s world. And I believe it may already have saved my life once."

They were fast approaching the pipe. Cloud tried to remember what he could of what the Triforce had told him. It seemed like an eternity ago. He stopped in front of the pipe leading to the deck of the airship. "Aeris..."

The former flower girl smiled at him, rubbing his hand affectionately. "Yes, Cloud?"

"About your curse... I still don’t know how to break it."

"Cloud, it’s all right, I’m sure the healers, or someone would be able to help me..."

"No... it may not come down to that. Aeris... I just know that HE’S here."

Aeris began to look worried. She shivered slightly as she spoke the name. "You mean Sephiroth?"

"Yes. Listen, I know his enchantments can’t be unbreakable... I escaped from one myself. I just want you to know that I think if it came down to you and him again... you might have a chance. He has to have grown weaker since losing the black materia. You may be able to break away from this silence spell if you have to. Aeris... I just want you to know that I believe in you, and I want to help you any way I can."

The words had all tumbled out of him before he could hold himself back. He didn’t have any right to give her his worries, or make her bear any of the burdens for all this. But Aeris’s next words eased his regret.

"Thank you Cloud. I’ll do whatever I can."

----

Mario had been the first arrival on the deck of the airship, and was currently nervously overlooking the edge. Sonic had come along not too long afterwards apparently, and was making use of his time by inspecting the business end of a cannon. Snake and Samus had been the next to show up. The wait for Cloud’s and Aeris’s arrivals had been agonizing. Snake had been recalcitrant on the details, and even made it clear that they were to make a break for it if Cloud didn’t show up in time. The plan to get off of the ship was simple enough. Apparently the anchor they had all used to get aboard the ship was enchanted... it might be able to stop the ship for long enough for them to escape before Bowser could start it up again. As far as plans went, it was a long-shot, but they were all willing to take anything at this point.

Cloud and Aeris both arrived out of the end of the pipe. Samus had to forgive the couple their delay... they looked so happy together. Cloud seemed to have lost a few of his rouger edges in her presence. He seemed relaxed and content, despite their shared fate. It was almost as if he had more important things on his mind than imminent death. Samus caught Snake sneaking a glance at the two of them sharing a hug. Was that a twinge of disgust in his face... or envy? Either way... most intriguing.

----

In spite of it all, Cloud couldn’t help but smile. "Take a look, Aeris."

Beneath them, grasslands stretched on in all directions. Behind them, the plains gave way to a forest, with trees reaching up to the clouds. The comparison made Cloud realize just how high they were... even the clouds looked like tiny blankets beneath them. To their sides, there were rolling hills, and fields still unspoiled by human hands. And in front of them, they were coming up on the compound where all the remaining fighters lived. The arena could be seen off in the distance, a huge oval filled with fans scattered about the stands, looking no larger than ants. Even from this height, the arena was an impressive sight.

Aeris took her time admiring the view as Cloud pointed out the sights, such as they were, but she soon whispered in Cloud’s ear. "We shouldn’t keep your friends waiting."

Cloud still smiled at her. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. Aeris smiled back feebly, shrugging her shoulders. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking of how this all started... I promised you that I would take you for a ride in the Highwind someday... better enjoy it now, a ride in Bowser’s airship really is the best I’ll be able to do."

Aeris impulsively reached her arms around him for a hug. Cloud grabbed onto her frail form, and held her tightly, running his fingers through her hair.

"Cloud... you’re too sweet. Thank you."

----

Snake gestured impatiently at them. "All right, we’ve only got a handful of minutes left. It’s time we made our exit. Everyone, just come along...."

Events on the Doom Ship had a way of interrupting conversations. Samus couldn’t say for sure whether it was bad luck, or whether Bowser just enjoyed cutting people off. Whatever the cause, the doom ship began to swerve sharply to one side. Samus felt the ship’s angle began to tilt before the others. She yelled over Snake’s voice for everyone to "GET DOWN!"

The entire ship swerved to one side, threatening to spill the cluster of companions over the edge. Samus latched out with her grappling beam onto a single cannon on the deck, and braced herself as she began to lose her footing. The beam held tight as the ship began shaking back and forth, bucking from side to side like a horse trying to shake off its riders.

The whole group had taken care of their own affairs quite admirably. Sonic had, oddly enough, managed to squeeze himself into the same cannon he had been checking out. Snake had hit the floor, spreading himself out as widely as he could, and Mario was jumping in the air, trying to avoid being shaken around by the ship. Cloud had plunged his sword into the ground, and was using it as an anchor, holding onto Aeris with his spare arm. After, a while, the ship stopped deliberately shaking, but it was still flying unevenly. From the top, the damage caused by Snake’s first triggered explosion was all the more evident. It was clearly Bowser’s doing... but where was he steering the ship from?

The question answered itself when the enormous turtle poked his head out of a trap door. Bowser turned his side from side to side. "What, you’re all still around? This is worse than a koopa family reunion. Why don’t you just move in already? Why don’t you take a long walk off of a short deck. Gwa ha ha!"

"Just what we were planning to do, if you’d let us." Samus replied on behalf of the group.

"Not so fast..." Bowser chuckled. The trapdoor swung open all the way, and flipped onto the deck. The turtle leaped onto the deck with a thud, denting his own deck as he landed. "I want Aeris, and you want to get out of here. We can work something out. I’ve got my own way off of this ship..." the Koopa lazily waved a hand behind his back. Samus could spot what looked like Bowser’s flying clown ship. "Just give me back the girl, and we can all be on our way. We have a match to get to."

"No." All six voices sounded at once. Cloud’s was the first to continue. "There’s six of us, and one of you. I’ve been waiting a long time for this." Aeris tried tugging on Cloud’s sleeve to get his attention, but the mercenary didn’t even blink. "This has gone on long enough. Let’s finish this now."

"A tempting offer, but your friend Snake tells me we have only a few minutes to work with here... I was thinking a mutual friend of ours might settle this a little more quickly."

Sephiroth materialized into view behind Bowser. The man never had to walk anywhere. He was just... there. The Masamune glittered in the morning light. The dark warrior seemed to fix each of them individually with his gaze... eyes boring into them, probing their thoughts and searching them out. As always, the son of Jenova knew no fear.

----

Cloud rolled his eyes. This was simply ridiculous. They were all going to die in a matter of minutes, and here there whole group was standing down against Sephiroth like he was some kind of god for them to be afraid of.

"I knew you were a villain Bowser, but apparently, you’re also an idiot."

The Koopa stopped chuckling momentarily to sneer at Cloud. "You’re just jealous because you don’t have any all powerful silver haired warriors on your side. Have you put out an application for Link or Alucard yet?"

"Don’t be a fool, Bowser. Sephiroth is on no one’s side but his own. He doesn’t care if you die here or not. He’s playing you for a pawn."

Bowser merely burst into another fit of laughter. "Huu hee hee... me, a pawn? I didn’t know you had it in you Cloud. I never knew you were such a clown. Kefka would be jealous! Sephiroth, would you deal with him for me?"

"That was never a part of our agreement."

Bowser stop chuckling for a moment. "What do you mean, I brought him here for you?! Just take him out already!"

"No. Our agreement was that you would deal with Cloud. You have failed miserably. You have lost all of your prey, and allowed the girl to escape. You have done nothing."

Bowser begin to back up nervously. "Sephiroth, come on, don’t bail on me here"

"You are not a pawn, that is correct. You are not useful enough for that role. You are merely another fumbling fool. And now, you shall be nothing."

Sephiroth lunged after Bowser with the Masamune, swinging the sword twice over the turtle in rapid succession. The Koopa King experienced a brief moment of relief at the apparent miss, followed by excruciating pain. Two waves of magical energy slammed into his form. Bowser gritted his teeth and burrowed into his shell, but the attack knew no physical barriers. It seemed to be ripping straight into his soul. It was only after the waves began to subside that he realized what the chaotic energy had reminded him of. A chaos emerald.

Sonic took that moment to leap into the fray, landing squarely between the two villains. "Listen you guys, just take it easy. Just give me your chaos emeralds, and no one has to get hurt here. Don’t make me get rough, ok?"

The Masamune failed to cleave the hedgehog in two by a mere inch, as Sonic’s reflexes took him away from the strike. "Woah!! All right, no more mister nice hedgehog!"

Sonic dashed after Sephiroth, but the first class SOLDIER merely swatted him aside and began advancing on Cloud. Everyone else seemed simply too stunned to move.

Cloud gripped Aeris’s hand tightly. She was hiding behind him, shaking with fear. It occurred to Cloud that he had led her out of her cell, only to be led into another trap. One that might claim her life again, in a perverse parody, relieving the events of her first death. Sephiroth had them both right where he wanted them. It was so hopeless...

Give her your other hand.

Cloud shivered in fear. Was it Sephiroth...? No, it couldn’t be. The tall warrior wasn't even looking at him. Could it be the Triforce? Cloud gave Aeris the hand which bore the emblem of the Triforce. He waited for something to happen... everyone just seem frozen into place. No one was moving except for the man who had haunted every moment of his life, and was about to try to end it.

You have to speak to her. You can not do this without her help. Reassure her. She has the power necessary, you need only bring it out of her.

"Aeris... you have to help me." Time seemed to be standing still. Sephiroth was in front of them, holding his sword up in the air. He could feel the warmth of Aeris’s hand upon his... but it was like everything had come to a standstill in that moment. Like it was only the two of them.

Aeris, you have to stop Sephiroth. I know you can do it. You’re an Ancient... you’re one of the most powerful beings here. He’s mortal, the same as you and me. You can stop him.

Cloud heard another thin voice inside his head... like it was coming from a mile away. I’ve tried... but it’s just so hard. Every time I try to do anything, I can feel him upon me. He’s shutting out all my magic before I have a chance to use it. Please, I don’t know if I can.

Cloud felt his right palm warming up, and prayed that it was the Triforce reacting to his wish. I know you can. Please, just try. You have the power in you, just use it. Please, be my hero.

Time snapped back into place like a rubber band. Sephiroth swung his sword straight up into the air as Cloud stumbled away from it, holding on to Aeris. Samus suddenly screamed in rage and fired a charged beam into Sephiroth’s back. The warrior barely flinched. Sephiroth raised his sword behind his head, and threw it straight into the air at Cloud. Cloud closed his eyes and wished for anything, any power the Triforce had left to offer, any relief from his never ending quest, even any worthy last words.

"By all the gods, I swear that you shall not harm any of my friends as long as I live." The words were nice enough ... but they were not his. Cloud opened his eyes to see the masamune frozen in the air. Aeris was glowing with power... her arms were folded on her chest. She seemed to be holding back the Masamune with the power of her mind alone.

"That can be arranged, Ancient. I had no idea you were so loathe to taste my blade a second time."

In all his life, Cloud had never seen Aeris look so angry. "You’ve caused enough death already. My people sealed you away before, Jenova. If I had the power, I would gladly do so again."

"IF you had the power. A pity that is not the case."

"It’s all meaningless now anyway, Sephiroth." Aeris’s voice was beginning to crack from the strain. "Soon we’ll all be dead here, if we don’t leave now. But I won’t let you to harm anyone else."

Sephiroth turned around and glared at Bowser. "What is this?"

"Snake... he said he had a timed mine set to go off in the engines in half an hour. But it’s been at least that long now, he must have been bluffing."

"Of course I was." Snake said, to the surprise of all those present. "You didn’t really think I’d be stupid enough to kill us before we could get out, did you?"

Sephiroth plucked his sword out of the air and sneered at Aeris, who was still straining from the effort of trying to hold the blade in place. The armored warrior closed his eyes and swung his blade, releasing another wave of chaos.

This time, only Snake was prepared for the explosion.

The back of the ship bucked sharply, as the second blast detonated, sending the ship hurtling downward, at a nearly vertical angle. Bowser dove into the pit, and tried desperately turning the wheel in every direction, with little success. Everyone else began sliding across the length of the ship... except for Sephiroth, who was floating in the air.

"Most impressive, Snake. You did in fact have the fortitude to be prepared to end your own life. You have played your part quite well."

The dark warrior glided through the air, as the ship began to steady itself. A dark wave of energy leapt from his blade and into Bowser’s flying clown ship, turning the electronics into molten slag. The warrior glided until he reached the end of the ship, where his blade quickly severed the anchor. Sephiroth turned his back to Cloud and his friends, and then simply leaped off of the edge. Cloud looked off into the distance, hoping that the madman had ended his own life... but he could see a winged silhouette on the other side of a cloud layer. A cloud layer which they were rapidly approaching.

Cloud ran to the center of the ship, and called out to Bowser desperately.

"You have to land this thing! The anchor’s gone!"

"I.... CAN’T!" Bowser yelled. "She doesn’t have any power left in here, she’s just going to sink like a stone!"

Cloud knew Bowser was right... he could hear the propellers dying down, as the ship began falling in the air. Bowser was desperately swerving the rudder back and forth, trying to prevent the ship from taking a nosedive.

"Listen... we have to get out of here. Aeris, use your escape materia. Mario, you have to use your cape to fly down, try to carry Sonic if you can. Samus, just jump for it, hopefully you can fly out all right. I’ll go with you..."

Cloud’s voice trailed off as he saw the problem in their situation. Snake and Bowser were still left over. This wasn’t good. A little too late Cloud remembered the warning Magus had given him... he had found Aeris, the price was indeed proving too dear to pay. It was becoming painfully evident that they all weren’t going to make it out of here all right.

Snake stumbled across the shaking ship, covering his face from the turbulence of the winds rushing around him.

"Do whatever you have to do, Cloud. I have no regrets about coming."

Bowser turned away from the wheel long enough to yell at them. "IF I COULD SAY A FEW WORDS..."

"NO!" Everyone yelled at once. Everyone except for Aeris that is. She was grabbing onto Cloud’s shirt again. Cloud was amazed that she was still standing after her ordeal... but what could she want now?

"Please Cloud... I don’t want to leave him behind. It’s not his fault. I won’t leave unless everyone is safe."

Cloud sighed, and looked over at Samus. "Samus, just get Snake and yourself out of here, you don’t need to be involved in this."

"I knew the risks when I came along, Cloud. I came to see that Aeris was brought back safely. I’m not leaving until the mission is completed."

Cloud cast an imploring glance at Mario. "Mario, please..."

Mario shook his head. "No can-a do, Cloud. It’s not just-a you, Koopa here could use the company. I'd hate to leave an old buddy."

Sonic shivered as the winds began to increase in speed around them. They were falling all too rapidly. "Yeah, sure, whatever, I’m in. But could you please try to think of something to get us out of this alive?"

Cloud could only stare hopelessly over the edge of the ship. There was the pool outside the mansion... but that could never be big enough. The forest... no, they’d snap all the trees in there within a second. The only thing that even roughly approached the airship’s size out of all the structures there was the arena, and that was just as hopeless.

In that instant, Cloud grateful beyond words to the efforts of the construction crew for the arena. "Everyone! Get underneath the deck with Bowser! Bowser, angle the ship straight down, and aim for the arena!"

"We’ll smash straight into the ground! Are you INSANE?" Bowser had never been much of a team player.

"Yes, but that’s beside the point. Think. The force barriers. They can hold us back long enough for us to slow down in time for a landing."

"Cloud, we’ll just be bounced off of the barriers and be thrown into the stands, or we’ll rip straight through them and smash into the ground." This time it was Samus who spoke. "We’ll just end up crashing into the arena anyway. Where are you going with this? I don’t know what you have in mind, but I don’t any of us can keep this ship from crashing in time."

Cloud smiled. "Actually, one of us can."

----

Crono’s attention was still drawn to the sky, and the airship was beginning to catch the notice of the crowd. An uneasy murmur was building in the stadium. The fact that the match was already overdue to begin, coupled with the peculiar flying object that was hovering above them, was giving fuel to a wild number of theories about what could be happening.

Crono was growing more and more worried as the clock kept ticking away. He earnestly hoped that Cloud would be all right... he couldn’t bear to lose another friend, even a possible rival.

And then a hush fell over the arena as the airship came into view more clearly, and its course was revealed. It was plummeting straight downwards into the center of the arena. Shock did not begin to describe what the crowd was feeling at that particular moment. In all of the matches, there had always been the illusion of safety, and a sense of isolation from the carnage occurring inside the arena. Now, the fight was headed straight for them.

Panic begin to build as people scrambled out of their seats, some hoping to run away, some hoping to get a better view. Crono himself was transfixed... that ship had to be where Cloud and the others were. But what were they doing... why put so many lives at risk? Crono felt helpless... he began to wonder if he would honestly die there with everyone else. At least Link didn’t seem worried. The hyrulian sat back in his seat, sneering at the panic of the fans.

As the ship began to grow closer, Crono thought he could see what looked like a figurehead on the mast. But to his horror, he realized it wasn’t a carved image at all, but an actual person. It looked like Aeris was standing at the front of the falling ship. Crono closed his eyes. It was too horrible to watch.

He was forced to look again when the crowd gasped in awe. A yellow aura was surrounding the ship... it looked like it was slowing its fall somehow. Did Aeris have a plan after all? But surely it wouldn’t be enough. The fans began to scoot back into their seats as the airship grew nearer. It was headed straight for the dead center... but unless a miracle happened, the splinters from it would soon be flying in every direction.

The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as the doom ship grew nearer to the top of the arena. Crono tried to ignore Link’s chuckles, and wished desperately that everyone would come out of this safely.

When he opened his eyes this time, the ship had made contact with the force barrier above the arena. The momentum of the ship was straining the magical and technological forces invoked to create in the barriers of the arena... and the airship looked like it was still carrying a great deal of turbulence with it... as soon as it broke through, it would all be over.

But then, to Crono’s surprise, a blue barrier began to envelop the airship, merging with the one surrounding the arena. If he looked up, Crono could barely make out what he still believed to be Aeris at the front of the ship, fighting a losing battle with gravity and the physical forces at work in bringing the airship to its demise. There was no way her magic could hold up against that.

But to Crono’s surprise, Aeris was holding her own. The ship looked like it was gradually being lifted into the air by the two combined barriers. The turbulence around the airship was beginning to die down... like it was losing some of its momentum downwards. Crono dared to hope they would make it... and then Aeris slipped back onto the deck, and both barriers disappeared.

The crowd screamed as the ship began to accelerate downwards. It hit the ground with a wooden cracking noise, and the center of the arena was filled with splinters and rubble. Crono leaned over the edge, desperately hoping that Aeris’s efforts had been enough.

----

They had come full circle it seemed. Cloud had spent all this time chasing after and fighting Bowser... and now he was in the arena where he was supposed to do it for real. Since Cloud was currently resting on top of the Koopa’s mouth, he quickly hoisted himself above the wreckage of the ship. Inside Bowser’s little hidden pit, the rest of his companions lay unconscious... with the exception of one. Aeris.

Cloud stumbled across the rubble of the ship. He thought he could see a bit of lava leaking out from one of the pieces of the ship. As hard as being a hero was, at that particular moment he didn’t envy the tournament officials their jobs in cleaning up this mess. Aeris was resting on a mostly intact band of wood, her eyes closed, and her face in a slight smile. Cloud whispered a single word, casting a simple spell.

"Esuna."

Aeris’s eyes flitted opened, and she smiled weakly. "Did I do it?"

"Yes. You did. It’s all right now, it’s all over."

Bowser had picked himself out of the airship, and surprisingly enough, was dragging the other members of Cloud’s party out of the remains of the Doom Ship. One by one, they all squeezed their way out, until they were all conflagrated together, much to the surprise of the crowd.

Cloud smiled at his friends, and his one "enemy". "I’d like to thank you all for your help... even you, Bowser."

The Koopa shrugged his shoulders and muttered something to himself. Cloud figured he must still be a little upset over losing his ship.

"No-a problem, Cloud." Mario spoke up. "But we’d better be-a getting on our way! I don’t-a think your fans came-a to see me today!"

Mario grabbed a still dazed Sonic and soared up into the air with his cape, dropping the two of them into the competitors booth alongside a startled Crono. Cloud looked at his remaining friends and was a bit startled to find Samus giving Snake what looked like a hug. Snake just looked back at him without batting an eye, and Samus grabbed hold of him, and began jumping through the air until she reached the competitors booth with her friend in tow.

Aeris smiled at Cloud, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Knock him dead. Just, not literally if you can help it."

Cloud felt surprisingly good after her kiss... but then realized Aeris had cast a subtle healing spell on him when he wasn’t looking. Looking over at Bowser, who was glowing with a blue aura, he realized she must have done the same for him... apparently she wanted both of them to be in top shape. She waved goodbye, and warped away to join the other contestants.

That left the two fighters who were actually supposed to be there that day. Cloud unsheathed his sword, and let it sparkle in the noonday sun. He hadn’t gotten to use that thing nearly as often as he’d hoped. Making his way around the wreck of a ship that filled nearly half the arena, Cloud walked until he was across from Bowser. The Koopa grinned at him. Cloud spotted a chaos emerald tucked inside his palm... this still wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

The two fighters bowed to each other, acknowledging each other’s ability, while still hoping to surpass it. Surprisingly enough, the crowd chose that moment to snap to their senses and burst into applause for the two fighters, and their impressive entrance.

Cloud waited for the applause to die down, and took a few practice swings with his sword in the meantime. He’d been waiting for this one for a long time... the turtle would pay.




Today's Authors: BigCow
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