| GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project |
August 27th, 2003"Strength and Speed" It was an overcast day in the Porta Dei. The pungent smell of burning foliage still lingered everywhere, seeping even into the contestants’ rooms at the mansion. The massive blaze that had woken everyone up last night had further emphasized the growing fear and uncertainty among those remaining. The beautiful landscape of the dimension had withered to blackened ash and skeletal outlines of trees, mere faint suggestions of the harmony that had once existed between the contestants and the dimension. The dismal skyline now reminded everybody, in case they had forgotten, that they had a lot to think about. Which was why Sonic the Hedgehog, a few hours before his fourth match this year, was doing something unusual. He was walking. In thought. Sonic’s life went by as quickly as he ran. He was renowned for his brash temperament and impulsive actions, often plunging himself face-first into danger without any thought of the consequences. Against Dr. Robotnik, he’d always come out on top, saved his friends, and brought peace to Mobius for another day. But here… things were different. He’d screwed up big time in his last two matches. His desire to beat Zero had so badly clouded his judgment that he willingly made a decision that would have cost innocent audience members their lives, had the Reploid not saved them. And his quick impulsiveness had led him to forcefully kick Aeris out of the contest, ending her time with Cloud, perhaps forever. And I’m supposed to be the good guy! He kicked a nearby rock in frustration as the memory rose of his feral reaction to Aeris’s last-ditch attack. He’d helped save her from Bowser, only to deny her more time with someone she loved. And what he had done as Mecha-Sonic… what was he thinking? He didn’t expect it to end up like this. None of them did. Last year’s contest was competitive, but the fierceness certainly didn’t extend to outside of the arena. Some of the toughest battles had even forged bonds between the competitors—Crono and Mario were friends, and Sonic had even patched up his imaginary rift with Samus. Except for Scorpion and Sephiroth, none of the fighters last year had cared about winning enough to jeopardize the lives of others. Indeed, the only deaths last year had been at the hands of those two. But this year, someone had died on the very first day of the tournament. Then again two days later. And a cruel pattern had begun to emerge: this year, things were more serious. People were fighting for keeps. Which had left Sonic in an awkward position. Apart from his outrage at the circumstances of his last fight, he loved last year’s contest. It was an invigorating change of pace. It was a good opportunity to show off. It was… fun. So Sonic had expected it to be fun again this year. He’d blown off Knuckles’s warnings about the chaos emeralds. He blew off “tough guys” like Vercetti. And then, suddenly, he realized that his own mistakes were showing him something. Everyone talked about how Link had fallen, how the good guys kept turning bad. Sonic, in his mind, had fallen too. He’d been neglectful. He might have been able to stop Link from his dark path—maybe if he would have dashed off with that mask of his. Heck, all he’d cared about in rescuing Aeris was getting Bowser’s emerald! What happened? A few days ago, Sonic had realized that he was afraid. But he’d never admit that to anybody. He had no one else to turn to, and no one he trusted enough to let them in on the secret of the emeralds. Maybe it was just competitiveness, but Sonic had set up a wall between himself and the others as far as the emeralds were concerned. And so Sonic walked, not really going anywhere but over the same thoughts in his head. The stifling August wind ruffled his quills a bit. He closed his eyes and breathed. Mondo weird… it was so rare that he actually did this. He kinda liked it. Wonder what Rad Red would say if he saw me now… Maybe, Sonic realized with a flash, that was part of the problem. He just had nobody to talk to. Tails had been gone so long now, it seemed, and Knuckles, despite his constant berating, was also missed. Heck, he’d even settle for Shadow now, if only for a familiar face! Everybody left just seemed so distant… except one person. Maybe he’d be able to sort stuff out with a conversation partner… or maybe he just wanted somebody to talk to. At any rate, Sonic revved up his legs and made for the mansion. --- “And you shall find your place in history and become a legend… a legend that will never die…” Cloud Strife sat in his room, sullen. Yesterday had not been a good day. Everything in this miserable world was crashing down: Link had gone completely insane, Sephiroth was scheming all the time, even Mega Man had gone over to the “dark side”… like his opponent in their match today, Cloud was wondering what had happened to the tournament’s fun side. He thought, with detached memories, of Tom Nook, the happy, cheerful shopkeeper; Pikachu, the little electric mouse; and, going back to last year, odd little folks like Bub, or PaRappa the Rapper. They belonged in a different world to Cloud now, a world without slaughter, without possessing others’ bodies, without struggles for power and dominance. A world Cloud himself had never known, and a world, he imagined cynically, he’d never belong in anyway. But why had he come here in the first place? He’d known, all along, that Sephiroth would be here. Did he come just to see Aeris again? For fun? It seemed irrelevant now. Yesterday’s match had sapped him of the desire to even be in this world any longer… almost. The one thing that kept him going was the desire to bring him down. That was the only reason he cared, any more. The only reason he kept going. The only reason he still trained, worked his body beyond its conceivable limits. He wanted what he’d always wanted: revenge. But not today. At least for today, there’d be no slaughter, no bloodshed. Just, hopefully, a good fight. The mercenary shook his head. He found himself missing the company of others. He didn’t even miss people because he wanted to talk; Cloud had never been a talkative guy. He just missed being around people he felt comfortable with. Tifa, Barrett, even Squall… they were his friends. Nobody left here could fit that description. Except, maybe, one person. Maybe, Cloud thought, I do need to talk. To get out of my head and into the world again. --- “What’s-a on your mind, Sonic?” Mario asked. The hedgehog had tried the plumber’s room, but Mario was out. He’d found last year’s runner-up at the golf course, sitting quietly on a bench, unusually introspective and quiet. Maybe yesterday had shaken them all up a bit. “I dunno, Mario,” Sonic said. “It’s just that… man, everything’s so different from last year. Everybody’s so serious all the time. I came here for a good time, and I feel gypped!” Mario chuckled. “I-a know what you mean,” he said. The two got to talking, and began sharing stories. The conversation was animated and light, as Sonic kept trying to top Mario’s tales of Bowser’s schemes. Cloud, who had also come seeking a chat with Mario, watched from a distance behind a bush, not wanting to intrude. He didn’t exactly feel comfortable eavesdropping on their conversation, but it actually refreshed him to see actual friendship at the contest… something he hadn’t seen in a good while. It’s only been a week, the mercenary thought, but it feels like so long… Finally the two got to the crux of why Sonic had sought out companionship in the first place: to ease some of the burden the hedgehog had placed on his shoulders. In a wild rush, Sonic told Mario about the chaos emeralds and his responsibility to protect them, what had happened in his matches with Zero and Aeris, and why he felt like he had failed in his duties. Both Mario and Cloud listened with surprise. I didn’t know he had thoughts like this. He’s been keeping this from all of us, trying to hide his concerns away, Cloud thought. Cloud’s sole experiences with the Blue Blur had painted a picture of a reckless hero, a youthful wanderer with a heart of pure gold and an attitude problem—precisely the image Sonic always strove to convey. For his part, Mario just listened and nodded. Maybe Mario, Cloud thought, is the same way. Maybe we all are… we’re all the best from where we come from, we’re all so used to our suits of armor. Our protection from the outside. Maybe we just never stop to think that we’d be better off being honest with each other… with ourselves. For Cloud Strife, such a thought was an enormous breakthrough. But he didn’t realize it yet, as Mario began replying to Sonic. “The way I-a see it,” the plumber said, “Is-a that a-you want-a to a-redeem yourself.” Sonic nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “I guess that’s it.” “Hmmm.” Mario stroked his mustache thoughtfully. “Now, these a-chaos emeralds… if-a you leave today, what will you-a do with them?” Sonic scratched his head. “To tell ya the truth, I hadn’t thought about it.” “It’s-a your job to-a make sure they don’t-a fall into the wrong hands,” Mario said. Sonic nodded again. The truth was that he didn’t trust anybody with the emeralds except for Knuckles and himself, and he knew Knuckles would have felt the same way. But when faced with a very serious possibility of returning to Mobius today, what other choice did Sonic have than to entrust the emeralds with someone else? “How about you, Mario? I’d love to see you with all seven of those things. You’d blow that one-winged freak right back to whatever hole he crawled out of!” Mario chuckled, then sobered rather abruptly. Cloud still couldn’t used to seeing Mario and Sonic thoughtful. “Maybe you should-a give them to Cloud,” the plumber suggested. At this, the hedgehog bristled. “Clod? No way! He’ll just lose them or something.” Cloud felt the heat rise to his cheeks. Was this how people saw him? As a bumbling, inept commander who kept sending his party off of a cliff? The mere thought brought back so much insecurity that Cloud felt like he was in that awful cage back on the Doom Ship… just… wanting to die… “Sonic,” Mario said, “That’s-a not a-why you don’t-a want Cloud to have-a the emeralds, is it?” Pause. “Nah,” Sonic admitted. “It’s not. Truth is, I still feel terrible about getting Aeris kicked out. I don’t want to give the guy more problems to worry about.” So Sonic had just put his helmet on for a second again… Cloud still felt nervous inside, and he mentally berated himself. Is this how I’m going to beat him? By fighting myself? “Cloud is a good guy,” Mario said. “I think he’ll-a understand.” Sonic exhaled. “I hope so, man. Course, it won’t come to that, cause no matter what Clod ever faced before, he’s just not ready for the Blue Blur!” Mario laughed. “I-a think you’re-a right, Sonic.” “What’s a couple of fun-loving guys like us supposed to do here, Mario?” Mario jumped off of the bench and landed with a flourish. “We have-a fun, of course!” Sonic grinned. “Way past awesome, Mario.” He stuck his hand out, and taught Mario one of his complicated handshakes. Cloud could only shake his head and chuckle. The two of them together were quite a pair… to think that some people had actually expected a huge rivalry between the two of them. Maybe it was just because they were, in many ways, quite similar—both fun-loving but competitive, both silly but seriously so. “Don’t-a you have your-a match a-to get to?” Sonic nodded. “Yup. My fourth—and certainly not my last. Adios, muchacho!” And with that, the Blue Blur was gone. Mario watched the little cloud of smoke Sonic had left behind in his wake, then hopped off toward the arena, passing by Cloud’s bush. Cloud didn’t follow him. It was not his place to unload his troubles on Mario, not after what the plumber would face tomorrow— “They’re like children, aren’t they?” Cloud’s muscles tensed. He shut his eyes as the icy voice behind him continued to ramble. “Just like children. All about the pleasure and never the reward. This is why they always fail—they can never see the forest for the trees.” He had put just the right emphasis on the word forest… “Why don’t you look at me when I speak to you?” Link whispered. “Because all I want to remember you by is your corpse.” Link chuckled darkly. “Memories are a funny thing, indeed… I don’t think anyone at the arena yesterday will ever forget what happened there. You’ll always remember me, Cloud. You always remember the gods.” “What do you want?” Cloud snapped, turning to face the knight at last. “You’re not worthy to face me yet,” Link said. Cloud scowled. His hand reached for his Buster Sword. “Oh, come on, Cloud,” Link continued, “You know as well as I do that the only reason you’re still in this pitiful little contest is because you got placed in the easiest division. You’ve yet to face a real opponent. An incomprehensible space captain, an old faded samurai, a giant turtle… and today, a little blue rat who runs fast. How can you expect to be remotely prepared to face me?” “What do you want?” Cloud repeated. His hand drew to the hilt of the Buster. “I’m feeling merciful, mercenary, so I’ll give you some advice. Today’s as good as any to practice.” “Unless you want this sword shoved through your stomach, I’d recommend you stop talking to me.” “The rat, idiot,” Link snarled. “It’s just a running punching bag. You’ve been holding back this entire contest. I’ve heard the stories about how you defeated Sephiroth. I know you’re capable of greater things, but thus far you haven’t earned the right to face me yet. Why are you holding back? Your worthless opponents should feel proud that they die from you, not from some watered-down, impotent sack of mercy, much as I will only take pleasure in killing you, not some—" Cloud saw nothing but red as he lunged at the fallen Hylian hero, but Link sidestepped his swing and tripped him. Cloud rolled on the ground, then brought the Buster up. Link strode calmly forward, and with maddening agility, grabbed Cloud’s wrist in mid-swing. The mercenary was so blinded with rage that all he could see was Link’s cold, hollowed eyes, boring into his own… and all he could hear was a fierce chuckling… and all he could feel, eventually, was Link’s fingers pressing into his skin like an impossibly strong vice, blinding him… all he could see was red… or was it… yellow… the chuckling subsided, and Cloud’s anger gradually gave way to something else, a focus… anger would serve him no purpose, but neither would fighting Link now… though he did not understand why, Cloud saw Link’s eyes change somehow, wide with fright… the pain in Cloud’s arm was gone, and Link was yelling some strange words at him… abruptly the two were separated, both flung in different directions. Cloud immediately got up, shaking his head to clear the confusion inside. Link, too, was getting up, clutching his hand and breathing heavily. He drew the Master Sword as his face contorted with murderous rage… then stopped, suddenly, and withdrew, laughing coldly. His composure was completely gone. “Don’t think,” he spat, “That just because you stole the powers of my goddess that you’ll be able to stand with me in the arena. Your fate has been sealed. Spurn the gods and their wrath will come upon you, terrible and indescribable… kill this mangy, worthless rat and then, only then can you even pretend to defy my will!” It was like he was some kind of rabid beast… “Do you hear me????” “Look at yourself!” Cloud yelled, also short of breath. “Don’t you see what you’ve become, Link? Wake up and stop it!” “I do see what I’ve become,” Link continued, his voice dripping with menace. “It is you who is blind. So have your fun today, Cloud, but remember this: no crutch, no trinket, no fun can save you from your fate.” Before Cloud could do anything else, Link ran off, disappearing into the small patch of foliage behind the golf course. Gone to destroy that, too? Cloud thought sadly as his breathing returned to normal. Was this, truly, what this contest had come to? Had the old sense of fun and good-natured ways been completely obliterated? Would it, once more, fall upon Cloud’s shoulders to defeat the fallen hero? “No fun can save you from your fate…” Cloud dusted himself off, then looked at his wrist where Link had grabbed it. For some reason there was no sign of any struggle there, no red marks, not even a bruise. Looks like even Link’s “will” has its limits Cloud thought. And then his thoughts strayed to his upcoming match. Whatever the future held for Cloud Strife, all he knew was that he had a match today, and he couldn’t concern himself with Link’s “plans” for him. That’s what he’d want, and probably what he came here to do. Distract me. Make me lose. Cloud walked off resolutely toward the arena. Well, if I do lose today, Cloud thought, Rest assured it won’t be Link’s doing. My world doesn’t end when he says it does, and as long as I live, it never will. Cloud’s fourth match approached him along with the arena. Maybe, for once this year, I can have a good fight… and a fun one. Good luck, Sonic… --- In the locker room, Sonic the Hedgehog was back to his old self again, dashing around the room, switching the showers on and off in under a split-second. He was a bundle of unrestrained electricity, and he was ready to fire himself at Cloud. Good luck, Clod, he thought as he pounced onto the ground to do some one-handed pushups, then leapt into the air and grabbed onto the pull-up bar. While he pressed himself up toward the bar, his legs revved up in anticipation. You’re gonna need it! Sonic twirled in the air and did a quick handstand on the ground, before dashing up the walls and flying backwards across the floor. He skidded to one side and nearly tripped over the silver stone as he prepared for another sprint… Silver…stone. Silver emerald. Shining on the ground as innocently as could be, one of the last stones he had spent the last month searching for was staring him in the face. Sonic gaped it for a full second, an eternity for the hyper hedgehog, before snatching it up and holding it to the light. He knew that glow better than he knew his own face. This was incredible! Sonic held it in the air, scarcely believing it could be real. This was… Impossible. This had to be some kind of a mistake. Sonic tried to think back to what had happened to all of the emeralds. He knew Sephiroth had one of them, he had felt its power when the swordsman had swatted him aside like he weighed nothing. There was no mistaking that kind of energy. The one MegaMan owned… where had it come from? Sonic racked his brain… first Lara had shown up with the emerald, than Zelda had let MegaMan take it. Zelda... Sheik. She had ran out of the arena with a golden emerald! Sonic could scarcely believe his luck… but just then, he could hear a growing commotion coming from the arena. Cloud must already be on the ground floor. He had no time to waste. No longer caring if he wore himself out before the match started, Sonic sprinted for all he was worth, tracing a blue streak back to the mansion. Slamming doors open and shut behind him, he whirled around to find himself in MegaMan’s room... and came to an awkward halt. The place had seen better days. The blue robot waved casually to him. MegaMan was nonchalantly piling mounds of ash into a corner of the room, then vaporizing them. The remainder of his room was a burned out concrete shell, with very little remaining in the way of personal effects other than a simple bed and some robotic parts… not that there was much a robot really needed. “The heck?” Sonic blurted out. “What kind of a party have you been having over here? And why wasn’t I invited?” MegaMan smiled lightly. The two of them were about as opposite as could be. The blue blur and the blue bomber… pure instinct and pure logic. “No party, sadly. The room was set on fire while I was gone. I never could understand humans.” “Yeah, me either.” Sonic muttered. Wait a second… an act of arson done by a human… Sonic couldn’t help but to think about the forest. “Link did this, didn’t he?!? He was after the emerald! We’ve got to stop…” “It’s all right, Sonic.” MegaMan motioned him into a corner of a room. “It was Vercetti, and besides, I’ve kept it safe, he won’t be getting it any time soon if I can help it. Say, don’t you have a match we should be going to?” Sonic’s eyes caught sight of the golden emerald and completely lost his train of thought. He was a few feet away from completing the task he’d be trying for all month. If he could just… “Listen!” Sonic blurted out. “You’ve got to let me take it. You see, I’ve got all the other emeralds! They’re meant to be used together… and if they are, I know I can beat Link, and Cloud, and everyone!” MegaMan looked at him uncertainly. The organic life forms had hardly had a positive track record where these gems were concerned from what he saw… not that he had fared any better. “I’m not sure that would be wise. They’re very powerful…” “But I’m the one who knows how to use them!” Sonic rushed out his words all at once. In his mind’s eye he could see Cloud pacing back and forth in the arena, taunting him in front of the crowd. He had no time. “They’re from my world, I’ve fought with them before to defend the planet! Please, you have to let me take it.” MegaMan gave a robotic sigh which sounded oddly like a processor making a core dump while rebooting its file system and scanning a floppy drive, which of course carried no meaning whatsoever to Sonic. “I have no use for it anyway. I can’t tell you what to do, but if they’re yours… just be careful.” “Sure thing!” Sonic was out the door before the echo of his words had faded from the non-insulated room. Sonic ran back into the arena at breakneck speed, but paused hesitantly. After dealing with Bowser, he wasn’t sure he could take anything for granted. It all seemed too easy. Was he being set up? Sonic took another look at his pile of accumulated emeralds, and realized that was a chance he’d have to take… and besides, with all the emeralds at his disposal, there was nothing that could stand in his way! Cloud was history… he wouldn’t last a minute against the powers of Super Sonic! It was all over for that Clod. It might have given Sonic pause if he had known he wasn’t the only individual with that particular thought in mind. But then, it might not. "Chaos Unleashed" The audience's murmur broke into a round of applause as the second contestant finally showed up on the ground floor. At one of the upper levels of the arena, an excited thirteen-year-old boy was waving a banner with Sonic's face on it. A cheer began to rise as the screaming of the crowd gradually coalesced around two syllables. "SON-IC! SON-IC!" The speck of a blue hedgehog spun around a few times, and ran in a circle around Cloud before coming to a stop facing him. "You might want to borrow these," the boy's father told his son, handing him a pair of binoculars. "Sonic moves so fast it could be easy to miss. This whole thing could be over before you know it if he runs the wrong way into that sword Cloud's lugging around." "Nah, Sonic's too smart for that!" The boy shook his head vigorously. "He just needs to keep him occupied enough to slam him, he can do this!" The boy's father shrugged. "We'll see, now, won't we?" --- "Glad to see you could make it, Sonic." Cloud said, trying to put on an uncompetitive air. He might as well have been trying to negotiate with a whirlwind. Sonic just smirked back at him. "Don't worry, we'll both be out of here before you know it." "Hopefully. I just wanted to thank you again for all you've done to help our cause... although you could have told us what you knew about the emeralds." Sonic winced suddenly, glaring up in the stands at Mario. "You'll get a chance to see them yourself if you can stick around that long." Cloud frowned. Just what was that supposed to mean? "READYSETGO!" Before he even knew what he was doing, Cloud swung his sword in a swift uppercut, as Sonic began to charge him. Quicker than the eye, the hedgehog dodged to one side and began to circle around him. Cloud glanced quickly behind him just in time to see Sonic's speedy form smash into him, knocking him to the ground. Cloud gritted his teeth, and kicked his legs together sharply, feeling his feet contact bone beneath fur. He sprung back to his feet to see his foe leaping in the air at him. He hadn't expected his opponent to be nearly this aggressive. What was he up to? --- Mario smiled in satisfaction as he watched his two part-time pals duke it out. Sonic was keeping Cloud busy, running circles around him much like Mario himself had with Bowser, and striking whenever the mercenary showed an opening. Mario had done his share of racing in his time, but he knew he wouldn't want to run against Sonic on his feet. The hedgehog was keeping Cloud guessing where he was going to go next... the mercenary was having a hard time hitting a moving target. Mario opened his eyes wide, and grinned, guessing what Cloud was going to try next. Sure enough, the mercenary slung his sword on his back, and lifted both his arms into the air. A fireball flew out from his fingertips, scorching the ground in front of Sonic. The hedgehog darted to one side, and charged Cloud once again. The mercenary kept firing his magical missiles in Sonic’s direction, but Sonic weaved around them, ducking and dodging them for long enough to score another hit. The spiky blur crashed into Cloud, sending him sprawling again. Mario shook his head. Bowser had always had a problem dodging fireballs, but Sonic obviously was more than up to the challenge. The hedgehog was playing a dangerous game of hit and run. If the hedgehog slipped up or even lost his momentum for a moment, Cloud could finish him in close quarters. It reminded Mario of some of his own battles with the speedy Koopas, sometimes having to put up with a drawn out battle before he could get in a finishing strike. But then, he had done the exact same thing against Bowser. His own speed and ingenuity had allowed him to defeat a brute force that could have squashed him like a Goomba. Cloud continued shooting still more fiery missiles around the arena as he chased Sonic, trying to herd the hedgehog into a corner so he could get in a good strike. Sonic curled himself up into a ball and sent himself flying into a swift dash towards Cloud. Cloud swung his sword quickly, but Sonic swerved away and tried to ram him from the side… only to have to dodge out of the way at the last moment. But the hedgehog kept rolling, and simply bounced off of the force barriers like a pinball. Mario was not exactly what most of the fighters would call a master strategist. His technique was based almost exclusively around intuition, an uncanny knack for figuring out his opponents’ weaknesses, and quite a bit of deserved luck. But at the moment, his estimation of the situation was that the large scale of the arena was uniquely suited for Sonic. The hedgehog had far too much room to maneuver and run away, and Cloud wouldn’t be able to force things to a close range fight like he had with all his past opponents. The rules were all working in Sonic’s favor at the moment. Mario knew that Cloud, being an ex-military officer and a bit of a strategist himself, had fought in enough battles to assess the state of affairs as well as he could. Hence, the plumber was not among those surprised by Cloud’s next move. When the odds are stacked against you, it’s time to change the rules of the game. Break out of the usual mold. Level the playing field. So to speak. --- This was too easy. Cloud was simply reacting too slowly. The mercenary couldn’t even touch him. Sonic was on a roll in every sense of the word. It was looking like he wouldn’t even need the emeralds; he could save them as a surprise for Link. As Sonic begin yet another charge that would carry him far away from Cloud after reaching his target, he had an uncanny burst of intuition that something was very wrong. A murmur of sound far below the range humans could hear began to tease at his senses. A soft rumbling vibration began to grow steadily louder. Sonic upped the pace, burning skid marks into the arena floor. He accelerated until he was nothing more than a supersonic blur. Blink for a second, and you’d miss it. This was living right here; and this time, he’d knock that sword and its materia straight out of Cloud’s hands. The distance between them narrowed, but Cloud wasn’t moving for some reason. His arms were raised up in the air, and he was chanting something Sonic couldn’t figure out. Sonic sped forward onto a bull’s-eye towards Cloud’s chest… and was surprised to see the distance between them widen, and Cloud sink downwards. The harsh crack of breaking concrete filled the air. The audience began to scream in shock and horror. Sonic lost his footing as the ground in front of him took a curve up, and sent him sprawling onto his face. Sonic picked himself up and tried to run away before Cloud could reach him, but another earthquake split the ground right in front of him. The floor shook all around him and formed new chasms. A fissure blocked his way backwards, and the panicked hedgehog tried to dash into the air, only to be met by a wall of rock and concrete that burst out of the ground. Cloud was standing still only a few feet away from him, controlling the madness that was reshaping the ground around them. His eyes were closed, and his face betrayed no hint of emotion as he effectually cut Sonic off from the rest of the arena. Then his lids opened, to reveal two terrible glowing orbs. For the first time since being trapped inside Mecha-Sonic, the heroic hedgehog began to feel truly afraid. Cloud was on him faster than Sonic could work up a single regret. The bandaged sword was all around him. Its massive bulk slammed into him and its edge tore off a few of Sonic’s quills. Sonic tried to roll out of the way, but the weapon was faster. Sonic had never seen Cloud move this quickly before. The sword jabbed into his side briefly, and Sonic’s eyes blurred with pain. He lost his grip on the ground as his entire body was sent flying into the air by a sweep from the blunt side of Cloud’s sword, forestalling the need for him to try to run. Sonic skidded onto the recently erupted ground, sliding for yards before getting back on his feet. His pride was wounded far worse than his body. The crowd stopped gasping in awe at the display of magic long enough to give Cloud a roaring round of applause. The entire audience had seen what just happened. There was no way they could have missed it. He messed up in front of everyone. Being faster than Cloud wasn’t going to cut it if he couldn’t count on the ground beneath his own feet. It just might be time to leave the ground altogether. He hated to do it. After all that had happened between them, Sonic had come to regard Cloud as a genuinely nice guy. Sure, he could be a little slow sometimes, and he wasn’t exactly the coolest cat in the multiverse, but Cloud was all right. He was persistent, patient, and a good guy to have watching your back. The two of them would probably never be best buddies, but Sonic respected the mercenary for his courage. Obviously fighters like him had their place somewhere. But there was no way Sonic could trust the fate of the tournament to Cloud. Not after what happened last night. Link had to be dealt with. While they had all been staying up, worrying about Cloud’s personal nemesis, Link had been acting beyond what any of them could have predicted. The entire forest had been burnt to a crisp. Just snuffed out of existence, helpless to put up a fight. Goodness knows how many trees, bushes, animals, and squirrels had died… the thought made Sonic shudder. None of the humans could really understand what all those things meant to him. Back in his own world, all those animals would have been his friends, and he would have fought and died to protect them from the schemes of Robotnik. But here, he had been too late. Link was always mocking the animals around him, and now to destroy the forest… Sonic felt that it had been a personal jab against him. Cloud’s lack of speed on the battlefield only reinforced his conviction that he had to be the one to deal with Link. He couldn’t take the risk of bowing out and letting a weaker champion win. His only choice was to up the ante, and take this all the way. Knuckles had warned him against using the emeralds… but surely even Knuckles would have to realize what was at stake here. There was no way Link deserved to win again, not after murdering his opponents and destroying innocent forms of life. He was the only hedgehog for the job. His entire stay at the tournament had led up to this point, and with the help of his friends, and a couple of his enemies, he was going to set things right. Sonic had to win, not just for himself, but for all the other heroes who were disgraced by Link’s example. Cloud paced towards Sonic with the resolute air of a fighter who had nothing more to prove. The mercenary was as focused as Sonic had ever seen him. His words were brittle and determined. “You’re not getting anywhere, Sonic. This doesn’t have to go any further. Haven’t you had enough already?” “Not even close, polygon head!” Sonic jeered. “I’m just getting started!” “Be reasonable, Sonic. These kinds of fights aren’t for you. Don’t let your pride get in the way.” “Ha! I’ve never been better prepared. The rest of you slowpokes will have to pick your jaws off the floor when I’m done here. I’ll try to tell you what you missed after you’re knocked out. You’re about to take a ride on the Sonic express.” Cloud crossed his arms, and regarded Sonic with a curious eye. “Very well then, let’s see it.” The audience was beginning to grow restless again, a few of the fans were whistling loudly at Sonic. He barely heard them. Was Cloud really going to give him the chance…? “Sure thing, pixel brain.” Sonic dashed off into the corner of the arena where he had entered, and returned with his prizes, the result of over a full month’s search. Scattered around him were the seven emeralds that had divided the fighters up to this point, and proven to be the deciding factor in more than one match. He raised the light blue emerald to the air… he had won that himself from Ryu. The red emerald, Knuckles had found on his own, and that had started this whole mess. The green emerald had passed through three different owners before falling into his hands… Shadow, Wario, and Knuckles had all held it for a time. The purple emerald had been found in the staff of the summoner, and the blue emerald he had gotten as his own reward for helping out Cloud… as a begrudging gift from Bowser. The golden emerald he had gotten just that morning thanks to MegaMan, and the silver emerald… Sonic hesitated one last time. Sephiroth was the only one he had ever seen with that emerald. Why would the swordsman have let it slip through his fingers, and how could Sonic have found it so easily? For a moment, Sonic worried that he might have picked up a fake, and that this wouldn’t even work. If nothing happened, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how foolish he would look the crowd. He would probably have to bow out of the match in shame. Come on guys, do your thing. Sonic closed his eyes and spun in a quick circle, touching each of the emeralds in turn. Nothing was happening. Worried, he jumped into the air, holding onto the emeralds. He could feel the chaos energy in each of them, but something was wrong. Then he realized it. The positive and negative energy of the emeralds was all out of whack. Their power had been used and abused by so many fighters that they were out of sync with each other. This must have been what Knuckles had been worried about. “Come on…” Sonic spun around the emeralds, trying to absorb as much of their energy as he could. But he couldn’t break through. Something was wrong about this set, it just didn’t feel normal. A particularly belligerent fan yelled at him from the stands. “Are you fighting or dancing? Get it on already!” “Shut up…” Sonic closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He had everything he needed. He had done this countless times before under more trying circumstances. Was it because he wasn’t in any immediate danger at the moment…? Angrily, he tried again to tap into their power, but nothing was working. This was not good. --- One of Sonic’s younger fans was still up in the bleachers, waiting impatiently for the fight to continue. “What’s he doing? Is he just going to spin around like that?” The boy’s father shrugged nonchalantly. It was a bit of a refreshing break in the action for him. “Maybe he’s decided to give up. He doesn’t have anywhere to go.” “Nah, not Sonic.” The boy peered through his binoculars suspiciously. “Hey, what are those stones doing on the ground?” The boy’s father took a peek through the binoculars. Sure enough, there was a set of jewels on the ground, which were glowing lightly… but then the ground shook, and he was forced to redirect his attention. “Look out!” The boy’s father yelled, as he grabbed his son close. “It must be another earthquake.” Sure enough, there was a steady rumble growing, but Cloud looked just as surprised as anyone else. The air cracked and popped as the tumult grew. Several members of the audience shrieked as the seats beneath them literally rippled. As the father held his son tightly, he looked up at the sky in time to spot all the clouds whirling and reforming themselves in the air. The sky took a darker turn for an instant, as the light itself appeared to be sucked away by some strange force. The disrupted ground on the arena floor itself seemed to lose all form and structure briefly, as a single whirlwind appeared at the base of the arena, a seeming nexus for the insanity that was brewing. Only two individuals present understood what was happening. The entire dimension was undergoing an enormous energy flow. All the ambient energy of the Porta Dei was being sucked out of its surroundings, and being channeled into the bearer of the chaos emeralds. He was the first test subject for virtual omnipotence. All the chaos the multiverse had to offer at his disposal. In Sephiroth’s mind, the only question was whether or not Sonic would grow too greedy with the amount of power he could absorb and destroy his frail form before he had a chance to use any of it. --- Pure exhilaration. A rush of power. One moment you’re sweating in front of thousands of fans desperately hoping you can buy yourself some more time… and the next thing you know lightning is coursing through your veins. The sensation was overwhelming. Sonic had always been hyper, but this went beyond being energetic. He was quite literally charged. The winds rushed around him like the universe itself was distorted by the energies flowing through him. The whirlwind rushed to a sudden climax as the fabric of space bent over itself and snapped back into place. Sonic’s fur began to glow to a blinding intensity, forcing everyone else to avert their eyes. And then the hedgehog cried out sharply, and fell flat onto the ground. Seven colorless emeralds lay still around him. His fur had been burnt to a golden hue, and his body was smoking from the effort. Between the thousands of fans in the arena, the two fighters on the field prepared to pummel each other into oblivion, and the four contestants watching the match, there was absolute and total silence. The battleground was deathly still. The soft pop of a droplet of sweat hitting the ground felt like a thunderclap. The only sound Cloud could make out was the sound of his own breathing… and nothing from Sonic. Then, just as suddenly, Sonic picked himself up off the ground, and spun into the air. “It’s all right folks, Sonic is back and better than ever!” The hedgehog flipped himself around in the air, and flew over to the wall of the arena to fake a high five to Mario. That was when Cloud picked up on the fact that Sonic wasn’t playing by the rules of gravity any longer. The hedgehog was floating in the air. He was flitting around the stands faster than Cloud could follow with his eyes. This changed everything. Cloud hadn’t wanted to do this, but it was looking like he had no choice. No one wanted to play by the rules anymore. Pride didn’t even come into the picture. Everyone was willing to use each and every power at their disposal to gain an edge. It seemed inevitable that this match would have to be taken to a whole new level for both of them before one of them would lose the will to fight. Regretfully, he began calling on the power of the Triforce. It was either use this power against his friend, or just give up. And Cloud had stopped backing down from what threatened him a long time ago. But he’d need more than just strength this time. --- The young man’s father in the stands rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Great, now there’s two yellow spiky things. How are we supposed to tell them apart?” --- Sephiroth smiled curtly. He exhibits power unchecked and uncontrolled, like a raging bull, blind to all but his target. Sonic is an inferior vessel, but he will do for now. Like the first animals sent into the heavens to prepare the way for humans, his presence here is only in service to his betters. And once the way is made clear, all of reality shall feel the force that dimly echoes today, through this mere beast. --- Scarcely a few feet away, Link’s eyes began to shine. There will be no turning back for any of them now. Even those who do not realize the extent of the power they witness here will be drawn to it like moths to the flame. And to think, the flawless robot failed where this infantile animal succeeded. Before they all knew me as a champion and hero, when I was not even a fraction of what I am now. They shall end their lives knowing me as their master, and their god. --- MegaMan’s sensors were overloading from the streams of data being imparted to him. He ran diagnostic after diagnostic, trying to figure out what the discrepancy was between what he was seeing and what was actually taking place. Quite simply, the readouts he was getting were impossible. If his present information was to be believed, Sonic’s transformation had somehow affected all the matter and energy in the dimension… and extended even further. The readouts he was getting on Sonic himself defied rational conception. The chaos emeralds had all exhibited significant augmentations on the power of their bearers, but nothing on this scale. One thing was for certain. If Sonic was anywhere near as powerful now as his instruments suggested, Cloud’s chances of survival were logically exhausted. They might as well go home now. --- Mario leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, trying to ignore the exhilarant screaming of the crowd. “Yeah, yeah, he’s-a yellow and glowing. Mama-mia! You’d think these-a people had never seen a star before!” --- Snake, incidentally, was not present at the match. The best estimation anyone else could make was that he was still drowning his sorrows, and wasn’t in the mood for watching any more carnage that day. --- Sonic was on top of the world. From where he was looking, soaring above the top of the bleachers for show, Cloud looked like an ant. But still, it was about time to squash this bug. Sonic zoomed to the ground before the air had time to settle around him. “No hard feelings, buddy!” He called out, and braced himself to slam into his new friend. The only thing was, making contact after the three tenths of a second it took him to get from the dead center of the arena to Cloud’s position, Cloud felt unusually hard. And metal. And bandaged. A swift parry and swing from Cloud’s sword sent Sonic flying backwards. The hedgehog whirled around in the air and sent himself bashing into Cloud’s side again as a living missile. This time he made contact, and Cloud fell onto the ground with a thud and a clang. Sonic decided not to waste any more time. He might as well take him down with some style right now. He zipped back towards Cloud’s sprawling form and bashed into him again. The blue blur bounced from one end of the arena to the other, knocking Cloud down like a bowling pin each time. He was flying beyond the speed of sound. People watching in the stands would see him fly by and hear the collision a few seconds later. The mercenary was made of some tough stuff, that was for sure. What was most surprising was that each time, after picking himself up, Cloud just seemed to stand still, waiting for Sonic. And then he just hit the deck, or tried to dodge out of the way… much too slowly. The mercenary seemed to have given up, he was no longer even trying to hit Sonic. Cloud was getting hit on every side by an opponent who had him far outmatched for speed and maneuverability... and yet he still wasn’t doing anything. Sonic took the time out of a complicated maneuver in the air that was about to bring him down on Cloud’s head to ponder the situation for a second. This is too easy. It’s almost like... In that instant, he collided with the buster sword head on, and fell victim to a quick cross slash. Trying to jerk himself away, he collided with a set of aerial shock waves that Cloud somehow created, and left himself open for another well-timed slice. …he’s been watching my patterns, guessing where I’ll go next. Time to vary things up. Sonic grabbed the breadth of the blade and flipped himself under it, kicking Cloud swiftly in the back. He dived under the sword as it whirled to meet him, and knocked himself into Cloud again, trying to throw off the mercenary’s balance. To his surprise, the mercenary was able to go blow for blow with him for a while. Impossibly, Cloud was almost as quick with his massive sword as Sonic was with his whole body… and the mercenary seemed to have an intuitive ability to anticipate him. Sometimes Sonic would find the sword blocking his path or crunching into him before he knew himself where he would try to attack next. Then Cloud started slowing down again. He was noticeably breathing more heavily, and his cuts seemed to steer wide of Sonic, leaving him plenty of room to dodge, away and backwards, straight into… the wall. Cloud had been herding him into a trap again. The mercenary’s eyes glowed bright for an instant, as Cloud leapt forward and threw a flurry of sword strokes at Sonic. Sonic had watched the omnislash enough times to know what he was up against. It was a speedy and deadly move that spelled the end for most fighters. But if Cloud had been paying any attention during the last few minutes, he would have known that Sonic was not like most fighters. Sonic flew straight up into the air, trying to distance himself as far as he could from the torrent of sword swipes. He sent himself spiraling down again, as a blade nearly skimmed off the top of his head. Sonic began whirling, juking, and dodging at hyper speeds. Even as Cloud speed increased, so did Sonic’s concentration. Sonic continued his fatal dance around the path of the blade, trying to draw on all the power of the emeralds that he could. Fifteen missed strokes later, Cloud’s mouth began to gape open in slow motion as the crowd all rose to their feet to see for themselves what had happened. Sonic didn’t intend to give any of them enough time to react for once. Faster than the eye could see, he grabbed onto Cloud’s arm and sent him flying into the air, then proceeded to outpace his own throw by flying after it. He landed squarely on top of Cloud, and slammed him into the ground. The buster sword was sent spinning away from Cloud, and Sonic zoomed over to grab it. In a flash he grabbed the bothersome bandaged blade, and chucked it into the air, catching it again with a flourish. “Sorry there buddy, looks like the Cloud has lost a bit of its thunder! No need to cry… game called on account of rain?” Sonic had a chance to regret his choice of words in a matter of seconds. A lightning bolt crashing down on one side of him informed him that Cloud wasn’t exactly out of the game yet. The swordsman must have some materia still tucked into his armor… he wasn’t short on spells for this match at least. Sonic flew through the air as the sky crackled with electricity on all sides of him. He was aiming for Cloud once again, preparing to take a swipe at him so fast he’d never see it coming. He didn’t have any more time to play around. Sonic weaved through the artificial storm with ease. This was a joke. Cloud couldn’t hit the broad side of a planetoid. Sonic flew up into the air for what would hopefully be his final charge at the battle-weary mercenary. It was shortly thereafter that Sonic realized his critical mistake. He was carrying a large metal object high in the air, in the middle of an electrically induced storm. The truth was it didn’t matter how good Cloud’s aim was at the moment. Because there were just a few things Sonic couldn’t hope to outrun… a bolt of lightning being one of them. And at the moment, thanks to carrying Cloud’s weapon, he was acting as a living lightning rod. A bolt of lightning finally managed to strike the sword full on, leaving Sonic shocked and wounded. Fortunately, it wasn’t possible for his fur to look any more electrified at the moment. Sonic dove to the ground as the bursts of lightning kept pouring into him, struggling to bear the strain, and hurled the sword as far as he could away from himself. The lightning mercifully stopped. “Good effort, slowpoke, but you’re still stuck on the ground. I’m on a whole ‘nother level!” Sonic braced himself in case Cloud had any last tricks to play, and sure enough, a giant cyclone began heading towards Sonic. Sonic swerved away from its vortex, and laughed out loud. “Is that all you’ve got left?” As Cloud began to send more tornadoes into the sky to try to bring Sonic down or give himself a chance to reach his sword, Sonic decided it was time to try a trick of his own. He flew around in the air in a tight circle, speeding up faster and faster, and carrying the wind with him. He spiraled towards Cloud, bringing his own miniature whirlwind with him, and released his Sonic-powered tornado into the air. Cloud tried to redirect or dispel the errant twister, but was caught up in its vortex before he realized what was happening. Sonic zipped over the mercenary, and knocked Cloud into the air and onto the ground, removing himself from the tornado as well. But Cloud just kept on coming. No sooner had he picked himself back up, than he repeated his same tactic and tried to work his way back towards his sword. After an agonizing cat and mouse game with both trying to outrun the other’s series of twisters, Cloud was left clutching his sword, and Sonic catching up to him at last. Sonic shook his head regretfully. “Listen Cloud, I don’t mean to be a jerk, but you might as well call it quits. You’re not going to get anywhere like this. Let’s end this with some class, for once.” “No can do, Sonic.” Cloud replied. “There’s far too much at stake here, as I’m sure you know.” “You mean those bums?” Sonic glanced up at the competitors box where four of their remaining enemies were watching with interest. “I can take out Link and Sephiroth, no problem. Just leave it to me.” “No, you can’t, Sonic.” Cloud sighed. “I’ve seen every move you’ve got left, and it won’t be enough. In case you haven’t noticed, Sephiroth can fly and even teleport. Link can hover, and he can hit you no matter how far away you run. Explain to me just how you could get away from a sphere of flame that can take out an entire forest.” “He’d never get a chance to use it! I…” Sonic suddenly noticed Cloud’s palm was glowing. The shine coming from the emblem of the Triforce was increasing in its intensity, and a second golden light seemed to be emanating from Cloud’s eyes. “You’ve been holding back on me,” Sonic accused. “I had to see for myself if I thought you could do it. And I’m still convinced you can’t. All the energy and speed in the world won’t be enough if you don’t have the skill and strength. I’m sorry Sonic, but it has to end here.” “Not today,” Sonic muttered, accelerating in the air once again. --- MegaMan’s analysis was that Cloud was still able to hold his own, but he doubted the swordman’s luck could last. But then a second incongruity began to appear upon his sensors. Cloud himself appeared to be glowing, and it looked like his strength was increasing exponentially. The irresistible force was about to meet the immovable object. MegaMan tried desperately to calculate the results of the new changes in the fighter’s powers… And that’s when he decided to switch his more advanced scanners off, and just watch the match. It was anyone’s guess at this point. --- He lacks the strategy of a true SOLDIER like either of us, and his power may not be enough to offset that. But his competitive nature will not allow him to give up while he still has the strength to go on. He will live or die by the force of the universe he is now bound to. --- Cloud cast a quick haste spell upon on himself, and tried to slow down Sonic as much as he could with his magic, twisting the flow of time to his advantage in whatever way he could. The whole crowd seemed to be moving more slowly now, and Cloud hoped the difference might be enough. Sonic was already charging at him again. Cloud sidestepped and quickly tried to bring his sword to bear at the insanely fast hedgehog. But Sonic swerved up and around him, bashing into his blind spot. Cloud crouched down to keep his balance, and swung his sword around him quickly, trying to ward away his opponent. This was like trying to swat a bumblebee with a desk. The protection his giant sword offered him was offset by its bulk. But Cloud was still convinced he could end it with the right series of strokes. He managed to land more than a glancing blow when Sonic got greedy and tried to nail him twice on the same pass. His sword struck squarely into Sonic’s side… but he was unable to penetrate the hedgehog’s skin. Sonic had already zapped himself away. Cloud knew Sonic had yet to see all that he was capable of. But he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d underestimated the hero of Mobius as well. Sonic had apparently gotten impatient with hitting and running and decided to force the battle to a close range. Cloud’s mind was fully occupied with covering all of his flanks. It was like fighting a hundred opponents at once, with how fast Sonic was able to fly around him and penetrate his defenses. His sword flew around him in response, cutting tight circles and granting no quarter to his opponent. Cloud’s sword missed a chance to strike at Sonic and burrowed into the ground, sending up a small wall of rock around him. Cloud dived to one side as Sonic slammed into where he had been, and watched in amazement as the hedgehog’s body sent the ground rippling. He hadn’t even been aware of how much strength was going into their blows. Sephiroth himself had to be surprised at the level of power they were displaying. Sonic dove straight at him in a furious burst of speed, and Cloud held his sword in front of him, trying desperately not to flinch. But Sonic kept on coming, and to Cloud’s surprise, ducked around the sword and held onto his tunic. And then Cloud found himself soaring up into the air at impossible speeds. The air burned at his face as he flew upwards… and found himself at the curved surface of the force barriers. Blue energy crackled above him and on all sides of him. He was holding on for dear life to the creature that was currently his enemy. It was like he was waiting for the doom ship to crash all over again. The crowd was all on their feet, pointing into the air and trying to catch a glimpse of the two aerial fighters. “It’s over, Cloud.” Sonic firmly stated. “Just say you give up, and we can both get back onto the ground. Don’t make me do this, Cloud.” Cloud smiled somewhat sadly at Sonic. Had it really come to this? “You know I can’t do that.” “Come on, Cloud, would you really rather be a stain on the ground?!?” Sonic yelled. “That airplane wing of yours isn’t going to help you falling this distance. Just bow out, and we can talk all you want when this is over.” All of Cloud’s life it felt like he’d been betrayed, or betrayed those closest to him. His mentor and idol had become his worst enemy. He became a rebel to the army that had trained him in combat, and set his skill against the forces he had once allied himself with. And then one of his own party members had turned out to be a spy. And the worst thing of all, he himself had betrayed his friends and given up the black materia. For almost all of his life, he’d been nothing more than a tool in the hands of others. Betrayed, manipulated, and used. Dealing with Sonic like this was nothing new. He could not give up now. In his mind’s eye, he could see Link and Sephiroth dominating the remaining fighters unchallenged. If the Triforce was to be believed, he was the last thing standing in their way. He could not surrender while he still lived. He had courage enough for that at least. And then Cloud did something that shocked everyone present, including himself. He let go of Sonic. Sonic froze in the air for several seconds, not even believing what had happened. The hedgehog raced downwards after his quarry, desperate to catch Cloud before he hit the ground. The air rushed around Cloud for a second time, but for once, his mind was at peace. His thoughts were racing with acquired knowledge. Stretching out all his arms and legs, his terminal velocity would have him fall at around a hundred and twenty miles per hour. At that point, the force of the air buoying him up would be equal to the gravity pulling him down. Slow enough for Sonic to catch him, but not enough for him to survive hitting the ground. He kept falling. He had one other chance. It was insane, but that was nothing new for this tournament. It was the best shot he had at surviving on his own. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction… Cloud began sending out shock waves from his sword, and firing flaming missiles into the air. To everyone else, it must have looked like he was trying to get revenge on Sonic before he hit the ground. Cloud continued his mid-air barrage as the ground looming below him grew in size. He tried to get a sense for where he was. If only it could be enough… The recoil of his attacks propelled him backwards in the air just far enough to reach the force barriers. He impacted the curved blue wall of energy, and froze in place for a second as it absorbed the blow. And then it spat him back out. Cloud was sent speeding forward in the air, flying horizontally with his translated momentum and finally skidding on the ground like a skipping stone. An enormous cloud of dust had been coughed up from his rather original landing… and every muscle in his body felt bruised. Exhausted, he picked himself up again for what felt like the millionth time. Sonic had already reached the ground, and was looking at Cloud with a sort of grudging respect. Cloud stumbled closer to him, and whispered softly. “You know, we could fight all day like this and we still wouldn’t get anywhere.” Sonic nodded. “Don’t tell me you’re getting tired already.” Cloud shook his head. The limits of his endurance probably exceeded the hedgehog’s by a good amount, but that was beside the point. “We can battle all day until one of us caves, or we can go for one final charge. No holding back. No running away. We keep it close together until one of us can’t keep up the pace. Agreed?” Sonic looked Cloud in the eyes, sizing him up. “Agreed. Hey, may the best hedgehog win.” Cloud knew Sonic had to be outmatched for strength, even if Sonic had him beat for speed and flexibility of attack. In order to keep from getting worn down by a battle that simply dragged on, he would have to force things to a conclusion, by taking things to an intensity Sonic couldn’t hope to match. And so the final battle began. From above, the form of Cloud seemed to be battling with a golden blur. A bright yellow hue zoomed around him and faded away, dashing between Cloud’s legs, and occasionally bashing into the man at the center of its orbit. For his part, Cloud was doing his best to keep up the pace with Sonic, and trusting in his own force to give him the edge. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed like Sonic kept getting faster and stronger himself. Despite all the energy he was burning up from flying circles around Cloud, Sonic seemed no more weary than when he had started the match. Less so, even. Sonic barrel rolled at him, and Cloud had to slice in retaliation to keep from being impaled by the hedgehog’s spikes. His sword danced through the currents in the air, occasionally knocking Sonic off the pace of his attack. Cloud had had enough. He reared back, and charged Sonic full on, bringing his sword to bear directly down upon the hedgehog. But impossibly, Sonic grabbed the blade in mid-air before it could strike him. Somehow, despite all the strength Cloud could muster, Sonic was still able to hold it steady. Cloud gritted his teeth, and strained his muscles, edging the blade forward inch by inch. And then the air began to crackle for a second time. The sky seemed to lose a bit of its color, and Sonic’s fur was glowing even more brightly. And incomprehensibly to Cloud, his sword was gradually being forced back towards his own chest. A whirlwind neither of them had had the time to create appeared above their heads, as Sonic brought the blade perpendicular to the both of them. His eyes were boring into Cloud’s with a malicious fervor. Cloud only offered his own steely stare in return. His palm was shining, as he felt the Triforce lending him all the strength it had to offer, just to keep himself from being impaled on his own sword. Power was flowing through him like he had never known… and it still wasn’t enough. The blade inched closer. Sonic was heaving, his muscles seemed to bulge from the strain. The very ground beneath their feet seemed to be breaking up from the forces the two of them were calling on. And Cloud’s sword was still being forced back. Sonic was lit up like a roman candle. Even as Cloud strained forward, pushing the blade back by a precious inch, Sonic pressed even harder, eroding the distance between them. Cloud felt the sword scrape against his armor as he tried to outmuscle the hedgehog. The two of them stood frozen in time, Cloud trying to tilt the sword away, and Sonic trying to drive the point home. The whirlwind above them grew to a frenzied speed, and the sky began to darken for a final time. Cloud closed his eyes and willed every bit of strength he had or could borrow to keep him alive. A crack of thunder bellowed, and Cloud felt the sword scrape down his chest, and then fall to the ground. When he opened his eyes, Sonic was lying still on the broken floor. His skin was gradually fading back to its original blue color. Cloud picked up his sword, and went to inspect the body… it was as cold as ice. Apparently the strain had been too much for Sonic at last. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for how far he had pressed things before the match had been forced to its inevitable conclusion. Sonic had simply fought far too hard to be willing to fail under any other circumstances. The crowd burst into applause, and a relieved cheer started up. Cloud rested his hands on Sonic’s chest… and to his horror, realized the hedgehog was no longer even breathing. He pressed down hard on Sonic’s chest, but his former friend didn’t even flinch. “Please!” Cloud yelled over the roar of the crowd. “This isn’t a game people, get some help! Anyone! Get a medic! Is there a doctor in the house?” Mario jumped out of his seat, but luckily a team of healers arrived first to take the hedgehog with them. Absentmindedly, Cloud watched them pick Sonic up, along with the scattered emeralds which had since regained their color. Sonic’s face was growing paler by the second. Angrily, Cloud looked up into the stands, and tried to spot his legendary antagonist. His eyes locked with Sephiroth’s, and the older warrior smiled at him momentarily… but he disappeared before Cloud could snarl back at him. There was definitely more going on here than met the eye. And it was up to him to figure out just what… he was the only one left now, it seemed. "Strife and Separation" Truly, the weak deserve no power at all. It is as though a jar of clay tried to contain a sea of lava. The strength he sought to control ended up revealing his own weakness. Sonic was unworthy to bear the power of Porta Dei, even for a little while. That force shall at last find its way to its master. It was twilight, for whatever meaning that word carried in this place. The sun was disappearing into the infinite horizon, leaving orange streaks upon the ground. The dimension had survived the stresses placed upon it that day, and tomorrow the near-cataclysm would be nothing but a memory. After all, it was only a matter of time before these events would be eclipsed. The universes of possibility, filled with the champions of time and space, were ripe for the plucking. The surviving champions were all too ignorant to see what lay just beyond their grasp. It was all coming to a head-and there was no more reason to wait. For most importantly of all, the forces that presided over the tournament were either oblivious or indifferent to the usurpation of their power. Sephiroth had duped Sonic into obtaining all the emeralds with two purposes in mind. To dispose of Cloud, the last remaining being with a shadow of his power, and to witness for himself what effect the usage of the emeralds might have. Whatever being or law of the universe that had engineered this impossibility could not be blind to the fact that its power was being awakened by another. But Sephiroth had witnessed the Porta Dei nearly dissolve under the strain of channeling its power, and there had been no repercussions. Sonic had fallen due to his own greed and foolishness. Sonic was still in a coma. The best efforts of the healers had kept him alive, but the hedgehog's spirit seemed to have left him. Sonic barely showed any signs of life at all. A few nervous onlookers assumed that he had all the vitality beaten out of him. The truth was much less forgiving as far as the hedgehog was concerned. Sonic had opened himself up to the universe around him, and tapped into the power of the nexus he still remained in. But the power had been too for much his form to absorb, overloaded as his system was already. His body was not meant to handle the shock of all the energy, and he was mercifully forced into unconsciousness. He would likely remain that way as long as he remained in the nexus. Given that there was nothing physically wrong with him, the healers had no choice but to send him home, and trust that a return to Mobius and the restoring effects of his own world would be enough for him. Sonic's still form was carried towards the portal on a thin white stretcher, with his remaining possessions resting with him. The procession moved slowly, and not without a touch of melancholy. Sonic had meant to go out with a bang, but his aftermath had been reduced to an unheard whimper. The hedgehog would wake up in his own world, and be left to figure out for himself the full details of what could have happened to him. The swirling mists beckoned to the healers who had come to see their charge to completion. For the first time in the tournament, a contestant would leave, not of their own free will, not as a corpse, but carried off helplessly by another. The healers tilted the stretcher to one side, and gently rolled the still form of Sonic towards his final destination. The mists sparkled, and the blue hedgehog faded away into the realms of possibility. But as Sonic's possessions were tossed through, yet another strange occurrence took place. The portal let out a momentary shrill screech, as though it was unable to handle the demands being made upon it. A rainbow of light exploded into the air, and the seven chaos emeralds sharply rebounded out of the gateway. Most of those present were momentarily left agape by the scene. The chaos emeralds were well known to be a part of Sonic's world, for the portal to reject them was an impossibility. But there were those who knew better. A dark shadow began to fall over the ground, a generous advance warning to the observant. A tall looming shape materialized off in the distance. Those particularly attuned to the ley lines of power around them, as many of the healers were, would have felt an urge to run away without really knowing why. A burning hatred that had lasted for eons, frozen away from the species that had spelled its doom... a malevolent force out for revenge after having tasted death more than once... and a will for power that would consume all life for its own ends... all could be found in the man who was drawing closer with every step. There was precious little foliage left after Link's rampage. Sephiroth stood out all too clearly on the fallow plain... a living specter of death, on a world that hosted most of the life that could be found in the multiverse. The healers found themselves shrinking back involuntarily. His very aura was anathema to them. The silver haired man spoke two brief sentences. "Leave. Your skills will no longer be required in this place." His tone indicated that this was a command, not a suggestion. The procession gratefully dispersed, although the bravest among them snuck backwards glances at the man standing in front of the portal, and whispered to their neighbors, that they had seen the legendary warrior Sephiroth... who had nearly destroyed his own world, only to be slain by a simple warrior named Cloud. Sephiroth stood in front of the seven emeralds that had divided his enemies up until this very day. Even the weakest among them had recognized their power... although none of them had appreciated their significance in the grand scheme of things. His capture of them, and his ascension, were both equally inevitable. Only the strong survive. And only he could be meant to wield such a force. It was at that precise moment in Sephiroth's inner monologue that the second presence chose to reveal itself. "They all ran like frightened rabbits when you spoke to them. You would make a fine sheepdog, herding the animals around you. It's always remarkable the way lesser forms of life cower in front of their betters. But your desire for control always gets the better of you. Me, I would have simply killed them." It was Link, but not Link as he had always been. The figure that now faced Sephiroth was a near mirror image of himself. White hair, silver armor, and an enormous metal blade. Link was firmly fixed in the guise of the Fierce Deity. "I have no need to flaunt my power, unlike some." Sephiroth's voice rang out coldly, and his eyes bored into Link's. Link matched his stare. "It is the same reason I have not slain you yet, outcast and weakling though you are. Be gone from my sight, or you will have a chance to see death this day." Link chuckled darkly. "You are not the only one who can see past the veil of matter. I am here for the same reason as you. To claim the power of infinity that your pawn could not handle. He drank from a divine chalice, and vomited up his gift. He was unworthy, and he failed to see beyond his own petty schemes. He is not unlike you in that regard." It was Sephiroth’s turn to laugh. "You know nothing of power. Your lust for it has no potency, for it has no true end in mind. You seek only to dominate here. Your will is bound by your spirit. I need not waste my breath on a child trying to pretend to be a warrior." "Do not mock me, weakling." Link spat out the words, his eyes beginning to glow with fury. "I am not the hero you still suppose me to be. The tournament is meaningless... I should know, I won it. I claim this power for the same reason as you. To be the lord of all possibility." For the first time, uncertainty began to dawn in Sephiroth's eyes, then a slow comprehension. "When I fought the boy, his spirit was strong. His will would not easily cave. I did not believe it was possible that his spirit could be annihilated by yours. Apparently I overestimated how long the mortal could hold out." The Fierce Deity laughed coldly. "You are still as blind as ever, Sephiroth. Link's spirit remains as potent as it ever has been. Our goals have become the same, and he has learned to forsake his heroic past. We have joined as one." "That... is impossible." Sephiroth's hand suddenly gripped the hilt of his sword. "I knew Link, I fought with him. He was not affected by evil." "You merely failed to see his potential. Since his arrival in this dimension I have nurtured his hate, fed his resentment of the weaklings around him, and steered him down the road that led us where we are now. You even foresaw our unification, but could not comprehend where it would lead. There is no longer anything that separates us... and nothing to separate us from our goals. We have together become the greatest force in the universe." "You choose poorly." Sephiroth spat. "The child's will may be strong, but he is still a child. There are far greater beings still in this dimension, as you will soon have a chance to learn." "On the contrary, I have waited an eternity for this moment." The Fierce Deity slowly drew closer to the pile of emeralds. "Majora chose to unite with a scared infant to achieve freedom, but I knew better. He was defeated by Link... and I chose to reveal myself to the hero of time. For the first time we both tasted the power we might have together... but he won his victories far too soon, and forgot his greatest prize. I have seen all of you through his eyes. I have seen your defeat at his hands. And I have found the ultimate host... the champion of the multiverse. You yourself know he is unbeatable. I have gained the power of a god, and shall advance beyond the limits of reality. And you are all that stands in my way." In a flash the two demigods locked blades above their prize. Link snarled and the air was filled with a furious criss-cross of metal. The two enormous blades clashed and whirled in the air, as the two master swordsmen put all their skills into practice. From a distance, one could even see the sparks being shot upwards, and hear the blades rattling together at a machine-gun pace. Both figures leaped into the air and spun around each other in a mad dance, interlocking their swords and waiting to taste flesh. But to the surprise of both men, neither was able to gain an edge over the other. Both were still fresh from their respective battles, and both had witnessed the other fight enough times to know what to expect... the pace soon slowed, and both figures halted backwards. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but Link swung his sword at the thin air... and a streak of blue flame shot towards him. Sephiroth swiftly sidestepped the beam and gathered the energy for a dark flare, and the chaotic force pounded into Link in retaliation. Link kept swinging his blade, and filling the air with an electric blue fire... and it wasn't long before it made contact with Sephiroth, burning at his spirit and shocking him still for long enough to allow Link to hit him again. Sephiroth dispelled the demonic energy threatening to consume him, and unleashed another magical eruption into Link. The Fierce Deity fell to the ground, smoking from the mystical blow. "We could fight all day like this, and what end would it serve?" Sephiroth asked. "You are a stranger to the forces you try to wield. I have had an eternity to master my skills. Cease this mockery now, or your death shall be more miserable than your life. I shall trap your spirit in an eternity of pain. "That is... unacceptable. You are failing far worse, slave of Jenova. But this whole dispute is quickly becoming irrelevant." Oni Link glanced off in the distance cautiously. "One of your pawns has chosen to play out of turn, once again. I've taken the liberty of making a few moves of my own. You are crippled enough for this purpose. May you die with the realization that your defeat, while humiliating, will enable the strongest in the universe to rise above the rest." Link swiftly reached down to the pile of emeralds, and grabbed a single golden gem, whispering two words. "Chaos control." Link disappeared in a brief burst of light. Sephiroth barely had time to reflect upon the cowardice of his foe. He was left alone... but not quite alone. "This has gone too far, Sephiroth." With an effort, Sephiroth lifted himself off the ground, trying to hide the pain he was still experiencing. Of all the times to have to deal with a weak mortal... but this was no ordinary man. Cloud Strife had chosen this precise moment to interfere. It could hardly be a coincidence. "I know what you did to Sonic. This was all one of your twisted schemes. And I won't allow this to continue any longer. You've forfeited your right to be here. You can either leave now, or leave your own flesh." Sephiroth had rarely seen Cloud this enraged. The SOLDIER reject was normally a master at hiding his own emotions, and squelching his feelings. It had been one of the keys to understanding him, and one of his greatest vulnerabilities. Sephiroth stumbled momentarily, and cursed himself for the display of weakness. Cloud glared at him without pity. "You are injured. Why?" "Link and I had a difference of opinion." Sephiroth replied curtly. "This is none of your concern, failure. You are in far over your head." "No, I think I haven't been involved nearly enough. You are my responsibility, and I let that slide for far too long." "You would presume to challenge me, here? There are far more important things at stake than your petty..." "Shut up. I watched and I didn't care when you killed Raziel. I saw you manipulate and slay Max, but told myself there was nothing I could do, I could not break the rules. But that didn't stop you from using Ryu to try to kill me. You turned him into a monster, and had him kill for you. Then you helped hide Aeris, and tried to kill us all on the Doom Ship. I don't know what you have to do with Link. I don't even care. You've even used Sonic in your schemes, and I won't let you murder one of my friends again." "You know far less than you think you do. I have done nothing without purpose, as you well should know. I do not have to justify myself to that rabble, and neither should you. But this is not the time or place for our battle. Leave me." "I think not." Cloud unsheathed his sword. Sephiroth gazed at him with contempt. "You would attack a weakened foe?" "You shall receive exactly as much mercy as you have given to others. You are not the only one who can break the rules. You've finally gone too far, Sephiroth." It was then that Sephiroth realized the depth of Link's cunning. The whole thing had been a trap. He had been duped into fighting, losing much of his strength... and then Link planned to pit his two greatest foes against each other. He had only to outlast the two of them to win. Sephiroth seethed with fury. This was unacceptable. Cloud advanced upon Sephiroth carefully, but the older swordsman made no move. The one winged angel simply stared at him. Cloud mentally braced himself for an illusion and closed his mind off to whatever trickery Sephiroth might attempt. "You're a fool." Cloud snorted. He'd heard Sephiroth deliver far better lines than that. His enemy wasn't even bothering to draw his blade. He must have lost his will to fight. "You're being manipulated, once again. Following the path another lays for you... led along blindly, steered by the hand of another. It seems that being a tool is all you know how to do." "I've come to take matters into my own hands. You're going to have to do a lot better than that to survive this time." Cloud swung his sword at the end of his sentence, hoping to catch Sephiroth off guard. The masamune quickly whipped itself upwards to block the blow. "Cloud, listen to me." Sephiroth spoke quickly and urgently. "We have been enemies most of our lives now. We may always be that way. But I can not allow you to make this mistake, not while I still believe some part of me rests with you." "I turned my back on you a long time ago, Sephiroth," Cloud breathed. "There's nothing you could say that would change my mind." "Idiot. Think for a second about the consequences of your actions. Even if you were to find the strength to slay me, can you imagine what would happen next?" "I would get kicked out and Link would win. I can accept that. He's won before... the title means nothing to me." For a moment, the spirit of the Triforce stirred, but Cloud willed it to be silent. He would not be anyone's pawn... Sephiroth had to be dealt with. "Link would kill whichever one of us survives. He is attempting to use us against each other. We can not allow him to succeed like this." Sephiroth's voice faltered slightly. "You served with me before, you are the closest thing I have left..." "Spare me your lies." Cloud grunted, yanking his sword away. "If you're so worried, the portal's right over there. But you're leaving, one way or another. Both of our presences have done more harm than good. I won't miss a chance to stop you again." "Despite everything you've seen today, you still don't understand?" Sephiroth hissed. "This is not about the tournament. It never was. If you kill me, or force me to lose any more of my strength, Link will achieve all he needs to become unstoppable. Your world will be thrown into shadow and flame." Cloud's looked at Sephiroth for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't believe you. I don't know what you tried to do to Sonic, but I won't allow it to continue. I'll take my chances with him." "It's no wonder you never made it past the lowest ranks of the Shinra army. No depth of vision. What happened to Sonic today was of his own choice. I enabled him to obtain all the chaos emeralds... for they were not of his world, but this one. Instead of drawing on the power of a single planet, they can tap into the force present in this universe... and through it, all the universes. I would have preferred for him to succeed against you, but he took his strength too far." Sephiroth continued quickly before Cloud could have a chance to interrupt. "If Link is able to obtain all of the emeralds, without either you or me to stop him, he will have power beyond imagining. What Sonic did today will be but a foretaste of the chaos that he will unleash upon all our worlds. And you are about to give him the last thing he needs... by taking out both of his obstacles with your own hand." Cloud hesitated. "Why should I trust you any more than him?" "Because despite what he thinks our goals are not the same. His lust for power knows no end. I seek only to reclaim the world which was stolen from me, and find a world out of infinite possibility where mother and I may reign supreme. It is all I have ever wanted. I thought you at least would have appreciated that." "I don't believe you." Cloud stated flatly. "And even if you were telling the truth, nothing could atone for your sins. You deserve nothing less than death." "And if you try to give it to me, you will doom us all." Sephiroth tried to advance towards the emeralds, but Cloud snapped up his sword and held it against Sephiroth's chest. The master of the masamune was clearly wounded... for the first time in his life, he could detect in Sephiroth something short of perfection. A weakness that had finally manifested itself. Of course, it had taken an infinity of universes to find that weakness. "These threads of morality you cling to are nothing more than feeble fictions." Sephiroth's face melted into a sneer. "I know, because I was like you once. Firmly believing in a cause. Trying to deny the reality of who I was. Too humble to accept my place in the universe. I have outgrown my childish beginnings. You are still stuck in them. Would you really doom your friends just to satisfy your revenge... brother?" Cloud seethed. "You bear no relation to me." "We were both experiments that surpassed what our creators could ever have expected. I merely succeeded where you failed. I am still where you might become." Cloud growled. "I've had enough of your mind games. You would try to blackmail me by promising the demise of the universe." "And you would do the same to me." Sephiroth's eyes flared. "You are not my equal Cloud, and you never will be. But fighting you now would serve neither of our ends. Even you should be able to comprehend that. This day will end with both of us alive, or dead. But your death would not be the death of a hero or a martyr... merely another weakling prey to manipulation once again. We must end this." The two men stared each other down, both burning with a lifetime of nurtured resentment. "One condition." Cloud flatly stated. "I want your oath that you will not harm another contestant, or slay another being so long as you remain here... or heaven help me, I will kill you right here and now, and damn the consequences. I will not see you cause another to suffer if I could have prevented it." Sephiroth spat onto the ground. "If you feel your friends are so weak, tell them to leave this place themselves. I will not hold back to satisfy your self-righteous conscience." "I can not ask them to leave any more than they could ask the same thing of me. We all are here because we intend to see this through. Refuse, and this can all end tonight." Sephiroth glared at him for a full minute before nodding his head. "You have my word that I will not slay another being here... until you and I meet for the final time." "Then we are agreed." Cloud extended a gauntleted fist, and Sephiroth matched it with his black glove. Cloud had to grit his teeth to avoid crying out in pain at the tightness of the other one's grip. "And if you violate our trust, Sephiroth..." "You would see me dead either way. But I have never given my word lightly, unlike some. The rest of the insects here are nothing to either of us." Sephiroth's eyes dropped downwards towards the pile of gems. "There is one small matter... of the remaining chaos emeralds." "I'm taking them." Cloud said firmly. "I wouldn't trust you with them. "You radically overestimate your bargaining position here. Besides, do you really want to be the only thing that stands between Link and complete control of the cosmos? Are you prepared to stay awake for every remaining night, well aware that at any moment your entire building could go up in flames? Do you trust yourself that far?" Cloud hesitated. "Very well, we'll split them between us." Sephiroth said nothing and merely smiled curtly, leaning down to pick up the emeralds. Cloud was suddenly reminded of how Sephiroth said he never gave his word lightly... on instinct he drew his sword and rushed towards the first-class SOLDIER. "SEPHIROTH!" Sephiroth quickly scooped up the six emeralds and whispered two simple words. "Chaos control." In a flash the son of Jenova was gone, and Cloud was left alone in the field. Sephiroth had teleported away, beyond his or Link's reach by now. Cloud took a deep breath and tried to exhale... he had no idea how nervous he had been. He had just made a deal with the devil, and given up a chance to kill his worst enemy in exchange for a story and a promise. The only thing that kept him from complete despair was his sense that Sephiroth had a kernel of truth hidden within the lies and distortions, and the knowledge that the Triforce had been guiding him the whole way through. But the voice of the sacred emblem of Hyrule was curiously silent... and he had only his own thoughts for company. Cloud stalked away from the swirling mists of the portal. If what he had learned today was true, there was more at stake here than any of them had realized. And the fate of his friends was currently resting on the word of a murderer. ~Fin~ Next Entry Back |