//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Beacon // Story: Sonic Origins Vol 1: Rainbow Dash's Story // by LightWinzz //------------------------------// Chapter 18: Beacon Rainbow stared into the deep dark eyes before her, like looking into a pit with no end in sight. Like his irises were a pair of eyes in themselves, peering out of the dark with an insatiable red glow. Zayn.The hedgehog only smirked at her apparent hesitance. But she just couldn't help herself.His sickly aura moved about his body in an almost supernatural fashion, so unworldly that the movement churned her stomach like butter. The arrows that decorated his hands and feet were all glowing brightly now, the vibrant pink lights contrasting well against his dull grey attire. Chaos's roars could still be heard over the humming of his energy. She was sure Sonic was pushing his anger to its limits. In fact, she hoped that confrontation didn't last too long, as the city could barely handle this much terror as it was. "Now," Zayn stated putting his foot forward.Rainbow instinctively tensed up, like she was expecting him to encroach upon her in a mere second. Zayn just chuckled at her response but didn't take a step further. "I think we can reach a bit of compromise. I have no vendetta against you, so I have no point in chasing you back to whatever colorful cesspit you call home. But I can't have you here either. So, here's what I propose." Zayn showed Rainbow three of his fingers. "I'll give you three chances. All you need to do is use one of those chances to go home.Even someone as dense as you can do something as simple as that, right? In truth, I'd rather you just take the deal while you can. But, if it comes down to it, I won't hesitate to make a wingless pegasus." Rainbow visibly flinched at the mention of her wings. The thing was that she had no idea if that was just a bluff or a legitimate threat. She felt that it was the latter, however. "Why would I trust even a word you say?! You've been spouting nonsense so long that I don't know if crazy is the right word for you!" "You don't," he answered plainly. "You'll just have to play it out and see where it leads you. Oh, and you only have two chances left by the way," he tucked one of his fingers away, leaving two extended to Rainbow. "Just for that swing you took at me earlier." Rainbow Dash could only glare at him but carefully weighed her options none-the-less. She had no idea what this guy could bring to the table. Aside from that building before getting shredded, she could only guess as to what he could do. The thing is, if its true that he's the one manipulating Chaos as he did with the others, he must have tons of reserve energy left.To be able to power up Chaos while being confident enough to confront her. She felt insulted. Then again, if she left now she could have somepony else take care of things. Since she wouldn't be able to come back afterward, they could go back before this and prevent it from happening. But who could possibly go? The princesses were away, Twilight had already tried, and lost, and the rest didn't stand a chance. Plus, she was curious about…Zayn, or whatever he called himself.This guy sounded crazier than Discord ever has, and that's saying something. "So, what's your answer? Don't take too long, or you might just forfeit another one," Zayn laughed, still ever confident. "Heh," Rainbow huffed, forcing herself to put a smirk on. "You don't have to repeat.I already made my choice, and it's neither of yours." Without warning, she launched herself at Zayn, fore hooves outstretched. ‘Can't say I didn't warn you,' Zayn mused to himself. Rainbow threw her punch. She was sure this one would hit but was proved wrong when her hoof was swatted to the side. She swore under her breath. Just like what happened like time.He didn't even move, and she still felt something pushed her away somehow. She saw him rearing back a punch in response. She leaned back, letting the attack swish right over her stomach area before she flipped back away from him. She growled in arrant agitation.Just what the hay was going on?! "That's two," he smugly stated, punctuating it with a single finger. "You get one more.And no take backs girly." "Just shut it! You want to play hardball?! Then, by all means, we'll play hardball!" She flew straight up, putting some distance between her and Zayn. Zayn watched her with curiosity, but that soon turned to amusement when he saw her charging right back down. "This again," he swore. "You'll have to try something a little more original. Charging headfirst into an unwinnable situation isn't what I'd call ingenious." Rainbow quickly encroached on him. He just crossed his arms and waited for— Only at the last second, Rainbow turned on a dime, her red aura glistening on her fur.In a flash she circled entirely around Zayn, catching even the hedgehog off guard. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Eat this punk!" Rainbow yelled, small sparks of blue electricity circulating around her back hooves. "Get a little taste of a Buccaneer Blaze!" She was too close for him to dodge and there was no way for him to push her hooves out of the way. Even if his arms could move faster than she could see, he'd be hard-pressed to do that while she was behind him. Her speed picked up, and he still hadn't had time to turn. She aimed her hooves and pushed forward, the force of an electric shockwave carrying her ahead. Just as her hoof was about to strike, she suddenly stopped, a sense of whiplash moving through her from her tail end to her front. She felt something holding onto her front hoof. It kept her from moving forward, and she was less than a foot from the back of his head. She frantically looked at her hoof to see a hand grasping it tightly. There was no way… Even if he could've moved fast enough for that, his arm would have to be bent completely backward, not to mention twisted in ways she didn't want to imagine. She almost couldn't bring herself to look at his arm, the thought of seeing it broken in many places not so soothing to her. She did so anyway, and what she saw left her more confused than ever. His arms hadn't moved… "Phew," he mockingly exasperated. "That was pretty good. You almost got me there." "How…" Rainbow began, her words trailing off as her mind worked to no end. She looked at the fingers again and noticed that they weren't even coming from where his arm was. They were coming from the back of his head. "Hey! What is this?!" she questioned, trying to pull away. It wasn't just a hand; it was an arm that was sticking out of the back of his head. It was as if somepony was phasing out of him like he was water. It was gloved, and the entirety of it was extremely pale, the little bit of arm that was sticking out an off purple. Her mind raced with reasons to this, but how was she supposed to explain this?! She needed to get out of here. With one more pull, she broke free, even if it seemed the hand had enough and just let go. She put distance between them, eyeing up the strange phenomenon that was his head. There was a pale looking arm sticking out of it. It was almost ghostly to look at, a sickening chill coursing through her. The hand finally retreated back inside him, and he turned to face her, his smug expression never fading. "Three," he stated. "You're all out of chances." "Ok, this is just getting stranger and stranger!" Rainbow panicked, mostly to herself. "What'd you just do?!" "Hmm? What? Do you think I'd just let you hit me like that? I don't give those away for free." "Just stop playing coy for just a few seconds and explain!" Zayn just laughed at her apparent confusion. "Why explain when I can show." Rainbow was about to inquire again but was stopped at the sight of a still figure phasing out of his body, taking its place next to the hedgehog. The figure was pale, but it carried a very similar shape to… It was another Zayn. ‘What's going on here?!' Rainbow screamed to herself. It was a carbon copy of the dark hedgehog himself. His gloves, boots, quills, and even his eyes were all the same, aside from being complete of colors of the original. It even kept that fang-esc smile. ‘Of all the times I need some advice from Silver this goes and happens,' she shrinks back. "What do you think?" Zayn asked, but his clone asked the very same words in unison with him. "It's a neat trick if I had a say in it." Rainbow stood there, awestruck to the two figures before her. Just who was this guy and what else did he have under his belt. She felt herself take a step back as the clone walked forward, her actions almost done involuntarily. Just because it spoke the same as the original, it still seemed that it could move around without any input from Zayn himself. The real hedgehog just stood there like he was getting ready to watch a show or something. "Should've taken me up on my offer," the clone dripped as he walked, his steps long and his arms hanging low as if he was intentionally trying to creep her out even more. His black eyes only solidified her ever-growing dread. Without another word, the clone shot forward in an unexpected burst of speed. Rainbow flew up high in response, avoiding the strike as it sailed under her. She looked over to the real Zayn, seeing if he was about to come for next. She had to do a double take to discern that he hadn't moved.He must be confident if he believes his clone can take her on its own. "Enough with this fake you!" Rainbow taunted. "So, what if you have weird powers!Let's see you keep up with me now!" "With pleasure," Zayn said, but while she could see his mouth moving, the voice she heard came from behind her. She sixth sense went off, turning around to see the clone Zayn coming right for her, and it was flying!He didn't have any visible wings, but he was soaring through the air with no apparent difficulty. She guarded her face with her hooves, pain shooting through them from the punch he delivered. There was so much force behind it that it forced her back, but he didn't let up on her. Already he had caught up and positioned himself above her. He roundhouse kicked her square in the head and Rainbow felt a wash of popping throughout her face, each one coming with its own aches and pains. Fighting through the grueling discomfort, she flared her aura and wings, stopping her descent in an instant. With the shake of her head, she banished away the dizziness, only to see him balling up his fists and bringing them down to her. She flipped herself over and bucked at him, both strikes meeting in the middle. Or so she thought. She thought she aimed at him correctly, but she suddenly felt his fists hitting her square in the face, her hind legs feeling no contact whatsoever. She felt her nose getting pushed in, her sinuses going off like little pins at the sudden and forceful contact. She could already smell the distinct odor of copper, a smell that she only knew due to her many crashes throughout her years as a racer. She knew that they were only getting closer and closer to the water, the sound of crashing waves entering her ears all around her. She couldn't let this go on.The clone was winding up another kick, looking to send her into the deep this time. It wouldn't be ideal, but it needed it be done. She gathered up her inner energy, the red lightning bolt on her chest flashing in. As the kick came in, she expelled the energy. The Zayn clone seemed to have been caught off guard, his kick not only being pushed back but also sending him flying back up into the air. With a mighty flap of her wings, she shot up after him. The cold freezing sea water trickled onto her feathers as the gust pushed down against it. She really was close. The clone stopped himself and only flashed her a sly grin.Was he enjoying this or something? Well, that's a look she'll just have to wipe away. The two collided as streaks in the sky. The two streaks zipped all around the open air, not spending too much time away from one another. Rainbow was surprised that this guy could keep up with her like this. That wasn't what was bothering her though. It was the fact that she couldn't seem to hit him. It wasn't like last time either. She didn't think she was missing at all this time. But for whatever reason, he could hit her while she hasn't even touched him yet. Even now when they collided she couldn't seem to lay a hoof on him. As they round about some fallen buildings, Rainbow decided enough was enough. She tapped into her energy and blasted forth into a burst of speed. He was fast, but it didn't look like even he could keep up with her once she used her powers. When they finally met back up, she zipped straight past him whenever he threw a punch. Rainbow couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him as their faces past one another, earning her a heated glare from the clone. It felt great to get a rise out of the guy, even if it wasn't the real one. Anything that she could do to annoy this guy for the trouble he's caused her. It may have been indirect, but the malice was there. Plus, he was the one putting these innocents in danger right now, and the reason one of her best friends were sitting in a hospital bed right now. This was more personal than anything, and she was going to make him wish he never met her. She flipped herself over as she readied herself to buck at him. She was lined up with his face perfectly, and if she missed this one, she could never look at herself in the mirror again. "Take this!" she yelled. Just as she was about to launch her attack, another figure quickly came into her field of view. Her focus immediately shot to the new presence, and she noticed with panic that it was real Zayn. His hand was outstretched, the pink glowing arrow bleeding threw from the back of it to the palm, and she didn't like the look of the display one bit. He was approaching her at a rapid pace, and she did the only thing she could. She stopped her attack on the clone and turned her body to the side, the palm brushing right past her face. Zayn flew by, his hand planting itself firmly into a building that was behind her. She was about to turn her attention to the real one, but again, she was focused on something else, something that made her heart to drop into her stomach. The building that Zayn had smashed into had several pinkish lines spreading throughout it, all of them originating from Zayn's hand. Her mind shot back to what he did when she first encountered him, how that ruin she was on just got demolished, getting cut up into several bits in the blink of an eye. It was the same thing that was happening now. The whole building had those lines covering now, and soon after they all vanished, the structure collapsing in on itself as the many pieces of it fell into the water. "Damn," Zayn spat as he pulled himself away from the debris. He looked at his hand, and Rainbow noticed that the arrow on his palm had disappeared and all the other arrows had dimmed, their original shine gone. "You have quicker reflexes than I gave you credit for. Color me surprised." Before she could respond, the clone had jumped in her vision. She didn't even have time to react before it kicked her away, prompting her to crash land onto another roof. She impacted hard enough for dust and small debris to form from its remains. She grunted in pain as she skipped across. By now, the clone had phased back into Zayn's body, and the real hedgehog floated down to meet her, landing in stark contrast to her own. "But so far, I'm sorry to say that all that bravado was nothing more than bluff made by a scared little girl." "What'd—ugh!" Rainbow winced, clutching her ribcage. She was sure something was out of place, and it hurt like no other. "What'd you call me?" "Does scared little girl not go well with you?" Zayn said as he bent down to be eye level with her, he going unfazed by the death stare she was sending his way. "Well, get used to it, cause that's all I see. Do you even know why you're doing this? Why you've decided to come to a world completely unknown to you and save some helpless nobodies? Let me guess. Did you want to do the right thing? That's an age-old excuse." By now, Rainbow had picked herself back up. "Ugh, and what excuse do you have?! You sure do talk about this world evil, but how can you look at all this and think for a second that you're not the one in the wrong here!" "I think you misunderstand me," Zayn stated. "Of course, I'm in the wrong. I've been in the wrong for my whole life. You have to understand, however, that to change anything, sacrifices must be made. I made plenty of sacrifices, and I'm willing to make many more until things are corrected." "Just how are things supposed to be ‘corrected'?!" Rainbow questioned. Is destroying everything like Chaos is doing part of this?!" "Not at all. Chaos is merely one piece of an unfinished puzzle, much like Eggman or Metal Sonic were." Despite her overwhelming anger towards Zayn, she took in every word he said. Twilight had always told her that in order to find out what makes somepony tick, you have to listen how they speak, figure out what they think, and sometimes even watch how they move. In truth, Rainbow never really listened to all that as it sounded like a waste of time. She was more forward with ponies anyways, so going through all that just seemed like unnecessary work. Now though, she felt like it was important.It wasn't easy in the slightest, but if she could just get something more out of him, she may be able to figure out what he's really after. "Hmm?" Zayn inquired, only to send a chilling smirk back at her. "Don't give me that look. After all, I gave you plenty of time to just up and leave. If you're having second thoughts, then you picked a bad time to have them." "If you think I'm gonna run away with my tail between my legs then you must not have any clue of what pony you're dealing with," Rainbow taunted. "If you're just gonna send some copy after me, then you must not be to keen on throwing down. "In truth, after seeing what he just did to that building, she was starting to question whether this was the best way to do things. What was that anyway, and furthermore, what would that have been like if she was the one that was hit by it. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought. "Why would I bother. I simply think it's a waste of time and energy. Besides, this all big talk coming from the one who couldn't seem to lay a hoof on one of my phantoms." Rainbow just growled in response. "Then let me try it on the real thing!" She dashed forward, hoping to close the distance between them soon. Zayn just crossed his arms again, and his clone phased right out of him, looking to meet Rainbow in the middle. With the short length between them, Rainbow threw the first punch. The clone didn't seem to react in the same way; it didn't even look like it intended on throwing a punch. Rainbow thrust her hoof out… …only for it to go straight through his head. Rainbow's eyes went wide with shock. She didn't even leave a mark on him.It just went through with no resistance whatsoever. Then, how did— Rainbow's train of thought was completely derailed when the clone suddenly gripped her by the throat, his hand making firm contact with the neck. He just picked his up and slammed her back to the ground, making sure that his grip was tight enough so that she couldn't get away. Rainbow was in a daze, the back of her head feeling as if somepony had bucked it square where her skull met her spine, and her senses all out of whack. She could feel a strong presence on her throat, her availability to air only just. When her vision cleared, she was staring straight into the eyes of the clone, whose eyes were just as dark as his real counterpart. Her air was being cut off, only able to grasp at small amounts as it seemed the clone hadn't tightened his grip entirely, but that could soon change. In a panicked state, she just started swinging at him, since her hooves weren't being held down.Her efforts were in vain, however. To her utter shock and disbelief, her hooves were just going straight through him. "W—hat's…going…on…?" she struggled to voice. She tried swinging at his face, his torso, his arms, everything! But each strike yielded the same result.Her hooves passed right through him as if he wasn't even there, the only indication of a presence being his grip and the fact that her hoof disappeared into him whenever she passed through. More and more dread quickly made its way into her mind. Her eyes shot back and forth, trying to make sense of what she was seeing and feeling. "How sad," the clone, as well as the real Zayn as he walked up to look down at her, huffed. "If only you had realized it a bit sooner." Rainbow tried to force out more words, but she only felt them getting choked out. The clone's grasp had closed on her windpipe, and anything she said was replaced back an undistinguishable gurgle. "It's pretty simple once you take the time to watch and learn, something you seem to have trouble doing. To put this in a way you'll understand, these clones of mine don't just fight for me. It is impossible for them to be touched by anything that is not my own hand. In a literal sense, they are phantoms, almost…spirits that perfectly reflect me. They are my will in a physical form. Unfortunately for you, if they wish to be able to touch you, they have no problem in doing just that." Rainbow raced to comprehend it all, but right now her mind was focused on living through this encounter, her natural instinct to survive kicking in and nearly taking over. Despite what he said, she continued still to try and push the clone off her.His words held true, however. Nothing she did so much as fazed him. Even as her vision became cloudy, she still refused to believe in them. There was no way this thing was invincible, was it?! No way! Nothing is! Zayn looked like he was about to speak up again, but he grew distracted when he looked at his hand. It was a distraction that he found inconvenient, however. In fact, he looked as if he was pleased.Rainbow did what she could to look at him, her head locked down, forcing her to strain her eyes to see to her side. His arrows were glowing again, and from the looks of it, the glow was on his palm again. Zayn just chuckled evilly. "Well, I'd say its been fun, but that'd be lying wouldn't it," he presented his palm to her, obviously wanting her to see it. She was right. The glowing arrow on it was back, and she felt herself grow cold at its sight. If that's what she thought it was… "I'm sure you know where this is leading," he stated rather bluntly. "You were lucky enough to dodge the last two. This time it seems you won't be doing any of that. Don't take my word for it, but I hear it's a horrible way to go when used on something living. Your whole body getting cut up like it was from a scalpel, completely thorough, and pain that feels like it never ends. The thought of it even gives me chills." "I can level the largest of buildings to the smallest of insects with one press of my hand. Given your size, I can promise that it won't last long. I can also guarantee that those last few seconds will be the worst of your entire life. "…Ugh…K—Ugh…" Rainbow choked. "Hmm?" Zayn inquired. The clone released her throat, but only enough to where she could whisper. "K—Ki—Ugh!K—kiss…my flank…you creep…" "Heh, you can die knowing those were your last choice of words, Rain." Zayn raised his hand, the pink glow illuminating Rainbow's face, her eyes reflecting the light right back at him. Both Zayn and the clone leered, and Rainbow could feel the pure killing intent those two pairs of eyes. She looked on in genuine fear, her stomach feeling like it was twisted into several knots, the little air she had left pumping in her lungs as she tried to let out a gasp. She felt like she wanted to scream, call somepony for help. She desperately wanted to go back to Sol, just to get out of here and get away from whoever this guy was. He had already tried to concentrate on it, but with her current position and lack of air, she couldn't focus at all.Everything just came up blank. His hand came closer, his palm practically in her face now. Horrified images of herself came to mind, scared to death of the mere thought of what this technique caused to happen. She tried to struggle.Her body trembled when she tried to buck the clone off. As expected, it still did nothing. Even so, she did everything in her power to struggle under his grip. She wanted to go home. She didn't want to be here. Nothing in this world ever went right, and now she was paying the price. Was Zayn right? Why did she come back here anyway? At this point, all it served as a way to get her killed. She shut her eyes, accepting her fate. If this was how she was going to go out, she didn't want to see it. She just hoped that it was true that it didn't last. Zayn was about to plant his hand on her, his smile revealing his sharp teeth. This was where this annoyance came to an end.Did she want to play the hero? Well, this is what she— He stopped at the sound of an echoing whistle in the air. His ears twitched, the noise sounding like a banshee in the distance. He looked back, searching for its source, the clone looking as well, leaving Rainbow Dash silent on the roof as it continued to hold her. Suddenly, a building not too far from them exploded into dust. At first, he was confused by the sudden explosion, but he saw its cause. There was an object that has crashed right through it, going so fast that the air around it was visible and forming a twirling cone around it. Zayn didn't know what it was, but it was heading straight for them. It approached quickly, and he stood up in surprise. "Chaos control!" he yelled as he vanished in a flash. The object sailed by where he once stood and right over where Rainbow was forced down. It flew right through the clone, so it didn't need to move. Rainbow wasn't sure what had happened, but she jumped at the brisk wind brushing her body. The grip on her was still there, but she felt it ease up a little as the breeze past. Zayn reappeared some a reasonable distance away from them, and he witnessed the object crashing straight into another building. Stone and concrete exploded outward, and it seemed the object had stopped, embedded into the side of the crumbling ruin. "What was that?" Zayn asked himself, eyeing the impact zone carefully. Rainbow had finally gotten the courage to open her eyes, expecting to see Zayn there ready to end her. Fortunately, it seemed he was nowhere to be seen. The clone was still there, but its grip had loosened a bit, letting her get at least some air back into her lungs. She took in what had happened, following the clone's gaze to see the real Zayn some ways away from them. He was looking at a crater in a different building, but she couldn't quite make out what was in it. An ear-splitting roar echoed over the city, and the group all looked to see Chaos staring in their general direction, his eyes filled with furry and his aura was excelling to new heights. "Damn, so that's what that was," Zayn commented. "Looks like we got caught right in the thick of things." Rainbow wasn't listening to what he was saying. She just continued brainstorming for ways to escape, but she just couldn't think of any! No matter what she did her strikes just kept phasing through this thing. Nothing worked, and she couldn't concentrate enough to call out more energy. This was so annoying!It was one thing not being able to touch something; it was another knowing that it could allow itself to touch you! … … Wait… She craned her neck, doing her best to look down at his hand. She could see it clearly enough, and she had to strain herself to see it really, but it was there. She had an idea, and she just prayed that it was work. Taking in what little breath she could, she opened wide and craned her neck as far down as she could. The clone felt her beneath him and thought that she was struggling to get out, but then saw her head's position and wonder turned to shock. It was difficult, but Rainbow had managed to latch her teeth onto his hand. It had the unfavorable taste of rubber on it, but that was of no concern right now. She just bit down hard, harder than she had ever done so before. If this was the real thing she swore that she would've drawn blood, but she didn't even know if this thing could bleed. So, she just kept on. The clone yelled out in immense pain, the feeling of many squared teeth chomping down on him. He didn't think about his hand. In fact, he hadn't expected her to go for it. But she did, and he did the only thing he could think of. He let his hand faze through her, the pain lifting and her teeth sinking down on nothing more than air. She would pay for that dearly. He went to grab her again, but Rainbow moved too quickly for him. In a swift response, she rolled away from him. She faced him, the sense of adrenaline coursing through her. Her breathing felt shallow, but it was a far cry better than having no air. She took hastily swift glances around the setting. The clone hadn't moved on her yet, and Zayn was watching with disinterest at this point. She saw Chaos in the distance, but it didn't look like he was going to stay far for long. Then there was the crater in the nearby building. That must've been whatever she felt fly past her earlier. Whatever it was, it had to have been moving fast. The dust had cleared by now, and she could get a quick look in at it. What she saw shocked her. It was Sonic. He was currently unconscious, but that wasn't all. His body was completely roughed up, his quills were a mess, and to her horror, there was even a small trickle of crimson red liquid flowing down his forehead—blood. Even his shoes and gloves looked torn in places, several cuts, and rips along each. On top of all that, his whole body was firmly planted in the side of the ruin, the only acceptation being his head which hung low. What had happened to him?! That was all Chaos, was it?! She could only look back at the monstrosity, fear gripping her insides. Slowly the pieces started falling into place.If she assumed right, Chaos must've thrown him or something. For somepony to be going at those speeds and crashing into a building like that…despite what she thought about the idiot, she really hoped the worst hadn't happened. She couldn't see if he was breathing from here, so she just didn't know. "Looks like I've outstayed my welcome," she heard from Zayn, the dark hedgehog eyeing the now approaching Chaos. The clone that was before her just vanished into thin air, assumedly dispelled by Zayn. "Just what the hay are you doing?!" Rainbow demanded. "I've become more involved in these events than I would've liked.I think it's time I made my exit," he stated calmly, walking away from her as if nothing had happened. She was awestruck. Was he seriously about to walk away after all that?! "You think you can just walk away after everything you've done?!" "Yes, yes I can," he stated simply. He turned back to face her. "Although, I still need to do something about you don't I? Hmm, well since I can't be bothered, you can have this a token gesture." He took his thumb and index finger and formed the tiniest piece of energy she had seen. It was shining like a smooth pebble, only the color of its shine perfectly represented that of his own aura. He placed it on the side of his index finger and flicked it with his thumb. The particle shot at her so fast she couldn't react to it. It hit her chest, and she felt a sense of weight being placed on her shoulders. She couldn't think of what this might be, but she couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling she got from whatever he flicked at her. As soon as it came, however, the feeling vanished, as did any indication of what he threw at her. She looked over herself in confusion. "You decided to come to this world, and you decided to stick to your guns and try and save these worthless peasants. Well, now you can live with your decision in death. Just so you know, from what I know of Chaos, he's far less forgiving than I am. If everything goes as planned, I won't even have to do the dirty work myself." He slowly lifted himself off the roof; his feet placed together in an almost noble or arrogant posture. Rainbow watched as he floated in midair, their eyes meeting. "Things are going to change from here on out, and you'll be nowhere to be seen after today." He lazily gave her a two-fingered salute. "See you around, girly.Chaos control." With a flash of light, he vanished, leaving Rainbow stuck in her own wonder. She stiffened, too cautious to move on her own. Was he really gone? Did he really just leave it at that? A raging tornado of questions was swirling around in her mind. This is all on top of what he just hit her with. She didn't feel any pain, so that wasn't an issue. Although considering all that just happened, she should consider herself lucky that she wasn't dead by now. He shivered at that thought, but she was brought out of her stupor by the familiar shrieking of Chaos. Remembering where she was, she saw the beast slowly lumbering towards her, his lower body slinking across the water. Wherever he went, the tentacles seemed to follow. His lizard eyes narrowed in on her, and the sinister glow in them only grew stronger. She looked to Sonic, who was still out.She swore under her breath. What was she going to do now?! Her one source of help was taking a nap, she had burned up so much energy that her body now felt like it was on fire, and she had no idea where Zayn could've gotten to.It was just one bad thing on top of another. She flexed her wings, and the results were as she feared. She could move them, but not without convulsing from the immense pain. She really was in bad shape. Far worse than she could remember. Indeed in no way to be continuing this fight. She thought long and hard, looking for some solution. One came to mind, but she didn't know if she should follow through on it. Was…was going home really the best option here? She didn't feel as if she could go on much longer, but in the back of her head, she thought she'd be abandoning everypony if she follows through. She grunted in annoyance. She didn't want to go for a low blow on her friend, but she felt that Twilight missed the ball with her theory. So much for being stronger than the princess of friendship. She should be thankful that she wasn't already washed up and in a hospital bed right about now. Then again, that's precisely where she felt she belonged at this point. She looked to Sonic again, hints of annoyance gripping her heart, but also, strangely enough, regret. She disliked this guy with all her heart, but even so…it just…didn't feel right. She was the element of loyalty for Celestia's sake! Could she really just leave them all like this; to deal with this all on their own? … … With a heavy sigh, and a refresher at the sound of the approaching Chaos, she made her choice, but she didn't like it. There was nothing she could do right now, at least not in the state she was in. With any luck, somepony else could come back and fix things, if there was somepony like that. "Sorry pinhead," she apologized, knowing Sonic couldn't hear her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated back on Sol, hoping that Chaos could afford her a couple more seconds. If he lashed out now, she'd be completely vulnerable to his city crushing attacks. She envisioned the land of Sol, the floating landscapes and green fields easy to recall. She waited and waited. … "What…?" she questioned, worry setting in. She concentrated again, and she felt the energy in her stirring but… It felt as if something was weighing her down, keeping her hooves chained to where she was placed. She could see Sol, but it was like she couldn't reach out and go there. Panic set in, her eyes now wide at the failed attempt. What's going on?! It was so simple all the other times! She was doing everything the same, so why wasn't it wor— Her thoughts shot back to Zayn, what he said moments before he left. ‘Well now you can live with your decision in death,' she remembered. Was it…that thing he hit her with?It made sense. When she tried to leave it felt the same as when he first hit her. The realization hit, her heart sinking far into her stomach. "No…" she managed out. She was blown off her hooves when a massive tentacle slammed down in front of her, causing the other half of the building to collapse. Her eyes shot up, seeing another one coming down right on top of her. Flexing her wings, despite the pain that coursed through her, she shot out of the way of the hit. She watched as the rest of building fell into the water, only adding to the piles of rubble down below. She winced with every flap of her wings.It was a struggle to stay airborne, and she had to fight off the urge to resort to tears. She had nearly no time to compose herself before more appendages started shooting at her, all of them sharpened to points. She grunted as she moved through them, trying not to focus on the pain. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now. If it was true that she couldn't make it home, her only option was to take down Chaos. Only…she had no clue on how to do that. In her state, she was having trouble just moving around. She wasn't able to dodge like she used to, so the tentacles came much closer than they usually would have. She just…she didn't know. And for the first time in a long while, she was truly scared. She tried to put some distance between her and Chaos, hoping to stay out of reach of his attacks. It looked to have been working. As the tentacles reached further out the less consistency they had, some of them even falling apart before they reached her. She smiled confidently.At least she had the distance game going for her, as long as she stayed high enough that is. It would at least give her time to think of a plan. Chaos seemed to have gotten the idea that he was unable to strike her from this distance and gave up, although he was still dead focused on her above all else, so she had no idea what he would do in the mean— His back lurched, and the spikes on his back began to glow an eerie green. She sat in confusion at first, until he released that energy, several bolts shooting out of them. They were spear-like, and they were fast. The crackling of electricity rung in her ears as they converged on her. ‘Just great. That's what I need right now,' she swore. She moved to the side, hoping that she wouldn't have to run any more than she had to. The pain in her wings was beginning to reach to her spine. The burning sensation was like a fire, but it was cold and unforgiving. This only made it worse when she saw that the bolts were changing their course. Of course, they could track her. Like she needed any more distress. Begrudgingly, she soared away, fighting through the pain as the bolts followed her. They were quick.In fact, they were slightly faster than her, if only just. She flew down to the buildings, hoping to give them a harder time tracking her. She had to duck in and out of a few of them, but slowly the bolts were colliding with the broken ruins and exploding gloriously. Some were still on her still on her tail, however. Adding to her frustration was the tentacles reaching out for her again, lashing around the corners of the streets in eagerness to drag her the depths. "Dang it!" she shouted. "Just give me break!" With a strained face, she pushed herself over the first strike and twirled underneath the second. She heard an explosion behind her. One of the bolts must've hit the arms in the pincer. Only one blast though.If she was right, there were still at least three bolts left following her.It would be a pain, but if there was anything she learned during her fight with Silver weeks ago, it was that there were just some things you had to power through. She led them around many city blocks. There were many near misses as they caught up with her. She spun into a maze of rubble, letting one hit the debris. She bucked herself off another piece. The momentum allowed her to shoot straight up and avoid the remaining two. That didn't stop them from circling back, however. She grunted, but she had a plan for this, it just wasn't going to be preferable. She built up some energy in her rear hooves. The concentration of power caused them to glow a hot red color, and it felt like it too. As the bolts approached she intercepted them with a buck. The energy absorbed the impacts, the two clashing in a flurry of colors as she pushed back against them. It was almost blinding, several light particles zipping past her eyes. It was a struggle, the obvious pain in her hooves forcing her to her breaking point. This had to be perfect.As the two bolts pushed once more, she spread her hooves and forced them around her. Their force carried them around as the pulsing heat passed her face. She could finally release the stores of energy, breathing out with a content sigh. She couldn't forget about those projectiles though, so she looked back at them seeing them trying to spin back around. To her great fortune, however, they turned in on each other, causing them to collide and explode, the green mist fading into the wind. Rainbow sighed in relief. Just one more problem solved. "Good job Rainbow Dash," she congratulated herself, punctuating it with a lighthearted high hoof to herself. It may have been a small victory, but she relished it while she could. She couldn't let the whole day be nothing but sulking, no matter how easy it may have been to give into those desires. In her mind, this was her first real victory against something of Chaos's doing. That did take a hit of her pride, but then again, it made sense given his size and power. Rainbow couldn't even bring herself to face down fully-grown dragons anymore, not since that first time. She grimaced at the memory. Not something she'd want to repeat anytime soon. Bringing herself back to the present, she spotted Chaos shortly after. He wasn't making any approaches just yet, but she wasn't ruling out the possibility of another volley of those things. With a struggle, she readied herself to take on another wave, hoping this one was at least as simple to dodge as last time. Then again, he didn't look like he was charging that up, his spikes retaining their normal coloration.Instead, it looked like his mouth was— A massive blast of energy burst forth from his maw, the light blue beam shooting across the city like a star in the night's sky.Her mind nearly went into shock at the sight, and she threw herself to the side. The beam missed her, but it's shockwave hit her full force. She was taken back by how powerful it was and she lucky that she didn't get sent careening into a building. Even the water down below was being affected, the waves rising and falling like they were in the middle of a storm. The beam struck a distant skyscraper, and the whole area lit up. Rainbow, as well as many other spectators, had to shield their eyes to the explosion and the heat from the light was felt clearly on their skin. When the fires finally died down, Rainbow could now see what had taken place, and her wings nearly stopped functioning at the first thing she saw. It was the building that got hit. It was a tall structure, or at least it used to be. The entire top half of it was just…gone. The lower portion had a crescent shape to it, caused by the shape of the laser. The rest of it was nowhere to be seen like it had just been disintegrated into nothing but dust. Rainbow almost choked. Her eyes shrunk, her heart beating a million miles a minute. A lingering dread hung heavy in the air. This was the true power of Chaos, she realized. This was how he got his name ‘Destroyer.' If everything else she had seen hadn't gotten to her, this was what sent her over the edge. She was so distracted by the display that she didn't notice the presence coming up behind her. By the time she heard the flowing of water, it was too late. She felt her whole body become engulfed in the liquid, her air getting cut off rather abruptly. She did what she could to try and swim, flailing her hooves in sporadic fashion. However, while she could move her body around, she couldn't move in any direction, like the water was acting in the form of a prison. She soon, however, noticed that she was trapped inside one of Chaos's arms, and it was pulling her somewhere. As quickly as it happened, it stopped moving. Rainbow tried to remain as calm as she could, as she only had a limited amount of air and she knew she had to save as much of it as possible. Panicking right now wouldn't help that. She looked through the clear waters, and her eyes were met with that of a massive reptilian eye—Chaos's eye. It narrowed in on her and Rainbow couldn't help but shrink back at his intimidating presence, and Chaos seemed to see the hesitation in her body language. Rainbow wondered what he was going to do. Whatever it was, he just hoped that he wasn't the kind of monster that ate his victims. And if he was…well, she just wished it didn't come to that. Rainbow felt the tentacle shift and from what she could see he was rearing it back, far behind where he sat. Suddenly, her stomach lurched, the contents inside flattening against the sides. The arm was moving and fast. Without any warning Rainbow had slipped out of the waters, Chaos throwing her at insane speeds. She couldn't even open her eyes she was going so fast. The air around her formed into a cone whenever she was about to begin a Sonic Rainboom, only this time, that was not what was going on. She felt her body skip off the water, the cold sea stinging her back and hooves before she did it again, and again, and again. She finally came to a stop when her back impacted with a stone wall, causing her to yell out in pain. She swore she heard cracks, not sure if it was from the wall or her bones. She fell, thankfully landing on a piece of rubble that was still above the waves. Her body ached and creaked as she struggled to lift herself up, her forehooves feeling like jello. Her mane hung low in front of her face, covering one of her eyes. She supposed she should be thankful that he didn't just let her suffocate, but considering everything… She heard an audible ‘eep' next to her. Her mind instantly thought of Fluttershy by the sounds, but that shouldn't be right. She looked to its source to find a pair of drenched and distraught humans. One was an older woman with long auburn hair reaching past her should and had a lavender colored dress. She was on her knees and breathing heavily, implying she just made it out of the water. The other one, a little girl, was clutching the older one's dress while remaining behind her. She had similar hair and a dress that was perfect for her size. She too looked to have gotten soaked at some point, but not nearly as bad as who she could only assume was her mother. The two looked at her with cautious eyes, the little girl seeking to hide when her eyes met Rainbow's. They obviously didn't know what to make of her, and they were apparently still trying to cope with all that just transpired over the last hour or two. Rainbow wanted to say something to them, but she both didn't know what to say and possibly didn't even have the energy for it. Their stares were broken as Chaos roared again, the sounds reverberating across the city. Rainbow looked at the massive beast. His maw was channeling a blue light, the energy seeping through his teeth as his belly swelled. No. Not again. She didn't need to be a genius to know what that was. But… She looked at the parent and her girl, and their terrified faces said it all. They knew what was coming too. Through sheer willpower at this point, Rainbow shakily stood up, her breath ragged in huffed bursts. "You two…" she struggled, getting the attention of the two humans, "get behind me…" The woman looked at her in worry. Her mind looked to be split, not that Rainbow could blame her. She wouldn't have any clue what to think if she were in their position. There was no time to falter though. Chaos had stopped taking in energy. And all at once, the energy was released, the devastating beam exiting his mouth. "What are you waiting for?!" Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs. "Hurry!" Without much choice, the woman threw herself and the girl behind Rainbow. She clutched her child tight, the little girl screaming as she hugged her mother's waist. In truth, Rainbow had no idea if this would even work and she shuttered to think what would happen if she failed. Not just to her, but the two she was supposed to be protecting. No. On Celestia's sun, she wouldn't fail. Not here.Not never. The beam was already upon them, and Rainbow could practically feel the tension lingering in the air behind her. Mustering what strength she could, the red lightning bolt flashed on her chest as her whole body glowed. It was like a second skin over her fur, but it wasn't enough.She needed this one to be big. Rainbow watched as the beam struck, the ruins under her hooves threatening to topple over and the blinding light of energy that shut her off from the rest of the world. The beam hit, but she got it off just in time. Her red shield had expanded and was parting the beam down the middle. The blue fires reminded her of cold waters rushing past glass. However, Rainbow had felt like she just got hit in the gut right when it struck. Never had she felt such pain in her life. The energy she was giving off made her feel constricted, tiny arms that were trying to pull her legs out of their sockets. An enormous weight was bearing down on her shoulders and even keeping her head up was a challenge. The beam had yet to stop, and the intensity of the heat had only grown, so much that it leaked through her barrier. The ruins to her side were nearly disintegrated, piece by piece falling victim to the destroyer. Rainbow wanted to yell out; she wanted to call for somepony, anypony at this point. She just wanted this to end. Her shield shrunk down a size, the pain threatening to tear her body to ribbons at this point. She heard the little girl screech in terror. The platform they were on got that much smaller, in fact, they were all a hair's breath away from being grazed by the death beam. "N—No!" Rainbow shouted in defiance. She didn't care at this point. She just let a fountain of pain-stricken tears flow down her cheeks, her eyes staring straight into the inferno as she grew out the shield. The shield buckled and shifted at the force it was against, but it didn't matter anymore. Rainbow felt like she was going to pass out, maybe even worse, if this kept up. But…she wouldn't let that stop her. She'd just keep it up, even then. As long as she did something. She would not go out silently. Even so, Rainbow felt her end coming, and her strength was at its end. She felt her body about to let go, but then it happened. After what felt like an eternity the light stopped. The beam was gone, and the air around them had finally settled. That was it then. Rainbow had just let all her energy fade. The shield broke apart like glass and her skin-like light vanished. Soon after, she collapsed. She hit her head as she fell to the concrete, but it hardly even registered. Everything felt numb. She tried to move her hoof, but she couldn't even tell if her brain was picking up the motions, nor did she have so much the strength to turn her head to look. It was like she was the living dead. She didn't even know if she was breathing. Her eyes grew weary, and she felt the sudden urge to take a long-awaited nap. She deserved it, right? She did her part?Yeah. That sounded nice. Her eyes began to fall, the world becoming just slits in the dark. "T—thank you…" Rainbow's mind was slightly brought back to the words. It was the most difficult thing she had done, but she managed to point her eyes to the humans, the woman kneeling over her as the girl stood behind her. Worry was evident in their eyes, and she could make out the looks of guilt on their darkened faces. "…It was…nothing…" Rainbow managed out. Another roar overshadowed her mind. Right…Chaos was still up and about. She turned her eyes to the beast and… …no… He was charging up another one. How…how could he possibly have so much power that he can do that so many times in a row?! Rainbow tried to move, but her body just wouldn't respond, not correctly in any case. "Urrrgghh!You two…" Rainbow coughed. "You need to get out of here. You…need to get…someplace else…" The woman looked almost shocked at her request. "What?! But what about—" "Just--*cough*--get somewhere safe. I can hold this guy off…just…don't waste this…" She looked conflicted, and Rainbow knew why. They both knew that she had nothing left and that the best thing she could hope to be was bait. Even so, Rainbow wasn't about to see them go out like this. "Please…" she flat out begged. "You guys can make it…just go…" Chaos had finished charging, and with hesitance, the woman nodded and pulled her child to the water's edge. She got in the murky sea and with her kid on her back she swam. Rainbow knew that her kid came first, and she could never blame somepony for that. Only…she didn't even know if they would make it in time. Chaos's maw was wide open, and any second the blast would come. No. They wouldn't make it in time… Rainbow tried to force any kind of movement out of her body, maybe even just to expel the least bit of energy she had left, even she had to do it lying down. The beam was set loose, and everything in its wake was being either tossed aside or blasted to pieces. Rainbow watched as the waters parted to its force, her doom waiting for what seemed like a year for it to reach her. She tried reaching for more energy, but it was for naught. Nothing came, and nothing formed. Was this it?After all that that, this was how it was going to end? She couldn't even protect one small family, let alone an entire world. She just closed her eyes. She wasn't one to give up, but this was something else. There was nothing left for her to give. She just…cried… "Please…just somepony help me…" The heat hit her first… then the beam struck… … … The ground beneath her shook, and fire all but encompassed her body. But…she wasn't dead… Her eyes shot open, the bright blue light all she could see. Only, it was going around her. At first, she thought her powers had come up again. That wasn't the case, however, as she was looking at the blue fire parting around a pure white bubble. A figure stood before her as if it was throwing itself in her stead, and she could only look on in awe at the display. Before long, the beam ceased again. Thunder ring out as it all passed away and the bubble collapsed. At first, she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but what she saw was as plain as day. The figure she saw was Sonic. His feet were planted apart from one another, and his arms were outstretched while his fists were balled up tight. But…how did he…? Sonic's whole body shook, the apparent shivers of pain and anguish tormenting his body.Rainbow could see small droplets of liquid falling in the space between his legs, and they were falling from his face. "You…" Sonic stated shakily, his head raising to glare right at Chaos and his smirk widening despite the tears, "I'm not letting you hurt anyone else…you monster…" "Sonic…" Rainbow nearly gasped. Chaos just roared in anger, the screech even moving the waters beneath them. His aura reached to the clouds, emphasized by the strike of lighting all around him. In a blind furry, he lashed out with his tentacles. Rainbow couldn't even count how many he was throwing at them. They took up the whole street. She tried to move again but was surprised to feel a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her. Sonic had down a complete one-eighty and tried scooping her up. The action shocked her, but unfortunately, he nearly fell just trying to pick her up. Tears and not her own touched her fur. The arms hit their platform long before they could begin moving away. The two speedsters were thrown up into the air as the rubble beneath them exploded. Rainbow was swatted higher by a flailing tentacle and Sonic wasn't fairing any better. Their bodies just kept getting thrashed around like ragdolls. Chaos must've gotten bored with them quick, as he slammed Sonic down into the water with one arm while another one slammed into Rainbow. She was submerged under the waves now, absolute torment plaguing her body. No part of her body went unscathed, and she wouldn't be surprised if something was broken. She could see the light breaching the surface of the water, but nothing else. Everything was just a bunch of distorted shapes caused by the wild movements of the waves. Even while they were already underwater, she could still see Chaos rampaging above, the light of explosions popping in as they shook the waters. As they sunk deeper into the dark abyss, she looked to Sonic. To her horror, he was unconscious again, bubbles of air leaking out of his mouth while a dimmed Chaos Emerald fell from his hand. ‘Darn it…' she swore, her own breath leaving her in the shape of bubbles. She wanted desperately to move, but no matter how hard she tried it was just hopeless. The only feeling she got was a cold embrace of the sea. How did it even come to this? Where did she go wrong? Was it wrong to want to help this world as Zayn said? Zayn. That dark hedgehog. Just what did he want anyway? What was he hoping to accomplish by doing all this; letting all this destruction take place? As she and Sonic only sunk further down her mind wondered to that of her friends. She could only imagine what how they were reacting right now, watching her in this position, and she just wished that for once they would look away. She didn't want this to be the final thing they remembered her by. How…how would they go on as Elements of Harmony without her. No, how would they go on as friends, as a family, without her being there? ‘Twilight. Applejack. Rarity. Pinkie. Fluttershy…Silver. Blaze. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be coming home this time.' Even underwater she could feel the sting of tears.As another explosion reverberated through the water, so did her gasp for air.She was at her limit. ‘Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see dad home. I hope…I really hope you two can forgive me…' As one more bubble escaped her mouth, she let her eyes slowly drift closed. The world around her became alien. Finally, her body went limp, accepting her cold and forgotten fate. … … … "Sonic!" Reality suddenly worked its way back into a Rainbow's mind as her eyes were open again. The explosions have stopped, but a different boom was heard now. "Sonic!" No. They were explosions no longer. They were…chants. Many voices all yelling out in one. "Sonic!" The name registered with her, but she couldn't believe them. Were they calling for…Sonic? She had to force herself to look at the hedgehog, his peaceful face still unresponsive. Why…why were they still chanting his name? "Sonic!" They didn't have that much faith in him, did they? How? After all that had happened. Was he…was he really that important to them? "Sonic!" ‘I'm Sonic.Sonic the Hedgehog!' But…he was just some annoying punk, wasn't he? Her only experiences with him have been just that. But, what makes him different in their eyes? "Sonic!" ‘Although, I don't know how far I'd go if it weren't for Sonic pushing me all the time.' But…what he just did mere moments ago…he threw himself in the way of that blast…to save her. She had done nothing but degrade him, treated him like she knew he deserved. But even then, he was still willing to put his life on the line for her. "Sonic!" Had she really just treated him unfairly? Had she just been so caught up in her own ego that she just flat out refused to acknowledge him? To her, he was just a nascence, somepony that she couldn't even stand to be around. She borderline hated him and everything he said to her. But…to all those people, and what he just did for her…was he… "SONIC!" …a hero…like she was led to believe? ‘…Sonic…' she tried to say as she slipped back into darkness. High above the city on one of the tallest buildings around, Zayn was watching all that transpired with quiet enjoyment. His knee was propped up on a loose piece of rubble that had lodged itself in the roof. He chuckled at the sounds of cheering echoing in the distance. In all honesty, he was surprised by the number of people that were joining in on the chants. "Heh," he laughed ."'Sonic, Sonic.' Bah. Scream his name all you want. It changes nothing in the end." He sighed in discontent. "How hopeless is it to grasp at strings that only break moments later. Well, not that it'll matter. With those two out of the way, all that remains now is to wait for all this to blow over. Besides, I'm sure Chaos appreciates the power that's been graciously given to him. He can rampage all he wants I guess. As long as there's still something left afterward." Taking a stand from the rubble, he walked over to a statue that looked over the expanse of Station Square, like a guardian angel that would let no harm come to its citizens; well, at least it was meant to look like that. If one were to ask him, he'd just say it was just another reminder of a lost world if today was anything to go by. A laid down next to it and rested his head against the cold stone. Not the most comfortable seat in the world, but what could you do? In a city on the verge of becoming ocean front property, anything was preferable.As long as another annoying pegasus brat didn't come flying in. He felt the urge to continue watching Chaos have his way with the rest of the city, but at the same time he couldn't help but let his heavy eyelids drape over his eyes. Maybe another nap wouldn't hurt.If only the excessive cheering in the background would stop. No. Too much trouble. If anything, Chaos may take care of that for him. His eyes were closed, and he let his head droop. Yeah, this was the right choice. Already the noises were beginning to quiet down. Soon, they would just fade into the wind, right into a tranquil peace. Then, they stopped altogether. … … Zayn's eyes shot open, a feeling similar to that of an electric shock nipping at the back of his head. He stood up, eyeing the distance spot that this new feeling was drawing his attention to. Chaos must also have felt the disturbance as he had stopped his vengeful strikes entirely and looked to the same spot. Zayn felt a cold sweat on his brow, a feeling of agitation that was rare to bring out in him. This feeling…it was coming from where Sonic and that girl had fallen.It wasn't just a passing feeling either. There was something under the waves that compelled the entire area into silence. A golden glow, one that only grew brighter and brighter. "No…" he swore. "No way." His fears finally were realized. With unyielding furry, the glow had surfaced. It was an explosion of light that illuminated the entire city. Dancing arms of expansive golden flames reached over the buildings, thunderous bellowing reaching the ears of all within sight. Zayn felt his fist tighten, an almost involuntary response. His eyes narrowed, and his breathing became ragged. It was rare that he let his emotions come up like this. But this beacon, these twirling flames of pure light, it only reminded him…of that day… He felt a crunch in his fist, an audible crack reaching his ears. He looked at his hand, and it surprised him. He was angry, but even he was surprised by how much he had tightened his fist. His glove had a glaring crack in it, a slight sting to the air that kissed it. Great, now look what he had done. He tore his eyes away from his hand and took one last peek at the light. He huffed, but only turned away as he raised his hand. A dark, black and blood red opening appeared before him. "Well played girly," he said in mock admiration. "Well played." He took a step into the portal, and it closed behind him, leaving no trace of his presence. Rainbow coughed profoundly. Her lungs felt heavy, the weight of water swishing around in them. She felt that water leave her system with every cough. Finally, she could breathe again. It felt like a kiss from an angel to have this feeling again. Never again. Never again would she take the ability to breathe for granted. "I'm…*huff*…I'm alive…" she breathed. Water dripped profusely from her mane, and her wings were like sponges. Above all the annoyances, however, one lingering thought plagued her. Why was she on dry land? Well, not land per say, but even a flat piece of uplifted concrete was heaven compared to the dark far below. Furthermore, what happened to Sonic. Rainbow's eyes wondered to her hoof and saw something peculiar. There was a prominent glow shining off her wet fur. In fact, now that she looked around, the brightness was shining off everything around her. She finally found the energy to lift her head. She was mesmerized. Golden flames licked everything surrounding her. Heat flowed in from all around her, but it wasn't hot. It felt warm and comforting beyond all else. Its waves soothed even her aching muscles. Then she looked at its source, her magenta eyes beaming with the same eyes that she had as a filly. There was a figure at the center of it all, where all the flames congregated and bloomed. The character itself was golden, tiny stars twinkling in and out around it. Then she looked closer.It was another hedgehog, and he was floating above the waters, all which were rippling at the gentle pulses he gave off. The hedgehog's quills were standing straight up, waving in the bathing waves of energy he produced. His stance was that of confidence, his feet placed together, and his fists were resting at his side as he looked on. "Wh—who are you?" she questioned, not even sure how to approach this new contender. Was he a friend? Was he an enemy? She didn't know. It caught his attention.He only looked over his shoulder at her. Rainbow stared deep into his ruby red eyes. They didn't just look powerful; they near commanded respect. There was a prideful sense to them, one that she dared not to challenge. But then, he did something that he did not expect. He smirked. That toothy grin… "Sonic?" Chaos interrupted them with a guttural roar. Sonic looked back to the serpent, his posture never changing. "Hey, Chaos," he calmly said. Both Rainbow and even Chaos were silent at this point. She couldn't tell what changed, or when it happened, but the very way he spoke even came with a transformation. He sounded the same, only without the snarky or cocky tone. It was just pure stern speech. "You've given me a run for my money lately," he said with a smile. "No kidding. I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't take you on my own, maybe even ever back then." "But you made a mistake in all that time you spent thrashing me around. I take you putting me in my place. I'm fine with you breaking me down to nothing." I'm okay with you taking away all the Chaos Emeralds before, and I'll go as far even to say that I don't mind you flooding half the world right from under me." Rainbow perked up, a weaving sense of déjà vu coming over her, one that seemed to reach out to her. "But…when you start hurting innocent people…or…you go after one of my friends…" Her eyes widened… "That's…that's where you've crossed the line!" Before she even knew it, he was gone, a sonic boom left in his wake.