Chapter 100 - 100- Winds of Change

“It’s all over for you. The thought of torturing you, keeping you awake, making you suffer,, that was the only thing keeping me going. Was I crazy? Or was I in control the whole time? I can’t see the future Anthony, but the crystal ball in my head is saying that I should whip you big time for what you’ve done. Linda and I may be through, but now that I’ve broken you two up it’s given me the hope I needed. You see, I have something you’ll never have.” Anthony chuckled. “And what might that be?” Ekyt tossed his mask aside. “Integrity Tony. Integrity means keeping your word, taking the high road, being the better man. All things that, compared to you, I can do better. MUCH better.” Anthony swept his fur back. “You can certainly try, and your effort will be commended…” Anthony’s tail flicked back and forth as he prepared to pounce. “…But your life will be ended!” he slashed at Ekyt with his claws. Ekyt dodged to the side. “I don’t know what Linda saw in you…” Ekyt blocked another strike, returning with one of his own that narrowly missed, “…but the attraction is gone. And I’m sure she won’t mind me handing your @$$ to you. Not anymore.”

“Agh! You little blue pest! Every last time! You do this to me! Why can’t you curl up and die, rodent?!” “What can I say? I die hard.” Sonic said with a smile. “My friends and I can MORE than handle you.” Eggman laughed. “Perhaps blue boy, but you CAN’t handle this!” Eggman deployed his new robot, the “Egg Prometheus.”

It was monstrous. It was thirty feet tall, with just about every part of it’s body being used as a weapon. “Take cover!” Sonic yelled as it opened fire. He dodged the bullets and ran into it, using a spin dash. He bounced off. “Ugh!” he wobbled. “Hah! Eat this!” Eggman yelled. The robot’s foot was coming down.

Linda watched as Ekyt and Anthony fought it out. Anthony had the speed, strength, and agility on his side. Ekyt’s only advantage was desperation. It wasn’t an advantage he ever wanted to have again. It made him go on the offense, attacking as if every move was his last. He burned Anthony with a quick right jab, but had his legs swept as he moved in for further blows. Linda realized that she couldn’t be a spectator. No matter how hard it was to leave these two, she had to help her friend win. If that cannon was fired, it wouldn’t matter who won between Anthony and Ekyt. Evil would have won.

Ekyt and Anthony fought up the altar. It was twenty feet tall, a perilious drop that could claim Ekyt’s life easily. Anthony slashed Ekyt across the stomach. Ekyt rolled with the blow and caught Anthony with his shoulder. They both rolled toward the edge of the altar.

At that point, neither played defense. They grappled and jockeyed for position. But Anthony landed a critical strike to the midsection, following up immediately with a right cross. “Sorry dear boy, but I’m afraid you’ve lost.” Ekyt got up again, swinging for the fences. It backfired. Anthony grabbed his coat enough to throw him off balance, then shoved him. Ekyt fell off the altar…

Sonic was about to be crushed. Knuckles glided across and pulled Sonic out of harm’s way. “Thanks Knuckles!” “No problem! Let’s finish this!” Knuckles glided upward, depositing Sonic in the X-Tornado. “Ready Sonic? Tails asked. “Ready and willing pal! Let ‘er rip!” Tails shot a power ring out over the top of the robot. The X-Tornado could supply Sonic with power rings. Sonic jumped out of the plane, his hand reaching for the ring. He caught it and spun in the air, faster and faster. Then he streaked down toward the top of the robot.

THUD! Ekyt hid the ground hard. Linda raced over. “My God…this is all my fault…why did I go with Anthony? Why did I break up with him…If I had known this was the last time I’d see him alive.” She felt his neck. “He’s dead, darling.” Anthony was behind her. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dropped it across Ekyt’s face. No movement. “Such is life. Linda, dear, you deserted me. You must pay the price, I’m afraid.”

Ekyt sat up. He saw the situation and got up silently. He crept up behind Anthony as Linda held her ground, ready to fight. “I’ll have your head for killing him! We might not be “together” anymore, but he the best friend I ever had!” Linda tagged him across the face. A fang fell out, hitting her shoe. “You ungrateful wench! You scarlet woman!” He slapped her across the face with his claws out.

Ekyt had seen enough. He didn’t need another reason to want to kill Anthony, but he had one now. He stepped HARD on Anthony’s tail, and grabbed him by an ear. He yanked him forward and punched him in the back of the head. He repeated this three more times before measuring the panther up with a kick. THWACK! Ekyt’s foot hit Anthony’s head.

Sonic hit the robot at full speed, putting a hole in it’s armor. But the power wore off fast, and he jumped out. “I owe the doctor one.” Shadow and Knuckles dove inside while Sonic raced down the hull. “Eggman! Nice little toy you got! Are you sure you can work it?” Eggman pounded on his controls. “You insolent little pipsqueak! I’ll crush you!” And he tried to. But his robot had stopped working. Whatever Knuckles and Shadow had done had affected the ‘bot. Eggman panicked and called for more robots while he tried to repair his defeated robot.

Ekyt got a running start at the stunned Anthony, drop-kicking him from the back into the stone wall that was part of the altar. Anthony hit the wall with an audible, dull-sounding THUNK.

Ekyt fell to one knee, closing his eyes. “C’mon. C’mon, you can do it!” Linda cheered him on. She helped him to his feet, taking it slow so that he wouldn’t lose his balance. He had five huge slash marks across his chest and stomach. “I’ve got to stop the bleeding…” Ekyt was obviously out of it, running on instinct rather than brains. Linda pulled off her vest and wrapped it around his heavily-bleeding torso. Her black shirt was now decorated with blood stains, but she was too relieved to care.

Anthony pounced, his claws aimed at Ekyt’s neck. Linda kicked him aside. “Come on! One more fight! One more round!” she begged him. He got to his knees, then to his feet. Anthony tackled him at high speed. He was trying to drive Ekyt into the wall. Ekyt grabbed Anthony around the waist and spun around so Anthony hit the wall face-first. Ekyt, who had held on, threw Anthony backward over his head. Anthony landed on all fours and sprang back. He knocked Ekyt down and sunk his fangs into Ekyt’s leg. Ekyt kicked with his other leg, hitting him under the chin. Anthony held on, so Ekyt kicked again. He grabbed him around the neck and kicked upward again, sending him flying. Ekyt dove on, but Anthony slipped out from underneath him.

Eggman realized the situation was hopeless. “Anthony! ANTHONY! Time to fall back!” Eggman yelled.

Anthony heard the call. He and Ekyt were standing across from each other, panting and bleeding. “So sorry…(pant) But we’ll have to finish this at a later date…(pant) duty calls.” Anthony ran for it. Ekyt chased him up the altar. Anthony dove into Eggman’s hovercraft and escaped. Ekyt cursed. “I’ll make you pay Anthony! Sooner or later! You’re just buying a little time!” Ekyt looked over at the master emerald. It had reformed, which was a miracle by itself. Ekyt looked at the others.

That emerald caused the whole problem between Ekyt and Linda. If he hadn’t destroyed it, the world would have been destroyed. He did destroy it, and lost Linda in effect. He remembered how it ate him up, but that he was willing to do it; willing to take the it for the good of everyone else. If the price for saving the world was a break-up, Ekyt had been willing to shoulder the burden.

“Do it.” Linda told him firmly. Ekyt smashed the emerald to pieces and knocked the shards away from each other.

Everyone sagged, exhausted. Ekyt was in a tremendous amount of pain. Everyone stopped licking their own wounds and looked at Ekyt and Linda. Flash winced and covered his eyes with his hat.

Linda started towards him, not sure what she was going to do. He was on one knee, breathing heavy from the pain. “I want to know how you haunted Anthony like that…but it can wait…you need to heal…and I need to…” She got down on her knees and hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you for taking the fall, for eating the heat with me, thanks for saving my home world…and me. You are special, and I’m amazed I could ever tell you different.” She was almost crying, leaning her head over his shoulder. He embraced her back. “Thank you for making me realize that every choice you make has consequences. And for giving me my sanity back. After everything was said and done, I think this meant the most.”

“Are we…okay now? I mean, no hard feelings?” Linda asked. Ekyt looked away. “I don’t know where you’re going with this…but I’m going to be honest. I’m hurting. And I’m worried for both of us. I’m not safe. I cracked, and I shouldn’t have.” It was Linda’s turn to be confused. “Are you saying we’re not…” “No, I’m not saying that. I’m just telling you…I’m different. And I don’t know how safe I am.”

Linda smiled and sat on the grass next to him. “I’ll take the chance…I’m not exactly “Bambi” myself…I can handle you.” She moved to kiss him.

But Ekyt pulled away. “I can’t…not yet…give me time…I don’t know who to trust…I don’t even know if I can trust myself…” Linda understood. “I understand…I’ve been horrible to you. I shouldn’t be asking for your forgiveness when I didn’t offer mine when you asked.”

Ekyt’s heart softened. “I’m not sure if this is how “trust” is supposed to work…but I owe it to you. We’ve all made mistakes, and this is one I’m going to correct.”

They finally kissed. After the months of fighting, the two had finally put their differences aside. They couldn’t say they were in a “relationship” yet (Neither one could honestly tell what a relationship was), but they couldn’t doubt that the attraction was back. No. It had been there the whole time.

After relinquishing the lip lock, Linda gave him a mock stern look. “NOW you can tell all of us how you haunted Anthony like that.”

NEXT ISSUE: HOW DID EKYT STALK ANTHONY? AND WHAT ABOUT THE MASTER EMERALD SHARDS? AND WILL SONIC AND FRIENDS FIND THE CHAOS EMERALDS AND BE ABLE TO RETURN HOME? WHAT ABOUT EKYT AND LINDA? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!

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