#mod aik

“And that’s… How we got here, basically. How I got to… this point in my life,” Cosmo concluded, her past feelings of excitement mixing with her current feelings of guilt to create a very confusing blend of emotions.

“... Cosmo, did you want Amy to be assimilated…?” Tails asked. They were not angry, barely even disappointed. The emotion in their words was something far far worse…

Fear.

They were afraid of Cosmo — or at least of what she had done, and the implications that lay within.

“No, of course not…!” Cosmo replied, scared that no matter what she could say, Tails would not be convinced to feel otherwise. “I would have been happy with whatever Amy chose — I am happy with what she chose. It’s her life to decide… I would’ve never made her do something she didn’t want to do…!” She insisted. Much to her dismay, Tails’ fear did not fade, it was only strengthened by the addition of anger.

“It’s easy to say that when after that mission failed, the Black Arms gave up on trying to recruit her! But what if they hadn’t, Cosmo? What if they made you choose to either force Amy to be assimilated so that they can keep helping Green Gate, or to give up on your goal to save Amy?? Which one would you have chosen??” Tails questioned her, borderline shouting.

Cosmo didn’t know how to respond, but she didn’t have to, as someone else spoke up in her place.

“Why must you cling to hypotheticals in order to stay mad at Miss Cosmo? Wouldn’t it be better for both of you to allow yourself to calm down and come to an understanding that exists in this reality, based on what did actually come to be??” Rhygenta interjected, her singular eye glancing over to Cosmo as it expressed sympathy for her.

“The ‘what-if’ you speak of, Prower, would’ve been highly irresponsible on our part! We have others that actively want to be assimilated, and other surviving Black Arms that are still lost throughout this world! Why would we continue to try to recruit someone who’s not only unwilling, but also almost killed our new leader, a mission that is forever doomed to fail - let alone put such a hopeless endeavor upon someone who is suffering just as greatly as we are??” Garrick added.

“With Shadow and Team Dark joining our ranks, and the drama that Sonic’s actions has created, you Freedom Fighters are in danger of ending up with the same fate the seedrians and us Black Arms have ended up in. Why not focus your efforts into trying to build yourselves back up instead of driving those who are willing to be in your presence away?” Blurk inquired of Tails.

The three of them combined seemed to calm Tails down - but their eyes were still wide. Was it lingering anxiety, or a signal that they were beginning to see Cosmo’s point of view?

“... Okay, fine,” Tails resigned. “Cosmo… Why did you come here? Why did you want to talk with me?” They then asked.

“... I’m starting to doubt the choices I’ve made. N-No offense to you five, but I’m not really a fan of the violent ways of the Black Arms… I-I originally came down to Aerth to see if I could make some sort of compromise with Shadow that would ease my conscience, but when I landed, I ran into Big,” Cosmo began to explain herself, hopefully for the final time that day, as it was starting to become a bit tiring.

“And I ended up confessing how I was feeling to him… And he suggested I talk to you and ask if maybe… I could get some help from the Mystic Fox Armada instead?” Tails’ eyes somehow widened even more - though this time Cosmo could tell that the emotions causing such were positive this time.

“... I think he has the right idea,” They uttered with awe.

“And how certain are you that such an idea would even work out for you, huh?? From the way that Tails has just spoken, I know for sure that they hadn't thought of trying to help you until now! They haven't done shit for you, despite all these years of seeing you suffer! Why would they start now?” Cyzer chimed in, their tone bitter and sharp. “Especially compared to Shadow — I was there when Shadow and Mama came back to the laboratory after they had talked to you, Cosmo! Shadow wanted to know every part of what it had just experienced! Not just what had happened to you and the other seedrians, either! Shadow begged Mama to tell them what it was that allowed the two of you to communicate, so that it could ensure that they could continue to help you! Shadow cares far more than Tails ever will! We care more than they ever will!” That final sentence momentarily caused Tails' anger to return, making Cosmo flinch, but they quickly calmed down again.

“Maybe you're right. Maybe I could be doing more to help Cosmo. After all, I've saved this world dozens of times over the years, so… Why don't I save Green Gate too…?” Tails responded, at first very sternly and protective of themself, but eventually softening their tone into being more self-reflective as they began to process what it was that they were saying.

“At last, you see reason!” Cregal remarked. “I would've expected a supposed ‘genius’ like yourself to get to this point sooner, but at least we're here now!”

“Heh, don't get too cocky, little fella. There's still a lot that Shadow and the rest of you have done wrong," Tails quipped. "But… I do have to admit that it's very kind of you all to be so willing to help Cosmo despite your… situation,” They then confessed. Though they seemed to avoid acknowledging that ‘situation’ that the Black Arms are facing as the tragedy that it is, even compared to what the seedrians were facing, Cosmo let it slide in order to hear their thoughts in full. “It doesn't really make me look like much of a hero compared to that when all I've done for her is a couple of hugs and a bunch of empty platitudes of ‘being there for her'...”

“So what makes you think that you could do something more than that for her now?” Cyzer questioned Tails.

“I know you guys are looking out for me, but at least let Tails explain themself first before you criticize them!” Cosmo angrily chastised them, having become fed up with the constant comments from not just Cyzer, but from all of the Dark Arms.

“No no, I’m done explaining,” Tails told her flatly.

“Huh? What do you mean—?” Cosmo asked them.

“How else can I possibly say that I fucked up, Cosmo?? How many different ways could I say that I failed you??” Tails suddenly lashed out at her, beginning to cry.

“T-Tails, don’t say that!” Cosmo tried to comfort them, but it was clear to her that they wouldn’t listen.

“It’s been years, Cosmo! What fucking excuse is there for me not doing a damn thing to help you this whole time?!” Tails cried. Cosmo opened her mouth to respond, but Tails stopped her. “And don’t say that I was ‘just a kid’! I was a kid who saved millions of lives over the years! And you were a kid too, Cosmo! A kid that didn’t deserve to suffer!!”

Cosmo, not knowing what else to do, threw herself onto Tails, embracing them tightly. Tails returned the embrace, hugging Cosmo even tighter than she was hugging them. As the two hugged, Cosmo could feel Tails’ tears start to dampen her top slightly, but she didn’t mind. She just didn’t want Tails to blame themself for her situation anymore.

“Prower…” Garrick interjected a few minutes into the hug. Despite referring to them by surname, he sounded surprisingly sympathetic towards Tails as he spoke.

“Garrick… Th-that’s right, I-I wanted to say something to you, actually,” Tails replied, letting go of Cosmo and wiping their eyes.

“I… felt that you did,” Garrick admitted very calmly.

“You… You did?” Tails questioned. “N-Nevermind— I’m not sure if either of you parents ever told you of this bit of history, but… Long ago, my ancestors solely fought against your father and his army. That is, until, other dangers in our dimension started to arise. My ancestors had to make a choice, either make a truce with the Black Arms to stop fighting them as our sole enemy… Or possibly let those other dangers go unchecked,” Tails then began to explain what was going on in their mind.

“My mom did tell me of this tale, yes,” Garrick interrupted them. “And I remember the outcome. The Mystic Fox Armada had decided to propose that truce to us… A sort of ‘we still hate you but we’ll only fight you if you fight us’ kind of thing. And we accepted the offer…” He then began to carry on the story. “Why? Well, we had other things that we wanted to focus on as well! So it was a truce that benefited the both of us. Just like the one I imagine you’re about to make, I assume?”

Tails seemed startled at first by Garrick’s assumption, causing Cosmo to reflexively grab onto their jacket to calm them down. But then they spoke. “Y-Yes. But I’m not going to stop fighting you - you’re actively attacking our world,” They began. “But what I will do is give you a reason to let us Freedom Fighters keep the Chaos Emerald!”

“Oh? Do tell!” Garrick reacted, beginning to grin.

“I’m going to help Cosmo restore Green Gate to its former glory, and I’m going to do it with the help of the Chaos Emerald!” Tails declared with pride — both in voice and in stance.

“I’m not surprised that you’re only doing such a thing for Cosmo’s sake… But I’ll accept it!” Garrick responded approvingly.

“Wait, really?? No… No extra details? No fine print? Nothing added in for your benefit?” Tails asked, sounding very puzzled by how easily Garrick took the deal.

“Nope! As long as Cosmo is well, and the Chaos Emerald’s energy is put to good use, we’re happy!” Garrick assured them. “Were you… expecting more from this?”

“It’s just… What do you even gain from this?? You don’t get to stop being attacked by us, hell, you don’t even get to keep the Chaos Emerald!” Tails badgered him. Cosmo had an idea as to an answer to Tails’ questions, but she didn’t know if it’d be rude to intervene at this point, so she kept it to herself and hoped that Tails would find the answer on their own.

“Just what do you take us for, Prower??” Garrick sneered, sounding rather offended.

“Hold on, perhaps I could put this in a way Mx. Prower may understand,” Rhygenta interjected, both verbally and physically as she stepped in between Tails and Garrick. “Even if we had lost contact with them for some time, Green Gate is still a colony of ours, and we still hold the seedrians as very close to us. That alone is a positive for us, not to mention the fact that you’ll be using the Emerald to help you in that mission! No longer is your intent with the Chaos Emerald just to have it for the sake of having it. Now you will be using it for the betterment of the entire dimension!” She explained.

“Since when have you cared about the betterment of others?” Tails retorted.

“Like, always?” Cyzer answered on Rhygenta’s behalf.

“Your ignorance is quite obvious,” Blurk added.

“They… show it in a very different way to you or even I, but they do want to make not just our dimension but even the entire universe a better, happier place for all. By their own definition… at least,” Cosmo at last explained to Tails, tugging on their jacket for their attention. Unfortunately, when Tails did look back at her, she could tell that they didn’t really believe her.

“You know, it's quite a shame that you Freedom Fighters are playing by the rules of those order-obsessed gods of old… They say that you're smart, a prodigy, even. But if you were truly such things, you'd join us in our mission, Prower,” Cregal remarked, pissing Tails off— at least at first. But soon after they began to smile confidently.

“Actually, you know what?? Your words only make me want to help restore Green Gate even more! I’m going to do it with the help of the Chaos Emeralds, and I’m going to do it peacefully, to prove that your violent ways aren’t the ‘salvation’ you’ve cracked them up to be!” Tails proclaimed smugly. Would it make them feel better or worse if Cosmo pointed out the fact that they were kind of sounding like Sonic in this moment?

“I await the results with baited breath, Prower!” Garrick cheerfully exclaimed, willingly handing the Chaos Emerald to them and beginning to head towards the front door. “Well, I guess it’s time for us to get going! Whaddya say, everyone?” All of the Dark Arms voiced their approval at once and joined Garrick at his position.

As Cosmo watched the five of them leave the Sky Patrol, she felt a presence from above her and looked up. When she did, she saw a black hawk fly towards the exit as well, though they were not very ‘black’ in actuality, instead being a mix of reds and yellows.

“Tails, look!” Cosmo spoke, pointing to the black hawk like an excited little kid.

“Oh shit, there was a black hawk here too, and I didn’t notice? Guess I really do have to up the security around here…” Tails lamented light-heartedly.

“Isn’t it a cutie? I think that one’s smaller than average!” Cosmo said to Tails.

“If you say so…” Tails reluctantly replied, rolling their eyes. Cosmo laughed.

“... You gotta admit, the Black Arms can make some damn good tea!” Cosmo remarked after a bit of silence between the two.

“Enough to ally yourself with them for? No!” Tails playfully argued.

“Easy for you to say, Mx. ‘Heir of the Mystic Fox Armada’!” Cosmo jabbed, poking Tails in the side.

“Oh shut up and get your things into my room already, you goofball!” Tails jokingly commanded her, beginning to walk towards their room. Giggling all along the way, Cosmo followed suit.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask, where are the other Freedom Fighters? I don’t think I’ve either seen or heard from them all day!” Cosmo asked once the two were in Tails’ room. “I know Big said something about taking Vanilla to the shore, but surely that wouldn’t take too long, right?”

“Oh, actually! They’re underwater—!” Tails answered, most likely about to say more, but Cosmo, in her shock and confusion, couldn’t help but to interject.

“They’re WHAT??”

“Underwater city in the sea,” Tails continued in a simplified manner.

“Now I’m more confused!” Cosmo stated.

“Okay okay, I guess I’ll just have to give you the long version while we get you all settled in here, huh?” Tails joshed with loving sarcasm as the both of them chuckled greatly.

Once the tension from the day's earlier events died down once and for all, Tails had decided to get to work on repairing the hacking done to the Sky Patrol. They had figured it would be a rather short process, but it seemed that there were more repairs needed than Tails had originally assumed, as the job took them into the evening, still working away at patching everything up when the other Freedom Fighters came back from Meropis.

“Oh! Hey Tails!” Sally greeted, sounding surprised to see Tails at the exterior of the base.

“Did something happen with the Sky Patrol? Or did we just catch you in the middle of adding some cool new update?” Nicky chimed in playfully.

Tails’ face burned up a bit from embarrassment as they had no idea how to communicate what had happened earlier, but knowing that they would have to in order to retain integrity.

“Yeah… Stuff happened,” Tails answered vaguely, choosing to stay seated next to the Sky Patrol for now.

“Ol’ Butt-nik just doesn't know when to stop, doesn't he??” Bunnie remarked, immediately, incorrectly assuming the damage to be done by the Robotnik Empire. Weren't we past making assumptions like that…?

“Ah- But what if it wasn't Robotnik?” Amy wisely interjected.

“Amy's right, it wasn't Robotnik,” Tails confirmed, at last getting up from where they had been seated, anticipating that a discussion was incoming.

Everyone, both the few Freedom Fighters that had spoken already and those who hadn't, looked greatly concerned by what Tails was implying with that answer.

“Mon dieu…!” Antoinette uttered in shock, breaking the silence that had formed.

“You got attacked by the Black Arms?? All alone??” Amy blurted out right after, a thick coating of fear in her voice.

“Heh… Yeah…” Tails replied, seeing the concern on everyone's faces turn into full blown distress as they confirmed their fears.

“What??? Are you hurt??” Nicky immediately questioned, rolling closer to Tails to check for any injuries.

“Did they take the Emerald???” Tsunami fretted. At those words, Sally immediately ran inside the Sky Patrol to check the chamber that the Chaos Emerald had been being kept within, like it was instinct. Tails peered inside, and saw that things were just how they had left things — the chamber still stuck open and in place, but the Chaos Emerald gently sitting on the small desk connected to the central room’s monitor, and the roundtable situated close by to the monitor mostly empty, aside from a single chair — being occupied by Cosmo.

“THE EMERALD’S OKAY!!” Sally shouted in immense relief to the rest of the Freedom Fighters still outside.

Amy was the first to rush inside the Sky Patrol, beating Tails by just a few steps. It was clear that she was thrilled to seemingly have a win against the Black Arms, but that excitement died a little when Amy noticed Cosmo at the roundtable.

“... Cosmo.”

“H-Hey Amy…!” Cosmo tried to greet Amy as usual, but it was clear to Tails that the tension between the two was heavy.

“Ya know, I'm real proud of ya, kiddo! Winning a fight for the Emerald against those black aliens all on your own!” Nicky said to Tails as he rolled into the room, not taking notice to the stare-down that Amy was currently giving Cosmo. “How many of them were there? How'd you do it?”

“It's… Complicated. It's hard to even truly say that I won…” Tails confessed, causing the earlier aura of concern to return.

“Whaddya mean by that, sugar?” Bunnie questioned them.

“YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO??” Amy immediately lashed out at Cosmo. “WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE???”

“Amy, calm down,” Tsunami sternly scolded Amy, managing to get her to back away from the poor seedrian girl despite her non-corporeal form.

“Look, I know you're m-mad at me for the letter thing, but I had my reasons! A-and I figured something out with Tails that would make it so I wouldn't have to work with the Black Arms anymore!” Cosmo tried to explain.

“Everyone, settle down,” Sally commanded, catching everyone's attention. “Let's let Tails and Cosmo explain what happened while we were gone before we jump to any conclusions.”

With that command, all of the Freedom Fighters took seats around the roundtable, their eyes glued to Tails as they awaited their story to be told.

And so they told it, all of it. Tails gave every itty bitty detail of the day's events, leaving no stone unturned. They knew that their colleagues wouldn't be the most thrilled about how things played out, but they figured being upfront and honest would be preferable to hiding things only to be uncovered later. The Freedom Fighters were going to have to be honest with each other and keep in frequent communication if they were to preserve the trust that they were certain the Black Arms were currently trying to dismantle.

“So that's how it happened. How I was ambushed, how the fight began and then died out… and how… The deal was made,” Tails concluded at the end of their tale, their voice heavy with guilt as they stared back at the skeptical and fearful glares of their peers.

“YOU MADE A DEAL WITH THEM???” Amy hollered, slamming her hands onto the table as she practically jumped out of her seat.

“Amy. Inside voice,” Tsunami told her.

“I swear I literally told you not to do that back when we were on call…!” Amy continued, though her voice was now quieter.

“I’m… pretty sure that was for me thinking of trying to steal notes from Eclipse?” Tails retorted as calmly as possible, wanting to both keep an argument from breaking out, but also wanting to defend their actions.

“And to think you would at least set aside your biases once you came to realize that I’ve done everything for the sake of restoring my home planet-!” Cosmo suddenly chided Amy, Tails trying to hold her back from doing anything reckless.

“Cosmo, please sit back down,” Tails begged her.

“ENOUGH. EVERYONE SIT BACK DOWN, NOW,” Sally snapped with such intense power that it nearly made Tails whimper. “I wouldn’t have done the same if I was in their place, but I can still understand why Tails decided to accept the offer they were given.”

The other Freedom Fighters had stopped outright bickering, but even Sally’s frustration didn’t stop them from at the very least whispering amongst one another. The words they spoke were unknown to Tails, but with the sheer amount of whispering, matched with how Sally phrased her defense of Tails’ actions, Tails couldn’t help but to feel as if they were being looked down upon.

“If Tails’ words are to be believed—” Sally began again, causing the whispering to die off. “–-and I personally see no reason to assume otherwise, then this deal that they had agreed to was a surprisingly beneficial one, especially for one apparently proposed by the Black Arms,” She pointed out, sounding utterly perplexed.

“That means there has to be a catch, right??” Amy challenged.

“I asked that exact same question, Amy, and they insisted that the terms of the agreement were as they were laid out, with nothing else attached,” Tails insisted.

“Well of course they wouldn’t just tell you-!” Amy tried to argue, but was intercepted by Tsunami, who to her credit, was doing a good job of keeping Amy’s anger under control.

“That’s because there are ways this deal benefits the Black Arms as is, you guys just aren’t seeing them,” She revealed, much to the confusion of everyone else. “W-.. They see themselves as on the side of chaos, their ultimate goal behind everything is to turn the Chaos Dimension back to a realm absolutely permeated head to toe with chaos energy. Because of this, they regard the Chaos Emeralds as sacred, as vessels of chaos in much the same way they regard themselves. In their eyes, the way to honor the Emeralds is to utilize their power and allow the chaos inside of them to be put out into the realm, and then allowing the Emeralds to scatter back out across the dimension when the mission they’re being used for is complete. And those who do not treat the Emeralds in that way, those who take and take from the Emeralds and do not let them go free, or those who take hold of an Emerald and keep it contained despite having no goal at all for them beyond having them secured, are no better than the gods of old that they despise.”

“So they really did mean it when they said that their benefit would be to see the Emerald’s power go to good use…!” Tails surmised in astonishment.

“Yes. And what better of a use in their eyes than to help an old ally restore their world to its former glory?” Tsunami responded.

“Tsunami’s right. Especially since they were wanting to help us regardless, even in their current state…” Cosmo added.

“That’s… Oddly kind of them…?” Amy uttered, very confused by even the words she herself was saying.

“Heh, they’re a weird bunch like that… That’s why it took me so long to truly leave…” Tsunami lamented.

“I mean, hey, as long as the Emerald’s in our hands, right?” Tails remarked, trying to find an end to the conversation.

“Right,” Sally agreed. “So I think we’ve settled our differences now, yes?”

Everyone nodded.

“So what happens now? It’s kinda late to start up a new plan, isn’t it? Especially one that major,” Rotor interjected.

“You’re right. That’s why I’m going to wait until tomorrow morning for us to get that started,” Sally told him. “For now, I want you to take up the repairs to the Sky Patrol that Tails had been working on before we came back.” She then instructed.

“Wait, if Rotor is gonna do the work that I was doing, then what am I meant to do?” Tails inquired.

“You, Tails, are to go to your room with Cosmo and have the both of you rest. You can make your report on how you two plan to use the Emerald in the restoration effort of Green Gate tomorrow morning,” Sally answered them.

“You’re letting me stay here?” Cosmo asked.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” Sally responded kindly.

Just as everyone had begun to disperse from the central room to return to their individual bedrooms, the main monitor sprang to life, ringing out the sound of an incoming call.

“Nicole? Where’s that call coming from?” Sally requested.

“Whisper,” Nicole answered simply.

Tails recoiled a little hearing Nicole’s response. They were happy to hear from the Freedom Trainees, but something didn’t feel right about this. Especially given how earlier when they had faced against the Black Arms, it had been Garrick and the Dark Arms that they went up against. The Dark Arms… Without Eclipse.

What was Eclipse doing during that confrontation?

Sally picked up the call, Amy rushing over to the monitor to stand by Sally’s side. In the way she moved, she didn’t seem too excited, not to Tails… It was almost as if she was concerned, just like they were.

Perhaps she was thinking the same thing they were…

As the call began, Whisper seemed to tightly grip her communicator, the camera constantly shaking ever so slightly. Her eyes were bloodshot, with tears rapidly running down her cheeks. The sight worried everyone in the room, especially Tails, who was starting to fear the worst.

“Whisper?! Are you okay??” Amy shrieked.

"…Head…

Hurts…

So… Damn….

Bad…"

Scattered, pained thoughts echo through the mind of a barely lucid Mimic as he begun to wake. The amount of time that had gone past since the race was completely uncertain to him, but even with his vision temporarily blurred, he could tell that the sky above him had turned into a deep, almost abyssal darkness that indicated that his spout of unconsciousness had taken him deep into the night.

Slowly, yet surely, Mimic's vision began to blur less and less as he regained consciousness, and as it did so, the darkness that hung over him began to decorate itself with little tiny twinkles of starlight. One by one, a star would come into view, and just as Mimic saw them, he got the strangest underlying feeling that the stars themselves saw him as well, staring right back at him as he stared at them. It was a nonsensical feeling, Mimic knew it was, but no matter how he tried, he just couldn't shake the odd dread. Not even once his vision had completely oriented itself did the feeling go away.

But… There was something he noticed once he had fully awoken.

Amongst his view of the night sky, there was something that seemed to simultaneously blend in and stand out from it. A figure shrouded in a darkness quite similar to the sky itself, but lacked the pattern of twinkling stars that the sky had within it. Mimic wondered, briefly, just who — or what — the figure could be, but before he had the time to truly speculate in depth, the figure in front of him had changed. Just as the night sky itself had slowly revealed the glimmering stars within it, the figure revealed to Mimic a glimmering decoration of its very own; a pair of eyes, their scleras golden and irises a striking crimson. At first, the figure's eyes were wide, sparkling with intrigue. But quickly, the eyes squinted in such a way as to imply a large grin on the figure's face.

And with that change, it seemed that both the figure and Mimic realized the current situation.

"…You…!!" A revelation that Mimic was quick to vocalize, despite a current weakness that he had not noticed until that moment.

A chuckle emanated from the figure, sound-tracking the rest of its grand reveal to Mimic as the rest of their features came into view.

"You are late, Mimic," Shadow remarked rather sinisterly, their wicked grin that had only been implied before now on full display.

Mimic felt his nerves spike up once again in reaction to the remark, and as usual for him, he responded to that uneasy feeling with anger. "Late?? Late for what, exactly?! What the hell are you going on about now??" He hollered, lunging forward at Shadow in such a way that wound up alerting him to the fact that he was currently tied down, pissing him off further.

"Your appointment with Doctor Clysdale? You were supposed to be here months ago!" Shadow replied, its grin only widening further. "Or, well, not here exactly… But the clinic itself isn't exactly usable right now, so…" As Shadow rambled on, the dots began to connect in Mimic's brain. The confrontation that Mimic had with Shadow months ago, the offer Shadow had made during that confrontation, Whisper telling Mimic that she didn't have the wisps anymore, the imposter 'Whisper' that had challenged Mimic… All the anxiety and fear and dread that had been building up the last few days came crashing upon him all at once as Mimic realized that he had been played like a goddamn fiddle! And of all people to have done this to him… It had been Shadow, and that 'Doctor Clysdale' motherfucker — whoever THAT was! Was Doctor Clysdale the one who impersonated Whisper? Or was that someone else?? Just how many people were in on this scheme?? And for what reason??

"Ah, right. The doc you told me could 'give me all that I desired and more', but only if I was 'willing to listen', yeah?" Mimic resolved that there was only one way to find out the answers to those questions for sure. "Well, congrats! You two finally managed to track me down and drag me into your headquarters! So go ahead then! Tell me all about whatever stupid fucking cult shit they're running!"

Immediately after Mimic had finished his response, Shadow began to laugh. Laugh! Right in his face, like it were some sort of joke! Mimic began to look for any way that he could free himself of his restraints, if for no other reason than to be able to kick Shadow in the jaw.

"A 'cult', huh? And you think it's Ez who's running it?" Shadow scoffed, turning their head away from Mimic in a manner that was as if they had been offended. "What? Do you think I'm not capable of such a 'lofty' position?" It then turned back towards Mimic, its eyes glowing vibrantly in such a way that he had never seen Shadow's eyes glow before. Their radiance was oppressive, overpowering the presence of anything else around Shadow so heavily that it was like it all had been reduced to mere ashes by the sheer luminosity of their glow.

It was the sort of power that Mimic had only heard of in old legends of millennia gone past, in tales of how many a civilization and planet had fallen victim to the conquest of the Black Arms, in recollections of those who had somehow managed to come face to face with the mighty Black Doom and had survived to share their story.

"These lies you speak to yourself and to others; they've gone on for far too long now, wouldn't you agree?" Shadow continued, now speaking in a manner that complimented its current imitation of its late father's mystique. "You know the truth, you feel it, hear it, see it. You've known it all for far longer than most. And yet, there are people that refuse to listen to you in the fleeting moments where you lose grip on your facade of ignorance." Mimic felt his heartbeat quicken, and his breath begin to fall into the same rhythm at which Shadow's breath followed. He felt the world itself close in around him, surrounding him, choking him. "But those people aren't here, Mimic, and everyone who is here are people who will believe you when you speak. So go ahead and say it! Say it with your whole chest! Say what you know to be the truth!" Within seconds, Mimic became overwhelmed with the feeling of nausea. The words that have laid deep within him were a dreadful ooze, and he could feel them quickly traveling up through his body.

"The… The Black Arms— th-they've returned! A-And you, you're their new leader!!" Shadow smiled as the words at last spewed fourth from Mimic's mouth; a nasty sight that threatened to make Mimic feel sick all over again. But it didn't. And with that revelation out of his system, Mimic found himself with a renewed sense of clarity that he was quick to take advantage of. "But knowing that you're involved doesn't answer the question of why you're involved! What the fuck is your deal, exactly?? You wiped those fuckers out, and now you're trying to bring them back?? Who's side are you even on, Shadow??"

Again, Shadow laughed. "You see, the answer to that is, well, quite complicated! And I'm afraid we just don't have the time for it right now!"

Mimic scoffed. "You were a lot less creepy when you worked for G.U.N."

"You really think so? I think G.U.N would agree with you on that one! And the Freedom Fighters too, come to think of it! In fact, I think that just about every person on Aerth that isn't a part of the Black Arms would agree that I was so much more tolerable when I was submitting myself to military!" Shadow remarked. "It's a shame I stopped letting them control me, then, huh? A shame for you guys, at least! It's like I don't even care about the people on this damn planet, right? That's what you're thinking, right? That I never cared?"

"How the fuck would know?" Mimic reacted. Shadow seemed to like that answer, for better or for worse. (… Likely the worse.)

"That's right! For as long as you continue to cling onto your individuality and exist outside of our hivemind, you can't know! So let me tell you something, Mimic. I did care. I cared so much, you couldn't imagine it! I loved humanity so deeply, and wanted nothing but the best for them and their future! I was made for that purpose, and I promised Maria to fulfill it! I promise myself to fulfill it! I promised Rouge, and Amy, and even that blue gumball son of a bitch Sonic to fulfill it! And I really did try my best, you know? I gave my all into being the savior that Aerth needed! But no matter how hard I tried, the people of Aerth, both human and mobian alike were so damn ungrateful!! Always demanding more and more out of me!! And, well… There's only so much abuse that a little hive-hog can endure before it all breaks down their sense of good will and sanity, you know?" Shadow tilted its head, looking like there was more that it wanted to say to Mimic. But unfortunately for them, another voice interrupted them.

"SHADOW. ECLIPSE IS GETTING IMPATIENT." The voice was unmistakably that of the rogue Robotnik creation known as E-123 Omega. Mimic was both surprised and not surprised to see that he was in on this whole 'Black Arms Revival' thing that Shadow had going on.

"Hah, I suppose you really are a killing machine after all, Omega!" Mimic quipped.

"SHUT UP. I AM NOT HERE TO TALK TO YOU," Omega responded to him before fucking back off to who-knows-where.

Shadow sighed dramatically in defeat. "I guess that's time, then…"

"Yes, yes, I know you must have been having a great deal of fun with my patient here, Lord Shadow, going all monologue mode with him and everything… But you must allow me to do my work for all of this effort to have been worth something." A third voice joined the fray. Mimic quickly recognized the voice as being the same one that belonged to the imposter 'Whisper', and perked his head up towards the direction the voice was coming from. "After all, you wouldn't want us to lose out on both of the Chaos Emeralds that we had sought out, would you?" The imposter continued as they stepped into Mimic's line of sight. And as if the voice alone wasn't enough to catch his attention…

The imposter's face was the same as it had been when Mimic had uncovered it from the mask they had been wearing earlier, but everything else about them was different. Their body was covered in dark gray-ish blue and vibrant red scales, with a patch of blue-ish white around their nose and mouth that seemed to simulate a mobian's muzzle. On their face was a smile that was filled with sharp yellowed teeth, a pair of eyes that had pitch black sclera and amber yellow irises, an oval shaped marking in between their eyes that was black in the center and the same amber yellow as their eyes on the outer rim. On top of their head was a pair of upward facing horns. Their hands had three fingers each, and their feet had two toes each. And sprouting from their back was a long, imp-like tail. They looked as if an alien's skin had been draped over a mobian shaped husk. Part of Mimic wondered if this was even the imposter's true form, or just another disguise.

"… I take it you're Doctor Clysdale, then? Or 'Eclipse', as Omega called you?" Mimic asked them.

"I am, yes!" They happily responded. "For the record, though, Omega isn't the only one who calls me Eclipse! Mostly everyone here does, actually… And your 'friend' Whisper does, too~!"

"Why did you disguise yourself as her?? Why do you have the wisps??" Mimic questioned Eclipse, feeling the provocation to blurt out the words the moment Whisper was mentioned.

"Oh, Mimic… Poor little Mimic… When will you understand that you're only denying yourself the knowledge you seek the more you run that little mouth of yours?" Eclipse lamented in what felt to Mimic like a mocking tone, dramatically leaning up against Mimic's tied up body as if expressing genuine woe.

And yet, despite everything… Mimic felt something inside of him shift. And in a single moment, like a button being pressed, everything else around the two of them became still and silent. He felt something, but it wasn't fear, exactly. More like… an understanding.

"You're going to assimilate me, aren't you?" Mimic inquired, the words slipping from his mouth without an ounce of struggle.

"Oh, of course I am! You don't mind that, do you?" Eclipse answered with a smile. But unlike that of the sinister grins that they and Shadow both had been wearing before, this smile seemed… softer. More excited rather than malicious. Perhaps, there was even a bit of relief within it?

No, no! Mimic tried to smack himself, but he couldn't reach his hand up to do so. He can't be thinking like that! Not now! He begged, he pleaded with himself to stay vigilant. He had gotten so far, even if he had been tricked! If he just kept his head on straight, and found a way out of these restraints, a way out of wherever it was that he was right now, and found where the wisps were being held, he could still be the victor here! He could still return back to the base, and the Robotnik Empire could use the wisps for their plans! He could still…!!

He could….

He….

"Not at all…" He slipped. He lost control of the situation, despite his efforts. He tried, even still, to fight whatever intrusion into his mind that Eclipse was doing…

But…

He was… so… so tired…

It had been a long day, hadn't it?

"Wonderful! Diamond Sector, would you please untie our friend, here?" Eclipse commanded cheerfully.

Following their command, the Diamond Cutter wisps all approached Mimic and undid all the restraints that had been holding Mimic down. The sight of them surprised him, as the wisps did not look like how they had before. Instead, they looked like something far closer to resembling Eclipse and the rest of the Black Arms. Mimic figured that they must have already been assimilated, then…

"Yes, you do get to be with them! A deal is a deal, isn't it? And you won fair and square!" Eclipse told Mimic. "That is why you must be assimilated! It's a part of the prize you've won!" They explained.

Mimic's eye's widened… He… He had already won…?

Yeah, that's right…! He had won, hadn't he?

And now, he and the wisps would get to be together again…! In fact, they'd be closer than they ever had been before!!

Mimic sprung up onto his feet, feeling a great big smile stretch across his cheeks, letting the acceptance of his fate wash over him. As he stood, he noticed something within his field of view that caught his eye. It was a rather large construct that looked to be a pod of sorts. He felt the urge to approach it, and so he did. As he walked towards the construct, his head began to fill with fantasies of what it would be like to be working side by side with the wisps again. Whoever it was that they were working for, it didn't matter. It never mattered…

"As long as we're together… right?" Mimic mumbled to himself as he stepped inside the pod, letting it engulf him.

Once he was inside the pod, Mimic closed his eyes, slowly drifting off into a deep slumber.

"How did you… Do that?" He heard Shadow say to Eclipse.

"Do what?" Eclipse replied.

"How did you… influence him like that??" Shadow clarified.

"Oh! It's really quite simple, actually. You just have to understand how your target's mind works, and then play along with its rhythm!" Eclipse explained.

"I… Don't think I understood that…" Shadow confessed.

"That's fine! I can teach you if you'd like, given the fact that you've seemingly already gotten a handle back on your shapeshifting abilities!" Eclipse offered.

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me! Wanna know how things went with me exploring my mind??"

And then…

Whisper flinched. Despite her fantasies, when the time to watch Mimic's defeat had actually come to pass, she realized that the sight of the wisps acting so violently without a care was far more sickening than her mind had made it out to be. They deserved to be angry, they deserved to have this moment of vengeance… For once, that rhythm had been broken. That anger, that vengeance, they were channeled into actions that ultimately only result in bringing the wisps closer to the Black Arms. Actions that… whether Whisper liked it or not, were now real, and couldn't be undone.

There was only one thing she really could do at this point.

If this is it, if it is really all over… Check.

Make sure he's dead.

With that one last objective in her head, Whisper began to make her way down from the rooftop that she had been observing the scene from. As she did, she kept an eye out for ways to get closer to the scene before she reached ground level, as well as keeping an eye out for whether or not Eclipse had noticed her (they hadn't, thank Chaos). Admittedly, the sight of Eclipse's current disguise perhaps freaked her out even more than seeing the wisps attack Mimic, especially within its current state. It's one thing to look at a reflection of yourself, but to look at a reflection so distorted and broken? She could nearly hurl at the sight. But she didn't. She kept it all in, both feelings and insides, for she was certain that if she were to show such weakness, she'd be caught right in the act.

Thankfully, her efforts had not been in vain, and Whisper had been able to reach Mimic's unconscious body. Or would it be his corpse? There was only one way to find out.

Gently, Whisper picked up one of Mimic's wrists. Immediately, she noticed that his body was still warm. But of course, corpses don't go cold immediately after death, do they? It had been quite a while since Whisper had encountered a dead body before, but she was pretty certain in the thought that it would at least take a few hours before the body would go cold. The temperature of his body wasn't the test. The test was Whisper placing two of her fingers onto Mimic's inner wrist. If she felt a pulse, he would be alive, and if she didn't feel a pulse, he'd be dead.

She felt a pulse.

Whisper recoiled from Mimic's body without thinking, the shock overriding her otherwise meticulous caution.

Had… Eclipse planned for Mimic to still be alive? Or was this result done in error? If it was a mistake, how quickly would it be until they noticed? And if it wasn't… then why? Why keep Mimic alive?

… No, surely they weren't planning to… assimilate him, right? They couldn't be…

Why would they—?

"Well well, would you look at that? It would that Whisper finally found us… Two months late." Whisper overheard a familiarly posh voice speak. It was Orange, for sure, but… she wasn't wearing her mask? Had she imagined it, or…?

She got up and turned around, expecting not to see anything at all. Instead, Whisper was faced to the glares of the five wisps she used to call her own. Some of them looked disgruntled, while others looked downright furious — but none of them were happy to see her.

"W…What's going on??" Whisper croaked, unsure of what else she could possibly even say.

"You're not even going to hi…? Maybe ask us how we've been…?" Blue questioned her with a somber tone. Honestly, they sounded heartbroken, and that fact broke Whisper's heart too. She tried to respond, but she had been interrupted before she got the chance to get even a single word out.

"Mimic at least did that much after we were reunited!" Pink scoffed, far angrier in tone than Blue or even Orange had been.

There were so many thoughts rushing through her head in that singular moment. Part of her did want to catch up, and another part of her wanted to understand how the wisps were able to talk to her without her having her mask to translate them… But she knew that either of those conversation starters could open the door to Whisper getting captured by the Black Arms and assimilated, just as they had been…

"I… I can't. You're too far gone now…" Whisper whimpered out, tears falling from her eyes despite her attempts to close herself off. "You're… You're not the friends I knew, not anymore."

"Yes we are!! Just cause we have different looks and names doesn't mean we don't still remember you!!" Green responded, his eye glistening brightly like a pleading puppy. She couldn't let them compel her…

"No…! You're not…!" Whisper argued, her voice and body both shaking. Gods, why?? Why her?? Why them?? It wasn't fair!! They'd be still be hers, if it weren't for Eclipse… If it weren't for… The Black Arms!! THOSE BASTARDS!! "You're just pawns of those Black Arms scumbags!!" She shouted with rage. Damn them!! Damn them all to the Aerth's core!! Let them all be imprisoned down there with Dark Gaia — a fate such as his is all they deserve!! Whisper cursed those damn black aliens in her mind a million times over as she was thrusted into a ferocious sobbing fit.

"Ohhh boo-hoo! Did you really come all this way just to throw a pity party?" Cyan sneered, pulling Whisper out of the sorrow she had been drowning in. Whisper didn't respond in words, but instead, a mere sniffle as she regained composure. "Well whatever your plan is, you definitely don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" They continued, just as unimpressed with Whisper as they had been while she had been crying. "As Grover pointed out, your understanding of assimilation is seriously stereotypical. We haven't forgotten a single damn thing. We just look different. And have actual fucking names now, no thanks to you or any of Diamond Cutters!"

"But what about the hivemind? Doesn't it like… take over your mind??" Whisper argued.

"Eh. Guess that ain't untrue… But it does recreate your old mind inside itself or whatever. I might know more than you, but I'm not an expert. You'd have to ask Eclipse. Or maybe Rhygenta. Not that you actually care," Cyan retorted.

"… Why would it do that?" Whisper questioned.

"Woooow, what an open-ended question!" Cyan reacted sarcastically. "There's a lotta potential lying around in people's heads! Would be stupid to waste that, wouldn't you say?"

"But—"

"Oh, let me guess what you're aboutta say right there… 'But don't the Black Arms want mindless, emotionless drones that only serve to dish out violence?', right? Well, the answer to that is a big fat no. That's just some bullshit our enemies made up," Cyan answered Whisper's next question before she even asked.

Hearing Cyan include himself when talking about the Black Arms sent a jolt of fury and discomfort through Whisper's body, and she was about to say something about it, too! But alas, Cyan cut her off yet again.

"Ahbabab! Nuh-uh! Shut! Your mouth!" He interjected. "I wanna ask some questions now!"

Whisper already figured she was powerless to stop him, so she just let him.

"Good, good! First things first, why'd ya abandon us? Pretty shitty, if you ask me. Not to mention hypocritical—"

"I-I didn't!! Eclipse took you guys from me!" Whisper fought back, offended by the accusation Cyan made.

"Is that so?" Cyan asked. "Cause I preeeetty distinctly remember us still being in the clinic building during that whole 'Battle of Ebony Avenue' thingy. You easily could've ran in and got us! Actually, I'm pretty sure one of your other friends did just that for a little bit!"

"I couldn't risk getting cornered!" Whisper insisted.

"Oh puh-lease! You've been a vigilante since you were a child! And you've been an aspiring Freedom Fighter for most of that time, on top of that! I've known you for more than long enough to know when you're bullshitting, you know!" Cyan scoffed, outright dismissing Whisper's explanation.

Whisper couldn't help but chuckle a little. As much as she hated it… they were right. Whisper wasn't giving the whole story with that explanation. "… Knuckles and Amy stopped me from trying," She confessed.

"Thereeee we go!" Cyan exclaimed, looking as if they'd have a twisted grin on their face if they had a mouth to grin with. Part of her wondered if he had any forms where he did have a mouth… Another part of her told herself to shut up. "The Freedom Fighters told you to cast us aside and regard us as dead, and you, who has only ever idolized them, did exactly what you were told! Stars above, I wonder if you even tried looking for us after the dust settled! Since, you know, it took a bit for us to get assimilated…"

The more Cyan talked, the worse Whisper felt. With every word that came from them, she could find no other way to react than to shrink inside herself like a scared, injured pup. After all, that's exactly how she felt in the moment. "… I didn't know where you were…" She meekly muttered out.

"That isn't what I asked, Whisper!" Cyan chastised her further. "I asked if you even tried."

Whisper shrunk inside of herself even further.

"… no…" She responded.

"That's exactly what I figured!" Cyan remarked. "And that's why I called what you did 'abandonment'!" He added, floating over to Whisper and giving her snoot and teasing boop. They floated away, turning their back to Whisper, but they did not leave her. "… So why did you do it?" They asked again, their tone becoming much more serious than the playful act that they had been putting on mere moments ago.

"… I didn't want to be assimilated," Whisper answered honestly.

For a moment or two, there was silence. And then Cyan began to laugh. He laughed and laughed. He laughed with such vigor that he sounded a madman. It scared Whisper. It scared her a lot.

"Of course! OF COURSE!! You wouldn't dare risk losing your humanity! You don't deserve such a fate! But us? It'll be fine to let us fall into their grasps! Or at the very least, it's not worth it to save us!" Cyan ranted, tears falling from their glaring eyes. "After all, who the hell would waste such a risk on a couple of tools, right?!"

"Cybeam, you've been making a lot of ruckus… Is something the matter?" At long last, Eclipse's attention had been grabbed. Whisper had been starting to wonder where the hell they even were. "… Ah. I see." The two stood face to face with each other, Eclipse still donning that mimicry of Whisper's appearance. It was a near perfect replication; a chilling fact that Whisper just now fully took note of. Nearly perfect, save for the face. The face was that of Eclipse's true form, the rest of the disguise fading into it in the form of cracks, as if it were glass. "Long time, no see… Whisper."

"What are you planning to do with Mimic??" Whisper questioned Eclipse, the sight of them firing her back up with rage.

"And it's straight to business with you, hmm?" Eclipse remarked with a frown, as if they were disappointed by that. Actually, they probably are… Disappointed that they can't have an opening to fuck with her head.

"Why didn't you kill him?! What are you planning?!" Whisper continued to question them. Granted, she still didn't know for certain that they hadn't intended to kill Mimic, but she'd surely get her answer either way.

"… Did you want me to kill him, Whisper?" Eclipse inquired, looking intrigued. The inquiry only made Whisper angrier. That isn't an answer!

… But… They were right, regardless. Even if it was messed up, even if it was cruel, even if it was morally corrupt… She did want him dead, she really did. And how couldn't she? After everything he had done to her?? People like Mimic deserve to die! That's why she was out here in the first place! To watch him die!! And, admittedly, deep down inside her heart… On top of every other reason she hated Eclipse, she hated them for not killing him!!

… Fuck, what would Amy think of her if she knew that…?

"My, you seem to be really thinking that one over, aren't you?" Eclipse had said once some time had passed. "It's a damn shame I can't look inside that mind of yours and see what you're thinking…" They lamented rather dramatically. "You know… You really should let me inside~…!" They continued, leering closer towards Whisper. Whisper tried to get away from them, but before she knew it, Eclipse had successfully grabbed her by the shoulders. "You, too, have quite the potential! I can tell just how much of an imprint Mimic left on you~!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Whisper replied, pulling away from Eclipse.

"So many questions… Go ask those Freedom Fighters you're so loyal to, won't you? The wisps and I are rather busy, you know," Eclipse said, turning away from Whisper.

Whisper couldn't help but to stand there in surprise. It felt… odd for them to suddenly become so dismissive of her. "That's it? No monologue, no offer to get to kill Mimic if I take his place? No… No offering for me to get the wisps from you like you did with Amy—?"

"Say, Whisper…" Eclipse began to speak once more, turning back around towards Whisper as they did so. "If I wasn't so wise, I'd have thought by your words that you secretly wanted me to assimilate you!"

"I don't," Whisper quickly clarified.

"I know that," Eclipse sneered, rolling their eyes. "I know you want to have your cake on display while also getting to consume it. To keep both your humanity and your powers."

"My—?" Whisper tried to ask.

"Your powers. That's clearly all you see the wisps as, anyways, so why sugarcoat it?" Eclipse questioned her in a manner that was clearly rhetorical. Whisper was about to argue against that statement, but they stopped her. "Tell me, Whisper. How long has it been since the battle at Ebony Avenue?" That question certainly wasn't rhetorical.

"Like… Two months? Almost?" Whisper reluctantly answered.

"Exactly. Your chance to play savior to 'your' wisps has long since passed. I have no reason to give you an offer, because you have already made you choice." As Eclipse spoke, the wisps began to surround them.

"You chose to keep your humanity," Orange spoke.

"You chose to side with the Freedom Fighters!" Pink added.

"You chose to continue following that dream of yours," Blue interjected.

"You chose to chase that dream all alone," Green continued.

"You chose to sacrifice us for your own 'safety'," Cyan stated.

"The ultimatum was already dealt to you during that very battle. The moment in which we exist now is the aftermath. It's over, Whisper," Eclipse concluded.

The immense anger coming from all six of them was equal parts overwhelming and infuriating. There was a burning urge in Whisper's chest to continue to argue with them. To argue that none of that was true, that Eclipse was just making them think that… But there's also a doubt lying within Whisper. A question that asks… if that is really the case?

Eclipse's stance and voice had been a lot more… stiff, compared to how she had remembered them being the last time they crossed paths. Especially after Whisper had asked why they hadn't given her any sort of deal to possibly make. But why? What reason would they have to be mad at her?

Given her understanding of the Black Arms and their hivemind, who could blame Whisper for assuming that Eclipse was influencing the wisps' emotions?

And yet… she began to wonder if it was the other way around. That somehow, the wisps are so mad at Whisper for leaving them behind that the anger is bleeding into Eclipse?

She quickly dismissed the thought. After all, such anger was only due to the narrative that Eclipse had constructed! She was going to go back for them…!

… Eventually…

"What are you planning to do with Mimic?" Whisper asked Eclipse once more.

Eclipse scoffed, and rolled their eyes again. But they did answer. "Did Mimic ever tell you about his childhood?" They asked her.

Whisper shook her head.

"Despite his name, Mimic's powers aren't unique to him, even amongst mobians. In fact, he was born into a tribe of mobians with much the same abilities as him; widely known as the 'Octopus Tribe'. They're descendants of those affected by an 'outbreak' of Black Arms assimilation that happened in that underwater city of Meropis a little over a hundred years ago," Eclipse explained. "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that Mimic is about a fourth Black Arms. Maybe an eighth."

"So… You want to assimilate him because he has Black Arms DNA in him…? Like… Like what you did to Shadow and what you wanted to do to Amy?" Whisper wondered.

"Of course. There's strength in numbers, wouldn't you agree?" Eclipse replied. "But that isn't the only reason."

"Then what are the other reasons??" Whisper questioned.

"To be honest with you, you were never supposed to be involved in all this, Whisper. From the very beginning, it was Mimic and the wisps that I was after… But it's funny how things line up like that, hmm?" Eclipse answered.

"You… You targeted the wisps??" Whisper was beginning to see red.

"That is what I said, isn't it?" Eclipse doubled down, that shit-eating grin of theirs finally returning.

"You…! You won't get away with this, Eclipse!! We'll demolish the Black Arms once and for all!! Just you wait and see!!" It was achingly generic, but it was all that Whisper could thinking to say as she began to become blinded by her rage.

"Oh, I will certainly be waiting, watching… We all will…" Eclipse gave one last taunt before they, the wisps, and Mimic's unconscious body all teleported away.

And just like that, Whisper was left all alone. In that loneliness, her rage had quickly dissipated, leaving her with only guilt and grief. And again, she began to sob.

It wasn't a heavy, loud sob like it had been before. Instead, it was quiet and feeble. Tiny little squeaks of pain that croaked out of Whisper as she sat down on the street curb.

Without anyone else around to either console her or rile her up, Whisper was made to face her actions all alone. Or rather, her inaction.

If only she had seen through Eclipse's disguise from the very beginning.

If only she had rescued the wisps during the battle.

If only she had taken charge of tracking down where the Black Arms are.

If only she had stopped Eclipse from capturing Mimic.

If only…

If only…

If only she had acted.

Then maybe she wouldn't be trapped in this hell of her own making.

"Whisper! There you are!" Suddenly, Whisper's isolation had been ended, sliced in two by the blade of Jewel's worried cry.

"We've been looking all over for ya!" Lux chimed in.

"Guys! I think she's crying…!" Tangle interjected, pushing through the other two to reach Whisper. Once she did, she placed a hand on one of Whisper's soaked cheeks, luring her head out from the burial spot that was her arms. "Whisp, what happened??"

"We were worried sick!" Jewel added.

"Goin' out for a walk is one thing, but you were out for quite a while there!" Lux pointed out.

Without hesitation, but very much with tears, Whisper explained everything to the three girls. Her plan, what she had done, what she had seen, the conversation between her and the wisps, the conversation between her and Eclipse… Everything. "I'm sorry for scaring you guys…" She concluded, guilt weighing heavy on her chest.

"Oh, Whisper…" Jewel spoke, clearly not knowing what to say.

"Did you see where they went?? Maybe we can catch them!! Stop them!!" Tangle exclaimed confidently.

"U-Uhm, no… They teleported, so—" Whisper answered.

"Do you know where they could've gone?" Lux inquired.

Whisper shook her head.

Lux placed a hand on Tangle's shoulder, a non-verbal indicator to 'settle down' that Whisper often used on her. Lux must've picked up on the habit. "Then there's nothing we can really do. Not until we know where they're at. Or until we run into them again," She stated.

Whisper wanted to argue otherwise… But she didn't.

"Yeah… I bet some rest would do you good!" Jewel figured.