ARAAT3: The Forbidden Experiment
folder
+S through Z › Sonic
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
20
Views:
8,980
Reviews:
111
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+S through Z › Sonic
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
20
Views:
8,980
Reviews:
111
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Sonic The Hedgehog game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Epilogue...
~~~
A Rose And A Thorn 3: The Forbidden Experiment
Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651
~~~
Harley: Disaster Master, you’re absolutely right! And she owns two huge hyenas called Bud and Lou. And that was in the days when I was a fan of the Lion King hyenas.
Froggy: Neither of us has ever played Red Alert, by the way. Harley just about knows the difference between a pistol and a sub-machine gun. On the other hand, we are so glad you liked the final chapter. But if you thought Rouge’s kid dying was bad? Read on. It’s the Epilogue!
~~~
Epilogue…
Mirage opened her eyes. Then she closed them. Then she opened them again. Open or shut, it made no difference. She touched her eyelids to check. Her face felt charred. What had happened? It all came back in a rush.
"ESPIO!" she cried out, sitting up with a jolt, "FUCK!!!!" she screamed in pain as her chest contracted painfully.
"It’s alright! Calm down!" spoke a familiar voice. Sonic's voice, "You're in a hospital."
Mirage lay down again, carefully, “How long…” she asked. Speaking too loud hurt her throat, “How long have I been here?”
“Almost a week,” Sonic told her.
"A week..." she moaned, "Oh gods... please... please..." she reached out blindly, and felt Sonic's hand surround hers, "Where is Espio? Please... I am alive... so please, he has to be..." her voice shook, "Please..."
Sonic gave her hand a squeeze, and she could hear him draw a sharp breath. He didn't say anything beyond that, though.
"Is he okay?" Mirage was crying, or would have been if her tear ducts still worked, "Please... please, he has got to be okay! I thought I would die… I was so sure I would die… but I did not! He has got to be okay!"
The hedgehog sighed deeply, taking a seat beside her. Giving her hand another squeeze, he said, "I'm sorry, Mirage. The doctors tried, but... he didn't make it. His body couldn’t handle that amount of Chaos Energy. I'm so sorry..."
"No..." Mirage whimpered. It was quite pathetic, really, seeing her like this, "No, you are lying! I will not believe you!" she screamed, "I will not! I cannot!"
"I'm so sorry,” Sonic repeated quietly. She couldn't see how he bowed his head, couldn't see the crushed expression on the hedgehog's face.
Mirage's voice became a shaky sob, "I will not... I cannot..." she choked on tears she couldn't cry, "It is not fair..." she managed, "It is all my fault... Why does it have to be my fault?"
"It’s alright,” Sonic whispered, wrapping other hand around hers, "He knew what you did. He would be proud of you. He died happy..."
"But he is still DEAD!" Mirage wailed, "How can he be happy? How can I be happy?"
Sonic didn't have an answer for that. He just continued to sit there beside her, hoping that somehow it would help her, letting his mind float back to the events of Westside Island.
Seconds after Ashura had been defeated, Vector had come into the room, carrying Espio, with Charmee wailing right behind him. It had been a big shock for them all, to see the chameleon like that. Shadow had tried to use Chaos Control to get them all to the hospital, but Mirage had sucked the Chaos Energy right out of the air, and there just wasn’t enough of it left.
It was Chaos Energy. Of course the doctors didn’t know how to deal with it. And so, Espio had slipped into a coma briefly, and then died without waking again.
It had been a blow to all of them. He seemed like the one of them most likely to survive, but by his own choice, he had died. In doing so, it was possible that he had saved them all. The Chaos Emeralds were recharging, Ashura was a prisoner inside the Master Emerald which was safely back on Angel Island, and Rouge… Rouge was going to be okay… he hoped…
Sonic’s mind drifted to Rouge again. She’d been avoiding him for weeks, and he’d thought it was all his fault. When they’d gotten back, Amy had explained things to him. Now he wished he could get Ashura out of the Master Emerald and snap every bone in his bastard body from the feet up.
Okay, so he’d never been fond of settling down. The idea of Rouge bearing his child still freaked him out. But… it was his child. And thanks to Ashura being a metaphorical coat-hanger, it was dead, and what really pissed him off was that Rouge was in pain. The doctors were still operating on her. Trying to save her ability to even bear children.
That was why he was sitting next to Mirage instead. He liked Mirage. Not the way he felt about Rouge. Hell, they’d only ever had one conversation. But in a funny way, he felt like he owed her something, only he hadn’t the faintest idea what.
He watched as Mirage gripped the Master Emerald Shard tightly. Knuckles had put up the HELL of a fuss about letting her have it back, but the Master Emerald had worked without it for gods only knew how long, so he’d relented.
Mirage touched her face again, and for a moment she was glad she was completely blind. She didn't have to see the result of a Chaos Spear to the face, "I begged him to kill me,” she whispered, “I told him he would get hurt… but he would not listen…”
Sonic shook his head, “He trusted you,” he said. He remembered his offer to Mirage, “By the time I offered to help you, it was too late.”
“I killed him..." she whispered, "It is all my fault... If I had only been stronger... or stood up to Ashura sooner..."
"He might have lived,” Sonic agreed, "We've both made mistakes, Mirage, and it’s cost our loved ones a lot. But... he was proud of you anyway."
Mirage hid her face from Sonic, "I wish... I wish... I wish I could change things... I wish I could change everything... But... I guess everyone wishes they could change the past..." she murmured.
"Yeah,” said Sonic with a nod, "I know I do."
Although, as he sat there with a sobbing Mirage, as he thought back to his past, he remembered something very important, a power he had encountered other than the Chaos Emeralds. In a way, it was both weaker and far more powerful than the emeralds, but its potential influence on the world was undeniable. For someone who had made mistakes in the past, it would be the ultimate temptation. He knew it was for him.
He had long ago decided that the use of the Time Stones was too dangerous.
But it was possible to change the past.
~~~
Froggy: Oh, what a SAD ENDING. ESPIO IS DEAD!!! Is this The End for our heroes? Of course it’s not; the first chapter of ARAAT4 is up!
Harley: I wrote my own theme song for Mirage, for you to read right now. But I’ve made no music for it. I suppose it would be sung as Rapcore or Nu Metal, both of which (and similar styles) I’m rather fond of.
Shadow of Light
It’s been far too long,
And I’m feeling all wrong,
Like I’ve been sucked totally dry,
I’ve come a good long way,
And I’m ready to say,
That this time I’ll do more than try,
It won’t be easy,
But nothing is for free,
I listen to the voices in my head,
Telling me to chase,
Forever’s just a place,
Where everybody goes to wind up dead,
(Chorus 1)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high,
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky,
I’m the shadow of light,
Strike a match and watch the shadows appear,
When the light goes out, they’re still waiting here,
Forever ends tonight.
A dark kind of light,
A wrong kind of right,
That’s who I am right now,
An old kind of new,
The many, not the few,
And it doesn’t matter why, just how,
(Chorus 2)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high,
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky,
I’m the shadow of light,
Time for judgement, time to fight to earn my soul,
Ignore the stains and just be glad that I am whole,
Forever ends tonight.
(Bridge)
I’m the shadow of light,
Who cares for wrong or right,
When we’re headed for the final fight,
There’s no more to say,
Jump into the fray,
What else matters when I’m on my way…
(Chorus 2)
Woah-woah-woah!
(Chorus 1 revised)
Here I am, (Yes, it’s me!)
The shadow of light, (Everybody!)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high, (Come on, !)
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky, (Up to the sky!)
Here I am, (I’m right here!)
Forever ends tonight, (right here right now)
Strike a match and watch the shadows appear, (It’s them I’m fighting!)
When the light goes out, they’re still waiting here, (I want to earn my soul!)
They’re…
Still…
Waiting…
Here!
~~~
Froggy: Or for the ungrateful bastards among you who want to actually listen to something, go listen to “Wake Me Up Inside” by Evanescence.
A Rose And A Thorn 3: The Forbidden Experiment
Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651
~~~
Harley: Disaster Master, you’re absolutely right! And she owns two huge hyenas called Bud and Lou. And that was in the days when I was a fan of the Lion King hyenas.
Froggy: Neither of us has ever played Red Alert, by the way. Harley just about knows the difference between a pistol and a sub-machine gun. On the other hand, we are so glad you liked the final chapter. But if you thought Rouge’s kid dying was bad? Read on. It’s the Epilogue!
~~~
Epilogue…
Mirage opened her eyes. Then she closed them. Then she opened them again. Open or shut, it made no difference. She touched her eyelids to check. Her face felt charred. What had happened? It all came back in a rush.
"ESPIO!" she cried out, sitting up with a jolt, "FUCK!!!!" she screamed in pain as her chest contracted painfully.
"It’s alright! Calm down!" spoke a familiar voice. Sonic's voice, "You're in a hospital."
Mirage lay down again, carefully, “How long…” she asked. Speaking too loud hurt her throat, “How long have I been here?”
“Almost a week,” Sonic told her.
"A week..." she moaned, "Oh gods... please... please..." she reached out blindly, and felt Sonic's hand surround hers, "Where is Espio? Please... I am alive... so please, he has to be..." her voice shook, "Please..."
Sonic gave her hand a squeeze, and she could hear him draw a sharp breath. He didn't say anything beyond that, though.
"Is he okay?" Mirage was crying, or would have been if her tear ducts still worked, "Please... please, he has got to be okay! I thought I would die… I was so sure I would die… but I did not! He has got to be okay!"
The hedgehog sighed deeply, taking a seat beside her. Giving her hand another squeeze, he said, "I'm sorry, Mirage. The doctors tried, but... he didn't make it. His body couldn’t handle that amount of Chaos Energy. I'm so sorry..."
"No..." Mirage whimpered. It was quite pathetic, really, seeing her like this, "No, you are lying! I will not believe you!" she screamed, "I will not! I cannot!"
"I'm so sorry,” Sonic repeated quietly. She couldn't see how he bowed his head, couldn't see the crushed expression on the hedgehog's face.
Mirage's voice became a shaky sob, "I will not... I cannot..." she choked on tears she couldn't cry, "It is not fair..." she managed, "It is all my fault... Why does it have to be my fault?"
"It’s alright,” Sonic whispered, wrapping other hand around hers, "He knew what you did. He would be proud of you. He died happy..."
"But he is still DEAD!" Mirage wailed, "How can he be happy? How can I be happy?"
Sonic didn't have an answer for that. He just continued to sit there beside her, hoping that somehow it would help her, letting his mind float back to the events of Westside Island.
Seconds after Ashura had been defeated, Vector had come into the room, carrying Espio, with Charmee wailing right behind him. It had been a big shock for them all, to see the chameleon like that. Shadow had tried to use Chaos Control to get them all to the hospital, but Mirage had sucked the Chaos Energy right out of the air, and there just wasn’t enough of it left.
It was Chaos Energy. Of course the doctors didn’t know how to deal with it. And so, Espio had slipped into a coma briefly, and then died without waking again.
It had been a blow to all of them. He seemed like the one of them most likely to survive, but by his own choice, he had died. In doing so, it was possible that he had saved them all. The Chaos Emeralds were recharging, Ashura was a prisoner inside the Master Emerald which was safely back on Angel Island, and Rouge… Rouge was going to be okay… he hoped…
Sonic’s mind drifted to Rouge again. She’d been avoiding him for weeks, and he’d thought it was all his fault. When they’d gotten back, Amy had explained things to him. Now he wished he could get Ashura out of the Master Emerald and snap every bone in his bastard body from the feet up.
Okay, so he’d never been fond of settling down. The idea of Rouge bearing his child still freaked him out. But… it was his child. And thanks to Ashura being a metaphorical coat-hanger, it was dead, and what really pissed him off was that Rouge was in pain. The doctors were still operating on her. Trying to save her ability to even bear children.
That was why he was sitting next to Mirage instead. He liked Mirage. Not the way he felt about Rouge. Hell, they’d only ever had one conversation. But in a funny way, he felt like he owed her something, only he hadn’t the faintest idea what.
He watched as Mirage gripped the Master Emerald Shard tightly. Knuckles had put up the HELL of a fuss about letting her have it back, but the Master Emerald had worked without it for gods only knew how long, so he’d relented.
Mirage touched her face again, and for a moment she was glad she was completely blind. She didn't have to see the result of a Chaos Spear to the face, "I begged him to kill me,” she whispered, “I told him he would get hurt… but he would not listen…”
Sonic shook his head, “He trusted you,” he said. He remembered his offer to Mirage, “By the time I offered to help you, it was too late.”
“I killed him..." she whispered, "It is all my fault... If I had only been stronger... or stood up to Ashura sooner..."
"He might have lived,” Sonic agreed, "We've both made mistakes, Mirage, and it’s cost our loved ones a lot. But... he was proud of you anyway."
Mirage hid her face from Sonic, "I wish... I wish... I wish I could change things... I wish I could change everything... But... I guess everyone wishes they could change the past..." she murmured.
"Yeah,” said Sonic with a nod, "I know I do."
Although, as he sat there with a sobbing Mirage, as he thought back to his past, he remembered something very important, a power he had encountered other than the Chaos Emeralds. In a way, it was both weaker and far more powerful than the emeralds, but its potential influence on the world was undeniable. For someone who had made mistakes in the past, it would be the ultimate temptation. He knew it was for him.
He had long ago decided that the use of the Time Stones was too dangerous.
But it was possible to change the past.
~~~
Froggy: Oh, what a SAD ENDING. ESPIO IS DEAD!!! Is this The End for our heroes? Of course it’s not; the first chapter of ARAAT4 is up!
Harley: I wrote my own theme song for Mirage, for you to read right now. But I’ve made no music for it. I suppose it would be sung as Rapcore or Nu Metal, both of which (and similar styles) I’m rather fond of.
Shadow of Light
It’s been far too long,
And I’m feeling all wrong,
Like I’ve been sucked totally dry,
I’ve come a good long way,
And I’m ready to say,
That this time I’ll do more than try,
It won’t be easy,
But nothing is for free,
I listen to the voices in my head,
Telling me to chase,
Forever’s just a place,
Where everybody goes to wind up dead,
(Chorus 1)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high,
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky,
I’m the shadow of light,
Strike a match and watch the shadows appear,
When the light goes out, they’re still waiting here,
Forever ends tonight.
A dark kind of light,
A wrong kind of right,
That’s who I am right now,
An old kind of new,
The many, not the few,
And it doesn’t matter why, just how,
(Chorus 2)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high,
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky,
I’m the shadow of light,
Time for judgement, time to fight to earn my soul,
Ignore the stains and just be glad that I am whole,
Forever ends tonight.
(Bridge)
I’m the shadow of light,
Who cares for wrong or right,
When we’re headed for the final fight,
There’s no more to say,
Jump into the fray,
What else matters when I’m on my way…
(Chorus 2)
Woah-woah-woah!
(Chorus 1 revised)
Here I am, (Yes, it’s me!)
The shadow of light, (Everybody!)
Spread my angel wings and raise my halo high, (Come on, !)
Lash my forked tail and point my trident to the sky, (Up to the sky!)
Here I am, (I’m right here!)
Forever ends tonight, (right here right now)
Strike a match and watch the shadows appear, (It’s them I’m fighting!)
When the light goes out, they’re still waiting here, (I want to earn my soul!)
They’re…
Still…
Waiting…
Here!
~~~
Froggy: Or for the ungrateful bastards among you who want to actually listen to something, go listen to “Wake Me Up Inside” by Evanescence.