The Twisted Truth

Chapter 6 - Ghosts in the Wind

"Well, that was quite the spectacle. But it had to be done, after all, what Zavok did was unforgiveable." Silver stated, seemingly unfazed by the gruesome, cruel punishment Zavok faced. Sonic wiped his cheeks dry, then gave Silver a scary face. "How... How could you say such a terrible thing... you just watched two of our friends die! I don't know what the hell happened to you Silver, but you need to cut it out, now."
"Actually, I'm of a mind of Silver. While yes, it is unconventional what Zavok went through, what he did was beyond any forgiveness I can spare."

Sonic stammered, seeing that Shadow had sided with someone as cold as Silver. He didn't understand what they meant. The rest of his friends seemed to share the same sentiment as Sonic. "But... didn't you hear what Zavok said? It's obvious there was some kind of misunderstanding! It was entirely accidental."
"No, it was accidental when it got to the point where he was caught by Omochao. Killing him, however. That was intentional. At any point before that, Zavok could have backed down, and everyone would still be alive today." Shadow corrected, standing tall to affirm what he said.
"It's also the idea that Zavok fell for a simple trick, the trick of playing the game. I'm not here to play any games. I'm here to escape, so you'll either help me, or stay out of my way." Silver added, before making his way out of the trial grounds. His footsteps echoed throughout the silenced room, but everyone else seemed trouble. They could understand Zavok's intentions to kill Tails, but not Omochao.

"Does any of that really matter right now? We need to work together now more than ever! So I propose an idea, how about we all go back to the cafeteria and enjoy some breakfast. We should work together, for the sake of both Omochao and Zavok!" Mia suggested, determination spread across the bunny's face, though it was quickly eroded once Warden cleared his throat.
"Before you go off on your own, I must say there's a hidden rule in my trials. The one who put the most effort into finding the one responsible for disturbing the peace, will have their latest impediment removed. Think of it as... a reward for playing correctly."

Sonic could hear ringing in his ears, then a sharp pain started to develop.
"Sonic! Your nose! It's bleeding!" Amy cried, bringing her hands up to her face.
The pain quickly subsided, removing his hand from his temple, he wiped the blood off of his nose. "I'm a-okay, Ames!" 

he gasped for a moment, putting a clean hand over his mouth. "I said it, I can say it!" glee started to wash over his face, growing excited, he started to run around the walls of the trial grounds.
"Tails! Ames! Knucklehead! Pal! Buddy! God this is so liberating!" Sonic laughed with glee, before slowing down back to his original post. He gave his other friends a thumbs up. "Don't let this get you all down! We're all gonna get out of here no matter what! We're all gonna work together to stop this lame old Warden and end this killing game once and for all!" 

"I admire your enthusiasm, Sonic. Let's just hope that it stays that way." Shadow shrugged, heading his way out of the trial grounds.
"Can we get out of here? This place isn't exactly the happiest right now." Robotnik asked, though without an answer, he also left. Everyone else started to follow, headed to the Cafeteria as Mia suggested, though Sonic and Tails remained.

"Is everything okay, Tails?" Sonic asked, kneeling down to his level once more.
"Yeah! Yeah... everything is... fine." Tails responded, though he wasn't confident in his own answer.
"Hey... you can talk to me, you know. We're friends! I'll stay by your side no matter what!"
"I suppose you're right..." Tails let out a soft sigh, looking into his eyes. "I think I'm still a little shaken up about last night." He then looked to his hurt wrist, trying to move it. "Yeah... that still definitely hurts..."
"I don't blame you, buddy. I'd be traumatized too if I narrowly survived a murder attempt on me. What's important is that you stayed strong, for all of us. It really helped in us getting to the bottom of the case." He gave him a big smile. "Though one thing that still puzzles me is how you're speaking. It was your impediment after all, and like you said, the mastermind didn't remove any of your impediments."