Horde members Tuxedo Chris Caldwell, Oscar, and the Great Red Serpent, strode in triumph to the ring... until an explosion erupted in front of them. As the smoke cleared, the camera cuts to Mechtail, perched onto of the archway, with a pair of glowing Bloody Cards in his hands. "MAH GOD! It's Mechtail! He..." JR shouted. "... he *did* something!" Austin proclaimed reflexively. "And he's not the only one! Team Foxfire's comin' out in *force*!" JR continued as, from out of the crowd, Edward Coyote vaulted over railing to clobber the Great Red Serpent. From the back, Scarlet Foxfire and Colley stormed out to confront Oscar and Tuxedo Chris. "And it's Sonya Sho Robotnik and Agent Q!" Austin yelled. They followed after Colley and Scarlet, making a beeline toward the evil tyrant himself! Dark Sonic was dumbstruck by the sudden rally, and was promptly blind sided by an energy blast from... Jonathan Brisby?! "I should've told you my *other* pet peeve..." Brisby scornfully warned, approaching the fallen black hedgehog. "... Screwing around with my friends. Since you claim to be such a grand master of darkness..." With a flourish, a ruby-red katana appeared in Brisby's hands. "I'm sure you won't mind roasting in hell." "Jesus H. Christ! Brisby just grew a *spine*!" JR marveled. "Does he even know how to use that sword?" "The AAA's finally comin' together to face down the Horde... but you hafta wonder if it's gonna be too little, too late..." Austin observed with unusual thoughtfulness. Then announcers were briefly drawn away from the action as Mike Tenay charged back out to the announcer's table and reclaimed his headset. "I may have missed the match, but I'm not going to miss this!" He proclaimed to his colleagues. "Besides, it'd be criminal to call the biggest run-in ever without a WCW announcer!" However, the announcing team still had difficulties describing the chaos: Edward and Mechtail brawled with the Serpent; Colley and Scarlet struggled against the mighty Saiyan Oscar; Sonya, Agent Q, and Brisby circled Dark Sonic, weapons drawn. All the while, Tuxedo Chris...did nothing. Dark Sonic casually dodged away from Q's iron staff but was bombarded with crossfire from Sonya and Brisby's spells. Jonathan closed in from behind with his red blade, and the Dark One narrowly parried with his own Magic Blade of Mobius. Both blades clashed and gleamed with mystical energies... but with a slight snarl, Sonic charged his weapon with a surge of dark power. A fireball erupted as Brisby's sword shattered. Sonic, Sonya, and Q were thrown back, while Brisby took the brunt of the blast and was literally launched up into the ring... "Forget it, mouse!" Dark Sonic, the first to his feet, taunted. "You cannot win, you will not win, and all this will be mine!" He cackled with glee as Brisby slowly stood up. Foxfire's scorched figurehead turned his attention down to the fiend. "You think I can't take you... You think you're so *damned* powerful..." With that, massive waves of crimson energies enveloped the furious mouse. Trembling slightly, Brisby focused the waves into his clenched paw. "You don't know *half* of what I can do, spikey! I *CAN* beat you!" A few seconds more of concentration, and the red energies were building to levels that made even Sonic step back slightly. Blood trickled from Brisby's snout from the sheer effort. Finally, with a forced exhale, he released his claw... ... and the massed power simply fizzled away. It was only a single, tiny, shimmering ball of white light that levitated out of his hand. "Yes, the AAA's shinin' hope..." Austin dead panned. "Why am I not surprised..." Tenay moaned. "What the hell are you going to do?" McMahon dismissed. "Blink him to death?" Then the tiny white orb flared into life, and began growing brighter by the second. Brisby, though clearly exhausted, forced his trademark smirk of confidence toward McMahon. "It only *takes* a single point of light..." he wheezed triumphantly. He maintained that same smirk as he collapsed to the mat, unconscious. The sphere drew in swirls of light from the surrounding area, as if it drawing power from it...and... began to grow. Suddenly, in a brilliant flash, it molded into a humanoid feminine form... a very familiar, restored-to-human feminine form... "He *didn't*!" Tenay exclaimed in shock. "He can't..." JR stammered. "He just did! That rodent just pulled off one of the biggest plot contrivances in history!" Austin exulted. "Vince, it's a bad day t'be you..." Alicia 'Lynxara' Ashby, the Power that Was... lived again. A few final explosions of power made her form completely human. Alicia rose very weakly from the mat, and gripped the ring ropes unsteadily. Then she saw the scene in front of her, and steadied as she looked down at her prey in cold defiance. "You..." she began softly. "Guys, I don't mean to take away from the moment here... but exactly how is she gonna help?" Tenay asked nervously. "I mean, she doesn't *do* anything..." Dark Sonic was clearly thinking the same thing, and grinned pretentiously as he casually fired a lightning bolt at her... ...which Lynxara simply slapped away into an empty section of seats. Austin and JR looked rather pointedly at Tenay. "I... um... stand corrected," Tenay said quietly. Sonic bellowed in rage and was about to charge into the ring when a crackling field of reality-warping magic engulfed him! He was moving so slow, he only had enough time to turn his head and see the defiant Tuxedo Chris smirking down at him before Oscar, with blinding speed, clotheslined the hedgehog hard into the concrete! The Magic Blade of Mobius was sent flying high into the air, and Sonya leapt up and gratefully snatched it! As Sonic recovered from the Slow spell, Sonya unleashed a volley of super-charged bolts of holy magic. Sonic was sent flying and slammed, hard, against the ring apron! However, he paid Sonya little mind, and instead glared up at his former allies. "Et Tu, Caldwell?" he snarled. Tuxedo Chris and Oscar, not even acknowledging the dark hedgehog, simply dissipated from the arena in a reality-warping flash ... The reborn and fully-recovered Lynxara punted David Kintobor out of the ring with a ki-charged superkick. Kintobor was quick to recover and was about to confront Lynxara when a psionic blade pierced his forehead! He spun, clutching his temples, to face the scornful gaze of his *other* arch-nemesis... Scarlet Foxfire. Lynxara was getting ready to pounce on Dark Sonic, when a wave of dirty-silver energy drilled her in the side. She recoiled into the corner, clutching her side, and looked up to see Vince McMahon standing over her with a shimmering Ginzuishou in his left hand. "Oh, I get it, Vince," Lynxara mocked in defiance. "You've already made your *own* promotion completely evil, so now you're going to try and screw with ours!" Her confidence faded, however, as a energy sphere encircled her... with all of the air conveniently vacuumed out. McMahon strode arrogantly up and leaned close to the gasping young Power. "Young lady, I have a business associate who would *love* to see your precious dimension fall into the wrong hands," McMahon scowled. "Besides, I *created* sports entertainment through 30 years of hard work, and I'll be *damned* if I'll be outdone by a pair of college kids..." "Oh *screw* this!" Austin hollered, finally fed up with McMahon's ravings. He stormed into the ring and shoulderblocked his superior to the mat, which dispelled the globe surrounding Alicia. She collapsed in a heap on the mat, and McMahon and the Rattlesnake stared each other down. "Ya know, Vince, that is a *hell* of a toy there!" Austin jeered. "In fact, on my return trip here..." He opened a massive palm, and a silver, metallic can appeared. "I picked up a little toy of my own, too!" Alicia couldn't help but smile as, to the announcers' amazement and McMahon's horror, a venomous green ki aura flared around Austin as he placed his other hand onto the can's lid... "Vinnie, boy, I've got your CAN OF WHOOP-ASS... RIGHT HERE!!!" With a violent twist, a trio of green, viper-like streams of magic blasted out of the can and bombarded the WWF's owner. The blasts sent McMahon sailing out onto the railing. His suit burned to tatters, McMahon hastily scrambled to his feet, while Austin looked with amazement at his new device. "Kick ass! That actually worked!" Austin exulted. "Now, let's try it AGAIN!" Quickly, McMahon looked over his options and suddenly decided that the AAA not only bored him, but probably not nearly as profitable as he'd thought. And so, he ran like hell back to his own world... After a few minutes of fruitless struggling, Alicia simply blipped the ring ropes out of existence to free her still-dazed partner from the ropes, as Dark Sonic levitated upward to confront them. The hedgehog, for the first time, looked thoroughly enraged. "I call... for RETRIBUTION!" he proclaimed, raising both hands above his head. Austin backed up behind the reunited and tired Powers, and rolled out of the ring to rejoin the announcers, his face showing grave concern. "What in the world is he..." Tenay uttered. Then his eyes widened with horror as he saw the flaming pentagram that erupted into being under Dark Sonic. "No... not that... he'll level the stadium with that!!" Tenay reflexively grabbed JR by the lapels and began to frantically shake him in panic. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" "TAKE COVER!" JR screamed as he attempted to break Tenay's death grip. "Where the hell at? If I'm goin' out, it'll be like a man," Austin proclaimed grimly as he cracked open a beer, and waited for the inevitable... The black crackling sphere of magic that comprised Dark Sonic's supreme attack was at critical mass, hovering over him, and fully as large as he was. He snarled a final grin, and was about to unleash the dreadful attack... when runes gold and green runes materialized on the floor beneath him, ensnaring him in bars of divine light. In the ring, Timothy (still clutching his head) and Lynxara shimmered with their respective green and golden power auras. "Not this time..." Tim coughed. "And never again!" Lynxara finished. "That's right... you all die today," Sonic hissed. "BLACK ULTIMA!!" The sphere of supremely destructive magic detonated like an atomic bomb... "EGO CRUSHER!!!" The Powers called out in unison. Their own power auras flared together, and a solid column of mystical power rose up and engulfed Dark Sonic. The two attacks collided head on with a deafening crack and a blinding flash of light. But when the light faded, Sonic's black energies could be clearly seen imploding into the center of the column that entrapped him. A brief yell of pain and a dull thump was heard from within. "We're not dead?" Tenay asked hopefully. "Not yet, anyway," JR's replied. The Ego Crusher finally died down, and the Powers were clearly exhausted. Dark Sonic, however, was on his knees, clutching his stomach and trembling in pain. Hovering in front of him, glimmering with its foul magic, was the Chaos Emerald of Evil. He reached out toward it, but Sonya swiftly dashed in to level the now powerless fiend. Behind her, an ominous red mist appeared and formed into the diabolical Kefkain. He reaches out to claim the black emerald for his master, when Sonya spun and, with a heroic flair, brandished a large gold ring that glowed with light. Kefkain howled as if in pain and backed up... "What it the world? That didn't work before!" a confused Austin puzzled. "Correction: Wolf's cross didn't work. But a *Mobian* holy device, like a Power Ring, is an effective weapon against a *Mobian* vampire..." JR and Austin shot a pair of withering glares at Tenay. "... I'll shut up now." The blinded Kefkain staggered toward the rampway... where Nav was waiting! He unloads both shells of a sawed-off shotgun into the White Wolf, sending him flailing to the ground. A second form of mist surrounded the fallen vampire. It solidified into a cloaked humanoid form briefly, and then faded out, along with the wounded Kefkain. Kefkain's arrival was more than enough of a distraction for Dark Sonic. Finally somewhat recovered, he reached out for his prized power source... just as two people vaulted over the railing. The first one was Princess Sally! She immediately drilled a kick into the Dark One's face to knock him back. The second... was Lord Thinker! He quickly drew his massive sword, and took aim at the levitating gemstone. Golden ki energy began to whip about his body and the blade... "Thinker... if you want to turn back, now is the time..." Sally warned. "No. I've at least got to try," Lord Thinker replied evenly. "Then you know what to do... destroy it!" she commanded. The furry tyrant gaped in horror, then promptly contorted his face in arrogance. "Go right ahead," Dark Sonic snorted, looking up at the defiant princess. "I've got two words for you: Dark Thinker." Lord Thinker looked about nervously, first to Sally, then Dark Sonic, back up at the Powers in the ring and, finally, back to the Chaos Emerald. His expression finally turned into a look of determination. He raised his blade, and his aura increased to a blinding white. "Damn... if anyone's goofy enough to try and destroy a Chaos Emerald, Thinker's it!" Austin said quietly. "Sweet JESUS! I didn't think Thinker *had* that much power!" JR gasped. "Guys, I think we're about to see what the Delete Key can really do..." Tenay warned. With that, Lord Thinker leaped into the air, with a trail of ki power behind him... "SUPREME DELETE KEY!!!" In a final, mighty chop, Thinker's Delete Key cleaved through the gemstone. A massive explosion of dark energy followed which totally engulfed Lord Thinker. When the smoke cleared, Thinker could be seen standing unsteadily in the center of a wide crater. A worried hush spread over the announcers and combatants. Thinker looked tired... worn... different... But then, Thinker twirled the Delete Key and popped it into its sheathe in a perfect imitation of Cloud Strife's trademark victory display. A happy, goofy grin spread across his face. "Score one for the good guys!" he enthused, giving two thumbs up. The remaining fans and quite a few of the combatants cheered in joy... the most notable exceptions being Princess Sally and Dark Sonic, who continued to glare at one another. The now-powerless black hedgehog stood up. "An impressive display of tactics. Good form," he scoffed, pulling at his gloved hands. "However..." he forcefully yanked off his gloves as he threatened her. "It's a damn shame that I just need my *speed*..." One glove fell to the floor. "...and my *claws*..." The other one descended. "...To RIP YOU APART!!!" The fighters could barely react, as Dark Sonic charged at Sally Acorn. Just as he was about to wreak his no doubt bloody vengeance on the Mobian princess, something slammed into him. Something what moved with equal velocity. It sent Dark Sonic crashing into the steel steps. Something very familiar... and blue. "MAH GOD! That's..." JR started. "This is about to get *really* good..." Austin couldn't help but grin at the de-powered villain's misfortune: the very irate and *real* Sonic the Hedgehog was stomping toward his evil doppleganger. "So you think you're me, huh?" Sonic snarled as Knuckles, from behind, grabbed Dark Sonic and pulled him up. The real Sonic breathed deeply to collect himself. "But I'm cool. I *do*, however, know a few people who want a word with you..." The maniacal clone mocked the confident Sonic. "Please! You have no authority over me here! You can't just..." the Dark One suddenly trailed off. Approaching him was his worst fear: The Freedom Fighters. He was especially leery of the gleaming blade in Sonya's hands and Bunnie's bionic limbs... as he knew he was now powerless to stop any of them. Sally Acorn joined the group in what could only be described as a massive beat-down as the camera cut back to the rampway. There, the remaining Team Foxfire members have encircled David Kintobor... "I don't need any of you!" Kintobor spat at Scarlet, clinging to his Virtual Belt like a security blanket. His head darted back and forth as he gazed at his former teammates, insane desperation showing in his eyes. "I sure as hell don't need you, Brisby, or any of you other jobbers! Hell, I don't even need Davey-kins! I've got the Dark One on my side now, and..." Kintobor suddenly screamed and lurched over in pain, dropping to one knee. With horror, he gazed upon his hands. They were beginning to vaporize into a red mist... "What... the...?! NO! You can't do this to me! I'm DAVID *KINTOBOR*, DAMMIT! I WON'T JUST FADE AWAY! I'LL..." His ranting turned into one last agonized scream as, in a burst of energy, Kintobor's body glowed and entirely broke down. It condensed into a red sphere, and then slowly faded out of existence. The Virtual Belt loudly clattered to the ground. Scarlet moved deliberately forward to pick it up. "Like you said, Kintobor..." she began proudly as moved back over to the announcer's desk. There, Star Mech had finally risen to his feet, though he was clinging to the desk for support. "There's only room for *one* David in the multiverse." She gently placed the championship belt over David Kronos' shoulder and hugged him. In the ring, Alicia was rightfully exulting. "It's all over!" she cheered happily. "It's finally all over!" But her joy quickly turned to grave concern as she turned to Timothy... and he collapsed to the mat. "Oh, good lord..." JR breathed. "Guys, I never thought of this before... but between the last few weeks, and then Sonic's assault... well, it all might have just been too much. Oh man..." Tenay worried. "Tim..." Lynxara gasped in a hushed tone. Timothy turned away in shame, as if he, too, feared her wrath. "What that monster did... to everyone... to *you*... it was all my fault..." Timothy managed to choke out. "You warned me..." Lynxara extended a hand under his chin and turned his face toward her. She shuddered at what she saw. The metal portions of the AAA Championship belts were made of some of the rarest, most indestructible materials in the multiverse, an alloy that included mythril, adamantium, and even escudo. As such, they were far heavier than they looked, and made very good bludgeons. The blow from the championship belt had done tremendous damage. A massive cut extended across his face, and a grey film was covering one of his green eyes. Lynxara swallowed and whispered to him gently. "You warned *me* too, Tim," she uttered. "I knew what these guys were capable of and I should have been prepared." She lowered one of her hands to clasp her partner's. She held them up in front of him, and Tim gazed at her, mesmerized by the pulse he felt through their entwined fingers. Lynxara gently placed a hand on Tim's wounded face. "Besides, Dark Sonic just would've gone after someone else, if not me. He was just out to hurt people. But it's okay now, Tim..." He shuddered as a stream of warmth flowed across his head. Although his hair was still caked with dried blood, the cut was sealed, and his eye was now restored. "I'm here, Tim..." She allowed the male Power to lower his head into her lap. He drifted into peaceful unconciousness as Lynxara maternally stroked her friend's shoulder. "I'm here," she whispered gently. Elsewhere, the group of Freedom Fighters finally allowed Dark Sonic to his feet. The hapless villain staggered about feebly, his elegant robes completely torn to bits. "That's it!" he shrieked. "I don't have to deal with this! I'm still the Dark One! I'm the Lord of Darkness, and..." His rant was abruptly stopped by the bolt of lightning that struck him. As the now ragged AND scorched evil hedgehog turned around to face his new attacker, his expression collapsed back into stark horror. Dark Sonic found himself looking up to a very angry, tall, pale, and familiar human. He had a long, dark reddish hair and was dressed all in black. The human grabbed him around the throat and hefted him easily up into the air so he could look Dark Sonic in the eye. "Now..." Mark Calloway (better known as the Undertaker) growled with vengeful joy in his voice. "Now, we'll see who the *true* Lord of Darkness is..." The camera panned away just as Sonic's screams of pain began. JR finally collapsed back into his usual announcer's seat. "This has been intense, everyone!" he breathed in amazement, "A new champion, a powerless Dark Sonic..." Tenay nodded. "Not to mention seeing the Author Avatar Association firmly back in the hands of the *real* Powers That Be!" "But most of all, that cyber-jackass Kintobor's gone for good!" Austin enthused, as he reached for yet another Steveweiser. The other announcers nodded in agreement. "This has been a monumental event to say the least," Tenay said. "I'll be returning in a few weeks along with Jim Ross and the Nature Boy for the next installment of the Fight Scene..." "... and I'll be seein' your asses again at InterSlam!" Austin added. "So on behalf of everyone here in the Author Avatar Association, thank you, and good night," JR finished. Before the cameras cut off entirely, they panned to a long distance shot of the arena. Dr. Tofu and his medics could be seen finally attending to Star Mech's injuries, with Team Foxfire crowding around. The other Avatars were dispersing, or meeting friends who had returned along with the curious spectators who fled earlier. But the final, most telling closing shot was of the ring, where Lynxara was gently cradling the unconscious Timothy. _____________________________________________________ What a long, strange trip it was! Thanks go out to everyone who supported the AAA during its second story arc, be it on the message board or just by reading. However, special thanks go out to David Gonterman, for not only his permission but extensive help in orchestrating the Death of David Kintobor. Other special thanks go out to Peter Keeler, Karmacide, Jamie Jeans, Damien Karolev, Blazej Szpacowicz, Nightbreak, Nav, Colley, Katfum, Dr. Thinker, Damien Karolev, Kenny Blackwell, Adam Durham, Oni, and David Marts. They all know what they did. However, the greatest thanks of all go out to the creators of the characters we borrowed for this story. We couldn't have done it without you. This is especially true of Kefka the Dark One, a.k.a. Metal Sonic. In Dark Sonic, he created one of the most wonderfully loathsome and evil characters ever. The AAA will return for a third story arc, InterSlam, as soon as the writers have recovered from this one. Ja ne! Tim McLees and Alicia Ashby