Tangle vs. Whisper: Out of Control

Chapter 7: Rescue, Part 2

The Spiral Hill crowds gave Tangle and Whisper a wide berth, forming an empty circle where the two girls stood on opposite sides, face to face.

"Here we are," Tangle chuckled. "Tangle vs. Whisper. The final showdown."

"Either you destroy your friend," Leuco smirked, still struggling in Cling's arms, "or are destroyed by her!"

Jewel helped an injured Amy to her feet.

"It's Whisper's fight now," the beetle assured, guiding the hedgehog to a bench outside the museum. "You can rest."

Please, no!, Tangle internally begged. Don't make me do this!

Whisper narrowly opened her eyes, glaring daggers at Tangle...

And let go of her Wispon, letting it clatter to the floor.

"I'm not going to fight you," the wolf uttered sternly.

"As if you have a choice," the lemur quipped, immediately pulling back her tail and launching it at the wolf.

Whisper nimbly leapt over Tangle's tail, landing on her feet and one hand. She quickly sprinted around the perimeter of the circle, attempting to grab Tangle from behind, only for the lemur to twist out of her grasp. Tangle curled up her tail like a spring and bounced from side to side, eagerly awaiting Whisper's next move.

"Fight it, Tangle," Whisper encouraged. "She doesn't control you!"

"Oh, but she does," Tangle snapped back, "and she will until you're gone!"

Tangle struggled within her mind, trying to control any part of herself.

"It's no use," Leuco boasted. "I gave her a fresh dose of slime before entering the village. It won't wear off for a good while!"

"Shut up, mollusk!," Tails slammed.

"Come on, come on, come on!," Whisper pleaded, slowly approaching Tangle. "You've never let anyone tell you what to do! So you can't start now!"

"SHUT UP!," Tangle screamed, once again swiping her tail at Whisper, only for it to be dodged.

From the Wispon on the ground, Whisper's five Wisps suddenly emerged. Before Tangle could react, they sped over to her and grabbed onto different parts of her body, restraining her movements.

"No!," Leuco struggled. "I need revenge on the man who abandoned me!"

"So that's how it is," Cling inquired, tightening the grip of her elastic arms.

"You could never understand!," Leuco rebutted. "He made his own little family, as if I had never existed! None of them deserved happiness! NOT EVEN AFTER HE'S GONE!"

Tangle continued to wrestle the five Wisps, which grabbed her limbs and tail. Internally, she was struggling for control of her body.

Slowly, Whisper approached the struggling lemur, her arms spread wide. Suddenly, she ran forward and jumped into a tackling hug, though Tangle remained upright.

"Don't you get it, Tangle?," the wolf desperately spoke.

She lifted herself up, placing her mouth to Tangle's ear, and gently whispered something.

Tangle's mouth opened wide and she blinked, her eyes flashing between green and white. The five Wisps let go of her, and she screamed, clutching her head and collapsing to her knees.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!," Leuco cried in despair.

Tangle choked on something, and punched herself in the stomach repeatedly. Whisper stepped back and looked away as a disgusting retching sound, and the splatter of slime on brick tile, echoed from the lemur's direction, repeating. Turning back around, Whisper saw Tangle on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Tangle," Whisper gently spoke.

"I'm..." Tangle raised her head up to reveal her natural, purple eyes. "I'm back."

Whisper and her Wisps once again tackle-hugged Tangle, this time to the floor.

Meanwhile, in the clutches of Cling, Leuco simply closed her eyes and frowned.

-

"It's a good thing I build spares of everything," Tails considered. "Funny how this is ultimately the solution to both of your nemeses."

"I know, right?," Whisper chuckled. She was with Tails and Amy in the former's workshop while Tangle recovered back at home with her parents and Jewel. "Let's hope this one keeps her in."

"I'll get you back one day, Whisper," Leuco protested from within the Test Chamber. "You, Tangle, everyone he cared about!"

"Sure you will," Tails joked.

"Well, Whisper," Amy relaxed, "you can rest easy tonight knowing that Tangle is safe, and Leuco will soon be behind bars."

"I'm going to check in on her," Whisper muttered. "I feel like I have to."

"She's in good hands," Tails affirmed, patting the wolf on the shoulder. "She has her family and her best friend."

"But she needs me," Whisper said softly as she headed out the door, closing it behind her.

Tails and Amy suddenly locked eyes, mischievous grins on their faces.

"We're thinking the same thing, aren't we?," Amy smiled.

"Yep," Leuco murmured. "Exactly the same thing."