She, Sally, *had* experienced, or at least had a taste, of what love and care entailed.
Empress Auntie Bing. Her parents. That Guy. Bob. The ARSES. They were… important. The alternative - to live a life without them - what kind of life would that be?!?!
She wouldn't give them up!!!! Not if she could help it!!!!!
But at the same time, even if she was OP… she was only one person…
What… can I do?!?! Sally asked herself, even as she… staggered, taking more and more chip damage from defending and deflecting against Itvasme's searing spells and strikes…
("-Should I…
("-just freeze everything…")
("-and to… hell with the consequences?!…")
___
Sally calmly reasoned it through. She could go Cold - the theoretical "Absolute Zero". Freeze everything and everyone in her path. She could… 'win'(?!)
But perhaps, amidst all the cunning conflations that were Itvasme's words, was a kernel, a touch, of Truth. Perhaps, everything *did* have its price, a cost, that one had to pay…
If so, then the question became: "What was it, exactly, that you were willing to pay?"
And then, there was also the sobering possibility... That what you were willing to pay… wasn't actually enough.
Sally's own words, more or less, as they so often do, came back to revisit her, in a paraphrased form...
"Yes, we have the freedom to choose, to decide, and take steps towards, what we would like to happen. But that decision does not necessarily include the choice, the freedom, to choose the outcome… things aren't always achievable, or attainable, in the way you want, just because you want them to be. After all, we are, but human... ?!?!"
"If you wanted something, you had to fight for it. You had to be willing to pay the price, and accept the fact that, despite all that, it might not be enough…"
"-Even so!!!"
Sally's eyes firmed, becoming colder, and increasingly glacial, imbued with her Icy, Queenly conviction.
"Some things were worth fighting for, regardless of the outcome...!!!"
She would have to stay Calm, Concentrate… and Control her Coldness?!?!
"Like most things in life, there was a risk, a chance that things might not go her way. But even so, sometimes, even when the conditions weren't perfect… you still just had to aim to do the right things, and do your best, to have the courage to stand up for what you believed in (?!)"
Slowly but surely, even as she continued to come under the relentless fire of Itvasme's attacks… a chilling, icy blue light began to glow from within…!!!!!!!!!
___
"Uh oh."
"You made Sally mad."
"That's… probably bad."
"...It was in Chapter 1 wasn't it?"
"Yeah it clearly says in Chapter 1 that: 'If Ice Queen Sally wanted you dead… then there was little you could do…!!!' "
*gulps*
*gasps*
The audience stirs and murmurs, restless with mixed emotions…
"-Oh, Itvasme, what have you done?!"
"-Oh yeah that's hot…!!! Or is that cold?!?! Sally unghhh, f*** yeah, do it, go Absolute Zero, and then, step on me, I can be your frozen Icypole…!!!"
"..."
"No… Sally… !!! Don't do it!!!"
The Yandere-lovers were dreaming…!
The Chaos-lovers were steaming…!!
The "I-Love-Sally" fans were screaming…!!!
Sally was grim, but, there seemed to be no other way.
Itvasme's chances of survival were looking - slim - it seemed that Sally was prepared to pay!!?!!!
___
"Yes!!!! Arrrrr, Why not?!?! Go ahead, and Do it!!! What are you waitin' for?!"
"?!?!!!!!!!!?!!??!"
As usual, these words were spoken in a completely different context to Sally's Showdown with Itvasme, one of Author's favourite techniques from the Dao of Shamelessness, which he had studied and mastered from a young age...