Sonic Chronicles: Martyrdom

'Sonic, you can't go!'

'I have to. If I don't go…'

'If you do, you'll…'

The conversation just moments before echoed in Sonic's mind. He knew that conversation would be his last he would have with his friend.

The seven Chaos Emeralds were gathered and ready for use. The emeralds were being placed in a circle surrounding a battered and torn blue hedgehog. It took most of his strength to be able to stand in the circle. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles placed the emeralds around Sonic. Not one eye was dry after preparing the emeralds.

Tails tried to fight back tears to no avail. Amy allowed her tears to flow freely as she was sniffling. Knuckles, lastly, kept back most of his tears with a few falling down his cheeks. Sonic could only allow his tears to fall at the sight.

The emeralds began to glow and rise around Sonic. Before long, they began to spin around him getting faster with every rotation until they became a ring of light that enveloped Sonic. Sonic winced in pain as he felt the power of Chaos flow inside of him. His blue fur became yellow and his eyes changed to red; Sonic had become Super Sonic. The emeralds, soon after, fell to the ground around Sonic.

Sonic turned to his friends one last time. He let out a weak smile and a thumbs-up before blasting off to face Eggman at the Space Colony Ark. His friends watched as the yellow light vanished into the twilight sky.

Sonic flew into the cold abyss that was space. Frost gathered slowly onto his fur. Ahead, he was greeted by Eggman's army. They numbered well in the thousands if not tens of thousands all waiting for Sonic.

"Ah, Sonic! I see you were able to join phase two of my plan." Eggman said as he watched Sonic from his monitors. "But let's see if you are able to handle this."

Eggman pushed a button on the computer board.

The eyes of Eggman robots flickered. They've been the order to attack! The mass army of robots descended upon Sonic like a combination of a tornado and a flood.

Sonic stood fast as they drew closer and closer before they piled on him from what seemed like every angle. Robots still continued to pile en masse, but before a yellow flash seeped out of the pile. Sonic broke free from the pile destroying most the mechs in the pile. The mechanical onslaught came to a brief pause. The battle, no, the slaughter was about to truly begin. Sonic was encircled.

The onslaught once again started and Sonic, undeterred and bravely, went headfirst in one area of the circle. Sonic rolled into a ball before boosting in the oncoming mechs. The first mech hit by Sonic's attack was torn through and Sonic begun his Light Speed Attack decimating, no, annihilating, the mechs attacking from that 30 degrees of the circle. From behind, the remaining mechs came in full tow. Sonic easily dodged the first mech's attack on him before effortlessly destroying it with one punch. But before he could react further, another mech attacked knocking Sonic in another mech's attack and then another.

Sonic was sent into a volley of attacks he recovered vehemently and destroyed the next mech in line for the volley. There was no time for Sonic to gather himself before having to force his body to battle.

'I can't give up just yet!' Sonic thought. He could feel his strength seeping away. This had to end now!

Again, the mechs piled on from every angle on Sonic. Sonic focused the power of Chaos. The mechs were mere inches from Sonic before he shouted: "Chaos Control!"

Eggman watched as his mechs were demolished one by one in an array of yellow streaks. Eggman stood unmoved as if expecting the events.

Sonic floated in a sea of debris looking onto the ARK. Sonic panted and winced in pain, but still he carried on. Sonic noticed that he was flickering in and out of his super form. Did he burn through too many of his rings? No. Sonic brought more than an ample supply of rings. He could feel it; his body was beginning to give out on itself. His time was coming to an end.

Even then, he pressed on…

Eggman waited with yet another attack squad of his mechs. Eggman heard crashes and explosions from further within the Ark. He coolly awaited Sonic's arrival.

Before long, an explosion shooting out not only parts of the wall, but pieces mechs as well. The smoke cleared revealing a drudging Super Sonic. His wounds from before seemed much worse accompanied by fresher wounds. Sonic had blood coming from the corner of his mouth and his wounds. He entered the room holding his arm and struggling to move.

The mechs were prepared to attack when Eggman signaled to relent. Eggman began to clap.

"Well done Sonic. I would expect nothing less from my nemesis." he said as he finished clapping. "However, you won't be stopping me this time." He finished arrogantly

Sonic sat unmoving as he listened to Eggman's victory rant. Eggman then pulled from his pocket a button.

"With just one press of this button, the Eclipse Cannon will be fired, primed and ready to fire multiple shots at the various capitals of the world-"

"-and thus…ushering in the Eggman Empire. Did I get that right?" Sonic interrupted as he fell to his knee in pain.

"You know me too well…" Eggman said in a flattered way. He primed himself to press the button.

"That's too bad…Egghead." Sonic said through a wince. Before Eggman could reply Eggman's monitor started to alert of an incoming object. Eggman quickly ignored his button.

"Alert! Alert!" the computer said. "Unidentified object approaching Ark in t-minus two minutes."

"What!?" Eggman exclaimed as he ran to the monitor to confirm. Sonic smirked just a bit.

"Eggman, I'm going to let you in on a secret." Sonic said tiredly.

Eggman turned back to Sonic.

"After your 'phase one', I knew I couldn't stop whatever you had in store next."

Eggman looked back to his monitor to see a precision missile coming to the Ark, but not just any missile, but a modified SM-3 more than capable to damage the ARK.

"T-minus one minute to impact"

"No…" Eggman said shocked. "No!" Eggman yelled as he slammed his fist into the computer board.

All he could hear was Sonic's weakening laugh. This infuriated Eggman that much more.

"Curse you Sonic the Hedgehog. Curse you!" Eggman shouted to his nemesis. "No! It doesn't matter! I still have this!"

Eggman once again presented his remote this time, actively pressing the button. But Sonic, with his remaining strength, dashed at Eggman knocking him down and forcing his remote out of his hand. The mechs quickly reacted and attack Sonic, but then the SM-3 made contact with the Ark interrupted the attack sending the mechs into the wall and deactivating them.

The Ark had taken severe damage and was beginning to collapse on itself.

Eggman attempted to scramble for the remote but in the violent shakes, lost it into the explosions. He looked to his nemesis and saw Sonic beginning to fall to the ground right in front of him. The time of Sonic the Hedgehog was passing. Sonic died with the same smirk he gave Eggman earlier. No, this smirk was different than the one from before. The first he gave was one of arrogance from outsmarting a foe.

This one, this one was one of a hero dying for the greater good. It was peaceful as if to embrace death. A smirk that says, 'I lived my life to its fullest.' He recalled the last words he said to his friends:

"Amy." Sonic started tenderly "Never forget how much I loved you." He said with tears falling from his smiling face. He placed his hand on Amy's belly.

"Sonic…" Amy said with a weakened voice as her tears fell. Sonic embraced her before giving his final kiss to his love. It was a fleeting, but passionate kiss. Amy placed her fingers to her lips before placing her hand over her heart.

"Tails, I know you'll be a greater hero than I'll ever be or ever was." Sonic said as he placed his hand on Tails' head. Tails' tears felling down face drenching his fur on his mouth.

"Sonic…I-I'm…not ready." Tails said between his hiccups. "Please…don't…don't…go."

Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic reluctant to let go. His eyes were begging Sonic to take him with him. But Sonic eyes tearfully rejected the fox's request.

Sonic and Knuckles exchanged looks.

"Take care of things here." Sonic eyes said.

"I will." Knuckles teary eyes responded.

Eggman exploded in anger, cursing Sonic's name amidst the destruction of Ark. Sonic saw his nemesis' anger as his vision blurred and his eyes closed welcoming the darkness to come. The explosions around him steadily grew faint until he heard silence. And with that the hero that was Sonic died.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sonic's friends saw a small explosion in the night sky and then felt a familiar wind blow one last time before disappearing. Knuckles fell to his knees pounding at the ground in a blind furry of anger and sorrow. Amy fell to her knees in disbelief as her tears fell down her cheeks. Tails' could only stare while his mind raced to accept the reality in front of him.

"Damn it Sonic! You didn't need to sacrifice yourself!" Knuckles cried out as his tears he kept back began to flow freely.

"I…don't believe it…he's….g-gone." Amy said choking on her words.

Tails reached his hands out to the fading explosion. He fell to his knees hoping Sonic would be there to pick him off his knees like he always did. But there was nothing…

They were not the only ones to feel that wind. The whole world felt that familiar wind blow only to fade, never to be felt again as if to acknowledge the passing of a great hero.

Within months, a funeral was held honoring the passing of Sonic. The whole world stopped on that day to mourn. Monuments throughout the world were raised to honor his heroic deeds, but the one monument that stood unspoken, unsung was a tombstone that was placed in the Green Hill Zone sitting where Sonic's closest friends knew they could always find him. On it is written:

Here lies Sonic the Hedgehog:

Leader, Mentor, Husband, Friend, and Hero

Most of all, a hedgehog that loved adventure and life.