This is the second to the last chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to write the last chapter tomorrow and post it this weekend at the latest. For all the readers who have followed this story from the first chapter to this, thank you all so much for your support!

NOTE: I OWN NOTHING HERE, EXCEPT FOR MY OCs!

NOTE 2: Thanks to numberjacksoctonauts and SKdaGamer for pointing out a small typo. It's been fixed now :)

Chapter 17

How long he sat there, cradling Sonic's body in his arms, Shadow didn't know. But it didn't matter. He was going to stay by the Century Tree and keep an eye on Sonic for as long as it took for him to wake up.

And then the spirit orbs appeared.

One of them was glowing a bright blue and was led to Sonic's body by a light gray spirit orb. Shadow blinked as the gray spirit orb seemed to turn to him.

"I'm sorry… I'll put him back now…" A girl's voice whispered before the gray spirit orb gently nudged the blue one towards Sonic's body.

Shadow watched the blue spirit orb circle over the blue hedgehog's still chest before diving in. Suddenly, Sonic's entire body jerked as he gasped for air. Blue eyelids slowly fluttered open and Shadow found himself gazing into emerald pools.

"Hey, Shads."

Shadow couldn't help but smile back at Sonic, who was now awake and alive. "Hey yourself," he said as Sonic sat up. The cobalt speedster raised an eye ridge at him, and that's when Shadow realized that Sonic was still on his lap. Blushing, he looked away as Sonic stood up, not noticing the soft red blush adorning the latter's muzzle.

"SONIC!" Tails jumped into his big brother's arms, tears streaming down his cheeks. Amy followed suit, exclaiming how happy she was to see Sonic alive through her sobs.

Sonic chuckled, embracing Tails and Amy tightly. He grinned at Knuckles, the echidna walking over to him.

"Welcome back, you blue idiot." Knuckles smirked, lightly punching the hedgehog in the shoulder.

"Good to be back, Knux," said Sonic as Amy and Tails let go of him. He sighed with relief as Uncle Chuck ran up to him. "I'm okay, Unk… I got through to her," he whispered, hugging his uncle.

Uncle Chuck noticed the gray spirit orb hovering over his nephew's shoulder and smiled warmly. "Good job, Sonny boy…" he murmured, ruffling Sonic's quills.

"It's good to see you alive, Sonic," Blaze said, relief shining in her eyes.

"Yeah! You really had us all worried," Silver added, grinning.

"SONIC'S VITALS ARE STABLE. RELIEF: IMMEASURABLE," Omega droned.

Rouge gave Sonic a warm hug. "You had us going there for a moment, Big Blue. You scared the crap right out of Shadow here." She jabbed a thumb at the Ultimate Lifeform with a playful wink. "Poor honey cradled you in his arms for nearly two hours," she informed Sonic, who gave Shadow a surprised look.

Shadow gave his bat friend a fierce glare, his cheeks turning as red as his stripes. He tensed up as Sonic walked over to him but calmed when the blue hedgehog gave him a shy smile.

"You… didn't have to…" Sonic said, his cheeks as red as Shadow's.

"I-I know… But I wanted to." Shadow took a deep breath and, to everyone's surprise (and Rouge's delight), wrapped his arms around Sonic and hugged him. "Just, please, for all our sakes, never do that again," he whispered into Sonic's ear. 'I don't think I'll be able to handle seeing you die again…' he mentally added.

"Noted," Sonic whispered back, getting out of the hug before it got too awkward.

At that moment, Mama Rosario, Lola Elena, Lolo Enrique, Doña Celia, Sergeant Juni, and Emily's spirits returned. All six ghosts surrounded Sonic, wide smiles on their faces.

"Hay, salamat sa Panginoon!" Doña Celia clasped her hands and lifted her head to the heavens.

"You sure know how to give us a hell of a scare, soldier. Glad to see you up and about," Sergeant Juni said, saluting Sonic.

Emily looked around. "Hey, where's Fatima?" she wondered out loud.

Sonic smiled at the gray spirit orb hovering over his shoulder. "She's right here," he said, cupping his hands under the orb and bringing it closer to him. Smiling gently, he whispered, "It's okay, Fatima. You don't have to be scared."

"He's right, anak. No one will hurt you," Rosario coaxed her daughter, floating next to Sonic.

Amy, Blaze, Knuckles, Omega, Rouge, Silver, Shadow, and Tails watched the gray spirit orb. Their eyes widened as its round shape morphed into a Mobian's. In just a few seconds, Fatima the Hedgehog stood before them. Her appearance was startling to the team as, up until now, they had only seen her as the horrifying Multo.

Well here was Multo's real self, a young girl.

"I'm sorry…" Fatima bowed her head, her voice heavy with regret. "I've caused you all so much trouble. I'm really sorry…" she said, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Are you kidding me?!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed, struggling against the ropes tying him to the Century Tree. "You're telling me I was possessed by a kid?!" he asked, making everyone, bar Fatima, glare daggers at him.

"That's not very nice, Dr. Eggman," Orbot told him, folding his arms over his metal chest.

"Yeah! Even when she was Ms. Multo, Fatima was a hundred times nicer to us than you!" Cubot added, glaring at his creator.

Lolo Enrique and Lola Rosario floated over to Dr. Eggman, their faces dark with rage.

"Say one more bad word about my apo, I dare you," Lolo Enrique growled, his aura turning dark.

Lola Elena didn't say anything, but her eyes lost their pupils, making her glare at the Doctor more terrifying.

Tails looked away from Eggman and turned to Fatima. The hedgehog's ghost was still staring at the ground, biting her lower lip. Beside her, Sonic gently patted her shoulder. 'I know she hurt us back when she was Multo… But she's still my brother's first best friend. She deserves a second chance,' he thought, taking a deep breath.

Walking over to Fatima, Tails smiled. "Hi, Fatima. I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me 'Tails.' It's nice to meet you!" he greeted her, holding his hand out.

Fatima's gaze snapped up, her tear-filled eyes blinking owlishly at the fox. "You're… not mad at me? W-Why? I-I hurt you…" she whispered.

"Well," Tails rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll admit that I was hurt. But it's okay. I'm not mad. Besides, I want to get to know you better. You're my brother's best friend, after all," he said, his blue eyes shining.

Fatima opened and closed her mouth, struggling to come up with a good response. She glanced at Sonic, the blue hedgehog giving her a thumbs up.

"I… Thank you. I would like to get to know you better, too, Tails," Fatima said, shyly smiling.

Sonic looked at the rest of his friends. "You guys don't have any hard feelings towards her, do you?" he asked, feeling a bit concerned. He knew he could count on Tails to forgive Fatima, but he wasn't sure about the others.

Shadow folded his arms across his chest. "You promise you won't do something like this ever again?" he asked Fatima, gesturing to the scorched landscape around them. Looking into Fatima's eyes, he then asked, "You promise to never mess with anyone's minds again?"

Fatima sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I won't. I promise. I…" Remembering Shadow's memories, she nodded. "I'll never do it again," she swore to him.

Shadow gave her a small smile. "Then you're cool," he replied, leading the rest of the team to voice out their own sentiments.

"We forgive you, Fatima," Amy said.

"We understand why you did it. Heck, if I'd gone through everything you went through, I'd be pretty angry myself," Silver chimed in.

"While it's true that you have hurt us, we understand that it's because you were hurt yourself. After hearing your story, we can't find it in ourselves to despise you," Blaze told the ghost, smiling gently.

Sonic grinned, wrapping an arm around Fatima's waist. "See, angel? We're all good," he told her.

Fatima giggled, feeling at ease. Then she spotted the villagers walking towards the team and tensed. Sonic sighed and motioned to Mama Rosario and Lola Elena to accompany him. With the two spirits floating on either side of him, he faced Ashley and all the villagers.

"The crisis has been averted. Now… I think you guys have something to say to them," Sonic addressed the villagers as Mama Rosario and Lola Elena hovered to the front.

Ashley and the others froze upon seeing the two ghosts for a moment. But then they knelt and bowed their heads.

"What we did to you all those years ago… from treating you three as outcasts to the night when we stood by and did nothing as our parents killed you… we know it's unforgivable. And we understand if you won't forgive us. But we are so sorry. On behalf of our parents, we apologize," Ashley said, her voice thick with emotion.

Rosario and Elena looked at each other, then at Enrique, Doña Celia, Sergeant Juni, and Emily. Finally, they looked to Fatima, who stared at the villagers. Fatima steeled her nerves and joined her mother and her grandmother.

"Fatima…" Karla murmured, her eyes wide. Behind her, Arthur swallowed.

Looking at the faces of her childhood bullies, Fatima clenched her fists. She was still angry at them. But she knew that she'd already punished them enough. Now was the time to follow Sonic's advice… and let go.

"I'm still angry for what happened… But I also want to say I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused, especially for your kids." Fatima glanced at the children who, thankfully, didn't look afraid of her. She knelt and touched her forehead to the ground briefly before standing up. "I regret my actions as Multo and I promise I won't do it again," she said sincerely.

"However…"

Ashley, Arthur, Elsie, Hughie, Jayden, Karla, and Lloyd looked up from their kneeling position to find Fatima gazing at them intently.

"Promise me that the next time you meet someone like me and Blue Streak… someone different… don't treat them the way you treated us. Get to know them… before you judge them and push them away," Fatima pleaded.

"We won't." Arthur nodded. "We promise, Fatima. We'll change. And do our best to make amends," he promised.

The village children were quick to chime in.

"We will!" Rody nodded, jumping to his feet and his tail wagging. "We won't bully anyone just because they're different. You can count on us, Fatima!" he said.

"It's not right to judge someone right away. We're awfully sorry it took this long for our parents to learn that lesson," Enzo added, smiling sheepishly.

"But we won't make the same mistakes. We'll be kinder to strangers… And if they can do stuff we can't, we won't shun them," Lucia promised.

"Thank you… Never forget those promises," Fatima said then turned to her family.

Lola Elena frowned. "Well… I suppose the rest of us forgive you. But!" She then turned to Eggman, glaring at the villain. "We want our remains to be re-buried in the same spot, with all the appropriate burial rites performed," she requested.

"In the meantime, we'll help in cleaning up this mess," Rosario said, looking at all the damage her daughter had caused during her rampage.

"Sorry…" Fatima mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"No sweat, angel. We'll all pitch in to help." Sonic wrapped an arm around her waist in a side hug. "And while we're at it, I can tell you some stories about the adventures I've been on," he said, winking.

Fatima visibly perked up. "Tell me all of them, Blue Streak! I wanna hear about everything!" she said, grinning.

Cleanup lasted all day, with both Mobians and spirits pitching in to clear away rubble and put out fires. With the help of her family and ghost friends, Fatima summoned more good spirits. Combining the remnants of their Chaos Energy, the ghosts imbued Christmas Island with life energy to kick-start the renewal of plant life in the village. Despite the damages sustained by the fire swirl, the Century Tree was still standing and new branches began to grow to replace the burnt and broken ones much to the amazement and delight of the villagers.

Dr. Eggman, on the other hand, was placed under close watch. Orbot and Cubot were happy to keep an eye on him, tying the Doctor up so he wouldn't be able to escape.

A grave was dug up at the site of Fatima's house and Uncle Chuck turned over the family's remains to a priest, who blessed them before they were buried once more.

"It feels weird to attend my own funeral…" Fatima whispered to Sonic as the service was carried out.

Sonic hummed, gently squeezing her hand. Looking at Lola Elena and Mama Rosario, he could tell that they were finally at peace now that they had gotten the proper funeral they deserved. His heart clenched as he realized what was going to happen next.

"Are you… going to leave when this is over?" he whispered to Fatima, who smiled.

"Mama and Lola said we could stay until tonight. That'll give us plenty of time to catch up," she told him.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Sonic grinned. "Great. My friends wanna get to know you better, too. Let's have fun while we still can," he said just as the priest concluded the funeral.

Once the funeral for Fatima and her family was over, Sonic and his friends spent the rest of the day playing with Fatima and her ghost friends. While Uncle Chuck sat down and chatted with Lola Elena, Mama Rosario, and Lolo Enrique, Sonic regaled Fatima with tales of his adventures around Mobius. He told her about all the places he'd been to, of all the things he did during his travels, and of the people he had met on his journeys.

Tails eagerly filled in any details his big brother missed and recounted how he and Sonic first met along with Knuckles and Amy, the three of them having been friends with Sonic the longest.

Fatima loved their stories, her eyes wide with wonder as she listened to how her best friend calmed the wrath of Chaos and fought off a Biolizard in space. And she had so much fun playing with the children, using her levitation to make them float alongside Silver. She was fascinated by Blaze's pyrokinesis and amazed upon learning about the Sol Dimension.

Oh, if only she was alive! She could travel to the Sol Dimension and all the other places Sonic told her about!

But Fatima knew and accepted that she wasn't going to be able to experience all the things Sonic had done. It was okay. She had her best friend's stories to satisfy her curiosity, and she marveled over how much Sonic had done for society as a whole.

'You're a true hero, Blue Streak… I always knew you'd grow up to be one,' Fatima thought as she listened to Sonic as he launched into another tale about how he teamed up with a genie to restore the world of the Arabian Nights.

She and Sonic never left each other's sides. It was almost like old times. Except, this time, they had more friends to hang out with. Fatima was more than happy to make flower crowns for everyone to wear, including Omega despite the robot saying that he did not understand the meaning of wearing the so-called 'impractical plant trinkets.'

At twilight, Fatima and her family asked Shadow to come with them to a quiet area in the village while everyone else was at the plaza.

"I'm really thankful that Sonic has wonderful friends like you, Shadow," Fatima began, smiling. Then she leaned forward until her face was just a few inches away from the Ultimate Lifeform's. "So, do you… like him?" she asked.

Shadow gaped at her, speechless. "Wh-wh-what?" he stuttered out, making Fatima and Emily laugh.

"Oh, he's blushing! That means yes!" Emily giggled.

Shadow covered his cheeks, inwardly groaning upon feeling how warm they were. But he looked at Fatima and gave her a shrug.

Okay, maybe he did… care deeply about Sonic. But that's what friends did, right? They cared for each other…

"Okay, I won't pry any further." Fatima held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Just so you know, I'm perfectly fine with it. But…" she fixed her eyes on Shadow, a dark aura suddenly surrounding her.

"If you ever break Sonic's heart…"

Shadow felt a chill run up his spine as, all of a sudden, Fatima transformed into Multo. Blank white eyes drilled into his skull as Multo growled, "I will haunt you for the rest of your life."

Shadow let out a weak whimper as, one-by-one, Mama Rosario, Lola Elena, Lolo Enrique, Doña Celia, Sergeant Juni, and Emily gave him stern looks. All six ghosts' had a dark aura surrounding them and their faces were cast in shadow.

"She won't be the only one, young man."

"Hurt our hijo, and you'll face our combined wrath."

"And you better not make him cry."

"Prayers won't save you, Señor Shadow."

"Sonic's a fine soldier. I won't tolerate a man who'll hurt him."

"So be nice to Sonic, Shadow… or else!"

Multo grinned and transformed back into Fatima, much to Shadow's relief. "Are we clear?" she asked him.

"Crystal…" Shadow gulped, barely suppressing a shudder as the ghosts led him back to the plaza.

Sonic cocked his head upon seeing Fatima and her family return with a quieter-than-usual Shadow. "Hey, Shads. Where'd you guys head off to?" he asked.

"Fatima just wanted to chat for a bit," Shadow mumbled, hurrying over to Rouge. The bat merely looked at Fatima and chuckled, her gut knowing just what kind of chat her teammate had with the little ghost hedgehog and her family.

Sonic shrugged, not noticing the sly smiles on his ghost friends' faces.

Nighttime came too fast for Fatima and Sonic's liking.

"I know I've told you all about my adventures. But…" Sonic sighed as he adjusted the flower crown adorning his head. "…I wish you could stay longer," he admitted to Fatima, who smiled sadly.

"All spirits must move on at some point. And, with everything I've done, I'm probably going to have to spend some time in purgatory before I head to the pearly gates," Fatima said, hugging her sides.

"Don't say that. You're a good person, Fatima," Sonic insisted. Just the thought of his best friend being punished in purgatory was enough to make him feel afraid.

"Well, maybe I'll be lucky and I'll only have to spend a couple of years there. If someone will say prayers for me, maybe my sentence will even get shortened," Fatima said, smiling optimistically.

"I'll do that. I'll pray for your soul every day." Sonic glanced at the memorial the villagers had put up for Fatima and her family. "And I'll come to visit. On your birthday, my birthday, the day you died, and on all the special days for the dead," he promised.

Fatima smiled. "Thanks, Blue Streak," she said as her family and friends joined them.

"You're free to drop by at our place in Mobotropolis anytime," Uncle Chuck said, clasping Elena and Rosario's hands. "Oh, darn. I better give you two my address…" he muttered.

"No need for that, Charles. I'm sure we'll be able to find you," Lola Elena told him, smiling as Sonic went over to her with Fatima.

"It was so nice to see you again, Sonic," Mama Rosario embraced the blue hedgehog, kissing him on the forehead. "You've grown into a fine young man… I only wish my daughter could have gotten the chance to grow up with you," she sighed.

"You have no idea how many times I've wished for that…" Sonic murmured, looking at Fatima with glossy eyes.

The stars twinkled up above. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Blaze, Silver, Shadow, Omega, and Rouge watched in awe as hundreds of spirit orbs rose up and floated up towards the heavens.

"Ah, time for us to be off," Lolo Enrique said as his form glowed an ethereal bluish-white.

"It was nice to meet you all! Bye!" Emily said, waving at the assembled Mobians, as she and Doña Celia assumed their spirit orb forms.

"It was an honor to fight beside you brave soldiers. Keep up the good work!" Sergeant Juni saluted, Knuckles snapping to attention and returning the salute.

Mama Rosario, Lola Elena, and Lolo Enrique looked at Sonic and Fatima, smiling softly. The two hedgehogs faced each other, their eyes welling up with tears.

Fatima moved first, rushing over to Sonic and hugging him tightly. "I'll miss you…" she whimpered, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'll miss you, too, angel," Sonic whispered, sniffing.

Fatima smiled, one hand cupping Sonic's cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Blue Streak. You've become the hero you promised you would be," she said.

Sonic sobbed, burying his face in Fatima's shoulder. 'I wish I could have been your hero that night, Fatima…' he thought.

Fatima rubbed his back, her thoughts entering Sonic's mind. 'You were my hero that night, Sonic. You tried to save me back then. And you saved me now. You'll always be my hero,' she thought back as her form began to glow.

Sonic looked into Fatima's eyes. Upon seeing her bright smile, the smile he loved so much, he smiled and kissed Fatima on the forehead. "You'll always be my best friend, Fatima. In this life and in the afterlife," he said softly.

"And you'll always be mine, Sonic. In this life and in the afterlife." Fatima stood on tiptoe to plant a soft kiss on the blue hedgehog's cheek. "Wherever I'm going, I'll watch over you like a guardian angel," she said.

Sonic laughed and held onto Fatima's hands even as she started to fade away.

"Goodbye, Sonic," said Fatima, giving her best friend one final smile before turning back into a spirit orb and floating up into the sky, joining her mother and grandparents. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

'Goodbye, Fatima…' Sonic looked up at the stars, smiling even as the tears streamed down his face.

We're at the home stretch! I might go back to this chapter and maybe others in the future to revise them, though.

Anyway, read and review, please :)

-GuardianDragon98