The Cataclysmic Emerald Chapter 15: Victory, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Hello, readers everywhere! For the last and final time (thank goodness), I own only Necronos, the warriors, and the spirits. The rest belong to Sega and/or Archie. Finally, the time has come. The conclusion you've all been waiting for! I'll keep you waiting no longer. So get ready for the final chapter of, The Cataclysmic Emerald! Chapter 15:

Well, they did it! Sonic and his team have finally defeated all seven of the Catalyst spirits, and all the colored shards of the Cataclysmic Emerald have been retrieved!

Now, back where our heroes first arrived on Mobius Z, The Green Hill Zone, Necronos stands surrounded by Sonic and the gang, still wearing their ancient warrior outfits, and standing in a small circle. Necronos held out his hands. "Alright, everyone. Now hold out your shard pieces in front of you." Everyone smiled, and did as they were told. "Now close your eyes, and focus your thoughts to each other. We will now restore the emerald back to normal." Everyone closed their eyes, and focused. Necronos' hands began to faintly glow, and so did everyone's shard pieces. "Shou…Casskes…Ehgomas…Casskes…Turingru…" Necronos began to chant. Everyone opened their eyes, and watched as their shards began to levitate above them! They floated high into the air and slowly spun in a circle coming closer together. And just before they touched……

"FLAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHH!"

Everyone continued to look up. They saw something coming down toward them. Necronos finally opened his glowing blue eyes, and looked up to see the emerald floating right toward him! Everyone's smiles and grins suddenly grew bigger. And a few seconds later, the restored Cataclysmic Emerald landed right in Necronos' hands. "YEEESSS!" he shouted as he held it up high! "YEEEAAHHH!" everyone shouted in agreement! The gem shined in its bright aurora of seven colors. "It's so beautiful…" Rouge couldn't help but stare at it. "Yes." Agreed Espio. "Who would've thought that such a gleaming treasure was really a prison for an ancient evil?" "Not me, at first glance!" Amy admitted. Everyone laughed. And why not? After all, now they could laugh again after such an awesome victory!

"Well! I'm sure glad it's all over!" Espio admitted. "Yep. Now we can head back home and face a bigger problem: THE BILLS!" Vector said to him. "I should ask the president for a special bonus after what I went through…" Rouge said (you know what she means…). "And I've gotta find a way to explain all this to Julie-Su!" Knuckles said. "Y'know she doesn't handle me disappearing out of the blue very well." "When we get back, I'm taking you all out for a special night on the town to celebrate!" Amy suggested. Tails looked excited. "Cool! I can't wait for that!" Sonic then turned his attention back to Necronos. "So Necro, whatcha gonna do with that 'pain in the neck' gem now?" "Hide it again!" he answered proudly. "We wouldn't want to face the dark fury inside of it again, now would we?"

But before anyone could answer…… "Huh?" Knuckles turned around. "What is it, Necro?" Suddenly, everyone looked at the emerald, and stared in shock! The glowing seven colors suddenly faded away and were replaced by a black, sinister shadow! "What the! What's happening?" Just then, the sky spontaneously turned into a dark shade of gray! And a high gust of wind began to blow! Then, everyone watched as the emerald flashed a gigantic burst of dark energy! 'BLAAAAAAASSSSTTTT!' "OW!" "OOF!" "OUCH!" "WHOA!" The gang was blown back by the blast!

When everyone opened their eyes…… "Man! What just happened?" Vector asked feeling dazed. "Something big, I think…" Rouge answered. Tails looked around. "Hey Necro. Necro! You alright?" Everyone looked at Necronos. He was just staring wide-eyed up in the air. Amy looked really worried. "Necro! What's wrong? You look like you've seen a……" "GHOST!" Everyone turned to face Knuckles. "What?" Sonic looked at where he was staring. "WHOA! WHAT THE HECK!" Everyone suddenly looked behind them. Amy's eyes suddenly show wide open! "OH MY LORD!" Stand just a few yards away from everyone, was a humongous (I repeat, HUMONGOUS) dark colored menacing figure! It was over a 100ft. high! It was pitch black, with a few violet highlights on his muscular looking physique! Its face was nothing but two glowing red, evil eyes, and a large red toothy grinned mouth! Its hands were clawed, and its elbows had huge spike-like blades sticking out! In fact, it had spiked highlights throughout its whole body! And the top of its head contained a pair of large horns that curved downward! "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……………FREE AT LAST!"

Everyone just stared in shock. They were completely stunned! "WHO THE HECK IS THAT!" Amy shouted. No one spoke for a few seconds. Then Necronos finally did. "It can't be……This…this wasn't supposed to happen!" "WHAT?" Sonic shouted. Necronos shuddered in fear. "…………………………IT'S CATALYST!" ……………………………………………………………………………………………… "WHAT! What did you say!" "IT'S HIM! The great evil of the 6000 year old legend! CATALYST!" Everyone was now wide-eyed in shock! They couldn't believe what they were just told! Then they turned to face the demon before them! "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……………" his deep voice boomed loudly. "FINALLY! AFTER 6000 YEARS OF INPRISONMENT, I AM RELEASED UPON THE WORLD ONCE MORE!" Sonic and his friends continued to stand and stare in shock. Until he finally spoke up. "No way! You're the real Catalyst? The big bad demon dude who Necro told us about, Catalyst?" "THAT'S CORRECT, MORTAL! I AM THE SAME OMNIPOTENT DEMON CREATED SO LONG AGO BY THOSE FOOLISH WARLOCKS, WHO WERE CRAZY ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY BELIEVE THEY COULD CONTROL ME! WHAT FOOLS!" The enormous demon turned his creepy gaze down to the seven warriors before him. "AND YOU! DON'T THINK I'VE FORGOTTEN ANY OF YOU! THE APPRENTINCES OF THAT ACURSED WHITE WIZARD WHO SPLIT ME APART EONS AGO! YOU ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SEALING ME IN THAT DEPRAVED EMERLAD! YOU REALIZED HOW CRAMPED IT WAS IN THERE?"

No once could answer him. Amy and Tails were too frightened, and the others remained stunned. The demon began to grin sinisterly. "BUT HOWEVER, I SUPPOSE I SHOULDN'T BE THAT IRATE WITH YOU. AFTER ALL, THANKS TO YOU ALL, I AM FREE TO SMITE THIS WORLD WITH DARKNESS ONCE AGAIN!" Sonic suddenly snapped out of his shock. "WHAT? Hey now, wait-a-minute! What do you mean by that!" Knuckles looked angry now, too. "Yeah! We defeated all of your spiritual selves! How can you still be alive after that!" The demon just laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU DON'T SEE, DO YOU? IF I HAD REMAINED IN MY SPIRITUAL FORMS FOR ETERNITY LIKE THAT VILE WIZARD HOPED I WOULD, IT WOULD'VE TAKEN SO LONG TO CONQUER YOUR MUD-BALL OF A PLANET IF I WAS EVER FREED! AND EVEN THOUGH MY SPIRITS WERE QUITE POWERFUL, SEE HOW EASILY YOU'VE DEFEATED ALL OF THEM?" "You think that was EASY!" Vector shouted at him. "We all almost died trying to stop all of you!" Rouge shrieked. "YES…I NOTICED. BUT NOW THAT YOU'VE ALL DEFEATED MY SPIRITS, AND RETURNED THE CATACLYSMIC EMERALD PIECES BACK AS ONE, YOU'VE FINALLY ACCOMPLISHED WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG! THE CHANCE TO FUSE MY SPIRITS BACK INTO WHAT THEY WERE SO LONG AGO……MYSELF! SO THANKS! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YA!" The gang all gasped at that last sentence. They couldn't believe it. They actually HELPED him recreate himself!

Lightning began to strike, thunder boomed from the sky, and the waves in the Zone's lake began to crash violently! Sonic thought about what Catalyst just said, and turned to see Necronos on his knees shuddering in fear. "Necro? Is what he said really true?" he asked worriedly. Necronos looked scared beyond belief! "I had no idea………none of this was supposed to happen……" Tears began to form under his eyes. "What have I done?...I've failed……Forgive me, Sonic……Please forgive me……" he suddenly collapsed from shock! 'THUD!' "NECRO!" Sonic shouted. But when he looked up at the sky, his question was answered before him. The darkness that had been surrounding Mobius since the Cataclysmic Emerald first shattered hadn't faded away! The negative energy was still there! "No……I don't believe it……he's right…" Sonic's shocked expression suddenly faded, and a stern look of pure anger replaced it! He turned and pointed his staff at the gargantuan villain towering before him. "I don't know how you did all this, but I say you've done enough!" Everyone's focus turned to their leader. "You're darkness and maniacal ways has plagued both our words quite enough for one millennium! And you may think you can scare me with your big size, and obviously super powered strength, but I'll have you know I've seen crackpots like you do the same time and time again. And as usual, as long as I'm still standing, you haven't won yet! Now just try and take our worlds!" The gang was quite enlightened by Sonic's speech (I was!), and they all stood by their leader in agreement. "That's right, gruesome! This is our world! And we never surrender without a fight!" Knuckles shouted. "That goes double for us!" Amy and Tails said in unison. "So come on, tough guy! Bring it on!" Rouge snapped back. "The broad's right!" Vector said. "We'll never let you win!" said Espio.

Catalyst continued to grin menacingly, and he faced his right palm toward our heroes. "HAHAHA! VERY INTERESTING! I WAS HOPING YOU'D ALLOW ME THE PLEASURE OF FINISHING YOU OFF! SO, HOW ABOUT WE GET THIS FINAL PARTY STARTED!…………………………………………PYRO TORRENT!" Vector looked up, and saw a vision of a dragon on Catalyst's palm, as a rampaging blast of fire shot from it! 'FWA-VOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!' "Everyone! GET DOOOWWWWNNN!" Everybody ducked as the flames shot right over their heads! Vector looked up! "That attack……that was Delta's!" "YES………QUITE A HOT ONE, ISN'T IT?" Catalyst said back. Rouge watched as Catalyst opened his right hand, and the vision of a familiar female face was seen for a split second! "NOW LET'S GIVE A HAND FOR BETA'S #1 HIT!…………………DARKNESS WAVE!" A large blast of negative energy fired right for her. "Aaagghh!" She was too slow to react! 'BOOOOM!' But Espio wasn't. "Hang on, babe! I got ya!" He moved her out of the way just in time! Now Tails began to hover above the ground, and stopped when he saw a jester-like grimace form around Catalyst's head! "HEY TWO-TAIL! REMEMBER THIS?……………NEGA-FORCE!" With that, a black orb of darkness fired from his eyes, and struck Tails head on! 'BAAAMMM!' "AAAAGGHH!" He fell to ground, and struggled to get back up. "What's going on?" Amy said while feeling quite frightened. "How can he do the same attacks as all the spirits?" Knuckles answered quickly. "Amy……I say it's because, all those spirits were a part of him! He probably knows how to do every single one of their attacks!" "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MY, YOU ARE VERY OBSERVANT! YOU DESRERVE A HAND FOR THAT. OR INSTEAD, HOW ABOUT A CHAIN!" A vision of a cloaked figure that looked like Knuckles began to appear on Catalyst's chest. 'Oh no!' Knuckles thought. 'Epsilon!' "NIGHTMARE CHAINS!" Whip-like chains shot from his body, and wrapped all around Knuckles! "AAAAGGH! HEY LET GO!" Catalyst seemed quite amused. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL FUN!"

With a swing of the chains, Knuckles was thrown right to the ground! 'WHAM!' "OOOOFF!" But soon, he and the others began to slowly recover. "NOW, WHOM SHALL I AMAZE NEXT?" Catalyst asked cockily. But before he could see it… "RADIANCE ENERGY!" Amy fired a large beam of light from her wand right into his face! 'BLAST!' "AAAAGGGHH!" And right after that… "THREE STAR STRIKE!" Espio threw three of his shurikens at the side of his head, and exploded on contact! 'BOOOOM!' "AAARRRRGGHH! HEY! NO CHEAP SHOTS!" Vector suddenly stepped up. "Like you're one to talk, boogey man!" He then drew out his sword and prepared to strike. "Comin' at ya!" But Catalyst just smirked. "HEH, HEH, HEH……I THINK NOT………GET A LOAD OF THIS! YOUR GONNA LOVE IT!" Catalyst raised two of his left fingers into the air, and they began to glow. Then suddenly……………… "ELECTRON JOUST!" "WHAT!" Before Vector could react, a large bolt of lightning fired from his Catalyst's fingers, and struck him dead on! 'ZZZAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!' "AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The shock sent Vector flying six yards backward! Tails looked up in complete surprise. "WHAT THE-! But that's Vector's attack! How the heck did he do THAT?" The demon then turned toward Amy and Rouge. "AND NOW, ONE FOR THE LADIES!………………………EMERALD BLAZE!" Amy suddenly watched as a burst of green fire blazed from his right hand toward the two of them! 'BAAAAMMMM!' "WHOOOOAAAAA!" The two dove to the side just before impact. "OK! This is starting to freak me out!" Rouge shouted out. Sonic was way too shocked about what he was seeing to move from his spot. But Catalyst spotted him! "NOW DON'T THINK I'D FORGET YOU, TRITANEON!………………………THOUSAND SPIKES!" A sudden bombardment of spiked spears shot from the demon's chest, right at Sonic! "Oh no you don't!" Luckily he snapped out of it, and ran aside to safety.

"Alright! How the heck does this freak know how to use OUR ATTACKS!" Vector shouted angrily. Knuckles seemed to understand again. "It's probably the same way he knows the attacks of his spirits!" "But-but that's just not fair!" Amy complained. "CORRECT, PATHETIC WORMS! YOU ALL USED VERY POWERFUL ATTACKS TO DEFEAT MY ASTRAL SELVES. BUT LUCKILY FOR ME, A LITTLE BIT OF EACH ASSAULT WAS SAVED IN THEIR MEMORY WHILE I WAS SLOWLY REGENERATING MYSELF! THUS LEAVING BEHIND FOR ME THE MOST POWERFUL ARSENAL OF MAGICAL ENERGIES IN THE UNIVERSE! AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone now was utterly shocked beyond all belief. (I bet some of you are too!) However, Sonic remained standing proud! "Ok! I admit it. I am pretty much freaked out by you as of now, tall dark and gruesome! But you still don't scare me enough to surrender!" Vector couldn't believe his ears. "Are you NUTS, man?" Rouge slightly agreed. "Look at him, Sonic! It's like we're all just fighting the spirits all over again. And ourselves with it! We can't beat that!" "I can't believe after all went through, all we did was make him super-super powerful!" Tails admitted. Espio, Amy, and Knuckles all nodded in agreement. "Well, that's just another reason as to why we all need to take him down!" Sonic said vigorously. Everyone once again faced their leader. "Listen up, guys! We didn't go through all that we went through just to make the world's biggest blowhard over there his own titan! We went through all that so we can do what we all do best: SAVE OUR WORLDS FROM EVIL!" It was pretty hard for everyone to try to argue with him after giving so many speeches today! And so without hesitation, the gang began an all out bombardment of their own! "That's the spirit guys! Now let's go get 'em!" "YEEEAAHHH!" Tomias! "THREE STAR STRIKE!" Celestia! "DRAGON FIST!" Jurik! "STORM OF SHARDS!" Saiuka! "RADIANCE ENERGY!" Darconda! "LUNAR PLASMA!" Horu-San! "METAL ROCKETS!"…………Tritaneon! "FLAME SPEAR ASSAULT!" Everyone's attacks had all struck Catalyst on all different areas of his body! 'BOOOOM!' 'BAAAAMMM!' 'KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"

Everyone stood tall, feeling quite confident that they had done it! "Alright! No way he could take all that at once!" Vector shouted, hold his sword up high. "I agree! I doubt anything could after that!" Knuckles replied. Amy looked slightly worried. "I just wish that smoke would clear so we can see it for ourselves!" It was true. A large cloud of smoke surrounded where Catalyst was standing. Ten seconds later, the gang watched as the smoke departed. But were stunned at the sight before them. "NO WAY! I……I don't believe it!" Espio slowly whispered. Catalyst still stood towering before them, completely harmless! "HEH, HEH, HEH………YOU REALLY SHOULD STOP TRYING TO TICKLE ME…………IT'S QUITE AN EMBARASSING STRATAGY, YOU KNOW!" Tails' mouth hung open. "I can't believe it! There's not even a scratch on him!" "What do we do now!" Rouge asked hesitantly. "………………Pull back." Everyone turned toward Espio. "Guys, it's safe to say that now we are in no condition to fight against these odds! We've got to retreat for now until we've got a better plan!" Sonic didn't seem to like that suggestion. "We can't run away! We have to finish him here and now before he gets unstoppable!" "Hey! I don't want to leave as much as you, but look at him! He already looks pretty unstoppable to me!" Catalyst prepared himself again for another assault! "I'D LIKE TO LISTEN TO YOU CHAT ALL DAY, BUT I DO HAVE A FEW WORLDS TO CONQUER! SO HOW ABOUT I FINISH YOU ALL OFF RIGHT NOW! SOUND GOOD? GOOD!"

Soon, everybody began to panic! "Everyone! Scatter!" Sonic ordered. But as usual, it was too late. "SPIRE BARRAGE!" Hundreds of spiked stone pillars rained down on Espio! "AAAAGGGHH!" "THREE STAR STRIKE!" Then Espio was struck by his own attack! 'SLASH! CHING! SLASH!' "AAARRRRGGGH!" He fell to the ground. "Espio!" "YOUR TURN, CELESTIA!" Rouge looked up. "DARKNESS WAVE!…………CRIMSON WHIP!" Rouge was hit with both her and Beta's attacks! 'WHA-PSSSSSHHHH! BAAAAMM!' "AAAAAHHHH!" Vector put up his energy shield. 'Please hold, please hold, please hold!' he prayed. But no such luck. "PYRO TORRENT!…………STORM OF SHARDS!" The shield was broken on contact! "AAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!" Amy tried to run for cover. Yep, it didn't work. "BUSTER BEAM!…………EMERALD BLAZE!" 'BOOOOMM!" "YAAAAAAHHHH!" "NOW FOR YOU TWO!" Catalyst turned toward Tails and Knuckles. But once he did, they were gone! "WHAT? WHERE ARE YOU?" He suddenly looked above his head. "SPECTRE SWORD!" "BOOMERANG BLADE!" Unfortunately, their attacks had no effect. And they were soon blasted by their foes' familiar attacks. "NICE TRY, FOOLS!…………………NIGHTMARE CHAINS!…………NEGA-FORCE!" The impacts knocked them both to the ground. "OOOOOFFF!" "YAAAARRRGGH!" Only Sonic remained standing. He stared in fear at his friends. They were lying on the field before him motionless. "No………this can't be………Guys! Guys, get up! Please! We can't lose to this guy! WE CAN'T!" Tears streamed down his face, then he looked up to face his opponent. "WELL, IT APPEARS YOU'RE ABOUT TO, TRITANEON! NOW, ALLOW ME TO FINALLY SETTLE THIS 6000 YEAR OLD GRUDGE!…………………YOUR WORLDS ARE ALL MINE!" Catalyst brought his hands close together, and Sonic watched as a great energy was slowly forming. But what shocked him the most was the energy looked very familiar. It shined in an aurora of seven colors! "Oh crud! He knows the last attack I used on Omega! OH MAAAAAANN!" "WARRIORS…………………………SAY GOOD-BYYYYYYEEEEE!" Within seconds, Catalyst fired his final blow. "SHINING AURORA STRIKE!" 'BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!'

………………………………………………………………………………………………

'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!'

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!"

Darkness………Sonic soon found himself lying in total darkness. His armor was gone, and he was normal again. He lay motionless. All he could hear were his own thoughts. 'It's no use……………I gave it all I had…………We all gave it all we had…………But none of it is enough…………He's just too darn powerful……………And ironically, it's because of us that he is………………I'm sorry, Necronos…………You didn't fail us…………I did………….I failed to accomplish what you hoped I would……………I failed to save all my friends…………And I failed both our worlds from being saved from darkness…………Espio, Rouge, Vector, Amy, Knuckles, Tails………………I'm so sorry guys………………It's all over………………………"

"Sonic………Sonic………" "What?………Who's that?" "Sonic………Can you hear me?" "Who………Who's calling me?" Sonic found himself standing up, still surrounded by darkness. But his eyes suddenly turned toward a beacon of light in front of him. He slowly walked toward it. When he reached it, he watched as seven beams of colored light began to encircle him. And as soon as he turned to his left, he saw………himself! He was looking at himself, wearing his ancient warrior armor. "Sonic……You do have all the power you need………it's all within you…" he spoke. "Who are you?" "I am you, Sonic………Who you used to be…" "What?" "I am the greatest apprentice of the legendary White Wizard of 6000 years ago. I am the leader of the seven who followed in his footsteps to keep your world safe from evil………I am, Tritaneon." "…Tritaneon? It's really you?" "I still live within you, Sonic. And so do my friends in your own…" Six familiar figures appeared behind him. Sonic saw them all. "Tomias, Celestia, Jurik, Saiuka, Darconda, Horu-San………You've been with me and my friends………all this time?" "That's right" Tritaneon answered. "We've always been with you. And we're proud of you all." "Please," Sonic began. "Tell me……Is it possible for Catalyst to be defeated? Can you grant us more magic powers?" After a pause, Tritaneon smiled, and answered. "Listen, don't rely on the magic gifted to you alone…………Sonic, you have to trust in your own powers……" …………………… "Trust in my own power? My power?" "Correct…" Sonic paused, and felt a bright red aura form around his body. "It's there……I can feel it! I do have the strength to win. And so do my friends!" Tritaneon nodded. "Thank you, Tritaneon." "Do us all proud, Sonic……" 'This is it! I can feel it! The power to save me, my friends, and everyone else!' "SPIRIT WARRIORS' POWERS!…………………COMBINE AS ONE!"

'FLAAAAAAAAASSSHHH!' After a blinding burst of light, Sonic found that he had awakened. His armor was restored to normal, and he felt great! He then turned his attention to Catalyst, and found him holding his hands above his head toward Mobius. The negative energy surrounding it was growing darker! "CATALYST!" he called out to his opponent. The demon dropped his hands, and faced Sonic. And for the first time since he appeared, he frowned! "YOU! HOW CAN YOU STILL BE ALIVE AFTER THAT?" Sonic grinned. "Let's just say, it's what I do!" He turned to his still lifeless companions, and held out his triton staff. "REVIVE AND RECOVER!" A beam of light blue energy waves spread across the field, and flowed around everyone's bodies. Suddenly, their eyes shot open! And they all leaped back on their feet! "WHOA! I'm feelin' great!" Vector said. "I feel empowered!" said Rouge. "I don't know what happened, but I like it!" shouted Knuckles. "Amy looked at her leader. "Sonic! Did you heal us?" "You got that right, girl! And just in time to take this creepapaloza down once and for all!" Catalyst cackled. "HAHAHAHAHAHA……………JUST GIVE IT UP, WEAKLINGS! MY POWERS STILL OUTWEIGH YOURS BY A THOUSAND FOLD! AND NEED I REMIND YOU THAT I POSSESS ALL OF YOUR OWN ATTACKS?" Sonic continued smiling. "Not ALL of them, gruesome!" "WHAT?" Catalyst actually looked surprised. "Tails! Throw your Boomerang Blade attack!" Sonic ordered. "What? But Sonic, he'll just deflect it like before!" "Not this time, bro! Trust me!" Tails found it hard to argue with his best friend. "Alright, I'm with ya! BOOMERANG BLADE!" As soon as Tails threw his spiked headband, Sonic sprang into action! "ORB-O-THUNDER!" He fired his attack at Tails'. And upon contact, they fused! They had created a spinning blade of electricity! And it hit Catalyst's chest right on target! 'SLASH!' 'BZZZZZZTTT!' "AAAAAGGGGHHHH!" That did it! It actually hurt him! "WHAT? WHAT IS THIS? I…………I DON'T HAVE THAT ATTACK!" Sonic laughed with amusement! "HA HA HA HA! That's because we just made it up! It's our THUNDER BLADE! You guys get my drift?" he said to his teammates. Everyone smiled with excitement. "Oh, yeah! Way ahead of ya, buddy!" Knuckles said enthusiastically. Amy stood ready! "Alright, guys! We finally know what to do! NOW LET'S DO THIS!"

Can you feel life, moving through your mind?

Looks like it came back for more! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Can you feel time slipping down your spine?

You try and try to ignore! Yeah!

"Espio!" "Amy!" "Let's do it!" They strike! "THREE STAR STRIKE!" "EMERALD BLAZE!" Equals………… "EMERALD BLAZE STAR STRIKE!" 'BOOOOMMM!' Right on Catalyst's left shoulder! "AAAAGGGHH! WHAT! WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

But you can hardly swallow,

Your fears and pain…

And you can't help by follow,

And puts you right back where you came!

"Vector!" "Tails!" "Let's go!" Their turn! "ELECTRIC SLASH!" "METAL ROCKETS!" Makes………… "ELECTRIC ROCKETS!" 'BAAAAMMM!' Struck right on his right leg! "AAAARRGGHH! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! IT"S IMPOSSIBLE!"

Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow!

Live and learn! From the works of yesterday!

Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow!

Live and learn! You may never find your way!

"Rouge!" "Knuckles!" "Our turn!" Check it out! "DRAGON FIST!" "LUNAR PLASMA!" Combines to………… "FIST OF THE LUNAR DRAGON!" "P-WHAAAAAAAMMMMM!" "NOOOO! STOP IT! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I AM INVINCIBLE!"

Can you feel life, tangle you up inside?

And, now you're face down on the floor!

"Espio!" "Tails!" We're up!" Look! "STRIKE OF THE TEN STARS!" "SUPERSONIC SABER!" That is…………… "SUPERSONIC STARS!" 'WHAM!' 'BOOOOOM!' 'BAAAAAAMMM!' Right on the chest! "YAAAARRRRGGHH! HOW? HOW CAN THEIR POWERS HAVE INCREASED SO EXPONENTIALLY? IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

But you can't save your sorrow,

You've paid in trade…

And you can't help but follow,

And puts you right back where you came!

"Rouge!" "Amy!" "Girl time!" Watch! "CRIMSON WHIP!" "RADIANCE ENERGY!" Create………… "WHIP OF CRIMSON RADIANT!" 'WHA-PSSSSSHHHH!" "AAAAARRGGH! YOU FOOLS! I WON'T LET YOU WEAKLINGS DEFEAT ME! NOW DIE!... "PLASMA BOMB!"

Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow!

Live and learn! From the works of yesterday!

Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow!

Live and learn! You may never find your way!

"We gotta deflect that attack!" "Tails!" "Knuckles!" "Sonic!" Let's do it to it!" "SUPERSONIC SABER!" "SPECTRE SWORD!" "SPEAR ASSAULT!" ………… "RAPIER OF THE THREE KINGS!" 'SLASH!' Their combined attack worked like a giant bat, and sent the bomb right back at you know who! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!" The force of the explosion was throwing off Catalyst's balance, as he stumbled backward a few steps. "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!" Now he had quite an enraged expression on his face! "NO! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THEY'RE ACTUALLY WEAKENING ME! NOOOOO! I WON'T STAND FOR THIS! THE UNIVERSE IS MINE!"

Sonic suddenly spotted a faint light glowing at the top of Catalyst's chest. "Guys, look!" "What is it, Sonic?" Amy asked. "That light on his chest! It glowed every time we struck him! It must be his weak point!" "I see it!" Knuckles pointed out!" Sonic got an idea. "Everyone! This is it! Our chance to take him down for good! Follow my lead!" Everyone watched as Sonic sprang into action. He first leaped into the air, and pointed his staff at Catalyst's face. "WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" "Hey big man! Say cheese! ORB-O-THUNDER!" 'BZZZZZZTTT!' 'BLAST!' Right in the eyes! "AAAAAAAAGGGHH! WHY YOU LITTLE! HOW DARE YOU!" Everybody caught on. He was distracted! "Now follow me!" Sonic ordered. "RIGHT!" Suddenly, everybody floated high in the air, and positioned themselves in a star shaped formation! Their armor and outfits began to glow brightly with their seven colored auras! They all began to amplify their most powerful attacks! "Come one guys! LET'S DO IT TO IT! ANCIENT SPIRITS UNITE!" "STRIKE OF THE TEN STARS!" "CELESTIAL SPIRITS!" "ELECTRON JOUST!" "GLOBAL APOCALYPSE!" "SPECTRE SWORD!" "SUPERSONIC SABER!" "SHINING AURORA STRIKE!"

There's a face searching far, so far and wide,

There's a place where you dreamed you'd never find,

Hold on to what if…

Down below, Necronos snapped out of his shock phase, and gazed at his friends up above. "Warriors……My friends……I am so proud of you all………You can do it……………SAVE EVERYONE!" Catalyst eyes suddenly healed. "WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELVES!" Then he gazed in shock, of the gigantic glowing star-shaped light floating right before him! "WHAT THE? WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Sonic spoke up. "CATALYST! This is the best part of any battle between good and evil! What we heroes like to call, A FINAL BLOW!" "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU CAN'T! STAY BACK!" "EVERYBODY READY?" "YEEEAAAAHHHH!" "THEN LET'S GO! ALL TOGETHER!"………………………………………… "CELESTIAL STAR!"

Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow!

Live and learn! From the works of yesterday!

Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow!

Live and learn! You may never find your way!

'FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH!'

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

"YOU'RE FINISHED!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow!

Live and learn! From the works of yesterday!

Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow!

Live and learn! You may never find your waaaaaaaay!

When the attack's force slowly faded, Sonic and the others floated back onto the ground. They looked up in the sky, and were amazed! The dark energy surrounding Mobius was finally gone! "Alright! We did it!" Vector cheered. But Sonic still looked focused. And everyone saw why. Catalyst was still there! But he didn't look so menacing anymore. He was now only twice as big as Vector. "AAAARRRGGHH! WHY? THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! HOW COULD YOU ALL HAVE DEFEATED ME!" "Simple," Sonic began. "Because you villains always forget the main rule of good verses evil. Good ALWAYS wins!" "YOU'RE WRONG! EVIL IS MEANT TO EXIST! I AM MEANT TO EXIST! I AM THE INEVITABLE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE!" Sonic pointed his staff one last time. "No………YOU'RE GONE!" 'STAB!' "AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"... (my favorite part) ……… "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…………………"

And with one final flash, Catalyst was gone! And all that remained, lying on the ground in front of everyone, was the Cataclysmic Emerald! Sonic turned and faced his friends. They had all returned to normal! Their warrior outfits were gone. But that didn't stop him from feeling victorious! "We did it guys. For real, this time! We have won!" "ALRIIIIIIGHT!"

Live and learn……Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Live and learn……Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! (fin)

Just then out of nowhere, Necronos began to walk through the gang, and picked up the emerald. He stared at it for a few seconds, then sighed with relief. "It's finally over. Catalyst's presence has completely vanished." He turned around, and faced the gang. "Thank you all, everyone. I had almost given up hope of victory. And you helped keep it alive. The fate of you worlds could never have been in safer hands than yours." Sonic approached him. "Our thanks should go to you, Necro! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been given those powers to defeat him in the first place! You deserve as much credit as we do!" Everyone agreed. "He's absolutely right!" said Tails. "You're a hero too!" said Knuckles. "You're also one of us now!" said Amy. The others smiled and nodded in agreement. A small tear formed under Necronos' eye. "Thank you so much, my friends. Your words me so much to me. You all should feel very proud of yourselves. Thanks to your determination, and will to never give up, your planets are at peace once again and your friends and family are safe." He paused for a moment. "And, unfortunately for now, I must say goodbye." Everyone's happy expressions suddenly turned into shocked ones. "What? What do you mean goodbye?" Rouge questioned. "I still have one last mission to fulfill," he answered. "I must hide this gem once more. And this time, in a place no one will ever find it and unlock it ever again." "But, does that mean you're going to leave us?" Amy asked sadly. "I just said you were one of us now!" She began to form tears like Rouge. "It's for the good of your worlds, my friends. Please try to understand that." "Wait!" Knuckles spoke up. "What if I just guard it like I did when the Master Emerald was still around! You can stay, and no one will get past me!" "You deserve to stay with us!" Espio said. "I agree with everything you guys said! Come on, bro!" said Vector. "Sonic! Don't you have anything to say?" Tails asked sadly. "I do………Necro. What the others said is true. You are like a member of our team now. And we would all like for you to stay." He paused. "But, if you say you must go, then go ahead." "WHAT?" the others shouted! "If you truly believe it's for the best of our home, I say save us from that cursed crystal for good!" Everyone looked so disappointed, but deep down they all did realize that it was for the best. Necronos began to fly into the air, and one last tear fell from him. "Don't worry my friends. As soon as the Cataclysmic Emerald is hidden from existence once more, you can guarantee, I shall return someday!" Vector, Espio, Rouge, and Knuckles smiled at that. Tails and Amy stopped crying after hearing that too. He spoke again. "Now's the time I finish the mission I started all those years ago…" Sonic's eyes widened! "All those years ago? Wait! It couldn't be! Necro, are you the……?" "FAREWELL, MY FRIENDS! I SHALL RETURN SOMEDAY! UNTIL THEN…SEE YA……………" And everyone waved goodbye as their friend slowly disappeared into the sky………

During the next few hours, Sonic and the gang returned to Mobius, where all the global destruction that had been tearing it apart for so long was finally gone for good. Espio and Vector went back to their agency and filled Charmy in on why he was left with the piling bills. Rouge returned to Station Square and gave her report to the president. She received the special bonus she was hoping for, and felt VERY satisfied. Knuckles went back to Echidnaopolis and met up with Julie-Su. He explained why he got zapped away from their date. She understood and easily forgave him. They spent the rest of that afternoon making up for their unfinished evening. Amy arrived at her apartment in Knothole City and told Cream everything as well. She couldn't stop talking about how cute she looked in her Dark Magician Girl outfit (y'know, from Yu-Gi-Oh). Tails came back and decided to write about their great adventure on one of his computers and save it to be chronicled for future generations. After all, it's not everyday a bunch of pre-teens save the world from a 6000 year old demon! And as for Sonic, he was just happy to return home after such a long and very exhausting quest. It felt nice to see the planet looking so safe, calm, and at peace again. "And as long as me and my pals are around, it will forever stay that way!"

That evening at dusk, the gang went to Blue Moonlight to celebrate their victory! All of their friends were there: Sally, Mina, Rotor, Bunnie, Antoine, Dulcy, Mighty, Shadow (he recovered after being possessed in ch.4), Geoffrey, Hershey, Fiona, Gamma, Omega, and all the rest of them! They were all talking about their adventure. "No way! You were dressed like a knight?" Mighty asked Vector. "Is that so hard to believe? (Don't answer that!)" he said back. Shadow was with Rouge. "You serious? I was really acting more sinister than I usually look?" "Yeah, pretty much. Next time, don't go snooping around in undiscovered caverns, ok?" "Yeah, good point. Say, I didn't hurt you guys too bad, did I?" "Heh, heh, heh……Would you believe Tails ended up kickin' you butt?" "You should've seen me, Julie! I looked just like my grandfather Spectre!" "You mean, you looked creepier that everyone else?" she joked. "I heard that…!" Spectre called from the other side of the room. Knuckles and Julie just snickered. Amy, Cream, Tails, and Sonic were all at one table. "Are you sure you're all ok?" Cream asked worriedly. "We're all fine," Tails answered. "Though I will admit, those spirits sure knew how to put up a tough fight!" "Boy do I know it!" Amy began. "I can't believe I had to destroy an entire Zone to beat my opponent!" Sonic looked surprised. "You-you destroyed an entire Zone!" "That's right, Sonic. So, you gonna start being nicer to me for now on?" Sonic answered proudly, "Just do this for me, Ames. If I ever come close to getting on your bad side, stop me right there!" Everybody laughed.

Finally the club band arrived, and were ready to start the celebration of the evening. Sonic got up on stage, and everyone applauded. "Thank you, everybody! But tonight, I want you all to start by giving a big hand to my six friends down there among you. They all are the heroes of the latest defeat of one of this world's greatest evils! Give it up for 'em!" The gang stood up, and bowed for their ovation. Sonic then turned everyone to look at the bright colored sunset out the window, on the distant horizon. "And tonight ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to perform one of my favorite songs, for it's title I believe describes all of us here tonight." He paused, and gazed at the fading lights in the sky. "This is for you, Necro." Amy smiled and whipped away a small tear. And so Sonic began. And to everyone else, there was no better way to begin celebrating such a victory than with a tribute to the great accomplishment they had done. And as they all knew, there will always be an even greater evil to replace the one they've just vanquished someday in the future. But with their teamwork, friendship, and persistence for peace, Mobius and Mobius Z will always be in safe hands.

Rest easy heroes…………And well done………

No I never meant, to hold you back,

I never meant to turn away,

Please forgive me…

No I never meant, to break your heart,

I'd give my last breath before I do!

Please forgive me…

No I never meant, to hold you down!

I never meant to break your heart!

……Somehow, somehow, we are SURVIVORS!"

No I never meant to hold you back,

I never meant to turn away,

Here we are, standing here,

Survivors in the night…

No I never meant to break your heart,

I'll always be here for you,

Here's my word, take my hand,

Survivors in the night…

Survivors, in the night…

No I never meant to let you down,

I'd give my last breath before I do,

All I ever wanted was to be right here,

Survivors in the night…

Survivors in the night!

Survivors, in the night!

When all is said and done,

We'll find a way,

To put all this behind us,

We'll find some way.

'Cause you know, that I won't be leaving…

Yes I'm here, and I won't be leaving…

No I never meant to cause you pain,

No I never meant to hurt you,

All I want to do now is to try my best!

Survivors in the night…

We are survivors in the night!

When all is said and done,

We'll find someday,

We can forget all this,

Somehow, some way.

And as long as I'm here,

There'll be no worries anymore,

And all these promises I'm making now,

I'll hold each day!

So don't ever, don't ever, don't forget,

That I never, never meant to break your heart!

All I ever wanted was to stand beside you!

Survivors in the night!

We are survivors in the night!

We are survivors!

Yes we are…(survivors…)

Oh, yes we are…(survivors…)

Survivors! (survivors…)

Yes we are survivors! (survivors…)

Survive…(survivors…)

Please forgive me, please for give me…

(survivors…) Oh, yes we are…

We are survivors! (survivors…)

Yes we are survivors…(survivors…)

(survivors…) Please forgive me, please forgive me,

Please forgive me, yeah! (survivors…)

Survivors…Yes we are, survivors…Yes we are…

Survivors………………………………………………

And there you all have it! The final chapter of my very first posted story is finally over. Hope you enjoyed reading it! It was quite a handful, but definitely worth it. And so, I finish! Goodbye, for now... R&R!

(A/N: "Live And Learn" from the SA2 soundtrack, and "Survivors" sung by Phil Collins)

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I…………will…………have…………my revenge…………"