Author's note: At long last, this is it. The very last chapter of the story. The one chapter where everything is wrapped up, and the whole thing is settled. The one chapter that no story is complete without. The last cha… okay, okay, I'll get to it!
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Chapter 32: What was it?
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"Leo? Leo, wake up! Can't you hear my voice?"
I was barely able to open my eyes. When I did, I saw the ceiling of my own room. I was lying in my own bed, with my biking gear on the table next to me. And in addition to that, I was me.
My one-year-younger sister, Kim, was looking at me. "Oh, Leo, thank goodness you're awake. When you didn't come back from your bike ride, I went looking for you and found you out cold in the road."
Sitting up, I thanked Kim. "Well, I'm glad you came for me. How long was I out?"
"As far as I can tell," Kim explained, "about an hour."
An hour? That was impossible! My adventures in and around Emerald Town had taken a few days, at least. It was as if all that had never happened. But it seemed so real. I just couldn't convince myself that it was nothing more than a dream.
"By the way," Kim commented, "that must've been some spill you took. Look- the right sleeve of your shirt is ripped right below the shoulder!"
In a sudden burst of alarm, I looked at my sleeve. It was ripped in exactly the same way that the Egg Dragon had got me.
"Kim," I finally told my sister, "while I was out, I had the wildest dream. Here, let me tell you …"
As I told her everything, Kim listened intently. We both lost track of time, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it took me about forty-five minutes to explain the entire thing.
"And when I awoke," I finally finished up, "I was here. Some story, eh?"
"Yeah, some story. Hey, what's that in your pocket?"
I checked my pants pocket. There were a few red feathers in it. I removed them and examined one, as did Kim. "Whoa," Kim commented, "this isn't like any feather I've ever seen before, and I do bird-watching as a hobby."
"Well, maybe some new bird showed up in our neighborhood," I joked. "Either that, or…"
"Or …?"
I dug through my pockets again. This time, I found a sticker. It had a picture on it, which was a little blurred. Around it there was some barely legible text: "I --S INT---IEW-D BY KI-T- O'BRI-N".
Kim and I glanced at each other. "So that's it," Kim finally said. "Your story was as true as the sky is blue! You're very brave, Leo."
In response, I merely smiled. "Thank you. Tell you what- I'll let you keep one of those red feathers."
"Thanks, Leo. Do you think you'll ever go back?"
"I'm sure of it. There'll always be a part of me there in Emerald Town."
It was then that a bit of pain surged through my head. "Ouch! Kim, I think that concussion is acting up."
"I'd better get you an ice pack," Kim told me. "I'll be right back."
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THE END
Character credits (in order of appearance):
Leo (main protagonist): SonicLover
Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Dr. Eggman: SEGA / Sonic Team
Metal Sonic: SEGA / Sonic Team
Nack the Weasel a.k.a. Fang the Sniper: SEGA / Sonic Team
Water Tails: Shadowkiller27
Skyler the Wolf: SonicLover
Amy Rose (minor role in Chapter 17): SEGA / Sonic Team
Kitty O'Brien and Lightning Tiger: SonicLover
Knuckles the Echidna (mentioned in Chapter 20, but never appears): SEGA / Sonic Team
Metal Leo: SonicLover / Dr. Eggman
Various robots: Dr. Eggman
Egg Dragon: SonicLover / Dr. Eggman
Kim (Leo's sister): SonicLover
Misc. credits:
Sonic and related concepts: SEGA / Sonic Team
"Instability transformation" concept from Chapter 1: SonicLover
Various support and criticism: Deltoran Merchant, Nail Strafer, and Shadowkiller27
Well, that's that. I had a rollercoaster of fun writing this fic, and it took a lot of twists and turns that even I didn't expect until they came. I hope that everyone who liked this fic will check back for the sequel!
Quote of the Chapter:
"It's not the body that matters, it's the brains behind it."
-Leo, A Boundary Crossed, Ch. 29