.:Chapter 18:.
The End . . .
It was beautiful to see the sun rise over Mobius again, its golden rays tinging the clouds pink and violet, chasing away the darkness that had momentarily prevailed. Everything seemed to come back to life on the sacred world, now that the cold breath of the Void was no longer freezing the land. The forests on the Floating Island were teeming with life now that they had been saved from worldwide devastation. The Emerald Mountains in the distance glowed brighter green than ever, and all around celebrations were already being held in honor of the heroic Freedom Fighters that had once more saved the world.
It was exactly five hours after the great battle, and now the weary heroes were journying deeper into those verdant mountains, carrying the seven emeralds and their master with them. With the Evil One defeated and the spells reversed, there was only one more task to complete--to return the Floating Island to the heavens. On the way, villagers and other natives of the island approached and thanked them, cheering joyously or offering them food and a place to rest. They were all very tired, but they acknowledged their friends gratefully, nodding their heads to them as they walked along.
Soon the villages and cities they passed grew more and more sparse, and the land more wild. Nothing but Mobius's wilderness surrounded them for miles around, and it almost seemed like ages had passed since they had seen the planet's magnificent nature. The late summer sun shone down upon the earth again, melting whatever was left of the snows. Soon the trees parted, and the Freedom Fighters stepped out onto a wide valley. In the center was a single set of ruins, a shrine, surrounded by broken stone columns and small, dried waterways that circled it.
Trau gasped when she saw the stone stairway that led up to the shrine.
"It's the place I saw in my vision . . . Home." A tearful look came into her eyes suddenly, but Knuckles put his hand on her shoulder.
"OK," he said, ascending the stairs. "Everyone hang on. We'll go up quick."
The Freedom Fighters nodded and sat near the stairway, holding onto the stone. All except Trau. She walked up with Knuckles to the awaiting altar at the top of the shrine, where together they carefully placed the Master Emerald and its seven satellites. Upon contact, the Master Emerald and its shrine began to glow a brilliant green . . . and then suddenly the entire island rocked. The Guardian and Trau turned and stood at the top of the stairway and looked out across the land far beyond the mountains, and smiled as it began to disappear farther and farther below them. With the emeralds' power restored, the Floating Island regained its mysterious magic, and the entire landmass began to rise out of the ocean and into the air, slowly at first, but then picking up speed. The Freedom Fighters looked up in awe as the clouds raced by, as if they were riding a giant elevator to the heavens. Moments later the island came to a stop, and once more floated thousands of feet above Mobius, the legendary "diamond in the sky."
"Looks like that's that." smiled Knuckles.
Later that evening, just as the first stars were coming out, the whole Freedom Fighter camp lay at the foot of the shrine. Knuckles had allowed them to stay for a day or two to rest, under the condition that no one defile the shrine in any way or touch the emeralds. It was a condition he knew everyone would obey, for after their rigorous battle, none of them would even dream of attempting to steal the sacred jewels.
Sonic, Cyan, Vren, Shadow, Khare, Trau and Knuckles all sat together, talking.
"Terrible, terrible shame that my Night Demons had to be sacrificed to destroy Naugus," Vren was saying as he looked down at his huge paws.
"Sorry, bud," said Sonic. "Unfortunately, this adventure forced us all to make sacrifices, especially these three right here." He gestured to the girls.
The great demon nodded. "Yes. Their sacrifice was for love--there couldn't be a more noble sacrifice. I am glad they're staying on Mobius. I'd miss them terribly if they ever returned to their world."
Trau smiled. "You've always been a great ally, Vren--" she stopped. "Well, not always but you get the idea."
Vren chuckled. "Yes."
"I'll miss you." Trau lowered her head suddenly, and so did Cyan and Khare.
Vren perked an eyebrow at them. "Miss me?"
"Yeah," said Cyan. "Aren't you going back to your world? Morian?"
The Demon King turned his head to the horizon, and for a second he was silent. But then he looked back and a smile spread across his regal muzzle.
"I've thought it over, my friends, and I've made up my mind. I really do owe my life to you all, especially Sonic. You saved me from Naugus's darkness more than once now, and I am eternally grateful. And besides, it really isn't the same on Morian. There's no great adventure, no powerful enemies to be fought, no friendship and loyalty . . . nothing really but savagery. I wish to stay with my friends, the ones I know I can trust, and I wish to continue these grand adventures on Mobius with you all, for here every day is an adventure. I wish to stay on Mobius."
Sonic and the others all looked at each other, and suddenly the girls all hugged Vren. The demon laughed and wrapped his beautiful, feathered wing around them.
"It appears I have made the right decision."
Sonic smiled and patted Vren's shoulder. "I'm glad, Vren. Wouldn't be the same without you. And while we're on the subject of staying with the Freedom Fighters . . ."
Suddenly Sonic turned toward Shadow, and everyone followed his gaze. Shadow looked up questioningly.
"Shadow, you've proven yourself more than trustworthy and loyal to the Freedom Fighters in the short time we've known you. You even put yourself in harm's way several times for us. Why don't you stay with us, pal? Join the Freedom Fighters."
The dark hedgehog seemed somewhat surprised. "You mean . . . despite the fact that I worked with Naugus and was your enemy at first, you'd still accept me?"
Sonic nodded. "Vren here was an enemy at first too, but he changed. People change, Shadow, and they all deserve second chances. Trust me, you'd make a great Freedom Fighter." He smiled and winked.
Shadow hesitated, and looked to Khare. Khare had been watching him hopefully the whole time, and now she nodded in agreement.
"At first, when we were given the choice to stay on Mobius or return to Earth, I wasn't so sure I did want to stay . . . " she said quietly. "I felt no connection that Cyan and Trau had . . . Nothing bound me here, it seemed. But now I've changed my mind. I want to stay with you."
Upon hearing that, Shadow did something he did very rarely. He smiled. And for the first time ever since that tragedy on the Space Colony ARK, he felt like he truly belonged.
At last he nodded his head. "Very well. I shall stay . . . with my friends."
The others smiled happily.
"Welcome to the Freedom Fighters, then, Shadow. We have ourselves two new members."
Cyan grinned, glad they were all staying together. She too felt more like she belonged than she ever had.
"So it's back to Knothole then? All of us, just like always?" she asked.
"Well . . . " Trau said suddenly, and then everyone focused on her. "I've been thinking too . . . And I've always dreamed of living on the Floating Island, the most beautiful place on all of Mobius . . . And I've made my decision. I wish to stay here with ol' Red."
Knuckles smiled, but Khare and Cyan looked a little sad.
"You're not coming back with us?" Cyan asked.
"But it wouldn't be quite the same without you there, Trau." Khare added.
"Hey, I'd come to visit," Trau smiled. "And I don't mean every other year or so. Trust me, I'd miss you guys too much. You're my best friends, and I could never forget about you. It's just that the Floating Island is my home. Just like Knothole is yours."
At first her two friends were worried, but hearing that Trau would visit them reassured them a great deal. They knew Trau was loyal, and that she always put her friends and loved-ones first. They had nothing to fear.
"All right," Cyan and Khare said together.
"Besides, we could always fly over and invade you two." Khare winked and Trau laughed.
"It ought to be interesting now that the Master Emerald has two guardians."
"Hey, I'm glad," said Knuckles suddenly. "Guarding the emerald day in and day out is a boring, and very lonely job. Another pair of eyes would help a lot. We could work in shifts."
The others chuckled and Trau gave him a shove.
Night was falling now, but Mobius and its inhabitants needn't fear the blackness, for a full moon hung over them like a watchful silver eye. Suddenly, from the very corner of her eye, Cyan noticed a streak of blue in the sky. She turned, and there, directly above her, was the Blue Star.
"I think I finally understand . . . " she said quietly.
"What's that?" Sonic asked.
"Why the Blue Star gave me the feelings it did when I saw it . . . Why it kind of filled my with a new sense of fear and wonder."
"Why?"
"Because, through a test of hardships and danger, it brought me the greatest change of my life. It granted me my most longed-for wish, but for a price. It was a price I was glad to pay though. I guess it's true that to love one must make sacrifices."
Sonic nodded. "That's true. I'm glad it brought the changes it did, then. I'm glad I discovered who I truly loved, for now I'm happier than I ever was."
Cyan smiled warmly and felt tears burning in her eyes. "So am I, fella. I don't believe I'll ever ask for anything again."
"So," said Khare. "What do you think awaits us now?"
Cy shrugged. "Could be anything. I guess we'll have to wait and see. The spirits did mention that this is merely the beginning of our adventures."
"Whoever knew there could be so much drama in one world?" asked Trau, leaning against one of the stone pillars.
"Do you think Naugus has any chance of coming back?" Vren inquired, turning to Sonic.
"It's like he said, Vren--even if he could return, it would take a very long time. Even longer than this time. I seriously doubt it, but if he does, we'll just blow him back into the Void again."
"What about Robotnik?" said the demon. "Our other archenemy?"
Sonic shook his head. "Ol' Robuttnik is gone, pal. There's no way on Mobius he could have survived the Final Power of the Chaos Emeralds. That power obliviates everything."
Suddenly Uncle Chuck, who had been listening nearby, leaned over to the group.
"You know, now that our two greatest enemies have been eliminated, we really ought to think about doing the very first thing we had planned to do after Robotnik was defeated."
"What's that?" asked Cyan.
"Rebuilding Mobotropolis, King Acorn's old kingdom," Chuck replied. "Mobius could be free again, at last."
Sonic turned away bitterly when he heard the name Acorn.
"That concerns Sal, Unc. You know I don't want to talk about her."
"That's right," said Khare. "She is the heir to the throne . . . But that wouldn't do Mobius any good; to have a liar rule . . . That'd be just as bad as Robotnik."
"That's right," Uncle Chuck nodded, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "That would definitely create some problems. Well, it's just a thought for the future, Sonny boy. We'll be comfronted with it sooner or later."
Sonic nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess so. Don't get me wrong--I would love to destroy Robotropolis and bring back the old ways . . . To make Mobius free."
The skies continued to darken into a deep blue-black, and the Freedom Fighters could see the galaxies turning above them. It was the end of an exhausting but victorious day, and now our heroes were ready to put the past behind them and focus on what lay ahead, even after their arduous journey.
"Well," said Sonic after a few moments of silence had passed. "We'd better settle down for the night. We head back home tomorrow. Good night, everyone."
Soon the entire Freedom Fighter camp was fast asleep with nothing but the crickets and the owls and all the other voices of the nocturnal world to break the peaceful silence. Directly above them the Blue Star glimmered brilliantly like a winking eye.
In the morning, after being awakened by Knuckles and Trau's playful demands to "get the heck off the shrine," the Freedom Fighters prepared to travel back home. Lupe and the Wolf Pack were the first to leave, soon followed by Pallo, Dirk and then Ari. Sonic and the others stayed a little while longer to bid their farewells to Trau and Knuckles, and to get a last look at the beauty of the Floating Island.
Before they left, Sonic and Cyan stood on the shore of a familiar lake nestled within a great valley, where the summer breeze sighed through the trees, blowing down the white petals that now grew on their branches.
"This is the place I saw in my vision . . . " said Cyan, looking around quietly. "And now I know why. I'm never to forget this place . . . "
Sonic smiled and nodded, gazing out across the blue waters. They were standing in the clearing of the woods near the great lake, the very place where, even through the dark, thick veil of the Void, a star had fallen.
"Me neither," he replied. "We should come back someday . . . It is a rather memorable place."
Suddenly Uncle Chuck called out to them.
"Come on you two love birds! It's time to go!"
Together Sonic and Cy raced back to the Freedom Fighters as they mounted Dulcy and Vren. Another short farewell and thanksgiving to the Guardian and Trau, and then the demon and the dragon took wing, soaring through the endless azure skies back home, back to Knothole, where their journey had begun.