It had been a week since the final battle between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik. He, Agent Stone, and Eggatha had all been taken into custody while Tails, Chessie, and Chuck used the Emeralds and the Scepter of Darkness to start construction on a portal back to Mobius. Of course, the brains weren't the only ones busy in the week.

Knuckles watched Keith and Kat as they healed up in the local hospital, conspicuously never letting go of the latter's hand. Al came into the room, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a grape soda in the other. He sat down in the chair right next to the echidna, offering him the soda.

"Here," the man said softly. "You look like you could use a pick-me-up."

"Thanks," Knuckles replied, taking the soda. "The doctor said they should be all healed up in a day or so… around the time Chuck and Tails get their machine up and running."

Al nodded at that, looking over at Knuckles with a sad smile. He fiddled with his coffee, then took a breath. "Knuckles… I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Knuckles glanced up in confusion.

"For being a part of my daughter's life when she needed someone. Having you around this past year… it's been like watching her blossom after being wilted for so long. You brought back that spark in her eye, that joy she lost after her mother died. You…" he wiped an eye, getting choked up. "You saved her. And I can never thank you enough for that."

Knuckles cracked a smile in response. "Honestly, I feel like I should thank her. I was so angry with the world, so unwilling to trust anyone. She shows me that… that there are still some honest people out there. That I could have a life beyond my island." His face dropped. "It's… gonna be hard to go back to that life…"

Al put his hand on Knuckles' head, giving him a fatherly smile. "Well, don't isolate yourself completely anymore. You have true friends now, and maybe letting them drag you on their adventures will be good for you."

Knuckles leaned into the hand, a small smile on his face "Heh… maybe you're right…"

…

Shadow's fists collided hard with Colin Kintobor's face, sending the man flying through the wall of his under-construction living room. Hope stared in astonishment, clutching her own bruised face as Rouge held her. Topaz just stood there with a disgusted frown, slowly removing her hand from her sidepiece.

"Well…" the social worker who had been watching the entire thing unfold let out, "I do believe I've seen everything I need to see."

"I should hope so," Colin let out, picking himself up. "Now, Agent Topaz, I recommend you get yourself and your team of freaks off my property at once!"

"Agreed," the social worker nodded. "Mr. Hedgehog, you are free to take Miss Kintobor."

"Thank you," Shadow replied.

"What?!" Colin turned red in the face. "You can't be serious!"

"Your niece has shown various signs of abuse, trauma, and neglect. More than that, your actions have proven that you are mentally and physically unfit to be a proper guardian." The social worker closed the file on her clipboard, releasing a breath. "She will be removed from your custody and remanded to GUN until further notice."

"And expect a subpoena for a restraining order in the coming weeks," Topaz declared. "You won't come within 1000 feet of Hope ever again."

"Try anything, and a restraining order is the least of your problems," Shadow promised.

"Affirmative," Omega agreed, the Goodnik having not lowered a single weapon in his arsenal since Hope was slapped.

"Now, if you'll excuse us. We have work to do."

With that, the group turned to leave, and Colin completely lost it. He charged at them, but Omega shot at the ground, making him stop in his tracks.

"Warning shot," he warned, his guns slowly aiming higher. "Next shot will not be."

"Whoa…" Hope let out.

"Not used to having a two-ton robot fight for you, I take it," Rouge noted.

"Not used to having anyone fight for me," Hope replied.

"Get used to it," Topaz told her. "Luckily for you, both Shadow and Chessie were made here on Earth. So was Omega."

"So… you get to stay?!" Hope gasped, eyes wide.

Shadow nodded at that, though his gaze drifted over to Rouge. "Not all of us, I'm afraid."

"Eh, don't worry about me," Rouge reassured. "Just make sure the kid gets a good life. I'll be fine."

"Admit it," Topaz chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rouge's shoulder. "You're gonna miss us. You're gonna miss being the morally gray hero."

"I would never admit to something like that," Rouge jeered before whispering under her breath. "Out loud anyway."

"So without GUN, what do you have planned for being back on Mobius?" Hope wondered.

"Eh, might as well try and nab the Master Emerald. Not like Knuckles uses it for anything important."

"Heh, nice to know some things never change," Shadow remarked.

They all shared a warm laugh as they climbed into the GUN van they had ridden in, driving out of Green Hills and away from Colin.

…

Meanwhile, Amy had managed to pack up the last of her things, including her bird cage with Lily, Willow, and Sakura. Once she was all packed up, she made her way outside and locked the door behind her. As she turned toward the street she was surprised to see Sonic walking leisurely down the sidewalk.

"Sonic the Hedgehog walking," she mused playfully, turning to face him fully. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Just taking in the day," Sonic replied. "So, finally all locked up?"

"Yeah… the city is probably gonna take ownership of it eventually. It'll be in good hands… I hope." She put her hand on the door, sighing as she did. "I'm gonna miss it."

"It was a pretty cool place. You did a great job with it."

"Thank you." Her eyes remained on the diner. "Honestly… I enjoyed it the most because it was something I did for myself. It was my way of stepping out of the stigma of being your childish, obsessive stalker."

"Hey, you were never like that," Sonic insisted. "Well, maybe at first, but you've grown beyond that. You're not that same naive girl that snuck into the Scrap Brain Zone. Not to me anyway."

Amy finally turned back to Sonic, a sad smile on her face. She stepped forward, then pressed her face into his shoulder. Sonic patted her head as the two walked down the street.

…

Back at the Kent House, Tails, Chessie, and Chuck were hard at work on the portal that would send the native Mobians back to their own world. Chessie took a moment to step back, wiping her brow.

"It's funny," she remarked. "When I first met Keith, I promised him I was making a portal between Earth and Mobius. I only regret that I have to make it one way."

"It is ironic," Chuck commended. "But even so, the progress we've made with this portal is impressive. Tails, has Sonic deposited all the energy nodes yet?"

"He took a quick break to talk to Amy," Tails replied, looking up from a circuit panel. "He said he'll get back to it soon."

"So this is it then." Chuck paused his work, looking sad. "It's a shame. I would have loved to continue working with you, Tails."

"And I wish I could have seen Mobius," Chessie lamented. "Even once would have been nice."

"Both of you would've liked it," Tails reassured. "And I had so many ideas and plans to work on with you, Chuck… but I guess this is how it's supposed to be."

Chuck cracked a small smile, placing a hand on Tails' shoulder.

"It may not have been the way we wanted things to go, but I will always be glad to have known you and gotten the privilege to work with you."

"I feel the same way," Chessie agreed. "You guys gave me a chance to live my own life, and I will be forever grateful for that."

Tails smiled in response, happy to have been able to give the chance for others to grow into better versions of themselves.

…

In a secluded GUN prison, Robotnik sat in his cell, lamenting his situation.

"Unbelievable," he bemoaned. "I nearly had all seven Emeralds. I had the Queen. I had it all. And now… I'm sitting in a prison cell. Again!" He slumped in his seat. "Curse that infernal hedgehog. Now I'll be dragged back to Mobius in chains. And what's worse…" he slumped even further. "I won't be able to bring any of the things I made while I was here, nor bring along Stone or little Agatha! And just when I was getting used to having living subordinates."

"Hey," a guard called out. "Can it in there!"

"Hey! Can't you see I'm bemoaning my situation?!"

"Well your situation is gonna change tomorrow. So try and deal with it until then!"

The guard walked off and Robotnik was left to his moaning.

…

At the Birnbaum house, Cream and Cheese were packing up what little they had in the house. Vanilla was watching them, her own suitcase already in hand.

"Almost ready, dear?" she asked.

"Yes, mother," Cream replied in a somber tone.

Vanilla's face became one of understanding. "I know you're going to miss your friend, but it's for the best. We have to go back so that her world can be safe," she kneels down to her. "You want your friend to be safe and happy, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then chin up. I know it will hurt, but you're strong, Cream. You're the strongest little rabbit I know."

Cream gave a weak smile but still rushed to hug Vanilla, which she returned in kind. Outside the room, Helen was listening in, feeling overwhelming sadness at losing her friend. She curled up in her wheelchair, sniffling as she tried to keep her tears in check.

…

The next day, Keith was out of the hospital, bandages wrapped around his hands as he gazed out at the pool in remembrance. Just a year ago, his entire world changed because of a single drowning hedgehog. He'd gone from a one friend rich kid to an aide to a world saving hero. He felt more accomplished in the past year than he had in his entire life, and while he knew why it had to end… it was still a hard to accept. He honestly didn't know if life could return to the way it had been before Sonic.

"Morning, Keith."

Keith looked up to see Sonic on the other side of the pool, smiling at him.

"Oh, hey Sonic. I was just… you know."

"Yeah… the others are gearing up to head out. Even got the Tornado II up and working again."

"Oh yeah…" Keith remembered the biplane, and realized that was yet another thing he was losing. He wouldn't be able to continue his flying lessons with Tails.

Sonic noted Keith's sorrow, having an idea come to mind.

"You know, instead of taking the car… we could have one last run over. What do you say?"

Keith perked up in response. "That sounds great."

Sonic smiled, then brought Keith his roller skates in a blink. "I'll take the long way there."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Keith slipped on his skates and took Sonic's hand, the hedgehog speeding off down the road at top speed. Sonic looked back, seeing Keith's smiling face before turning back ahead, feeling a single tear forming in his eye.

…

The portal device was set up at the bridge connecting Station Square to the Mystic Ruins. Tails, Chuck, and Chessie were putting the final touches on the machine while the Mobians started arriving to be sent home. Included in the group was Robotnil, as well as Orbot and Cubot, all in handcuffs. All the while, Scarlet Garcia was set up to report on the situation.

"The mood here is somber as the final countdown has begun to send Sonic and the others of his kind back to their home planet of Mobius," she reported. "Many strong bonds and friendships have been forged in the time they've been here, but those bonds must be severed if both our worlds are to survive. As one of many citizens of Station Square who has come to see Sonic and his friends as heroes, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they will all be missed."

"And we're out," her cameraman replied. "Nice work, Scarlet."

"Thanks," she looked out to the arriving Mobians. "Looks like this story's almost over…"

"So it seems."

Scarlet perked up, turning around to see Mr. Stewart walking over to her.

"Franklin?" she let out. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see off Sonic and his friends, as well as support my students. I know this is going to be a trying time for them and I felt they could use the support."

Scarlet smiled at that. "They're lucky to have such a caring teacher.

Mr. Stewart smiled back. "I do my best."

…

Back down at the portal, Sonic and Keith finally arrived, the former slowing to a stop as he approached the large group of Mobians.

"Wow," Keith let out. "I didn't realize so many Mobians had come over."

"Yeah, entire towns were displaced." Sonic looked around at them all. "One brightside to this, they'll all be able to go home."

"Yeah." Keith then recalled all the massive structures that had been displaced. "Hold on, what about all the stuff that came with them? The Mystic Ruins, the houses and loops, Angel Island… how are they gonna fit through the portal?"

"We've already accounted for that," Tails declared as he walked up to the pair. "Yesterday, I had Sonic set up power nodes that are connected to the energy of the Scepter of Darkness. As more Mobians go through the portal, the Scepter's energy will lock onto those nodes and transport them back to where they belong."

"Handy," Keith admitted. "But isn't relying on the Scepter dangerous?"

"As long as the Scepter stays intact, we should be fine. We've placed it in a secure containment unit for the process and once everyone goes back, it will be promptly returned to the Soleanna vaults."

"One of two reasons I'm here," Queen Elise's voice called out.

The three turned to see Elise exiting a limo and walking toward them.

"Elise," Sonic let out, surprised. "Thought your personal detail wouldn't let you out of their sight after everything that's happened."

"It took some convincing, but I was able to use your presence as assurance that I would be safe. Besides, I did not want to miss the departure of one of the first real friends I have ever had."

Sonic smiled at that. "Thanks, Elise. Even if we couldn't bring our worlds together, I'm glad I was at least able to save you and your home."

"And for that, I will be eternally grateful."

At the control console, Chuck made the final preparations for the return trip. "Alright, let's see if this thing works."

Chuck hit the on button, causing a siren to blare as the Chaos Emeralds, placed in special containment pods along the machine to glow bright. The Scepter glowed as well as a massive portal began to open up.

"Looks like it's working," Knuckles noted.

"Yeah…" Kat let out from the chair she was sitting in, still bandaged and under orders to take it easy. "It's time…"

"You can't possibly expect me to use that crude contraption," Robotnik commented. "How do we even know it will work?!"

"Good point," Knuckles commended before shoving him right through the portal.

Robotnik let out a loud cry as he went through, the entire portal warping around him until he vanished. Chuck checked the control terminal, then let out a breath.

"Transfer successful. He made it through alive and in one piece."

"Pity," Knuckles said with a shrug. "And here I was hoping he'd lose an arm or something."

"At least we know it works," Amy noted.

"Then I suppose it's our turn," Orbot lamented as he and Cubot went to the portal.

"We'll say hi to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry for you!" Cubot called back as they flew through.

"I still don't get how those two got back with Eggman in the first place," Kat remarked. "I mean, I thought they liked chilling with us."

"Eggman probably did something to them," Tails assumed. "We'll have to look into that later."

"Right now, let's focus on the task at hand," Sonic decided. "We'll make sure everyone else gets through before we go."

"Good idea."

…

As time went on, more and more Mobians went through the portal. Among them were Antoine and Bunnie, who held hands before turning back to the group.

"Au revoir mes amis," Antoine called out.

"It's been fun," Bunnie added before heading into the portal.

"Sure was one hell of a ride," Vector declared as Team Chaotix approached. "I'll admit, I'm gonna miss this place."

"Farewell, my friends," Espio spoke, turning to Kat specifically and causing Knuckles to roll his eyes.

"So long," Kat called out with a small wave. "It was nice to meet you."

"Catch ya later!" Charmy let out as the three went through.

"Goodbye everybody," Big spoke. "It was very nice meeting you. Me and Froggy will never forget you."

Froggy just ribbited as he and Big went through the portal. There were very few Mobians left, meaning it was time for the heroes to give their final goodbyes. Cream was the first, approaching the portal with a sad look. Before she got far, Helen caught her arm, stopping her.

"I made you something," she said, holding out a flower crown. "So you won't forget me."

"I love it," Cream replied, putting it on her head. "But not as much as I love you."

The two instantly went in for a hug, holding each other tight as if they were afraid to let go.

"Cream," Vanilla called out. "It's time."

Cream was hesitant, but she finally pulled away and walked over to Vanilla, taking her hand as they approached the portal. She looked back one last time, giving a small wave to Helen, which she returned, before finally walking through. Once she was gone, Helen choked on a sob and started crying. Dr. Birnbaum quickly came over and gave her daughter a reassuring hug.

Meanwhile, Ella was becoming misty eyed herself, something Amy took notice of.

"Don't cry Ella," Amy reassured. "Or else, I'm gonna lose it."

"Don't worry," Ella insisted. "I'll be fine… eventually."

"Well, I have something for you," Amy replied, holding up a cactus in a pot. "It was growing in my apartment. I want you to have it."

"Thank you. I'll even call it Amy." Amy smiled before Ella perked up. "Oh, and I have something for you."

She pulled out a notebook and handed it to Amy, who flipped through the pages and went wide eyed at the content.

"Your recipes?" she questioned.

"Something you can use to remember us by."

Amy smiled deeply, with tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you. And not just for this, but for everything. You and Mr. Tanaka have always looked out for us since coming here."

"It was our pleasure," Tanaka replied. "I only wish… you could stay longer."

"Me too."

She rushed up, giving the two one last hug. Once she was done, she grabbed her things and went through the portal, giving one last smile before vanishing into the vortex. Tanaka gave a respectful bow as Ella dried her eyes with a handkerchief.

Rouge watched on, lamenting that she was going to be next. With a sigh, she turned back to Team Dark.

"Well… I guess this is it."

"Guess so," Chessie noted.

"Take care of yourself, Rouge," Shadow told her.

"Can do," she replied before turning to Omega. "I'll be sure to give Eggman a few hits for ya."

"Gesture appreciated," Omega replied.

"Oh, and Topaz." The agent turned, immediately catching a small jewelry box thrown at her. "If you don't like it, I kept the receipt."

Topaz opened up the box, in awe of the broach inside. "You… actually paid for this?"

"Yeah, who knew?"

The bat turned from the team, struggling to keep her mascara from running, and jumped through the portal. The second she was gone, Topaz immediately started crying, with Tanaka walking over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him for a second before hugging him, Tanaka quickly returning the gesture.

At that point, only Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were left. Tails made his way to the newly repaired Tornado II, climbing into the pilot seat.

"I went ahead and reinforced the frame," Chuck told him. "And adjusted the engine to get more speed."

"Thanks Chuck," Tails replied. "It was a pleasure working with you."

Chuck nodded as Tails started up the plane, taking off into the air before doubling back and flying through the portal, Chuck giving one final salute in response. Sonic and Knuckles stood before the portal, readying themselves for what they had to do. They turned back, seeing Keith and Kat walking over to them, both of them barely holding it together.

"Knuckles…" Kat mustered.

"Kat I…" Knuckles tried to speak, barely able to form the words. "You were a pain in the neck and I'm glad to be rid of-"

Kat just knelt down and hugged him, tears in her eyes. He gasped, but immediately returned the hug.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered.

"You too," he replied.

They held one another for a minute longer, then reluctantly parted. He turned to the portal, stood before it for a moment, then stepped through. Kat remained on the ground, Al behind her as he placed a hand comfortingly on her head. Finally, all that was left was Sonic and Keith.

"Sonic… it's been a heck of a ride."

"Oh yeah. Wouldn't trade it for anything." Sonic gave a thumbs up.

Keith knelt down and gave him a hug, which Sonic returned while looking up at Elise, who was standing nearby. He flashed her a thumbs up, which she returned with a nod. Finally, the two let go as Sonic walked over to the portal, looking back to see all the humans present.

"Thank you all for making us feel welcome in your world," Sonic spoke. "It has been an honor to fight for and alongside you. Now the task of protecting this world falls to you," he smiled. "I know you won't let me down."

Finally, Sonic turned back to the portal and took a breath, finally ready to go. He stepped forward and reached a hand to the vortex… only for a sudden surge of energy to shoot through his entire body. Sonic cried out in pain, getting the attention of everyone before suddenly being shot back.

"Sonic!" Keith let out, him, Kat, and Elise running over to him.

"What happened?" Elise questioned as they helped him up.

"I don't know," Sonic replied. "The second I tried to enter the portal, it hit me with some strange energy."

Chuck quickly ran over to the console, checking to see what went wrong.

"The combined energy of the scepter and the Emeralds has caused some kind of power flux. I can't close the portal but no one can get in or out."

"What about the others?" Sonic asked. "Did they get through?"

"They arrived just fine. But we can't send you back to Mobius."

"Maybe if we remove the Scepter we can stabilize the energy," Chessie suggested.

"It's worth a shot," Chuck admitted.

Shadow ran over to the side of the device, opening the case and removing the Scepter.

"There," Shadow reported. "Let's see if that-"

Suddenly, the Scepter started glowing with energy. It suddenly levitated out of his hand, causing him to back away as the energy continued building up. Chessie and Chuck both watched as error message after error message came up across the portal.

"That's not good…" Chessie let out.

Finally, the Scepter exploded, causing the group to cover their faces as the energy was unleashed.

"The Scepter!" Hope let out.

"Mephiles!" Shadow realized.

"But how?" Chessie asked.

Everyone looked up as the black energy began swirling in the air, taking the form of Mephiles the Dark. "The "I" of now absorbed your power through your shadow of the past. What may have worked thirteen years ago no longer does!"

Mephiles then unleashed a powerful shockwave, knocking everyone off their feet. Sonic was the first to each other, flipping backward through the air before skidding to a stop.

"So, this was your plan all along," Sonic realized, standing up. "Playing possum in the Scepter so you could get close to Elise!"

Mephiles cackled as he hovered to the ground. "Indeed. Now, all the pieces are in place. And with your allies having abandoned you, you stand no chance to stop me."

"Don't underestimate us normal types," Sonic remarked, taking a fighting stance.

Mephiles said nothing, merely unleashing a barrage of energy balls toward Sonic, which he easily dodged around before running right at Mephiles. He rolled into a spin dash to take him out, but Mephiles easily shielded himself from the blow before pushing him back. He doesn't even give him a second to recover before firing an energy blast at him, knocking him back.

"I have no time to play with the likes of you," Mephiles remarked before turning toward Elise. "Not when my prize awaits."

Keith picked himself up, seeing Mephiles eyeing Elise.

"No…" Keith let out.

Mephiles put his hands together, pulling them apart to form an energy lance. "Farewell."

As he prepared to throw the lance, Keith scrambled to his feet and ran over to Elise, shoving her out of the way as Mephiles threw the lance. Not having enough to get out of the way, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. The sound of flesh getting pierced filled his ears and he gasped. Feeling no pain, he opened his eyes, seeing Sonic standing in front of him, having sped in front of him and having taken the blow.

He was panting heavily as blood dripped from his chest. He coughed, blood staining his mouth as he fell to his knees, the lance sticking right through his heart. It finally dissipated, prompting him to keel over. Keith knelt down to help him up, with Elise rushing over as well.

"Sonic!" she let out.

Shadow picked himself up, seeing Sonic lying on the ground and Mephiles cackling like a madman.

"Yes!" Mephiles exclaimed, throwing his head back and his arms wide. "YES!"

Instantly Shadow dashed forward, punching him across the face and grabbing him by the neck, throwing him into a wall.

"You missed your mark, you monster!" he declared. "Elise lives! The flames will never surface! You've lost!"

"Have I?" Mephiles mused.

Keith turned Sonic over, seeing that he was badly hurt and on his last leg.

"Hang on Sonic," Keith told him. "We're gonna get you help. We're gonna-"

"Elise…" Sonic mustered. "Is… is she safe…?"

"I'm here Sonic," she told him. "I'm alright."

"Good… that's… all I… wanted… everyones… okay…"

With those final words, Sonic's eyes shut, and his hand went limp, falling to the ground. Keith knelt over him, trying to hear a pulse… but found nothing. He slowly picked himself up, unable to process what was happening.

"He's… he's…" Keith couldn't even form the words.

Elise however, could figure it out all too well. The idea that Sonic was gone was too much to bear. She could feel the emotions swirling within her. She did her best to keep them contained, but it was a losing battle.

"No…" she let out. "No… NO!"

With that final outburst, she screamed to the heavens, and flames utterly engulfed her. Mephiles cackled like a madman as Shadow dropped him, horrifying realization hitting him.

"No…" Shadow let out.

"Oh yes," Mephiles remarked, batting Shadow aside. "Finally, the seal is broken." He looked up at the flames. "After thirteen long years, I will finally be able to join with you… Iblis!"

Suddenly, one by one, the Chaos Emeralds began breaking through their containment pods and flying toward Mephiles. They all circled around him as he began floating in the air, the flames gravitating toward him. He began to absorb their power, his body glowing brighter and brighter. Until finally, there was a bright flash of light, one that started growing brighter and brighter, consuming everything it came into contact with. Keith and the others braced themselves, as they eventually became swallowed by the light.