Chapter Five

Tails was peacefully floating in the clouds, wondering if he was dead or alive.

The cloud he was lying on was soft and fluffy.

'If I am dead, then I will be with Cosmo. If I am alive then I am with my friends' Tails thought. 'On one hand I have the love of my life. On the other I have my friends, the people that have stood by me my entire life.'

Tails had various pictures of his friends flash into his mind.

One picture was Cream with a bouquet of flowers, Amy standing on her left with her arm around her, Vanilla on her right with her hand on Cream's shoulder and Cheese on Cream's head. All of them were happy.

Another picture was Sonic and Knuckles standing next to each other. They were both smiling, but their eyes said that they wanted to fight each other.

The third picture was of everyone together.

'It was my birthday party' Tails thought.

Everyone was huddled together with Tails in the middle. Everyone, including Tails, was smiling happily.

It was a day where everything was put on hold just to spend time together.

Tails was truly happy to be with his friends, until the next two pictures flashed into his mind.

One was of Cosmo in a tree, peacefully sleeping.

The other was of him and Cosmo. Tails was working on his machine while Cosmo was looking at Tails while smiling.

Tails forgot all about his friends and started crying.

'Tails, why are you crying?' a voice said.

Tails looked up and saw the one person he wanted to see, Cosmo.

Tails didn't wait another second to do this.

He leapt up off the cloud and ran to Cosmo, putting his arms around her when he got close enough.

'Cosmo!' Tails said when he hugged her.

Cosmo put her arms around Tails in a split second.

Tails cried in Cosmo's arms before letting go and wiping his tears away.

Cosmo put her index finger on his head and pushed him over onto the cloud.

Tails and Cosmo both giggled.

Cosmo offered her hand to Tails to help him up, but he pulled her down beside her.

They both laughed.

'Am I dead or are you alive?' Tails asked.

'You aren't dead and I am not alive' Cosmo answered.

'Then how are we together?' Tails asked as they stood up.

'You are on the verge of death Tails and I was asked to help you make your decision' Cosmo said.

'Wait, how am I on the verge of death and what decision do I have to make?' Tails said.

'Before you were watching a fight between a man in red and a man in brown right?'

'Yeah, why?' Tails asked, worried.

'The man in brown has a certain odder around him that acts like a poison.

The man in red gave you an antidote but you have to choose to let it help you or let the poison kill you.'

'But why would I let it kill me?' Tails asked, concerned.

'Because if you die, then you will be with me'

'So you are saying that if I die I go with you, but if I live I stay with my friends' Tails wondered.

'Yeah basically, but both choices have their consequences' Cosmo said.

'What consequences?' Tails asked.

'Well….' Cosmo's voice trailing off. 'I'm not supposed to tell you this but I know what the consequences are. Well only if you choose to come with me' Cosmo said, with a hint of sadness at the end.

'What do you mean?' Tails wondered.

'Well if you choose to come with me then the others will soon join us' Cosmo said as a tear came to her eye.

'Wait, what do you mean?' Tails asked, still confused.

'If you choose to come with me then a chain of events will start. `Cream will kill herself from the grief from your death.'

Tails was shocked to hear this and Cosmo started crying but went on.

'With her death, then Cheese and Vanilla would soon follow in grief. Sonic now has five friends' dead; he will spiral into a mental breakdown'

Tails couldn't believe what he was hearing.

'Eggman decided to strike with Sonic incapacitated. But the man in red, Luke I think his name is, teamed up with Knuckles and killed him. But while they are busy with Eggman, the man in brown, Brick I think his name is, tries to kill Sonic but is stopped by Amy. Knuckles and Luke went back to the house to see if Sonic was okay but instead found Amy lying in a pool of blood and Sonic hanging from a rope, presumably Sonic hung himself when he woke up and found Amy lying there, unable to deal with Tails, Cosmo, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla and now Amy death' Cosmo stopped for a moment to cry.

'Please stop Cosmo, knowing that is enough for me to go back' Tails said before she could start again. 'I am sorry but if I have to choose between that and spending my life without you then…' Tails' voice trailing off.

'I don't blame you Tails. If I was placed with that decision then I would choose the same' Cosmo said to make Tails feel better, however it didn't.

Tails started to tear up at her remark.

'Oh Tails, I didn't mean it that way!' Cosmo said.

'No, it is just that I have to leave you again but…' Tails said as he wiped his tears away. 'At least we can leave on more peaceful terms.'

'Oh Tails' Cosmo said, hugging Tails. 'I love you so much and I hope that we meet again soon.'

'As do I Cosmo, as do I' Tails said, happier.

Tails started to fade away from Cosmo.

'Tails please remember this, if you help Luke and succeed, then we may see each other again in the world of the living.' Cosmo said with a smile on her face.

'Okay Cosmo, then I will help him. I love you Cosmo' Tails replied, hugging Cosmo one last time.

'Goodbye Tails' Cosmo said.

'Goodbye Cosmo' He replied.

Tails fully faded away from Cosmo, leaving her standing and hugging nothing.

Tails was once again in the crowd as before, watching the concert.

The lights were shut off so Tails didn't know if anyone was on the stage.

A few lights shone on four people, two guitarists, one bassist and the drummer, and two other players in the shadows.

One of the guitarists had their hood off to show a young man, about 21, he had blonde hair and his face was calm.

A song started up again that Tails deduced quickly as Bring me to life by Evanescence.

As the first words were sung, a light shun on the singer to reveal that she had her hood off as well, but who it was shocked Tails.

The person was Cosmo.

As they came to the chorus, another light turned on the reveal the male singer and second bassist was no other than Tails himself.

Tails was shocked to see this and wondering how it was possible.

As the song ended, Tails remembered that it was only just a dream, and it was a dream that ended then and there.

Tails was lying in his bed as he woke up. He looked around, not knowing where he was, until he realized that he was at Cream's house in her spare bedroom.

He looked around at the room, feeling as if something was wrong.

He looked at the bed next to him and saw someone he didn't expect to see, it was the guitarist from his dreams.

As he looked past him at the bookshelf next to the guitarist, he saw a red robe and sword.

Tails quickly deducted, but still found it impossible to be, that the man next to him was the guitarist from his dreams and was Luke, the man in red.