A/N: Hey everybody, this is it. The final chapter. I'm so glad you all shared this 2+ year journey with me and I hope this conclusion is both satisfying and entertaining. Please enjoy the final chapter of the Sontails story.

Chapter 24

The Final Stand

If life was a fairy tale and somebody was writing it with quill and ink, it would probably start like this: Once upon a time there were two boys called Sonic and Tails. They lived together in a small town at the southern tip of a Mobian continent. However, life isn't a fairy tale, but instead a horror story with evil demons and killers. So rather, if that same person were to write a story about life again, it would probably start like this instead…

Evil has a name; Shard Metal.

Shard was born to a deadbeat dad and a mother who died in childbirth. His father turned to alcohol and in a blind fury one night tried to kill his own son, blaming him for the death of his wife. Shard was taken to a foster home and lost in the system, jumping from family to family. All he wanted was love, but destiny had other plans for him.

Just a street rat that society dumped, Shard crawled up from the gutter and worked his hardest. He worked multiple jobs to make enough money to get himself an education and climbed his way up through the political ranks until, after thirty years of turmoil, he stood atop the tallest tower with all of Macton following his every order.

Shard wanted revenge on those who cast him out, but in doing so he found something he didn't think he'd ever find. Love. Surprisingly, he was a great leader who ushered forth a new wave of prosperity for Macton as infrastructure and industrialization thrived while crime was on the decline. The whole community loved him. He found he couldn't destroy them, but he had been brought up with revenge fueling him. He craved destruction. Then one day, word came about a cat named Big and through fortunate circumstances Shard found himself a kindred spirit. One who's anger couldn't be satiated, and together they planned. This man was Vector Crocodile.

However, this tale has two parts. In every story, there is good and evil, and if evil had a name, so did good; Sonic and Tails.

Two boys who grew up in the wrong time. When they were just sixteen and fifteen years old respectively they discovered love. A love that was forbidden. Mobius had always been ruled by the clergy whether people admitted it or not. Their religion, Mobianity, was ingrained into the inhabitants' very being, and the being of their children too. Chaos was a mighty ruler, but he was merciless in his vision. His vision of a pure love, between a man and a woman. Those who went against this vision were labeled as Iblis worshipers and condemned to death.

Sonic and Tails lived in constant fear and secrecy with the knowledge that if their terrible secret got out, they would surely be doomed. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened on Tails' sixteenth birthday when Tikal found a secret diary that Tails had given Sonic as a Christmas present detailing everything that had happened to them. From the confession and first kiss in the blueberry bushes, to Sonic admitting his feelings in the freezing cold outside Tails' window and through everything until they first made love.

Their family and friends turned against them, chased them down and captured Sonic, but not before Tails escaped. He stumbled into Aves and found companionship in the Babylon Rogues. With their help, he snuck back into town and broke the spell Big had cast on Sonic through his brain-numbing serum. Big was killed, but not before he slaughtered two of the three Rouges. Infuriated, Wave vowed vengeance. Though, before she could return with her army, Sonic and Tails escaped to a tropical island thanks to the help of their friends Knuckles, Blaze and Silver, who sacrificed himself for the greater good.

Months later, Tikal washed up on shore to inform them of the war that had been waging between Aves and Mobius. Guilt ridden, they returned to Mobius. After separation, they made friends with the leaders of Vapos and Zuncon but lost much when Macton destroyed both their armies. After much turmoil, Sonic and Tails finally united and marched into Vector's castle to finally end the war and stop him from spreading the now gaseous serum into the atmosphere.

As in all stories, good and evil must always do battle, where only one emerges victorious. This is no different. Life is but a series of stories, with billions of characters; a mixture of both good and evil. This is but one of those many stories. One where good and evil will clash. This is the story of Sonic and Tails, and Shard, and this is how it ends…

…

"Let the flood begin!" Shard announced victoriously as civilians and citizens bellow looked up to see the gas descend down from above, enter their lungs and choke them all to death.

"Quick, we have to re-route the drones," Tails called frantically as he leapt into action. He rushed up to the control panel and studied the buttons. Shard refused to surrender, lunging at Tails. The two fought, wrestling for control of the central panel of the mothership.

"Leave him alone," Knuckles growled as he reeled backwards and sent a mighty punch into the back of Shard's head. The world around Shard began to spin as black dots filled his vision and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. "Glad that's finally done," Knuckles clapped the dust from his hands as he, Sonic and Blaze wandered over to crowd around Tails, shouting suggestions.

"You need to cut off the gas supply," Sonic urged.

"No, take control of their flight paths and send them all out to sea," Blaze decided.

"Just make them crash," Knuckles gawked.

"I can't take all this," Tails pulled at his messy hair. "I need all of you to be quiet!" Tails concentrated, biting his tongue as his eye flicked over all the levers and buttons, trying everything he could think of. Alas, it was no use. Shard had encrypted a security system that had completely shut Tails out of the controls. There was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry," Tails moaned. "I can't do it… I'm locked out."

"Surely we can do something?" Blaze thought.

"I refuse to give up. We've come so far," Knuckles growled. Sonic stood there, wracking his brain for any solution when he heard a faint coughing from beside him. Sonic turned his head when he saw Vector look up. He wasn't dead.

"Dad?" Sonic asked as he slid across the floor over to his father, blood spurting from his mouth.

"S-Sonic?" Vector asked through the confusion that muddled his thoughts and clouded his vision. "He did something to me… I don't… I don't have long."

"Dad I… how can I help you?" Sonic asked. He reached out his hand but Vector grunted over the pain to swat it away.

"Don't touch me," Vector growled. "Look at you. How did you turn out this way? Weak to the very end…"

"What you call weak, I call compassion," Sonic muttered. Vector was about to say more when his eyes caught sight of the blood-soaked bandages that wound themselves around Sonic's waist.

"What happened? Shadow get you?"

"He wishes," Sonic cracked darkly. "It was mum. She tried to kill me."

"I always did love that woman," Vector smirked darkly as he let out more violent coughs. Crimson liquid stained the clean metal beneath them.

"Whatever," Sonic turned, ignoring his dying father. Sonic couldn't take anymore abuse. He turned to rise when Vector called out again.

"Wait, son…"

"You… you called me son?" Sonic stopped, almost wishing that his dad cared for him despite everything that had occurred between the two.

"Yes… you are my son. A horrible, good for nothing excuse for a son," Vector added darkly. "If I had it my way, you'd have died long ago, but you're there with your friends and I'm lying here dying so I guess I have no choice. No matter how you feel about me, or our community, you're our only hope now."

"Dad?"

"Stop Shard. Don't let him spread the serum. You need to… stop him," Vector coughed again.

"How? We've tried everything but Tails has been locked out of the system," Sonic asked, almost pleadingly.

"Chaos… it's the override code that Shard and I agreed on incase something happened to the other. Type it in to the main console and it'll reset all the controls."

"Thanks, dad."

"Don't thank me. Thank Chaos, maybe in his infinite wisdom he can find a way to forgive you, even if your soul has been consumed by Iblis."

"No, dad, mine hasn't. Yours has," Sonic said. "All I did was find love, but you started a war. You acted like a dictator and killed hundreds, if not thousands of people. No matter what you think of me, you're worse. You will spend all of damnation with Iblis in hell."

"Well… I guess I'll see you there," Vector smirked with his final words as his arms gave out and his head fell with a thud to the floor, life fleeing his body like smoke.

"Sonic, are you alright?" Blaze asked finally, not wanting to interrupt his talk with his father.

"He still couldn't accept me, even in death," Sonic noted bitterly. "But never mind that… Tails, type in Chaos. It's the master code that should give you access to the controls." Tails was quick to action, frantically typing in the code. However, instead of granting him access, the small screen just flashed red before everything seized and an extra firewall protection was put in place.

"It didn't work?" Knuckles asked.

"It made everything worse," Tails sighed, defeated.

"But… But Vector said-"

"You really think I'd give that idiot access to my beautiful ship?" A voice propped chillingly from behind. The four span around to look at Shard, sitting on the floor with a hand to his temple. "That was quite the bump you gave me."

"I'll give you another one if you aren't careful," Knuckles warned, flexing his muscles.

"I don't doubt it, idiotic brute," Shard hissed.

"That's it," Knuckles rolled up his sleeve, but Sonic placed an arm in front of him.

"Knuckles, don't," Sonic shook his head.

"Listen to him, Knuckles. He knows you need me. If you want to stop the drones from infecting the entire planet, you need my help and I can't do that if you knock me out, or kill me, again," Shard smirked. He knew he held all the cards.

"Why are you doing this?" Shadow asked from behind, watching the whole ordeal unfold as he stood beside the still thrashing pink hedgehog.

"Revenge."

"I know the feeling, but this isn't the way to go about it."

"Don't lecture me, Shadow. Just because their silly words gave you a heart doesn't mean you're not weak, just like Vector was and your entire, sniveling community. There's only one good thing for people like you. To be slaves, on your knees bending to the whim of the mighty Mactons," Shard spouted angrily.

"What did we ever do to you? You can't be mad about what Large did. That was over a century ago."

"True, but your community forced mine into a tiny sliver of land encased by desert. We couldn't thrive. While you took the coast and the vast expanse of forest, we were stuck with nothing. We struggled, and so did our people. So did my father and my mother, to the point where it made them… him insane. My own father tried to kill me, but you perfect little Mobians wouldn't know a thing about that, would you? You wouldn't know a thing about real pain."

"You're wrong," Sonic interjected. "My own father tried to kill me, too. This whole war was started because my father wanted to kill me. I know your pain, Shard. I understand what it's like having everybody hate you. But this isn't the way to go about it," Sonic turned and held out his arm. Tails slipped his palm into Sonic's, their fingers entwining together as they smiled at each other.

"You decided to take the pain and sadness and turn it into hatred, anger, vengeance. But it doesn't have to be that way. You could turn it into something more powerful. Something that I found. All those nights my father beat me, I didn't plot revenge. I just hung out with the one I loved. My best friend. Tails."

"Join us, Shard," Tails added with a sincere smile. "Stop the ships, choose love and together we can usher in a new age of peace. We can unite the communities and let everybody prosper. What do you say?" Tails asked, holding out his free hand to Shard, extending an offer of peace, love and acceptance.

Shard's glossy eyes looked from his own hand to Tails'. His whole childhood, nobody had ever shown him this kindness. His friends, his family… nobody. He had to earn his adoration.

"No," Shard swatted Tails hand away. "I don't need any of that. I've won. No matter what happens to me, my community will step forth from the rubble victorious. The land is ours. You just want me to surrender so that you can force us back into the desert."

"We won't do that."

"You're too late. It's over. I've won. Now do your worst," Shard closed his eyes, held out his arms and tilted his head back, ready and expecting death as the sweet sounds of green gas spreading from his drones filled the air. He didn't care if he died. Macton had won. His people would live, survive and thrive.

"Hang on…" Tails whispered as he looked outside, watching all the drones change course.

"Tails, Tails whatever you're doing, keep it up," Sonic cheered, his eyes growing with happiness. Confused, Shard peeked open one eye and felt a wave of shock and frustration wash over him as he looked on helplessly. All of a sudden, all the drones shut off their supply, turned directions and as a swarm of metallic birds they flew out to sea.

"My precious drones," Shard moaned as the group on the bridge watched the drones collide with the rough waves of the ocean.

"Nice work, Tails," Knuckles clapped him over the back.

"How'd you do it?" Blaze asked, amazed.

"I… I didn't do anything," Tails said bewildered. "I was locked out. All the drones just… they just stopped. Before anybody could say anything more, a blue light flashed overtop of the glass windshield.

"What's that?"

"It's an incoming call," Shard growled. "Probably Zespio. Answer call," Shard bellowed loudly as his voice recognition program registered his words and a blue-tinged projection filled the glass. However, it wasn't Zespio. It was Abyss.

"Hey Sonic, long time no see," Abyss smiled as she met his gaze.

"Abyss… why are you calling Shard?" Sonic asked.

"What happened to my beautiful drones?"

"Funny story, would you like to tell him, or should I?" Abyss asked as she glanced at an invisible person just off screen.

"I'll do the honors," a familiar voice chimed as they stepped on screen and their figure was illuminated. It was Cosmo. "Tails, Knuckles and Blaze. Nice to see you again. I'm glad you've found Sonic."

"Cosmo! What are you doing with Abyss?" Tails asked in delight.

"Funny story. You see, Abyss contacted me after we were made aware about Macton's interference in our war and she invited me to Vapos to devise a truce. Vapos was already graciously hosting some of the Avian army after Mobius had captured their capital and chased the remaining troops west," Cosmo began, never taking her eyes off Shard. "Would you believe our surprise when, yesterday, Fiona came barging into Vapos for help."

"F-Fiona?" Shadow asked, his voice filled with guilt.

"Oh, I'm getting an incoming call. Let's have them join us, shall we?" Abyss said triumphantly as the blue screen split into two and Fiona's face appeared on the left, beside Cosmo and Abyss.

"Hey, your intel was correct," Fiona smiled. "While you held off Mobius I took my troops to Macton and the city was completely empty."

"You'll never find my people," Shard hissed.

"Too late," Fiona winked. "We discovered their hiding bunker. They were all just sitting ducks waiting to be conquered. After threatening them, their lead scientists graciously helped give us access to the drones' controls and we thought sending them out to sea was the best course of action."

"Fiona you beautiful genius," Tails cheered. Fiona gave him a curtsy when her eyes noticed Shadow and soured instantly.

"What's he doing here?"

"We'll deal with him later," Sonic ignored her. "We just need to know, is everything settled? Are we safe?"

"Perfectly. Macton has surrendered," Fiona informed.

"The Mobians ran off to hide in the forest somewhere but we will soon get them," Abyss informed.

"And the drones are all safely decommissioned in the ocean," Cosmo added.

"Well, would you look at that," Sonic said with the biggest smirk he could muster, flaunting his victory in Shard's face. "Looks like all communities managed to come together. You're little plan to turn us all against each other to let Macton rule didn't go according to plan, did it?"

"You think this is over?" Shard barked.

"What are you gonna do, pipsqueak?" Knuckles dared him.

"You've stopped my drones and captured my city, but I'm not done."

"Last I checked there were five of us and only one of you," Blaze said.

"Computer!" Shard shouted, ignoring their taunts. "Activate the Doomsday Protocol!"

"Affirmative. Doomsday Protocol activated. Big Bomb will drop in T-minus five minutes," a mechanical voice responded as a red light mounted on the ceiling began flashing as sirens blared.

"What did you do?" Sonic asked.

"I already told you I wasn't afraid to die!"

"What did you do?!"

"You guys didn't think you stopped all the drones, did you?" Amy laughed manically from behind Shadow. "There's still one mor-" Amy was cut off as Shadow stuck a sock in her mouth to gag her.

"What's she talking about, Shadow?" Tails asked.

"She's right. This is Shard's mother ship and it's still moving. It must be on a different network."

"You're all still idiots," Shard chuckled. "You think I wouldn't have a backup plan. I took the remainder of Big's serum and injected it into my big bomb. What do you think is in the heart of this ship? In less than five minutes my ship's belly will open and drop the bomb which will infect everything within a fifty-kilometer radius."

"That's half the continent. That'll destroy all of Mobius and half of Vapos, Aves and Zuncon," Blaze gasped.

"Precisely. And there's nothing you can do to stop it-" Knuckles interrupted him with another punch as Shard fell back to the floor, whining in pain.

"What do we do?"

"There might be a way to manually override the countdown sequence. I'll have to check it out," Tails thought, stroking his chin in thought.

"T-Minus four minutes until Big Bomb drop."

"Less talk more action," Sonic sung out in panic as he raced down the stairs in search of the room where the bomb was held. Tails ran closely behind him, with Blaze and Knuckles on his heels when Blaze turned around to stop Knuckles.

"Blaze, what are you doing? There's no time to waste."

"I'll go help them. You should stay here."

"I want to help."

"From here on out it's all about wits and, no offence, but your all about strength. Stay here and guard the others. I still don't trust Shadow," Blaze insisted.

"Alright," Knuckles yielded eventually. "But be careful."

"Always do," Blaze smiled as she placed a quick kiss on his lips before she slipped down the thin maintenance corridor that Sonic and Tails had already disappeared down.

"Alright, so what…" Knuckles trailed off when he walked back up and saw no sign of Shard. "Where'd he go?"

"I tried to stop him but Amy tried to make an escape too. I could only stop one," Shadow admitted as he pinned Amy to the floor. "Shard escaped…"

…

Shard seized his moment. He saw the commotion his tactic had created and knew this was his one chance of escape. His one chance to retreat and recoup. If he could just get away, he could come back even stronger and fiercer than ever. He waited until Knuckles chased Blaze to the small corridor before he made his move.

Amy muffled something when she noticed Shard crawling away from Shadow. Her eyes bulged and she wriggled in her ropes but Shadow had binded her too tight.

"What is wrong now?" Shadow groaned as he took the sock out of her mouth.

"Shard's escaping!" Amy called. Shadow flitted his gaze across the room to see Shard slipping down the metal staircase and over to the main exit of the ship. He turned to give chase but as his attention was diverted Amy seized her own moment and tripped him. As he crumpled to the ground she fell to the floor and rolled over to where Cream's knife was littered on the ground, still covered in crimson blood.

However, she wasn't fast enough. She barely got her trapped fingers around the hilt when Shadow pounced on her and beat her away, throwing the knife across the room for good measure.

"Nice try."

"You might have stopped me but Shard escaped," Amy taunted. "Just you wait. He'll be back to save me, then he'll kill you. Then he'll kill you all," Amy laughed with a crazed glint in her eye. "Then he'll-"

"Shove a sock in it," Shadow interrupted her, stuffing the gag back into her mouth just as Knuckles returned to see what all the commotion was about.

Meanwhile, Shard slipped out of the entrance. He grabbed a rope, clipped it to the ship and abseiled downwards through the open air until he gracefully landed safely on the ground. The ship, several meters high, continued to soar over him and off into the distance following the preprogrammed path. They would have to figure out how to stop the bomb before they dared follow him.

…The bomb. Shard muttered a curse under his breath. He had less than three minutes before his mind would be ripped apart by the gas. He thought quickly, then remembered the drone. The last, decommissioned drone. The one Sonic had stolen from his warehouse that fateful night. The same drone Amy had used to escape the great Vaposian colosseum. And the same drone she had dropped off in the field beside the castle.

Shard made haste, barely making it to the castle before the bomb was set to detonate. He knew he had mere seconds. He quickly flipped open the hatch, dived inside and booted up the mechanics. Flying one of his drones was second nature to the smart hedgehog and before he knew it he was up in the air. Shard turned the nose towards the open ocean and set off, hoping to find land to recuperate on before he could plan his revenge.

However, Shard had made one fatal miscalculation. Fuel. The drone was completely depleted. Red warning lights flashed over as Shard desperately tried to maneuver the drone back around to the Mobian coast but he was too late. The engine cut off, the lights died and the drone began a nosedive into the dark blue, unforgiving ocean below him. In a last-ditch effort, Shard abandoned ship and plunged into the murky depths. He swam to the surface, spluttering out the water as he floundered above the cresting waves.

At least he was safe… or at least he thought he was.

"What was that?" Shard asked aloud, fear dripping off his words. Something had touched his leg. He didn't imagine it. He tired to swim towards the shoreline but it was too far away. Suddenly, a dark shadow swam beneath him. It was massive, the shadow of a long serpent.

"Oh no…" Shard said aloud as the water opened up and the head of a frightening sea creature broke the surface, showering Shard and the ocean in a salty spray. The Leviathan towered above him, a hungry glint in its eyes. Before Shard could do anything, it opened its mouth and plunged back into the water. Shard took in his last glimpse of depleting sunlight as teeth closed around him and he was swallowed up by the Leviathan as it submerged back into the deep darkness of the ever-expanding ocean.

…

Sonic crept down the tight maintenance corridor until he found a small door that lead into the central domed space below the bridge of Shard's mothership. The room was larger than he thought, hosting a small grated walkway that etched around the central spherical chamber that held the gas. It was rigged to clamps that were set to drop when the timer ended. The floor below them had already opened up and the grassy fields and expansive forests of Mobius rushed below them. The town, their home, was less than a kilometer to their east. It would surely be decimated by the bomb.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Tails bellowed over the wind whipping through the dome. "It's too dangerous, get back here." Tails clung to the railing as he inched his way forward.

"We've got to find a way to shut this off," Sonic called back defiantly as he raced over to a small control panel that seemed to be connected to the container that housed the bomb and the deadly green gas. Sonic studied it but couldn't understand any of it.

T-Minus three minutes until big bomb drop

Tails sighed, threw caution to the wind and made his way over to the panel. It took him a few moments to figure out what it all meant and an ugly, horrible truth washed over him. It was unfair. After everything they'd done, after all they'd been through together. It didn't feel real.

"What's the hold up?" Blaze yelled as she balanced her way over to the two boys, afraid to look below her.

"Tails, can we stop the bomb?" Sonic asked.

"We can…"

"But…" Sonic knew there was a catch based on the horrified look etched onto Tails' face. All the colour had drained from his features and the gears of his brain were spinning frantically to find an escape.

"I can stop the bomb from dropping, but I can't contain the gas. It's too unstable in the device," Tails tried to explain.

"We don't have time for riddles," Blaze snapped. "Just turn it off."

"That's the thing. I can stop the bomb from dropping, but it can only be done if we vent the gas out."

"So just do that."

"You don't understand. If we just vent it below it will be just as deadly as if we had let the bomb drop in the first place," Tails fretted. "To stop the countdown, I'll need to vent it out of the bomb but not into the atmosphere."

"Then lets just close the doors and vent it in this room," Sonic called impatiently as he pressed the big button on the screen and the bottom half of the ship's spherical belly began to slide shut.

T-Minus two minutes until big bomb drop

"Done," Sonic smiled, finally able to talk normally. "Now let's get back to the bridge and vent the gas before the bomb blows us all up." Blaze and Sonic began to race more confidently back to the entrance now that the fear of falling wasn't prevalent anymore but Tails stood steadfast.

"Tails, c'mon," Blaze urged.

"We can't."

"What do you mean? We need to go," Blaze repeated.

"We can only vent the gas from one place. We can only vent it manually from here," Tails finally admitted. Sonic and Blaze both froze, their muscles rigid as the unfair realization washed over them.

"You mean…" Sonic couldn't even finish his thought.

"One of us needs to stay behind and vent the gas. One of us needs to sacrifice their life to save everybody on the ship and everybody in Mobius below."

"I'll do it."

"Sonic, don't!"

"I said I'll do it," Sonic growled forcefully as he grabbed Tails and spun around him, pushing him towards Blaze.

"Sonic, you can't-"

"Don't argue. We haven't got the time," Sonic spat. "One of us needs to do this and Chaos knows this war is my fault."

"No it isn't," Tails urged, tears brimming in his eyes as his heart beat faster and faster.

"It was because of me that Big invented the serum in the first place. It was my father that turned it into a gas and started this war. I started this war, and now, I'm going to finish it."

"Sonic, you can't!" Tails bellowed through tears as they burst from his eyes and cascaded down his cheeks like unrelenting waterfalls. Tails rushed over and wrapped his arms tightly around Sonic, squeezing him with tremendous force, afraid because he knew if he were to let go he'd never be able to hold Sonic again.

T-Minus one minute until big bomb drop

"Blaze, take him and get out of here. We don't have time to argue," Sonic pushed Tails backwards and into Blaze. She locked eyes with him, tears shimmering in her own amber pools. She opened her mouth to argue but when she saw Sonic's stoic look she knew there was no changing his mind.

"Thanks for everything, Sonic. You're an amazing friend," Blaze forced a fake smile as she seized Tails and hauled him over to the door. Sonic nodded before he managed to force himself to turn away from Blaze and Tails, who was still thrashing against her iron grip. Finally, Tails gave up when Blaze managed to pull him to the door and she relinquished him.

"I know it's hard, but we need to go or we're all dead," Blaze urged.

"I know," Tails said tonelessly as his eyes flitted to the side wall for a second. "Blaze, you're my best friend. I don't think Sonic or I would be alive right now if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't kept our secret back at that sleepover, things would have turned out a lot differently. I owe you my life, and this is my way of repaying you." Before Blaze could say anything, Tails pushed her. As she stumbled backwards Tails pulled a lever beside the door and the hatch clamped shut. Tails quickly locked the door from the inside before Blaze could open it again.

"Tails!" Blaze called helplessly. "Tails, please, what are you doing."

"I'm sorry," Tails said as he looked her in the eyes through the small rectangle of glass that separated the two. "Thank you for everything."

"Tails! Tails, come back," Blaze beat her fist against the glass as he turned and hurried over to Sonic, who stood in shock at the main command.

"Tails, what are you doing? You can't stay here, you'll die!" Sonic commanded.

"I can't let you kill yourself, Sonic. Life without you in it is worse than death," Tails replied with tears still staining his skin.

"No. Tails, no, I can't allow it," Sonic defied him.

T-Minus thirty seconds until big bomb drop

"It looks like you don't have a choice. We either do this together, or we kill everybody."

"Tails… I'm trying to save you."

"And I'm saving you, too. Now shut up and kiss me, you stubborn idiot," Tails laughed facetiously as he crashed his chapped lips against Sonic's.

"But Tails, you could've had your whole life ahead of you. You only get one life."

"I only get one you," Tails replied. "Besides, we all have to die eventually. And since we only die once, I want to die with you."

"You made my life complete, Tails. I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic," Tails smiled. "Now, let's do this." Sonic nodded as he hovered his palm over the button that would vent the gas into the room they stood in. Tails returned his nod, placing his own palm on top of Sonic's, their fingers entwining as they pressed the button together.

A loud hiss filled the room, echoing off the mechanical walls as the gas burst from the bomb like water from a cracked dam and filled the room. Sonic turned and wrapped his arms around Tails. They both knew this was it, but they had both accepted it. It wasn't just Sonic that started this war. They both did, and this was their way to repent for all the death that their actions had caused. If they were going to die, they were going to do it on their terms. Not by Big, not by Vector, not by Shadow or Amy and certainly not by Shard. This was the story of Sonic and Tails, and this was how it was going to end.

Sonic and Tails held each other close as the gaseous serum swirled around them, filling their mouth. They clung to each other, shut their eyes tightly and pressed their lips together one final time as they were engulfed by the toxic smog.

A/N: And that's it. That's all she wrote...

But it isn't! Okay, I lied. I know I said this was the last chapter but I can't leave it like that. There is one final, short epilogue to conclude the story. There are still a few loose ends that need to be wrapped up before I finally leave this story. However, before you leave a review telling me how much you all hate me for killing off Sonic and Tails (I saw all the reviews begging me not to), just wait until the epilogue is released before I get crucified.

Anyway, while you're here I just wanted to ask you a question. What did you think? Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought about this story. Was it better than the first? Did you like it? Did you hate the direction I took the sequel? (I know some hated the change from romance to an action-adventure). What did you think of the ending? A few months after I finished the first story I decided I wanted to make a sequel. i wasn't ready to leave the world I created, especially when I set up the war and the five communities and did nothing with them. I knew there was a story left to tell somewhere. Amy loosing her mind. Shadow going crazy with vengeance. The whole world at war. Tikal's somewhat tragic story of betrayal. And poor Sonic and Tails... I had planned this end right from the start. I planned this whole story before I began writing the first chapter. It was always going to happen like that and it was always going to end like this... except, it isn't the end, is it? Could they still be alive? Could something happen to save them? Just wait to find out in the epilogue to bookend this 48 chapter story. Until then, I hope you have a fantastic day and thanks for reading. I love you all!