A/N: Here it finally is. Over 5 months, 24 chapters, over 10000 readers and 85,000 words. It is kind of sad to see this story finally coming to its end. This was my first story on this site and I'm so glad that it has been so well received. Thank you all so much. All of you who read it, all of those who favourited and followed it and especially all of those who left reviews, especially the ones who reviewed every single new update. It was because of your reviews and all of your support that helped me continue this story to the end. So please, enjoy the final chapter and (hopefully) epic conclusion of Sontails: Dreams Come True!

Chapter 24:

The Final Confrontation

"Soni-" Tails began to say in relief before the hedgehog suddenly let out a blood curdling scream and attacked him.

Tails stood motionless, unable to move from the complete and utter shock that had been delivered to his system as Sonic lunged forward, knocking him to the ground. Tails' eyes bulged wide open as Sonic wrapped his hands tightly around Tails' golden furred neck and begun to squeeze tightly.

"S-S-S," Tails choked but couldn't form the words due to the immense pressure that Sonic was applying to his wind pipe. The skin around his throat began to turn a blue and purple colour as he strained to hold on to life, struggling for each breath. Tails gripped Sonic's arms, trying to push Sonic back with all his might but to no avail.

Tails' face began to go white as the colour drained from it as his lungs shriveled up, begging for the sweet relief of oxygen that refused to enter his mouth. Tails searched his lover's eyes, trying to find anything that resembled his old friend. His azure iris' begged to fall upon Sonic's emerald sanctuaries one last time but he couldn't find any shade of green through the murky blackness that clouded his eyes.

Sonic bared his teeth as he pressed down as hard as he could, his fingers intertwining on the underside of Tails' neck as he tried to sedate his insatiable blood-lust with the blood of his former best friend and lover.

"Sonic, NO!" Knuckles screamed from behind him as he tackled Sonic to the ground. Sonic screamed in anger as he rolled across the blackened ground away from Tails. "This isn't you, bro!" Knuckles tried to scream in his face in an attempt to bring him back to his senses. Sonic just howled up at the dark, stormy clouds, mimicking the thundering crash that accompanied the lightning flash through the sky, echoing around the field.

"Tails… Tails are you okay?" Blaze asked, falling down next to Sonic and helping him sit up. Tails coughed relentlessly, spurting and wheezing for minutes as he greedily lapped up the oxygen to supply his deprived lungs.

"T-Thanks," he breathed, trying to catch his breath. He touched his hand to his throat but winced in pain. Blaze looked at his bruises with sympathy, lying to Tails that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"Guys, I don't know how much longer I can keep him occupied. Hurry up and get Tails out of here!" Knuckles bellowed as he tried to keep Sonic pinned to the ground to give the others time to escape. Sonic thrashed about, writhing in agony as foam erupted from his mouth and drizzled down his face.

"Tails!" he growled, getting his powerful legs underneath Knuckles and sending a mighty kick as hard as he could into the echidna's abdomen which sent him flying across the park, colliding into the ground with a grunt.

"Quick, let's go," Blaze urged, grabbing Tails' arm as she tried to hurl him up but Tails stood steadfast, refusing to budge.

"No, I can't leave without him," Tails said.

"Tails, Big infected him with some serum that is controlling his brain. He won't be back to normal until you are dead. He will kill you!" Blaze screamed at Tails as if he was an idiot with a death wish.

"He wouldn't leave me if I were in his position so I can't leave him. We can save him, I know it," Tails looked determined. Blaze thought for a moment, looking between Tails and Sonic, who was now off the ground, staring at Tails menacingly. She didn't want to tell Tails at this point, but she knew that she had to get him away from Sonic anyway she could and Knuckles would be no help in his current state.

"Tails," she turned the fox to look at her. "Big killed your mother with Sonic's help." Tails just stood there, looking at Blaze with unflinching, cold eyes. He couldn't even feel his heart beating at all. "She tried to save us but wasn't strong enough."

"Mum…" Tails looked down at his shoes. He could feel his stomach churn as the depressive feelings began to rise in him. Tails looked up, a fire sparking in his eyes fueled by determination.

"Sonic isn't like this. I need to save him!" Tails turned away and walked up to Sonic who stood motionless, like he was going to pounce at any moment, as his blackened eyes watch Tails' every movement.

"Sonic?" Tails asked as he closed the gap between them until they were only a step apart. Sonic refused to budge, a low growl rumbling inside of him as he watched Tails. "Don't you recognize me?"

Sonic didn't even blink as he watched Tails. Tails, feeling more and more hopeless as he continued, tried to talk through the serum to his best friend and the love of his life.

"Sonic, it's me, Tails. Remember all the good times we had together. Come on Sonic, I know you are in there. Don't let this serum control you! You are stronger than this." Tails reached up and placed the palm of his hand on Sonic's cheek. Sonic flinched slightly, not knowing what to do?

"Remember when you found me in the bushes? We played hide and seek together. You invited me back to your house and we spent the whole night playing video games. Please Sonic, think! All those sleepovers we had. All the sugary foods we ate together. All the tests I helped you study for. Remember when my dad died and you were there for me the whole time? You stood by me and showed me why life was worth living. You were there when I lost my way and now I'm going to help you find your way. Don't you remember that one fateful day when everything changed? The day I admitted my feelings for you!" Tails began to cry as he spoke to Sonic, staring into his black, emotionless eyes.

"T-Tails?" Sonic questioned, the black clouds beginning to dissipate from his eyes.

"Yes, Sonic, it's me! Remember when we shared our first kiss in the bush. How you rushed to my house and threw rocks at my window to get my attention. Please Sonic… please remember. Remember when we went on the camping trip. The theme park we got kicked out of together? Your 17th birthday party? The song I wrote for you? Christmas. The sleepover. My buddy-bot that I made thanks to your help. The dance. Don't you remember when everyone broke out into song and dance? Remember when we first made love? Please Sonic, remember. We promised each other we would love each other forever."

Tails began to sing softly, trying not to choke on the tears that were now freely flowing from his azure eyes. "And I know, we can show them and change all their minds. Show the flaws, make new laws for all animal kind."

"And aligned, us combined can create a new place. We wouldn't have to hide in disgrace!" Sonic began to sing.

"Sonic, I love you and you love me too so please break through!"

"Tails, I love you and you love me too and I will break through!"

Tails looked on in hope as the blackness that was clouding his eyes had almost completely faded as he sung with Tails.

"Sonic, just look around you at this storm. If I counted every single rain drop and tried to match them with a reason for why I love you, it couldn't rain enough for me to run out of reasons," Tails cooed. Sonic smiled as Tails saw the last of the darkness leave his eyes.

"Tails… Tails! Tails I… I… I-Ahhhhhh!" Sonic screamed, holding his brain as the darkness that had only just been dispelled had crept back in, covering his emerald iris'. Sonic howled in pain as the serum tried to wrestle back control of the host. "Tails, I can't control it! You need to leave. Get out of here, now!" Sonic screamed, shoving the fox away.

"No, you can fight this!" Tails begged. He watched as Sonic struggled against the toxic effects of the serum that was attacking his brain.

"I can't," Sonic hissed, losing himself further and further as the serum took further control of his thoughts. Tails watched in horror as all of his hard work began being undone. He watched Sonic fall under the water, struggling to stay above the surface. Tails knew there was one last thing he could try. He could try the power of love.

Just before Sonic had fully succumbed to the increased attack of the serum, Tails closed his eyes, leant in and placed his lips firmly against Sonic's. Together they stood, in each other's embrace as their tongues danced the tango of love and Sonic engulfed Tails with all of his senses. When Tails finally stepped back, taking a breath, he looked at Sonic with hopeful eyes.

"Tails, I think it work… ahhh!" Sonic screamed before he fell to one knee. Tails, seeing Sonic in such distress, rushed over to help him up. Just as he bent over, Sonic sent an uppercut straight to Tails' jaw, sending him flying backwards.

"Tails!" Blaze and Knuckles bellowed in unison. However, before they could rush over to help him, a malicious round of laughter echoed around the park. All eyes turned to Big as he entered the park, clapping his hands slowly and sarcastically.

"Nice try Tails, but nothing can break Sonic of the serum. Until his blood-lust is satisfied and until you are dead, he will not stop trying. Think of it as Chaos fighting Iblis. In the end, Chaos will win and you will die," Big smirked, watching the rest of the fight unfurl as Tails tried to dodge the barrage of swipes and punches that Sonic swung his way.

Knuckles and Blaze, after recovering from the shock of Big's sudden intrusion, rushed over and each took one of Sonic's arms, holding him back from the bloody and bruised Tails.

"You can't stop him children. The longer Tails stays alive, the stronger and more frantic he could get. Who knows how long he has left until the serum permanently takes control of his mind? Iblis is a mighty foe," Big bellowed towards them, walking near the trio with his hands behind his back.

"ENOUGH!" Tails screamed, drawing all eyes towards him. There, standing in the middle of the blackened park with ash piling up around him and a torrential downpour, coupled with crashes and flashes of thunder and lightning stood Tails. A gun in hand, pointed at his temple.

"Tails, don't do it! We can find another way!" Blaze pleaded with him, still trying to keep Sonic pinned as his violent outbursts grew wilder and wilder.

"There is no other way! Look at him," Tails glanced at Sonic, who began frothing at the mouth again. "He will lose himself any moment unless I'm dead. This is the only way."

"Kid, don't do it!" a voice shouted from the other side of the park. The five individuals all looked over at the source of the noise to see a hawk, swallow and albatross jump the gate and enter the park.

"Aves? What are you doing? You know you can't cross the border!" Big growled at them angrily.

"Tails, sweetheart, we can find another way," Wave begged him, causing a confused look on Blaze and Knuckles' face as they wondered how in the world Tails knew members of their north-Eastern bordered people.

"No, I have to do this. Blaze," he called to his friend. "Thank you for everything. And Sonic," he turned to the unrecognizable, thrashing hedgehog that lay before him. "I love you."

Bang

Tails fell to the ground with a thud as he pulled the trigger. The gun fell from his hand, colliding with the ground and bouncing a couple meters away as the limp body of Tails fell to the floor. It was as if all the sounds of the raging storms around them had ceased, offering a brief moment of silence as all pairs of eyes were still situated in the air where Tails once stood.

…

Nothing. Nothing at all. He was wet, yet he couldn't feel the rain falling upon him. Wind. Nothing but wind. There was noise, yet he couldn't hear anything. Darkness. Nothing but darkness. There was light, yet he couldn't see his friends surrounding him. Salt. Nothing but salt. His mouth was open, yet all he could taste was his salty tears. Death. Nothing but death. There was ash all around him, yet all he could smell was a plague of death.

Sonic was broken. He felt like he was falling through a bottomless abyss that showed nothing but darkness underneath him. To his sides were never ending rocky walls. Occasionally he fell past a ledge which Blaze or Knuckles were standing on, holding out their hands shouting his name but he refused to take them.

As soon as the trigger was pulled and Sonic saw the love of his life, take his own life, something triggered in his brain and the serum lost its effect. The shadows that he had succumbed to retreated away, letting him go free from their billowing grasp. However, Sonic just escaped one darkness, to plummet straight back into the other. The darkness of sadness. The light he saw above was becoming dimmer and dimmer and his friends pleading cries grew softer and softer but he could not find them. All he could think of was Tails. Tails, standing before him, pulling the trigger.

"Sonic, please come to your senses," Blaze urged, trying to shake him out of his trance.

"Sonic, Tails did this for you. You can't give up now," Knuckles tried to slap some sense into the hedgehog, but to no avail.

Sonic simply blocked them out, there words travelling through his brain like cars through a bridge. All the vibrant hues of the world were dimmed, replaced by the eerie blackness that seemed to have enveloped everything in his life. The once beautiful, golden light that illuminated his life, guiding him home each night had been extinguished and Sonic couldn't see through the mist. His wooden boat had struck a rock, welling up with water and without the light to guide him, he couldn't fight the waves as he began to fall below the surface.

Big watched as Blaze and Knuckles were trying to rouse Sonic, struggling to stop the tears from erupting from their ducts. He glanced over to the trio of Babylon Rouge's that had been standing, motionless as well as they tried to comprehend what Tails had just done.

"Why did he do it," Wave cried, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"He was just a kid," Storm bowed his head solemnly.

"This place is crazy, and it's all his fault," Jet hissed through his teeth, pointing his machete at Big. The cat just smirked as he slowly bent down, keeping his eyes on the Babylons. As his hand clamped around the gun that Tails had dropped, Jet screamed a warning.

"Don't touch that or I'll blow your brains out." He aimed his rifle at Big. "Get over here now!"

Big began to rise and made his way over to the Rouges, his hand remained high in the air as Storm had added to Jet's command. As he approached the trio, Wave and Storm both gripped one of his arms to restrain him. They planned to take him back to Aves and have a mass execution in the center of town to symbolize the end of the border and the unity of the two communities.

"You can't do this to me," Big snapped angrily.

"Why not? You don't want your death to make peace?" Jet mocked.

"It won't you imbecile. Chaos is in the hearts of my people. They will revolt against your gay accepting, Iblis worshiping community. My death will only incite riots in the streets. You can't win. Chaos won't allow it!" Big bellowed deeply, causing Storm to belt him across the back to silence him.

"He's right!" Jet, Wave and Storm all looked around to see who spoke.

"Sonic?" Jet asked, looking at him with a confused look.

"You need to kill him now. He used me. He killed Rosemary and he made Tails kill himself. He needs to die, now!" Sonic hissed with all the rage that had suddenly erupted from within him.

"No. We need to show the world that the Cat family's evil rein is now over," Jet argued.

"Heh, evil rein? Really. I was just a humble priest that showed people how to live their lives properly."

"No you didn't" Sonic spat. "You used to be but something happened to you. You were corrupted with power. You went mad. You don't deserve to live!" Big saw his opportunity during the argument. While the Babylon's attention was on Sonic, Big took this moment to strike. While they were unprepared, he took them off guard and pulled his hands out of their grip. He reached over and tore off the rifle that was slung around Jet's neck breaking off the strap in the process as he aimed it at the hawk's back and pulled the trigger.

A bullet was sent flying out of the barrel, striking Jet in the back before he aimed upwards and shot him in the back of the head for good measure. Big then swiveled around and shot Storm right between the eyes, leaving a smoking hole in his skull, leading straight to his brain.

"STOP!" Sonic screamed, standing up on his feet with some new found strength. He picked up Tails' discarded pistol and aimed it at Big.

"Sonic, my boy. Don't do this. I've only been trying to help you this whole time," Big remarked.

"Help this," Sonic yelled as he pulled the trigger and the sound of the gun firing combined with the roar of the thunderous heavens, echoing thought the atmosphere. Big's eyes widened as he waited for the pain. But none came.

Big looked down to his stomach where his hands had instinctively gone to cover the bullet wound, but he found none. He looked around his body, seeing no indication that he had been shot. Sonic looked at the gun with a perplexed look before narrowing his eyes and let out another round of shots, emptying the gun. Each time the sound of a gun shot fired but no bullets ever fired out of the barrel.

"Blanks…" Sonic said, shocked as he looked over to Tails who began to sit up.

…

"Sure, go ahead kid," the green hawk responded, exchanging his stainless steel sword with the machete that the pink swallow had been holding.

"Back all those years ago, when my grandparents were children, what happened to Mobius? How did it become this fragmented?"

Tails called out, talking to the Babylon's as they began to arm themselves. Tails looked down at his pistol, thumbing it in his hands. He always hated violence and didn't want to be carrying a weapon. He searched through the rows of shelves, each holding different types of weapons until he came to a little bench at the end labeled 'training.'

Tails opened up a draw and took out a small, wooden box. He opened it up and found a multitude of blanks. He quickly emptied his supply of bullets and carefully loaded six blanks into the gun before closing it up, spinning the chamber for good measure.

'This should do enough to trick somebody into thinking I have a gun and they won't mess with me,' Tails smiled proudly as he rushed over to join the rest of the Babylons as they finished loading their weapons and began to walk out of the little shelter.

…

The babbling laughter that escaped Big's lips was deafeningly loud and scary, each tonal shift and breath sending shivers down Sonic's spine. A large, darkening smirk crossed Big's face as he narrowed his eyes, staring menacingly at the frightened hedgehog. However, Sonic couldn't even react, or meet the gaze as he was in a mixture of relief and shock.

"T…Tails?" he managed to push the words through the lump in his throat, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Looks like the little fox tricked you. Clever little fox," Big hissed as he raised Jet's rifle at the hedgehog. "Too bad I'm not also using blanks. You just witnessed your loved one get shot so it would only be fair if he saw you die this time."

"No, please…" Tails begged from the ground.

"Eager to die too?" Big mocked. "Don't worry, shortly after I dispatch your sinning lover, I'll make sure to cleanse your soul of Iblis afterwards. May Cha-ugh…" Big tried to say his blessing, intent on pulling the trigger afterwards when suddenly his eyes bulged out of his head and he gasped.

Big dropped the rifle to the ground as he slowly looked down towards his stomach where the pointed edge of a stainless steel sword was protruding out of his gut. In one fell swoop, Wave grunted heavily as she pulled backwards on the sword, bringing it back through Big's body to leave the open hole through his stomach that her sword had created.

"You should have finished all of us off when you had the chance," she spat as she brought her boot up to his back and kicked him down. Big let out a sigh as he fell with a thud to the cold, ash covered ground below.

"I'm sorry… Chaos," he breathed as the life, along with a river of blood, left his body.

"W…Wave… thank you," Tails managed to squeak, still trying to process what had just transpired. She shook her head from side to side, her gaze cast downwards to the two lifeless bodies of her former companions.

"I did this for me, not you," she said emotionlessly. "If you know what's good for you, leave now."

"Wave, please-" Tails began but was cut off by the swallow.

"Look, consider this a favour for your hedgehog friend saving my life. I'm going to go get the rest of Aves to take down this forsaken community and I'd hate for you guys to get caught in the crossfire. Leave before I get back, now." As Wave finished she turned and began to walk away. Her crimson coated sword in one hand and her deceased friends rifle that she retrieved off the floor in the other.

"Wave, you don't have to do this," Sonic began, grabbing her arm. "Big is dead. We can find peace between our communities."

"Don't you get it?" She turned around angrily. "It's not just him! His family have been polluting the minds off your entire community, right down from probably young childhood I'd assume. More will rise to fill the vacuum that his death will leave. This horrible, barbaric behavior will never end until a change is made. I need to get vengeance for Jet and Storm and I need to complete the mission that we came here to do. Peace only comes through war. It's already too late to stop it," she remarked bitterly and she yanked her arm out of the hedgehog's grasp and continued to walk away, in her pursuit to end the hundred-year legacy of the Cat family.

"There is a better way," Tails urged her. Wave stopped and turned, making eye contact with Tails as she spoke softly to him.

"Tails, I'm so glad I met you. You showed me that true love still exists after I gave up on it. You showed me that it can be real no matter what our messed up world says. You have something beautiful here. Don't give him up. Escape, be together and be happy. You both deserve it. Farewell." With that, she turned and sprinted off down the road without looking back again, leaving Sonic, Tails, Blaze and Knuckles standing alone in the park.

The four of them stood there in silence. The rain continued to poor down on them from above with the only sounds being the thunderous roars of the heavens every now and then. Tails looked towards Sonic for guidance but he found it hard to look at the fox after the stunt he had pulled, despite Wave's words. Eventually, Blaze spoke up in an attempt to get them all talking again.

"Tails… why did you pretend to kill yourself?" she asked, more for Sonic than herself.

"We have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment," Tails stated. "The whole community is still out for our blood and when they see we killed Big they won't be much happier. Not only that, we have a time limit until Wave returns with an army. We need to leave… now."

"No." Sonic said suddenly. All three pairs of eyes turned to him as he turned to Tails. "How could you do that to me? I thought you were dead! Do you know how much that hurt? You almost got us all killed! I don't care what's happening. I'm not moving until you explain yourself!" Sonic stood his ground stubbornly.

"Sonic, don't you understand?" Tails asked hopefully, but his facial expression and anguish in his voice told Tails that Sonic was not ready to understand why and was stuck focusing on the what. Tails took a deep breath and explained himself as Blaze, Knuckles and especially Sonic listened intently.

"You were in a state of hysterics and were trying to kill me, at no fault of your own," Tails quickly added to avoid further arguments and confrontation. "That serum was controlling you and Big said that my death was the only thing that could stop it. You were suffering and I needed to save you. I already had blanks in my gun and I knew that if you saw me 'die' then it would trigger the necessary mental nervous processes in your body for the serum to become useless. I'm so sorry but it was the only way to save you," Tails ended in tears. He knew it was what he had to do but he couldn't help but feel horrible, and feel like it was his fault that Jet and Storm were now lying dead next to him.

"It's okay Tails. I forgive you," Blaze offered a warming smile.

"You were just doing what you had to do," Knuckles nodded his approval.

"Sonic?" Sonic didn't reply, or say anything. He was always a hedgehog of actions, believing that they always spoke louder than words ever could. He simply walked over and wrapped his hands around Tails, bringing the fox in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you," Sonic whispered, letting a stray tear fall on Tails' already soaked fur. "I promise to never hurt you again."

"I know Sonic, I know," Tails sniffed as the two hugged harder, fearing that they would lose each other again if they ever let go.

"Uh, guys," Knuckles suddenly piped up, alarm in his voice.

"Knuckles, let them have this moment," Blaze elbowed him.

"No, I don't want to break it up but look," he said with fear, pointing his hand out to the road. Blaze, Sonic and Tails all looked up to see what Knuckles was on about. However, when they saw what he was referring to, the colour all but drained from their exhausted faces. There, in front of them, was Shadow the hedgehog who stared daggers at him. Next to him was Amy and the rest of the community who were all on the street, walking into the park.

"Rats, they found us," Sonic cursed under his breath, stepping back from Tails as he searched the crowd of furious people, each brandishing their flames and what seemed to be makeshift weapons. He matched his gaze with that of his parents, although they were already dead to him, and scowled as Vector chomped angrily in his direction, brandishing a baseball bat that he had used to hit Sonic when he misbehaved.

Slowly, the four of them backed up as the angry crowd began to encircle them. Suddenly, they smacked into the wooden fence that lined the back of the park, pushing up against it as the angry mob closed in on them, forming a tight semi-circle.

"Look, they killed Big!" Tikal screeched, pointing her finger at the deceased body of their once loved savior.

"Looks like it's finally the end of the road for you all," Vector snapped angrily. Tails scanned the crowd, passing the faces of all of his friends and family that he once knew. Espio, Rouge, Alicia, his old and current teachers. Mighty, Fiona, Sticks, and the rest of his school friends and foes. He passed the angry glares of Amy, Silver, Tikal and Shadow who all seemed to be leading the pack and finally his azure eyes met those of Cream. The small rabbit instantly looked away, unable to meet his gaze. He felt his heart sink in his stomach as he realized that there truly was no going back. Blaze looked over at Silver who turned away, unable to look at the love of his life in the eye after realizing what she had done.

"End of the road," Shadow chuckled as he limped forward with Amy whose hand was encased in Shadow's. "I promise to make this quick, like you always like it to be faker," he smirked.

"You should have kept your big mouth shut and stayed my girlfriend when you had the chance," Amy hissed angrily, brandishing a machete in her left hand. She carefully handed it to Shadow. Shadow stepped forward before barking at the group.

"Who wants to die first?" Sonic saw Knuckles begin to step forward and instantly threw out his hand in front of the echidna.

"Shadow, this is between you and me. Let the others go and you can kill me. That's what this is all about for you, isn't it?" Shadow looked down at his leg. The cast had recently been removed but he still had some pain whenever he ran and would for a long while longer.

"Yes, it is," Shadow remarked, earning a relieved sight from the hedgehog. "But the others are still going to die anyway. Just not before you!" Shadow screeched, winding up his swing before plunging his machete forward.

"NO!"

It met its mark, sinking deep into flesh. Shadow pulled it out as the blood stained its edge. Slowly, the hedgehog fell to the floor, coughing up crimson blood as he struggled to breathe!

"Silver, no!" Blaze cried out, diving to the floor to hold her silver furred love.

"You idiot!" Shadow barked angrily at the silver hedgehog who had ran in front of Sonic and situated himself between the two hedgehogs, defending Sonic.

"Silver, please, don't die on me," Blaze cried, holding Silver in her arms.

"I'm… I'm so sorry," Silver managed to mutter through fits of raspy coughing.

"No, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about," Blaze sniffed, glancing upon the wounded hedgehog.

"I should have stayed with you. I… I should have trusted… you."

"Save your strength. We are going to get through this," she cried, holding him closer to her, paying no attention to the flowing blood that was staining her attire.

"Blaze… please… it's already too late… for me," he coughed again, slipping further and further away from the living realm.

"Silver, don't leave me. Don't die on me. I need you. I… I love you," she begged him, holding his hands in hers as her topaz eyes stared deeply into his own mirrored iris'.

"I-I-I… lov…" Silver began to say but ceased half way through his sentence as his hand grew limp and his head fell to the side.

"Silver? Silver? SILVER?" she shook his body frantically as grief struck ahold of her. Tails, Sonic and Knuckles looked on at her desperate struggles to bring him back to life with sadness. Sonic began to sniff as Tails took a knee next to her and pressed his fingers on Silver's eyelids, closing them.

"What are you doing?" she screeched. "Don't do that to him!" Tails just wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, stopping her from breaking out into a frantic rage as she pulled and pushed against his might, trying to escape before she grew weak and broke out into an uncontrollable sob into his shoulders.

Knuckles shook with rage, unable to contain his anger as all of the death and grief that had plagued the stormy night culminated inside of him. He wasn't going to let Silver's sacrifice be in vein. He wasn't going to let it end this way. He turned around, wound back his arm and smashed his thick, fat fists into the wooden wall. It cracked under his weight before the damp wood subsided from the force and broke apart, splintering into little tiny pieces to leave a small gap big enough for the four to run through.

Knuckles stood at the exit hole as he shouted out to them. "Come on, let's go!"

"No, I can't leave him!" Blaze cried out, throwing her hands down onto the lifeless corpse of Silver. Knuckles sighed in frustration as he shouted again.

"We have no time! Let's go!"

"Get them before they escape!" Amy howled as the crowd began to advance on the four individuals that were backed up against the fence.

"Blaze, we have no time. He wouldn't want you to die for him!" Tails urged, looking deep into Blaze's eyes. It was there that he found the understanding. Blaze quickly turned and pressed her lips on Silver's in a soft, gentle farewell kiss before Tails, along with the help of Knuckles, tore her away from the body and ushered her out through the opening.

Sonic glanced from the dead body to the hole and sighed angrily at himself, muttering how stupid his idea was before he quickly bent down and scooped up Silver's corpse. However, as he did so, Amy and Shadow both grabbed a hold of his arms. Amy held him in place as Shadow sliced down on Sonic's shoulder. The hedgehog tried to dodge out of the way but was unable due to Amy's grasp and the machete dug deep into his shoulder. He cried out in pain, wincing as Shadow pulled the weapon out and raised it high, aiming for Sonic's neck this time around.

"Say goodbye!" Shadow hissed as he brought the weapon down on Sonic's head. In the split second, Sonic fell down to the floor, surprising Amy who stumbled and fell herself. Now out of her grasp, he swiftly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade as it collided with the ground, sending a small cloud of ash to billow up into the atmosphere.

"Sonic, let's go now!" Knuckles yelled as he popped his head back through the hole in the wall.

"You're not get away boy!" Vector yelled as he grabbed at Silver's hand as Sonic hoisted the body back up. Sonic screamed at his father angrily.

"I'm not your boy anymore!" As he shouted, he sent a powerful kick into Vector's stomach, sending the crocodile tumbling backwards into Sally and sending them both to the floor. Sonic instantly turned around and sprinted out through the gap with Amy, Tikal, Shadow, Cream and the rest of the mob close on his tail as they filed through the opening.

"Where do we go?" he shouted as he quickly caught up to Tails and Blaze who were running ahead of them.

"My father is a fisherman," Blaze reasoned, sending Sonic a quick glance of thanks when she saw him carrying Silver's body. "I have the key to his boat so we can use that to sail out to sea and find somewhere else."

"Sounds good enough to me," Knuckles shrugged as the four of them picked up the pace, heading towards the pier. Once they arrived, Blaze dived into the boat and stuffed the key into the ignition, turning it as the engine roared to life. Tails and Knuckles hopped into the boat and ungracefully took the body from Sonic. The sapphire hedgehog stepped onto the boat and with his stronger foot, pushed as hard as he could against the wooden pier to send the boat off slightly. Blaze sent the boat off at a blazing speed as they took off into the wide ocean.

Sonic, finally using up the last of his energy reserves, collapsed in a heap into Tails' lap, clutching his shoulder with his hand to stop the freely flowing blood from his open wound. Knuckles picked up a blanket that had been lying on the floor of the boat and draped it around the Sonic and Tails to help shield the hedgehog from the rain to protect his wound.

Slowly, as the four of them traveled off into the deep blue and mysterious unknown of the lands beyond the continent of Mobius, they looked back at the rocky shoreline of their once peaceful home. Blaze, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails stared at the angry glances of Shadow, Amy, Cream, Tikal and the rest of their friends and family as they slowly grew smaller and smaller until they faded like dots on the horizon.

...

Sonic yawned as he rose from his slumber. He turned, pulling the blankets selfishly over himself more as he opened his eyes to look upon his surroundings. He smiled as he looked at the familiar, comfortable golden fur on the back of his favourite fox, sleeping soundly next to him in the sand. Sonic chuckled softly as he saw the fox shiver. He edged over and draped his arm over Tails, who instantly stopped shivering thanks to Sonic's warming embrace. The two laid together for a short while until Sonic eventually decided to get out of their little makeshift bed for the night.

The sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon, shining through the now clear sky and shimmering off the crystal waters. The dark, stormy clouds of the vicious night had long since passed and the soaked trees that lined the golden, sandy beaches eagerly lapped up the welcoming rays of sunshine.

Sonic stretched his arms upwards as he stood up and walked over to the shoreline, letting the small foamy waves lap around his ankles calmly. He turned around, scanning the beach of their little tropical island that they had been thrust upon by the merciless seas that previous night. He looked over at Blaze who remained fast asleep next to the makeshift little slab of stone that she refused to leave that night. Sonic walked over, letting his hands smooth over the rough textures that they had calved into the stone which they situated above the make-shift sandy hole that they had dug.

Here lies Silver. Friend to many and boyfriend of Blaze. His sacrifice will never be forgotten

Sonic stood up and turned, looking over to a nearby palm tree and saw the red echidna who was leaning against it, his soft, tired eyes watching the sleeping figure of Blaze. It was obvious to Sonic that he hadn't slept all night and opted to keep a watchful eye over the cat as she cried over Silver's grave before passing out from exhaustion. Sonic locked eyes with Knuckles who nodded towards him and offered a peaceful smile.

Sonic turned back and sat down next to Tails who had begun to rouse from his sleep. He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he looked at Sonic. Tails reached out his hand and rubbed the bandaged shoulder of Sonic, concern in his eyes. Instead of offering any response, Sonic simply pointed to the bandages around Tails' own shoulder that paralleled Sonic's wound. The two shared a brief laugh with each other before Tails yawned again, still quite fatigued from the long, hard, draining night that they had all just experienced.

Sonic crossed his legs and patted his lap. Tails crawled over and lay his head in Sonic's lap, closing his eyes while Sonic flung the blanket over the fox. Sonic began to run his hand over Tails' head as the fox began to fall back off to sleep again. A peaceful, relieved smile crossed Sonic's face as he looked off over the ocean, searching the endless blue waters that stretched out far beyond the horizon. Although they had been shipwrecked on an undiscovered, unexplored tropical island, they were at least finally at peace. Sonic closed his eyes as his hand rested against Tails cheek and bathed in the warming morning sunlight that marked the start of the new day, and the start of their new lives.

A/N: Well, there you have it. The story has finally come to a close. Thank you all so, so, so much for reading. It has meant so much to me to know that you all enjoyed the story and stuck around to the very end. If you have the time, could you all please take 5 minutes out of your day to leave a review to let me know what you thought about the story as a whole, what you liked and disliked, and if you liked it's ending. It would mean the world if each and every one of you just left a small review (even a couple words would make me smile :D)

I am planning to do, like I do with all of my stories, a little bonus chapter that will come out in a couple days with my authors notes. Just some inside thought from me, what inspired me, what changed throughout writing and some other things like that. Although I planned it all out, the ending was originally very, very different and I only decided to change it after finishing chapter 22, but more on that in the notes. Also if you have any questions that are still burning in your mind then please leave them in your reviews and I'll be sure to answer them there. Will there be a sequel to this story? Find out in the notes. Until then, thank you all for reading and please, if you liked the story, consider giving it a favourite. Thank you all and until next time, goodbye :)