Light

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story.

Character(s): Sonic

A few birds had perched on the thin tree branch with him, their cheerful chirps ringing out across the land, echoing as their high-pitched jingles bounced off the trees. The joyous calls woke the others from out of their homes, the various woodland creatures taking the morning cue as a sign to start their day. It sent the squirrels scurrying among the treetops, birds shooting off through the forest low to the floor as they meticulously searched for food for their offspring, and frogs flocking through the marshy undergrowth lining temporary ponds formed by the recent influx of rain.

The sun hadn't even risen yet.

It would be soon, though, as Sonic already knew; he had spent countless days here, had woken up early countless days just to be here. This was among the best places to witness the sunrise; here, nature engulfed him in all its glory, a scene so peaceful and picturesque that Sonic wonders why people don't take the time to enjoy it. We spend so little time on this planet; might as well make the most of it by seeing everything this world had to offer.

Restlessly bouncing on his perch, his eyes impatiently raised to the infinite darkness above him. Only a few stars dotted it, the remaining ones beginning to fade away, as if they were preparing the sky to make its transition from this blinding obscurity. It was the kind of sightlessness that left Sonic to stumble around as his eyes strained to see anything beyond two feet in front of him. At this point, one couldn't even begin to point out his still form, seated among the highest branches of the tallest trees; only his gleaming eyes could be spotted, the emerald irises full of excitement as he waited for dawn to streak the sky with its welcoming rays.

They said it's always darkest before dawn.

Soon, after this enveloping darkness dissipated and gave way to a light deep enough to warm the coolest of hearts, a genial hospitality would welcome the new day in, as the sun perked up, raising above its oceanic confines. Its rays bounced up from beneath the water, the light threatening to escape the sea's clutches as it greeted the world above it. Then, as the day neared its end, it would readily return back to this resting place as it yielded its rule back to the sky's other head: the moon. At once, it would take its temporary perch among the sky, watching over the world with a serene grace not too unlike the sun's tender generosity.

And this cycle would continue; just as easily as day follows night, night follows day. For months upon moths, and years upon years. And, with a start as the sky promptly lit up, overflowing with the morning sunshine that fought its way through the branches as its light pooled over every inch of the forest, Sonic realized something. Something he hadn't given much thought to, not as much as he should have, at least.

Another year was over. Three-hundred sixty-five days gone, just like that.

As he recalled the previous year, thinking back to all that occurred as the divides between the days and nights blurred in his mind, Sonic smiled warmly. At all that he and his friends had seen, done, and accomplished; he wasn't one to dwell on the past, but he had to admit that this last year was – no doubt – amazing. There were so many things he had learned and experienced, incidents he would gladly relive. However, even though this self-recollection was a fun trip down memory lane, he still wasn't one to dwell on the past.

Another year was over, but a new one waiting right around the corner.

Even if he has learned and experienced so much in this previous year, there was still so much more to learn and experience in this next one, and Sonic refused to just sit around and lazily watch as time passed him by. He never was a watcher; he was a do-er. So – as soon as the sun made its official entrance into the sky, and brought the new day along with it – that's what he'd do.

Life always does – and always will – move on; regardless of what we say, do, and think, it will never wait up. Just as the world will always turn, the clock will always tick. And unless one has the power of time travel, it will never stop ticking. The snow will soon melt, the buds of spring soon to follow. From there, they will bloom in summer, only to wither in autumn and be buried in winter. We can't stop this cycle in the small amount of time we have on this planet. The best we can do is make the most of what we have, and how one spends their time rests on only one decision.

Either you watch life as it passes you by, or you participate in the chase.

Smokestep: In retrospect, I suppose it's a good thing that this went up after Christmas, even if this series should've been finished before then. The timing fits this prompt more, I would say, then it would if I had published this yesterday. Also, I know Light isn't exactly a "Christmas" theme; however, it was the most fitting theme for this prompt I could think of. Anyhow, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanza, etc. Whatever you celebrate, hopefully it was fun.

So, since this is the last chapter, I want to thank everyone for joining me, and sticking with me through all this. I hope that you enjoyed this story and found it to not be a waste of time. Anyhow, I hope this isn't too much to ask, but I would really appreciate it if you all could give me your overall opinions of this entire story as a whole. I would also like if you could tell me what your favorite and least favorite chapters were, and give me the reasons why. You don't have to, but it would mean a lot to me if you did. Thanks in advance!

Anyhow, glad to have you all here along for the ride (as well as any others who will read this in the future)! Thanks for all the favorites, alerts, and kind reviews. For those who will join me in future stories, I have absolutely no clue when my next one will come out. I'm hoping soon, but who knows? Anyhow, I'm glad to have you here for my future endeavors. As for those who won't join me, hope you had fun while this lasted. Thanks to everyone, though, for reading through this story. See you all later!

Response To Reviews:

First, I just want to thank everyone that reviewed! I especially am grateful to those that continually supported me throughout this entire project; you all know who you are! Anyhow, here it goes; I want to thank Christian Ape99, ShinyShiny9, The Dragon Legend, Twin-books, Katiemonz, EnderMagic979, Chelan, ABCSonicKirbyWarriors, Ethempat, and Karts of Sugar Rush. Thank you all for making this project a lot more enjoyable to write, and sharing your thoughts on my writing with me! I really, really appreciate it.

ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: No problem; I understand. After all, it is the holiday , you're welcome.

Christian Ape99: Was it sweet enough for you?

Karts of Sugar Rush: Well, imagine the games if everyone did have biological parents; it seems that it would change the overall atmosphere of the games, and would completely counteract Tails' backstory. Besides, a part of the franchise's charm comes from the mystery of not knowing that much about the characters' past – barring Tails and (especially) Shadow.

Twin-books: Thank you so much. But I have to warn you about my other stories. They are . . . well, most of were written like two years ago. So they're not nearly as good as this one. If you decide to read them anyway, I hope you're not severely disappointed.