Chapter 15: SA1 Epilogue

Darkness, that is all that Tangle could see.

"Where… am I?" Tangle asked herself. "Let's see… oh…"

Was she… dead?

That building did fall on her, and she did pass out afterwards… at least, she thought she did…

"Great… just great…" Tangle said. "Sorry Jewel… guess you're gonna have to be on your own from now on…"

"Tangle…"

"Huh?"

She looked up to see a bright light appear, and from it, Tikal emerged.

"Tikal?" Tangle asked.

"Tangle… what you did there… I have to admit, I am impressed." Tikal said.

"Oh uh… thanks." Tangle said.

"Also, you're not dead." Tikal said. "I just… wanted to speak with you a bit."

"Huh?"

"I just wanted to let you know, a piece of me will always be with you. Whenever you need my help or guidance, please, don't hesitate to ask." Tikal explained.

"Tikal… thank you… but how in the world does that work?"

"I… did tell you that a bit of my spirit merged with you… right?" Tikal asked.

Thinking for a bit, Tangle did remember that. "Oh yeah… I guess we'll talk again then!"

"Yes, we will…"

And everything began to glow in a bright light.


"Ugh…"

Tangle slowly opened her eyes, and when her vision cleared, she got a look around.

"A… Hospital?"

She then looked to her left, and the sight made her smile.

"Hey Sonic… did I worry you?"

"Holy…" Sonic said in disbelief. "H-Hold on! I'm gonna go get your doctor! Just try and stay awake, ok?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Sonic then went to the entrance to the hospital, where Tangle's doctor was at the time.

Coincidentally, the rest of the group had just walked in to visit their friend.

"Sonic? What's going on?" Amy asked.

Sonic turned to the group and smiled as the doctor walked away.

"She just woke up."

The group just stared at him in disbelief.

Cream was the first one to actually do something, as she suddenly broke out into a sprint towards Tangle's room.

When everyone arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Cream hugging the lemur for dear life.

"Did I make you worry kiddo?" Tangle asked.

"You scared us is what you did!" Amy said. "We thought we might of lost you!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, we're just glad that you're ok!" Amy said before joining in on the hug.

"R-right… uh… can I ask something?" Tangle asked.

"Sure, go ahead." Sonic said. 'Probably wants to know how long it's been…'

"Is that little girl alright?"

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that.

"Sonic?"

"Oh, nothing… yeah, she's fine. She got a couple of bruises, but otherwise she was perfectly safe." Sonic explained. "You were the one who really got beat up there."

"Ok… that's good." Tangle said. Then, she started to tear up a bit. "I… I was so scared under there…"

"I can imagine… your claustrophobia must of made that really terrifying for you." Amy said.

"It was… but…"

"But…?" Sonic asked.

"I… had to keep it together… make that girl feel safe." Tangle said with a smile.

Everyone smiled at that.

"Geez, you hero types…" Chuck said.

"So… what's the damage? To the city I mean?" Tangle asked.

"Well, all the water finally got drained away the other day, so cleanup and rebuilding is starting today." Sonic explained.

"Wow… in that short of a time?" Tangle asked. "I would think with all that water it would take a lot longer than that…"

"Uh…"

"I mean it's been, what… a day or two?"

"Uh… Tangle?" Sonic said. "It's been about two weeks now…"

"…What?"

"Yeah, honestly, we were expecting you to be out for a lot longer." Chuck said. "But, it looks like you pulled through in the end."

"… Ok… wow… that's a lot to take in… It felt like such a short amount of time…"

"Yeah, that's normal." The doctor said as he walked into the room. "Anyways, I hate to cut your reunion short, but I have to give her a checkup."

"Can you wait just a minute? I have something that I need to say." Sonic said.

"Oh, alright. Go ahead."

"Tangle… I think you know what I am about to say here." Sonic said.

"Yeah… that was really dumb of me, I know…" Tangle said. "But… I couldn't just do nothing! I-"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down and listen." Sonic said. "It's true, what you did there was incredibly reckless, and a lot of people would call it dumb… But do you realize what you did that day?"

"Huh?… uh…"

"Here, maybe this will jog your memory." Sonic said as he grabbed something at the foot of her bed.

A basket, filled with letters, flowers, you name it.

"These are from all of the people that were in that building… all the people who's lives you saved." Sonic said. "Here, I think this is one you need to look at."

Sonic then handed a piece of paper over.

Tangle opened it up, and tears began to well up in her eyes once more.

It was a drawing, from that little girl she saved, of the two of them.

"Tangle… what you did was really reckless… but it was the most heroic thing I have ever seen." Sonic said.

"I… I…"

"Tangle, you truly became an amazing hero, and you should be proud of that, cause I sure am!"

And that did it. The tears were now coming out in full force.

Sonic, the one she looked up to the most her life, just called her an amazing hero.

It was a dream come true.

"Gosh... I wish Jewel was here to see this…" Tangle said with a laugh.

And with that, everyone joined in, just enjoying a good laugh after all the stress that they were put through these past few weeks.


"Tangle's Log,

So, still in the hospital. It's been about… two days since I first woke up I think. Hard to tell when I've been kinda just laying here and sleeping a lot of the time.

Everyone is of course visiting me when they can, but Sonic and Tails are working hard to help clean up and rebuild since, you know, the city was pretty much wrecked. So those two haven't been able to come around as much, but they still come whenever they can.

As for when I am getting out of here, it looks like they are in talks about letting me out in a bit. The doctor said that I am healing a lot faster than they thought, so I should be good to leave soon. Of course, it's still gonna be another week until my ankle heals fully, but I'll be fine as long as I use crutches to get around… gosh that is gonna be annoying.

Good thing too… cause it's Cream's birthday today! I gotta be there for that kid's special day. Speaking of celebrations, Sonic said we are gonna celebrate my 'Hero Graduation' one day too… that guy can be so over the top sometimes… anyways, we agreed that we'll do it when we reunite with Jewel.

Now for some bad news. Chris' place got flooded pretty badly, so his family is gonna move out for about a couple of weeks until everything get's fixed. They plan on leaving tomorrow… and Cream and I are going with them.

Yeah, since Cream is only seven, she can't really live on her own, so she is pretty much staying with them, and since I have my ankle to worry about, they figured that I should stay with them so I have someone to help take care of me… I really hate the way they worded that… but they're right.

They were able to make due with what they had for now, so that Chris could come and visit, but now that I am getting out of here they are putting their plans into motion.

So, after the party today, we're gonna be getting ready to move out tomorrow.

Alright, the doctor just told me that I should be good to go, and that Tails is waiting to take me home, so I better get going!"

Tangle put the notebook into a backpack that her friends brought her and got up to get changed out of her hospital gown. When she was done, the doctor came back to help her learn how to use the crutches she would be using.

"You could use a wheelchair if you want." The doctor said.

"Nah, I'd feel way too lame like that." Tangle said. "I'll be fine, thanks though."

"Alright. You can walk on it by the way, but try to not push yourself too hard." The Doctor said. "You Mobians heal so much quicker than us humans…"

"Yeah, crazy huh?" Tangle said with a laugh.

"Anyways, your friend is waiting." The doctor said as he lead her out of the room.

Shortly after, they saw Tails waiting for them at the hospital's entrance.

"Hey! Good to see you up and about again!" Tails said.

"Good to be up again… I do NOT like being stuck in a bed." Tangle said.

"I can imagine." Tails said with a laugh. "Now come on, the others are waiting."

"Right."

The two then left, and began a walk through the city.

"Good thing the hospital was outside the city… This place really did get wrecked…" Tangle said.

"Yeah, but even if it was destroyed, we would of gotten you somewhere else." Tails said. "I don't think I ever saw Sonic go so fast when he carried you there."

"Sonic did that?" Tangle asked.

"Yeah. He may act cool all the time, but he really cares about his friends, and would do anything to help them." Tails said. "You know this!"

"Y-Yeah… I know."

Then, they heard something, the sound of someone crying.

"Huh?" Tangle said as she went over to the source of the noise.

"A kid? Did he get lost or something?" Tails asked.

"Looks like it…" Tangle said before getting down on her knees. "Hey kid, are you lost?"

The kid nodded.

"Any idea where his parents could be Tails?" Tangle asked.

"Well… Chris' school is being used as a shelter right now… maybe they went there."

"Right…" Tangle said as she got up and back onto her crutches before stretching her tail out to take the kid's hand. "Come on kid, let's go find your parents."

The kid looked at the tail for a moment before grabbing onto it. "Hehe… soft…"

"Yeah it is, I take good care of this thing!" Tangle said with a laugh.

The three of them began to walk to Chris' school, hoping the kid's parents, or someone who could help was there.

Eventually…

"Have you not found our son yet?" They heard a voice say from the other room.

The trio entered the room to see a couple of adults talking to a police officer, and the little boy quickly let go of Tangle's tail and ran over.

"Mommy!"

"Jim!" The lady said as she pulled the boy in and hugged him.

Tangle and Tails then walked over.

"Glad we found you guys!" Tangle said.

"Thank you two so much, Tangle, Tails." The man said.

"Hehe…" Tangle said.

She really was making a name for herself.

"Geez, still doing hero stuff while hurt are you? Gotta admit, I'm impressed!" They heard a familiar voice from behind them.

"Sonic!" Tangle said as the hedgehog walked over. "Yeah, we found this lost child and decided to help him before we went home."

"Good work." Sonic said. "Don't push yourself though, you still need time to recover."

"I'll be fine, don't you worry!" Tangle said. "I'll be back to one hundred percent before you know it!"

"Alright, if you say so." Sonic said.

"Hey! You guys!" Chris said as he walked over.

"Oh, hey Chris!" Tangle said.

"Uh… it looks like there's a reporter outside…" Chris said.

"Huh?"

They looked out a window to see that Scarlet Garcia was outside with her camera crew.

"What's that all about?" Tangle asked.

"Let's go ask…" Tails said.

When they got outside, Scarlet walked over.

"Hello, would you two mind if I asked you a couple of questions?" Scarlet asked.

"Huh? Us?" Tangle asked.

"Of course! Everyone already knows about Sonic's heroics during the catastrophe that Chaos caused, but not nearly as many people really know about what you two did." Scarlet explained. "I aim to change that."

"Wait… What DID you do Tails?" Tangle asked.

"Oh uh… I might of stopped a missile from blowing up downtown…" Tails explained.

"What?!" Tangle asked. "That's incredible! Great work!"

"Heh… thanks."

The two then bumped their tails.

"Anyways, I guess we can answer a couple of questions." Tails said.

"Great!"

After a while, and a few questions being answered, they got to the last one.

"So, last question. What inspires you two to do what you do?"

The two of them just looked at each other and laughed, before answering together.

"Sonic."

"Of course, why did I think any differently…" Scarlet said with a laugh.

"Back home, Sonic was always a big deal. Running around, being free, and saving lives is just what he does." Tangle started to explain. "I didn't have things easy, my friend Jewel and I were bullied pretty bad… but I always kept strong, cause I wanted to one day live like Sonic, and Sonic wouldn't give into the bullies."

Sonic, who was watching and listening to all of this, couldn't help but shed a tear at this.

"As for me… truth be told, I was kinda the same before I met Sonic." Tails said. "Bullied every day cause of my two tails and my love for technology… but then I met Sonic. He… he really changed my life… every day is an adventure with Sonic around… Not only is he my inspiration… but.."

"But…"

"He's like a brother to me… to be honest." Tails said with a bit of a red face.

Tangle smiled at this. "I think he would love to hear you say that."

"I agree." Scarlet said.

"Thanks… maybe I'll tell him one day…" Tails said.

Then, Tails felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey little bro, how you doing out here?" Sonic asked.

Tails whipped his head around to see the hedgehog in question smiling at him.

Wait… what did Sonic just call him?

Tails didn't say anything, and just hugged his brother like his life depended on it.

"Turn the camera off… we don't need to intrude on this moment." Scarlet said.

After a moment, they separated.

"Sorry… don't know what came over me." Tails said.

"It's cool." Sonic said.

"Dang dude, didn't know you had a soft side!" Tangle said.

"What can I say? The kid just draws it out of me!" Sonic said. "Oh, by the way, someone's been watching you."

"Huh?"

She looked to where Sonic was pointing to see a familiar face looking towards them from around a corner.

Smiling, Tangle put her crutches to the side, and hobbled over, trying to look strong.

"Hey kiddo! Glad to see that you're alright!" Tangle said with a smile.

"Um… are you alright?" The girl asked.

"Never better!" Tangle said with a grin.

"But… your foot…"

"Psh, it's fine. Yeah, a little sore, but I'll be all healed up in no time!" Tangle said. "Besides, I'd rather break my leg a hundred times if it meant people like you are safe."

The little girl didn't say anything, as she tackled her hero with a hug.

"Hey, you want to be the first one to sign the cast?"


"MS. TANGLE!" Cream shouted as she tackled the lemur into a hug.

"Heya kiddo!" Tangle said. "Happy birthday!"

"I'm so happy you could be here!" Cream said.

"Chao Chao!"

"Told you we had a surprise in store!" Amy said.

Tangle smiled at this. "I'm glad I can be here too."

"Come on! We have games to play… oh… but your foot…"

"Eh, I can stand on it for a bit, just gotta be careful." Tangle said. "Come on, let's get this party started!"

"Yay!"

"Chao!"

As the group went into the house, which was currently pretty empty with them taking furniture out after the flooding, Tangle couldn't help but smile.

She really did make some great friends.

So, with a signature and a sunflower drawing on her cast, Tangle strode into the house to celebrate Cream's special day.

End of Chapter 15


And this is the complete end of the SA1 arc!

First things first: Tikal is gonna be here to stay! While she not gonna be a SUPER major character, she will be present for the rest of the story, as her spirit is merged with Tangle. She'll do some important things throughout all the acts, but for now I'll let it be a surprise.

Next, some fans of my stories might think that the interview scene is a little familiar. In a certain chapter of "Reconnecting with the Team" there is a part where Sonic talks about an interview just like this. Just something that I felt like writing out… no, this story and that story are not in the same universe.

I thought I would give my thoughts on the actual game, as a little bonus for reaching the end of each game.

So, Sonic Adventure 1. I first played this game as a borrowed copy on the gamecube as a kid. It certainly has it's problems, like the Amy and Big stages being just… boring, however in terms of story this is one of, if not the most solid stories in a Sonic game! I really loved the idea of going to the past to learn about Tikal and Chaos so you have more context as to why Chaos is the way he is. The gameplay, outside of Amy and Big as I mentioned before, is a very solid experience. Sure, there is a LOT of jank involved, but I feel like that adds to the game's charm.

It's not perfect though. Getting 100% in the game is just… not fun. The Chao raising just wasn't implemented well enough yet, and the extra missions really weren't that enjoyable to me, being just repetitive and having no real challenge to it. Not to mention Mission Mode being… just a nuisance. Every time I try to get 100% in this game, I just kinda quit half way through…

You know, I wrote that part when I wrote the first draft of this chapter months ago… I have since gotten 100% in this game and uh… yeah, not the funnest experience.

Anyways, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the game! It's very solid and I recommend it to any Sonic fan.

Oh, and before you think that I am just gonna be "ZOMG IT'S SONIC SO IT IS ALWAYS GOOD!"…

Oh boy just wait until I get to Sonic Heroes… I have a whole LIST of things I don't like about that one!

That is a long ways away though, so let's not talk about… that… just yet.

… Oh, right… I plan on playing through all the games as I write them once I get through Sonic X… crud…

Welp, gonna go and regret my existence, see you all next time for Chapter 16, and the start of the SA2 arc!