Epilogue: The Final Frontier

Westopolis: Hours After The Terminal Paradox

It was just about noon when the cleanup crew arrived. GUN had returned to the broken city once the battle was over. Scouting parties were embarked to search for survivors, but the chances of finding anyone beyond the craters and rubble were slim. Commander Tower himself was present, as he had never seen destruction in a city as prevalent as this. The loss of life was immeasurable, and it was clear that the city would never recover from such a cataclysm. But hope was still there, as pockets of survivors hid beneath the surface in bunkers. Not all was lost, but Tower wondered where the heroes of the world had gone after the wake of all this devastation. "Sir, we found her." Tower followed one of the GUN soldiers near the center of the city, where all the skyscrapers and buildings were knocked into a pile of debris. Victims of Mephiles, Infinite, and the apostles spread across like headstones at a graveyard.

Within the rows of bodies, Tower found their missing agent. The bat's lifeless body quietly sat above a pool of dried blood. Tower crouched down, rubbing his hand against his eyes. He was close to puking at the sight of her. "How could we fail you?" Tower mumbled to himself. "I promised you a family but failed to deliver it in time."

"That's not what she thought." A dark voice echoed behind Tower. The human turned around and saw his remaining missing agents standing right in front of him. Shadow and Omega, walked beside Tower as they all stared in solemn. "You didn't need to deliver anything to her. If she wanted it, she would take it." Shadow blankly stated. "We were no exception."

Tower stood up from his huddled position and regained his serious demeanor. "We can debrief later. Right now, we have to do as much as we can to clean up this mess."

"I can help with that." Just then, Sage flickered into existence. Tower was spooked as he reached for his sidearm. "You don't have to fret. I'm here to assist in any way possible." A loud humming and whirring arose from the horizon, and as the sound came closer, a fleet of Eggman ships and robots burst through the expansive clouds. Tower and the rest of the GUN soldiers watched in awe and were on edge.

"So that's how it is," Tower growled. "You wait until we're at our weakest and then you attack? How low is Eggman willing to go?"

"This isn't an invasion." Sage returned.

"Why the hell should I believe you? You think I'll just let Eggman take over this operation on my watch?"

"Commander, it's alright." Omega stepped in as he put his metal claw between the AI and Tower.

"You're vouching for her? Has your circuit been compromised? She's an Eggman construct."

"Eggman is gone. He no longer has control over the vast forces of his drones. Sage follows her own directives. She gets to decide her new legacy, and if it's helping us out, then we can count on her." It was a tough pill to swallow, by Tower didn't have much choice. Judging by the lack of reaction from Shadow, everything seemed to be in good hands for now. Tower lowered his sidearm and ordered his men to stand down as Sage's forces landed.

"To be clear, I'm only going through with this because Omega trusts you, for whatever reason that may be," Tower spoke directly to Sage. "But we'll be watching closely, and if I find any influence of Eggman's coding present within you, I'm sure you understand what happens next."

"I do." Sage guided her hand across the air, ordering her drones to scavenge through the fallen city. They cleared heaps of rubble and searched for more survivors. Omega joined the effort as well, leaving Shadow and Tower alone with their fallen comrade. Shadow hadn't taken his eyes off her since he arrived. He had time to process the absence of her for a while, but seeing her here again was something he still couldn't fathom.

Tower, feeling the grief befalling Shadow, placed his hand on his shoulder as a way to comfort him, which snapped the hedgehog out of his sunken trance. They both had to move forward now, as Shadow scooped Rouge's body in his arms and carried her away. She deserved to be somewhere peaceful, not these war-ridden grounds where thousands of souls were taken. Once the rest of the world learns what happened to Westopolis, it will never be the same again, as a huge landmark for civilization was wiped from existence over the course of those wretched days.

Days later

As news broke out, it felt as though everything was at a standstill. The shock and despair would churn the hearts of those outside the violence. There were those who had loved ones inside the city while they were away on vacation, meetings, and getaways, who had nothing to come back to. All the more trouble was that the icon and hero of the world, Sonic, was nowhere to be found. Those who were in the void when Solaris touched the equation tried their best to explain what happened, but people found it hard to believe that Sonic would just abandon them for godhood.

It did feel like abandonment, as Sonic made no contact with anyone on the planet since. It was like he never existed. Everyone wondered what would happen next without their hero traveling the world. Who would fill the vacuum that protected them from the darkness the same way he did? There were contenders, but it was hard to live up to the feats that seemed impossible to meet.

Knuckles was back to guarding the Master Emerald and was deemed unreliable to call upon in the case of smaller emergencies. Now that Sonic was absent, there may be many more looming threats ready to strike against Angel Island and take the limitless power of the emerald.

Silver stuck around in the present the past few days. He was a prominent figure in restoring the lives of the survivors of Westopolis. Out of everyone, he seemed the most determined to fill the shoes Sonic left behind. He was powerful, kind-hearted, and had the foresight of the future within the palm of his hands. But for now, he needed to keep focus on those who were the most desperate.

Shadow and Omega stayed with GUN but didn't offer much help in terms of tending to survivors. They were constantly ordered around to investigate pools of dark energy that were left behind by the nightmares and close them for good. If one fragment of Solaris escaped, then who knows what horrors lay ahead. The job was enough motivation for Shadow, as he still held himself accountable for all the pain that everyone suffered. He felt as though he was losing his edge, and that all that his life amounted for now was to atone for what he had brought upon to others. This was his mess he failed to stop. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

Sage reactivated many deserted Eggman bases and began production on a new line of robots. These were less suited for combat and more for the rehabilitation of the planet. Using leftover tech from the Starfall Islands, Sage's robots were more advanced than anything Eggman had ever created. She just wished that her father was alive to see what she had accomplished. She was also a prime acquaintance with GUN, as she provided plans, calculations, and new tech to share. It kept Tower's worries at bay, but he always was weary if the compassion Sage held was artificial or not.

Cemetery

A polished stone was erected at the peak of a grassy hill. Many names were carved across, piling onto the numerous rows of those who gave their lives during the battle. GUN soldiers, agents, medics, pilots, etc. All of them were memorialized along this barren ridge. Some pictures were also taped on the stone, showing more of the prominent figures that were responsible for saving many lives. A chopper pilot, who gave her life transporting civilians before heading back to distract Infinite from them. A tank driver who held back a horde of beasts which gave time for the rest of his platoon to evacuate. And finally, the agent who sacrificed herself in order to buy everyone a little more time. Rouge's picture was put in the center of the stone. Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles were all present for this massive funeral. Knuckles was the most distraught out of all of them, as he wasn't informed of Rouge's death until after they got back from the void. He barely held it together as his tears disappeared into the rain.

Shadow, on the other hand, was deprived of emotion, remaining apathetic as Tower led the final salute to honor these fallen warriors. Glances shot his way as murmurs arose. Some commented how insensitive Shadow was by not grieving for his closest friend. It's not that he didn't grieve, it's just that it all was balled inside his crumbling heart. He didn't know how much more pain it could take before caving in.

Later

Shadow was all alone as he stood along the edge of a plateau, staring down at the raging ocean. The wall of the cliff was around a thousand feet, and rocky spikes protruded from the surface of the rippling grey water. Will this be enough? He thought to himself as he analyzed the height between him and the water. Am I able to take this? Shadow inched his right foot over the edge, pushing off a few pebbles that splashed violently against the ocean. No… this won't do. As Shadow pulled his foot back, he heard someone approach from behind.

"Please don't tell me what I think you're doing." Silver spoke with high concern as he kept his distance from Shadow. "How could you even consider that?"

Shadow gave a side glance with those same emotionless eyes. "It wouldn't have done anything. It won't be enough." Shadow's voice was tender. "I'm strong enough to take it. That's how it always is. Nothing more."

"There's no way you mean that. Without you, we wouldn't have won."

"Are you sure?" Shadow made Silver think long about that question. While it was true that Silver wasn't aware of everything pertaining to Shadow's involvement in the conflict, the white hedgehog knew that there had to have been something Shadow wasn't giving himself credit for.

"Shadow, your mistakes, whatever they may be, were not in your control. Mine, however, led to more death than you realize. I held back when I shouldn't have. I let Infinite get away unharmed as he tore apart more lives. It was because of my inaction that Rouge died." Shadow understood what Silver was trying to say, but still didn't feel any better about it.

"Even so, it's better if the world forgot about me. Everyone who comes close, anyone who thinks they can be around me, ends up gone forever. I don't deserve their kindness."

"Out of everyone I ever knew across countless futures. After learning everything that you had to go through. How can you say that about yourself? Don't you think that for once in your life, you should receive an ounce of happiness?"

Shadow looked away from Silver. "I did." He said. "I let them be a part of my life. Rouge, Maria, they gave me all of their love. I…I wanted to be happy with them, but I knew that my life would outlast theirs, so even when they laid out everything on me, I still pushed them away." Shadow clenched his fist, which began to shake. "So why is it…" Shadow's voice trembled as emotion flooded for the first time in days. Silver looked closer at Shadow and saw droplets of water fall from his face. "Why is it that I can still feel them? Still feel their love? Why does it seem like they won't move on?" Shadow's face was a well of salty tears. His head was lowered as the ends of the trails of water dripped into the grass.

Silver patted Shadow on the back as a way to share the pain he was feeling. "If you're feeling all of that, then you're wrong about one thing. You didn't push them away. You were the best person you could've been to them, and that's why it still hurts." Silver was able to settle Shadow down as his salivated eyes ceased their flooding. "You haven't lost everyone. We're still here for you." Shadow takes a step away from the edge and retreats back into the field with Silver. On the contrary to what Shadow believed before, there still was something to fight for, after all.

Angel Island

After the funeral, Knuckles returned back to Angel Island as he observed the night sky. It was a perfect night, as stars littered across. It was the most vibrant night Knuckles had seen in years. He rested on top of the Master Emerald, almost exactly how Rouge used to. He was going to miss her and her antics when it came down to stealing this emerald, despite how worked up he would be about it. He wondered if her soul was up in the sky, dancing with the stars, watching over him with those cunning eyes he would never forget.

He dreamed that he would find them again, somehow, someway. His mind drifted into slumber as his eyes closed. He let himself become in tandem with the frogs chirping and the crickets singing, as he became closer to nature these passing days. Peaceful, if not a little too isolated. He intended to visit the others from time to time, but it was hard to motivate himself. Without his two best friends around to drag him into trouble, he found it hard to maintain discipline sometimes.

"Psst." A hushed voice rang through Knuckles' ears. The echidna elected to ignore it, as he chalked it up to his mind already beginning to dream. "Psssst!" It grew louder as Knuckles started to notice that he was still awake, but he figured it must've been some frog or bug passing by. "For the love of– will you wake up?" Suddenly, a thick wooden stick bonked against Knuckles' noggin. The echidna jolted forward as he rubbed his head. As he opened his eyes, he was met by a blinding white light, and as his eyes adjusted, he stared in awe. "Finally, you're up. When did you become such a sleepy head, Knux?" There he was, floating right in front of him. Sonic had returned, still in his Starweaver form.

"Sonic!?" Knuckled shouted as he scrambled to the ground. "What are you doing here? Didn't Dial say that beings that can't exist in our timeline unravel it when they enter? Aren't you putting our world at risk?"

"For someone like Dial, that would be the case. But I always existed here, so there are no paradoxes that manifest because of me…I think." Knuckles face palmed as Sonic stood on the ground with both feet. "How are things going here?"

"You don't know? I thought you became a god. Shouldn't you know everything?"

"Well, I've had my hands full the past couple of days. If I'm being honest, I might be out of my league here." Knuckles tilted his head, concerned that Sonic might've screwed something important up.

"Explain." Knuckles said.

"Let me just show you." Sonic dramatically lifted his hand and snapped his finger, followed by a long pause of nothing eventful happening. "Whoops, let me try again." Sonic continuously snapped his fingers until the point of frustration. "C'mon, this was never that difficult." Eventually, Sonic's snap manifested a wooden door into reality. "Let's go, first try." Sonic opened the door, which led to the sanctuary that orbited the equation. "You coming?" Sonic awaited Knuckles' response.

Knuckles sighed as he stepped forward. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Edge of the Universe: Hidden Sanctuary

"What exactly is the problem?" Knuckles said as Sonic led him down a garden's path. "The universe seems to be stable, so I assume that the equation is doing fine."

"Oh, yeah. The important stuff keeping everything together is all loosely there."

"Loosely? What's that supposed to mean?" Knuckles said out of unease. As they continued, they reached the equation. The stream of it was there, and it had the bright color it had before, but something was definitely off about it. It looked like the channels were jumbled together like it was rushed.

"See the problem is…" Sonic first looked forward at the equation and paused before snapping his head back at Knuckles with a dreary expression. "I have NO idea what I am doing!" Knuckles expected as much as he expressed his disappointment. "Dial's power is helping me understand a little, but I can't make heads or tails what half of these variables mean."

"So why did you bring me here instead of figuring it out on your own, 'cause I would have no clue where to begin with this."

Sonic calmed down as he took a deep breath. He started taking the matter of the conversation more seriously. "I need your advice. Tails told me that you've become a great mentor when you two trained together. How do I go about this?"

"That's a lot to take in at once." Knuckles did have an idea, but he needed to ask Sonic something first. "What about Tails? Can't he help out a little? Where is he?"

Elsewhere, within one of the sanctuary's hidden chambers, a lush meadow with bountiful wildlife flourished. These chambers simulated different environments at the will of the user, and right now, that user bathed in the golden sun above. Tails used this space as a getaway. It pulled his mind away from the awful form he was subjected to. His darkened crystals reflected the sunlight, forming rays of sunshine through the air. Tails sat on a picnic cloth above the grass as he appreciated the life around him. However, Tails wanted to be more than an observer, as he looked to the ground in front of him and saw a violet flower. As his fingertips tapped the stem of the flower, it instantly started to decay. The withering effect spread down to the grass and killed all of the green within a ten-foot radius.

Tails recoiled in shock as he stood up and backed away from the blackened ground, unknowingly stepping off the cloth and onto the field, where the decay thrived through the endless string of life. In mere moments, everything within the chamber had withered away, leaving Tails depressed as he failed to control the dark energy building up inside him.

Just then, the door to the chamber opened up. Sonic and Knuckles were about to walk in, but Tails halted them in place as he raised his palm. "Don't come closer!" He yelled as the hedgehog and echidna stayed put.

"Tails…" Knuckles tried to think of what to say. "How have you been?"

Tails looked more gloomy than ever, as his head lowered. "I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking." Tails looked into his hands and despised them. He was becoming the nightmare that tormented everyone, and he was losing himself to these powers. There seemed to be no fix to his condition, and it was worsening every day. It was like Mephiles had implanted evil within him as a last-ditch effort to survive in some twisted way. "I don't know how much longer I can hold myself together. I don't want to lose myself."

"Tails, you know I won't let that happen to you. I will find a way to bring you back." Sonic tried to reassure him.

"Can you? Look at me, I'm a monster! You shouldn't even be near me. I could lose control."

There was a brief silence until Knuckles nudged Sonic to say something. They talked about what to do before entering the chamber, and Knuckles wanted Sonic to propose their idea to Tails. "Could you come with us, just for a moment?" Tails looked at Sonic, hesitant to go. "I want you to be a part of this. I think out of everyone, you would be into what I have to offer."

Back at the equation, Sonic managed to convince Tails to come as all three of them stood before the river of life. "I remember you saying that you understood a little bit about the equation. Compared to me, you're the expert here. I need your help to maintain this, or I might find a way to screw everything up."

"It's still better in your hands than in mine. I would just corrupt it. And you…you're even more gifted than you were before. You've inherited everything that Dial had. I'm nothing compared to you now." Tails said.

"We don't need to compare each other. Being gifted is only a fraction of the work that goes into everything. You may be right, that I'm gifted in some way, but I still don't know half of the things I'm doing here. I can't always put in the hard work in fields I'm not acquainted with. But you, you're about as gifted as I am and you don't even know it." Sonic tapped Tails on the forehead. "It's all here. It always has been. You made that clear when you were in the void, you made that clear when you showed those deer brothers just how crafty you really are. You make up for what I lack, and for that reason, I need you."

Tails widened his eyes, as Sonic's words deeply touched the fox. "Ok," Tails responded. "I'll help."

Knuckles smiled in the background as he was satisfied with how this was concluding. Perhaps the universe was in good hands after all. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

Sonic shook his head as he snapped his fingers and manifested a wooden door on the first attempt. "I'll say hi to everyone else soon enough. But for now, enjoy your time down there."

"Will do." Knuckles saluted as he opened the door and returned to his world.

With Sonic and Tails all by themselves, they could work together for once on the equation. Sonic had the power to shift the variables, and Tails could guide him to where they were meant to be. Suddenly, the universe seemed a little brighter than before. Light and darkness came together in the form of those two to create the balance of life. The equation was in good company, as its restrictive parameters instilled by Dial and Solaris might be replaced with the freedom that comes with a perfect life. It wasn't going to be easy, but Sonic and Tails had total faith in one another, as there was no greater bond between them. At the edge of the universe, unification was finally achieved.

The End

And that concludes the final chapter of The Terminal Paradox. While not as long as my previous story, it still had quite the journey. I am very curious as to what everyone else thought, as all feedback is appreciated and I take it into account when I go forward with the story or any new story. Speaking of which, I'm still brainstorming what it is that I'll write next. I'll probably take a break for a bit, but I have a few ideas, including a sequel story for my first fanfic: The Windup Voyage. Or something new regarding a universe where the game characters, IDW characters, underground characters, and SATAM characters are integrated. If there are any suggestions, please let me know. Again, this was a fun journey to go on with all of you who stuck around, and again, please give any sort of criticism if you feel like it. Whatever comes next, I hope you enjoy!