Finale: Homebound
Sonic floated down and landed on the hull of the ship, eyes locked on his little brother.
The little brother who was still kissing the girl he loved.
"… Geez get a room you two!" Sonic said smugly.
The two in question turned red, and turned to Sonic.
"Wow, really? Don't you realize how long I wanted to do that?" Tails asked.
Sonic burst out laughing at that.
"Yeah! Fair! Sorry bud!" Sonic said with a wave. "I'll let you get back to it then!"
Tails smiled, before turning back to Cosmo, and they began kissing again.
"… Wow… they actually started again…" He said to himself.
"Let em have their fun, they deserve this." Amy said, patting Sonic on the back.
Sonic nodded.
"Yeah… Did I hear Cosmo talking before?" He asked.
"Yeah, she has her memories back." Amy explained.
Sonic had a sigh of relief at that.
"That's good… that's really… really good…"
Amy then began hugging him.
"I'm happy… for all of you…"
Sonic smiled sadly at that.
He knew exactly why she was saying that.
Five Years Earlier
Amy walked through the forest, trying to clear her head.
It was clear that Cosmo's death had taken a toll on everyone, Tails especially.
Everyone was dealing with it their own ways, and she did so by taking a walk through the forest every morning.
Today though she saw something… or rather, someone.
Sonic was standing there, looking at a tree.
Then, he punched it… then again… then again.
"Dang it… Dang it!… DANG IT!"
Then, he fell to his knees.
"All you had to do was NOT goof off! Take the fight seriously! You had to go super to fight him! Why'd you play around so much you IDIOT?!"
Amy just watched this in shock… she had never seen Sonic look so down on himself before… In fact, she'd never seen him down on himself EVER before!
Regardless though, once the shock wore off, she ran over and started hugging him.
"Wha… Amy?"
"It's not your fault Sonic… please… don't blame yourself…" Amy said.
Sonic looked down.
"He hates me…"
"No he doesn't." Amy said. "He's heartbroken and frustrated… but he doesn't hate or blame you."
Sonic then started shaking.
"He expected me to save her… needed me to save her, but I failed him… I failed both of them…"
Amy then began rubbing his back.
"Shhh… it's ok… you did everything you could." She said. "Everything's going to be alright… I promise."
Sonic just kneeled there in silence, as Amy continued to rub circles on his back, trying to get her hero to calm down.
Sonic smiled, and turned to Amy.
"Thanks Amy… we couldn't have done this without you." He said, before reaching out and patting her on the back.
Amy giggled to herself, her tail wagging.
The two then looked back at the couple… who were still kissing, now with Tangle pretending to time it behind them.
"This has GOT to be a record!" She shouted.
At that moment, Tails and Cosmo finally separated.
"Sorry… just making up for lost time." Tails said. "I'd say we are… nearly half of a percent there?"
Cosmo giggled at that.
"Yeah, sounds about right." She said. "But… we can work on that over time."
Tails nodded, and turned to the bridge, and saw Sage talking with Metal Sonic.
"Brother, it's time to return to normal." Sage said.
Metal Sonic nodded, and turned to Shadow.
"… You're the worst uncle ever." He said.
Shadow just huffed at that.
"And you're the worst nephew ever."
Metal Sonic turned back to Sage, and after glowing green again, he was back to normal.
"Alright Sage… let's take the princess home." Tails said.
"Roger that!" Sage said, proceeding to turn the Typhoon around and fly it towards Terrasta.
When the Typhoon landed, the group could already hear the cheers.
Apparently, the fact that they came back at all was a good enough sign to show that they were victorious!
Tails and Cosmo looked over the side of the ship, and saw the large crowd that had formed.
"Wow… they really seem to be happy." Tails said.
Cosmo laughed about that.
"You just saved the whole galaxy from an intergalactic warlord… yeah, that's a good reason to celebrate!" She said.
Tails then took her hand.
"WE saved the galaxy." He said with a smile.
Then, without warning, he lifted her up bridal style, and began flying down to the ground.
However, she noticed him wincing in pain.
"You alright?"
"Y-yeah… right arm just hurts a lot." He said.
Cosmo looked at the arm, and gasped.
"Oh my gosh! We need to get that looked at!"
This was the first time she noticed just how rough shape it was in.
"Y-yeah… we will." Tails said as they landed.
When they looked around though, everyone just stared at them in shock.
It was then that they realized two things… that Cosmo was in public without her mask, and that they had just heard her talking for the first time.
"… Uh… Hello everyone…"
After a moment of silence, everyone began cheering again.
"LAVI!"
Suddenly, they saw Volcania pushing her way through the crowd.
She then ran straight up to Cosmo.
"You are in SO MUCH TROUBLE young lady!" She shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
Cosmo then looked down sadly.
"I'm sorry mother… I just wanted to help…"
Volcania gasped at that.
"Lavi… you're talking! Like, really talking!"
Cosmo nodded.
"Yeah… a lot happened in space and… I remembered everything." She explained.
Volcania then pulled Cosmo in for a hug.
"I am so happy for you sweetie…" She said, to which Cosmo returned the embrace.
"So does this mean I'm not in trouble?" Cosmo asked, voice filled with hope.
Volcania laughed at that.
"Oh no, you are still in trouble… just a bit less." Volcania said.
The two then separated, and she looked to Tails.
"Tails… thank you so much for helping my daughter and keeping her safe." Volcania said.
Tails just scratched the back of his head bashfully.
"Oh it's no problem… to be honest, she was a huge help up there." Tails said. "We might not have won if it wasn't for her."
Volcania didn't seem convinced… in fact, she thought this was just the guy who liked her daughter trying to reduce the girl's punishment.
So, she looked behind Tails to see Sonic, who just nodded.
"… I see… Fine… I guess I could let it slide this one time…" Volcania said. "Under the condition that you go straight to the infirmary and get that arm looked at!"
Tails just put his hands up defensively.
"Alright! I'm going!" He said. "Uh… lead the way?"
"In a moment." Cosmo said. "Mother… my mask…"
Volcania realized what Cosmo was saying immediately, and looked around and saw all the onlookers.
"… Eh, that tradition was dumb anyways… maybe we should just rid of it." Volcania said with a smile.
Cosmo smiled back and nodded, before taking Tails' good hand.
"Come on mister!" She said, before dragging Tails through the crowd.
"Y-yes ma'am." Tails said feebly.
The group just watched this happen, and Sonic suddenly started laughing hysterically.
"The amount of times I tried to get that kid to look out for his health, and Cosmo has him doing it in an instant!" He laughed out.
Volcania just watched this with an… apprehensive look on her face.
Then… at that moment… she made a choice.
"Dude! Check out this spread!" Tangle said, holding a massive tray filled with fancy food. "This party is SICK!"
Amy couldn't help but laugh at this, and took a sip of her water.
They should have expected this, but shortly after they had returned, Volcania announced that they would be having a feast to celebrate their victory.
Now, at that feast, they were all at a VIP table, just enjoying the food.
Tails, now bandaged up around his snout and right arm, due to his burns and a fractured nose, was just watching Cosmo, as she actively conversed with the Terrastians attending the party.
She seemed so much more lively now that she could talk without the need of the pendant, not to mention the fact that she didn't have to wear that mask anymore.
He couldn't help but smile watching her, but his heart ached when he saw the bandages on her hands.
Turns out, she had been hiding the fact that helping him hold the cannon steady had burnt her hands too, though not nearly as badly as his arm.
Still though, the joy of seeing her so happy overwrote that pain.
"You gonna eat anything Sage?" Tangle asked the AI.
"… I do not have the capability of consuming food Tangle…" Sage said flatly. "Did you forget I am just a hologram?"
Tangle facepalmed at that.
"Shoot! Sorry! Forgot!" She said. "You just act so… not like an AI that I forget sometimes."
"… I'll take that as a compliment."
Tails laughed at the interaction.
While he was getting patched up and the party was finishing getting set up, Sage had run a diagnosis on the Typhoon, and determined that it'll need a day of repairs before it would be fit for intergalactic travel.
One day… that's all they had left on this planet.
Tails sighed… this adventure was soon going to come to a close.
"Your attention please!" Volcania suddenly called out. "Please take your seats!"
Everyone complied, and everyone was soon seated, watching Volcania in anticipation.
"As you all know, we are gathered here today to celebrate the defeat of the intergalactic warlord Red X, who had threatened our kingdom and my daughter, the Princess Lavender.
We are also gathered here today to honor those who had traveled the cosmos to come to our aid. Would those heroes please step forward?"
The group looked to each other, before standing up, and walking over and standing before her.
"On behalf of my kingdom… I would like to thank all of you for your service here today." Volcania said. "For your acts of bravery, I would like to pronounce you all official citizens of our fair kingdom. You may come and go as you please, and shall be treated as one of us from this day forward."
Everyone began to clap.
"… However… there is one among you that I believe deserves special honor." Volcania suddenly said. "One of you has truly gone above and beyond. Not only in service of my kingdom, but to my daughter as well… Tails, could you please step forward?"
Tails looked surprised, but Sonic pushed him from his back, causing him to step forward.
"Tails… you were the one who saved my daughter's life during that initial attack. Not only that, you provided a means for her to communicate more easily, agreed to act as her personal guard, and most of all, brought back her memories and her voice."
She then turned back to Cosmo.
"To me… there is no greater gift that you could give to our kingdom. So… I wish to bestow upon you the highest honor… one that hasn't been given to anyone in hundreds of years... however, I will not be the one to bestow this honor."
At that moment, Cosmo stepped forward.
"Tails… please kneel." She said.
Tails complied.
Volcania then handed Cosmo a sword.
"Tails… In service of our kingdom… It is my honor to bestow upon you the highest honor our kingdom knows of: knighting you and inducting you into the Royal Guard… to which you shall be the only member."
She then tapped the side of the sword onto both of his shoulders, and everyone cheered.
"Please stand." Cosmo said.
Tails complied, Cosmo handed the sword back to her mother, and took a step forward.
"And now… I give you this."
And she began to kiss him.
Everyone began whooping and hollering at that.
When they separated, they just smiled at each other.
"You… didn't have to do all that…" Tails said.
"I wanted to… and uh… you're kinda wrong…" Cosmo responded. "See… there's this pesky law that the founder of the kingdom made that uh… makes our relationship… complicated…"
Tails tilted his head.
"Really? Why?"
"Members of the Royal Family could only date and marry those who fight in service of our country… meaning, either in the military, or the Royal Guard." Volcania said. "And since it takes years of training to join the military… well…"
Tails' eyes went wide.
"So basically…"
"I just gave you permission to date my daughter basically, yes." Volcania answered.
Tails' smiled at that.
"Thank you so much Your Majesty." Tails said with a bow.
"No Tails… thank you." Volcania responded. "Now… why don't the two of you go and sit down with your friends and enjoy the party?"
Tails and Cosmo nodded, before linking hands, and rushing back to the others.
When they got to the table and sat down, Sonic pat Tails on the back.
"Nice work bro." He said.
"I just did what I had to." Tails said, before tightening his grip on Cosmo's hand. "For Cosmo."
Sonic smiled, before getting a serious look on his face.
"Ok… I know this is supposed to be a celebration and all… but we have something important to talk about." He said.
"… Yeah, I know." Tails said, before turning to the others. "Everyone… when it is time to go home… I won't be joining you."
Everyone's eyes went wide at that.
"What?! Tails…" Cosmo asked.
"Cosmo… you are a princess here now… you have a life here now and a big responsibility… I can't possibly ask you to leave that all behind because I want you to come with us." Tails explained. "But… I also want to stay with you more than anything… so I'm staying here… with you."
Cosmo began tearing up at that.
"Tails…"
Sonic sighed, before patting Tails on the back.
"You're sure about this?" He asked.
"Absolutely." Tails responded.
Sonic then took a deep breath.
"Then I won't stop you." He said.
"Whoa… Sonic…" Tangle said sadly.
"You spent five years thinking Cosmo was dead… now she's back, and you have a chance to live a happy life with her." Sonic said. "Knowing all that, there's no way I could bring myself to stop you… even if this means going our separate ways."
Tails began tearing up at this.
"Sonic… thank you…" Tails said before hugging him. "For everything."
Sonic hugged back.
"Don't think I won't be coming to visit though!" He said.
Tails laughed sadly.
"I'd be upset if you didn't."
Cosmo watched this, and felt a pit form in her stomach.
It was true, she did have a lot of responsibility now… but she didn't want to take Tails from his home just as much as he didn't want to take her from her new home.
But… what could she do…?
Volcania watched this from a distance, silently.
The Next Day
Tails was hard at work, trying his hardest to fix the Typhoon so his friends could go home.
Cosmo was still asleep, which he expected after the long day and party she was a part of the day prior.
He was used to working on less sleep, so he was fine.
"Ok… that takes care of the hull, now for the damage done to the bridge…" Tails said to himself, before grabbing his tool kit and getting ready to go inside.
"Hello Tails."
Turning around, he saw…
"Oh! Uh… hi there!"
"… I have a favor I need to ask of you."
His visitor then spoke words that he was absolutely shocked to hear.
"What?! But… I thought…"
"Please… do it for her."
Tails contemplated their words for a moment.
"… Are you sure?"
"It's what'll make her happiest… I just know it."
"… Alright, I'll do it."
"Thank you."
The Next Day, Departure Time
Sonic and Tails were hugging it out, saying their goodbyes.
"You better take care of yourself… you hear me?" Sonic said. "No late nights, no super early mornings like you did yesterday… just… take care of yourself."
"I will, I promise!" Tails said with a smile.
Sonic wasn't convinced, and turned to look at Cosmo.
"Make sure he does."
Cosmo giggled at that.
"Oh, I will." She said. "Sonic… thank you… for everything. Between what happened five years ago, and here."
"No Cosmo… thank you." Sonic said with a bow.
"… Tell the others I said hello, and that I'll come to visit soon." She requested.
Sonic gave her a thumbs up.
"It's a promise!"
Amy then ran over and hugged Cosmo.
"I'll miss you Cosmo! When you come to visit we are gonna have SO MANY SLEEPOVERS! And Cream will be able to join us too!" She said.
"I'm looking forward to it." Cosmo said as she hugged back.
She then looked to Tangle.
"Tangle… tell that Whisper girl… I have a feeling it'll work out." She said.
"… Yeah… after what I saw here this week… I think you're probably right." Tangle said with a smile. "I mean, if I can let myself get captured to infiltrate the enemy ship and free half a billion Planet Eggs, I am pretty sure I can tell my crush that I like her."
Cosmo smiled, before turning to Shadow.
"I forgive you."
It was simple, but it got the point across, and Shadow nodded.
She then took a step back, to stand next to Tails.
"Aww, no nice words for me?" Rouge said. "And I thought we were friends!"
Cosmo rolled her eyes.
"Maybe if you stop being a thief." Cosmo said with a smile.
"Hmmm… Nope! Sorry!" Rouge said before turning around. "… Take care of yourselves."
And with that, she went towards the Typhoon.
Sage then floated over to Tails.
"… I guess our D&D Session is canceled…" She said sadly.
"Nah, just postponed." Tails said with a sad smile.
Sage smiled.
"I'll… try and convince father to take vacations whenever you come to visit." Sage said. "No promises though."
"I don't expect him to do that, but thanks." Tails said.
He then turned to Metal Sonic, who just nodded before turning away.
It wasn't much, but it was more than Tails expected.
Everyone began walking away, waving to Tails and Cosmo… and only Sonic remained.
"… You did say you wanted to go it alone for a while… guess this is it." Sonic said. "But… you won't be alone. Don't ever forget that."
Tails nodded.
"I won't."
Sonic nodded, and held up his fist.
The two fist bumped… and Sonic turned and began to walk away.
"… Tails…" Cosmo said sadly, but Tails didn't respond.
The Typhoon then stirred to life, and began hovering off the ground.
Suddenly, something was placed next to Cosmo…
A backpack.
Cosmo turned around and saw her mother standing there.
"… Mother?"
"Lavender… I think you two have a flight to catch." Volcania said.
Cosmo's eyes went wide, as she turned to Tails, who just smiled at her.
"What…? But… I thought…"
"I talked with Tails yesterday… and I want you to go with your friends." Volcania explained. "Lavi… no… Cosmo. You have been such an important part of my life after my fiancé died. You were the light of my world and my reason to live… but like every mother, I need to one day come to terms with the fact that you'll leave me one day.
You and Tails have such a beautiful bond… it was truly wonderful to be able to watch you two fall in love again. It even gave me hope that I may find love again one day… in fact…"
At that moment, Magnus walked over, and grabbed her hand.
Cosmo looked between the two of them and smiled.
"I had a feeling." She said
Volcania smiled.
"Cosmo… you will always be my daughter, and the Princess of this kingdom… but please, don't stay because of those facts." Volcania said. "Please… spread your wings and soar."
Cosmo began tearing up.
"You… you're sure…" She said.
"Absolutely."
Cosmo then tackled her mother in for a hug.
"Thank you… and I'll always be your daughter… I will always be Lavender."
Volcania hugged back, and a moment later, they separated.
"You better hurry, or else you'll be left behind." Volcania said.
Cosmo nodded, before taking the backpack and putting it on.
"Shall we?" Tails asked.
Cosmo nodded, and Tails lifted her up.
He then began spinning his namesakes, and took flight, speeding towards the Typhoon as it began turning around.
A few moments later, he entered through the hanger.
"Well… let's go give them a surprise." Tails said.
Cosmo nodded, before turning around.
She saw her mother, Magnus, and all of the citizens of Terrasta, all waving goodbye to her.
"Goodbye everyone." She said with a wave.
And with that, the two began walking.
"Sonic… are you going to be alright?" Amy asked.
Sonic then sat down.
"Yeah… It'll be rough for a bit, but I'll be fine." He said. "Besides… I'll see him again."
Amy nodded.
"If you say so." She said.
"Is everyone ready?" Sage asked.
At that moment, Tangle used her tail to brace herself.
"Ready!" She said with a thumbs up.
Everyone else just nodded.
"Ok then…" Sage started.
"Let's go home!"
Everyone turned to the source of the voice, and were shocked to see Tails standing there with Cosmo.
"TAILS?! COSMO?!"
"Surprise!" Tails said with a smile. "We're coming with you after all!"
Sonic smiled widely at this, and rushed over to hug him.
"Had a feeling… but man did you scare me there for a bit!" He said with a laugh. "When you said what you did to Sage, I actually believed you!"
Tails couldn't help but laugh… He had a feeling Sonic had caught onto what he and Volcania had planned.
Everyone else began crowding around the two, sharing hugs and the like.
A moment later, Tails then stepped forward.
"Now… let's go home." Tails repeated.
"Right! Hang on tight!" Sage said.
On the ground, Volcania watched as the Typhoon disappeared from view.
"So long… my dear Lavender."
The End
And with that, the adventure comes to an end… yeah, you could probably tell right away that I was doing a fakeout with Tails staying behind LOL.
There will be an epilogue… I am probably going to put that up tonight.
I hope you all enjoyed this story. If you did, perhaps give my other ongoing story Tangle's log a read! I am quite proud of what I've gotten done with that one so far, and am REALLY looking forward to some stuff that I have planned for the future :)
Oh yeah! Guess I could talk about this: That scene with Sonic in the forest. That is actually a scene I had written for Tangle's Log! Without spoiling why though, I ended up not using it at all, and thought it'd be fitting to put it here to show just how much Sonic was tearing himself apart for Cosmo's death, and to show that he himself has reason to be over the moon with her now complete return!
Anyways, see you in the epilogue!