Sonic the Hedgehog

An Adventure's End

Frozen in starstruck astonishment, Knuckles stands at the entrance of the ancient, grey-stoned altar, taking in the sight before him. One he had taken for granted at a quarter of his current age. The moving, bright stars of the pitch-black sky flow seamlessly, close enough to where the echidna feels he could almost grasp them.

Behind him is another sight he'd only dream of one day seeing again since early childhood. All seven of the alters' pillars carry their respective emeralds. The ancient gems' intrinsic glow brightens the stone formation with pure light.

Sat on the stairs leading up to it is Tails, sharing his friend's awestruck glare at the world of outer space. If he had to estimate, the very island he sits on must be around ninety-eight thousand meters in the sky. Even with the ability to fly on a whim, the incredibly high altitude makes the fox ever so slightly nervous.

"So what're you calling it?" Knuckles asks.

Tails tears his eyes from the beautiful sky to face his echidna friend who motions over to the red bi-plane sat parked at the edge of the altar.

"The Tornado three?"

Tails laughs.

"No, that's just something I threw together after answering all the Commander's questions. Sonic left me to do that part on my own."

It's Knuckles' turn to laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds like Sonic, alright," he says, finishing the last of his chuckle. "Let us take comfort in knowing both of our homes were saved today."

"True dat," Tails agrees. "What will you do now?"

"Is it not obvious? I will continue guarding the sacred energy of chaos. Under my watchful eye, my home will live forever. What of you, fox?"

"Me? Well, I plan on going back to Station Square and helping with relief efforts. There's a lot of work to be done there, and I think they'll need someone of my expertise."

"I see," Knuckles nods. "You're a more formidable warrior than you appear to be, Tails. May we both keep our homes safe for the foreseeable future."

Tails smiles and balls his right fist.

"Right on!" he finishes.

***

"There you are!"

If not for the hurried footsteps, snapping of twigs, and rustling of leaves, Sonic might have been startled by the loud voice. Standing on the edge of the island's cliffside, he turns around. Panting heavily in front of the thick treeline, Amy eyes the blue hedgehog in front of her with slight frustration.

"Why'd you run off?" she asks.

To answer her question, Sonic steps aside and holds a hand up to the drifting stars in the black sky which glitters with hundreds of more fluorescent spheres.

"Doesn't the view look much better from here?" Sonic explains.

Amy's neglect to answer is proof enough that she's in agreement. Her wide eyes stare up at the unreal sky with unspoken admiration.

"So pretty..." she says breathlessly. "Is there anywhere on Mobius THIS beautiful?"

"Nah, nothing down there beats this," Sonic answers, joining Amy by her side. "Trust me, I've seen it all."

That last comment snaps the pink hedgehog out of her trance. Every shot not taken is one missed. She turns to her hero, trying to quickly formulate the best wording for her following sentence before the subject changes.

"H-hey, Sonic?"

"Hmm?"

The blue hedgehog momentarily halts his stargazing and looks at Amy.

"I... um, I want every day to be like this," she says. "Obviously I could do without evil tyrants, reality-warping artifacts, and multi-colored... yous. But there's so much I want to do- so much I want to see! Do you think you could take me with you on your adventures?"

"You sure that's something you wa-?"

"Yes!" Amy nods. "More than anything!"

"Hold on there, Amy, are you saying you don't want ANY stability?"

"Stability?" Amy echoes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, someone like me doesn't have a home. No work, no goals, no aspirations, I just go where the wind takes me. Do you think that's the type of person you are?"

"Well... no," Amy admits. "I just... I love being around you, Sonic. I love the adventure. I love the thrill. I love you-"

Her heart drops.

"As a person!" she adds, frantically shaking her hands. "Yes, as a great, awesome person! I don't know, I guess... I'm just not ready to say goodbye to all of this yet."

"Who says you need to?" Sonic proposes.

Amy's ears perk up. Right when the red on her cheeks begins to fade, they deepen once Sonic places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll ALWAYS be around, Amy," he says. "Wherever you go next, I'll be sure to visit. But for now... why not go on your own adventures? There is nothing in this world that can stop you. So long as there's somewhere to go, there are endless memories to be had."

"Should've known you'd say something like that," Amy smiles.

At this point, the speedy hedgehog should've seen it coming, but he's surprised once Amy wraps him into a tight hug.

"I'll be waiting for you, Sonic," she says.

Initial shock over, Sonic returns the hug. Above, the neverending stars continue their trajectory across the sky, not showing any sign of slowing down.

...

The End.