This is it, everyone. The last chapter in possibly one of my most favored stories ever. I never expected the response I've gotten, but I'm so very grateful for it. It's been a short journey, but very meaningful nonetheless. Thank you all for your empowering support; I'll never forget the kind reviews I've received. I wish you all luck in your future readings and writings, and hope we meet again. If you have any questions, suggestions, or requests, feel free to PM me. Thank you again and adieu!

Stage Five: Acceptance

After drying the last of the dishes, Rouge wiped her hands on a towel before turning to gaze firmly over the counter at the black hedgehog in the next room. He picked up his mug without red eyes leaving the newspaper in front of him once, taking a long drink of coffee before setting back down on the coaster. Rouge tapped her high-heeled foot irritably.

"Don't ever make me the bearer of bad news like that again, please," she growled. "It's bad for my image."

"He needed someone that was a little further removed from the picture to make it seem like I had actually left." Eye ridges moved slightly, "Sorry that you happen to fill that role. Maybe I can buy you something to make up for it?"

"Would you, Shaddy?" Rouge rushed around the counter to lean on the couch arm, her sarcastic nickname slipping out, "I have been thinking of this necklace I saw at one of the better shops in town..."

"Yeah, well don't get your hopes up. Something small or nothing."

"Party pooper." The bat pouted. Shadow smirked darkly. After a few minutes, Rouge perked up again, "So how is he doing? Are you sure it's all right to leave him alone now?" Shadow folded the newspaper and leaned back in his seat, gazing out the apartment window.

"He made it through the worst of it... Amy told me he seemed to be waking up by the time she left the first day. She stopped by again a few days later and he was washing dishes." Shadow snapped the paper open once more and resumed his reading, "He'll be fine. He's a strong kid."

"Oooh," Rouge teased, prodding the hedgehog's shoulder, "is that a little brotherly love I see?"

Shadow leaned away, "Don't count on it."

The stuffy, summer air was made perfect by a cool ocean breeze. The cries of seagulls traveled on the wind and the sun shimmered on the water like liquid metal. A lone marker sat at the top of a grassy, green hill that overlooked the sea. On either side it sloped away into sprawling meadows that melted down to the sandy beach. Behind lay a thick forest, populated with old trees of all shapes and sizes. The birds in the forest sang their individual notes, peppering the early morning with chirps and whistles. A kitsune with two tails stood a respectful distance from the marker, fiddling with a handful of flowers.

Tails adjusted his clean gloves before leaning down to place his small bouquet of mixed zinnias on the headstone base. The paper crinkled after it left his hand, as if it was being accepted by some ethereal being. The fragrance of hot sand hung in the air. Tails crouched down, resting his head on his arm as he studied the rough, gray stone with a faraway expression.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Hero of Mobius

Best friend. Big brother.

"Hey... long time no see," Tails' soft voice cracked slightly at the use of Sonic's favorite greeting. A small smile graced his lips, "I'm sorry I didn't visit for so long. Things were... rough... for a while." The grass blades that ran along the bottom of the stone trembled slightly. Tails waved his hands in defense, "No, no... I didn't do anything dangerous... I was just really..." his eyes grew wet, "I was really upset. I didn't want to believe I'd never see you again, and then I was really angry. It felt like a betrayal, almost. 'How on Mobius could you have just left me'; it was like that. Luckily..." One of Tails' hands closed tighter around a well-worn, folded piece of paper, "Luckily it seems you thought ahead for once... I haven't been alone in this. Everyone's been a really big help—especially Shadow."

The grass fluttered in the breeze again excitedly.

"I still miss you, Sonic..." Tails pronounced the name firmly, "but I won't let it get to me so bad. You'd want me to live, right? Blaze said something like that. Don't worry: I'm better... I feel like I could handle anything." The fox stood and brushed dirt from his legs. He angled his face towards the blue sky; the sun warmed his goldenrod fur. After a few deep breaths, red sneakers turned and began to walk away. Tails stopped to glance over his shoulder.

"I'll try to visit sooner next time."

"Today is the one year anniversary since we lost someone dear to each and every one of us: Sonic the Hedgehog. These have been long, hard, empty months, but we made it." Amy smiled warmly at the small gathering in front of her. She held her glass in front of her, "The grieving process can easily be summed up in five stages. Many of you already know of what I'm speaking... I think, with the humble success of this memorial, we can all say we've made it to the final stage: acceptance. It can only get better from here." She thrust the glass into the air, "TO SONIC!"

"To Sonic!" The crowd chorused, before drinking deeply.

Tails swirled the remnants of his drink in his glass, contemplating the memory of Sonic and his own journey of recovery. Cream appeared beside him, wearing a chocolate-brown dress comprised of mostly tulle, cinched at the waist with an orange, silk sash. Cheese fluttered behind her, wearing a black tie instead of his usual red one. Cream held up a dish laden with small, dark cookies. Tails accepted one, chewing the morsel thoughtfully. His lip trembled and his face pulled into a gentle smile.

"These taste like hot chocolate..."

"Shadow told me in secret," Cream explained. "He said it was a special thing for you and Mr. Sonic. I wanted to... to show my appreciation for everything Mr. Sonic did while taking care of you." The teenage rabbit set the dish down on a long table filled with countless other treats. A large plate of chili dogs sat on a rack above the rest, one marked with a little blue flag in honor of Sonic. Rock candy in the shape of Chaos Emeralds, donuts frosted to look like power rings, mugs of hot chocolate and other foodstuffs all nestled together on porcelain trays. Cream and Tails stood by in a comfortable silence. After a while, Vanilla called Cream away to help with clearing some dishes. Cream gave Tails a small hug and skipped away.

"I trust you haven't attempted to let yourself die, since last we met?"

Tails started and looked around. Blaze smiled pleasantly as she walked up to him, Silver following close behind.

"Oh," Tails murmured, embarrassed, "No, I took pretty good care of myself."

"Did you, now?" Her gold eyes bore into him.

He crumbled under her unwavering gaze, "Well, I had a lot of help, to be honest." The regal feline nodded in understanding. Silver stalked forward, elbowing Tails jauntily.

"You did good, Tails. I know it couldn't have been easy, but you made it. We're all very proud of you."

"T-thanks..." Tails muttered, his cheeks reddening at the idea of everyone wishing him luck behind his back. Silver mussed the mechanic's hair as a big brother would, displaying pearly teeth in a large grin.

"Any time you start to get lonely, Blaze and I will welcome you with open arms. Stop by the Sol Dimension soon, okay? Bring that little airplane of yours."

"Will do..." Tails watched the duo walk away, chatting about memories and island life. Suddenly, he was pulled into a hearty embrace by strong hands. Familiar red dreadlocks hung across his vision.

"Sorry I couldn't be there for you, bud," Knuckles' deep voice rumbled up from his chest. "I had my responsibilities on Angel Island... and... well..." The echidna trailed off awkwardly. Tails disentangled himself and stood back a bit. He waved a hand in forgiveness.

"No problem, Knuckles... I understand."

"So, how you hangin' in there? Done any inventing, lately?"

"I didn't for a while," Tails admitted, "but I've been working on something that I think will come in handy in the near future."

"That's good," Knuckles gestured at Tails' cranium with a smirk, "Keep your muscles working, am I right? See ya later, Tails." He gave a hearty pat on Tails' back and walked away. Before the fox could make any sort of reply, Amy had filled Knuckles' place. Her usual boisterous personality had returned in late summer. She still withered a bit whenever Sonic's name was mentioned but, during her every day life, she was full of life and kind words for everyone she met.

"Tails! I'm so glad to see you out and about!" She wrapped him in a tight hug, "We were all so worried about you, even though not everyone could make a trip out to your house to tell you..."

"I know Amy... I'm happy to be here, too."

"Well, just let me know if you need anything. Make yourself at home!" She flounced away, her garnet-colored dress bouncing with every movement. Tails retreated to a corner to gather his composure, suddenly overwhelmed by so many people at once. He downed the last of his drink and swayed back and forth to the quiet music that filled the room. Familiar faces mingled around him, creating a pleasant, homey atmosphere. The fox was just starting to relax when a rough voice appeared at his ear.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Shadow lifted a tumbler to his tan lips, downing amber liquid with expertise. He turned to make eye contact with the younger Mobian. "Well? How does it feel to be back on your feet?"

"Better," Tails matched somber pace with the dark hedgehog easily. "I can't thank everyone enough for helping me get through this. I don't think I could have done it without your help." Tails' gaze fell to the floor from his confession. He twiddled with his gloves awkwardly. Shadow shrugged.

"I didn't do much... just what I was asked. We're all just mortals in a mortal world..." He paused to smirk at his tumbler, "Well, almost all of us."

"Don't start giving me snark," Tails bumped shoulders with the GUN agent, "Isn't that what you told me, like, every time you came over? Geez, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought you were my mom." Tails grinned. Shadow looked at him fiercely, his heavy brows knitting together.

"Hey, hey now... Don't start!"

"Sure thing... Mom."

The pair chuckled quietly. Their laughter faded into friendly quiet, held together by a bond of experience. Tails' mind wandered to thoughts of the future. Would he maybe be a little more like Shadow, now that he had dealt with a similar situation? Or would he return to the innocent personality that he possessed for so many years before? And what would he do either way? Go back to inventing? Or would he fall into place as the new Hero of Mobius?

Suddenly, one of the French doors at the side of the room ricocheted off the wall with a bang, garnering startled looks and curious ears. Rouge the Bat stalked in, wearing her usual bodysuit, a cell phone clutched in one slender hand. Her eyes were wide.

"Robotnik's on the loose in the downtown area!" She shouted. "He's been filling the place with robots for the last three hours and GUN just called." Her blue eyes rested on Tails. "They said they need immediate response... They need someone to fill Sonic's shoes."

A steady stream of gazes fell on Tails, who cowered into the corner. Shadow placed an encouraging hand on the mechanic's shoulder.

"Heard you tell Knuckles you'd been working on something?" He rasped.

Tails nodded vaguely.

"Well," Shadow smirked once more, "feel like you're up for a test drive?"

At the back of his mind, Tails felt a warm presence. A loud voice seemed to be cheering him on.

Go for it, Tails! I'm counting on you.

The kitsune set his glass down on a table before slipping out of his fancy jacket. He looked around the room, appraising each pair of eyes staring into Shadow's with a new determination.

"I'm ready."

Sonic the Hedgehog, late Hero of Mobius and inexperienced spirit, lounged on the fluffy autumn clouds. The sunset spread across the sky in hues of blood orange, candy floss, and pale purple. He bounced the foot that rested over one knee and stretched his arms, entwining them behind his head. The last warm breeze of the season ruffled his translucent quills and he sighed comfortably.

He had been watching his younger brother for a year, hoping that one day Tails might return to the happy kid he had been before. Truth be told, Sonic was a little jealous that Shadow got to stick with the fox while he grew into the hero he'd become, but what was a spirit to do?

In the distance, the city lights created a haze across the skyline. Sirens drifted by on the wind. Sonic eyed it warily before noticing a familiar pair of tails waving back and forth far below. He watched as Miles "Tails" Prower climbed into the new mecha he had been working on and kicked it into gear. The machine whirred as it flashed away, heading for the ruckus Robotnik had stirred up. Somehow, Sonic knew that Tails would figure things out just fine.

"Good job, little buddy," he murmured into a fist. "I'm proud of you."

The last rays of the setting sun melted below the horizon, and all traces of the spirit of Sonic the Hedgehog faded into the heavens.