Chapter 25 Goodbye

So, my night of fun was already over.

I really wanted to stay, truly I do, but my door to getting home was so close to being shut.

I quickly rushed around the garden, giving out hugs and goodbyes. It made me emotional to each person I said goodbye to, I wasn't ready for this.

As soon me, Dylan, and Kyle changed back into our old clothing again, Sonic went over to me and lifted me up into his arms. He went into a sprint position, and was ready to charge out into the open road and into the zones that awaited us.

"Why can't I run beside you? I'm pretty sure I can keep up." I told the blue blur. But he just shook his head.

"You won't, 'cause I'm going to use my true speed. I'm the fastest living thing, remember?" Sonic said sarcastically, yet, sadly at the same time.

I'm sorry Sonic…

"Dylan, do you think that you can keep up with me?" Sonic asked my best friend, while he walked over beside us. He gave Sonic a serious stare.

"Trust me Sonic, I will." Dylan told him.

Sonic said a loud 'Ok!' and went into the sprint position again. Behind us, I heard Tails explaining to my bother about the situation that we are in. But something surprised me of what Kyle said afterward.

"Portal? Going back home? But I was having so much fun here! I don't want to leave yet!"

Yet it surprised me, it still gave me a smile during a time like this.

When we all had gotten settled: Sonic, Dylan, Kyle, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles and I were ready to head back to the place where our adventure and yet the game once took place. Everybody from the party grouped up behind us, and said their goodbyes once more. And not for long, Sonic started the countdown and then he ran right out from the party, the roads, the city, and out back into the open plains, while friends followed.

It was about twenty minutes later till we've reached Green Hill Zone. Sonic then stopped and stood by the corkscrew, to wait for the others to catch up. He let me down.

When I looked up at him again, he was same while the whole travel here. I don't know what to say to him now. I don't want him to feel any more worse than he already is.

"Have you thought about it?" Sonic asked me, breaking out the silence between us. I looked at him normally for a sec, but it just lowered.

"Sonic...I can't stay here…" I started out saying. "I've been causing pain to my family from each day that I'm gone…I have a home and a life out there…and I don't want to leave it…"

After I spoke, Sonic placed two of his gloved hands on my shoulder, making me look into his peridot eyes.

"But you're happy here, are you?" He asked me, his face even more sad than before.

"Yes…" I said, turning emotional once again. "I love it here Sonic, why wouldn't I? This place is fun, beautiful, amazing…there are too many words to describe how incredible this world is." I smiled as a tear went down my face.

It almost looked like that Sonic was about to say something else, but it just turned out to be a hug.

"I'm sorry Sonic." I said as more tears went down my face, and onto his arm.

"But I understand." Sonic told me. "I would do the exact thing if I was in your shoes."

After he released me, we saw everybody catching up by entering Green Hill Zone. Sonic then again scooped me up in his arms, and begun to dodge and go through every obstacle in his way from the rest of the zone. Next, he went up the big hill that we once went down together at the beginning of the adventure. Then it was through the woods.

As we walked past a few trees, we saw a little white light twinkling ahead, and we continued to walk till we finally got a good look at it.

Eggman was right, the portal was disappearing. The portal now looked no bigger then half the size of my body. It was decreasing when each minute flew by.

When the rest of the team catched up, and gotten to us, they all gasped in shock of what was left from the portal.

"It looks like it's shrinking in size when each minute passes." Tails said as he examined it. I was right.

Dylan and I both exchanged the same sad glance, and I knew that he felt the same way that I'm feeling.

"I don't want to leave…" Dylan said softly. "But…all what we'll be doing is leaving our family and friends behind."

"Yeah." I answered him as tears begun to form in my eyes again. I tried my best to hold them back. "I will really miss it here…"

It was then we gave all our hugs and goodbyes, but it had hurt me more this time than the last, because I've shared a lot good memories with all of them. They were my teammates, my partners, my friends…

I kept struggling with the tears, knowing that I will never see them again. But in a way, I kind of felt like that I will see them again. But what am I thinking? Hope never helps me. It'll never happen.

After I hugged, thanked, and said my goodbyes to Knuckles and Tails, I went over to Shadow next. But before I had the chance to say anything, he instantly grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. It was so tight, that I was having trouble breathing.

"Thank you so much for helping me during those events in the past. You are one of the most intriguing, yet, kindest people I've met." Shadow told me in his mysterious deep voice. I will miss hearing it.

When he released me, he grabbed my shoulders and made me pay attention to him. Just like of what Sonic had done earlier. Now I was staring into deep ruby eyes.

"Please stay." He convinced me sorrowfully. A tear just fell from one of my eyes, I almost couldn't tell because my emotions were taking a beating at me.

It took me a moment to calm down. Then I looked at Shadow sadly, yet serious, before I spoke.

"I can't." I told him. "I have a life back in my world, and I don't want to betray it."

It was similar of what I told Sonic, back in Green Hill Zone. I saw Shadow close his eyes in disappointment, and gently shoved me away.

"Shadow?" I said his name in confusion while I slowly walked back to him. But he rashly told me to stay.

He made a grunt. "Keep your distance. If you come any closer, then there will be no possible way for me to let you go."

He then turned away, and begun to travel back to Green Hill Zone. But just before he turned, I saw a tear fell from one of his eyes.

Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog…I'm sorry…

I watched the black hedgehog walk away, till he was no longer seen anymore. Then I walked back close to the portal, where Sonic was still standing in the same spot. As I got to him, he slowly reached something from behind him, and revealed a bright glowing gold ring.

"Sonic? What is—"

"Back when I was a kid, I used these power rings to give me an extra boost while I was fighting against Eggman. This is my last one." Sonic interrupted me and explained. He then reached for my right hand by my side, grabbed it, opened it, and then placed the glowing ring in my hand.

"I want you to keep this, so that you'll remember this world, and the adventure that we went through together." He closed my hand.

Tears were now starting to downpour. "But Sonic, you said this is your last one. I don't—"

"No." Sonic said, interrupting me again, now with his eyes filling with sadness. "It'll be safer with you."

Before my eyes will cloud up from the tears, I ran at and hugged Sonic for the last time. We hugged each other tight while both of us we're crying through it. I'll miss him as much he'll probably miss me. As our hug lasted long enough, I let him go and told him goodbye, as he had done the same.

The light soon engulfed us as Dylan, Kyle, and I slowly stepped through the portal. But before the light closed the pathway to Sonic's world, I gave one last smile to the blue blur.

The End

AN: Yep, this is the last chapter! But not to worry, I will be making a sequel for this story! The title for the next one will be: A Hedgehog Story: World Adventure . So check every now and then because it'll be up soon ^^ Oh! And I want to thank everyone who had read and reviewed for this story, it really made me happy! And I hope you'll continue on with my next one! ^_^