Epilogue

Beep...Beep...Beep...

Sonic's ear twitched at the annoying sound, wishing there was some way to get rid of it so he could go back to sleep. But the sound persisted and he began to slowly began to become more conscious. Finally he let out a groan and opened his eyes. Looking around blearily, Sonic could tell he was in some kind of medical room, though he couldn't make anything out clearly yet.

"About time you woke up faker," a familiar voice came from the side. Sonic glanced over and he could make out Shadow's form leaning up against the wall. "You've been out for days."

"I'm just happy I woke up at all," Sonic replied, closing his eyes and sitting up. "With the way my cybernetics were burning up from the chaos energy, I was sure I was done for."

"It was certainly close. But as usual, you're stubbornness pulled you through."

"Like you're one to ta..." Sonic's voice trailed off as his vision cleared up and he finally got a good look at Shadow. There were no cybernetics on him, in fact, Sonic couldn't see any trace that they had ever been there. "...Shadow?"

"Yeah, they're gone," Shadow answered his unasked question. "And I'm not the only one."

Sonic looked down at his hand and saw that it was indeed flesh and blood. A quick hand across his head confirmed his ear was as well. Throwing back the sheets, Sonic was greeted by two perfectly normal legs and feet. Slowly, as if worried they would disappear, Sonic wiggled his toes, beaming as they responded so easily.

"How?" Sonic asked in wonder, carefully feeling all of his restored flesh.

"The mouse... Sam?... has a theory that the emeralds restored us to normal so that we could more properly handle their energies. Then he went into a long scientific lecture... Any way, we're back to normal and I'm not complaining."

"Why were you able to recover so quickly? Surly you must have felt the same intense pain I did."

"Ultimate Life Form remember? While you may put up a good fight against me, I'm still you're superior."

"Whatever," Sonic rolled his eyes. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Sonic got to his feet and immediately began to sway.

"Hey careful," Shadow ran over, supporting Sonic up. "You just woke up from a coma and you haven't had organic legs in over a hundred years. You need to take it easy."

"I haven't been able to feel the ground beneath my feet since forever," Sonic replied back stubbornly, pushing away from Shadow and standing on his own. "I'm not going to wait one more second!"

"Fine you idiot, I won't stop you. Come on the others are waiting."

The others were happy to have Sonic was awake, and once he was recovered enough, They all went and helped with the clean up effort. The damage from the Ring of Justice was extensive, but thankfully there were very few casualties. And if any good came out of the attack, it was that it did unite the people under one government, as they had stood together to t the takeover and now came to each others aid. Commander Zac and other main leaders were imprisoned, while the troops were allowed a chance to return to society under supervision. Alice had come by to apologize, but didn't feel like she could to stay even though the others did forgive her. As she left, they assured her that they would be happy to have her back once she was ready. Sonic, Sam and the Professor, were seen as heroes, while Shadow avoided any form of attention. All in all, life began to return to normal.

"So what are you going to do now that clean up is done?" Sonic asked Shadow. The two of them were alone on a cliff watching the sunrise over the city. "I know you're not one to stick around."

"I'm going to find Angel Island," Shadow replied. "It's about time for the Master Emerald to return there. I'm not sure if there's a guardian, but if there isn't I might look into taking the job. I feel like I could use a restful job like that for a while."

"At least you won't be as easily tricked as that knucklehead was. Even when you worked for Eggman, you usually were only using him to further your own goals."

"True. What about you? You don't exactly like the quiet life and there's no Eggman for you to defeat."

"Me? I'm going to go exploring, see how much the world has changed in all the time I was away. We'll have to see after that. Though I doubt things will stay quiet forever. There always seems to be some kind of wanna be dictator for me to foil."

"Well if you ever need me to came save you, you'll know how to get me."

"No problem, it'll be good to work together again ever now and then. And I'll be sure to visit you ever now and then, can't have you being completely antisocial."

"Whatever. See you around Sonic."

"Later Shadow!"

Shadow zoomed away, leaving only a slight breeze. Sonic watched the sunrise a little longer before he also took off running, looking forward to the next adventure.

THE END

AN: It's been fun guys and I hope you enjoyed the story. There are no plans for a squeal, so don't expect one. Thanks for your patience and reviews!