Epilogue

"Sal, can you hear me?"

Sally blinked as she opened her eyes to a bright light. "Sonic, where…?"

"You're in a hospital near Resistance HQ, you and the rest of Eggette's prisoners collapsed after the battle with the Egg Chimera."

Sally looked down at herself as her vision cleared up, she was lying in bed wearing a hospital gown. She began to rub the bit of fur that stretched out from the sides of her cheek. "Strange, I was dreaming but the only thing I remember about it was a crying baby, like I was dreaming of when I was born. Everything after the Oblivion Star was destroyed feels like such a blur."

"Everyone else's memories tended to clear up a little bit after regaining consciousness. Still there were a few things the docs wanted me to ask you when you woke up, to make sure that Eggette didn't mess up your head too bad... First what do you remember about your time in Eggtopia?"

The freedom fighter looked mortified. "Everything. Months of being 'Silly Sally', hopping to whenever Eggette gave an order, acting like a child along with everyone else, then you and the others came, convinced me to remember myself long enough to snatch the scepter and destroy the Oblivion Star, escaping the base before it blew, then the battle." Sally blushed. "But the dress, please tell me you burned it."

"It went up with the base," Sonic said with an awkward chuckle. "That's everything you remembered?"

"What else would there be?"

"Just making sure."

"You know, except for being Eggette's slave it wasn't really all that bad. I mean the last time we spoke before all this you were telling us that we weren't allowing ourselves enough time for relaxation. How did you put it? Oh yes 'there was too much fighter and not enough freedom'. Despite the battle I still feel… refreshed after that forced break from responsibility. It was a nice vacation but I for one am ready to get back to work."

"Not just yet I'm afraid. Next question, what was the last thing you remembered before Eggtopia?"

Sally closed her eyes. "Yes, I remember…"

Flashback

"It was shortly after Eggman captured you, after we all thought you were dead, we were holding a secret rally in one of the cities Eggman hadn't hit yet. I was trying to get all the old Freedom Fighter groups to stand together, to be a unified Resistance. It was going so well, we got all them to come; the Artic Liberators, the Dream Time Brigade, the Wolf Pack, the Desert Raiders, the Woodland Kingsmen, the Forty Fathom League, the Shijin Warriors, the Acorn Underground, everyone was willing and eager to listen. Mina sang a song she and Ash wrote together to help us that fired everyone up and my speech was convincing everyone."

"Sonic had saved us time and again, we owe it to his memory to continue the fight! I know that you're all used to doing things your own way, but together we can free our world from tyranny!"

"But it was then Eggman's forces attacked the city, with Lien-Da was leading them along with a few of the various Egg Legion chapters and other members of our rouges gallery. They surrounded the stadium, so our only choice was to stand and fight. We held our own and started to drive them back it even looked like we were going to capture Eggman's flunkies, at least until he showed up…"

A single figure dropped from an Egg Fleet ship. Before he hit the ground the jackal with a facemask stopped and began to float in midair. From the mask a single yellow eye peered through.

"Infinite."

Infinite made a gesturing motion to the crowd. "You think united you stand a chance AGAINST ME?! Then come, all of you, FIGHT ME, see how weak you truly are!"

"I admit, part of me wanted to 'avenge' you, but mostly I thought he couldn't handle all us, not after all the fights we've been through together. We had no idea what we in for, at first it seemed like we really had an edge, that he couldn't even land a single blow. I eventually realized he just pretending to fight back so he could learn how we fought. I tried to warn everyone, but no one heard me because that was when he pulled something no one expected, he attacked his own allies."

"We're on the same side you idiot!" Lien-da yelled.

"Why? Why would the doctor need any of you when he has me? If you or any member of his legion think you are worthy of being my ally then prove yourself, FIGHT ME!"

"You are going to regret this."

"No, because I am not like any of you. Unlike you I don't need be part of a certain race or group to be superior, I can stand alone! Unlike you I AM NOT WEAK!"

"An oddly specific denial," Sally said as she tried to seize the opening. "Afraid that you really are?"

"Afraid, interesting let's see how you all handle learning the true meaning of fear!"

"That was when he used his Phantom Ruby. At first, I thought he somehow roboticized everyone in an instant, including me. But when I tried to disable a robian that was attacking me, and it broke into cubes I figured out that it was all an illusion."

"The so the robians were all just more of Infinite's phantoms."

"I thought knowing that would have been enough, but everything still felt so real it was hard to separate what my brain said was real and what I knew should have been. Even worse once Infinite realized I was onto him, he made it so that while his robian phantoms still taunted and attacked me I could still hear everyone trying to get out of their own illusions."

"Look at us, zis because you failed us!"

"But I am not a cowerd! Bunnie, Father you need to believe me!"

"Because of you Sally-girl the rest of me now MATCHES!"

"My arm, my legs, they have a mind of their own! Ah can't control them! I don't mean it y'all, I'm sorry!"

"We never should have trusted you!"

"I am not useless! I can help my friends!"

"You should have known that the machine is inevitable!"

"I must still be able to do something here in cyberspace! I can't just be locked in here powerless, all alone…"

"I managed to fight my way past the robian phantoms, until I reached the one still organic being in the stadium. By then, despite my best efforts, I gave into the illusion."

"Sonic's killer, Infinite. Priority One."

"I attacked Infinite only for him to break apart like all the other phantoms."

"I expected more," Infinite's voice echoed from seemingly everywhere.

"The phantoms all turned into perfect copies of Infinite while I was still a machine, from what everyone was saying around me he was trying to convince us that whatever we feared the most, we should fear him more. The thing was, I think we were all starting to believe him."

"Here I thought facing so many at once would provide me something that resembled a challenge, I should have known." Mecha Sally kept swinging at the Infinites but only kept hitting more phantoms. "You trust in others, even when you can't trust your own senses, even when they could be taken away from you forever, that is height of foolishness." Several Infinites began to punch, kick and claw at her. "The doctor may have given me this power, but I don't trust him. I only trust this power because I can control it. In the end it comes down to power but the only power you can count on is your own!"

"While I was fighting, I managed to see the real Freedom Fighters get attacked by Infinite. He broke the sword Antione got from his father, Bunnie and Matilda's cybernetic limbs he mangled just enough to render them useless for the fight while keeping them from bleeding out. I cried out for everyone to run but that caught his attention and I felt like I did that horrible day we first lost our peaceful lives. He tore me limb from robotic limb, dismantled me piece by piece, I was just a head when I blacked out but even then, his laughter seemed to echo in my mind for so long..."

End Flashback

"By the time I came to we were all Eggette's happy little dolls and that horrible experience was a bad dream that was quickly forgotten, along with the rest of my life."

"Yeah," said Sonic. "Everyone else had more or less the same story."

"I thought that with all of us together we could stop Eggman once and for all, that we could do anything. But no sooner than we united under one banner we were taken out of commission and by the time you got us back to our senses it was all over. While the people had to fend for themselves those with the most experience fighting Eggman were off having tea parties, playing schoolyard games and obeying our 'princess' without question. Infinite humiliated us and destroyed everyone's image of the Freedom Fighters."

"Well with the Phantom Ruby gone even if Infinite did survive he won't be able to mess with you or anyone else like that anymore. And as for that image if anything I think everyone remembered your examples and lived up to them. But Knuckles will be more than willing give you your job back, so he can return to Angel Island."

"Remind me to thank him for stepping up even when no one asked him too."

"You'll get your chance, the docs said you're in good health and you all will be discharged in the morning, but they want everyone involved to stick to light activity for a few weeks just in case. They also want you guys to start regular therapy sessions, Infinite had that sort of effect on people. And speaking of the docs I must have you answer one last question, how much of your life in general do you remember?"

Sally gave a short sigh. "I think about as much as you'd expect. Normal royal childhood, Eggman taking over the kingdom causing a lot of us to lose our families, having to escape with my big brother and a few others, you forcing him out of my ancestral home on one of your very first adventures, but not before it was reduced to an uninhabitable toxic disaster, me dedicating my life to keeping him from doing to anyone else what happened to us." Sally took a moment just to look at Sonic. "And one of my best friends always coming just when I needed him and me returning the favor a time or four." Sally looked off confused. "Wait, was everything I said right?"

"That's what your biography says and what I remember, so probably. But hey at least it turned out alright in the end."

Sally looked at Sonic grumpily. "Not everything, Eggette got away, your Badnick ringleader is still unknown and at large and it will be a while before the doctors will let me get back to work. I am not happy but considering how much happy we got spoon-fed to us for the past seven months I'm more than willing to settle for content, which I decided is highly underrated.

"One last, last thing from me personally. What do you remember about…us?"

"I'm…still trying to figure that out, but not because of Eggette or anything. I mean we've dated a few times, broke up a few times, I dated other guys on and off and watched you do the same with other girls. I know we're close but even after all this time we can't figure out how close. I mean, you've always been one of my best friends but love? We both thought we were and we both thought we weren't. One day, maybe when all of this is finally over, and we don't have to worry about the next threat, I'll know for sure. But I do know one thing about you with certainty."

"And what's that?"

"You are the wind, a free spirit. You can't stand being locked down by anything or anyone, someone who is going to stay with you will have to accept that and keep up. But if that's in me or Amy or anybody they'll find you're worth it."

Sonic looked out the window. "I'm still trying to figure out that stuff myself, but I'm glad we'll always be friends at least. Same goes for Amy and I know if it does turn out to be one of you or the other, you two always be friends too."

"In any case I want to see how everyone is doing, first though I'd like to get into my normal clothes and freshen up a bit."

"They're on the chair in the corner, I'll make a quick lap of the place while you dress, can't stand sitting still and all that. Oh, and your jacket might have a little addition from everyone in The Resistance to say, 'it's good have you back'."

After Sonic left Sally chuckled as she approached the folded blue jacket, boots and white two-piece outfit that gave a good view of the stripe that went down her back. Sally picked the Jacket up and saw that one big and one little white star was now emblazoned on the back, the symbol of The Resistance. "It's good to be back."

Sonic stepped out of Sally's room and into side hall where Amy, Rouge and Shadow were waiting. "Well, how is she?" asked Amy. "Anything too different, besides the stripe?"

"Well it seems like she got to grow up with Elias instead being separated young, but other than that she seems mostly the same."

"So, do we now have enough information to confirm how reality and our memories have been effected?" asked Shadow.

"Well it seems to be aligning with Tails' theory, the timeline wasn't rewritten so much as edited to account for them being here, most of the basic stuff should still be the same. While we have all the memories of the previous timelines now, Tails thinks they'll probably slip into our subconscious until a trigger would bring the memory back, that's why he's had us record as much as we can recall now so we'd have an archive in case we need it."

"But everyone who was restored can't seem to recall the previous timelines at all," said Rouge.

"Tails thinks it's because since they had to have a whole lifetime of memories catch up to them those experiences had to slip that much sooner. We probably shouldn't force them to remember any of that until after they've all adjusted and only if we really need it. He said that there was one exception about this, it seems anything anybody had about actually being in the Neverworld or a Neverworlder had been erased permanently."

"Somethings are best left forgotten," mused Shadow.

"You can say that again," said Amy. "I think I can speak everyone that was turned in that fight for a few minutes, but just from what I can tell from when we faced them and getting a small sense of the pain and loneliness… Well I feel saner not knowing."

"Not knowing what?" Sally asked as she came from around a corner.

"Uh, what Eggman would look like in a bathing suit," said Sonic. "I've seen a photo once and it isn't pretty."

"In any case we better get going," said Shadow as he and Rouge turned to leave. "Try not to need me too much."

"Well if you need me just call and we'll discuss payment," Rouge opened a window and flew out.

"Well shall we see everyone?" Sally asked.

"Right this way," Amy said gesturing down the hall.

A short way through they found Rotor, leaning over a bed while using a soldering iron on Bunnie's mechanical arm. Antione was standing nearby. "And that should do it," Rotor said turning the iron off. "Try it now."

Bunnie looked at her arm with a focused gaze. A second later the metallic covering turned over as did the covering of her legs, when it was over it looked like she had her organic limbs back. "It worked! I can feel the cold air on it!"

"Incredible," Sally said as she, Amy and Sonic came in. "May I?" After getting an affirmative nod from the cyborg Sally touched the arm. "It feels like real fur."

"Nice upgrade," Sonic said with a smile.

"Well she already had the synth-skin stuff on the replacement limbs she and Matilda got when we were taken prisoner," said Rotor. "Me and the docs just figured out how to adapt it to her usual cybernetics. I once I'm done with making the systems in Matilda's arms more compressible we can do the same for her."

"I am not entirely convinced," Antoine said in a romantic tone. "Let me test it some more. Tell me can you feel this?"

He kissed Bunnie's wrist eliciting a giggle. "How about this?" he gently stroked her legs to more giggles. "And finally, this?"

After reaching under the covers Bunnie gave a surprised squeak. "Uh Sugar-Twan, you know my 'powderpuff' was never mechanical."

"I know, I was just thinking after what we've been through maybe it's time we got around to starting a family."

"Really, in front of the Princess?"

"What!? I didn't mean right…"

Everyone around started to laugh. "She was just teasing you man," said Rotor. "We know that's the sort of thing you want privacy for."

Antione huffed. "Like how you always found an excuse to 'fix' something at Sealia's when we were under the control of Oblivion Star, or spent a lot of time at the conference before that catching up with the Artic Liberators, or checked in on her as soon as you found out the rest of us were ok?"

Rotor blushed. "Well… after we worked together once we kept writing each other, it's not anything overly physical or like we're engaged yet…"

"Yet?" Sonic asked with a smirk.

"I mean… I don't know if we want to or anything, not that we'd leave either of our teams for the other…"

"It's ok," said Sally. "We're all on the same side, there will plenty of time for you two to figure out what you mean to each other."

"And you two will make great parents," Amy said to Bunnie and Antione with a smile.

Nicole materialized nearby. "Sorry for interrupting, but the diagnostic on my memory files is complete with no outstanding errors. They even recovered Nikki's memories from fragmented data I was carrying around."

"How's that working for you?" said Sonic.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I thought of myself as an AI based on an attempt to save Nikki but there's the distinct possibility that I AM her and I couldn't remember until now. I'm not sure what scares me more, that I'm a Mobian mind that was digitally trapped or that I am the morbid leftovers of a beautiful life that once was."

"I'll tell you what you are," Sally said as she took Nicole's hand. "You're our friend, where you came from who might have once been is just window dressing to that. While the past is important it is the present that defines who we are."

Nicole smiled. "You're right, my life is my own but either way I'll always be grateful to her. And speaking of memories Gemerl recovered Shard's memories and has integrated them with Emerl's. I haven't seen him yet but according to the email he sent there have been no conflicts, it might not be in the same body, but Shard is back."

"That's a relief," said Sally. "I mean we all thought we lost him for good after he used his personality program to save Emerl's memories in that new gizoid. We may not have our own metal sonic anymore but at least we got another friend back." Sally sighed with contentment. "In any case I'd like to go see my brother, I'll be back soon."

After hugs were given the three left.

A short distance down the hall, they heard an argument coming from a room.

"What do mean I can't go back with you?! I'm feeling fine!"

"Listen I want to bring you back to Angel Island as much as you want to go. But until Princess Sally has been released from here, I'm still the leader of the resistance and I have to set an example."

"Even if you'd rather be hunting treasure, or guarding the emerald with me?"

"Unfortunately, we still have to wait. Besides you haven't actually been released yet."

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," Sonic said as he came in. Julie-Su was in bed, seemingly absent of obvious cybernetics.

Knuckles sighed. "We were just remembering how stubborn the other can be."

Sally shook Knuckles hand. "Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for holding down the fort while I was gone."

"It was a tough job, and no offense but once you're out of here you can have it."

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking, where's Lien-da?" Amy asked.

Julie had an odd expression. "My…sister…was taken away by the police about an hour ago, along with all the Egg Legion members and other criminals you rescued. But the way none of them resisted, has she really turned over a new leaf?"

"I hope so," said Amy.

"Mind filling me in?" Sonic whispered to Knuckles.

Knuckles spoke so that only Sonic and Amy could hear. "In this timeline there was no Dark Legion, Julie-Su and Lien-Da came from a hidden Echidna village. But whatever history my people have now, it was long forgotten by them. Lien-Da's actions came from a desire to return us to whatever empire we once had, and Julie first came to Angel Island looking for answers herself. My people have a present and future again, but not a past. At least Relic can go back to trying to solve those mysteries."

"Commander Knuckles, I have to report…" Geoffrey stopped as he and Hershey was coming into the room. "Oh, Princess I didn't expect…"

"It's ok make your report to both of us."

"Alright," said Hershey. "We heard from the guards taking the prisoners from the hospital that there was a breakout earlier today by a platypus named Doctor Starline. The damage was minimal, so they should be able to hold them all."

"I understand but why did you both report this? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I felt like I had to," said Geoffrey. "In order to apologize to the Commander and Sonic, considering that it was my ne'er-do-well cousins who escaped after the two of you apprehended them recently."

Knuckles looked taken aback. "You don't mean…?"

Sonic gasped. "Rough and Tumble?! You're related to them?! I would have never seen that. I mean you are, no offense, kind of a snob and those two…"

"Are a pair of crass meatheads?" said Hershey. "I had the displeasure of meeting them when they crashed a romantic weekend we planned. It took all of our willpower not to start a fight with them when they started hitting on me."

"They're not St. Johns if that is what you're asking. They're actually my second cousins…" Geoffrey looked to the floor in humiliation. "…and my childhood tormentors. No matter how many times I stood up to them they always double teamed me…"

"Probably because they were afraid to face you otherwise," said Sally. "Scratch a bully, find a coward. You do get caught up in yourself, but once you've made a promise you stick to it. If you have good people around you to help choose the right promises to keep, you'll do the right thing."

Geoffrey sighed. "…Thank you." He tuned to his wife. "Dearest I'm sorry I'm such a burden on you."

"It's weird, I always felt like I was the burden," said Hershey. "Look at us one too easily manipulated by pride, the other by shame…"

"If anything, that shows how much you both need each other to balance things out," said Knuckles he then turned to Julie and took her hands into his. "Just like I need you, even when I forgot I did."

Julie blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Knuckles moved out to the door. "It means you better think about where you want me to take you once you get out tomorrow. Dinner, tech shopping, you name it."

Julie blushed. "As long as it doesn't involve maids, the fact that little brat got me to wear that thing and like it is still creepy."

"No tea houses then, fine by me. Just think about it ok?"

Knuckles turned to walked out and got smacked in the forehead by a rubber ball. Seeing a yellow blur zip past a corner Sally picked up the ball and turned back to the room. "I'll take care of this Knuckles. Geoff, Hershey you should probably go back to your room, I'll do the same once I speak with my brother."

Going in the direction the yellow blur Sonic and Amy followed Sally into a room with a large amount of childish laughter coming out.

"Did somebody drop this?" Sally asked.

Sonic and Amy were trying not to show their reactions to some of the more extreme changes now in front of them. Seeing Tails, Cream and Charmy in the room was wasn't anything to talk about but the fact that Saffron was now the same age as Charmy and Cream and Fiona was now Tails' age still unnerved them a bit.

"It was my fault!" the Charmy said. "Saffron and I were just playing but I threw it too hard…"

"It's fine," Sally said handing the ball back. "Knuckles can take a lot worse than this, just not in the halls anymore ok?"

"Thank you," Saffron said blushing. "It's just the Chaotix are leaving in a little bit and I won't be able to play with Charmy for a while…"

"You want to join them, don't you?"

"Yeah I mean solving mysteries, helping people, it sounds like a wonderful life."

"I won't lie after spending a good deal of my adolescence fighting against Eggman's schemes I never wanted a kid to do what we do, but that also means I know if you set your minds to do it anyway, I won't be able to stop you from trying. You kids had proven several times that you can handle yourselves, so Saffron I see no problem with you helping Charmy and the Chaotix, or for you Fiona to join our team as a medic."

"Really?!" the little red fox said from a hospital bed where she was playing a board game with Cream.

"You know quite a bit of medicine for someone your age, I wouldn't be surprised if you became a great doctor someday."

"I hope so," Fiona then flattened her ears. "They took Nic to jail, didn't they?"

Sally sighed. "I'm afraid so. I know she helped you after you lost your parents and she was caught up that same mess we just got out of, but she was still a criminal. At least she didn't resist so there is a chance for leniency."

"You don't think she let herself be caught so she could talk with her brother? After we got out, she told me she wanted the fighting between her and Nack to stop."

"That's going to be up him, there's at least their shared love of money so I won't rule it out completely, but it's a real long shot."

"I don't remember where I heard it, but I believe that nobody is too far gone if they can choose to turn around and go back."

Amy allowed herself a smile.

"Don't worry so much about it Fi," said Cream. "I'm sure she'll write you and try to be good, so she can get out to be with you."

Sonic began to whisper to Tails. "Quite a ride for you. You fell in love with Fiona's robot double, met the real her but she felt she was too old for you, then she betrayed us and broke your heart, you ended up rejecting her after Sal's punch and verbal smackdown, then it was like none of it ever happened to you."

"But here she is again, just like when you first thought you saw her," whispered Amy. "I think she's going to be ok now, but will you?"

Tails looked at Fiona with nothing more than a calm expression. "These memories are going to sink into my subconscious eventually, so I'm not sure what I'm going to feel in the future. But right now, she and Saffron are friends who are just enjoying this new chance at childhood they don't know they're getting. Charmy went through the same thing and me too to a lesser extent so we're going to follow their lead and try to take some more time to enjoy being a kid while it lasts and just take the future as it comes."

"You know as smart as you are that was strangely the most mature thing you've ever said," Sonic said with a nod.

"In any case this hospital has a garden, why don't you kids take this ball and play out there?" Amy motioned out the window.

"Sure thing!" said Charmy. "Last one there is jinxed!"

"No fair!" Fiona said as the kids began getting out of the room quickly. "I can't fly like the rest of you!"

Sally giggled. "Kids. Come on, it's time to see my family. Hopefully soon none of us will have to worry about any threats"

Sonic gave a grumpy growl as they left the room. "We've never been that lucky."

"We're clear!" a stage hand said.

Breezie put down her microphone. "I'll be getting ready for a business meeting in my dressing room," said the teal hedgehog. "The rest you finish wrapping up."

Breezie looked in the mirror and noticed her eye shadow was starting to run. She closed her eyes to reapply the makeup and when she opened them again instead of her own face in the mirror it was a mammoth in a white suit.

Breezie growled. "Get out of my head!"

"I wish I could," Mammoth Mogul said from the reflection. "But I do not understand how my spirit came to be in your body after Super Genesis Wave, only that the recent energy pulse has awakened me from my slumber. And even if I could leave, I now longer have a body of my own, immortal or otherwise."

Breezie tried to look away. "Grrrr, just don't mess up my business! I worked too hard, broke too many laws and have come too far for you to get in the way of me becoming the richest woman on Mobius!"

"You have wealth and power, but you can use them for so much more. Let me teach you and you can control all your enemies, help me regain my body and I might be able to make you immortal as well."

Breezie felt a smirk crossing her face. "Hmmm. Tell me more…"

The hooded figure had finished drawing a strange circle in the dirt of the cave floor. He then placed a few quartzes at the right points. Then standing in the middle the circle started to glow as an otherworldly voice seemed to chant from it as runes along it lit up.

"Ixis, Pargon, Antorbok, Pargon, Pargon, Santak, Pargon…"

As a bright light surrounded the figure his cloak blew off. "No longer," He thought to himself as the pincer like claw he had for a right hand opened and closed. "No longer will I be shunned for my appearance or 'lack of morals' and must cling to the edges of society. Now that my power is restored, and I will never be imprisoned, addled or hunted again!"

Nagus recalled some of his last memories of the old world, he was released from his cell by two Dimension Breakers, a skunk and a cat, how they then spent the rest of the crisis trying to hunt him down. He remembered how the skunk spoke back to Nagus of how he once served the wizard, only for the master to abandon the apprentice to a Neverworld in order to save himself. How the two said they'd kill him indirectly so they wouldn't have to spend an eternity with him.

"But they were pulled back to that abyss and I still survive. Soon I will rule, the details of my memory may revert, but I will still have the power to exact my wrath and revenge including on a certain Quickster…"

In one of Eggman's bases the S6 were getting a lab into working order. Nearby Eggette was pounding the keys to a nearby computer.

"Just you wait until my revenge plan is complete Sonic!" said the bratty genius. "Then you and all your stupid friends will be sorry!"

"Just like old times," said Grounder.

"Great," said Scratch. "I can't wait until to get back into the rhythm of carrying out evil plans only to lose to Sonic."

Eggette pressed a red button nearby and the S6 got zapped by a laser that left them charred.

"Just like old times alright," hacked Coconuts.

As Sonic and Amy led Sally to her destination, they started to hear singing, including from a very beautiful voice.

"…Happy Birthday dear Lexi, happy birthday to you."

They came into the room to see Tangle, Mina, Ash and Elias, sitting around Megan as she held Alexis in her lap. In front of the baby was a cupcake with a single lit candle. The baby began making noises with her lips her mother however made a hearty puff from behind her baby blowing the flame out.

The three visitors began clapping. "A whole year old already," said Sally. "Feels like it was yesterday you told me I was going to be an aunt."

"Just the first of many," said Megan. "But given how long we lived in that fantasy, it seems like a lot longer."

"Tell me about it," said Mina. "I feel like I haven't been on stage in forever."

"You don't worry have to worry about a thing babe," said Ash. "I already started on arranging a victory tour, the first step of which is a press conference announcing our nuptials."

"So, you're really going through with it?" asked Sonic. "Amy said when you proposed you were both weren't quite yourselves."

Mina blushed. "Well after we woke up, we had a long talk about it. Eggette never told us how to act so our feelings had to be real."

"I know I can be a little rough around the edges," said Ash. "Particularly with you Sonic, but I want to be a better person and I feel Mina can help me with that."

Mina took Ash's hand. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You might have signed on as my manager, but I can tell you got into it because of the music, honestly the way you play guitar you belong on stage with me."

"I'm not that good yet, but maybe someday…"

The Mongeese went into a quick kiss. Amy started to get a tear in her eye. "It's not even the wedding yet."

Everyone's attention was then diverted by snort from Tangle's direction. "Sorry, it was getting a little too sappy for my tastes. So, I thought about this story Elias here told me about when he and Sally were kids and..."

Sally began to blush furiously and glared daggers at Elias. "You told her about when my fur turned pink!?"

Elias moved close to Sally. "It was a good look for you!"

"Did you tell her the part about when you pushed me into that chemical bath?!"

Elias growled. "How was I supposed to know what that stuff was? Besides you pulled me in with you, making me yellow!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "I never heard that part."

"You started it!" Sally huffed.

"Only because you broke my wooden sword!" Elias groaned.

"You took my ball!"

"Brat!"

"Bully!"

"Pink!"

"Yellow!"

Suddenly the siblings burst out in laughter. "Oh, when was the last time we just bickered?" Sally said catching her breath.

"I don't remember exactly," said Elias. "But you know what Mom and Dad's answer would have always been..."

"Not long enough!" the royals said together.

Elias looked Alexis, cupcake frosting was smeared all over her mouth as her mother helper eat the birthday treat. "I wish they were here now, they wouldn't have wanted to miss this."

Sally cupped her hand around her brother's cheek. "I miss them too, but know they'd be proud of you."

"There's something I've been thinking about. Can we talk just you and me?"

While the siblings started to whisper Sonic turned back to Tangle. "So, any major changes for you?"

Tangle crossed her arms and leaned back against a wall. "I can remember having a few more heroes I admire, and I remember that Amy and I were brainzapped for real until Sally got just enough of herself back to break the Oblivion Star. But I also remember Knuckles breaking the gem, faking being brainzapped and a week ago I never heard of any of these people. It's really confusing."

"Give it a day or two," said Amy. "The ways things were without Sally and the others will quiet down until you need it."

"Great," Tangle moaned. "I get to remember being a grinning idiot, the folks back home will never let me live it down."

"Don't worry, I have a feeling you'll get your own time to shine."

"Ahem," hearing Sally cough everyone in the room turned to her. "My brother and I have an announcement we're going to make publicly later, but you get to hear it first."

Elias cleared his throat. "As the heir to the Kingdom of Acorn, I am do hereby royally decree that I am renouncing my claim to the throne and hand the position over to my sister."

"And as my first royal decree, I hereby proclaim the monarchy shall henceforth be dissolved."

Sonic stepped back. "Sal are you serious?! After everything you've been through…"

"Was for the sake of the people. It doesn't seem right that we call ourselves Freedom Fighters then go around and set ourselves up as a king or queen. I know the two aren't mutually exclusive and our family traditions and achievements shouldn't be forgotten, but the people already have things well in hand and we don't want to mess that up by claiming old titles. Besides you know all we ever really wanted was to be treated like everyone else, now we can live normal lives or at least as normal as things get around you."

"…Well, my loyalty was never to some crown or country but my friends and what's right. If you think this is what will make you and everyone happy then I'm not going to stop you."

Sally ran over and gave sonic a big hug. "I knew that if anyone would understand it would be you."

"SONIC!" Tails came in looking excited.

"Weren't you supposed to be spending time with the other kids?" asked Amy.

"My scanner picked up some chatter on the resistance frequency, the Egg Fleet's been spotted! I used some of the data from the attacks so far to check and the signal controlling the Badnicks is coming from there!"

"Then that's where we find our mastermind!" Sonic said pumping his fist.

Sally released her hold on Sonic. "Alright both of you get going, just be careful ok?"

Sonic gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I didn't get you all back just to blow it against whoever this creep is. Tails I'll have the Tornado ready by the time you get there, gotta dash!"

Sonic peeled out of the room.

"Really?!" Amy fumed. "We're still in a hospital!"

Sally sighed as she noticed a breeze coming in through an open window. "Like I told him before, he's the wind and he'll blow where and how he wants. It's going to be up to the rest of us to try to keep up."

Already out on the streets of a city in the middle of reconstruction Sonic kept his eyes on the horizon as he zoomed to whatever next encounter had in store for him. "Don't worry everyone, I know you all have my back and I've got yours. No matter what ever happens in the future, even if we never see each other again, even we forget each other again there will always be a bit of all of us in each of our hearts and nothing will ever take that away!"

Distant Echoes

The End