Epilogue: Letting it Go

September 10th, 2316 – 10:30 PM – Robotropolis, Robotnik Empire

The expanding blob of molten steel expanded across the floor, melting every molecule of Metal Sonic and mixing it into itself. Sonic watched, kneeled on the floor and unable to cry due to his robotic body. Why did this have to happen again? He'd been so close to saving Metal once again. Soft footsteps sounded behind him, the noise of soft sneakers padding against the floor as Tails approached. The fox put a gloved hand on the hedgehog's shoulder, as the two of them watched the puddle of glowing steel cool from glowing yellow into gray.

"Sonic," Tails sniffled. "I'm sorry. I forgot about last time…"

Sonic didn't hear him. It was that day back in the frozen north all over again, Metal melting away beneath the flow of lava. This couldn't be happening all over again. It felt like a cruel joke, like some higher being was mocking him by making him watch the same thing all over again. Why did this have to happen over and over again? Why?

"Hey, at least the war's over now…" Tails walked in front of Sonic, giving him a forced smile. "We finally got Robotnik."

The hedgehog kept his eyes to the floor, looking at the fox's feet. He thought he would have been happy with Planet Freedom's biggest menace dead, but instead he had a sense of emptiness. Cheers continued to sound over Tails' nearby radio, the noise grating to his ears. He looked at the small device. Noticing what Sonic was thinking, Tails switched it off.

Even as Metal's death weighed heavy on his mind, Sonic realized what he'd have to answer for now. All of those people he'd killed and all of those cities he'd destroyed flashed through his mind. Over the past week it played out like a never ending horror show he was unable to look away from, as his body acted against his will. He remembered the ways people reacted before he killed them. Some cried, some hesitated to shoot before he gutted them, some shouted obscenities at him. Several minutes ago, that soldier yelled "traitor" right before Sonic sliced through him like a hot knife through butter. He wanted to throw up, but couldn't.

Sonic glanced upwards, looking Tails in the face. A red tint filled his robotic vision, thermal detectors highlighting the young kit by his body heat. A digital readout of information about his brother played out next to the optical sensor feed, listing information like height, weight, and heart rate. He'd wanted so much to be free of this cybernetic hell, but did he deserve it now?

"Come on Sonic." Tails held out his hand. "Let's get you to a deroboticizer."

Tails waited for Sonic, tails twitching behind him. With reluctance, the hedgehog accepted the hand. The fox led the way, retrieving Sonic's sliced off arm from the conveyor belt where he'd fought metal before. Tails took off running towards the factory's exit, but Sonic trailed behind in a walk, his metallic footsteps on the floor rhythmic and spaced exactly apart with robotic precision. The fox turned around, surprised Sonic would choose to walk instead of run. Even so, Sonic wasn't in a hurry to meet the people he'd been massacring until just now. Tails seemed to figure it out, slowing down and settling into a walking pace next to Sonic. He spoke into a radio, although the hedgehog didn't hear the words.

The factory pounded away around them, the machines slicing, stamping, and welding metal into war machines even though the master of this place no longer lived. They left the factory behind, walking through the cargo yards and into the abandoned city beyond, explosions and distant gunfire occasionally echoing through the crumbling concrete canyons. Most of the fire sounded like it was coming from outside the city and pushing inwards, suggesting the military was gaining the upper hand on Robotnik's remaining forces and pushing back their lines.

After a while, they turned a corner and saw several tanks and APCs rolling towards them. Sonic's robotic vision flagged all of them as a threat, his sensors detecting the turrets and rifles being pointed their way. But the fleeting moment of danger passed as soon as it was detected, the soldiers lowering their weapons once they identified Sonic and Tails.

One of the human soldiers jumped off of an APC, walking towards them. "Tails, is that really Sonic?" His blue eyes scrutinized the robot before him.

Sonic hated how the soldier talked about him as though he weren't there. The human stared down at him, Sonic's sensors detecting an elevated heart rate and perspiration. He noticed the soldier clutched his hands around his rifle, finger close to the trigger.

"I'm taking him to get deroboticized." Tails kept his words civil, trying to keep things calm. "Where's the closest one?"

The soldier kept one eye on Sonic, but pointed past the advancing column of armor. "Keep following that street. We've established a forward operating base nearby. They should already have some deroboticization units set up." Taking a gulp, the human looked down at him. "Hey, are you doing all right Sonic?"

He gave the human a silent nod.

"Roboticization… That's some rough stuff. I-I don't blame you for what you did." He struggled to get the last few words out, although the finger floated away from the trigger. "Had a friend of mine get captured and transformed too…"

"I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for understanding." A metallic edge tinged Sonic's voice, the words coming out a bit more dry than he wanted them to.

Sonic and Tails continued their trip to the military's FOB, sightings of soldiers and military vehicles becoming more frequent as they approached a hastily-assembled command post outside the city. Sonic found himself being stared at from every direction, his optical sensors highlighting every single person who locked eyes with him. Some shied away, while others cheered him as a hero as he walked along. He paid them all no heed, keeping his eyes mostly on the back of Tails' head as the fox led the way.

They approached a prefabricated building sitting in the middle of the camp, Deroboticizer Unit DU-23 emblazoned on the side. A line of roboticized humans and furries stretched out the door, rescued from the battle zone like Sonic was. They'd probably slaved in factories or mining. As Sonic's presence was noticed, the other roboticization victims all turned to him, glowing eyes lighting up as the saw him. They jumped aside to allow Sonic to go to the front of the line. Claps and cheering sounded amongst the robotic group, chants of "Sonic! Sonic! Sonic!" echoing in his ears.

However, Sonic kept his eyes averted, a nearby soldier escorting him into the prefabricated building. Soon the deroboticization machine waited before him.

"Well Sonic, ready to go back to normal?" A human combat engineer manned a nearby terminal, a huge grin on his face.

Sonic stared back in silence.

"Wait, there's something we need to do first." Tails pointed towards a toolbox sitting on some boxes next to the engineer. "Can I borrow that?"

"What for?"

Tails revealed Sonic's cut off robotic arm. The technician's eyes widened, understanding. They didn't want him changing back incomplete after all. Nodding, the engineer tossed Tails the tool box. He handily caught it, stepping back a bit from the weight. Setting it on the floor, the fox popped it open, taking out a handheld blow torch and some other tools. Within several minutes, he'd welded Sonic's hand back onto the arm it had been cut off of. The hedgehog stared at his friends' handiwork, opening and closing his spiky fingers a few times.

"There, now you're ready." Tails smiled, stepping aside to allow him into the deroboticizer machine.

Sonic didn't budge an inch, staring at the open tube. He didn't deserve this. Not after what he'd done.

The combat engineer walked over, giving him a pat on the back. "Aren't you gonna get in?"

Sonic pushed away the soldier.

"What's wrong Sonic?" Tails grabbed one of his hands, tugging him towards the machine. "Aren't you going to go in?"

"No." Sonic shook his head, his voice still hard and metallic over his voice circuits.

"But, why not?" Tails' hand slipped off of Sonic.

"I don't deserve this. Not after what I've done."

"What you've done?" Tails walked around in front, smiling at Sonic. "What do you mean? You saved the day. The war's over now."

"I'm not a hero. So many people are dead because of me."

"That was Robotnik's programming, not you."

Sonic shook his head. "No, I let myself get captured by Robotnik, then all this happened." He remembered the day he was captured over in Reppoc, when he hadn't been strong enough to fight off all those robots. If only he'd fought a little bit harder. If only he could have saved his friends from the oncoming hordes. If only. If only. If only.

"Come on!" Tails cried, grabbing his hands and pulling him towards the machine with both arms now.

Sonic remained rooted to the floor, his robot body too heavy for Tails to pull by himself. "You're still my brother! I don't care about anything you did when Robotnik controlled you! I know you're not going to act like that anymore!"

"Stay away from me," Sonic pushed Tails away. "I'm not the brother you know anymore. I need to pay for what I've done."

"You want to pay for what you've done?!"

Sonic and Tails turned towards the door, spotting a silhouette against the smoggy sky outside. Stepping forward, the silhouette came into focus as Knuckles. Cuts, bruises, dirt, and smoke covered him, as he stomped straight over to Sonic with a growl on his face. The echidna crossed his arms, turning up his nose at the robotic hedgehog. While they usually stood at the same height, was it Sonic's imagination or did he feel smaller than Knuckles right now?

"Okay, I'll help you pay." Knuckles pounded his fists together.

Sonic tensed, wondering what his friend might do. Even so, he didn't bother to defend himself, believing he deserved this. The echidna punched Sonic's face, sending his head spinning to the side before his servos twisted it back into place. He felt no pain or feeling other than the odd sensation of his head locking back into position. Knuckles threw a second punch, sending Sonic flying backwards and landing on the floor with a loud clang. The echidna jumped on him, launching a flurry of more punches into his chest. However, the blows were soft, almost like a gentle massage across his body.

"Okay, there, you've repaid your debt." Knuckles hopped back to his feet, glaring at Sonic as he crossed his arms. "No need to be mopey anymore. Now get in that tube already, change back, and celebrate with the rest of us, all right?"

"But I let you all down." Sonic stared at Knuckles' feet, not wanting to see him face to face. "I'm the one who got caught. I'm the one who let himself get roboticized. It's still my fault. All those people I killed…"

"No one blames you Sonic." Knuckles pulled the hedgehog back to his feet, his robot parts creaking in protest. "How many times do we have to tell you? Do you want to stay a robot for the rest of your life?"

Gears and servos whirred behind Sonic's eyes as he looked at his robotic hands. He didn't want to change back. Staying like this was a physical reminder of his failures. Turning back was repentance he didn't deserve. He turned towards the door, brushing past Tails and Knuckles.

"Sonic!" Tails jumped in front of him. "Please don't go! You don't have to do this!"

The hedgehog pushed Tails aside as easily as if he were nothing but air. Sonic stepped back outside, the smoggy sky still overcast above. A collective gasp could be heard as he left the building, everyone staring at him when they saw he hadn't gone into the machine. In fact, one of the roboticization victims who'd been standing in line, a pig, stared at him angrily, pointing a finger at him.

"Hey! We let you go up front! Why aren't you changed back now?"

The hedgehog shook his head, turning away from the crowd to wander off. He deserved that. He deserved all of it. This was what he wanted. His metal feet squished in the muddy track running between the tents and prefab buildings, water splashing underfoot as he didn't bother to walk around puddles. Loud squishes could be heard behind him, as he heard a pair of heavy feet running his way. The figure cast a shadow over him with how large he was.

"Sonic!" the voice sounded familiar. He turned around, spotting the bearded face of President Rudot towering over him.

Sonic's eyes widened, turning away from the man. How could he talk to the President now? He'd killed Rudot's daughter right in front of him. Even so, the Presidents footsteps slowed, as he moved to walk beside Sonic.

"Why are you still a robot? Is something wrong with the deroboticizer?"

"No. I don't want to turn back." Sonic shook his head. "I killed all those people. I killed Sera too…"

"I've got good news for you." The president smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You might have injured Sera, but she'll make a full recovery."

Sonic spun around so fast he thought his head might pop off for a second. "What?!"

"Oh yes! I never go anywhere without my presidential medical team." The president beamed. "They were on hand in the shuttle and they saved her life. She'll be fine. You can see her right now, if you wish."

"Where?!" Sonic clutched his hands around the President's arms. However, he forgot how strong his grip was as a robot, Rudot grimacing as the hedgehog's hands squeezed his soft flesh.

"We've-we've got a field hospital right nearby! Gah!" The President whimpered. "Let go…please…"

Sonic released his grip, the President rubbing the spots where he'd been held.

"I'm sorry! I need to go see her now!"

Sonic activated his rocket booster, blasting off to the other side of the camp and landing there in less than twenty seconds, his robotic sensors flagging the building for him on his visor. He buzzed inside the hospital, the staff surprised to see him still in his robotic form as he rushed for the ICU. Finding it, he pressed himself against the window, spotting Sera on a bed in the back, alive but still unconscious. He could see her chest rising up and down. Tremendous pain crossed her face, and she trembled as if having a nightmare. Sonic looked at the big wound in her chest, feeling sick knowing he was responsible for it. Even so, it felt like a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders seeing her alive.

Heavy footsteps could be heard nearby, Sonic turning to see the President walking into the hallway to stand next to him. "So you see, everything is fine." He kept rubbing away at his arms, hurt but still with a large smile on his face. "Please, no one blames you for what you've done. Why don't you relax? Our war with Robotnik is finally over."

While happy to see Sera alive again, mentioning the war reminded Sonic of all the lives that weren't saved…all the people he'd killed before regaining control of his body. The smile faded from his face. Winning this war still wouldn't bring them back, no matter how hard he wished for them. Would he ever be happy again? He gazed over at Sera, still watching her recover.

"I don't know, Mr. President. A lot of this is still my fault."

"Who said it's only your fault?"

The President and Sonic turned to see someone else approaching. This time it was a gray fox with yellow eyes, wearing a flak jacket along with combat fatigues. Augustine 'Nail' Strafer. He paced over to the roboticized hedgehog with his hands in his pockets, annoyance on his face. Knuckles and Tails walked behind the elder fox as he approached.

"It's not fair for you to take all the blame on yourself. After all, I'm the one of the bounty hunters who captured you and got us all into this mess. In a way, you could say this is more my fault than yours."

Sonic's red eyes switched on and off for a second, the robotic equivalent of blinking. He'd forgotten about Nail and the other mercenaries after he'd spent all this time working for Robotnik. "No, it's still my fault. I shouldn't have gotten caught in the first place."

"Jeez Sonic, you are a stubborn one." Nail sighed, rubbing his hand across the top of his head and his pointed ears. "Let's be honest here. I was an idiot. I got tricked and captured by Robotnik too. I would have never done the job if I knew Robotnik was behind it. I should've been able to figure it out from the contract description. Who else would want you and your friends out of the way?"

"But I still got caught and—"

Nail raised a hand, cutting him off. "Look Sonic, I did something wrong, so I'm choosing to do something else to make up for it. You can't change the past, but you can learn from it and always do better in the future."

"He's right, Sonic," Knuckles nodded. "You being sad… It's nothing like you. You shouldn't be this way."

Nail pointed towards where Sera lay recovering. "Canma's responsible for this. She made Tails write the program that made you do that. She's still out there…" He glanced out a nearby exterior window, surveying the FOB around them and Robotropolis in the distance. "We caught her brother Falc, but Knuckles and I weren't able to capture her. She's still at large."

"I have to go find her!" Sonic moved for the door.

However, the elder fox held out his hands, blocking the hallway. "Hey, hold on."

"Why are you stopping me?! We can't let her run free!"

"I'll take care of that." Nail smirked, patting his sidearm. "Don't worry. Hunting bounties is right up my alley, after all. If I can catch you, I can catch her. You worry about getting better and getting over all of this. Besides, you're still needed here. Listen…"

Nail pointed towards the exterior window. Distant booms and gunshots could still be heard over towards Robotropolis. An explosion or two ripped through the abandoned city in the distance, a tower toppling into rubble. Some of Robotnik's forces were still active, fighting away even though they no longer had a leader.

"I have to go help them!" Sonic blurted out.

A massive grin crossed Nail's face. "So, why don't you go get deroboticized now and lend a hand? I'm sure they'd be grateful for the help out there."

Sonic didn't need to be told anything else. He blasted off down the hospital's hallways, nearly bowling over his friends as his rocket booster kicked in. Within seconds he was back at the roboticization chamber again, and couldn't jump inside fast enough.

Once he was in place, the combat engineer manned the terminal, inputting commands. The glass tube slid closed, blue energy rings surging across the outside of the chamber. A few moments later, a bright blue circle of light came up from the bottom of the glass chamber, smoke concealing everything else from his sight. As it passed over Sonic's body, the metal transformed back into living tissue. Slowly but surely, the circle of light went from the soles of his feet all the way to the tips of his spines, transforming him back into his regular self. He looked down, his sharp blade-like fingers now replaced by gloved hands. He ran one across the spines on his head, feeling fur there for the first time in what felt like years. The smoke cleared away and the glass tube slid open with a hiss, Tails, Knuckles and the President waiting in the room for him to reappear.

"Better now?" Tails asked.

"Good as new," Sonic grinned, running his hands across the skin on his arms. He looked at Tails and Knuckles. "And I'm ready to go fight some robots!" Someone seemed to be missing though. "Hmm…where's Nail?"

"He's already left," Tails answered. "Said he wanted to get on the job of finding Canma right away."

"Well, I'd better get started too then!" Sonic scraped his feet against the floor, loving the feeling of his durable sneakers scraping against the metal. "What do you guys say? One last fight with Robotnik's robots?"

"Let's do it Sonic!" Tails pumped his fist.

"I'm with you!" Knuckles punched his hands together.

The three of them rushed out of the room, leaving behind a blue, orange, and red streak as they rushed to join the fight back in the city.

October 10th, 2317 – 4:30 PM – Nedlo, Tneicna

Canma walked the streets of Nedlo in solitude, her features all but concealed by the primitive brown cloak she wore. Her white muzzle poked out from under the hood, ears jutting the top of the hood upwards in twin triangles. The occasional flash of her white-tipped tail could be seen at the back of the cloak.

As she went on her way, she gazed around the city. Even more than a year after Metal and Mecha Sonic were destroyed, Nedlo had not recovered fully from their devastation. Frequently she needed to turn back due to rubble from destroyed buildings making the street impassable, or she had to scale over piles of stone and debris scattered in the roadways. Given the state of this sector, she found herself alone for much of the jounrye.

However, the city still teemed with life, not to mention sights deemed impossible as little as several months ago. As she headed towards a more populated district, a dumptruck rumbled past her, full of rubble from a destroyed building. Considering Tneicna and Nedlo limited themselves to pre-human technology, this would have been an unusual sight all on its own. But the cloaked individual spotted two humans behind the wheel, their furless faces shocking to see in this part of Planet Freedom. Underneath the cloak she shuddered, hiding her face by tugging the hood of her cloak a little lower, hoping to not be recognized.

Soon she arrived in one of the populated districts, most of the buildings upright and with shops open for business. Vendors lined the streets with their stands, calling out wares, while the local population of furries walked to and fro, doing their shopping while children laughed and ran with their parents.

It seemed like an average day in Nedlo, although some noises spoiled the mood. Every so often one of those human trucks rumbled past, the loud engines shattering the music of the street. Far off in the distance, construction cranes towered overhead like giant alien insects, lifting stone to masons reconstructing the town's various buildings. She couldn't tear her eyes away from them. What a hideous sight. Throughout the city, the roaring of the engines of construction vehicles echoed, along with crashing noises, hammering, and sawing. It all sounded like a terrible symphony, corrupting the city around her.

To distract herself, she checked the various fruit stalls for something to eat. Her mouth watered at the colorful, vibrant food. But she jingled the small purse in her cloak's pocket, feeling the meager handful of coins inside, and shook her head. Was there anything cheaper around here?

Canma settled on a small handful of berries, pulling the few coins out of her pocket and wincing as she handed them over to the seller. As she waited for her food, she briefly rubbed her two remaining coins between her fingers, the amount not enough to buy even one more berry. She accepted her bag of fruit afterwards, grateful for the food but dreading what would happen once it was empty. This bag didn't weigh much to begin with. With a sigh, she turned and headed back in the direction she'd come, back towards the destroyed sector of town. She gazed wistfully at the many apartments and hotels on the higher floors of the stone buildings, wishing she was sleeping in one of those tonight, perhaps with a few jars and cupboards full of food.

Loud, coarse laughter disrupted her thoughts, directing her attention back to the street level. Two human construction workers walked down the street, wearing yellow vests and hats. As they walked, they tossed a leather ball back and forth with some of the local furry children, everybody giggling and overjoyed by the game. The pups and kits bounced around, hurrying to grab the ball whenever it dropped before another round of tossing ensued. The cheerful laughter sounded like screeching in Canma's ears. This couldn't be right, could it? Humans and furries should never get along like this! They were evil, and furries were good. Right? Wasn't she right? They destroyed her home after all, and Robotnik was one of them too.

But then why would they help rebuild the city like this?

She clutched a fist round the bag of berries, her lips pulled back into a grimace. Shaking her head, she ducked into an alleyway. She stopped for a moment to rest. On the wall next to her, she found herself looking at her own face, a hand-drawn wanted poster hanging there with her name and description in both English and the local Tneicnan dialect. The reward had gone up again. Frowning, she decided to move deeper into the alley system, ducking down a few more until she was sure she was alone.

She took a seat on a discarded wooden box, a tear rolling down her face as she sniffled. Even the people of her home country were against her now. Traitors, the lot of them, after all she'd done to protect her planet from human influence they'd gone and done this. This place should be for furries only, nobody else. She thought the other Tneicnans would have her back, but now she was alone in her own home, everyone else having turned their backs on her. Growling, she stood, walking away in the hopes it would distract her thoughts. It didn't work.

Even though it had cost much to come to Nedlo, she'd made the journey to this place. She'd heard stories about what was happening over here. Didn't want to believe it was true, but all the same she had to come here herself and find out if it was real. It turned out to be all that and even worse. So alone. She was so alone. Especially with Falc arrested and rotting away in a human prison somewhere. She'd find a way to rescue him so they could restart their campaign against the humans. Maybe pick up some sympathetic furries along the way. It would all work out. It would all work out. She rounded a corner into another alleyway.

The barrel of a gun greeted her, pointed right between her eyes.

Gasping, she took a step back. Looking behind the gun, she spotted the face of Augustine "Nail" Strafer staring her down, those harsh yellow eyes seeming to pierce her soul.

"Thought I'd find you here." Nail's gun remained as still as if a statue held it. "You've got quite the bounty on you now, you know. Got the attention of the President himself even."

Canma stood frozen in her tracks, those arresting yellow eyes holding her in place. She didn't want to believe this was happening right now. It couldn't. Not with all these plans she had. She couldn't let that stop her now! Her foot slid back, but then found the barrel right in front of her left eye, seeing the bullet inside.

"Ah ah ah!" Nail grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around so she was facing away. "The bounty for you is dead or alive Canma. I don't care which. That's your only warning."

"Please, let me go. Why are you working for these humans now?" Her lips trembled. "They-they're evil you know…"

"Listen to this place." Nail said. She could still hear the terrible combination of trucks, bulldozers, cranes, hammers, and other human construction. "You were wrong. Our two races can and do get along. There's no need for us to fight. There never was. It was nothing but some delusional fantasy in your head."

"But Robotnik was a human and—"

Nail pressed the barrel to the back of her head, putting a circular indentation into the skin under her fur. "Evil doesn't limit itself to one race, Canma. Good has never equaled furry, bad has never equaled human. Both you and Robotnik are proof of that."

Canma gasped. "You would compare me to Robotnik? I'm nothing like him!"

"You're a lot more alike than you think. You both wanted to impose your will on the planet. You both were willing to kill lots and lots of innocents to do it. You both wanted to kill and destroy anybody who doesn't agree with you."

"But the people I want to do that too are humans and—"

Nail cocked her on the side of her head with the pistol, sending her stumbling to the ground. Her bag slipped from her grasp, red berries spilling out and getting dirty on the wet cobblestone below. She moved to pick them up, but he pressed a boot on her back, keeping her on the ground. She glanced back to him, sniffling.

"Get it through your thick skull! Humans aren't the enemy!" Nail shook his head, sighing as he did so. "Why am I even bothering to talk to you? Put these on and get on your feet." He fished something out of his pocket, tossing out a set of handcuffs that clattered on the pavement next to her.

Canma glanced at the shiny cuffs, a tear sliding down her face. "Nail…there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah? What's that?" He let his foot off of her back, although she could still feel the gun trained on her.

Canma sniffled as she reached out for the cuffs, the metal grinding on stone as she rose to a stand, facing him again. "Nail…" She stared into his eyes. "Do you remember that one night back at your hideout? When we slept together?"

Nail growled. "All too well."

"You…" she choked. "You're a father now."

The gray fox froze, the two of them locking eyes, Canma having a pleading look on her face. Nonetheless, his free hand clenched into a fist.

"Liar."

She shook her head, her purple hair disorderly and unkempt from months of living on the run. "No, it's the truth."

"Why should I trust you? You used me. You used Sonic. You used Tails and Knuckles. You used us all." With every sentence he gestured with the pistol, jerking it at her over and over again. "Blood is on your hands because your lies. You're just trying to get me to drop my guard."

"Okay, I admit it! I was horrible to all of you!" Canma snarled, although the snarl melted away instantly. "You didn't deserve it. None of you did. You're better than those humans."

While she meant the last part as a compliment, Nail's face twisted in disgust. "Have you been listening to anything I've been saying for the past few minutes? Species has nothing to do with this!"

"Come on," She sniffled. "Join with me. We can save my brother from prison, we can keep this fight going."

"It'll never happen, and you know it. You know you're beaten Canma. I can tell. It's only a matter of time now before you're dead or in prison. Getting away from me won't be enough. There's going to be others—human and furry alike—who will come for you. You're alone now. Make it easier on yourself and put those on."

Canma stared at the handcuffs again, staring at the metal shining in the sunlight coming into the alleyway. "You're right. I'm beaten. But your son, he's not a lie. I swear he isn't. Please, don't take me in. He's only a couple months old. Those berries…" She pointed at the spilled bag on the ground. "They were for him."

The pistol wavered, the barrel shaking as Nail pointed the gun at her. She could be lying for all he knew. But all the same, what if she was telling the truth? What would happen to the child if he took her in? If she was right, he was sentencing his own son to death. He considered this for a moment, grumbling under his breath.

"Where is he then?" Nail narrowed his eyes.

Canma's eyes lit up, a small smile on her face. "Not far. I left him in a shelter nearby."

"Okay." Nail nodded. "Lead the way. But you will put those cuffs on first."

Canma didn't like the idea, but she complied. They walked back towards the abandoned sector of town, some parts looking more like a rock quarry than a city. Nail stuck close behind her with his pistol drawn, keeping the gun out of sight of passerby.

After a while they arrived at an old warehouse converted into a shelter for those displaced by the attacks. How sad even after a year such a place like this was necessary. They went inside the dimly lit building, with only scant sunlight coming in through the occasional skylight. In the dark, Nail could hear crying babies, some of them with single parents like Canma herself. They'd probably been in this place for months now. But even they didn't have the problems of bounties on their heads.

Winding their way through the beds, personal belongings, and trash, they arrived at a cot hidden in the back corner, a crying baby fox kit wrapped in blankets sitting on top of it. The kit had his same gray fur with a white muzzle, although with violet highlights near the white parts. The baby stopped to open its eyes, revealing them as emerald green like Canma's, but with an amazing shine to them. Nail almost saw himself in this boy, knowing for sure this was their son now.

Canma turned to look at him, glancing downwards. Nail looked down too. He'd holstered his gun without even thinking about it. Yet she didn't run or fight him despite noticing it. He considered drawing the gun again, although sensed he wasn't in any real danger here. He released his hand from the pistol's grip, stepping over to the kit. She moved alongside him. The baby kit kept crying away, it's little mouth open and tiny paws balled into fists.

What would he do now?

Back in the day, Nail's own father Gail talked a lot about how proud he was of him, but Nail's birth was planned. His parents wanted children.

This child on the other hand… Nail never asked for this. He never had any plans to have a son. A part of him didn't want this boy to exist at all. Yet he felt responsible for the child in front of him now. And what about Canma? Tears welled in her eyes as her handcuffs jingled under her robe. He could still turn her in for the bounty and make a killing, but who would raise his son? More than anyone, Nail knew what it was like to grow up without parents. Mom died early on, and his dad was dead or missing himself. Could he condemn this child to the same awful fate?

Nail stared back at Canma again. She waited silently, tears in her eyes as she waited for him to decide what to do.

"Canma, why did you have to do what you did?" He shook his head, gesturing to the kit. "What were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"Him." He waved towards the boy. "Is it fair bringing him into this kind of life? Even if I let you go, how are you going to raise him?"

Every time Nail said 'him', he noticed Canma's mouth tightening a little bit more into a snarl. On the last one she bared her teeth. "I gave him a name you know!" Her tail thrashed around behind her.

"I'm sorry." Nail's ears folded backwards, embarrassed when he realized how he was talking. "Okay, what's his name?"

"Cebran. Cebran Neuyan."

"Cebran?" Nail raised an eyebrow.

Canma nodded. "An old, traditional name, back before the humans arrived. Like all of the names in my family. And by the way, the rest of my family is all dead or in jail now, thanks to the humans. But I still need someone to carry on our legacy. No matter how dark things get. Family used to mean everything until the humans came along. I don't want mine to end with me." She looked back at her boy again. "He's my hope for the future."

"But what's left for you and him now? Your home's destroyed. Where will you go? What will you do?"

"Where will I go?" She glanced back at him. "You're thinking of letting me go?"

Nail shook his head, sighing. "I don't know what to think anymore. Not with…with Cebran here." He waved towards the kit.

"I'll take Cebran with me into the forests. My parents trained me to live off the land. It's how things have been for months now. We'll stay there for the rest of our days. You'll never hear of us again."

I'll never hear of that reward money ever again either. Nail's face hardened, hearing the crying child. This boy or the money? Or maybe he could turn Canma in and raise the boy himself? But how could he deny his son a mother when he knew all too well what that felt like?

"Tell me…" Canma slid to him, pressing into his side. "If you let us go, is there anything I can do to help pay you back? Anything at all? You know I've got skills like you do."

"You want to work with me on my jobs?" A short while ago Nail would have laughed, slapped the cuffs on her, and dragged her in for the reward. Now though, he couldn't believe he was seriously considering it. Truth to be told, once Canma was dealt with, he had another job planned. It was a job of a personal rather than monetary nature. Nonetheless, having an extra pair of hands could help things go a lot smoother.

"How can I trust you though?" Nail glared at her. "How do I know you won't stab me in the back?"

"I'll tell you what." Canma sniffled, looking at their son. "Cebran will be my collateral. Carrie still lives in town, right?"

Nail nodded.

"She can take care of him while we're away. She's a sweet girl. I can tell she'll make a fine mother someday. And she's an empath right? She'll know if I'm lying about any of this."

Nail blinked. She had a point. Carrie could see through lies with her abilities. While he felt uneasy about the idea, Canma's reasoning was sound. Should he trust her or not? Cebran kept crying in the background. Nail chewed his lip, staying silent for a long time, rationalizing all the various ways he could take this and trying to make up his mind on what to do. Meanwhile, Canma waited off to the side, like a defendant sitting before a judge as Nail paced back and forth.

After an uncomfortably long time, he finally stopped walking, turning to face her. "Okay, I've made a decision." A blank look masked his face, not giving any clues on what he might about to say.

Canma's ears perked up, holding her breath as she waited for him to speak. The seconds of silence stretched into minutes.

A sigh escaped Nail's lips. "You're hired." He rolled his eyes, as if not believing he was saying those words. Nonetheless, he fished the key for the handcuffs out of his pocket and passed it to her.

Canma beamed a smile at him, purple tail beating back and forth underneath her cloak as he spoke those beautiful words. She used the key, the device making a pleasant click as the cuffs released.

"Don't get too happy just yet. You go to work right now." Nail took the handcuffs and key back. "Get packed. We've got a flight to catch to Cictra."

"Cictra?" Canma's eyes widened. "What's over there?"

"It's a long and sad story. Over ten years long." The smallest of grins crossed over Nail's face. "But with your help, we can end it at long last."

October 17th, 2317 – 5:38 PM – Gerrant, Cictra

A lion rested in the back of a limousine, smoking an expensive cigar. Downtown Gerrant glided past the tinted windows. The glow of neon signs and lights bathed the glass in a wondrous array of colors, while skyscrapers stretched far overhead into the ceiling of the chamber. It was a sight like nothing else on the planet: an entire city inside a gigantic cave system deep underneath a mountain. Other skyscrapers even hung from top of the cave, the entrances through their roofs.

Dualian never tired of this sight, and it filled his heart with pride to know he held a firm grip on all of it. The local politicians stayed firmly in his back pocket and out of the way of his protection racket. Plus he had a fair bit of side business going like illicit arms manufacture and the drug trade. Yet his life bored him considering he always had more money than he knew what to do with it, nobody in this town offering him much of a challenge anymore. It had been a long time since he'd known any real excitement.

He tapped his cigar into a nearby ashtray, some of the embers falling out and landing on the pants of his brand new, expensive dark blue suit. Grumbling, he brushed it away. One of his bodyguards was there already assisting with a handkerchief, reaching towards him from the backwards-facing jump seat in front of him.

"Thank you, Henry." The lion smiled.

The cougar grinned back, finishing the job as well as he could. "Think nothing of it." A small gray stripe remained, but it was all that could be done for the moment. "We'll have to get that to the cleaners after this, boss."

"Please, call me Dualian right now." The lion swiped his hand over the streak a few times, but it improved nothing. "I'm enjoying an evening out on the town tonight. No need for formalities."

"Sure boss, I mean Dualian."

The two of them shared a chuckle.

The limo pulled up to a restaurant with red awnings, the front door flanked by small planted trees. They grew in the artificial sunlight cast by huge UV lights built into the ceiling. Gold lettering in the awning above the door declared it as 'The Lellberry'.

Henry pushed the door open for Dualian, stepping out to hold it open for him. The lion climbed out, straightening his jacket before he made his way inside. A doorman greeted him with a nod, the uniform a rich dark black with shining brass buttons. He pulled aside the glass door, Dualian nodding his thanks as he walked inside. The restaurant inside referenced the Art Deco style from back on 1930s Earth, the walls made of smooth faced tan stone with elaborate circular ornamentation around the ceilings and columns.

He made his way towards a red curtain at the rear of the restaurant, to which a leopard waiter in a white jacket moved aside for him. His private dining room greeted him behind it, set aside since he was such a frequent client. The dark room was small and octagonal shaped. Stone columns filled the corners, a chandelier overhead giving the place a glowing yellow ambiance. The soft light revealed a circular wooden table in the middle of the room, four handcrafted leather chairs positioned around it.

Henry waited outside in case anybody wanted to start trouble, although Dualian doubted his bodyguard's presence was necessary.

The waiter quickly slid a leather padded chair away from the table for him. "What shall it be, Mr. Dualian?"

"Ah, my usual." He took a seat, letting the waiter push him back into position.

"You love your steaks, don't you?" the leopard smiled.

"What do you expect? I am a lion after all."

"Very well." The waiter took a quick bow and departed through the curtain.

Dualian waited for his meal to arrive, the room silent except for the soft violin music floating in through the curtains. He settled back into the soft chair, eyes closed as he let the soothing melodies wash over him. Having a moment to pause was bliss after the hectic pace of today.

Some people weren't paying their protection money, and he'd had to send in his underboss along with groups of soldiers all over the damn city to collect what was owed him. They had to break some fingers too. Push a guy out a second floor window. Why couldn't people pay their damn protection? Every month it was the same way, and he had to make another example out of some poor sap. None of it would be necessary if people would smarten up already and realize he was going to get his money one way or another, and that's how it was going to be as long as they lived and worked in his town.

Ah well, the music was wonderful to relax to after dealing with all that mess. He smiled as he sat there with his eyes closed, running an idle finger through the mane surrounding his face.

Dualian sensed the presence of someone else in the room. His eyes flew open, chair scraping against the floor as he jerked awake. His hand went for the pistol under his jacket, fabric rustling as he fumbled to grab for it.

But once his vision came back into focus, he saw it was only the waiter standing there, holding a silver platter with his meal on it. The lion breathed a sigh of relief. He'd dozed off there. The waiter held his eyes wide open, wondering if he'd done something wrong, watching and waiting for a reply. Dualian gave a soft smile, nodding for the waiter to put the tray on the table.

He slid the tray onto the table, showing a giant ribeye steak. Dualian eyed it hungrily. Mushrooms, asparagus, and other vegetables flanked the dish to make it a little healthier, but they were an afterthought. He picked up the knife and fork, diving right in without acknowledging the waiter anymore. Oh, the flavor was amazing. He came by this place at least once a week, sometimes several. Whenever he felt down, this particular food lifted his mood. In fact, it seemed extra tasty tonight for some reason. He detected some sort of flavorful spice he hadn't noticed on past visits. Was this new? Something they put a spin on back in the kitchen to surprise him? Whatever it was, he needed to congratulate the chef. The meal flew by for him, each new bite another little explosion of flavor in his mouth.

As he finished off the final pieces of the steak, the curtains rustled behind him, footsteps moving around his chair. Dualian cleaned his face with a napkin, holding out the plate in his other hand.

"More, please."

But instead of taking the plate, the individual walked past him.

"Excuse me!" Dualian growled, putting down the napkin. "Do you know who I am?"

He expected to see the waiter, but this man wore a suit with a black jacket instead of a white one. Seeing him from the back, he looked like a fox from the pointed ears, although the tail was too short for one. Why did he seem familiar? The vulpine turned around, taking a seat across the table as he stared back with a pair of eerie yellow eyes. Dualian recognized the eyes, but couldn't place them at first. Then he remembered. Gail Strafer had yellow eyes. This was Augustine Strafer…Gail's boy. Dualian dropped the plate, hearing it clatter onto the table cloth.

"Hello there, Dualian." Augustine smiled, as if they were old friends.

To Dualian, it was like coming face to face with a ghost. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"Wasn't hard. You treat your employees and everyone else in Gerrant like crap after all. One little bribe to Henry and he had no problem at all letting me waltz in here. Why do you think he was so happy tonight? Same goes for the guy who owns this restaurant. He was getting tired of paying you protection, so he decided to pay me a little something instead."

Dualian growled, reaching under his jacket for his pistol again. His fumbled about for it, his hand clumsy. Augustine waited for him to draw his weapon. He finally wrapped his hands around the grip, slipping a finger over the trigger. Yet a tingling sensation coursed through his hands, like it was going numb. He pushed through the numbness, doing his best to whip out the gun and point it at Augustine. The vulpine sat there, smirking at the attempt. Dualian tried to squeeze the trigger, but his fingers ignored his commands, grip going slack as the pistol fell from his grasp. The pistol bounced off the table and clattered to the floor.

"Enjoy your meal?" Augustine smiled, eyeing the empty plate. "Guess you did."

"Wh…what did you do to me, you insolent boy?!" The numbness swept from Dualian's fingers to his hands, now working its way backwards down his wrists and elbows. He pushed back from the table to stand but pangs of numbness crept into his feet as well. He swayed as he tried to stand and appear strong, but the unsteady stance created the opposite effect as the smaller vulpine grinned at him.

"Ah that…" Augustine pointed at some of the sliced mushrooms on the plate left behind from Dualian's gorging. "I got a recommendation from a friend on a delicious type of mushroom. I forget what the scientific name is, but apparently it translates to 'flavorful death'. She added it to your meal tonight."

Dualian felt the numbness creeping further and further, reaching his central torso from his extremities. He wobbled as his legs turned numb. Dualian stared at the plate, spotting the sliced bits of the mushrooms left on the plate.

"No doubt you're feeling the effects now. " Augustine paced around the table, still grinning away. He stood in front of the larger lion.

While Dualian wanted to reach over and strangle Augustine with his massive paws, they remained at his sides, no matter how much he willed them to move. It was like his brain became disconnected from the rest of his body one piece at a time, as if the nerve pathways across his body were rotting away.

Augustine smiled as he put a hand on Dualian's chest and gave a gentle push. Dualian toppled backwards, slamming the back of his head into the hard marble floor. The lion cried out, almost feeling like he'd cracked his skull.

"It hurts, doesn't it Dualian?" The vulpine stood over him. "But it's only a small taste of all the pain and misery you've inflicted on me, my sister, and my parents, not to mention everyone else you've controlled, abused, and killed in this city for the past couple decades."

Dualian wanted to curse Nail, scream at him, or cry out for help, but by this time the numbness invaded his head, causing his throat to constrict, his jaw flopping uselessly. Saliva ran down the side of his face from his open mouth.

"There are many other, more painful ways I could have killed you. I would've loved to use them, but Carrie made me promise if I went through with this it had to be quick and merciful. So lucky you. Even though you've been trying to kill me and my sister for the past ten years, you're getting off pretty easy I'd say. Enjoy your easy, painless ride down to hell."

The numbness reached towards his brain, his body becoming more like a stiff mannequin with every passing second. Augustine faded from his view, those glowing yellow eyes still burning brightly even as the rest of his sight turned to black. It was the last thing he saw before the darkness overtook him forever.

As Dualian lay stiff on the floor, Canma entered the room to stand beside Nail, the two of them staring at the fresh corpse.

"You know your poisons." The smile faded from Nail's face. He tapped Dualian's dress shoes with one of his feet. "I'd hate to be on your bad side again."

"Think nothing of it." She smiled. "So we're even?"

Nail glanced at her, nodding. "I've waited a long time for this moment. My dad used to work for this guy and his gang. He was a street fighter called Raging Gray. There was this rigged fight Dad was supposed to lose. He had too much pride to go with the plan though. Dualian lost a ton of money from side bets, although it was a drop in the bucket with all the rackets he had going. But he didn't care. He wanted to make an example of my father. He decided Dad, Mom, my two sisters, and I needed to die, and sent a bunch of thugs with guns to our house. Mom died that night. Carrie and I got away. I don't know where my dad and my other sister Ayecaye went. We got split up in the attack. Dualian never lets go of grudges, and until now he's never given up on hunting us down and killing us…"

Augustine's voice trailed off. He'd long since stopped smiling. He glanced around the room. His eyes looked clouded, the mind behind them fuzzy and uncertain.

"Are you okay?" Canma asked.

Rather than triumphant, the gray canine's face appeared blank. "I don't know. I've waited a long time for this moment. I'm amazed how easy it was to kill this guy, once I knew it was him behind the assassins going after Carrie. I thought it'd be a lot harder than this. I feel…unsatisfied."

"What?" She chuckled. "Like you wish this could have ended with a big battle or something? Maybe have a huge gunfight at his mansion?"

"And throw in a car chase or two." Nail glanced at the body again. "But it's for the best this way. No one else has to die but him. I told Carrie I was going to try finding more legitimate work once I'd finished this job, and I'd like to get started off on the right foot."

"Legit work?" Canma raised an eyebrow.

"Work with less murky morality. Taking care of people like him instead of say…going after Sonic and his friends?"

Canma frowned. "Wish it were that easy for me."

"Well, you did make your bed, and you've got to sleep in it now." Nail paused. "That came out wrong."

The two of them shared a chuckle.

"Let me know if you need any help." She put a hand on his shoulder.

"And a cut of my earnings," Nail smiled back, "but I don't mind. Got to feed our growing boy, right?"

"Yep, so make sure you stay in touch." Canma stepped over to the curtains. "See you again soon."

She slipped away with nary a sound. Nail took a long sigh, staring at Dualian's body one more time. This wouldn't bring his mother back. It wouldn't return the lost years of his and Carrie's life either, spending their time checking over their shoulders for these guys. But at least now everything was finally brought to a close, and they wouldn't need to worry about the past haunting them anymore. Nail could go searching for his father Gail and his other sister Ayecaye, see if they were still alive somewhere out there. Eager to begin his search, he slipped out through the curtain, not giving the body another look.

November 7th, 2317 – 3:47 PM – Elona Wilderness

Sonic rested on the beach outside of his house, staring into the water surrounding their island as he sat on his pool lounger. He had nice music playing next to him, the sun was beaming down, the sky was a perfect blue with fluffy white clouds, the palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and the flowers bloomed all around him. A perfect place to relax, more or less.

Yet he felt restless as he sat there. Everything had been peaceful once Robotnik was dealt with, both the humans and furries all coming together to rebuild the planet's damage. They still had a long way to go, but everything was looking much better these days. Sonic himself had lent a helping hand wherever he could, going all over the planet to help with reconstruction. Building a house here, digging a canal there, or planting some flowers. The idea came from Sonic himself, with the President sending him wherever they needed help or inspiration from his presence. He wanted to do it as a way to make up for all the destruction he'd caused while robotized, even though everyone said he didn't need to do anything else with Robotnik gone.

This was a rare day where he'd decided to give himself a break. It sounded like a good idea. A year or two ago, he wouldn't have minded resting on this beach for the rest of eternity. And yet now as he sat here, he wondered if there was something else he should be doing right now. He tapped his foot on the edge of the lounger, anxious about the passing of time.

Before Robotnik was killed last year, sometimes Sonic wondered what he would do if he ever lost his old rival. Now he knew. Funny to think he'd gone from saving the world to being a de facto construction worker. But ah well, his feet and hands would stay idle otherwise, and he loved every chance he got to help out. Sitting still like this required more effort, even though his friends told him it was okay to rest once in a while.

"Hey Sonic!" Tails called out, running to him. "Could you come into my lab? I've got a special surprise for you!"

"What is it?" Sonic raised his sunglasses.

"Come on in and see! I want to show this to you while Knuckles is here too!"

Sonic smiled and slipped out of the chair, grateful for the interruption. He trundled back inside his home with Tails, entering through open cockpit door of the derelict jet that made up the main portion of their house. After a few more steps they made it into Tails' small lab, situated in the back of the jet's passenger cabin but having light streaming in through the windows. The little fox walked him over to a metal tube he had at the back of the lab, Knuckles waiting nearby with a tap of his foot. He still had that cowboy hat of his on.

"I'm not sure what this big surprise is, Tails." Knuckles looked over the tube. "This thing is creepy. Reminds me of a roboticizer. What's inside?"

"You're both about to find out!" Tails pushed a button on a nearby remote. The metal split into two halves, one moving into the floor and the other into the ceiling.

Sonic gasped, beholding the surprise inside. Metal Sonic hovered in a glowing green force field, eyes dark and in a powered down state. Knuckles gasped, going into a fighting stance.

"Wait Knuckles!" Tails jumped between him and Metal. "It's okay!"

"Why did you bring…this thing back here?" Knuckles pointed at it. "I thought he was destroyed!"

"The old one was destroyed," Tails corrected. "This is a new Metal Sonic I built myself. I downloaded the plans from Robotnik's servers after the war ended."

"You built another one?!" Knuckles gasped, turning towards Tails. "Why the hell would you want to make another Metal Sonic? After everything the first two did?"

"Whoa, hold on!" Tails held up his hands. "Metal Sonic was programmed with Sonic's life data, right? Meaning he's essentially a copy. Remember when the first Metal Sonic saved the President after Robotnik's programming wore off? All I had to do was switch it off and he was acting like Sonic again. This one's going to be like that, just good from the start. He can be a new ally of ours!"

"And what's stopping someone from reprogramming him like you did to the old Metal Sonic?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you always trust Sonic to do the right thing, right Knuckles?"

Knuckles glanced over at Sonic. "Yes, but…" He cast a scornful glance back at the Metal Sonic shell. "I don't trust machines like I do Sonic."

"I changed the source code so it runs entirely on Sonic's life data." Tails turned on a nearby machine, showing off a detailed schematic of Metal Sonic along with the accompanying code. Sonic or Knuckles could read it, but the fox didn't seem to care. "There's simply no place to enter any other instructions, unless you want to rip apart the code and start over from scratch. It essentially will be Sonic. Anyway, this thing is a shell right now. I have to write the code to run him next." Tails turned to Sonic. "So, what do you think?"

Sonic looked at the empty Metal Sonic shell hovering inside the force field. With the way it floated in the darkness, it gave off a corpse-like vibe, as if it were a sleeping zombie about to be revived by an undead plague. While he wanted to save the old Metal Sonics, was it right to bring another one of these into existence? Did Metal ask to be built when Robotnik brought him to life? What would it be like to have another version of himself running around?

"I don't know Tails…" Sonic grimaced, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" Tails ears drooped. "I thought you'd be happy if Metal was back. I remembered how you acted the last two times he was destroyed."

"I know, but it's different now. I've had time to think after helping to rebuild Planet Freedom. People are getting used to Robotnik being gone now. What would they say if they saw Metal again?" Sonic glanced over to Tails.

The fox gasped, realizing the implications of this decision. With all the destruction inflicted by the two previous robots, Metal Sonic was like the grim reaper to numerous people across the planet. There was still a lot of fresh trauma from those devastating wars. How would they react if they saw Metal alive again?

"I'm glad you see things my way Sonic." Knuckles nodded with approval. "Tails, you haven't told anyone else about this, have you?"

Tails nervously shook his head. "No, I wanted to keep this a secret until now."

"Great," Knuckles nodded, stepping over to the shell and winding up for a punch. "Let's make sure it stays a secret."

Sonic raised a hand, zapping in front of the force field. "Wait Knuckles!"

"Eh?" Knuckles lowered his fists. "What are you doing?"

"This isn't an easy choice for me to make, Knuckles." The hedgehog lowered his hand, looking back at Metal. "Every time Metal dies, it feels like a part of me dies, as weird as that sounds."

"Don't tell you want this thing hanging around your house!"

"No…" Sonic shook his head. "Metal shouldn't exist anymore, but I think I should be the one to get rid of him. I'm doing this because it's not an easy choice for me to make. Tails?"

The fox gulped. "Yes Sonic?"

"Where are you keeping the files for Metal Sonic?"

"Everything is in this computer." Tails patted the machine he had the robot's plans displayed on.

"Okay, put everything on a data stick. All the backups and copies too."

Not knowing where Sonic was going with this, Tails stepped in front of the keyboard and typed in commands rapid fire. Within seconds he'd handed a small data stick to Sonic. The hedgehog dropped it on the floor and stomped on it repeatedly. By the time he was done, the plastic, silicone, and circuits had been grinded into a fine paste on the floor. Tails gasped, covering his mouth at the sheer amount of violence Sonic inflicted on it.

"Now, him…" Sonic reached inside the green force field, pulling out Metal Sonic's robotic shell. Without all of the electronics and other machinery inside, it weighed light in his hands. He threw the body over his shoulder, and walked into Tails' nearby workshop. In one corner of the underground workshop they kept a smelting pit for making new metal, since their hideout was isolated and they needed the pit for self-sufficiency purposes. It gave a warm orange glow to that part of the room.

Sonic walked to the pit. While he tried to appear determined to his friends, every step felt as though he were trying to pull a mountain behind him. Both times Metal was destroyed before weighed heavily on him, and he never thought he'd be destroying Metal on purpose like this. It was as though parts of his mind were at war with each other as he came to the pit. He halted in his steps, staring at the molten pool, bathing everything in that bright hue. All that was left was to lower the robot in. Sonic waited there, standing still for several minutes without a word exchanged between anyone.

"Sonic?" Knuckles asked behind him. "I can do it for you, if you want."

"No." Sonic shook him off. "I need to do this myself."

The heat was unbearable as he approached the glowing pit. Laying Metal on the lip of the pool, Sonic used a nearby crane to pick up the metallic shell, lowering it into the smelter. With a hiss, the robot sunk into the glow, disappearing from sight. Tails waited off to the side along with Knuckles, the three of them watching as Metal melted away for the third and final time.

"I'm sorry Sonic," Tails' ears and tails drooped. "I didn't know that's how you felt about Metal now."

"It's okay Tails," Sonic smiled. "A year ago it would have been different. Now I think it's best to move on. Metal is something from the Robotnik days. He should stay in the past."

"Still happy building skyscrapers instead of shredding robots?" Knuckles put on a sideways smirk. "You know you could take it easy for the rest of your life if you wanted. Or maybe you could go on a treasure hunt with me or something."

"I know…but it doesn't feel right doing things for myself anymore. I owe everyone on this planet for how they've forgiven me for what I've done."

"Well, I've got a hot tip for something in the Land of Darkness if you guys are interested." Knuckles pulled off his cowboy hat, revealing an ancient scroll of Tneicnan origin pointing to an old hidden temple. "Wanna go hunt for it?"

Sonic smiled at that. "Hmm… Maybe it would be nice to go on a fun treasure hunt. Take a bit of a trip somewhere besides for work."

"Yeah," Tails said. "You're almost never here anymore Sonic. Now it's weird having you sleep out on the beach when used to you were there all the time!"

"You wanna go right now?" Knuckles rolled up the treasure map and slipping it back into his hat.

Go right now? Sonic put on a massive grin. The timing couldn't be better right now.

"That sounds great!" He laughed. "I told the Prez I'd be away for a few days, so we've got plenty of time. Sounds way more fun than sitting around here."

"Great!" Tails did a fist pump. "I'll go warm up the Tornado 2!"

The three of them laughed, as they went their separate ways to prepare for the trip. Within half an hour they were all packed into the Tornado 2, with Sonic riding on the wing, Tails piloting, and Knuckles sitting on the aft section of the plane. As they cruised through the white clouds of the Land of the Sky, somehow it all felt brand new to Sonic even though they'd done this a gazillion times before, going off on a mission to stop Robotnik or head off for some errand of the President's. For once in a long time, they were going someplace because they wanted to. Just for the thrill of the adventure.

The plane turned downwards, a blue haze appearing before them as they flashed through it into a warp portal, colors swishing by as they descended into the Land of Darkness. Whatever this treasure was, Sonic couldn't wait to go on yet another new adventure.

A/N: Hey there 2007 me, it's 2018 me. How ya been? Bet you didn't think it'd take this long for us to finish this story, huh? Anyway, it bothered me all this time I never finished this story even though the last time I worked on it was over ten years ago. Maybe it's because I only had this last chapter to write and this is all it would have taken to bring it to an end.

So why didn't I do it back then? It's hard for me to remember, but I think was a combination of two things. First, in 2007 I was getting kind of sick of writing fanfics, if I recall. Obviously that's changed, now that I'm doing Star Fox fics again. Second, originally I was going to write a sixth fic as part of my Freedom Series, and it would have starred Nail as the main character. Maybe the problem was I didn't feel like writing an ending, because I didn't feel like writing the sequel that would follow it.

Anyway, now I'm doing fanfics again, I figured it was now or never if I was going to finish this story off for good. Also, as you can see, I did some huge plot surgery to get the sixth fic's entire plot resolved in just this one chapter. The sixth fic would have basically been Nail going after Dualian and killing him, so I just had Nail complete his goal way faster than I was originally planning. It's kind of regrettable I never wrote that fic, but oh well. I've been repurposing ideas from it for my Star Fox fics anyway. If I get far enough into my Hazardous Contents fic for Star Fox, you'll see what I mean. Nail is back in that fic, Gerrant will be back, and so will villainous lions too.

Now…the people who were reading this fic back in the day are probably all in their late 20s/early 30s now. So I'm going to be shocked if any of them are still on the site to review this, or if I get any reviews period. But I'm okay with this. I wrote this ending more for personal reasons rather than to get reviews. Even so guys…it'd be a pleasant surprise if someone dropped a review, so don't be shy if you've got thoughts on the story. Also, check out my newer Star Fox stuff if you're into that. I've gotten way better in the ten years since I've written this thing :)