Today - September 1st, 2010 - is a particularily special day.

And no, it isn't because Hitler invaded Poland on this day (history trivia). Instead, it is because I am finally about to finish the greatest story I have ever created.

Three years ago, I got the idea of a remake of the third season of the anime Sonic X. My intent was to fuse what was great about Sonic X (both Japanese and English) with my own special dark twist. Using my characters from some of my earlier works, this fanfiction is the result of three years of blood, sweat, and tears.

And we are finally at the cumulation of all that work.

It's almost sad, really. I've worked with this for so long and to think that it's about to end really saddens me. In fact, I just might think about celebrating with a bottle of strong vodka afterward, lol.

Don't worry though, because this won't be the end of my fanfiction career. In fact, I have plenty more that I am planning in the future. Now that this is out of the way, I will also be updating Whose Hedgehog and Fall of the Seedrians much more.

Well, anyway, cheers to the final episode!

...

Episode 78: The End Begins

As the explosive wave of Dark Chaos Energy passed over the energy shield that Maledict had created, the crimson barrier slowly dissipated into nothingness.

Out in the void of space, Hyper Sonic, Hyper Shadow, Super Tsali, and Hyper Eric felt a cool breeze come over them as the now-deradiated energy passed around them. Pieces of rock, dust, and Planet Eggs were blown to and fro out of the blinding mini-star that had formed from the blast.

Shadow, Eric, and Tsali watched the light show in grim silence, until they were interrupted by a strange sound coming from their left. Their attention turned to Hyper Sonic, whom they noticed had hid his head and put his hand over his face.

For the first time in his adolescent life, Sonic the Hedgehog was now crying in his hands, completely devastated by the death of his surrogate brother.

Shadow promptly floated over and put a reassuring hand around Sonic's shoulder. Eric then joined and did the same. Tsali did nothing and simply kept looking at the remains of what once was the God of Darkness.

"Sonic?" Eric gently asked his weeping comrade.

Sonic desisted he mourning for a moment, "... Y-Yeah?"

"... We did it. Dark Tails has been vanquished and the Metarex Wars are over. We just saved the entire galaxy from being corrupted by that mofo," Eric basically threw all of his empathy out the window with a single comment.

"But... Tails..." Sonic stuttered as he was about to begin crying again.

"... Tails did what he had to do." Tsali suddenly interrupted, attracting the attention of his friends. They noticed immediately that even though he didn't make any indicating mourning sounds, there were silent tears streaming down his face.

They also noticed that he was holding something in his hand; the charred remains of Tails's white glove.

"... And for that, I am forever grateful... Miles did something that even I could never do," Tsali bowed his head in reverence, "He truly was the Chosen One. I am forever in his debt... as we all are."

"There's nothing we can do now, Sonic. Let's return to the Typhoon, and finally go home." Shadow suggested.

Immediately, the three hedgehogs and Tsali teleported away.

...

All four anthros reappeared on the flight deck of the Typhoon; as they landed on the ship surface, all four of them lost their Chaos forms, reverting back to normal.

They were greeted by all of their friends; Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Rouge, and the Chaotix. Robotnik and his three robots pals were standing off to the side. Eric's crewmates were farther down the deck.

Sonic fell to his knees the moment he hit the deck, once again resuming his sobbing.

Amy promptly dashed over to his side and embraced her lover. Normally, Sonic would have run away, but he needed her comforting presence at this point. She also began crying in Sonic's shoulder as the two hedgehogs hugged each other tightly, not even caring that everyone else on the deck could see them.

Luke the Seedrian and his friends were near the bow of the ship, staring at the hailstorm of Planet Eggs all around them. However, they were quickly joined by Tsali, who jumped up and sat down on a small piece of damaged metal that jutted out of the hull.

The two former enemies looked upon the stunningly beautiful sight in deep silence, until Tsali broke it.

"So that is how it all ends..."

"Hmmm?" Luke turned and asked.

"... For three decades, we fought endlessly over this galaxy... And yet, now, look what it has come to."

"I know. Trust me, if I would have known what would happen, I wouldn't have helped create the Metarex." Jave spoke, glancing at his weeping comrades behind.

"I still am wondering even now; what would this galaxy be like if Thyferra hadn't been invaded, if the War never began..." Ceres, the former Yellow Zelkova, angsted.

"That's a good question, Ceres," Luke commented, "I guess we will never know how different the past thirty years could have been."

"Oh, speaking of the past thirty years... Now that we have reconciled, Luke, I always wanted to ask you something."

"Yes, Tsali?"

"... Why did you forgive Hertia? I mean, she sentenced you to death and all... And she did leave you on Seedrius to die..." Tsali asked.

Luke sighed as he thought over his answer. "That's a very good question too. To tell the whole truth, I never really fully forgave her until I saw Maledict's interrogation video of her committing suicide... However, long before I found out that M was Maledict, he convinced me that it was not Hertia's fault, and that you were to blame, Tsali."

"Hence the reason you hunted me down for so long..." Tsali muttered in realization.

"Precisely."

"But you also wanted to find her ship and save her, right?" Tsali asked.

"... Yes, but that was not necessarily because I forgave her. The real reason was because one of my primary goals was to ensure the clandestine survival of our race, and because nearly every single surviving female Seedrian was aboard the Dandelion, we had to find them and make sure that they would be safe."

"So basically, you wanted to save them so you could bone them day and night?" The Ultimate Weapon asked.

All of the former Metarex leaders turned and glared menacingly at him.

"... What?" Tsali asked sarcastically, "I was just kidding. But seriously, I have now been wondering what to do now that everything is over."

The expressions of the male Seedrians softened a little.

"Me too. None of us thought that we would live to see the end of this, but we did." Ceres agreed.

"I have no clue what we are going to do now. What were you planning, Tsali?" Luke asked.

The fox sighed, but said nothing. "I'm not sure either..."

There was a short, awkward pause. "Oh, come to think of it..."

"Hm?"

"I remember checking today's date, and guess what day it is?" The Ultimate Weapon remembered.

"What?" Jave inquired.

"It is the same date that Hertia unleashed the nukes on Seedrius... the day that this war started." Tsali explained.

"So exactly thirty years ago to the day..." Ceres began.

"I remember that day all too well..." Luke turned to Tsali.

"And so do I... Just before the nukes dropped, were fought on top of the Capitol Building's main spire while Greengade burned all around us." Tsali likewise turned towards Dark Oak.

"Hey, I remember that!" Jave's memories came back to him.

"Me too." Dioxin also commented.

"I think all of you guys were with us." Tsali tried to recall, "How did you guys survive?"

"Well, I actually have no idea. I just remember a deafening roar and then I suddenly woke up in a Metarex suit weeks later." Jave sweatdropped.

"I must've caught a ride on a piece of rubble or something, because I recall hitting something after getting thrown into the air by the explosion. It probably broke my fall." Ceres remembered.

"I have no clue how I survived, so don't ask me." Dioxin shrugged.

"I think something similar to Ceres happened to me too." Luke tried to recall, and failed, "But I'm not sure."

"Like I already said, I was knocked cold until I woke up in a Metarex suit with the alter-ego of Maledict standing over me."

"You know, I'm surprised you guys weren't horrifically scarred and mutilated by the blasts."

Luke shrugged, "Actually, Tsali, we were. In fact, I recall having both of my arms and legs pulverized by debris. However, when Maledict found us and took us to his alternate hideout, he apparently did massive cosmetic surgery on us in order to heal our bodies, which was successful."

"Oh, I get it now." Tsali nodded.

...

Cosmo slowly got out of her seat and walked outside to the flight deck of the Typhoon, meeting everyone else who was gathered there.

She got everybody's attention as she came up to the gathering; she was not crying anymore, but still looked as if she was about to any moment.

Tsali, realizing the value of Tails's glove to her, turned around and began walking towards the Seedrian, getting her attention.

"Tsali?" She asked, backing away as he got closer. "Tsali... Umm..."

"Don't you dare do anything stupid, Tsali..." Luke sternly warned him, but was calmed down by Jave patting him on the shoulder.

He stepped only a foot in front of her and grabbed her hand as he laid the last remnants of Tails in her palm.

"Here, Cosmo... This is all I found of Tails, and I thought you should have it." The Ultimate Weapon spoke solemnly.

The Seedrian stared blankly at the blackened remains for a moment.

"His... glove?" She muttered, before once again releasing a waterfall of tears. She took a few steps towards her former nemesis before glomping him and bawling her eyes out on his fur.

"Tsali..." She choked through her tears, "... Why? Why did it have to end this way? I loved him... I LOVED him! And now, he's... gone..."

Cosmo, however, suddenly stopped crying. "No... No... I can't take it anymore!" The Seedrian suddenly jabbed her hand into Tsali's tail fur, and she took his revolver from behind him.

"What the...?" Tsali spoke, but he was just a bit too slow to stop her.

And at that moment, after looking at Tsali's magnum for a few seconds, she put it up to her temple. Everybody gasped.

"Cosmo, what are you doing? Put the gun down right now! I can't lose you too!" Luke desperately pleaded.

"Fuck you, Dad!" Cosmo screamed at her own father, completely shocking him silent.

"Cosmo..." Amy slowly muttered.

"... There is nothing left! Don't you see?" She snapped, "I've lost everything! First my planet... then my entire family... and now Tails! Everything I love is now gone... and it's all my fault! This is the only thing left for me..."

Cosmo cocked the safety catch off, preparing to take her own life.

"Cosmo, listen to me now! How do you think Tails would react if he found that the person he loved had gone and killed herself?" Tsali gave her a reason.

The Seedrian froze, realizing the truth in his statement.

"Not only that, but what about your mother? Hertia did the same thing that you are about to do! Do you want to take the coward's way out like she did?" Shadow came in.

Cosmo, however, promptly became enraged; now, she pointed the gun not at herself, but at Shadow. "How DARE you call my mother a coward!"

Luke, recognizing the tension of the situation, began walking towards his surviving daughter, getting Cosmo's attention.

"He wasn't calling your mother a coward, my daughter," he assured, "He was simply saying that what she did was cowardly, and he's right."

"Exactly." Shadow clarified, honestly fearing for his safety.

"Well then..." Cosmo's voice suddenly became dangerous, and now she turned her aim away from Shadow to Tsali, "I think I know who would dare call her a coward... TSALI!"

Tsali simply facepalmed, "You can't hurt me with that thing, Cosmo; I have armor that can block any bullet no matter how large or strong."

"Shut the fuck up! Now I see everything" She suddenly snapped, "It was all YOUR fault from the start! If you wouldn't have chased me to Mobius, Tails would still be alive! You killed my family and destroyed my life, and if I'm gonna kill myself, then I'm taking YOU with me!"

In reaction, Tsali stepped forward in order to grab the gun. Cosmo instantly fired a single shot; it bounced off of Tsali's shoulder harmlessly. She fired a second shot momentarily after; it bounced off of Tsali's left thigh.

The black fox grabbed Cosmo's arms before she could shoot at him again and pinned them behind her back with only one hand. Luke stepped forward, but Tsali held up his free hand to dissuade him.

"Don't worry, Luke. I'm not gonna hurt her." The fox assured, before turned his attention to Cosmo. "However, I will not release you until you calm down and drop my gun."

The Seedrian attempted to struggle, but to absolutely no effect. Eventually, she gave up, and let the Demon firearm slip out of her hand. Tsali promptly released her and took his weapon back, just as he promised.

"You're... You're right. I overreacted..." Cosmo admitted, almost silently, "I'm sorry."

...

On the bridge of the DSS Leviathan, the unholy trinity of Maledict, Beelzebub, and Astorath also watched the dazzling light show in silence. Satan's two friends looked at their lord in question.

"So... What do we do now, Maledict?"

"What can we do? The Metarex Wars are done and Dark Tails has been terminated. Dere's nothing left to shoot." Astorath added.

At first, the Devil did not reply and kept staring at the Planet remains before breathing in deeply to himself.

"Sonic wishes to return to his home planet with his friends and live there." The Evil One explained.

"So you did tell him about..." Beelzebub began to say.

"... Yes, I did," The black hedgehog interrupted his komrade, before continuing, "There is nothing left for us to do here. Have the surviving ships prepare to Warp jump to Hell orbit immediately."

"But what about Luke and the others?" Beelzebub asked, "They're still on the Typhoon with Sonic's friends.

"... Well, komrade, after some deliberation, I have decided to give them a repireve for their help during our fight. Before we jump, though, I would like to speak with all of our brave komrades." With that, the Devil teleported out of the bridge in a gray flash.

...

He immediately appeared on the bridge of the Blue Typhoon, drawing the angered attention of every single hero on the deck.

The Devil cleared his throat and began to speak just as Tsali and the former Metarex leaders focused their attentions on him.

"Hello everyone. I just wanted to tell all of you... that despite what all of you think, this is not how I wanted things to turn out. I would have certainly preferred it if everything could have occured without needless loss of life."

"But what WAS your plan, anyway? What was the point of beginning everything in the first place?" Espio suddenly asked.

"... That I cannot say. But there is one thing I have come to say now before I depart with my fleet to my home world..." There was a short, silent pause. "... I... I am so sorry... For everything that I have done..."

Everybody - even Tsali and the Metarex - gasped and stared blankly at him in surprise; this was the last thing that they had expected him to reveal.

"Huh?" Knuckles, Fang, Eric, and Tsali yelled in surprise.

"... Throughout our previous fight with Dark Tails, I was thinking about everything that has happened for the past thirty years, and it was then that I began to sorrowfully regret it."

The repentant Devil turned to Tsali and the Metarex leaders.

"Tsali... Luke... I know that I destroyed your lives in my scheming, and that I unwittingly created a devastating war by doing so; with all of my heart, I apologize."

He then turned and looked at a shocked Cosmo.

"Cosmo... Because of my own manipulation, your mother and your sisters were murdered and you were put on the run for most of your life... Likewise, I also give my apologies."

He looked to Sonic, "Sonic... I should have appeared and told you the truth from the moment Tsali found you on Mobius... And I should never have gotten you and your friends involved in my own business..."

There was a dramatic silence lasting for about ten seconds, before Amy suddenly glared at him and yelled. "Do you seriously expect us to just forgive you after the terror that you unleashed? Billions are dead because of you! The lives of Elise, Tsali, Cosmo, and Luke have been ruined forever thanks to you!"

Maledict paused for a moment, letting everything he had just said sink in with our heroes before concluding.

"... Miss Rose... I do not expect you to forgive me, and that's okay. I am not seeking forgiveness or pity; only understanding. I just wanted you all to know... how I truly feel now."

Amy's glare let up somewhat as Satan's expression suddenly turned almost tearful.

"Sonic... I only wanted the best for you... I wanted to create a Galaxy where you could uses your full potential and realize your own destiny..."

Sonic stopped weeping and stared at his father in surprise.

"... But in the process, I... I went mad with anger, and because I was unable to control the course of events, things turned out like this. However... I also wanted to say one last thing before we part, perhaps forever..."

"... Yes, what is it?" Shadow commented.

"... I want to thank you - all of you - for what you have gone through, and for your help in stopping Dark Tails. You are the greatest and bravest komrades I have ever known, and know that for your sacrifices, you have my eternal respect. For you help and for your gallantry in our finest hour, I have pardoned Luke, Jave, Ceres, and Dioxin along with Tsali and Cosmo; they are all free."

Maledict, upon finishing, turned around and prepared to warp away.

"Dad, wait a sec!" Sonic suddenly called out to him, causing his father to freeze.

"... Before you leave... I just wanted to say... that I'm so sorry for who I am." Sonic bowed his head and admitted.

"... Don't be, Sonic," He replied without turning to face our heroes, "You are everything I hoped you would be and more; that is all I could ever ask for. And knowing that you are alive and will be able to live peacefully on Mobius... That thought alone was what brought me to my senses at this late hour."

Suddenly, Maledict did an unusual hand gesture over himself; Luke and Tsali realized that it was actually a reverse Sign of the Cross.

"And thus, wherever the future takes us... Farewell, my son, and all of your friends. Live long and rebuild your lives anew."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Sonic called to him.

"... I must return to Hell with my friends and komrades. My people need their leader, and this Galaxy needs the help of the Demons to rebuild. That is why I must leave you now. Perhaps we will meet again in the future, but for the time being... Goodbye, everyone."

With that, Satan vanished in a gray flash.

...

On the bridge of the Dreadnought, Eric and his friends were sitting around and talking. Sonya, while still sad, had calmed down by this point.

"Well, now that our epic over-the-top trip is over, what are we gonna do now?"

"I have an idea! Let's go back to Mobius and get high! We'll go roll some blunts down in mah crib."

"YEAH!" Fang, Chase, Nolan, and Brian cheered simultaneously. Sonya and Mighty facepalmed.

"No Chase, not you." Sonya reminded.

"Oh c'mon, Eric let me drink some of his vodka just yesterday. I'm mature enough."

"I thought I told you never to mention that!" Eric shouted; time for yet another angry bi-language rant courtesy of Sonya, who promptly began marching angrily towards him.

Chase fearfully put his hand over his mouth, "Sorry, Eric." He lost it and began laughing as Sonya began said rant.

A couple minutes later, the girl finally quieted down. Having always watched over Chase like he was her son, the idea of Eric indulging him in mature pleasures at such a tender age could make even her calm blood boil.

"... Better now?" Fang asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry about that." She replied, now calm once again.

"I wonder what's going on in the Typhoon and Crimson Egg right now..." Chase wondered.

"They're probably bawwwwwwwing and furiously masterbating to a picture of Tails." Eric replied. However, nobody else laughed.

"I can seriously just imagine Cosmo sitting in the bridge right now going 'Oh, Tails! I'm so sorry! Forgive me... AHH!'" Eric imitated a girl's voice as he pretended to finger himself, hoping to get the spirits of his friends up.

Sonya in particular knew he was being an out-of-character jackass for the lulz, so she didn't get involved with it. Plus, knowing Eric well, she knew he often said stupid things for cheap laughs.

"You know Eric... I dare you to go up to Cosmo and say that to her face." Sonya commented ominously. Privately, she was absolutely furious at their insensitivity, but her calm personality kept her fury in check.

"Nahh, I'm jus' jokin'." Eric nervously chuckled. "You know I don't mean it. But in all seriousness, it's shit that Tails had to bite the dust."

"Tell me about it." Mighty shook his head, "Poor guy."

"'Poor guy'? He just got his ass blown to kingdom come. I think 'poor guy' is a little too tame." Eric replied.

You know, Eric, that you're jokes really don't fit the mood." Sonya was trying to give Eric the hint to stop joking be respectful to Tails's sacrifice.

"Hey, it's not like Cosmo is here to yell at us." Eric spoke, obviously not understanding.

"No, Eric. I meant 'Shut the fuck up and respect what Tails just did for us'." She explained, her anger and annoyance slowly rising.

"Ohhh... Okay." Eric nodded.

"We just lost Tails, Sonic's brother and the boy that Cosmo was madly in love with. Don't say unnessescary things at a time like this." She added in order to appeal.

"You know me, Sonya. You know that I don't like it when the mood gets down." Eric himself also explained.

His girlfriend simply shrugged. "Of course, but still, you should learn."

...

The crew members of the Typhoon solemnly walked back onto the bridge of the Typhoon. Interestingly enough, Cosmo was not crying anymore; she was instead sitting motionlessly in Tails's chair, staring blankly at the charred glove that once belonged to her true love.

"... Cosmo?" Amy quietly asked.

The young Seedrian turned around, her pale face glowing somewhat from the light of the Planet remains. She did not say a word, but only gave Amy a look equivalent to that of a sad puppy.

Amy stepped next to her friend and promptly wrapped her arms around the girl; she was not crying anymore, but she was still visibly depressed. "We've all lost a friend here today, Cosmo, but don't be sad. Tails wouldn't want you to be."

"I know, Amy..." Cosmo replied, still depressed beyond measure.

"Should I pilot the Typhoon back to Mobius for you?" The pink hedgehog inquired.

Cosmo breathed in deeply, collecting herself in order to respond, "No, I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Yes, but thank you for offering." Cosmo added.

"It's the least I can do for a friend."

As Cosmo stood up, she and Amy gave a friendly hug. "Thank you for everything, Amy. You are a great friend, and a genuinely nice person."

"By the way, Cosmo... Now that I remember it, I wanted to apologize for my distrust of you when you first arrived on our planet. It was really rude of me to do that, and highly insensitive to your situation." Amy apologized.

"Likewise..." Both Amy and Cosmo turned around at the voice; Knuckles had strolled into the bridge behind them, "I also wanted to apologize for my own suspicion too."

"Thank you, Knuckles. You have helped me for so long... Indeed, everyone has."

At that point, Sonic, Tsali, Shadow, Amy, Chris, Cream, Rouge, and the Chaotix appeared on the bridge, followed by Cosmo's father and the other Metarex leaders.

Cosmo and Sonic locked eyes with each other; both of them were still tearful, although Sonic had stopped openly crying. However, the young Seedrian regained her composure as she stood up slowly.

"Tsali..." Cosmo then turned her attention to the two-tailed android, "Sorry for my little raeg attack earlier."

Tsali did a rare emotion; he chuckled slightly. "It's alright. I knew that you couldn't hurt me; I was simply afraid that you would accidently shoot one of the others."

"Yes..." Sonic suddenly got up and walked in front of everyone, getting everyone's undivided attention.

"Sonic?" Chris inquired.

"... If we have the time, I just wanted to say a few words here in memory of my brother before we return home. I feel that Tails deserves to know my true thoughts." Sonic explained.

The hedgehog began to make a small speech. He didn't think about what he was saying very much; it simply came to him naturally.

"Several years ago, I met a young fox during one of my standard runs through the Mystic Ruins; he was trying to throw himself off of a cliff into the ocean, and I narrowly saved him from death. And now, I still cannot fathom that on this day, years later, that same fox would end up saving the entire Universe and destroying a demonic Chaos Being. Through all the times in between... Well, it would take far too long to dictate everything, for Tails was not just my follower, or 'sidekick' as some people referred to him as. He was far more than that..."

Sonic cleared his throat as he continued,

"... He was nothing short of a hero; a fox who always kept going when things got rough and when everything turned against him. He was always supportive of the whole team, never leaving anyone out of the equation. A genius without equal, and yet still loving and caring, he always put others before himself, and never let anything stop believing in himself. He looked up to me, and I know he wanted to be like me, but as he realized over time, he was truly strong in his own right."

"... And right now, Tails, my brother, is doing what he dreamed of for his entire life. He is now flying high - in the highest of all the heavens - with Somebody waiting for him. And that Somebody will take him back to where he belongs... in Paradise."

He finished; "Tails... I love you... and may you be blessed forever." Sonic paused, deciding to end his impromptu eulogy right there. As he looked around at his friends, he saw that he had truly succeeded.

Cosmo, Cream, Rouge, and Knuckles were so moved that all of them began very lightly crying from the speech. So were everyone else except for Luke and Tsali, who were simply staring at him blankly like they couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"I just wanted to get those thoughts out, but I think we should give Tails a more... proper buriel once we get back to Mobius, don't you think?" Sonic asked, and everyone nodded.

"That was..." Amy sniffed, "... so touching, Sonic." She instantly began bawling again.

The hedgehog sighed, "Well, it was bubbling in my mind for a while, and I just wanted to do it for Tails."

"I'm sure he would have been overjoyed to hear all that. I certainly would be." Knuckles said.

"I would like the bury Trinity with him, if at all possible."

"Of course. He sacrificed himself to help Tails; he deserves our praise as well." Espio agreed.

"Anyway, is everyone ready to go?" Luke asked from out of the blue.

"I think so, Father." Cosmo replied. Everyone else nodded.

"Then let us all go to Mobius. If it would be alright with all of you, me, Cosmo, and my comrades would like to live on your planet. Our home is gone, and so now is our opportunities. We could rebuild our lives." The former Dark Oak requested politely.

"Please?" Cosmo also took her stance.

"Sonic, what do you think?" Amy asked. Sonic closed his eyes in deliberation.

"... Sure, Cosmo. Despite our early misunderstandings with the Metarex, come with us; it's the least we can do for all of you... and for Tails." The hedgehog decided.

"Thank you so much, Sonic." Cosmo managed a smile.

"Tails would certainly be happy to hear that." Luke also managed a smile.

"I don't suppose you would grant me the same privilege." With a single statement, Tsali inadvertently drew all attention to himself.

Everyone stared at the black fox wordlessly, until Amy stepped in. "No, we wouldn't."

Tsali nodded, "I understand." He turned and prepared to walk away.

"Tsali, wait a second!" Cosmo interrupted. Tsali paused in order to hear what she had to say.

"Though I cannot fully forgive you for killing my family..." The young girl began, "... For your help and for you change of heart, please come and live with us."

"Cosmo?" Luke gasped.

"But Cosmo... He murdered your sisters! Are you saying..." Chris protested.

"... My mother once said that the power of forgiveness is far greater than the power of vengeance. I have slowly learned that ever since we found the truth about the extent of not only your revenge, but my father's as well. And once Tsali and my dad forgave each other... we were able to defeat the God of Darkness himself." Cosmo explained in a very mature manner.

"Huh..." Amy sighed, "I didn't really look at it that way."

"I didn't either, until now." Shadow also commented.

With his attention, Tsali remembered something; the score between Shadow and Tsali over Molly's death.

"Shadow... If you still want vengeance against me for Molly's death, go ahead." The black fox offered.

A dramatic pause followed.

"... Well, if there is one thing I learned from this whole journey, Tsali," Shadow began, "it is that vengeance is completely pointless."

With that statement, he got all ears.

"That's a quite a statement, especially coming from you." Vector sarcastically spoke.

"Listen for a moment! I see now that wanting revenge for Molly's death is exactly like when I wanted revenge for Maria's death. Before I was planning for both of them to be completed, I realized that the ones responsible for their deaths - the humans in Maria's case, and Tsali in Molly's case - really were not the monsters I thought they were."

He continued, "Same thing with you, Tsali; when you attempted to get revenge on Cosmo and her father, you ended up allying with them because of your realization that they were not the people that you assumed they were."

Tsali smiled, and Shadow smiled back. "When did you become a professional psychologist?" Tsali asked.

"Just now." He replied.

Everyone laughed, temporarily giving a short respite from the tragic circumstances. Even Sonic and Cosmo laughed a little bit; it was a much-needed break from the extremely serious and somber moment.

"... Thanks, Shadow." Cosmo turned to him. "At first, I didn't know who you were, but by now, I see just how much of a kind soul you really are."

Shadow simply nodded in reply. Privately, he loved the feeling of being called a "kind soul", since he was not used to others referring to him as such other than his beloved Maria.

"Chao!" Cream's little pet Cheese also exclaimed, suddenly flying over to Cosmo and snuggling itself into her arms like a baby.

"... And you too, Cheese!" Cosmo added.

"I'm with you, Cosmo. No matter what." Cream declared, putting her arm on her friend's shoulder.

"Me too!" Knuckles came by her side.

"Don't forget us!" Vector called.

Suddenly, Luke went up beside her and embraced his daughter tightly. "We're all in this together, Cosmo. Do not forget that. I have made a vow here; I will never leave your side again." Cosmo embraced her father back.

"Now..." Robotnik suddenly appeared over the viewscreen. "We better get going back home before something else happens."

Cosmo turned to the chubby doctor. "You're right, Robotnik. Let's g-"

The Seedrian never finished her sentence.

They were all interrupted by a blinding flash of light that came out of nowhere, followed by a wave of energy that threw everything close to it back. Cosmo, blinded by the light and deafened by the resulting loud roar, could just barely see her friends and family get thrown backwards like ragdolls, before she followed. She had no idea what was happening, only that she could not move her body or see anything within a one-foot radius.

She was stopped cold by an unknown metal object, and darkness rushed to greet her.

...

"Hey Maledict, something wierd is going on. I can't get the Warp drive to work." Beelzebub reported.

"Why?" Satan asked.

"I dunno, but there has been some sort of massive energy spike near the borders of the Milky Way Galaxy. It's beginning to grow, too." The Lord of Flies described.

"Send a distress message to Caronius for aid." The Devil ordered.

"I'm sorry to say this, but it seems that we've lost all communication with Hell... or anything outside this galaxy, for that matter." Beelzebub replied.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Hey, don't blame me." The Lord of Flies remained innocent, "Blame my retarded lolicon whores in the Navy Kommand."

Both Astorath and Maledict chuckled. A slight rumble suddenly began to rock the ship.

"Hey, what was dat?" Astorath wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but if Dark Tails is dead, there should be no more..."

A divine flash of godly light interrupted Maledict, and a deafening bang drowned out the loud agonizing screams of the others on the bridge. A wave of force flew over him like a tidal wave, but he couldn't see what was happening from the blinding light.

He simply heard a thud... and then blackness.

...

Tephiroth strolled into Allysion's chamber, where he was greeted by Jesus and his father Yahweh speaking with the hedgehog's ghost.

"... There you are, Tephiroth. What are you so brisk about, and where have you been?" Allysion's ghost questioned.

"Dark Tails has been vanquished and Tsali and the Metarex have made a ceasefire with the Demons. The Metarex Wars are finally over. I was just in the Milky Way Galaxy supporting Tails during the battle," The Three-Winged Angel explained.

"Oh, well good heavens, my boy! That is certainly great news," President Yahweh replied happily.

"Well, not exactly."

"Hmm?"

"Tails sacrificed his life to vanquish Dark Tails. The creature tried to unleash Dark Chaos Corruption upon the galaxy by creating an artificial Dark Chaos Planet, but Tails managed to kill Dark Tails by destroying the planet, and died in the act."

"Oh... I'm so sorry..." Allysion sympathized.

"In that case, I have to wonder, Tephiroth," Jesus commented, "Did Miles Prower ever find out that you are actually his forefather?"

"No... at least, I don't believe so." Tephiroth replied.

"Well, you don't seem too sad about your own son's death." Yahweh also came in.

"Actually, I am more somber and respectful than sad." The fox-angel described his true feelings, "My son made history and saved the entire Milky Way Galaxy, and it's still difficult to comprehend it all. I am extremely proud of him, because he has truly lived up to the Prower name."

"I see. I guess I would be proud if my daughter Sarah did that too." Jesus replied empathetically, mentioning his beloved little girl.

"You guess?" Tephiroth joked, and the two chuckled in a brotherly fashion.

"So then, you said the Metarex Wars have ended, correct?" Allysion inquired. Tephiroth nodded.

"That's good news... Although it will make things harder when the Demons turn their attention to us once again..." Jesus commented with an unusual amount of anxiety.

"True, but now, we will have a respite to consolidate our gains while the Demons regroup their remaining border forces." Allysion spoke.

"By the by, where's Metatron?" Yahweh asked.

"I have no idea. I haven't seen him for several days now." Jesus replied.

"Odd for him to be gone for that long..." Tephiroth spoke thoughtfully.

"I recently looked into is personal logs, and he said that he was going to the Milky Way. It didn't state why, though." Allysion explained.

The room suddenly began shaking, and a noise like a strong driving wind could have been heard from outside.

"Shh!" Allysion quickly shushed everyone as she heard the faint noise from outside. Upon the outset of the silence, all of the others did as well.

Everybody also noticed something else; without warning, MARY's main screen suddenly activated without any command, and its glowing form appeared on the screen near the rear of the room.

"What is that sound? What are you doing, MARY?" Yahweh asked.

"Primary Function: Completed." It replied in its robotic voice.

The leader of the Angels immediately realized what that meant as the electronics and lights in the room began to flicker and the room began to shake.

Large "WARNING" messages began popping up everywhere as the shaking became more intense. On the screen to the right of MARY, a hologram of Planet Heaven appeared, followed by an animation of its planetary shield suddenly deactivating.

Another message appeared; "WARNING: PLANETARY SHIELDS OFFLINE" with emergency computer codes scrolling around it. Then, "WARNING: DEFENSE SYSTEMS DISABLED"

And then, the knockout; one of the screens showed a rdar of Planet Heaven's orbit, and from out of the blue, readings began to appear. First one, and then two, and then ten, and then fifty, and then three hundred. Soon, the entire reading was covered in dots.

"... MARY, what have you done?" Allysion stared fearfully at the screen.

And it was at that specific, fateful moment in history when the now-rogue AI spoke the three words that changed the Universe forever.

...

"... They are coming."

...

The End

...

Author's Note

I wish to say a heartfelt thank you for your reviews and support, and to all the people in my life who made this rewrite what it is.

Special thanks goes to Shawn aka. R0cknR011, who stuck through the entire fanfiction during these three long years, and for all the others who waited so patiently during the insane breaks between updates.

And finally, a very great thank-you to TMS, Sega, and Sonic Team for creating a cast of characters that I love to death and the show that inspired this work. Without them, this fanfiction would not be here today.

This is Eric Roy, aka Eric Neo Matrix signing off. Make sure to check my profile often for updates and brand-new content.

Thanks for reading, everyone!