"If I wasn't seeing it for myself I wouldn't have believed it possible," Knuckles said, staring at the city. Alpha had closed her torso as the image had gone out. "He actually did it; the crazy bastard actually did it."

"Did what?" nearly all of the Freedom Fighters asked simultaneously.

"Sonic...he became a Dragoon, if only for a little while," Knuckles explained. "But that's not possible. No mere Guardian, no matter how strong, could ever match the power of a Dragoon, let alone become one."

"He was using those White Rings," Eric suggested, choosing to ignore part of Knuckles' comment. "With four of them there's no doubt that he could. Hell, he probably could've used one and done it. Besides, isn't this a good thing?"

"Normally it would be something to look into, research even," Knuckles replied. "But not like this. Forcing the transformation will only end in disaster. And that chant isn't comforting either."

"Wait, y'all actually know what sugarhog said?" Bunnie asked. Knuckles, Eric and Dr. Osaka stared at her as if was crazy.

"And you didn't?" Eric asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Basically he was asking the Wind God for his power." It was the others' turn to stare at him. "Okay, so I'm paraphrasing. Sue me. Not like I know what he meant."

"He is preparing to end the world." Eric stared at Knuckles, a 'Come again?' expression on his face. "The technique that Sonic is preparing to use is one that is reserved for the final battle, meant to wipe the face of Mobius clear if need be. But he has managed to condense the technique down to a relatively small area. Simply put, when he is finished Robotropolis will simply be a flat piece of land. No pollution in the soil or the air, it will be as if nothing had ever touched this place." He closed his eyes, familiar energy surrounding him. "And so it begins."

Spheres of wind gathered in Sonic's palms as the Dragoon transformation continued to alter his body. His body was almost identical to Sylvanix's projection only with hedgehog attributes and no wings. He was slowly lifted off the ground, his toes still pointing down, and he locked eyes with Kinos.

"Winds of destruction, heed my call. Gather before the gods and tear apart the heavens. Gather before me and sunder the earth. Tear apart all things living and rip this world to pieces. Unleash the fury of the heavens and feel the heartbeat of the world!" The spheres were now the size of basketballs and the storm was spinning at a dizzying speed. With one last surge of power two large wings spread from Sonic's back. "Mokushiroku no Ibuki (Breath of the Apocalypse)!"

The storm stopped and for a brief moment everything froze. The Freedom Fighters watched as the two spheres that had been forming in Sonic's hands shot into the sky, quickly engulfed by the clouds. Flashes of lightning could be seen and the boom of thunder quickly followed. The clouds contracted and then violently convulsed, slamming against the shield Shadow had shown them. They quickly poured down and engulfed the city, completely obscuring their view. Finally an opening appeared, showing the storm had split into two parts. From there they witnessed as buildings were shredded instantly until they were nothing but dust. Tornadoes of unimaginable size tore across the landscape, smaller ones quickly born from their wake. In the middle of it all floated two figures, one of gray and another of white. Kinos looked around as his city was vaporized in a wind-hell.

"No, this can't be happening!" he roared in rage. "You can't do this to me!"

"That's where you are wrong," Sonic said his eyes returning to normal. "Prepare to join Robotnik in the afterlife, Kinos the Enslaver. Your time here is at an end." Kinos tried to reply but was stopped by a blinding pain in his legs. He looked down and watched as the flesh was ripped from his bones and his bones reduced to dust. Slowly the process worked its way upward until the former nanobot was nothing more than a memory. A small yellow gem floated in the air for a brief moment as several tendrils of energy flowed into Sonic before falling into the storm. Sonic looked around at the destruction surrounding him. The city had been destroyed utterly but there was one last thing left for him to do. He raised his hands into the air and the storm began to lift into the heavens. High above Mobius in the emptiness of space an enormous tunnel of air dissipated harmlessly in the vacuum. The tunnel had pulled the dust and smog created by Robotnik's city from the planet and ozone and cast it into the darkness of the void.

Sally watched as the storm reached into the heavens and was gone. It had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared and all that was left was...nothing. Where a city of corruption and pollution had stood for over a decade was now an empty plain. Empty save for a single grey figure descending from the sky, its fur quickly turning back to blue.

"HE DID IT!" Sally cheered and the others quickly joined her in celebration. They ran towards Sonic still whooping and hollering. Knuckles stood on the cliff's edge with Shadow and the remaining androids.

"He really did it," Shadow commented with a low whistle. "Well I'll be damned." He looked to Knuckles who was holding the same yellow gem that had fallen into the storm. "If I really have one of those in me you're waiting 'til I croak to get it out."

"Shouldn't you be taking this opportunity to get out of here before they decide to arrest you?" Knuckles asked, his voice tinged with sorrow. Shadow shrugged and disappeared into the forest with Alpha and Beta. Knuckles watched as the Freedom Fighters closed in on Sonic and he sighed. He knew what would happen now and he could not bear to watch. "Goodbye, Sonic Hedgehog," he said as earthen fingers wrapped around him.

Sonic stood in the middle of what was once Robotropolis, now more of an empty field than anything else. He was surprised, having expected to go up with the storm. Before he could prepare for them his friends surrounded him, hugging and crying and laughing all at once, unsure of what they should be feeling. Then he felt it...

"Sonic? What's wrong?" Sally asked as she barely stopped Sonic from collapsing on the ground. She put a hand to his forehead and he gently lifted it up, interlocking their fingers and smiling.

"Nothing now, Sal," he said weakly. "It's finally over. We finally won. I just wish I could see it."

"What are you talking about, Sonic?" she asked worried. She gripped his hand tightly as he looked around at everyone gathered by them.

"I should've been a better friend," he continued. "I shouldn't have...shouldn't have put you guys through what I did. I'm so sorry for the things I've done and I wish I could tell you all why."

"Don't talk like that, Sonic," Sally said as tears began to form in her eyes. "You'll pull out of this, just like you do everything else, right?" Sonic shook his head.

"Not this time, Sal," he said. "This time...it's different."

"I don't want you to leave me, though," Sally cried as tears began falling down her cheeks. "I love you, Sonic. More than anything on Mobius. I would give up everything just to be with you."

"I...love you too, Sal," Sonic said his own tears forming. "I'm so sorry, though. I only..." Sonic stopped midsentence as for the first time in over a decade the sun shone over them, casting a column of light over the two of them for a brief moment. "I only wish...I could share in Mobius' new future with you." They came closer until their lips met, sharing in a moment that seemed an eternity. As their lips parted, Sonic's body fell limp in Sally's arms.

"Sonic?" she asked shaking him lightly. "Sonic?!" She shook him harder but there was no response. Bunnie buried her face in Antoine's jacket as Amy held onto Tails, all of them crying. Adrian looked at Sonic and then away, closing his eyes.

"SOOONNNIIIICCC!"