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Description
"For the Love of Eternity"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Epilogue: For the Love of Eternity

   After making the journey home, Knuckles, Hidama, and their families returned to Station Square, for the moment giving a tearful eye to what was left of their ancestral home.  The group first tracked down Mr. Marks, who was having a tough time selling his old apartment building after the initial deal he made had fallen apart.

   The reunion with his former tenants, Knuckles and Amy, was bittersweet, for the news of Mikomi’s death upset him, and still plagued the rest of them as well.  Mr. Marks, his heart going out to them, decided to re-open his apartment building so Knuckles, Amy and Amarie would have a place to live, as well as Hidama, Delilah, and Kelsey.

   After they had secured a new place to live, Shadow, Rouge and Amberly promised to stick around long enough to salvage what they could from the ruins of Angel Island, as did Sonic, Aries and Pyro, even though Sonic had every intention of catching up with some more of his friends before returning to Blaze’s dimension.

   Leaving the now dead Master Emerald in the care of Mr. Marks, the group at last returned to the final resting place of Angel Island.  A string of fair weather days had done their best to preserve the remains of the island.  Coming back to it was quite a shock to the already suffering hearts of Hidama and Knuckles.  It truly appeared that with the end of the echidna race, all the remnants of their culture, from the Master Emerald to Angel Island, would be lost forever.  Now, only the lifeless Master Emerald survived to speak of their glorious history.

   In the end they overcame their sadness and ventured on to the now ruined island, destroyed beyond repair…destroyed to a point that not even the Master Emerald could heal, were it even useful anymore.  Still, they were able to salvage much of what they owned that was buried deep in the wreckage, shielded from fire and water, protected from decay. The only problem was the remains of all that were once buried on the island were cluttered up in the mix, making the salvaging job that much more disheartening for the group.  They realized the honor of their dead was now defiled, and before long would correctly honor them once more.

   This simple excavation now became a rescue and recovery mission.  The echidna brothers, their families and friends spent weeks searching the island from top to bottom, all throughout, collecting the bones and remains of their dead, trying to sort them as best as they could.  Finally, Hidama and Knuckles found the decayed remains of their mother and father, which were perhaps preserved better than any of them, as Knuckles took great care when laying them to rest all those years ago.  Their father’s severed arm even managed to stay with his body, and this gave the boys a since of relief that no other could understand, since they could never know how drastically the death of their parents affected them.

   At the same time of the excavation of the remains of the dead echidnas, a fraction of the group continued salvaging what they could of their belongings.  Kelsey was finally able to find her bow and quiver of arrows, along with many of her outfits; she even found her hairbrush, and a stuffed elephant she was given when she was little.  Then, to her heart’s torture, she found the video game Mikomi had played the day they discussed their trip to Station Square.  Though it was damaged beyond repair, she slipped it into a plastic bag to keep as part of her memory of him.

   Amarie and Pyro found a lot of her things too.  Some of her favorite outfits had survived, including a little dress she wore as a toddler that she kept in the back of her drawer, since it was her mother’s favorite.  She found many of her favorite stuffed animals, her old baby blanket, even some of her books survived the fall.  Yet, what meant the most to her was a folder of pictures Pyro found; they were all pictures she had drawn and colored, and among them were several pictures Mikomi had drawn for her, including the one he colored the day he told her of his plans to sneak her to Station Square.  Like Kelsey and the video game, these pictures held a special place in her heart for the memories of Mikomi they held, and she made sure she would preserve them forever.

   Both girls also did their best to salvage what they could of Mikomi’s belongings, though they only wept the more and more they found.  Anything from one of his black jackets, to sketches he made of scenery on the island was enough to bring a tearful memory of him back to life.  They were even able to salvage pictures of him, as well as pictures of times from their youth, which was certainly a blessing, since Angel Island was gone, taking the majority of their memories with it.

   Knuckles and Hidama, while they did their best to collect the remains of their kindred, were blessed enough to find their lost treasures, including their father’s ornamental spearhead, their mother’s ceremonial necklace, and even the few surviving pages of the echidna script.  This was perhaps the most important and fortunate find, for those few pages were the last surviving example of the echidna language, as well as the only thing besides Hidama’s and Knuckles’ memories that lived to tell of their heritage.

   Amy and Delilah had some luck as well; Delilah was blessed enough to be able to find the picture of Hidama she had drawn with the hedgehog ears in her old apartment all those years ago.  Amy’s luck was a miracle for all of them, for on a far side of the debris field, she came across a frightened and scared cat, barely a year old, hiding in the wrecked log of a dead tree.  She was almost a dead ringer for Kelerai, who had died some years ago, much to both Knuckles’ and Mikomi’s dismay, and yet they could never locate the remains of her, convinced her small skeleton was just destroyed in the fall.

   However this little kitten, grey with patches of cream colored fur on her chest, face and back, had found shelter in this tree, and took to Amy and the others quickly.  Knuckles and Hidama came up with the name Analia, which was loosely translated from the old echidna language as ‘Dear Hope’, of course, naming her in memory of Mikomi, whose name meant ‘Star of Hope’ loosely translated.

   The excavation and recovery efforts lasted for a good five weeks or so, and at the same time Amy and Delilah did their best to set up their new homes in Station Square.  Much to their pleasure, they heard that Mr. Marks was starting to get business again, so keeping his apartment building open wouldn’t be so much of a loss after all, and of course, he credited his good fortune to his dear friends and first new tenants.

   A majority of the citizens of Station Square, realizing the mistake they had made in hunting and threatening Mikomi, Kelsey, and Amarie, now did their best to make it up to the family, especially after hearing of the sacrifice Mikomi had made for them all, even after they had treated him so coldly.  Many of the citizens finally approached the ruins of Angel Island to help with the recovery efforts, while others did their best to assist Amy and Delilah in fixing up their apartments, seeing as they had to start over with practically nothing.  People did everything from donate furniture, to helping them fix up the apartments by painting, and even fixing them meals.  Most importantly, however, the people of Station Square began to build a memorial, not only to the echidnas of Angel Island, but to their savior Mikomi, in the middle of town.  Declared a historic landmark by the mayor of the city, the part of town around it was turned into a beautiful garden and park, becoming a popular part of town, keeping nature in the booming city, and ensuring the memory of the echidnas and Mikomi would never die.

   In addition to this, the lifeless Master Emerald became part of the memorial, the last part of the echidna culture remaining to mankind.  However, the job of guarding it no longer fell to Hidama and Knuckles, for now, the city of Station Square provided armed guards to keep watch over the precious gem, and a thorough security system was set up as another safety measure.

   Indeed, Mikomi’s belief in the good in the hearts of all people was justified, and now it was ensured that not only would his memory be preserved and honored by mankind, but so would the lives of the echidna race, now at the end of its line, for when Knuckles and Hidama died, this fair race would be lost to the world forever, and yet, there was just enough time to render the Master Emerald safe so it would be a burden to no one in the years to come, even as the guardian blood was lost forever.

   Over time, the excavation of the remains of Angel Island was completed, and Hidama, Knuckles, and their families were finally able to slowly ease in to their new lives in Station Square, where they were now celebrities.  However, before the brothers would write the final page in their lives on Angel Island, they would hold one last funeral and memorium in the memory of their dead.

   It was an amazing site; not only did Blaze show up to join Sonic and their children for the ceremony, Tails, Cream, and their son, Oliver, arrived as well, as did Aranelion and Camillia, now with their teenage son Zachary, and Elianaron with his own teenage son, Jeremy.  It was the biggest reunion this generation had ever seen, and an important one as well, for from this reunion Kelsey would meet and fall in love with her future husband, Zachary Brokenstar, joining the two families together, Hidama finally the ‘third brother’ the Brokenstar Twins always saw him as.

   And it didn’t stop there; Amberly was immediately smitten with Jeremy and through their union to come, Shadow found himself linked not only to the Brokenstar Twins, but also distantly to Hidama.  The first generation was slowly becoming one big family…and the union to complete the circle came from Oliver, who in a few years would form a bond with Sonic’s daughter Aries, joining all the families together…except, for one final union, and perhaps the most anticipated one.

   The memorial ceremony was more than just a reunion of friends; the citizens of Station Square crowded onto the plains where Angel Island fell.  The remains of the island were now cleared away, and a memorial cemetery erected in its place.  Hidama and Knuckles, along with the aid of scientists from Station Square and beyond, sorted and dated the remains of their ancestors so they could be placed together as best as they could from generation to generation, all the way down to their parents, the last to fall before them.  After burying the bones of their ancestors, Hidama and Knuckles buried their parents, leaving enough plots for themselves upon their deaths, as well as one for both Amy and Delilah, who desired nothing more than to be buried beside them.

   The ceremony was very moving for all in attendance, and yet, perhaps the most touching part came towards the end, where, though they had nothing that remained of his body, they held a funeral for Mikomi.  Instead of his body, everyone who was close to him in life, placed something that belonged to him in a casket.  Amarie was the last to speak, and as she spoke of her brother, she and her audience were all moved to weep, as they remembered the life of the soul who had saved theirs.  There wasn’t a human there that didn’t feel guilt for how they had treated him, and his death it seemed not only drew the community closer together, but made them appreciate more than before, the lives of those that lived beside them.

   After the ceremony, it was time for life to slowly begin the return to normal, or as close to normal as it could be.  Now that they were all brought together again, both generations, old and young, realized they needed to work harder to stick together, and that they did.  Amberly, finally able to fly began to seek greater freedom, and the life Jeremy lived in Starshine Town was just what she needed.  Though it meant spending less time with her parents, Shadow and Rouge knew she was at the age where she needed to follow her heart, and so she returned to Starshine Town with Elianaron and Jeremy, where the two quickly fell in love, only to be married a few years later, in a double wedding with Zachary and Kelsey.  Their future would bless them with a daughter and son.

   As for Shadow and Rouge, they returned to the adventures of their youth, keeping their two chaos emeralds and returning the others to Sonic, who took them back with him to Blaze’s dimension, but, this certainly wasn’t the last Mobius would see of Sonic…not by a long shot.  While Blaze had to guard the Sol Emeralds and return to her dimension, Aries and Pyro were hard pressed to want to return with her yet, and Sonic was more than happy to stick around with them.

   Meeting his old partner Tails again was just wonderful for him after not seeing him for so many years.  The two quickly reforged their strong, brother-like friendship, and of course, Aries forged a new friendship of her own with Oliver.  Once they were old enough, Sonic and Tails may not have become brothers, but became related nonetheless when their children got married.  Aries would later bear Tails’ son a baby boy, which was another new hybrid species, a cross of hedgehog, cat, fox, and rabbit blood, which, as extraordinary as it sounded did little to drastically alter his appearance.  Bearing the appearance of a hedgehog, a fox tail, and cat ears, the world now knew that this new hybrid generation would only have a slight change in appearance from the one before it, finding the most benefit from what they would inherit from those that came before them.

   As for Knuckles, Hidama, and their families, they were able to settle into their new lives in Station Square, both families pretty familiar with city life, Knuckles having lived there with Amy before, and Hidama sharing Delilah’s apartment for a good while before their marriage.  As for Kelsey and Amarie, though they would never fully get over losing Mikomi, they were able to find the strength they needed to move on.  Kelsey decided she wanted to learn how to be an artist like her mother and attended art classes in Station Square.  She also continued to practice her archery, and even got a job working in the city at the local mall.  Of course, she never forgot about the guy she met at the memorial ceremony; Aranelion and Camillia’s son Zachary from Starshine Town.

   The two kept in touch writing letters and making phone calls, growing increasingly smitten with each other with every phone call they made or letter they wrote.  She admired how he played the piano like an expert, just like his father, and he was amazed by how wonderful her art was.  It wasn’t much longer before they realized they couldn’t do without seeing each other again, and they quickly reunited one night in Twinkle Park, going on a group date with Amberly and Jeremy, as well as Aries and Oliver, and even Amarie and Pyro, who were already in the middle of a strong relationship themselves.  That night was the night that decided it all for Kelsey, and she gave her heart to the son of Aranelion, and he returned her love with his own.

   At last the families of Aranelion and Hidama were joined together.  The two lovers would have three children of their own, one of which had the potential to join the families together even further in the years to come; however, the first generation of heroes were still one union short from having their bloodlines completely intertwined forever.

   Yes, this final union rested with Pyro, the son of Sonic and Blaze, and Amarie, the daughter, and only surviving child, of Knuckles and Amy.  Pyro never forgot his promise to Mikomi, and one was hard pressed to find Amarie and Pyro apart.  If they weren’t together, they were talking to each other on the phone, or sending each other inter-stellar messages, made possible by the advancing technology of Tails Prower.  As they got older, their strong friendship only got stronger, growing into a love people would still talk about even years after the fact.  Pyro, like this father conquered inter-dimensional travel to be with Amarie so he could be there for her when times got rough, times when her brother couldn’t be there to help her, and so he went out of his way to be there for her, fulfilling not only his promise, but his heart’s deepest desires.

   Amarie very easily tamed his fiery nature and as they both grew up and matured, so did their love.  Pyro, like his sister Aries, learned how to cross the dimensions on his own, and pretty soon Pyro got to the point where living in Amarie’s dimension suited him better than anything, and so at the age of seventeen he bid his home in his mother’s dimension farewell and moved into an apartment building in Station Square just down the beach from where Amarie still lived with her parents.  They were the last of this generation that was still unmarried, and yet, they had formed the strongest bond, and held it in their hearts for longer than any of them, only waiting to grow up a little before cementing it forever.

   When Pyro finally turned nineteen, the time finally came for them; after dating each other for a little over six years, Pyro the Hedgecat finally proposed to Amarie Rose, and with their marriage, the final tie of bloodlines was drawn tight, binding the close knit friends of the older generation together forever.  Amarie and Pyro would go on to have four children.

   Because the Master Emerald was now nothing more than part of the memorial built in the center of Station Square’s new town park, the core of its power lost forever, the seven chaos emeralds were now the main source of power for the inhabitants of Mobius, and because of this, after a few years Sonic realized it was best for them to remain in the galaxy they now responsible for protecting, and thus he entrusted them to Knuckles and Hidama.  Though they no longer had to guard the Master Emerald, they were more than welcome to guarding the seven “servers” although Shadow and Rouge were hard pressed to surrender the two in their possession.  Therefore, they were trusted with the care of the red and green chaos emeralds, and Hidama and Knuckles kept watch over the remaining five.

   Once things began to settle down for everyone, life continued on as Mikomi told them it would.  New relationships were forged by the new generation of heroes, tying the older generation together forever, and not just in blood either.  These heroes would be forever remembered in history for their deeds, protecting mankind and all life in their fair planet and beyond from evil, and they would until they died, after which, there would already be a team of souls to succeed them, following in the footsteps of their parents, protecting the good souls of the world no matter what the cost…Mikomi had already done this, and surely his peers would come to follow, fighting for freedom and peace.

   Hidama and Delilah, Knuckles and Amy, Shadow and Rouge, Sonic and Blaze, Tails and Cream, Aranelion and Elianaron, and so many others had led the fight against evil for many years, and had now paved the way for their children to follow, and should the need ever arise, this new team of fighters now had the seven chaos emeralds to their disposal, ready to fight off evil as they had for years in the past.

   Of course, having two of the chaos emeralds in his possession could only mean that the moment that trouble dared to arise, Shadow the Hedgehog would no doubt be seen on the hills just outside Station Square, ready to advise this next generation once more, just as he had the one before it…his own generation.  As his generation slowly winded down, the new one would take charge and carry on where their parents left off, and so would the generation after that, until, as Hidama said before, this final step in life was over, giving way to the next, where they would no doubt meet up with Mikomi again, after fighting the good fight for so long as he had, for the love…of eternity.

Description
"For the Love of Eternity"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Epilogue: For the Love of Eternity

   After making the journey home, Knuckles, Hidama, and their families returned to Station Square, for the moment giving a tearful eye to what was left of their ancestral home.  The group first tracked down Mr. Marks, who was having a tough time selling his old apartment building after the initial deal he made had fallen apart.

   The reunion with his former tenants, Knuckles and Amy, was bittersweet, for the news of Mikomi’s death upset him, and still plagued the rest of them as well.  Mr. Marks, his heart going out to them, decided to re-open his apartment building so Knuckles, Amy and Amarie would have a place to live, as well as Hidama, Delilah, and Kelsey.

   After they had secured a new place to live, Shadow, Rouge and Amberly promised to stick around long enough to salvage what they could from the ruins of Angel Island, as did Sonic, Aries and Pyro, even though Sonic had every intention of catching up with some more of his friends before returning to Blaze’s dimension.

   Leaving the now dead Master Emerald in the care of Mr. Marks, the group at last returned to the final resting place of Angel Island.  A string of fair weather days had done their best to preserve the remains of the island.  Coming back to it was quite a shock to the already suffering hearts of Hidama and Knuckles.  It truly appeared that with the end of the echidna race, all the remnants of their culture, from the Master Emerald to Angel Island, would be lost forever.  Now, only the lifeless Master Emerald survived to speak of their glorious history.

   In the end they overcame their sadness and ventured on to the now ruined island, destroyed beyond repair…destroyed to a point that not even the Master Emerald could heal, were it even useful anymore.  Still, they were able to salvage much of what they owned that was buried deep in the wreckage, shielded from fire and water, protected from decay. The only problem was the remains of all that were once buried on the island were cluttered up in the mix, making the salvaging job that much more disheartening for the group.  They realized the honor of their dead was now defiled, and before long would correctly honor them once more.

   This simple excavation now became a rescue and recovery mission.  The echidna brothers, their families and friends spent weeks searching the island from top to bottom, all throughout, collecting the bones and remains of their dead, trying to sort them as best as they could.  Finally, Hidama and Knuckles found the decayed remains of their mother and father, which were perhaps preserved better than any of them, as Knuckles took great care when laying them to rest all those years ago.  Their father’s severed arm even managed to stay with his body, and this gave the boys a since of relief that no other could understand, since they could never know how drastically the death of their parents affected them.

   At the same time of the excavation of the remains of the dead echidnas, a fraction of the group continued salvaging what they could of their belongings.  Kelsey was finally able to find her bow and quiver of arrows, along with many of her outfits; she even found her hairbrush, and a stuffed elephant she was given when she was little.  Then, to her heart’s torture, she found the video game Mikomi had played the day they discussed their trip to Station Square.  Though it was damaged beyond repair, she slipped it into a plastic bag to keep as part of her memory of him.

   Amarie and Pyro found a lot of her things too.  Some of her favorite outfits had survived, including a little dress she wore as a toddler that she kept in the back of her drawer, since it was her mother’s favorite.  She found many of her favorite stuffed animals, her old baby blanket, even some of her books survived the fall.  Yet, what meant the most to her was a folder of pictures Pyro found; they were all pictures she had drawn and colored, and among them were several pictures Mikomi had drawn for her, including the one he colored the day he told her of his plans to sneak her to Station Square.  Like Kelsey and the video game, these pictures held a special place in her heart for the memories of Mikomi they held, and she made sure she would preserve them forever.

   Both girls also did their best to salvage what they could of Mikomi’s belongings, though they only wept the more and more they found.  Anything from one of his black jackets, to sketches he made of scenery on the island was enough to bring a tearful memory of him back to life.  They were even able to salvage pictures of him, as well as pictures of times from their youth, which was certainly a blessing, since Angel Island was gone, taking the majority of their memories with it.

   Knuckles and Hidama, while they did their best to collect the remains of their kindred, were blessed enough to find their lost treasures, including their father’s ornamental spearhead, their mother’s ceremonial necklace, and even the few surviving pages of the echidna script.  This was perhaps the most important and fortunate find, for those few pages were the last surviving example of the echidna language, as well as the only thing besides Hidama’s and Knuckles’ memories that lived to tell of their heritage.

   Amy and Delilah had some luck as well; Delilah was blessed enough to be able to find the picture of Hidama she had drawn with the hedgehog ears in her old apartment all those years ago.  Amy’s luck was a miracle for all of them, for on a far side of the debris field, she came across a frightened and scared cat, barely a year old, hiding in the wrecked log of a dead tree.  She was almost a dead ringer for Kelerai, who had died some years ago, much to both Knuckles’ and Mikomi’s dismay, and yet they could never locate the remains of her, convinced her small skeleton was just destroyed in the fall.

   However this little kitten, grey with patches of cream colored fur on her chest, face and back, had found shelter in this tree, and took to Amy and the others quickly.  Knuckles and Hidama came up with the name Analia, which was loosely translated from the old echidna language as ‘Dear Hope’, of course, naming her in memory of Mikomi, whose name meant ‘Star of Hope’ loosely translated.

   The excavation and recovery efforts lasted for a good five weeks or so, and at the same time Amy and Delilah did their best to set up their new homes in Station Square.  Much to their pleasure, they heard that Mr. Marks was starting to get business again, so keeping his apartment building open wouldn’t be so much of a loss after all, and of course, he credited his good fortune to his dear friends and first new tenants.

   A majority of the citizens of Station Square, realizing the mistake they had made in hunting and threatening Mikomi, Kelsey, and Amarie, now did their best to make it up to the family, especially after hearing of the sacrifice Mikomi had made for them all, even after they had treated him so coldly.  Many of the citizens finally approached the ruins of Angel Island to help with the recovery efforts, while others did their best to assist Amy and Delilah in fixing up their apartments, seeing as they had to start over with practically nothing.  People did everything from donate furniture, to helping them fix up the apartments by painting, and even fixing them meals.  Most importantly, however, the people of Station Square began to build a memorial, not only to the echidnas of Angel Island, but to their savior Mikomi, in the middle of town.  Declared a historic landmark by the mayor of the city, the part of town around it was turned into a beautiful garden and park, becoming a popular part of town, keeping nature in the booming city, and ensuring the memory of the echidnas and Mikomi would never die.

   In addition to this, the lifeless Master Emerald became part of the memorial, the last part of the echidna culture remaining to mankind.  However, the job of guarding it no longer fell to Hidama and Knuckles, for now, the city of Station Square provided armed guards to keep watch over the precious gem, and a thorough security system was set up as another safety measure.

   Indeed, Mikomi’s belief in the good in the hearts of all people was justified, and now it was ensured that not only would his memory be preserved and honored by mankind, but so would the lives of the echidna race, now at the end of its line, for when Knuckles and Hidama died, this fair race would be lost to the world forever, and yet, there was just enough time to render the Master Emerald safe so it would be a burden to no one in the years to come, even as the guardian blood was lost forever.

   Over time, the excavation of the remains of Angel Island was completed, and Hidama, Knuckles, and their families were finally able to slowly ease in to their new lives in Station Square, where they were now celebrities.  However, before the brothers would write the final page in their lives on Angel Island, they would hold one last funeral and memorium in the memory of their dead.

   It was an amazing site; not only did Blaze show up to join Sonic and their children for the ceremony, Tails, Cream, and their son, Oliver, arrived as well, as did Aranelion and Camillia, now with their teenage son Zachary, and Elianaron with his own teenage son, Jeremy.  It was the biggest reunion this generation had ever seen, and an important one as well, for from this reunion Kelsey would meet and fall in love with her future husband, Zachary Brokenstar, joining the two families together, Hidama finally the ‘third brother’ the Brokenstar Twins always saw him as.

   And it didn’t stop there; Amberly was immediately smitten with Jeremy and through their union to come, Shadow found himself linked not only to the Brokenstar Twins, but also distantly to Hidama.  The first generation was slowly becoming one big family…and the union to complete the circle came from Oliver, who in a few years would form a bond with Sonic’s daughter Aries, joining all the families together…except, for one final union, and perhaps the most anticipated one.

   The memorial ceremony was more than just a reunion of friends; the citizens of Station Square crowded onto the plains where Angel Island fell.  The remains of the island were now cleared away, and a memorial cemetery erected in its place.  Hidama and Knuckles, along with the aid of scientists from Station Square and beyond, sorted and dated the remains of their ancestors so they could be placed together as best as they could from generation to generation, all the way down to their parents, the last to fall before them.  After burying the bones of their ancestors, Hidama and Knuckles buried their parents, leaving enough plots for themselves upon their deaths, as well as one for both Amy and Delilah, who desired nothing more than to be buried beside them.

   The ceremony was very moving for all in attendance, and yet, perhaps the most touching part came towards the end, where, though they had nothing that remained of his body, they held a funeral for Mikomi.  Instead of his body, everyone who was close to him in life, placed something that belonged to him in a casket.  Amarie was the last to speak, and as she spoke of her brother, she and her audience were all moved to weep, as they remembered the life of the soul who had saved theirs.  There wasn’t a human there that didn’t feel guilt for how they had treated him, and his death it seemed not only drew the community closer together, but made them appreciate more than before, the lives of those that lived beside them.

   After the ceremony, it was time for life to slowly begin the return to normal, or as close to normal as it could be.  Now that they were all brought together again, both generations, old and young, realized they needed to work harder to stick together, and that they did.  Amberly, finally able to fly began to seek greater freedom, and the life Jeremy lived in Starshine Town was just what she needed.  Though it meant spending less time with her parents, Shadow and Rouge knew she was at the age where she needed to follow her heart, and so she returned to Starshine Town with Elianaron and Jeremy, where the two quickly fell in love, only to be married a few years later, in a double wedding with Zachary and Kelsey.  Their future would bless them with a daughter and son.

   As for Shadow and Rouge, they returned to the adventures of their youth, keeping their two chaos emeralds and returning the others to Sonic, who took them back with him to Blaze’s dimension, but, this certainly wasn’t the last Mobius would see of Sonic…not by a long shot.  While Blaze had to guard the Sol Emeralds and return to her dimension, Aries and Pyro were hard pressed to want to return with her yet, and Sonic was more than happy to stick around with them.

   Meeting his old partner Tails again was just wonderful for him after not seeing him for so many years.  The two quickly reforged their strong, brother-like friendship, and of course, Aries forged a new friendship of her own with Oliver.  Once they were old enough, Sonic and Tails may not have become brothers, but became related nonetheless when their children got married.  Aries would later bear Tails’ son a baby boy, which was another new hybrid species, a cross of hedgehog, cat, fox, and rabbit blood, which, as extraordinary as it sounded did little to drastically alter his appearance.  Bearing the appearance of a hedgehog, a fox tail, and cat ears, the world now knew that this new hybrid generation would only have a slight change in appearance from the one before it, finding the most benefit from what they would inherit from those that came before them.

   As for Knuckles, Hidama, and their families, they were able to settle into their new lives in Station Square, both families pretty familiar with city life, Knuckles having lived there with Amy before, and Hidama sharing Delilah’s apartment for a good while before their marriage.  As for Kelsey and Amarie, though they would never fully get over losing Mikomi, they were able to find the strength they needed to move on.  Kelsey decided she wanted to learn how to be an artist like her mother and attended art classes in Station Square.  She also continued to practice her archery, and even got a job working in the city at the local mall.  Of course, she never forgot about the guy she met at the memorial ceremony; Aranelion and Camillia’s son Zachary from Starshine Town.

   The two kept in touch writing letters and making phone calls, growing increasingly smitten with each other with every phone call they made or letter they wrote.  She admired how he played the piano like an expert, just like his father, and he was amazed by how wonderful her art was.  It wasn’t much longer before they realized they couldn’t do without seeing each other again, and they quickly reunited one night in Twinkle Park, going on a group date with Amberly and Jeremy, as well as Aries and Oliver, and even Amarie and Pyro, who were already in the middle of a strong relationship themselves.  That night was the night that decided it all for Kelsey, and she gave her heart to the son of Aranelion, and he returned her love with his own.

   At last the families of Aranelion and Hidama were joined together.  The two lovers would have three children of their own, one of which had the potential to join the families together even further in the years to come; however, the first generation of heroes were still one union short from having their bloodlines completely intertwined forever.

   Yes, this final union rested with Pyro, the son of Sonic and Blaze, and Amarie, the daughter, and only surviving child, of Knuckles and Amy.  Pyro never forgot his promise to Mikomi, and one was hard pressed to find Amarie and Pyro apart.  If they weren’t together, they were talking to each other on the phone, or sending each other inter-stellar messages, made possible by the advancing technology of Tails Prower.  As they got older, their strong friendship only got stronger, growing into a love people would still talk about even years after the fact.  Pyro, like this father conquered inter-dimensional travel to be with Amarie so he could be there for her when times got rough, times when her brother couldn’t be there to help her, and so he went out of his way to be there for her, fulfilling not only his promise, but his heart’s deepest desires.

   Amarie very easily tamed his fiery nature and as they both grew up and matured, so did their love.  Pyro, like his sister Aries, learned how to cross the dimensions on his own, and pretty soon Pyro got to the point where living in Amarie’s dimension suited him better than anything, and so at the age of seventeen he bid his home in his mother’s dimension farewell and moved into an apartment building in Station Square just down the beach from where Amarie still lived with her parents.  They were the last of this generation that was still unmarried, and yet, they had formed the strongest bond, and held it in their hearts for longer than any of them, only waiting to grow up a little before cementing it forever.

   When Pyro finally turned nineteen, the time finally came for them; after dating each other for a little over six years, Pyro the Hedgecat finally proposed to Amarie Rose, and with their marriage, the final tie of bloodlines was drawn tight, binding the close knit friends of the older generation together forever.  Amarie and Pyro would go on to have four children.

   Because the Master Emerald was now nothing more than part of the memorial built in the center of Station Square’s new town park, the core of its power lost forever, the seven chaos emeralds were now the main source of power for the inhabitants of Mobius, and because of this, after a few years Sonic realized it was best for them to remain in the galaxy they now responsible for protecting, and thus he entrusted them to Knuckles and Hidama.  Though they no longer had to guard the Master Emerald, they were more than welcome to guarding the seven “servers” although Shadow and Rouge were hard pressed to surrender the two in their possession.  Therefore, they were trusted with the care of the red and green chaos emeralds, and Hidama and Knuckles kept watch over the remaining five.

   Once things began to settle down for everyone, life continued on as Mikomi told them it would.  New relationships were forged by the new generation of heroes, tying the older generation together forever, and not just in blood either.  These heroes would be forever remembered in history for their deeds, protecting mankind and all life in their fair planet and beyond from evil, and they would until they died, after which, there would already be a team of souls to succeed them, following in the footsteps of their parents, protecting the good souls of the world no matter what the cost…Mikomi had already done this, and surely his peers would come to follow, fighting for freedom and peace.

   Hidama and Delilah, Knuckles and Amy, Shadow and Rouge, Sonic and Blaze, Tails and Cream, Aranelion and Elianaron, and so many others had led the fight against evil for many years, and had now paved the way for their children to follow, and should the need ever arise, this new team of fighters now had the seven chaos emeralds to their disposal, ready to fight off evil as they had for years in the past.

   Of course, having two of the chaos emeralds in his possession could only mean that the moment that trouble dared to arise, Shadow the Hedgehog would no doubt be seen on the hills just outside Station Square, ready to advise this next generation once more, just as he had the one before it…his own generation.  As his generation slowly winded down, the new one would take charge and carry on where their parents left off, and so would the generation after that, until, as Hidama said before, this final step in life was over, giving way to the next, where they would no doubt meet up with Mikomi again, after fighting the good fight for so long as he had, for the love…of eternity.