It was morning, the sun shining brightly and vividly across the surface of the Great Forest. The ruins of Robotroplis were barely noticeable as freedom fighters proceeded to clean the mess, removing Dr. Eggman's influence on Mobius permanently. They heaved the heavy pieces of metal, both from the city and its robots, through a large sandy area nearby, throwing the pieces into a huge pile of trash. As time went by, the pile grew to a mountainous size that towered over everything, even the tallest trees that just barely reached into the sandy wasteland from the Great Forest. They all sweated with effort, all determined to remove the evil influence that had plagued them, the war, the land, and the planet.

Striker and Rod sat in the shade of the trees, hidden by the shadows that were held in place by the thick leaves that literally covered the top of the forest like a roof. They both watched the mobians work hard, seeing the metal pile reach too far into the sky, making it hard to see the top as the sun was guided on its tip. Both of them were glad to be back after nearly getting blown to pieces by a space station, only to be saved by Firon in the nick of time. Striker sighed, with Rod turning to him, curious to what he was thinking.

"How ya feeling, Striker?" Rod asked casually, lying down on the grass which seemed incredibly soft and welcoming. Striker looked at him with an obvious stare.

"I feel like we didn't help Firon at all, he might be a leader, but he was our friend, we should of at least helped out rather then just piloting a jet plane," the golden hedgehog replied.

"But, didn't we save him from that robot that tried to kill him?" Rod asked in confusion, wondering why Striker would say such things.

"Yeah, I guess we did..." Striker admitted, turning his head as if not really wanting to mention it in the first place. Rod smiled a bit, realizing he knew the truth in which Striker doubted.

"Plus, if we didn't save him, he wouldn't of saved us in the end. So it was like a trade, so to speak," Rod said as he closed his eyes, sighing in pleasure. Striker began getting bored from watching the continuous heaving and dropping of metal pieces, lying down on the grass as well, closing his eyes and relaxing.

"Do you think they'll keep the chaos emeralds?" Striker asked in curiosity, his voice sounding a bit quiet as he tried to relax.

"I don't think so, they might be hiding the chaos emeralds again to avoid letting any other evil get its nasty hands on them. Didn't you see how powerful Firon was when he destroyed the space station? Who knows what other surprises those emeralds hold in them," Rod answered intelligently, grinning. Striker smiled in acceptance, realizing he and his brother had done something after all.

"We did good for a couple of rookies, I can tell ya that," Striker said in pride, Rod's grin turning into a smile that looked just like Striker's. The golden brothers jumped up from the grass, hurriedly getting behind the bushes to watch as they heard freedom fighters yelling out orders.

"Burn it until not one ash remains!" a freedom fighter leader yelled out, the mobians at his command nodding as they scurried around the mountainous pile of metal pieces, pouring oil and gasoline along the outer edges of the pile, then climbing up to get the top parts. Soon, the show was ready to start, with the mobians climbing down and throwing the empty containers of oil and gasoline into the pile. The leader stepped up to the pile, lifting a match that was lit. Without hesitation, he threw the match onto a small stream of oil that led into the bigger puddles of gasoline inside the pile, lighting it on fire, and in literally a flash, setting the whole pile into a mountain of blazing flame. Striker and Rod watched in amazement as they saw this show happening, with the mobians and freedom fighters cheering wildly, a few of them dancing in happiness. Both brothers were smiling, not bothering to cheer since they weren't too excited as the mobians were. They felt relieved, relaxed, and for the first time since all the years in the war, peace-minded. Rod turned his head slightly, looking at Striker with one of his eyes.

"This is too good to be true...the end of the war at last. Is it really real?" Rod asked in disbelief, thinking of himself as sounding a bit stupid. Striker smiled even wider in pleasure, knowing the answer very clearly and very proudly.

"Yes, it's real, Rod...it's over,"

Speedix and Fists walked along the border of the Freedom Fighter camp, or what was now known as the Kingdom of Knothole. Mobians were hard at work rebuilding damaged parts of the wooden cabins, with others building tall skyscrapers made from strong steel, making each one in tune with nature as so to not harm the environment. The red hedgehog felt pride in himself, his uncle feeling the same, something both father and son had in common. Speedix turned his view to his father, speaking his thoughts as he thought them out.

"So, what are ya gonna be doing, dad?" he asked casually, showing a small smile. Fists didn't have much of an answer, he seemed rather tired and grumpy, but still answered in a deep, low voice.

"Sleeping for countless hours, son...I am very tired..." Fists replied, knowing his son heard him clearly because of the sensitivity of the hedgehog's ears. Speedix laughed a little.

"Yeah, when you've been fighting a war for over ten years, you're bound to get tired," the red hedgehog replied, grinning playfully. Fists groaned, walking a little slower as he got more and more tired.

"I hope they finish the city soon, I really need to lay down..." the golden echidna said in a terribly dark voice, yawning loudly. Speedix's grin disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion.

"You're old, dad, no wonder you decided to forget that promise you made about a party after we won the war," Speedix said jokingly, a crazy smile appearing on his face. Fists groaned once more, this time at his own stupidity.

"How could I forget..."

"Because you're tired, you told me yourself a few seconds ago," Speedix turned his head to the path in front of them, with it beginning to circle instead of surround the building site of the Kingdom of Knothole.

"We'll have the party set up once the city is done...right now, I just want to rest..." Fists replied, yawning once again, only much louder. Speedix threw a bored look at his father, not too surprised.

"Well, at least we defeated Eggman...Never will forget the giant explosion that flashed in the sky...what a great moment!" Speedix said trying to bring up a new subject that was slightly different from the one that seemed to bore his dad. Fists nodded in agreement.

"Me either, son...we all worked well together...but I haven't seen Firon doing anything in that last battle..." Speedix threw a shocked look at his father, wondering how he could not know the truth of who ended of the war.

"Dad..."

"Yes?"

"Firon was the one who destroyed the space station...he literally obliterated it right out of the sky!" Speedix explained impatiently. Fists nodded when he understood.

"He's a good nephew...I always saw a powerful determination in him, a very strong one to..."

"Don't forget his love for Violet, I heard those two were in love..." Speedix reminded his dad. Fists smiled broadly.

"Just like his mother..."

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"You okay?"

"Yes, son...just remembering a memory. Why? Is that bad?"

"No, I believe not," It wasn't long until the two of them stopped halfway through the border path, sitting down on a small cliff side that had rose just slightly higher then the wooden cabins nearby. A few trees stood on the cliff side, giving Fists something to lay his tired and hurt back on as he looked on towards the setting sun, past the mountains in the distance.

"I'm proud of you son," Fists said to the red hedgehog, as Speedix himself sat down on the cliff side, his back against another tree. He heard the echidna clearly, turning his view to him, and smiling once more.

"Thanks, dad," he replied casually, looking back toward the sunset. They both watched the light from the sun dim as it hid behind the mountains in the distance, turning the sky into a lightish red color, the clouds looking a bit darker then normal. As the sun descended further behind the mountains, the light red color of the sky changed to a blue-red color, the clouds turning into a gray-blue color, making the sunset seem even more beautiful and relaxing. As the sunset changed the colors dramatically in the sky and clouds, the setting drifted Fists to sleep without alarming Speedix, who simply watched the sunset go by, and a memory come by as the first perfect sunset in ten years revealed itself for the first time in ages.


Sonic sat on top one of the finished skyscrapers of the Kingdom of Knothole, thinking about his newfound freedom, with the influence of the war quickly leaving him. He seemed relaxed, his eyes half-closed and staring at the moon as it appeared brightly in the night sky, with the many stars shining just as brightly and appearing like little dots of light on the black sky like art. Sonic felt the breeze of cold wind, the chill of a new, peaceful night, and the comfortableness of a newly-freed soul.

He enjoyed his free time, sniffing the clean air that blew in from every direction. It smelled fresh, even more fresh then it once was when Robotroplis still stood. But now, without Robotroplis and its smog clouds polluting and destroying the natural environment, everything was going back to normal. Everything the blue hedgehog had expieranced had made him a hero, a symbol of justice, but he knew he couldn't just think of himself in all of this. He thought of all the freedom fighters, and the leaders that fought beside or with him. Speedix was a patriotic rebel that just stood out and showed his rage towards the enemy, he never betrayed the planet he fought for and always did what he could in a given situation. Then there was Fists, who used such powerful strength to defeat his enemies, and with each mighty punch delivered, a little message of rebellion and freedom was sent. There was also Firon, Violet, Tails, Knuckles, Rod, and Striker, all who did a great job in helping out in the war, and destorying the space station that nearly destroyed Mobius. Sonic sighed happily, closing his eyes and laying his back onto the surprisingly warm rooftop of the skyscraper.

"Hey Sonic!" a loud voice boomed from nearby, startling Sonic as he jutted upward from the rooftop and positioned himself to run, only to see it was Knuckles, just being a seriously bad trickster, grinning childishly.

"You nearly startled me to death..." Sonic replied grumpily, turning back to the night sky as he stared upward towards the stars, and the infinite possibilities that lied beyond them.

"Sorry, how ya doing?" Knuckles asked in wonder, walking to the hedgehog's side. Sonic looked at him with a stare that seemed to have the answer itself, but he replied anyway.

"I'm doing fine...just enjoying the great freedom we got from ten years of war. How about you?" Sonic turned back to the side of the rooftop, sitting down and relaxing once more, his ears listening carefully to the red echidna.

"I guess I'm doing fine...Haven't guarded the Master Emerald for so long..." he heard the echidna say in a low voice. Sonic smiled viciously, looking too happy for words. Knuckles saw this smile and glanced at the blue hedgehog with up most confusion. Sonic's smile disappeared as he saw the look on the red echidna's face, replaced by his usual funny grin.

"I don't think you'll need to guard that big jewel anymore...with Eggman gone, what evil could possibly take it?" the blue hedgehog said persuasively. Knuckles thought for a while, crossing his arms and thinking, until he finally sighed and admitted to himself that the blue hedgehog was right.

"Well, what do you think will happen now?" Knuckles asked in curiosity, standing and waiting with his arms crossed still. Sonic had the answer planned out for a long time, since the beginning of the war.

"Enjoy our freedom and have fun!"

Deep in a grass field, where a small hill with a tree planted on its top was located, relaxed Violet. She wore a long-sleeved black and red sweater for the chilly night, still wearing her regular skirt with it as well. She wore her flip flops to enjoy the feel of the tall grass on the side of the hill, where her feet resided. The plant life was a lot more lively and softer without Eggman's pollution effecting it. She stared up at the stars, entertained by the different sizes of the stars that shined brightly and lit the sky up by a bit. She could finally put her mind to rest and rest anywhere, knowing she wouldn't be attacked by any robot whatsoever. She closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure, her hands rested on her stomach.

Firon walked up the side of the hill, carrying something in his right hand. He had cleaned himself after a long hard fight, looking a bit more white in some areas then his usual gray. His blue eyes sparkled in the stars' reflection, and the black markings on his spikes shined for the first time instead of sucking in darkness. He walked up slowly to the purple hedgehog who lay resting on the grass near the tree, trying not to startle her as he stopped walking.

Violet opened her eyes and immediately noticed the gray hedgehog standing not too far from her, smiling at this sight. Firon smiled nervously back at her, walking closer to her as the purple hedgehog stood up from the ground. As they both stood close to one another, Firon lifted the hand that carried something in it. It was a red rose with a few black strands, with it sparkling beautifully in the moon light as the moon appeared over the horizon, taking up most of the sky as it appeared so close.

Violet stared and gasped, but not in shock, but in surprise. Firon's loosened his grip on the rose's stem as she slowly took it, holding it with both of her hands. She blushed at this wonderful gift, staring up at the gray hedgehog.

"Where did you get a Phoenix Rose? I thought they were rare," she asked in curiosity, but feeling grateful for the gift she held in her two hands. Firon smiled more broadly, seeming a bit more nervous as he tried to explain, lifting a hand to the back of his head.

"Well...I just thought that, ya know...the most beautiful girl in my life deserved something speical...so I found that for ya, and..." Firon's sentence was cut off as Violet leaped forward and embraced him in a hug full of love. Firon was taken by surprise, trying to calm himself down quickly as so to not embarrass himself. He put two arms under and through her arms, embracing her as well and pulling her a bit closer.

"Thank you...you're so sweet," Violet said thankfully, hugging a bit tighter and lifting her head back, landing a single kiss on Firon's cheek, which made the gray hedgehog blush deeply. Violet giggled as she put a hand to the gray hedgehog's cheek, feeling it burn and knowing he was nervous. He grinned at her with a shaky but still firm grin.

"Anything for you...my love," Firon replied to her silently, but loudly enough for her sensitive ears to hear him. She giggled again, but more childishly as she embraced him once more. Soon, Firon grew courage quickly, bringing one of his hands to her face, holding gently to her left cheek, letting her face guide itself upward until their eyes met.

"How about a kiss?" the gray hedgehog asked bravely, despite being extremely nervous and very shaken by a fear of rejection, but he knew Violet and her love for him and overcame his nervousness and fear. Violet smiled broadly, snaking her arms around Firon's shoulders and holding onto him, with Firon putting his arms around her back again, holding onto her. They both stared at each other's eyes with an unbreakable bond of love that seemed to flow through the two hedgehogs like a mighty stream.

"Please, promise me...you won't let leave me...please?" Violet pleaded, her eyes making a puppy dog look. Firon couldn't resist the look and the love she offered, with his own love influencing him to say the right thing.

"I promise...anything is worth keeping you happy...keeping you safe...keeping my only one true love away from harm," the two hedgehogs drew in closer, closing their eyes as they slowly advanced. It wasn't long until their lips met, and a long and satisfying kiss came about between the two. Their love fully was represented by just this one kiss, and the full moon, that literally filled most of the sky, represented their love would forever be unbroken. The two young teenagers, with their hearts literally soaring, kept their kiss going for a long while, feeling the urge to not stop. Underneath the full moon, with its light shining brightly onto the grass, love floated in the air. A cold wind rushing in towards the hill that the two hedgehogs stood on. The wind blew and rushed hard onto the two hedgehogs, but both were unaffected. Even as it continued to blow at them, neither of them got cold, but instead, were strangely warm...