Sonic and all related elements are © Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission.

The mysterious Lion is © MC Bomberman and may not be used without permission, although he is based on Aslan from C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.

This story is ©2002 Evan H. All rights reserved. May not be freely distributed.

Tails lay awake in bed trying to make sense of all the questions swirling around in his head. "Athiar said we evolved," he thought, "Merlin said we evolved, but Dad said we were created. Athiar said I'm not anything, Merlin said I'm the Guardian, and Dad said I'm whoever I was created to be. Athiar and Merlin essentially say there is no purpose in life, but if we were created like Dad said, then whoever did it must have some purpose for me. But what is it?" Tails sighed. All his questions that had come up while he was in the future were resurfacing. The biggest problem to him was that he couldn't see or touch any of his problems or answers; they were all theory.

Frustrated, he sank his head back into his pillow and attempted to sleep so his brain could process all of his questions. When he finally did fall asleep, however, he got much more than he bargained for.

He found himself standing in a shadow. The light causing the shadow was not more than two feet away from him, and Tails could feel the heat radiating from it. He reached out his hand (which was missing its glove) towards the light, but the moment his fingertip exited the shadow Tails pulled his hand back in pain.

"You cannot enter the Light on your own," a voice behind him said.

Tails turned around to find a Mobian lion standing behind him, his mane flowing in a small breeze and himself clad in a simple white robe. "It is the Light above all lights," he explained, "and it purifies anything it touches."

"What do you mean, 'purifies'?" Tails asked.

"It removes all darkness. Your problem is that you have darkness inside you, and it would kill you if you entered the Light."

Tails was confused. "But I thought I chose light magic?"

The lion smiled. "You have chosen to use love instead of hate, yet hate and malice still exist in you."

Tails tried to argue, but somehow he knew that the lion was right. He looked around himself at the shadows, then he turned and looked at the Light. For some reason, he didn't know why, he knew that the Light was the answer to all his questions.

He turned back to the lion and asked, "Is there any way for me to enter the Light?"

"If you truly desire it," he replied, "I will protect you."

"What do you mean?"

"I will protect you, and the Light will purify you but will not kill you. It will hurt, but the outcome will be far greater than anything you can imagine."

"What's the catch?" Tails asked, expecting something outrageous.

"All I ask is that you realize that I am the only way to the Light. If you try on your own, you will die," the Lion replied, much to Tails' surprise.

Tails took another good look at the Lion. His eyes were kind, yet burning with an intensity he had never seen before. "How can you do this?" Tails asked.

"I can take your darkness away from you."

"But... won't it hurt you?"

The Lion stiffened. "I've been killed, and even that couldn't stop me. In fact, it is because of that my Father, who is the Source of the Light, allows me to do this."

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?"

The Lion nodded slowly.

"But..." Tails was confused once again, "Why would you go through all that pain for me? I never even knew you existed until now, or cared for that matter."

The Lion gave another gentle smile. "I don't want you to wander around in the dark forever. I'm willing to do this because I love you. I love you as a father to his lost son. I love you as a shepherd to his sheep. I love you more than you love Sonic, if that tells you anything." He held his arms wide open. "Will you come with Me?" He asked.

Tails walked towards the Lion, Who never changed his pose. All around himself, Tails felt despair, confusion, and every other emotion his depression threw at him. But from the Lion he felt safety, calm, Love, and peace. Slowly, he reached out his hand towards Him, and the Lion reached down to Tails.

If Sonic, Sally, or any of the other freedom fighters had seen this, they wouldn't have seen the war-scarred Guardian from the past day but the cheerful six-year-old from when Robotnik had first taken over. The six-year-old whose bright face had broken through the cloudiest day. The six-year-old who now had a face full of excitement as he was held by a Lion two times his size.

Suddenly, a beam of Light shone on the two of them. For an instance Tails was reminded of the light that he had felt when he became Guardian. This feeling quickly passed, however, since this Light pierced even deeper, seeming to expose every dark thought, every evil inclination, but as it did, Tails felt it suddenly disappear. He guessed it was the Lion, since he felt Him cringe in pain every time it happened.

After ten minutes, or ten hours, of the, the Lion stuck out one hand and gave a sharp cry. A jet of flame shot out of the hand, and it appeared to feed of of darkness itself. When it went out, the Lion said softly, "It is finished."

"What was that?" Tails asked, his eyes still wide.

The Lion turned to face Tails, his face radiant. "That was the darkness I removed from you, Miles," He explained. "Now it has been erased from all knowledge. As far as My Father is concerned, it never existed."

Tails didn't mind being called Miles this time. The danger had passed, and he felt safe in the Lion's arms, wholly surrounded by Light. After a while, though, the Lion continued.

"We must not dally, Miles," he said in his kind voice.

Tails looked up, sadness evident in his face. "Do I have to leave you so soon?"

The Lion shook his head. "You never have to. If you go to the depths of the ocean, I am there. If you make your camp in the mountains, I am there. I will never leave you or forsake you, and no matter where you are, I will always be there to hold you, guide you, and protect you, like I did today. I promise."

"You were that voice?" Tails asked, surprised.

The Lion nodded. "Miles, when you came into the Light, my Father took you as his son. Now, in a way, we are brothers, and we cannot be separated."

"Are there any others?" Tails asked.

"Yes. Your parents are some, Antithesis is another. And I believe you've met James and Michael?"

"How do you know about them? They don't even exist yet!"

"Time is no boundary for me. Unfortunately, it is for you, and it is almost time for you to wake up."

"I'm dreaming?"

"Yes, this is a dream, but it's really happening. Understand?"

Tails nodded.

"But before you go, I want to give you something." He took a deep breath and continued. "A new evil is about to threaten Mobius. I give you the gift of leadership. I'm not saying you will govern the planet, but you will lead them to victory."

"But... well... that's always been Sonic or Sally's department..." Tails protested, but the Lion silenced him.

"Don't worry; I will give you strength to handle any challenge that comes your way." He gave Tails one final smile. "It's time for you to go back now. Tell others about what happened tonight; don't keep it inside you."

Images started to fade away. Tails awoke to a brand new day feeling like a brand new person. No longer unsure about his identity or his purpose, he was ready to face anything the world threw at him.

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