Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a simple and quick mission, but skating through the dense vegetation of the Botanic Base was challenging. Knuckles and Mighty described the dome around the base as almost unseeable, making the vast plant proliferation over the giant greenhouse seem endless. She thought they were exaggerating, but it was a sight to behold when she arrived at the first level. The red echidna said they destroyed the enemies from the greenhouse, but they didn't know if some managed to escape or hide since most camouflaged themselves as plants.
The tracker on her wrist showed her the faint waves of chaos energy coming from some spot in the north, and with no time to lose, she quickened her pace. She was cautious not to tangle herself in any vines or lower branches from the numerous species of trees, and five minutes later, she arrived at the location. It was an old factory already consumed by the plants, twisting the metal and protruding from the walls. Eggman's logo above the front door was falling apart from the rust of consecutive rain showers over the years.
Her earpiece chimed while she observed any signs of danger. "How's everything going, hun?" Rouge's voice had a static noise mixed in it, which was odd. Her earpiece was supposed to be new.
"I'm on the marked spot. The energy is coming from inside an old factory, but it's clear it has been abandoned for some time."
"Hmm. Do you think you will need backup?"
Shadow walked towards the entrance. "No need."
The static from the earpiece worsened, and she winced. "If anything happens, you better call me back, missy."
The ebony hedgehog didn't bother to respond and knew Rouge wouldn't get offended since they had been working together for a long time. At the door, she saw a long corridor, and strangely, the fluorescent lights from inside that survived the climate were on. For a second, she pondered calling Rouge but reconsidered. Eggman hasn't been seen around here since Knuckles intervened in his plans, and she could handle herself just fine.
Shadow puffed her chest and walked forward, pulling her pistol. "Time to see if the security system is up."
The corridor cameras blinked their small green light as they focused on her, and she shot at the middle of their lenses. Shadow waited for any alarm siren, but it was silent, and she carefully walked to the center of the factory. The machines of the assembly lines jerked their rusty arms, trying to complete their tasks, but no new robots were being assembled. Piles of badnik parts scattered around the assembly line were rusted and cracked, but she maintained her distance. Despite the plants taking over the entrance, the interior didn't seem too destroyed after being abandoned for years.
Shadow shot the functioning cameras around the room and waited for an enemy to spring at her, but nothing happened. She continued further, and the green Chaos Emerald between her quills lightly reacted when she crossed one of the following corridors. There is no possibility Eggman wouldn't have come there sooner if another Chaos Emerald was left inside.
"What are you scheming this time?" Shadow pulled her chaos emerald from her quills and kept moving.
It didn't seem the factory was extensive, but she never knew what Eggman had up his sleeve. Her chaos emerald was like a compass taking her to the power source room, and the closer she moved, a strange sound like sizzling became audible. She passed through the automatic doors and didn't expect what she saw.
The giant generators on the walls glowed a bright phosphorescent blue while their power cables were all over the metal ground like multiple grey snakes snared around each other. What caught her attention, however, was the origin of the noise. Between the cables, to what she could discern, a broken badnick about her height lying face down was getting electrocuted. It was holding with its metal claws some torn cords, and the different wires from the open cables cracked with electricity as it used the robot as a conductor.
Now she understood why the factory was running without anyone. This badnick probably tried to charge its internal battery with the generators, but the high-voltage discharge fried its core. How it got here was still a mystery, but G.U.N. could find it later. The smell of burned metal, copper, and plastic permeated the space, and her nose twitched.
"Now, time to find where the chaos energy is coming from."
The emerald in her hand showed the other chaos energy was close to her, but from the overall view, nothing made it seem it was there. She could pinpoint the location if she expanded the chaos power from the emerald to see if anything responded. Shadow concentrated, and the emerald expelled its energy like an underwater pulse. With her tuned senses, Shadow saw the green waves pass through the walls, and something resonated back in one particular spot below the ground.
"What is in there?"
A noisy cracking sound came from the badnick, and she hesitated to step forward. The signal caught by their detectors was from two hours ago, but just because the robot hasn't caught on fire doesn't mean it couldn't be possible. Its whole internal structure could explode at any second, turning the factory into a blazing coffin. Shadow was fast, just like her annoying rival, and had an emerald, but it would be too careless of her to think nothing could hinder her path to get out.
She didn't have the proper equipment to handle this situation, so the sensible thing would be to contact Rouge and ask G.U.N. to bring what was necessary for them to keep searching. Her earpiece buzzed too loud, causing her eardrum to ring. She pulled the screeching device from her ear with a wince.
"Damn it." The ground below the robot shook slightly, but Shadow was too occupied with her communicator to notice. "It was already bad when I arrived here, but it is useless now."
Shadow turned to walk back to where she had come from when a screeching alarm went off, making her look at the blaring sirens.
W A R N I N G
CHAOS EMERALD DETECTED
W A R N I N G
CHAOS EMERALD DETECTED
The automatic doors closed shut, and the tremor escalated. Shadow turned quickly to look at the closed doors.
"Why now?"
A hatcher from the metal ground opened slowly, and a massive robot shaped like an egg rose from it. It looked like a new model of an Eggrobo, but it didn't have arms, legs, or any visible weapons. The metal shell's red, yellow, and black paint was peeled and dirty in many places but with no signs of rust. Shadow had no idea what this thing was and took no chances. She shot all the bullets of her pistol at Eggrobo's head and middle, piercing the metal but not causing too much damage.
W A R N I N G
UNKNOWN CHAOS ENERGY DETECTED
W A R N I N G
UNKNOWN CHAOS ENERGY DETECTED
PROCEEDING WITH DEFENCE PROTOCOL
The Eggrobo head lifted its outer shell like a piston, and large holes opened in two layers of the robot's middle. White smoke expelled from the gaps, and Shadow had to cover her face from the blast. She needed to use her chaos control to get out of the factory, but an intense pain made her words mix with the sound of her coughing blood. What is this? Every time she breathed, the sharp pain in her lungs worsened, and she coughed more. Could this be poison?
She heard the hissing sound of something firing, and in a moment of vulnerability, five three-clawed steel tentacles grabbed her limbs and torso. The metal claws dug painfully into her skin, and she struggled while increasing the power of her jets. She cleared her throat to teleport, but from the center of the claws, a strange current injected inside her.
BEGINNING CHAOS EXTRACTION.
Steel needles punctured her flesh and bone, stunning her completely.
3%...
Her whole body shuddered as she felt her chaos energy getting sucked from her veins.
12%...
The intense pain prevented her from talking, and she almost let the emerald slipe from her hand.
25%...
It was as if her life was bleeding away from the needle punctures alongside her pouring blood.
41%...
Shadow bared her teeth as rage boiled in her guts.
53%...
She refused to let this thing beat her, and with a loud cry, she used the emerald to create a chaos blast. The blast destroyed the tentacles of her left arm, leg, and part of the outer shell of the Eggrobo's middle, and she finally saw what the signal was.
A fake yellow emerald was in its core, and by the numerous cracks, it was getting pushed to its limit. She blinked a few bloody tears, and without wasting time, she conjured a green chaos spear in her free hand. Since the robot was still sucking her energy, the spear wasn't as long as she hoped it would be, but, with precision, she threw it directly at the fake emerald.
The fake yellow emerald broke into tiny crystals alongside the glass core, making the robot falter. The steel tentacles loosed their strength, and Shadow fell with them still attached to her. The jets of her skates weren't working as before but still cushioned her fall. She took a moment to take deep breaths, no matter if it hurt to do it because of the smoke screen. To her dismay, when she tried to free herself from the tentacles, its steel circles barely molded in her grasp. The good thing was that her emerald was still with her, but she didn't know how far she could teleport without passing out. A loud popping sound came from the electrocuted badnick beside the generators, reminding her of the imminent issue.
Rouge probably realized something was up and sent someone to find her since Shadow hadn't contacted her for some time. She gazed at her body after rubbing her blood-stained eyes. The holes in her flesh didn't stop gushing blood, staining her ruined white clothes. Her body could enter hypovolemic shock if this continued much longer, and she decided to move to the portal of the first level of the botanic base. She could extract the emerald's power and heal herself without risk if it was far enough from the factory.
Shadow cleared her throat, clenching the emerald. "Chaos Control!"
With the spike of chaos energy, the Eggrobo jerked back to life, likely using the hedgehog's power it consumed before to move. To Shadow's surprise, both were teleported away from the factory to an unknown area in the botanic base since her concentration was interrupted.
The tentacles yanked Shadow close to the center of its shattered glass core. The hedgehog's free arm and leg pressed against the broken middle shell's lingering parts to prevent her body from moving forward. The poison still in her system with the depleted chaos energy made her sturdy body begin to rip. The muscles and sinew from her limbs began to tear as the tentacles kept tugging relentlessly. Even her jets, at maximum with their fire melting its insides, didn't help free her.
If she, of all creatures, was having a difficult time dealing with this thing, how will a normal being be able to defeat it? Her sight blurred as she groaned when her joints started dislocating. What if the government researched this Eggrobo and multiplied it? How many people could this robot end up hurting? Or worse, killing?
No matter how much she tried to recharge using the emerald, the robot drained the same amount. Can she even do anything at this point? Her mind began to fog, making her almost lose her grip. Was this her defeat?
Then, the bright smile from a blue hedgehog and a blonde girl flashed in her mind. It made her resolve reignite and intensify. Shadow had promised to protect this world, and nothing would stop her. No matter the lengths she had to go to, she would never give up without giving her all.
With a last-ditch effort, she bit the inhibitor ring of her left hand, making it shine, and took it off. She let go of the metal shell to remove the rest of the golden rings. Without any hindrance, the robot pulled her fully inside, crushing her body against a mess of wires, broken metal, glass, and tentacles, but this did not stop her. With both hands on the emerald, she began to form a ball of pure chaos energy that got bigger within seconds.
"I don't think I will be able to come back this time." She said tiredly with a small smile.
The amount of chaos energy was getting too much for the robot to handle, and it started to overheat and break down. Shadow closed her eyes and released the accumulated power inside the ball. A gigantic explosion engulfed her and the Eggrobo, and with a white flash, there was nothing.
...
...
Shadow was resting alone on the top of a grassy hill below the shade of an isolated tree. It was one of her days off demanded by Rouge and Omega after seeing her work for six months without a break. The idea of not doing anything never sat right with her, but she couldn't complain too much when staying in a tranquil place like this.
She leaned her body on the tree, looking far ahead at the tall green grass dancing with the wind. Instead of people or machines, there were only the sounds of birds and the gentle breeze. It gave her time to exist without the pressure of her life, even though it wasn't right.
The battle from a few days ago was still lingering on her mind. Eggman's latest attack on the city almost hurt Cream with his explosions. Shadow's chaos control saved the bunny and her Chao in time, as more bombs detonated around the station square, scaring the other citizens. Who knows what injuries the little rabbit girl would have sustained if she had been a second late?
Shadow surveyed the station square to help more people and joined the offensive after securing the young bunny's safety in Vanila's arms. Alongside Sonic and his friends, they defeated Eggman but ended up a bit battered by the battle. It still amazed her how Eggman refused to give up no matter how many times he had lost.
She sighed, trying to focus on something else. Maybe she would buy more books later and get Rouge her favorite iced coffee. The bat had been telling her about how she wanted to go to a new expensive coffee shop for weeks. Shadow guessed it was as good a time as any to find out if the shop was acceptable to her taste. The warm sun lulled her to close her eyes, but the sound of familiar footsteps running toward her prevented her from falling asleep. She already knew who it was without opening her eyes. Her ear flicked in his direction, and the newcomer stopped beside her.
"Hey Shads! Nice weather we are having today, isn't it?" Sonic said with a cheeky grin and his hands behind his back.
Sonic's cheerful demeanor made her more relaxed now than annoyed, but she would never admit that.
"What do you want, faker?" Shadow asked without any bite.
"Can't I see my grumpy rival every once in a while without a motive?"
Shadow opened her eyes to look at the cobalt hero. His blue spikes shined in the sunlight as if he had just washed and groomed them before coming there. When her red eyes met his emerald ones, she could swear they twinkled. It was probably a trick from the light, but it made it hard not to stare at their beauty. She needed to get a hold of herself before her body reacted too much. Shadow was about to tell him to go away when white petals obscured her view.
"Please accept this small gift, my lady." Sonic bowed his body and held up to her a bloomed white rose. "I chose the prettiest one just for you." The gesture with his flirtatious wink made her heart flutter, further complicating things.
"What are you doing?" She breathed in the sweet fragrance of the rose, trying her best not to lean on it.
"A present for helping us that day and rescuing Cream and Cheese," Sonic said gently. "We wouldn't have made it without you."
Sonic and his friends were capable fighters and did not often need help combating Eggman. She was sure they would have won without her, but the sentiment was almost endearing. Shadow clenched the grass beneath her hands and turned her face away from the flower.
"It's not necessary for you to do this."
"There is nothing wrong in giving a friend I care about a present, right?" Sonic's smile was more radiant than the sun, making Shadow frown.
Those words were warm but pierced her heart simultaneously. The fact Shadow was one of Sonic's friends had been surprising but not unexpected, even with how much they fought regularly. The blue hedgehog had a heart of gold and didn't hold grudges often. Eggman was an exception, but Sonic surely would save the man's life if needed, no matter how much suffering he brought to his friends.
With time, the idea that she managed to find a circle of caring friends wasn't as painful as when she started to repent for her sins. Sonic and Rouge were a big part of it, but her feelings of almost friendship towards him began to change. It was already so hard to have him in her life as an inconstant companion, and the fathomless concept she was developing romantic feelings for Sonic seemed cruel. She didn't have an exact period when this started, but being her usual self around him became harder and harder with each encounter.
When Rouge found out, she joked for Shadow to stop being stuck up and tell Sonic how she felt. It was easier said than done, especially seeing how Sonic dealt with Amy Rose's romantic feelings toward him. He loved Rose but not the love she wanted from him, but he never outright denied her advances. It was infuriating to see how uncomfortable Sonic got with how Rose acted towards him sometimes. He didn't want to hurt Rose's feelings but threw more logs into the fire instead.
Deep inside, maybe Shadow desired this fleeting emotion called love. She constantly asked Maria what she should do but never had a conclusive answer. The white rose was almost unbearable to gaze at with these complex feelings in turmoil inside her. She slapped hard Sonic's hand, making the flower fall from his fingers.
"I don't need anything from you." Shadow pretty much hissed at him. "Stop bothering me and leave me alone ."
Sonic's eyes widened, and his smile faltered. Guilty surged inside Shadow, and before she could say anything, Sonic composed himself and laughed it off.
"Alright, alright." He raised his hands and stepped back from her. "Sorry for disturbing you, but come hang out with us sometime. Amy knows a really good ice cream shop, and I will get you your favorite." With a friendly arm wave, he said goodbye and left at the same speed he had arrived.
With the undisturbed scenery around her, it was almost like Sonic had never shown up. The only sign left behind was the lone white rose on the ground. Shadow stared at the pitiful flower without thorns and grasped it. Some petals fell as she lifted it close to her muzzle. She inhaled deeply, putting her nose close to the center as the soft petals caressed her lips. Its sweet scent was faint but still lovely.
This delicate flower wasn't something she deserved, but she couldn't let it rot there. "I'm sorry you were wasted on me."
When she returned to her and Rouge's apartment, she placed the rose in a crystal vase with clean water and put it on her desk. Every time she glanced at the decaying flower as the days passed, Sonic's hurt expression showed in her mind. The guilt didn't disappear, no matter if the cobalt hero acted as if nothing had happened. Like all her mistakes, she would let them fester inside her heart to make her remember what she truly was.
She stared at the dried remains of the rose on top of her desk, not having the heart to throw it away. "Maria, I thought I was getting better, so why..."
Why does she keep making so many mistakes?
Shadow,
She blinked and looked at her sides. Did she hear her name?
Shadow,
My dear Shadow,
The voice was so distant, but the ebony hedgehog could never forget who it belonged to.
"M-Maria?"
The world around her gradually lost all colors, and she couldn't see a thing.
Shadow,
"Maria!!" Shadow ran towards the voice, desperately trying to reach her.
Never forget the promise we made.
"Maria! Please!" Tears cascade down her cheeks, wetting the fur of her muzzle. "Please take me with you!"
Lost in that deep darkness, she continued to call for Maria. How long does she need to keep going? Why is it never enough?
A gloved hand grabbed her arm from behind, and she stopped running. She didn't turn to see who it was or tug her arm from the grasp.
You are not alone anymore, you know?
Her tears kept flowing, and the hand on her arm moved to hold her hand.
If you let me, I will stay by your side.
"No, you won't..." Her shoulders began to tremble. "You will leave."
It didn't matter if it was because of her personality or the passing of time. She would be alone until their planet perished.
Hey, Shads, I want to tell you something.
Shadow looked over her shoulder, but the hedgehog behind her had a black void instead of a face. A shiver ran down her spine, but she didn't let go of the hero's hand.
Shadow, I --
W̴̢̡͖͕̙̝̘̤̩̥̲͇͖͕̯̃͋̔̅͌̚͠͝͠ ̸̭̝̜̦̠̯̈́̈́̐̅̿̌̈́͊̍̎̉͝͝͝Ą̵̛͙̩̹̼̪̻̙̞̘̟͔̉͋͗̌͗̂̂͌̓̐̃̋͑͊̈́̋ ̴̢̖̘̱̹͖̗̳̜̭̖́̃̊͆̅͒͆͌̈́̇͋͐̕Ķ̴̹̮̰̱͙̫͚̬͈̬̞̺͖͖͑̒̑̽̄͐͗͛̇̕̚ ̶̡̡̨͚͙̬͔̤̞͓̲̼̙̣̘̲̪͗͝Ȩ̴͎͙̪͉̗͍͉̦͎̭̠̲̜͔̘͒͛̓̈̓͑͌̀̈̑̓͛͘̕͝͝͝ ̴̺̙̟̮͎̈́͌͆̉̀̆̌͗̂̄͝ ̴̢̡̻̞͓̹̺͇̟̻͉̥͍̃̈́͒́͌̾̄̆͆͛̒̓̈́̊̈́̽́͜͜͜ ̴̧͇̝̻̙̮͓͖̯̥̹͓͔͇̌̾̿̊͂͝ ̷̧͕͉͚̹͕̹͈͚͚̹̘͔͚̳̾́̆̓̀
̵̧̭̪̹̺̖̍̀͑̾̇̈́̓̑̑̃͂̈́̀̒̀͘͝
̴̯̒̓͌̀̚Ų̷̬̜̘̪͔͎̫̺̆̏̋̈̔̀̀͊̍͐̾̿̇̃̋́ ̶̫̙̙̮̪̳͛͌P̶͓̟̦͙̝̦͖̗̫̺̭͗̊͗̃̽̇̀͛̓̅͜͠
From the darkness surrounding her, black tendrils enveloped her body and began to yank her quills, trying to pull them from her skin.
Y̴͉̻̜̆ ̷̤͙̎̓́O̷̩̘̦̒ ̷̼̥͔̌̕Ủ̷̫ ̴̳̿́ ̵͉̬̔̚C̸̖͕̃͐ ̸̩̹̆́Ȁ̸̦̋̑ ̸͇̍N̸̠̦͒̚͝'̴̜̯̓̅͝ͅ ̸̮̱̐̆͘T̵̋͜ ̶͂̄̌ͅ ̶̦̿E̶̜̺͔̾̐ ̷̫͌̈́̾S̵͖͗͐̚ ̷̪͚̹͆͒C̸̢̠̺̓̅͆ ̵̭̖̊A̵̫̳͛̔ ̸̮̠̿P̴̰̃̕͝ ̴̻̅Ë̷͍́͂ ̷̧̘̀ ̴̢̑̆̎ ̵̢͓̱̈́̏̈́Y̶̧̥̅͐ ̴̺͆͐̑O̸̖̻͒̚ ̴̨͍̍̾U̶̥̾ ̸̱͍̇R̴͓̉ ̶̭̝̍͂ ̸̥̬̀͘F̴̮͎̙̈́̒̾ ̷̫̻̈́A̵̤̣͈̒͘ ̴̗͉̥͊̾͛T̴̞̪̚ ̵̪̤̄̍Ë̴͖͙͂.Ỳ̴̭Ö̸̗́U̷̱̎ ̶̹̄ ̶̦̊ ̸͉̍ ̵̛̞W̸̞̋Ě̴̦A̷͚͂K̸̢̛L̶̮̀I̵̗̅N̷̺̿Ḡ̶͈ ̷͓͠ ̵̯̈́ ̷̗̋ ̴̼̒L̷̕͜Ī̸͜F̸̒ͅȨ̶̌F̶̲͗Ô̶͖R̵͔̋M̴͕̀
A bright yellow-red eye manifested in the center of the blue hedgehog's shrouded face, and the grotesque creature spat on her face with every word it spoke.
̷N̷ ̸O̵ ̷W̸
The tendrils tore the quills of her skin.
WAKE UP!!
As if her brain got electrocuted, the dark fog inside her mind dissipated. Still dizzy, it took a few seconds for her to remember the fight with the strange Eggrobo. What... happened?
Shadow tried to blink and moisten her dry, itchy eyes but couldn't move her eyelids. Only half of her vision worked, but it was too white to see anything. The trees and the destroyed robot seemed to be burning around her due to the crisp, snapping sounds and smell of smoke, burning plastic, and metal.
Shadow tried to move her limbs and neck, but no part of her body worked. Were all her bones broken? She tried more times, with no results, and to her humiliation, she realized she had to wait for G.U.N.'s backup to find and help her.
At least her senses functioned. Not perfectly, but it was better than nothing. She was amazed she survived that explosion, but she was the ultimate life form for a reason. The pieces of her nightmare were still fresh, making her embarrassed.
Why did she dream about that memory? What was Sonic going to tell her? Should she even know? No, it wasn't right. She chastised herself. How presumptuous of her to dream about Sonic comforting her. She wanted to hit herself for how emotionally she had acted.
"Geez, what the heck happened here? It's like a meteorite fell or something."
Shadow was starting to hear things. It's better to stop thinking about that annoying hedgehog before things get worse.
"Shadow! Are you there? Answer if you can!"
Wait, this voice seemed too authentic to be just her imagination.
"Wow, what is this? Did a Chaos Emerald break?"
No, it can't be.
The mobian coughed, stepping closer. "So much smoke, ugh, where could she be—oh." He halted. "Shads? Is that— Sonic gasped loudly, "Shadow!"
Why him from all people?
"What happened?! Oh God, your arms. Where are your arms?!"
She didn't expect to feel even more humiliated, but here she was.
"Ah!! There is so much blood! Wait, your blood is green; is that normal? Well, I guess you are half-alien. Wait. No! Argh! This isn't the time!"
Shadow wanted to tell him to stop being so loud and that she could regrow her limbs. She just needed time.
"OK. OK. Hang in there, Shadow! I just need to call Rouge and, and we will patch you up real quick!"
She wanted to go back to sleep.
"Rouge! I've found Shadow, but her arms are gone!! And her blood is everywhere! There are shards of metal in her body and and," There was a pause, and Shadow could vaguely hear Rouge's voice from Sonic's communicator, "I think so. Her eyes are open, but now that you mention it, she hasn't said anything or... blinked."
Something heavy pressed against her chest, and she could smell Sonic's natural scent close to her nose.
"N-no, there is no way..." Her chest started to get compressed rhythmically. "C'mon, Shadow, breathe. Please!"
She wasn't breathing? Now that she thought about it, wasn't she supposed to be in agony? Her whole body got broken, so how wasn't she in pain?
Sonic lifted her chin and pinched her nose shut. He sealed her mouth with his and blew air into her lungs. "C'mon, c'mon." He kept compressing her chest, but nothing changed. "Please, breathe! Please!"
She lost track of how much time passed, and when Sonic stopped trying to revive her, she heard his heavy breathing and quivering voice.
"This isn't real. There is no way." His sorrow flowed through his tears as they dropped on her fur. "Shadow, please! Why is your heart not beating?" Sonic cupped her face with his hands. "Y-you are the ultimate life form, aren't you? Then breathe and keep bragging about it. Please..."
Shadow was taken aback by how much Sonic cared for her, but it didn't bring her any joy at that moment. Why does she always hurt him?
"Please, you can't be..."
Why is her stupid body not reacting? Why was her mind active, but her organs were dead?
Sonic began to scream as he sobbed over her, and for the first time since Maria died, Shadow begged. She begged for her body to move or to make any signal she was alive and stop his grief.
Sonic cried for a long time, and his despair turned into fury. "Aah... Aaah..." The blue hedgehog tried to compose himself. "I-I'm going to destroy whatever did this to you." He took long, deep breaths. "Yes, that's right. I will make them pay. I will, I will..." His communicator had been beeping since he began trying to revive her, but he kept ignoring it. "Aaah... Aaaah..."
The air started to shift as the hero panted, and a strange dark aura emerged around them. Shadow doesn't remember if she felt this kind of power before, but her instincts told her she needed to run and get far away from whatever this was.
"Haa haa..." Sonic placed his hand on her chest and began to play with her burned white fur. "Don't worry... my darling," He slowly lowered his hand to caress her breasts and belly. Even with the glove, his touch was gelid. "I won't let them have you."
Did Sonic get infected or possessed by that dark aura? Why was he touching her like that?
"It's amazing how you're still so beautiful even like this."
Sonic moved from her side and kneeled between her legs, adding to her confusion.
"Shadow, do you remember what you told me two years ago?"
To her horror, Sonic lifted the skirt of her ruined dress, showing her black panties to him.
Stop.
She felt his gloved hand creeping below her navel, and she wanted to scream.
Stop! Stop! Stop!
"When I tried to give you a hug on your birthday, you told me the only way you would let me touch you was over your dead body." Sonic unlaced her panties and opened her legs wider. "Isn't that funny?"
Please! Don't do this!
"I know you hate me, but in some strange way, I can't do the same."
Move! Move already!
She yelled frantically in her mind as his speech became more deranged. "I will take you to a place where no one will find you, and we will be together,"
No.
"Forever."
NO!
As if her body finally listened to her, an unbearable pain spread as her heart began to beat, and she tried to suck air into her lungs.
Sonic froze his movements. "Shadow?"
An ugly gurgling sound came from her throat, and she coughed the blood stuck in her windpipe. The coughs hurt her diaphragm more as her nervous system and collapsed organs began to function slowly again.
"Shadow! Can you hear me?! Shadow?!"
Not being able to bear the increasing infernal pain in all directions inside her body, her eyes rolled back while Sonic kept desperately calling for her.
[---]
When Shadow opened her eyes, the white ceiling and lights above her were too bright, making her close them quickly. Where was she?
Her head was pounding too much, and she grumbled while rubbing her forehead. The standard smell of antiseptic burned her nostrils but confirmed she was in a hospital. After adjusting to the bright light, she saw her gold inhibitors on her wrists, but where were her gloves?
Shadow was lying in a hospital bed with electrodes connected to her chest and head as the machines beeped at her side, showing her vitals. How did she get there? She tried to move, but her body felt too heavy.
Someone entered the room, and their loud gasp made her fold her ears. "Oh, my God! You woke up!" Rouge flew to her side and softly petted her head, checking for any signs of pain. "How are you feeling? You have been sleeping for four days."
Four days? That explains why she felt so sluggish.
"Ff-ne..." Her tongue was a bit numb. "Whe-re?"
"We brought you to G.U.N.'s medical center. The higher-ups didn't let us send you to another hospital." Rouge frowned. "You sure gave us a big scare, missy."
Shadow didn't want to acknowledge it, but Rouge's soft petting was making her sleepy. "Sso-ry."
"It's alright." Rouge smiled gently. "It's a relief seeing you in one piece again." Shadow was too tired to continue the conversation and closed her eyes.
"Sleep well, hun." Rouge gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "I will bring you some food when you wake up again." The treasure hunter tucked in the ebony hedgehog. "Oh, right! I should tell the others you regained consciousness." Shadow was about to doze off but shot open her eyes when she heard Rouge's last phrase.
"Sonic sure will be delighted to hear about you."
When the words sank in, Shadow recalled what happened between them. She tried to control her heart beating, but that memory assaulted her mind. The pain and confusion made her breathe unevenly, and she clenched her hospital gown.
"Shadow?" The unseeing, wide red eyes made Rouge hold her bare hand tightly. "Shadow! What's wrong? Are you hurting anywhere?!"
The machine peeped loudly to alarm the medical staff of the change in the rhythm of her heart and brain while Rouge tried to make Shadow look at her. Doctors and nurses rushed to the room, ushering the worried white bat out.
When the door closed, Rouge mumbled. "Shadow, what happened to you?"
[---]
Rouge visited her almost every day and never pushed Shadow to tell her all the mission details. She instead focused on talking about what was happening in their jobs or gossiping about anything else. Shadow learned that the old factory she went to was in flames. The place was already lost when the soldiers arrived to collect the data, and they had to extinguish the fire, spreading to the vegetation outside.
Rouge often brushed her newly grown quills with care since all her spikes had fallen off when she got transported. If the treasure hunter had not been so worried sick, she would have taken various pictures to remember such a view.
"When they tested your blood, the researchers found various unnatural chemical substances. When Tails heard about how they incapacitated you, he flew here to get a sample to analyze."
"That kid always sticks his nose where it is not needed." Just like his older brother.'Shadow finished the book she was reading and grabbed a new one from the pile Rouge got from their apartment.
"Don't be like that, Shadow. The boy meant well and even wished you a quick recovery." Shadow knows Tails is a very caring kid, but the genius shouldn't mingle with things about her anatomy. "At least now your body is devoid of the chemicals, so it's a good sign." Rouge hummed a song and continued brushing.
The next day, Knuckles visited her to see if the flow of her chaos energy was working correctly. When he finished checking, she asked him why he was helping her, and he looked almost offended.
"Do you think I'm heartless to let a comrade in need suffer If I can help?" The echidna angrily retorted, making Rouge giggle next to him. "Hey! Why are you laughing?!"
"Oh, I don't know~" She leaned on him. "Maybe it's because of how cute you are~."
"I-I told you to stop calling me that!" Knuckles said, flustered.
"Anyway~" Rouge gazed at Shadow, "You should thank him, hun." She wagged her index finger. "He transferred to you the power of the Master Emerald to help with your recovery." She said proudly.
Shadow widened her eyes. Why would Knuckles do something like that? They weren't exactly close for him to give her such special treatment.
Knuckles averted his eyes and crossed his arms. "You don't need to look so shocked. Besides, it was Sonic's idea." With the mention of the blue hero's name, Shadow unintentionally clenched her hands on the sheets.
"With how desperate he was and after seeing for myself the state you were in, it was clear what I needed to do." He pointed his index finger at Shadow, close to her nose. "But don't get the wrong idea that I will keep letting you use the Master Emerald whenever you need it. This was just a one-time thing, got it?"
"Of course, we understand. Now, handsome, tell us how the restoration of the green Chaos Emerald is going." Rouge winked.
Knuckles took a moment to respond because of the nickname as if his brain seized to work. No matter how often Rouge called the red echidna that, he never got used to it even though he didn't exactly hate it.
Shadow drifted from the conversation and gazed at her hands. Whatever that dark aura was, it probably left Sonic's body when he met Rouge and later Knuckles. She didn't know what to think about what happened. Was all that insanity because of that dark energy, or was it something else?
If she hadn't moved at that exact moment, he would probably have-- She shook her head. It would be best to think about that when she was alone.
Before Knuckles left, he said he would bring the green Chaos Emerald next time he visited. Rouge blew him a kiss, and he ran from the room as his muzzle turned the color of his body.
"Do you need to act like that when I'm in the same room?" Shadow asked, lying back on the bed.
"Fufu~ Sorry, hun; I can't resist teasing him."
[---]
Over the days, Shadow got fed up with the constant checkups from the doctors, but the higher-ups refused to let her go home.
"They are testing your skates, so even if you break out from here, you will have to wait for them to finish fixing it."
"What a waste of time." Shadow scoffed. "My skates are indestructible."
"And yet you manage to break two jets." Rouge shrugged while the other grumbled.
She gave Shadow a laptop and sat on a chair beside her bed. "They want, or should I say, demand you fill out a report about what happened." As much as she wanted to help, the hedgehog couldn't delay it any longer.
The white bat began peeling a green apple with a knife while Shadow opened the laptop. The hedgehog stared at the blank page archive, considering how much information she should give. When she began to write, Rouge observed her with keen eyes.
"It's quite strange that Sonic hasn't visited after you woke up." Shadow tensed, but Rouge didn't comment on it. "When we reached you two, he was kneeling on the ground, staring at his trembling, bloodied hands, not aware we were there. His face was so pale I thought he was losing blood as well." She cut the apple into small pieces to put on a plate. "I've never seen him like that before."
Shadow twisted her mouth, and Rouge touched her lips with a piece of the apple she had on a fork. "I don't know what happened between you two, but if this interferes with your work, you will have to deal with it sooner or later."
Shadow understood Rouge was worried about Sonic too, and depending on how he was doing, it could reflect in his fighting abilities. He could be seriously hurt in a battle if his mind was preoccupied with something else.
"How is he now?" Shadow took the fork from the bat to eat the apple.
Shadow doesn't think she will tell anyone about that, especially since she didn't have the whole picture. She needed to hear Sonic's side before doing anything, and if Shadow told Rouge, she imagined her going berserk. The bat would try to slice Sonic into pieces and not wait for an explanation. The problem would grow to a point where everyone would lose.
Rouge took an apple piece from the plate. "From what I've heard, not great." She ate, and Shadow chewed harder. "He lost weight and is not sleeping well. He even had an outburst with Amy, and she's been crying for days."
That caught Shadow off guard. No matter what Amy did, Sonic never raised his voice or openly complained about her stunts. Things were worse than she thought, and she closed her eyes.
'Maria, please give me strength.'
[---]
When Shadow got discharged from the medical center, Rouge dragged her on a girl's date, as she liked to call it. They spent the whole day buying clothes, shoes, and makeup while Shadow wanted to go home.
After analyzing for who knows how long which opal earring pair was better on the bat's ears, they went to her favorite restaurant for lunch. They sat at one of the restaurant's outside tables while a waiter greeted them and wrote their orders. He left, and Shadow distracted herself by watching the people passing by.
"I will have to remind myself to never again go on another girl's date with you."
"You needed a bit of sunlight after so many days stuck in that room. Besides, your wardrobe needed a change, hun."
The waiter returned with their drinks and placed them on the table. He soon left to see the other customers, and Shadow drank her orange juice.
"I have something for you to celebrate your recovery." Rouge rummaged through one of her shopping bags and pulled out a pink, glossy rectangular box with a red bow.
Shadow took the box, staring at it for a few seconds. "You didn't need to do that."
"Oh, I know, but I wanted to." Rouge smiled knowingly.
Rouge would certainly bother her if she didn't open it now. Shadow sighed, untied the bow, and opened the box. Inside was a white dress. The same dress she wore before her fall. The dress Maria made for her all those years ago aboard the ARK.
"I know how much that dress meant to you, so I tried replicating it."
Shadow had drawn that dress many times as other clothes Maria had made but never went to produce them. It didn't feel right for her to have it anymore because of her past, yet it was in her hands again.
Happy birthday, Shadow! I made this for you since you have grown up so much. I know it will look beautiful on you!
Shadow was lost for words as she gazed at all the almost perfect details of the white dress and thought of Maria's happy smile when she wore it for the first time.
Satisfied, Rouge took a sip from her mojito. "I knew you would like it."
[---]
Shadow couldn't help but return to work after one day of staying home, and Omega was elated to see her again. After responding to the robot's questions regarding the mission and her well-being, they spent the day training.
"Omega, I have a favor to ask." Shadow sat on the bench while drinking water from a plastic cup. "I'm asking as your friend, so you can refuse if you want."
"WHAT_DO_YOU_REQUIRE?"
"It's confidential, and only we will know about this." Shadow threw the cup in the trash bin. "There is something I need, and you are the only one who can get it for me."
The robot beeped, processing what she told him. "UNDERSTOOD. SEND_ME THE_INFORMATION_AND_REQUEST, AND_I_WILL_DELIVER_IF_IS_VIEBLE."
Shadow gave the robot a small smile. "Thank you."
Omega beeped again, and Rouge arrived to collect her to help with the paperwork. They spent the rest of the day working without problems, but when the clock showed it was time to go home, she dreaded returning.
When she was in their apartment, the memories of the Eggrobo fight and what Sonic had almost done to her kept repeating over and over again. In her dreams, the Eggrobo ripped her limbs and guts until she was unrecognizable but still alive. In others, she was paralyzed on her bed, feeling a strange, cold entity touching all of her skin, not being able to scream. Its voice was a static white noise with no face or body, and she couldn't fight it.
Her dreams with Maria started to mingle with the nightmares, creating a dangerous shock of chaos energy in her. Every day after waking up, she had to meditate before talking to anyone, or she would hurt them without wanting to.
A variety of "Why?"s filled her head with a degree of madness, but what infuriated her the most was that Sonic hadn't come to see her once. He probably thought she was going to kill him, but that never prevented him from seeking her out. Does he even know she was aware the whole time? Probably not.
Still, how dare he not come to explain what the hell that was? And if he didn't know why he did that, shouldn't he still talk to her? Maybe they could figure out together what that dark aura was. The questions flooded her brain, and she grabbed her head, wanting to sink her claws into her skull. If she didn't do something to distract herself, she would destroy a mountain or blow up Sonic's house with him in it. She just had to remember to see if Tails was outside first.
"Maybe I should see how Puck is doing."
It's been a while since she had seen her Chao. Even though Puck was an adult and didn't need her care anymore, she still visited them sometimes. The little ones always made her smile with their antics and playful nature. She took her motorcycle to buy Puck some sweets and drove to the Chao Garden. Her Chao was supposed to be in the Dark Garden, but they preferred to stay in the regular one.
When she entered the garden, she took a deep breath of the clean air, and with the bag of candy and lollipops in her hand, she searched for Puck. That could be tricky since the garden wasn't small if anyone ventured through the levels, but they tended to stay in the entrance area where the fresh water and fruits were. Many Chao's peeked at her briefly and returned to their playing when she passed them.
Shadow surveyed around while checking the fruit trees and came to a halt. Below one of the trees, a seated mobian was surrounded by happy Chao, trying to get his attention. In his arms, however, he doted on one in particular. The one she was searching for and took her semblance after their final transformation.
After weeks of no contact, she didn't expect to find him here. Her heart beat painfully, and her hands began to sweat. The hedgehog's quills were in terrible shape and had lost their vibrant cerulean hue. He seemed thinner from the last time she saw him, almost looking frail with dark bags under his eyes, and his sclera looked bloodshot from lack of sleep.
Sonic gazed lovingly at Puck as he sang softly to them while petting their head. The Chao smiled happily in his arms, oblivious to their surroundings as they basked in the attention. The blue hedgehog gave them a small kiss on their head and hugged the little creature.
At the sweet sight, Shadow felt a pang in her chest. She thought she would get into a brawl with Sonic when she saw him again, but there was no anger in her. She didn't know what this turbulent feeling inside her was, but she couldn't take her eyes off the blue hero.
Puck looked around, maybe thinking about what they could play with Sonic next, and spotted her. The Chao made a happy squeal, and Sonic glanced in her direction. His body visibly froze, and his face contorted in horror. With wide eyes, they stared at each other, and Sonic let go of Puk to get up.
The other Chao around the hero sensed something was wrong and flew away from Sonic to a safe distance. The spike red ball above Puck's head turned into an interrogation mark, and they tilted their head to the side. Sonic opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and his eyes filled with tears.
Shadow swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to speak, but Sonic rushed past her and out of the garden in a second. She didn't stop him as if her feet were rooted in the ground and ran a hand over her face, laughing bitterly.
"Coward..." Shadow whispered with her head down.
Puck flew and lay on top of her head, making sounds as if asking if she was alright, but Shadow just stared at her skates.
...
Aboard the ARK, an ebony hedgehog ran through its cold halls with a card in her hands, eager to show it to her sister. The patients in the hospital section gave her curious glances when she passed, but the nurses and doctors ignored her. She knocked on her friend's hospital room door and went inside when she heard a "Come in."
Maria was sitting on her bed beneath the covers, and when she saw Shadow, she opened her arms wide, giving her a big smile. The hedgehog ran and hugged the human girl, trying not to use too much strength, while Maria did the opposite.
"I missed you, Shadow."
The girl let go of the hedgehog and scooted to the other side of the bed, patting the spot beside her. Shadow took her shoes off and climbed on the bed. The two snuggled and got comfortable against the pillows.
"I haven't seen you in a while. What you and Grandpa had been up to?"
Maria didn't know, but Dr. Gerald programmed Shadow never to disclose what kind of experiments the researchers did to her. She didn't want to lie to her sister but couldn't go against his orders either.
"Nothing much, just testing my abilities against some new weapons."
"I wish you didn't have to do something so dangerous." The human girl examined the hedgehog. "Did you get hurt anywhere?"
Shadow shook her head. "No, I didn't."
No matter how many times Shadow or Dr. Gerald explained she was the ultimate lifeform and nothing was more powerful than her, it didn't stop Maria from always worrying about the hedgehog's well-being.
"That's a relief." Maria scratched behind Shadow's ear, making the hedgehog snuffle. "You seem happier today. Did something good happen?"
With a smile, Shadow showed Maria the postcard in her hands. "I got a present from one of the researcher's children."
"Really? That's amazing, Shadow." Shadow didn't smile like that often, and seeing her cheerful face made Maria happy. "That's really sweet of them."
To most people, a simple postcard with a poorly written thank you and drawing may not be an incredible gift, but Shadow didn't care. Many residents of the ARK avoided or feared her existence, so receiving this gift made her feel like when she learned to use her skates.
"The photo on your postcard is from a very famous place on our planet." Maria pointed at the image of a big leaning tower. "When we go back to my old home, do you want to go visit with me?"
"Yes!"
Maria giggled. "Let's add this to our wish list." She opened her journal that was under her pillow and wrote in it.
When Maria grew closer to the half-mobian, she created a list for them to use and help Shadow get excited about living with her on her planet.
"Do you want to see my latest ideas?" Shadow nodded, and Maria flipped the pages and showed her the new clothes designs she made. "What do you think about these?"
Shadow had no sense of what was supposed to be good or bad fashion, but to her, all of Maria's designs were excellent.
"They are beautiful."
"Thank you, Shadow." Maria beamed. "There are more on the next pages."
Shadow turned the page to see more clothes, but two different sketches got her attention. In one, the two humans were dancing in fancy clothes, and in the other, they were kissing. When Maria saw her staring at those drawings, she took the journal to hide behind her back.
"You weren't supposed to see those," Maria said, flustered.
Shadow tilted her head like a puppy. "Why can't I see them?"
"It's just embarrassing."
"Why? They are pretty."
Maria was powerless against those curious red eyes staring at her. "Just... promise you won't tell anyone." Shadow nodded, and Maria opened the journal again. "They are a couple from a romance book I recently finished, and I tried to draw some scenes from it."
Maria loved to read and watch movies about love, and Shadow never comprehended their appeal. They were mushy and cheesy histories, and many characters tended to make irrational or dangerous decisions because of their romantic feelings. It was a bit absurd in her opinion, but since Maria liked them so much, she didn't say anything about it.
Maria poked Shadow's forehead. "You know, Shadow, your poker face is really bad."
"Oh," She didn't realize she was making a face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Her ears folded, lowering her gaze.
"You don't have to worry so much. I'm not mad." Maria scratched the hedgehog's ears again. "You can be honest with me."
"But what if I upset you?"
"Shadow, we can't always be happy, but I know you would never say something to hurt me intentionally."
"Still..."
"Think this way: it would be like when grandfather and I teach you. Sometimes, your questions make me think harder and see the problem differently." Maria booped Shadow's nose. "We can learn something new together. So don't be scared to ask me about anything."
Shadow processed what Maria said and reluctantly asked her. "Why do you like romance so much?"
"Ah, well," Maria scratched her own cheek. "How should I say it? It's nice to think there is a person who can love you even if you make mistakes. It feels good to see the people you care about and like finding someone who can make them happy and will marry them."
"But in the movies, some couples argue a lot."
"You are right, but they always win in the end, and their love is strong enough to overcome their problems."
Shadow glanced at the drawings again. "Do you want a love like that?"
Maria tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, with a soft blush on her cheeks. "It's embarrassing, but yes."
If that would make Maria happy, Shadow would support her even though she still didn't understand much about the topic. "I don't know how you fall in love, but I will help you with anything."
Maria chuckled and hugged Shadow again. "Thank you, Shadow. When you fall for someone, I will help you too."
"Do you think I will?"
"Why, of course! But I'm sure many people will fall in love with you first."
"Really?" Shadow tilted her head to the side. "Why?"
"Because you're that lovable." Maria petted Shadow's head quills, smiling sweetly. "You make me happy after all."
Shadow opened her eyes and focused on the unfinished drawings on her desk. It was supposed to distract her from what happened in the Chao Garden, but drawing it didn't help. Her daydreams about her past used to hurt too much, but these memories were too precious for her to ignore.
"Love..."
She pulled a coloring pencil with a dark shade of blue from her pencil case and began to color inside the black lines of her sketch.
"I don't think it's as sweet as Maria believed it to be."
It was bizarre how different she felt from those old romance movies and books, and she wondered if it was her problem alone. Love seemed to hurt and confuse her more than make her want or wish for more of it.
Shadow pulled a green coloring pencil next. "What's the point if the person you want can't stand you and we unintentionally hurt each other?" Next, she pulled a red and yellow one.
How nice would it be if this emotion could make you overcome anything? It certainly would make her heart and mind less weary.
Shadow finished her drawing and stared at it unblinking. "I just need the truth; then all will make sense, right?" She crossed her arms, placing them on the desk with her head on top.
Why was everything so complicated when it regarded her?
"Maria... I don't think I want this love anymore."
[---]
Rouge noticed Shadow staring at her turned-off computer screen at their work for half an hour, not moving. After another half an hour, the bat placed some documents on her desk and leaned over.
"Do you need a break, hun? I can cover for you for today."
Shadow blinked and realized she was spacing out. She was going to deny the offer, but her mind couldn't concentrate on anything. Besides, she wanted to check the files she got, but before Shadow left, Rouge made her swear to cover for her for the next three days.
Inside their apartment, Shadow sat on her armchair with an open laptop. Omega hacked into G.U.N's system and got some secret archives about the black doom army for her. Since she had been an enemy in the past, they understandably had secrets about her they didn't want her to know. However, she had the right to understand her biology. She clicked and started reading everything from the files. The folders even had data from when her creator made contact with black doom more than fifty years ago.
A ring from her doorbell made her stop at the last few pages. The clock showed she had been reading for four hours nonstop. She stretched her arms above her head and walked to the door. Who could it be in the middle of the afternoon? Shadow spied through the magic eye in the door and opened it to see Tails at her doorstep.
"Good afternoon, Miss Shadow." The two-tailed yellow fox said, fidgeting a little. "Can I speak with you for a second? If it's not a bother, I mean."
Shadow opened her door more. "Do you want to come inside first?"
"It's alright. I don't think it will take long." Tails said, but he did look at his sides to see if they were alone. The kid was quite nervous, and Shadow waited for him to continue.
"Uhm, What I'm going to say is a bit weird, but please understand it's because I'm desperate." He said, determined. "I want you to go see Sonic." A few seconds passed, but before Shadow said anything, Tails continued. "Please, talk to him! I understand you don't like him, but I don't know what else to do!" Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he wiped them with his fist.
"Ever since Sonic came back from helping locate you in the Botanic Base, he can barely sleep or eat anything." Tails sniffed. "I thought it was because he saw you in such an awful condition, but he never went to see you after you recovered. He just wants to stay inside his room, lying on his bed. When Amy came to cheer him up, he screamed at her to leave and not come to our house anymore. Not even Knuckles managed to make him go outside."
He cleaned his running nose. "No matter how many times I ask Sonic, he doesn't tell me what's the problem." Tails hiccupped. "Please, Shadow, I beg you. Please talk to him. I will do anything you ask if you help him."
Shadow took a deep breath. To think Sonic would worry his little brother to this extent for him to beg her for help.
She grumbled under her breath. "What a disaster."
Thinking she was getting angry at him, Tails couldn't help but flinch when she petted his head. "He is lucky to have you in his life." The fox brushed the tears from his eyes, confused. "Your brother and I need to have a very long conversation, but you have to promise one thing before I go."
"What is it?"
"No matter if it will take days, you can only return to your home when I call you, understand?"
Tails wanted to protest, but Shadow's serious gaze made him reconsider. "I understand, but can you two talk without you hurting him?"
"I can't promise you that, but you don't need to worry too much," Shadow smirked coldly, making Tails gulp. "I'm not going to kill him."