The Shadow of the Future
by Angelwind
Sonic was walking along town... His mind not really in one place. Space Colony ARK had confused him as well.... Was Eggman really the bad egg he thought he was? He had done evil things, but when the time came that he was needed he came through in flying colors. He not only did what was needed, he went above that and offered spiritual support. His mind flashed over everything that stupid Eggman had done and now... he felt in his heart that he wanted to overlook it. Which was stupid.
Egghead would be back. It wouldn't be him if he didn't try to take over the world again, right?
Shadow.... Sonic still had to sort himself through those thoughts. It didn't come easy to him, to dwell on such emotional and complicated things. But he felt true loss in his heart when he thought of that sleek black hedgehog dissapearing. He felt that years of running... running. Why did he run? It was because he was waiting for someone to run with him...
It hit him.
He wanted someone to run with him.
He didn't want to be alone. He wanted someone to share the speed with... to glide along valleys and roads. Shadow may have been the only person to truly understand him and now he was gone...
Yeah. So he thought.
" SONIKKU! " came the dreaded voice of the pink female hedgehog. Sonic knew he was about to get glomped and braced himself.
Rightfully so.
" Amy....! " Sonic grumbled with a hint of amusement in his voice. He carefully pried each gloved finger off from around his side and turned to face the girl who had interrupted the first serious thinking he had done in forever.
He could not believe his eyes.
" Ehhhh??! " he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw what company Amy was keeping. Standing before him, as tall as he... a sleek black hedgehog with shades of red in his quills. He felt a rush of emotion.... Like he wasn't alone anymore. That in his heart Shadow had simply tripped and was now catching up to him again... Running with him again.
" Shadow, what are you doing here?! " he snapped. Sonic was clumsy with expressing himself.
" I came with Amy Rose... " he said with a small smile.
Shadow smiled.... Yes, something was very wrong. Shadow never smiled.... no wait, that wasn't true. He remembered holding a hand with him twice before and after fighting the Final Hazard and both times, Shadow gave him a smile. But Sonic's mind was already putting that aside to deal with Shadow as a possible threat.
Amy giggled and hugged Sonic tightly again.
" Don't worry! Shadow is my friend! " she said.
Sonic looked at Shadow's eyes... Shadow was looking at Amy.
" So, thats how you feel about Amy, huh? " Sonic thought, " Hey, I'm not complaining. You can have her for all I care! "
Though he thought that... he found himself putting a tender arm around Amy and patted her on the back. He then stepped forward to face Shadow. His eyes met with the other hedgehog and they locked. For the next whole minute, the world seemed to stand still and both of them were the same.
" Sonic the Hedgehog... " he said, " even your name fits your role as the Ultimate Life Form. "
He remembered talking briefly with Shadow while fighting Final Hazard. It was so garbled... his adrenaline had owned that fight but the memory still persisted.
" Sonic... I was thinking about the Ultimate Life Form..... It might be you! "
Shadow had said something afterward... Sonic can't remember how it went except for what he said at the end of it.
" Created.... the Ultimate Life Form? "
" Its not over yet, Shadow! " he said confidently.
Shadow nodded grimly.
" It has only begun, Sonic... I am the original Ultimate Life Form created by Dr. Gerald. You did not come until later. "
" What?.....! "
~~~~~~
FLASH!
~~~~~~
An old man stood before the GUN operatives who stood in front of the capsule in which Shadow was kept in stasis. On the other side was another capsule. The old man had a long gray mustache and looked very worn out.
" I have... created your Ultimate Life Form... " said Gerald, coughing weakly, " It is a perfect copy of Project Shadow... You plan on using it as a weapon, you foolish humans.... "
" Do not speak out of line! " snapped a GUN operative, hitting the old man. Gerald fell to the floor and looked up and sneered.
Gerald struggled to his feet, shaking.
" You may awaken him if you dare.. " coughed Gerald, his voice taking a smug tone, " But Project Sonic will not fight for you because of loyalty.... He will only defend the people of this world... He is.... my legacy. "
Gerald felt his own mind coming down on him. He approached the capsule with Sonic in it and stroked the metal exterior affectionately, tears coming to his eyes. He began to whisper very softly. Words that now echoed in Sonic's mind.
" Like Shadow... I also consider you my child. When I have gone too far into insanity... I am sorry Sonic.... I need your help to save the world from........ me. "
The flashback ended and Sonic was still facing Shadow.
" You remember now... don't you? " said Shadow solemnly.
These thoughts... these memories... Sonic realized that he had forgotten where he came from. He never cared about the past. He thought people who dwelled on the past were people who never intended to go full speed into the future. He never thought he...
It hit him.
He had a thought that had only rested in his subconcious before.
Shadow is my brother!
Shadow the Hedgehog was the only one who could run alongside him in his heart because he was cut from the same branch as he.
He never remembered being so complete as he did when he ran alongside Shadow. His one and only brother... The other " Ultimate Life Form ".
Sonic suddenly felt no pain about realizing where he came from... He realized that after all, he really doesn't care about the past. But at least he didn't have to run alone anymore...
" OK Shadow, we didn't get to finish our little rumble, did we? " said Sonic with a confident grin that made Amy starry-eyed.
He pounded his hand into his fist. Shadow folded his arms and fire blazed in his eyes.
" We did not, Sonic... " he said, his voice becoming tense with the fire burning inside him, " but it ends now. "
Sonic shook a fist.
" C'mon, Shadow! Here and now, man, here and now! "
Sonic pointed the long stretch of street with traffic building.
" Lets go, Sonic! " said Shadow, the fire looking like it could hardly be contained.
The both flipped back in a flip and slapped each other a five in midair. As they landed, they both took off at top speed across the tops of the cars... A blue and yellow/black blur flying down Main street and over many cars and onto the main of Radical Highway.
" SONIKKU! SHADOW! " pouted Amy, chasing them hopelessly.
Sonic was flying as fast as he'd ever gone. He glanced over his shoulder. Shadow was still there, and he shot a glance back at him.
" OK, afterburner time! " said Sonic, speeding up. He looked over his shoulder.
Shadow was still there. Shadow shot him a dark look and began speeding even faster. Sonic gritted his teeth and sped up even more to keep up with Shadow, their path clear for miles. Not once did the other slow down. Sonic told himself he only cared to win against Shadow in the race. He was wrong.
He knew he was wrong.
He knew when the race started that it didn't matter who won.
He had someone who could keep up with him. Shadow ran alongside him, not just now but in his heart... He was not alone anymore.
And so, Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog both sped on, not only to the end of the race, but also their future. Both of them felt sure at one point they would have to go on alone... both when Sonic's capsule exploded and when Shadow appeared to have plummeted to his death. But their future was clear now.
A future that they knew would not be complete without the other.