Moving On:
By Kellie Fay
After The Biolizard, Metarex, and Black Doom Shadow has a decision to make. Stay on Earth and help GUN or Return to Sonic's world.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog and all related characters belong to Sega and 4 Kids and whoever else owns them.
I look out at the Earth one last time, burning the peaceful image into my mind before I had to leave. GUN was taking over the facility in the next twenty four hours. In gratitude for saving the planet they allowed me one day and one day only to collect whatever I wanted, say my goodbyes, and copy any research that could help me understand exactly what I am.
I still have no idea how I managed to wake up on Earth again after causing Chaos Control. All I knew is that I woke up at the Thorndike home with Christopher Thorndike watching over me, now twenty and married. According to what he told me, Egg Man had found a way to send him home, and he regained his lost years. He found me on the beach near his parent's villa on the Emerald coast months later. I slept in a coma for those six months, and spent another six recovering. My memories from the battles with the Metarex were clear, but anything before awakening in space were still missing or clouded.
Christopher wanted me to stay with him, and offered to get me help, but I didn't trust any of those human experts. Most humans would look at me with a combination of contempt and fear. I thanked Christopher, and went off on my own trying to find my own answers.
Four months later Black Doom and his army arrived.
The Chaos emeralds had traveled with me to Earth. Somehow Egg-Man got wind of it, and found a way back to Earth on his own. I still don't know how Sonic and his friends got here, though I would swear Thorndike had something to do with it. I couldn't help but wonder if it was fate or destiny that brought me back to this world when they needed me the most.
Just like I promised Maria.
Not all of my memories were back, but enough that I knew what I was created for, and what Doctor Gerald and Maria expected of me, and yet I wasn't sure I could live up to that expectation.
Twice I had saved this planet. GUN offered me a job if I wanted it. At first some of the scientists said I had to return to Mobius when Sonic and his friends did so or there was going to be problems again, but Christopher Thorndike reminded them that I was created here in this world. My DNA was too altered from Black Doom's DNA for them to analyze, but he pointed out that my ancestors were most likely a species of Earth hedgehog, and I belonged on Earth.
Somehow I wasn't convinced of that completely, and oddly enough neither was Sonic. I think it had to do with the fact that any time the two of us looked at each other we felt we were looking at some weird magical mirror that showed both of us something we could have been.
Still I wasn't sure I wanted to be on Earth. Humans still reacted to me with more fear than welcome. At first I thought Chris wanted me to stay, but he told me he wanted me to make my own choice. He said he thought I'd be happier back in Sonic's world. He said he knew how it felt to be the odd one out.
And how could I possibly be happy anywhere? Did I still have an obligation to protect this world and these humans from their own folly?
"A penny for your thoughts, Shadow?"
I wince then half turn to glare at my blue reflection. "What do you want?" I ask curtly.
"Everybody's been looking for you," he says casually. He's not fooling me. He's got something on his mind, but he's being coy about it.
"I've been right here," I said turning back to look at the Earth rotating below us.
"Which goes back to what I was asking," Sonic said his voice turns serious, a rarity for him. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" I ask. Maybe I could delay and bore Sonic.
Not a chance. Sonic is well prepared for this war of words. "About why you're still stewing about your past, about why you can't make up your mind, and about what you want to do with your future."
Now I turn and glare at him, a glare that would have Egg-Man's minions scrambling to get out of my way. Damn him for reading me so well! "I suppose you are going to try to convince me to go back to your world." I said still trying to get rid of him. Why would he want that anyway? We can barely stand to stay in the same universe together not to mention the same planet.
"I'm not here to convince you of anything," Sonic said sounding innocent. "Besides whatever I suggest you'd probably do the opposite just for the sake of it, and I don't want to have to face Rouge if I screw that up." Then with a mischievous gleam in his eyes he says. "I'd be careful about telling Rouge you're staying though. She's been hanging out with Amy and if you're not careful you might find yourself knocked out with one of Amy's Piko Piko Hammers and tied up so Rouge can drag you across the porthole."
I get this horrible feeling in my gut that Sonic is not kidding. I will fearlessly fight him, robots and giant evil aliens, but Rouge and Amy make me nervous. Still I don't let it show. I glare at him again and say, "I was knocked out of space, and through time, and it didn't kill me. I doubt those two could knock me unconscious."
Sonic chuckles. "Shads old buddy, never underestimate the power of a girl," he advises. Then more serious he says, "You'll never make up your mind if you don't talk about what's bothering you."
Maybe he was right. Maybe I did need a second perspective on this. "I promised Marie I would help people and make friends. If I leave will I be breaking that promise? Should I stay and protect them? Would they even appreciate me if I did that?"
Something I said must have scored with Sonic, because the smile drops from his face. "That is a tough one," he agrees. I watch his expression turn inward. I didn't think he'd understand my dilemma, but he stood by my side quiet for seven minutes. Then he looks at me quizzically, and says, "You know you did save this planet three times already."
"Two," I correct him. Sonic shakes his head and smiles.
"Metarex," he answers, "You saved the whole galaxy that time."
I shrug, and decide not to argue. "Your point?" I ask.
"Well don't you think that you've already fulfilled that promise as much as possible? You do have friends if you'd open yourself up to them. I'm sure that wherever you decide to stay Maria would want you to be happy most of all."
I nod. I know he's right, but doubts still lingered in my mind. "But what if in the future –" I begin. Sonic cuts me off by shaking his head.
"Don't think about the future," he tells me. He turns his attention to the planet below us, and continues, "My uncle always told me, he'd say, 'Sonic, learn from the past but don't dwell on it. You don't live there. Hope for the future but you don't live there either. Always live in the present, because that's where you are right now.'"
I felt a truth in those words that I had never heard in Sonic's tone before, and in fact I realized that was how Sonic did live his life. No matter how many times I have hurt or attacked him and his friends, he always managed to just shrug it off once the conflict had passed. I didn't think Tails or Knuckles were going to be that forgiving.
"Listen to your gut, Shadow," Sonic advises me gently. "What do you want? Where do you think you're going to be happy?"
I hear his footsteps move away, but my sensitive ears hear a muffled conversation in the corridor.
"Tails and Espio are almost done with the computers," I hear Amy's voice tell Sonic. "And Rouge wanted me to tell you that her friends in GUN are getting nervy."
"Hey they said twenty four hours. He's still got five to go," Sonic said sharply.
"Don't' blame the messenger!" Amy shot back
"Sorry," Sonic said, I couldn't help but smile. She's got him so wrapped, and he doesn't even know it. "It's just that I think he's gonna need that time just to make up his mind."
"I thought you were going to talk to him," Amy says.
"I did," Sonic answers simply. "Like everything with Shadow it's complicated. He'll have a few more hours on earth to think before we warp back home, but I think he needs to be up here in the peace and quiet to make his decision."
I hear their footsteps recede, and I'm left in the peace and quiet of the space station again. Part of me wants to just stay up here forever, even though I know that's not possible. Quite a few of my fragmented memories tell me that here at some point in time I was happy.
That's the past Shadow, you can't live there.
"Damn you Sonic," I mutter to myself. "You just had to stick that thought in my head didn't you hedgehog." I couldn't do anything about it. He gave me the thought and now I could feel it within my mind, reminding me of all the things I couldn't do.
"Damn you," I say again, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "Why do you have to be right?" Sonic was right on several accounts. I had to start living in the present, not the past, and I needed some time, peace and quiet to sort myself out.
With that thought in my mind I look back down at the planet. It looked peaceful from up here, but I knew from experience that it was anything but with its loud machines and louder humans who would never give me a moment's peace. The job with GUN was promising, but it didn't give me much hope for time to contemplate my existence. Chris described to me Sonic's world once. He said it was mostly forest, and jungle. There seemed to be very little in the way of civilization there, people congregated in small villages, and there was lots of space for everyone.
It sounded like just the place I needed, but how could I be sure that it was the right thing to do? How could I know that everything would be all right?
Suddenly I felt a breeze dance over my quills. A part of my mind reminded me coldly that it was impossible to feel any breeze in a space station, but for some reason I didn't listen. I closed my eyes feeling every nuance of this moving air. It felt warm, and I could sense something within it that made me want to grab this dancing wind and hold it forever.
It's all right Shadow, be happy.
I couldn't explain it, but a deep peace settled over me. Everything would be all right. I shouldn't worry about anything anymore. I should just go and move forward with my life.
Learn from the past but don't dwell on it. You don't live there. Hope for the future but you don't live there either. Always live in the present, because that's where you are right now.
Live in the present, because that's where you are right now.
One last time I look at Earth from space, and one last time I look at the photograph of Professor Gerald and Marie. I feel the twinge of an emotion I still don't understand, but there would be plenty of time for that later. I turn my back on the window, and toss the picture over my shoulder.
"Goodbye forever Shadow the Hedgehog."