Chapter 2: Promises, Promises

Location: Space Colony Ark

Shadow decided he no longer just wanted to know if he had made the right choice, he needed to know. It had literally became his obsession. For some unknown reason, he desired to know if the supersonic hero had made it out of that base alive that fateful day. The ebony hedgehog had made several attempts to leave, but alas, all were failures. Most of these failures were brought on by Shadow remembering the laws of physics. Suffocation was the greater enemy here. And worse, this had been going on for two years.

"Damn it!" He screamed, kicking the wall. "This is torturous!" He stormed down one of the many corridors Space Colony Ark had to offer.

"Urgh, to hell with this! I should've realized this two freakin' years ago… that I wouldn't be able to get out of here…ugh, I'm such an idiot…"

In the middle of this rant, Shadow hadn't noticed that he'd began to walk down a new hallway. He looked around. "What is this? Am I somewhere different? I've been in this hellhole for two years, and I've never been down this corridor?" He bent down and held his head, a sharp pain suddenly running through it. He hissed.

"For the love of God, why do I HAVE TO BE HERE?" His headache worsened. Shadow couldn't stand this place. Not after all the horrible things that had happened here. It's why he left in the first place. And now he was nearly afraid of it. And the Ultimate Lifeform didn't want to have fear of anything. He was the fearless one! Why was it that this place scared him so? It had to be the traumatic event of losing…Maria. Ever since then, Shadow had been wary of this place. He growled.

"The past is the past. This is ridiculous. I shouldn't be frightened. I'm not like that stupid rabbit girl that Faker was friends with. I'm Shadow the Hedgehog for God's sake!" But nevertheless, Shadow's head was throbbing. He couldn't take this kind of lifestyle anymore.

Or he was going to go insane.

He passed hallway after hallway, room after room. Until one caught his eye.

He skated down it to its end. He nearly smiled at his discovery, but of course, it did not suit his demeanor.

"An…air lock? Perhaps this would prove useful to me…" Shadow thought out loud. He placed his fingers on the glass that separated him from freedom. He nearly opened it when a thought crossed his mind.

I may not survive an atmospheric reentry. In fact, it's more than likely I'd perish. But…

"Shadow!"

The black anthro flinched at her voice.

"Shadow, promise me! You'll help the people of Earth get the help and compassion they truly deserve! Please, Shadow, I beg of you!"

Tears nearly filled the Ultimate Lifeform's scarlet eyes. "M-Maria…"

He wanted to kick himself for nearly forgetting. That oh so important promise he made. One that he vowed to keep forever, until his dying breath. He stopped any chances of weeping, and sighed heavily. "Maria… I fully intend to keep my promise…" He threw open the air lock's door.

"Even if I must perish in the process."

He stepped inside, and set his destination. Spagonia Village, he typed.

He pressed the button that read: Release. The negative G's made his stomach churn when the pod began to freefall. He shut his eyes tightly as he entered the unknown. After a moment or so, he opened them again only to see stars, and the blue planet approaching. He sighed sadly. He used to think that the stars were beautiful, but now they seemed dull and lifeless.

Just like him.

Shadow closed his eyes again and prayed. Prayed he would see the Earth's surface again, prayed that it was now a world of peace and tranquility. Also, he prayed that on the day of his departure, that Sonic and Amy had escaped. (Because now he highly doubted that Eggman would've willfully set them free.) And of course, he prayed that he'd be able to keep his promise to Maria, the closest friend he ever had.

The pod suddenly grew warmer. Shadow winced. He realized that he had been pulled into the Earth's gravitational pull. This was the big moment. Eventually, the pod grew so unbearably hot that Shadow's gloves began to singe. He gritted his teeth in pain. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He chuckled a strange laugh that would have sent a shiver down anyone's spine, perhaps even the Blue Blur himself.

"I m-must make it to Earth…In fact, I WILL! I'm Shadow the Hedgehog! I am UNSTOPABLE!" his chuckle grew into a laugh, a maniacal one.

"Don't worry, Maria! This is all for YOU!"

But soon that laughter fell to a mere giggle, finally draining to a whisper.

This trip had been harder than Shadow had thought. And the pain was catching up to him. And he STILL hadn't landed.

He grinned softly as darkness began to play with his consciousness. "When I wake up…I'll make sure that Maria's Wish comes to pass…!"

His body was now numb with pain, and his gloves had completely burned off.

He sighed contently as the darkness finally ended their games and consumed him. And Shadow knew no more.

To be continued…

Here's chapter two guys, hope you love it! Stay tuned for more!

-RT12 3