Chapter 9 Shadow's Fall Begins

Shadow, Maria, and I arrived back at the Ark on the observation deck. Maria immediately began to cry.

"Shadow! It hasn't changed at all! We had so many great memories here..." Maria sighed as she leaned her head on Shadow's shoulder. I frowned and turned away from them.

"Yes, I remember them... to an extent." Shadow laughed.

"How did you do it, Shadow? How did you get the Ark all the way out here?" Maria asked confused.

"I'd like to ask how you got all the way out here, sweetie." I asked as I crossed my arms.

Shadow looked at her, expecting an answer.

She thought for a while. It was obvious that she had little to say on the matter.

"I don't know, Shadow. All I remember is meeting another hedgehog. He looked a lot like you. I actually mistook him for you until he explained what had happened to me and where I was. He tried to keep me hidden for a while until I was finally found. Another hedgehog named Alfred Nightbaron took me away from him. I then found myself being the center of a long, violent debate between the hedgehogs that form the Gaelturi and the foxes of the Matriarchy. The hedgehogs wanted to keep me a secret from the rest of their empire that they shared at the time with the foxes. However, the women wanted to help me start a new life here. Well, the argument quickly escalated when Gael and Nightbaron kidnapped me. The war went on for five years with little sign of ending until recently when Gael was captured. I thought that my suffering would end once the Matriarchy freed me, but they seemed to now share Gael's belief. They wanted to keep me a secret as well, and to do that they made me like this, something that Nightbaron couldn't do, even dieing as consequence." Maria explained.

"We already knew most of that, sweetie. However, this hedgehog that you met interests me. What was his name?" I asked inquisitively.

"His name was Neo. He was such a nice guy. He reminded me of you, Shadow. He said that he knew you. I don't know how, though. I never heard of him again after Nightbaron took me. I would like to see him again." Maria said sadly.

"He knew me? How? That's impossible!" Shadow said, almost laughing.

"He did, Shadow, I swear. He knew about me as well, and even the Ark." Maria said as she grabbed his hand.

"All right, Maria. I believe you." Shadow said smiling.

Sonic then came running onto the observation deck with Amy. They both gasped when they saw Maria.

"Hey, Shadow! You're back! Who's your girlfriend?" Sonic asked happily.

Shadow let go of Maria's hand and frowned at Sonic.

"This is Maria. The Matriarchy managed to turn her into a Mobian hedgehog. Rouge and I rescued her on Vulpes." Shadow said annoyed.

"Well, it's good to finally meet you, Maria. My name is Sonic the Hedgehog and this is-"

"Hi! I'm Amy Rose! Oh, I can't believe that you and Shadow are actually together again! I'm so happy for you! Come on, we have to get you out of that filthy dress. I brought a few others that would probably fit you." Amy said excitedly as she grabbed Maria's hand.

"Thank you, Amy, but I don't want to leave Shadow. Maybe later." Maria laughed nervously.

"Oh, well he can come too!" Amy said cheerfully.

"Wait! What?" Shadow said confused.

Amy grabbed his hand as well and dragged them away. Sonic returned his attention to me.

"You don't trust this Maria, do you, Rouge?" Sonic asked frowning.

"No, I don't. There's no way that that could actually be her. Maria died Sonic, there's nothing else to say. However, this imposter is putting on quite a convincing act..." I sighed.

In truth, I really didn't know who this person was. It could have been Maria, but at the time, I wanted more than anything for her to be someone else. I was very selfish then. I didn't care if Shadow was happy or not. I wanted him to love me and no one else.

"I don't know, Rouge. She looked like the real deal to me. Why shouldn't we trust her? Besides, if she will lighten Shadow up, then I say we stay out of it." Sonic said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Knuckles then walked ran onto the deck. He stopped abruptly when he saw me.

"I just saw Amy running through the corridor with Shadow and some girl. I can't believe this! Sonic and Amy are together, now Shadow found Maria, even Tails has a girlfriend!" Knuckles said as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, come on, Knuckles. It's not every day when Tails gets to go on an intergalactic adventure and fall in love with a girl." I said smiling.

"Yeah, right. I was wondering when you would finally show up again, Rouge." Knuckles said as he rolled his eyes.

"Did you manage to survive without me, Knuckles?" I asked as I walked toward him.

"Ha! I'm more concerned about how I'm going to survive with you here!" Knuckles laughed.

I really did like Knuckles, but I liked messing with him even more. However, that would later become quite the opposite.

"Shadow and I found Maria on Vulpes, Knuckles. The Matriarchy had taken her there. They turned her into a hedgehog and now Shadow is falling in love with her. It's terrible..." I sighed.

"Oh, well, good for him. He needs someone to shine a little light in his life." Knuckles said laughing.

"Yeah, but why couldn't that have been me?" I said angrily.

"Ha! Looks like you were too slow, Rouge." Sonic laughed.

"I think you're jealous too." Knuckles said smiling.

"What? I'm not jealous of her! Trust me, this girl is just playing with Shadow. You'll see." I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, if you like Shadow so much then why don't you try to save him from this innocent little girl?" Knuckles laughed.

"Fine! I will. I'll find out who she really is, and then Shadow will love me!" I said as I stomped out of the room.

I ran into Shadow and Tails who were standing outside of the dormitory. They were arguing with each other. I heard Tails mention something about Shadow killing a girl that was the sister of his friend. I listened to their rants before interrupting them.

"Where's Maria?" I asked, walking around the corner.

"She is trying on some of Amy's dresses. Tails' friend went with them as well." Shadow said embarrassed.

I walked into the dormitory to find Maria picking out a dress that would fit her. Though, I took particular interest in the fox who I assumed to be Tails' girlfriend. I was at first confused as to why her outfit was similar to the one that was given to me until I realized that she was also a member of the Matriarchy. I noticed that Maria took much joy in Tails' friend. This peaked my curiosity. I walked over to her and introduced myself.

"Hello! I'm Rouge. I helped Shadow rescue Maria. You must be Tails' girlfriend that I've heard so much about." I said smiling.

"Oh! I'm Catharine. Thanks for saving m- Maria. I appreciate it." She laughed.

"So, you seem to be getting along with Maria very well. You know, the Matriarchy had imprisoned her on Vulpes. We broke in to save her." I said confused.

"Oh... Well, I'm no longer part of the Matriarchy. I left to help Miles. Besides, I've found that Maria and I have a lot in common, and everyone here is so friendly!" Catharine said happily.

"Really, even Shadow?" I asked inquisitively.

Maria stared at me and then back to Catharine.

"I- I haven't met Shadow yet, but when I do, I'll... I'll try to forgive him." Catharine said, shifting her gaze between Maria and me.

I immediately knew that Catharine was hiding something from me, perhaps at the consent of Maria.

"That's very sweet of you. I hope that you can teach Shadow a lesson in forgiveness." I said laughing.

Catharine smiled at me and nodded. I walked over to Maria. Amy was helping her out of a dress that was obviously too small for her.

"Hi, Rouge! Did you want to try on some outfits too?" Amy asked excitedly.

"Maria, could I speak with you?" I asked, ignoring her.

Um... Can't this wait until later?" Maria sighed as she pulled the dress off of herself.

She realized that I of course, wasn't going to wait, and handed the dress to Amy. We walked over to a corner of the room.

"What do you want? I don't have time for this! Shadow is waiting for me!" Maria said harshly.

"You seem to like that Catharine girl very much. Why?" I asked inquisitively.

"What? Catharine? She is a sweet little girl and I pity her. I thought that she could use a friend." Maria said confused.

"Listen, Maria, I want to know who you are right now!" I said, growing impatient.

She laughed at me and smiled.

"So that's what this is all about? You're just jealous of me because Shadow fell in love with me at first sight when you've been trying for years to get him to notice you. What a pitiful creature you are. Listen to me, bat girl, I didn't survive five years in captivity by constantly weeping for Shadow. No, I strengthened and resolved myself so that when the day would come that Shadow freed me, I would never be taken away again, and I'm not about to let you of all people separate us." Maria said quietly, making sure that Amy and Catharine didn't hear her.

"Please, Shadow doesn't love you. You're living in a fantasy, girl." I laughed.

"Am I? My grandfather placed a part of my own soul within Shadow. We share a spirit, a heart. There is nothing that can separate us, not even death, as you have seen." Maria said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, talk about soul mates." I said as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Shadow is precious to me beyond anything in the universe. Could you say the same, thief?" Maria asked, realizing that she had struck my nerve.

She was very pleased with herself and she had good reason, mostly because she was right. I did like Shadow, but I loved jewels much more. Her words caused me to realize how selfish I really was. It was then that I knew I would never be able to love Shadow the way that Maria could, but instead of being happy for him, I only used this to allow my selfish desires to grow.

Maria waited for me to reply. She smiled at me and walked back to Amy who was holding another dress for her to try on. I left the room quietly. Ignoring Shadow, I continued down the corridor. I entered the observation deck to find Knuckles staring out into space. I walked over to him and sighed.

"Any luck, Rouge?" He asked.

"No, perhaps she is Maria, Knuckles. I really don't know..." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Don't give up now, Rouge. It's just hard to judge if someone's an imposter when you never knew that person. Besides, this whole galaxy is shrouded in mystery and secrets. It even feels as if the stars themselves are trying to hide something." Knuckles said as he pondered the heavenly bodies.

"Wow, Knuckles, you've changed a lot since we came here. You're not as... angry." I laughed.

"We've all changed, Rouge. Tails, Amy, Shadow, even Sonic isn't who he used to be." Knuckles said amused.

"I haven't changed any..." I sighed.

"What are you talking about, Rouge? Of course you have." Knuckles said puzzled.

"It's nothing..." I said, turning away from him.

"Rouge, it's fine. You can tell me." Knuckles said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Knuckles, that's perfect! We can get together and then that will make Shadow jealous. Once he realizes how wrong he was, he'll come running back to me, but it'll be too late because I'll already be yours!" I said happily.

Knuckles blinked at me several times.

"Um... Rouge, do you realize what you just said? You really want to be my... girlfriend?" Knuckles asked in shock.

"Of course I do, Knuckles! This is going to be perfect!" I said as I grabbed his hand.

Shadow and Maria then walked into the room. She was wearing a long white dress that shone brilliantly. Her hair was also fixed in long curls. Shadow obviously thought that she was gorgeous. He was actually truly smiling, something I had not seen him do in a very long time. I quickly grabbed Knuckles and kissed him. He was of course, very shocked. He stared at me for quite a while. Shadow said nothing but crossed his arms.

"Come on, Shadow. Let's go to bed. It's getting late." Maria said as she took his hand.

"Yes... Of course." Shadow murmured.

They left the room and I turned to face Knuckles.

"See you in the morning, Knuckles. I'm going to go spy on them." I said happily.

"What? Rouge, you need to stay out of their business! This isn't going to get Shadow to like you, you know." Knuckles said angrily.

"We'll see about that, Knuckles, but I'm still not giving up on my first mission. I need to find anything that could hint to who this Maria really is." I said excitedly.

I flew off down the corridor, silently following Shadow and Maria. They were laughing with each other as they reminisced about the Ark. I heard Maria mention something about her old bedroom. Apparently, that was where they were going to sleep. It did not take them long to find the room. Maria was quite eager to sleep, it seemed. The room was small, but fortunately it had a high ceiling. I flew in behind them and hung myself up in a dark corner. They did not seem to notice me, for which I was relieved. Shadow sat down on the edge of the bed and Maria sat down in his lap. Neither of them spoke which worried me. Maria then threw her arms around Shadow and kissed him passionately.

"Shadow, I love you." Maria sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Maria, why did you do that?" Shadow asked stunned.

"Because you kept your promise for me, Shadow, even when you thought that I was gone. That means everything to me." Maria whispered to him.

Shadow smiled and held her closer. They laid down together on the bed without using the covers which disturbed me. They said nothing and stared into each other's eyes for what felt like hours. I found myself falling asleep until I was awakened by Shadow's voice.

"Maria, I cannot express, in words, how happy I am to have you back. I never stopped thinking about you. I struggled every day without you, but now that you are here, I realize that it was all worth it." He whispered.

Maria smiled at him and began to cry. Shadow held her closer to his chest. He spoke something softly into her ear that I could not interpret even with my hearing. I hoped that it was just something like "good night," but I knew better than to believe something as foolish as that. They kissed again and fell asleep in each other's arms. I watched them eagerly, waiting for the right time to make my exit. Once I was certain that they were both asleep, I silently left the room.

The next week that followed was quite uneventful. We heard no news about the war, for all we knew, it could have been over. Though, this peaceful week allowed Shadow and Maria's relationship to grow. It seemed as if nothing would come between them. I eventually decided to give up and focus on my own relationship with Knuckles. We enjoyed each other's company, but I would never forget what Maria had told me. I would never be able to truly love anyone and I would never let go of my selfish desires.

However, Shadow's relationship with Maria fell apart by the beginning of the next week. It was something that none of us saw coming, including Shadow. We were all having dinner one night in the dining hall of the Ark. I noticed that Shadow had been particularly on edge the past couple of days. He had not spoken with anyone save Maria. We quietly ate, not looking up from our plates. Shadow then arose, immediately receiving our full attention. Maria stared at him in confusion. Shadow then knelt down to Maria. We all gasped in shock. The air grew tense. Knuckles was sitting next to me. I gripped his hand. My eyes followed every movement that Shadow made as he uncovered a small box. It was blue with white lace. For some reason it looked familiar. Then I remembered that it had been in Maria's room when I was spying on them. Shadow then began to speak in a way that I thought I would never hear escape his lips: he spoke with love and sincere passion.

"Maria, perhaps you remember this." Shadow said as he opened the box to reveal a small silver ring. I looked closely to see that it had the word promise engraved on it. "It was yours. You had been planning to give it to me, but before you could get the chance, it was too late. I found it later when I returned to the Ark. I kept it. It made me feel closer to you, almost as if I could feel your presence with me, but now, you truly are with me, Maria. I want you to have it. Before I met you, I didn't even know what love was. I couldn't love myself until I began to love you. Yes, I do love you Maria, in a way that I never thought I would be able to love anyone. Please, Maria, I want you to have this ring, and I want to spend an eternity with you. I want you to be my wife."

We all stared back and forth between Shadow and Maria. Amy, herself, was already beginning to cry. Though, she would soon be crying tears driven on by a different emotion. Maria looked at the ring and then back to Shadow. She took the ring, threw it at his feet, and left the room without saying a word. We all gasped in horror. I turned away from Shadow as I could not bear to look at him in his grief.

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