…

Sonic and Knuckles run up the last steps to the top of the shrine. In the center, strange symbols on an octagonal pedestal glow with a red light. Knuckles takes out the Master Emerald, and expands it to its natural size. He places it on the pedestal. He begins to chant, "The servers are…the seven Chaos. Chaos is power…power is enriched by the heart. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." The Master Emerald lifts into the air, and begins to spin rapidly and glow brightly. "Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!" Blue electricity begins to arc wildly between the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds around it, including the one that Sonic holds. As the energy impacts the fake Emerald on one of the pillars, it shatters to pieces.

The light of the Master Emerald grows even brighter, illuminating the large, dim room. As the light and energy fade, the Biolizard roars behind them, louder than ever. The two turn back to see. The Biolizard has released a swarm of tiny, floating red orbs all around itself. Shadow leaps from orb to orb, ascending towards the heavily damaged device on the creature's back. As Shadow makes it to his peak, he comes straight down to impact the device, crushing it to pieces. It lets out a painful shriek, raises its head, and begins to glow. It roars once more, then disappears entirely.

Knuckles shields his eyes from the light. "Is it…gone?"

Shadow leaps up the last few steps, and demands to Sonic, "Is that…Chaos Control!?"

The ARK begins to shake violently. Knuckles yells, "Since we've stopped the Chaos Emeralds, why is the space colony still on a crash course to Earth!?"

The three suddenly turn upwards as Eggman's voice comes in over the PA system. The voice echoes, "The prototype is still alive, and he's controlling the space colony as it's falling to Earth! He's become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!"

They all stand gaping for a moment. The Knuckles yells assertively, "Sonic!"

Sonic looks around him to the six Chaos Emeralds which lie on the pillars, then to his own seventh Emerald. Then he looks to Shadow, who nods back, clearly thinking the same thing. Knuckles at first looks questioningly between the two, but then gasps as he realizes what they're thinking. Sonic waves Knuckles to stand back.

Sonic and Shadow then step to the center of the shrine, on either side of the Master Emerald. They each lift a hand into the air. The Chaos Emeralds lift from their pillars, and begin to slowly rotate around their hands. Sonic's Emerald joins them a moment later. The circle of Emeralds rotate faster as they move inwards towards the hedgehogs. They retract their outstretched hands into fists and close their eyes, as the Emeralds rotate even faster, now within close reach. The Emeralds move at an almost blinding speed, and their lights grow brighter and sparkle around the hedgehogs. They open their eyes as they, too, lift into the air. Their fur begins to reflect the light of the Emeralds, which can now hardly be seen by their extreme velocity. Their fur itself begins to emit a brilliant golden light, transforming. The light from their fur and the Emeralds grows so bright that it conceals them as the final transformation takes place. As the light releases, the fur of the two hedgehogs appears to be almost made of gold. Sonic's eyes have turned red, and the spikes of each of their heads stand upwards, as if lifted by an unseen force. They both still float in the air.

Shadow looks at his own arms in wonder. Then he and Sonic look to each other, nod, and soar out of the room.

—–—

Outside space colony ARK

Colony impact: 5 minutes 7 seconds

Sonic and Shadow float above the Earth, as the space colony hurtles towards them, cloaked in flame. The Biolizard appears to be attached to the point of the Eclipse Cannon. Sonic turns to Shadow. "If we want to stop the ARK, we've gotta defeat that lizard. But the Emeralds won't be able to maintain both of our Super Forms fighting for very long. While one of us is out here fighting, the other should be in the ARK, gathering energy." Shadow nods, and streaks back into the ARK at blinding speed. Sonic turns back to the Biolizard, the Final Hazard. It roars in challenge. Sonic charges at it.

Eggman's voice comes in over the radio. "Can you hear me Sonic, Shadow? He's very weak without his life support system. Aim for the red swelling area to damage him! You're our last hope!"

Rouge pipes in, "Everyone here is rooting for you! Good luck, and give him trouble!" Sonic nods and looks to the lizard. Just as Eggman said, there is a large swollen red area on the creature's back. The lizard releases a massive beam of energy from its mouth, which Sonic carefully jinks around. Once he gets close enough to the beast, he dashes straight into its swollen spot. It shrieks in pain.

Shadow shouts as he flies back out of the ARK, "He's still very powerful! What kind of monster is this? How are you doing, Sonic?" Sonic nods to him as he goes back into the ARK. "Sonic, leave it to me! I'll destroy it!" A new swollen spot has appeared on the Biolizard's body. Shadow starts his dash towards the Biolizard. It releases another beam of energy from its mouth, as well as two more from mechanical parts on its body. Despite his best efforts, Shadow is struck by one of them, and sent flying back.

Over the radio, Sonic marvels, "Where does he get all that power? Is this the power of the Chaos Emeralds? Are you okay, Shadow?" Shadow shakes it off and resumes his attempt to attack. He is successful this time, and it cries another shriek. Sonic comes back out of the ARK.

Shadow shouts as he makes his return, "I need to gather more energy! Now it's up to you, Sonic!"

"Shadow, you need rest. Let me give it a try!"

As soon as Sonic starts moving, Knuckles comes in over the radio. "Sonic, we're in danger! The colony will enter the atmosphere in about four minutes!"

Eggman stresses, "Hurry!" Sonic continues with renewed speed. He dodges around all three energy beams, and gets in close.

The Biolizard releases the same red orbs from before, which move as if to home in on and attack him. He dodges around these as well, and strikes the newest weak spot. "Yeah! Take that, you creep! Shadow, are you ready? We're almost done!"

Shadow comes back out to switch places with Sonic. "Here I come, you creep!"

This time, Amy speaks. "Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth! Please hurry up!" Prepared this time, Shadow effortlessly moves out of the way of the Biolizard's attacks.

Sonic marvels from inside, "Shadow, I understand. You're unstoppable. Let's destroy this creature now! Everyone is waiting for us back on Earth!"

But Shadow hardly seems to be listening. "Maria…watch me. I will fulfil your wish!" He powers straight through the red orbs, and strikes the final weak spot, right where its life support system used to be. It lets out its loudest cry yet, as its many mechanical parts begin to malfunction and detonate. Its body goes limp.

Sonic flies back out. The two of them clasp hands in the highest respect. Then Shadow turns back to the still-falling ARK. "I must end the evil the professor has made."

Sonic, shocked at him, shouts, "Shadow, at this rate your Super Form won't last! Get back to the colony!" Shadow simply shakes his head. The flames around the ARK grow greatly as it enters the lower atmosphere. Sonic nods in understanding, and they both fly head-on towards the ARK. "No way that's getting through!"

A voice echoes in Shadow's head. "Shadow…I beg of you…" "Maria!" "…give them a chance…to be happy." Shadow realizes what he must do. He takes the rings around his wrists and ankles, and unclasps them. Another memory comes to him, this time of the then-sane professor. "Those are your Inhibitor Rings. Your body processes an incredible amount of energy, which the Rings allow you to contain. If you were to take them off, you would become unbelievably powerful. But you would die without that energy." Three Inhibitor Rings fall to Earth.

Sonic hardly seemed to notice, focusing on the ARK, which now looms extremely close. "Now, Shadow!" An orb of light forms in Shadow's outstretched hand. Sonic adds his own hand to the orb, and it grows in size. At once, the two hedgehogs shout, "Chaos Control!" The orb of light expands exponentially in size, encompassing the entire ARK in under a second. The light turns to a bright blue, and pulsates arounds the ARK, before being completely absorbing the ARK and collapsing in on itself.

Shadow's golden light fades, and he begins to fall. "Maria…this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you…" He shrinks out of sight.

Sonic looks to Shadow as he falls, but then notices his own light fading. After one last glance, he grudgingly returns to the ARK, which has reappeared high in the night sky.

—–—

Over and over again, around the world, people can be seen watching in celebration as the ARK reappears.

—–—

Sonic steps into the research lab of the ARK. Everyone looks past him, hoping to celebrate the true hero of the day. But no one else comes. Finally, Rouge breaks the silence. "Where…where is Shadow?" Sonic looks down and shakes his head. But then he pulls out something, and places it in her hands. She examines it. It's one of Shadow's inhibitor rings, which Sonic must have grabbed as it fell. He walks up to a window, and she follows him. "Do you really think…that the professor created him, Shadow, to carry out the revenge on all those who live here on Earth?"

Sonic focuses on the spot of the planet where Shadow must have landed. "He was what he was. A brave and heroic hedgehog. He gave his life to save this planet. Shadow the Hedgehog…"

"I guess you're right…"

By another window, Eggman speaks to Tails. "As a child, I looked up to my grandfather, because of all the great things he accomplished in his life. He was my hero, and I wanted to be a great scientist, like him. But…did he really mean to destroy us?"

Tails seems just a little bit uncomfortable with the subject, so he changes it. "I don't know. But what I do know is…we all did it, together!" He thinks for another moment. "If your grandfather really was that way…that just means that you're better than him. That you've surpassed him."

"You're right."

Rouge has moved over to another window, where Knuckles stands alone. He looks over at her as she approaches. "So what's next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels you love so much?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna give up this line of work. Too much work, for too little pay." She stares out the window for a few moments, to where Shadow used to be. "Anyway…I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now." She pauses again. "It'll all work out, you'll see."

"If you say so."

Sonic now stands alone. "I can't believe it…the Ultimate Life Form…" He hangs his head in shame.

Amy comes up from behind him. "What's the matter, Sonic?"

He turns up to her, then to the planet, then back to her. "Oh, it's nothing. C'mon, let's go home! To the planet as cool and blue as me!" He and Amy turn to leave, and all of the others follow. But Sonic stops at the door. He takes one last look out the window. "Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog."

A new day brings a new adventure.

But for now…

Rest easy, heroes.

—–—

FIN