Shadow punched the front of the robot's torso, knocking it off balance.
"You wretched hedgehogs!" Eggman yelled in the microphone.
The robot fired missiles from its torso at the trio. Shadow blasted each one with a Chaos Spear.
"You won't foil my plans again!"
Eggman opened fire his laser canons from the robot's hands. The powerful three flew away in wild directions to avoid the line of fire. One laser beam hit the deck of the fortress too close to where the rest of the group was. An idea hatched in Eggman's devious mind.
"If I can't destroy you, I'll hurt your weak little friends!" Eggman declared with a cackle.
The three hedgehogs looked at each other in shock.
"We won't let you!" Silver rebelled landing a kick to the top of the robotic head.
Instead of attacking them, the giant Eggman robot placed a shield around itself and made its way toward the deck. The hedgehogs continued attacking the shield relentlessly. Each attack became more desperate than the last in panic of the robot getting closer to their friends.
"Come on! Everyone head inside!" Knuckles yelled at the sitting group. Everyone ran in a hurry to get away from the robot. Maria was falling behind still exhausted from the energy she lost from battling Shadow.
"Maria I brought you into this world and now I'm going to take you out!" Eggman declared.
He's only after me. In that case I need to get him away from my new friends!
She thought now running to the opposite end of the deck.
"MARIA GET AWAY FROM HERE!" She heard Shadow yell in desperation at her.
I can't Shadow, if Eggman is after me then my new friends shouldn't pay for it, She thought with a bittersweet smile looking at the massive robot coming toward her.
Sets of missiles were fired at her. She saw Silver stop a couple from reaching her but Maria had to retreat from two exploding in her path. A missile broke a mechanical tower in half, that half was falling and she was underneath its path!
Shadow flew under it; he pushed it with all he could give until he was holding it above Maria's head. She stared awestruck at the hedgehog's strength, forgetting that she should leave. She slipped away after blinking twice awkwardly. She then saw Shadow push the massive tower off into the ocean sending a wave over the deck. A red thin laser suddenly cut the deck in half. Maria was barely standing at the newly created ledge and gave a cry feeling the deck collapse itself into the ocean. She backed away from it frightened. The robot continued its destructive path toward her.
"Get away from her!" She heard Shadow threaten the doctor in a tone of voice that shook her to the core despite it wasn't directed at her. A golden Spin Dash with lightning speed pierced through Eggman's shield and take out one of the large robot hands.
The metallic island Maria was on drifted from the rest of the fortress. She was a sitting target, in exhaustion she could only slide to her knees and tend to her wounds from earlier. She watched the three hedgehogs work together to perform a single move to finish off the doctor. All three Spin Dashed into the center of the robot, making it break in half.
"Nooooooo!" Eggman wailed in his defeat.
He flew out with his lackeys hanging on to his hover chair. Just then she heard three rockets break through the watery winds in her direction. She had no time to react; she heard Shadow's voice and the explosions of the rockets. They attacked the base of the deck. Maria gave a scream to the floor under her collapsing. She landed in the freezing cold water. Her body ached when she tried swimming but she managed to get her head above the surface.
"Maria!" Shadow called to her.
"Shadow!" She coughed.
He flew to her picking her up from the water and hovered in the middle of the air. He looked like an angel to her in his transformation from the Chaos Emeralds. She couldn't help but blush a bit seeing her in a beaten up state compared to his unwavering glorified form. She held him as he held her.
"Still don't like the water?" She chuckled.
"Why would you do something so stupid?" He asked her ignoring her question.
"I had to, he was only after me. I already hurt your friends, I wouldn't forgive myself if I let it happen again," She looked in his deep red eyes. "It's what I did to save you."
Shadow could feel her words tug at the strings of his heart. Saying nothing he kissed her as if this were the last time he'd see her.
"Yo Romeo! Ready to disperse the emeralds?" Sonic called.
Soon everyone gathered back on land. They all stood by the cliff to the sea, ready to witness the dispersing of the emeralds. The dense stormy clouds from earlier had now faded into light orange and pink clouds due to the setting sun. Before gathering at the cliffs, Tails and a few others had taken a trip on the X Tornado to make sure all of Eggman's other fortress had been destroyed from the exploding robot armies.
Thankfully after taking care of that nearly everyone wanted to see the emeralds disperse across their world. For some friends it would be a beautiful sight while for others it would be tragic.
"I thought I would get to have them," Rouge frowned upon seeing the emeralds gather except Shadow's green one.
"You thought wrong," Knuckles sneered.
Sonic then let the emeralds hover in the air of their will. Streaks of their mystical lights danced across the sky lighted by the setting sun.
"Oh wow Shadow look!" Maria smiled at the dispersing of the emeralds. "Doesn't it make the sky look so pretty?"
"No it doesn't," He disagreed.
"Oh come on-"
"It'll never be as pretty as you," He smirked making Maria blush.
Together, both hedgehogs stood watching the Chaos Emeralds fade into the sky. They watched at a distance away from their friends to be in their own solitude.
"I bet you and your friends go on adventures like these all time huh," Maria wondered.
"This one is different," He gazes at her then pulls her close.
"You're back in my life. And we're on this planet together. Just as you always wanted."
"I love you," She murmurs.
"I love you too," He leans in, allowing her to kiss him.
AN: And they all lived happily ever after! 8D Hehehe well tell me what you guys think of the fanfic. I tried keeping most characters within their character except for maybe Shadow just because who knows how he'd really handle the idea of Maria being alive again.