Anonymous Review Replies!
YEEEEEEEEEES: Yes, indeed! Here you go :)
gay: Yeah, 'forever' is kinda the trademark of this story now, hahah.^^; Still, hope all you guys are still having fun with this one!
VeeVee: Aw, thank you! Well, it might not be the last Sonadow story I write ;p
RibbonRevolution: Yeeeeeah, I think a lot of people thought that, but no worries, I don't do April Fools *every* year :P Thanks for all your reviews until now! :D
Guest: No worries, at least one more 'Extras' chapter coming up! XD Writing does take time, but I do try to finish any story I've started :)
Tanooki Roxx: Aw, thank you! Hahah, yes, there will be some privacy attained XD After the Princes have their conclusion, anyway...
Guest: Hahah, always happy if I manage to update on a reader's birthday! :) Please enjoy this one as well, even if it's a while yet ;)
OmegaIsMyHomebot: A Shadow/Amy scene...hm, true, that would be interesting, too. I think I mainly didn't have one because they haven't actually interacted all that much in this fic (or, really, any of my fics outside of the High school one) I'm good with Shadow/Rouge, Shadow/Sonic and Shadow/Maria dialogue, but Shadow/Amy - not much practice! And yup, I think I'll likely have some deleted/cut scenes uploaded eventually, no worries :p Thanks for all those reviews!
DEV: Jaaaa, ein weiterer Aspekt dieser Fanfic war auf jeden Fall nicht nur "ich will eine Sonadow Fic wo Sonic nicht komplett OOC ist" sondern auch "ich will eine Sonadow Fic wo Amy ein sympathischer Charakter ist", hahah...ich finde sie nämlich einen wirklich guten weiblichen Charakter, go-getter attitude, Herz aus Gold, fähige Kämpferin und trotzdem girly und fröhlich, ich find sie super :) Und ja...ich hab in den letzten paar Wochen wirklich so einige Mega-Fic-Projekte fertiggestellt, fühlt sich tatsächlich ziemlich gut an :D Aber es laufen ja auch noch einige, also...:p Auf jeden Fall wieder vielen, VIELEN Dank für die ganzen fantastischen Reviews, das hat auch echt beim Fertigstellen geholfen über die Jahre! Und jetzt auf zum großen Finale...
magicstorm101: Aww, thank you! I'm really glad you liked it and all the references - I do enjoy putting all my knowledge of the nearly a dozen Sonic continuities to use when it comes to side characters, hahah! Also, the alt! Sonic and Shadow - yeeeeah, they were partly that way as a personal catharsis/therapy for me - I've started to read so many sonadow fics where Sonic isn't at all the cool and confident hero I like so much, but just this really "ukefied" helpless OOC wreck, so I really wanted to write a sonadow fic where a canon-like Sonic sees a version of himself like this and write his likely reaction. XD Of course I also wanted to explore possible circumstances that could explain how Sonic could become so helpless, so I thought a backstory like this would make sense. Lastly, really happy to hear you liked the way their relationship developed - that is, from a place of enjoyment and love rather than coercion. I am, at heart, a massive fluff addict. XD So, thank you once again for this wonderful review, hope you enjoy the final chapter and if you still remember - where exactly did you see that recommendation? ;p
Commander: Hahah, sure thing! :D
Fish Meme: Thanks for the review, it sure helps with the visibility! ;p
Nada: :D
Neku: Tooth-rotting fluff fans represent! XD Aw, happy to hear you stuck with the fic for so long! I hope you'll see the finale as well, it took just a liiiiittle more time, hahah!
RandallWorks: Hahah, glad you like! One proper Scourge confrontation coming right up! :D (and hahah, yes, god I love that asshole, though fav pairing with him for is usually Sonourge...) A little bit of Manic and Silver? Hm, not that unlikely! I definitely think Manic might stick with Silver after all of this is over (or maybe with the Chaotix - he *is* a thief in canon after all, so maybe he could be a good scout or spy...) As for Sonic and Shadow getting married in their home dimension - well, Sonic likely shies away from anything involving paperwork so maybe not, but perhaps Shadow can convince him on the basis of it being handy for hospital visitation rights and stuff...so, maybe! That said, thanks for the comment and I do hope you'll enjoy the finale coming up...!
MParigul: Aw, thank you so much! I do try and do my best to not forget any details (having most of the story planned beforehand helps!) and of course, readers WILL you remind you if you forgot something, so that helps with the post-posting editing. XD Royal Sonic was planned from the beginning - I partly wrote this fic as a personal catharsis/therapy for me, because Sonadow is absolutely my OTP but I've started to read so many sonadow fics where Sonic isn't at all the cool and confident hero I like so much, but just this really "ukefied" helpless OOC wreck, so I really wanted to write a sonadow fic where a canon-like Sonic sees a version of himself like this and write his likely reaction. XD Since readers liked royal Sonic more than expected I did give him a proper character arc, though, that wasn't planned from the beginning. :) Thank you for the wonderful review, I hope you enjoy the finale! :D
Guest: Hahah, yeah, it's been ten years, hasn't it? It does seem to be the rule for my fics, though, most of them took ten years to write, so I've ceased being surprised. XD Reviews like yours make it all worth it, though :p I also wanted to write this fic because IC Sonadow fics are SO hard to find, seriously! I like Sonic as a cool, confident and kick-ass hero, why would that change when I also like him in a relationship with Shadow? So happy you like it, please enjoy the finale!
Guest: Oh no! Hope you're back in a proper house by now! Other than that, of course happy to hear you liked it and reviewed despite difficulties - please also enjoy the finale, it's been a wild ride!
Just a person: Aw, thank you! :D Reviews like this mean a lot to me - always really happy to hear when people like the story a lot to wonder about what might happen before they read on what I wrote, too! I do hope you enjoy the finale!
Ellen: Thanks, will do! Always interested to hear which lines people liked :)
sonadow x: Thanks! And, well...they'll do their best XD
RK9 Mew2: Hahah, yeah, there's actually a few non-sonadow fans as readers here, I'm always really happy that this story has something for everyone :D
Guest: And like an entire year later, here we are! Always happy to hear people re-read this story, thanks for commenting!
L: Does, uh, ten months later count as soon? Soon-ish? Help...
Hdiuschan: Hahahah, exactly the reaction I'm hoping for, Sonadow does have so much comedic things about it it would be a shame not to have them :P And no worries, I have a LOT of fanfics and I finish all of them. :)
Crashlag: It goes, well, to complete insanity, but in a fun way!
Guest: Thanks! :D
yessi575: That day is today! :D Thanks a lot for the comment, please enjoy the finale!
Guest: HERE YOU GO PLEASE ENJOY :D
a fan: aw thank you, reviews like that make me melt, hahah. :) I did enjoy the challenge of getting such difficult characters into a genuine-sounding romance fic but I'm really glad that it worked! Even the extra scenes were a challenge to make IC, but a fun one XD Glad you liked it, hope you'll enjoy the finale, too!
a person: aw, thank you! So many of the points you liked were really important to me, too, so I'm really happy about that - I LOVE Scourge (third fav character somewhere after Sonic and Shadow lol) even if he is a complete asshole (but so much fun!) and I'm also a big fan of Amy, she is a great and sympathetic character when you get down to it. :) Also the big fight - Sonic is an action hero, so I'm always really happy when he actually gets to *fight* and be cool in fanfics, it's one of the things he does best, after all! That said, hope you like the finale and thank you for the review!
SONADOW4LIFE: Sure do, I finish all my fics! Here you go :)
Siel: Right? :3
Recap: A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...err, yeah! Really happy about everyone who's still here and reading and welcome to the FINALE! Sonic and Shadow have just managed to send the two Princes back to their home dimension, but there is still Scourge waiting to take the throne...
Chapter 73: All In the Balance
"Chaos Control!"
Sparks flew. Lightning flashed in the laboratory, and a deafening sound like something in between universes ripping open tore through the lab as the entire machine gave a jolt. (Sonic privately sometimes wondered whether half of these effects were actually occurring naturally or whether Tails in fact programmed most of them for dramatic effect). But when everybody blinked the remaining stars out of their eyes, the platform in the middle of the lab was empty, both princes and the fake Emerald gone.
"Huh." Tails said. "You think they're going to be okay?"
Sonic cocked his head. "Hard to tell, little bro..."
OoO
"You," Sally hissed, drawing her sword as she narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "What are you doing here?"
"Reclaiming the throne, babe," Scourge smirked at her, and the assembled group in the throne room, consisting of Queen Aleena, King Maximillian, the Order of Chaotix, a (still very befuddled) Silver and Manic, as well as a few soldiers of each kingdom accompanying Aleena and the Acorn King. Scourge's grin grew wider as he looked Sally up and down. "Wanna stay for the coronation celebration? I think there's a spot free on my lap..."
"What have you done to my son?!" the words of Aleena thundered through the room, interrupting the green hedgehog. All at once her blade was drawn to point at Scourge, the queen looking both furious and desperate. "What have you done to Sonic?!"
Scourge raised an eye ridge at her. "Me? Keep calm, lady, I only saw him run away on the battlefield. I dunno where he went. Pers'nally, I'd favour if he'd gotten trampled by wild horses, but hey…."
"You shall be beheaded for speaking like this to her royal highness!" King Maximillian snapped, drawing himself up next to his daughter Sally. "Order of the Chaotix! Seize him!"
"Uh…my liege…" Vector spoke up, looking slightly worried, "You haven't spent the last couple of months in this kingdom…Lord Scourge is powerful. Very powerful."
"Powerful and fast, bub." Scourge didn't even try to hide his smirk. "I could snap any neck in here before any of you even moved."
"Together," Sally managed, raising her sword again, even if she had turned pale. "Together, we can-"
"Can you, though?" Scourge grinned at her with teeth that suggested some of his ancestors had briefly taken up with anglerfish. For a second, there was a green blur through the throne room and then several pained gasps and swords clattering to the ground. Scourge solidified again as the knights and soldiers of both kingdoms had collapsed on the floor, writhing or unsconscious. The green hedgehog came to stand right in front of Princess Sally again, forcing a frustrated cry from her as he twisted her wrist hard enough that she had to drop her weapon and was pressed right up against the still smirking wannabe king. "There's no one here who can match my speed, prince-ah! What the-?!"
More surprised shouts joined Scourge's as a bright light flashed in the middle of the throne room, the green hedgehog, the members of the royal families, Manic and Silver all flinging their arms in front of their eyes to shield themselves from being blinded. Next, there was the sound of two pairs of feet dropping to the floor, and then…
"Sh-Shadow! We're home! And not too late!"
"N…no. Sonic?!" There was a clatter as Aleena's sword dropped to the floor. Her voice had barely been a whisper. The blue-furred prince turned around, his face pulled into the smallest smile.
"Hello…mom."
"Sonic!" the queen looked like she was about to surge forward, but before she could there was already a–
"…the hell?! Now hang on just a chaos-damned minute - how did you get here?!" Scourge had obviously recovered and was now baring his teeth at the pair. He suddenly did not look quite as confident as before, though.
Shadow drew himself to his full height.
"We – er, well, that is –" he started, but then seemed to falter as his red eyes caught on the long, sharp, and most of all blood-spattered blade at the green hedgehog's side. Scourge's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the hitch, a part of the lord perhaps now remembering the generally abysmal swordmanship the black hedgehog had displayed in the castle before his baffling transformation into a terrifying force on the battlefield.
But before that thought could take hold, Sonic stepped quickly in front of Shadow, snatching the blood-red Chaos Emerald out of his hands and holding it out to Scourge. "Chaos magic, Lord Scourge," he grinned (secretly hoping that he had gotten the confident inflection of the other Sonic right, putting just enough sneering into the 'Lord' to make it sound more like a joke at the other's expense than respect, something his doppelganger had somehow managed to look effortless all of the time).
Sonic briefly tossed the Emerald into the air and caught it again. "The same Chaos magic we used to defeat you, and Black Doom, and…and, er, the rest of the battlefield! Yeah! So if you don't give yourself up now, we will, uh - " words left him here for a moment and Sonic felt himself about to panic – how on earth had his doppelganger always managed to sound fluent and confident, this was hard -
"…do so again." And there was his master's – no, Shadow's – voice at his side and Sonic could feel himself relax instantly. The black-furred prince took up position next to him, his stance now looking every bit like the other dimension's insanely powerful Shadow's had looked, and his tone was steel.
"I am the heir to this kingdom, Scourge. You will have to go through me."
"And me." Sonic picked up a sword that lay at his feet.
OoO
"...but I think they'll be okay." Sonic grinned.
OoO
"You know what?" Scourge drawled and then drew his sword. "I think I will."
OoO
"But y'know, maybe we should check through the Master Emerald just in case," Rouge added, and all of them quickly agreed.
OoO
"Wha-but we defeated you on the battlefield!" Sonic blurted out, feeling his pulse hitching up. The other Sonic had mentioned he had lost to Scourge and he was basically some sort of hedgehog-shaped demi-god where the prince was concerned. If Scourge attacked now -
"Yeah, and now...something's off with you," Scourge narrowed his eyes, stepping ever so slightly to the side, blue gaze roving over everyone in the throne room. "Isn't it?" he grinned like a shark just released into the touch tank at the Sea World kids section. "You're tired. Or scared. Maybe hurt in some way? Wherever you went, whatever you did, it weakened you."
"No, we're...we're not-!" Shadow began, but there was a slight shift backwards in his stance, a familiar movement to cover his former pet from Scourge's direct line of sight and Sonic could see Scourge's gaze zeroing in on that, this instinctive defensive reaction that the other Shadow had not shown on the battlefield, because his Sonic could take care of himself...
"Your collar's off now, huh?" Scourge interrupted, a hungry gaze focused on Sonic. "Like a day playing warrior on the battlefield would make you anything else but a toy? I don't think so."
And then within a moment he charged.
OoO
"Oh. Uh. This is kind of bad," Sonic admitted, colour of his face a little bit paler as he watched the scene unfold in the throne room from above. After Shadow had teleported them back onto Angel Island, Knuckles had managed to tune in the Master Emerald apparently just in time for the two princes returning to their world before Scourge could murder anyone, but right now their doppelgangers seemed to be in a bit over their heads.
"By 'that' you mean your doppelganger just leaving himself wide-open for attack? Yeah, I'd say so," his own Shadow grunted next to him. "What did you teach him the last few days, underwater basket weaving?"
"Hey!"
OoO
"Sonic! My pe-NO!" Shadow cried out as Sonic managed to throw himself to the side just in time, Scourge cleanly slicing through a table behind him in a maneuver very similar to the spin-dash the other Sonic had taught him.
"Everyone! Get out of here!" Sonic yelled at the still shocked-looking other royals and who had to be Silver and Manic from their doubles' descriptions. "It's too dangerous, run!" he shouted, for a moment at least feeling very heroic and hoping he sounded like the other Sonic on the rooftop had.
"No! You are my son and I won't leave you again!"
...the other Sonic, of course, never having had to deal with parents on his battlefield.
"Mom!"
OoO
"Oh gods," Sonic was now mostly looking at the battle playing out in the Master Emerald through his fingers over his eyes. "Maybe we should have kept them here for a bit longer. Like a year."
"Where's the Chaotix?" Knuckles was squinting, trying to get the Emerald to give a clearer picture. "This other universe's version of them was just as tough, right? They should be able to help."
OoO
"My Queen, your son is right. We need to get you out of here!" Vector was saying, the rest of the Order of the Chaotix already hurrying over and trying to get between Aleena and a Scourge who was just shaking the splinters of the previous table out of his fur.
"No! My son - I've just gotten him back after two years-!" Aleena stretched out a hand toward Sonic who felt such a guilty stab at his insides, but then the other members of the order were already crowding around her and the Acorn family, getting them away from the fight.
"Fine. Let them run. I'm more interested in you, anyway," Scourge growled, grin feral and blue eyes already zeroing in on Sonic and Shadow like a necrophiliac's in a morgue. Sonic supposed this was what he had wanted, only now it didn't seem like such a great thing any more.
Scourge was facing them now, Shadow holding the Emerald again, Sonic himself holding a blade, their free hands instinctively grasping each other between them, knowing that fighting this Lord would mean taking on someone possibly equally as powerful as their doppelgangers, knowing that whatever their training had helped, it still might not be enough…
But of course, that was what being a real hero was all about, wasn't it?
Both Princes briefly squeezed each other's hand right as Scourge attacked.
Xxx
"Ch-Chaos Spear!"
Shadow's cry rang through the throne room, a lance of bright light illuminating their battlefield and sending everyone who had not yet seen Shadow fight gasping. Even Scourge gave a definite pavlovian flinch at the lighting bolt, veering off to the side just in time for –
…the Chaos Spear impacting into a decorative vase like ten feet from where Scourge had just been standing. The green hedgehog now gave Shadow a distinctive 'what?'-look, which Sonic knew was his chance.
"Great for distracting him!" he hissed, at once disentangling himself from his partner and shooting off toward the wall – Scourge was standing literally right beneath the chandelier of the throne room, all he had to do was race up the wall, leap off at the top and shoot toward the chain holding up the metal contraption with a spin-dash.
Or at least that was the plan until one of his leg muscles suddenly cramped and Prince Sonic fell off the wall with a scream.
OoO
(Back on present-day Mobius, Shadow was currently looking anywhere but at the Emerald. Sonic himself also looked like he was considering either throwing himself off Angel Island or perhaps going looking for yet another parallel dimension to settle into, preferably one where no one had ever seen that.)
OoO
"…alright. Enough with the kiddie games. No idea what possessed you two jokers on the battlefield, but it's evident that it's over now," Scourge drawled, a sharp-toothed sneer creeping over his face as he put his fists on his hips, his entire stance a skewed, arrogant mirror-image of the other Sonic's easy confidence. "Time for me to show you that playtime is over, perhaps – and that's starting with you, you traitorous, sniveling wretch!" Scourge shouted, before instantly whirling toward Manic still frozen in fear at the foot of the throne, the green slave yelping and trying to curl up before the blade descending on his head.
Sonic himself was barely getting up from the floor again, screaming Manic's name but Scourge was as fast as the other, capable Sonic had ever been…
But if he had learned even only one thing from the other Sonic, it was that you never gave up.
"Scourge! Your opponent is me!" Sonic shouted and shot forward. Manic was in between him and Scourge, both of them rushing toward the cowering slave in the middle, Scourge to kill and Sonic to protect, nearly the entire rest of the throne room seeming frozen around them. Time stretched…
And Sonic could tell he wouldn't make it.
There were still about two yards between Scourge and Manic, but Scourge was simply faster than him, or rather Sonic was too slow, because he had spent the last two years as a failure of a pet rather than as a hero, did not have the training of the other Sonic who had spent his entire life running and fighting through his world instead of hiding – Sonic wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, unable to bear to see his failure when Scourge would get to Manic first, would drive his sword through his slave who had dared to dream of freedom.
And then suddenly he was in between them, had reached Scourge before Scourge could get to Manic. Eyes widening in shock, it was instinct more than anything that let Sonic curl up at the last second, his body smashing into Scourge's with a force surprising even himself. Sonic could feel his quills (dented, blunted in one of the endless rituals of humiliation they had had to engage in, but still hard) impact into Scourge's midsection, driving the air out of the other hedgehog as he was smashed against the wall. Scourge gave a sound like a wet sack of flour as he hit the ground when he dropped forward. For a moment, Sonic could only blink after he had landed on his feet, disbelieving that he had just done that – and so was Scourge apparently, both hedgehogs staring at each other for a moment in shock, both knowing that Sonic shouldn't have been able to intercept at the speeds they had been going…right until Shadow's voice behind Sonic shouted 'DUCK!' and years of ingrained obedience let him crash to his knees an instant before a Chaos spear soared over his head.
And completely missed its target as Scourge's eyes widened and he threw himself out of the way even while the Chaos Spear impacted three feet above his head. Prince Shadow gave a very un-prince-like curse.
OoO
"…uh, say, how long did it take for you to be able to hit a target reliably?" Tails asked.
"None of your business," Shadow, who (had no intention of sharing just how many things he had fried aboard the ARK before he'd gotten the hang of it) grunted.
OoO
"Hahah, what was that?!" Scourge was laughing at Shadow baring his teeth at him, "Can't hit for shite, can you?" Scourge's eyes were gleaming with amusement as he needled the prince, though it was obvious he was still aware of the entirety of the throne room, figure poised to charge at any one of them that made a suspicious movement. Sonic's attack had winded him briefly, but with the way his spines were blunted – and Scourge's clearly weren't – Sonic didn't have to be a genius like the little fox kit from the other world to know he wouldn't be able to win that way.
No, Shadow's Chaos Spears were clearly the way to go, but hitting a moving target like Scourge was evidently beyond him for now. The rest of the people around them were also either too injured to fight (like the guards still on the floor), the members of the order of Chaotix were still trying to get King Max, Princess Sally and his mother safely away from the scene, Manic was near catatonic at the foot of the throne, all of them with fear written in their faces, knowing that Scourge could end them in a moment…all except…
Sonic's eyes narrowed. And then he had to suppress a grin.
He hadn't been faster than Scourge.
"On the contrary. I think King Shadow will fry you before this fight is over," Sonic said, taking a step toward Scourge with a confidence he fervently hoped looked as genuine as the other Sonic's had (And he knew it should. He had practiced Sonic's grin, the certain tilt of the chin, the angle of hips and the kind of power-suggesting way of walking in front of the mirror for hours, dammit).
Scourge's eyes briefly flickered over to him, though this time far less impressed than the last time Sonic had tried to stand up to him. Sonic still took a breath. "M-Shadow. Get ready," he said, seeing the slight surprise flash through the other's eyes, and a part of him was also reeling – he was giving an order to Shadow – but he managed to swallow that feeling down and focus on Scourge again. He needed to draw his attention and all of it.
"What, really?" Scourge seemed almost unable to contain a laugh. "That's your plan? Try and distract me so your acuity-challenged failure of an owner can hit me? Guy wouldn't be able to land a hit on your mother," he sneered and Sonic could see Shadow's eyes flash, fury but also desperation within them as he indeed seemed less than confident in their ability to win this fight. Scourge dropped into a more battle-ready stance. "Well, I've got bad news for ya. I can keep you both in view, and you won't be able to outspeed me a second time. That definitely was some kinda fluke, you're both slow as all hell."
"Hm. Maybe." Sonic let himself settle into a stance mirroring Scourge's. "But maybe I don't need speed when we've got…magic."
Scourge blinked. "Wait, when you've got wha-?"
"Alright, NOW!" Sonic yelled and threw himself forward. As expected, Scourge reacted even faster than before, whirling to face Sonic while positioning himself at an angle that any Chaos projectiles Shadow would be able to throw could be easily seen and dodged, even if Shadow likely would not even be able to throw a Spear in time before Scourge's sharp spines would hit Sonic full force -
Except from one moment to the next, Scourge was suddenly frozen.
"...!"
There wasn't any sound coming from the green hedgehog's open mouth, only a subtle widening of his eyes indicating he was aware of anything happening at all. Sonic stopped his fake (and hopeless) attack with a screech right in front of him, sidestepping his petrified target floating in mid-air and zipping to Shadow's side.
"Shadow! Hit him NOW!"
"What-?! I mean, how-?" Shadow was fumbling with another Chaos Spear in his hand, the green flames crackling erratically as the entire hedgehog appeared slightly overtaxed with the situation, red eyes as wide and uncomprehending as Scourge's.
"Hurry!" another cry came from the side and now all eyes in the throne room flickered toward the last figure who had spent the past couple minutes hiding behind a the throne and trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, but was now standing tall behind Scourge, hands raised and encased in a blue glow, brow creased with fervent concentration. "I can't hold him much longer!"
"Shadow, it's Silver!" Sonic grabbed his confused partner's shoulder. "The slave trainer? Remember what the others told us about his powers? He slowed Scourge down for me so I could get to Manic and now he's holding him for you and only your Chaos spears can knock him out and I need you now!" Sonic babbled - and then, when Shadow appeared still slightly befuddled and flailing, leaned in and kissed him.
OoO
There were gagging sounds. These were mostly coming from Tails. Rouge was busy making some higher-pitched cooing noise, Amy looked flushed (if highly conflicted) and Knuckles was definitely looking like an echidna who had seen too much. Sonic and Shadow were not making any sounds, unless you counted silent prayers to sink into the floor.
"Oh. My. Gods," Rouge had her hands in front of her mouth. "These two are just too precious."
"This is the ultimate proof my creator was wrong and there is no such thing as Darwinism," Shadow muttered. "How did either of them survive this far?"
"Okay, the kissing was gross," Tails chimed in with the conviction of all nine year olds who definitely didn't need to see every aspect of their older brother's love life (even if it was a doppelganger), "But I think they're actually doing well now, look!"
OoO
The kiss seemed to have galvanized something. One moment, Shadow had been floundering, but the second Sonic had told him he needed him and what to do, the dark-furred prince was ready. In a moment, the flickering emerald flames in his palm had turned to concentrated yellow lighting around his fingers and Shadow drew his arm back and hurled.
"CHAOS SPEAR!"
The lance lit up the entire throne room for a split of a second, right before it struck Scourge precisely just above his heart. The green hedgehog collapsed without so much as another word.
OoO
As Sonic and the others watched in their own dimension, there was about a heartbeat of silence in the throne room before the cheering from Manic and the Chaotix began and another round of kissing seemed to be imminent - which was when Knuckles said "Right" and moved forward with the air of a family father about to turn the TV off.
But before he could, there was actually a movement from the royal Sonic inside the Emerald that made him pause. In the throne room, soldiers were already rushing in, tending to the wounded, bringing shackles and chains that would hopefully hold Scourge for a while, Silver collapsing in relief, Aleena rushing to her son's side, the royal Shadow turning and grasping his lover's hand with both disbelief and smoldering intensity, but, just for a moment, the royal Sonic looked right up, also nudging his Shadow to do the same and gave a slight smile toward the ceiling in their world - and right into the Master Emerald's main facet in Sonic's own.
"Thank you," the other Sonic said, quietly. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"...as quickly," the royal Shadow added grudgingly, (which prompted an amused snort from Rouge in their dimension). "But we will train," he continued, before letting the smallest of smirks tug at his mouth "And one day we shall be even better than you."
"Well," the royal Sonic said, interlacing his fingers with his Shadow's and giving a sly look, "I can imagine there's one thing we're better at already…" which of course first prompted another startled blink from the black hedgehog, that seemed to then quickly work its way toward the hungriest expression any of them had ever seen and then he moved toward Prince Sonic, grabbing him and -
"Aaaand that's enough for today!" Knuckles said, this time laying a hand on the Master Emerald to extinguish the light inside it for real.
"Aw, come on, just when it was getting good!" Rouge exclaimed.
"They're obviously doing fine," Knuckles grated. "The Master Emerald isn't supposed to be used for that kind of watching, thank you!"
Rouge crossed her arms, huffing. "Fine."
"Good."
"I'll just have to use its guardian for entertainment then instead, I guess."
"Rouge-"
"Anybody want a ride off this island and we just leave them here?" Shadow asked in a deadpan, and, unsurpringly, everyone agreed.
xxx
xxx
xxx
Once again and later on, it was already late after dark as Tails' house lay silent at last, now deserted from the majority of people that had crowded it over the past few days. Knuckles had chosen to stay on Angel Island after chasing Rouge off, while Rouge herself had re-opened her club (and requested Shadow's services as a bouncer for the opening rush), even Amy had said her goodbyes and Tails was by now fast asleep, the stress of the last few days and the late hours spent working on the transporter having truly worn him out. In fact, the only one still awake by now was Sonic, comfortably sprawled on the bed in what was now once more his room in Tails' house, sneakers kicked off into a corner.
Green eyes were closed, but despite appearances, the hero of Mobius was far from dozing off - as was indicated by his total and utter lack of surprise at the sudden flash of light and subsequent appearance of a black hedgehog in front of his bed. Fawn lips stretched into a smile, a sliver of emerald glinting in the moonlight.
"Heya, Shads."
xxx
"Hello." Shadow's voice was low in the dark, and he hoped it wasn't his imagination that made it look like there may have been a small shiver rustling the quills on Sonic's back. Stepping out of his shoes, the black hedgehog moved closer before smoothly lowering himself onto the bed, Sonic easily rolling onto his side to make room without being asked. The mattress dipped down as Shadow sank onto it, the tilted surface letting the blue speedster slide closer to the other whether he wanted to or not. (Although the way green eyes lit up and the blue-furred body instinctively molded against the visitor in his bed indicated the willingness clearly enough.)
Sonic gave him a lazy smile as he settled. "You took your time. Think I almost missed you. But of course, we can't all be the fastest thing al-"
The blue hedgehog's joke was satisfiyingly cut off mid-sentence as Shadow leaned in for one, deliberate, non-hurried kiss of greeting, Sonic's eyes almost closing at the touch. Shadow took the opportunity to lift his hand to trail up Sonic's side, running from a lean-muscled thigh to carefully ghost over the bandages still around his hip all the way up his slender flank, fingers brushing over wonderfully unbroken ribs, feeling the pulse of a steadfast beating heart underneath. Sonic opened his eyes again, looking back for just a moment as if he knew exactly what Shadow was thinking, how rare these moments would likely be, both of them safe and whole, at peace.
Well. All the more reason to make the most of them.
Shadow let his hand trail up further, intending to cradle the other's head to tilt him closer again…but paused when his fingers brushed over the blue hedgehog's now bare neck.
"…so I see you finally got rid of your collar," Shadow said, carefully not letting his tone convey anything but perhaps a trace of dry amusement. No. Of course Sonic would have done so eventually. The idea of Mobius' hero letting himself be permanently marked as someone owned by someone else...
"Heh." The edge of a small hedgehog fang glinted slightly in the darkness as Sonic interrupted that thought process, a small grin pulling at the corner of his lips. "Not...quite."
Before Shadow could reply, the gaze of red eyes was caught by one gloved hand slowly rising in the air above their faces, Sonic giving his wrist a small twist – and, with a light clink, a familiar red-and-black leather band slid out neatly from underneath the cuff of a glove, wound thrice and closed securely around a peach-furred forearm, moonlight catching on its name tag as a silver shine. Shadow abruptly glanced back at his partner's face, red eyes widened in actual surprise, but were caught by an amused expression almost instantly.
"Nothing against your gift, Shads," Sonic lowered his arm again, fingers coming to rest on Shadow's chest as the blue hedgehog shifted himself closer to the other with a grin, entangling their legs. "It's just, I'm more of a bracelet fan than a necklace guy myself."
This, of course, was accompanied by a finger flick against one of the golden bands on Shadow's own wrists, and the black hedgehog wondered just for a moment whether it was entirely coincidental that Sonic had chosen the one he had tried to hold onto when Shadow had fallen from the ARK. He swallowed.
"Sonic..."
"Yeah? Do you like it?"
In response, Shadow found he had trouble speaking for a moment, so he chose to shift his weight instead, twisting his wrist whose band Sonic had flicked, so his own fingers closed tightly around Sonic's forearm instead. Green eyes lit up with mild, curious interest as Shadow then shifted again, pushing Sonic's arm down to the blue hedgehog's side, immobilizing it against the covers as he manoeuvred Sonic halfway onto his back already, raising himself just a little above the other, so they were face to face now, noses nearly touching still without Shadow having uttered a word, but red eyes sharp now, intent.
"Hmm. I think that would be a 'yes' if you weren't going for the whole silent predator act again, huh?" A blue eye ridge rose at the treatment, the edge of Sonic's mouth quirking in amusement, but other than that, there seemed to be absolutely zero resistance from his former pet as Shadow only dipped his head lower, for a moment nuzzling the blue throat now beautifully bare.
Shadow hoped the mixture between thank you and have I told you I love you he was unable to put into words would somehow be conveyed still.
Xxx
Oooooh yeah.
Sonic couldn't help but grin and tip his head back further as Shadow went to town on his throat, thoroughly enjoying the attention bestowed upon the sensitive area. If anything, Shadow's focus when he devoted himself to something was intense, and now the blue hero had to bite back a mewl and was glad the darkness hid the rising temperature in his cheeks. The way Shadow's eyes had suddenly gained that possessive edge as he had shown him the new, permanent resting place of the former collar...
Above Sonic, the black hedgehog's body was now a heavy and secure weight, pressing him down firmly into the soft mattress. Something solid to hold on to, even when everything else could crumble away at a moment's notice, nothing ever permanent when you lived your life like a wildfire ride, danger the only constant that could tear everyone away from you at a moment's notice. Sonic twisted his hands slightly, pleased to feel how easily his former master released him when he wanted to, and used them to wrap his arms around the back of the other, fingers burying themselves in thick, warm black fur and spines beneath comfortingly muscular shoulders. Shadow bent down to nip at his collar bone again, deliberate, but careful bites eliciting another surge of electricity through Sonic, who couldn't help but close his eyes briefly and dig his fingers deeper into the other's back.
"Shadow..."
The black hedgehog's response to this was only a rougher, more possessive bite on his shoulder, and Sonic couldn't help but hiss.
"Hmm? Want me to go on?"
Sonic turned his head, again trying to focus against the onslaught of sensations everywhere as his body was being touched, trying to stop his blood pulsing beneath the skin under Shadow's ministrations, fighting against the impulse to squirm and press closer, to beg- but then finally managed to catch Shadow's gaze again and couldn't help but smile.
Shadow's emotions were not nearly as close to the surface as Sonic knew his own usually were, but by now he could read them almost like an open book – and the way Shadow was staring at him now, that particular mixture of fierce protectiveness coupled with raw desire, the love and carefulness with which his hands roamed over Sonic's body despite the sheer, amazing power the Ultimate Lifeform could wield, the gleam of intelligent humour in his eyes, and, even below all that, perhaps one of the single most awe-inspiring masses of sheer willpower that Sonic had ever seen...all of that coupled with the fact that Shadow wanted nothing more than him, all of him, right here and right now was something Sonic thought was hotter than the surface of the sun.
xxx
"Uh, ah, yeah. In a moment," Sonic said, sounding just slightly more out of breath than their current level of activity warranted. He took a breath. "I just wanted to say…"
In the darkness, every noise seemed louder and Shadow could hear the other swallow underneath him. Sonic turned his head slightly to the side, a weak huff of laughter escaping him. "Chaos, that's gonna sound corny. But…" he turned his head back so he could look into Shadow's face again, lips still a wry smile but eyes warm.
"Just wanted to say…I might not want to be enslaved by any master or anyone to own me..." Sonic's dry expression softened to match his eyes. "But I definitely want to be yours."
"Sonic..." Speaking was suddenly harder than Shadow remembered it, something in his chest somehow more expanded than it should be. One of his thumbs brushed softly over the collar Sonic had loosely slung around his still captured wrist. His former slave gave a slow, satisfied blink at the treatment and a small, expectant grin, green eyes softly lit with pleasure and content, looking windswept and (literally) fresh from a fight, despite his position still the very picture of untameable, a wildcat resting rather than caged.
"I'd like you to be mine," Shadow finally managed, his tone low and slightly hoarse, "Just as you are."
"Aw," Sonic replied, but the hitch in his own voice betrayed the flippancy of his words. Shadow decided they definitely couldn't go on being this sappy, so he tried his best to clear his throat.
"Yes, uh, well. Glad that's sorted," he said, already struggling to keep things together as Sonic blinked at him and seemed to be about to start laughing at his flustered change in tone. Well, that made things easier. Shadow shifted a bit and let his knee nudge more insistently between blue thighs, shifting his expression from fumbling back into predatory. "And now that the mental health of the fox kit isn't a direct concern any more-"
"We can do as we like," Sonic finished the sentence for him. "But still," the tip of a small pink tongue briefly darted out between his lips. "Seeing as this is our victory celebration here, I think I want to make this special."
Shadow frowned. "Special how?"
In answer, Sonic merely raised himself onto his elbows, and then reached for the discarded Emerald Shadow had dropped onto the bed the moment he had climbed onto it. When the black hedgehog only raised an eye ridge at the action, Sonic grinned.
"Grab your shoes."
xxx
One moment, they had been in Sonic's bed room and now they weren't. Shadow's eyes widened as soon as the words for Chaos Control had left Sonic's lips and they had rematerialized to be suddenly outside, beneath a canopy of stars and a night time breeze ruffling their fur. Red eyes widened even more as next, they also took in the view in front – which happened to be nothing but the ocean and the horizon, but both of them miles and miles below and beyond.
"...Angel Island. Angel Island above the middle of the ocean," Shadow breathed as soon as he understood. "You brought us back to the echidna's home."
"Yeah," Sonic, standing next to him, replied with a relaxed shrug. "He's likely asleep by now, so we'll have a couple of hours before he'll try to toss us over the edge, though."
"...I hope so," Shadow managed with a frown, but then couldn't help but also ask the obvious question. "Why?"
"Well, I wondered," Sonic replied, stepping closer to him and looking out over the ocean next to Shadow, their hands entangling between them. "Have you ever been up here at night, when it's above the ocean? I mean, I don't even like water, but this view's always been one of the most impressive sights I remember..."
"That's...true," Shadow replied, the weight of Sonic leaning against his side coupled with the whispering of the night wind as well as the sea far, far below indeed making up one of the more beautiful panoramas he could remember finding himself in. "It reminds me of…when I used to look at Earth with Maria…" he shook his head, trying to focus on the present again. "So we're here because...?"
"I wanted you to see it, smart guy, why else." Sonic briefly bonked their heads together, snorting. "I always figured that if you'd ever actually known any of the cool spots this planet had, you might not've been so gung-ho about blowing it up when we first met, ya know?"
Shadow considered this reply. Sonic wanted to show him some of his world...
The black hedgehog's eye ridges creased in a frown.
"You're not going to start singing, are you?"
"Not unless you want me to." Sonic gave the other a wink, before continuing. "Anyway, what I really wanted you to see is not too far off. It's in the middle of an ancient forest in Marble Garden, right next to a pond that at this time of night is gonna reflect the moon like it's fallen into the water, and..." and here Sonic's voice became just slightly lower and more amused, emerald eyes darkening deliciously "...the grass on its banks is, well, really soft."
His free hand cupped Shadow face, a thumb brushing over the edge of his lips.
"Wanna run with me there?"
Again, Shadow had to marshal his thoughts a little not to get distracted. Sonic had already taken a small step toward the forest, looking back over his shoulder to where their fingers were loosely hooked into each other, a familiar smile playing around his lips, emerald eyes alight like only they could be. The fastest thing alive, asking him for a race once more...
Shadow let his hand wrap around Sonic's more firmly.
"Always."
And then, with only a slight gust of wind, the two heroes of Mobius were already off, running at speeds impossible for any but them to a new adventure perhaps waiting just beyond the unknown horizon.
Looking at Sonic running next to him, face alight with curiosity and excitement, Shadow of course couldn't help but wonder for a moment, whether this would last, whether happiness like this could ever be more than fleeting...
But then Sonic squeezed the hand he still held back and Shadow merely looked at his partner and gave him the small almost-smile he knew always let the blue hero's eyes light up a bit more brightly.
Who cared about what tomorrow brought. With Sonic, it had never been the past, the future or any other time than now that had been important.
Although, maybe...
Shadow couldn't help but let his smile just slightly widen.
Maybe, with Sonic, thinking about the future could almost be worthwhile again.
xxx
It would be a while later that the dawn would break, the hissing of hoverskates and a blue hedgehog's laughter faded into silence long ago, the daylight's rays finding two sleeping hedgehogs curled up next to each other, right at the edge of an indeed perfectly round pond, now no longer reflecting the moon but instead a rising sun. Of course, the birdsong would soon wake them (or perhaps an irate echidna would) and how they and what they had would fare in the new day was uncertain, but for now...
Two hands of two heroes were holding each other, golden wristband and nametagged bracelet of each gleaming in the morning's light. And for now, just for now, nothing more was needed at all.
Fin
Happy New Year, Everybody! :D Well, all things must end, but only so new things can begin. A new decade is starting and this fic - of twelve years - is over and I hope all of you enjoyed the ride as much as I did, fans of sonadow or not :) (And for all you Sonadow fans, YES, a new chapter 5 in the Extras section that has the details of that night they just spent on Angel Island will be up shortly XD)
That said, there will probably be a little epilogue later on, and maybe one or two deleted scenes for those interested. I might also write another Sonadow fic in the future (though I think I may want to get that Shadow-in-High-School fanfic from my other profile at least halfway finished first, hahah) but for now, this fic is finally complete and I would LOVE to hear what you thought of it! If you read until here, please review! :D
- Chiisai Kitsune :)