chaos control
It took only a millisecond for Sonic's mood to change. His face dropped and his heart leapt in horrid realization. Quills stood on end as the supercharged hedgehog stared at the massive colony falling closer and closer to both himself and the planet below. It was already starting to glow in the burning heat of the atmosphere, its fields doing little to stop the burning forces from destroying its outermost components.
"Shadow!" Sonic cried in pure, utmost panic. "We gotta do something!"
Without wasting a second, the young hedgehog launched himself at the ARK - planning to slow its descent with his own body. If he could push against it with the right force, he might be able t-
A familiar grip caught his arm, stopping Sonic from acting on his instincts.
"Don't be stupid!" Shadow urgently warned. "That won't do anything to help us!"
"But there has to be something we can do!" Sonic cried, fighting out of the strong hand. He launched towards the colony a second time, only for Shadow to catch him yet again.
"Sonic no!" He shouted. "That will do nothing but waste our time!"
"What do you suggest we do then?" The young mobian snapped, looking at the adult with blazing eyes. "We have maybe two minutes before the ARK gets too close and kills everyone!"
Shadow stared back at him - looking sad, stressed and a little scared. The unusual look forced Sonic to realize he wasn't alone in his feelings. Shadow was also trying his best to save the world. He too was working against the clock to save everything and everyone. But not everything would work. They just needed to find the right method. Find the right method...
The wheels in the adult's head visibly turned, a distressed look of futility crossing his eyes. Sonic looked around, trying to formulate a plan of his own before the colony was too far gone. It was looking grim. Everything was looking grim. Perhaps it was too late. Perhaps the battle had been lost…
The roar of the ARK's burning descent began to sound in the hedgehogs' ears. The atmosphere was getting thicker, and there wasn't much time at all. Sonic's mind blanked. It was beginning to look like nothing could be done…
A glowing caught the sharp eyes of the blue blur. Shadow was glowing. Brighter and brighter he shone, a golden sphere of pure energy forming in his hands as he channeled the power of Chaos through his palms.
Sonic watched in paranoid curiosity as the adult spread his arms, the sparkling, crackling orb expanding faster and faster as Shadow guided it on. The sphere grew and grew until it surrounded the ARK with its weak glow. With shaking arms, Shadow tried to hold it together, fighting with all his strength to keep the energy under control as he opened his mouth in a command.
"C..Chaos…" Shadow struggled, his form pulsating with dimming light as his energy fought with the giant sphere. "C..Chaos..."
Glowing even brighter, the globe expanded before shattering like a fishbowl dropped from a skyscraper. Sparkling and crackling, the shards began to fade; dissipating like sparks before Sonic's terrified eyes. Shadow tumbled backwards, thrown a small distance from the force of the failed energy field. A look of realization and horror crossed the adult's face as the ARK grew hotter and hotter.
"I..I.." He stammered. "I can't do it..."
Sonic floated over, fear - no - terror rising in his heart as the threat of failure loomed over the horizon. Small gloved hands caught the adult's cuffs, grasping for something to help calm his nerves.
"Shadow!" He cried, shaking the elder's arm in terrified urgency. "You have to try again!"
"No…" Shadow gasped, eyes wide from stress, exhaustion, and panic. "I can't…"
"You have to try!" Sonic urged, shaking the adult again.
"I can't…" Shadow repeated. "Not alone..."
An idea visibly popped into the adult's head. The glowing head turned to look at Sonic, urgency rising behind the scarlet eyes. The two stared into each other's eyes, Sonic trying to figure out what just entered Shadow's head.
"You have to help me."
"What!" Sonic cried, backing away from the elder in shock. "I can't do Chaos Control! I can't even handle it - let alone use it!"
"You have to try!" Shadow begged. "There is too much at stake for you to back down now!"
"But I've never done it before!" Sonic sniffed. "I don't even know what to do!"
"I'll help you." Shadow answered, forming another small sphere in his palms. "Just follow my lead."
Sonic reluctantly approached, holding out his hands towards the most important ball he had ever seen. The reassuring look in Shadow's eyes pressed him on, allowing him to reach out and feel the energy with his mind. The chaotic turmoil that immediately responded made him sick. It roiled around in his body, upsetting his broken bones and tickling his damaged organs. Recoiling in pain, Sonic backed off, huffing and gasping in an attempt to reclaim his oxygen.
"I...I can't do it." He panicked, trying and failing to compose himself. "I'm too young…"
"You have to try!" Shadow urged. "If you can maintain a Super State, this shouldn't be too much harder!"
The ARK grew brighter as the planet grew closer, reminding Sonic that he really had no choice. Reaching out again, Sonic took the energy, feeling it rack his insides once again. Resisting every urge to back out, Sonic used his energy to feed into the sphere. The orb grew in size as the two fed into its power. With one last pulse, Sonic pushed away from Shadow, allowing the sphere to grow huge once again.
Sonic felt everything. The pulsing, warming power of the Chaos Emeralds, the sad, hurting heart of Shadow as he tried to fix what he had broken, and the agonizing horror of billions of people and mobians alike, watching on the planet below. Pushing with all his might, Sonic felt the ability to command flush through his system. It was time.
"CHAOS CONTROL!" The two hedgehogs shouted, the sphere of golden Chaos Energy sparkling and spinning in response. It had worked. Almost.
The stars grew dark around him, the blackness of space becoming an empty abyss of white dotted with speckles of black. Looking around in a mix of confusion in panic, Sonic wondered what could have caused this. Everything was frozen and silent. The ARK, the bits of debris and dust falling with them, the planet below, and the countless dots of darkened stars around them were completely frozen in time.
"Shadow?" Sonic called, looking around for the adult. If anyone had an explanation, it would be him.
A flash of white against the darkness of the planet caught Sonic's eyes. Shadow simply floated there, staring in agonizing stillness at the world below. Flying over in concern, Sonic spoke again.
"Shadow?"
"I can hear her voice."
"Whose?" Sonic asked, tilting his head.
"Maria." Shadow solemnly responded.
He floated in silence, gazing down at the world in serenity and peace. There was a hint of sadness to his silence. It only gave Sonic more questions.
"What's going on? What happened to everything." Sonic asked, gesturing to the negative environment.
"This is what I call the 'Inbetween'." Shadow answered. "I don't know what it's actually called, so that's what I named it."
"Why are we here?"
"Because we need to tell the ARK where to go." Shadow stated, still somewhat melancholic. It was sobering how quiet and peaceful he was. Shadow remained, continuing on in silence as the two floated over the void.
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Sonic questioned.
"Only one of us will make it back."
"What?" Sonic snapped, shock overtaking him like a raging storm.
"I will accept it as punishment for my crimes." The adult somberly continued. "As payment for my wrongdoings."
"Shadow no!"
"It's the only way."
"No! There has to be another way!" Sonic cried, grabbing Shadow by the shoulders.
"You have much to live for, Sonic."
"Don't talk like that!" Sonic sobbed, glowing, golden tears escaping his eyes. "Don't say that - there's got to be a way."
"Not for both of us."
Sonic began to weep. He wrapped himself around the adult, embracing him with all of his heart and burying his face into the soft tuft of fur that grew on Shadow's chest. Floods of tears escaped his eyes as he gripped tighter and tighter, unwilling to accept the reality that Shadow laid before him. Gentile arms wrapped around him, holding him close and comforting the sobbing hedgehog. Hands buried into the golden juvenile quills, brushing through them in a soothing manner only gained by those who felt it before. The soft embrace warmed the young hedgehog, reminding him of a time long past.
"You have to let me go."
"No!" Sonic obstinately countered, squeezing the adult tighter as he sobbed. "I won't!"
"There is nothing for you here, leave me behind."
"I won't!" Sonic cried. "You're my friend!"
"..."
"I can't leave you behind…"
The silence that followed was only interrupted by the cries and sobs of the young hedgehog. Sonic shook, sniffling and whimpering as he held onto Shadow, who only pet his quills with soothing gentility. The ever flowing flood of tears filled the ivory void, humming with power as the hurting child wept, feeling only the soothing touch of Shadow in his fur and quills. Sonic buried his fists into the glowing white fur of the adult, refusing to let him go. The sniffles and hiccups slowed as Sonic found himself rocked back and forth, soothing his heart as Shadow hummed a distant song into his ears.
Eventually, Shadow, gently pried the hedgehog off of him, pushing him a bit so momentum would gently carry him towards the ARK. The glowing tears that danced around the young hedgehog as he floated back were far too big and bright to be his own. Sonic only realized when it was too late.
"Thank you Sonic…" Shadow sniffed. "For everything."
"SHADOW NO!" Sonic screamed, racing towards the adult with all of his speed. The small arms outstretched in full towards the adult only inches away...
"Chaos… Control!"