Chapter 21: Our Hearts Will Go On
" The ultimate battle for the fate of Equestria is coming."
...
"we're here! You called all of us?" Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Silver and Shadow had arrived at the throne room. Twilight had a letter sent to each of them, to tell them to meet her and her friends at the castle. Twilight sat on her throne, her friends(and discord) looking up at her, Celestia and Luna standing beside her. "What's happened?" Sonic said with urgency in his voice. The others had a concerned look on their faces. The ponies looked at their anthropomorphic friends. All of them worried. Twilight stood and started to speak. "You all already knew if king sombra's 'rise from the dead' and how me and my friends took him out. Again."Sonic nodded as she continued. "But, it seems chrysalis had survived." Tails and silver gasped. Knuckles' eyes widened. Sonic clenched his fists. Shadow stood, arms crossed with a stone face.
"But that's not the exact problem. The real problem is that she, terik and cozy flow have teamed up to take over Equestria." Twilight closed her eyes. "And they've absorbed strong magic." Sonic and his friends were silent for a moment, untill Sonic spoke up with his peppy voice. "Well, we're always ready to help! And we can now!" Sonic raised and lowered his fist, with a confident smile on his face. The rest slowly started to smile along with him. Twilight sighed, and her ears dropped.
"Actually, you will not be able to help." "And what does that mean?!" Knuckles shouted. Twilight looked at the main 5. They all frowned, and nodded their heads. "Because, we decided..." She flew down to Sonic. "That we are going to send you all home." Needless to say, the group was shocked at this decision. Even shadow gasped. Then, things started connecting in his mind. "That means!..." Twilight sighed again. "I'm sorry shadow. This decision is hard on pinkie too." When pinkie pie herd that, her ears drooped and she closed her eyes, trying to keep her feelings from bursting. Shadow, on the other hand, was barely holding on. A tear fell from his eyes. The rest were upset as well, maybe even the same upset as shadow.
Sonic stomped his foot in anger. "No! It's not right! Friends are supposed to stay together!" His voiced cracked as tears fell. "We fear if you stay... You might die." Fluttershy spoke up and walked next to twilight. The rest of her friends followed suit, though pinkie pie was a little hesitant. "You guys better start getting ready to go. We don't have much time." Sonic nodded sadly, and his friends followed him to the hallway to consult in Equestria one last time. Before shadow entered the hallway, he looked back at pinkie pie. She had now completely cracked, and her tears were flowing like a waterfall as some of her friends tried to comfort her. Shadow shed a few more tears before entering the hallway.
"well, guys, I guess this is it. We finally get to go home." Silver spoke, though there was no emotion in his voice. "yeah. I can't believe it, honestly." Sonic replied, his voice sullen. Shadow was standing at the doorway, eyes filled with tears. he tried not to cry. he tried not to frown. But, it could not be helped.
he broke down in front of the group, and kneeled to the floor."th-this can't be h-happening!" Shadow shouted through his tears. His face, voice, and actions were full of pain. Sonic walked up to Shadow slowly. Then all of a sudden, shadow felt arms wrap around him. "It's going to be okay, shadow." Sonic was hugging him, almost crying. Shadow made no action to fight back, and the others joined in. "we're all going to be okay shadow." Sliver whispered. "I'm sure you'll find a way back to see Pinkie Pie." Tails added. They all broke from the embrace, sad smiles on their faces. "Besides, we got things back home to take care of. And eggman had found a way to get back. It's better this way." Knuckles commented. "Y-yeah. I guess you're right." Shadow stood up. "You all are right. There will be a way."
Meanwhile...
Pinkie Pie was holding her friends tightly. "I-i- I DON'T WANT HIM TO GO!" she had fully broke now, her tears streaming down, landing on her friends. "Pinkie, you'll be able to find him again, I know you will." Rarity soothed. "No matter what you and Shadow still love each other." Fluttershy added. "If you want, after all this is over, I could possibly find a spell to bring him back. To bring them all back." Twilight broke from the embrace. "Nothing's impossible." Pinkie sniffed, and the rest broke away. "Yeah. T-that's true." Pinkie pie stood up.
"I'm ready now."
"I'm ready now."
Sonic & company entered the throne room. Twilight just created the portal, ready to send them home. The ponies looked at each other with sad faces, and turned to face their friends. Shadow was standing in the back, still sad that it was time to go. The group walked up to their pony friends. "Well, I guess this is it." Sonic fixed his eyes on rainbow dash. Rainbow walked up to him. "See you around," rainbow lightly punched his shoulder. "Fastest thing alive." Rarity walked up to sliver. "It was a pleasure." Rarity smiled to him. Sliver grinned sheepishly. "The pleasure was all mine, rarity." He blushed. Then, silver kissed her cheek. Rarity gasped and blushed at the sudden gesture. "I..um..." Rarity and sliver both smiled lightly at the other. "I'll be trying to find a way back here." Tails told Fluttershy and twilight. "As will I." Twilight replied, as she and flutters hugged him. " I can't wait to get back home." Knuckles was telling Applejack. "Really?" Applejack chuckled. "Yeah. I can get back to the master emerald and guard it, like it should be." Applejack smirked. "So you're not going to miss me?" She said nonchalantly. Knuckles news surprised by this. "W-well of course I'm going to miss you." He blushed lightly and scratched the back of his head. Applejack chuckled and rolled her eyes.
They were all standing in front of the portal, all except for one. Shadow was standing in the back of the room, looking at pinkie. Everybody in the room looked at shadow. "Are you ready to go, shadow?" Shadow sighed shook his head. "Yes. But, there's one more thing." Shadow started walking up to pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie did the same. They both stopped in front of the portal. Shadow put a hand on pinkie and pulled her into an big embrace. Pinkie squeezed shadow back holding onto him tightly. "We will see each other again." Shadow whispered into her ear. The room was silent, watching the two. "I know we will." Pinkie finished his thought, breaking from the hug, but not from the embrace. Hand in hoof. Shadow put a finger on his heart. Pinkie held her hoof up to her heart.
"Cross my heart,
Hope to fly,
Stick a cupcake in my eye."
They smiled at one another. Everyone smiled at them. Then, shadow looked down at his arms. His inhibitor rings still on him, though pinkie owned the left. This was his choice to make, and he was going to make it now. He took off his ring, and put it in pinkie pie's hooves. Everyone gasped. "But shadow, you need these rings to keep your-" "it doesn't matter." Shadow cut her off. "I know I can bear it. You've helped me with that. Among everything else. Besides," shadow put his hand on her cheek. "Got to let everyone know that you're taken." Shadow winked. Pinkie was crying once again now, but this time it was happy tears. She suddenly burrowed her face into his chest. "Thank you." Pinkie sniffled. Shadow wrapped his arms around her back. He was now crying. "You're welcome." They looked into each other's eyes. And they kissed one last time. It was full of sorrow, happiness, passion, and...hope. they broke away, Smiling sad smiles. "Come on shadow!" Everyone had passed through the portal, and only half of Sonic's body was sticking out. "It's time." The couple got up together and walked closer to the portal. "I'll see you with your laughter lines." Pinkie whispered. They still held hand in hoof. "I will come back to you. That I can guarantee." Shadow replied. Then, slowly but surely, shadow stepped through the portal, letting go of her hoof. Then, the portal closed. Pinkie Pie stood there.
"Goodbye, my soulmate."
...
Don't worry Everybody the story's not over yet! I still have an epilogue chapter to go and then I will be finished! This has been a wild ride. And before I forget, I just want to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story. You've all been some amazing help. Special thanks to LoveandEdify for helping me out in some rough patches, and for continuously reading. Also, thank you to my friend who's been reading. I greatly appreciate it! And thanks to everybody once again, for being so patient. Things have been kind of crazy, with school and home and all, but I'm glad I finished this. Anyways, I hope you all stick around for the epilogue. What's going to happen? Will pinkie Pie and Shadow be reunited? Well, you're going to have to wait to find out.(try to find the lyric reference in there too by the way.) I'll write you later!