Over 50 Years Ago…

Earth hung suspended without strings in the void of black space. The planet shimmered like a gem infused with a blue flame set in the depths of a dark pool. Though dwarfed on all sides by emptiness, the planet defied the chaotic swirl of blank vacuum by appearing beautiful, ordered, and meticulously designed.

Maria Robotnik gazed longingly at the planet through the observation window of the bridge of the Space Colony Ark. The sight never lost its luster nor its ability to stir Maria's heart and imagination. To most people, the earth was the most common thing of all. They spent their whole lives on it and hardly gave the planet a second thought. But to Maria the earth was as mysterious as it was beautiful. Its blue oceans were just as fantastical and alluring to her, as the gardens of mythical paradise were to the common person.

Maria's infancy and early childhood on the planet were mostly forgotten with vague images and feelings in place of concrete memories. What she did remember filled her with sorrow and bore no kinship with the splendor and beauty the planet displayed from far away.

Maria placed a tender white hand on the glass and felt the cold. Artificial chill stalked her wherever she went. She longed for the kiss of the sun and the feel of grass beneath her feet. Such delights had always been denied her, even when she had been on the planet.

Though she was only twelve years old, Maria understood the cryptic irony that hung over her life. She had once lived in a lavish estate adjacent to the sea, encircled by gardens. It was the perfect location for a child to play in the fields, swim in the ocean and soak up the sunshine. Instead, Maria had spent all her time in dark rooms.

Maria knew there was a time before her disease but that time existed in the infancy of her mind. She could recall the feeling of health for she was acutely aware of its privation when disease stole into her body and left her infirm. Yet almost more jarringly, Maria felt that she remembered company, laughter and the simple joy of being a child, feelings all of which departed her forever.

In later years, doctors of all kinds tried to explain her condition to her. Maria had trouble focusing on their words, but they always circled around to the same diagnosis; Degenerative Muscular Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A rare combination of muscular atrophy combined with a blood disease that left Maria bedridden and constantly assailed by her own immune system.

Whatever her life had been before her illness, Maria's life while sick had been a never ending storm of gradual weakness, darkness and solitude. The great estate she lived on transformed from a dream into a nightmare. Maria was never allowed to go outside or leave the confines of the house. Not that she ever desired to travel. Maria had no strength in her muscles and could not walk.

Her bedroom turned into a hospital room and by the time she was six Maria could not leave her bed unassisted. Confined as she was, her life on earth was just as cold and alien as her exile aboard the Space Colony Ark. Only on earth she had suffered alone.

At the onset of her illness, her father had been by her side. He had been almost as devastated by the diagnosis as Maria herself had been. Her father was a large, imposing man who set her doctor's on edge and intimated those around him with his height and intense demeanor. Yet to her he was always soft and kind. He would kneel beside her bed and speak quietly with her. Whatever power he held over others, all that bravado swept away in the harsh, cruel winds that were the reality of Maria's condition.

However, as weeks progressed to months and months to years with no progress nor any success with medication, Maria's father started to drift away from her. He spent less and less time in her room and Maria often spent entire days alone in the dark. She remembered overhearing a doctor speaking to her father, warning him that her condition would have effects on him as well and it would be wise to seek help for his own health.

At first Maria had been appalled at the idea. Her pain was difficult enough to bear, but at least she could take solace in knowing that she had at least suffered alone. It broke her heart to know how negatively her health affected her father. So when her father started spending less and less time with her, Marira tried to put on a brave face. She could feel herself slowly weakening day to day but she resolved not to resent her father. Though as time passed and her sole company increasingly became the occasional visit by a doctor, Maria's hope, the one thing her disease could not touch, started to ebb away.

Resentment burned through her just as savagely as the disease. Bitter tears dried on her untended cheeks as Maria considered everything she would miss out on, every pleasure she would never know. She did not know how long this season of her life lasted, but it was by far the worst.

Isolation mixed with the poisons already swirling inside her body. The creeping shadows in the corners of her room drew near and at times Maria would stare blankly into the blackness of her room fearing that she had gone blind or had already slipped into a restless death. Fear prayed upon her with no veil or guardian to stem its advances. She dreaded subcomming to her disease whenever she was left to these long durations of loneliness. For a paralyzing thought had lodged itself uninvited into her mind that if she died alone and out of sight it would be as if she had never lived at all.

The end of that season arrived when she heard a door burst open and boots storming up and down stairs. Men with guns entered Maria's room and she was removed from her medical bed and taken away from the estate that had been her entire world.

Perhaps because she was young, or because they figured she was too sick to understand, the men never told Maria why she had been taken. They asked her dozens of questions about her father and after that day, Maria never saw him again.

Maria was taken to a medical facility where she spent a month in an isolated ward of a hospital. Throughout her trial with her disease, Maria had only been seen by doctors and her father. While being in the hospital and being questioned by the military soldiers, Maria noted how many struggled to look her in the face. Their eyes would swell with a mixture of pity and disgust when they caught her eye and they would quickly look away. Maria had not seen herself in ages. At one time she had been a sweet little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. What had she been turned into? The thought depressed her beyond words and Maria requested that no one draw back the curtains surrounding her bed.

The stay in the hospital wing lasted only a month or so. Eventually, Maria was taken away and given over to her grandfather. She remembered their first meeting vidily because her grandfather had no trouble looking her in the eye. He stepped right beside her bed and stared down at her with a kind, but solemn expression. His blue eyes burned with an inner fire that mirrored Maria's perfectly. "It is nice to meet you, Maria."

Maria could not express how much it meant to her to be addressed like a normal person. Immediately, she felt a spark of love kindle for her grandfather and she welcomed the transfer into his care.

She soon discovered that her grandfather was not simply a kind old man, but a world-renowned professor and scientist. He was constantly busy with projects and answering callers who had questions about his research. However, despite all his work, professor Gerald did not let Maria be forgotten. It was as simple as outfitting her bed with wheels so she could go with him throughout his house and stay with him whenever he worked on his latest project.

They often did not speak for hours at a time, but Maria still relished the quiet comfort of not being alone. When they did speak, Gerald avoided the topic of his son and since Maria had no real life experience other than her illness, Gerald would talk to her about science, the animal kingdom or the many mysteries of the universe.

As kind and interesting as he could be, Maria could not deny that professor Gerald had a dark side to him. At night she would often wake to loud clamorring sounds followed by frantic shouting. Though he did not explain the exact nature of his project, Maria knew he had been working on one for a while and that he was struggling to get it exactly right. While he was perfectly capable of working on his designs for hours at a time and accepting failure with grace, other times he would explode into a wild furry. Most alarming however, had been the night she had fallen asleep with her bed still in the lab.

She opened her eyes just a crack and peered across the dark room to see her grandfather lurched over a metal slab. A blank computer screen hovered above him, but despite being turned off, Maria could have sworn she heard a low voice whispering something to her grandfather. She felt cold and suddenly afraid so Maria did the only thing she could do, close her eyes and try to get herself back to sleep. Then she heard the laughter. It was a low, extended cackle that made every hair on Maria's back stand up on end. She opened one eye and saw her grandfather standing triumphant with his hands raised. His laughter caused his body to gyrate and move as if his spine had suddenly turned to liquid. The sight terrified Maria and she covered her eyes with her hands to escape it.

Maria hardly slept that night but when she woke it was at the soft, comforting words of her grandfather. Whatever happened that night had been a success because he announced that they were going away on what he called "A grand adventure".

That adventure turned out to be a five year stay aboard the Space Colony Ark, the first attempt at a human settlement in orbit. Maria had been thrilled at first. After a lifetime of missed experiences she would take a journey that would make even the boldest explorers jealous.

However, Maria's imagination proved too small for all that would be offered to her. The mystery of space and its beauty were almost marginal compared to the works her grandfather labored on. Chief among them and most pertinent to Maria was the creation of Shadow, dubbed by her grandfather, the world's Ultimate Life Form.

If Maria was to divide her life in two she would not draw the line at the onset of her illness nor of her arrival aboard the Ark, but on the day that she had first met Shadow. She lay stricken in bed, toiling with another bout of severe chill. Her grandfather had insisted she join him in the lab for the unveiling of his creation, so Maria had done her best to ignore the pain that riddled her body.

She clutched her blankets and shivered as she gazed at the glass tube. Whatever was inside was concealed by white mist. Gerald offered no explanation other than declaring that his masterstroke was now complete. With a mere push of a button the machine hissed and the glass tube opened gently. Wisps of fog pooled onto the cold floor. Maria felt her heart skip a beat as she saw a dark figure gently climb out of the tube. As the fog faded, the figure materialized into focus. Maria gasped. Standing before her was a hedgehog with black fur stripped with red. His eyes were fierce and narrowed and he gazed wearily at the two humans in front of him.

The two of them could not have been more starkly different. Maria, a human child, weak, infirm, abandoned by her parents, and by all accounts a mistake of nature, Shadow, a hedgehog, powerful and nimble, cherished by his creator, and perfect in every way. Even at their first meeting Maria could feel the wall that divided them. A fierce jealousy rose in her heart that burned with wild hatred. But then, the strangest thing of all happened. Shadow approached her bedside. The intensity in his eyes softened as they met hers. Maria felt pierced and exposed, as if the creature could see right through her and feel the jealousy she harbored.

Maria's hatred faded, revealed for the lie that it was. Shadow's creation was not a cruel mockery against Maria's own failure but a lighthouse in the storm. For Gerald had kept one last secret from his granddaughter. Using Shadow's blood, Gerald developed a cure for Maria's condition and only a few months after meeting Shadow, Maria was able to start relearning how to walk.

Hissss. The door to the bridge opened. Maria turned to see Shadow approaching her. "You're here early. The Professor is not set to arrive for another couple of hours."

Driven out of her recollections, Maria smiled and shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

Shadow joined her by the window so they could gaze longingly at the earth together. Maria had not recovered from her illness overnight. It took her years of physical therapy to strengthen her body, but Maria did not mind the effort. She spent almost all her time in the large gymnasium of the Ark struggling through the most primitive exercises. At night, whenever her trainers went off to bed, Maria would often stay to do some extra work. That was also the time when Gerald would bring Shadow to record all of the hedgehog's abilities.

The list of things Shadow could do at a superhuman level was rivaled only by the list of things Maria could barely do at a child's level. He was fast, strong, deft, agile and fearless. The gymnasium was not even big enough to allow the hedgehog to run at his top speed. Maria would watch him go as she tepidly attempted to walk a lap, using the wall for support.

Surprisingly, these demonstrations of the gulf between their physical abilities led to the advent of their friendship. Whenever their workouts were done, her grandfather would take them both down to the kitchens to eat. There at least, Maria and Shadow were on equal ground. Illness had ravaged Maria's appetite for years, but now healthy, she was determined to make amends and eat as much as she could. Her physical therapy exhausted her just as much as Shadow's workouts tired him, so together they would feast. In this manner, under Professor Gerald's watchful eye, Maria and Shadow carried on like brother and sister.

Maria had been healthy now for four years. Her hair had regrown and regained its former luster and though she was still undersized for her age, her appearance no longer made anyone cringe in pity. In proportion to her returning health, grew her desire to return to earth. It was cold and lonely aboard the Ark with Shadow so often being busy with the Professor.

Shadow knew Maria's desire and she knew that he secretly shared her wish. The earth was filled with promise and was far more open and accommodating for someone of Shadow's speed. Yet for his part, he had never divulged this wish to the Professor. Ever since his creation Shadow had displayed absolute loyalty to his maker. Something that Maria often teased him about, especially now that she was nearing adolescence and feeling more and more rebellious by the day.

"Do you think he will let me return this time?" Maria asked.

Shadow folded his arms and brooded. "Maria…I wouldn't get-"

"My hopes up?" She finished for him. "And why shouldn't I?"

"Where would you go on the surface? Your family is here. You are only a child, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Maria answered scornfully. "I may be young but that doesn't equate me with luggage to be taken and left wherever."

"That's not what I meant," Shadow clarified. "I just don't want to see you get disappointed."

Maria met his gaze and found herself plunging into the depths of dark pools. It was easy to misinterpret Shadow's expression as stoic or concealing when in reality the hedgehog's emotions were right there in the open for those who knew how to read the signs. Right now, Maria saw pity mingled with a soft kind of jealousy.

Shadow had not pitied her for her disease and for that Maria loved him as fiercely as she loved her grandfather. Yet over time, Shadow had come to share in her distresses and tune into her pains and sense of isolation. It had been him, in a true mark of their friendship, who had finally told Maria what had happened to her father. The Professor had related the story to Shadow and without a clear command to keep the tale a secret, Shadow showed more trust and respect to Maria than anyone she had ever known by telling her the truth.

Far from abandoning Maria, her father had gone mad with grief. He used his great wealth to fund medical research about her rare disease and when the doctors failed, he applied his own genius to the task. However, the research was slow and testing was restricted by hundreds of laws. Unable to watch his daughter slowly wilt away, Maria's father had crossed the line from grieving father to wicked criminal. Soon his experiments on humans leaked and his lab was raided.

Maria had not known what to feel when Shadow told her. On one hand she was appalled by her father's actions and, on the other, she could not deny feeling slightly relieved in the knowledge that her father had cared so much about her.

Shadow shifted his feet and broke their eye contact. "You miss the company of humans your own age?"

"I would if I remembered what they were like."

"There are children here on the Ark," Shadow pointed out.

"Babies you mean," Maria corrected with a giggle. "Can you really not tell the difference?"

Shadow shrugged. "Human development is a mystery to me."

Maria let out a burst of laughter and Shadow joined in as well. "Well not all of us are born fully aged. Most creatures start as babies and believe me there is a big difference between a baby and a child," Maria's voice suddenly turned solemn. "A baby stays in its cradle because that is where it's safe. If one never leaves the nest, all its growth means little if it never has a chance to fly."

She sighed and took another long look at the twinkling blue sphere that was planet earth. "What's the point of being cured if I'm still stuck?" Maria could feel tears in her eyes so she kept her face away from Shadow. The hedgehog always responded with awkward stiffness whenever he saw someone cry. Perhaps that was another feature of humanity he did not understand.

Maria was surprised when she felt his hand take hers. She accepted his touch and with a gentle squeeze Shadow communicated his support. "We will be there together some day," Maria promised. "We will see everything it has to offer. I want to see oceans, forests, snow capped mountains, and vast deserts. I want to see it all. But it would mean so much more if you were by my side." She turned to face Shadow and did not try to conceal the tears flowing freely down her cheek. "Will you promise to go with me one day?"

Shadow watched her with solemn severity. Maria knew he would never make an idle promise no matter how trivial the subject. She saw his mind turn over as he considered what to say. "I-"

BuuuurrrrrrrUUUUmmmm! Maria flinched at the sound of a wailing alarm. She grasped her heart and took a few rapid breaths to steady herself. "Oooh I hate that sound."

Shadow's quills stood on end and the hedgehog looked weary and on alert. "That is the air dock sound. It's been opened without authorization," He whispered.

"It's probably my grandfather's ship. Maybe they just forgot the password?"

Shadow did not look convinced. He approached the center terminal of the bridge and typed away on the keyboard. The view screen flashed and pulled up a display of the air dock. A ship had indeed landed. Red lights flashed all around it and scientists in white robes bustled over to see what the commotion was all about. "That isn't the Professor's usual ship," Shadow observed.

Maria felt her heart skip a beat. She watched the view screen with a slowly building sense of dread seeping into her body. Alarms blared as the ship's bay doors opened. A landing plank slowly extended outward. Maria squinted to see if she could catch a glimpse of her grandfather. What she saw instead was the flash of gunfire. Brrrrt! Brrrt! Light flashed and the scientist nearest the ship collapsed. The rest scattered as a dozen armed men rushed out of the ship.

"Maria!" She did not remember losing her balance but the next thing she knew, Shadow had caught her and was setting her back onto her feet.

"What's happening?" She gasped.

Shadow shrugged and before they could check the view screen for more information the feed cut out. Maria hurried over to the terminal and started typing away. There were dozens of different cameras located all throughout the base. She switched to the hallway closest to the airdock. The room was covered in smoke. Soldiers armed with rifles and covered in black armor stalked the room. They stepped over the fallen bodies of more scientists.

Maria clapped her hand around her mouth. "We're under attack! Shadow we have to warn the others!" She searched the console for the P.A button and when she saw it she smashed on it with a fist.

"Attention!" Maria's voice echoed overhead from the speakers. "The Space Colony Ark is under attack! Colonists, make your way to–" Once again the feed cut out. Maria pressed the button again but it was no use. She spun around to face Shadow. The hedgehog had his eyes closed and appeared to be deep in thought. "Shadow! We have to go help the others!" She ran past him but he struck out and snatched her by the hand.

"Stay here," He said with a tone that offered no argument.

"Shadow…the other colonists…"

"We can't do anything for them. Whoever it is did not bring a large ship. They can't have more than twenty or so soldiers with them. I can stop them from taking the bridge." Shadow looked at her and his cool resolve splintered for just a second. "I have to protect you."

"No!" Maria shook her head and dropped to her knees. "Shadow please! Help the others!" Tears were flowing freely now. Maria knew this feeling. The sense of helplessness and containment within one's own powerless body. She hated her weakness. "Please Shadow…the children…the families…"

He did not meet her eyes. "The Professor was clear. No matter what, I am to ensure your safety."

Maria felt the fight depart from her body. It was no use. Shadow would not, perhaps he could not, disobey her grandfather. She bowed her head in defeat but then raised it again when an idea struck her. "I'm going!" She said sternly. "With or without you!" Maria picked herself up and raced for the doors. They slid open with a hiss and Maria ran out into the hall.

A second later she felt Shadow gliding gracefully behind her. She smiled to herself despite the danger. Now that her mind was made up, Maria felt the fear start to ebb away. The rapid beating of her heart was no longer supplying her with paralyzing fear, but motion fueling adrenaline.

Alarms continued to sound and up ahead, Maria could hear the rush of feet. The door ahead opened and Maria and Shadow were greeted with smoke and madness. People thundered past the hall as bullets sailed over their heads. Maria crouched down and covered her ears. Amongst the throng, Maria felt bodies piled up on the ground. She tried to move forward but found herself quickly pinned down.

She lost all track of Shadow but moments later the gunfire ceased and a second later, Shadow was taking her by the hand. He pulled her as he rushed to the front of the queue. "This way!" Shadow shouted at the confused collection of scientists and colonists following in their wake.

Maria and Shadow rounded a corner to reach the escape pods but stopped dead when they were greeted by a barricade equipped with a turret and six armed soldiers. The bodies on the floor indicated that they had already managed to prevent many from reaching the escape pods. Brrt! Brrt! Machine gun fire sprayed towards them but Shadow moved faster. He snatched Maria and retreated behind the wall. As soon as she was out of the line of fire, Shadow turned back.

Unable to aid Shadow, Maria signaled for the advancing colonists to stop. "It's a trap!" She shouted. "Wait for Shadow to clear the room!"

To her surprise, the group actually heeded her command. Maria waited anxiously for the sounds of gunfire to fade. No sooner had they done so, did Shadow return. "Come on!" Maria and Shadow shepherded everyone forward until they reached the pod bay doors. It seemed to take an eternity for everyone to load themselves into the pods. At last, there was only one more and Maria and Shadow climbed in.

Maria typed on the console and waited for the escape pod to fire up and jettison itself away from the station. A second passed and then another. Maria held her breath and prayed fervently for them to work. At last she was forced to concede. She opened up her pod and stepped out. None of the pods had worked. Within the glass tubes, Maria could see dozens of terrified faces, all of them looking to her for safety.

"They must have cut direct access to the escape pods," Shadow deduced.

Maria scratched her chin. There was one benefit of having spent so much time aboard the Ark. She was often so bored she entertained herself with understanding its various appliances. "The bridge!" She said with a clap. "We can fire them remotely from there."

Shadow pointed to the still open escape pod. "You wait in there. I'll fire them."

Maria shook her head. "You can't. Authority remote access is reserved for only my grandfather and the other high level scientists, don't you remember?"

She saw understanding blossom in Shadow's cold black eyes. He had been there the day Maria had discovered that the onboard computer could not tell the difference between her eyes and her grandfather's. At that time they had only used the trick in order to change the cafeteria menu for a week. Now the stakes were much higher.

Maria addressed the people still waiting in the pods. "Shadow and I are going to activate the escape pods from the bridge!" Without waiting for fear to reassert control over her, Maria turned and fled out of the room. Again, Shadow appeared at her side.

They continued to hear the alarms and the occasional sound of gunfire but it appeared that the fighting had moved to other parts of the station. Maria wished she could have saved more, but at the moment it was all she could do just to save a few. When they returned to the bridge they found it guarded by a few soldiers. Shadow shot forward and dispatched them with a quick flurry of kicks.

Maria hurried inside and raced over to the terminal. She nativgated over to remote control of the escape pods but was barred from proceeding further. "Authorize access required, please lean forward for retinal scan." Maria did so and a little blue light shone into her right eye. "Access granted."

She quickly commanded the escape pods to jettison, leaving one for herself and Shadow. As she did so, she noticed an extra escape pod that was not located with the others. Maria wondered at this secret means of escape but Shadow took her by the hand. "Let's go!"

They started for the door but the doors slid shut sealing them within the bridge. "Try the console!" Shadow urged. Maria returned to the terminal but when she tried to access the door controls her access was denied.

"They've taken control of the security doors. We're trapped!"

Shadow folded his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "Either way, I can protect you here." Shadow stood in front of the door and looked determined to meet whatever foe came their way.

A surge of admiration and love flowed through Maria. Though Shadow was by all accounts only a child, his steadfast resolve cooled Maria's own panic. Whoever was attacking them would not find Shadow an easy opponent. We can get out of this. She thought to herself. If we hang on, I am sure grandfather will come soon.

Maria was about to voice her confidence to Shadow when she heard a low hiss. She was immediately drawn to the air ducts but she could not see anything. Would they try to smoke us out? Maria sniffed the air but could not detect any foul odors.

A few minutes passed and Maria suddenly found herself leaning against the terminal. Her legs felt shaky and her head was starting to ache badly. Shadow continued to watch the door but she noticed even the hedgehog appeared shaken. He crouched to one knee and shook his head as if he were struggling to keep himself awake. Of course! Maria understood what she had heard at last. Poisonous fumes were not being pumped into the room, the air was being sucked out of it!

Maria checked the terminal and sure enough it showed her that the oxygen levels inside the bridge were plummeting. They must know they can't fight Shadow. Her mind was fuzzy and Maria leaned more onto the terminal as her legs threatened to give up entirely. This was it. She and Shadow were trapped and there was nowhere left to run. Either they would pass out and the soldiers would storm the room or they would be left to die without air.

The secret escape pod! Maria quickly reopened the escape pod controls and found the secret pod. It was clearly set up as the last resort of the captain who would have ordered everyone to evacuate while remaining behind to be the last one out. As such, the pod was very narrow and would only fit one person. Maria's breath was shallow and weak and she closed her eyes. Her whole life seemed to flash before her. The vague memories of the time before her illness, the dark cold rooms and the bedsores, her grandfather's smiling face, the trip to the Space Colony Ark, the day she had met Shadow.

A tear fell from her face and landed on the screen. Maria wanted to be brave. She tried to stiffen her resolve by reminding herself of all that she enjoyed. How many people had the chance to go to space and witness all the incredible things Maria had seen? Yet she could not silence the voice that whispered all the ways she had been cheated. She had never run through a field of grass with the sun streaking through her hair. She had never swam in a cool blue ocean, never felt the sand between her toes. Snow had never melted on her face and she had never taken a deep breath of a crisp winter morning.

Maria's fingers twitched with indecision. She understood the choice before her but her mind and her soul were torn on what to do. After all her years of suffering did she not deserve the life of her dreams?

Lack of air was making it difficult for Maria to focus. If she did not decide now it would all be in vain. On the edge of consciousness she heard a voice whispering to her as if from far away. The voice was at once immensely familiar as if it were her own, yet at the same time it was foreign, happy in a way Maria had never known. What are all of life's experiences without love? Would you not trade them all away?

Resolve like a thick blanket or a hot drink coursed through Maria's body, shielding her against the chill cold of pain and cutting through the fog that lay over her mind. She knew the answer now. Maria Robotnik had not been cheated. She, whatever else had happened to her, had been loved and maybe most pertinently had loved.

"Shadow…" She whispered. The hedgehog turned and saw her clutching at the terminal for support. His eyes softened and he stepped towards her. As soon as he was in position, Maria hit the button on the terminal. A glass tube fell from the ceiling and trapped Shadow inside.

Shock quickly gave way to understanding. Without any words having to be said, Maria knew that Shadow understood what she was doing. Shadow pounded on the glass and called out her name. "Maria!"

Maria fought to remain conscious. Her breath was becoming increasingly more shallow. She was determined to hang on until she eviscerated all the lingering bitterness she had stored up inside. "Shadow, I beg of you…please do it for me…for a better future." The bridge spiraled out of focus. Maria saw, as if in a waking dream, fields and rivers and streams and cities bustling with people. "For all the people on that planet…" The planet she would not return to. It was so important to her that she sent them something…the only thing she really had left…her hope.

"Give them a chance to be happy…Let them live for their dreams. Shadow I know you can do it. That's the reason you were brought into this world." Maria wrestled her thoughts out of her imagination so she could look at Shadow.

His hands were raised helplessly against the glass. She smiled at him one last time. "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog." Maira pressed another button and the escape pod jettisoned, leaving her alone on the bridge. She immediately collapsed as her legs finally gave out.

Maria knew this kind of weakness well. She could not move her body and it was everything she could do just to continue taking small feeble breaths. In so many ways her current situation could have reminded her of the dark days of solitude during her illness. Yet, for all that was the same, so much was different that the gulf between them was as wide and endless as the universe itself.

A smile she could not suppress stretched across Maria's lips. The end that she had so long dreaded had finally come upon her. She lay paralized in a room of artificial cold, alone, and betrayed by her own failing body. Yet she wept not from fear, nor from madness, but because she had conquered her dread. Maria Robotnik closed her eyes and never opened them again.