This story arc starts with "Chapter 16: Blue Wave Island".

Chapter 19: Heart to Heart

A couple of days later, Sapphire and Sonic found themselves in Central City, heading over to meet someone at the Violet Café.

And as they approached, their friend was waiting for them: Shadow the Hedgehog.

"What do you think he wants?" Sapphire asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure you'll be fine," Sonic replied.

They walked up to Shadow, who greeted them. "Hello, thanks for coming..."

"Yeah, anything for you, Shads. So... what did you want?" Sonic asked.

"Well, I've had some time..." Shadow looked away in shame, "...to think... And I've decided... I need to talk Sapphire. Alone."

"A-a-alone!" Sapphire freaked out.

Sonic sweatdropped as he asked, "Why...?"

"Something that's... been on my mind," Shadow replied. "Please, let me talk to her."

Sonic turned to Sapphire, who was nervously looking around. "Um, okay." He put his hand on his sister's shoulder, which caused her to yelp. "Hey hey, it's alright. I'll be nearby. He won't hurt you, I'm sure of it."

Sonic ran off, leaving the two remaining hedgehogs alone.

Shadow offered Sapphire a seat, and the two sat down. As they made some food orders, Shadow began to speak. "Sapphire, I want to tell you..."

"Y-yes?" Sapphire replied, her heart beating.

"I can't stop thinking... about you..."

"WAIT WHAT!?"

Everyone who was around looked over in surprise at the duo.

"Shoot! Okay, I didn't mean it like that! I-" Shadow sighed. "You remind me of someone I used to know..."

"O-oh... who...?" Sapphire was somewhat relieved, but also somewhat... distraught. She felt so confused.

"It's complicated. You see... you know they call me the Ultimate Lifeform?"

"Y-yeah, I've heard that title. Why do they call you that?"

"You see... I was... created. By a man named Professor Gerald Robotnik."

"Wait, Eggman said he was Dr. Ivo-"

"Yes, I know," Shadow interjected. "He was the doctor's grandfather."

"O-oh... that's... um..." Sapphire didn't know what to say to that.

Shadow continued. "He created me 50 years ago aboard the Space Colony ARK, as the Ultimate Lifeform. He did this for many reasons, but the primary one... was to find a cure for his granddaughter, Eggman's late cousin, ...and my first friend, Maria."

"Maria..." Sapphire said softly.

"Yes. She was suffering from NIDS, and was attempting to create Ultimate Lifeform to find a cure."

Sapphire had heard of the disease. Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, NIDS for short. A disease that weakened the nervous and immune systems, making its victims susceptible to many other diseases. Incurable, and inevitably fatal. She couldn't believe that Shadow was made just to cure that. "So... did Maria... get cured... or did she... pass away... from the disease?"

"Neither," Shadow solemnly answered. "You see, the project I was made for, Project Shadow, was funded by the government, But eventually, they saw Project Shadow as a threat, and they raided the ARK. They either arrested or killed everyone aboard. They captured Professor Gerald. But as for me and Maria... we tried to flee." A tear dropped from his eyes. "And we almost made, but then... the soldiers found us... and they shot Maria..."

"Shadow... I'm so sorry..." Sapphire didn't know what to say. It was just so sad to hear.

"In her dying breath, she sealed me into an escape capsule, and shot me down to the planet. But I was intercepted on the ground, captured by G.U.N. regardless, and placed inside cryostasis."

"How... how did you get out?"

"Eggman freed me. As a part of one of his evil schemes. But I... used him. You see, the professor was enlisted to continue doing research for the government, but was later executed. But during the remainder of his life, he plotted his revenge for the death of his granddaughter. To say that I was... willing to help, would be true, but not completely true. He... reprogrammed me, his own creation, who he saw as a son, and 50 years later, I would use his grandson to exact his revenge. And it almost worked."

"What... what did you do?" Sapphire was starting to get scared.

"Do, you recall when the moon got blown in half? And shortly after, when there was the threat of the ARK crashing into the planet, trying to wipe everyone out?"

"V-vaguely..." Sapphire did recall a bright beam in the sky one night, and the moon shattering, leaving only half of it remaining, and then a message being broadcasted that everyone was going to die. "Those were scary times..."

"Well... that was all me..." Shadow solemnly admitted. "Gerald wanted to wipe out humanity for taking his granddaughter from him, and I was his willing puppet. But when Sonic and his friends invaded the ARK, and tried to stop it, Amy inadvertently caused me to remember something, something the professor must've suppressed. Maria's last wish to me, her remaining promise. She told me... 'Shadow, I beg of you! Give them a chance to be happy!'" he repeated.

"Shadow..."

"And that's what I wanted to tell you, Sapphire... Because... you remind me of her. When I first saw you, you reminded me a lot of Maria, despite the fact you're a mobian, and she was human. That's why I called you Maria before," Shadow admitted.

"I look like... her..." Sapphire responded, trying to come to terms with that.

"And then, you said those words, that you want to make people happy. Just like her," Shadow continued. "And... I began to feel guilty..."

"What, why?"

"Because I broke that promise! Yes, I've saved the world by Sonic's side multiple times, but I've attempted to destroy it, too! Twice! And all in her name. Yes, my mind was reprogrammed, and the second time, I had amnesia and was almost misled because of it, but those were still my actions, and I did it for her, for Maria, when it was the opposite of what she wanted." And with that, Shadow finally broke down into tears. "Wh-when I got my memories b-back, I dec-cided to leave me p-past behind me. But look-king at you, you remind me off that promise, that b-broken promise, and feel all my failures, all my past sins, crashing down me!"

Sapphire began to feel tears of her own welling in her eyes, as she tried to process everything that she just heard. "Shadow... I'm sorry... I don't want to make you feel this way..."

"I know..." Shadow replied. "It's not your fault... It's my own memories hurting me... You shouldn't blame yourself..."

Seeing this black hedgehog, who before seemed so terrifying and so powerful to her, now lying broken before her, all because she looked like someone she never knew, made Sapphire depressed, and desperate to do something.

...So she decided that she HAD to do something. Something bold.

She got up, and with the loudest, the most commanding voice she could muster, exclaimed, "Shadow, look at me."

The black hedgehog looked up at the hedgehog girl, tears still in his eyes, wondering what she was doing.

"I can't fix the past. And neither can you! So, stand up, and march forward!" Sapphire continued.

Shadow simply started back.

"I SAID STAND UP!" Sapphire shouted, and the black hedgehog stood up. "You've lost something important to you, and you've made many mistakes because of it. That can't be changed. But in the end, you turned back around, and you tried to do better. You're a hero, Shadow the Hedgehog. Don't forget that. And Shadow, if this promise is so important to you... then I want you to promise me..."

Sapphire went silent for a moment. "Yes?" Shadow asked.

"I want to make everyone happy. Including yourself. Let the past remain the past, and live to make things better for everyone. So says I, Sapphire 'Maria' the Hedgehog!"

Shadow gave a nervous smile. "That last part..."

"I know... it sounded stupid," Sapphire said.

"No... that name..."

"It's not really my full name. I'm an orphan, remember? I never had a last name, much less a middle one. Well, guess I'd have Sonic's last name now, but I don't know what it is... but Maria sounds nice," Sapphire explained.

"It's a lovely name," Shadow replied.

"Th-thanks."

Shadow then closed his eyes, and announced, "you've been listening to all of this, haven't you, you blue idiot!"

"Hey, I said I'd be close by!" they heard Sonic's voice from behind a nearby bush.

"Of course," Shadow growled.

"Hey, don't worry!" Sonic said as walked out from behind his bush. "I'll keep this between us... and everyone else..."

Indeed, people were still watching, especially after Sapphire's grand gesture to Shadow.

Sapphire suddenly lost her surge of confidence, and shrunk down nervously.

"Fine, whatever," Shadow said, as he turned to leave.

But before he left completely, he turned to Sapphire to say, "thank you, Sapphire. Or can I call you Maria?"

"M-Maria is fine," Sapphire answered, before quickly adding, "b-but only from you!"

Shadow nodded in agreement, before teleporting away.

Sonic then came up and hugged his adopted sister. "Hey, that was brave of you."

"Thanks. I just... I don't know," Sapphire replied.

"He must be important to you."

"I guess..."

"Oh, and it's 'Zephyr'."

"Uh... Zephyr what?"

"My last name."

"Oh. That's cool!"

"Yep! Nothin's going to stop Sonic Zephyr the Hedgehog and Sapphire Maria Zephyr the Hedgehog!"

"Uh... are people still watching?"

"Ah, are you feeling embarrassed, little sis?"

"C-can we just go home...?"

Sonic laughed, with Sapphire soon joining in, as they made their back home.

Author's Note: And here is what was originally planned to be the last bit of the last chapter. This is now its own chapter, however short it may seem.

So, now Shadow has revealed why he has been so interested in Sapphire: she reminds him of Maria. Yeah, if you read my profile on Sapphire that I have on DeviantArt, you'd know that she originally was my version of a "Maria the Hedgehog" OC, but she eventually evolved into her own character over time. Some of that original Maria stuff still remains in reference to her character and story, in regards to Shadow, at least.

Yes, Sapphire has shown signs of her having a crush on Shadow, but this chapter here was intended to just be a heart-to-heart between the two. While I had this planned for a long time, writing it out was something else. It came out much different in the end bit than I was originally thinking. But it still felt good to write.

In regards to Shadow's mention of the events of his game... It's just so confusing! There are many different story routes you can take in that game, but the true ending suggests that something important from almost all of them must've happened (even if the True Hero route is mentioned to be the one canon route). At this point, I think that major events from each storyline all happened in some amalgamate timeframe, though Shadow only actually reached one conclusion, the True Hero ending, which would lead into the True ending. But how that all fits together, and which event did take place, I don't know! If I tried to piece that together, I think I'd go insane, so someone else can do it, if they're already nuts and want to.

But that's it for this Arc. Next time... I think it's time to introduce some new characters into this story!