Chapter 23: A Choice
Darkness.
That's all he saw when the hedgehog opened his eyes.
Darkness… cold and lonely.
It frightened him, making him question whether or not he should've fought harder.
Harder… for his life.
"Hello?! Can anybody hear me?!" The blue hedgehog called through the blackness, his voice echoing around him. "Please. Is someone there? I'm lost. Can anybody guide me?"
"Sonic."
Two soft voices called simultaneously through the blackness, followed by a white light that was bright enough to make Sonic shield his eyes. When the light died back down, Sonic opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw.
Standing in front of him, were two human female angels, dressed in pure white. They were both absolutely gorgeous, the one on the right having long ginger hair tied in a ponytail and midnight blue eyes. The one on the left had long blonde hair flowing behind her back and ocean blue eyes. She also wore a blue hairband over her head.
As Sonic got a better look at these two, he suddenly gasped as he realized who they were, recognizing them by many of Shadow's stories.
"Are you… Maria and Molly?"
"Yes, Sonic, that is us." Molly nodded.
"Shadow has told you a lot about us, has he, Sonic?" Maria added with a smile.
"Well, not much but, enough for me to recognize you." Sonic replied sheepishly. "What are you two doing here?"
"Why, we're here to guide you through this cold darkness." Maria answered. "Just like you asked."
"So, you're here to take me to heaven, or something like that?"
"Well," Maria and Molly looked to each other. "Not exactly."
"Wait, what?!" Sonic was panicking now. If they weren't taking him to heaven, then where were they taking him? Not hell! Surely not hell! Right?
"Relax, Sonic, we're not taking you to hell either." Molly laughed, earning a sigh of relief from the blue hedgehog.
"Oh, that's a relief." Sonic sighed. "But, if you're not taking me to heaven or hell, then where are you taking me? Surely I'm dead, right?"
"Well, not quite." Maria shook her head. "You see, Sonic, this dark place is known as Limbo, a plane between Life and Death. Here, in this plane, you are given a choice."
"A choice?" Sonic raised an eyeridge in confusion.
"Yes, Sonic. A choice." Maria nodded. "A choice between Life and Death."
"Something tells me it's not that easy though." Sonic frowned with his arms crossed.
"Oh, you'd be right about that." Molly nodded. "You see, Sonic, there's a reason why it was Maria and I that came to your call."
"And what reason is that?"
"Shadow." Both angels answered.
Suddenly, a bright light filled the room once more, forcing Sonic to shield his eyes once more. When he opened them again, the light was gone, but they weren't in the dark room anymore. Instead, they were on what appeared to be a spaceship. Upon further inspection, Sonic gasped.
"The ARK?" Sonic asked Maria, who nodded. "What are we doing here?"
"This is the ARK from the past, back when it was in its prime, when Shadow and I were young." Maria explained. "This place holds memories, Sonic. Memories that you must see to fully understand Shadow, and to fully make your choice."
"I don't understand." Sonic shook his head.
"In time, you will," Maria nodded, before a sound behind them made her turn her head. "For now, just witness these few memories."
Sonic turned his head to the sound too, and gasped when he saw another living Maria approach a younger Shadow, who was staring out fondly to the planet below.
"Don't worry, they cannot see us." Maria smiled to the blue hedgehog. "This is just a mere memory."
"Shadow… you like watching the earth?" Past Maria asked Shadow as she stood beside him, looking out the window as well.
"... The professor said that his studies are for the sake of all the people who live down there." He started. "He wants us to live a happy life by the means of science and that's why he exists."
As Sonic watched the memory, he became confused. Where was Shadow going with this?
"Shadow…" Past Maria sighed.
"Maria, I couldn't find the reason I was created." Shadow shut his eyes tight and hung his head. "Why was I created? What should I do?"
Sonic gasped as he witnessed this. Back in this past, Shadow didn't know his purpose. It made Sonic feel terribly sorry for the ebony hedgehog. He couldn't think of a worse way to feel.
Shadow sighed and looked back out the window, towards earth.
"If I can go to that planet, one day I may find out the truth."
With those last words the memory wavered and disappeared. Suddenly, the scene was changed. Sonic and the angels were in the escape room now, red lights blazing through the room, accompanied by the sound of blaring alarms.
"What's happening?!" Sonic gasped. "Is this another memory?!"
"It is, a sad one at that." Maria sighed. "Shadow told you the story, but he didn't tell all of it."
"... No." Sonic gasped when he realized which memory this was.
As if on cue, Past Maria and Shadow came running into the escape room, the door slamming shut behind them. Gunshots could be heard on the other side, and to the surprise of both hedgehogs, Maria pushed Shadow into one of the open escape pods, the glass tube sliding shut once he was in.
Shadow growled and struggled, kicking and punching at the glass, but it refused to break. He watched as Past Maria went up to the lever, her hand resting on it as she spoke to him.
"I beg you… Shadow." She said to him. "Please, do it for me."
"Maria!" Shadow shouted, pounding on the glass, but to no avail.
"For all the people who are living on that planet…"
At that moment, the door slid open and a team of G.U.N soldiers came filing in, their weapons raised at the human girl.
"Step away from the lever!" One of them shouted at her.
"No, wait!" Sonic gasped, jumping in front of the girl, as if he could stop what was about to happen.
"You can't stop them, Sonic." Molly sighed sadly. "This is just a memory."
At that moment, Past Maria pulled the lever and the countdown to Shadow's escape pod started. At the same time, the lead soldier open fired, shooting a bullet straight at her.
"No!" Sonic screamed, hoping, praying that with his body in the way he could save the girl, but alas, the bullet just went straight through him, as if he was a ghost, embedding itself deep into Past Maria's abdomen.
As the girl fell to the ground, she turned to Shadow, who could only watch in shock and fear.
"Shadow, I beg you…" She started weakly. "You'll have to take my place in the future."
"Maria!" Shadow shouted with tears in his eyes.
"Everyone who lives on that planet, give them a chance, and they will live very blessed lives. Then our wish will be realized."
"Your wish?" Sonic questioned to himself quietly as he continued to watch on, tears streaming from his own eyes as he witnessed the pain that his dear Shadow had to go through.
"You were created just for that cause." Past Maria continued breathlessly. "The one who will watch over and protect us… just like a shadow."
"Maria." Shadow whimpered through his tears as the countdown finally reached zero.
"Sayanora, Shadow the Hedgehog."
With those final words of a dying girl, and an anguished cry of an ebony hedgehog, the hatch opened and Shadow's escape pod went flying through space, headed to the planet below.
The memory wavered once more, and Sonic, Maria, and Molly were suddenly back in Limbo.
"I had no idea." Sonic sniffed as he wiped away his tears. "I feel like I understand him more than ever now. He was suffering so much after your death. He wanted to avenge you. I could tell that he loved you very very much, Maria."
"And I will always love him, just like you'll always love him as well." Maria nodded.
"But I still don't understand what it has to do with my choice."
"Then maybe it's time you saw the memory about me." Molly nodded.
At those words, another memory flashed in, but it was different this time. This was on a planet Sonic had never been on. On this planet, the humans and Metarex were at war. As Sonic looked around, he could see that most of the humans have given up, accepting their fate with the aliens.
"This is the memory where I died." Molly explained. "It was just as hard on Shadow as Maria's death. Watch and you shall see."
"Please, stop!"
Sonic looked up to the voice when it called out, and he gasped when he saw Past Molly flying towards the soldiers who have given up in her fighter jet. She looked serious.
"Don't tell me you really want to join the Metarex and abandon our planet to them!" She blinked in disbelief to her people. "What have you done to restore our planet to the way it once was?"
"Shut up, that's enough!" One of the younger soldiers shouted, surprising both Past Molly and Sonic.
"I'm tired of living like this on this planet in ruins." Another soldier sighed sadly.
"And I'm tired of fighting." Another added. "If the Metarex accept our alliance, we will survive."
"We don't have the same strength that you have." Continued the younger soldier from earlier, probably the one in charge in Sonic's logic. "Just go away. We don't want to die! We refuse to die for our planet!"
"COWARDS!" Sonic screeched as Past Molly gasped. "GET UP AND FIGHT!"
"He does not seem to understand it is only a memory." Molly whispered to Maria.
"I think he's just shocked." Maria nodded. "It's like people in a movie theater. They tend to shout at the screen, even though the characters cannot hear them."
Suddenly, at that moment, Shadow jumped onto the wing of Past Molly's fighter jet, gaining her attention.
"Leave them, it's better." He told her.
"Shadow…" She whimpered softly to him.
"You gave yourself a mission," He continued. "And you have to complete it."
It was at this moment that Sonic noticed that Shadow was holding the white Chaos Emerald. The emerald began to glow in his hand, and the ebony hedgehog jumped off the wing of the fighter jet, shooting himself forward to the attacking Metarex ships. Sonic watched as his boyfriend's past self flew right through one of the ships, blowing it to pieces. At the same time, Past Molly had turned her fighter jet around, fleeing the scene.
"But I don't understand." Sonic frowned as he turned to Molly. "How exactly did you die?"
"Watch." Molly nodded ahead.
At that moment, Sonic heard a loud boom resonate behind him. He turned back around and gasped when he saw Past Molly flying her jet back into battle, screaming in battle rage towards one of the ships.
"Molly!"
The sudden shout made Sonic turn his head as he realized for the first time that Rouge was also in this memory. The sound of laser bullets made the blue hedgehog turn his head back to watch Past Molly fighting the main Metarex ship.
"Molly..." Sonic whispered fearfully.
The laser bullets of the fighter jet did little to damage the ship, and in response, the Metarex ship charged up its own lasers and open fired at Past Molly. Shadow moved to save her, but it was too late. Sonic watched with tears in his eyes as Past Molly's fighter jet exploded, taking her life with it.
"MOLLY!" He and Rouge cried out together, as the soldiers only watched in shock.
"Oh Chaos, why?" Sonic whimpered as he fell to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes. "First Maria, and then Molly? Is this what you wanted to show me?"
"Not quite." Molly shook her head as the memory wavered once more.
The planet was in ruins, but the battle had been won. Not a sight of a Metarex ship in the sky. Sonic watched as Shadow and Rouge stood before a large stone, in obvious memory of the brave Molly, who sacrificed her life for her planet.
"Shadow?" Rouge questioned the dark hedgie. "Do you think that Molly… reminded you of someone?"
Sonic gasped at this, knowing exactly where the ivory bat was going with this. Of course. Molly's sacrifice was just like Maria's.
"Reminded me of someone?" Shadow frowned to his friend.
"Yes." Rouge nodded. "It's ok if she didn't."
"She didn't belong to the past." Shadow sighed. "She continued to look toward the future."
Shadow sighed and began walking away, tossing the white Chaos Emerald to the bat.
"What?" Rouge questioned in confusion as she caught the jewel.
"Give this to the doctor." Shadow ordered her as he continued walking away.
"Shadow." Sonic reached out to touch him as he walked by, but just like the bullet that killed Maria, the ebony hedgehog went right through him as if he was a ghost.
As Shadow continued to walk away, the memory wavered and they were back in the dark place.
Sonic dropped to his knees, his hands against the floor to support his weight as he sobbed.
"Shadow's lost so much." He whimpered. "He lost Maria, and then he lost Molly. Both died for a good cause, but what is mine?"
"Sonic," Maria spoke, making him look up at her. "There is one more thing we need to show you."
"Another memory?" Sonic assumed.
"Not quite." Maria shook her head.
At this, the bright light shined again, and suddenly, they were in the hospital in the Amazon.
"The hospital." Sonic sighed with his eyes closed. "My final resting place. But why here?"
"There is something that you must see, Sonic." Maria nodded.
Following Maria's gaze, Sonic turned his head to see a room with its door open. Curious, Sonic stepped forward, and he gasped when he saw Shadow, his Shadow, crouched by his lifeless body, tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes.
"Shadow?" Sonic raised an eyeridge in question as he approached his boyfriend, but just like the memories, the ebony hedgehog took no notice, his gaze only on the dead.
"Sonic…" Shadow sighed sadly, closing his eyes and hanging his head, his ears pressed flat. "Why did it have to be you? Out of everybody, why you?"
Curious and heartbroken, Sonic sat next to him, listening to what he had to say.
"I just don't understand it." He continued. "It seems so unfair. Every time I find someone new to love, they are ripped away from me. First Maria, then Molly… and now you."
Shadow sighed and looked up, gently caressing the midnight blue quills.
"But… I suppose that how things are." He sighed. "Perhaps I'm just not meant to love. I mean, who am I kidding? I'm immortal. Anyone I've ever fallen in love with I will eventually outlive. I can't imagine anything worse. … But still… it hurts to see the ones you love die in front of you, without even given a chance to live long and old."
"Shadow…" Sonic sniffed.
"Sonic… if you can hear me even in death… I want you to know that I will always love you. I will never forget you, and your legacy shall live on. The people from generations to come will know of the great things you've done for this world, and the love you have shown me through the past three weeks. I love you, so much."
With those words, Sonic choked up as Shadow leaned forward and placed a gentle meaningful kiss upon his lips. It was like the scene between Elise and his corpse, but this scene held more meaning than that. This contained real love.
"Sayanora, Sonic the Hedgehog."
As Sonic, Maria, and Molly returned back to Limbo, Sonic had tears streaming down his face once more. Shadow had lost so much, but each time, he was accepting of it. This was no different, but to Sonic, it was.
This time, there was a choice.
"So, Sonic," Maria gained his attention. "What will it be? Will you choose Life, and let Shadow outlive you to watch you die again?"
"Or will you choose Death, and let Shadow continue to love the hedgehog he came to know, and tell stories about your great adventures from generation to generation?" Molly added.
Sonic sniffed and wiped his eyes, staring directly at the two angels, already knowing his answer.
"I choose…"
A/N: GAH! Such a long chapter! This took a lot of my thinking to make sure that this chapter made sense and held a lot of emotion. It took me three days to write this chapter, with a lot of rethinking. But here it is. What will Sonic choose? Life or Death? Find out in the final chapter, "I Shouldn't Be Alive", coming this Thursday.