Shadow raced through the facility, each push forward driving him faster into its heart, where he would find the one he came for, Metal Sonic. Earlier that day he had received a call from a broken Rouge, & she had informed him of the untimely death of Knuckles the Echidna.
Shadow was by no means close friends with Knuckles, but Rouge was a different story. She cared about him, & he cared about her. She needed for Knuckles to be avenged, and Shadow was going to do everything in his power to make her wish come true.
As he made a sharp turn, he noticed a mess of circuitry & metal, looking slightly like Omega, another of Shadow's closest friends. Damn you Metal Sonic… Damn you to hell! He increased his speed, rage filling him.
Unfortunately, rage is rarely a useful factor when you're in the base of your enemy, & he knows you're there. In the center of the facility there was a room especially prepared for intruders; it gave Metal Sonic every advantage, and he intended to use it.
As Shadow made it to the aforementioned room, as he entered it, an open metallic limb, its wires opened & cackling with electricity, struck him square in the chest, energy pounded against the Ultimate Lifeform's chest.
"How many more of you do I need to kill? I already fulfilled my quest of making Sonic suffer?" Metal attempted a punch with his uninjured hand, Shadow jumped back, out of the electricity & out of melee danger. "And I never anticipated that you of all people would come to settle a score for another person."
Shadow reached into the energy of the Chaos Emerald, which was luckily located on the floor above them. "I don't care for the Echidna, and the Kitsune got on my nerves at times, yes. But you harmed Rouge & Omega. So I'm sending you straight to hell." Forming the energy into corporeal form, he sent a blast at the mecha version of Sonic, who stepped out of the way, the energy scorching the wall behind him.
With that, they leaped at each other again. No finesse, no skill, just one strong arm against another. But alas for Shadow, Metal Sonic was a master at such a strategy. Dr. Robotnik had created him far stronger than Sonic, putting him on the edge of Knuckles. Shadow was doomed to failure. But with a heart of the Ultimate Lifeform was a lust for vengeance, making the fight draw out longer as the two exchanged blow after blow.
"I am still puzzled by your lack of faith to Maria. Did she want you to fight like this?" Metal dodged a punch by Shadow, pulling back.
Shadow paused, "Maria…."
Alas, the pause caused his downfall. Metal dove at him, his open circuitry spewing deadly electricity into the body of Project S.H.A.D.O.W.
Sonic was, for once, stopped. Amy was in tears, holding onto him, her body shaking. Rouge had contacted them, not leaving her broken love.
"Amy..." He ran his gloved fingers through her quills, lost for words. Tails was gone. Tails. His little brother who only wanted to be like him. Knuckles was gone. His old rival. His trusting & strong, if gullible, friend.
It was horrible how this had happened, both ripped from their lives in such a painful way... so young.
His seperated himself from her, "Amy, I'm going to avenge them..." His words were choked; he was hurt emotionally, something he had been spared of for the majority of the time.
As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug. She was holding onto him. "Don't go..." Her emerald eyes meeting his. "I...I couldn't stand losing you too."
"I'll be back, Ames..." With that, he sped off for vengeance.
His gloved fist struck Metal's lower frame, the aim accurate, smashing into a pain receptor. Sonic wanted to end it as quickly as possible, and this was the only way to do so.
He pulled back, the wounded metal version of himself stunned, "You killed my friends..." Sonic kicked him to the ground, "You killed my brother!" With a mighty heave he picked up the wrecked droid, smashing him into a wall.
"Now..." Metal's vocabulator was dying, "You know how I felt."
With that, the Eggman generator faded, and Metal was gone.
Sonic dropped the broken body of his enemy, and looked to the corner, a wounded Shadow fighting to get up. "Let me help you, friend..." He offered a hand to his 'shadow'.
It was a beautiful area, blessed by Chao, who reflected the feelings of the mourners.
The Chaotix stood alongside the grieved party, they had come to pay their respects to Knuckles. Shadow had to rely on a gnarled old walking stick to support him. He stood next to Rouge, her eyes bloodshot, her hands still a faint red from Knuckles. Amy was with Cream, holding the young rabbit who so admired the kitsune. Sonic was on one knee, closest to the monuments meant to signify their passing. Knuckles' was on Angel Island, Tails' was never recovered.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." Eggman was hovering over the scene, dropped a letter, and was off.
Sonic picked it up, opening it.
Sonic,
I never meant for it to end this way, never stray from your path, Metal Sonic was programmed to think like you would if you turned to darkness.
Eggman
Inside were two seeds, one was labeled Argenta, the other Aurum. A tree of silver petals & a tree of gold flowers.
Sonic clutched them to his heart; he would plant them later.
"You guys were my family, regardless of what we were... I'll never forget you..." He looked back, Rouge was crying, Shadow providing a shoulder. He walked over to Amy, "I..." He wrapped his arms around her; time was short & he needed her.
"Sonniku..." Despite all the dark events, she felt warm in his arms. Her eyes closed, she rested her head on his shoulder, her heartbeat steadying from the near-constant shock.
The sun set on the spot, mournful, but reminding everyone who stood there that at the end of the day, despite everything that has happened, beyond the end there will come a new dawn, & with the dawn, hope.
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GM: Yeah, I know it's short, but I realize now I can't write tragedies. I think I might write something KotOR related next, or go back to ToS. Thanks to all those who waited.