Hey there friends, this is a four shot of Shadow and Sonic. I apologize beforehand for any mistakes in lore, OOCness, or typos. I am new to writing in this fandom. This is strictly friendship, no romance, unless you want it to be, I suppose.

Shadow panted and slowly lowered his shaking hands, surveying his handiwork. The Space Colony A.R.K was returned to a stable orbit, after he and the Faker had used Chaos Control to transport it back where it needed to be. The emeralds hadn't been enough, and he had to use some of his own personal Chaos energy from himself to help complete the teleportation. It had taken almost all of the Ultimate Lifeform's reserves, depleting him of his Chaos energy. He watched as platinum fur faded into ebony and crimson, glittering off him like star dust.

He snuck a glance over to the side, where the Faker was not doing much better. The golden hedgehog turned to him, gasping deeply, and looking just as exhausted as Shadow felt, but a triumphant grin tugged at his lips, overshadowing the exertion. He exclaimed excitedly.

"Shadow, we did it!"

Shadow nodded seriously in agreement. Now, there was one final act he must do to keep his promise to Maria.

The silvery hedgehog skated closer to the golden one, gliding through space shakily. The radiant being reached out his hand, and Shadow watched as the golden light faded into cobalt blue, red irises transformed into green. Shadow grabbed hold of the gloved hand, watched as Sonic's eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you—"

Shadow ignored him, gathering up the small droplets of Chaos energy still left in him along with the remainder of his rings, scooping them up and slapping them into Sonic's palm, transferring the energy easily. The world needed a hero; he was already going to fall, no reason to drag the blue blur with him. Shadow smirked at the look of shock on the stupid Faker's face.

"Enough to get you back to the ARK."

Shadow could feel his consciousness fading, along with the gentle tug of gravity, drawing him toward the Earth he had sworn to destroy, and protect. Sonic reached out.

"Wait, Shadow—"

The Ultimate Lifeform fought to keep his eyes open, as he shoved Sonic as hard as he could, flinging him toward the ARK by several hundred feet; he was still strong enough to do that at least. Sonic flipped head over heels uncontrollably, letting out a surprised grunt at the shove. Shadow huffed and stumbled slightly in the low gravity. He didn't want the obnoxious do-gooder's help. Shadow growled, trying to sound threatening.

"Go!"

The push had not only made Sonic go toward the ARK, but had propelled him backward, closer to Earth's atmosphere, further into gravity's snug embrace. Shadow closed his eyes, at peace with his decision. This was for the best, wrapping up the adventure nicely. The villains defeated, the apocalypse prevented, and the heroes prevailed.

There was no place for a villain turned hero. He would slip into obscurity, paying for his negligence of Maria's promise with his life. A fitting punishment for his foolishness. He couldn't even move now anyway even if he wanted to. He had expended energy, rings, everything to complete his work. He was tired, so tired, the pain of losing Maria, of neglecting her promise, of fighting for the wrong side, all of it cut deeper than any blade. The best way to protect the planet Maria loved so dearly now, was to make sure a threat like him never surfaced again. It was finally time for him to rest.

Maria, this is what you wanted right? This is the promise I made to you. Sayonara.

The last thing he felt was his quills starting to burn as he reentered the atmosphere, before his fatigued mind finally shut down, limply falling from space.

Sonic whipped his head from side to side, indecisive. He had just enough power thanks to that idiotic Faker to get back to the ARK, where his friends were. It was clear that was what Shadow had intended when he had given him the rings and energy. He could just turn around, fly back to the ARK, barely making it if he left now. He would see his friends again, and they could continue their many adventures.

Something however kept him in place, not moving toward his goal. He turned back to see his rival floating, slowly drawn toward the planet below them, silently hoping that he would wake up and come back, but that was an empty dream. Shadow had given the last of his power on purpose; he didn't expect to return to the ARK.

If he left Shadow on his own, could he survive? He was the Ultimate Lifeform after all, but he was completely drained, and he was falling from this high up. Sonic winced as he thought about the agony of crashing into the planet's surface with enough force to obliterate all of the bones in his body. What if he did die? Even if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to walk away, and what if no one found him in time? Dying, alone? It was unfair when he had done so much to protect the world. Was he willing to leave his rival to his death if that was the case, or even a chance of it happening?

Sonic narrowed his eyes. He was a hero for Chaos sake. He wasn't going to accept anything less than a happy ending for everyone, even someone as edgy as Shadow. He had the power, the ability to save him, and he was never the guy to stand by and watch when he could do something. It was a gamble, as instead of Shadow dying, he could be putting both of their lives at risk, but he was willing to bet against those odds. He had never given up anything, especially if it was dangerous, and a friend was in danger. Well, if not a friend now, hopefully one in the future. He couldn't in good conscience leave him, when there was that small chance of Shadow not surviving; he would never forgive himself. Gritting his teeth, Sonic made his decision, diving down, stretching his arm toward his dark counterpart.

"Shadow!"

He could feel the ebb of Chaos energy, turning this a race against time. He frowned as he summoned the last of the power to soar toward the plummeting hedgehog, watching as his golden fur receded into dark blue. No, he had to reach.

The backdrop of the Earth, fluffy clouds speckling the green, brown, and blue surface would have been gorgeous under any other circumstances, but Sonic was focused completely on his rival. He watched as sparks erupted around Shadow's body, signaling his entry into the atmosphere, panic slightly increasing. Sonic shook his head determinedly, speeding up, using the last of his force to boost toward the dark hedgehog.

He flinched as he entered the atmosphere, the friction singeing his face, but he refused to turn back. It was far too late at this rate to change his mind, not that he would anyway. He was so close, approaching Shadow swiftly. He was only about fifty feet away now.

"Come on. Chaos give me just enough."

He watched as ring after ring disappeared, leaving him with a measly ten left. He pushed gamely on, using one hand to shield his face, while the other still reached for Shadow's outstretched wrist.

Shadow was falling backwards, his limbs extended up while his back seemed to be getting the brunt of his fall. Sonic gritted his teeth, kicking in the air as he tried to swim through the air, watching as his ring count fell from two, to one, to zero.

He was within ten feet of his goal, but he was no longer in super form, with no other way to get to Shadow.

He could feel the temperature soaring with the loss of his invulnerability, sweat dripping into his eyes as he could see the orange flames lick his body. The air around him was insufficient, the lack of oxygen making him choke through the heat. He could see the same phenomenon happening to the Ultimate Lifeform, and the pressure of gravity compressing in on all sides, suffocating. He was buffered on all sides from the forces beyond his control that threatened to crush him. Sonic glanced around, looking for something to help propel him closer and gasped.

One of the Chaos Emeralds was falling next to him, within his reach, along with Shadow's inhibitor rings. If he could just grab them. He snatched the jewel out of the air with one hand, feeling the comforting surface and the small trickle of Chaos energy, like drinking a warm caffeinated beverage on a cold day. He reached out with his other hand, snagging the inhibitors, sliding them over his wrist. Sonic angled his body just enough so that he could fall directly into Shadow, making his decent slightly more streamlined than his companion.

Finally, with one last motion, he grabbed ahold of Shadow's wrist. Sonic released the breath he hadn't realize he was holding as he tugged the darker hedgehog closer, wrapping himself around him protectively, and turning his body so that he was taking the brunt of the fall instead.

Sonic hissed as he felt his quills start to burn and tried to once again angle his trajectory a little to help, but he was powerless against the weightless free fall. They spun slightly, out of control as the wind battered them from all sides. He hugged Shadow to him, relieved to see he was still breathing as he tucked the darker hedgehog into a ball, lessening the surface area he would have to cover. He quickly slid the inhibitor rings he had back onto their owner's wrists, relieved as they slid back into place. One less thing he had to hold onto. He wrapped his arms and legs around Shadow, bracing himself for the fall.

Now what? He had reached his goal; the next step was to get them to some place safe. Sonic glanced around, looking for inspiration for a plan. He hadn't thought past just making it to Shadow; he had always been an act first think later kind of guy. That was kind of Tails' forte.

Could he use the space debris around them as footholds to leap back to the ARK? No, they were too far into the atmosphere by now, and he doubted he could fight against gravity with Shadow being dead weight. Could he use spin dash to lessen the atmospheres affects around them, spin fast enough to keep them cool? One way to find out. He tightened his grip on his charge, making sure he wouldn't fly out of his hold and spun, feeling the air slide around him in a slipstream. It did seem to make them slightly more aerodynamic as they cut through the atmosphere, and the spinning meant the damage was evenly spread instead of just one side, but it didn't solve their problem. If they continued on, they would splat against the ground, which wasn't on Sonic's top things he wanted to do.

Slowly panic curled its icy claws around Sonic's heart, something he felt very rarely. He could see the ground getting closer with every revolution and was running out of time. There was no Tails to catch him this time. He was on his own, and nothing was going to stop him from splattering against the earth at this rate. He closed his eyes, trying to think faster. There had to be something.

Wait…the Chaos Emerald. Could he use Chaos Control to teleport them somewhere? If he could do it with a fake gem, surely the real thing would work twice as well. He fumbled slightly with the gem in his hand, gripping it firmly as he thought about Tails' workshop, with its spacious garage, wooden workbench, relaxing atmosphere.

"Chaos Control."

He gasped as he felt something physically tug at something deep in his chest, like a punch to the gut, and there was a small spark that glinted in the gem's surface. Sonic gritted his teeth, trying again, harder this time. He had to.

"Chaos Control!"

Again, that feeling of something trying to wrench something out of him. He tucked his head against Shadow's quills, gritting his teeth in frustration. He wasn't an expert of it yet. He had only had the time to try it twice, once on himself, and the other with Shadow mostly guiding the ARK back into place. He hadn't practiced enough. Not to mention the Chaos Emerald was drained, and he had no Chaos energy left himself. That was why it had pained him, the emerald trying to siphon the energy needed for the teleportation out of him instead, but he had none to give.

So what? Was he going to give up? No way. He never gave up on anything. Just needed to try something else. Sonic readjusted his grip on Shadow and almost face palmed. Of course! Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform had perfected his Chaos Control, using it as easily as Sonic could use his speed. Sonic had a lot of Chaos energy inside of him, but he was sure that Shadow had even more. Even exhausted, he was sure that he could do it. He didn't care where they went, as long as they were closer to the earth then they currently were. Only problem, he was passed out and unresponsive. Sonic would just have to fix that.

Sonic slammed his forehead against Shadow's, getting a face full of black and crimson quills, and feeling pain at the force of the hit.

"Faker! Wake up!"

Shadow's head lolled to the side, no sign that he had even felt the forceful headbutt. Sonic loosened his hold on the spiky ball in his arms slightly, shaking him vigorously. This was his last idea, his last resort. If this didn't work, then he would just have to hope for the best and pray his good luck held out. The hero shook harder, his voice becoming more frantic.

"Shadow come on Faker. Wake up! Snap out of it."

Shadow was brought back into consciousness with a haze of confusion. He felt weightless, and something was restraining him into a loose ball, and he had a faint feeling of spinning. However, memories of where he was and how he got there were scattered to the edge of his mind, and he didn't care enough to try to reign them back in. What happened? Why was he feeling so weak? Did the scientists do another experiment with him? Was Maria there?

The wind whistled in his ears, and he gave them a flick, trying to drown out the annoying sound. He was so tired, wanting desperately to rest, but no, something had woken him up. Something urgent.

A voice filtered in through the fog of exhaustion and bewilderment, muffled, but insistent.

"—adow. Shadow wake up."

Someone was calling him. Someone needed him.

Crimson eyes futtered open, trying to understand what was going on. He saw nothing. Suddenly jade-colored emeralds glinted in front of him, cutting through the darkness surrounding him. Shadow frowned slightly. A Chaos Emerald? But he only knew of one green Chaos Emerald. Why were there two? The voice was stronger now, desperation leaking into their tone.

"Shadow! Can you use Chaos Control? It's life or death."

Shadow blinked slightly, the fuzziness around his mind fading slightly. This person needed him to do Chaos Control? Simple for the Ultimate Lifeform. Who did they think they were talking to? Shadow grunted, fingers trying to lift to grab onto the emeralds that were dancing in his vision.

"Where?"

The emeralds softened slightly with an unknown emotion. Pity? Relief? Joy? How did gems soften exactly? Shadow couldn't really tell, couldn't really process the finer details current events, only knowing this person was relying on him to do something only he could do.

"Anywhere but here. Come on Shadow. You can do it."

The encouragement was strong, faith filled, giving Shadow just enough motivation to wake up a little more, inspired to try. He felt the energy infused rock slap into his palm, feeling a little stronger. He wouldn't let this person down. Now, where to go? He couldn't really remember any places, anywhere of importance. His vision widened slightly and instead of just emeralds, he caught sight of vivid azure blue.

Blue, like Maria's eyes.

Maria's dress.

Looking down from the ARK at the blue planet.

I want to go to the ocean someday Shadow. Wouldn't it be fun?

Ocean. A simple image of looking down at waves from an unknown airship that was crossing the water, heading to an island. Shadow gripped the emerald in his hand, murmuring.

"Chaos…Control."

He frowned, feeling the familiar spark of Chaos Energy surging through him, but the effort it was requiring felt far more difficult than ever doing it in the past. It was like expecting a two-pound weight but lifting a hundred. Shadow gritted his teeth, feeling the familiar tug, scooping down deep inside his soul for Chaos Energy that was always there ready to be used. Why was this so hard? Half of his being was practically made up of Chaos, so why was it so depleted? He had never struggled this much. Shadow winced as the pull was almost painful now, trying to draw on power that just wasn't there. No, he wouldn't fail. Maria was counting on him. With a growl, he squeezed out the energy the act needed to be completed.

He felt the embrace tighten around him, before they were enveloped in a familiar white light. The simple act had completely wiped him out, taking the small reserve that he had managed to recover in such a short time. The last thought Shadow had before falling back into the dark void was that he hoped that he had succeeded.

Sonic blinked in disbelief as the Chaos energy arched around them like lightning, guiding them into the space manipulation portal below them. He did it. He actually did it. He knew for a fact that Shadow had expended more energy trying to fight the biolizard and move the ARK back in place, and the fact that he just casually managed to use Chaos Control with a little difficulty while Sonic himself couldn't do it was beyond impressive, not that he would ever tell him that. Shadow the hedgehog had monstrous stamina and strength.

Sonic reinforced his hold on Shadow, not knowing what would happen if he let go of him in the portal. They fell directly into it, flashing through space to somewhere unknown. The burning of the atmosphere and the crushing gravity were gone, a small relief, leaving behind just the deafening wind that continued to whirl around them. Sonic opened his eyes, untucking his head from his spindash ball to see where they were, and his stomach dropped. He breathed out.

"Oh shoot."

Good news, they were much closer to the earth.

Bad news, they were still about a hundred feet above the ground. Better then several miles for sure, but still far enough that it would sting a bit when they hit.

Good and bad news, they were over the ocean.

Sonic felt his fear of water surface in his mind, a feeling he felt rarely, and he refused to give it the time of day now. The water would be much softer the dirt, so he wasn't going to complain. But surviving the drowning afterwards…

Sonic shook his head, clearing it of any other thoughts. One step at a time. He needed to get Shadow and him to land safely. Maybe Shadow would wake up and take pity on him and save him? Was he really going to trust Shadow with that, putting his life in his hands? Sonic pushed away the doubt in his mind in an instant. He had seen Shadow's heroic spirit; besides, he would hate the fact that he would have to owe Sonic anything. He would not allow Sonic to hold this over him that he protected him from the fall, and not save him back…maybe. If he even woke up at all that was.

Could he possibly use spin dash to disperse the force a little? He had used it before to burrow into the earth to catch himself from hard falls, digging until he could feel himself slow down naturally, using the dirt as a natural cushion. The only problem with that was this was water. If he did use spindash, who knew how deep they could go, and how much water he would have to attempt to swim through to get back to the surface.

Maybe not cut through, but what if he used it with the intent to bounce? Tails told him one time that falling into water from a high height could be dangerous because it was as tough as slamming into concrete. Maybe if he tried to instead cut through the water but acted like he was bouncing off a spring pad it might hurt less. Well, one way to find out.

Sonic took a deep breath and super charged his spindash, becoming a blur. He felt the fresh oxygen like a blessing whirling around him and was disappointed it was soon to be taken away from him again. Sonic watched carefully as the rough waves got closer, quickly closing the distance between them. He had to time this just right. He muttered, readjusting his grip on Shadow's body, tucking his arms and head into his chest.

"Hold on buddy. This is going to be rough."

Chaos above so many things could go wrong, and they could both be killed, drowned or by the force of the landing. Sonic swallowed, sent one last prayer to Chaos to keep them alive and for his luck to hold out, and took a deep breath. It was all up to fate now he supposed. Luckily, fate usually favored him.

Seventy-five, fifty, twenty feet. Sonic's hero spirit acted on reflex. He rotated so that he would hit back first, clutching onto Shadow's body securely as he could, protecting him from the crash. He tensed, bracing for the impact.

It happened in a split second. Sonic felt the waves barely wet his back quills, and he reacted instinctively, pulling up to rebound off of the water like a bouncy ball. He grunted as he felt himself slam into the water, feeling his ribcage buckle. That was going to leave a mark tomorrow.

They skipped across the waves like a stone, every time landing on Sonic's side of spindash. It took some higher coordination on Sonic's part to make sure he hit the water instead of Shadow every time, but for a super speedy hedgehog that was used to lightning quick instincts it was doable. After about five skips, Sonic could no longer keep his hold on Shadow as he was ripped from his hands. The two hedgehogs were flung apart and plunged into the ocean with the force of a volley of Eggman's rockets, spraying geysers of water far into the sky.

Shadow was shocked into wakefulness in an instant as he smacked into something solid, and he was whirling around like he was in a tornado. There were several more jarring impacts that he couldn't figure out where they were from or feel on his body, almost like something was blocking them, before suddenly there was a splashing noise and there was no air. He was whirling in many directions, not knowing which way was up or down, drawn into a different weightlessness then earlier, a much heavier kind. Crimson eyes snapped open, taking in their surroundings as limbs swam naturally pushing against the water around him. On instinct he tried to suck in a breath but got lungs full of water instead. It only took another second before clarity reached him.

Right, the ARK. He had helped save the world. He had fallen from space. Into water?

That didn't matter at the moment, he had other priorities. He needed oxygen now. The Ultimate Lifeform glanced up, seeing the bright light filtering through the clearer water above him. He was quite deep. Not surprising considering how far he had dropped. He paddled upwards in strong strokes, chest burning with the lack of air.

He broke the surface with a gasp, coughing out water as he peered around to try to figure out where he was. He saw nothing but rough white caps, no land in sight, even on the horizon. He could be anywhere in the world right now, and he had no way of getting anywhere without a Chaos Emerald.

Hold on, Chaos Emerald. More memories trickled back, recollections of steady encouragement, of emerald and sapphire, of using Chaos Control.

He hadn't fallen alone.

Shadow's eyes widened, glancing around to see if the other person had surfaced with him. Who was it? He had thought it was Maria, but he wasn't exactly the most lucid, and that was impossible. No one would be stupid enough to try to save him anyway…right?

Nothing emerged from the waves. Cursing, Shadow took a deep breath, and dove back under.

He looked around, seeing the myriad of different blues in the marine underworld. The ocean was filled with a vast emptiness, not even fish or plants could be seen drifting in the currents. Shadow made a full circle, eyes scanning carefully for signs of life. When he finally spotted something, he froze in surprise.

Among the many shades of blue, one more colored the seascape, floating below him and slightly to the left. He recognized the form of Sonic the Hedgehog, the one he had saved the planet with, but also the one he had fought against in these past few days.

Why was he here?

Well, worry about that later. Right now, he couldn't exactly just let him drown. It was obvious he had fallen with him, possibly with the intent to save him, and Shadow was going to return the favor. He refused to owe him anything.

The blue hedgehog's eyes were screwed shut, his face tight as his hand covered his muzzle, trying desperately to contain the air bubbles currently leaking from his mouth. His other hand was holding tight onto something, scrabbling against the water surrounding him while his legs kicked weakly in the water, a poor attempt at swimming.

Shadow surfaced, sucking in enough air to fill his lungs, before dropping once more beneath the waves.

Shadow propelled himself easily through the water, air puffing out his cheeks slightly as it fought to escape back up to the surface. He swam down, reaching for the other hedgehog that was currently sinking through the silent stillness. He was getting closer and finally felt his fingers circle around the tan bicep. Green eyes blinked open in shock, giving him a look that would best be described as panicked and surprised. So surprised in fact that he blew out an enormous air bubble and seemed to suck in even more water.

Shadow took a small moment to just simply observe the hedgehog he had proclaimed as an enemy and rival, watching as he stayed there, helpless in the current, eyes fluttering shut from lack of air. Why? He had given him energy to get back to safety. Why did he follow him, when he obviously could have continued in his own life without having to worry about the death of an enemy? He was intrigued by this strange Sonic character. He knew practically nothing about him, besides their handful of recent clashes. Maybe he could ask him about his strange motives and maybe pummel him later for his idiocy when they weren't dying.

Shadow strengthened his grasp on Sonic's arm, and pushed himself upward, kicking to haul the drowning hedgehog with him the several meters to air.

Shadow breached first, sucking in a blessed gasp of fresh air as he dragged Sonic up behind him, slinging the arm around his shoulder to pull him free of the water. Sonic broke the surface coughing, turning away from the darker hedgehog to retch up any water he had decided to breathe in. Shadow felt a small sliver of irritation as his eyes narrowed.

"Faker, what are you doing here?"

Sonic ignored him, panting to regain his breath. Shadow felt his body start to cramp from the strain. Now that the adrenaline and excitement of surviving a fall from space and saving the Faker had worn off, he was reminded of how utterly enervated he was, and a waterlogged Sonic was no lightweight. They wouldn't last long like this. He moved to unhook Sonic's arm from around his shoulder, when the blue speedster let out an undignified yelp.

"Wait a second don't."

Shadow choked as Sonic clamored closer to him, shoving him under as he practically tried to crawl on top of his head. He surfaced, anger prevalent on his face as he hissed, shoving Sonic off.

"I can't hold you up you fool. Do you want us both to drown?"

Sonic's eyes were darting around to look at the water around them, fright prevalent on his face as his arms clamped around Shadow's shoulders like a vice. He gasped out, trying to hide his obvious fear with a small apologetic smile.

"Sorry, can't swim."

Shadow's face fell. Really, of all things? Although that would explain why he didn't come to the surface earlier, and his pathetic excuse of swimming. He had assumed it was because he was injured, but that wasn't the case.

"Really? How pathetic."

Sonic whipped around to look at him at his incredulous, condescending question. His voice wavered slightly.

"Sorry, can't be perfect all the time."

One couldn't swim, and the other was so fatigued he could barely keep himself above water, let alone two. This was turning into a fine mess.

Sonic's eyes focused slightly behind Shadow. He pointed urgently, slipping further into the water slightly as he gurgled, trying to explain.

"Log, Shadow. Log."

Shadow turned to see where he was pointing and almost fell below the water in relief. There was half of a tree floating miraculously nearby. He hadn't noticed it before because the waves were so high, but the currents seemed to have made it float closer to them. The dark hedgehog immediately tried to swim towards it, dragging Sonic with him. To be fair, the blue one tried his best to help, kicking along almost like he was trying to run on nothing. Together they struggled to reach the floating salvation.

Shadow's hand reached out, grasping onto the salty and waterlogged wood. He heaved Sonic close, grunting as he practically hauled him up out of the water to lay halfway on and halfway off the log. Sonic scrambled out of the water, shaking himself of the excess water. He himself just sagged against the bark, letting his fingers dig into a few knots as hand holds and resting his cheek against the tree, his lower half floating in the water.

Both hedgehogs panted for breath, trying to recover from their small adventure, from everything. They both silently agreed that they both had had a long day. They had both fought each other, the bio lizard twice, moved the ARK back into place, fell from space, and almost drowned in such rapid succession, that they just took a few minutes just to process the events; even for super speedy hedgehogs, a break was needed.

They had almost died at least a handful of times each and they would figure out how to get back to dry land and home later, but right now their bodies declared that they were at least safe enough to rest. Adrenaline calmed, breath was finally caught, and silence prevailed, neither one wanting to break it as they drifted lazily among the waves that seemed to calm slightly into an almost peaceful atmosphere.