"Mephiles! You took advantage of a young hedgehog in distress! I would never agree to something like that with a sound and mature mind!" Shadow yelled angrily.

"You can always call off the deal," Mephiles offered. "At a price." Shadow narrowed his eyes at the demon, this wasn't going his way at all. Mephiles gave an evil chuckle; he enjoyed Shadow's anguish. "Why don't you go and visit Maria, remind yourself of what you have… and what you could lose if you call off the deal." Shadow's mouth gaped open. "In fact, I'll take you there now!"

Shadow ducked subconsciously as Mephiles created a large sphere that sucked them both into the time space continuum, then into the observation room on the Space Colony ARK. Shadow felt dizzy. As he recovered, Mephiles jumped into action and grabbed a young, beautiful and defenceless Maria by the neck. Shadow turned around to see Maria on her knees in a headlock, she looked terrified.

"Shadow! What's happening! I thought Mephiles was our friend!" Maria screamed. Shadow looked into the young girl's eyes, she must have been in her early twenties… an age which she's remained at for so many years and would for the rest of eternity.

"So, Shadow? What will it be? Kill all humans on that planet, or kill the only one you care about," Mephiles asked aggressively. Maria cried out in fear, realising she could die that moment. "She may be ageless but she isn't invincible, so make up your mind."

Shadow trembled on the spot, for once he was really afraid, even more afraid than he was during the GUN raid. He had a choice to make: over 7 billion lives versus one life. Shadow would be devastated if either went. He didn't care about humanity that much, but it would certainly ruin Maria's life to see her race go extinct at the hands of her only friend. Although, what was better? A ruined life… or no life at all? Shadow didn't want to burden Maria with that question.

"Come on Shadow. All of those days you spent with Maria, growing closer and closer to her… surely you want to enjoy that forever?" Mephiles teased. More images flowed through Shadow's head, they came with a wave of emotions this time. Watching Maria grow into a mature young woman, then curing her. Spending day after day and night after night. "She's as loyal to you as you are to her. She's not tried to leave you for another human like one would think."

This made Shadow's blood boil, Mephiles must have read all the hedgehog's thoughts while he imagined the scenarios of bringing Maria back.

"But… is she really worth 7 billion other lives?" Mephiles pushed. Shadow wanted to say no, morally it was wrong, to kill off everyone to save one; it was selfish. Maria wouldn't want it. If Mephiles asked him to destroy all of GUN, he would gladly do it, in fact there was a chance that Maria would agree with it after some persuasion. But, everyone? All of the people who work hard to help others, the selfless beings, the victims of abuse and suffering, the kind souls? No.

"No," Shadow said boldly. Maria screamed bloody murder as Mephiles tightened the grip of his arm around her neck.

"AH! Shadow! Don't say that! There has to be a compromise! Do something!" Maria screamed.

"Mephiles STOP!" Shadow yelled and began to jump forward to tackle the demon. If it meant Maria was going to get pushed the floor, then that was how it had to be. After all, as Mephiles had put it, one moment of pain for an eternity of happiness. A bump to the floor in return for her life; Maria would understand.

"No, you stop!" Mephiles said and held the palm of his free hand against the side of Maria's head. Shadow stopped in mid charge, feeling foolish for even trying it. "One more step and I release a sphere of high intensity power. It would not only kill her, but disintegrate her head so that her dead body would be left headless, and I doubt you would want that, Shadow. After all, only the best for your precious human friend," he continued spitefully. "Now what will it be?"

Shadow stood on the spot as his heart rate increased and his breathing became heavy and laboured. Tears formed in his eyes and he fell to his knees, the anxiety and pressure was too much for the ultimate life form's fragile emotion. His chest felt tight and his muscles weak, was he having a… panic attack?

No. I mustn't show weakness in front of my enemy, Shadow thought, boldly. I know the right decision… but I can't say it… I just can't.

Then he remembered Mephiles' words again. 'A moment of pain.' That's all it would be, right? All it took was one word, or maybe even an action. Shadow pulled himself together and rose to his feet gallantly. It was if his mind had cleared and his anxiety left. The hedgehog looked to Maria lovingly, but didn't say anything to her. He loved her so much.

Just as Mephiles thought Shadow would give in, the ultimate life form did something unexpected. He smiled at Maria weakly, then turned to leave.

"Hedgehog, if you leave this room, she dies!" Mephiles called after him. Shadow didn't react, he just kept on walking.

"SHADOW!" Maria screamed out at the top of her lungs and began to breathe in heavily as she watched Shadow leave. She shrieked again, blood splattered and all was silent.

Meanwhile, Shadow was in the dark corridor trying to block out all thoughts to stop himself from losing his mind. Mephiles appeared in front of him, hardly visible in a low level of light. Shadow saw the green glow of the demon's eyes and a slight outlining of his body.

"You sacrificed her? Why?" Mephiles asked.

"I'm tired of you messing with me, Mephiles," Shadow said darkly. "You no longer have control over me!" the hedgehog pointed and angry finger around the demon and pushed around him to walk away.

"You… let me kill your dearest Maria to prove a point?" Mephiles teased. Shadow tensed up and stopped as he heard what had been said about him. The way Mephiles put it made Shadow seem selfish.

"No, I gave up mine and Maria's happiness for the rest of the world," Shadow argued.

"Wuhahahha! However you wish to see it, Shadow," Mephiles chuckled. With his back to Mephiles, Shadow continued to walk away with his fists clenched at his sides before Mephiles could taunt him into a fight.

Unsatisfied by the way Shadow walked from a battle, he ran forward and grabbed Shadow's mouth from behind, covering it with the palm of his hand. As Shadow jolted and tried to escape from Mephiles' grip, the demon's hand slid across Shadow's muzzle. The skin on the hedgehog's muzzle felt moist… as though something was left there. Shadow put his hands up to his cheek and swiped his finger across it, then looked at the substance he picked up on his white glove. It was dark red… and thick. Shadow felt sick to his stomach; a wave of nausea hit his abdomen.

Maria's… blood.

It was on his lips, it was on his cheeks. The hedgehog quickly wiped the majority off of his face then turned around the face Mephiles in his fighting stance. Mephiles, feeling delighted that Shadow gave into the adrenaline rush, turned to his crystalline form. His whole body gave off a glow, revealing the dark re stains that covered the front of his upper torso and face. Seeing Maria's blood all over Mephiles' body, the fact that she was dead hit him even harder. The hedgehog clenched his teeth and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Expecting a bold performance of fury and rage, and for Shadow to take him down for glory and honour Maria, he got ready to fight. But that's not what happened.

Feeling like he did on the ARK fifty years again, like a young and vulnerable hedgehog he dropped to his knees and cried out at the top of his lungs.

"MARIA!"

Tears streamed from his face like a weak waterfall, his body trembled and quaked, the despaired hedgehog did not hold back. Mephiles was about to speak up with a taunt, but he was interrupted by Shadow's cries.

"WHY!?"

The pain Shadow felt was worse than the one in his thoughts when he played the scenarios out in his head. He had the chance to be with Maria forever and it was gone.

Mephiles stepped closer to Shadow and looked down upon him.

"I'll leave you now. I think that revenge was sufficient enough. You'll know not to mess with me again, hedgehog," Mephiles said. "To think that you could have just begged in the first place, none of this would have happened." The demon summoned a portal and ran through it.

Mephiles' taunting words echoed through Shadow's head after the demon left. All he had to do was beg and the whole ordeal would have been avoided. The hedgehog cried out in rage and frustration, and banged his fists on the floor, unable to contain himself. Through his shaky breaths, Shadow sobbed even more, knowing he could've avoided the situation if he'd just swallowed his pride.

If only there was a way to change the past, Shadow thought to himself. I need to find Sonic.

Lucy Labrador