In Cosmo's Shadow

By Kellie Fay

Disclaimer: Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Cosmo, and the others all belong to SEGA, Team Sonic, 4 Kids and other people not me

I made it to 10 Reviews thanks to Thinking Man's Radish! Geeze in my Ninja Turtle and Danny Phantom stuff I get more than that for a 20 chapter story. and this thing is going to have more than 20 chapters. we're just getting to the good part.

Chapter 19

Into the Unknown

He woke early the next morning surprised that no dreams troubled his sleep. Pie gave him bread, cheese and fruit for breakfast, and then left him in front of Cobbler. No longer in ordinary clothing, the blind kitsune now sported a blue linin gown with gold jewelry. Even Pie wore something similar. Instead of her normal wooden stick, Cobbler had across her lap a staff of gold with a white stone adorning the top.

He sat down in front of her wondering what she was going to do. "Now take that sparkly of yours and place it here between us." She instructed. Shadow complied taking the sky blue chaos emerald and placing it on the floor between them.

"Good good," Cobbler said, "now lad, keep your eyes on the gem. Don't think about anything. Just relax and watch the stone. Let me do all the work."

Shadow nodded, and fixed his eyes on the slightly glowing blue gem. Cobbler lowered her head also gazing at the chaos emerald before them. Slowly the emerald began to turn like a top. After a minute Shadow found that he could not look away from the spinning whirling gem. His body felt rooted to the spot. All he could do is look at the stone before him. After a while he felt the heaviness in his limbs move to his head. He found it hard to keep his head up, or his eyes open. Finally his head dropped to his chest and his eyes fell shut.

He struggled to open his eyes, and when he did so he found himself in a different world.

The field reminded him strongly of the chao garden, but there were no trees around anywhere. There didn't seem to be any water either. All he could see was bright green grass, and wildflowers. Shadow rose to his feet wondering if he fell into a dream, but all of his dreams were always nightmares. The place seemed peacefully enough, but terribly lonely.

He began walking through the field, wondering what he was supposed to be doing here, when several yards away he spotted a human girl, in a sky blue dress, sitting in the field. Something tingled in the back of his mind, but he ignored it for the moment. He drew a little closer then noticed the girl's golden hair. When she turned and graced him with her brilliant smile, he knew. Over fifty years of pain and heartache fell away in seconds. Without a word he raced over to Maria, threw his arms around her, and cried into her shoulder.

"Oh Shadow," Maria said shedding a few tears herself, "I've wanted to hold you so badly for so long. I am so so proud of you."

"Proud of me? I don't understand." Shadow said. He didn't care to understand at the moment. All he could concentrate on was being with his best friend. He sniffed and tried to rub the tears away from his eyes.

Maria laughed and kissed the top of his head. "You've been so strong and so brave. I was so afraid that Black Doom would corrupt you. I was ever so glad when your friend Sonic came to protect you."

Shadow at first felt Shame that Maria knew all about Black Doom, but something else she said caught his attention. "Sonic came to protect me?"

Maria nodded. "Your friend the tree knew. She told Sonic, and they found a way to find you."

Shadow didn't understand. "Why did they choose to save me? I didn't cause them anything but trouble. I fought against them. I almost killed them both."

"They both forgave you for that long ago, Shadow," Maria said gently. Sonic wants to be your friend very much. He understands what it is like to be different, but you need to ask their forgiveness."

Shadow felt very confused. "Maria, how much do you know about what has happened to me? How is it that I'm here with you now?"

"I'm here because the fox lady opened the doorway, and of course I know everything that has happened to you. I have watched you ever since grandfather and the soldiers locked you up in suspension. How could I not watch for you?"

Shadow lowered his head in shame, and tried to pull away from her. Maria knew everything then. She knew how he almost destroyed the earth. She knew how he mercilessly hunted down Cosmo. She knew that at one point he seriously considered Black Doom's offer, and she knew that he almost forgot her when he woke up with her cousin in space.

Maria laughed and drew him into another deep hug. "You were always so silly, Shadow. You couldn't help any of that. You were sick and hurting most of that time. Grandfather and that strange alien had you all confused, and you didn't understand how to deal with Cosmo. She didn't blame you. At times she agreed with you. She forgave you for that long ago. You just have to forgive yourself. "

Shadow accepted the hug, but looked up at his best friend puzzled. "Maria, you know what I'm thinking?"

"A little," she admitted. "I always know when you're thinking of me, or when your memories frightened you. I kept trying to tell you that you were all right, and I still loved you, but you couldn't always hear me." For a moment the hug tightened. "I will always love you."

Somehow Shadow felt that his time here was coming to an end. "I don't want to go," Shadow said holding on to Maria tighter.

Maria sighed, but for the moment she let him cling. "You know you can't stay. You have to go and live life. Don't worry about me. I'll always be with you. Any time you miss me, go into that lovely little room you made for me. You'll know I'm with you. You'll feel it."

Shadow nodded, not understanding fully, but accepting what Maria told him.

"Shadow, I need to ask you to do something for me," Maria said after a moment of silence. "You may not want to do it,"

Shadow shook his head smiling. "I would do anything for you," he assured her.

Maria smiled and nodded. "I need you to forgive, Grandfather for all the dreadful things he did to you. He really didn't mean to, and he was really very ill when he hurt you. Please forgive him. If you do he can come and be with me."

At first Shadow didn't want to forgive The Professor, but listening to Maria he remembered how kind he used to be before GUN attacked. He wished he could understand why the professor altered his memories, but then he remembered how he lashed out at others for no reason. If he didn't forgive the professor what reason did Tails, Cosmo, or Sonic have for forgiving him?

Shadow took in a deep breath, and took all those angry feelings he harbored for the professor, and put them behind him. "Very well, Maria, because you asked me to, I will forgive your grandfather for the wrongs he did to me."

Maria smiled, and kissed the top of his head again. "Thank you my friend. One day you will have to forgive him again, but that can wait for another day."

Shadow didn't understand, but he nodded anyway. Finally she took his hands, and pushed him slightly away from her body looking him over. Shadow knew his time here was almost over. Maria smiled at him, and said, "never never forget, Shadow, I will always be with you. Whenever you feel that you are all alone in the world, stop and listen. You'll hear me. I promise."

Shadow nodded bowing his head. A strange feeling of peace fell over him. He simply sat there for a few moments reveling in this unknown emotion. When he lifted his head and opened his eyes again only the old vixen sat before him. The chaos emerald sat between them looking deceptively like an ordinary stone.

The tears started before Shadow knew what happened. For a full ten minutes he cried, not even able to explain what he felt that made the tears inevitable. Pie's grandmother guided Shadow to a pallet, and helped him lay down. "Tis all right lad," She told him gently. "You let it all out now. You'll feel better in the morning."

Coming Soon Chapter 20

Reflection

So what do you want to do Shadow? He asked himself. Contemplating the question felt a little daunting. He felt rather small looking out at the wide open spaces of the world.

You are not alone. I am with you.

The early morning breeze laughed and played with his quills, somehow drawing a smile from him. His year of wandering taught him much, but at the moment Shadow felt the need to emulate Cosmo, and find a place to put down roots and feel secure.

He wanted to go home.