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To H411OWED KN1GHT 64: Fiona and Sally's feud will be further explored in later chapters. Lightning's too loyal to leave the Destructix.
Lycaeon, Unified Wolf Pack Nation, Lobonia
Outside of the base, Sonic and Lightning clashed several times on the ground and up in the air when they jumped.
Both blurs of yellow and blue zigzagged all over the ground that held the temple. The two quicksters fought for about an hour. And the electricity that powered Raikō was great, the power seemed to be waning upon overusage. This correlated in the fact that the lynx had begun to slow down in his movement compared to the start of the battle.
Sonic, however, never seemed to tire for a second, in comparison.
'...This hedgehog is different. He just keeps on going! Maybe he is faster than what he's shown!' Lightning thought to himself out of shock, panting outwardly. 'Oh no! I can feel the cybernetics' power declining from overuse! I've reached my limit!'
Sonic slowed down to match Lightning's pace of jogging as he thought, 'Well, well, well. Looks like Mister Ambush Shinobi's startin' to tire out. Man, here I thought things were gettin' good. Oh well…'
"You alright there, pal? I couldn't help but notice you gettin' all winded." Sonic asked, only for the hedgehog to weave around two punches.
"Be silent!" Lightning growled in irritation, not liking how fast Sonic picked up his weakness. "This is far from over!"
Sonic sighed at the lynx's need to exalt his pride over common sense.
"...Yeah, nah. I'm finna end this here." Sonic declared, zipping passed Raikō altogether.
"W-What the–!?" The lynx gasped, unable to comprehend the dramatic increase of his opponent's speed.
Suddenly, Sonic appeared five feet away from Raikō while still retaining the light blue outer glow around him.
Dashing forward, Sonic landed a flying kick in Raikō's abdomen, a barrage of speedy punches all over upper body, a chain of spin kicks, then finished that combination attack with a top kick to the lynx's chin which sent Raikō backwards in the air.
Sonic curled into a ball and rolled farther and faster than Raikō's launching speed, jumped up, then performed a fast hard-hitting axe kick, grounding Lightning into a small crater, unconscious.
That last move was called the Sonic Eagle.
Sonic landed where the unmoving lynx laid.
He crouched down, grabbed Raikō's left arm and checked his pulse.
Sonic sighed in relief, "Thank Chaos. I was tryin' my best to pull my punches there. At least he's down for the count."
Meanwhile, Bunnie and Predator Hawk were having a fire fight in the air, with the cyborg rabbit pushing on the offensive.
Predator was flying upwards away from Bunnie, who was firing repulsor beams from her mechanical arm's palm.
"Take this, ya no good nasty vermin!" Bunnie shouted, continuously blasting at the teal Mobian hawk.
Three of her rays were avoided, but one ended up zapping his tail feathers.
"Argh!" Predator squawked in pain before turning to Bunnie with a scowl. "Piss off, carrot-breath!"
Predator then spawned a missile that when fired at Bunnie, released a brilliant flash of light that temporarily disabled yer sense of vision. The hawk then swooped down to her and spun his board, knocking Bunnie down to the ground nearby a public bench.
While still airborne as he flew towards the base, Predator cackled, saying, "Now that I got that hare out of my feathers, let's get back to finding that–"
Predator paused as he found Sonic nearby an unmoving Raikō.
Gasping, Predator immediately made a b-line for his comrade. With his gun barrels and rockets selected and on standby to fire at will.
Predator pulled up to Sonic, screeching, "Freeze, hedgehog! Don't you move a muscle or I'll blow you to kingdom come!"
Sonic found himself putting his hands in the air similarly to when GUN finally caught him. Now, he could very well take Predator down in seconds. But, given what the situation appeared to look like from the perspective of the mobian hawk.
"Hey, hey! Chill out, man! Your buddy's alright. Trust me, I checked." Sonic promised.
Narrowing his eyes, Predator said, "I'll be the judge of that."
Lowering down to the ground, the hawk shook Lightning with his hand.
"Rai! Rai! Damn it, speak to me!"
The lynx let out a low but audible groan as he slightly stirred from his prone unconscious body.
"...Good, he's still alive." Predator Hawk sighed in relief.
Sonic pointed out sassily, "See? I told ya so!"
Ignoring the hedgehog, Predator grabbed Lightning and hoisted him over his shoulder before lifting off on his Extreme Gear hoverboard.
'Nice job, Dumbass. You should have known better than to push yourself so much. Now I have to explain this to Fiona and the others.' Predator Hawk groaned.
"Ho, wait a sec!"
Predator turned around in Sonic's direction, said, "What the hell do you want? If you're looking for a fight–"
"–No thanks. You guys may seem like the super bad criminal types, but I'm not gettin' any evil vibes from you at all." Sonic brought up with his arms crossed.
"Where are you going with this, Hedgehog?" Predator demanded.
"Listen, I ain't got any real beef with you and your folks. And I had a great time racin' your ninja pal. He kind of reminds me of a shinobi that I know. When he wakes up, tell Lightnin' that if he's up for a rematch next time, just let me know. I'll be waitin'." Sonic said, giving Predator Hawk a genuine thumbs.
The hawk shook his head, calling Sonic a weirdo under his breath before flying off elsewhere to tend to his ally, finding his health to be more important. He did this while telling the other members of the Destructix on his communication device on his wrist.
Bunnie landed behind Sonic, checking up on the blue adventurer.
"How are you holdin' up, Sugar-hog?"
"I'm good. Took down the ninja lynx but Teal Turkey went and saved him at the last minute. You?"
"Well, that Bird Brain played dirty a caught may off mah guard. But Ah'll live. Let's get back to the gang an' check on Tails."
Sonic nodded in agreement as the two dashed back to Freedom HQ.
Meanwhile, Drago Wulfe, funnily enough, seemed to have bit off more than he could chew. While the Mobian white wolf had his sights set on his sister out of his raw contempt, he still had Knuckles constantly pushing on the offensive.
Currently, Lupe kept herself the center of Drago's attention by thrusting her spear at her traitorous's head. Drago weaved around it while getting a few scratches on the gray wolf's torso. When he got too close, he was met with a spinning hook punch from Knuckles, sending him crashing into several display cases.
Drago got up, only to find his sister lunging forward to seemingly end him. He rolled away from the downward thrust of the spear, only to stumble on one of Fang's revolvers.
Getting up, Drago fired two shots at Lupe, which she shielded herself with her shield.
Drago anticipated Knuckles rushing behind him. So, he quickly whipped around and put the gun towards Knuckles' head.
"Light's out, porcupine."
The wolf pulled the trigger and fired the gun. But instead of a gunned down corpse, like what he expected, Knuckles stood tall with an expression that indicated his mild annoyance for the wolf's prejudiced remark.
The echidna wiped off the bullet his forehead, then quickly took a hold of Drago's wrist that held the revolver in a strong vice grip.
"ARGH!" Drago howled in pain.
"I am an echidna!" Knuckles declared before breaking the wolf's wrist.
The wolf let out a cry in agony, cradling his broken wrist as he fell into his knees. Knuckles proceeded to grab a hold of Drago, tossed straight to Lupe, who smacked him against another wall.
"Fiona! Fang! Back me up, I'm getting cornered here!"
"I'm a bit occupied, mate!" Fang shouted from a far as he was clashing his hunting knives against Antoine's sword.
Over with the girls, Sally and Fiona were swapping blows with their hands and feet. Sally found herself on the defensive, countering swipes, chops, and avoiding a low sweep by flipping away.
Sally dipped and weaved around Fiona's sidekick and roundhouse kick, then delivered a jab into the fem fatale's solar plexus, followed by a straight palm to Fiona's face.
Fiona staggered back, holding her nose while biting her tongue from letting curses. Sally took this as an opportunity. She cartwheeled, then flipped into a drop kick, knocking the wind out of Fiona and caused her to stumble onto the ground.
Now, Fiona found herself face down on the floor with Sally standing in front of her.
"It's over, Fiona." Sally said with the finality of a ruler. "I do not wish for this squabble to go on any longer. Please, just give up."
Fiona glared daggers at the princess, finding her "plea" to be blasphemy. Looking towards the large hole that her team created, she could see Tails flying in the distance.
Looking back into the eyes of her opponent, Fiona had noticed Sally's right leg was out in the open. Capitalizing on this, Fiona crouched and quickly swept Sally using her outstretched right leg, dropping the princess on the floor while Fiona got up. She then stomped on Sally's left leg to immobilize her for a brief moment.
"Tough luck, Sugar Queen! I plan on winning this game today." Fiona said before dashing off to where Tails would be landing as she began shifting her appearance once more.
The yellow fox kit came through the large hole in the wall that the mercenaries busted in.
He scanned around the area, watching the battle between his friends and what Tails guessed to be the hired help of Eggman's.
TWEET~!
The fox's ears perked up from the whistling sound that rang through his eardrums. Turning his head in that direction, Tails found his best friend waving at him.
Smiling, Tails held the yellow Chaos Emerald in his hand as he ran towards him.
"Sonic" smiled brightly at "his" friend as Tails approached him.
"Boy, I'm glad to see you." Tails said while in the process of handing "Sonic" the Chaos Emerald. "Here, I manage to keep this safe."
During this time, Sally got up to find her rival and enemy out of sight. However, she eventually found Tails giving Sonic the Chaos Emerald just as Bunnie returned to the base…
…with Sonic?
'If Fiona's gone, there's now two Sonics but one happens to been with Bunnie, then–"
"Oh no!" Sally gasped.
Reading the situation instantly, the real Sonic shouted, "Tails, I'm right here! That faker ain't me!"
Tails quickly turned to Sonic's direction, gasping in shock. Then he looked to see who he truly had given the Chaos Emerald to.
A light flashed for a moment before showing Fiona Fox, the enemy.
Tails was quickly met with a surprise roundhouse in the cheek from the older vixen, sending him back sprawling towards the ground.
Sonic bolted towards his friend, catching the younger fox with ease.
Meanwhile, Fiona jumped off towards the hole in the walk and took out a Warp Ring with her free hand.
She then shouted, "Fang, fall back! We've gotten what we came for."
While fighting with Antoine, the weasel picked up the verbal message and pushed the Mobian coyote back before picking up the bazooka Predator had used to blow open the hole in the wall. He then rushed over to Fiona's side.
Drago had found himself restrained by Knuckles while pinned down on the floor, beaten with an inch of his life. Looking over, he found the remnants of what supposed to have been his team opening a Warp Ring portal to the outside of the rendezvous point Dr. Robonik gave them.
"Hey!" Drago shouted, squirming. "What are you two doing!?"
"What does it look like, mate?" Fang questioned as he readied the large weapon. "Our job."
"Consider our partnership terminated, Wulfe. And FYI, you were never the big dog in charge." Fiona smugly commented. "Have fun rotting in Lobonian prison."
"You…YOU TRAITORS!" Drago shouted, struggling to break free from the echidna's grasp, but to no avail. "I'll kill you! I'll break free, hunt you down, and murder every single one of you! Do you understand me!? You're dead! D-E-A-D!"
Finding the declaration demented and disturbing, Knuckles knocked the wolf out, saying, "That's enough out of you!"
"Fiona!"
The two Destructix members watched as Sally and Bunnie ran towards their direction.
"While it's been a blast catching up with you lot, I have business elsewhere. Until we meet again, Freedom Fighters! And thanks again for the gemstone! Ta ta~!"
Fang took a shot towards the ceiling and blasted it, causing large amounts of rocks and stalagmites to continuously fall, blocking the approaching Freedom Fighters' pathway rather quickly.
Using this time to their advantage, the two criminals crossed over through the Warp Ring before it closed.
After two minutes of violent rock piling, it was finally over.
Team Sonic, the Freedom Fighter, and Lupe opened their eyes and got up to find that the vault of treasures was in complete ruin.
"Is everyone okay?" Sally asked aloud.
"Yeah, I'm good." Sonic responded,
Everybody else followed with their verbal confirmation.
"Wait! Where are the Destructix?"
"The Emerald!" Tails gasped.
That's when it clicked with the Destructix sans Drago, and most importantly, the yellow Chaos Emerald, nowhere to be found.
-Timeskip, Thirty Minutes Later, Outside of Freedom HQ-
After a wild encounter with the Destructix, the gang had successfully and safely evacuated the vault and spent time recovering from their respective battles while Lupe went to see that her brother was properly imprisoned.
Before they knew it, Team Sonic and the Freedom Fighters were mostly held, albeit wearing small bandages around the cuts and bruises that were inflicted upon them.
Now, they stood outside where the X-Tornado had been parked.
"Man, what a rush." Sonic chuckled, stretching his arms out. "If I'd known that your missions were this fun, I would have found you guys and joined the Freedom Fighters a long time ago."
Sally folded her arms, not amused by Sonic's awfully calm demeanor.
"I don't see how you act so nonchalant after what happened, Sonic." The princess said.
"What do ya mean? Ya'll makin' it seem that we failed big time." Sonic responded, raising a brow.
Bunnie joined the conversation, saying, "Thuh mission wuz uh bust, Ollie. We've lost thuh Miracle Gem."
"Oui. And to zé Destructix, non less." Antoine added while standing beside Bunnie.
"Sonic, you know how vital the Emeralds are to our mission. For all we know, Robotnik could have been the one who sent them to swipe the Chaos Emerald from Lupe. In fact, I believe that is the case. It's a miracle that we didn't lose both Chaos Emeralds." Sally expressed.
"Guys, what gives?" Sonic questioned, looking at the Freedom Fighters more so than his team. "Look, we lost an Emerald. And those mercs got the drop on us in that regard. Alright, I'll give y'all that. But that doesn't mean that the mission was a waste."
"I hate to admit it, but the hedgehog is right." Knuckles confessed as he turned to Sally. "Do you still have the cyan Chaos Emerald?"
Sally nodded as she pulled out the gemstone in question.
"Good. I have mine as well." Knuckles said, taking out the Master Emerald shard from the bag Sir Charles gave him.
"Oh gosh, that's right!" Sally said, bringing her hand to the top of her forehead.
"Mhm." Sonic grinned, nodding his head. "We still got the Master Emerald shard. As long as we keep on nabbin' these shards, we'll be on track in restorin' the Master Emerald before all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. And sure, Eggman may well have his grubby hands on one measly Emerald, but we technically already have access to two Chaos Emeralds."
"We do?" The Freedom Fighters asked at the same time.
Knuckles' eyes widened before grinning, asking, "You're talking about Shadow's Chaos Emerald, aren't you?"
Sonic gave Knuckles his own grin, answering him with a nonverbal response.
Bunnie raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the name that Knuckles and Sonic brought up.
"Erm, who iz zis Shadow zat ze two of you speak of?" Antoine questioned with curiosity.
"Oh, him? Did Bunnie and Sal tell you how I teleported the gang out of the oil refinery a while back using a Chaos Emerald?" Sonic responded, which the swordsman nodded. "I indirectly learned that through watching Shadow… Not that I had the luxury of screwing up at the time."
"Yawl didn't? In whut context, Sugar-hog?" Inquired Bunnie.
"I mean, Eggman trapped me in a capsule that was rigged to blow up and shot me into space. I didn't exactly have the time to use my head. I had one chance, so I acted quickly. Thankfully, Chaos Control worked, and I was able to face Shadow in one last race." Sonic explained.
This new information brought a wave of realization to the princess' mind.
"Wait a minute! There was another golden being alongside you that assisted in stopping the ARK's crash course. That was Shadow, was it?"
"You betcha!" Sonic said, winking at Sally. "Out of everybody that I've met in my adventures, the only person who is my equal when it comes to speed is Shadow the Hedgehog."
'Incredible! I'd never have guessed there was anybody out in the world who could ever match Oliver in speed or power.' Sally thought to herself.
"My point is, guys, that we're still in the game. Don't let the bumps on the road ruin the whole adventure. There's still time to get the job done! So let's take that small loss we lived through and learn from it, alright? We can do this!"
The Freedom Fighters nodded, appreciating Sonic's boost in morale as they felt that empowered them.
Tails stayed relatively quiet for the most part, keeping his head down in guilt as he approached the jet plane. He bore the blame for losing the Chaos Emerald to the enemy. Thus, he decided to check on the jet plane by himself.
Sonic saw this, and was about to talk to the kid when Knuckles stopped him.
"Let me talk to him, Sonic." Knuckles said as he pointed to Lupe approaching with her guards. "We'll join you shortly."
Sonic nodded as he and the Freedom Fighters walked over to meet the chief of the Waya tribe halfway, leaving the echidna to speak to the young inventor.
"Tails?" Knuckles spoke calmly, causing the yellow fox to pause as he turned to Knuckles with an awkward smile.
"H-Hi, Knuckles! I didn't see you there."
"What are you doing over here?" The older echidna asked. "Everybody else is heading over to speak to the chief."
Tails' ears drooped as he averted his eyes.
"...Oh. I thought I'd get a head start on readying the X-Tornado and make sure that nothing happened to it, you know?" Tails weakly reasoned.
Knuckles shot Tails a half-lidded gaze, not buying the fox's reason one bit.
"What? I swear, it's the truth!" Tails tried reinforcing.
"Tails, I can tell that something's wrong. What is troubling you? It's not like you to distance yourself from other people." Knuckles asked, not budging at the fox's comment.
Seeing that he wasn't winning his friend over with his delusions, the fox sighed in defeat.
"Alright, you win." Tails relented, releasing the pent-up guilt. "I messed up big time, okay? I had that Chaos Emerald in my hand, Knuckles! And what did I do? I stupidly passed it to the enemy while taking the form of Sonic! How could I let myself be fooled so easily!?"
Taking a step forward, the echidna responded, saying, "But you didn't know that at the time, Tails. That group had a shapeshifter. Nobody blames you for what you couldn't anticipate."
Tails shot back, "Well, I do! I should have known that something was up from the get-go! That Fiona girl whistled at me and didn't say a word! The real Sonic would have said anything besides a whistle! All of the signs were there, Knuckles! And I fell for it like a chump! She played me for a fool!"
Tails groaned, placing his hands on his out of guilt, self-loathing, frustration, and embarrassment.
The Mobian echidna warrior placed a comforting hand on one of the shoulders of the twelve-year-old Mobian fox's shoulder.
"We all have our unflattering moments, my friend. Take it from a person who has been deliberately deceived by Eggman in the past. All that we can do now is learn from our mistakes, like Sonic said. You've got to stop putting yourself through the wringer over an honest mistake."
Tails took his hands out of his face as he sighed, rubbing his arm while saying, "...I guess you're right."
"Come on," Knuckles said, patting the kid on his back. "Let's get back to the others, okay?"
Tails nodded silently, choosing to follow Knuckles towards the rest of the group, who were busy talking to Lupe.
"The Unified Wolf Pack Nation gives you its thanks, Freedom Fighters. Because of your valiant efforts, a notorious international criminal is in our custody. We are grateful for your dutiful service." Lupe said, with her guards giving them a bow in respect.
Sally "Its not a problem, Lupe. Even though we may have lost one of the artifacts, we're glad we were able to arrive here while we could."
"Yes. You have our deepest sympathies for that." Lupe frowned. "If any of us were to find any more of these Miracle Gems that ylu seek, we'll notify you."
"Thanks a lot, Lupe!" Sonic grinned before rubbing the back of his neck. "And, uh, sorry about the mess in your vault. I was wildin' out when I kicked your bro into that wall with a fancy painting hangin' on it. Heh, heh!"
Sally rolled her eyes at her childhood friend's antics with Antoine and Knuckles snorting at Sonic while Bunnie and Tails giggled. But Lupe paid no mind to the hedgehog.
"All is forgive, Sonic." Lupe chuckled. "None of us could have expected such a breach could happen. This only gives our people the motivation to improve on our security systems."
Turning to the rest of the Freedom Fighters, the chief said, "I wish you all good luck on your mission. I imagine the task to be a daring endeavor, but know that the Wolf Pack Fighters shall remain by your side to the very end."
Bunnie, Antoine, Tails, and Knuckles nodded, acknowledging the she-wolf's statement.
When approaching Sally, Lupe brought her hands and placed them on the young princess' shoulders.
"Safe travels, Princess Sally." The she-wolf said before embracing the field leader.
"You stay safe too, Lupe." Sally replied fondly, reciprocating the hug.
When the two women broke off from their embrace, everybody had waved Lupe goodbye as they made their way towards the X-Tornado.
However, Lupe called out to Sonic, and the blue hedgehog stopped walking halfway.
"Sonic, your mother was considered an honorary member of the Waya Pack. If you happen to be in need and you are near our territory, know that you have allies among the pack." Lupe opened up.
Sonic gave Lupe a thumbs up, saying, "Good to know. Take care, alright?"
With that, the she-wolf and the guards bid Team Sonic and the Knothole Freedom Fighters farewell, watching the X-Tornado take off to the skies and leaving the city behind.
Egg Carrier, Miles Away From Lobonia
Dr. Robotnik found himself grinning at the reflection of his image as he gazed at the yellow Chaos Emerald he held in his right hand.
The Destructix stood in front of him while they all were present in the main computer room, watching the man cackle at himself.
"Hehehehe!" Dr. Robotnik laughed. "Finally! I have a Chaos Emerald in my possession."
While watching the display of glee the scientist expressed, Predator whispered, "Look at this clown. It's like watching a kid playing with a new toy."
The other boys hushed Predator, trying to avoid upsetting their client.
Fiona then sassily said, "Hey, Doc! We've done your dirty work. Where's our pay?"
Remembering that there were people in the room, Robotnik cleared his throat as he turned to the Destructix.
"Ah, yes. Your payment." Eggman recalled. "SNIVELY, fetch one of the Egg Pawn units from the treasury for me."
"Yes, sir." The nasally sounding AI from the intercom replied.
Soon enough, a standard Egg Pawn model came walking in with a briefcase in itself with a mechanical left hand.
"Consider this a reward for a job well done."
Handing it over to the scientist, Dr. Robotnik used the combination to open the case, revealing ten million mobium in cash.
The mercenaries' jaw nearly left holes in the airship's floor.
"SWEET MOBIUS!" All four members of the group gasped.
The scientist each handed them a stack of bills to prove its authenticity, which Fiona quickly verified to be real.
"T-This is…" Lightning stuttered.
"...Bloody lunacy!" Fang added, still counting the mobium bills to check if he wasn't going insane himself.
"Shoot, you don't see me complaining." Predator grinned with content.
Fiona took a hold of the case with the rest of the money before eyeing the Overlander with curiosity.
"How in the Ancient Walkers are you this loaded to the point where you have ten mil on hand?" The vixen questioned.
"What kind of question is that? I'll have you know that a brilliant multi talented genius like myself has various sources of income." Eggman lectured. "Before my emergence as an aspiring conqueror, I was the greatest inventor in the Department of Weapons Development in GUN. That, and there was that bagel slicer I made trillions off when I was a young lad."
"The Bagel O'Matic 3000 was your invention!?" Predator Hawk squawked. "Those things are one of the best appliances in the market! Every parent and their grandma buys them out of stock every year!"
"That goes to show the quality of my genius intellect." Dr. Robotnik stated as if it was factual. "Bottom line, money does not grow on trees. Relying on a single line of revenue is foolish and naive. I learned that the hard way back in my formative years. The key to financial success is to find multiple methods of making profit to build wealth."
"We'll keep that in mind, doc." Fiona understood.
"Lovely." Eggman said. "I believe our business has come to an end. I take it that the four of you can see yourselves out, can you?"
Fiona nodded, taking out her Warp Ring and tossing it towards the door. This caused the ring to enlarge while the hole formed a temporary portal.
The Destructix each placed the stacks of cash back into the briefcase. After shutting it and getting the combination from Robotnik, the mercenaries left room, leaving the scientist on his own with Eggman swiveling to face the large computer screen.
Suddenly a dark figure emerged from a corner of the computer room, unveiling himself to be Naugus the Dark.
"One Emerald down…Six more to go." Naugus smirked. "Well done, doctor."
Dr. Robotnik gave the sorcerer his own devious grin as he typed on the keyboard.
"If you like that, I've got more exciting news for you!"
Eggman accessed one of his recent recordings, showing a visual of Metallix's triumph against Shadow the Hedgehog.
Because of this, the Ixis Warlock's smirk brightened to a twisted toothy smile.
'Yes… Yes, he shall be the key to the Quickster's fall when the time comes. For now, I shall wait.'
-Within the mind of an unconscious Shadow-
Shadow laid on the ground, surrounded by a bed of white flowers under the starry night sky. He appeared as he did right after the fight with Metallix.
Burnt, beatened, bloodied.
Broken. Metallix had broken him.
And yet, the tingling sensation in his head caused him to stir out of his sleep.
The black hedgehog got up, with one gloved hand placed on his forehead as he groaned in pain.
"Ngh… My head..." Shadow softly moaned.
"Thank goodness, you're finally awake." A relieved young and gentle voice spoke nearby.
Looking adjacent to Shadow, his red eyes dilated in utter shock.
Sitting near him was a familiar figure that used to haunt Shadow during the times his memories had been lost to him.
This was a young human girl who was petite and frail looking. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes. Her hair was wavy and held back with a blue hairband.
For attire, she wore a dark blue puffy-sleeved t-shirt with light blue trim, a light blue, knee-length skirt and dark blue slippers.
This was Maria Robotnik, Prof. Gerald's granddaughter and the deceased cousin of Dr. J. Ivo Robotnik.
"Ma…Maria?" Shadow questioned, finding himself frozen by her sudden appearance.
Maria nodded as approached her old friend and sat beside him.
"Hello again, Shadow." Maria greeted kindly.
Maria expected a hug from the Ultimate Lifeform, however, Shadow was too busy gazing at the old blood stained bullet wound she still had on her left chest.
She took note of this and sheepishly covered that side of herself, saying, "Oh! Hehehe… Uh, sorry. How rude of me."
"Is it really you, Maria?" Shadow asked, hoping that the experience was real to him.
"Indeed it is." Maria clarified. "I didn't expect you to end up in such a lonely place like this…"
"Are we in…the afterlife?" Shadow inquired, looking around the area that he somehow ended up in.
The blonde shook her head, answering, "Not exactly, my friend. Do you remember how my grandfather used to describe death?"
"Death is like an eternal sleep," The hedgehog immediately recited. "An endless dream that you can never wake from."
Maria smiled, saying, "That right, Shadow. There is a life after our time comes to an end. That is where I came from. But no, this isn't it exactly. Think of this place as a crossroad. A place where dreams of the living can interact with the great beyond to a degree. At least, that's how it was described to me by the Goddess of Dreams."
"I see…" Shadow accepted, looking down for a moment until he made eye contact with the girl again. "Not that I am unhappy to see you or anything, but what are you doing here?"
"I'm here because I wish to speak with you, Shadow."
"Speak with me?" The black hedgehog repeated.
Maria got up, then kneeled down to Shadow's height with her hand out.
"Come and walk with me."
Without hesitation, Shadow took Maria's hand, prompting her to pull him to his feet as they walked along the area under the beautiful starry night.
Maria expressed, "Ever since you've been awakened by Julian, I've been watching you closely. I've seen how that day has broken you, Shadow. Struggling with the burden of another's thirst for revenge in your consciousness, dealing with forgotten memories, navigating in a world that you viewed to deserve retribution for a cause that you could not grasp. Watching all of that made me worry about you."
Looking at Shadow, she grabbed Shadow's hands affectionately, stating, "Though I can't say that I wouldn't have been as lost and hurt in your place, I saw that you've made the right choice in the end."
"But M-Maria, our promise! I-I almost broke our–" Shadow pointed out shakily.
"But you kept that promise, Shadow." Maria responded, holding his chin with one of her gentle hands. "You gave mankind, no, you gave the whole world another chance after everything that had happened. Whether alone, or if you had help, in time, you remembered. That's what's important."
"Maria…"
"Here, I want to show you something." Maria spurred, urging the hedgehog to keep moving.
The girl then walked Shadow farther into the night, eventually taking to see a wonderful sight. Out in the distance of space was a close view of Mobius.
"This is the planet." Shadow pointed out. "It's so close, yet so far."
"Doesn't it look lovely, Shadow?" Maria questioned, staring directly into the sphere of green and blue.
Shadow nodded, saying, "That, it does."
Turning to gaze back into Shadow's face, a frown formed on Maria's youthful face.
"Listen, Shadow. There is a darkness that threatens this beautiful world. A world that we've always wanted to see. It seeks nothing but complete and utter destruction until the very earth and everything surrounding it is scorched in a disastrous flame." Maria informed Shadow as she looked at the hedgehog's wounds. "What you've experienced was that darkness granting an emissary a fraction of its power."
Shadow did this himself, inspecting the damage he had received from Metallix while reliving the haunting defeat. This caused him to grit his teeth and shake violently.
Maria could only watch him solemnly as Shadow dropped down to his knee and bowed his head in shame.
"I'm sorry, Maria! But I-I'm not strong enough!" Shadow lamented. "H-He's too strong for me to handle, even with all of my power! …The soldiers, those people, I led them all to die. I failed you! Please, forgive me!" Shadow cried, pouring his heart out while tears fell down from his eyes.
Maria met him in the group and pulled Shadow into a hug. After a bit of time spent calming the GUN agent down, she held his cheek with one hand to speak to him.
"Shadow, all that I can do is to ask that you do your best." Maria smiled. "And your best saved the planet twice. But that doesn't mean you can save everyone. Right now, I and the whole world needs you now more than ever. And that also doesn't mean to go off and save it on your own, either."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know what you've been doing lately, Shadow. I can understand your logic behind it, that won't do you any good." Maria said, calling him out. "They may seem like comrades to you on the surface, but deep down, you know that they are your friends. And friends like them are difficult to come by."
Shadow averted his eyes to the floor, not looking into Maria's gaze.
She sighed, asked, "Why do you tend to stay away from them? They only want to help you, Shadow. Why not let them?"
"...Because, I live an endless life forever." Shadow confessed. "If I keep them at bay, it'll lessen the pain that comes when they grow old and eventually succumb to death. Life just goes on for me, and then I'll be alone again with nothing but memories of a time long since passed. In the end, it's meaningless."
Maria embraced the hedgehog from that heartfelt confession.
"Oh Shadow! I know that it hurts, but that's the nature of life. But you must understand that you're never truly alone. The best thing that friends can give you are memories, moments that you can cherish with the people that matters most to you. And no matter how far you're apart from them, those memories last forever because that's how much you treasure them."
Suddenly, Shadow recalled a memory when Amy approached him on the ARK, begging him to save the planet. That triggered a hidden memory which revealed Maria's true dying wish.
Amy's compassion for life and the world reminded him of Maria.
This, paired with his history with Rouge, who he saved while having no memories to his name twice, made him realize that Maria was right.
Seeing Shadow contemplate, Maria gently touched shoulder, saying, "Now you're beginning to understand. I want you to live and be happy, Shadow. But there's something out there who seeks to spread misery and take away everyone's happiness. I need you to stop this darkness from destroying everything."
"But how? I couldn't beat that machine with a portion of its power on my own." Shadow asked.
"Because Shadow, you're not the only one out there fighting. You're never alone." Maria responded as she held his hands in her own pair once more. "Promise me something, Shadow. Promise me that you'll cherish the people important to you in your life, and that you'll never forget them as your friends."
"Maria, I–"
Looking at the pleading blue eyes of the girl, Shadow recognized the importance of this promise.
"–I promise. I'll do it… for you."
An aurora lit up in the sky out of the blue. While Shadow was mesmerized by the light, Maria gave the black hedgehog one last hug as she began to lightly sob.
"S-Shadow…We don't h-have much time left." Maria whispered. "I'm going to have to go away soon."
"What!?"
Maria continued, "I need you to be strong. My time in the living has long since r-run out…"
"No!" Shadow refused, holding on to his friend tightly as more tears fell from his eyes. "Maria, please! Don't leave me! I can't lose you, again!"
Maria patted the Mobian/Black Arm hybrid on the head, stating, "You'll never lose me, Shadow. Even in your darkest hour, I'm always here for you to be your light. And when there's light…"
"...There is Shadow." The hedgehog finished, finally letting Maria go.
Stepping away from Shadow, Maria began to float towards the aurora.
"I have to go now, my friend. You have to wake up soon. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog." Maria said as she waved him goodbye.
"Maria?" Shadow said before running after the girl. "Wait, Maria! Come back! MARIA!? MARIA!"
Shadow's running turned into a sprint, not noticing that the beautiful scenery was being consumed by a white void from behind him.
Maria's next words to Shadow echo into his mind as the light overtake him,
It's okay, Shadow. I'll alway be watching you as everything unfolds. There will be moments of struggle and hardship, but that'll just make you tougher to beat. I know that I won't have to worry about the world and the people living there. After all, it has you to defend it. And I know you can do it, Shadow. Because I believe in you.
So please…wake up.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: Hey guys, it's DGS451 back again with the last part of the Lobonia story arc.
Just a little disclaimer real quick, the last scene is based on the fan comic called "She Saw Everything", a continuation of the "Wishes Are Eternal" comic by, which were created by Deviant Artist, ehuante. Please give this person the support they deserve by checking out their content.
As to why I brought Maria back, I wanted to do something with her that could get Shadow back on track without having him regress as a character. After all, he did suffer a massive beating which he'd never received before, or ever. Of course, Shadow will not be waking up from the punishment he was dealt to by Metallix until after the next story arc. Sorry, but the edgie-hedgie is going to be shelved for plot reasons.
But don't worry, the next story that I'll be tackling will be a treat for shippers and those who like to sip tea. I hope it'll be to your liking. Please, let me know what you guys think about the whole fanfic so far. What are your likes, dislikes, concerns, and predictions? Leave a review with your thoughts. It would be nice to read them. Also, I am open for suggestions and ideas. Just be sure to keep them as such. I choose what I want to do in the end, obviously.
Anyway, I have to go now. See ya'll later!
-DarkShadowGames451