Keep The Light On

Chapter 1

Shadow

No matter what happened to him, Shadow was not going to let Dr. Robotnik's weapon harm Earth.

Shadow pushed the weapon away from the planet, driving forward with all his might. His body ached from the strain. With the Master Emerald, and without his inhibitor rings, his powers should be multiplied a hundred-fold, and yet, he was still struggling. The heat from the weapon burned into him. The vacuum of space worked against him. Sonic was no longer there to help him. But he wasn't going to yield.

Shadow was the only thing that could ensure Maria's light shined on forever. If he was gone, and everyone on Earth was gone, no one would be left to remember her.

"Ah!" he yelled, as he gave a final push. There it is. The weapon was just out of reach of Earth now. It was piping red, like molten lava. He must have milliseconds left.

He didn't want to die. Not yet. He wanted to be rid of the emotional pain, and he wanted to see Maria again, but he wasn't ready to die. He needed to do more than save Earth from the problem he caused. She deserved so much more.

Shadow closed his eyes and prepared for impact as the weapon exploded.

The next thing Shadow knew, he was on Earth somehow. He was splayed on his back in a crater. He didn't remember anything after the explosion, not even entering Earth's atmosphere or crashing into the planet.

Shadow wiggled his arms and legs and was amazed that nothing was broken. He gingerly lifted himself up. There was some residual pain. He was definitely sore, and there was a ringing sound in his ears. "Ugh," he grunted.

Shadow spotted one of his bracelets on the ground, and he walked over to grab it.

He was a little crispy, but he was fine. He would heal.

What saved him exactly? Was it the power of the Master Emerald or his own abilities? Shadow looked at his hands. What was he made of that he could withstand a super weapon exploding in his face, reentry into the atmosphere, and crashing hundreds of miles into the Earth? No wonder the doctor wanted to study his power all those years ago.

What would Maria think if she could see me now? he thought. "I did it, Maria. I did it for you. I won't let your light go out."

Shadow looked up at the sky and smiled. Could she see him now? Did she know that he saved Earth for her?

He saved the world, but now there was a problem.

"What should I do now?" he asked himself. "Where should I go?"

He had no home on Earth. Both Robotnik's were dead. All Robotnik's are dead, he corrected. He certainly wasn't going back to GUN. He supposed he could survive out in the wild, away from civilization, but that wasn't much of a life.

What about that blue hedgehog and his friends? Sonic? They saved the world together. He caused the problem, but Sonic seemed to forgive him. He was the one who told him that he could keep Maria's light shining. Would Sonic want to see him again? Would he know what Shadow could do from here on out?

Well, he wouldn't know if he didn't ask, and he had no other place to be. If Sonic told him to leave, he would, and he'd figure something out from there.

This was the place. Shadow stared at a pleasant house in a cheerful neighborhood in Green Hills. His black and red fur made him stand out.

Shadow could see Maria living in a house like this one. He sighed sadly at the thought.

The journey to Green Hills hadn't been agreeable. He was injured from the explosion, and it had taken longer than expected.

Shadow opened and closed his hands in anxious anticipation. He hadn't decided on what to say.

"Shadow?" a voice asked. Sonic's blue trail of speed came alive as he immediately ran from the window to the front yard. He smiled big at the dark hedgehog.

Okay, he was happy to see him. That was a good sign.

The hedgehog's friends soon came into view—yellow followed by red.

"How?" the yellow fox squealed.

"Yes, how?" the red echidna asked.

"Carefully," Shadow gritted out. He held his side. "I don't know how I did it, but I endured the explosion."

"And reentry into Earth's atmosphere, apparently," the yellow fox said.

"Yes." Shadow cleared his throat. "I wanted to thank you for helping me save the Earth. I couldn't have done it without you and your friends, Sonic."

Sonic beamed. The others didn't look so sure.

"Kids? What's going on?" A human woman exited the house with wide eyes. "Is that Shadow?"

Shadow tried not to frown at all the attention. There were too many people looking at him. He also noted that she called the trio "kids" as though they were her own. Did they all live here?

"Yes, that's Shadow," Sonic said. He held out his hand to the red and black hedgehog. "Shadow, this is Maddie. Maddie, this is Shadow. Shadow, this is Tails and Knuckles." He pointed to the yellow fox and then the red echidna.

So that's what their names were.

Maddie hesitantly waved at him. "Uh, hey there. Um, can we help you?"

"Yes, why are you here?" Knuckles asked suspiciously. He crossed his arms.

Shadow bit his lip. "I'm… sorry about what I did. Like, I said, thank you for helping me save the world. It's what… Maria would have wanted."

"I don't think you came all the way here just to say thanks and sorry," Sonic said. "Is there anything else?"

Shadow felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "I… I don't know what to do next. I was hoping you could help me."

I enjoyed the movie. There were a lot of really great scenes, but what I really wanted to see was more of Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and especially, Shadow and Maria. Keanu Reeves did a lot of research for Shadow, and he didn't have many lines. I also wanted a happier ending. Thank goodness for fanfiction.