Chapter 5: Deliberation
Their mission was complete. The Time Eater was destroyed, and Sonic and his colorful cast of acquaintances had all conveniently ended up back at his rudely interrupted birthday party. Even Silver and Blaze had managed to make the event, despite being from another dimension and the future, respectively. Amy and Rouge had put a lot of effort into ensuring that the Blue Blur enjoyed his special day to the fullest, ignoring the chaotic interlude which had just reached its climax only an hour prior. The girls had invited everyone important to Sonic, even those who may not have fully understood why they were there.
Rouge's eyebrows furrowed as she snuck a glance at Shadow standing alone under the shade of a nearby tree with his arms crossed in his trademarked stance. From her vantage point, he not only seemed physically detached from the party, but almost like a ghostly figure contrasting with the bright and lively scene of Sonic's vivid existence. Shadow was always aloof and distant in group settings, but his behavior usually stemmed from a deeper inner shyness and anticipation of rejection or disdain from others. Rouge couldn't put her finger on it, but something was seriously off about him this time, and it was bothering her. Shadow was isolating himself, but not consciously. He wasn't choosing to act this way, or at least wasn't aware of it. As if in a trance, the red and black hedgehog simply stared off into nothingness, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Knuckles, who had taken advantage of the rare opportunity to have an extended conversation with his favorite bat, immediately noticed Rouge's shift in mood from flirtation to sudden seriousness. Following her line of sight, the guardian sensed the unusual and vulnerable atmosphere surrounding Shadow. Rouge turned to Knuckles with unease in her eyes, and his chest tightened. He just couldn't stand to see her upset or worried, especially when she was usually so playful. Careful not to come across as too forward but still wanting to convey his intentions to support her, Knuckles gently placed a large paw on Rouge's shoulder.
"Rouge… Did something happen while you were separated from us? You look worried. Want to talk about it?"
The honest truth was, Knuckles was also just a tinyyyyyyy bit jealous that the jewel thief was expressing so much concern over another male. He wanted the lowdown on why that was. Rouge sighed and looked up into Knuckle's amethyst eyes with an expression he hadn't seen from her before; total somberness. The wind blew a gentle breeze through the park, rustling the picnic table's cloth. The sounds of their friends enjoying themselves, laughing and shrieking, seemed to fade into the background as Rouge began to speak.
"It's… Shadow. Something happened in the White Space. Something big. I don't know if we'll be able to understand or help, big guy, it's such a complex scenario and even I don't know all the details. But, I'm worried. I feel like he's on the edge of a decision that might cause something massive. Something even more destructive than what we managed to stop from happening today…" Rouge trailed off, turning her head once more to glance at Shadow with concern.
Knuckles felt his heart begin to pound at Rouge's vague words, a rare occurrence for the strong and proud echidna warrior. He wasn't sure exactly why, but in the pit of his stomach, he believed that Rouge was right. Turning his head to join her, he noticed that Shadow hadn't moved an inch from where he stood. Nearby, the spirited wind continuously stirred the air, ruffling Amy's skirt and lifting it slightly. Sonic blushed and turned away from the pink hedgehog, who shrieked girlishly and frantically pushed her hemline down. Silver lifted his paw to shield Blaze's eyes from any debris being blown as she smiled gently in thanks, and Charmy giggled with glee as he and Tails rode the wind together, drifting around carelessly. Only Shadow remained unmoved, even by the wind; his quills and gaze unwavering under the darkness of the colossal tree.
"Bat… It's not good to try and always handle these big problems solo. If you're scared or worried, tell me. I might not understand everything, but I'll listen at least. You're…" Knuckles stammered a bit, mustering his courage and doing his best to come across reliable, "You're not alone." Rouge turned back to Knuckles and smiled deeply and sincerely. He could be a knucklehead, but she knew the red echidna truly cared for her, and by extension her friends like Shadow, as well. She nodded and softly took Knuckle's muscular arm to lead him under a small nearby tree so that they could speak more privately.
"In the White Space, Shadow and I encountered some apparitions and enemies. I'm not exact on all the details, but as you know Shadow was created as a result of Dr. Gerald Robotnik, Eggman's brilliant scientist grandfather, making a deal with the alien overlord Black Doom. Remember how Shadow was planning to destroy the Earth by using the Eclipse Cannon in revenge for the death of his closest friend, Gerald's granddaughter? And how we talked him out of it on the ARK and he wound up sacrificing himself to save humankind in honor of Maria?" Knuckles nodded slowly, highly focused on Rouge's words. He did remember all of this, he was up there in space too, after all. He remembered the melancholy mood everyone was in after Shadow's ultimate sacrifice, even ol' Eggy himself.
Rouge continued; "Well, turns out Shadow didn't die after falling to Earth and was instead discovered injured by one of our Good Doctor's Badniks and brought to his lab, where he made a bunch of Shadow Androids using his genetic material. Shadow awoke with no memories and was then manipulated by Black Doom and Eggman until he nearly destroyed Earth again…" Knuckles and Rouge simultaneously rolled their eyes and then chuckled at the absurdity of the recap she was giving.
"He's pretty good at doing that, isn't he?" Knuckles grinned a bit, flashing his gleaming white fangs that Rouge secretly adored.
"Yes, he sure is. But focus, honey! I'm not done yet. Anyhow, once Shadow regained his memories a second time, he vowed to leave his tragic past behind and dedicate his existence as the Ultimate Lifeform to protecting the world in his own way, as gaining independence is likely why Maria sacrificed herself for him to begin with. Maria wanted Shadow to live freely and happily here on Earth… But…" her voice tapered off, "...It wasn't really a true vow of goodbye to his memories. At least, not for Shadow. Sometimes, on our missions as Team Dark, when he thought I was asleep, I'd hear him talk to her in the night. As if she were really there, Knucks. He'd sit in the grass, under the stars, and tell Maria all the important things he never tells any of us. His hopes, feelings, dreams… Then last night I'm out at a supply depot gathering intel for G.U.N., and Shadow suddenly shows up, adamant on finding a spacecraft to get back up to the ARK. He said he believed the Black Arms were back and up to no good, so I helped him. Next thing I know, we're in the White Space and there are Black Arms goons all over… And, that wasn't all…"
Knuckles was completely engrossed in Rouge's story at this point, his legs crossed and upper body nodding up and down furiously, urging Rouge to go on. She smirked at his child-like behavior and continued, "Dr. Gerald Robotnik was there, and Maria too. They hadn't aged at all, they looked exactly the same as they did in the recorded video footage from fifty years ago that we found."
"What?! But how can that be possible?! Even if they were still alive, Maria would have to be in her sixties by now. She'd be almost unrecognizable." The guardian of the Master Emerald was no stranger to mystical oddities and time travel, but this seemed… off. "What purpose did it serve Black Doom or the Time Eater to summon those two into the White Space? If anything, wouldn't their presence have just strengthened Shadow's resolve to defeat the Black Arms?" he asked, turning his inquisitive eyes to Shadow's figure once more.
Rouge shook her head, "I think it's the opposite. I think they thought Shadow would give in to keep them by his side in White Space, that he would sacrifice his entire world just to stay with Maria a little longer using Chaos Control… But he didn't, or at least he couldn't since I already had the Emerald. When we were getting away, he cried, Knucks. He doesn't know I heard or saw anything between him and Maria, but he made a vow to her there. I think he really and truly loved her, far beyond what we all understood. I can't imagine what he's feeling right now."
"That's just terrible, playing with his trauma and emotions like that… But, hey, in the end Shadow didn't use the Chaos Emerald for selfish purposes, and thanks to that we're all here safe and sound, right?" Knuckles spoke with optimism, trying to cheer Rouge up.
"I know he didn't, sugar, but if I'm being honest with you…" Rouge stared sadly at her teammate from afar, "I think Shadow's fighting a real hard battle inside himself now on whether or not he made the right decision leaving Maria behind, and if he decides that he didn't, I think we're all about to be in for one rocky ride."