'You thought Black Doom was dead? The Black Arms are a hivemind, Sonic.' Shadow put one hand on his hip, and he could feel his voice beginning to shake with anger. 'As long as there are still Black Arms somewhere in the universe, Black Doom will always have the ability to return. There was a Death Leech onboard the Ark 50 years ago, and if it weren't for my amnesia, I would have remembered that it was still there –'

Shadow tightened his grip on the Chaos Emerald, wondering what it would take to crush the magical gem into a fine powder.

Sonic's eyes widened. 'You … defeated Black Doom, Right? In White Space? I-I mean, you've done it before.'

Shadow stared at him. '… No. I needed all seven Chaos Emeralds to defeat him in the past. I didn't even have one emerald this time, because you took it from me.' He stabbed a finger in Sonic's chest, saying, 'You couldn't even fathom that the world might need saving from something else by someone else. Now everyone and everything you've ever known and loved will be devoured by the Black Arms – all because of you.'

Sonic froze, and his eyes widened with panic. 'S-Shadow, I'm … I'm s …'

'… Stupid. You're stupid.' Shadow tossed the Chaos Emerald into the air and caught it again, giving Sonic a bitter smirk. 'Of course I defeated him, you idiot.' His smirk faded. 'No thanks to you.'

Sonic held one hand to his head, reeling from the emotional whiplash Shadow had inflicted on him. '… I guess I deserved that, didn't I? But still, you didn't even have a Chaos Emerald. Your kicks barely work without one, Shads, let alone your powers –'

'"Kicks"? They're "air shoes", damn it. Who the hell uses the word "kicks" anymore?' Shadow glanced at him. 'And who says I didn't have an emerald?'

Sonic's green eyes flickered, and he turned to look up at the pale blue sky, searching for the ghost of the moon and the faint glimmer of Space Colony Ark behind it. '… We never retrieved that fake emerald from the Ark, did we?'

'No. You didn't.' Shadow waited for Sonic to look back at him before he said, 'I let you win.' The words hung in the air. 'And don't you forget it.'

Sonic narrowed his eyes. 'I thought you used whatever means necessary to achieve your goals?'

'My goal was to spare your life. If I'd fought you in White Space, then you would have died.'

Sonic's eyebrows shot up. He reluctantly held out a hand. 'Either way, it sounds like I owe you one. Let me have the emerald for a while. The world isn't under threat right now, so I won't run off with it. I promise.'

After a long pause, Shadow reluctantly pressed the emerald into Sonic's gloved hand. 'If I have to be stuck here with you, then you may as well make yourself useful. The emeralds seem to regain their power faster when they're in your possession.'

'I'm not a magical power bank,' Sonic grumbled.

'For all intents and purposes, that's exactly what you are. Come and find me when you're done.'

Shadow turned and skated away, but Sonic followed him, running by his side as the scenery of Green Hill passed them by. Shadow sighed in frustration. 'You don't need to chase after me.' Their surroundings began to blur. 'Why bother?'

Sonic turned around, running backwards, and gave him a confused look. 'Why not?'

Shadow stared at the ground passing beneath his shoes. Flames whorled across the grass that he skated over. 'You don't know how lucky you are,' he said under his breath.

'Come again?'

'You … Even though you can be an ass about it, you're free to do what you want. "It doesn't matter who's wrong or right." You help people because you feel like it, not because you feel obligated to. Freedom is all you care about …'

Shadow stopped, sliding to a halt.

Sonic had fallen behind, stopping beside a metal capsule with a yellow button on the lid. He slammed a fist down on the button, and the capsule burst open, freeing dozens of Flickies and releasing them into the bright blue sky. He was as free as the wind beneath their very wings.

With a snap, Shadow reappeared at his side.

Sonic reached up with one hand, and one of the Flickies alighted on his finger. He was bluer than the sky itself. His irises were greener than the grass beneath their feet. The whites of his eyes were brighter than the clouds drifting above them. He was a living embodiment of the Earth that Maria had adored with every fibre of her being.

'Sorry,' Sonic said, and he grinned. 'I'm paying attention, I swear. Something about, uh … freedom?'

Fifty years ago, Maria had reached out to the Earth in the same way that Sonic was reaching up to the sky, pressing her fingertips against the glass windows of the Ark. She'd loved nature and had always worn blue. She'd had a beautiful soul. She had been radiant.

'… Something like that.'

He knew some people believed in reincarnation. They wanted to believe that they could cross paths again with the people they'd lost. Some people believed in fate. Some believed in humanity. Shadow didn't believe in anything, but sometimes, it felt like the universe itself was an apologist for serendipity.

Shadow crossed his arms and gave Sonic a sideways glance. 'You can't save everyone,' he said.

Sonic leaned against the capsule and groaned, saying, 'Where did that come from? I thought we were having a moment.'

'You were having a moment.' Shadow looked over at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set. 'Every minute, 106 people die. Roughly two people per second.' He turned to face Sonic and said, 'It doesn't matter how fast you are. Even if you ran until you dropped dead, you still can't save everyone. And everyone will still die one day, including you.'

Sonic's brow creased. 'Jeez, now I know who to call if I ever need to speedrun my own ego death.'

Shadow slammed a fist down on the lid of the capsule. 'Will you be serious for once in your damn life?'

Sonic's eyes widened. '… Ok, fine.'

'How … How do you decide who to save?'

Sonic blinked several times. 'I don't. I just help whoever's in front of me.'

'I just asked you to be serious –'

'I was!' Sonic put a foot on the capsule, kicked it away, and then dusted off his hands. 'I don't try to be a hero. I just help whoever's in front of me.' He grinned. 'I'm just a guy who loves adventure, remember?'

Shadow shook his head. 'I wish I hadn't regained my memories. I can still remember your awful one-liners.'

'Hey, my one-liners are great! You're the one who says "Chaos Control" with every other breath.'

Shadow abruptly held out his hand. 'Have you finished rejuvenating that damn emerald yet?'

'Nearly.' Sonic's gaze wandered, and he looked up at the Flickies circling above their heads. '… It's not complicated, you know. If my friends are in danger, then I try to protect them. If someone's freedom is in jeopardy, then I try to help them. '

'What if you suffer because of it?'

Sonic's brow creased even further. 'The way I see it, the people I'm helping are usually already suffering. We might as well all be in it together until we make it out the other side.'

Shadow looked away.

Forget about GUN for a minute, sweetheart.

I just help whoever's in front of me.

Give them a chance … to be happy.

Was it really that simple?

Sonic was tapping his foot, but he looked more confused than annoyed. 'Not that I'm complaining, but … did you come all the way out here to argue about philosophy?'

'I was passing through,' Shadow snapped.

Sonic looked down at Shadow's stationary feet with a wry grin. 'Uh-huh. Checks out.'

Shadow kicked Sonic in the shins, startling him into rematerialising the Chaos Emerald. It shone with a vibrant glow, and Shadow snatched it out of the air, brandishing it. 'Chaos –'

Sonic grabbed his arm, saying, 'Wait!'

Shadow flinched. 'Unless you want to end up in Central City, unhand me at once.'

Sonic rolled his eyes. 'Oh please, it's not as though I couldn't make it back here in less than a minute.'

'Let go of me –'

'Are you going to be all right?'

Shadow heard an uncommon urgency in Sonic's voice. It was enough to make him stop and stare. '… I'll manage.'

'Are you sure?'

'Even if I was so inclined, I can't discuss it further. It's classified.'

Sonic's expression changed from concern to disgust to understanding in a matter of seconds. 'Wait. Was this about GUN all along? You should have led with that!'

'Would you get off?' Shadow prised Sonic's fingers off his arm and pulled free. 'And what difference does it make?'

Sonic gave him an unimpressed look. 'They tried to run me over with a truck, remember? There's not a whole lot of love lost between us, so I would have been able to sympathise.' He gave Shadow a sceptical look. '… Are you under some sort of obligation to help them?'

'No. That's the problem. I don't know what to do.' Shadow tightened his grip on the emerald until the facets cut into his fingers.

'Just do what you want,' Sonic said, walking backwards and flashing his middle fingers. 'Just because you're still working for GUN doesn't mean you owe them your undying loyalty, you know. Screw 'em.'

Shadow bit the inside of his mouth in an attempt not to smile. 'If you keep talking, then GUN may try to extradite you to the United Federation.'

'Oh, no,' Sonic said, pretending to stagger. 'If only I were fast enough to outrun whoever they send after me.'

Shadow raised a hand to hide his expression, pretending to adjust his inhibitor rings. 'I'm still a GUN agent, you damn fool.'

'But that's not all you are, right? You have more freedom than you realise.' For once, Sonic's expression softened. 'You can still make your own decisions.'

'You say that as though making those decisions is easy.'

'Of course not – I just make everything I do look effortless.' Sonic laughed at the disgusted look on Shadow's face, then said, 'So get back out there – make your own choices. And if you don't know what you want, then work it out as you go.'

Shadow hefted the Chaos Emerald in his hand. 'I already know what I want.'

'Oh?'

'To get away from your incessant yapping.'

'Aw, come on, Shads, you know you love me.'

Shadow flinched. 'Shoot me now.'

Sonic laughed and pointed with both hands – finger pistols. 'I'm not the one who uses guns.'

'I had amnesia. I was working with what I had.' But Shadow smiled faintly, raising the emerald to the light. 'Chaos Control!'

To be continued...