Work Text:
It was quiet.
Exactly as Shadow remembered, a little hidden clearing in a forest between mountains, he always came there to remember Maria. It was a place for Shadow to mourn the dead, his fallen soldiers through the decades, both dying of old age and in battle, none were buried here though. This place was Shadow’s sanctuary, Coming here for decades since landing on earth eons ago.
Evergreen as the trees around him. time didn’t age the exterior of the ebony hedgehog. Most of his comrades had passed a long time ago. But this place still looked the same. Untouched except for the elements which had worn away at some of the rockfaces along the perimeter.
Now was not the time to reminisce since Shadow came here with a purpose. Looking down at the form in his arms, his lover, Sonic the Hedgehog. A single tear rolling from Shadow’s cheek and landing on closed eyelids. There was no reaction from Sonic. There hadn’t been since Shadow had rescued Sonic from a losing battle with Eggman.
He gingerly placed Sonic against one of the trees and retrieved a shovel he had hid somewhere nearby. Moving to the other side of the clearing Shadow began digging a ditch. Almost second nature after having to create them for fallen companions before. It didn’t phase the hedgehog. Quickly finishing a relatively deep opening in the forest floor.
Calmly walking back to the Azure hedgehog that was slumped against the tree, the tears came back. Memories rushing back to his mind of all the great times he had with Sonic. The day they met, their first date where they did nothing but look at the stars together, their wedding… Chaos that day felt like it was just yesterday.
Finally reaching Sonic, Shadow carefully lifted up his lover and almost ceremoniously wandered back, carefully placing Sonic down before taking one glove off to admire the Platinum ring around Sonic’s finger. He kisses the cobalt hero on the forehead before stepping out and carefully placing the dirt over the body. Making sure not to disturb the peaceful form at the bottom he makes sure the ground is level before placing a branch where Sonic’s heart would be and tying a little blue ribbon around the end. It had become tradition to the Ebony hedgehog as he took a few steps backward.
So much death had followed Shadow in the past and it never got any easier. But he knew what to do next. Looking at the rows of graves all neatly packed on one side of the clearing. All with identical branches and ribbons.
Not one to stall for time Shadow walked back out. Not looking back and Chaos Controlled away from this place, nobody should know what exists here….
Now in another place, the only light coming from Shadow’s gauntlets as they discharge the last bit of chaos energy, There is a faint bubbling to be heard. Some rumbling up above the ceiling starts as multiple rows of fluorescent tubes clink on, one after another, revealing rows upon rows of pods. The same ones Shadow was created in and Eggman used to create the Shadow Androids. But this time there were no identical copies of Shadow in them. Actually most of them were empty. The ebony hedgehog walked past rows of tubes until he reached one that was still active. A hedgehog suspended by a thick green liquid with various tubes inserted into the body. Shadow initiated the release procedure and stood back.
The tubes that were connected to the seemingly lifeless form inside began to disconnect as the liquid started to drain. Finally the true color of the hedgehogs fur became visible. A vibrant Azure blue covered in a thin layer of residue. Once the procedure was finished the tube unlocked and lifted up. The body still motionless, Shadow picked it up carefully and teleported back home. The facility shutting itself back down the moment they disappeared.
Once home the ebony hedgehog cleaned the azure one, Dressed it and as a final touch slipped a Platinum ring onto the finger of the sleeping creature before placing a white glove over it. “Wake up” he whispered into the hedgehog’s ear.
The creature stirred and finally opened its emerald green eyes. “Oh good morning Shadow” the hedgehog said “Guess I slept in today huh?” “You sure did sweetheart.” Shadow replies and gives the hedgehog a kiss “How do you feel?” he asks while rubbing his hand through Cobalt spines. “I feel great. How couldn’t I after getting married to the love of my life” Sonic replied giving the ebony hedgehog a kiss on the lips.
This was Shadow’s secret. He knew Sonic’s life wasn’t infinite like his. But he just couldn’t live without him. the day after they got married Shadow used some of dr Eggman’s tech to make a digital print of Sonic’s brain. Together with some DNA he retrieved from some hair he immediately set to work creating hundreds of copies of his beloved. Each had almost perfect memory from just after their marriage.
Shadow just couldn’t bear losing Sonic like he lost Maria. Not again.