Chapter Text
Everything was white.
Everything disappeared. Except for the two super beings golden and glowing, and the massive space colony a short distance away.
All that could be heard was the heavy breathing from the two as well as their ringing ears.
Sonic blinked repeatedly for a moment against the blinding light that appeared instantly around them, and he looked at his companion, Shadow, whose arms were raised and in the same state of exhaustion. His chest was heaving, posture slightly slumped, and eyes lidded but determined. Sonic continued to stare at him, trying to comprehend what just happened.
He looked back over to the ship, no longer hurtling their way, but inching its way closer. His breath hitched as he connected his observations. Is this…Chaos Control?
He saw in his periphery that Shadow shakily lowered his arms to his sides and also looked up at the ship. He released a long breath, and Sonic turned to face him again.
“I just bought us some time,” Shadow’s voice echoed through his pants, “it won’t be for long, so we need to be quick.”
“Did you just…freeze time?” Sonic spun around to see if he could make out the Earth and stars he knew were below and all around him, but they were shrouded by this emptiness.
“Only for a moment, but don’t dwell on it, we don’t have that luxury.”
Sonic tried to catch his breathing and get used to the new weightlessness he’d never experienced before.
Shadow looked down at his wrists, turning his rings over with his hand. “I can only think of one thing to deflect the space colony back into orbit.” He inhaled. “My energy is rapidly depleting as it is. And judging from your physical state, it seems yours is as well. With us both, we have a chance to do it.” He looked at Sonic and locked eyes with him. “But we have to do it right.”
Sonic nodded. “Okay. What’re you thinking?”
“Combined Chaos Control.” He pointed to the center of the ship, still creeping toward them. “Both of our power, at the same time. It should be enough to push it back in its place.” Then his eyes softened and drifted away from Sonic. He knew what his reaction would be if he finished the rest of his statement, but he was set on his decision. “But the only way for it to work is if I take off my inhibitors and throw all I have left into it. Including my life.”
Sonic tensed, eyes widening. “Your li–Shadow, NO!”
“Now is not the time to argue, Hedgehog,” Shadow retorted, “there is no other way to save your friends or the pl–”
“I’m NOT letting you do that!” Sonic hovered up to Shadow, getting in his face. “I know we don’t have much left, but it should be enough without you having to die!”
“Stop letting your emotions cloud your judgment, we both know it won’t be enough.”
“Is it wrong for me to not want you to sacrifice yourself?” Sonic’s voice was rising. “Is it bad for me to think we can make it work or come up with something else so no one gets killed?!"
“Hedgehog–”
"No, Shadow,” Sonic swiped his hand, cutting him off, “we’re doing something else. You are NOT going to give up your life–”
“SONIC!”
Sonic froze. Shadow’s face was stern, and his stance was unmoving like a stone. Then he stumbled where he hovered, eyelids drooping for a moment. Sonic panicked and immediately wrapped his hands around the other’s chest to support him. The whiteness dulled, and their surroundings started coming to view. No no no…
Shadow stiffened and straightened up, but was still weak. “I’m fine.” He reached his hands to Sonic’s upper arms, gently pushing them down to get him to release him. He did, but they were still raised in case he needed to hold him again. Shadow looked around him as the Earth and stars were coming back into view. He looked up at the ARK, still descending slowly.
“We’re running out of time. We need to do it now.” He clenched his fists and raised them up to the ship, ready to unfreeze time.
Sonic grabbed his wrist. “I’ll do it.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Shadow spat, bristling his quills.
“No, my energy is coming back, it’ll be enough, I promise.”
Shadow dropped his arms and got in the other’s face, just like Sonic did a moment ago. He harshly pointed his finger at the ARK growing larger by the second. “Your friends are on that ship!” He pointed to the Earth becoming more visible. “That planet, your home, has billions of people! If we don’t do it together with everything we’ve got, they will all die! Including us!” He stared into Sonic’s eyes, which were widened and glistening. His mouth was slightly agape at his words. “My death will be nothing compared to all those down there, or your friends still on the ARK. Don’t try to tell me it isn’t, you know I’m right.
Sonic was lost for words. His heart dropped to his stomach, and he held his shallow breath. He was right. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, or do anything in his power to disprove it, Shadow was right. He looked down at the Earth, away from his intense crimson stare. Tears started to pool at the corners.
He hated this. He hated being in this ultimatum without the ability to do the impossible and break it. He imagined it would happen eventually, but didn’t dwell on it too long because he didn’t want to know what he would do. What it would make him. He always prided himself in his out-performance with any threat that came his way ever since he started his vigilante heroism as a child. Of course, he wouldn’t have succeeded if it wasn't for his friends who fought with him.
But they’re not with me right now… I’m alone.
And now here he was, facing the one thing he hoped to avoid.
And then there was Shadow. The unknown hedgehog who came into his life like a hurricane, and never made any moment with him dull. There was always a thrill in every interaction that made him crave more, and made him so interested in who he was. In the short time they’ve met he didn’t get much from him in the form of personal information. But there was one thing he did know: Shadow never got the chance to live the life he wanted. He didn’t get much freedom. And he was only given a couple days of being awake and fulfilling a plan of mass destruction. Not living. And now he was about to throw it all away. And leave him.
He didn’t understand it. He didn’t know what it was, but there was a tether that kept him naturally coming back to Shadow. He didn’t know why at first. He didn’t really know why while he was floating above the Earth at that moment. But even in the short time he spent with him, good or bad, he couldn’t imagine his life without him there. If Shadow were to be ripped away, Sonic wouldn’t have a future. He just wouldn’t. And here he was doing just that.
Sonic blinked away the tears and swallowed the lump in his throat.
“I ca–” Sonic hitched, drowning the rest of the word. He shook his head and looked back up at Shadow. His muscles relaxed, as if his body was giving in, and Shadow’s expression softened at the sight of him. “It’s not fair…”
Shadow took quick glances at the void of space behind Sonic, noting the fading of the light and gauging how much time they had before time would resume on its own. He looked back at Sonic and held his upper arms again to steady the shuddering super being.
“I know you don’t like it,” he started, “I know you don’t want it. I’ve seen time and time again that you’ve done everything in your power to keep your friends alive and safe. Beaten the odds. You constantly surprised me in the stunts you pulled and caught up to me. I don’t know what all you’ve done, but I have no doubt in any of your abilities.”
Sonic said nothing, but took in every word Shadow spoke like his life depended on it.
“You–” Shadow glanced away, trying to think of his next words, “have an incredible heart. You want to think of other ways to stop the ARK to save me, even though I was the one trying to destroy you.” Shadow quietly chuckled and shook his head, muttering. “I can’t imagine.”
Shadow’s eyes fluttered again and he released Sonic with one hand to hold his head, groaning.
“Shadow?”
The weary hedgehog shook his head and looked at him again, blinking hard. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”
Sonic looked at the other’s frame on the verge of collapse and absentmindedly reached to touch the hand on his head. “Are you sure you can do it?” With all he was worth, he hoped he would say no, so he would push the ARK back on his own. He couldn't afford to see him-
“We don’t have another option.” He removed his hand from under Sonic’s and grasped it in his with care and lowered it a few inches.
Sonic’s bottom lip trembled. Shadow got a flash of an image of a blonde human girl at the sight of him, with her lips quivering the same way when she tried holding back tears. It went away in an instant; and as if in a distant instinct, he placed both hands on the sides of Sonic’s face, like he had long ago with the girl. He could feel the tears soaking through his gloves. Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, and more tears streamed from them. Sonic cradled the other’s hands, shuddering at the ever-shrinking time he had left to see him.
“It’s okay,” Shadow’s voice rang, “everything will be alright.”
Sonic sniffled, eyes still closed, and he nodded weakly. Shadow brushed his thumb over fresh tears, seeing the girl again in a flash.
“Can you promise me something?”
Sonic blinked up at him before nodding again.
Shadow looked down on the Earth, almost clear now. The colors were so vivid, now that there wasn’t thick glass distorting the view. Where the planet once seemed so small and he was so out of touch, he thought he could hold it like a snow globe. When it looked so fragile and precious, he could handle it with care, and observe from far away. But out here it was different. It was so close, and so real. He could see the storms, the barren lands, the lush greens of the forests, and the vast oceans below. Everything he dreamed of seeing with his feet on the ground and breathing the scents of the thriving life all around him. He felt his heart tug.
“Protect them,” he said just above a whisper, “Keep them safe. And make all their lives a little brighter.” He turned back to Sonic, taking in every detail of the pure being before him. “Can you do that for me?”
Sonic nodded. “...I will.”
Shadow smiled and leaned his head tiredly on Sonic’s, eyes lidded. A weight lifted from his chest and shoulders. The Earth was saved. And it would continue to be so. He knew Sonic would do well, and do everything in his will to carry it out. If not for his promise, then for his own natural selflessness.
His heart swelled from the prolonged contact he held with the gorgeous soul before him. As hesitant as he usually was to trust anyone with such taxing promises, he had full confidence in Sonic. He took the responsibility instantly, with no questions or reservations for any selfish desires. Feeling the warmth radiating from him, Shadow just knew everything would be alright.
The last few days of his waking moments flashed through his mind like a film reel, as well as all the feelings, thoughts, and emotions tied to them. He never really believed in the whole “life flashing before your eyes” at the face of death, but here he was experiencing it, he thought. Minute flashes of blonde hair and blue eyes flitted by, and the color of her eyes expanded to the fur he knew embodied Sonic. And the Sonic he knew and fought was in his arms, holding at him like a lifeline. Like a constant. Shadow would only admit to himself that he was blessed to grace the same lifetime and presence as Sonic the Hedgehog, as short as it was. He wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Shadow smiled, and let out a long, tired breath. “I knew you would.”
The admiration and affection he had for this hedgehog built up higher inside him, and with the last seconds before it would be over for him, he let his walls tumble down. Just for a short moment. With gentle guidance, he lifted Sonic’s head and placed his lips against the god-like being’s with a soft kiss.
He felt Sonic relax under him as he received it. Sonic’s hands lifted from his own to cradle Shadow’s face, and they tilted their heads for closer contact. Slow. Soft. Tender.
Sonic didn’t know if it was a few seconds or a few hours. He kept Shadow in his hold for as long as the universe would let him. He felt his words, his warmth, his care. Oh, the care! From the rough-play he always saw from the dark hedgehog, he was so gentle when he held and kissed him. He savored every bit of it, and gave it back in the same fervor.
When they departed, their lips and breaths ghosting over each other’s cheeks, Sonic longed for more, to keep Shadow close and in his sight. To postpone the inevitable vacancy where Shadow hovered. They parted further, and looked each other in their scarlet eyes, both glistened with a thin line of moisture.
In the edge of Shadow’s line of sight, the darkness of the space around him was almost black, and it would only be less than a minute before the ARK would resume its fast trajectory toward them and Earth. But in his mind, it was still an eternity of just him and Sonic, with the sense of urgency tugging at him.
He swiped his thumb over Sonic’s cheek again with a soft smile, and accepted his ending. He parted his lips, and whispered, “Thank you.”
Sonic gulped, words caught and unable to respond.
Shadow’s stance faltered again and he grunted at the strain of his efforts to hold the freezing of space around them. Sonic gasped and kept him upright. The light was nearly gone. Maybe a few seconds remained. And Shadow knew it.
He dropped his hands from Sonic’s face, heart breaking at the notion, and allowed the remnants of Chaos Energy within him to gather in his hands to form a bright glowing light. Sonic let go of him in seeing the light. Shadow’s eyes narrowed.
“Ready?”
Blinking and steeling himself, he nodded, harnessing Chaos Energy like Shadow had. His heart pounded in his ears, and he could hear every breath he took, as well as feel the lingering touch of Shadow’s hands on his cheeks, lips on his.
Shadow winced for a split second before grounding himself again.
And it was over.
The ARK was falling much faster before them, and they both turned to face it, hands charging. Sonic looked over at Shadow again and saw him unlatching his inhibitor rings in slow motion. With both off, Shadow caught Sonic’s contact and gave him a curt nod before lifting his hands to the ARK. They glowed brighter by the second, and Sonic did the same, pulling as much energy reserves inside as he could. With Shadow at the edge of his sights, he made a mental promise to himself to catch Shadow when this was over. He had to.
As the size of the space colony grew exponentially larger, more energy was drawn from both hedgehogs to their palms, both forming a translucent ball of bright golden light that grew larger and larger before they overlapped and fused. Their arms were shaking, backs straining, yet they pushed on with gritted teeth. The ARK was so close they could almost see the fine details of the surface. Sonic’s sense of urgency reached its peak, and the size of their energy field was enough to engulf them dozens of times over.
“Ready?” he shouted to Shadow.
“Ready!”
At the command, they both fully combined their energies, ready to launch it out to the ship. And they both cried out until their voices cracked.
“CHAOS CONTROL!”
In slow motion, he saw their combined force of Chaos Energy shoot upward to the ship with tremendous speed, and it enveloped the entire ship with some space left over.
Sonic’s heart leapt in seeing it, but kept his hands outstretched and determined to finish the job. Their hearts raced, breaths fast and shallow, and their bodies hurt from the overexertion. Sonic grunted and focused on Shadow for half a second to see how he was holding up. He was pushing the same way, and he could feel his energy depleting concerningly fast.
Come on, he thought, hold on for a little bit longer.
They both cried out again as energy spilled out of their bodies in a final wave, and the energy field around the ship glowed so bright it nearly blinded them. Sonic ducked his head and closed his eyes, still pushing against the weight. He saw colored lights dance under his lids as he tried to get his vision back.
Then the glow from the outside vanished. The pull of energy from the two hedgehogs stopped. It was like a tight elastic band that’s been snapped, and Sonic fell backward from the momentum before catching himself. Taking another moment to clear his vision, he opened his eyes and looked up at the ARK, dreading to see it hurtling closer.
But it wasn’t. It was far away, stable and still. Like nothing ever happened.
Sonic let out a breath he didn’t know he held and started laughing from relief, feeling the last remnants of his energy evaporating.
“It worked,” he breathed. “Shadow we did it! We–”
Sonic looked to Shadow, who was clutching his chest and keeled over, the golden form dissipating from his body. Sonic’s heart seized again, and he rushed to him as the black weary hedgehog began to fall.
No.
No no no NO!!
He followed Shadow’s descent, knowing in the back of his mind that he needed to get back to preserve himself. He pushed that away and stretched his hand to him, determined to grab his wrist.
Shadow’s eyes were closed, but they fluttered open back to Sonic, who was just feet away. As much as he wanted to lift his own hand, he couldn’t. He was so weak, and the gravity pulling him down was too strong for him to counter. He saw the desperation in Sonic’s eyes, how hard he was trying to reach him, despite his blue fur flickering back.
“SHADOW NO!!”
He heard Sonic’s voice ring into his eardrums, past the rushing winds of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, and his heart ached. But he accepted his fate.
Shadow looked down in his own hands and saw one inhibitor ring that he managed to grasp without knowing.
With the last of his will, he released his hold on the ring, and he watched it float up further from him, and land in Sonic’s hands before closing his eyes once more, letting the Earth’s gravitational force take him.
Thank you, Sonic.
That was his last thought before his consciousness left him, and he descended further away from the hedgehog’s reach.
Sonic’s body took full control, and stopped him from going further. His vision tunneled and his muscles started to spasm. The space around him faded until all he could see was Shadow’s body getting smaller. He froze with the ring clutched in both hands, and all he could do was watch, until Shadow, whose body was engulfed in flames in the atmosphere, disappeared.
He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t breathe. Blink. Move.
He tried. He tried so hard to catch him.
But he failed.
Tears sprung in his eyes again and he choked another sob. I was too late…I failed…
His Super form flickered again, and he felt the unforgiving force of gravity tug on him, which he reflexively pulled back. As much as he wanted to catch up to him, hold him in his arms and carry him safely away, he knew he couldn’t. His friends were waiting for him onboard the colony. And the world was waiting for him. They all needed him. And that was what he promised.
Blinking away the tears, he turned away from Shadow and ascended to the far away ship, floating a safe distance from collision. He hurt all over, and his ascension upward wasn’t smooth. He was running on the dregs of the power from the Emeralds, and he had no time to have second thoughts.
The next minutes were a haze. His friends greeting him back. Rouge asking about Shadow. The collective moment of silence for the fallen hero. Sonic wasn’t mentally present for it. The minutes were a haze. Hours. Days.
Time was non-existent for a long time. One evening he found himself sitting against a tree back on Earth and far away from home, still haunted and shameful of his failure. He grieved for Shadow, as he knew there wasn’t many people that would grieve for him. He grieved for what could’ve been if he was just turned to him five seconds sooner. If he caught his body before he fell, and carried him back to the ARK. What then?
The scene of Shadow’s lips on his graced his mind again and again. His hands so gentle on his face. The walls he saw tumbling around him in his last moments. He brought his hands up to his muzzle, touching his lips and cheeks to stave the longing to feel his touch again. Since that day, he couldn’t shake the guilt from losing a life he could’ve saved. And he knew that when he'd be faced with an ultimatum like that, he would let the other die. And he would live.
He held his knees close and wept for what seemed like the hundredth time. He spent so much time outside alone and away from home, he may as well not live there anymore. He couldn’t lose his composure around Tails. Make him worry. Or worse, judge him for his inabilities. He stayed there until the sky was dark. And the darkness created a perfect canvas for his mind to paint a picture for what could’ve been if he didn’t let Shadow fall. All he could think of besides that perfect what-if was how much he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, as he knew he was the reason it would never happen.