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Shadow fell.
That was it. He was in freefall.
The heat of the atmosphere tore at his skin like searing blades. If not for the pain, he could almost find this warmth… comforting. He wasn’t really processing what was happening. His consciousness danced on the edge of blacking out, his senses disoriented. But the pain — that constant burn — reminded him he was still alive.
That he still existed.
That there was still something left to do.
But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t open his eyes. All that was left was… acceptance.
Before surrendering completely to the void of space, he saw a flash. Time slowed down. His body remained motionless, but his eyelids fluttered — and with effort, he cracked them open. His vision was still hazy, blurred. But through the fog, there was light.
A yellow light.
Beautiful.
Radiant.
It was the most beautiful light his eyes had ever touched. It was warm, yet gentle. A light that seemed to caress his soul.
A familiar light.
Was this the light at the end of the tunnel? Shadow could sleep forever beneath its glow. In his last fragment of awareness, he tried to move. Just a little. A gesture. But his body betrayed him.
Still, before the darkness consumed him completely, he whispered:
“Beautiful.”
Flashbacks [ON]
Shadow stood atop a forgotten pile of scrap metal, indifferent to the stench of rust and decay surrounding him. In his hands, at last, rested the Chaos Emerald.
The green glow of the gem was bathed in the cold moonlight, making it pulse like an ancient heart. Shadow stood there in silence, hypnotized by the faded reflection of that light.
“Is that… the Chaos Emerald?” — a voice broke through the air, distant and alive. Shadow turned his gaze toward the source.
A blue hedgehog. Quills slicked back, and… green eyes — so vibrant they made the emerald seem dull. They radiated something Shadow had never known how to name.
Courage. Hope. Truth.
The other’s voice continued, words tossed to the wind. But Shadow wasn’t listening. He was only seeing. Only feeling.
Until the other came too close. “Say something, Faker!” the blue hedgehog challenged, defiance gleaming in his eyes.
Shadow stared at him one last time — and vanished.
“Chaos Control!”
For seven days, that glow haunted his dreams.
It wasn’t the last time Shadow had the pleasure of seeing those hypnotic eyes. They met again many times after that, like stars colliding in the void.
Each fight, each talk, each misstep, each silence — all of it made the glow of those eyes shine a little brighter. Until Shadow realized: It wasn’t just the green that glowed in Sonic.
It was all of him.
He realized it when he saw him fall, when the world trembled from the fragments… and Sonic nearly vanished with it.
Shadow held him in his arms.
Fragile. Colorless. Lifeless.
Without the light that had always been there — and that Shadow was only just beginning to understand. And then… it hurt. It wasn’t just the eyes. It had never been just the eyes.
It was the blue skin, alive like the sky before a storm.
It was the warmth of his body.
The energy in his movements.
The weightless bravery.
The freedom that laced every word he spoke.
Life, overflowing from every pore.
Sonic was life.
Shadow, who knew the silence of space, felt the world vibrate just by being near him. It was impossible not to feel it. Even from a distance, Sonic shone.
And that... That broke Shadow. Because it was a light he had never had.
A light he wanted to protect — even if it was never his.
It made Shadow remember.
Their last conversation.
The moment when everything stopped, if only for a few seconds. Sonic looked at him. Not with anger. Not like someone trying to win. But like someone who believed in him. Shadow felt his chest tighten just remembering that look. There was something in it that warmed his whole body, as if the light from Sonic’s eyes were cutting through all his diamond-like defenses.
Sonic spoke with his usual ease, as if he were just making casual conversation, but with each phrase tossed into the air, Shadow felt his walls begin to crumble. Sonic’s glow was so sharp, so warm it pierced through any diamond that dared come between them.
Shadow wanted to back away.
To keep distance.
But Sonic’s presence was like a light too strong: it passed through everything, broke everything, burned everything. And Shadow couldn’t stop it.
They argued.
Of course they argued. Shadow was still full of rage, still trapped in the memory of Maria, in the image of her that returned every time he closed his eyes, so he lashed out at Sonic even though he hadn’t done anything.
He tried to remember her face. But he couldn’t. All that came was the golden blur of her hair, spinning in the darkness of his mind. Maybe he couldn’t remember because his brain didn’t want to associate someone so kind, so sweet… with something so traumatic.
That mixture hurt.
And it hurt even more because Sonic was there — alive, with color, with a voice. And Maria… wasn’t.
When he grew tired of fighting, he felt like he was suffocating. His breath grew short, his lungs too small. He leaned against a wall and shut his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.
He didn’t want to look weak. He was the Ultimate Life-form. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way.
But the pressure kept growing. And the world around him began to spin.
Then he felt it.
A hand touched his face. Warm. Comforting. Gentle.
Sonic was there. He turned Shadow’s face carefully, forcing him to meet his eyes. The same eyes that had been upset before, were now filled with concern.
Sonic didn’t say anything at first. He just stayed, trying to calm Shadow’s breathing with nothing but his presence. Until he finally spoke.
And what he said changed everything.
“You can be more than a machine of revenge.”
In that moment, Shadow felt everything inside him collapse.
It was as if that phrase pierced through it all. As if everything he’d been hiding, everything he’d carried alone, was finally exposed. As if Sonic could see exactly what was behind the armor he wore — and still, he wasn’t leaving.
And it was in that instant that Shadow truly broke.
Because for the first time… he believed Sonic might be right.
And then, he remembered his promise to Maria. To protect the Earth.
Flashbacks [OFF]
“SHADOW!” The voice tore through the darkness like thunder. Shadow regained consciousness.
He didn’t know how much time had passed — maybe seconds, maybe minutes. Time no longer made sense. But the searing pain in his body remained, the heat slicing his skin like blades.
He was still falling.
He opened his eyes with effort. The air was dense. The light… brighter now. Comforting. Almost gentle. He recognized it immediately.
It was him.
Of course it was him.
It wasn’t just any star. No star could ever shine like him. How could he have been so blind? It had always been Sonic. From the very beginning, that light had surrounded his life even when he didn’t want to be touched. Sonic was the steady glow that outshone the chaos inside him, that guided him without asking anything in return, the memory that lingered even after everything collapsed.
And Shadow… he had spent his whole life running from it.
“SHADOW, please! Take my hand!” Sonic’s voice pulled him back to the fall. Shadow turned his head with effort and saw the golden light approaching, with an outstretched hand, desperate, trembling. Sonic was crying. Crying for him.
Shadow tried to reach for him. Fought against the weight dragging him down, forced his muscles to respond, screamed inside.
But every inch his hand moved closer to Sonic’s, the distance seemed to double.
The pressure was starting to be too much even for Sonic, who felt his consciousness slipping and his fur fading back to blue. But he refused to let Shadow go.
Shadow’s mind began to fade again.
“No, no, no, no... please, don’t…” Sonic’s voice whispered, and Shadow’s chest felt like it was shattering.
He knew what was coming.
He felt the end approaching.
He felt the darkness consuming him.
The last thing he knew was that Sonic’s hand never reached him.
Shadow had never been the kind to care about death — he had already accepted the end in silence so many times. He had already fulfilled his role in this world.
But something was different now. Something new.
A desire… A silent longing to stay. To keep going.
He forced his eyes open again, breathing heavily. Everything was heavier now, and impact was near.
But with a click, he realized the golden light had vanished. There was no more glow. The only thing he could see now was blue.
Sonic.
He was holding onto him. The Super Form had disappeared — completely exhausted. His normal blue fur was tangled with Shadow’s, as if the two of them were one in that moment suspended in time.
“SONIC! What are you doing?” Shadow hissed, heart pounding. If they kept going like this, both of them would crash. And die.
“There’s no going back. My Super Form broke apart as soon as I made contact with the atmosphere. We’re gonna die anyway.” Sonic mumbled, his voice choked with tears as he held on even tighter. Shadow looked into his eyes — eyes still so alive, even with fear, even while crying.
Tears streamed from both of them, but Sonic refused to let go.
“Sonic, what are you talking about?! Go back to your Super Form, NOW!” Shadow's voice was a mix of rage and desperation.
But Sonic only shook his head, refusing, explaining through the tears that it wasn’t possible anymore. “It’s over, Shadow. But we did it. We saved the Earth.” His voice trembled, but it was firm. “There’s nothing left for me… not if it’s not with you.”
Shadow laughed. A weak, broken laugh — but real.
They stayed in silence.
If this really was the end, Shadow wouldn’t fall with regrets.
“You’ve always been one of the brightest stars in this universe to me,” he whispered. “And even now, you’re still shining.” For the first time, Shadow felt the weight in his chest begin to lift. But there were still things he regretted.
Shadow wrapped his arms around Sonic, pulling him tightly against his chest. They spiraled through the sky like twin comets, drawing closer to Earth with each passing second.
“Light can’t live without its shadow.” The words fell from Sonic’s lips like a confession, trying to ease the moment, but his trembling voice betrayed him.
Something cracked inside Shadow’s chest.
The truth hit him like a punch. It was what he had never allowed himself to accept.
“I don’t want to die, Sonic.” The words came out shattered, desperate. The tears flowed freely, spilling down his face and mixing with Sonic’s.
“Me neither,” Sonic whispered back, voice barely holding.
And yet… they stopped resisting.
They accepted the fall.
Arms intertwined.
Bodies held close.
Hearts racing — for the last time.
From Earth, all that could be seen was the trail of two falling stars, fused together in the night sky, spinning until they vanished beyond the horizon.
And then...
They collided.