Chapter Text
Sonic was annoyed.
Genuinely annoyed. Was it too much to ask for to have his birthday off? Without some sort of monster or Eggman attacking? But nooo, of course something had to ruin the good day he had been having.
Literal time itself had been all messed up, and Sonic was attempting to fix it so that he could go back to the party. But he needed something- a chaos emerald to fight the monster that had screwed up time. He could sense one not too far away, and was running through the white space to find it. The flat, empty space stretched on and on- what you think would be a perfect area to run in. But Sonic missed nature.
In the distance, he could see shapes and colors. Was this another part of his past, something he hadn’t explored yet? But somehow it was off. As he got closer, he recognized some landmarks and buildings, but something in the back of his mind said this place wasn’t for him. The strangest thing hovered in the sky- a cluster of sorts of alien looking matter.
Sonic grimaced at the sight, grossed out by the foreign, although familiar, looking thing. What is Gaia’s name was that thing? Was it bad? Based on how it looked, he assumed so, but who could tell?
The pull of the chaos emerald was leading him deeper into this white space, and he gawked at the area as he ran. How had he not noticed this here before?
Suddenly a scream pierced the air. It was young, feminine, and terrified. An answering shout caught his attention, the fear in both voices calling out to him. Sonic broke off from the chaos emerald’s trail, following the sound of the screams. He broke into a new area, spotting several monsters chasing a young girl, an old man desperately running after the group.
Sonic did a double-take when he realized that the monsters were members of the Black Arms.
How in all that was holy were they back? How were they here?
Snapped out of his thoughts by another scream from the girl, he shot forward, glaring at the creatures. He didn’t know who the humans were, but he’d die before he let the Black Arms hurt them.
The creatures had cornered the girl, advancing on her with hungry growls. The old man shouted in anger and panic, trying to catch up to them.
But Sonic was faster. Of course.
He slammed into the first of the creatures as it reached for the girl, sending it flying far across the clearing, where it slammed into a pole and collapsed. Sonic spun on a dime, attacking the last three monsters with a defensive ferocity, the girl safely behind him. He dodged their swiping claws, answering with punches and kicks of his own. Channeling all the force he could muster, he spin-dashed into one, knocking it out cold as it also went flying.
When the last of the creatures either fled or collapsed, he turned his attention to the girl, worried.
She stood up from her defensive huddle, staring at him with wide, bright blue eyes. She had blond hair cascading down her back, kept away from her face by a blue headband that matched her blue dress. She was familiar, very much so, but Sonic couldn’t figure out why.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, voice soft with concern. She didn’t look as if she had been hurt, but she was trembling with fear and adrenaline.
“Yes, thank you.” Her voice was light, breathy in a way, and she gazed at him with wonder. “Who-”
The old man finally caught up, and Sonic froze when he glanced at him. He was an exact replica of Eggman, even down to the mustache. Sonic shifted back a step, eyes narrowing warily. Who were these people?
“Maria!” The man gasped between heaving breaths. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
The blood drained from Sonic’s face as he stared at the humans, shock pulsing in his chest. It couldn’t be. There was no way on Mobius that it could be-
“Thank you, hedgehog, for saving my granddaughter.” The man said, adjusting the white lab coat he wore. “I owe you a great debt.”
Sonic simply nodded, words escaping him in his shock.
“I’m Maria!” The girl told him with a beaming smile. “Maria Robotnik!”
Sonic’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. It was true. It was her. So that meant the old man-
“And I am Gerald Robotnik.” The man said, giving him a warm smile that looked foreign on the familiar face.
Impossible. They were both dead. How could this be? Was it because of the time screw-up? Had they somehow been resurrected? But he had never met them, how could they be part of his past?
“Maria!” Another voice, this one quite familiar, shouted. There was a crackle of chaos energy, and suddenly Shadow was there.
Sonic flinched, stumbling back in surprise. Now Shadow too? What was happening? Was this a version of Shadow from the past? Would he try to fight Sonic, or was he from a time before stasis?
Shadow glanced at him, then did a double-take. “Sonic?” Well that answered that question- this Shadow clearly knew him.
“Heya, Shads.” Sonic told him, finally finding his voice. “Fancy meeting you here.” That answered the question of whether the edgelord was a past version of himself or not. Clearly, he was not. Sonic knew his quills and fur were spiked in shock and surprise, but he couldn’t force himself to calm, not when faced with literal ghosts.
Shadow glanced between the humans and Sonic, confusion entering his own gaze. “How are you here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Sonic retorted, crossing his arms. He leaned forward in a challenging way. “You’re the faker here, after all.”
Shadow growled, taking a step towards him. “Shut up, we don’t have time to waste on your idiocy.”
Sonic laughed, forcing a casual air to his actions. “Oh please, we have all the time in the world right now.” He raised an eyebrow. “Or haven’t you noticed that time is a little out of whack today?” Sonic shook his head in mock disappointment. “Chaos forbid I have a normal birthday.”
“This isn’t about you.” Shadow snapped, agitation showcased in his every movement. His fists were clenched, and although he tried to hide his distress, Sonic could read him clear as day. He had learned early on that if he wanted to know how Shadow actually was, he needed to notice the little things.
The situation was clearly weighing heavily on the hybrid, if the stress lines and tired scowl were anything to go by.
Sonic dropped the humor, meeting Shadow’s gaze. “I know.” He could feel the humans watching them, both of them observing in confused silence.
“Shadow…” Maria spoke, voice curious. “Do you know him?”
Shadow sighed, and when he turned to her, the agitation disappeared from his body. “Unfortunately.” He ignored Sonic’s outraged, “Hey!”, and continued talking. “I know him in my present time. He’s-”
“Why, I’m Shadow’s bestie!” Sonic interrupted, shooting Maria a grin. He bowed theatrically. “Sonic the Hedgehog, pleasure to meet you!”
Shadow snarled at him, ears pinning in irritation. “We are not-”
Maria laughed, the sound infectious and cutting of whatever Shadow had been about to threaten Sonic with. “How delightful! I’m so glad Shadow managed to make friends in the future.”
“Oh yeah, he has a whole group of us.” Sonic winked at Shadow, who glared at him crabbily. “He loves us!”
“So much so,” Shadow muttered venomously. “that I might just strangle you.”
Sonic laughed, happy that he got a rise out of his rival. Maria seemed to sense that Sonic was teasing Shadow, her musical laugh filling the air again.
“Shadow, I’m so proud.” Although spoken in a joking way, the light in her eyes and look on her face told Sonic that she meant the words.
Shadow softened, turning to smile at her. The irritation vanished in a heartbeat, like she effortlessly brought him joy.
Sonic’s grin faded into something smaller, warmer as he watched. This was the girl who had meant everything to Shadow, the one who had shown him what love was. His sister in every way but blood, and that fact was clear to see as he watched them.
Gerald cleared his throat, speaking for the first time since Shadow had arrived.
“What did you discover, Shadow?”
Shadow sighed, turning towards the human. “Black Doom is behind a lot of this. I don’t believe he’s behind the time warp, but the other things? Most certainly. He’s testing me, and he hopes to posses my body.” Meeting Sonic’s gaze, he added, “Again.”
Sonic hissed under his breath, anger flooding him. “I thought the Black Arms were gone for good. I guess the Time Eater’s tomfoolery with time brought them back.”
Shadow’s gaze sharpened. “Time Eater? Is that why this stuff is happening?”
Sonic nodded, making Shadow growl, then groan.
“Of course.” Shadow muttered. He looked back to Gerald, refocusing. “I heard Maria scream so I returned. What happened?”
“A few of the monsters attacked us, and we were separated.” Gerald said, flicking his eyes to his granddaughter. “Maria was cornered by them, but Sonic rescued her.”
Shadow’s ears pinned in fury, and he released an angry snarl. The rest of the words must have registered then, because he froze in surprise.
Sonic wasn’t expecting Shadow to react in anything but anger over hearing that the Black Arms attacked Maria, so he was taken aback when Shadow turned to him.
Sonic had never seen such open gratitude on Shadow’s face as the hybrid said, “Thank you, Sonic. For protecting her.”
Sonic stammered a little, surprised by the display of emotion. “Y-yeah, of course, man.”
Shadow held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned back to the humans. “Try to stay somewhere out of sight- I didn’t think Black Doom would go after you, but it seems I was wrong. I’ll try to keep his focus on me.”
Sonic observed, taking the time to see how Shadow interacted with the two. These were the people who had shaped who he was as a person- the people he had loved the most. Although he didn’t speak of Gerald often- the betrayal of the professor messing with his mind and memories hadn’t eased- when he did it was with a fond sort of contentment that told Sonic that Shadow had deeply cared for the professor.
Sonic looked over the old man, a little wistful. If he had lived, had not gone crazy- would Eggman be a better person? If he’d had family to steer him right?
But in that scenario, Maria would be alive as well. His heart ached when he saw the way the girl looked at Shadow, and looked at the world in general. She was so vibrant, so full of life. Hope and joy radiated from her, and her eyes held a special sort of kindness that was rare to find.
Maria caught him looking, and winked at him, grinning. He couldn’t help but grin back, the look infectious. She made a face at him then, before looking back to Shadow when he gently got her attention.
Chaos. Sonic thought, wilting when she looked away. I can see why Shadow adores her so. Why Gerald lost his mind when she…
There was something breathtakingly innocent and special about her, a joy that hadn’t yet been tempered by the cruelty of the world. Which was an odd paradox, considering her illness- something that would make anyone else bitter and withdrawn. She was light personified- gentle and graceful, but full of joy and wonder.
“Sonic.”
He looked up at Shadow, pulled from his thoughts by the irritation in the other’s voice. “Huh?”
Shadow rolled his eyes. “Is this situation not serious enough for you to be alert?”
“Nah.” Sonic drawled, wriggling his eyebrows at his dark counterpart just because he knew it would annoy him. “This is a walk in the park.”
Shadow sighed heavily, making Sonic snicker. He was only egged on by Maria’s small, amused smile.
“Oh c’mon Shads. You can’t say this is any worse than the stuff we usually deal with.” Sonic grinned, a little sheepishly. So yes, he was a little casual about the horrible situation they were both stuck in at the moment, but when they were practically weekly occurrences, it made it hard not to treat them more casually.
“You have a point, I suppose.” Shadow’s ears twitched in acknowledgment. “But it is still serious.”
“Whatever you say, faker.” Sonic knew he was baiting Shadow, but he really couldn’t help it. “If it’s too much for you to handle, I could be convinced to help you.”
“I’m about three seconds away from decking you on the spot.” Shadow growled, shooting Sonic a dark look, warning him to shut up.
Now Sonic was at a crossroad. He could be the bigger person and stop riling Shadow. Or… he could provoke him further and maybe get a half-decent fight as a reward. He mused that over for a moment, aware of Shadow’s crimson eyes on him, narrowed and irritated.
No one ever said he was mature.
Sonic raised his gaze, giving Shadow a lopsided smirk. “So I’m getting warnings now? Why, in the past you would have just decked me on the spot.”
Shadow’s gaze narrowed even further, if possible. His ears pinned in aggravation,
Sonic leaned forward, dropping his voice into a mocking tone. “Must be getting mellow in your old age.” With a cackle, he jumped back, expecting the fist that came flying at his face.
Shadow snarled and collided with Sonic, hands locking around his wrists as he tried to hold him down. Sonic bucked, throwing Shadow off him and jumping at him in his own attack.
The next few minutes were a whirl of flying fists and pulled punches, kicks and scratching. Shadow kept his chaos powers out of it, thankfully, but the fight was as quick-paced as all of their other ones. They were both careful to keep it away from the stunned humans watching them. Sonic was a little surprised actually, that Shadow was letting loose like this in front of them.
Sonic was aware of the two humans speaking to each other, but couldn’t tell what they were saying. He had to keep his focus on Shadow to avoid getting clocked in the head by a fist or foot. Sonic could tell that Shadow was restraining himself- likely so that this spar didn’t impede on the fighting they both still had to do. It was more for fun- on Sonic’s part, and a way to let loose irritation- on Shadow’s.
Sonic kicked Shadow’s legs out from under him, lunging forward, but Shadow was already gone- chaos snapping away.
“That’s cheating, faker.” Sonic called, grinning wildly, ears pricked as he waited for Shadow’s attack. A whisper of movement behind him made him duck, but that’s what Shadow wanted. Shadow caught him by the throat, then pushed him over.
Sonic was assisted to the ground by the hand at his throat, Shadow slamming him down and pinning him. The wind was knocked out of him by the force Shadow used, and Sonic decided that maybe it was time to end this. He grabbed Shadow’s wrist- the hand still on his neck, but Shadow jammed a knee into his stomach, forcing the rest of the air from his lungs.
Sonic wheezed, hand loosening on Shadow’s wrist. Shadow pinned him down, crimson eyes glaring into his own.
“Enough?” Shadow bit out, panting. His quills bristled, hand tightening when Sonic thought about resisting. He snarled at Sonic, who relaxed against the dirt, bringing a hand up to lightly smack at Shadow’s hand around his throat.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Sonic raised an eyebrow at the hedgehog. “Get off, before I throw you off.”
“Like you could.” Shadow scoffed, but got up, brushing himself off. What was he brushing off him? They had been fighting on the stone ground, there was no dust! What a show-off.
Sonic sat up, his pulse thrumming. The adrenaline that shot through him made him grin, satisfied with the fight they’d had. Maybe it was extremely immature, but nothing else replaced the thrill he got from fighting or racing Shadow. To go up against someone who could match him in everything? Thrilling, exciting in a way he didn’t often find.
Shadow scowled at him. “You just going to sit there all day?”
Sonic shrugged, grinning. “Dunno, maybe. The stone’s not that uncomfortable.”
Shadow rolled his eyes, sticking his hand out. Sonic blinked in surprise, then grinned widely, grabbing Shadow’s hand and letting the hybrid pull him to his feet. Looking around, he realized that their tussle had brought them a bit away from the humans- a bit meaning a ten minute walk for a normal person.
He and Shadow, however, were not normal people. Shadow gave him a side-eye, and Sonic smirked in challenge. On some unspoken cue, they shot off, going from standing still to running at near full speed with a thunderous noise. Sonic loved that noise. It was the sound of speed itself, the sound barrier broken by their power.
Sadly, they had to stop almost immediately, the distance too short for a proper race. Sonic mourned the loss, but resolved to race Shadow once this whole mess was over.
Maria’s blue eyes were wide with awe, and even Gerald looked surprised. Shadow rolled his shoulders back, clearly a little uncomfortable- likely also embarrassed that he got baited so easily. Sonic shifted a few steps, throwing an arm over the hedgehog’s shoulders. He received another narrowed-eyed look, but Shadow didn’t shove him away, so he counted it as a win.
“So you…” Gerald started, glancing between the hedgehogs before his gaze settled on Sonic. “Are you as fast as Shadow?”
Sonic laughed, shooting Shadow a mischievous glance. “More like faster.”
Shadow grumbled in denial, while Maria gasped. Gerald’s fluffy white eyebrows shot up, and he tilted his head.
“Fascinating. Chaos energy…” The professor dissolved into muttering, clearly no longer talking to them.
Sonic was a little disconcerted, but based on Maria and Shadow’s non-reactions, it was normal for the old man.
“Do you guys…” Maria frowned, looking a little confused. “Do that often?” She gestured to where they had come from, where their tussle had ended.
Sonic snickered, and Shadow’s ears twitched. Finally releasing Shadow, Sonic stepped back and stretched.
“Oh for sure.” Sonic told the girl, cracking his fingers with satisfying popping noises. “We spar and race a lot, it’s fun.”
“I see.” She said, looking to Shadow, who nodded a little. “I couldn’t follow much, it was all just a blur until Shadow pinned you.”
Laughing, Sonic stretched out his legs next, relishing in the ache in his muscles. “Yeah that’s what happens when the so-called ‘ultimate lifeform’ goes up against the fastest thing alive.” He knew he was boasting, but didn’t care.
Shadow huffed. “I am not the ‘so-called’ ultimate lifeform.” He pinned Sonic with a challenging, smug look. “I am the ultimate lifeform.”
Sonic’s groan overlapped with Maria’s, and they exchanged a surprised glance before laughing.
“Grandfather should have never told you that.” Maria told Shadow, crouching next to him and poking him in the shoulder. “It’s given you a big ego.”
“It’s honestly kind of impressive,” Sonic started seriously, shaking his head a bit. His tone made both Shadow and Maria look at him in surprise, before he finished with a grin, “that you can even carry around and ego that big.”
“Oh please.” Shadow snorted. “Says the one with a head so big you can see it from space.” Ears flicking, he raised an eyebrow at Sonic. “Hypocritical much?”
“It’s hard not to have an ego when you’re just this good.” Sonic retorted smugly, gesturing to himself.
Now it was Shadow’s turn to groan, rolling his eyes so hard that Sonic was surprised they didn’t fall out of his head. “Idiot.”
“Edgelord.”
“Fool.”
“Hot Topic.”
Maria burst out laughing, her light, airy laugh dissolving into snorts as she continued to laugh. When the laughter continued, Shadow gave her a flat, unimpressed look, which only made her laugh harder.
“It’s so perfect.” Maria laughed, clutching her stomach.
Sonic grinned widely, proud of himself for making her laugh so hard. Shadow’s expression softened as he watched her, his emotions playing in his eyes, more visible than he usually allowed them. The softness was broken by a flicker of grief, and Shadow flinched, ever so slightly. So slightly, that nobody but Sonic- who was used to reading tiny gestures from the hedgehog- noticed.
He knows this is all temporary. Sonic thought, keeping his grin in place, although a stab of grief hit him as well. He knows that as soon as we fix time, she’ll be gone. Reaching out, he gripped Shadow’s shoulder, trying to offer his silent support. Shadow jumped, then glanced at him, meeting his gaze with hollow eyes.
Sonic tried to communicate his sympathy via look, and Shadow’s ears briefly flicked back as he understood. Shadow let a breath escape him, then gave Sonic a nod of thanks.
Maria had finally recollected herself, though she had laughed so hard she now had the hiccups. “Ah, darn. I hate hiccups.” Said hiccups interrupted the sentence halfway through, and she frowned.
“You deserve them.” Shadow said, pulling himself back together. She stuck her tongue out at him, then hiccupped again, making Shadow smirk.
Sonic let his hand fall, and he took a few steps back. He glanced around, wondering how much time- if any- had passed. “I should probably go. I need to find that emerald I came here for, then get back to my white space.”
Shadow’s ears pricked. “Is that why you’re here? The chaos emerald?”
“Yeah, I was following the signature-” Sonic cut himself off when Shadow pulled the yellow emerald from his quills, holding it up. “Well. That makes things a little easier.” He frowned when Shadow pulled out another one, also yellow. “…what?”
“Tails’ fake emerald.” Shadow explained. He looked between the emeralds and Sonic, hesitating. “Do you need the emerald right now?”
If I take it, he can’t chaos control- which he’ll probably need to defeat Black Doom. Sonic realized, then thought over what he needed to do. “Not right now, but soon.” Sonic said, musing to himself. “The fake emerald could make do for now- leaving you the real one.” his ears pricked with his own genius. “I could take the fake for now, and you can bring me the real one once you’re done with Black Doom.”
Shadow nodded, relaxing a little. What, did he think that Sonic was going to fight him for it? He didn’t need it right now, and that would be a jerk move to leave Shadow limited without it. He needed every power he was capable of to take down Black Doom once and for all. Gerald spoke to Shadow, pulling his attention away, and Maria also joined their conversation.
So now, it was time for Sonic to take his leave. A pang struck him. He wouldn’t have time to really get to know Maria, to see what kind of person she really was. All he had was an impression, short conversations, a glimpse of her personality.
But maybe he did have more. He glanced at Shadow. She had shaped him, after all- she was his reason to fight, the reason behind almost everything that he did. He could see her in him, a shadow of her character and person.
Sonic was grateful for this- just this chance, this flicker of the past. Though it had been brief, it was a beautiful moment. Sonic had gotten the chance no one else would- to meet the person that Shadow had loved the most. Watching the three of them interact, Sonic understood Shadow more, in a way. This had been his family. And this time was a chance for Shadow to be with that family, whole and complete, one last time.
Smiling sadly, Sonic took a step back, before he channeled his usual grin and enthusiasm. “Well, it was wonderful to meet you both, but there’s a monster that needs dealt with.” Giving the humans a dramatic, sweeping bow, he popped upright and grinned at the both of them.
“Oh- so soon?” Maria’s face fell a little, but she smiled at him anyways. Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms around him, much to Sonic’s shock. “Thank you.” She whispered to him, so softly he doubted that even Shadow heard. “For looking after my brother. I’m glad he has you in the future. He cares deeply about you- he just won’t ever tell you that.”
Sonic hugged her back, letting out a small chuckle. “I know.” He replied, just as softly. “He’s one of my closest friends, I care about him too. He’s….” Sonic hesitated, trying to phrase it. “He’s one of us.” How could he sum up Shadow’s place in their circle? He couldn’t, it was impossible.
“Don’t give up on him, alright?” Maria whispered fiercely, pulling away to meet his gaze with determined blue eyes. “I don’t know what the future brings, but I can tell I’m no longer with him. Don’t let him be alone, when I clearly can’t be there for him.”
Sonic pressed his lips together to keep from making a distressed sound, instead nodding. He tried to choke back the lump in his throat, wondering how she knew.
“He’s not as unreadable as he thinks.” Maria said, eyes regretful and sad. “The way he looks at me now… he’s grieving. I know I’m lost to him, somehow, in your time.” Tilting her chin up, she wiped the sadness from her expression. “So don’t let him drown, you understand me?”
“I swear it.” Sonic whispered, voice thick with the emotion he tried so hard to hide. “I’ll never give up on him. He’s my friend, I’d never let him drown.”
Searching his face, she must have found what she was looking for, because she finally stood and stepped back. “It was lovely to meet you, Sonic.” Giving him a beautiful smile, she moved back to her grandfather’s side.
Sonic tried to get control of himself, feeling like his emotions were all on display. Shadow frowned, confusion and a bit of concern warring on his face. Sonic cleared his throat, quickly throwing a smile up to mask the muddle of feelings he’d have to sort through later.
“Good to meet you, Sonic.” Gerald nodded to him, a kind smile on his face. Another pain struck him, because the face was so familiar, but the expression was so wrong.
Sonic saluted them both with a wink, then turned to Shadow. “Alrighty, Shads, I’ll take Tails’ emerald, then you can meet me with the real one once you’re finished here.”
Shadow stepped closer to him, offering the fake emerald. His expression still held confusion, and he tilted his head a little when he met Sonic’s gaze. Sonic smirked, swiping the emerald from him, and making Shadow roll his eyes.
When Shadow moved to turn away, Sonic cleared his throat, feeling like he needed to say something.
“Hey, Shads.”
Shadow glanced back at him, ears pricked curiously.
Sonic took a step after him, lowering his voice. “Don’t leave anything unsaid, okay?” He didn’t want Shadow to have any regrets after this was all over. Shadow had been given the chance to say goodbye, to truly say goodbye. Sonic just hoped the hybrid would take that chance.
Shadow closed his eyes briefly, his expression twisting into a face of pain and grief, before he opened his eyes and hid the emotions again. Shadow gave him a nod, holding his gaze to show that he understood what Sonic meant.
Sonic’s heart ached for him, because while it was a beautiful thing to have another chance to say goodbye, it also meant that Shadow would have to lose them again. Hesitating, he shoved the fake emerald in his quills, trying to decide if he’d get punched for what he wanted to do. Deciding to do it anyways, he sprang at Shadow, wrapping his arms around the startled hedgehog. Shadow froze, but thankfully didn’t react in violence.
“Make the most of this, Shads.” Sonic whispered, hugging Shadow tightly. “And if you need to fall apart when this is all over, you won’t be alone.”
Shadow sat there for a minute, chest stuttering, before he raised his arms and hugged Sonic back, just as tightly as Sonic clung to him. “I will. Thank you, Sonic.”
They stood there for a moment or two more before separating. Sonic gave Shadow a soft smile, then donned his usual cocky grin, winking at Maria and making her giggle.
With that, he turned back the direction he’d come, feeling energy building inside him, then took off. A thunderous clap shook the place from his exit, and he pushed himself even faster, trying to outrun the emotions that wanted to be dealt with now.
He could process later- now, he had a job to do.