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skywriter97 · 3 months

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When Heaven Calls

The sky is orange. Not the orange of the sunset, beautifully blended with hints of scarlet and violet with the occasional cloud or early star. The stars have long since burned out...and the clouds are but a fond memory. The sun no longer sets; it has grown too large for such an ancient, insignificant thing.

Hence the orange sky.

The heat of a burning sky is nearly unbearable. Centuries past, Mobians—male ones, especially—wore clothing for style, a sense of fashion or luxury. No such luxury exists now. Clothes, thick garments of scratchy materials, are worn to protect against the heat, provide some sense of shade or coolness from the charring heat.

The colossal sun has done more than increase the temperature. It has become an enemy of the world; scorched the grounds to ash and dust, dried up the seas and even the atmosphere. It would be an issue, certainly…

If the citizens of Mobius hadn’t heeded the warning signs. Hadn’t paid attention to the changes in the planet’s climates, hadn’t noticed the sun expanding ever so slowly over the centuries, devouring stars and planets and everything else in its hunger.

But they had.

World leaders had gathered. Solutions had been proposed, tried…and ultimately failed.

Not even the Chaos Emeralds, or the Master Emerald, or both working in tandem, could halt what was declared ‘natural progression’. After all, the sun is just another star. Stars grow, stars feed, and then…stars die.

With their final hope of saving their world exhausted, efforts were redirected to instead saving the people of their world. Expeditions were directed and launched, seeking another home, a better, safer home, for the people of Mobius. For years, decades, they searched.

Then they found one.

A planet so strikingly like Mobius that it seemed too good to be true. But it hadn’t been. The planet was not only hospitable, but perfect for Mobians and practically sparkling with Chaos energy. It was perfect.

So, the planning began to vacate Mobius and journey to this shiny, beautiful new world…the Mobians’ new home. It took years to build plenty of shuttles, even with the technology from Yellow Sky Industries, and by the time the fleet was ready for the voyage…time was nearly out.

“Come with us.” She begged. Her green eyes, so like her ancestor’s that he felt it in his heart of hearts, were damp with tears and shone with the sincerity of her plea. “There’s plenty of room aboard our shuttle.”

Technically speaking, this was true. The shuttles had been built and prepared to accommodate all that was left on Mobius plus extra. She told no lie to him, and he knew that she wasn’t the only one that would like him to take a seat onboard and journey to this new world.

But that was just it, wasn’t it? This was a new world, and…

“There is no room in a new world for an old relic such as I.” Shadow patiently replied and squeezed her shoulders. There was no hint of pink in her quills, but the way she blinked up at him…all he could see for a long moment was his Light, who had left to shine upon him from a place he could not yet reach so very long ago.

Shadow had been careful since her passing…since the passing of his children and grandchildren. He was known of by his descendants, his story a legend among legends not only on Mobius, but among his own lineage, but made sure that while he was known by legend, he wasn’t personally known by any.

Old legends had no place interrupting new stories.

Shadow had kept his promises. Each and every one. He kept watch over his blood as it navigated the centuries and ensured their health and safety and happiness. He’d guarded each addition from afar, blessed the way which they walked, and had never felt more pride and adoration in their accomplishments, in the way they embraced the opportunities to create their own legends.

“But you’re not an old relic! You’re-,” She grabbed his wrists tightly, unwilling to let go. “You’re family, and I won’t leave without you.”

Shadow chuckled lightly. “You remind me so much of her.” He fondly informed her. “She would have dragged me aboard, kicking and screaming, citing that I still had so much to do, so much to discover, and I had no business wasting such an opportunity.”

“Then you should listen!” She pressed.

“I did.” Shadow’s ruby eyes were soft, ancient, and she fell silent. “I did listen to her. Even though I’ve ached without my Aurora since she passed, I carried on. I watched over our family. I helped people. Even saved the world a few times. And now,” Shadow glanced over her head and nodded to the Mobian standing at the door of the shuttle. The time had come. “Now it’s your turn, little star.” He smiled at her, and she sniffled.

“I-I don’t wanna go without you.” She whispered. “There-There’s so much you could teach me, so much we could do together. Don’t make me go without you, please.”

Shadow pulled her close and allowed her tears to soak into his cloak. “Just because you won’t see me doesn’t mean I won’t be there.” He murmured to her. “Just because you can’t see the stars doesn’t mean they don’t shine. My light will always be with you.”

“What-,” She scrubbed her face. Shadow tsked and used his scarf to wipe her cheeks, both surprised and softened that she let him. “What will you do?”

“While you journey to your new world,” Shadow smiled. “I’ll be waiting for my heaven’s arrival.”

“On your own?” She demanded.

“NEGATIVE.” Shadow nodded in greeting, but Omega remained focused on her. His large, clawed hand patted her head consolingly. “WORRY NOT. I SHALL REMAIN BEHIND AND KEEP SHADOW COMPANY UNTIL HIS DEMISE.”

“It will be alright, little star.” Shadow reassured her and gently pushed her to the shuttle. “Now, off you go. That new world isn’t going to come to you!” He huffed a laugh when she whipped around and tossed her arms around him, and he stroked her quills comfortingly, and then she was gone, vanishing into the shuttle.

Shadow and Omega stood side by side on the charred grounds of Mobius’ remains, observing as the fleet of spacecrafts ignited their engines and rose into that burnt orange sky, watching their escape from the devouring sun until they were no longer visible. Briefly, Shadow wondered about this new planet. Would the skies be blue? Or some other marvelous color? Would the flowers smell sweeter than the ones his father-in-law used to pick? Would the beaches be golden, like the one he proposed on?

Shadow shook his head away from those thoughts. He’d been right not to board the shuttle. His time had long passed. The need for an Ultimate Lifeform had long been fulfilled.

And now…now he could finally rest.

Shadow glanced at his oldest friend with a half-smile. “Would you sit with me, Omega?” The ground was hot and dusty and unforgiving, but Shadow saw no need to find a more comfortable spot. There was no longer any such thing on Mobius, and so sat on the harsh, charred earth with his legs crossed and hands folded neatly in his lap. He smiled when he heard the tell-tale whir of Omega’s belts, and the clunk of heavy metal settling on the ground beside him.

“I HAVE AN INQUIRY.”

“Ask, old friend.”

“WE HAVE DISCUSSED MANY THINGS OVER THE CENTURIES.”

“Yes.” Shadow agreed.

“ONE THING YOU HAVE NEVER EXPLAINED TO ME. SINCE I CALCULATE THE SUN WILL SWALLOW MOBIUS IN THREE HOURS, FORTY-THREE MINUTES, AND ELEVEN SECONDS AND DESTROY US BOTH, I WOULD LIKE AN EXPLANATION NOW.”

“Alright.” Shadow pricked his ears.

“IT WAS GERALD ROBOTNIK’S INTENTION TO UTILIZE MOBIAN AND BLACK ARMS DNA TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM.” Omega stated. “THE FIRST ATTEMPT WAS THE PROTOTYPE KNOWN AS BIOLIZARD.”

“Yes…?”

“I DO NOT COMPUTE HOW A HEDGEHOG WOULD CONSTITUTE AS AN ULTIMATE LIFEFORM.” Omega admitted. “WHY CHOOSE HEDGEHOG DNA TO MERGE WITH BLACK ARMS? WHAT MAKES A HEDGEHOG THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM?”

Shadow stared at the last remaining creation of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, blinking slowly…before a smile wobbled on his muzzle, and he burst into laughter.

“I AM SERIOUS.” Omega insisted, sounding irritable. “IF PROJECT SHADOW WAS TO YIELD ANY MEASURE OF SUCCESS FROM INCEPTION, THEY SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE STRONGEST AVAILABLE MOBIAN DNA. A TIGER, GRIZZLY BEAR, OR EVEN AN ELEPHANT WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE THAN A HEDGEHOG.”

Shadow pounded on the dusty ground, wheezing with tears in his eyes, but after several moments of continuous laughter, finally sat up and grinned at Omega. “That’s what you’ve wondered so long about?”

“COLOR ME CURIOUS.”

Shadow smirked. “After the failure of the Biolizard, the Professor and the other scientists wanted something containable. Powerful, but controllable, yet since Project Shadow was highly classified, the resources for DNA were limited. Hedgehog DNA was one of the few qualifying samples available. That and,” Shadow chortled. “Hedgehogs were Maria’s favorite animal.”

“I SEE.” Omega hummed.

No words passed between the two companions for a long time, and Shadow idly spun the slim golden ring resting on his finger, tarnished by time, never once removed in the centuries since its adornment. He looked up, the heat from the encroaching sun scalding his face, scorching the grounds black as it approached, but he still didn’t move. Instead, he smiled. “Omega?”

“SHADOW.”

“…Thank you. For remaining with me all these years. For staying with me now.”

“…YOU ARE WELCOME, MY FRIEND.”

Shadow bowed his head, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly. After centuries of waiting, Shadow’s heaven finally came to collect him. Now, after centuries of turmoil and heartache…he could finally know peace.

“Hey there, Spaceman.”

For @e-vay, @evayart for her awesome Sonic Fanart that continues to inspire me!

I'm such a huge Shadora fan, I love that ship, and one of the big "what-ifs" regarding future-future Shadora is Shadow's immortality. Here's one spin on how I think it might go down if Shadow keeps his Immortality in E-Vay's AU!

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