Shadows of a Broken Future

Sonic's POV:

"Sonic?"

The words tremble as they leave Shadow's lips, and for a moment, I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. Did he just say my name? Not "Hedgehog" or "Faker," but my actual name?

"Tails buddy I think Shads here might be suffering from brain damage" I remark, still a little stunned but quickly brushing it off.

Before Tails can respond, Rouge suddenly jumps onto Shadow, startling him. She wraps him in a tight hug before pulling away just as quickly and starts scolding him, her voice sharp. "What the hell was that hun? You just went straight for Eggman's upgraded Death Egg without a plan? What were you thinking?!"

Shadow just stares at her, completely dumbfounded.

"Eggman?" he asks, his confusion clear. I tilt my head, trying to read his expression. Rouge glares at him before answering, her tone still firm.

"Yes hun. You went straight for it while he was giving one of his boring speeches. You didn't even listen when Tails tried to warn us about the two Chaos Emeralds powering the machine," she says, her gaze softening. "You took a pretty bad hit handsome, and we all expected you to get up, but when you didn't..." Her voice trails off as her gaze falls to the floor. I can't help but notice how my own ears droop slightly at her words.

Silence fills the room as we all wait for Shadow's explanation. His eyes move from Rouge to Tails, then to Knuckles, Amy, and finally settle on me. My breath hitches as his dark ruby eyes lock onto mine, and I find myself momentarily lost in them, completely captivated. But then just as I start to feel tension build, he turns his head sharply and looks away, breaking the moment. I exhale, surprised to realize I was holding my breath.

Suddenly, there's a sniffle, and my eyes snap up to the source of the sound.

Shadow.

I freeze in place, staring in shock, as the rest of the group follows suit, equally stunned. No one moves as we watch in utter confusion as the Ultimate Lifeform begins to cry. His sobs, initially quiet, soon become painful, and the stillness of the room shatters into chaos.

"Shads!! Are you okay?" I ask, waving my hands around, completely unsure of what to do. Rouge immediately snaps at Knuckles.

"Do something! Don't just stand there!"

Knuckles blinks, looking completely taken aback. "What the heck do you expect me to do?!" he says, hands in the air. "I'm not a nurse!"

Rouge throws her hands up in frustration. "I don't know! I don't know anything!"

Knuckles scoffs. "Oh I know! Why don't I just give him a hug and act like this is all sunshine and rainbows? I'm sure he'll feel better then" he says, rolling his eyes.

Rouge glares at him. "You? You can't even hug a rock without cracking it you big baffon! You would probably kill him!"

He stares at her in disbelief. "I was being sarcastic!" Knuckles shouts, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't even touch him with a stick!"

Amy, meanwhile, is pacing back and forth, looking more worried by the second. "Is he hurt? I thought Tails said he was fine? Why is he crying? What's happening?!" She suddenly stops, looks at Tails with wide eyes, and then shakes her head dramatically. "What did you do to him, Tails?!"

Tails, looking just as confused and frazzled, mutters. "I-I didn't see anything major. I don't understand-"

Amy cuts in, "Should we get a first aid kit? Should we just-uh-offer him cookies?"

Everyone pauses and looks at Amy.

She shrugs. "I mean, cookies fix everything."

Knuckles stares at her. "Yeah, because that is going to fix whatever's going on here." he gestures wildly with his hands.

Amy groans. "Well then what do you think we should do?" She pouts with her hands on her hips.

"I've got it!" Knuckles suddenly declares, "I'll hit him with a huge punch! That'll definitely knock some sense into him and he'll be back to his normal brooding self!"

Amy slaps her hand to her face. "Knuckles, that's not gonna help! What is wrong with you?!"

Tails stammers, "I'm... uh, I'm pretty sure hitting him is not the solution!"

Meanwhile, I sit still, trying to ignore the chaos around me. Shadow needs comfort right now, and that's my priority. He's always been the tough one, so seeing him break down like this is throwing me off. Why does this hurt me so much?

"Hey, Shads?" I say softly, reaching out. To my surprise, he grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug. My heart skips a beat, and I freeze for a second, unsure what to do. But then, instinct takes over, and I hug him back. The others are still running around, unsure whether they should get a first aid kit or a snack.

"Do we have a first aid kit?!" Knuckles shouts, looking around wildly. "What if it's internal bleeding or something?!"

Tails looks to the ceiling. "Can I just download a calming app or something for him?"

"A calming app?!" Amy blurts out. "Tails, you're the most tech-savvy here! Why don't you have a real solution?!"

Amidst the chaos, I try to focus on what's important. Shadow. I trying to calm him down. Gently stroking his quills and mumbling reassuring words in his ear. He feels warm in my arms. I try to ignore how his chest fur tickles my chin and how he smells so good-like lavender. I need to focus. I push those thoughts aside. Right now, Shadow needs me.

After what feels like forever, slowly Shadow's sobs start to quiet down. His breathing begins to calm, and the tears finally stop flowing. He carefully pulls away from me and looks up, his ruby eyes locking onto mine. His voice is hoarse. "You're all here."

I pause for a moment, confused, but I can't deny how his words tug at something deep inside me, making my chest tightening. Without thinking, I pull him back into another hug.

Shadow's POV:

I'm back in the past. I don't know how, but I am. Earlier when Rouge recounted the battle with Eggman, my mind drifted back to the moment she was referring to. I remember that day so clearly- I was in a bad mood, everything irritated me more than usual. Eggman's endless droning was the last straw, and I needed to vent my frustrations. I went to fight, but a powerful blast from his machine caught me off guard. I didn't see it coming, and by the time I tried to dodge, it was too late. Definitely not the ultimate lifeform in that moment.

When I woke up, I remember feeling more annoyed than anything. Everyone was fussing over me, asking if I was okay, and I lashed out, telling them I didn't need their pity, that I could take care of myself. I pushed them all away, stubborn as always, trying to keep them at a distance so I wouldn't get attached. Looking back, I don't know how much good that really did.

That was a year before Eggman destroyed everything.

I try to compose myself again, still stunned by what just happened. I can't believe I cried in front of everyone. Did I really miss them that much? My muzzle warms with embarrassment and I realize that I'm still in Sonic's arms. But there's something else tugging at me too-how is this even happening? Why am I back in this moment?

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Sonic makes a hissing sound and pulls away. "Ouch Shads, what did you just poke me with?"

Confused, I glance down at my clenched fist that was resting on his waist moments ago. Slowly I open it, and my eyes widen in disbelief. Sonic furrows his brows as he stares at it too. "What's that Shads?" he asks, his voice laced with curiosity.

I don't respond. My attention is fixed on the shiny, sharp shard of the red Chaos Emerald in my hand-the same one Omega and I found before I woke up here.

~~~

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