Shadows of a Broken Future

Shadow's POV:

I stood there, staring at the ground beneath my feet, my mind racing. The words I had just spoken felt like they came from someone else. "Do you think... we could be friends?"

What the hell was I thinking? Asking Sonic to be my friend? Me? The Ultimate Lifeform? It was a ridiculous thought. I had spent so long keeping everyone at arm's length, and now-now I was throwing all that away without even knowing why. What's wrong with me?

The way Sonic had looked at me, his grin widening, his voice light with that familiar teasing edge-Something about it stirred an unfamiliar feeling in my chest. I need to get my shit together, I shake my head, trying to banish the thoughts from my mind.

I never let anyone in. I never get close to them, because I know what would happen in the end. They'd leave. They'd die. And I'd be left alone again, just like in the future.

But even when I tried to push them away, it still hurt when they died infront of me in that battle. The emptiness I felt when they were gone-it was like nothing else. So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe keeping people at a distance wasn't the answer. If I could find a way to keep them close, to protect them... maybe I could change the future. Maybe I could fix this before it's too late.

I'd seen it, that dark, desolate future. A world in ruins, where Omega and I were the last ones standing, and even he couldn't hold on any longer. The emptiness in my chest had nearly consumed me. I didn't want that anymore. I didn't want to lose anyone again. If I could protect them, if I could be a part of something, even just for a little while longer, I had to try.

The warmth that spread through me as I looked at Sonic was quickly smothered by a cold, familiar sensation. A voice. A laugh. I didn't need to look to know who it was.

Eggman.

I felt the fury rise within me, so quickly and violently that it felt like a physical blow. My hands clenched into fists, my body locking into place.

"Well, well, well," his voice echoed through the air, dripping with that smug satisfaction that I hate. "What do we have here?"

The sight of him made my stomach twist. I could still hear the echoes of the destruction, feel the emptiness that had haunted me for so long. I could still see Omega's shattered body, the twisted metal, and what used to be my world. Eggman had done this. He had torn it all down.

I won't let him get away with it.

"You...!" I couldn't help myself. My voice came out cold, ice in every word. "You'll pay for what you did, Eggman."

Eggman, of course, looked almost amused, holding up a remote with that smug grin I despise. Behind him, his army of robots appeared, glowing red eyes casting an ominous light across the battlefield.

"I see today must be my lucky day-two hedgehogs, all alone and defenseless, sharing a moment," Eggman says, his voice thick with mockery. "How... cute. Too bad I'll have to destroy you."

I grit my teeth, my chest tightening with a cold fury. His words only stoked the fire in my veins. I'll make him pay.

Sonic was beside me now, his usual bravado apparent. He didn't wait for me to say anything, already charging at the robots with a grin plastered across his face. Of course he would, that reckless hedgehog.

In a blur of blue, Sonic dodges one robot's laser blast, then zipped behind it, delivering a swift spin kick to send it crashing into its fellow bot. He didn't slow down, effortlessly weaving between the remaining robots, kicking, punching, and leaving a trail of sparks in his wake.