Chapter 25: My Friend
Chapter 25: My Friend
The inner workings of the Ark flashed in vibrant lights, the clashing of the three streaks illuminating everything around them. Every kick. Every punch. Their force was heard by everything within viewing distance. The platform below them was being torn apart, metal sheets bent out of shape where the dents and ruts were formed.
Sonic and Rainbow stepped off, launching yet again and Shadow. They struck the hedgehog as he blocked their attack, getting pushed back as they continued their assault. Shadow found himself blocking their strikes more than throwing his own. Both were practically in his face, trading shots at him as they moved around one another almost seamlessly.
Dammit. "Chaos control!" he shouted, disappearing as their next strikes only hit the wind.
"Darn it!" Rainbow swore, whipping around to search for him. "I hate that stupid ability!"
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it!" Sonic answered.
He barely got off another word as the red blur shot past him, striking him hard as he was sent flying.
"Sonic!" Rainbow shouted in worry. She felt her glare harden, looking at the red streak that was circling back around. "Alright, buster! Time to shut you down!"
She shot off, chasing down Shadow as she picked up her own intense speed. While he may have had the upper hand before, with her returning strength and newfound energy she could now at least remain side-by-side with him. She slammed into his side, nearly sending him off the platform. He grunted, but he managed to save himself. In return he slammed back into her, forcing her back with near overwhelming force. She just grit her teeth, going back at the hedgehog that had caused her so much pain.
The field was soon overcome with shockwaves, the streaks disappearing almost completely as Rainbow and Shadow became nothing but blurs. Suddenly, they stopped. Shadow had crushed her midsection between his knee and elbow. She felt stunned as he spine took the worst punishment, her eyes narrowed in shock. Before it was all over, Shadow released her and brought both of his fists down on her back, slamming her to his feet.
"Oh no you don't!" Shadow heard, lifting his head at the voice. Sonic was rushing straight at him, both fists at his side.
He struck Shadow just as he blocked the attack, resulting in him getting pushed back. He followed up with a spin dash, his quills acting with the sound of buzz saws as the wind circulated around him. Shadow collided with his own, bringing the two to a halt as they pushed against one another. Sparks flew from both them and the floor. The metal beneath them was being shaved off inch by inch. Their respective auras rose, flaring up with violent intent as they spun with them.
"Just give up, hedgehog!" Shadow yelled, his form narrowing as he picked up speed. "You may have the power of Chaos Control, but I've mastered it! It's the essence of my will!"
"That's a whole lot of nonsense!" Sonic shot back. "If you ask me, it sounds like you have some kind of superiority complex!"
The two broke their spins, the air blasting outward. Without hesitation, Shadow struck Sonic right in the head, dazing him. He was ready to strike again, coming at Sonic as he fell back. He was not ready, however, for the hoof that replaced his sight of him.
Rainbow shot over Sonic in a blur. She hit Shadow hard enough you could almost see his eyes bulge out. He grunted in immense pain. He could belittle her all he wanted, but those hooves still packed a punch. He swore that she even drew blood with that strike. He countered, their attacks clashing together. They found themselves locked in a series of blows that neither could fully follow. When Rainbow would kick, Shadow would kick right back. When he struck her stomach, she would buck his side.
They caught each other's punches, locking themselves together face to face. "What's the end game with you, pal?!" Rainbow questioned through grit teeth. "You blow up the Earth, but what're gonna do after that?! Just get all nice and cozy up here in space?! What kind of life is that anyway?!"
"Don't talk like you understand me!" Shadow seethed, pushing hard against her. "I'm not doing this for me!"
He planted his foot down, his strength rising with his dark aura. "What those humans down there did to me…what they did to the doctor…what they did to Maria! I don't care what happens to me!" He pushed harder, Rainbow starting to lose traction. "The whole world is going to pay, and it's all going to be for her! This is my vengeance! This is what I was truly created for!"
Rainbow hung onto every word he said, even as her back hooves scraped against the floor. His strength was only getting greater. Each word he spoke just seemed to give him more. That intense red glow in his eyes was almost all-encompassing at this point. There was just so much hate, more than she had ever thought somepony could have. It only made her question: what happened to him that made him like this? She didn't believe that anypony was just inherently evil. A jerk, maybe, sometimes definitely. But never pure evil.
"M-Maria?" Rainbow struggled to say, still pushing against him.
His eyes went wide at the drop of the name. He looked like somepony who had just snapped. He broke one of his hands away and tried to strike at her. She had to act fast. She bent completely backward, catching herself with one hoof as she brought her rear ones up. She bucked at him with enough force to push away the wind. Unfortunately, he jumped away just before it hit, but that got him right where she wanted him. She grinned.
"Sonic!" she called.
Shadow perked up too late, for a spinning blue blur suddenly struck him to the side. He was flung far away from them both; Sonic landed just within a few feet of Rainbow. "Twister!" Sonic yelled to her, rushing forward.
"Right!" she affirmed.
The blue and rainbow streaks charged at Shadow full speed. He brought up his arms, ready to take another hit, but they never came. Instead, they parted around him. He was confused but soon saw their actual maneuver. They were now spinning around him rapidly in a counter-clockwise motion, their individual streaks mixing together beautifully with one another in quick flashes. The wind quickly started to pick up inside the circle. Forced to shield his face from the intense wind, Shadow watched as a multicolored twister started to form around them.
Without warning he was struck to the side, stumbling before catching himself. He looked to the assailant with a fury, but there was no one there. He was hit again, this time from the other side. This time he caught a glance at a blue streak coming out of the rotating circle before returning to it on the other side. So that was it. They were disorienting him with the air. With all the blinding colors as they spun, it was difficult to see where they'd be coming from. They were taking potshots at him where they could. Typical.
He was hit from behind by a rainbow streak, catching himself as the blue one returned. Sonic. Shadow met his punch with one of his own. They bounced off one another, Sonic retreating to the edges of the twister. Shadow wasn't about to let him get away and gave chase. If he could take out one of them, it would break the funnel of air up completely, assuming he didn't get swept away.
Rainbow took notice of this and broke away. She struck Shadow hard in the head, and she couldn't help but wince a bit. Not for herself, but for Shadow, as she felt the noticeable thunk of bone against bone as he fell back to the middle. Now she and Sonic were back at it, keeping their insane speeds up as to not give him an inch of ground. The struck again. And again. And again, Shadow perpetually trapped within the spinning vortex as they fly by over and over.
Shadow fumed, a vein protruding on his forehead in pure anger. "Chaos control!" He vanished, appearing right outside the circle with readied hand. "Chaos Spear!"
"Incoming!" Rainbow alerted, seeing the volley of yellow bolts showering toward them.
"I see 'em!" Sonic affirmed, him and the cyan pony breaking their formation.
They flew and jumped out of the way, the explosions billowing flames and black smoke from the impacts. Sonic landed first, but not before Shadow had already rushed him. They were suddenly locked in a mix of furious blows, Sonic immediately becoming overwhelmed by Shadow's barrage. Sonic felt every hit prominently. Even when he managed to strike at Shadow, it was just repelled, leaving him only with his ability to block, which was quickly being taken apart.
With a twist of her body, Rainbow rushed in to help. She came in from behind, hoping to catch him off guard. This wasn't the case, however, as Shadow quickly spun around and met her strike with one of his kicks. She just rolled over it, using him as leverage as she brought her rear hoof down on his head. He hadn't managed to block this one, causing him immense pain as he was pushed back. Rainbow smirked. Showed him not to mess with Equestria's fastest flier—
She was suddenly struck back, Shadow grunting in anger as he delivered a punch to her cheek. The hit caused her to hit the floor, her head and shoulder impacting with a gong-like echo. Without missing a step, Shadow had brought his other arm up and elbowed Sonic square in the chin, the blue hedgehog having tried to throw a punch at him.
Rainbow attempted to get up, but that last hit had knocked her silly. She could feel her eyes rolling, many tiny, but familiar chimera-like figures circling her head she swore. Before she could recover, she had already felt another hit, this one powerful and with the force of a piledriver, right to her stomach. He had kicked her, his aura surrounding the foot as she was sent flying high above the area. She could feel her body spinning wildly as she struggled just to maintain some semblance of control.
"Now for you!" Shadow yelled, having done away with the pony and now wanting to focus on his main frustration. He spun around to meet his counterpart, already readying his Chaos Spear.
"Heh," Sonic chuckled strangely, struggling to stay standing, but smiling non-the-less. "Catch me if you can."
He took the fake Chaos Emerald, flashing it to Shadow before yelling ardently, "Chaos Control!"
Shadow couldn't even react right away. He had just tried launching the attack, but Sonic had vanished, the blasts sailing out into the distance.
Sonic reappeared, but not down below on the platform, but in the air high above everything. He looked out across the massive room, spying Shadow down at the center of the platform. Alright, this needed to be perfect. He was sailing through the air as he spied a certain blue pegasus that was flying right at him, spinning wildly as he wings flailed about. He spun his body, doing several successive backflips before unfolding and planting his feet right on a jut of large pip in the wall. His momentum that he gained kept him from immediately falling, the wind blowing through his quills as it all washed by him. It would only last him a second, however.
He cupped his hands together as if he was readying for a volley. His eyes narrowed on his target, the rainbow tail and blue hooves that fly closer and closer. And…there! He angled his body, allowing Rainbow's rear hooves to plant themselves in his cupped hands, pulling his arms back, but stopping her in her tracks.
She looked at her rescuer in confusion, but then looked in wonder once she saw who it was. "W-what?!"
Sonic smirked to her, his muscles visibly tightening. "Go get 'em Colors," he implored. With his last millisecond on the wall, he gave a hearty yell, using all his aura-given strength throw her, vaulting the rainbow-haired pony right back where she came.
Rainbow shot off like a bullet, perplexed at first, but soon coming to an understanding. She thrust her hooves forward, putting on her hardest game face with a huge push of her wings. She shot down in a prismatic blur, her rear hooves shooting out sparks of light as she picked up speed. Within a second, she was nearly on top of Shadow again. He was only just starting to turn, his red eyes going instantly wide at the realization.
"Eat rainbow, bed head!" she yelled, narrowing her whole body as her Buccaneer Blaze kicked in, launching her forward as she impacted. The strike was furious, air blasting outward as her hooves dug into his arms.
Eggman watched the video feed intensely, his beady eyes scrunching around his black specs. It was almost hard to watch all that was going on. Whatever that pony just did more than blow around some air; it had shaken the entire area in which the camera was recording. He could nearly see the air as she dragged Shadow across the platform. He felt his brow harden as his fist clenched, the fabric of his glove being stretched to its limit.
However, there was only a single thought that kept repeating itself in his mind. How did that blasted blue hedgehog survive? It had to have been a trick of some kind. But the more he watched, the more he realized that this was the real thing. Sonic was back.
"They're really goin' at it, ain't they?" Cubot observed, stroking his metal chin. "I can barely keep up with 'em."
Eggman just growled in response. He didn't have time to berate his yellow minion. "Orbot, what's the status of the Eclipse Cannon? I need to see some fireworks," he writhed in anger.
"92% and rising sir," Orbot confirmed. "It'll be just a couple more minutes till its full charge. But, if I may suggest, sir, we have plenty of energy stored in the core as it is. Might I suggest we fire it while we can?"
"No!" Eggman roared, prompting the small bot to cower. "I said I would turn the Earth into ash should my demands not be met, and I intend to keep my word. I want my furry friends to watch first-hand as their world is turned into nothing but slag."
Orbot, now carefully coming back from hiding, sighed worryingly. "Oh, if you say so, doctor."
"There's nothing to fear my little friends," the doctor stood, cupping his hands behind his back with a much calmer tone of voice. "It doesn't matter how fast those two are. They're still busy with Shadow after all. Even they won't be able to stop the countdown that fast."
"Isn't that what we always think?" Cubot spoke up. "We always have the upper hand boss. But that pesky hedgehog always beats you in the end, doesn't he? What's so different about now?"
While he couldn't see the doctor's face, he noticed a vein forming on his bald spot, the scientist's back hunching over as he breathed in and out. "Orbot…" he seethed between his teeth.
"U-uh—yes sir!" Orbot affirmed, appropriately rolling over to his partner and giving him a firm slap.
"Owww! What did I do?!" Cubot whined, having to stop his head from spinning in place. Unfortunately, he ended up stopping it on backward. "Aww, darn it! Look what ya did now!"
"You know better than to say that in front of the fat man," Cubot whispered with his hand up. "Just try to behave yourself, alright?" Cubot rolled away, heading to join his master's side as Cubot continued to mess with his reversed head.
"Aww man, at least help a brother out," the yellow bot whined more, intensely struggling to right his head. He grunted loudly, but it was no use. His head was staying where it was. His shutter-like eyes drooped as he sighed. Defeat to his own neck…not cool. He looked up, and his face went from that of someone in disappointment to one in partial glee. Something was standing behind him. No. Someone. "Hey mister, you think you could lend me a ha—" he was cut off by a loud crunching of metal.
"Cubot?" Orbot questioned at the noise, turning around. "Did you say som—" CRUNCH.
Now it was the doctor's turn to hear the out of place noise. He immediately turned and was faced with something he couldn't quite explain, for the shock was great. There, right in front of him, were the crumbled and crushed remains of his two robotic helpers, their metal chassis' taken apart ruthlessly. But that wasn't what caused him to freeze. It was the dark figure that stood before him, a dark and evil aura emitting from its very being. "W-who ar—" he tried to speak but was silenced by a lightning quick punch to the face. Then, nothing but darkness as he fell to the floor with a resounding thud.
The figure chuckled, stretching out the fingers of his punching hand. "For a very pudgy man, doctor, you have quite the hard head if you don't mind me saying," Zayn said to the now unconscious doctor, sickeningly smirking all the while his tunneled voiced echoed.
The dark purple hedgehog scanned the room. Light on security it seemed, at least on the inside. What a fool. No wonder he could never beat Sonic. Always so arrogant. Zayn tapped the now detached head of what was the small red robot, causing the heavily damaged orb to roll away, whatever he could get for a small bit of entertainment.
He looked to the massive display. It showed both the large room that the pony and Sonic were fighting in and a massive digital clock in the corner. It was just now reaching the two-minute mark, every second ticking by meticulously. He grinned, watching as the wind and dust were finally starting to settle in the arena.
"Oh, little Rain," he shook his head. "And here I thought you would've learned your lesson since the last time. It's a pity, really. Although, I suppose watching you struggle is more than enough to keep my attention for a while."
He turned to the large chair, completely ignoring the doctor who was still out cold. He took his place in it, lazily resting his head on one finger as he watched the screen. His eyes felt partly heavily, but he wasn't about to allow himself to doze off at a time like this.
"That's right. Keep on fighting him. Keep making him angrier. You may think you can somehow help that poor excuse for an ultimate lifeform, but all you're doing is playing right into our plan," he chuckled, watching as the timer reached its minute-forty mark. "Better hurry. The clock is ticking."
Rainbow's lungs felt cold, her wings like they were on fire. The dust was finally starting to clear after her nosedive. She coughed, but she couldn't help but smile through them. "That…*pant*…felt good…" she spoke through ragged breaths.
She knew that last attack had to have injured Shadow. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She hit him with everything she could muster. She felt a sense of pride in her gut. After everything he put her through, she had finally gotten a good one on him. Of course, she had some help along the way.
She heard Sonic land next to her, running up to her in a flash. "Hey! Now that's what I call shocking display! I'd say you rocked his world, Dash!" he exclaimed, giving Rainbow a firm congratulatory slap on the back.
Rainbow smiled tiredly at the praise. She couldn't explain it, but it felt good to hear it coming from him specifically. "Thanks…" she spoke through the pants. She felt one of her front legs give out, causing her to stumble slightly. Dang it. She had used up more power than she should've there. "Ok, that's irritating."
"You alright?" Sonic asked, looking down at her now raised leg.
"Don't worry, blue boy," she jested. "It's just a sprain. Nothing I can't handle." She hoped that was true. If she was already hurting from her exhaustion of power, then she could only guess as to how much more she could use before she collapsed.
Sonic still looked at her with a hint of worry, but he didn't press on it. He just gave a nod of affirmation. "You're tougher than you look, ya know," he stated. "I guess all those cutesy looks are a bit deceiving."
Rainbow blinked at his choice of words, her face warming up intensely as she processed them. "S-say what?"
"Hmm?" Sonic questioned, a blank look on his face. "What?"
Rainbow only felt her face heat up even more, to the point she was pretty sure she was glowing. Wait, so he wasn't— "U-uh, nothing!" she stammered. "J-just uuuhhh…" Dang it! Did she really have nothing better to say?! What was even with her right now?! All he said was that she was— Arrrgghh! She couldn't bring herself to look back at him. Why did she think that just now? That was stupid.
"Are you sure you're all there, Colors?" Sonic questioned, his hands on his hips.
"SOOONNIICC!" a booming roar of a voice echoed from the dust, prompting them both to tense up. "RAAINNBOWW DAASSHH!"
The last of the dust finally started to settle, revealing the very damaged floor from Rainbow's impact before. But it also revealed a familiar figure, still standing with full blood red eyes. Shadow stood before them, dense scratches and minor wound littering his body, but mostly on his arms. Rainbow herself could see the pain-filled bruises caused by her hooves. Shadow was even holding his left arm with his right, his left one looking both tense but limp at the same time.
He took a step forward, a limp in his leg as he did. While he was still standing, he was obviously injured, quite heavily if either of them had a say in it. None the less, they were still tense, and they could see it in each other's faces.
"You…" he spoke in drips of venom, "I'm going to make you pay."
"Stop acting all tough!" Rainbow spoke with confidence, glad to forget what just happened. "We've got you outmatched!" she stood tall.
"The game's over Shadow!" Sonic spoke up. "You don't pick a fight with us without biting off more than you can chew."
Shadow stood silent, a rage-filled glare his only form of communication. But Sonic was right. He had underestimated them too many times, and now he was paying the price. His hand tightened around his arm in anger, gritting his teeth as he fought off the pain. This was humiliating. He looked pathetic right now.
The station hummed loudly, causing Rainbow and Sonic to perk up. "Hey, not to interrupt anything, but wasn't there something else we were supposed to be doing?" she asked Sonic in worry.
The blue hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We spent so much time here I kind of forgot about that."
"You forgot about that?!" she asked incredulously, his nervous looks giving her all the answers she needed. She deadpanned.
"You aren't going anywhere," Shadow seethed, struggling to take even another step forward. He couldn't let them go. Not now. Everything he had worked so hard to achieve would vanish in an instant. Everything he had done would be in vain. Everything Maria had done would be in vain.
"Don't worry, we'll be sure to stop back here for the rematch," Sonic said cockily, gesturing to Shadow with a two-fingered salute. "You ready to juice, Dash?"
Rainbow didn't answer right away. For whatever reason, she found herself staring at the black and red hedgehog across from her. In all honesty, she didn't feel good about this at all. She could see the desperation in his eyes from here. It was mostly shrouded behind all of the anger, but it was still there. She thought back to what he said before. 'Maria.' The name flashed in her mind over and over. She thought of the human girl she had seen in her head, those innocent blue eyes sorrowfully looking on at Shadow as he looked to be screaming against the glass cage. She was confused more than anything. Just…what was he trying to accomplish? She…felt almost sorry for him.
"Hey, Colors?" Sonic called, bumping her side.
She was brought back to reality, coming back to her normal state of mind. "Uh…yeah. Yeah! Let's go!"
"Fine," Sonic smirked. "Race me?"
Rainbow smirked back. She may be still hurting, but she couldn't help but feel fired up.
"Pathetic…" Shadow mumbled, catching their attention.
He hunched over, a dark shadow cast over his face. His dark aura slow began to rise again, going up in small flare-like bursts. He took his hand away from his arm, and the two speedsters watched as he guided it down to his wrist. "Look at both of you. Friendship. Loyalties. These are things that have failed me over and over again."
He reached his wrist, squeezing his hand over the golden ring that cuffed it. There was a small flash there, and like that, the ring came off, falling to the floor with a series of clinks. It was such a small change, but they didn't go without notice. His aura started flaring up again, only now there was another color mixed in with it. Red. A fiery red. The pulsating color slowly started creeping its way around the edges of the darkness. The room suddenly started getting warm.
"I'm no guessing-hog," Sonic stared, "but I don't think I like where this is going."
"I'm not the only one feeling the heat, am I?" Rainbow questioned.
Shadow began reaching for the other ring now. "I have a promise to keep as well. A promise that all of humanity will feel the same pain that I felt 50 years ago. A promise to myself. A promise to her," he spoke, taking hold of the last ring. "And neither of you," he clutched the ring tight, his muscles tensing up, "are going to get in my way!"
He squeezed the ring. It flashed off his wrist, and everything fell silent. The air got unnaturally heavy, and all the lights seemed to dim as the red glow from his aura overtook everything else. Shadow grunted loudly, clutching his hands and arms around his ribs and sides in what looked to be pain. His black fur suddenly turned a very bright red, his red aura now completely enveloping the dark one, leaving a bleak mixture of purple in red.
Tiny sparks danced across his fur. It was if there was a deep, longing energy that was just waiting to be released all at once. And it did. With a mighty yell, Shadow roared to the heavens, his energy blasting outward in a furious firestorm. Red flame-like waves blasted across the platform. The two speedsters were in absolute shock at the display of power, completely unprepared for what was going on. Out of pure instinct, Sonic raised his arms forward, and Rainbow flared her wings. With their colored auras brought to bear, two similar colored barriers appeared around each of them.
The blast hit the shields like an avalanche, nearly pushing them both back as they grit their teeth. Rainbow was overwhelmed by how much power was being thrown at them right now. She was using up so much more energy, and yet she was still buckling under all the pressure. One look at a struggling Sonic and she could see that he was fairing no better.
Sonic grunted loudly. "J-just…hold on!" he encouraged, every muscle in his body seeming to strain.
"H-how does he…" Rainbow struggled, "have this much…left in him?!"
The firestorm kept going with Shadow's yells. Both Sonic and Rainbow both felt their limbs giving out on them now, Sonic even being forced to one knee. If this kept up for much longer…
As if it were a blessing, the energy stopped flowing. The dissipating energy gave them a much-needed reprieve, their barriers instantly breaking apart as they nearly collapsed. They were exhausted, but alive.
Rainbow looked up tiredly. It was bleak, darkness surrounding a single silhouette. It was as if all the light around the had coalesced into a single point, reminding her of a solar eclipse. The heat was very prevalent now as she could see the waves pulsating from the red and purple aura. The figure walked forward, every step it took echoing straight to her eardrums.
When it was close enough, it stopped. She looked on in a mix of fear and awe. Shadow… The dark hedgehog was bathed in bright red light, the violent energy covering every inch of his body. It sparked and crackled, his muscles visibly struggling to contain all their power. His eyes had no more white in them. They were simply as red as rubies. His dark aura had now skyrocketed, a violent swirl of miasma that looked as if it was trying to engulf him.
"Now do you see where you stand?" Shadow spoke through strained words. "This is the true power of the ultimate life form! You made the mistake of pushing me so far!"
Sonic picked himself up. "Man, I think he's gone off the deep end this time."
"What are we supposed to about that?" Rainbow asked her partner. "I don't like the way he's looking at me either."
"Worst case scenario, we run," Sonic jested, albeit at a bit of an improper time. "It's what we're good at, right?"
"That's not at all how I would've said it," Rainbow responded.
Shadow huffed, although they could tell it was very guttural. "You really think you'll get the chance?"
Without warning, he dashed forward. The speedsters were taken aback, the enraged hedgehog alright right in their faces, leaving only a stream of red and purple in his wake. He gave each of them an unyielding punch to the gut, taking all the air out of their lungs as he took them off their feet.
Rainbow's and Sonic's pupils shrunk in pain. They couldn't even follow his movements. It was almost instantaneous. His punches were nothing to scoff at before, but now the strength they held was overwhelming. Rainbow herself felt the internal bruising it was sure to leave. She coughed hard, her and Sonic being sent flying by the strikes. She tried to right herself but had no chance she as she suddenly felt somepony yank her by the tail. She yelped in pain, just before being swung around violently by Shadow. He threw her to the floor, her back the first thing to hit the cold metal as she felt it crack and pop.
With her temporarily stunned, Shadow was already readying another punch, aiming right for the pony's exposed stomach. However, Sonic, flashing in with Chaos Control, appeared standing over the disoriented pegasus and catching Shadow's strike, grunting as he grabbed it with both hands. So, Sonic was shocked when he was still blown away, his body violently flying through the air. He righted himself, his shoes skidding hotly across the metal. He readied himself, fighting past his dazed senses as Shadow set his sights on him.
They collided, the two hedgehog's flashing around the arena in blue and red blurs. Shadow was easily taking over the situation. Sonic was surprised at how fast this guy had gotten compared to before, and for him, that was saying something. He couldn't count how many times he had to narrowly avoid him cutting him off. For once, he had to push himself to his top speed, and even then, he was struggling to keep up. Shadow. This guy was really something else. He'd be smiling if it weren't for how bad this had gotten.
She threw a punch. Sonic moved out of the way, but he was nearly blasted by all the energy and heat that expelled from it. Shadow threw more punches. Sonic managed to sidestep each one as the energy exploded outwards, but only by the skin of his teeth. 'Shoot!' he swore to himself. 'He wasn't kidding! He is a whole lot faster than before! You'd think—'
"Argh!" Sonic yelled as the heated punch caught him by the cheek. A nasty scorch mark was left where it grazed him, leaving him with a piercing sting.
It caught him so off guard he failed to see Shadow's hand extend right to his chest area, open palm as it glowed with red energy. Sonic looked at it in horror as he realized what was happening. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow shouted. All the energy suddenly condensed, exploding with fury as it impacted Sonic's just. Sonic was blasted back, his front in immense pain as he tumbled and skipped across the platform.
He stopped, only catching himself on his knees. One hand clutched the spot on his chest where he was struck, wincing as he did. Looking at it, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. There was a red spot that was sure to result in bruising, but he's had much worse than that. Thank the wind for his aura. Whatever this stuff was, it was sure useful in taking hits. That's not to say he didn't feel the aching aftereffects for it though.
"Chaos Spear!" he heard again, swiftly turning around to see more spears arcing out of the smoke and right towards him. He saw that these were no longer yellow like before, but red like Shadow was currently, their energy bristling with chaotic sparks. They were practically on top of him already, their speed greatly enhanced by whatever Shadow had done to himself.
"Sonic!" he heard a familiar voice. He looked and saw a rainbow coloration out of the corner of his eye, just before it tackled him to the side. He fell to the ground with Rainbow right on top of him, the spears shooting past them before exploding in the distance.
"Hey! You alright?!" Rainbow questioned, quickly trying to get the hedgehog on his feet. "Come on! You can't tell me he's already beaten ya silly!"
Hehe," Sonic chuckled, accepting the help. "You kidding me? This is just the warmup for me. Now that you're on your feet we can play for real."
Rainbow just sighed in slight aggravation. Was this the time for jokes? "I don't get you sometimes, you know that?"
"Chaos Spear!" they heard, immediately getting up. They were just in time to each flip out of the way, the spears impacting around them as black smoke overtook the area. They had vanished, the smoke covering them completely, but Shadow didn't care. He didn't care about anything right now. All that mattered was that pests like them were squished.
He charged, his crackling red energy forming like a dome as it charred and scorched the metal beneath it. He dashed through the smoke, the burst of air dissipating it entirely. He grit his teeth, smashing his foot down as he came to an immediate stop. He looked around him with red-hot eyes, scanning for the two speedsters. But, he found nothing—not a soul around him. They had vanished.
He stood there for a moment in wonder, but his silence soon turned into a loud, animal-like growl. "Where did you go?!" he yelled, scanning the whole platform. "Show yourselves?!" He shot off a volley of spears, striking at random points throughout the platform. If they wanted to hide, he'd just force them out!
Meanwhile, as the platform shook and buckled under the force of the blasts, to blue counterparts were sitting right underneath. They were over the edge, slightly toward the center with Sonic positioned on a stray pipe while Rainbow hovered next to him. They ducked down, the crashes and blasts working them right to the bone with their violence.
"You know, I was starting to like him better when he was quiet and didn't talk to us," Rainbow spoke quietly. "It feels like he's gonna tear this whole place to pieces."
"No kidding," Sonic agreed, trying not to lose his footing. "Talk about a bad temper. He's worse than Knuckles ever was that's for sure."
"Is this the best time to joke around?" Rainbow scolded.
"Who said that was a joke?" he responded, gripping the pipe harder as another crash was heard.
Rainbow winced as the blasts reached her eardrums. They were close enough to cause them to pop slightly, but nothing too damaging. Shoot. She's never seen anypony with so much bloodlust in their eyes before, not like him. He was deranged, almost broken. No. Forget that; he had gone off the deep end. But why? Wat was so important to him to go to such lengths as to nearly tearing himself apart? Rainbow grimaced. That's what it seemed like. He had so much energy building up inside him she was surprised he could even move with bursting.
She was lost in thought. Was this still about that girl she saw before? Dang it! She hated being in the dark like this! She wished somepony else was here that understood what was going on because she was not the pony for this. To piece it all together in her head…just what was this girl to Shadow?
"Hey Dash," Sonic spoke up, noticing her distant gaze. "Is something wrong?"
"I…" Rainbow muttered, unsure of what she was eve saying, or if she even wanted to say it.
Sonic tilted his head in curiosity.
"I…I don't think Shadow is as bad as we think…" she said with mild uncertainty. Did…did she actually believe that? She thought so, but she's been wrong before. But…she didn't think she was this time. There was something going on that they couldn't see.
She looked to Sonic, half expecting him to question her. She definitely would've done so if the positions were switched. However, he just sat there in silence, looking at her. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, as his face was blank, but with a hint of ponderance to it. Then, he smiled.
"Heh, you think so, huh?" he chuckled.
That caught Rainbow off guard. "Do…do you think so?"
"Well, I actually don't have a clue, but that doesn't mean it isn't true," Sonic explained. "If you think so though, good luck getting through his temper. I'm not completely convinced. Still, he's some good competition. Heh, talk about a rush."
"So, I do sound a bit crazy. Great," Rainbow muttered, casting her head low.
"Ahhh, don't be like that," Sonic quietly encouraged. "Just go with your gut on it. If you follow your heart you can't go wrong, ya know."
Rainbow looked to the blue blur, a hint of a grin forming on her face. "That's the brightest thing you said all day, pinhead," she jabbed.
"Hey, you gotta give me some credit," Sonic chortled.
"ECLIPSE CANNON SEQUENCE COMPLETE IN T-MINUS 1 MINUTE," they heard over the speaker.
All at once the station felt like it had shifted, Sonic nearly losing his balance on the piping as his foot slipped. Rainbow caught onto this and pushed herself into him, catching him on her side as she pushed him back up. He took a stronger grip as he breathed out. "Thanks for the save."
"No prob," she responded, but quickly focused on another matter. "Shoot! Did you hear that?! The thing is almost done charging?! Oooohhhh, dang it! Dang it! Dang it! Why wasn't I keeping track of that?!"
"Hey!" Sonic consoled her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Colors! Look who you're talking about. We're the fastest things on this station right now. Like a minute is going to intimidate us."
"Yeah, but," she gestured up to the platform with her head, "did you forget about big and bad up there? How are we supposed to outrun that?!"
Sonic just laughed in her face, almost as if that was the dumbest question you could ask. "We run like we've never run before, of course. It's not rocket science. Besides, I still want that race you promised me. Well, now you're timed on it. So, what do you say?"
"I'd say you're nuts," Rainbow said bluntly. However, her face only showed mild amusement. "I think that's why I like you now."
"Now you're talking like a member of Team Sonic!" Sonic said with excitement. Then, he actually bothered to look down, seeing nothing but the abyss. "But…uuhhh, you think you could give me a lift? I'm not a flyer," he laughed nervously.
Rainbow just rolled her eyes, but soon got on a very determined look. She scanned the area and saw a good portion of the walls that were away from the platform. Built all around them were these massive boreholes that looked to go on for ages, only seeming to end when they veered off in another direction. Just looking at them reminded her of the scale of this station. It was so expansive that these holes could lead to absolutely anywhere. But they were the only immediate way out of their current predicament, so that's what she went with.
"Hold on, blue boy! We're going for a ride!" she exclaimed. She turned and slipped right behind Sonic who now had on a slightly confused expression. That confusion turned to panic when Rainbow grabbed him under his arms and lifted him from his platform. Before he could even protest, she was already zooming across the empty chasm with him in tow. She could almost feel him tense up, but he thankfully didn't struggle. Would've been awkward on her part if she ended up dropping him.
She darted them across the room, leaving their mock cover and wasting no time in reaching the massive cylindrical tunnel. The second they reached the mouth she dropped the hedgehog, leaving both of them to dash off at max speed. Now that they had moved into the tunnel, they finally realized just how massive it was. There was ample room to move around. It was similar in size to Princess Celestia's main hall in the castle, only much longer and seemingly never-ending.
"Alright!" she heard Sonic yell, keeping right at her side. "We just follow this until we find the control room! If this is leading up, we should be there in a before you can say scrambled Eggman!"
"I just hope you know where you're going!" she yelled back.
"My guts never lied to me before!" he laughed. "No reason to doubt it now!"
"AAARRRRRRGGHHHHHH!" a bellowing roar reached their ears.
"Uhhh, did your gut tell you that we might not have gone unnoticed?!" she said with heavy sarcasm.
They looked back, their worries coming to fruition. Charging right behind them was a dark red hedgehog, murder in his eyes as the killing intent left his powerful screams. But not even his insane speeds were what got their attention the most. It was the massive dome of energy that completely enveloped his body, traveling with him as its violent flame-like barrier tore apart the floor beneath him. It was gargantuan compared to them, taking up almost a quarter of the tunnel—destruction incarnate.
"You know, I was kind of being optimistic!" Sonic sweatdropped, looking at her with a nervous smile.
Ignoring his antics, Rainbow dashed forward, her wings carrying her as fast as they could handle. Sonic made sure to keep a brisk pace with her, doing what they could to stay ahead of the field of death. They flew through all the twists and turns of the tunnel, the geography of the place sometimes requiring Sonic to running across the sides and even ceiling at some parts, not that it was much of a hinderance to him, Rainbow much less so.
They didn't seem to slow Shadow down much either. Even through it all he only seemed to be getting faster and faster, his energy not dissipating in the slightest.
"Man!" Rainbow shouted in annoyance, "can't this guy just take a breather already?! My feathers are starting to tear themselves off!"
"That's no joke!" Sonic affirmed, taking a quick glance back. "Hey Rainbow! Watch it!"
She flipped her head back, seeing the dome of energy gaining a sudden burst of speed followed by the backblast of a sonic boom. She was shocked, seeing something so massive going that fast. She flew off to the side, Sonic doing the same on his end as Shadow came between them. They were now separated, leaving Shadow who had now slowed down to keep at pace with them.
"Pony feathers!" Rainbow swore, the intense heat of the dome washing right over her fur as she winced. She might as well have been next to a sun for Celestia's sake!
She could barely see Shadow on the inside of it, his shoes gliding across the floor with ferocity in each point of contact. The sparks that wer flying from them were even reaching past his quills. His teeth were clenched tight; his brow inwardly closed in either unbridled rage or unfathomable pain. She didn't want to know which.
He closed his arms in, his fists clenching tight, right before spreading his arms out wide before them. "Chaos Spear!" he roared, the energy dome shooting out several ruby-red spears in what seemed like every direction. The blue hedgehog and pegasus were forced to swiftly dodge each one as they bombarded the tunnel around them. They were powerful, much more powerful than their previous variants. Each explosion came with its own wave of force, pushing the two speedsters around like toys, both barely able to keep stable.
Shadow suddenly veered left, taking Rainbow by surprise once again as the dome flowed right to her. She had to act fast. She just flew up around the edge of the tunnel, rolling upside down as her back was inches away from the burning energy. Shadow grunted in annoyance. She was only escaping by the tips of her feathers.
She rolled back over, meeting back with Sonic as Shadow had taken her place. "Fancy running into you here!" she said casually to her companion.
"Just keeping the spot warm for ya!" he answered back.
They looked to see Shadow raising his arm again; a telltale sign of his next move. He fired off more spears wildly, seeming to not even taking the time to aim anymore. As long as one of them hit, they supposed it wouldn't matter to him. They weaved around both them and each other, their streaks twirling around each other in a pretty display if it weren't for the situation. Rainbow's eyes were completely focused on the spears, darting between each one as they landed and immediately looking out to the next one. It was strange. Even though they figured he wasn't aiming, it was off to see how easy it was to dodge some of these. It was almost like…
"Sonic!" she shouted in realization, and worry.
Sonic looked back to see what was wrong, but it was too late. Without warning, Shadow was on the move again. This time, however, it was not towards them like before. In fact, he was going in the complete opposite direction, running up and around the cylindrical wall up to the ceiling. He was right above them…
"Shoot!" Sonic swore. "Move!"
They tried doing just that, looking to separate as they had done before. However, it was useless once they saw what he had suddenly done. He fired off another barrage of spears as he reached the ceiling, firing them off at both sides. The two speedsters found themselves surrounded, two separate barrages of spears enclosing on them from the sides while Shadow held his place above them. Then, he pushed off. Their eyes went wide with horror. Here they were, attacks now coming in form all sides. The spears were at their sides, and Shadow and his cloak of energy were falling on top of them. They couldn't speed up as they were already at their max. They couldn't slow down in time due to their speed. They were trapped…
Rainbow felt herself quiver in fear, the realization hitting her hard. She quickly looked to Sonic in desperation, looking for any way out that she could find. Thankfully, he looked to supply. He reached out to her, quickly pulling out his dimmed Chaos Emerald. "Grab on, quick!"
She wasted no time in doing just that. Just as the dome was right on top of her, she dove straight for the blue hedgehog. The heat was way too intense now, the tip of her tail briskly touching the edges of it. Sonic took her with open arms, her speed nearly bringing them to the floor as they tripped and partially spun. He flashed up the emerald. "Chaos Control!" he shouted, both of them suddenly enveloped by a bright flash.
Shadow crashed down where the flash appeared, the floor being torn apart by both him and the spears that crashed at his sides. He grunted in shock. A large portion of his energy cloak breaking apart with the crash to the floor, the flames blasting out in a bright shockwave. "What?!" he roared, his shoes skidding across the metal as he tried to come to a stop. His energy left a trail of charred black metal. It took everything he had, but after putting in some distance, he finally came to a halt.
"Dammit!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, furiously taking glances around the tunnel. Depending on how used to Chaos Control that blue hedgehog was, they could be anywhere in the station right now. It was doubtful that he could use it to that degree in such a short time, but that didn't make the situation any more bearable. He just needed to find them…
"HEY!" he heard behind him, "redhead!"
He turned around, finding the source of the voice. It wasn't what he expected in the slightest. Far in the distance of the tunnel was a spinning blue mass, similar to that of a saw blade. The outer ring was made up of rapidly blurring colors, all prism-like. He realized what it was, grunting in annoyance. It was them.
Sonic was holding onto Rainbow's hoof tight, bringing the colorful pegasus in with him as he spun up into a midair spin dash. Rainbow felt like her leg was about to be pulled from its socket. But she held strong; her teeth gritted together in a sheer show of will. The spinning got faster and faster with every rotation, so much that the air itself was becoming visible around them.
"Ready…" he started, gritting his teeth as his head whipped his head around. "GOOOOO!" he cried, spinning once more before releasing his grip on her.
Rainbow shot off like a bullet, sudden burst of speed blasting Sonic away with the wind alone. She straightened herself to decrease the wind resistance. A cone of air had instantly formed around her, her muscles straining to their breaking point to keep her hooves aligned on her target, who looked shocked but ready for the incoming speed of the pegasus. She extended her wings…and pushed…
The Sonic Rainboom rung throughout the tunnel, the colored shockwave spreading outward until it struck the sides of the tunnel. The beautiful array of colors washed across the surface like water, covering the entirety of the now brightly lit tunnel. Shadow was taken aback in horrified confusion. The blast of wind had nearly pushed him back, even with his energy surrounding him. And now, the once speedy pegasus had now blasted forward at an utterly unbelievable speed, right towards him.
'Why…?' Shadow thought. 'Why…hasn't she just gave up yet?!'
He felt his fist clench at the mere sight of her. What was it about her that made him so infuriated? She was nothing. They were both nothing. He felt his energy levels climbing to their limit, his legs buckling as he struggled to remain standing. This next one had to count. This would be the deciding factor.
He crossed his arms in front of him, his red and dark energies condensing around him as the pegasus speedily approached. He grunted in pain as a flash of red lightning arced across his skin. But he ignored it all. He ignored all his surroundings. His focus was only on the enemy in front of him, everything else gone black.
"Chaos…" he struggled with unbridled rage. The entire tunnel shook, the lightning now shooting away from his body in quick bursts against the metal plating. Rainbow was right on top of him. "BLLAAASSSSSTTTT!" he roared with fury. All at once, the energy was expelled from his body, a bright explosion of red translucent barrier that overtook his entire section of the tunnel.
Rainbow almost veered away right at the sight of the explosion, the very same attack that had left her a crumbled mess not too long ago. Only now it was completely unhinged, no control over it whatsoever. Her whole body wanted her to turn back. However, her spirit was another matter. For the first time in a while, she wasn't afraid of him. He was broken. In more pain than she ever was. And she was better for it.
She shot on, her harmonic energy coating her body as she impacted the edge of the explosion. A great flash of light burned into existence from their collision. Rainbow's entire body, especially her forehooves, felt like they were being dipped in molten lava. She felt herself continually pushing against the energy as if it were an extremely dense balloon, the outer layer giving way under the pressure, only to pull her back with just as much force. She was pushing out tons of harmonic energy to make sure her speed never decreased, despite the loss in pure movement. She still had the force behind her. She just needed to go a little further before she couldn't go any farther.
She increased her output little by little, the blast giving way with each bit of progress she made. She could see Shadow in the center, his body the catalyst for all this power. It was completely insane. She had no idea there could be dudes like this guy that was this powerful. It was shocking. And that was putting it lightly.
"Why…" she heard him say, his voice shaky. She perked up, although still focusing on the task at hoof. "Why are you still so persistent? Every time you're just beaten down into the dirt…worthless to everyone around you, able to change absolutely nothing…"
She suddenly felt her progress coming to a halt, the pressure becoming even stronger than before. "So," he continued, "why are you still here!"
The energy came in another massive wave, pushing Rainbow back as the explosion only got larger. Her body was being seared, the only thing keeping her in place being her energy and her iron willpower, only both of those were vanishing quickly. It…was too much… Her wings were slowly giving out every passing second. Each flap felt as if they were trying to lock up, only that would mean certain death. She…she felt just like she did that day…when she fought Chaos… The same overwhelming power…the same helpless little pegasus that couldn't change a thing... Was…was he right about her? Was all this really pointless? It showed just too much. She…she wanted to cry again…
Another wave of power pushed against her, sending her even further back. This was it… She gave it her best shot, and in the end, it didn't matter at all…
"RAAIINNNBOWW!"
She perked up, looking as far around as she could. It was Sonic's voice. Not too far away from them, she could see him, holding one of his arms with the other. He was hurt. He wasn't making an advance toward them, just…standing there behind her. Had…had he realized it was over too? No…he wouldn't ever…even if it was the worst possible situation imaginable… But…then why in the hay was he not helping her?
These thoughts completely plagued her mind, searching for answers where there were probably none. Then…she saw his face. He was looking at her with not eyes of despair…but eyes of hope… But…why? He was smiling at her, even as he was injured. She didn't understand…
Then, he nodded, the hand holding his other arm flashing her a single thumbs up.
…
…
He…he wasn't giving up…not by a long shot. He…..he was…
She looked back at Shadow, although no longer with fear or doubt. Only heated determination, a heat that outmatched the searing pain all around her by a great magnitude. Her vision felt sharper; her muscles strengthened; her will empowered once again.
This didn't go unnoticed by Shadow, who had taken note that she was no longer being pushed back. "What?" he stated in confusion. "What're you—?"
She pushed forward further, the energy once again bending under the force. Shadow expelled more, wishing to send her flying back into the depths of the station. However, this never came. She was still moving forward with a passion, her ruby-red eyes locked on him. Wait…red eyes?
Indeed, her magenta eyes were no longer present. A bright pair of red colored irises were in their place now, as if there was a pure red sun behind them. "I don't care what you have to say anymore!" she yelled, her voice now echoing throughout the area. "You talk like you're all above everypony else, like nothing we do is worth a single bit!"
She pushed further, Shadow now physically struggling to put out more energy. No matter what he tried doing with it, she just kept on coming, inching closer and closer as her own ruby energy grew larger and larger.
"Well, you're right about one thing! I can't change anything! And get that completely now! But…that's just me!" she stated, her eyes getting bright with each word. "I would've never have become the pony I am today if it weren't for those around me! I never did anything on my own! I always had those that I cared for at my side, lifting my wings when I couldn't! We help each other get stronger! We never do anything on our own!"
She built up a ton of energy in her rear hooves and wings, using it to push forward further. She was nearly on top of Shadow now, and he could tell. He roared out, bringing out everything he had against her.
Then, her ruby eyes started leaking energy, like a gentle flow of tears. Only, these weren't flowing down, only up and out.
"That's why we're so different!" she continued. "Where you just shut everypony else off and formed your own twisted…I DON'T EVEN KNOW…I only grew to trust those I used to hate! You grew all on your own, and that's why you're so much better than me! But…I don't want to be better than you! Cause I already am! By being better…with those that fly with me!"
"That's why…" she strained, her eyes full of purpose and true determination, something that she's been lacking for a long time now, "I'm still here you Sonic wannabe!"
With one more push of her wings, she shot forward one last time, and it was the last she needed. With her energy condensing around her, her red lightning bolt flashing in on her chest, she cut through the Chaos Blast like it was butter. Shadow was in pure disbelief. No one had ever done something like this to him before, not to such a degree. It was unthinkable. Just who…no…what was she?!
With all the power she could muster, the strength of the Sonic Rainboom returned in full force, extending both of her hooves out to meet him. And meet him she did. She struck at his chest, her hooves digging in deep. Just like that, the Chaos Blast completely dissipated in a single shockwave as she carried him away. It was like a blur, Shadow's face contorted in shock and utter pain. His red energy was completely gone now, his fur returning to its normal, black color. He coughed hard, a hint of blood dripping from his lips as he was being dragged down the tunnel by his attacker. Rainbow just grit her teeth hard and pushed on, her surroundings nothing but blurry images.
She gave one final yell. She put all her power into her forehooves and pushed out. Shadow was sent flying, so fast and so sudden that his own cone of air was forming around him as he spun out of control. This…this was the way it would end…
Shadow impacted hard with the side of the tunnel, debris flying in every direction as his body punctured the metal plating, forming a dented and deformed hole. For Rainbow, that was it. Her energy and red eyes vanished, her wings giving out. She spun and struck the ground, rolling and skipping the whole way. When she finally came to a stop, she found herself bouncing right into the same hole, the opening more than big enough to catch her.
She simply plopped onto the new floor without any form of grace, only exhaustion. For the first time in what seemed like ages, it was quiet. The echoes of the engagement were long passing, like thunder after an intense storm. With her wings drooped at her side and her face in the dusty debris, it strangely felt…blissful… She couldn't help but smile weakly, but it was a smile, nonetheless. She won.
She heard a thud next to her. She looked to see Sonic landing from the top of the new opening and into their new surroundings. He stumbled, still holding his other arm, but he made his way over to her.
"H-hey Rain… How are you fairing?" he jested.
She huffed lightly. "You wanna take a guess?"
"I think I've got a pretty clear picture," he smiled, leaning down with his good arm. He took her under her forehoof, lifting her up so she was propped up on his shoulder. Even though he was visibly hurt, he still found time to lend a helping hand. Scoring more and more points with her as he went it seemed.
While she was still groggy and on the verge of passing out, she looked at their new surroundings. She already figured that they were on the other side of the hole that Shadow made. From the looks of it, they were now in an extremely old and seemingly deserted part of the station, if the heavy amounts of dust had anything to say about it. Age old machinery lined the walls, broken storage containers everywhere. It was dark and dreary, the only light coming from the tunnel above.
They heard rustling further down the room, followed by pained grunting. Right on the edge of the rays of light stood a single figure. Shadow, his black fur almost camouflaging him against his dark backdrop. He grunted and limped as he stood. At first, they wondered if he was really done this time; whether they had truly defeated him this time or if he was just going to get back up for more. His next cough said it all, however. He lurched over, his spit and some blood dripping onto the floor. He was brought to a single knee, only one arm keeping him steady. Finally, his two rings flashed back onto his wrists, seemingly from nowhere.
It was over.
They stood victorious over the defeated hedgehog. Injured and barely standing, but victorious all the same. It was so sweet to relish in it after so much fighting. For what seemed like insurmountable odds, they had come out on top. For what it was worth, they were proud, Rainbow especially.
"Shadow," Sonic spoke up. He was sure he had heard him, but Shadow gave no response, not even looking up at him, "the game is over. You have to get that now, don't ya?"
There was still no answer, only the look of someone who had lost their sense of pride, and possibly even purpose.
"It's just like she said," Sonic explained, catching Rainbow's attention. "We're stronger when our friends are with us. Me personally, I'm willing to bet my entire life on my friends." He gestured to himself with his thumb. "You're pretty strong Shadow. That's the only reason we won back there. Heh, I'd wager you'd win us out in a little one on one."
Shadow remained silent. Sonic deflated. Well, he was hoping that would at least get something out of him. But there was nothing. Rainbow herself looked at him in pity. It was strange seeing him like this compared to how he was at all other times. He looked pathetic. Rainbow kept quiet, completely unsure of what to say.
However, to their curiosity, Shadow finally looked up at them. His face was still very intense, but the exhaustion was evident. It seemed that they all pushed themselves to their limits today. A single flow of blood stained his lower lip and his chin. Rainbow inwardly winced. She had no idea what kind of damage she did to him back there, but she didn't want to think about it; hitting a living thing at that speed. She didn't think it mattered on how strong they were. She didn't know if she should feel proud or guilty.
Shadow's eyes stared right into theirs, their red hue still prominent. It was nowhere near the same ferocity it once was, however. They stood frozen, unsure of what he would say or do.
Then, contrast his entire persona up until now…he smiled.
The two speedsters raised their brows. Why a smile? It didn't end there, however. He soon began chuckling, very slowly. It was almost an unnatural noise. In fact, they felt creeped out more than anything. The first thing they could hear from him since he went berserk, and it was this.
He stopped, giving them a sadistic grin. "You think you won?" he chuckled. "Wrong…"
They suddenly felt the station jerk beneath their feet, a sudden sense of dread hitting.
"…I win."
"ECLIPSE CANNON FIRING SEQUENCE COMPLETED," the loudspeaker stated, a loud humming reverbing throughout the whole area. "DESIGNATED TARGET: PLANET EARTH."
Their breath hitched. No… Not that… Anything but that! They had spent so much time fighting Shadow… The Ark was preparing to fire!
"S-Sonic?!" Rainbow pleaded to her partner. She had no idea what to do. What…what could they do?!
Sonic grimaced in response. He looked petrified, like somepony had punched him right in the gut before taking away his super speed. For the first time since she had met him…he looked completely stumped. It was almost horrifying to see.
"FIRING IN 5…"
"Come on!" Rainbow yelled again. "There has to be something we can do! We can make a run for—" she tried to hold herself up, only to stumble in intense pain. Sonic struggled to keep them up, his own legs close to giving out.
"4…"
"Hold on!" Sonic spoke, lost in thought. "I'm trying to think! Dang it! Come on brain! Don't blank now!"
"3…"
The floor started shaking in a rhythm, huge pulses moving in and out as they quickened in pace.
"2…"
"This is where it all ends," Shadow spoke, his eyes closed in content. Contrary to everyone else, he looked at peace with himself. His duty was complete, his mission a success. He laughed to himself. Marie…she…she would've been proud.
"1…"
"No! J-just stop this! Please!" she pleaded to Shadow. It wasn't worth a reaction it seemed, however. He was in his own world, and their's…it was soon to become a heap of raw slag.
She closed her eyes in frustration. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Silver, Blaze, everypony…she really did fail this time. The Earth was going to be destroyed, and she could do nothing about it. Was all that just now for nothing? Was that entire struggle for naught. The humming grew loud, the burning sensation in Rainbow's chest causing her to lurch in pain. There was so much chaos energy in this place…and it was all about to be released at once.
Then…
…
…
The humming grew quieter, the sensation leaving in a flitter. The shaking stopped completely. No rocking of the station, no big bang, no nothing. The three all sat in silence, expecting something to happen, but nothing ever came of it.
Shadow looked up in confusion. "What…" he started in partial disbelief.
"ECLIPSE CANNON MAIN CONTROLS COMPROMISED," the voice spoke. "OPERATION INCOMPLETE. ENERGY LEVELS DECLINING. SYSTEM ERROR. SYSTEM ERROR. PRIMARY WEAPON SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN."
The station…was shutting down the weapon? The reactions in the group were very mixed, from bewilderment, to shock and awe, to sheer joy from the two blue speedsters. They didn't know what to feel first. Relief, happiness, celebratory, maybe all three. But what had happened? It certainly wasn't them who did anything. So, who?
Rainbow and Sonic looked between one another, both looking for answers when it seemed to hit both of them. "Tails!" they both exclaimed.
Shadow picked up on what they said, his expressions going all from shock to anger. That shouldn't have been possible. There was no way they could've reached the control room that fast. Only all who were here were close and fast enough to get to it in time. So, what did they do that he was unaware of? Damn it! He didn't know how, but he had been duped. He smashed his fist into the floor, uncaring of the pain from doing so.
"I can't believe it!" Rainbow said ecstatically. "He actually pulled through!"
"Heh! I never had a doubt in my mind!" Sonic said cockily. "Tails always pulls through in the end!"
"You liar!" Rainbow butted heads. "You were probably more worried than I was."
Shadow grunted, not going unnoticed by the two heroes. He was doing his best to stand, probably using up the last bit of strength he had left. Their smiles temporarily faded. As joyful as they were, they weren't going to underestimate him, even in his wounded state. "Hold it right there buddy!" Rainbow ordered, trying to sound at least a little intimidating as her hoof was over Sonic's neck.
"I've had enough of you two…" he spoke drearily. His eyes met theirs with a heated glare; however, his body language never said anything regarding an incoming attack. "As much as it pains me to say, I'll admit defeat here. You may have beaten me once, but don't think it changes anything that I've said," he pointed. Rainbow glared, seeing that he was pointing directly at her.
"This is far from over," he threatened. "Chaos Control."
And just like that, he vanished in a flash of light.
"Hey!" Rainbow jumped. "Get back here!" she charged forward to where he once stood.
Sonic immediately stumbled at the shift of weight. "H-hey! Watch it, Colors!"
Rainbow heard his words, but it was too late. With one last ditch effort from both to stay upright, they fell face first. Their noses impacted with the dusty floor hard, hard enough to give them needle-like sensations pricking at the inside of their nostrils. They groaned in unison. Yep. They were done here.
It was quiet now. Shadow was gone and didn't return. Wherever he was now, they were just glad it wasn't anywhere near them. They each flipped over their respective ways. They were on their backs, side by side as they stared into the light from the hole. Rainbow breathed out a sigh in annoyance, but also in relief. She felt like she had just flown across all of Equestria a hundred times over and back again, within only the span of a few minutes. If anything, she wanted to give herself a pat on the back. If only she could lift her hoof without feeling the need to pass out.
"Well," she heard Sonic speak tiredly, "we did it, didn't we."
She could hear the confidence he spoke with, and to her, it was well deserved. "Yeah, we did," she affirmed, not taking her eyes off the light. "I can hardly believe we actually pulled all that off."
"You mean the part about beating Shadow or the part about stopping the Ark from destroying the Earth? Or maybe the part about me tossing you across a mile's worth of station?" he smiled.
"All the above, dude," she groaned. "Ugh, I think I need a wing massage."
She heard Sonic grunt in pain. "Sorry, my body won't let me even if I tried."
"I never said from you," she laughed. "I doubt you'd be any good at it anyways with those…hands? Hardly anything like a hoof would feel."
"Yeah," he answered sarcastically, "cause I'm sure giant rocks attached to your feet are really soothing."
He felt a small jab to his arm. "Owww! Oww! Hey! That still hurts!"
"Ahh, don't be such a little colt," she jested. "It hurt me to do that too."
Sonic just gave her a deadpan look, and she knew it. She just laughed lightly. After all that had happened, even these little moments felt like such a big thing to her. It…reminded her a lot of when she was with her friends back home. Her friends… She could only imagine what they were all doing right now. Freaking out more than likely. She could see either Fluttershy or Rarity fainting out of anxiety. She didn't want to think about what Pinky may have been doing. That in itself was nightmare fuel.
However, once another thought crossed her mind her ears drooped. Not out of fear or uncertainty, but concern. "Sonic…?" she questioned, looking to the exhausted hedgehog.
"Hmm?" Sonic turned to face her. After seeing her face though, he grew curious. "Rain?"
Rainbow looked like she wanted to say something. Her mouth opened to do so, but no words came out. She was being apprehensive, nervous. She looked away. "Nothing. Nevermind."
Sonic's brow rose in confusion. She obviously wanted to say something. So, what was holding her back? "Hey, come on Dash. It's just us here. Besides, I don't think we'll be leaving right away anyways."
Rainbow knew he was right about that…but still…this felt too personal for her. Very rarely did she ever feel this way. With her friends sometimes when things went very wrong, but…it wasn't the same…
She looked back at him, and Sonic looked surprised to see her. Her face was stern, confident and unmoving. However, those empowered looks were contradicted by the hint of tears that were forming at the bottom of her eyes. She was struggling to hold them in as they shook. "Sonic…" she said shakily. "I…I honestly thought you had died…"
Sonic's face fell. So, that's what it was. In all honesty, he hadn't given that much thought. He, of course, recognized that he had been in such a life-threatening position. However, he hadn't given much consideration about what the others may have been feeling. It was mostly due to the whole situation with the Ark and a certain hedgehog, but even so…
A single tear fell down her cheek and to the floor. "Ev—everypony said that you were…gone. I had…I had promised to protect you…and I couldn't do that right… To see you back there, coming back to face Shadow…to help me…I didn't know what to think. It all happened so quick…I don't think I processed everything right."
She scrunched up her nose, visibly fighting off the need to tear up. "I felt like I had let a friend down…like I didn't try hard enough. It was hard even to think straight. I don't know what it all meant…but Sonic…"
She looked him dead in the eye. "You're a friend… A real friend. I guess…" she sighed, "I don't know…it all just seems weird to me for some reason. I guess…I regretted never getting to say that to you face to face…especially after all the smack talk I gave you when we first met. And seeing you swoop in and help me out…again…"
…
"Heh…" she gave a small, meek laugh. "I suppose that just made you—"
"20% cooler?" Sonic interrupted.
Rainbow looked at him in surprise. How did he…? He looked back at her, a cheery smile plastered on his face; his cheery smile. She took pause, but soon smiled back, wiping the rest of the tears from her eyes. "That's my line, you dork."
"I know," he responded. He moved his hand over gingerly. He placed it on her head, giving her rainbow locks a small ruffle. "It was the best line for it after all."
She laughed at that. She didn't know what had been wrong with her all those other times she came here. This guy…he was a completely different hedgehog to the one she originally labeled him as. If she wasn't such an avid fan of the Wonderbolts, she might've had a new role model. Well, maybe that was a bit of stretch.
He removed his had from her head, but he didn't retract it completely. She looked at him in wonder before seeing what he was doing. He was holding his fist halfway between him and her, his elbow keeping it propped up on the floor. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to do something. She understood immediately. She grinned at him, lifting her hoof in a similar manner. It hurt to do so, but she wasn't concerned about a few aches right now. She wanted to do this. She propped her hoof up next to his, the two appendages inches away from one another.
Then, they fist bumped.
"We make a great team, Rainbow," Sonic said, his eyes not leaving hers. "Don't we?"
…
"Yeah," she spoke back, a glee-filled nod in return. "Yes, we do."
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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now if only they fist bumped earlier, they MIGHTA been able to Double Boost away from Shadow XD
9344550
😂 I suppose you should never underestimate the power of a good fist bump.
9344588
Indeed. After all, TOGETHER WE CAN SHOW THE WORLD WHAT WE CAN DO- *gets yanked offstage still singing the song*