[ SONADOW ]

Love & Hate

"Shadow..? What's going on?"

The ebony hedgehog quickly took the young blonde girls hand, turning around and sprinting as fast as he could. The entire space colony flashed in bright, red lights and he could hear alarms blaring loudly.

He didn't know what, or who he was running from, but all he knew was that he needed to get Maria to safety.

He ran and ran down the hallway with Maria trailing behind him the best she could despite her weakness. She had no idea what was happening or where she was being taken, but she felt terrified. Afraid.

Eventually, they reached a room with an escape pod. Shadow was going to tell Maria to get inside, but suddenly, he felt himself being pushed in and heard the glass door shutting behind him. He quickly panicked and turned around, seeing Maria run over to the lever to send the escape pod off. He immediately started banging on the glass, a fearful and shocked expression on his face. "Maria! What are you doing?!"

Said girl looked over to the hedgehog, a small, yet sad smile on her face. "..Shadow, I beg of you. Please do it for me.. for a better future!"

Shadow's eyes widened, his hands still pressed against the glass.

"Maria, what are you..?"

"For all of the people who live on that planet.." She looked back at the lever, her eyes softening. "..give them a chance to be happy.. let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it."

"That's the reason you were brought into this world." Maria looked back at Shadow, the smile still remaining on her face as the door to the room was broken down. Shadow saw tears welling up in her eyes, making him stand there in disbelief.

"Sayonara.. Shadow The Hedgehog."

"MARIA!"

He yelled her name out one last time, voice breaking as he kicked, banged and slammed against the glass with all of his desperation and might. Finally, she pulled down on the lever and the last thing he could make out before the pod was sent down was blood.

That haunting image that would stick with him.

"NO!"

The ebony hedgehog jolted up from his bed, slightly trembling with widened eyes as his breathing became heavy and shaky. Shadow whipped his head around in a panic, disoriented and unfamiliar with his surroundings at first before pausing the sudden movement that almost made his head hurt. With that, he took a minute to examine his surroundings, blinking the tears he didn't know he had in his eyes away as he realized he was safe.

Safe in his own room.

Getting ahold of himself, he found himself significantly calming down. He simply glanced down, his ears lowering as he had a frown on his muzzle, eyes heavy with visible dark circles under them.

Just a nightmare, he thought. He was about to lay back down and go back to sleep to get his mind off of it, until he was interrupted.

"Shad?"

He flinched at the sound of someone calling out to him, making him quickly whip his head towards the door. He saw the sight of a familiar azure hedgehog standing in the doorway, and his tense shoulders relaxed again.

"I heard some noise over here. You doing okay?"

"Yes." Shadow quickly responded, hugging himself as he looked away, not wanting his boyfriend to see his sad, miserable state. Either way, Sonic immediately saw through his lie, but decided to not pry too much and just sighed, putting a hand on his hip as he replied.