A black and red hedgehog holds the hand of a much younger hedgehog as they walk the open field of lush green grass. The sun setting as they make their way to their destination. The female shares much of the dark hedgehog’s features. It was no doubt that they were related.
The young girl grips tightly to her father’s gloved hand as she uses her other to secure the strap to her backpack to her shoulders.
The black hedgehog, looking no older than twenty, pulled the young blue hedgehog closer to him. He knew she feared the dark, but the nighttime was only a test to what they both would feel for the rest of the night. Even though she was five, she was well over a hundred years of age. Shadow himself? One hundred-fifty years of age.
Genetics played a large role in both the aging process. Shadow only aged much slower than she did, since his mate who bared the child didn’t have the same genetic for slow aging. Of course Shadow’s genetics are very strong. Gerald wanted it to be so. That way the next generation could carry them, no matter how far down the family tree it went.
Now? Tonight? Wasn’t a lesson in science and genetics, now was for the greatest mystery his child had ever asked, was finally being answered. She may look eight, but she’s much older than that and can fully understand now what is being done.
“daddy?” She looks up the black hedgehog, he holds his stern look, like he always did. “Where are we going?”
They finally make it to the entrance of the Chaos emerald temple.
“It’s time you know the truth.” Shadow leads the small girl down the stairs, underground into a stone corridor. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and asked for her back pack, and opened it. “These are chaos emeralds. When you collect all seven, they create a miracle.”
“so… with these.” Her face lights up as it clicks in her mind. She pulls the bag from her father’s grip and pulls out a green glowing gem, “I get to meet my mommy, daddy?”
“Yes.” Shadow packs the bag back up and paces it back in child’s back. She insisted on carrying them. “It’s time… you know everything.”
His child looks up in confusion as she grips her father’s hand. A glowing green lights the corridor where they walk. Shadow continues. “I’m not your father… I’m your mother.”
“Huh?”
Shadow shakes his head. “Remember when I told you, about my life on the ark. I was an experiment? Well, I was implanted with a reproduction system similar to females. In case, in such situations, I found a mate of the same gender.”
“So you’re gay?” She shrugs, smiling up to her dad. “Nothing wrong with that. Wow. Grandpa Gerald thought of everything when he made you, huh?”
Shadow nods.
They come to two corridors that split into two separate corridors. Both had a name carved into stone above.
she turns her head to the one in front of her. “Shadow? Why is your name here?”
“When I pass, I’ll be buried here too, with my mate.” Shadow looks to his child. “That’s how we wanted it.”
The small hedgehog girl reads the other name. “Sonic? Is that mommy?”
“Yes. That’s where we are going.” Shadow takes the child’s hand and leads her down the second corridor. “With the power of the emeralds, you can finally meet him.
Shadow smiles at the memory of the awkward conversation he and Sonic had a little over two hundred years ago, when the news came out about Shadow’s very special ‘ability.’ A few months later, close to Christmas, they both decided that having a baby was for the best, that it was time to extend their own family.
Shadow remembered when he went into labor three months into the pregnancy. Both we worried that something was wrong, but when the little hedgehog was delivered, she was perfectly mature. Like she was carried to full nine-month term. Shadow knew Gerald could mess with genetics, probably why aging process is so slow, because the gustation process is so fast. His was a little faster than his baby’s was. It had to be to save Maria...
Though, that day never came.
He picks up his little girl and carries her the rest of the way, into the burial room, where a stone coffin rested. The name still clear for eyes to read. Shadow holds the little hedgehog girl up to look at the engraved name. She runs her hand over it. “Sonic.”
Shadow watches as his little girl runs her hand over the name, then to engraved indentations of the liid of the coffin. Seven in total.
“What are these?” She looks up to her father. “They seem to match the bottom of the emerald. Is this where they go?”
“yes.” Shadow places the little girl down and took the back pack from her. He takes the bag and dumps them on the alter. He then picks his daughter up. “You want to put the gems inside?”
She smiles as she picks of each gem, one at a time, and examines it. Making connection with each, ten putting into the engraved holes. “Green. Daddy’s favorite emerald.”
The next one. “Red, like our eyes.”
And the next. “Blue. Like my stripes.”
Then the fourth. “Yellow. Like that DAMN fourth chaos emerald.”
Shadow pretty much snapped his neck when he went to glare at her. She only laughs. Shadow isn’t amused. He pokes her nose. “Language.”
She smiles brightly as she grabs the fifth. “White. Looks like mommy’s engagement ring’s diamond, only bigger.”
then the sixth gem. “Turquoise, like… um…”
“A shade lighter than your ‘father’s’ pelt color.” Shadow chimes in.
She accepts and grabs the last gem. “Purple. The color father colored my nails last night.”
Shadow doesn’t smile, as his face goes into seriousness. The gems started to glow bright in their own corresponding colored glow. He pulls himself and his little girl away a few steps. Then looks to her. “You want to say the prayer?”
She nodded and Shadow agrees. “Remember. Just like I told you.”
The little girl smiles. Shadow puts her down and she approaches the coffin. Shadow of course is right behind her, ready to act if anything goes wrong. She folder hands, place them under her nose, and speaks. “Chaos Emerald, gems of miracles, head my call. I wish to give my father peace. I wish for my family to reunite together with their own kin. My father and I wish to speak… to my mother again.”
The gem begins to spin and a wind starts to pick up. As this chaos takes place in the small room, a bring light begins to form between the emeralds. “Daddy? What’s… I’m scared!”
Shadow, fearful for the child’s life, pulls her close and then forces her to the floor, his body shielding her from whatever was going to come next.
Then a bang… Then a soft golden light, and slowly gets brighter.
Shadow stands and helps his child to stand. He looks at her confused as her face holds this shocked expression, pointing. Shadow looks and sees a floating form, a hedgehog. He knew those red sneakers anywhere. That was until he saw the hedgehog open his eyes. Vibrant green eyes, soft, so many years…after so long…
“S-Sonic?”
The golden hedgehog only smiled. “Heh, long time no see?”
Shadow overjoyed with emotion runs and embraces his long lost lover. Just to not see, hear, hold, love him for over two hundred years, and now, for a short time. Sonic The hedgehog. The long lost hero, is here with him, his family.
Sonic rubs his lovers back as Shadow only clings to blue hedgehog.
“M-Mommy?”
Both the hedgehog’s break the embrace as they look at the confused little hedgehog just staring at the two.
Shadow approaches the girl. Takes her by the hand, leading her to Sonic. “This, is Sonic, your other parent. He’s, your father.”
The girl runs into Sonics arms. Holding onto him tightly. Sonic holds her as she smiles overjoyed in her other parent’s arm. “And Shadow’s my mommy, right? He birthed me.”
“That’s right.” Sonic wipes a tear as he looks at the small girl in her arms. “Last time I saw you, you were so small, wrapped in a blanket.”
Sonic puts the girls down and Shadow and her join hands. Sonic smiles as he looks at his small family. The gems start to flicker in the background, not being able to sustain the form for much longer.
“Shadow, I-I’m out of time. I need to go.” Without waiting for Shadow’s protest, he yanks the hedgehog into his arms, kisses him passionately, hands holding his face in place. He breaks the kiss. “I’ve missed you. I hope one day, you join me, and my friends. I love you and her.”
In a flash of light, the hedgehog his gone. Shadow falls to his knees as there no longer was a body there to support is weight. In the same time, the emeralds fling to ever corner of the room.
“Daddy?” The little girl runs to her father’s aide. Helping the older male to stand. “That was your mate? That was… him?”
Shadow nodded as he goes to collect to emeralds, to devastate to speak.
“Did he love us?”
Shadow smiles. “When I gave birth to you. He wouldn’t hand you over. He would always hold you, also do the night feedings. I don’t think he loved anything or anyone more than you. He would have done anything for the both of us.”
“I was only a baby when he died.” The girl smiles as she helps her father collect the last of the emeralds. “He seemed very nice. I like him. Will I see him again?”
Shadow smiles as he packs up the last of the emeralds and packs them up into the pack. He hands it to her. The hedgehog slings it onto her back, takes her father’s hand. They both turn, ready to leave. Shadow felt pretty proud by what he and his child was able to accomplish this.
They both make their way out of the temple. The girl speaks. “I hope is see him again.”
Shadow nodded. “Me too.”
