Worlds Apart - a Shadow the Hedgehog x Reader story

True Testing

As the pair sprinted side by side, metal flew over their heads. One came so close to Shadow that it grazed the top of his helmet. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver and Rouge were all fighting for their lives against a massive army of robots. Eggman's robots.

"Sonic, do me a favour and let me take these alone."
"OK."
"Guys! Get inside! I'll handle this."
Sonic lead the way back inside as the others disengaged and sped past Shadow. Silver paused as he passed.

"You sure you can handle it?"
"I'm certain. You saw what this thing can do. Where better to test it than on the battlefield, right?"
"Right. Just don't get in too much trouble."
"Just go and stop worrying!"
"OK, OK, I'm going."
Left alone, facing the army, Shadow positioned himself in a battle stance, drawing a single blade from the sheaths on his back. Every robot had him in their sights. Outnumbered by about a million to one, he should have been afraid, yet he felt strangely calm.

"Come on then. Hit me with your best shot."
Before any of the machines could move, he sped through them, slashing at any of them that got in his way. Any others he passed exploded in his wake.

"Call yourselves an army? Ha! You're nothing but a bucket of rusty bolts!"
Enraged, the robots tried to pin him down under their colossal weight. At first, Shadow thought he was going to be crushed, but a feeling similar to an electric shock ran down his back, giving him the strength to push them off. His anger erupted like a volcano, causing a blazing wildfire to spread through the remaining rust buckets. The fire raged around him in a storm of heat and ash. Charred robot parts were scattered all over the place. He glanced down, looking at his reflection in a pool of molten metal. What he saw wasn't himself. Y/N's face smiled up at him, an image of his past, present and maybe future. One hand moved to his chest in a fist, holding something that couldn't be seen, heard, smelt or tasted, only felt. Love.

"Shadow!" Rouge flew over the flickering flames, which were slowly dying, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Seriously, stop worrying."
"I'm not worrying. I only wanted to know."

"I know."

"That suit looks really good on you."

"Thanks," Shadow looked down at his reflection again. Y/N's image had gone.

"Look, I know she meant a lot to you, but maybe it's time to, you know, move on."

"How can I? I can't stop thinking about her."
"You need to let go of the past. That way you can have a future."
"I don't have much of a past."
"Yeah, I know, but you have a present and a future. That's what matters."
He turned away, "Can I just have some time alone? Just for a bit?"
"OK. if you're sure..." Rouge flew back towards the rest of the group.

Shadow crouched, sheathing his blade. He lifted his visor as a tear flowed down his cheek, splashing onto the ground beneath him. He missed Y/N more than anybody else in the world, even more than Maria. Using the tip of one finger, he wrote two words in the hardening metal before turning away. "I promise".