So Long Goodnight (Sonadow)

Chapter I - Act II

The ultimate life form could only stare cluelessly towards the so-called impostor, letting everything sink in - though the fact that this nightmare had full control over his feelings at the worst degree still baffled him.

He pushed words out of his mouth; there was nothing. The tender muscles around his throat scratched roughly against each other – the friction making his attempts rather painful and harrowing as blood, alone, seeping from his air-passage lubricated his swollen windpipe. Shadow could only sit back and watch everything unfold.
A familiar cocking sound eventuated in a blink and the ultimate life form felt every inch of his muscle tense. Bullets didn't scare him but the fact that he didn't have even just a bit of an upper hand in this situation dragged him to dread. Seeing the only obvious turn of events, Shadow was more than prepared to roll over in case he exactly becomes the target – carefully examining the imitator from its dull and lifeless gaze to its every inch of movement.

Crimson eyes dilated and focused keenly as he watched it slowly reach something metallic from its quills.

'Heckler & Koch USP Tactical', he immediately recognized the inscription near the silver barrel of the handgun with disbelief: the first firearm he laid his hands upon, and from all the weapon he wielded best, the semiautomatic pistol was hopefully the last one to leave his taste.
Not making any sound was the hardest part as a realization hit him, 'Wait... what. Clones only have a background information about my skills and abilities. Personal preferences were never included in their database... how come there is even one still? I destroyed every single one of them! I wiped them all out from existence!' Oblivious from reality, his breath started to stagger.

'Unless... '

'Bang!'

Its finger slipped on the trigger without hesitation, and the quick yet loud snap came, deafening in its thunderous exultation, the bullet ripping the dry air in that space, piercing and penetrating the nitrogen mixture, leaving a ragged hole in reality like a photo negative with its passage.
His heart stopped beating for a second, staring at the darkness lying behind his impostor as he heard a yelp – something heavy fell behind a couple of meters away from his whereabouts.

He couldn't turn around to look behind nor avert his gaze back at the masquerader; genuine fear, for once managed to eat the cold-hearted ultimate life form up, 'Wh-what...'

An agonized groan followed from behind, "Sh-shadow..."

That was the only thing needed to interrupt the red-streaked hero's train of thoughts, waking the life buried deep within – that voice surely rang a bell. It was all too familiar. Without any second thoughts, he disregarded the potential danger standing next to him as he picked himself up from subjection and turned around, letting out small whimpers and nearly stumbling in the process from the shots of pain coursing down his legs.

He could no longer care less.

"Sonic!" Shadow forcibly yelled, his throat contracting, voice sounding hoarser and drier as he drew his full attention to his rival who was laying sideways, facing him with dull emerald eyes closing halfway, barely breathing, his form full of cuts and wounds, the blue hero's peach chest soaked with blood.

He let the unforbidden word, as he would like to call it, roll out from his tongue. As always, it felt so alien for him to call his mirror by his real name rather than the usual "faker," which never failed to humor him. Brought by either apprehension or concern, the midnight blur shoved the thought of taking his word back away from his head and let it happen. If anything, he knew, he hoped rather, that it would help the blue blur to remain awake.
Pale emerald locked with cloudy crimson as it always had, both pupils quivering from the pain they had been experiencing all over the years – only this time, the brand-new feeling was seemingly more than unbearable.