Dead Code: Redux

by PepperAcity

Summary:

It was something none of them expected, much less on such a beautiful day, much like any other. But it was true - Sonic was dead - they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

So why did his copy now torment them so? Something was wrong with his code. It had to be, to do something so heinous.

*Fanfic based on miaogo06's DeadCode AU

Notes:

• Translation into Español available: [ESPAÑOL] Dead Code: Redux by PepperAcity

*** [¡Versión en español ahora disponible!]

Chapter 1: The Acrid Smell of You Still Lingers

Notes:

Hello!

This is my adaptation of miaogo's DeadCode AU comic (TikTok, Instagram). I am absolutely in love with her art and concept, but I noticed some comments mentioned being confused with the timeline. That was my call to action haha.

Note that this fic will NOT be fully accurate with the original story, I am going based on theories, concept art, comic pages and speculation while using creative liberty to fill in some gaps not directly shown on the comic.

Enjoy and check out the original work!

 

---

 

“Knock knock!”

 

She could almost feel the resounding echo of the knocking on the door, one that would forever be cemented on her mind, engraved in her memory for as long as she might live.

 

“Oh, come in!” Her own sweet voice bounced across the walls of her small, darling home. It was always warm with the scent of something sweet baking, but on this occasion, it was the floral aroma of the dried chrysanthemums she had hung up in the kitchen. They had looked beautiful in the Summer, their sunset colored petals almost merging with the sky above them each evening. But like everything in that world, even beautiful things had an end.

 

The door opened promptly after she had called out her invitation.

 

“Brrr, Tails was right, it really is getting chilly out there! But don’t tell the lil’ guy I said that, haha!”

 

Amy peeked her head out from her bedroom so that she could properly greet her guest, “Oh hey Sonic! Sorry, I was just tidying up the place, I’ll be right out!”

 

Without waiting, as he wasn’t one to do so, he walked over and stood outside her bedroom door. He rubbed his index finger under his nose as he eyed the dark, oak box Amy held onto as she crouched, seemingly attempting to figure out a proper space to place it in. It was an odd thing to see in her home of all places, given that almost everything else within it had either a vibrant or pastel coloration to it. 

 

“Whatcha got there Ames?”

 

Amy jumped up a bit at the sound of his voice, straightening out immediately while tucking a stray quill behind her ear, suddenly becoming conscious of her slightly tousled appearance. She had been busy tidying up her home most of the morning after all.

 

“Oh, this? It’s just my fortune cards.” She giggled under her breath, a warm sensation spreading through her chest as she looked down at the box tenderly. To her, they weren’t just fortune cards. They were the reason why she had even met Sonic in the first place, and by doing so, building up so many meaningful connections with all of the friends they had encountered along the way.

 

“Neat! Do you still use them?”

 

She glanced up at him with wide eyes, surprised he wanted to continue the conversation about that interest of hers in specific. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about her interests, but so often he seemed to be in a rush that he wouldn’t usually dwell on such things.

 

“Here, I can show you!” She brightened up with joy as she walked past him and out of her room, setting down the box atop the kitchen counter. Standing on the opposite side of the blue hedgehog, she opened the wooden box with a click, running her hand over her cards before pulling them out and closing the container back up.

 

“Alright, so what do you want to know?” She smiled at him teasingly.

 

“Uhh…how it works?”

 

“No, smart guy, I meant about yourself,” she laughed at his complete lack of knowledge on the subject. “Are you curious about your past, your present, your future…?”

 

“How about we do all three?” He said as he shot her a grin, pointed three fingers up and gave her one of his signature winks for the sake of it. She shook her head at him, he never ceased to amuse her, not when he remained so constant in his charm.

 

“Alright, we can do that,” she responded as she expertly shuffled the cards before setting them down on the counter, backside up.

 

Sonic eyed the burgundy colored cards, the intricate patterns on them laced with gold.

 

“So…how does this work again?” He asked, fully engrossed by the mere thought of the activity.

 

“You just pick three!” Amy signaled at the cards before using her fingers to further emphasize her words, “one for the past, present and future!”

 

An excited smile formed on his lips, his eyes never leaving the divination cards, “seems easy enough!”

 

He took a moment to look them over, his hand under his chin as if in deep thought. But before long, he had made up his mind as he slid three cards upwards towards her, “there then!”

 

“Great!” Amy’s eyes sparkled, fully immersed by the moment they were sharing. She picked up the first card and gave it a look, “so for the past, you got the sun, checks out.”

 

She picked up the next one, “for the present it’s the nine of pentacles, also great!”

 

And finally, she slid the third card he had selected to the edge of the table before glancing it over, “now for the future…”

 

There was a moment of silence, as if suddenly the cheerful mood they had been enjoying was now gone and buried, the brightness in her eyes clouded over along with it. But this, of course, was only something that Amy had become painfully aware of.

 

“So, what is it Ames?”

 

“The tower, upright- ” the words almost stung as they left her mouth.

 

Sonic responded with the biggest smile she had ever seen on him, completely unaware of the eerie feeling that had crept within her.

 

“Well, it ain’t death! That’s all I needed to know, thanks Ames!”

 

At that moment, she found herself at a lack for words. She wondered if she should have explained why he should be worried, or if she should have done another reading to confirm her fears. 

 

Maybe if she had stopped him as he began walking out her door with a wave of his hand, they wouldn’t be…he wouldn’t have been…

 

“URK!”

 

Amy clasped a hand to her mouth, stopping the bile that had risen in her throat from spewing out. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to intervene with the autonomous actions of her own body. Her quills were in disarray, much like her own home, one that had not long ago been tidy and welcoming.

 

 She sat on her sofa after having woken up in a cold sweat just moments before; she’d had another nightmare. But why wouldn’t she? After what she had witnessed that day…

 

The room was completely dark with the exception of the moonlight that traversed in, almost hesitantly, through the sheer of her curtains. She couldn’t be bothered to turn on the lights, much less the fireplace, as a silent coldness had settled within her home as much as within her spirit.

 

Her lips quivered as she slowly turned her head towards the object that had suddenly caught her eye. Atop the coffee table, sat a dark, wooden box. It had been the same one that had housed the cards that had caught his interest just that morning.

 

She hugged her knees close to her body as she rested her disheveled head upon them, her body once more struck with shivers.

It was the same box that now contained him.

 

---

 

Artwork by me; (X) https://x.com/PepperMPepper

Notes:

If you made it this far, thank you for reading!

This is a fanfic I will be working on between my main fic, Princess Rose, so expect relatively small chapters such as this one.

(Miago...mujer, I beg you I need answers 😂 Keep up the great work! And sorry if I get many of these plot points wrong lmao)

Toodles!~

Chapter 2: Violets Are Blue, and So Were You

Notes:

T/W: Dealing with the loss of a loved one - Funeral chapter

Here's the second chapter!
I did my best to try and remain faithful to the personalities and behaviors within the AU, this includes using dialogue directly from the comic.
*But NOTE, I am taking some creative liberties to try and fill in the gaps between events. This will NOT be completely accurate to the artist's (MiaoGo06) original vision, I'm just using my observation skills to figure things out.
Thank you, hope you enjoy (or, well...mourn)

 

The unrhythmic sound of water sloshing against metal mixed with the equally erratic beating of her heart, her heavy breathing betraying the calm she had so insistently tried to maintain just a few moments prior.

 

She scrubbed and she scrubbed, unrelenting in her quest to convert what she held in her grasp into something unrecognizable, much like herself.

 

The violet of the water tainted everything that came into contact with it, yet she could have sworn she could still see green remnants on the dress, so she continued scrubbing and scrubbing. Her shoulders heaved from the exertion, her arms shook from the excessive force with which she had been using them for the last couple of minutes, but at that moment she was none the wiser.

 

“Amy, hun, I think you got it.”

 

The sound of the unexpected voice just about made her heart go into cardiac arrest, but her body opted to tumble backwards, her hands grabbing onto the first item they could use as a weapon on reflex - it so happened to be a bath scrub.

 

With her hands raised in front of her, the white bat that stood before her looked beyond apologetic for having caused such a reaction on her.

 

“It’s okay, darling, it’s just me!”

 

“R-Rouge? What are you doing here?”

 

“I came to bring you what I promised, dear,” she finally lowered her hands, but her worried frown remained cemented on her face despite herself as she looked down at Amy. Poor, sweet Amy. The pink hedgehog sat on the ground as though she had just been knocked over. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession and so did her shoulders. Rouge initially assumed it was due to her impromptu apparition, but then she recalled seeing her in a similar state even before she called out to her; back when she had been obsessively scrubbing the dress..

 

She gave it a quick glance; the water was dyed a deep purple hue, dark enough she might have confused it for black if it wasn’t because of the violet splashes that currently tainted Amy - from the red of her clothes to the pink of her messy quills. 

 

Her eyes then landed on Amy’s own. She regretted it as soon they made contact, doing her best to suppress her own emotions from betraying her at that very moment as the girl’s gaze threatened to drown her in the dark pits of their own haunting.

 

 “The door was open, so I figured…sorry for startling you like that, I should have knocked.”

 

Amy suddenly seemed to regain her senses as she let go of the cleaning utensil she had been clutching onto for dear life, a not-so-silent sigh escaping her lungs as her hand rose to her chest to steady the beating of her heart. “It’s okay Rouge, I’m just…a bit on edge, it’s all. I should have heard you walk in,” she brushed the skirt of her dress as she stood, declining Rouge’s silent offer to help her up.

 

To break any further tension, Rouge was quick to recollect the reason she had even made her way over to Amy’s in the first place. Neatly folded upon her hands, she held out her offering; it was the evening gloves she had offered to bring over the previous night. 

 

The violet velvet of them made the light dance as it hit them from a different angle. Amy felt a knot form in her throat, it wasn’t rare for her and Rouge to trade garments every now and then, but she never could have foreseen that such a tradition would ever occur for such an occasion. But she took them anyway after wiping her stained hands with the nearest towel she could find.

 

“Thanks, they’re…beautiful,” she forced out the flattering words with some effort. It wasn’t that it was a lie, it was simply that nothing could truly look “beautiful” to her through the numbing sorrow she currently felt. But she could always pretend, even if a little, for her friend’s sake. She gave her a smile, the least she could do at that moment, despite every nerve on her body recoiling at the action. 

 

Rouge returned Amy the smile, she knew it couldn’t be easy, so she decided to move the conversation forward and get her visit over with. There was no avoiding it after all.

 

“I take it your attire is ready,” she said, signaling towards the former green dress that bobbed atop the surface of the dyed water, now purple like the very coat she herself wore, like the gloves she’d brought her friend, like the splatters across Amy’s trepid form. “We’ll just need to throw it in the dryer now, it’s almost time.”

 

Amy’s ears flattened against her head as she looked away, realizing she’d spent much too long on “arranging” her clothing. But it wasn’t like she wasn’t fully aware of the fact, she would have quickly lost her sanity if the time was all she had been transfixed on, especially what was to take place once the clock struck 6 that evening.

 

“You’re right,” she shook her head as if to clear her mind from the tempest of emotions and thoughts that threatened to claim her last ounce of energy. “It’s getting late.” 

 

With a new air about her, Amy briskly dipped a hand into the full bathtub, pulling out the drenched dress - debuting its new magenta hue as she wrung it in her hands, the action almost violent, before walking out of the bathroom to get the dryer going, leaving a trail of violet liquid behind her.

 

Before the strike of the next hour, Amy had finally finished readying herself for the occasion, Rouge had left a few minutes after their encounter, having to take care of a few more things herself before attending the congregation. She was alone, again, and it didn’t feel any less miserable than the previous evening.

 

She looked in the mirror one last time before setting out, making sure she hadn’t missed anything while she struggled in the presence of a foggy mind. She’d finally gone ahead and straightened her quills once more, almost unaware of the mess they had become before Rouge kindly pointed it out. 

 

Atop her head, a black head band that matched the ribbon around the waist of her puff-sleeved dress. Despite everything, it had turned into a proper dark purple hue, not that she had any specific opinions on it. To complement her look, her usual white gloves had been replaced by the velvet ones Rouge had brought her, a matching pair of tights and Mary Jane shoes to top it off. It was acceptable enough, she supposed with a defeated sigh as her own tired eyes bore back at her in the reflection of the still misty mirror.

 

She wouldn’t be wearing any of it ever again.

 

---

 

The breeze that whispered against her ears brought a cold caress with it, sending a shiver down Amy’s spine as she stood there, her breath caught in her lungs as it demanded an escape. The box she held in her hands threatened to pull her down into the inimical embrace of the very earth that lent her a place to walk. 

 

She looked down at the box, then decided it was wiser not to look at it, not if she wished to remain vertical in her stance. 

 

Out. Pause. In. Then again.

 

She finally allowed herself to breathe, begging her body to steady the very beating of her cardiac functions. 

 

It was then that it became clear to her that it wouldn’t get any better than that, so she proceeded to walk forward into the location that had been agreed upon by their friends - her friends - the other now sat a heap of ashes in her grasp.

 

As it turned out, she wasn’t there early. She hadn’t quite been late either, but she had been the last to arrive.

 

Standing under the dappled shade of the old oak tree were Shadow and Rouge, their silhouettes outlined by the opulent hues of orange that lit up the skies as a final cry of their waning reach before fading beyond the horizon. Leaving it up to fate that the world would still be there the following day, and the next and the next, to cover in its lukewarm glow for just a moment before repeating the cycle anew.

 

Like herself, Rouge was dressed in violet, the same coat she had worn during her visit earlier. If she had to guess, she’d been busy making arrangements and gathering everyone. Not that there were many of them, they had unanimously decided to keep the gathering and knowledge of the incident mostly to themselves due to the gruesome nature of it all. They’d have much to explain later, once Tails had gotten to the root of the problem.

 

Shadow himself stuck out like a sore thumb, his red leather jacket and stripes a beacon amidst the dark greens and purples that surrounded him. But maybe like herself, he also hadn’t had the proper attire for such an occasion. Regardless of the reason, it wasn’t like she was one to mind or even concern herself with proper attire etiquette. She could hardly even process the very action of simply walking.

 

Rouge was the first one to catch sight of her, giving her a sympathetic look before waving her over to them, her eyes soon falling on the box Amy ported. Amy’s gut wrenched each time she was reminded of it, but she pushed the feeling aside as Rouge embraced her tightly. While it didn’t help ease the hollow that grew ever larger within her chest, she was surprised to note that it was just what she had needed at that moment. Even if it was gone too soon.

 

As they came apart, Shadow met her eyes and gave her a curt nod of the head, “Rose.” She returned it in kind. It was apparent this was a situation most of them would be uncomfortable with, something that just needed to be done and over with before they could each sink back into their own little world.

 

“Do you want me to take that from you?” Shadow asked her, his eyes signaling at the box. A part of her begged – screamed – a loud and resounding “yes,” but another came apart at the very idea of parting with the last thing she held of him.

 

“...no, I’ve got it. Thank you.”

 

It was short, to the point, and exuberantly painful.

 

He swung his head towards the other side of the tree, bidding them to follow. It was on that other side that a hole in the ground sat expectantly. Then that feeling hit her again, the one afraid to part ways in the most absolute way, squeezing her fingers tighter against the dark box.

 

“Amy,” a small voice called out. Turning to her right, she saw him; yellow. A bright, sunny color, one that was meant to signal joy and warmth. But the color opaqued against the matted tufts of fur upon it, the form which it was cast upon depleted of anything it would have otherwise represented. Then there was his sky, blue eyes - grayed out in the dusk, round like two moons, looking at everything yet at nothing. He wore a pair of tall, brown leather boots, a pair of goggles propped against his head and of course, a memory of his .

 

A red scarf, wrapped around his neck as a final attempt at self comfort and remembrance. 

 

“Tails,” Amy finally freed one of her hands, rushing to wrap her arm around the young fox’s slight form. She knew that he, more than anyone, needed it. She felt as he returned the gesture, though there was no strength behind it. It was obvious, that like herself, a simple hug wouldn’t make a difference, but she wanted him to know they were in it together. Bound by the same event that had inflicted a deep wound that now lay hollow, leaving them a husk of their former selves.

 

When she let go, he wore the same expression as before. It was that of indifference – despite his wide, haunted eyes – yet she knew that wasn’t truly how he was feeling. They were all trying to come to terms in their own way.

 

Taking his hand in hers, they walked together towards the cavity on the ground. Before it, stood Knuckles. He wore pants that matched the darkening color of the grass around them, his dreadlocks decorated with golden bangles.

 

He ruffled the fur above Tails’ head before landing his heavy mitt atop Amy’s shoulder, giving her a sympathetic smile, one that in any other occasion would have rid her of any burden. It was difficult, but she returned the smile in kind, or at least an attempt of it.

 

“You are a strong warrior,” he spoke directly at her before looking down at Tails, “both of you are.” It was then that she was able to return him a more genuine smile. 

 

Removing his hand from her shoulder, he then extended it before her. Her brows frowned slightly above her wide eyes, giving him a question, but then she understood what the gesture meant.

 

It was time to say goodbye.

 

Looking down at the wooden box that lay entwined between the vines of her fingers, she dared to release hold of it, passing the emotional weight of it onto Knuckles’ open palm. But her hand rested atop its surface as a last attempt to hold onto it. Knuckles understood, keeping it in place until she was ready to let go. 

 

Amy finally felt something twist inside of her. She instructed her hand to retreat, but her command went ignored. Her breathing grew uneven once more, her chest giving away the turmoil raging within her, her hand imitating the motion as it began to quiver.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut, and that’s when she felt it, the warmth of another hand above her own. She opened her eyes, her gaze trailing the hand back to its owner. It was Tails. They fixed their eyes on each other, his own finally showing a tinge of the warmth and kindness that so amply prevailed within them not long ago.

 

Her breathing steadied, and while her hands kept a tremor to them, it wasn’t as trepidous as it had been before. She let out a breath she had been holding, and that is when her hand too, accepted what had to be done.

 

She let go.

 

Knuckles gave them a nod, and just like that, he was gone again. Her arm instinctively reached out towards him, even though she knew it was futile. Once she realized that, she could do nothing more than press it against her chest while her other hand tightened its grip on Tails’ own; suppressing the tears that threatened to spill over the edge. It was all she could do to remain grounded to something . Something that wasn’t already gone. Something real .

 

Leaning down before the hole he had dug, Knuckles gently lowered the box onto it, reaching the bottom with a final “thud.” 

 

“You were also one, you know?” Knuckles smiled at the container, “a strong warrior, hedgehog.” With that final acknowledgement, dirt now piled as the box disappeared from sight under it.

 

Next to him lay a small sapling he had brought all the way from Angel Island. He thought it proper to leave something from his world closer to his old friend, something that would connect them forever. 

 

With the sapling planted above his final resting place, they all gathered around to speak some final sentiments. To support each other. To mourn freely as was needed. 

 

Release of the one who had brought them all together.

 

At the end of it all, right before the sun set fully, Amy remained sat down next to the small tree while the rest said their final farewells to each other. It was then that she sensed the presence of another next to her, she turned to acknowledge them; it was Shadow.

 

“Mind if I take a seat?”

 

She shook her head. She didn’t mind at all, but she knew he probably had questions. Answering them and reliving them is what she minded. But it only made sense he’d want answers, it had all occurred so suddenly after all, even now she herself wondered if what she and Tails had bore witness to had even been real. 

 

“I hate having to ask you this,” her stomach twisted, of course she had been right, “but…who killed him?”

 

The mere statement, so matter of factly spoken to her for the first time, set her entire body in a frenzy of emotions. She remained silent for a moment too long as her brain tried its hardest to figure out a way to put the horror they had witnessed into words, her hands instinctively gripping painfully against her knees.

 

“Was it Robotnik?” He continued, probably thinking offering suggestions would make it easier on her. It didn’t.

 

“No,” she shook her head as she looked away, finally settling on some words to use, “Not exactly.”

 

Shadow stared at her expectantly, yet he remained quiet with patience and understanding.

 

“Something…something went wrong with Metal’s code and-” she stopped mid sentence, choking on her words despite herself. She felt the emotions she had so desperately attempted to suppress deep within her suddenly begin to emerge all at once, her hands now clinging onto her face, digging onto her quills as she fought with herself to speak what she had so avoided saying out loud until now.

 

“-and now he’s gone .”

 

There it was.

 

The harsh admission of the reality she now found herself in.

 

She couldn’t contain it any longer, despite wanting to remain strong for her friends, it was no longer a possibility. She burst out in tears, her shoulders heaving, the tears streaming down her face no matter how much her hands attempted to cover their trails. It was painful, it was excruciating. One would think releasing such emotions would be liberating, but it was anything but. She felt sick, she felt the void within her chest grow even deeper. 

 

Shadow rubbed her back as he allowed her to get everything out of her system, her choked cries stirring painful memories within him. It was all too cruel. He so wished he hadn’t had to bring it up so soon, but they had to get to the root of the matter if they wished to do something about it. In case the danger was still lurking. 

 

“Shadow,” a voice called out as the crunching of grass signaled someone approaching, it was Knuckles. He had been within earshot. “I’ll look for Eggman anyway,” he hit his fists against each other, clearly dealing with his own sentiments, “if he catches wind of this, his next move will surely be to attack us.”

 

Shadow nodded, his hands still supporting the sobbing hedgehog. “Rouge and I are also going, we’ll join you in a moment.” Knuckles returned the nod, glancing somberly at Amy one last time before being on his way. He knew sometimes it was better to grieve alone than to force one’s presence onto others.

 

After some minutes, Amy’s sobs had finally subsided into a series of broken hiccups and muffled sniffles, occasionally a whimper resurfacing and restarting the cycle all over again. By the end of it, she felt completely and utterly empty. She was out of tears, she was out of a voice. All that was left were the residuals of her shuddering breath and the dark path the tears had marked through her eyeliner.

 

Shadow had remained by her side, but he knew it was time he got going, giving her a last pat on her back before leaning away, “we’ll sort this out, Amy, are you going to be alright?” The very question was stupid, he knew that, but what else could he possibly ask that would make it sound any better? He winced at the very word. Alright . Nothing was.

 

Amy nodded, her body hunched over and depleted of any and all strength. The front she had been putting up was completely obliterated by that point. Shadow sighed, “alright, we’ll get going. We’ll make sure to keep you updated.” With that, he finally stood and made his way towards the oak tree where Rouge awaited, not sparing a single look back. It wouldn’t make a difference, it wouldn’t change a thing, it would just make things more complicated for him.

 

“Rouge, we’ll be joining Knuckles. Our next priority is to locate Eggman and find out if he had anything to do-” he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as the reality of it all ate at him despite himself, “-with this .”

 

“Understood,” she acknowledged, the faint frown on her face a clear testament that it was all finally getting to her as well.

 

“Alright, let’s get going-” he began walking away as Rouge intercepted him, grabbing him by the shoulder, “Shadow, you should go talk with him too.” Shadow stopped dead in his tracks, giving her a confused side glance.

 

“Who?”

 

“The kid,” Rouge then turned her head to the side. Shadow followed her line of sight as it stopped where the cause for her concerns sat alone, only accompanied by one of his gadgets.

 

“Me? I don’t think-”

 

“Shadow, if there is anyone here who can understand his pain, it’s you .”

 

He pondered on her words, opting to look at the ground below him as if it held the answer to all his problems.

 

“You know the pain of losing family and where it can take you,” she continued, hoping that providing further reasoning would make him take her up on her plea. He sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t wish to offer a word of guidance or a shoulder to cry on, but he didn’t think he was very good at such things. 

 

To make matters worse, he feared it would end up pulling him back into the merciless abyss that came with revisiting his conflicting past. “Alright…I’ll see what I can do.” With a smile of appreciation, Rouge squeezed his shoulder before taking the path he had been headed towards before she stopped him.

 

After taking a moment to mull over how he would approach things, he finally decided he would simply go ahead and approach him. It was probably an insensitive, selfish wish, but he so desperately hoped he wouldn’t break down in tears like Amy had when he approached her. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle it again.

 

As soon as he closed the distance between them, Tails glanced back at him from where he sat, the Miles Electric - as he had called it - on hand. He supposed keeping himself busy with his gadgets and knick knacks was his way to distract himself. 

 

Despite the kid’s watery eyes, Shadow was certain he hadn’t seen him cry like the others during the eulogies. The dark circles around the fox’s eyes were enough evidence that he hadn’t slept all night. Rouge had been right to be concerned. 

 

Without further preemptive, he took a seat next to him, “feeling lost?”

 

Tails finally looked away as he nodded, focusing once more on the screen he held onto, staring blankly at it. Shadow took this as his cue to continue.

 

“I know the feeling; grief,” he looked at the horizon ahead of them, the sun casting its last rays of light, painting everything in a nostalgic orange and rose hue. “It can make you a shell of yourself,” he dug his claws into his palms as he felt emotions that he had long thought extinct resurface, “it can make you do things you wouldn’t even have considered, making you think it’s over .”

 

“But,” Shadow let out a breath as he steadied his quaking hands, flexing his fingers before sliding them over his bristled quills in an effort to regain his composure, “it isn’t. Life goes on, and you have to keep going. For your sake, for their sake.”

 

“But you have to remember,” he finally looked back at the fox, his crimson eyes commanding his absolute attention, “that as long as their memory lives, they’ll never be truly gone.” Shadow clutched a hand to his chest to emphasize his point, Tails’ eyes brightening up with a sense of sudden understanding as he wiped a tear that had begun to trail down the white of his fur.

 

“Thanks, Shadow. I-” he paused for a moment, giving him a grateful smile, “-I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

 

Satisfied that the conversation hadn’t gone as horribly as he had feared, Shadow returned Tails a supportive smile before patting him on the back. “Make sure you rest, kid.” 

 

With that, Shadow and the others were finally on their way. Tails, like them, also decided he had somewhere to be. With an urgency she was not expecting, he gave Amy a final farewell before heading off in a rush. 

 

As the last rays of sun finally faded into the obscure nothingness of the night, only Amy remained.

 

Once more, she was alone.

 

Still sat where Shadow had last left her, she lay down next to the sapling where he, too, rested. The one she had so incessantly chased after.

 

“I guess I can finally catch up to you, huh?” she morbidly spoke with a sad smile before curling up and giving in once more to the ache within her chest, the tightness of her lungs, the quivering of her lips, and the shortness of her breath.

 

“Goodbye, Sonic.”

 

Artwork by me; (X) https://x.com/PepperMPepper

Notes:

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading <3
This chapter got me emotional while typing it, but I do tend to be an emotional person, so there's no way for me to confirm it is haha
But I at least hope I captured some of the transpiring emotions.

To match the vision of the comic, there's a name that is only mentioned once.
His face becomes a blur, but the feeling of something missing lingers...

Thank you MiaoGo for keeping us fed with your comic! And thanks a TON to my beta reader HoneyLicious (I Can't Breathe Without You), and sorry for ruining your Tuesday Night!

Toodles~