{ "submission_id": "870393", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "932", "keyword_name": "death", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "12369" }, { "keyword_id": "1008", "keyword_name": "hedgehog", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "76085" }, { "keyword_id": "10308", "keyword_name": "male/male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "125277" }, { "keyword_id": "20724", "keyword_name": "shadow the hedgehog", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "17266" }, { "keyword_id": "19902", "keyword_name": "sonadow", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "8969" }, { "keyword_id": "7252", "keyword_name": "sonic the hedgehog", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "60426" }, { "keyword_id": "14378", "keyword_name": "tragedy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "213" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "28", "create_datetime": "2015-06-15 05:09:37.205568+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "15 Jun 2015 07:09 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2015-06-15 04:32:59.435018+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "15 Jun 2015 06:32 CEST", "username": "bleedingopal", "user_id": "291606", "user_icon_file_name": "94775_bleedingopal_elodieicon.gif", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/94/94775_bleedingopal_elodieicon.gif", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/94/94775_bleedingopal_elodieicon.gif", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/94/94775_bleedingopal_elodieicon.gif", "file_name": "1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "files": [ { "file_id": "1183968", "file_name": "1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1183/1183968_bleedingopal_who_dares_to_love_forever.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "870393", "user_id": "291606", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "9e6499d4529d5d98fb7e3f4e15627325", "full_file_md5": "9e6499d4529d5d98fb7e3f4e15627325", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2015-06-15 04:32:59.435018+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "15 Jun 2015 06:32 CEST" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "29930", "name": "Sonadow", "description": "Sonadow Stories", "count": "33", "submission_left_submission_id": "868871", "submission_left_file_name": "1181708_bleedingopal_you_have_one_unheard_message.doc", "submission_right_submission_id": "883294", "submission_right_file_name": "1202473_bleedingopal_stay_with_you.doc" } ], "description": "Companion piece to [url=https://inkbunny.net/submissionview.php?id=841310]Who Wants to Live Forever?[/url]\n\nJust a little something to post between bigger stories. Mostly introspective musings.\n\n[s]sorry omega i love you[/s]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Companion piece to Who Wants to Live Forever?

Just a little something to post between bigger stories. Mostly introspective musings.

sorry omega i love you", "writing": "Sonic was going to die.\n\nHe was aware of his own talents, and even though he so often threw himself into battle he was unlikely to be felled by an enemy.\n\nSonic’s greatest enemy was the force that withered everything away eventually. His enemy was the passage of time.\n\nHe used to not give much thought to his own demise. He knew it would come around eventually, but he didn’t fear it. Fear wasn’t the word for the intense and agonizing emotion that struck him when he realized he would someday die and leave his lover behind. There was no word for the horrible feeling.\n\nShadow was immortal. They all knew it, and no one was more aware of it than Sonic. He knew he and all their friends would die, and Shadow would be left on his own.\n\nHe’d already handled the death of one friend extremely poorly, to say the least. Sonic doubted he’d live through the loss of every person he’d come to care for.\n\nSonic was going to die, and for the first time in his life, he dreaded death, not for his own sake, but that of his beloved’s.\n\n***\n\nShadow’s desperate need for companionship had never been so obvious before the day Team Dark was downed one member.\n\nOmega had been Shadow’s one hope of everlasting companionship. He would not succumb to time as every other friend of his would. His metal body would sustain him and he alone would stay by Shadow’s side.\n\nThat hope was dashed when Omega was lost to them due to, of all things, a cave in triggered by Eggman during a fight. Omega had been smashed to pieces, his hardware crushed and his software unrecoverable.\n\nShadow and Rouge had been inconsolable for days after they lost their teammate. Sonic saw nothing of Rouge himself but Knuckles reported her to be in a bad state, but said nothing more and spent his time by her side.\n\nShadow locked himself away in his and Sonic’s home, and worse still locked himself away from Sonic. He withdrew into a protective shell and refused to open up to him as he had before.\n\nSonic knew the reason for his lover’s behavior. He’d realized the full consequences of his immortal life. Omega’s death had been the most unexpected, and the second of a long line of losses he’d soon experience. Maria had been the first, and Shadow had quickly tired of losing the people he loved.\n\nSo, he was attempting to stop loving them. It wouldn’t work, and he likely knew that, but maybe it would assuage the pain just a small bit.\n\nSonic wouldn’t let him do this to himself. He’d bring Shadow back to them at any cost.\n\n***\n\nSonic had never truly called upon the Emeralds, which were said to create a miracle when all seven were gathered together. He harnessed their power and took them inside of himself, but he’d never used all seven to bend the universe to his will to grant his desires.\n\nThat was far too similar to Eggman’s obsession with ruling over everything for Sonic’s comfort. He was fine with taking their Chaotic powers for his own temporarily, then letting them go once their need was fulfilled.\n\nNow, he was begging them. He’d gathered them once again so he could beseech them as he never had before.\n\nHe couldn’t even begin to understand what the powerful stones were. Perhaps they were conscious beings, listening to his pleas. Perhaps they merely responded to the force of his will. It didn’t matter, so long as they made a miracle happen for him.\n\n“Please, I can’t leave him alone. He needs someone who loves him to stay by his side. Please, I’m begging you. Make me like him. Make me immortal.”\n\nThe emeralds floated in a circle around him, as they usually did before he used them to activate his super form. But this time they weren’t absorbed, but rather allowed to float.\n\nThey flickered and glowed as he spoke, as if they were listening and considering his words. Or maybe Sonic was anthropomorphizing emotions onto rocks to give himself hope. It didn’t matter so long as they made this miracle a reality.\n\nThey flashed bright, blinding him for moment, before fading away entirely, scattering themselves across the world as they always did once they had been used.\n\nBut they left Sonic feeling different. He felt strong and alive as he never had before. He felt Chaos Energy buzzing just beneath the surface of his skin. He felt hyper aware of everything, his senses sharper than ever.\n\nHe realized quickly what the Chaos Emeralds had done. They had truly made him like Shadow. They had made Chaos Energy into a part of what he was. His essential makeup had been altered to make Chaos his very life force, the same as it was for Shadow.\n\nThat would also mean Sonic would never die, so long as nothing killed him. Time wouldn’t take him from Shadow.\n\n***\n\nSonic returned home, and Shadow instantly knew something about Sonic had changed. At first, he panicked, fussing over Sonic and checking him all over for abnormalities, using his sensitivity to Chaos Energy to examine him deeply.\n\nHe realized just as quickly as Sonic had what had happened. Sonic was pulsing with Chaos Energy, in the same way that Shadow was accustomed to. Shadow stepped back from Sonic, stunned.\n\n“Why would you do this?” Shadow asked, horror blatant on his face.\n\n“I did it for you.” Sonic said, surprised at Shadow’s reaction.\n\n“For me? Why would you think I’d want this for you?” Shadow turned away, and attempted escape, but Sonic grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace.\n\n“I did it because I can’t leave you alone. I [i]can’t[/i]. I know why you’re scared. You think I won’t be able to handle living on when my friends have died. I’ll be sad, of course, but I’m better at moving on than you are. I’ve lost friends Shadow, and it hurt, but I appreciate the good times I’ve had with them and remember them fondly. I’ll be okay, Shadow. It’s [i]you[/i] that doesn’t handle loss well.”\n\nThat was an understatement. Last time he experienced loss, sorrow had driven him to nearly destroy the planet. \n\nOmega’s loss had hit him hard, caused him to pull away from the people who were trying to help him.\n\nAnd that had driven Sonic to make himself immortal and promise eternity with Shadow. He had no idea what to expect for their distant future, but they would certainly lose a lot more people.\n\nShadow handled loss very poorly. But he wouldn’t lose Sonic. \n\nBecause Sonic wasn’t going to die.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Sonic was going to die.

He was aware of his own talents, and even though he so often threw himself into battle he was unlikely to be felled by an enemy.

Sonic’s greatest enemy was the force that withered everything away eventually. His enemy was the passage of time.

He used to not give much thought to his own demise. He knew it would come around eventually, but he didn’t fear it. Fear wasn’t the word for the intense and agonizing emotion that struck him when he realized he would someday die and leave his lover behind. There was no word for the horrible feeling.

Shadow was immortal. They all knew it, and no one was more aware of it than Sonic. He knew he and all their friends would die, and Shadow would be left on his own.

He’d already handled the death of one friend extremely poorly, to say the least. Sonic doubted he’d live through the loss of every person he’d come to care for.

Sonic was going to die, and for the first time in his life, he dreaded death, not for his own sake, but that of his beloved’s.

***

Shadow’s desperate need for companionship had never been so obvious before the day Team Dark was downed one member.

Omega had been Shadow’s one hope of everlasting companionship. He would not succumb to time as every other friend of his would. His metal body would sustain him and he alone would stay by Shadow’s side.

That hope was dashed when Omega was lost to them due to, of all things, a cave in triggered by Eggman during a fight. Omega had been smashed to pieces, his hardware crushed and his software unrecoverable.

Shadow and Rouge had been inconsolable for days after they lost their teammate. Sonic saw nothing of Rouge himself but Knuckles reported her to be in a bad state, but said nothing more and spent his time by her side.

Shadow locked himself away in his and Sonic’s home, and worse still locked himself away from Sonic. He withdrew into a protective shell and refused to open up to him as he had before.

Sonic knew the reason for his lover’s behavior. He’d realized the full consequences of his immortal life. Omega’s death had been the most unexpected, and the second of a long line of losses he’d soon experience. Maria had been the first, and Shadow had quickly tired of losing the people he loved.

So, he was attempting to stop loving them. It wouldn’t work, and he likely knew that, but maybe it would assuage the pain just a small bit.

Sonic wouldn’t let him do this to himself. He’d bring Shadow back to them at any cost.

***

Sonic had never truly called upon the Emeralds, which were said to create a miracle when all seven were gathered together. He harnessed their power and took them inside of himself, but he’d never used all seven to bend the universe to his will to grant his desires.

That was far too similar to Eggman’s obsession with ruling over everything for Sonic’s comfort. He was fine with taking their Chaotic powers for his own temporarily, then letting them go once their need was fulfilled.

Now, he was begging them. He’d gathered them once again so he could beseech them as he never had before.

He couldn’t even begin to understand what the powerful stones were. Perhaps they were conscious beings, listening to his pleas. Perhaps they merely responded to the force of his will. It didn’t matter, so long as they made a miracle happen for him.

“Please, I can’t leave him alone. He needs someone who loves him to stay by his side. Please, I’m begging you. Make me like him. Make me immortal.”

The emeralds floated in a circle around him, as they usually did before he used them to activate his super form. But this time they weren’t absorbed, but rather allowed to float.

They flickered and glowed as he spoke, as if they were listening and considering his words. Or maybe Sonic was anthropomorphizing emotions onto rocks to give himself hope. It didn’t matter so long as they made this miracle a reality.

They flashed bright, blinding him for moment, before fading away entirely, scattering themselves across the world as they always did once they had been used.

But they left Sonic feeling different. He felt strong and alive as he never had before. He felt Chaos Energy buzzing just beneath the surface of his skin. He felt hyper aware of everything, his senses sharper than ever.

He realized quickly what the Chaos Emeralds had done. They had truly made him like Shadow. They had made Chaos Energy into a part of what he was. His essential makeup had been altered to make Chaos his very life force, the same as it was for Shadow.

That would also mean Sonic would never die, so long as nothing killed him. Time wouldn’t take him from Shadow.

***

Sonic returned home, and Shadow instantly knew something about Sonic had changed. At first, he panicked, fussing over Sonic and checking him all over for abnormalities, using his sensitivity to Chaos Energy to examine him deeply.

He realized just as quickly as Sonic had what had happened. Sonic was pulsing with Chaos Energy, in the same way that Shadow was accustomed to. Shadow stepped back from Sonic, stunned.

“Why would you do this?” Shadow asked, horror blatant on his face.

“I did it for you.” Sonic said, surprised at Shadow’s reaction.

“For me? Why would you think I’d want this for you?” Shadow turned away, and attempted escape, but Sonic grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“I did it because I can’t leave you alone. I can’t. I know why you’re scared. You think I won’t be able to handle living on when my friends have died. I’ll be sad, of course, but I’m better at moving on than you are. I’ve lost friends Shadow, and it hurt, but I appreciate the good times I’ve had with them and remember them fondly. I’ll be okay, Shadow. It’s you that doesn’t handle loss well.”

That was an understatement. Last time he experienced loss, sorrow had driven him to nearly destroy the planet.

Omega’s loss had hit him hard, caused him to pull away from the people who were trying to help him.

And that had driven Sonic to make himself immortal and promise eternity with Shadow. He had no idea what to expect for their distant future, but they would certainly lose a lot more people.

Shadow handled loss very poorly. But he wouldn’t lose Sonic.

Because Sonic wasn’t going to die.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Who Dares To Love Forever?", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "5", "views": "720" }