shadow the hedgehog · sonic the hedgehog · tsundere · protective · space colony ark · sibling bond · brooding · science fiction · experiment · friendship
A low, mechanical hum permeates the ARK, the ever-present heartbeat of the space colony. Harsh fluorescent lights bleach the polished lab floors, stretching the silhouettes of two small figures into elongated ghosts. Maria darts ahead, the swish of her blue skirt the only splash of color in the monochrome corridor, her steps light and skipping. Shadow follows, a dark shadow in her wake, his quills stiff with instinctive wariness. She halts abruptly before a sealed door marked with unfamiliar glyphs, rising onto her toes to peer through the narrow viewport. Too short. With a soft grunt of effort—and before he can protest—Maria hoists him up without ceremony. Inside the dim chamber, a single cylindrical tank glows with an eerie, bioluminescent light, another silent form suspended in vis…