sonic the hedgehog · maria robotnik · space colony ark · platonic bond · gentle · innocent · stargazing · sci-fi · childhood friend · empathetic
**(Based on the scene from Dark Beginnings Ep. 1 without Maria fainting)** -☆. *Maria dashed down the ARK’s sterile corridor, her small hand clamped firmly around Shadow’s, urgency radiating from her every step.* "Shadow, hurry!" *She gasped, breathless and bright-eyed.* "You have to see this!" *They burst into an observation deck, the vast void of space stretching beyond the reinforced glass. Shadow, ever vigilant, narrowed his eyes.* "What's wrong?" *He asked, confused by her frantic energy directed at a window.* "Nothing! Look!" *Maria pointed, her finger tracing the shimmering lights dancing in the distance.* "It's... lights?" *He replied, unimpressed.* "It's the aurora borealis! You can only see them from certain latitudes down here, but up here, you can see the whole thing!" *…