Your spirit was watching their interaction with a throbbing heart. You never thought about what Maria and Shadow's lives would be like after you saved her. Actually, you had completely forgotten about her illness. As depressing as it was, you knew for a fact that there was nothing you could have done to cure that illness. Not one thing.

Except...

Ugh. That little voice in the back of your mind continued to nag at you. It kept on squawking that there was ONE way to save Maria from her illness. An incredibly simple solution, really. The chaos emeralds must still be scattered throughout the world, right? And in the same places! You knew where each one was hiding, and you could remember who possessed which ones. There was a green emerald in the city. One in the mountains. Another in the G.U.N. base. Two with Gilbert and Barrett. One in a shipwreck. And lastly, the infamous purple-colored emerald nestled on the Ark somewhere.

If you could just find a way to communicate this information to Shadow, then he would be able to make that one wish to save her from her illness! Finally, a way you can contribute!

In the previous timeline, Maria's spirit communicated to you through dreams... somehow. You tried to replicate what she did, but you weren't entirely sure how the whole 'transfer thoughts, feelings, and memories' thing worked. You tried talking to Shadow. Then yelling. Oh yeah, you don't have lungs. Then you tried to telekinetically force your thoughts on him. No luck. You tried every stupid method you could think of, even headbutting his physical form with your ghostly, ethereal one. Still nothing.

It wasn't until you thought back to the last timeline again that you realized what you were missing. Maria! Maybe she was the only one capable of receiving your thoughts. It must be a weird twin thing. You both shared so much, even the same thoughts, on occasion. But the Earth's bacteria would quickly overtake her system... You would have to be fast and pray Shadow is faster.

–Day 2 On Earth–

Maria's POV

Cold... And hot. And hot and cold.

Against her will, Shadow did take Maria to a hospital. She could hardly blame him for wanting to preserve her life... In reality, when she said she would live out the rest of her life as she saw fit, she knew it was a terrible lie. Her body would crumble in a matter of days outside these white walls. Maria knew that forcing Shadow to let her roam freely would tear him up inside. And so, putting away all selfishness, Maria let Shadow decide what was best.

From in her hospital bed, she could feel her immune system flaring to life and trying to fight back against the surrounding elements. It was failing. The air was so fresh, but she knew that every breath would bring her closer to death. Flu and fever would be first. Then tuberculosis. Dark blotchy skin, diarrhea, headaches, vomiting, tumors... Then her nervous system would give out and would prevent her from being able to move. She'd be like a doll, unable to move on her own. Her mind would be the next to fade as she would inevitably fall into a thoughtless stupor from her amalgamation of illnesses. No thoughts... Only pain. There would be nothing to stop the sickness from invading her extremely weak immune system due to a lack of antibodies. Such is the life of someone with both HIV/AIDS and various neurocutaneous syndromes. A deadly duo, indeed. The name 'Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Disorder' was just Gerald's way of combining the two. For whatever reason, the low gravity on the ARK was one of the main factors that kept her relatively healthy. The Earth's heavy atmosphere made her feel weak and frail. Shadow could see the life draining from her with each and every second that would pass.

Maria knew she had two weeks at best.

Shadow never left her side. He would bring her items from the outside to her like cute little bugs and flowers. Sometimes the bugs would get loose, and he'd have to sit through a scolding from the head nurse. Shadow never seemed to mind too much. On other occasions, he would tell uplifting stories. Ones with happy endings, miracle flowers, and true love. Maria appreciated his efforts, as fruitless as they were. It was only the second day, and Shadow was progressively becoming more and more anxious... No doubt the doctors were telling him she was already doomed.

Rather than focusing on fate, Maria thought sorrowfully about her dear twin... Did G.U.N. even care enough to go back for the bodies they left sprawled on the floor in space? Probably not. Whenever Maria thought about how pointless your death was, it would be too much for her to bear. She would cry ceaselessly, no matter how much Shadow tried to console her.

(Y/N) never got to live at all! Her entire existence consisted of being ignored by everyone while her twin got all of the attention. Pictures, books, education, quality food, and even a best friend. What did she have?

Dreams.

All (Y/N) had ever wanted was for at least ONE dream to come true. Seeing the surface or Maria cured. To see Shadow reciprocate her feelings! She wanted someone to CARE about her. That was all. And she got nothing. NOTHING.

Maria squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold back the stinging tears. She wanted to go back. She wanted to save her beloved sister. The sister she had loved since the moment they were born. Maria missed all the times she would hug her and brush away her tears. All the times they played tag in the hallways and got in trouble for breaking things that were supposedly valuable research items. And that moment when Gerald handed (Y/N) the little hedgehog bundle that was Shadow... And (Y/N) smiled and said, 'I hope we're together forever!' She deserved to be with Shadow far more than anyone else. The girl who lived alone and was never loved by anyone except her isolated, sickly sister. Maria knew everyone on the ARK loved their sickly patient very deeply. Their whole lives were dedicated to curing her illness, and they were more than willing to do that. Nobody even knew she had a sister.

There had to be a way to bring (Y/N) back... If phantom rubies, aliens, and magical chaos stones could exist, so could a magic flower that cures all illness, right?

Wait... The chaos emeralds!

Maria shot up in her bed and grabbed onto Shadow as hard as she could. She moved so fast that he flinched. Staring him down with the fiercest gaze she could manage in her condition, she gave him her dying request.

-Shadow's POV-

"Shadow...!" Maria breathed. Her eyes were wild with frantic stress and worry. Shadow was startled by the intensity in her gaze. How desperate she was... Maria was sweating bullets and breathing hard in her frenzied state. Nothing would stop her from pouring out her thoughts, and he knew he would have to listen.

Maria took a few breaths. The surge of energy that burst through her faded, and she wiped off some of the sweat on her forehand with her sleeve. She started her sentence again, more calmly this time. "Shadow, get the chaos emeralds. With all seven, you'll be granted a wish, remember? You can still fix this...!"

The emeralds. The miracle stones from which he was created. Yes! Of course! How could he have been so blind?? The chaos emeralds would be more than enough to cure Maria's illness, and he was more than capable of finding all seven! Shadow could feel his heart soar and dance with joy and relief that Maria was not yet doomed to die. So long as he could find them all, she was guaranteed to live! At once, Shadow found himself sharing in her sudden burst of energy!

"Maria, you're a genius!" he proclaimed as he hugged her tight in his arms. "You won't have to die...! We can still live together here on Earth. Just the two of us!"

Shadow could already imagine what the future would hold for both of them. They had always dreamed of opening a flower shop. Together, the two of them would make the world a happier place one rose at a time. As Maria got older, maybe she would find a lover and could have children. She told him that she wanted two girls and a boy, and Shadow could babysit if he wanted. But then she would always finish her daydream by bringing (Y/N) into the dream. Maria would always say...

"And (Y/N) will be your wife, Shadow! You two are perfect for each other!"

He never understood why she would always insist he marry (Y/N), but he would never dare to object to her dream. Sadly, reality always catches up with the dream, and it shreds the dream to pieces. The universe takes the pieces and stitches them together into something else for its amusement. It doesn't care if what it creates is something completely different from what the original dream was about. And, like always, what Maria would say next would allow fate to tear his dream apart.

"Shadow, please...," Maria begged. There was so much sorrow in her plea that Shadow could feel a sharp stab in his chest when she spoke. The crystal teardrops were forming at her eyes again, and she trembled slightly. Shadow felt a lump form in his throat. He already knew what she was going to ask of him. "I need you to use your wish to save (Y/N)."

If there was one thing Shadow wished he could change about Maria, it would be her selflessness. Maria would gladly bear the burdens of every person in the world if it meant that they could be happy. It sickened Shadow whenever she stopped caring about her own well-being. She would carelessly throw herself into harm's way just to save someone who was practically a stranger. It didn't just sicken Shadow. It angered him. To no end. He hated it. He wanted to grab onto Maria and hold her so tightly she could never risk anything for anyone ever again. But he could never say no to those eyes... He would always relent, and let her make her own decisions. That angered him too. Why was he such a pushover? He knew tough love was what she needed, but he could never give it to her! ...Until today.

"No," Shadow murmured. He had never felt so adamant about anything in his life. She was NOT going to die. He couldn't let her. Not even if she begged, pleaded, and cried. Maria could hate him for all he cared. She was going to live.

"Shadow, you know she deserves to live! (Y/N) never had anyone! She never got to experience anything except loneliness! Please, I beg of you...!" Maria cried with every ounce of desperation she could muster.

Unlike yesterday, Shadow was determined to stand his ground. He wasn't going to let their story end like this. There could be no world for him without Maria. "Maria, stop it. (Y/N) did get to live. She lived for you. It was her choice to shove you into the escape pod, and that was a very noble thing for her to do. She sacrificed everything to get you here, just like you told me yesterday! Her final wish would be for me to save you! You're what she loved most. Not me! There is no one else she would have taken that bullet for, Maria! I refuse to believe she would want us to undo everything she did for us!"

Maria flinched. There was a pain in her eyes. Shadow knew she was still blaming herself for what had happened, and that was only natural. But he wasn't going to turn back. His mind was made up. It was the only logical solution. He had to choose Maria.

"...I know grandpa said the chaos emeralds can only grant one wish before scattering themselves, but maybe the legend was wrong. Maybe you can make two wishes!" Maria stopped when she realized how little sense it would make for the chaos emeralds not to scatter themselves after one wish. "Well..., maybe you can find them again. Then we can make another wish!"

Shadow shook his head lightly. "Maria..., the chaos emeralds won't scatter across just this world. They will scatter across the galaxy. Maybe even the universe. It would take several lifetimes to gather them together again! They were on Earth because the Dark Arms collected them all a long time ago and were hiding them on Earth to keep other alien species from finding them. We only get one chance."

Maria looked down at the floor sadly. "That's it then, huh...? You're choosing me. I'll finally get to live... Like I had always dreamed..."

Nothing in her voice indicated any bit of happiness or satisfaction. There was no rejoicing over his decision to save her. Shadow knew it was the correct thing to do, but he also knew that Maria would never stop blaming herself. She could never be happy. After all, her dream could only be complete with (Y/N) in it. And fate brutally cut her out of the picture entirely.

Reluctantly, they both agreed that Shadow would leave first thing in the morning. Shadow knew he would have to spend the night looking into where the chaos emeralds were located. He would have to work fast. He didn't want Maria to suffer more than she had to. She's spent enough time suffering as it is... When Shadow went to tell her goodnight, she grabbed onto him for the second time that day. She was shivering now instead of sweating.

"...I'm sorry for making you so upset today... I'm just so... so... I can't even describe this horrible feeling...! It hurts so much...! I don't want to live without my sister...! I love her...," Maria sobbed into his chest. It was something she had done hundreds of times before whenever she was sad or scared. It always gave her a small sense of security. Shadow knew she needed all of the security she could get. It was going to be a hard few days ahead of her... Waiting for him to come back.

Shadow did the only thing he could think to do at the moment. He hugged her as tightly against him as he could without accidentally crushing her. Finally able to express all the feelings Maria had bottled up inside, she started weeping as hard as she could against him. All the sorrow and mourning for (Y/N) was finally being sung in a symphony of despair. Shadow knew Maria felt liberated to finally be able to release every little emotion at once. He knew what it was like to carry so much emotional baggage... He could have been wrong, but Shadow could have sworn he felt tears on his own cheeks. Tears shed for (Y/N). He had never cried for anyone except Maria before.

-(Y/N)'s POV)-

It was so hard to watch them huddled together and in tears. But you couldn't take your eyes away either. They really did care about you... Well, Maria, at least. You couldn't decide if Shadow was crying because Maria was crying or because he cared. Not that the answer mattered. He chose Maria, and you were glad he did. But at the same time, you knew the torment Maria was feeling... The doubt and the self-punishment. Rewatching the horrid scene over and over and over. It was probably all she could see. You wished you could take away the pain and assure her that she would be okay. But that's not how your ghostly powers work.

The night before, you tested your hypothesis on Maria while she was asleep. If you could communicate with her in dreams, then you would be able to tell her the locations of the chaos emeralds. You had sent her a memory from when you were little and playing a game you had made up with her and Shadow. Of course, you were the villain, Shadow was the hero, and Maria was the damsel. You had placed Maria under a spell that turned her into a helpless flower. To shake things up, rather than defeating you and stealing your wand, Shadow asked if you could turn him into a flower too. Touched, you granted his wish. The game ended with Shadow and Maria hugging each other as twin flowers.

Thankfully, your experiment worked! Maria was telling Shadow about her dream where they became twin flowers that morning.

This time, you would have to give Maria the locations of all of the emeralds. You had to convince her that you knew for a fact where each priceless gem was hidden. Maria had to believe in your spirit like you believed in her spirit in the timeline before. You waited for Maria to fall asleep that night. Shadow stayed beside her the whole time to offer moral support. She was sleeping soundly when you glided over to her and pressed your forehead against her's.

Maria. Sister. Can you hear me?

Maria shifted slightly in her slumber, and you knew she could hear you. Relieved, you started telling her the locations and sharing your memories of each location with her.

One, in a museum in the local city named Station Square. Two, the mountains by a green valley. Three, the G.U.N. main base. Four and five, with our big brother and Gilbert. Six, in a shipwreck under the sea. In the skeleton's hand. Seven, the Ark... where we started.

Your sister was breathing evenly as you recounted the information. But then, in her sleep, she lifted her hand to grab your ghostly arm. You sucked in a breath with shock and surprise. Then she lightly opened her eyes and smiled warmly up at you.

"...Hello, (Y/N)."

You flinched. But how–?! How did she know! You were a ghost! Dead! Nobody could see you! ...Except her. No one could see you except your dearest sister. That's how it's always been since the day you were born. It all made sense now. Maria is the only one who loved you enough to hear you both in life and death. Her hand phased through your arm, but she knew you were there. There was a pause between both of you. All you could do was let Maria stare wistfully in your general direction. But her eyes were not locked on to yours. She couldn't actually see you.

"I'm sorry... I can't see you. You're beyond what my eyes can see. But my heart can feel you, (Y/N). Were you worried about me...?" she laughed sadly. "I would be worried about you too."

Maria fell silent for another minute. She took a breath. "I suppose you saw everything that's happened. Shadow is as stubborn as ever." She chuckled lightly. You could feel yourself smile too. "I can't figure you out, (Y/N)... Did you really want me to live more than you...? Why value my dreams over your own? Why let Shadow forget about you?"

You thought about it for a second. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to give her an answer. Then again, she probably knew that. It was a rhetorical question that she didn't need an answer to. She was actually asking you a different question. 'Why give up everything for her? Did you really love her that much...?'

With as much determination as you could muster, you forced your thoughts to go to her even though she was awake. You sincerely hoped she could hear.

I love you, Maria. And I don't regret dying for you. You're worth it to me.

She got misty-eyed again and sniffed back her tears. You guessed Maria didn't want to cry in front of you anymore today. Instead, she smiled up at you. Calm, sweet, and genuine. "I wish... It would've been me. I'd do the same thing for you. You deserved to have one dream come true..."

But one did.

...I got to save you.

Maria laughed again. "And Shadow gets mad at me for having selfless dreams. Okay, I'll tell him about the emeralds." She sighed for what had to be the millionth time. You internally sighed with her.

No matter how this ends, we'll be okay. We'll be together again, sister...

Maria genuinely looked assured by that. She exhaled with relief and nodded. "Someday soon, sister."