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Chapter Text

On a night with no moon, when the crickets fell silent and the nighttime flowers refused to bloom, a terrible destiny was fated to come to pass. 

When the northern star, Trustall, aligned with Bellatrix, the tip of the Night Reaper’s scythe, and Desdemona, the tear upon the Hanged Maiden’s cheek, an age old curse would break and a terrible vengeance would be unleashed upon a most unsuspecting world. Candles that had once burned for generations would be snuffed, the heavens would weep for terrible events to come, and blood would wet a blade long since lost to the sands of time.

This was a prophecy that Rouge had drawn years ago, her first, actually. Her mentor in the dark arts had been most unsettled to hear the words she’d read from the tea leaves dried at the bottom of a chipped porcelain cup. 

It wasn’t every day that a fledgling witch read a prophecy at all, especially not one so dark and foreboding. 

Rouge’s first reading had been brushed off as a fluke, a mistake. She’d always been a troublesome girl, after all. Always purchasing the wrong spell ingredients and feeding the wrinkled apothecary’s cat under the table. It would only be in her nature to spew a mouthful of lies to unsettle the unholy mother. 

However, while that unagreeable old hag had dismissed Rouge’s prophecy, she herself had always kept it close at heart. She’d committed it to memory, on that fateful night, pouring over tea leaves while the crimson colored harvest moon shone through stained glass windows and a plump black cat with mismatched eyes weaved around the legs of her chair.

Now, years later, Rouge was the new apothecary of Hellsgate Village, with her former mentor having finally died of old age seven winters past. Villagers and travelers alike turned up on her doorstep seeking ailments, prophetic readings, and occasional dealings in the dark arts. She was the new unholy mother in town, and saw to the temple of the dark gods just as she’d been taught as an orphan, whisked off the filthy street only to have her future served to her on a silver platter carved with runes of protection and nourishment. 

Helping people had never particularly interested Rouge, but her duty certainly managed to keep her occupied as the years dragged on in this dreary village, nestled between jagged mountain peaks. The healthy dose of respect given to her by the villagers helped too, she supposed. And while her prophecies, card readings, and star charts had only begun to be taken as fact and heeded now that she was officially named a professional and adorned with the blood-painted rosary of her foremothers, she always kept that first, chilling prediction close at heart.

She watched the stars and counted the days until that fated alignment. On each new moon she listened to the nocturnal insects and watched her night orchid gardens like a hawk. She researched ancient curses and prophecies but found nothing. There were too many cursed individuals, too many legendary weapons, and far too many ancient grudges to weed through. The timing of her prophecy had been quite specific, but its warning had been terribly vague. 

Rouge was uncertain who’s vengeance would descend upon her world, or whose blood would be shed, she only knew that somewhere, sometime soon, a fated soul would be released from centuries of confinement. 

And on this night, with the skies clear and no moon in sight, Rouge sat atop the roof of her shop with her wings folded neatly against her back and a jagged knife held against her forearm as she prepared to rewet her rosary. 

Though rather than focus on the timely ritual of her ancient coven, she could only gawk at the stars. 

The constellations overhead had spelled ill for the past six months, what with the Night Reaper marching alongside the Blind Paladin. In addition, the Undead Priest peeked his head from the eastern skyline while the Mad Alchemist retreated in the west. All of it ruled by the Hanged Maiden.

None of these celestials were a good sign on their own, and combined across the night sky their clashing implications could muddle even the most experienced of witch’s monthly charts. However, Rouge knew to look for the details. She had known exactly which stars to look for almost her whole life.

She found them almost immediately, having followed their journeys as she grew from a young apprentice into an experienced witch and trusted dark priestess. 

Trustall, Bellatrix, and Desdemona. 

Sure enough, they all lay in a perfect line, standing vertical in the dead center of the sky. The moon was nowhere to be seen. Rouge’s large ears rotated and flicked about atop her head. Strangely, the crickets and night crawling bugs still chirped and cried. Additionally, her night orchids had once again bloomed where they lay in each of her window boxes. 

Rouge blinked.

The time of her prophecy had arrived, but the requirements had not all been met. 

This did not discourage her. She was not a fool like the previous Hellsgate witch had been. Rouge knew exactly what this implied. 

Somewhere on this vast planet, but far enough from Rouge that she would be unable to stop it even if she tried, her prophecy would come to pass.

She slit her arm and allowed her blood to drip into the ornamental bowl that had been passed down through generations upon generations of witches. As her blood pooled and her white fur began to grow sticky and stained, she wondered who else’s blood would spill this night.

Her lips flicked up at the corners, revealing sharp white fangs. 

Whatever the stars had in store, she certainly hoped it would be entertaining.

It rained over Rockyledge Monastery.

Wind howled and precipitation fell in heavy sheets. Smooth marble pathways had gone slick with water and the scattered patches of night blooming star-flowers were trampled by the downpour, their pale blue petals torn and beaten into the muddy earth.

The echidna monks were not phased by the weather. 

Dressed in green robes with protective wooden beads woven through their quills, they stood dutifully at their posts. Nothing could phase them. Not even the terrible creatures that roamed the forest at night. With spears clutched in tightly gloved fists and heads held high, they watched the rain in an almost meditative state.

This storm would pass just like any other. And upon the sun's rise, they would retreat to their lodgings to sleep through the day only to begin their vigil once more. The effigy had to be guarded, especially at night. If the night monsters got their claws on it, the gods only knew what would happen.

The night should have passed like any other.

Only this time, something had changed.

Hidden behind the thick cloud cover, a certain set of stars had aligned. A single individual was aware of what was to come, but she was halfway across the globe, smirking as she dipped her rosary in blood and pondered over what might happen, over who might be set free.

A sudden, icy gust of wind whipped throughout the monastery, with its open, pillared walls and windows blocked by mere gossamer curtains. The temple in the center of it all, with its towering spire that loomed and poked at the heavens, was struck by a terrible bolt of lightning.

The monks startled, but not because of the lightning.

No, they startled because, at the crack of thunder that followed, each and every candle lit within the temple was snuffed simultaneously. 

This was a bad omen.

The group of echidnas guarding the temple turned on their heels to look within, where the effigy was kept. The army of candles surrounding it had gone dark, now spilling smoke through the room rather than soft light.

With spears brandished, the monks crept within the temple, their eyes fixed on the effigy and the terrible being depicted in stone. 

To their collective horror, the statue began to crack. 

The cracks began at the eyes, before spreading down the effigy’s stone face like hot tears. Across strong arms, bent legs, clawed hands, and jagged quills, the stone began to crumble. The cracks spiderwebbed and spread until the statue was held together by little more than the force of the monks’ terrified gazes.

Then, under the blinding white of a second bolt of lightning, the statue shattered.

The monks cried out as stone blasted in every direction. They huddled and blocked the projectiles with lifted arms, all the while the wind howled and the rain raged. Once the rubble had settled, the echidnas straightened and gazed back at where their effigy once stood with solemn frowns on their faces.

There, hidden amongst the shadows, stood a threatening figure.

Blood red eyes glowed against the dark and pointed ears flattened against a head of dark quills.

“No,” whispered the elderly monk at the head of the formation, “He’s been set free.”

“What do we do?” the youngest monk whispered fearfully.

The elder tightened his fists around his spear. “We prevent him from escaping.”

The young monk nodded and followed his elder’s example.

Each of the echidnas fell into a battle readied stance, a message.

At the back of the temple, upon the dais where the stone effigy had once stood, the escaped creature curled his lip in a snarl. 

Sharp fangs flashed against the dark, a response. 

“Fine,” the dark figure growled from the shadows, “You’ve made your choice.”

He leapt from the dais in a flash of black and red.

The screams of the monks were muffled by the rain, but by morning the river that ran from the monastery to the village in the valley below would be stained red.

Chapter Text

The blood of the echidna monks ran thick across the stone floor of the monastery. Once the final man had fallen, the rain had trickled away and the clouds had parted like large velvet curtains veiling a grand stage.

As Shadow wandered into the muddy field surrounding the ancient monastery, he turned his gaze to the stars overhead. They sparkled and spun, flickered and shone down upon him. They set his black fur at an almost blue tone and made his sharp quills shimmer under the weak light.

The night was quiet.

Almost eerie.

There was no noise save for the swishing of wet grass around Shadow’s legs. His bare feet sunk deep into muddy earth as he formed a trail of bloody prints leading to the edge of the cliff that the monastery overlooked.

He recognized this view, but he didn’t recognize any of the landscaping or architecture. Shadow wondered where the quaint village had gone, with its squat stone buildings, warm fireplaces, and gardens that grew colorful vegetables. He wondered where the corpses had been buried, charred and ripped to shreds. He wondered what had been used to fill that burning crater that formed when the terrible monster passed through the veil to destroy everything that Shadow had ever held dear.

The troubled hedgehog stood at the edge of the cliff, his clawed toes just barely hanging off the grassy ledge, and craned his neck to stare at the stars.

Trustall, Bellatrix, and Desdemona.

His stars.

They were in alignment once again.

That accursed mage had told him that his stars would not align again for another five hundred years. Had he really been trapped for that long? It felt as if he’d slept for a mere couple of hours. Yet all this change…

Shadow glanced over his shoulder at the monastery that had been constructed over the grave of his beloved village, now stained in blood and littered with bodies and broken spears. Those foolish monks had thought they could contain him? They had no idea the forces they were dealing with.

Haunted red eyes drifted back to the night sky.

He picked out each of the planets, where they lay taunting him far overhead. A great dread began to build in the pit of his gut, followed by a burning rage.

The Celestial Equinox was fast approaching.

That thing would soon return.

Shadow clenched fists that were drenched in blood.

He needed more power if he was going to make that monster pay for what he’d done, for who he’d taken. Shadow had been carrying one of the Emerald Blades on that terrible night, but it had not been enough. No, if Shadow was going to exact his revenge, he’d need all of them. Only one weapon was powerful enough to slay an archdemon, and there was only one way to forge it.

Shadow shut his eyes and reached out with his mind.

He reached out to the ancient power that had been bound to his soul since the moment he’d drawn his first regretful breath. The Blade no longer lay at his would-be grave, that much was for certain. No, it had been moved. Likely by the same foolish monks who had attempted to stop him.

Shadow’s mind pinged off of the power that was his and his alone, the power that had been used to make him what he was.

He snapped his eyes open and whipped around to face the forest that bordered his left flank. There. To the east. He would collect his Blade, and then he would hunt down the rest of them. When the next Celestial Equinox arrived, he would be ready.

Shadow took off at a sprint, reduced to little more than a bright red blur.

Green Hill was a region of peace, a beacon of hope that burned bright against the darkness of this terrible world. Caught between a sprawling coniferous forest and a raging sea that stretched out for miles, a peaceful meadow adorned with soft grasses and brightly petaled flowers provided a rare sanctuary from the creatures that haunted the night.

A well developed village lay at the heart of the meadow, with sturdy homes, cobbled roads, and a tightly run shipping port that served as a focal point on all major trade routes between the sparsely placed civilizations that were scattered across the globe. 

Green Hill had stood tall for nearly four hundred years, never once succumbing to the night or petty wars with neighboring villages. Its secret was known by a select few, and guarded by a noble echidna warrior, the last of the clan that had founded this grand village. 

While the village had its noble warrior and its genius shipwright that manned the port, it also had a mighty hero of its own to defend it from the creatures that roamed the surrounding forest when the sun sunk below the horizon.

That hero was none other than Sonic, a hedgehog with flawless blue quills, good looks, and a fantastic sense of humor. He was also a (self proclaimed) badass, and could wield a sword like no other. While the villagers slept soundly in their beds, it was his job to defend them from the demons that passed through the veil between their world and the hell realm that sat parallel to it. The fabric between worlds weakened without the sun’s light to strengthen it.

Sure, the ancient relic that Knuckles guarded in his temple scared the demons enough that they steered clear from the perimeter of Green Hill, but they still ran rampant in the forest! What if someone decided to take a midnight stroll and ended up reduced to a red smear with their intestines strung from the trees? That would be terrible! And that was exactly why Sonic dutifully slayed any demons that dared to step foot in his forest!

Sonic craned his neck and grinned up at the moonless night sky overhead as he stretched his legs and prepared for his nightly hunt. The stars were particularly beautiful this night, but without the moon shining her light alongside them the veil grew even weaker. There would be extra nasty demons on the prowl, and Sonic was itching to crack their skulls. 

Besides, the villagers were always giddy to buy the interesting bits off the corpses he hauled in and preserved before they could burn away under the light of the sun. He had a strong feeling about tonight's haul. He was gonna catch something good.

Sonic grinned as he bent his knees and prepared to run. He gave the amulet around his neck a tight squeeze for good luck, then palmed the hilt of the trusty silver sword that hung from his belt to double it.

With that, Sonic was gone in a flash of cobalt blue. 

Well worn leather boots ghosted against soft meadow grass and a joyous laugh harmonized with the roaming crickets and croaking frogs. Sonic crossed the length of the meadow within a fraction of a second. He had been born with a great gift, and it was his life’s purpose to use his incredible strength and speed to protect those who could not protect themselves. Which, in this case, meant defending the villagers' quality of sleep from the demons that howled and shrieked at the dead of night!

Sonic felt the pressure of the relic’s power against his fur like an odd sheen as he crossed through it and into the forest. The canopy of trees created a thick darkness that almost seemed to pull at Sonic’s fur and stick to the soles of his shoes as they trampled across underbrush and pine straw. 

The villagers of Green Hill tossed ancient nursery rhymes back and forth about the dangers of entering the forest at night, and for good reason. Outside the protection of the relic, there was no telling what horrible creatures lurked in the shadows between the trunks or hung from low hanging boughs. Sonic, however, wasn’t afraid. He’d never paid the maid’s tales and witty limericks any mind. He’d grown up in the midst of this wilderness, fighting these monsters.

There was nothing the night could throw at him that he couldn’t handle.

Sonic skidded to a stop once the silhouette of Green Hill had long vanished from the distant gaps between the trees. Only when he was surrounded and properly swallowed by the gaping maw of the forest could he truly stretch his legs.

The blue hedgehog fell into a readied stance and rested a bandage-wrapped hand over the hilt of his blade, Quicksilver. He felt the name was fitting. She’d never failed him before, and she certainly wouldn’t start now.

Sonic perked his ears and searched the dark with green eyes that seemed to glow faintly against the shadows. It was only a matter of time before the night beasts would pick up on his presence. They were vicious, bloodthirsty things, with no cognitive function other than a taste for mortal flesh. It was a pitiful existence, and one that Sonic was more than willing to release them from.

A rattling growl announced the presence of his first challenger.

Sonic smirked and glanced over his shoulder to meet the burning red gaze of a prowler. They were medium sized demons that crept low to the ground on all fours, with wide jaws filled with serrated teeth and tails that whipped and cut. All night creatures seemed to be made from walking shadows, with bodies that appeared almost liquid. They had no hard edges or visible details, only pelts of dark fur that swirled with smoky spirals of navy, black, and deep purple. The beasts weren’t of this world, and made no effort to appear so. They were out of place here, and it was Sonic’s self assigned duty to slay them and send their souls back to the hell realm where they belonged.

Without fear, Sonic met the swirling red gaze of the prowler and laughed.

“Here, kitty kitty,” he quipped.

The prowler leapt with shadowy claws reaching, but Sonic was faster. He drew Quicksilver and beheaded the creature with a mere flick of his wrist. Its hulking body, nearly two times Sonic’s size, collapsed limply to the ground where it began to hiss and smoke in death. It’s head rolled, the severed stump spilling a nasty black ooze that bubbled and popped.

Sonic flicked his blade to clear the worst of the demon’s blood, then braced himself for the impending swarm. The night beasts were drawn to the scent of any blood, even that of their own.

Within moments, the dark trees were illuminated by dozens of pairs of glowing red eyes. Growls, hisses, and terrible shrieks shattered the peace of the night. Prowlers, skulkers, and stingers alike all crept closer, desperate for the kill. Sonic even picked up on the telltale rattle of a striker.

Oh, this would be fun.

Sonic grinned and reveled in the adrenaline rush as he slayed the beasts one after another. Fangs snapped, winged bodies swooped, and corpses fell in a terrible dance of violence that Sonic had mastered at age seven.

The wasp-like forms of stingers were skewered on Quicksilver as Sonic stomped ruthlessly through the skulkers’ tough exoskeletons. Prowlers fell upon his sword and not one, but two strikers’ fangs proved useless against Sonic’s speed and skill with the blade.

The forest was clear within a half hour.

Sonic snickered and flicked a thumb across his nose as he stood proudly atop a mound of smoking, shadowy bodies that leaked putrid filth and filled the night with the stench of rotten fish. Things had been relatively dull for a new moon. Usually at least one large sized demon would come lumbering into his territory. Not that they would have served anything even remotely resembling a challenge.

With a sigh, Sonic hopped from the tower of corpses and flicked the blood off Quicksilver’s length. He deftly sheathed her and shrugged the satchel he’d hauled into the woods off his shoulders. The majority of the corpses would ultimately go to waste and burn upon sunrise, but Sonic would collect all the most interesting (and most expensive) bits before heading back to the village and calling it a night.

At twenty years of age, he had the process all but down to a science. 

Sonic tore the sharpest claws from the largest of the prowlers, collected the most impressive bits of skulker shell, and carefully pried the venomous fangs from the maws of both the strikers. The stingers weren’t worth shit, as they were little more than flying nuisances. He did, however, stuff half the severed corpse of a small-ish prowler into his sack. The pelt would be worth a pretty penny if he could preserve it in time.

All that was left was to fill the vials he’d hauled out with demon blood. The stuff smelled horrible, but could be put to all sorts of uses once it was processed; from lamp oil to hard liquor to shockingly effective cleaning solution.

Sonic whistled to himself as he began the tedious process. The mound of corpses was scavenged after the passage of an hour. Sonic dragged an arm across his brow to sop the sweat from his fur. He then slung the plump burlap satchel over his shoulder and set off in the direction of Green Hill. The trek would take the better part of an hour, as running at supersonic speeds would shatter the glass vials he’d taken the time to fill and cork.

Coming home was always the worst part. Sonic was always disappointed when clearing the forest didn’t take very long. Lately, he’d been lucky to be occupied for ten full minutes. Sure, he was covering a hell of a lot of forest, but when one was as quick a creature as Sonic even the most strenuous of tasks tended to grow… boring.

How long had it been since Sonic had faced a real challenge? Ten years? Twelve??

Green Hill was great, but all that was left for him back there was a storefront to stock with monster parts and maybe a sparring match with Knuckles if he got lucky. 

Sonic was the local demonic shit seller, which was a more common occurrence in this world than one might assume. Every proper village needed a psychopath or an adrenaline junky to go into the woods at night and chop up demons. The night creatures were a plague on what should have been a peaceful world, but their parts were put to good use and ingrained into day-to-day life. 

Sonic needed money so he didn’t starve to death, and the villagers needed demon blood for their liquor and demon pelts for their beds and the whole nine yards. It was a whole system. Sonic would have loved to travel the globe fighting bigger and badder monsters all day, but something about being an adult meant that he needed to find his proper place in society and keep it.

The blue hedgehog stuck his tongue out in distaste.

Everything was so damn boring.

But such was the way of things. Sonic didn’t like to think about his early memories, but he thought about them often enough to know that he much preferred a mind numbing village life to one of wandering and fear and cold nights with no place to call home.

So he marched his ass through the forest with his satchel full of monster parts so he could go home, pay rent, and see another bright, sunny day filled with friendly villagers, a cheerful fox to grab lunch with, and a bone-headed echidna to goad into an arm wrestling match or two.

Sonic whistled softly and counted how many stars he could pick out through the canopy to pass the time. His boots crunched against fallen pine needles and left sticky black footprints as the demon blood slowly dried and lost the worst of its rancid stench. Quicksilver clicked cheerfully against her scabbard and all was right with the world.

Green Hill was just beginning to peek between the distant trunks when it started to rain.

The weather seemed to flip like the strike of a match. Heavy droplets splattered against the underbrush and began to soak Sonic’s quills. The trail of sticky footprints he’d left slowly began to melt away, and mud began to gather on the forest floor.

Sonic grumbled in distaste as he watched each of the stars be slowly obscured by thick clouds. 

The rain brought a chill to the air.

He shifted the strap of his satchel on his shoulder and picked up the pace a little. It was strange. Tails hadn’t predicted any rain for the next few days. He could always smell it coming, whether it came rolling off the glistening sea or crashing down from the mountain peaks far to the West.

It was then that Sonic felt an odd chill run up his spine.

Though the chill was different from the drop in temperature brought by the rain. No, this felt like a clawing from his instincts, a voice in the back of his mind telling him that he was being watched.

Sonic slowed to a stop.

His boots sunk in mud and he turned to stare into the dark forest behind him.

He was met with nothing but deep shadows and rain soaked trunks. Now that even the weak light from the stars was choked out, the darkness was almost oppressive. The green of Sonic’s eyes cut against the black.

He sniffed at the air and perked his ears.

Any scent he might have picked up on was muffled first by the rancid stench coming from the contents of his satchel, and second by the rain that doused everything in sight.

His ears picked up nothing but the rain, although it was oddly quiet for how hard it was pouring. It hissed against the pine needles and muddy ground like a light shower, but fell in heavy sheets that should have come accompanied by crackling lightning and booming thunder.

The crickets, frogs, and nighttime fauna had grown deathly silent.

Sonic didn’t like the quiet.

Nighttime didn’t scare him like it did the other villagers, but this one was seriously giving him the creeps.

With a shudder, Sonic turned his back on the forest and marched with purpose towards Green Hill. The golden glow of the street lanterns beckoned him in like a lighthouse cutting across a choppy, storm riddled sea.

Sonic had one more step until he’d leave the border of the forest and reenter the safety bubble provided by the relic.

For some reason he felt like he was being chased.

He refused to show fear or quicken his pace. The night didn’t control him, he controlled it. The corpses left in his wake were proof of that.

With his boot a hair’s breadth from the relic’s protective barrier, a shadowy figure zipped past him with a heavy gust of wind. Sonic cried out in surprise as he was forced backwards by the force of some phantom jetstream. His cheek stung, and when he brought his bandage-wrapped fingers up to touch it they came back highlighted in the red of his blood.

The sight of it settled a knot of dread in the pit of Sonic’s stomach.

He fought demons for a living, and he never took so much as a single hit, let alone shed even a drop of his blood.

What the hell was going on?

What the hell had that just been?

Sonic gritted his teeth when it dawned upon him that whatever it was was headed directly for Green Hill.

Fuck.

Sonic dropped his satchel and sook off at a full sprint after the mysterious thing that had blown past him. It couldn’t have been a demon, or else it would have turned back at the threat of the relic’s protective field. Which meant it was a some one rather than a some thing.

That didn’t make Sonic feel any better.

In a flash of blue the daring hedgehog chased after his mysterious enemy. He was hot on their tail, fast enough to watch the meadow’s grass part in their wake. Within a split second Sonic had gained on them, finding nothing but a dark, blurry figure that ran just as fast as he did.

Insulted that anyone would dare to challenge his rightful title as the fastest being in existence, Sonic ducked into a ball and launched himself in a sailing spindash over the head of his enemy.

He won the race into the village by the skin of his teeth.

Sonic exited his spindash and dropped down in the center of the street, standing tall with shoulders squared directly in his unwanted visitor’s path.

Rain soaked the streets and the fires of the street lamps reflected off the wet to stain everything a fiery orange against the oppressive black of the night. Sonic’s fingers drifted to ghost Quicksilver’s hilt as he braced to come face-to-face with his enemy.

He never could have prepared himself for the being that jerked into existence with a skidding halt.

They were no halfling or villain or mercenary from the northern steppes.

The person that stood before Sonic was a hedgehog.

Another of his own kind! The sight sucked the breath from his lungs. As far as Sonic had been concerned, his species was all but extinct. He hadn’t seen someone like himself ever, and looking at this guy was almost like looking into a mirror.

Although… this hedgehog had fur the color of the darkest night and piercing red eyes that matched the blood staining Sonic’s fingertips. Upon closer inspection he found more blood colored markings on his fur and quills, as well as a furry white patch on his chest. A startled squeak was swallowed by the hush of the rain when Sonic found both the other hedgehog’s feet and hands uncovered. 

He was completely bare.

Quite the first impression.

Sonic yanked his gaze from the stranger’s exposed claws and the red markings that stretched all the way down to his middle two fingers and back to his eyes, which were flicking up and down Sonic’s body in turn.

He seemed just as shocked to find another of his own kind.

“Stand aside,” the stranger growled, his voice deep and threatening as it harmonized with the rain. 

Sonic shook himself out of whatever odd trance had kept him frozen and gawking at what could have been his twin with a bit of blue paint thrown into the mix. “Um, excuse me,” he announced, voice echoing down the empty street, “Why do you look like me?” He’d be damned if he was going to take this seriously.

The black furred stranger curled his lip and furrowed his brow, almost as if he’d been insulted. “I don’t look like you,” he spat, “You look like me. Why do you look like me?”

Sonic huffed a nervous laugh and took a couple of steps closer while holding his hands up for emphasis, “Uh, sorry, this is my village, and I ask the questions around here–”

Before he could get his next word out the black and red hedgehog had leapt forward and wrapped his padded fingers around Sonic’s throat, before slamming him to the ground where his skull cracked painfully against wet stone.

Sonic gagged and reeled against the sudden attack. He hadn’t even seen the guy move!

With all consideration of proper etiquette tossed aside, Sonic clawed at the bare hand that was wrapped around his neck and struggled to pull it away. His dark furred companion, now looming over him with his nose almost brushing Sonic’s, only tightened his grip and snarled into his face.

“Don’t waste my time,” he spat. Rain dripped from his jagged quills to splatter across Sonic’s face. “I won’t hesitate to kill you if you get in my way.” Sonic’s eyes widened.

The threat was very real.

Something about the confidence behind it sent an odd shiver down his spine.

This hedgehog was dangerous.

Sonic smirked. So was he.

He bucked his legs up and kicked his assailant square in the chest, sending him flying backwards to roll into a controlled crouch when he hit the ground. Impressive. This was going to be fun.

Sonic hopped to his feet and rolled his neck. “Listen, Red,” he drawled, “I don’t know what you’re doing here in the middle of the night, but no one who makes death threats as a first impression can possibly be good news. I’m not sure what exactly you want from Green Hill, but whatever it is you’ll have to go through me first.”

Bloody eyes narrowed into a steely glare.

“Fine,” the dark furred hedgehog growled. He charged.

Sonic drew Quicksilver and the fight was over as soon as it began.

He shot his black and red counterpart a haughty smirk as the two of them stood, Sonic with his blade pointed forward and his enemy frozen with fists raised and Quicksilver’s tip hovering right at the center of the white patch on his chest.

“Nice try,” Sonic taunted, “But you’ll have to–”

Uncovered claws snapped around Sonic’s wrist and twisted.

The blue hedgehog cried out in pain and surprise as his hand spasmed and dropped Quicksilver. Before she could even clatter to the cobblestones a solid fist had connected with Sonic’s stomach and sent him soaring. He yelled as he flailed through the air and yelped when he hit the ground hard.

His enemy was standing over him in a flash of red and black fur.

“Weakling,” he spat, before vanishing once again at speeds that Sonic had previously thought only he himself was capable of reaching.

“Fuck!” Sonic cursed. He hauled himself to his feet with a groan. His fingers drifted to the pain at the back of his skull and found his quills slicked with blood. That was definitely a concussion, but he didn’t have time to worry about it. Whatever this asshole was up to, it definitely wasn’t anything good.

Sonic quickly collected Quicksilver and chased after his enemy.

He followed a faint and unfamiliar scent, one that was saturated with the coppery tang of dried blood and accompanied by a light undertone that he couldn’t quite place.

As Sonic followed the strange hedgehog’s trail through the winding streets of Green Hill village, a dread began to settle between his shoulder blades. He had a feeling that he knew where the guy was going, but he really hoped that he was wrong.

A distant shout from Knuckles confirmed his suspicions.

Sonic picked up the pace.

Their local echidna warrior was the last of the noble clan that had founded the village. His duty was to defend the relic kept in the temple at the center of the village, the same relic that warded off the night creatures. The ancient object possessed a secret that only Sonic and Tails were privy to outside of Knuckles himself. It was more than likely that that exact secret was what had brought their hostile visitor to them at the dead of night.

Sonic rounded a tight corner and skidded to a halt on the edge of the square that sat at the dead center of the village, with Knuckle’s temple looming in the middle of it. The centuries-old thing stood twice as tall as any of the other buildings, and was constructed from ancient stone that had been hauled in by Knuckle’s ancestors themselves.

Knuckles himself stood upon the front steps, where he was facing off against the mysterious black and red hedgehog.

“Do not threaten me, villain,” the echidna shouted, his booming voice cutting through the rain and echoing throughout the surrounding streets. Knuckles’ red quills flashed like fire under the orange glow of the street lamps. He brandished his thickly gloved fists in front of him and glared down his nose at the hedgehog that had kicked Sonic’s ass in record time. “You will turn away if you know what’s good for you,” Knuckles warned.

“Don’t make this difficult,” the mysterious hedgehog spat. He clenched his fists, and Sonic watched as drops of blood squeezed from his folded pads to splatter against the stone tiles beneath his bare feet.

That blood couldn’t have possibly been Sonics.

Who had this man killed?

Knuckles’ eyes flicked to Sonic and then back to their enemy.

“Don’t get in the way,” is what that expression meant. Sonic sure as hell wasn’t going to listen. He’d gotten his shit rocked, and that meant that his friend was in danger!

Knuckles sniffed at the air and quickly curled his lips back in a snarl. “I smell echidna blood on you, stranger!” he bellowed. “Which of my brethren have you slain this night?”

“They tried to stop me,” the dark furred hedgehog replied, “Just like you’re doing now. An Emerald Blade is hidden within that decrepit temple. Hand it over to me.”

Sonic’s gut twisted with nerves.

This nutcase really did know the relic’s secret!

Knuckles glared and pounded his fists together. “I would sooner die than give up my sacred duty. You will lay hands on the relic over my bloodied corpse.”

“Knuckles!” Sonic cried out. He couldn’t help it! The idiot was about to throw himself into a fight that he definitely couldn’t handle!

The mysterious hedgehog glanced over his shoulder at Sonic. His eyes burned a terrible red.

“You fools test my patience,” he growled.

With that, he leapt at Knuckles.

The echidna met him at the base of the temple stairs with a guttural battle cry. Sonic watched helplessly on from a distance as the two of them exchanged powerful blows. Knuckles could punch through solid stone, but the dark furred hedgehog caught each of his strikes against his arms and palms with ease. He swung at the echidna’s skull and scratched at him with exposed claws, but each of his attempts were swatted away. Grunts and hollow thuds filled the night as Knuckles gradually pushed his enemy back and away from the temple.

He was really living up to his title as warrior and defender of the relic, but the fight had only lasted a matter of seconds.

Neither of the two had landed a proper blow, and Sonic was terrified of what would happen when one of them did.

As if jinxed by his thoughts, Knuckles’ next punch was caught in the palm of the murderous stranger. The echidna yelled in pain as his wrist was sharply twisted. Sonic cried out a warning but it was too late. A powerful kick connected with Knuckles’ skull and sent him flying across the square where he skipped against the cobblestones like a stone over a still lake.

“Knuckles!” Sonic exclaimed. He took off at a run to make sure his friend was alright.

The black and red hedgehog watched him with a scowl, but he didn’t close in for the kill. He turned his back on his enemies and marched up the temple steps.

“No!” Knuckles ordered when he saw Sonic running to him. He spat a mouthful of blood as he hauled himself to his feet. “The relic! We must defend it at all costs!”

Sonic gritted his teeth and shifted course. In a flash of blue he entered the temple to try and stop this psychopath. He took the spiraling staircase in the middle of the ancient structure three steps at a time, sending pebbles and tufts of moss flying in his wake.

He made it to the upper chamber too late.

In the dead center of the circular room a tall pedestal loomed. Overtop it a fist sized emerald, polished and glowing, floated in thin air. This relic was one of seven all powerful stones that possessed the power to fight back against the dark armies of the night with ease. However, their sinister magic was also known to warp and twist the minds of those who dared to use it. This was why races like the echidna and the guardian owls spent centuries guarding them and keeping them out of the hands of freak shows like the one Sonic was trying to stop.

“Don’t touch it!” Sonic screamed when he reached the top of the stairs.

His evil twin was standing at the foot of the pedestal and reaching upwards with his claws to paw at the emerald. His eyes snapped to Sonic’s and spat crimson fury. “I’ll kill you,” he snarled, “This is your final warning.”

“Listen to me,” Sonic attempted, “I don’t know who you are or how the hell you know what that dusty thing is, but if you touch it it’ll shatter your mind! You’ll go insane and I really don’t wanna have to put up with fighting an Emerald Zealot right about now.”

The black and red hedgehog scoffed. “You take me for a weakling?”

At that moment Knuckles joined Sonic at the top of the stairs. He was swaying on his feet and bleeding from the head but snarled viciously at his enemy all the same. “Do not be a fool!” he yelled.

“I’d run if I were you,” their dark furred enemy taunted with a sneer that revealed sharp fangs. He reached for the emerald once again.

“Wait!” Sonic screamed, “If you take that thing, this village will be defenseless!”

Red eyes flashed with disdain, “As if I care?”

Sonic and Knuckles leapt forward in a last ditch attempt, but there was no way to stop it.

The black and red hedgehog reached upwards and snatched the emerald from the pedestal it had floated over for four hundred years. A flash of terrible green light enveloped the entire upper chamber. Sonic yelled in alarm but it was too late. His eyes burned against the bright burst and a forcefield of power slammed both him and Knuckles against the stone wall. Sonic’s already aching head lit up with pain once more, and he groaned as he felt a wet warmth begin to gather at the back of his quills.

As soon as the light appeared, it vanished.

Knuckles and Sonic fell from where they’d been pressed flat against the wall and crumpled to the hard stone floor.

The blue hedgehog’s heart raced in terror as he forced himself up onto his elbows and gazed in horror to where his evil twin had once stood, fully expecting to find nothing but a skeletal husk wrapped in singed black fur with glowing green sockets for eyes and a crystalline mass fused with the furry patch on his chest.

It was no secret the fate that became of those foolish enough to overestimate themselves.

The power of the emeralds was not for mortal hands to wield.

They could only truly be controlled by–

Sonic’s breath caught in his chest when he found not a Zealot, but the dark furred hedgehog fully unharmed with a scimitar clutched in his fist. The weapon gleamed with a light of its own, its glistening blade glowing a familiar green. The sword was clutched comfortably in his fist, with intricate designs carved into its surface and a shining emerald set into its pommel.

Knuckles and Sonic gawked, their jaws all but hitting the floor.

Their enemy laughed and flashed a crooked grin. He pointed the blade at them and raised his chin haughtily. Emerald sparks skittered across his dark fur and flashed occasionally in the depths of his blood colored eyes.

“Do not underestimate me,” he commanded. “Stay down, or I’ll send you straight to hell.”

Sonic couldn’t formulate a proper response as he gawked up at– at–

Who the hell was this guy?!

The power of the seven ancient relics could only be properly channeled and commanded by a select few, revealing their true forms, the Emerald Blades. These weapons were deadly and all powerful. At the hands of a warrior strong enough to control them, a single Blade was worth an army of one thousand soldiers.

As far as history had been concerned, there hadn’t been a single mortal capable of wielding a Blade in ten thousand years.

What Sonic was seeing was impossible, because the only person who should have been capable of revealing an Emerald Blade was–

“Villain! Surrender the relic to me or face your doom!”

Sonic blanched as he watched Knuckles - stupid, stupid Knuckles - pick himself to his feet and challenge their enemy.

The dark furred hedgehog raised a red-tinted brow.

Before he could think of raising his doomsday device, Sonic tackled Knuckles against the cobblestone and held him down. “No!” he shouted, “Let him walk away!”

“Hedgehog, release me at once!” Knuckles screamed. “Do not keep me from my duty!”

“You’ll die! Stay down!” Sonic snapped. He regretted it already, but grabbed Knuckles roughly by the scruff of his neck. His friend gave a betrayed gasp as he went instinctively limp beneath Sonic’s hand. This was the lowest of blows, but he was not about to watch Knuckles be vaporized at the hands of a psychotic, murderous freak!

At the sound of a humorless chuckle, Sonic snapped his head up to meet a gaze that burned a wild red.

“You’re smarter than you look,” the dark furred hedgehog taunted. With that, he marched past Sonic and descended the stairs. He didn’t run or vanish in a blur of black and red. No, he walked at a leisurely pace. He was daring them to try and stop him.

What a fucking asshole.

A deep growl rose in Knuckles’ throat.

Sonic sighed, but didn’t let go of his scruff or climb off of him. “Listen, I’m sorry, but I can’t watch you get yourself killed. We both know how powerful that Blade is.”

“So we just let him walk away?!” Knuckles demanded.

“No,” Sonic said simply. “Oh, and I’m sorry again.”

The echidna gasped. “Wait–”

Sonic grabbed him by the quills and slammed his head hard against the stone floor. Knuckles went limp, unconscious. A small pool of blood began to gather between the cracks of the tile, but Sonic choked back his guilt. Knuckles would thank him later.

The blue hedgehog stood and placed his hand on Quicksilver’s hilt where she lay loyally at his hip. He wasn’t going to watch Knuckles get himself killed, but he wasn’t going to let that nutcase get away with the Emerald Blade either. Green Hill needed its protection, and Sonic knew of a certain someone who would be extremely disappointed in him if he let the weapon fall into the wrong hands.

With a steely determination in his stride, Sonic left Knuckles collapsed on the floor of the temple and took to the stairs. He ran through the shadowy halls, boots slapping against ancient stone. When Sonic reached the mouth of the temple he found it raining in sheets. The street lamps had slowly begun to fizzle out as they were slowly extinguished by stray gusts and watery spray. Rain water soaked Sonic’s quills and splattered up his legs as he stomped down the temple steps.

The black and red hedgehog was standing in the center of the village square, almost as if he’d been waiting for Sonic to catch up. His jagged quills were water heavy and slicked against his back as he glanced over his shoulder to meet Sonic’s gaze. Red eyes glowed eerily against the night. The Emerald Blade glowed and spat green sparks where he held it clutched in his bare fist.

“Hey!” Sonic called out. His shout was half swallowed by the rain. He drew Quicksilver and fell into a readied stance.

“You should have stayed down,” the strange hedgehog threatened. He turned to face Sonic and pointed the Blade at him in challenge. Bloody red met emerald green as the two swordsmen slowly began to stalk towards each other.

“Who are you?” Sonic growled. Rain water clung to his cobalt fur and set a chill to his very bones. “Why did you come here for that Blade?”

He received a scoff in response. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Fine,” Sonic sighed, “Be that way.” He tightened his grip on Quicksilver. “You’ve got a couple good moves on you and all, but there’s only room for one badass sword carrying hedgehog in this village, and you’re looking at him. It’s flattering that you think you can impersonate me, but anyone with half a brain could tell that you’re a fake, faker.”

His dark furred enemy furrowed red-tinted brows. “You talk a big talk for a weakling,” he growled.

“We don’t have to make this a whole thing, you know?” Sonic said. “Hand over the Emerald Blade.”

“You’re a fool if you think that you can stop me,” the black and red hedgehog spat.

Sonic flicked a thumb across his nose and lifted Quicksilver in invitation. He flashed his fangs in a smirk and prepared for a fight, and a real one this time. He wasn’t going to underestimate his opponent again. This strange hedgehog was strong enough to contend with Knuckles and almost as fast as Sonic himself.

The blue hedgehog’s heart thundered in his chest and anticipation fluttered about beneath his ribs. Finally, he was going to receive a real challenge. This wasn’t like fighting the same old boring demons and night creatures. Whoever the hell this guy was, he was on Sonic’s level.

After Sonic wiped the cobblestone with his ass, maybe he’d be able to convince the guy to stick around Green Hill for a while. Having a well matched sparring partner was just what he needed to spice up dull village life.

“Last chance to surrender,” Sonic called out playfully. His voice echoed down the shadowy streets.

His dark furred enemy merely flicked a tufted ear. “I’m done playing games,” he growled.

Good. 

Sonic wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

He brushed his fingers across the amulet that lay nestled against his chest fur for luck. It felt oddly warm beneath his bandage-wrapped fingers.

The hedgehog with eyes the color of fresh blood flipped the Emerald Blade in his hand and lowered his stance. His quills prickled and lifted, sending rivulets of rainwater across ebony fur to join the puddles gathering on the cobblestone underfoot.

Sonic mirrored his action. He was ready.

His enemy leapt forward with green sparks skating across his fur. Sonic grinned and moved to meet him in the middle, only to be taken completely off guard when his enemy vanished from thin air only to reappear right in front of his nose a split second later.

What the hell?!

Sonic startled and tripped over himself to avoid careening into the hedgehog that had materialized before him, close enough to share breath.

Brown lips flicked up at the corners to reveal sharp fangs, and the dark furred hedgehog thrust his Blade directly for Sonic’s unguarded belly.

A scalding mix of mortal panic and adrenaline flooded Sonic’s veins and he reveled in it. He rose Quicksilver in a flash of steel and quickly reestablished his stance. The two blades clashed together with a terrible racket that cut through the symphony of pouring rain and wailing winds. 

Red eyes bored into Sonic’s own as the two hedgehogs tested each other's strength. The swords rattled against each other and muscles strained beneath rain-slicked fur. The light that diffused from the Emerald Blade set an ethereal glow to Sonic’s enemy. This close, he could count each individual quill on his head and fleck of brown in his eyes.

“Good,” the dark furred hedgehog spat. “You managed to block me that time.” His complement was phrased like an insult. The smirk on his face made Sonic’s stomach flip.

When his enemy vanished again, this time Sonic was ready.

Legends told that each of the Emerald Blades bestowed a particular supernatural ability upon its wielder. It seemed that the Green Emerald possessed the power of teleportation. This would make for one hell of a fight.

The black and red hedgehog materialized behind Sonic with his Blade already swinging for his neck. Sonic, having anticipated the movement, turned on his heel in a flash of blue to deflect with Quicksilver once again. His enemy huffed a surprised laugh.

Sonic grinned wildly as he shoved the Emerald Blade off course and took the offensive. He swung and thrust and deftly stabbed, all at a speed that most would be unable to follow with the naked eye, let alone keep up with. However, the mysterious hedgehog met each of Sonic’s swings with a clever deflection, block, or parry. 

With each strike of the Emerald Blade against Quicksilver, green sparks flew and eerie clangs cried. There was something about the legendary weapon. Not only did it allow its wielder to bend reality itself, but it whistled and sang as it was swung through the air. It hissed every time a raindrop struck its shining surface and sent a static shock skating across Sonic’s fur at every close pass of its sharp edge. Sonic’s every instinct screamed at him that he was in terrible danger, but the threat of it all was intoxicating. His amulet felt warm where it bounced against his chest and slid across his fur each time he ducked or sidestepped. 

Sonic and the mysterious hedgehog danced across the village square, each practiced step lethal and each elegant move backed by incredible strength. Blades grazed fur and scraped against cobblestone. Bodies vanished from thin air only to reappear nearby. Swift feet slapped against the ground and splashed through puddles that reflected eerie green light.

As the fight began to drag, the rain only poured harder. 

Sonic’s arms ached every time he deflected his enemy’s blows. Each time he had a close call against the Emerald Blade his heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. His speed and strength were matched, and neither hedgehog was able to attain a proper lead over the other.

It was like Sonic was fighting his own shadow.

He was having the time of his life.

His enemy, however, did not seem to share the sentiment.

As the fight dragged across minutes and he failed to gut or maim Sonic again and again, he began to grow frustrated. His teeth were bared in a threatening snarl and his quills stood higher on end and more jagged with each blow that Sonic deflected. He began to swing his Blade harder. His movements grew barbaric and violent. 

Sonic suddenly felt himself struggling to keep up. He actually had to try, he could no longer lean on his skill like a crutch. The cocky grin faded from his face and settled into a snarl to match his enemy’s. This fight was very real, and he would be killed without hesitation if he so much as mis-stepped. 

Encouraged by this chilling realization, Sonic swung his blade harder. He pushed his body to its limit and threw his entire being into driving this fucker back.

Quills bristled and growls rose in throats. The clanging of metal on metal rose to a terrible crescendo. Sonic’s enemy began teleporting between every single swing and strike. It was overwhelming, and Sonic was at an obvious disadvantage. The moment he blocked one attack another was already swinging at him from a different angle. Sonic was fast but this other hedgehog was too. A bitter sensation rose in the back of Sonic’s throat when he considered that this stranger might be faster.

As if he’d sensed the shiver in Sonic’s resolve, the black and red hedgehog broke the rhythm of swordplay they’d formed. He caught Quicksilver against the curvature of his own blade and slung her aside in an outward motion then lifted his leg and kicked Sonic square in the chest.

The blue hedgehog gagged as the breath was knocked out of him. The force of the kick sent him flying across the square to collide with the wooden pole of a street lamp. Sonic yipped as his back and skull cracked against the wood. He fell to the ground and landed in a murky puddle. The rainwater soaked through the bindings around his hands and wrists.

When his enemy teleported to join him at the opposite side of the square, his grip on Quicksilver’s hilt was slick and unstable. The Emerald Blade fell like an executioner’s axe, and though Sonic managed to catch it before it fell upon his quills, his soaked hands slipped on Quicksilver's grip and she was slung across the cobblestones with a heartbreaking clatter.

Sonic gasped and gawked at where his sword lay out of reach.

Fuck. 

He never dropped his sword. That was a sloppy mistake, and he would pay for it dearly.

Sonic barely had time to blink before his enemy was bringing his Blade down in an arching swing. The blue hedgehog squeaked and scrambled out of the way. Humiliation made his muzzle burn as he crawled across the soaked cobblestone to recollect Quicksilver. Behind him, the Emerald Blade cut clean through the wood of the street lamp like a knife through butter.

The looming pole crashed to the ground and its weak flame went out with a hiss.

Sonic nearly tripped over himself as he grabbed Quicksilver. The quills along his back rose instinctively as he sensed his enemy behind him. Still crouched on the ground, Sonic flipped onto his back and lifted Quicksilver to catch the next fall of the Emerald Blade.

Though this time, it was different.

Sonic met eyes of bloody red and felt his ears flatten subconsciously against his head as a terrible clang, louder and more shrill than all of the others, erupted from the clash of blades.

Quicksilver shattered on impact.

Sonic gasped and watched helplessly as his beloved sword burst into dozens of steel shards. The clattering of the stray pieces sang a chilling dirge as the black and red hedgehog followed through. With no means of protecting himself, Sonic quickly jerked his head to the right to avoid having his skull split down the middle. 

His ear lit up in fiery pain as it was nicked. 

The Emerald Blade sunk into the cobblestone beside Sonic’s head with a terrible screech. It stopped as it sunk deep into the ground, but not before digging into the fur at Sonic’s shoulder. The blade burned where it sunk into his flesh. Sonic winced against the pain but refused to cry out or yell.

The battle’s first blood trickled into Sonic’s quills from the nick in his ear and stained the puddle beneath him red where it spilled from his shoulder.

Quicksilver’s handle was still clutched tightly in his fists. The jagged base of his loyal weapon reflected the eerie gleaming of Emerald Blade.

As Sonic lay in shock, his back flattened against the wet ground, he stared into the face of his enemy. They were almost nose to nose. He could feel the other hedgehog’s breath dusting the fur on his muzzle as he stared up into eyes that glowed red against the dark.

It didn’t matter how talented or swift a swordsman Sonic was.

No mortal weapon could contend against the Emerald Blades.

This fight was lost from the moment his enemy activated the Blade.

A part of Sonic had known it was hopeless, but his stubborn streak had refused to back down. Maybe if he’d tried harder, moved faster, he would have been able to disarm his enemy before Quicksilver shattered and left him defenseless.

But there was no sense mulling over his mistakes now. Sonic was staring his own death in the face. Water dripped from black quills to land across his brow. Brown lips curled up in a smirk once again.

“You loose, faker,” the black and red hedgehog taunted. His voice was low and half obscured by a growl. 

For some reason, it pissed Sonic the fuck off.

There was no way he was losing to this freak. This fight wouldn’t end until he said it did!

With a growl, Sonic flipped what was left of Quicksilver in his palms and thrust her upwards into the soft black fur of his enemy’s exposed stomach.

Red eyes widened and a strangled yelp was dragged from his throat.

Sonic inhaled shakily as the warmth of his blood began to soak his hands and dribble down his arms.

The black and red hedgehog’s face contorted with rage. His fangs bared in a snarl, “You’ll regret that.” He shoved hard on the Emerald Blade and Sonic couldn’t contain his shout of pain as it cut deeper into his shoulder. 

Thinking fast, he twisted Quicksilver's jagged remains and drew a pained yip from his enemy. Using the distraction to his advantage, he lifted his legs and kicked the other hedgehog hard in the stomach. He wasn’t slung across the square as Sonic had hoped, but he did stumble backwards and free Sonic from where he’d been boxed against the ground.

Unfortunately, the other hedgehog managed to keep his hold on the Emerald Blade, pulling it from the ground and taking it with him as he clutched the wound on his stomach to attempt at staunching the bleeding. 

Sonic lurched to his feet, holding what was left of Quicksilver out in front of him like a pathetic knife. His blood soaked hands shook and his shoulder ached, but he wasn’t going to back down.

A growl rattled from his enemy’s throat. “You are infuriatingly stubborn, hedgehog,” he spat. He ripped his arm away from the wound on his stomach. A spray of blood arched and splattered the cobblestones. Lightning cracked overhead, briefly illuminating the bright flash of Sonic’s blood where it stained the very edge of the Emerald Blade.

The weapon was glowing even brighter than it had before.

Now that it had a taste for Sonic’s blood, it demanded more.

Not slowed down in the slightest by his stab wound, the mysterious hedgehog charged Sonic with a frustrated yell. The exchange of blows that resulted did not last long. Sonic managed to deflect a couple of swings from the Emerald Blade, but with Quicksilver decimated he was quickly disarmed. With a flick of his weapon, the dark furred hedgehog knocked Quicksilver from Sonic’s grip and wasted no time going in for the kill.

Sonic managed to dodge the first thrust, then the second.

On the third, however, his enemy teleported behind him. Sonic tried to get away, but a black arm reached around him from behind and locked around his neck, trapping him.

The Emerald Blade was thrust clean through Sonic’s back.

When it exited the peach fur at his stomach it was drenched in blood.

The pain was unbearable. A plain stab wound would have been bad enough, but the Emerald Blade burned everywhere it touched. Sonic could do little but stand, shocked, and stare blankly at the sword protruding from his body. He watched as his own blood began to stain his fur.

His enemy’s uncovered claws dug into his already bleeding shoulder. The warmth of that bare hand against his fur was almost as scalding as the Blade burrowed in his gut.

Sonic coughed, and blood bubbled up from his lips.

He began to feel weak at the knees.

When his strength left him, he leaned back against the strong chest of the mysterious hedgehog. That patch of white fur was softer than silk, though Sonic had no doubt that it was now stained by his blood. Feeling spiteful even as he bled out in the rain, Sonic flexed his quills and drew a satisfying hiss of pain from the hedgehog that stood at his back, breath warming his nicked ear.

“You lasted longer than most,” Sonic’s enemy murmured against his ear. The heat from his breath sent a shiver down his spine.

The black and red hedgehog withdrew, and suddenly Sonic felt very cold without his warmth pressed against his back. Claws tightened and dug into his shoulder. Sonic winced and felt a whine rise up his throat as the Emerald Blade was slowly pulled out of him. The pain was worse than when it had run him through.

With the Blade pulled free, the mysterious hedgehog dropped Sonic and stepped away.

Sonic fell to his knees, then collapsed forward onto the cold, unforgiving ground.

His world was reduced to indescribable pain. There was nothing but the gaping hole in his gut and the warmth that grew beneath him as his body felt colder and colder. His fingers were numb. His quills and ears began to droop.

Without so much as a parting word, the black and red hedgehog vanished in a rain of green sparks.

The Emerald Blade had been stolen, and Sonic had failed to get it back.

Now he would bleed out before the steps of the temple that he should have been able to defend. With each slow, heavy blink he saw red eyes and dark quills. His amulet felt warm against his chest, a single comfort against this terrible pain and the oppressive sense of exhaustion that threatened to snuff him out.

Sonic came to the chilling realization that he’d soon be able to see Longclaw again.

The thought was less comforting that it should have been.

She was going to be so disappointed in him.

As Sonic’s eyes fluttered shut, he thought he might have heard someone screaming his name.

Then there was nothing but black.

Chapter Text

This world was haunted by an ever present danger.

There was no guaranteed safety or peace, not when such terrible, nightmarish creatures prowled whenever the sun dipped beyond the horizon. The tales and recounts of violence under the light of the moon were insurmountable. Yet, even as mangled corpses would turn up upon daybreak and lucky survivors would be traumatized beyond comprehension, the night creatures always vanished come morning.

They would burn to ash and disappear on the wind from the moment the sun cast its first rays, with no evidence of ever having existed left in their wake. There was no perpetrator to contend with, no possibility of revenge or acting in retaliation. Mobians were cursed to live in constant fear of what might be prowling at night, but rather than be ruled by terror they found a way to make the best of the situation.

For all the violence and death that the demons caused, their very existence saved countless lives and ailed the suffering of many. 

The night creatures were not of this world, so, in a way, it was fitting that their essence was so effective at tethering souls to a world that they should have long since passed from.

When Sonic opened his eyes, the first thing he smelled was the rancid stench of demon blood. 

Even diluted, steeped, and concocted into potions of healing, the terrible smell still lurked, no matter how faint it became. Some attempted to cover the unpleasant stink with sweet smelling herbs, but those who were more practical didn’t see the point in wasting precious time and resources. As it stood, Sonic cursed himself for never bothering to scent his potions. 

He coughed and attempted to sit up.

His body ached.

Why the hell was he still alive?

“Sonic! Lay back down, you’re still recovering!”

His ears perked up at the sound of a familiar, though shrill, voice.

The blue hedgehog blinked a couple of times to clear his vision, then took in his surroundings. He was laying on the couch in the living space over Tails’ workshop. The two tailed fox himself was hovering over him with his white gloves stained with the rust of dried blood and an empty vial clutched in his fist. Sunlight spilled through the nearby windows.

Sonic wondered how long he’d been out.

Tails scoffed, “Lay down, dammit!” He tossed the empty glass vial aside, where it joined an alarmingly large pile of other empty vials. The fox grabbed Sonic by the shoulders and forced him to lay back down. He winced when Tails put pressure on his wounded shoulder.

Sonic grumbled as his head hit the armrest. “Well good morning to you, too.”

Tails rolled his eyes and slapped Sonic on his bad shoulder.

The hedgehog yipped and gripped the tender area with his opposite hand. “Hey! That hurts!” From what he could feel, the wound had closed. His fur had even grown back to cover what would have been a nasty scar. It still hurt like a mother fucker, though.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Tails scolded. “You’re so reckless!” He was looming over Sonic with his hands planted on his hips, tails swishing in displeasure. After a closer look, Sonic noticed tear trails lining the fur on his cheeks.

“What… what happened?” Sonic asked. He noticed absentmindedly that the coverings around his hands and wrists had been removed, as well as his boots and the torn up leather vest he’d taken to wearing every day. Staring at his bare hands, with the delicate pads and sharp claws revealed, he couldn’t help but recall black fur streaked in red and claws stained with his own blood. He quickly shook the scandalous memory from his mind.

“You failed,” the accusatory growl sounded from the corner of the room. Sonic sat up again, against Tails’ protests, and peeked to the far corner, where Knuckles was standing with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. There was a bandage wrapped around his head… from where Sonic had bashed it against the temple floor.

Sonic sighed heavily and shifted to a sitting position. Tails rolled his eyes but finally gave up.

The memories of the previous night were fresh on his mind, and jarringly so. That strange hedgehog… he’d really broken into the temple and stolen the Emerald Blade. And Sonic had sat back and watched him do it. He’d been completely powerless to stop him.

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Tails shouted as he tossed his arms. The stress was making his namesakes puff out.

Sonic passed a reluctant eye to the large pile of empty healing potions that lay on the floor. How many was that… ten? Thirteen? His hand drifted to brush the fur on his stomach. He could still feel the phantom presence of that blade piercing his organs… he shuddered at the awful sensation.

“You did get yourself killed,” Tails added, though quieter.

Sonic winced.

“Knuckles told me what happened,” the fox said morbidly. “He said that some random hedgehog that looked just like you showed up, kicked your ass, and stole the relic.”

Sonic frowned and reached up to brush at his injured ear. “I wouldn’t say that he looked just like me. I’m way more handsome. And pleasant.” He startled when he found a chunk of his ear missing. That fucking asshole had defiled his ear! Potions made with demon blood could lace skin back together and boost the natural healing process, but they couldn’t regrow anything that had been severed. His body would be altered forever, serving as a constant reminder of his failure that night…

And a reminder of the foul mooded hedgehog that had showed up and turned his whole world on its head.

“I think Knuckles left out a few details,” Sonic said spitefully with a glare shot in the echidna’s direction. “Like how he also got his ass kicked?”

“I would have been the one performing the kicking of arse had you not rendered me unconscious,” Knuckles growled. He was still glaring at Sonic like he’d been personally responsible for fucking up his whole life’s mission. Which… Uh, yeah, he had done that, hadn’t he?

“I did it for your own good, buddy,” Sonic sighed with a hand flapping in Knuckles’ direction. The echidna flicked his eyes respectfully to the ground. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have lasted long against that guy. I didn’t want you to go and get yourself killed.”

“So you went and got yourself killed instead?” Tails snapped.

Sonic’s ear twitched guiltily. 

He gripped his hands in his lap. He was trying very hard not to think about it, but it was proving quite difficult. He’d died. Or at least he should have died. If the sheer number of healing potions Tails had gone through were any indication, it was a miracle that he was still breathing at all. That hedgehog had killed him.

If Sonic held his breath for too long his chest would seize up with panic, his mind still reeling from the sensation of his life draining away by the second.

Tails picked up on his mental anguish and set his hostility aside. His glare fell and he moved to sit on the couch next to his reckless older brother. He placed a hand on Sonic’s shoulder, though lightly as not to pain him. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Sonic. If I’d found you even a second later then…” he trailed off, the words catching in his throat as he stared off into space.

Sonic tossed an arm around his brother’s shoulders and tugged him against his side for a quick hug. The fox immediately clung to him like a magnet, pushing his soft head against Sonic’s chin and attempting to cover the stench of death that clung to him with his own. The hedgehog nuzzled his brother back and hugged him close.

“Hey, I’m still here,” he reassured the young fox, “It’ll take a lot more than an all powerful weapon and a very angry dickhead to take me out.”

“I wish I’d been there,” Tails hissed against Sonic’s chest fur. “If I hadn’t been sleeping then I could have–”

“-No, don’t think about that,” Sonic argued. “It’s not your fault.” He didn’t even want to consider his brother going up against that dangerous hedgehog. Sonic didn’t know who the hell he was or why he’d suddenly come to claim the relic in the first place, but he did know that he didn’t want Tails anywhere near him. He wouldn’t be able to take it if his brother was the one to get stabbed instead of him. 

Knuckles sighed heavily as he crossed the room to stand beside the couch and rest a comforting hand on Tails’ shoulder. “I too am relieved that Sonic survived his wounds,” he admitted, “But I feel as if we are ignoring the real issue of our circumstance. The Emerald Blade has been stolen.”

“I’m so sorry, Knux,” Sonic quickly butted in. He gazed up at his friend with pleading eyes. The guilt was threatening to eat him from the inside out. “I should have been able to stop him! I should have been strong enough, but I let him get away! This is all my fault.”

The echidna held Sonic’s wavering gaze for a moment, then shook his head. His long red quills swished about with the motion. “It is as much my own fault as it is yours, Sonic. Nothing could have stopped the raven-furred hedgehog, he was far too strong and his resolve far too great. I failed my ancestors in letting him escape with the Blade. The possibility of his motives is most concerning.”

The echidna fixed Sonic with an inquisitive glance. “…Do you know him?”

Sonic scoffed, “No, I don’t know him. Just because there are only a few of us doesn’t mean all hedgehogs know each other.”

Knuckles furrowed his brow. “Most unfortunate.”

Tails frowned between the two of them from where he sat beside Sonic on the couch.

Very few knew the truth of the relic that Knuckles had defended in the temple, and for good reason. All the villagers were aware of was the fact that its power shielded them from the night creatures. If word were to get out that an Emerald Blade was kept within Green Hill, though the title would mean nothing to most, the information would be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong people.

Their visitor from last night had proved that.

Each of the seven Blades were hidden away across the globe for fear of what they could do in the hands of the right, or the wrong, person. Four hundred years prior, Knuckles’ ancestors had founded Green Hill and constructed a safe haven from the night creatures as they dutifully guarded the Emerald Blade from anyone who might use it for evil. Knuckles was the only echidna left alive after the incident twelve years ago, and the duty of defending the Blade had fallen to him and him alone. It was best to keep unimaginable power out of the hands of mortals for fear of what they might set their sights on if they did so happen to be worthy of it.

Dealing with an Emerald Zealot, one twisted and warped by the infinite power of the Blades, was by far easier than dealing with a true Blade wielder. Things would have been so much simpler if that mysterious hedgehog hadn’t been… different. But since he was, by some horrible stroke of fate, able to command the power of the Emerald Blade, they had a very real problem on their hands.

Recalling the gallant words spoken by one he had lost too soon, Sonic knew that it was crucial that they right this mistake, and do so as quickly as possible. His fingers drifted subconsciously to the amulet around his neck. He’d been given it for a reason…

“It doesn’t matter who that guy is or what he thinks he’s going to do with the Blade,” Sonic declared while lacing his fingers together and gripping them tightly. “We have to find him and get it back.”

“Agreed,” Knuckles declared with a nod. “It is my sacred duty to keep the Green Emerald out of the hands of mortals. I cannot rest until it is returned to the temple where it belongs.”

Tails frowned and flicked an ear. “And how are we going to do that, exactly? The Green Blade grants its wielder the power of teleportation. He could literally be anywhere.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Sonic said. He pushed off the couch and began to pace the room. All this sitting around was making him restless. “Our main problem is figuring out how we’re going to fight him in the first place. I tried to take the Blade from him last night and failed. The only way you can stand a chance against a Blade wielder is by carrying one yourself.”

A chill seemed to settle over the room.

Knuckles and Tails exchanged a glance.

“Sonic,” they said skeptically in unison.

“I know, I know,” the blue hedgehog protested, “The Blades are dangerous and not to be used, like, ever, but we don’t exactly have another choice. We either bite the arrow or let that freak show frolic around with a superweapon in his hands.”

“But the Blades are all hidden!” Tails argued.

“It’s a good thing we know where another one of them is, then,” Sonic countered.

The resulting silence was oppressive.

Sonic met Tails’ eyes in a battle of wills. The fox shook his head no.

Knuckles crossed his arms and frowned in thought. “Even if we were to hunt down the Blue Emerald, who would carry the Blade?”

“I will,” Sonic declared as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Tails and Knuckles exchanged another glance.

“This is a terrible idea,” Knuckles declared.

“Yeah!” Tails agreed, “What if the guardian owls were wrong?”

“They weren’t!” Sonic snapped, then immediately regretted it when Tails’ ears folded guiltily. The hedgehog took a deep breath. “Sorry I snapped at you, buddy, but you know that this is our only choice.”

Knuckles huffed and pounded a fist against his palm, “We do not need a magical weapon to defeat a single, puny hedgehog. Even if he does possess an Emerald Blade, we will be able to out smart and out power him.”

Sonic stopped in his pacing and squared his shoulders, his clawed toes tensing and digging into Tails’ floor. “We can’t do that! You saw how strong he is with that thing, he killed me! If we rush into this unprepared then someone will die! Again!”

That seemed to quell Knuckles and Tails’ reservations.

Sonic growled lightly and pushed a hand through his quills. They were still sticky with blood. “We need to go to Talonpointe Mountain and take the Blade that’s hidden there. Once we have it, we’ll be able to hunt that bastard down. The Blades are linked, right? It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.”

Knuckles and Tails sat in silence. The early morning sun filtering through the window played at the icy blue of the fox’s eyes and set the echidna’s red quills aflame. The thing that pissed Sonic off was that they seemed more worried about him then they were about unearthing a second legendary superweapon.

“Listen,” Sonic explained, growing frustrated with each moment they sat and hesitated, “Even if we didn’t need another Blade to be able to stand up against that guy, we would still have no way of locating him. This is the only way to find him. Like Tails said, he could be anywhere by now. We need to stop him and take that Blade from him before he does something terrible or kills more people.”

Tails met Sonic’s determined gaze with upturned brows. “Fine… But, is it okay for you to go back there? To the Mountain, I mean,” he asked, voice thick with emotions like pity and concern and other things that Sonic didn’t want to acknowledge. 

The blue hedgehog put on a brave smile, though he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be fine! Don’t worry about me. I haven't been back to the Mountain in, like, fifteen years. It’s about time I ripped the bandage off, anyway.”

“I simply worry that you will dislike what you see,” Knuckles warned.

Sonic rolled his eyes. “I’m not some doe eyed kid, dude. I literally fight demons for a living. I think I can handle this.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Tails mumbled.

Sonic clapped his hands in an attempt to fend off his nervous energy. He hoped that Knuckles and Tails hadn’t noticed his quills pricking up. “The longer we sit here being indecisive, the longer that weirdo has to run around and fuck shit up! It’ll take us three days to get to the Mountain even if we run the whole time, so we should leave now.”

Tails stood from the couch and crossed the room to stand before Sonic. “Shouldn’t you rest for a little while first? You almost died last night.”

“I’m fine,” Sonic pressed. He patted his brother on the shoulder and crossed the room to where his boots and vest were crumpled against the wall by the door. He pulled the ratty shoes over his feet and hesitated for a moment before ripping the vest in half. The worn fabric groaned beneath the force but came apart easily. He wrapped the fabric around each of his hands so he’d be presentable enough to walk back to his own place.

His eyes drew to the leather belt that still lay on the floor.

There was no point in wearing it if he had no sword to hook to it, now was there?

A bitter emotion began to gather in the space between his shoulder blades. Quicksilver was broken, gone. He should have died alongside her, but thanks to Tails he’d been dragged back to the land of the living. He’d carried that sword since before he could remember. Other than the amulet around his neck, it was the only other thing he still had to remind him of Longclaw and what little of his past that he didn’t try his hardest to forget about.

He kicked at the belt with the tip of his boot.

“Sonic?” Tails said timidly from the center of the room.

“We need to leave by midday,” the blue hedgehog decided. “Knuckles, make sure to pack light, I don’t intend on being gone for too long. Speaking of which, we need to tell Big about what happened last night.”

Knuckles hummed in agreement from where he stood by the couch. “We can trust him to inform the other villagers of our unfortunate loss.”

“Will everyone be okay without the Blade scaring the night creatures off?” Tails spoke up in concern.

Sonic tightened the awkward knot he’d created to keep the remains of his vest tied around his wrist. “They’ll be fine,” he reassured his brother, “As long as they don’t take any midnight strolls they’ll be out of danger. The rest of the world has lived this way for centuries, so I don’t see why Green Hill can’t do the same.”

He bitterly recalled a deep scowl and empty, unsympathetic eyes as uncovered claws reached for the only thing defending hundreds of lives from certain death.

“As if I care?”

Sonic noticed he’d started growling and quickly shut himself up.

“I’m gonna wash all this blood off and lock the shop up,” Sonic mumbled. Ignoring the concerned glances he felt against his back from Tails and Knuckles, he slipped through the door and shut it behind him a little louder than he’d meant to.

Shadow didn’t know where he was teleporting to.

Once he dropped the blue furred hedgehog to fall to the rain soaked cobblestones he simply knew that he needed to leave. He was well versed in the power of the Green Emerald Blade, as he’d carried the thing since he’d been a young hoglet. Perhaps the Blade knew his needs better than he did himself.

This particular teleportation was nauseating and intense. It only lasted for a fraction of a second, just as any of the others did, but the pressure of it felt as if it was going to turn Shadow inside out. Fresh blood spurted from his stab wound and began to trickle from his nose. His eyes felt as if they were about to pop from his skull, but before the pressure could get too bad he rematerialized deep within a forest that he didn’t recognize.

The view of blood soaked blue quills at his feet was replaced by dense underbrush and the shadows of a thick canopy overhead. When the world reappeared around him, Shadow stumbled and fell to his knees.

Mud began to soak through his fur. It must have rained here too, although the storm seemed to have ended. Shadow wheezed as he gripped the gaping wound in his stomach with one hand and clung to his Emerald Blade in the other. There was blood everywhere. He couldn’t tell what of it was his and what was the blue hedgehog’s. 

He had not expected the guardians of the Blade to put up such a fight, and he certainly hadn’t expected to come out of it so worse for wear.

Shadow’s lips curled back in a snarl. 

He was the ultimate lifeform.

Such poor performance in battle was unacceptable.

He could hear the alchemist in the back of his head even now… screaming at him to get up and stop showing such weakness.

Shadow shook the cobwebbed memories away with a growl.

It didn’t matter.

The blue hedgehog was dead. Shadow had seen to it himself. He’d won the fight.

He glanced at the Blade that lay against the layer of moss and lichen. Although so much of this world had changed, it was still just as he remembered it; long and lethal with a curved blade. The filigree patterns carved into the handle and blade were the same as they'd ever been, as well as the weight it had in Shadow’s palm and the ache it put to his muscles.

Everything else was destroyed, but at least one thing remained the same.

Shadow drew in a deep breath, ignoring how badly it pained him. He shut his eyes and focused on the power that ebbed and flowed from the Blade and the powerful Emerald embedded in its pommel. The alchemist had called it chaos energy, and told Shadow that he was one in a select few born with the ability to withstand it.

Although there was a stark contrast than merely withstanding the energy and the relationship that Shadow had with it.

He was alive because of this Blade and its power. It was… a part of him.

But that didn’t matter.

He didn’t want to think of such things, not now. He couldn’t.

Shadow focused on the chaos energy that traveled from the handle of the Blade to his palm and up his arm, where it circulated his body like a second set of veins. The chaos was riled and jumpy, drunk off the taste of the blue hedgehog’s blood and thirsty for more destruction and death.

But the battle was over.

Shadow ordered the chaos to relax and go dormant. He’d done it so many times at the alchemist’s command that it was as easy as breathing.

As the chaos within the Blade withdrew from his body and entered its dormant state it felt as if his very being was a roaring flame being reduced to a flickering candle. The scimitar began to shrink as its form was obscured by a blinding green light. Shadow shut his eyes against the flash, and when he reopened them the Blade had shifted into an amulet that fit in the palm of his hand. No longer a jagged emerald or a dangerous weapon, it was merely a polished green stone set into a gold clasp with a delicate chain attached to it.

Shadow inhaled sharply at the sight of the thing.

It was as familiar as an old friend, as familiar as a kind girl with honey colored hair and eyes the color of ice…

Pain struck him like an arrow through the chest. Although this pain was not physical, it was far worse than that. It hurt so badly. The black and red hedgehog could hardly breathe. Terrible images flashed across his vision in quick succession. Burning buildings and plumes of smoke and angry red eyes and a broken body covered in blood; blood that soaked Shadows hands and stained his fur.

Shadow quickly shook his head to try and force the memories away, but when his eyes finally refocused he found his hands still drenched in blood. It stuck to his paw pads and caked the undersides of his claws and made his dark fur sticky and matted.

No.

This was not the time.

He banished the memories and buried all of the emotions that came along with them deep in the catacombs of his mind.

The dark furred hedgehog decisively stood. He lurched to his feet, one arm still gripped around his middle. He was lightheaded all of a sudden, which wasn’t a good sign. Just how much blood had he lost?

He moved his arm to peek at the wound that the insufferable blue hedgehog had given him.

His stomach was a nasty mess of exposed red and drenched black fur. Shadow frowned. How the hell was he going to assemble the Emerald Blades in a state like this? He needed to find civilization and he needed to find it now.

Just as he was about to unclamp the delicate chain of the amulet and loop it around his neck, a throaty growl erupted from the surrounding trees.

Shadow’s face fell into a hard frown.

Of course, at the worst possible moment he was reminded of the curse this wretched world was forced to live under. While the Emerald was in its dormant form, there was no energy field to hold the night creatures at bay.

The hunched form of a prowler appeared between the distant trees. Its red eyes glowed and its black fur glistened and shifted like smoke.

It was clearly hooked on the scent of Shadow’s blood, or perhaps the blue hedgehog’s blood… or what was left of the echidna monks’. Shadow had slain many this night. He had no qualms adding another sorry soul to the list.

He glared right into the face of the prowler and growled. The sound ripped from his throat and echoed threateningly against the surrounding trees. He felt his eyes flash red against the black. The demon hesitated, but ultimately continued its approach.

In a flash Shadow reactivated his blade and the creature was reduced to two steaming hunks of flesh. Its blood reeked as it soaked into the underbrush.

Shadow glanced about to find dozens of other red eyes gazing at him from the trees. More night creatures had been drawn to his location, but now that they felt the power of the Blade they took pause. Shadow tightened his grip on the Blade’s handle, his other arm still pressed against his bleeding stomach. He was beginning to feel dizzy. Even he would not be able to last long in a fight against the night’s army, not in this state.

He would defeat the creatures without issue, but he doubted that the strain on his wound would end well for him.

Shadow found that he didn’t care.

He made quick work of the beasts. The Blade’s power allowed him to phase from one hideous form to another, slaying each and every one of them before they could even think to move. Grotesque bodies piled up and the rancid ooze that seeped from their veins made the air began to burn Shadow’s nose.

Now surrounded by a battlefield of steaming corpses, Shadow curled his nose in disgust.

He was nearly hunched over at this point, but he stayed on his feet. Even as his blood began to trickle down his legs to wet the pads at the bottoms of his feet. Shadow welcomed the pain. The discomfort. He focused on these physical sensations and used them to keep his mind grounded and focused. If he let down his guard for even a moment, then the memories would return to haunt him.

Shadow couldn’t have that. He was on a mission and could not afford to waste time grieving and being pathetic.

The Celestial Equinox would be upon him in mere months.

Shadow needed to find the other six Blades and plan his attack.

With a decisive nod, he sent his Blade back to its dormant form. Now left with only an inconspicuous green amulet laying in his palm, he deftly hooked it around his neck and left it to lay nestled against the patch of white fur on his chest. Although the fluff was still damp with the blood of the hedgehog he’d killed.

Its formerly pristine white had been streaked and stained with muddy red.

Shadow supposed that he’d probably need to do something about that before he made his presence known in any form of civilization. He couldn’t exactly wander the streets of an unfamiliar village while bare pawed and drenched in blood. That certainly hadn’t worked out for him the first time.

But he’d worry about appearances later.

For now, his only concern was figuring out where in the living fuck he’d ended up.

Usually, it was impossible to teleport without knowing exactly where he was going. Shadow could only phase to locations he’d physically been to, or places where he could directly see. This time had seemed to be an exception, however. Perhaps some mystical string of fate had pulled him along. The amulet warmed slightly where it lay nestled against Shadow’s chest fur.

Gritting his jaw in determination, the black and red hedgehog pressed his blood soaked arm tighter over his wound and picked a random direction. He marched forward through the underbrush, kicking at severed demon limbs and padding through puddles of ink colored blood that stunk like rotten flesh.

He ignored the weakness that gradually began to spread through his limbs and the terrible pain of the stab wound. If that blue quilled fool hadn’t twisted the damn blade then the damage would have been so much easier to deal with. Shadow gritted his teeth and spitefully wished that he’d been able to kill him twice over.

But the hedgehog wasn’t left with his brooding thoughts for long.

He’d hardly made it a few paces through the trees when he felt a certain prickle on the back of his neck.

This one told him that he wasn’t alone.

Shadow’s fingers flew to the amulet around his neck. He would not hesitate to kill once more this night. He was damn tired of people getting in his way.

Above me. In the trees.

Shadow drew to a stop and stood up straighter, squaring his shoulders and glaring straight ahead as if he wasn’t desperately clutching a lethal wound. “I know you’re there,” he announced to the shadowy trunks, empty night sky, and the person he knew was watching from above. “You’d be wise to reveal yourself.”

A melodic laugh echoed against the night. 

Suddenly, the song of crickets and frogs began to pipe up from the surrounding wilderness.

Shadow hadn’t realized just how quiet the night had been until they resumed their racket.

He missed the silence.

“Is that a threat?” a voice asked from above. It was distinctly feminine, though dark and almost sultry.

“Show yourself,” Shadow demanded. He did not bother turning or craning his neck. Even if this strange person did decide to attack him, he’d have them disemboweled before they so much as laid a hand or fang upon him. 

Shadow flexed the claws of his free hand.

He did not need the Blade for this fight. He was a weapon in and of his own right, and the bothersome wretches that walked this sorry world with him needed to fucking learn that fact. He’d teach the lesson as many times as it took, and gladly so.

The body in the canopy overhead moved.

Shadow’s ears flicked when he picked up the distinct flapping of sinewed wings. The black and red hedgehog bent his knees and splayed his clawed fingers.

“Oh, relax,” the feminine voice scoffed.

The underbrush stirred as a pair of feet gracefully met the ground. Shadow turned on his heel with his fangs and claws bared. 

Behind him, he found a female bat standing with her wings folded neatly against her back and her arms crossed over her chest. A short cloak that cut off at the elbows was draped from her shoulders and long black gloves swallowed her hands and arms. Shadow’s scrutinizing glare flicked first to the thick beaded necklace she wore around her neck and second to the jagged knife strapped against her thigh. Each was covered in a thick layer of dried blood.

She was either an assassin or a witch… or both.

Shadow was not particularly thrilled about either of the two options.

“How did you find me?” he demanded. If this bat truly was an assassin or mercenary of some sort, he wanted to know exactly who was going through the trouble to inconvenience him. He’d have to pay them a visit.

The bat’s low lidded eyes flashed with mirth. “You’re not as stealthy as you think. As if I wouldn’t sense the spilled blood of a creature as strong as you?”

Shadow’s quills began to prickle. 

So she was a witch, then. Suddenly the blood stained knife and rosary left a far more chilling impression. 

“What’s your game, witch?” the hedgehog spat.

The strange woman merely laughed and walked towards him, though Shadow was quick to step backwards. “There’s no game,” she reassured him, though her fanged smile seemed to suggest otherwise. “Tending to the wounded and directing lost travelers is kind of what I do. You clearly need my help. What sort of apothecary would I be if I stood by and watched you bleed to death?”

Shadow felt a low growl rise in the back of his throat. Clearly this woman was no mere healer. Though he was willing to admit that he needed help greatly, he was by no circumstance willing to submit himself to whatever illicit schemes or rituals this bat undoubtedly had stirring up behind those gleaming teal colored eyes.

The bat cocked her head to one side, large ears rotating forward. 

Holding eye contact with Shadow the whole time, she slowly knelt in the underbrush and ran her thumb across the splattering of red that the hedgehog had left behind when he backed away. Staring right at him, she licked the blood from her thumb.

Shadow watched as her eyes briefly flashed a chilling red.

She rose to her full height once again, and Shadow swore that he felt a particular chill on the next lazy nighttime breeze that passed through the canopy and blood stained underbrush.

“You’re scared,” the bat declared. Shadow felt his quills begin to hackle. “And terribly lonely,” the witch added, “You have no idea what you’re doing, and fear that you will die in vain before coming anywhere close to avenging your sister’s death.”

The words struck Shadow like a slap across the face.

He stomped towards the wretched woman with the claws on his free hand braced and ready to kill. She did not back down, however, merely stayed in place as Shadow pressed into her personal space and towered over her.

The bat gazed up at him with a smirk on her face.

“You don’t know me,” Shadow hissed.

The bat’s eyes flicked unabashedly from the black and red hedgehog’s face to the thick fur on his chest and back up again. “Maybe not, but your blood tells a story,” she replied.

So she’s a blood witch. How vile.

“Your kind disgusts me,” Shadow spat.

“Most Mobians would agree with you,” she snorted with a shrug. 

Not a hint of fear had shown in her posture or crossed her eyes. This witch was utterly unintimidated by Shadow, and he feared that she would finish what the blue hedgehog couldn’t while he was stuck in this weakened state.

“I’ve been expecting you for a very long time,” the bat said, her words wistful as if she was thinking out loud. “Though I must admit that I did not expect you to turn up bare pawed and covered in blood. You’ve made quite the impression.”

Shadow gave a warning growl, to which the bat laughed.

“My name is Rouge,” she declared. “Come along, I have healing potions strong enough to mend even this nasty wound back at my keep.” She gestured at Shadow’s midsection, which was soaked in blood and still covered by his arm.

The witch - Rouge - turned on her heel and marched through the forest with her dark wings folded neatly against her back.

When Shadow didn’t follow she glanced over her shoulder at him.

“I won’t charge you,” she reassured him.

Shadow weighed the consequences of attacking her. Would he be able to land a heavy enough blow before she gutted him like a fish? Witches were not to be trifled with, and especially not dark witches that worshipped blood, bones, or murder.

“Don’t be a fool,” Rouge sighed. A hint of a growl set a sharp edge to her previously smooth voice. “The least you can do is take my potion and leave. But if you’re really so determined to die tonight then I won’t force your hand.”

With that, she turned her back on Shadow once again and continued walking.

The hedgehog glared at her back as she left the ultimate choice up to him.

Unfortunately, she was right. He didn’t exactly have much of a choice between trusting a witch and dying when he’d only just broken free of that accursed spell. Shadow didn’t like it, but he’d have to follow Rouge. He had no idea where the hell he was and could hardly stand, let alone wander until he found a village or hunter’s cabin.

With a reluctant sigh and quills still pricked, Shadow limped after the bat.

His fingers drifted to the amulet around his neck. If she really was leading him into a trap, then he’d draw his Blade and kill her. Even the most skilled in the dark arts couldn’t stand a chance against the Emeralds.

The amulet’s green surface warmed beneath his padded fingertips as if in agreement.

Chapter Text

Sonic drew a deep breath as he stood on the cobbled stoop of Tails’ workshop. The sharp scent of the ocean tickled his nose and salted air carded through his quills. It was a downright beautiful morning, and one that Sonic would have thoroughly enjoyed under any other circumstance. 

Only now, as he watched gulls fly overhead and craned his neck to gaze at the brilliant blue sky, he couldn't get the jarring contrast between the Green Hill of today and the Green Hill of last night - the one set hazy by heavy storms and spiced with the coppery tang of his own blood - out of his head.

Small pools of water in the grooves of the cobbled streets were the only evidence remaining of what had transpired. That and the absence of a certain energy field… but Sonic was the only Mobian in the entire village that was attuned enough to sense whether the relic was present or not.

He sighed and planted his hands on his hips, ignoring how the motion made him even more aware of Quicksilver’s absence at his side.

Tails’ workshop was on the very edge of the village. It overlooked the shoreline and neighbored the docks, which were Green Hill’s most discerning feature. Sonic’s ears flattened slightly in distaste as he turned his head to glance at the indigo expanse of the Mistystep Sea. Choppy waves reflected the sun’s light and lapped against the sandy beach. The horizon line grew hazy where the ocean met the skyline. The utter scale of it made Sonic shudder.

He did not care for the sea.

Or water in general.

It pained him to live so far across the village from his brother, but something about the prospect of living within view of the ocean was nauseating. 

Sonic could respect his brother’s choice in residence, though, even if he didn’t quite agree with it. Tails was a skilled shipwright, totally enamoured with ships and sails and buoyancy and all the other boring stuff that went along with it. While Sonic spent his days minding his oddities shop and Knuckles passed the hours guarding his ancestors’ temple, Tails wandered to the docks to offer his services repairing ships and assisting sailors and merchants with various odd tasks both on deck and below.

The young fox, though he wasn’t quite as young anymore, all but manned the docks all by himself. He had a running log of any and all ships that entered and left, and always made sure that they arrived at a well managed and spiffy dock and left with their vessels in tip-top shape. The workshop underneath his second story lodging was filled to the brim with various odds and ends; from thick rope, to woodworking supplies, to hand-woven sail material.

None of the business that happened on the docks interested Sonic in the least. The closest he’d stray from out right ignoring the ocean entirely was visiting his brother and occasionally wandering through the beach-side market that was always bustling with villagers selling their wares and travelers from every corner of the globe.

For a small village without a definitive ruling body, Green Hill found itself in quite the advantageous position on the global stage. The villagers were all well fed and lived comfortably, as their pockets were well-lined by rich merchants and sailors desperate for a freshly cooked meal.

Even this early in the morning Sonic’s ears were already being assaulted by the din of the market. He could see the wooden boarded roofs of shopping stalls and the colorful pitched tents of tradesmen from the vantage point Tails’ workshop had over the shoreline. 

Several ships were docked and a couple more could be seen making their approach far off in the distance. Gazing at the hulking forms of barques and carracks, Sonic wouldn’t help but wonder at how the ugly wooden things even managed to stay afloat. Why Tails was so passionate about the ocean of all things, he’d never know.

Sonic wouldn’t be caught dead sailing the seas. 

He much preferred over-land travel, where he could run and roll down grassy hills and not drown. The blue hedgehog shook his head in an attempt to refocus. 

It was his duty to make sure that Green Hill remained a safe trading stop. His village was different from others in that it was safe to dock at and roam at night. That detail was crucial to their backwater village’s status on the main trading routes. Without the relic, without that guaranteed safety, it was a very real possibility that Green Hill would gradually fall out of favor. 

Sonic would not allow that to happen.

The Green Emerald did far more than merely allow a pleasant night’s rest to anyone who resided within the village, be they locals or otherwise. It protected and ensured the livelihoods of countless individuals. 

That relic had been a part of Green Hill since its founding, four hundred years prior. Without it, things would grow unstable and fast. Anger once again sparked up within Sonic. He was so frustrated with that black and red hedgehog, that faker. 

How dare he steal Green Hill’s namesake? Making a fool of Sonic was bad enough, but in stealing the Blade for Gaia knew what selfish reasons, he had endangered the lives of countless innocent people!

Sonic needed to hunt him the fuck down and kick his ass to restore his tarnished honor (and ego), and also to defend this village that he had called home for more than a decade. He owed it to the villagers. They’d accepted him, after all. He would not fail them a second time.

The blue hedgehog clenched his fists at his sides and set off at a determined march, back turned to the Mistystep Sea as he headed towards his own residence. He needed to wash the blood from his fur and quills, as well as prepare for a short journey and lock his shop up. As terrible as his situation was, the prospect of a heroic quest made his blood boil in excitement. Sonic had been itching for something interesting to happen, and while this was definitely the worst case scenario, at least he’d be able to stretch his legs and put himself to a real challenge.

He was really going to wield the Blue Emerald Blade, huh?

Sonic had never thought the day would actually come… so many things had happened and so many years had passed since the thing had so much as crossed his mind. The amulet around his neck lightly warmed where it lay against his peach chest. He briefly wondered what Longclaw and the rest of the Elders would have thought about his plan. Surely, they would have called him reckless and foolish. But they weren’t around to lecture him, now, were they? If they disapproved, it was their own faults for setting off the series of events that had led up to Sonic being backed into this decision.

Such thoughts were bitter and unpleasant after years of being pushed aside to fester and rot. They left an unsatisfactory taste in Sonic’s mouth.

He quickly shook them away.

Any personal reservations on his part didn’t matter. Green Hill was what mattered. Getting the relic back and making his mistake up to Knuckles was what mattered.

Sonic nodded to himself and straightened his shoulders as he walked. No faker was going to mess with his village and get away with it. Getting his payback would be a breeze. Sonic was already the (self proclaimed) greatest swordsman in all of Mobius, if he had an Emerald Blade in his hand then he’d be virtually unstoppable!

In a flash of blue quills, Sonic took off at a run. Green Hill passed him in a blur of warm, natural hues and the vibrant shades of the villagers’ fur and feathers. Shopkeepers waved to him as he shot by and groups of children cheered as he did trick-jumps over them where they played in the street. The blue hedgehog heard friendly calls of his name echo down the streets as his village greeted the day and thanked their local hero on his morning sprint.

The villagers loved him.

Not only was Sonic the most charismatic, handsome, and well-liked hedgehog on the whole continent, but he also kicked demon ass every night and sold really cool shit! The villagers were well aware of his heroics, as he did far more than simply protect the quality of their sleep from the night creatures that shrieked outside the relic’s defense barrier. He also beat the shit out of any mercenaries or bandits that dared to tie their pirate ships or war cruisers at the docks.

It was more likely an occurrence than one would assume, as small villages like Green Hill were far easier targets than developed city-states like… like… Sonic cursed himself for not paying more attention in geography class. Not that he’d ever showed up for any classes. Whatever! He’d gotten his point across.

Bottom line, Sonic was Green Hill’s local hero who also just so happened to sell refined demonic goods. The villagers showered him with love and respect as a result, and the attention was well deserved.

Zipping through the village managed to cheer Sonic up just as much as it always did. Something about hero-worship always managed to put a cocky smile to the blue hedgehog’s face. This morning, however, while the villagers' love and support lightened his mood as it always did, it left a bitter tang in the back of his throat.

Here everyone was, praising him and thanking him for how hard he worked to protect the village… yet they had no idea how much danger they were currently in because of him.

It didn’t surprise Sonic that Knuckles and Tails hadn’t run through the streets shouting about the loss of the relic for all to hear. If the villagers found out that the relic was lost - even though none of them knew what it truly was other than that it protected them from the night’s army - it would cause a mass panic. Sonic trusted that Big would be able to deliver the news softly, though. If anyone could handle the situation delicately it was him.

The blue hedgehog skidded to a reluctant stop as he passed through the square at the center of town.

The square that the ancient echidna temple sat in the center of.

And also the place where Quicksilver had shattered and Sonic had failed to protect Green Hill.

Green eyes scanned the area as Sonic stood tensely at the outskirts. The broken lamp post was still laying haphazardly on the ground where that faker had knocked it. A small crowd of villagers had gathered around it, where they discussed the process of fixing it. Based on what Sonic’s perked ears picked up from their conversation, they had assumed a bolt of lightning had taken it down.

Well.

It was better they assumed incorrectly than found out the truth. Sonic was surprised that none of his cobalt quills had ended up embedded in the wooden beam.

With his eyes drawn down in a frown, Sonic stalked across the square. A couple of passing villagers shot him friendly smiles and waves, to which he briefly returned. He wondered if they could tell his friendliness was all a front, or if they could identify the tension in his quills. He doubted it. Only Tails and Knuckles knew him well enough to notice his tells.

The temple felt… wrong as Sonic passed its front steps.

Perhaps it was the absence of a certain echidna dutifully patrolling its parameter?

No, Sonic wasn’t stupid.

It was the Emerald.

The thing was gone, and with it its odd energy signature. Sonic had always been able to feel the difference between when he was inside the relic’s protection and outside of it. It had been like a certain pressure against his fur, a tickle in the back of his head. A compass set in his very being that pointed to the relic that lay in the temple at the center of town.

Green Hill had always been laced with that strange sensation, and now that it wasn’t anymore everything felt unnatural. On edge. Dangerous.

It was torturous. 

Sonic didn’t know… how exactly he felt when he arrived at the place where he’d bled out. He stood in the middle of the square staring at the ground. The cobblestones were clean. There wasn’t even a hint of his blood left, even though there had been so much. Had the rain really washed it all away?

Even now, Sonic could still recall how it had felt to receive that death blow. 

The memory of the pain made him shudder, his quills tensing and pricking up.

If he stood right here, it was as if he was standing right in the footprints of the hedgehog who had killed him.

None of the villagers were the wiser.

As Sonic glanced around, he found that all the shards of Quicksilver had vanished at some point as well.

It was as if the fight had never happened at all.

Yet Sonic was scared and haunted by the events that had transpired. It was just like that terrible night fifteen years ago… no one would know to mourn the fallen other than him. The blue hedgehog found himself unconsciously gripping the amulet that rested against his chest.

Damn.

He needed to stop standing in the center of town and staring at the ground. The villagers were already starting to give him curious glances now that they’d realized the stains all over him weren’t demon blood, but tinted red.

Sonic scoured the square one final time, but the desecrated corpse of his beloved blade was nowhere to be found. He felt like he should investigate who had moved it, because someone obviously had, but a stubborn and vile sensation within him urged him to forget about it and move on.

He felt the ache of Quicksilver’s loss like the pain of grieving a beloved friend.

Sonic didn’t want to think too hard about what the sword had meant to him.

Or about the fact that it was his fault she was gone.

It was much easier to compartmentalize his heavy feelings and direct them at the dark furred hedgehog than confront his failure and near death experience.

Sonic vanished from the square in a flash of blue quills.

A split second later he was standing before his shop. It was a cozy structure all made of wooden slats and round stones. It was nothing too fancy. No tiled roof or raised front porch. The rounded wooden door merely opened up to the cobbled street, protected from the elements by a wooden awning that stretched across the whole front wall, upheld by twin wooden beams. A clay pot sat beside the door with a wilted plant drooping inside it.

Sonic paused beside the door, regarding his pathetic leafy pet.

It had been a gift from a strange traveler. She’d arrived at Green Hill on a creepy galley ship that looked half rotten and ready to burst into a million pieces. Sonic had sold her a couple vials of raw demon blood, as well as an oddly shaped bone he’d pulled from the corpse of a prowler and preserved.

The strange woman had paid in rings like any other, but had procured a small plant from within her travelling cloak. It was tiny, wilted, and nestled in a pot that could fit in the palm of your hand. She’d insisted upon Sonic keeping it, and he just… hadn’t had the heart to get rid of the thing.

The woman had said something about every apothecary needing one, or something weird like that. And while Sonic considered himself a dabbler in potion crafting at best, he’d still taken the scrawny plant in.

It had grown over the years and gone through several pots. Sonic kept the thing at the door so it could welcome customers. He watered it daily and dragged it into the sun every once in a while, but there was only one thing that could perk it up…

Sonic held his arms over the plant. He pulled his makeshift glove away from the claw on his left thumb, then slit it across his right wrist.

The pain bit, but Sonic was used to it. Repeating the process for years on end had resulted in a permanent scar marring his peach wrist.

Red blood bubbled up and Sonic held his arm over the plant while clenching his fist to ensure blood flow.

A couple of drops fell to splatter across wilted leaves.

The moment his blood fell against the plant, it perked up immediately. Leaves unwrinkled and warmed from a rotten gray to a deep green that bordered on black. The stem of the plant thickened by a quill’s width as the thing straightened as if correcting its posture.

Sonic couldn’t help but think the thing was smiling at him as it spread its leaves and gained a new inch of height. He found himself gazing fondly down at it. The plant was certainly strange, and through Tails thought it was creepy and Knuckles called it an unconsecrated parasite (overkill, much?) Sonic rather liked the thing.

After giving his blood thirsty plant a final glance over, he slipped within his shop and shut the door softly behind him.

Yes, he’d left the door unlocked all night.

He didn’t really see the point in locking it, he trusted his fellow villagers! Also he’d lost his key.

Though windowless and undeniably stuffy inside, Sonic was relieved to finally return to his shop. The kerosine lamps on the walls burned as brightly as ever, illuminating the space with a cozy golden glow. Lamp oil made from demon blood could last for entire years without ever being snuffed out, it was quite convenient. 

Sonic weaved his way through the maze of messily constructed wooden shelves and barrels loaded with inky furred pelts and spears topped with preserved fangs. The potion shelves were loaded with squat vials of healing concoctions of varying strength, as well as a couple strains of poison and cleaning solution powerful enough to remove blood from white silk. Jars of teeth and claws were sprinkled about, and vials of raw demon blood were littered everywhere. 

Roughly cut demon-pelt rugs covered the floors and sunk beneath Sonic’s boots. Dried herbs, berries, and mushrooms were suspended from the ceiling at random intervals. Bottles of spiced wine and liquor that tasted how fire looked distorted honey-colored lamp light as it backlit them from the walls. 

At the very back corner of the shop sat a rickety desk that Sonic napped behind while waiting for people to bring their choices to him for purchase. He kept his earned rings in the desk drawer, never bothering to count the amount or even so much as charge the same price for the same purchase every time. No one questioned him. The price he stated was the price that was paid. Sonic used his earned rings to pay rent and buy food and other odds and ends. The funding drawer hadn’t grown unpopulated in years, so he never bothered with budgeting or anything equally boring.

Tails often berated Sonic for never bothering to organize his shop, but he didn’t see the point in doing so. It wasn’t like he had a consistent inventory, anyways. The night threw what it wanted at him, and he took whatever his whims suggested that he should.

The only thing he consistently sold was demon blood, and though his failure to bring his haul back last night was frustrating, he had enough of the stuff piled up to last a week at the very least.

Not that it mattered. He’d be closing the shop up for a couple of days so he could break that faker’s jaw and reclaim the Emerald Blade. Sonic stepped behind his rickety desk and rummaged around until he found a piece of parchment paper. He grumbled when he managed to locate his ink pot but not his pen, and settled for plucking a quill to write with instead.

The blue hedgehog scrawled a quick note.

Closed! Will be back 

With a decisive nod he capped his ink vial. Before leaving his desk Sonic peeked into the drawer he kept his rings in. It was heavy and filled almost to the brim. A couple days away would not hurt him, not that he would have reconsidered taking this journey even if he hadn't been able to spare any lost sales.

Sonic swiftly tacked the note to the front door using his ink stained quill, then slid the deadbolt after a moment’s hesitation. He still didn’t know where his key was… but it was probably fine.

Well.

The shop was locked up!

Perfect.

Sonic weaved his way back through the shelves and barrels and mismatched display tables to the door that sat behind his desk. The hedgehog squeezed through it - it could hardly open with the desk and heavy chair sitting in the way. Behind the door was a cramped and almost comically steep staircase that led to Sonic’s living area. He, just like Tails, lived above his place of business. Most of the villagers did, though the farmers and richer families had strictly residential housing.

The blue hedgehog took the stairs three at a time until he arrived at the trap door at the very top. Sonic had to squat to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling as he pushed the door up and open. More warm candle light spilled from the area above into the darkened staircase. Sonic awkwardly climbed up and through the trapdoor to arrive in the corner of the one roomed space he called home.

It was good to be back. 

Sonic didn’t spend much time up here but he could not deny the comfort it provided him. 

A table littered with potion brewing equipment and ingredients was pushed against the far wall, with a wooden chest containing the hedgehog’s few personal items lying nearby. A small wooden dresser sat beside the chest with a mirror balanced atop it. Sonic enjoyed appreciating his good looks as much as the next person did. A ratty but comfortable bed was nestled in the opposite corner, its feathered mattress sporting a permanent dip where Sonic slept among soft pillows and a collection of frayed quilts. 

He had a small table that he ate at and an air-tight barrel that he stored his food inside. Sonic didn’t do much cooking but he did own a small oil burning stove for the rare occasion that he’d get sick of eating dried berries and stale bread. His water barrel was freshly refilled and still sitting near the single, circular window from where Sonic had dragged it through the day prior. (Was he really expected to drag the damn thing through the front door and up that atrocious flight of stairs? The window was unconventional but far less of a hassle.)

The blue hedgehog owned only what he had need for, and wasn’t one for amassing trinkets or personal touches, though the state of his shop downstairs seemed to suggest otherwise.

Sonic grumbled as he glanced at the wash basin that was pushed into the darkest corner of the room. He’d never bathe if it was up to him, but unfortunately his line of work resulted in him getting himself covered in demon blood every night. Its rancid stench was too foul for the blue hedgehog to ignore.

He reluctantly dragged the wash basin over to his water barrel and flipped the spigot. Once the basin was half full he tossed a cube of soap into the water and watched in distaste as it began to turn milky and bubble up. The scent of honey and cedarwood filled the small room. This particular soap had been a gift from Tails. The fox always managed to gift Sonic with new soap the moment he ran out… it likely had something to do with his disapproval of the hedgehog’s tendency to bathe using only water without proper intervention.

Turning his back on the dreaded bath, Sonic crossed the room to stand before his vanity mirror. His ears flattened in distaste when he finally took account of how awful he looked. There were dark circles under his green eyes, which were bloodshot and tinted black at the corners as a result of taking so many healing potions. He was absolutely covered in blood, though it had since dried to a rusty brown.

Sonic met his own gaze in the mirror, then glanced at his peach chest.

He frowned and brushed his fingers across fur that had once been split open and spewing blood. Though the wound was gone without a trace, Sonic would never forget it. He shivered when he once again recalled the pain and then the terrible cold that had followed.

When Sonic met his own eyes again they were stricken with fear.

He’d almost died.

The thought was unpleasant, so Sonic pushed it down.

His eyes flicked to his injured ear, which now sported a permanent nick. The scar tissue was angry against the blue of his fur… though that very blue was stained with an alarming amount of dried blood.

With aggression in his movements Sonic stripped his hands of their makeshift gloves and kicked off his boots. He gazed at his padded fingers, with the fur shaved down to the peach undertone that lay close to his skin. His palms were still sticky with that faker’s blood. The residue was dark and haunting. 

Sonic’s lip curled to reveal a sharp white fang.

He wanted the blood off.

The hedgehog met his own gaze again. His green eyes suddenly reminded him of the Blade that had run him through, but in spite of its power he was still alive.

It was funny. Sonic always managed to survive, whether he wanted to or not.

His attention drew to the amulet that hung around his neck, his mind heavy with all the memories attached to it. The thing was simple, merely a stone set into a golden clasp, but lovely all the same. Its chain was delicate and the surface of its cut and polished stone was hypnotizingly beautiful. The gem was the deepest blue, a few shades darker than Sonic’s own fur. It glistened when light touched it and almost seemed to glow against even the blackest of night. 

Sonic brushed his bare fingertips against its surface and sighed in relief when it warmed beneath his touch. 

Even when he bathed, Sonic never removed the amulet.

It had been around his neck since… since that night, and he had no intention of ever parting with it.

Turning his back on his ragged and battle-worn reflection, Sonic crossed the room to where the wash basin waited for him. His quills were already perking up and fanning out in discomfort even as he stood at the edge of the metal vat and gazed at the water’s surface. 

He hated water.

With a shudder, Sonic lifted his leg and dipped the tip of his paw into the bubbly surface of the water. It was room temperature at best. Sonic didn’t bother heating his baths, as he hated taking them too much to put any real care into them. 

A whine forced its way up Sonic’s throat as he stepped all the way into the bath and begrudgingly lowered himself all the way in. The bath was shallow, only half-filled by intention so it only submerged up to his middle when he sat. That didn’t stop the discomfort from puffing his fur and setting his nerves aflame, though.

With an angry glare on his face, Sonic began gathering the soapy water and scrubbing himself clean. As he worked the dried blood from his fur, the milky water stained a ruddy brown. The process proved to be more tedious than Sonic would have liked.

His displeasure drew to new heights, however, as he was scrubbing soapy fingers through his waterlogged quills. 

Lodged among his own cobalt blue, he found a stray red quill. 

Sitting in cold bath water, Sonic held the red quill between two fingers and glared at it as if the pressure of his gaze would be enough to turn it to ash.

Shadow kept his head on a swivel as he followed the blood witch Rouge down the cobbled streets of a village nestled at the peak of a large mountain. A brief walk through the forest had led them to the small cluster of cliffside buildings and sloped pathways. This village, Hellsgate, served as a rest stop on a major cross-continental trade route; it sat at the mouth of the pass leading into the Windyhowl Mountains, which were infamously frigid and slicked with ice and snow.

Trade routes over land were dangerous enough as it was, what with the night’s army on the prowl, but dragging a merchant caravan through such a treacherous biome was all but a death’s sentence. 

Though the threat certainly didn’t stop foolish Mobian’s from making the journey.

Village’s like Hellsgate were often founded by trading caravans that grew weary of the dangers of travel, choosing to cut their losses and form communities along known routes. Most did not survive, either succumbing to travelling bands of vicious thieves or the demons that prowled after dark. 

Those that did survive proved to be hard working and resourceful. Villagers that lived along such dangerous trade routes were always cut-throat and not afraid to get their hands dirty. Hellsgate village was no exception. The border was defended by a looming barricade-fence constructed of enormous trunks carved sharp at the top. The buildings were tall and sturdy with barred windows and jagged roofs to fend off swift-footed thieves. Shadow had been greeted upon arriving by a field of tall wooden pikes that guarded the entrance to the village, all of them adorned by severed heads in varying stages of decay.

The heads were likely the remains of those who had been foolish enough to threaten the locals. Mercenaries, thieves, envoys sent from hostile villages. 

Shadow had no doubt that a fight such as the one he’d held with the echidna and the blue hedgehog would have blown over well in a village like Hellsgate. Not that any lesser life form would have been capable of getting his head on a pike… but nonetheless, it would not have been pretty.

Villages such as the one he’d fought the blue and red fools in were rare. With their clean, peaceful streets and bright-furred inhabitants. Villages like this one were far more common. This world tended to harden its inhabitants. It was just as ruthless as the monsters that walked its night.

Hellsgate was populated by various pubs and inns sprinkled between towering residential buildings that had likely stood for at least a half a century. The style of architecture alone would have been enough to compel Shadow to keep his guard on high, but the scent of rotting heads in the air paired with the territorial scratches along every wooden surface clarified the message even further.

Not to mention the fact that they boasted a local witch, and a blood witch no less…

Shadow’s eyes kept catching on shrines constructed from wooden crucifixes, candles, wilted flowers, and offering bowls that reeked of blood. 

It was clear that this village was well protected. Both by its own inhabitants as well as the local witch. Shadow wondered why his Blade had teleported him here of all places. If its intention had been to keep him safe then why send him somewhere so obviously opposed to showing mercy to visitors?

Glancing at the back of Rouge’s head as she traipsed through shadowy streets that stunk of piss and dried blood, Shadow wondered what secrets this witch was hiding from him. Perhaps it had been unwise to trust her, if she lived at a place such as this.

Unfortunately, the bloody prints that Shadow’s bare feet were leaving on the streets served as a heavy reminder that he didn’t have another choice. He was getting weaker and weaker. The blood loss was too much. At this point his body felt as if it was made of lead. His limbs were impossibly heavy and his head ached and began to grow foggier by the minute. He hoped for his sake that the bat’s offer of help would hold to be genuine.

Suddenly, Rouge stopped in her tracks. Shadow drew to a halt a few paces behind her, staying cautious.

The bat glanced over her shoulder at him, flashed a grin, and then gestured at a building in the dead center of town that backed up against the rocky cliff face that reached upwards to claw at the moonless sky overhead.

This building was narrow and taller than any of the others on this particular street. Its architecture appeared almost unstable and reminded Shadow of a tower of blocks stacked on top of each other by an uncoordinated child. The wood paneling was mismatched and painted with swirling runes and filigree paintings. Metal wind chimes hung from window sills and looming eves, and the occasional box of night blooming flowers was nailed to the outer wall. 

Only one with wings would be capable of caring for them, high up as they were.

Shadow gave Rouge another glance, though this one was less judging and more inquisitive. She certainly had an eccentric place of living.

“Well don’t just stand there,” the bat laughed. “Come on in, sweetheart.”

Shadow frowned in response to the unwelcomed moniker but followed her up the odd building's creaky front steps all the same. When they reached the small porch Shadow took pause at the top step. On either side of the door were two thickly trunked, sickly looking plants growing from large cracks in the porch flooring. They had gray stems, withered leaves, and stood hardly an inch shorter than he did. The plants were likely taller considering how high up the front porch was. 

Rouge cooed under her breath as she paused on her front stoop to nanny over the plants. 

Shadow watched in growing distaste as she slit her wrist and let a few droplets of her own blood splatter across wilted leaves. Upon contact the blood thirsty plants perked up, regaining their color and standing at attention.

The black and red hedgehog frowned deeper and had half a mind to turn tail. These were blooddrop lilies. They usually only sprouted on battlefields, feasting upon abandoned corpses until they ran out of nutrients and died. Some witches and dark priestesses, however, kept them as repulsive pets. It was a crude and reproachful practice. 

Blooddrop lilies were said to be sowed by the dark gods. They were an ill omen. 

Rouge, sensing Shadow’s growing trepidation (read: disgust), turned to face him with a fanged smile. “Come now, they won’t bite,” she chuckled. “They’re quite cute, really.” She held her arms out, fingers reaching for each of her plants. Shadow’s quills prickled as he watched the leaves stretch to brush against her fingers. 

Shadow fixed her with a glare.

The bat merely laughed. “They’re for protection. And luck. I give them my blood, and in return they lend me their power. Not a single leak has sprung in the roof since I took them in, you know?”

Shadow rolled his eyes.

“Their flowers are really quite beautiful,” Rouge sighed. She left out the detail that the flowers were also terribly deadly if brewed with the correct ingredients. The witch gave her parasitic “pets” a couple of affectionate strokes to their waxy leaves, then finally opened her door to allow Shadow inside. She left it unlocked? Isn’t that unsafe, especially in a place such as this?

Shadow gave the blooddrop lilies one final cautions glance before slowly crossing the porch and ducking within Rouge’s home. He swore he felt the plant’s gazes digging into his fur as he entered… though he wasn’t sure how that was even possible, since they were plants.

As the hedgehog passed through the door a comfortable warmth immediately caressed his fur. Much to his surprise, the inside of the witch’s keep was not filled with bones and severed limbs and pentacles drawn in salt and blood, but rather cozy and welcoming.

Once he stepped within Rouge shut the door behind him.

The moment they were shielded from the hedgehog’s sight, the pair of blood thirsty plants scrambled to lap up the puddles of blood he’d left all over the porch.

Shadow, ignorant of his unwilling blood offering to the blooddrop lilies, gawked around the witch’s abode. The space was windowless but not confiningly so. The floors were made up of polished mosaic tile that looked age old in some places and freshly sealed in others. Potted plants of all shapes and colors hung from the ceiling, as well as racks of herbs and roots and mushrooms. Tidy shelves lined the walls, loaded to the brim with colorful potions, pouches of finely ground powder, and totems of everything from love to sleepless nights.

A mismatched collection of masterfully carved wooden tables were arranged in an easily navigable manner and spread about the space. They were also loaded with strange items. Crystals and jars of eyes and vials of raw demon blood. Shadow even spotted an assortment of jarred fruit preserves. He wondered what terrible spells and poisons they were laced with. 

“Welcome to my shop!” Rouge declared with a flourish of her wings and a graceful bow. As she stood she shrugged out of her cloak and tossed it onto a nearby hat rack, revealing a very… revealing… garment underneath. It was a black, sleeveless dress slitted up each hip with a low neckline in the shape of a heart. She wore matching gloves that stretched past her elbows and skin tight flat footed boots that revealed the toes of her lower paws. How provocative. 

Shadow didn’t loosen his glare as he glanced behind the bat to see a well maintained shrine to the dark gods that sat beneath two enormous bookshelves that were filled to the brim with ancient looking tomes. He wondered what horrible manner of rituals were detailed within those pages.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Rouge muttered. 

Shadow stared blankly at her.

The bat rolled her eyes. “No matter.” She gestured with her hand for him to follow and wandered towards the back corner of the shop where a doorway covered by a curtain of hanging beads lurked. Once Shadow reluctantly followed her through he found a smaller, cozier room furnished with two plush couches, thick demon-pelt rugs, and kerosine lamps with glass tinted pink to stain the space soft and warm. A steep staircase was tucked into the corner with nothing but shadows to show for whatever was at the top.

Rouge gestured at Shadow to take one of the couches.

He obeyed her order, even as it resulted in staining the pale fabric with his blood. 

“Lay back,” Rouge instructed. She was rooting around in a small shelf pushed into the corner. Shadow’s eyes caught the familiar tint of healing potions catching the candle light. 

So she really was going to heal him.

Perhaps fate was in his favor this night. His amulet warmed in agreement.

Shadow swung his legs onto the couch and laid against the cushions, making sure to tuck his quills to avoid ripping the thing to shreds. He then regretted it, because laying had resulted in causing the world to begin spinning around him. He hissed and clutched tighter at his midsection. 

“This might hurt just a little, but it’ll get you patched up,” Rouge thought aloud as she sauntered over to the couch where Shadow lay bleeding. She held up a squat glass vial for him to see. The shade of the healing potion was so dark that he could have mistaken it for raw demon blood. 

Shadow reluctantly removed his arm from where he’d been clutching it against his stomach, an invitation to the witch to do what she’d volunteered herself for. Without the added pressure, fresh blood immediately bubbled up. Rouge gazed at the jagged wound with an amused smirk on her face. 

“Whatever happened to you, honey?” she cooed. She popped the lid off the potion with a thumb. 

Shadow felt his ears flatten subconsciously against his quills as he watched a waft of steam rise from the neck of the bottle. His sensitive nose picked up on the scent of soft lavender and sticky chamomile. The scent cover was so potent that it managed to completely suppress the rancid stench of the potion’s raw ingredients. Of all the hints he could have taken, Shadow took this as proof that this bat knew what she was doing.

“Try not to scream~” the bat purred, before upending the bottle and spilling the viscous liquid directly into Shadow’s gaping wound.

The moment the potion touched the hedgehog’s exposed flesh he was consumed by a world of pain. It ripped through him, red hot and vicious. His vision blurred and his organs screamed as they were laced back together. A terrible sizzling rose from his stomach as the skin bubbled and his blood began to thicken into a sickening foam. 

Shadow ground his teeth but did not scream. He clenched his fists and his entire body went rigid, but he did not thrash or wail.

Rouge watched on with a curiosity twinkling in her eyes.

The potion finished its work over the span of ten agonizing seconds. Once Shadow’s fur had finally regrown and his injury had been fully healed, he deflated and released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He was still covered in blood, but at least the last of it would be staying on the inside where it belonged. 

Shadow didn’t move from where he lay on the couch. He was suddenly overcome with an oppressive sense of exhaustion. He could hardly convince his fingers to twitch. The soft scent of lavender still caressed his nostrils. 

“You’re lucky to be alive,” Rouge commented. She tossed the empty potion vial carelessly behind her, leaving it to clatter to the floor and roll into the corner. “To be perfectly honest, I was a little concerned that you’d be beyond saving. Even with my years of expertise at your disposal.”

Shadow dragged his eyes to her and tried to glare, but only managed a light scowl at best. He was rendered completely useless. That damn potion had wreaked havoc on his body… or perhaps his injury had. Either way, the witch had a prime opportunity to end his life or cast a hex on him or whatever it was that witches did to unsuspecting victims.

Only the bat made no move against him. She didn’t appear hostile in the slightest, only curious.

It befuddled Shadow to no end.

“Why did you help me?” he demanded, though his voice came out as little more than a rasp. That damn blue hedgehog had done more damage to him than he’d initially thought. At least that bastard was dead and rotting. There was no sense in Shadow having his pride hurt over such a rough battle if his enemy no longer breathed.

“I already told you,” Rouge responded with a casual flap of her gloved hand. “Providing my services to helpless travelers is how I make a living. Or at least, one of many ways.” She shot him a toothy grin. 

“But you didn’t charge me,” Shadow countered. There was no logical reason behind her helping him, unless there was something she wanted from him. In which case, Shadow wanted the bat to spit it the fuck out already.

At his comment, Rouge’s smile faded into an expression that was terse and difficult to read. “Years ago, when I was a fledgling witch, I drew a prophecy predicting your arrival. I’ve been expecting this night for a long time. I am in no interest to deny the fates and let you die, not if there’s something I can do about it.”

Shadow had half a mind to dismiss the witch’s words as utter bullshit, but considering his Emerald had brought him here of all places… maybe she wasn’t spouting nonsense after all. If the “fates” or whatever the hell Rouge thought her prophecies came from had decided to warn Mobius of Shadow’s arrival, then he’d take that as a sign that he had a pretty damn good shot at collecting the seven Emerald Blades.

With a small nod, though he was unsure if it was directed at himself or the bat, Shadow forced himself to stand from the couch. It took great effort but he managed. He ignored the dizziness that threatened to topple him over and the dull ache that persisted in his freshly healed gut.

“Thank you for assisting me,” Shadow mumbled as he stepped past Rouge, who was following him with eyes widened in shock. The hedgehog could not afford to waste time. He needed to begin investigating the location of the next Blade. The Emeralds only called out to each other when they were being wielded in their true form - not dormant or raw. Shadow had only been able to hunt down his own Green one because of the connection he had to it. Finding the rest would prove most… troublesome.

They’d been hidden away for a reason.

Mobians were inferior to a creature such as himself, but after hundreds of years even they had grown proficient at ensuring that the Emerald Blades would be a pain in the ass to find.

“Where are you going?” Rouge demanded, shaking Shadow from his thoughts. 

“Out,” he replied cryptically as he approached the beaded doorway. “I have a mission.”

“You can’t leave!” the bat exclaimed. She reached out and grabbed Shadow’s stripped arm to stop him. 

The hedgehog glanced over his shoulder at her and growled. “Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, witch,” he spat. “Release me.”

“No!” Rouge argued, teal colored eyes flashing. “You haven't fully recovered! You’re in no shape to so much as stand.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Shadow hissed. He yanked his arm roughly out of Rouge’s grip and continued marching towards the beaded curtain. 

The hedgehog thought he was done with the witch, but a determined furrow drew at her brow as she stared at his retreating quills. She’d spent her entire life waiting on his arrival. Rouge was not going to watch this strange man vanish into the dead of night. No, not until she understood why she’d received such a chilling prophecy about him. 

“That’s a pretty stone, you’ve got there,” the witch commented.

The words seemed harmless on the surface, but there was a hidden layer to them that made Shadow freeze in his tracks, his ears perking up. He glanced downwards, to where the amulet lay against his blood-stained chest fluff.

There was no way that this random witch knew.

None at all.

“I only wonder what you’re doing with such a thing,” Rouge continued. “Carrying something so valuable… it’s dangerous, hon. Wouldn’t want it to get swiped from your pretty neck.”

Fuck.

Shadow turned on her and had her pinned against the wall in an instant, one arm pressed against her throat and the other lifted with claws splayed and ready to kill. “Choose your next words carefully,” the hedgehog growled.

Rouge didn’t appear phased in the slightest by his violent display.

If anything she looked amused.

A haughty smirk spread across her face even as he held her life at his mercy. It unnerved Shadow to no end.

“The Celestial Equinox is only six months away,” the witch taunted, “You’d be cutting it close even if you knew the locations of the other six Blades.”

How the hell did she know all that?!

Shadow needed to kill her now.

Rouge saw the violence flash in his eyes and clicked her tongue in warning. She flicked her eyes downwards, and when Shadow followed them he found a knife seemingly made of blood clutched in her fist and poised to plunge directly into his freshly healed belly.

Shadow snarled, and the witch merely cackled.

“You need my help,” she declared as if it was fact.

Which it most certainly was not.

Shadow opened his mouth to retort but Rouge beat him to the punch.

“Whether you want to admit it or not,” she added.

“I should kill you where you stand,” Shadow spat.

“I’ll drag you down to hell right beside me,” Rouge countered in a sing-song voice.

This was ridiculous. Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform. How the hell was it that he’d been bested by two pathetic Mobians in one night?! “How do you know so much about me?” Shadow demanded.

“As I said before, your blood tells a story,” Rouge purred. “If you really wanted to keep all those juicy secrets secret then you should have been more careful about where you spilled all that delicious blood of yours.”

Her eyes flicked to the amulet.

The hedgehog braced to behead her.

“Oh relax, Shadow,” she sighed, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone. “I may love a good gem but I’m not foolish enough to touch an Emerald. I much prefer my sanity intact, thank you.”

Shadow didn’t recall introducing himself, but it seemed that this troublesome witch had a habit of learning things that she shouldn’t. She was crafty, that was for certain. She had also saved Shadow’s life, and it seemed that his Emerald had wanted him here. Perhaps it wouldn’t be ill advised to at least hear her out.

“How do you know of the Emerald Blades?” he asked, still keeping the witch pinned against the wall. He didn’t want her out of his sight. Not until he was certain that she wasn’t a threat.

“Any witch worth her snuff knows of the Emerald Blades,” the bat boasted. “Though my coven is far more well informed than most. We’ve been around for ten thousand years, you know. I can tell you the locations of the other six Blades… if you’re willing to be civil, of course.”

Shadow blinked.

Reassessed.

It seemed he was being faced with another choice: trust the witch or follow his gut.

Given the success of his decision the first time, as well as his desperation to get his hands on the other Blades, he made the foolish choice once again.

Shadow released his hold on Rouge and backed away.

She sighed in relief as she was released and her scarlet blade evaporated into thin air with a delicate flick of her wrist. The bat ruffled her wings and ducked past Shadow to plop down on the couch opposite from the one Shadow had covered in blood.

“Sit,” she commanded with a flippant gesture.

Shadow grumbled under his breath but complied.

“Good boy,” Rouge purred.

Shadow shot her a glare that could have killed.

The witch chuckled, still infuriatingly unintimidated by him. She crossed her legs neatly and tilted her head to stare down her nose at the dark furred hedgehog. “If I’m not mistaken,” she began, “Which I never am, you returned to this world with a self assigned revenge mission. You want to assemble the Emerald Blades and challenge the army that will cross through the veil on the Celestial Equinox. Quite noble of you.”

Shadow curled his lip. “I have no care for petty demons. They are not my target.”

Rouge raised her eyebrows. “So you’re going after him? You cannot be certain that any archdemon will cross the veil. Let alone the one you have a… personal connection with.”

Shadow’s quills prickled. “I have no use for your say on the matter. Are you going to assist me or not? You said it yourself, my time is limited. Do not waste it.”

Rouge rolled her eyes. “We really need to work on your attitude.”

The hedgehog growled in response.

“If you want the locations of the Blades then I will give them to you, but on one condition,” Rouge lifted a clawed finger.

Shadow crossed his arms. “Out with it.”

“Rest here for the night,” the witch answered, “And allow me to do something about your attire. You cannot travel the globe completely naked, it’ll draw too much attention.” She punctuated by unabashedly dragging her eyes, heavy and bold, down Shadow’s fluffy chest to gaze at his bare hands and back up again.

He had no use for modesty, it was beneath him, but even he wasn’t immune to the Mobian customs drilled into his skull since birth. Shadow tucked his hands tighter into the crooks of his elbows.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “I accept your terms.”

Rouge’s eyes lit up with delight. “Wonderful!”

“Though I don’t understand why you don’t ask for something more valuable in return,” Shadow said.

Rouge lifted her chin to gaze down her nose at him. “I take my prophecies quite seriously. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my responsibility now. Though I must admit that I’m intrigued to see where this little quest of yours takes you.”

Shadow scoffed. “My revenge is not to be reduced to your entertainment.”

Rouge laughed, a light and twinkling thing, like the delicate song of the windchimes that covered her eyesore of a house. “We’ll see about that.” She hummed in thought as she rested her chin on her palm, elbow balanced against the arm of the elegant couch. “You’re blood told me some interesting tales, but there was someone else’s thrown into the mix.”

Shadow fought the urge to glance down to where he knew that his chest fur was stained and matted with blood that was not his own.

“He’s an interesting soul, isn’t he?” Rouge cooed.

Shadow refused to humor her antics.

“I am able to glimpse into people’s minds by coming in contact with their blood,” the bat explained. “It is a most gracious gift from my goddess, though it is most effective when the blood is fresh. I wasn’t able to catch much, but the glimpse I did manage to take suggests that your path will twine with his most intimately.”

Shadow was confused by her phrasing. The mirth in her eyes was not encouraging. 

“If you’re talking about that blue quilled buffoon,” the hedgehog snapped, “Then you should know that I killed him.”

Rouge blinked in surprise, which then morphed into a sinister sort of amusement. “Oh. Well this is quite the treat, now, isn’t it?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “I tire of your cryptic words. I will sleep through this night to uphold my end of the deal, but I ask that you leave me to my rest so I can take leave of this wretched slum as soon as possible.”

Rouge’s ear flicked in irritation. “I know that you’re soft beneath that prickly exterior, but sometimes I find even the sweetest fruit too frustrating to peel.”

The two didn’t get along horribly well, but they did manage to avoid any more fighting or death threats for the remainder of the night. 

Rouge served Shadow a bowl of thick stew that had tasted better than he was willing to admit. The sight of the food had turned his stomach, but the bat had forced him to eat through the state of stress he’d been suspended in since before he’d been frozen in stone. Once his stomach stopped threatening to reject every mouthful, Shadow had wolfed down ten helpings. He hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been after five hundred years. 

Once he’d been properly fed, Rouge had lent Shadow clothes out of her own closet. Unfortunately he would be stuck wearing the same elbow length gloves and open-toed boots, but at least the garments were comfortable… though revealing. Rouge had also gifted him a pair of tight cotton shorts paired with a sash, as well as a long cloak with a deep hood to wear as he travelled. Shadow had been reluctant to wear anything more than the gloves and boots, but after Rouge threatened to withhold her end of the deal he fully cooperated. 

Finally free of the witch’s nagging and aggravatingly friendly chatter, Shadow had been left alone in a room on one of the upper floors. It was small and simple, lit by a single kerosine lamp with only a small rug on the floor, a wash basin, and a soft looking bed.

Rouge had drawn Shadow a bath to scrub the blood from his fur and left him to his own devices. She would retrieve him in the morning to give him a map of the other six Blades’ locations and send him on his way.

As Shadow sat in soapy water that gradually stained a ruddy brown, he felt his memories begin to creep up on him once again.

Everything that had happened was starting to catch up to him now that he was finally caught at a moment of rest.

It seemed as if only yesterday he’d been wandering the flower field with Maria… speaking of mundane things and worrying over matters that seemed inconsequential now that he was on a quest to forge the greatest weapon ever known and slay an archdemon in retaliation for the slaughter of all he had ever known.

All of it had happened so quickly…

Five hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Mobius was not the world that Shadow remembered. It now felt cold and unfamiliar, as if he didn’t belong.

He supposed that such a feeling wasn’t unbased. 

Shadow had never been meant to walk this world. Not as he did now, at least.

He clutched at the amulet that hung from his neck with wet fingers, the fur on his chest now scrubbed clean of a dying man’s blood. This power had tethered him to this world, and now he would use it to avenge all that had been taken from him.

A part of him hoped that he wouldn’t survive once it was finished.

Another part of him knew that there wasn’t a chance in hell that he would.

The thought comforted him.

Maria. I’ll see you again soon. Just give me… a little more time.

You will have vengeance. 

Shadow held his breath and dipped beneath the surface of the water.

Chapter Text

Shadow didn’t like the dark.

It was oppressive, cold. 

He especially didn’t like the night. Not only was it dark with temperatures that dipped low, but it was dangerous and stalked by terrible monsters. 

Terrible monsters that only served as a reminder that he wasn’t normal.

Sometimes Shadow wished that he could be just that.

Normal.

The villagers looked at him strangely. They had fear and disgust in their eyes, as well as heavy judgement and disdain. Shadow knew that the other Mobians hated him. It was only the two humans that treated him like anything more than a smear on an already tarnished world.

Maybe if he was just like the rest of them, instead of whatever it is that he was, they wouldn’t look at him like that. 

Shadow was a rather melancholy hoglet. 

He’d seen things that no mortal should have seen, and experienced horrors greater than any could possibly imagine. Yet he was hated for his mere survival, feared for the aspects of himself that had ensured he hadn’t died on that horrific night, long since obscured by a hazy fog over his memory.

Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform, or at least that’s what the alchemist told him, but the villagers seemed to see him as nothing more than a monster.

He didn’t understand their logic.

It wasn’t fair, or based in reason.

Didn’t they know what the true monsters looked like? The terrible beasts that prowled the night with sharp fangs and jagged claws and pelts that moved like living shadows? They howled and shrieked and slaughtered anyone stupid enough to stray outside of the Emerald’s protective field. Just last week they had torn one of the farmers to shreds and decorated the surrounding trees with his remains. 

So how was it that they feared Shadow just as much as they feared the night’s army? Was he really that terrible?

Whenever Shadow gazed at his ebony fur or the stripes that ran down his limbs, he wondered if he really was. Whenever he lost his bearings and felt his form begin to slip… he wished that he’d just died that night, rather than be turned into this.

It had been about three weeks since the last incident. The alchemist was confident that Shadow would be able to withstand the strain of the moon’s power, but the young hedgehog had his doubts.

With each night that passed, the date grew closer and closer.

In spite of his fear he trained with the alchemist and obediently sat for any and all strange tests that he felt compelled to run on him. His wrists were drained of blood again and again and he was instructed to hold the Emerald for as long as he could before it made him dizzy. The alchemist forced him to sit in the center of intricately drawn runes and hand over his quills to be brewed with odd combinations of ingredients.

The alchemist claimed that he was different from the villagers, that he was one of few that accepted Shadow for what he was…

But in spite of his kind words he continued to treat Shadow like an anomaly to be studied, like a beast to be tamed. 

And the young hedgehog supposed that he was just that.

An anomaly.

No one in this village would ever let him forget that.

Except for one.

The alchemist’s daughter, Maria. 

She was a human, tall and furless with golden hair and sharp, ice colored eyes. She loved the color blue more than anything, and always wore blue dresses and bundled herself in blue blankets when the weather grew cold. She stared at the blue sky overhead and pondered over tales of the blue ocean and spent hours in the fields collecting blue flowers.

She was the most lively person that Shadow had ever met.

Perhaps it was her smile, or her cheerful demeanor.

Or perhaps it was the fact that she was the only person that didn't treat Shadow like something to be feared or studied.

She didn’t even fear him when his form slipped, when his edges unsolidified and he changed into something that really was akin to a… monster.

Shadow was a skittish and quiet young hoglet, and Maria loved him as if he was her own brother. According to the alchemist, though he was of an entirely different species, Shadow was just that.

He hid behind his sister’s legs when the other children leered at him and followed her into the fields to search for flowers and chase butterflies. Whenever Shadow wasn’t training with the alchemist or assisting him in his studies, he was with Maria. She was everything. She made him feel like he was more than the value of his blood or the sum of his differences.

Whenever the nights grew dark and the demons howled amongst the trees, Shadow would creep from his bed and slip on padded feet down the hall. He was often plagued by nightmares, the remnants of that horrific night on which he’d been reborn, as well as night terrors that consisted of his limbs warping and form changing into something he was not.

Maria’s bed was a refuge against the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole and the terrible creatures that lurked beyond the protective barrier of the Emerald, daring him to look in a mirror.

This night was no different from any other.

Once the alchemist turned in for the night Shadow steeled his nerves and darted down the darkened hallway to duck into Maria’s room. She always slept with her curtains open, revealing the stars that twinkled and spun in the distant night sky. Her quilt was blue and soft from years of use.

Shadow crept almost guiltily into his sister’s room and clambered onto the bed, where he curled into a tight ball at the end of her bed.

Just like always, Maria tapped at his quills and reached for him with open arms and a kind smile.

Shadow crawled across the quilt to tuck himself under the covers with her, the heavy gold rings around his ankles and wrists reflecting the starlight that filtered through the window. Maria hugged him close like a glorified stuffed bear, tucking her chin over folded quills and driving Shadow’s fears away with her presence alone.

With Maria protecting him from the dark of the hallway and the dark of the night outside, Shadow could finally sleep.

As he drifted off a contented purr began to rattle to life in the hollow of his chest.

He loved his sister and he loved the color blue.

Blue meant Maria and blue meant the flowers they collected and the quilt that they slept underneath.

Only this time, when Shadow closed his eyes, rather than seeing the backs of his eyelids as he drifted to sleep he saw blue quills stained with a jarring red, and a limp body lying on wet cobblestones at his feet.

“Don’t hurt him,” Maria pleaded, “He’s only trying to help.”

When Shadow turned to face his sister, he found only darkness.

The dream ended and Shadow’s eyes cracked open to greet an unfamiliar ceiling. It was an experience most… unpleasant.

Even as he’d begun to grow from a runt-sized hoglet to an adult, Shadow had still crept into Maria’s room each and every night. Up until the night she was taken from him he hadn’t been able to sleep without her near. Though the fears he quelled by her closeness had long since morphed from a childish fear of the dark into something far more daunting and heavy.

Only now, when Shadow glanced around, he found not a familiar room and a soft blue quilt, but paneled wooden walls, lace curtains, and a wash basin filled with stained water. There was no collection of dried flowers, no well-loved bookshelf, and no Maria. Shadow was undeniably alone, left only with the terrible reminder of the reckless choice his beloved sister had made. 

He felt her absence like the loss of a limb.

No, like the loss of a sizely piece of his very being.

Shadow clenched his fist against the white fluff on his chest. His ribs felt as if they were going to cave in, but his heart beat on as if nothing was amiss. As if his entire world hadn’t been destroyed…

Stop being pathetic.

You don’t have time to sit and mope.

The black and red hedgehog grimly tossed borrowed quilts aside and stood. Once again, he pushed the pain as far down as he could manage. It brewed within him like a ferocious beast, just waiting to be released so it could rip and tear and destroy. Shadow refused to acknowledge it. His sister was gone, and there was only one course of action.

To make the monster that had taken her from him pay.

With a foul mood hanging over his head like a dark cloud, Shadow slipped on the gloves and boots that Rouge has given him… as well as the cotton shorts and waist sash, though begrudgingly. He brushed his quills back, dusted his fingers across the surface of the green stone that hung around his neck, and slipped from the secluded room in the upper floors of the witch’s keep. 

The hedgehog crept down several flights of stairs, winding hallways, and the occasional ladder thrown into the mix. Once he finally made it back to the sitting room with one couch stained with his blood, he found Rouge sitting on the clean couch with a mug cupped in her hands and a tray of chopped fruit and sweet smelling biscuits sitting on the squat table in the center of the room.

Shadow hesitated at the top of the stairwell for a moment, peeking at the strange woman and once again puzzling over why she’d been so willing to help him.

The bat, unfortunately, caught onto his presence. Her eyes drew to him and she greeted him with a sharp-toothed smile. “Good morning, sweet thing,” she purred. “Those gloves look lovely on you, wherever did you find them?” The bat thought she was funny. She was still wearing matching gloves and boots with him.

Shadow glared at her and continued picking his way down the stairs.

“Hungry?” Rouge asked with a beckoning hand at the tray she’d put together.

The hedgehog grumbled in response. He ignored the steaming mug of tea that was offered to him. He wasn’t hungry. Rouge sighed in mildly veiled annoyance as he sat on the blood stained couch and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I upheld my end of the deal,” Shadow declared, “Tell me where the other six Emerald Blades are hidden.”

Rouge rolled her eyes and leaned forward to set both steaming mugs of tea onto the coffee table. “All business, I see,” she sighed dramatically. The bat rose from her seat and crossed the room to dig around in one of the shelves that was pushed against the wall. She cursed under her breath as she reached behind ancient tomes that looked as if they would crumble under touch and looked underneath ancient bottles caked in dust and filled with viscous liquids.

After a brief search, the bat gasped in delight and returned to the couch opposite Shadow with a scroll of brittle paper held carefully in her gloved hands.

The hedgehog’s sensitive nose wrinkled as he picked up an odd scent wafting off the scroll. It smelt like a crypt, with hints of old blood and rotten flesh, but also smelled ancient in the sense of an age-old library. There was another smell lurking that he couldn’t quite place.

Rouge pushed the breakfast tray she’d prepared aside and carefully unrolled the scroll across the coffee table. It creaked and popped as it was open perhaps for the first time in centuries. For such an ancient and clearly valuable scroll, the bat certainly kept it in an irresponsible location.

“Here it is,” Rouge explained once she’d fully rolled the ancient paper out. It was yellowing and marked with black ink. As Shadow leaned forward to peek at it, he found an ancient map. Mobius’ continents were vaguely drawn with swirling brushstrokes depicting landmarks and characters that were scrawled across the page in a language that Shadow did not understand. 

“This map details the locations of the seven Emerald Blades,” the bat continued. She smoothed the creaking paper with careful hands. “It’s been passed down through my coven, from witch to witch, for two thousand years. We’ve updated it when necessary, of course.”

Shadow frowned, his eyes following messy scrawling where locations were crossed out and added anew. The map was indecipherable at best. “Are you so sure that I can trust this… mess?” he grumbled. 

Rouge shot him a glare. “This map is the most valuable thing you’ll ever lay eyes on. Second maybe to that rock around your neck. My foresisters painstakingly monitored the Emeralds for centuries, you should be grateful for their hard work.”

Shadow tightened his arms across his chest and huffed. 

He would test the accuracy of this map. If it proved to be a waste of his time, then he’d put the bat’s coven to a most violent end. 

“Give it to me,” Shadow demanded.

Rouge gasped dramatically, an ear flicking as she clutched at her pearls. “Oh, the nerve!” she exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from her words like freshly spilled blood. “As if I’d trust you with my greatest treasure?”

Shadow glared.

Rouge flashed him a grin and wandered back to her shelves. “That damn thing would turn to dust if sunlight touched it.” Shadow was unsure if she was making jest or not. “I doubt that map would be of much use to you, anyways,” the bat continued, “It’s old as dirt and not the most accurate either. But I’ll throw you a bone, I suppose.”

She returned to the couch with a second map, this one crisp and new. As she unrolled it beside its ancient counterpart, it revealed an updated map of Mobius. Shadow gazed at familiar continents now marked with unfamiliar trade routes and civilization names. Rouge drew out a feathered pen and ink pot, then tapped it against the ancient map to gain Shadow’s attention.

“As I’m sure you are already aware,” Rouge began, “the seven Emerald Blades are scattered across the globe. You have one around your neck, but if you want to find the other six you’ll have to haul ass. You only have six months’ time before the Celestial Equinox, after all.”

Shadow dug his claws into his arms impatiently. He already knew this information. The witch needed to get to the damn point so he could be on his way.

“The last known location of the Green Emerald was here,” Rouge declared while pointing at the newer map with a clawed finger. There rested a tiny dot on the far coast of the Western Continent. 

Green Hill.

Shadow’s heart then clenched when he took note of the village’s proximity to where his former home had resided. A mere couple of leagues inland.

Personal observations aside, it was strange putting a name to the village he’d terrorized the previous night. He wasn’t entirely sure why he felt that way.

“If you take that thing, this village will be defenseless!”

Shadow shook his head and banished such useless thoughts. 

“This village was founded by a group of echidna warriors, four hundred years ago,” Rouge explained. “They guarded the Emerald there for centuries, and all but one were slaughtered fifteen years ago by a band of marauders from the northern steppe. They travelled down here in search of that pretty stone of yours. They failed, clearly, but not without dragging the echidnas down to hell alongside them. Had the Emerald’s guardians still been with us, you wouldn’t have been so lucky making off with that Blade.”

Shadow flicked an ear. It was illogical to believe that a measly few echidnas would have been able to stop him from taking what he wanted. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. (He refused to acknowledge his near defeat by a single echidna and loud-mouthed blue hedgehog.)

Rouge circled Green Hill in black ink on the fresh map, then dragged the tip of her pen across the Western Continent to the northwestern corner. “We’re here,” she said as she circled the mountain pass that her village sat at the mouth of. Shadow’s eyes widened when it dawned upon him just how far he’d teleported. And without being aware of his destination, too. 

“Luckily for your purposes, there happens to be a second Emerald hidden on this continent,” Rouge revealed. Shadow rose his brows in interest. He watched as the bat drew a long line from where Hellsgate had been circled to the southern half of the continent. She stopped a margin lower than the center, where a large mountain range bordered the southern jungles. Rouge circled a seemingly random mountain then met Shadow’s gaze.

“Talonpointe Mountain is the location of the Blue Emerald Blade,” she declared. “You’ve lucked out a second time, for the tribe of owls who formerly guarded it were wiped out in a horrific massacre. They were unable to save themselves or their civilization, but they did manage to fully collapse the temple containing the Emerald. It is little more than a pile of rubble and skeletons. Finding this Emerald will be far trickier than storming an unguarded temple at the dead of night. But hedgehogs are burrowing animals, aren’t they? Perhaps you’ll be fine.”

Shadow huffed. “It will be of no consequence.”

“Good~” Rouge purred. “I’d advise you to bring a shovel along, as the next Emerald is located in the center of the Mistystep Sea. It’ll be a long journey. Wouldn’t want to waste precious time, now, would we?” She drew another long line, this time from Talonpointe Mountain into the center of the large ocean that bordered the east coast. 

“There’s nothing out there,” Shadow retorted.

Rouge shrugged, “Not really. There are a few stray islands, however. The exact location of the Light Blue Emerald is unknown, as there isn’t much of anywhere for it to be located aside from the bottom of the sea.” She flashed a grin. “Can you swim?”

Shadow rolled his eyes.

Rouge giggled, then drew a swooping line all the way across the Mistystep Sea to where the Eastern Continent lurked across the map. She extended the line to the lower end, where an enormous desert spanned across the entire southern half. “The Purple Emerald is located here,” she declared as she circled another random location while using the ancient map for reference. “It should, in theory, be the easiest to obtain. The civilization that defended it crumpled two centuries ago. There has been no word of the Emerald moving since then, so it may very well be a barren wasteland.”

Shadow nodded. It seemed that the only issue with this particular Emerald would prove to be its distance. 

Rouge dragged her pen up the Eastern Continent until she settled once again, circling a shockingly large civilization on the northern coast. “The Yellow Emerald is rumored to be held in New Yolk City.”

“Rumored?” Shadow mumbled.

Rouge nodded, “Yup! It’s quite difficult to keep up with the Eastern continent, you see? The Emerald was supposed to be buried somewhere in the Netherrot Jungle, but apparently it recently fell into the hands of a… fascinating character.”

“Who?” Shadow demanded.

“Worry about the details later, hon,” the bat cooed. “I’d worry about swimming to the bottom of the ocean before searching all of New Yolk for a mysterious gem thief. It’s the largest civilization in all of history, you know?”

Shadow felt a growl rise up in the back of his throat. He cursed the entire Mobian race twice over for scattering the Emeralds so thoroughly. 

“The Red Emerald may prove tricky,” Rouge said with a smile that Shadow didn’t like. She drew her pen further and further north, until she reached the Frozen Sheet. It was a strip of ocean that stretched between the Eastern and Northern continents. The surface of the water was completely frozen over, but quite perilous to cross. Shadow was not looking forward to this particular leg of his journey.

When Rouge finally rested her pen, she was on the other side of the Frozen Sheet, circling a civilization on the Northern Continent. “The Red Emerald has rested in the Citadel of Sol for the past several centuries. It is an heirloom of the royal family, and will take quite the heist to steal.”

Shadow ground his teeth, pondering over how he was going to accomplish all of this in a mere six months. If he were anyone else, the task would have proven impossible.

“The final Emerald lies in the northern steppe,” Rouge said as she dragged her pen to the opposite end of the Northern Continent. “Even though it is closest to our current location, I would advise that you go after it last. The White Blade is in the hands of the Winter Warlock.”

“That name means nothing to me,” Shadow replied.

“It should,” Rouge snorted. “That man is dangerous. He only recently acquired the White Emerald, but he’s razed half the Northern Continent to the ground in a mere two decades. He’s made an empire for himself.”

Shadow frowned.

Such displays of power were unheard of in this world. It was near impossible to keep a tiny village afloat with the night’s army on the prowl, but an entire empire? And especially one in the far north, where crops refused to grow and blizzards raged relentlessly?

Shadow shook his quills.

He would not waste brain power speculating. 

It did not matter who stood in his way; an emperor, a rogue swordsman, or even a god. He would collect the Emerald Blades and no one was going to get in his fucking way.

After blowing on the drying ink for a moment Rouge rolled the map she’d drawn up and handed to Shadow. “I’d keep that in a safe place, if I were you,” she advised with a serious expression on her face. “We’d hate to see this information fall into the wrong hands.”

Shadow grunted and took the map from her, before stuffing it into the sash that was wrapped around his waist.

Rouge rolled her eyes and marched back over to her shelves to procure a satchel. She threw it at Shadow, who caught it and slipped the map inside. “Thank you for assisting me,” Shadow grumbled as he stood. “Pray for your own sake that this information will prove accurate.”

The bat hissed in annoyance under her breath. “Quite the heartfelt apology.”

Shadow ignored her retort and exited the back room. On the way past the witch’s hat rack he collected the cloak she had gifted him and hooked it around his shoulders. Its dark fabric fell all the way to his ankles and felt soft against his fur. He marched towards the front door with the map the witch had drawn for him pictured in his mind’s eye. It would take three days to reach Talonpointe Mountain even if he ran the whole way. He needed to get there as fast as possible. Spare time needed to be saved for the longer legs of his journey.

“I had a feeling you’d want to leave immediately,” Rouge called as he laid his hand on the doorknob. “But don’t worry, I packed last night!”

What?

Shadow glanced over his shoulder to find the bat shrugging a satchel twin to his own (though stuffed to the brim) over her shoulder with her short cloak already clasped around her neck. She shot him a toothy grin as she crossed the shop to join him at the door.

“You are not accompanying me,” Shadow deadpanned.

The witch gasped, eyes widening. “Of course I am!”

“Absolutely not,” Shadow growled. “This is my mission, my revenge. It has nothing to do with you.”

Rouge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’ve spent my entire unholy career awaiting your arrival and preparing for whatever events might follow. You want to fight back against the night’s army on the Celestial Equinox, and I want in.”

Shadow scrutinized this strange bat. Why did she insist on being so friendly? They were total strangers.

“Do you have any idea of the horrors that will pass through the veil on the Celestial Equinox?” the hedgehog demanded. He had no patience for ignorant fools attempting to get under his feet and slow him down. 

Rouge took offence to his question. “Of course I do. On the night of the planets’ alignment the veil between our realm and that hell all but drops. Demons flood our world and creatures that normally would be too powerful to pass through jump at the opportunity to wreak havoc. Thousands die every time it occurs. Nations fall. Species go extinct. But for once, someone is willing to do something about it. I will be able to predict the location of this Equinox’s tear in reality and direct you to it. If you collect the Emerald Blades and form the Master Glaive then you’ll be able to hold the night’s army back and save thousands of innocent lives!”

With each word of her passionate speech Shadow felt a dull rage begin to stew within him. 

“I could not give less of a shit about saving lives,” the black and red hedgehog spat. No noble warrior had shown up to save him. Why should he bother jumping to the rescue of whatever unfortunate village the veil caved on top of? There was only one demon he was interested in fighting, and he’d pass through the veil himself if he had to. If it meant hunting that monster down and ripping him limb from limb, he’d do anything. However terrible. However vile. 

Rouge blanched at Shadow’s declaration, then frowned.

“I witnessed your resolve myself when I read your blood, so I’m not sure why I should bother being disappointed,” she grumbled. “Though, whether it’s your intention or not, lives will be saved as a result of your actions on the Celestial Equinox. You will have to kill hundreds of demons in order to find the one that you’re after. I want to help you.”

Shadow scoffed. “You don’t seem the type to care much for the well being of strangers.”

Rouge huffed and flipped her white curls. “Fine, you caught me. I don’t care that much, but if I can reap the spoils of the battle and get my hands on the corpse of an archdemon…” Her eyes glistened darkly. “There are so many fun things I’d be able to whip up. And, of course, it would be lovely to lay eyes on the glorious gem that results in combining the seven Emeralds. I have a bit of an affinity for diamonds, you see?”

Shadow glanced around at the shelves and shelves of shiny rocks and found himself unsurprised. He’d seen the way the bat looked at his amulet. Even if she knew not to touch it, he knew she’d considered it.

“And saving lives, or whatever,” Rouge sighed, continuing her speech. “I don’t particularly like to get my hands dirty, but can you imagine how grateful the people we save will be? Just think, what if the tear opens up over a rich city-state?! They’ll shower us in gold and jewels!”

Shadow growled under his breath. “I have no interest in mortal gain.” He hadn’t bothered to think about what he’d do after he completed his mission. There was no point in doing so. “And I have no care for your selfish reasons,” the hedgehog continued, “Your map is appreciated but your presence is no longer necessary. You’d only slow me down. I will do this alone.”

He turned his back on the witch and ripped the door open. The morning breeze that hit him was slightly chilled by the snow capped peaks that lurked all around. The witch’s glare burrowed into his quills but he ignored it.

“I didn’t ask for your permission,” Rouge spat.

Shadow felt a growl rising in his throat as the bat followed him out the door and down the porch steps. He turned on his heel to face her with fangs bared in warning. “You will not follow me,” he commanded, though it was more of a threat.

The bat, once again, was utterly unphased by Shadow’s threats. She planted her gloved hands on her hips and fixed him with an icy glare that would have sent a lesser man to his knees. “You really think that you can do this on your own?”

“I am the Ultimate Lifeform,” Shadow replied. It was answer enough.

The witch was unamused. “Charming. I did sense something off about your blood, but I doubt that it will help you much in the long run. Collecting the Emerald Blades will not be easy, no matter what strange power you may possess. Without someone watching your back, you will get yourself killed. I won’t stand by and watch my hard work predicting your arrival and saving your life go to waste.”

Shadow glared at Rouge, and Rouge glared right back at him.

She was stubborn, he’d give her that. She was undeniably powerful, too, but that didn’t mean that Shadow wanted an unwanted visitor following him across the world and back. This was for him to do and for him to do alone. Maria’s justice could only be delivered by him. It didn’t matter how much this witch liked to stick her nose where it didn’t belong. 

“You couldn’t keep up with me if you tried,” the dark furred hedgehog said darkly. Leaving these as his parting words, Shadow took off at a full sprint, heading southwest. He vanished in a flash of red quills and didn’t give the bothersome witch the chance to argue. 

Rouge watched with a dissatisfied glare as the black and red hedgehog disappeared in a flash.

He was certainly fast, but that didn’t mean he’d be able to chase Rouge off the hunt. 

Of all the people she’d expected to arrive, Shadow the Hedgehog had exceeded her expectations in the worst way possible. He was rude, full of himself, and reckless enough to be considered suicidal. But after the things she’d seen in his battleground of his tortured mind… she understood. 

With a sigh, Rouge turned on her heel to take one last look at her lovely home. 

She’d be gone for quite a while.

The bat was reluctant to leave the comforts of Hellsgate (and the depth of the resident’s pockets) behind, but an epic journey would add a certain spice to her life that had been lacking as of late. Besides, who in their right mind would pass up an opportunity to amass the Emerald Blades? Such power, such beautiful gems… she had to see it for herself! Maybe she’d be able to convince Shadow to lend her one once his quest was completed? She had the perfect spot on her shelf to keep it. He was probably tall enough to place it up there…

Rouge smirked. 

This would be fun.

She was just about to leave, when she noticed something.

There, on her porch, her lovely blooddrop lilies had created something wonderful.

Grin widening, Rouge climbed her porch steps and stood between her beloved plants. When she outstretched her arms their friendly leaves stretched to greet her. Standing on blood-stained wood panels, Rouge eyed the soft-petaled flower that her pets offered her. It was terribly beautiful, with white petals that stained the darkest of red in the center. 

“It’s for him, isn’t it?” Rouge cooed.

The lilies nodded in confirmation.

Rouge kneeled between her plants and affectionately stroked their stalks as they embraced her with waxy leaves and deposited the flower in her lap. “Aren’t you the sweetest things,” Rouge murmured. Though Shadow’s blood-offering had been unintentional, the reward it had reaped was presented all the same. “I’ll get it to him,” Rouge promised. “He’ll be quite grateful for your assistance, just you wait.”

The blooddrop lilies wriggled like puppies as Rouge rose to her feet, waving their goodbyes and wishing their master luck on her quest.

“I will return in six months’ time,” Rouge promised. “Try not to eat too many of the neighbors, alright?”

The plants nodded obediently.

Rouge flashed them a loving grin, then drew a fat vial from her satchel and stowed the lily inside. She already had a few ideas of how to make its use worthwhile to a certain grumpy hedgehog…

With a sharp toothed smirk on her face, Rouge spread her wings and took to the skies. 

She estimated that she’d make it to Talonpointe Mountain by nightfall.

That left her plenty of time to enjoy the scenery before the show began~

Sonic released a careful breath as he drew the sharp razor along the last strip of fur along his arm. He’d be on the road for a week and would be unable to cut his arm or chest fur down until he returned. It had seemed in his best interest to shave the fur down to its peach undertone before hitting the road. He liked to keep it clean cut! It made him more aerodynamic. 

Now that he’d scrubbed himself of blood and kept his fluff at bay, Sonic dug donned a fresh pair of shorts and vest, then re-wrapped his hands with clean bandages up to his elbows and did the same to his feet before stuffing them into his scruffy boots. He felt wrong going without the belt he’d worn looped around his waist for years, but there was no point in wearing it now that Quicksilver was gone. 

The blue hedgehog glared as he shrugged the light travelling sack he’d packed over his shoulder and took one last glance around his room. He’d packed food and water for a six day round trip, as well as a blanket so he could sleep while he and Knuckles took turns standing guard at night. 

He had everything.

Now all that was left was to tell Big the situation and say goodbye to Tails. 

Sonic swiftly hopped out his bedroom window and landed with a grunt on the cobbled street below. A couple of passing villagers startled at his sudden appearance, then waved and greeted him with friendly shouts. Sonic returned their friendly cheers before turning to face his shop. The door was locked tight and the note he’d left hadn’t budged from where he’d tacked it up with his quill. It appeared that everything was in order–

The blue hedgehog’s ears perked up in curiosity when he noticed something growing on his blood-thirsty pet plant. 

He quickly sped to the door to investigate.

Sure enough, a delicate flower had sprouted from its highest frond. It had soft white petals that faded to the deepest red at the center. Sonic sensed a peculiar energy seeping from it. He cocked his head to one side as he watched his plant’s leaves swell up in pride. 

“Is this for me?” Sonic asked.

His plant seemed to nod in agreement.

“Oh! Thanks!” The hedgehog extended his hand and allowed the plant to drop its flower into his palm. It was light as a feather and made Sonic’s mind itch when he looked at it. Certain spell ingredients had the same effect. He had an eye for the stuff, he supposed.

Sonic quickly stashed the flower in his satchel. He had a feeling that it would double the luck his amulet gave him. 

Giving his strange plant one final affectionate pat, Sonic rose from where he’d been kneeled beside it and took off at a sprint. Reduced to little more than a flash of blue, Sonic darted through familiar streets and hopped over the heads of excited children. He was itching to get on the road. Something about that faker being on the loose made him anxious to collect the Blue Emerald as quickly as possible. 

Longclaw had spent her whole life guarding it… he would hate for it to fall into the wrong hands.

The amulet around his neck warmed in an attempt to comfort him. 

Sonic pressed grateful fingers to its surface as he skidded to a halt before an extravagant home in the center of town. Knuckles was already there and waiting for him, leaning against a nearby lamp post with a satchel of his own hanging from one shoulder. The echidna nodded in greeting, then joined Sonic as he darted up the front steps. 

The home was constructed of polished stone and luxurious wood carved with artistic patterns. Neatly kept floral bushes stood guard around the outside and expensive metal lamps hung on either side of large oak doors with curved golden handles. 

This was the home of Big the Cat, who had descended from the wealthiest and most influential line of merchants to make their homes in Green Hill. Big had a portly frame with large tufted ears and always wore a kind smile. Though he was undeniably the most powerful man in the village, as he took the impromptu role of lord or governor or whatever it was that stand-in rulers titled themselves, he had always been kind rather than cutthroat or greedy.

He took care of boring business like negotiating trade rates and keeping up with neighbors. Inter-village politics didn’t particularly interest Sonic, but apparently keeping friendly with nearby civilizations proved useful when it came to avoiding raids and recovering from whatever raids did happen, though they were rare with such an accomplished and handsome hero defending their home. 

Green Hill didn’t need a ruler, and didn’t have one, not really. They just needed someone to talk to other important people, and Big had stepped up to the task. 

Sonic was grateful for his service, especially considering the events of last night. Someone needed to inform the village, and if anyone was capable of preventing a mass panic it was Big.

A couple of minutes after Knuckles rapped on the door, it swung open to reveal a tall Mobian with a friendly smile and well tailored suit jacket. “Sonic! Knuckles!” Big greeted, “It’s lovely to see you! Did you sleep alright? That was one awful storm last night, wasn’t it? One of the lamp posts in Temple Square got knocked over!”

The hedgehog and the echidna shared a glance.

“Uh, yeah, about that,” Sonic mumbled.

“There was no mere storm that passed through our home in the night,” Knuckles declared. “A terrible villain took to our streets and–”

“-Okay, okay! Let’s talk about this inside, alright Knux?” Sonic exclaimed as he quickly clamped a hand over the echidna’s booming mouth before he could announce their crisis to the whole street.

Big furrowed his brow in concern. “Oh dear. I certainly hope that everything is alright. Tea?” The cat widened his door and stepped aside to beckon the two warriors within. 

“We have no time for small talk,” Knuckles replied darkly.

Sonic rolled his eyes and shoved the echidna inside. “What he means is that we’d love some.”

Big smiled and nodded along.

Guilt yanked and pulled at Sonic’s gut. He and Knuckles were about to wipe that relaxed grin right off his face.

A salty breeze off the coast tousled Sonic’s quills as he wandered down the street to stop by Tails’ shop one last time before he and Knuckles set off. The echidna marched dutifully along beside him. He was just as antsy to get on the road as Sonic was.

The faster they could hunt down that faker and take back the Emerald Blade the better.

Big had been distressed by the news of the relic’s disappearance. Of course, he only believed that the Emerald was that much. An ancient relic, but every villager understood its power, though they were ignorant of its truth. Without the relic being “amplified” by Knuckles’ temple, there would be no forcefield protecting them from the night’s army. 

Luckily Sonic wouldn’t have to be the one to break the news. Being a local hero was his thing, kicking ass was his thing. Making public announcements and planning shit was not his thing. That was Big’s thing. And that was exactly what the cat had promised to do. Right at this moment he was working on gathering the villagers together for an announcement, though (luckily) Sonic would be long gone by the time the news was broken.

The villagers would be told that a thief had snuck into the temple during the storm and stolen the relic under the cover of wind and rain. Any details about Knuckles and Sonic’s failures and near death experiences would be for themselves and Tails to know and for the others to hopefully never find out. As far as Big and the rest were concerned, Sonic and Knuckles were setting off on a heroic mission to retrieve the relic and save the village once again. Upon their return, they’d be celebrated as heroes for the umpteenth time and everything would go back to normal.

Sonic felt bad about hiding the full truth from the villagers, and especially Big, but the secrets of the relic needed to be kept. The less people that knew about the Emerald Blade the better. The spread of information like this was exactly why freaks like that damn faker showed up and stabbed people in the middle of the night. 

The blue hedgehog rubbed at his stomach, just checking to be sure the wound really had closed up… that it wasn’t still bleeding and slowly killing him by the minute. 

“We are most fortunate to have the loyalty of the governor,” Knuckles thought aloud.

Sonic tossed his arms behind his quills as he walked and gave Knuckles an amused glance. “Big isn’t our governor or anything, he’s just good at talking.”

“A leader is a leader, Sonic,” Knuckles disagreed.

The blue hedgehog chuckled and shook his head, “Whatever, dude. I’m grateful for his help too. We can trust him to keep the villagers inside at night until we get back. With both him and Tails keeping watch, we won’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt while we’re gone.”

Knuckles nodded along. 

Once the pair arrived at Tails’ workshop they walked right inside. The storefront was different from Sonic’s in that the entire front wall opened up as a sliding door to reveal workbenches, tools, and equipment. Sailors tended to drift in and out, requesting Tails’ service throughout the day as they came in and out of the port. 

Luckily for their purposes, no one had made their way to Tails’ shop quite yet. 

Sonic and Knuckles wandered inside, ducking under heavy chains and anchors that were suspended from the ceiling, alongside fishing nets and ropes of varying strength. The two found Tails hard at work in the back corner, where a forge and blacksmithing station were set up. The fox liked to force swords and other weapons in his free time. He was quite good at it, though he much preferred working on ships.

“Hey, buddy!” Sonic greeted as he joined Tails in the back corner. The temperature was noticeably higher, as the forge was still burning hot. 

“Oh, hey Sonic! I finished just in time!” the fox said cheerfully as he turned from his workbench. He lifted chunky goggles from his eyes and grinned. Soot stained his face and thick leather work gloves covered his hands.

“Finished what?” the hedgehog asked. He tried to peek at what his brother had been working on, but the fox leaned against the table to block his project from sight.

Tawny ears flicked and a pair of tails swished nervously. “Well, Knuckles told me about what happened to Quicksilver…”

Sonic’s mood instantly fell. He felt his quills and ears begin to droop.

Tails eyed him guiltily, but a hopeful flash danced in their icy blue depths. “I went and collected the shards from the square last night, and I know it’s not the same but…” The fox stepped away from his work bench to reveal a freshly-forged shortsword set into a hastily constructed pommel. 

Sonic’s eyes widened as he eyed the blade, which was marbled with a familiar bright metal and the dark steel Tails used to make anchors and nails. 

It wasn’t a sleek rapier like Quicksilver had been, but it was something. 

And it meant everything.

“Tails…” Sonic breathed.

“I know it’s not the same!” the fox exclaimed hurriedly. “And I know it looks messy, but I also know how much Quicksilver meant to you, and I couldn’t just sit back and not do anything about it. I wanted to try to fix her up but there was nothing I could do, there was too much damage. I left the hilt and what was left of the blade alone just in case you wanted to keep it and I made this to–”

Sonic interrupted him with a crushing embrace.

Tails startled, but quickly wrapped his arms around his brother’s shoulders.

“Thank you, seriously,” the hedgehog mumbled against soft fur. 

“Of course!” Tails gushed. “It was the least I could do, since I wasn’t there to help last night…”

Sonic broke the embrace and roughly ruffled the patch of fur on the fox’s head. His brother grumbled but didn’t fight it. “You’re the best, you know that?” he said with a grin.

Tails squirmed under his praise but grinned in appreciation. 

Knuckles watched on with a fond smile. 

Sonic reached over to the workbench and took the blade’s handle in his palm. It fit nicely, though it wasn’t as familiar as Quicksilver had been. The blade was of a different style, heavier and wider, but it was still lethal and swift. Hell, any weapon was swift in Sonic’s capable hands. 

It wasn’t Quicksilver, but it was a piece of her. 

This blade held her spirit, though she herself had been shattered as a result of Sonic’s failure. 

The blue hedgehog flipped the blade in his hand and swung it about to get a feel for it. He made a few swift jabs and slashes, and found himself content with its bulk, though it was admittedly unfamiliar. Sonic wasn’t just good with a rapier, he could fight with any blade he lay his hands on. Even something as brutal as the large scimitar the dark furred hedgehog had carried.

Sonic held the shortsword up to the light and gazed fondly at its marbled blade. 

“What shall you call the blade?” Knuckles asked.

The blue hedgehog hummed and cocked his head to one side. “Silverstrike,” he decided. 

Knuckles boomed a laugh and gave a heavy slap across Sonic’s back. “A fitting title!” he declared, “This shall be the blade that will strike the villainous hedgehog down!

Sonic nodded and gave a halfhearted grin. While he wished he could carry Tails’ sword into battle, he would be forced to use the Blue Emerald Blade, or else he wouldn't stand a chance against that faker. It didn’t sit well with him. He shouldn’t have had to go back to that place, not ever. That hadn’t been what Longclaw had wanted. 

But here he was, backed into a corner.

…Was Sonic making the right choice?

“I reworked the strap on your belt,” Tails announced, shaking Sonic from his thoughts as he handed his brother the belt he’d carelessly discarded that morning. Sure enough, the makeshift sling he’d used to carry Quicksilver had been reworked to fit Silverstrike. 

“Awesome, thanks Tails!” Sonic exclaimed. He held his arms up and let his brother loop the belt around his waist. Once it was secured he attached Silverstrike to his hip and adjusted the belt so it lay lopsided around his hips. Tails shook his head at his brother’s unnecessary touch. 

“Glorious!” Knuckles said with a grin. “Now that you are armed again, hedgehog, we can begin our journey in earnest! I knew you wouldn’t have the spine to take our mission with your bare fists.”

Sonic shot him a glare, “Hey, I can fight without a sword just fine. This is just better! And sharper! And more badass in every way. The more damage I can do to that faker the better.”

“Faker?” Knuckles questioned.

“Don’t ask,” Sonic grumbled. He adjusted Silverstrike one last time, then gripped his amulet in his fist for good luck. “We shouldn’t waste more daylight. We’ve got a lot of running to do. You ready?” He glanced at Knuckles.

The echidna nodded and pounded his fists together.

“Yup! I’m all packed! Just let me douse the forge real fast.”

Sonic and Knuckles turned to face Tails in surprise.

Sure enough, the fox dragged a traveling pack from under his workbench. He tossed it over his back before throwing a bucket of water into his forge. Hot coals hissed and steam filled the air. 

Tails blinked in confusion when he found his friends gawking at him. 

“What?”

Sonic shook himself. “You’re not coming with us, you’re staying here.”

Tails’ namesakes bristled. “What?!” he all but yelled.

“It’s too dangerous,” Sonic replied firmly with a shake of his head. Knuckles nodded in agreement.

Tails flattened his ears and glared in frustration. “That’s exactly why I’m coming with you! I’m not just gonna sit here on my ass and wait all week while the two of you risk your lives!”

“Language!” Sonic scolded.

“Shut up!” Tails hissed, fists clenched and fur bushing up, “I’m not some fucking doe eyed kid anymore, I’m coming with you! I wasn’t there to watch your back last time, and look what happened!”

“That’s exactly why you’re not coming!” Sonic argued. He felt his quills beginning to prickle. “That hedgehog is dangerous, and I can’t afford to let you get hurt!”

“You won’t let me do anything,” Tails snapped, “The Emerald became my responsibility too the second you and Knuckles told me about it. I’m going with you.”

Sonic gritted his teeth and glanced to Knuckles for support.

The echidna, most unhelpfully, frowned in thought and then shrugged. “You consider yourself a brave warrior?” he inquired.

“Yes! The bravest!” Tails nodded along.

“I do not see why we should keep you from your conquest,” Knuckles hummed.

“Knux!” Sonic gasped, utterly betrayed.

“What? It’ll put fur on his chest!”

“He’s not– Fuck,” the hedgehog turned to face his brother. “You’re staying here, where it’s safe.”

“I’m going with you, Sonic, and you can’t stop me!” Tails shouted.

The two of them faced off in a heated contest of wills. Sonic glared into his brother’s eyes and pondered over how the hell he could prevent him from coming along. Could he grab Knuckles and run? No, Tails was nearly as fast as they were. He’d catch up. Could he knock him out? No, Tails was too smart. He’d see it coming.

Fuck.

Unfortunately his brother was just as damn stubborn as he was. It would be easier to keep him safe if Sonic gave up and let him come with rather than leave him behind and pretend that he wouldn’t follow on his own terms.

“Fine,” Sonic hissed.

Tails gasped victoriously and jumped in delight. “Yes!” He pumped his fists in the air then pounded them against Knuckles'. “I’ll fucking show you! I can help! That other hedgehog won’t know what hit him!”

Sonic ignored his brother’s gloating and faced the wall with his arms crossed grumpily over his chest. Why the hell was he so weak to those damn puppy eyes? Ever since Tails had been a little kit he’d never been able to fucking say no to him. He was too damn spoiled. Sonic was a failure of a big brother.

The hedgehog shook his head and struggled to stifle his rising anxiety at the prospect of his baby brother joining them on their hunt for the dark furred hedgehog. Tails couldn’t get hurt, he couldn’t. If Sonic had to know both him and Knuckles out to keep them safe then he’d do it as many times as it took. 

At least Tails was smart. If he got into a sticky situation he’d be able to figure it out. As much as Sonic hated to admit it, Tails was valuable in a fight… though he was the weakest of the three of them. 

“Cease your moping, hedgehog,” Knuckles teased while slinging an arm around Sonic’s shoulders. “The strength of three far outweighs the strength of one! With Tails coming along we don’t even need the Blue Emerald to defeat your counterpart!”

Sonic grumbled and flicked an ear. “We’re still collecting the Blade. I won’t take any chances, not this time. I underestimated him once and I won’t do it again.”

“Don’t be so grouchy, Sonic!” Tails laughed. He was far too enthusiastic for the hedgehog’s liking. “This’ll be fun! When’s the last time we left Green Hill to go on a crazy adventure?”

“Never,” Sonic grumbled. “And that’s the way it should be.” Especially with such horrific creatures haunting the night. The trip they were taking was beyond dangerous as it was without the Blades’ involvement. Not that Sonic had any trouble kicking demon ass, it was Knuckles and Tails that he was worried about.

Tails rolled his eyes at his brother’s needless worrying and spun his fluffy namesakes to lift himself off the ground. He tugged at Sonic and Knuckles’ arms and began to drag them from the workshop. “It gets so boring, working all day to wake up and do it all over again. This’ll be great! I’ve been dying to mix things up for months!”

Sonic frowned.

He’d been thinking the same thing just last night.

He hated to say it, but he wished things had stayed boring. Now the entire village was in danger while his little brother and best friend were running off into the wilderness to chase down a vicious Blade wielder– and on purpose!

If Sonic could have done this on his own then everything would be fine, but Knuckles and Tails just had to come along with him, didn’t they?

Sonic shook his head and forced himself to quit spiraling. 

He was Green Hill’s hero.

If he could defend an entire village then he could keep his loved ones safe.

Yeah!

This would be a breeze! Once he had the power of the Blue Emerald, that faker would be no match for him. This would all be over, Green Hill would be saved, and he’d restore his title of hero.

What could possibly go wrong? 

Chapter Text

Talonpointe Mountain would always hold a soft spot in Sonic’s heart.

It was located near the southern half of the Western Continent, where the weather was temperate and the nights never grew too cold. Talonpointe wasn’t the tallest peak, or even the most impressive. It was a plain old mountain on the edge of a plain old mountain range. There were no discerning features, and certainly no indication that such a remote location held the sacred hiding place of one of the most powerful weapons in existence. 

The Guardian Owls were a dedicated and loyal tribe. 

They’d been defending the Blue Emerald for longer than even they could remember, and intended to continue doing so until the end of time. Over the millenia a quaint yet elegant civilization had come to be on the sloping peak of Talonpointe Mountain. It was all built in a neat ring around the Temple, which the owls kept a close eye on.

With beautifully constructed homes and buildings, all made up of meticulously placed stone bricks, and mosaiced streets that were cool underfoot, Talonpointe was an oasis hidden under all of Mobius’ nose.

Timid willows and sprawling live oaks had been planted on the mountaintop, paired with lush floral bushes and vines that hung from the eaves of buildings and the artistic arches and pillars that lined the streets. Masterfully crafted aqueducts directed fresh water from the nearby waterfall into the village, where owl-made water lines zig-zagged about. Extravagant fountains dotted the streets and personal gardens nourished by the water lines filled each and every mouth with just the right amount to spare.

The Guardian Owls lived self-sufficiently, as they had for millennia. 

History had long since forgotten about their sacred duty, and they preferred it that way.

The Owls never left the Mountain, and thanks to hundreds of years of careful secrecy, not a single Mobian ever thought to explore, no less come anywhere close. Outsiders were strictly forbidden, as the protection of the Emerald was crucial above all else.

Well, most outsiders were forbidden.

The tribe had made a single exception. 

On one terrible winter’s night, the wealthy metropolis that had once stood proudly in the heart of the jungle below went up in flames. The fires burned and raged for three days and three nights before finally dying down. Had it not been for the sheer size of the smoke cloud, as well as the civilization’s tendency to leave Talonpointe be rather than explore and attempt to alter age old trading routes, the owls would have left the destruction alone. 

However, in order to pay respects to those who had been such pleasant neighbors over the centuries, the owls descended from Talonpointe for the first time in history to root through the ruins.

Who had caused this tragedy?

And most importantly, though they were melancholy over the extreme loss of life, had this catastrophe resulted from a search for the Blue Emerald?

Secrets were well kept, but mistakes did happen. Not to mention the sheer impossibility of concealing such an incredible energy signature from those well attuned to the darker arts. There were many questions to be answered.

In the ruin that had once been a grand civilization, the owls did in fact find evidence of a war effort. They saw the signs in the trampled trees and underbrush, as well as the stray weapons and torches, as well as the state of the corpses that were uncovered.

Thousands had died during this raid. 

Such violence was not uncharacteristic of this world, but on such a grand scale?

It was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that unsatisfactory parties had grown aware of the Blue Emerald’s presence in this region. It was irrelevant as to how, as the unimaginable had already occurred.

In solemn thanks for taking the kill blow in their stead, the owls decided to do what little they could to honor this fallen civilization. After standing for so many centuries, it was only fitting that the enemy had assumed they held the power of the Emerald. The owls had been right to watch them burn from afar. Any attempt to assist would have resulted in even greater tragedy.

Once the fires finally died the owls scoured the remains of a once great city.

They dragged bodies from the rubble and cleaned up the wreckage in the streets to the best of their ability. In the center of town they constructed a great funeral pyre. There were no survivors, and no one left to mourn the fallen, but the owls would accept that role out of respect for their great sacrifice.

With a sliver of moon hanging high in the sky, the owls were split between preparing to light the pyre, keeping the night’s army beyond the city walls, and searching fruitlessly for any possible survivors.

There was very little ground that hadn’t yet been covered.

All that was left was the palace, which was so grand and sprawling that it took the better part of the day and well into the night scour. 

The evidence of violence was at its worst within the palace.

Gouges marred the walls and floors, and blood coated every surface that the fires hadn’t reached. The bodies were countless. 

As the squadron of owls assigned to the palace travelled deeper and deeper into the silent halls, the stench of death grew greater and greater. The fires had burned much, but hadn’t managed to reach this deep.

The owls became disheartened the further they travelled.

Many gave up, as the discovery of mangled corpse after mangled corpse began to turn their stomachs and eat away at their composure.

Who could be capable of such senseless violence? And all for the sake of an Emerald? If they had been skeptical of their duties before, then the sight of such tragedy solidified their resolve to continue in their ancestor’s footsteps as nothing else could. 

Only one owl was dedicated enough to reach the final chamber.

All of her brethren had turned back, warded off by the horrors within the catacombs that lay beneath the palace. However, Longclaw refused to leave their assigned duty incompleted. It was imperative that they checked each and every square inch of this fallen citadel. They owed that much to their slaughtered neighbors, at least.

The guilt that hung heavy around Longclaw’s feathers pushed her to continue as her fellow squadron mates turned back to assist the construction of the funeral pyre. This violence had only taken place because these innocent people had been wrongly accused of harboring the Emerald. Had the owls descended from the Mountain when the fires first started, they would have been able to vanquish the enemy army and save the lives of their poor neighbors. 

However, the Elders had forbidden such action.

The protection of the Emerald was critical over all else.

Civilizations fell all the time. Both to the night’s army as well as to the greed of Mobians. 

Such tragedy was simply the reality that they lived in.

It was tough to face, yes, but it would be irresponsible to attempt to fight back against it and put their sacred duty on the line.

Longclaw understood the reasoning of the Elders, agreed with it, even. Such sentiments didn’t lessen her guilt, though. She hadn’t been able to fight alongside these innocent people, but she could take witness to their deaths. All she could offer was honor, but it was better than nothing.

As Longclaw waded through the sea of corpses that lay before the doors to the final chamber, she refused to allow herself to waver. She walked through pools of cold blood and steeled herself against the oppressive stench of rot. The brave owl noted the occasional thickly furred corpse, a trait most uncharacteristic of Mobians who lived so far south. 

The villains that had razed this citadel to the ground had hailed from the far north.

Once Longclaw finally reached the large doors on the far side of this chamber, buried deep underground, her heart fell when she laid eyes upon one last corpse.

A hedgehog with fur of the deepest blue.

He wore an extravagant set of golden armor, and clutched a blade fit for royalty in his fist even in death.

Longclaw supposed that he was royalty.

She had never met the rulers of this great civilization, but the golden crown that lay blood stained and lopsided next to this hedgehog’s corpse was indication enough of his status.

What had this King died to protect, so deep underground? Against such an enormous army?

With her feathers puffed with determination, Longclaw approached the grand door, which hung ajar, and slipped within.

She never could have prepared herself for the scene she found within.

This was clearly a safe room. The floors were covered in plush carpet and rows of storage barrels lined the walls. Homey furniture lay in shards and the dismantled corpses of several knights scattered the room. 

A trail of bloody footprints led Longclaw to a canopy bed pushed against the far wall.

There, a mercenary in dark armor was collapsed against the edge of the bed with the tip of a small knife protruding from the back. He was covered in many injuries, but this had clearly been the killing blow.

As Longclaw stalked closer, she found the supposed Queen of this fallen kingdom beneath the body of the mercenary, still holding her knife to his gut. There was a handaxe driven clean through her skull. Blood and brain matter stained her limp purple quills. In death her fangs were bared in determination. 

Whatever she had died protecting had been more valuable than any Emerald.

Longclaw froze when she gazed into the shadows of the canopy bed.

There, nestled against silken pillows, were three small forms. 

Children.

They couldn’t have been a year old.

Longclaw swallowed a mouthful of bile, then scrambled closer in a panic that caused her feathers to puff and hackle. Countless lives, old and young, had been taken, but not these. Just once, could innocent lives be spared? Gaia tell her she wasn’t too late–

Pink, green, and blue quills were deathly still. 

The enemy had been slain before they could reach the three hoglets, but they’d been laying in here alone for three days.

Starving.

With the corpse of their mother soaking the end of the bed with hers and her murderer’s blood.

Longclaw bit back tears.

If only the Elders hadn’t been so heartless.

If only they’d travelled down the Mountain sooner!

Every single person in the citadel was dead.

They had all been burned or slain, but these three could have been spared.

Longclaw finally began to crumble beneath the stress, beneath the terrible things she’d seen. This was all her fault. Her people’s fault. They really thought that they could make up for their selfishness with a petty funeral? As if burning the evidence of their failures could even begin to atone?

A sob began to work its way up her throat.

She choked it back, and would be forever grateful that she did.

For in her refusal to disturb the silence, a tiny mewl was heard.

Longclaw lurched across the bed in an instant.

Two bodies lay terribly still, but blue quills twitched weakly. 

Longclaw was overcome with a powerful storm of emotions. Heartbreak, guilt, relief, desperation… and above all else, a world shattering determination to protect.

With careful feathers, the Guardian Owl pried the lone survivor from where he lay between his siblings’ cold quills. He was tiny, the runt, and barely clinging to life. It was a miracle that he’d managed to survive this long, weak and sickly as he was.

His distressed cries were tiny and weak, but with the last of his strength he reached towards Longclaw.

Everything had been taken from him, but at least he was no longer alone.

The owl gently clutched the tiny hoglet against the soft feathers on her chest. He was so cold.

She would warm him up. She would save his life. She would care for him as his parents no longer could.

Breaking every rule that had ever been drilled into her mind, Longclaw abandoned her post and brought the tiny hedgehog back to Talonpointe Mountain. The Elders threatened to have her executed for her crimes, but she did not care. She nursed the hoglet back to health and cared for him as if he was her own. She had been unable to hatch chicks of her own, but this child was just as much hers as any of her failed pregnancies had been.

Longclaw was stripped of her military rank for her crimes, but was successful in convincing the Elders to make an exception. 

After all, the young Prince was too young to remember anything of his past life. All he’d ever know would be the Mountain, the owls, and their duty. Hedgehogs were strong, resilient creatures. If they played their cards right, the owls could have a great warrior on their hands. 

Additionally… the standing Emerald Guard sensed something special about the young hoglet. 

Something she had previously only identified in herself.

He was chosen.

The Elders approved of Longclaw’s decision to take in the young hedgehog. But only under the conditions that he would never be told about his true origins, and that he would never be allowed to leave. He would live as the Guardian Owls did, and he would defend the Emerald as an apprentice to the Emerald Guard once he came of age.

So it was done.

The owls made one single exception, and raised the young hedgehog as if he was their own.

While withdrawn and isolated, the owls were quite accepting and kind.

Sonic was raised to value kindness and the lives of others, as well as drilled with a sense of duty and responsibility that most in this world did not bother to take up. The young hoglet was raised in peace in the village of Talonpointe, defended from the night’s army by the Emerald they defended and loved by Longclaw as if she had hatched him herself.

He was bright like the sun and as hyper as a bubbling brook. The owls cared for him deeply and spoiled him in some sort of odd repentance for their role in the destruction of his birthplace. He was as much as a Guardian as they were, and pledged himself to their cause just as deeply as Longclaw herself did.

When Sonic dreamed, he saw bright green slopes and leaves that blew on crisp mountain breezes. He saw sparkling water lines, well kept gardens, and smiling feathered faces. He saw elegant architecture and the walls of the temple that he marched around playing patrol in his early childhood. 

As the years had passed, he’d gradually lost touch with most of his earliest memories. He could recall the occasional glimpse or a brief blip of a meaningful moment, but the older he got the more Talonpointe left him. He could only truly return or remember in sleep, when his subconscious would awaken and sooth him with sweet memories and soft embraces. 

Sonic was most grateful when he drifted from consciousness to awaken in a time that had been much simpler, in a place that he could long for but not even properly picture in his mind.

He was smaller, with his quills short and messy and stuffed with youthful fluff. Crisp air ruffled his fur and the feathers he kept pinned amongst his quills. Mosaiced streets were cool beneath his loosely wrapped feet and the sweet scent of the flowers he’d collected caressed his nose. 

When Sonic skipped past the fountain of the Blind Paladin, spilling a sparkling stream of water from the tip of his elegant blade, his smile threatened to split his face as his childhood home came into view. The hut was small and delicate, with carefully placed bricks and a neat tiled roof. The flowers outside were a soft red as they came into bloom. Longclaw always planted red, as she knew how much Sonic adored the color. 

It was bright and lively, while also warm and loving. Just like the kind villagers that played with him and the doting mother that laced his quills with feathers upon his request and sang softly to him as she rocked him to sleep.

Sonic skipped into a sprint as he caught sight of his adopted mother. 

At the sound of his excited shout, Longclaw turned around and greeted him with a loving grin. Dropping her gardening tools she opened her wings for Sonic to leap into them. He buried his face in her soft feathers and hugged her tight. An affectionate hum rose up in her throat as she nuzzled her beak against his quills.

Sonic loved Longclaw. He loved his mother and he loved his village and he loved the red flowers that grew in the front lawn.

“I picked these for you!” Sonic exclaimed as he hopped out of Longclaw’s arms. 

She knelt affectionately down to his height and held out her wing to accept the small bouquet from him.

Sonic grinned as he handed her the messily constructed bouquet of flowers. Red tulips and roses and zinnias and poppies, all picked from the flower beds and gardens that were sprinkled about.

“Thank you, sweetheart, they’re lovely,” the owl cooed. She ruffled Sonic’s quills as she took the flowers. “We can put them on the kitchen table!”

Sonic cheered and followed his mother inside, where she would replace the wilting flowers he’d picked the week before with a fresh batch.

As Sonic passed through the front door he glanced at the lush rose bushes that stood guard on either side. Their petals were vibrant and lush, redder than the deepest sunset and richer than the finest wine. 

For some reason the color tickled something in the back of Sonic’s mind.

“Sonic?” Longclaw called from within. “Are you coming?”

The young hoglet startled. “Yes!” he cried.

Sonic glanced over his shoulder to take one final look at the rose bushes.

There, standing in the front lawn, he saw another hedgehog.

His fur was black as night and his quills were stripped with the same red as the roses Longclaw so lovingly tended to.

Sonic’s heart thumped in his chest and a spike of fear skewered his gut. Why was he afraid? He had no idea who this hedgehog was. And where had he come from? How had he gotten up the Mountain–

“You can’t beat me, faker,” the strange hedgehog growled. Suddenly rose petals were pouring from his stomach and dripping from his hands to puddle at his feet. “I’ll kill you,” the hedgehog snarled.

Sonic stumbled backwards into the safety of his and Longclaw’s home, only to trip and fall into darkness. He fell and fell and screamed and screamed, knowing that there was nothing but ice cold and impossibly deep water to catch him at the bottom. 

Sonic awoke with a gasp.

He scrambled into a sitting position with his claws braced and his quills sticking out violently. The hedgehog was disoriented for a moment, confused by the trees that surrounded him and the dewy grass that he sat upon, until he recalled what he was doing. What his mission was.

Sonic sighed and deflated, making sure to tuck his quills back where they belonged. He gripped his fists in the blanket that had puddled in his lap when he awoke so suddenly. The amulet rested against his chest fur warmed lightly. He drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

He felt rattled.

Seeing that faker in one of his fleeting dreams of Talonpointe had been unsettling. 

Sonic shook himself, refusing to be intimidated or scared.

“Are you alright, hedgehog?”

The male in question glanced behind himself to where Knuckles was leaning against a nearby tree. He’d taken the last night watch. At his back a couple of piles of burning ash were smoking under the light of the early morning sun. It seemed that Knuckles had had a bit of trouble, but he’d taken care of it. As he always did. Demons were no match for an echidna warrior. 

“I’m fine,” Sonic answered him. “Just a weird dream.” He hopped to his feet and began crumpling his blanket up into a ball so he could shove it back into his pack. 

Knuckles hummed. “Dreams can be quite telling, especially when they come to you so close to important battles.”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Well this dream wasn’t. It didn’t mean anything.” Yeah. Nothing at all.

The echidna grunted in acknowledgement, then pushed off the tree with a stretch. “Today we ascend the Mountain?” he confirmed.

“Yup!” Sonic replied. He meant to sound chipper, but the response came out strained. 

Knuckles didn’t call him out for it. The echidna merely nodded and moved to awaken Tails. The fox was curled up under his own blanket beside where Sonic had slept. Once again, Sonic and Knuckles had conveniently forgotten to wake him up for his guard shift. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Tails to guard against the night’s army, they just… didn’t want him to get hurt. 

As Sonic stuffed his blanket back into his pack he attempted to convince his ears to lift from where they’d pinned themselves against his quills. 

He was unsuccessful. 

The dream he’d just had was unsettling, but to be perfectly honest he’d been on edge ever since leaving Green Hill. He’d done a pretty good job at hiding it, as shoving down unsavory emotions was one of his many talents, but the closer they drew to the Mountain the stronger his sense of unease became. 

Now, standing on the edge of the vibrant jungle that bordered the mountain range and gazing up at distant rocky peaks, the anxiety that had been eating at him was at its worst.

It pissed Sonic the fuck off.

What was he even worried about?

He could kick demon ass in his sleep (hell, he could kick anyone’s ass in his sleep), run faster than any other breathing being, and protect an entire village from harm. So why the hell was he so worried about climbing a damn mountain? Sure, he hadn’t returned to Talonpointe since that night, but that shouldn’t be weighing on him. What had happened had happened. He’d gotten over it over the years. He had a new home and a new family now, a new purpose.

He’d been so young, too. 

Sonic could barely even remember what Talonpointe had looked like in the first place.

Or any of the faces of his late loved ones.

Was he worried about Tails and Knuckles’ safety? No, not necessarily. As much as he would have rathered that his little brother stayed home, Sonic knew that he could hold his own in a fight. There was no sense worrying about Knuckles at all. He could even kick Sonic’s ass on a good day. The three of them had this whole quest situation in the bag. Climbing the mountain and retrieving the Emerald would be light work, as Sonic already knew exactly where it was. All he really had to worry about was hunting down that faker and beating the absolute shit out of him.

But that would be easy!

Fighting was what Sonic did.

So why was he so unsettled?

It was completely and utterly ridiculous. There was no logical reason that would explain Sonic’s inner turmoil, and it was aggravating him to no end. 

So, naturally, he shoved it all down!

Sonic couldn’t afford to be burdened or distracted by heavy thoughts and feelings. He had a quest to complete and a village to save. 

The blue quilled hedgehog slung his pack over his shoulder where it belonged and turned to check on Knuckles and Tails. The echidna was already prepared to leave and the fox was shrugging on his own pack with a yawn just as Sonic turned. He had an annoyed expression on his face, likely because he hadn’t been awoken for guard duty for the third time in a row, but he’d get over it.

Sonic fixed his friends with a grin. “Today is the day! Welcome to Talonpointe Mountain.” He gestured behind himself to where the mountain range was looming in the distance. A field of grass covered foothills stretched beyond the jungle’s reach, before they faded to dense rock and jutting cliff faces. 

“You’re sure you know the way up there?” Tails asked timidly.

“Of course I do! I was born here, remember?” Sonic replied with a flippant gesture. The fox’s concern was warranted. Wild areas - locations where no hunting trails, trading routes, or detailed maps had been drawn - tended to be more dangerous to travel through. With no record of whether safe passage was possible, there was no telling how dangerous the terrain would be, or if it would even be smart to cross in the first place.

Sonic, luckily, knew exactly what he was doing.

Kind of.

To be fair, he had never really gone to Talonpointe… or from it. He’d only left once, and the route he’d taken had been most… unconventional. The hedgehog suppressed a shudder at the memory. He didn’t like to think about it.

But it didn’t matter if he didn’t know exactly where they were going! He knew which mountain was Talonpointe and he knew where the Temple was located, and that was all that mattered! He’d figure the rest out as they went.

Sonic flicked a thumb across his nose and patted his hip to check that Silverstrike was still safely hooked to it. Satisfied, the hedgehog took off at a run with an excited shout. Knuckles and Tails were quick to follow, the former on foot and the latter flying with his namesakes spinning wildly. 

Green grass flew beneath Sonic’s boots and humid air played at his quills. He hopped over dips in the ground and stray rocks as he sprinted across rolling foothills in a blur of blue quills. Birds flew overhead and the sun shone as it began its trek across the horizon. The towering, lush leaved trees that they left at their backs cast long shadows over the ground and birds chirped as they flew about overhead.

The morning was peaceful and serene, but these aspects only made Sonic’s unease grow. 

All of Mobius was completely unaware of what lurked at the top of Talonpointe Mountain. Knuckles and Tails only knew the story because of a bet.

To an extent, even Sonic didn’t want to know what he’d find at the top of that Mountain…

He’d been a coward.

He hadn’t wanted to know what was left, so he'd never sought to find out.

Sonic had been perfectly content with never going back, with never having to lay eyes on the carnage that remained, but now the decision to return had been made for him. He pretended that he was perfectly fine with that, because he didn’t have the time or the mental capacity to work through his true feelings on the subject. 

A half hour passed, and the foothills were behind them. The closer they got to the mountains the slower Sonic had to go. Eventually he was moving along at a careful walk, picking his way  across rocks as he scaled Talonpointe’s lazy slope. A walkable path would have been carved over time had this location been on any significant trade or travel routes, but as it stood the mountain was wild and otherwise untouched by Mobians. 

Luckily there were plenty of ledges and jutting rock formations to cling to. Once they got far enough up the Mountain they would arrive at the terraformed area, where the owls had dug into the rock to form the foundation for their civilization and the Temple housed in the center. 

Sonic climbed in silence, and Knuckles and Tails did not disturb it. He was grateful for it.

The hours dragged.

Sonic’s muscles began to ache, but it was a pleasant sensation. Sweat began to gather in his fur and his quills began to grow messier and messier as mountain winds blew them about. The thrill of it all was satisfying, and scaling the Mountain was an activity that Sonic would have thoroughly enjoyed had his unease not been growing by the minute.

He still hadn’t sensed the presence of the Blue Emerald.

Sonic knew how its power felt against his fur even better than he did its Green counterpart. Yet he hadn’t entered the Emerald’s reach. It was strange, as he should have been able to sense its presence by now. 

The hedgehog chose to ignore these observations.

The Blue Emerald was still held within the Temple, he knew it was. He wouldn’t have been chased for days by those wretched soldiers from the northern steppe if it hadn’t been. They’d assumed that Sonic had taken the thing after taking notice of his fleeing the scene of the battle on that horrible night. Which was utterly ridiculous. As if the owls would trust their greatest treasure in the hands of a child?

Sonic shook his quills and banished such thoughts.

He couldn’t afford to be distracted! The Emerald was definitely up there. He’d probably just… forgotten how its energy signature felt. Yeah! He’d done such a good job of forgetting it that he didn’t even know how to recognize it in the first place! That was definitely exactly what was going on!

Having been lost in thought, Sonic was startled when he came about a familiar rock formation. Fixed at the top of a particularly sturdy ledge, what appeared to be a naturally formed arch in the rock loomed, casting deep shadows against the mountain and the mosses that crew in its shadow. Sonic was aware of the truth of it, however. 

He recognized each crack and angle with a depth that he hadn’t expected.

This arch had been carved by the Guardian Owls when they’d first constructed the Temple. Guardian Owls had once stood proud before this rock formation, holding the first line of defense against anyone who would dare hike this high up. Not that anyone ever had been stupid enough to attempt it.

Knuckles grunted as he clambered onto the ledge and moved to stand beside Sonic. Tails landed on his other side. The two of them glanced at their friend, who appeared to be lost in thought as he gazed at the rocky arch.

Sonic found himself oddly frozen.

He was really here.

After all these years.

Everything felt wrong. It was too quiet, too empty.

“Sonic?” Tails asked softly. He rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You don’t have to go in. Knuckles and I can find the Emerald.”

The hedgehog shook his head. “No. I’m the only one who can touch it. I have to go in. Besides, it’s not that big of a deal.” He shot Tails a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “This’ll be great! I haven't been home in ages! It’ll be nice to see what’s been done with the neighborhood, yeah?”

Tails frowned but didn’t argue.

Sonic stepped forward, but stopped before his foot even reached the ground.

A figure crossed through the arch from the opposite side and leaned against the stone. 

Sonic's heart all but stopped in his chest.

But not in a good way. This person was no owl. It was a woman, a bat based on the wings that lay folded against her back. She wore a cloak with the hood pulled low over her eyes. Large white ears stood alert on her head, peeking through slits cut in the fabric.

“Well, well,” she purred. “Are you boys lost?”

Sonic’s quills prickled. “Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” the bat replied smoothly. She reached up to lower her hood, revealing a smirking face and teal colored eyes that glistened with mirth. 

Sonic clenched his fists. What was going on? Why was this woman here? No one even knew about Talonpointe!

“State your business,” Knuckles demanded. He had already fallen into a fighting stance.

“Hiking is my passion, what can I say?” the bat purred.

Sonic didn’t like that answer. The last time an outsider had entered Talonpointe…

He reached for Silverstrike. 

An uncomfortable knot of emotion was stirring about within him. It felt dangerous, as if all the suppressing he’d been doing over the course of the past fifteen years was about to erupt from him all at once. He had been powerless against Talonpointe’s attackers before, but now–

“Calm down, no need to get your panties in a wad,” the bat sighed. She sauntered towards the three males. “I’ll admit that I don’t know much about whatever this place is, or, what it used to be. I only just stumbled across this place myself, but if I’m unwelcome then I’ll be on my way.” 

She fixed Sonic with a fanged smile and rested a hand on his shoulder as she passed him by.

An odd sort of recognition sparked in her eyes.

“Watch your back,” she warned, grin widening almost hungrily.

Sonic’s brows drew into a deep scowl. 

The bat’s words were cryptic at best. What the hell did she mean by that?

Sonic didn’t get a chance to ask.

The strange woman spread her wings and hopped clean off the ledge. She was soaring into the distance between one second and the next.

Tails and Knuckles watched her go, but Sonic’s eyes were trained on the ground. 

Fuck.

He’d really been about to kill that woman.

His hand shook as he pried it away from Silverstrike’s pommel. 

What the hell was up with him today? He needed to get over himself.

“Do you think she took the Emerald?” Knuckles demanded, still focused on the mysterious bat. 

“No,” Sonic replied. He would have noticed if she’d taken it.

The amulet around his neck warmed briefly. 

“Come on,” the hedgehog mumbled. He wanted to get this damn visit over with. The faster he could connect his fist with that damn faker’s face the better. He had an insane amount of steam that needed burning off, and he knew of a certain striped hedgehog that would be the perfect outlet. 

Having grown tired of hesitation, Sonic straightened his shoulders and marched through the stone arch that marked the border of Talonpointe. Knuckles and Tails were close at his heels.

As Sonic passed into the shadow cast by the looming stone structure, his thoughts were clouded and chaotic. The remnants of his dream clung in the corners, while echoes of memory from that terrible night flashed like bolts of lighting in a brewing storm. What would he find when he returned?

The last thing he remembered of Talonpointe was the glow of fires and the burn of smoke in his nose. As well as a goodbye that had wounded in a way that he’d never quite been able to recover from. 

Yet when he closed his eyes he saw not carnage but beautiful streets and elegant trees that shuffled against the soft mountain breeze. He saw flowers as red as blood and soft grass that smelled fresh and clean. He saw kind smiles and still felt the ghosts of feathers that had once been woven into his quills. 

When Longclaw had told him to run, he’d run.

He’d closed the door on this phase of his life and never looked back.

A part of him had always hoped against all logic that maybe, maybe everything had all turned out okay. Even though he knew. Even though that same terrible army had chased him and chased him, never letting him forget. He’d smelled the blood on their weapons, seen the feathers caught in their jagged teeth. 

But maybe Talonpointe had recovered? Maybe someone, anyone, had survived and been able to rebuild?

Maybe there was more than carnage and shattered memories for Sonic to return to?

“I simply worry that you will dislike what you see.”

That’s what Knuckles had said, but Sonic didn’t fucking care. He’d never been able to work up the bile to return of his own volition, he’d needed to be forced into returning because he never would have faced the reality of that terrible night without a significant push. But he’d needed to come back. He’d always needed to come back. There had been no closure whatsoever, only the harmful threats cried from soldiers that chased him day and night and the scent of Longclaw’s blood that still felt like it soaked his fur when he woke up from dreams that turned dark and too reminiscent for his liking. 

Sonic had to see it.

He had to know.

He needed everything to be the same, just as he’d remembered.

Maybe if he had something physical to touch and grab then he’d be able to cling to the memories that had been slipping through his fingers like sand as the years marched on and Longclaw didn’t.

So Sonic ran through that damn arch. He plunged into the cold shadows and refused to hesitate any longer.

When he arrived on the other side, and the sunlight once again warmed his fur, his breath was sucked from his lungs.

The stone buildings, the mosaiced streets, the lovingly tended gardens. The artistic fountains, the trees that shaded shop corners, the smoke that billowed from the baker’s chimney. The red flowers, the green grass, the soft browns of the owls’ feathers.

It was all gone.

There was nothing.

All that remained was rubble and carnage.

Each and every building had been blown apart. The colorfully tiled streets were cracked and buried under rocks and timid plant growth. The willows and live oaks had all been toppled over, their rotting trunks now jutting from piles of rock, covered in mushrooms and moss as they decayed.

It was silent.

So terribly silent.

Yet so peaceful, and so heartbreakingly beautiful all the same.

How could the destruction of Talonpointe be so serene?

The grassy slopes were just as lush as they’d ever been, though now they were overgrown and messy. The once well-maintained water lines had been reduced to the occasional crystal pool, interrupting the field of rubble and weeds. Golden sunlight played against still water and set overgrown plantlife alight. Shattered glass sparked like fallen stars here and there, and wildflowers in every shape and color grew from the piles of rubble and corpses of once grand trees.

Sonic stumbled forward.

He was aware of nothing but the sight before him and the rushing in his ears.

As well as the terrible sensation of all his remaining memories of Talonpointe being overwritten by what he now saw before him. 

His breaths felt too shallow, like he was breathing too often yet not enough.

What was he feeling?

He didn’t know.

Sonic was mildly aware of Tails attempting to reach out to him before Knuckles stopped him and shook his head, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care about what his friends saw or thought of him. Not now. Not when there was nothing left but… destruction.

The hedgehog startled when something snapped beneath his boot.

He glanced down and almost threw up when he took in what lay at his feet.

Bones.

Avian bones.

He looked closer, and found them everywhere.

They blanketed the ground, interrupted only by denser thickets and piles of rock.

All of them were dead. All of the Guardian Owls had died that night. Sonic had been the only survivor. He had lived while the rest of them fought to protect his escape. There was nothing to return to. There never had been.

Sonic had known this for years, but the confirmation felt as if it would crush him beneath its weight.

The blue hedgehog startled when his vision began to blur. A stray tear slipped down his peach cheek.

He quickly rubbed an arm across his face.

Sonic would not cry.

He wasn’t here to have a fucking pity party.

There was no reason to grieve a tragedy that he’d lived with his whole life. He was here for the Emerald and nothing more. He felt as if something inside him was shriveling and oozing infectious gunk as he pushed the chaotic storm of emotions away once again. It was familiar, though painful. Deciding not to have opinions of what he’d seen was far easier than trying to navigate whatever it was that he did feel.

Sonic pried his eyes from the bones beneath his feet and gazed ahead, to where the Temple had once stood.

Nothing remained but an enormous pile of rubble. The sight sent an unwelcome chill to Sonic’s bones.

So that’s how they’d managed to protect the Emerald. 

The Elders had ordered the Temple collapsed. 

Sonic forced his quills to lay flat and began to pick his way across the field of bones and rubble that had once been his childhood home. Knuckles and Tails hurried to catch up with him. They didn’t say anything, and if they did Sonic didn’t hear them.

The blue hedgehog had once known the street leading to the Temple’s front steps by heart. He found that he still did as he waded through dense underbrush and climbed carefully over the corpses of trees he’d once climbed in his early years.

Sonic pointedly ignored the street that would lead to his and Longclaw’s home.

He didn’t want to see what had become of it.

Seeing all of this destruction had been trying enough. He had a feeling that investigating what remained of that precious home would finally manage to break the dam he’d constructed within himself.

Minutes dragged and clouds passed across the sun on occasion. Stray breezes ruffled Sonic’s quills and the sweet scent of wildflowers wafted about. He was careful as he made his way towards the temple, so as not to twist his ankle or trip.

It felt as if an eternity had passed by the time he finally made it to the site he had once sworn to spend his life defending.

The Temple had been built into the side of the Mountain. The structure itself connected to the main peak that stretched up overhead, with a maze of tunnels carved into the cliff face itself. The majority of the Temple was made up of those tunnels, which had been intentional. If the structure were to collapse, it would seem as if nothing remained.

Sonic was likely the only being in existence that knew of what lay underneath this pile of rock.

He’d remembered the Temple being so beautiful and grand. Now all that remained was rubble and piles of bones.

With a heavy sigh Sonic shrugged off his pack and let it fall to the ground.

“Sonic?” Tails asked timidly.

“The Emerald is hidden in a chamber that’s carved into the Mountain itself. I know where one of the entrances is, but it’ll be a tight squeeze.” The hedgehog gestured at the collapsed structure. Knuckles and Tails quickly followed his example and left all of their things in a pile. After a moment’s hesitation Sonic decided to keep Silverstrike with him. Just in case.

The hedgehog skirted the edge of what had once been the Temple until he reached where it had connected with the cliff face. Here, some of the architecture still remained. A large pillar and portion of the roof had managed to stay standing, much to Sonic’s satisfaction. He carefully slipped past the pillar to the inside of the structure, which was now filled almost to the brim with rubble and rocks.

Although, thanks to the portion of the roof that had managed to stay intact, there was a small gap between the back wall of the Temple and the precarious rockpile. An artistic mural had been painted onto the wall, depicting Talonpointe and the owls that inhabited it in bright colors and swirling lines. The paint had faded without anyone to freshen it up, but enough of it remained.

Sonic could see Tails’ curious eyes taking it in as he followed Sonic into the desecrated temple. They carefully stepped over fallen rocks as the hedgehog ran his bandage wrapped fingers along the wall. Sonic was pleased when he found one specific brick that shifted beneath his touch. He pressed down and was satisfied to hear the ancient locking mechanisms of the hidden door begin to grind into motion. It was a wonder that they still remained intact.

Tails all but had stars in his eyes as he watched a hidden door open up, revealing a staircase that descended  into the Mountain itself.

A row of torches sprung to life along the walls, illuminating the thick darkness. A few of them failed to light, but the ones that did lit the passage well enough.

Sonic gave a flourishing bow, then gestured to his friends to pass through the hidden doorway. “After you,” he purred with a smirk. Tails and Knuckles gave him a concerned glance, as this was the first thing he’d said since entering Talonpointe, but followed his direction all the same. 

Soon enough the three of them were wandering deeper and deeper into the inner chambers of the ancient Temple. Occasional torches illuminated tiled floors and intricate statues of owls, as well as the occasional skeletons of those who had starved underground after the main structure had been collapsed.

It was terribly quiet, and Sonic still couldn’t sense the presence of the Emerald. 

The racket of three sets of boots hitting the stone floor paired with his own breathing was beginning to drive him batty. The sooner Sonic could get out of this damn place the better. Luckily he knew exactly where to go.

The Emerald Guard had brought him to visit the thing a few times. She’d been an eccentric soul. Had never quite agreed with the Elders, or been fond of them in the first place. She’d liked Sonic, though! Had told him she liked his spunk and willingness to cause mischief. She’d been the one to teach him the basics of swordplay.

He’d been a toddler with a wooden toy, but apparently he’d been a natural. 

What few memories Sonic possessed of the Emerald Guard had been good ones.

Now all that was left was her corpse.

Sonic stood and stared down at it for several minutes.

She was leaned against the door to the Emerald’s chamber. Slouched over in death, as if she’d sat on dedicated guard duty long after the Temple had collapsed. Sonic couldn’t even remember her name…

“Are you alright?” Tails asked softly.

“Yeah,” Sonic replied, perhaps too quickly.

“I can move the remains, if you wish,” Knuckles offered.

“No,” the hedgehog said slowly. “She should stay here. It’s what she’d want.”

The fox and the echidna hushed at the implications of Sonic’s words. They watched in careful silence as their blue quilled friend pushed at the doors the skeleton was leaned against. They swung open on slow hinges, leaving the skeleton to collapse against the cold ground with a chilling rattle.

Sonic stepped over the corpse of the kind woman who had once been his friend.

The Emerald’s chamber was just as he remembered it.

With intricately tiled floors, walls covered in painted carvings, and large pillars that supported a domed ceiling. An enormous statue of an owl stood in the center of the room, and in its claws it held–

Wait.

No.

Sonic sprinted to the statue in a flash of blue quills.

He had been within this chamber multiple times. He’d touched the surface of the Blue Emerald with his own two hands. It had always sat within the claws of this statue. But now… it was nowhere to be found.

The Emerald was gone.

The Blue Emerald wasn’t here.

What was going on? What had happened?! Sonic had been chased– Green Hill had been attacked because the army from the far north hadn’t found an Emerald on Talonpointe Mountain. Their goal had been the Blue Emerald, not the Green one. They wouldn’t have travelled further or slaughtered Knuckles’ tribe if they’d taken this Emerald. The Temple wouldn’t have been in such pristine condition if they’d taken this Emerald. They wouldn’t have chased and terrorized Sonic for a week after the Talonpointe massacre if they’d found the fucking Emerald.

So where the hell was it?

Sonic’s quills bristled.

His breaths came too fast.

Where the hell was the goddamn rock that his mother had died trying to fucking protect? Where in the fucking hell was the shitty stone that he’d been told to run away from? If it hadn’t been for that fucking rock then Longclaw would have run with Sonic, not left him alone. So where the fuck was it.

There was no mother fucking way that Longclaw had died in vain, and absolutely no way that Sonic had spent the past fifteen years struggling with his memories of that night only for the fucking rock that he’d lost everything to protect to have been swiped by some random fucking thief–

That bat.

Had she taken the Emerald?

Gaia above–

“Fuck!” Sonic screamed as he punched the empty pedestal where the Emerald had once sat. It shattered beneath the force of his blow and took the talons of the owl statue with it.

The hedgehog fell to his knees and struggled to keep his emotions in check. His quills were fanned out like wild. He couldn't see straight. He couldn’t breathe without growling. His hands flew to grip his head and tug at his ears.

He should have killed that fucking bat when he had the chance.

She definitely had the Emerald.

How in the hell was Sonic going to find it now?!

Shit. He’d fucked up. Green Hill was fucking done for if he couldn’t find the Blue Emerald and then find the Green Emerald and then slit that fucking faker’s throat–

“Sonic?” Tails breathed.

The hedgehog could hardly hear him past the rushing in his ears. He could sense his friends approaching him in an attempt to comfort him but his quills wouldn’t lower. They’d hurt themselves if they stepped any closer, and quite frankly he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He couldn’t recognize himself through all the violent thoughts that shot rapid fire in his mind.

Everything was falling apart, everything was always being ripped to shreds. Couldn’t he do the fucking destruction for once?! Why the fuck did he have to sit here in the carnage of everything he had once loved and stew with the fact that there was nothing he could do–

“You.”

That voice.

Sonic was on his feet in an instant. 

“How are you alive?” the voice breathed.

There, standing in the doorway of the Emerald’s chamber.

Sonic had beaten him here by a mere couple of minutes.

With ebony fur and eyes that blazed the deepest red, the faker had shown his fucking face.

“What are you doing here,” Sonic growled.

He didn’t recognize his own voice. Tails startled at the guttural sound of it and glanced at him in alarm. Knuckles fell into a deep fighting stance, fists raised and teeth bared.

“You took the Emerald,” Sonic stated. He said it as if it was fact. Because it was. This hedgehog stole Emeralds. It was what he fucking did. He obviously had the Blue one.

But he wouldn’t have it for long.

The Green Emerald was one thing, but the Blue Emerald was entirely different.

That one was his.

Sonic would not stand for this– this abhorrent waste of fucking air to carry the Blade that his Longclaw had died to protect. That Blade was his to carry, and no one else’s. Sonic was going to kill him. Sonic was going to fucking kill him.

He drew Silverstrike and fell into a readied stance.

The amulet around his neck burned.

“That’s the guy, isn’t he?” Tails squeaked.

“Let me take him!” Knuckles demanded.

“No!” Sonic snapped. “Stay back. He’s mine.”

A growl rose in the throat of the black furred hedgehog. “I killed you,” he barked at Sonic.

“Clearly you didn’t do a very good job,” Sonic shot back. “Give me the Emeralds now. I won’t give you another chance.”

The faker bared his teeth and ripped a cloak that Sonic hadn’t noticed he was wearing to the ground. Beneath it he wore tight boots, gloves, and cotton shorts. As the cloak fluttered to the ground a blinding green light was already building in his hand. The flash morphed into the form of a large scimitar, and before Sonic’s eyes the Green Emerald Blade materialized once again. It steamed and hissed, clearly hungry for more of his blood. 

It could fucking have it, for all he cared. 

The Blade could take his arm, leg, and the rest of his ear so long as it meant he got his Emerald back from this goddamned faker.

“GIVE ME THE BLUE EMERALD!” Sonic screamed. His voice echoed hard against the walls of the temple. He swore that the ground shook with the force of his shout. Knuckles and Tails shared a glance, but reluctantly decided to let Sonic have his way and fight the dark furred hedgehog alone once again. They hoped they wouldn’t regret it…

“I just fucking got here, dimwit,” the faker shouted back at Sonic. “You really think I managed to take the Emerald when you’ve watched me the entire time I’ve been in this chamber?”

Sonic snarled in response. He didn’t care what the fuck this bastard had to say. He obviously had the Blue Emerald! He was just trying to trick Sonic into letting him get away with an Emerald a second time!

“How about this,” the dark furred hedgehog offered, though his words were dark and commanding rather than suggesting negotiation, “ You hand the Blue Emerald over to me, and I won’t kill you and your pathetic allies.”

Sonic felt his quills begin to puff and flare out. “Don’t play dumb! The Emerald isn’t fucking here! You obviously took it!”

The faker’s eyes flashed with surprise, then settled into a steely determination. “Whatever. I’ll kill you and search your corpse, since it seems you're so willing to die by my hand a second time.”

Sonic felt a half-hysterical laugh begin to bubble up his throat. It burst from his lips, echoing throughout the chamber and drawing concerned gazes from Knuckles and Tails. The blue hedgehog tightened his grip on Silverstrike and braced himself for the fight of his fucking life.

So he was at a disadvantage.

That didn’t fucking matter. He’d fought the Green Blade once and knew what to expect both of it as well as its wielder. If this fucker had to teleport to even the playing field with Sonic then that just proved that he was the stronger out of the two! He didn’t fucking care if Silverstrike would shatter against the Emerald Blade. He’d fight in spite of that and he’d kill this fucking asshole before that happened.

Then he’d take back both Emeralds and throw the faker’s corpse off the cliff to break on the rocks below. 

Easy.

With a grin curling across his lips, Sonic leapt forward with an unnavigable storm of emotions clouding his judgement and reducing his vision to pure red. The dark furred hedgehog met him without hesitation, clearly more than willing to match Sonic’s murderous intent tenfold. 

When Silverstrike met the Green Emerald Blade a wave of green sparks burst and blew throughout the chamber. The Mountain itself shook at the force of the blow and the hundreds of skeletons overhead rattled where they lay against the ground. 

Sonic was not going to leave this damn Mountain until he was painted in this faker’s blood.

Chapter Text

He’s still alive.

Displeasure stirred and bubbled within Shadow as he exchanged a flurry of vicious blows with the blue furred hedgehog that he thought he’d killed.

No, he’d definitely killed him.

He’d stabbed him through the damn gut and left him to bleed out and die.

Shadow had been covered with so much of his blood that the scent of it still clung to his fur even now. Yet here the guy was, still breathing and aggravatingly keeping pace with Shadow’s every move. 

What was he even doing here?

The strange hedgehog was clearly looking for the Blue Emerald, but why? He and Shadow’s goals were one in the same, and such a coincidence was most unusual. How had he even known of this remote location at all? Shadow hadn’t even known what the hell this place was until he’d climbed the Mountain and hiked across the ruin outside.

Why was this fool so desperate to find the Blue Emerald in the first place? He’d accused Shadow of getting to it before he had as if it had been a personal attack. His behavior was impossible to decipher.

This was ridiculous.

Shadow did not have time to solve the mysteries revolving around this blue-quilled moron.

He needed to get him out of the way, and he needed to do it now.

Blades crashed together and hissed as they cut through the dense underground air. The two hedgehogs danced around each other as they fought, both of them desperate for violence. There was a stark difference between this fight and the last, one that Shadow had become aware of the second he met the other hedgehog’s sword. 

There was a certain ferocity that riddled his opponent’s blows, a brute strength that hadn’t been there and a reckless abandon that supplied his attacks with an alarming strength. With blue quills standing on end and teeth bared in a snarl, Shadow wondered where this warrior had been on that fateful rainy night. Their initial encounter certainly would have been more worthwhile had he taken their fight this seriously the first time.

Although, as his Blade ate away at his opponent’s defenses, Shadow took note of an obvious sloppy edge. The blue hedgehog was distracted, likely by his rage. His focus was clearly not as peerless as it had been that night.

Was he upset that Shadow had defeated him and out for revenge? It was a wonder he’d managed to survive the kill-blow that had been delivered to him. Someone must have found him and healed him. Like what happened to Shadow. 

Red eyes flicked to the two Mobians standing awkwardly beside the large owl statue. The echidna Shadow recognized, but the fox with fear stricken eyes he did not. It would be in his best interest to get the two of them out of the way after he dealt with this blue menace. He would leave no survivors. Shadow did not make the same mistake twice.

As his furious gaze locked with the icy blue of the fox’s, the tawny furred young man startled and stumbled backwards a step.

Shadow’s lips turned up at the corners to reveal a sharp white fang.

The fox was right to be afraid.

He would be killed next.

“I’m over here, asshole!”

Shadow gasped lightly when his blue furred opponent executed a clever move while his focus was split. The rough edge of his marbled blade clashed with Shadow’s and pushed it aside, leaving him with the prime opportunity to make a jab at the black and red hedgehog’s exposed belly.

Only he didn’t stab or thrust, he lurched in recklessly and swiped extended claws.

Shadow managed to dodge the overzealous attack and quickly made his opponent pay for his stupidity. He sent a powerful kick aimed directly at a head of blue quills. His strike connected and the blue hedgehog shot across the chamber with a pained cry to crash into the far wall. Carved stone cracked at the force of his body and a shower of rubble joined him as he hit the ground. 

The dark furred hedgehog’s smirk morphed into a wicked grin.

So this fool wanted to fight dirty?

Fine by him. 

He adjusted his grip on his Blade and channeled the chaos that swirled within his veins. Shadow honed in on the space right before where his opponent lay, then made his command. He materialized across the chamber in a rain of green sparks.

Shadow could have taken advantage of his enemy’s dazed state and severed his empty head, but he decided to take his time.

He knelt before the blue hedgehog and wrapped his hand around his throat.

“Sonic!” the frightened fox yelled from across the chamber as Shadow lifted the fool by his neck and held him high.

Sonic?

Shadow tilted his head to one side as he scrutinized a peach muzzled face haloed by wild blue quills. Green eyes cracked open and spat fury more potent than the Shadow’s Emerald itself. Sonic. The name was simple and direct, much like the hedgehog’s fighting style. It was fitting.

Peach lips split in a wild grin. Sharp fangs gleamed, briefly drawing Shadow’s eyes.

“Lucky shot,” Sonic rasped.

He tucked himself into a ball with such force that Shadow lost his grip, then spun fast enough to throw blue sparks and rammed forward into a white-furred chest. Shadow grunted as he took a turn sailing across the chamber. His head cracked painfully against the far wall. The force of his velocity had been brutal enough to leave a mold of himself in solid stone. 

His very bones felt rattled and his head ached like a mother fucker, but in spite of that a feral thrill began to rise within Shadow’s very being. His Blade warmed in his palm in giddy agreement. 

Fighting this hedgehog - Sonic - was frustrating beyond words.

Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform, he’d been created for violence, for victory. 

Every opponent he’d ever faced had met a swift end to his raw strength and refined power.

Yet this random hedgehog with unkempt quills, born in a backwater village in the middle of fucking nowhere, was able to keep up with him. It should have been impossible, yet it was. Shadow couldn’t manage to defeat him, no matter how hard he tried.

It was infuriating. 

Although, against all reason, Shadow found the challenge almost welcome. Fighting this hedgehog had proved… enjoyable. 

Shadow found himself giddy to bury his claws in blue fur and beat that smiling face bloody.

The sentiment was odd but he didn’t question it. 

If anything, it pushed him to be better. To fight without holding back. When was the last time he’d been able to go all out? He didn’t think that had ever happened. Most Mobians died long before Shadow could make a truly impressive show of power.

Sonic, however…

Shadow’s Blade reacted to the bloodthirst that spiked within him. The chaos that ran through his veins multiplied threefold, and green sparks began to fly from his fur. Shadow pulled himself from his brief observations and began picking himself from the crater he’d created upon being slung across the room like a ragdoll. 

The victor of this fight was already decided, but Shadow supposed that he’d let himself have a little fun. 

By the time Shadow’s feet hit the ground Sonic was already rolled into a tight ball and hurtling towards him. Shadow bent his knees and readied himself for impact, feeling a laugh begin to bubble up his throat. Blue sparks flew and crackled–

Wait.

Blue sparks?

Shadow rolled into a ball and met Sonic in the middle. They collided harshly before bouncing back, then jumping back in again. Again. Again.

The two hedgehogs bounced off the chamber walls like ping-pong balls, leaving craters and cracks along age-old stone as they gathered the speed to ram into each other over and over. Blue and green sparks flashed and left scorch marks all about. Stray splatters of blood and shed quills fell like the beginnings of a spring shower. 

Through it all, neither warrior buckled or began to fade. 

It seemed that their strength was evenly matched. When legendary weapons weren’t tipping the scales, at least.

When the Mountain itself began to shake and the large pillars that supported the ceiling began to crack and shatter, a certain echidna hurriedly hauled his two-tailed companion out of the chamber at a full sprint. 

The inner catacombs of the Temple were going to cave in.

Sonic and Shadow, however, were far too wrapped up in their game of violence to take notice.

When Shadow found an opening he took it immediately.

Rather than meeting Sonic in a spindash, he teleported above him and brought both fists down onto blue quills. Green tinted chaos energy enhanced Shadow’s strength beyond what any normal Mobian should have been capable of.

A cry of pain erupted from Sonic’s lips as he dropped like a heavy stone. He hit the stone floor hard, adding yet another crater to the destruction the two hedgehogs had rained upon the ancient Temple. 

Sonic didn’t die on impact, which was most impressive.

Shadow was on him the moment he fell.

Sonic gasped in surprise when the other hedgehog materialized over him, then growled threateningly and moved to sit up. His rough cut blade was still clutched tight in his fist.

Shadow stopped his opponent by roughly stepping on his chest. Sonic grunted as he was forced back to the ground. Blue quills flattened and fanned out around his head. Those green eyes burned bright, though now they were highlighted by veins of cobalt blue that glowed and pulsed.

It was exactly as Shadow had suspected.

This fool had the Blue Emerald. Why he hadn’t drawn the Blade, Shadow wasn’t certain. Quite frankly he didn’t care.

Before Sonic could channel any more of the Emerald’s energy, Shadow knelt; one foot resting heavy on a peach chest and one knee digging into a tensed shoulder. Sonic’s eyes widened when Shadow dipped in close, though his confusion quickly morphed back into rage. He squirmed and thrashed, fangs bared and ears pinned. 

Shadow growled in warning and tapped into the chaos in his veins, using it to enhance his strength and keep this idiot down.

The dark furred hedgehog racked his gaze from Sonic’s glaring eyes, across his muzzle, to his peach chest. 

There, lying innocently against soft fur, was an amulet.

A rough cut stone set into a simple golden clasp.

It seemed insignificant upon first glance, but Shadow knew what the fuck he was looking for.

How he hadn’t noticed it earlier, he had only himself to blame. He’d allowed himself to be blinded by the allure of grinning fangs and a well matched fight. 

Shadow saw his own reflection in the surface of that blue stone. The Blue Emerald was almost an exact match to the color of Sonic’s fur. It even glowed lightly in the low lighting. Honestly, how stupid was this hedgehog? He’d just about lost his damn mind while accusing Shadow of stealing an object that had been around his neck this entire fucking time.

“You might just be the stupidest person I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting,” Shadow spat.

“What?” Sonic managed, voice strained as Shadow’s foot pushed the air out of his chest. He squirmed and bucked but the dark furred hedgehog held fast. 

This was too easy.

It was a shame that such a challenging fight had once again ended so quickly.

But Shadow no longer had time to dally.

His quarry was set in his sights, and his mission was far more important than the thrill of grinding blue quills into the ground.

How long had this amulet been around Sonic’s neck? Thinking back, Shadow realized it had been there ever since the start. How many years had he worn this Emerald, unaware of just what it was? How dimwitted could he possibly be, going on a quest for a relic that he already held in his possession? It was quite the stroke of luck that the fool had traveled to this Temple when he did. Had he not, Shadow never would have found the Blue Emerald. Around the neck of a corpse was the last place he’d have ever thought to look.

“I should thank you,” Shadow mused. “You delivered this right to me.”

Sonic growled in confusion and began to thrash harder. It now took a considerable strain to keep him pinned.

Shadow reached for the amulet that lay against that peach chest.

Green eyes followed him, laced with confusion. When Sonic realized what the other hedgehog was doing, his jaw dropped and a terrible panic seized his features. He could do little but lay on his back and thrash like a dying animal caught in a hunter’s trap.

“No!” Sonic shouted. “Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Don’t–”

Shadow ignored him.

He fisted the amulet and ripped it from Sonic’s throat, snapping its delicate clasp with ease.

The moment the amulet was torn away from its owner, a blinding flash of blue light erupted from its surface and engulfed the entire chamber.

Sonic screamed.

It was a terrible sound.

Pained and downright bloodcurdling. He yelled as if his very heart had been ripped clean out of his chest.

Shadow, however, was far too occupied to dwell on the possible implications. 

It all happened over the course of a split second.

Shadow was blinded by the burst of light from the Blue Emerald and found himself stumbling backwards as an unfamiliar chaos energy erupted from the ancient relic he held tight in his palm. It was similar to the power signature of the Green Emerald, which he’d held a connection with since before he could properly remember, yet so intrinsically different all the same.

While the chaos energy that the Green Emerald supplied was calculated and lethal, this power was passionate and wild. As the amulet morphed into the form of a fist-sized gemstone, the power ripped through Shadow’s body and tested his capacity for withstanding it. It was raw strength and it was chaos, but at the same time it possessed a complexity that Shadow had been wholly unprepared for. 

Like a lump of wet clay, squeezed inside the fist of another for so long that it was bent into a shape that didn’t quite fit when Shadow first grasped it. Or the surface of a lake, rippled by stones tossed by a traveler who had passed through before him.

As the power of the Blue Emerald was injected into Shadow’s bloodstream, these ripples thrashed him like wild ocean waves.

He couldn’t withstand the force of it.

Before he knew it, he had toppled over and had salty water piling in over his head.

For some reason, Shadow couldn’t swim.

He wasn’t in the chamber anymore. 

Shadow was standing in a burning village. His breath hitched in his chest and he almost felt himself shatter like glass, until he realized that this was not his village. This place was different, though the glow of flames and the choke of smoke in his lungs were the same. The pain that Shadow felt, gripping his chest like a vice, was terribly familiar yet hauntingly different. This was not his memory, not his tragedy. 

What was this?

Where was he?

Who was he?

Then he saw her. Not Maria, but someone else. The warmth that dripped from his very being like blood from a gaping wound as he gazed at her was one in the same, but, again, this was not Shadow’s love. Not his family.

The similarities, however, were so jarring that he found himself unable to properly shake himself from whatever strange mindscape he’d been thrust into upon unleashing the Blue Emerald.

“You have to run,” she said.

For some reason, Shadow couldn’t quite see her face. Why were her features blurry? Why couldn’t Shadow recognize her anymore? Why couldn’t he recall her face? The mixture of heartbreak and guilt that rattled through him in response to the questions was nauseating. 

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Shadow found himself saying. His voice was unfamiliar to his own ears. The shock of it left him dazed, still unable to regain his hold on reality.

“Sonic, you have to go. Now.” Her voice left no room for argument.

Sonic? But I’m not–

What is this?

“I– I can’t!” Shadow was crying. His voice was cracking and tears were streaming down soot-stained cheeks.

“You can,” she said adamantly. As if there weren’t tears in her eyes. As if her blood wasn’t everywhere. “You’re brave, and strong.” 

No. Don’t do this. 

“You have to live.”

No, not without you.

These thoughts were not Shadow’s.

“Take this,” she ordered. A weight settled around Shadow’s neck. It was warm, but not as warm as the blood that soaked his fur. The blood that was not his. 

“Take this and run,” she pleaded. “Run as fast as you can and never look back! Never stop, not until you’re safe. You have to be safe–”

Then it all shattered.

The burning village. The woman that the Shadow who wasn’t Shadow loved. The decisive weight around his neck. The blood that clung to his fur. 

A terrible pain split Shadow’s head. 

He cried out as he was thrust back into his own body.

Shadow was in the chamber again, with stone beneath his feet and a familiar weight in his palm. A familiar power coursed through his veins, and only a familiar power. The rest of it was gone.

Wait.

Shit–

Shadow forced his eyes open, in spite of the disorientation and the flash that persisted behind his lids every time he shut them. But his physical discomfort did not matter. There was only one thing that did.

Where was that damn Blue Emerald?!

As Shadow’s vision returned to him he was assaulted by a most unfortunate sight.

There, standing before him, was Sonic. He was no longer pinned to the ground, no longer screaming as if he was being torn in half or thrashing about like a pathetic insect. No, he stood tall in the center of the ancient chamber. His quills were just as messy and his eyes were just as wild as ever, only now he was engulfed in a halo of blue sparks. They clung to his fur and danced up and down his limbs. They played at the ground near his feet and set him alight in an ethereal glow.

That peach muzzled face looked just as shocked as Shadow felt.

The two hedgehogs gawked at what they saw.

Clutched in Sonic’s hands was the Blue Emerald Blade.

It was elegant and razor sharp; a rapier, just like the sword that Shadow had shattered on that stormy, moonless night. Its pommel was delicate and set in with a gleaming blue gem. Filigree patterns lined its thin blade and continued across the curvature of its cup hilt. The thing glowed a brilliant cobalt and oozed a powerful energy that clashed with that of Shadow’s own Blade.

When Sonic’s eyes drew to his, unsettlingly wide and blank in a manner that suggested he was in grave danger, Shadow suspected that this development would prove to be an issue.

When Sonic flashed his widest grin yet, Shadow cursed himself vehemently for the grave mistake he’d just made.

 This was a fucking problem.

A huge fucking problem.

Tails watched, frozen in horror, as his reckless brother threw himself at the black and red hedgehog. Watching them fight felt similar to watching a hurricane brew on the distant horizon. The two hedgehogs were almost impossible to follow, both curled into tight balls as they bounced off the walls and rammed each other again and again.

The fox winced when a splatter of blood hit the stones near his boots. 

Was that Sonic’s or the other guy’s?

He didn’t think he wanted to know.

“Shouldn’t we help him?” Tails demanded, turning to Knuckles. The echidna was rigid as a board, still in his fighting stance with his knees bent and his thickly-gloved fists raised. His lilac eyes darted about as he followed Sonic around the room with his gaze.

“No,” the red quilled male replied, voice at a strained growl. “This is Sonic’s fight. It is his honor on the line. He has requested that we stay out of it.”

“And we’re going to listen to him?!” Tails all but shouted.

Knuckles shot him a glare. “Yes.”

Tails swallowed a frustrated snarl and gazed overhead to where his brother was actively trying to beat himself to a pulp against the tough quills of his enemy. A sword fight was one thing but this? This was downright barbaric! Not to mention dangerous! Sonic was strong, sure, but this fight was clearly far greater a risk than anything he’d faced before.

Even now, the fox couldn’t look at Sonic without also seeing the memory of him from that terrible night. Laying limp and still, rainwater soaking him to the bone as an impossibly large pool of his own blood grew beneath him.

Tails had come along to prevent something like that from happening. How was he going to keep his brother safe if he insisted on fighting a literal Blade wielder alone?!

When another splatter of blood landed nearby, Tails decided that he had had enough.

He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he was going to do something.

The fox clenched his fists and marched forward with purpose.

Knuckles, however, stopped him with a vice grip around his arm. “Do not get in their way!” the echidna warned.

“Let me go, Knuckles!” Tails hissed. The fur along his back was beginning to hackle. He yanked at his friend’s grip but was unable to free himself.

“You have no place in Sonic’s battle,” the red quilled warrior argued. “What do you expect to accomplish in the first place? Besides, it is far too dangerous for you to even attempt to get between them. The hedgehog with midnight fur is not like Sonic, he won’t hesitate to kill you if you get in his way. I was lucky to escape his wrath that night.”

“I–” Tails cut off. He… didn’t know what he was going to do. The fox glanced over his shoulder at the wild battle that was going down right beside him. The two hedgehogs were moving so fast that there were little more than flashes of blue and black quills. 

“This is difficult, fox,” Knuckles said with a light growl in his words. “I would pay exuberant amounts for an opportunity to grind that thieving hedgehog to a pulp, but even I must acknowledge when a battlefield is not mine to step foot on. Were the Emeralds not involved, that would be a different story. But as it stands, Sonic is the only one who can hope to best this villain.”

A light whine rose in the back of Tails’ throat. His ears drooped and he stopped fighting against Knuckles’ hold. The echidna was right, as much as he hated to admit it. There was nothing he could do to help Sonic other than stay out of the way and be prepared to dart in and grab him if things got bad.

Tails’ hand drifted to the belt looped around his waist, which was lined with leather straps keeping several healing potions close at hand. Sonic wouldn’t have a close call this time. Not that Tails doubted he’d lose. Just… he’d make certain that his brother made it out of this in one piece.

Knuckles nodded with a satisfied grunt when Tails finally relaxed and backed down. It seemed his words had been taken to heart.

The two returned their attention to Sonic, who was still throwing himself savagely at his opponent. Neither of them had ever seen this side of their blue quilled friend. Sonic had always been strong, that much had never been doubted. However, when he fought it was always clear that he had the upper hand. Sonic was an idiot, but he was smart on the battlefield. He fought with strategy and cunning, dealing swift strikes with his blade and dancing in circles around any opponent that dared face him.

Only none of that easy confidence was seen now. 

This stripped hedgehog brought something out of Sonic that was most unfamiliar. It was vicious and unrelenting. Sonic wasn’t holding anything back, and perhaps that was why the violent display was so unsettling to watch. Had he ever really had to try his hardest in a fight before? Tails didn’t think that he’d ever previously needed to. He hoped that his brother was alright…

Sonic had a reckless streak, and Tails was rather concerned that he’d forget about preserving his own life and focus entirely on defeating his opponent. Self preservation had never been Sonic’s strong suit, and that was before he started jumping headlong into battles with an Emerald Blade tipping the scales against his favor.

A stray splatter of blood punctuated his thought.

The fight couldn’t have lasted more than a couple of minutes, but already the collateral damage was becoming too much for the ancient temple to withstand. The cracks and craters left along the walls began to multiply. Spiderweb fissures skittered across ancient stone and the very foundations of the Temple began to tremble with each strike of a quilled body against hard rock. 

Tails shouted in alarm when a large shower of rubble descended from the ceiling below. He leapt out of the line of fire just in time, but was no less startled. More rocks began to fall as ancient pillars buckled and age old statues fell to pieces. It seemed as if the entire Mountain was shaking!

Sonic didn’t seem to have noticed.

Tails opened his mouth to shout a warning at his brother, but his words caught in his throat when Knuckles suddenly grabbed him by the arm and took off running for the door. A split second after they moved the enormous owl statue split down the middle and collapsed where they had just been standing.

“We need to get out of here!” Knuckles shouted as he dragged Tails along. “These catacombs are going to cave in!”

“What about Sonic?!” Tails shrieked. High overhead his brother was still fighting as if he wasn’t about to bring an entire Mountain down on top of him.

“Sonic is resilient!” Knuckles shouted. “He will find his own way out. For now we need to worry about ourselves!” The echidna dropped Tails' arm to tuck into a quick roll, deftly avoiding a falling bit of rubble. The fox stumbled as he ran, dodging falling rocks left and right. He kept close at Knuckles’ heels. Sonic couldn’t focus on retrieving the Emeralds if he was busy worrying about whether the two of them had made it to safety or not.

Knuckles made it to the door first, with Tails close behind.

The fox’s eyes caught on an abandoned scrap of fabric, however. It was the dark furred hedgehog’s discarded cloak. Tails noticed a light traveling pack poking from underneath the cloak as he passed. A tickle sounded in the back of his mind, spurred on by a curiosity as to how and why their villainous relic thief had ended up on Talonpointe Mountain just as they were.

Swiftly, Tails swiped the abandoned pack as he passed it by. 

Any clues as to their enemy’s intentions were invaluable. 

With the pack tucked under his arm Tails spun his namesakes and took off, darting through the doorway to the Emerald’s chamber just in time to avoid an enormous pillar falling across it. The bones of the skeleton that lay in the doorway shattered beneath the rubble and scattered like shrapnel. 

In a race against time, Knuckles and Tails sprinted through the winding halls of the catacombs beneath the Temple. The weak flickering of ancient torches lit their path as they ran like hell. Cracks along the walls and ceiling chased them like hounds on the scent of blood. The fox and the echidna leapt over skeletons and skidded around sharp turns. 

By the time they reached the stairwell leading to the main temple a cloud of dust was chasing them and the tiled floor was rupturing beneath their feet. Tails flew up the stairwell while Knuckles took the steps three at a time. They stumbled through the secret doorway, which they had left open upon entering, and didn’t stop until they’d put a safe distance between themselves and the Temple. Luckily Knuckles had possessed the foresight to snatch their three discarded packs on the way out. 

The fox and the echidna stood panting raggedly as they watched the peak of Talonpointe Mountain crumble in on itself and begin to collapse, taking what remained of the Temple with it. The ground shook and groaned. Enormous boulders and chunks of rock began to fall from the destabilized mountain peak to careen towards the ruined village below.

“Fuck,” Knuckles hissed.

“Sonic’s still in there,” Tails breathed.

“We can’t worry about him right now!” the echidna barked. “We need to get the hell out of here! I have to keep you safe or else that hedgehog will have my head.” His words were emphasized by a particularly powerful tremor. The Mountain itself heaved and shook. Tails and Knuckles cried out in distress and swayed on their feet. High overhead a cloud cover had passed over the sun, casting the scene atop the mountain in shades of muted gray.

This was bad.

This was so, so bad!

“We have to go back for Sonic!” Tails exclaimed. Ignoring the fact that the Temple they’d come from was little more than a pile of rubble currently being assaulted by the shattered remains of the mountain it had been built into, the fox spun his namesakes and hurried back the way he’d come.

Knuckles moved fast.

He leapt and tackled Tails out of the air. The two of them grunted as they hit the ground.

“Knuckles, get off me!” the fox screamed. They didn’t have time to be fucking around!! Sonic was getting buried alive because Knuckles had decided to fucking leave him behind! And Tails had listened to him! Fuck, he was so useless! He’d come along to make sure that Sonic stayed safe, not–

The fox and the echidna ceased their skirmish when an enormous explosion rocked the crumbling peak of Talonpointe Mountain.

Two jaws dropped clean open as a pair of glowing figures burst from the rocky mass like lava spewing from the mouth of a great volcano. The Mountain shattered even further and enormous boulders were slung in every direction. 

Knuckles and Tails could do little but gawk as two quilled figures, one encased in blue and the other encased in green, clashed in the sky overhead. Ripples of energy burst every time they collided, and Tails squeaked when his sharp eyes caught onto the distinct flash of not one, but two glowing Blades.

“Is that Sonic?!” he breathed.

“The Blue Emerald,” Knuckles gasped, “He’s taken it!”

After a particularly vicious hit, the far off figure bathed in green light was sent hurtling towards the ruin below.

“Fuck,” Knuckles hissed. “We need to get out of here now.”

The two of them didn’t have time to distinguish which hedgehog was carrying which Blade, or worry over where the Blue one had materialized from to begin with. Now with two Emerald Blades added into the equation, the amount of raw power being thrown around made this fight far too dangerous to be anywhere near.

With flashes of blue and green darting about and wreaking havoc on the destabilized Mountain, Tails and Knuckles ran like fucking hell. The fox grabbed his friend under the arms and hurriedly flew off. He strained against the added weight of both the dense echidna as well as the four travelling packs they hauled along with them, but the adrenaline pumping his veins pushed him to fly faster and faster.

The way things were looking, Tails didn’t think that there would be a Talonpointe Mountain by the time this fight concluded.

He prayed to whatever deity may have been watching that Sonic would make it out of this alive…

Sonic’s heart all but stopped in his chest when the dark furred hedgehog reached for the amulet around his neck. No. He’d already taken the Emerald, not this too. Why? What was the fucking point?! 

“No!” Sonic shouted. He thrashed and bucked, by the paw on his chest only grew heavier and the knee digging into his shoulder only pressed deeper. “Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” the blue hedgehog screamed, “Don’t–”

The faker grabbed Sonic’s precious amulet and ripped it clean off his neck.

He’d worn the thing for the past fifteen years.

Sonic had never taken it off, not since the night Longclaw had died and everything had been taken from him in one fell swoop.

When it was ripped away, it felt as if it was taking a piece of Sonic along with it.

No, really, it ripped and tore at his very being. When the amulet was removed it took something with it. Sonic wasn’t sure what it was, but he wasn’t whole anymore without it. The pain was excruciating. It flooded his body, his mind, his soul.

Sonic screamed.

The force of his shout made his throat ache, but no sensation could compare to the feeling of having the amulet torn away. It didn’t go easily, either. It dug its claws into Sonic’s being and clung tight. Though it only managed to do more damage than what its thief was already doing.

Once the amulet’s warmth was forcefully stolen from him, Sonic immediately felt weaker. His body heavier, his mind sluggish. Pain split his skull and nausea rose in his gut. This was wrong. This was all wrong.

He couldn’t go without it, he couldn’t, he needed the amulet–

Sonic’s world was nothing but pain and loss until it wasn’t.

The panic of it all lasted a mere split second, for the moment the amulet was removed from Sonic’s neck a new sensation brushed his mind. It was familiar, and painfully so. With it it brought fond memories of a time he could only visit in sleep. This sensation, it was the same as the energy field of the Blue Emerald.

Sonic was on his feet in an instant. His head spun but he forced himself to focus, to fight through the disorientation and the pain and the knowledge that a piece of him was missing.

Standing in front of him was the ebony furred faker. His fur was matted with dust and blood and the Green Emerald Blade was held tightly in his fist. However, he was stumbling backwards. Away from Sonic as if he’d been burned.

In his free hand was a knot of blinding blue light.

Sonic stared directly into it even as it burned his eyes.

He watched as the ball of light solidified and morphed into a fist-sized blue stone. 

It was the Blue Emerald.

Shock struck Sonic like a sack of bricks. He stared at the glowing stone, then at the hedgehog that had stolen it. He was frozen, his eyes reduced to large pools of blinding blue. His tan muzzled face was agape in an expression of raw terror. Tears welled up in his eyes and began to slip down his face.

Sonic didn’t bother to question it.

The amulet.

The amulet Longclaw had given him on that night.

It had the Blue Emerald hidden inside?

Whatever. That didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the Blue Emerald was right there, and that this fucking faker had taken it. Sonic wasn’t going to sit back and allow an Emerald to be stolen from right under his nose. Not again.

He marched forward and snatched the damn thing right out of his enemy’s hand.

The moment Sonic’s bandage-wrapped hand connected with the Emerald he was jolted with a shock of energy. Briefly he wondered if maybe the Guardian Owls had been wrong, if he wasn’t one of the select few born with the ability to withstand the Emeralds’ power, but a regular individual about to be reduced to a zombified husk of himself.

It soon proved that Sonic’s fears were misguided.

The power of the Emerald did not overwhelm him. No, it flooded his veins and caressed his fur and refilled the gaping hole that had been carved into him when the amulet had been stolen. Sonic was whole again. The pain finally relaxed now that he was back in contact with the Emerald. He felt his strength return to him as he stared into the surface of the Emerald and drank in the familiar sensation of its energy signature. It felt like home, and Sonic wasn’t himself without it.

He tightened his fist around the Emerald and drew a satisfied gasp as more energy surged into him. 

It was exhilarating. 

This power was his.

At the thought, the Emerald erupted into a pillar of light. Sonic watched with his mouth agape as the energy in his hand spiked and began to morph. An elegant Blade materialized right in the palm of his hand. It was a rapier, just like Quicksilver had been. Though this one was glowing blue with a dazzling gem set into its pommel. The handle fit perfectly, as if he’d been carrying it his whole life. Power oozed from the weapon and hummed tantalizingly through Sonic’s body. 

It begged to be wielded, to be unleashed.

At the sound of a ragged gasp, Sonic’s eyes flicked back to his opponent’s.

The black and red hedgehog seemed to have shaken himself from whatever daze he’d been in previously. He gawked at Sonic with an enraged expression on his face.

Sonic’s lips turned up and his fangs flashed in a wild grin.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Sonic rushed him.

His feet moved impossibly fast and he was on him in an instant. The sheer speed of it, Sonic had already been fast but this? Clearly, this was the power of the Blue Emerald. The faker could teleport, but Sonic could run faster than light.

When the Green Blade was lifted to meet Sonic's own, a shockwave of energy burst outwards and obliterated what little was left of the surrounding chamber. The Temple itself shattered completely and began to collapse around them.

Neither of the hedgehogs particularly cared.

The only thing that mattered was beating one another.

Their goals were one in the same: capture their opponent’s Emerald and decisively win.

As Talonpointe Mountain came down around them, Sonic and his dark quilled opponent clashed and fought. Sonic swung his Blade ruthlessly, cutting and stabbing and thrusting. The sheer power that it held was intoxicating. Sonic felt unstoppable, like he could have faced an entire army on his own and come out victorious.

He decisively could have.

Yet in spite of this power, the black and red hedgehog still matched him blow for blow.

He still couldn’t gain the upper hand.

That thrill Sonic had felt during their first fight returned to him. Nothing mattered but the Blade that clashed with his and the grunts of exertion that he drew from his enemy. He wanted to make this hedgehog bleed. He wanted him to scream.

The Blue Emerald agreed, and egged Sonic on by pumping his veins with more and more power. His body was bathed in blue electricity. It dripped from his quills and shot from his limbs like static. It scorched stone every time he kicked off crumbling walls and fed enough strength behind his attacks to cut through solid steel.

Rocks fell and suffocating dust filled the air. The two hedgehogs began making their way upwards through the chaotic rockfall. They busted through rock with glowing fists and kicked off larger bits of debris. All the while they clashed swords and swung kicks and punches. The exchange was lightning fast and terribly overwhelming, yet Sonic couldn’t get enough. 

Just as the Temple fully collapsed, Sonic and his dark quilled counterpart erupted from the crumbling tip of Talonpointe Mountain. They soared upwards into the air, spurred on by the power of the Emeralds. 

As they sailed upwards Sonic’s opponent teleported in for an exchange of blows. Sonic met his Blade with practiced ease. His Emerald supplied his limbs with a speed that made any attempt at catching him off guard laughable. The other hedgehog made up for the disparity in speed by teleporting this way and that. What took longer, the completion of a teleportation command or Sonic’s speedy movements? An answer had yet to be seen.

A moment after they reached the apex of their trajectory, Sonic made a lucky hit.

When his rival materialized in front of him Sonic threw a wicked punch. His fist connected with a tan muzzle hard and the dark quilled hedgehog was sent hurtling to the ground. Sonic watched with a grin as he landed in the center of the ruined village. He created an enormous crater upon impact. The entire Mountain shook.

The blue hedgehog ducked into a spindash and hurried to go in for the kill.

Unfortunately, his rival was not so easily bested.

Halfway down Sonic was met with the force of the faker’s own spindash. The collision rattled his bones and sent Sonic flying on a dizzying new trajectory. Before he could manage to orient himself the dark quilled hedgehog had teleported beside him and kicked him in a new direction. This pattern continued for a time. Sonic took kick after blow after blow in quick succession, unable to control his movements as he was slung about in the air.

Suddenly he was hitting the ground with enough force to send a crack all the way to the base of Talonpointe Mountain. 

Sonic groaned as he struggled to regain his bearings. 

The whole world was spinning.

He caught sight of a flash of green barreling towards him.

Sonic quickly dashed out of the way, managing to scramble to his feet just in time to dodge a deadly spindash. The ground shook and Sonic stumbled. His black quilled enemy appeared before him in a flash of green, Blade swinging. The two of them exchanged a lightning-fast series of blows. Block, parry, attack. This dance of violence, the thrill of the Emerald’s power flooding his veins, Sonic couldn’t get enough.

He felt himself smiling, felt himself laughing, but in spite of how much he was enjoying himself he still hated this fucking faker’s guts with the burning passion of a thousand suns. This hedgehog had endangered Green Hill and stolen Sonic’s Emerald. He deserved to pay, and Sonic would be the one to make him. Fighting him was fun, sure, but why the hell wouldn’t he just fucking go down already? There had to be a crack in that peerless resolve somewhere. No one was perfect, not even this freak.

Sonic would break his defense down brick by brick, and then he’d have him cornered. It was only a matter of time.

The fight turned more vicious by the second. 

Reduced to streaks of blue and green, the two hedgehogs shot back and forth across the ruined village in nonsensical patterns. Anything to catch the other off guard, anything to gain the upper hand.

Sonic found his opening after being body slammed and sent soaring to the other side of the ruin. He hit the ground hard and skipped like a stone on a smooth lake. When he finally stopped he landed in a dense thicket of weeds and wildflowers. He would have gotten up and immediately darted back into the fray, but his eyes were caught by a familiar shade of red.

Red like blood. Red like the eyes of his enemy. 

Sonic froze when he realized just where he was.

He recognized this area, what little remained of the foundations of that hut. Sonic stood in the center of what had once been he and Longclaw’s home. Even after the fires raged and the years marched ruthlessly on, those roses still grew. They were wild and cluttered now, having spread every which way, but in spite of all they had lost they still stood tall.

Sonic panted where he stood, suddenly becoming aware of the swigs and thorns that were stuck in his quills, of the blood that covered his body and the bruises that ached in so many places. He’d left a skidding trail of destruction through this peaceful thicket. A number of roses had been trampled and ground into upturned earth as he fell. When Sonic glanced down at his feet he found broken stems peeking out from under his tattered boots.

Why here?

Why now?

Sonic ground his teeth and tightened his grip on the Blue Emerald Blade.

As expected, his enemy had come to meet him after Sonic had failed to rush him a split second after landing.

The dark quilled hedgehog stalked forward, Blade in hand. Green sparks danced along ebony fur and blood matted his quills and the white patch on his chest. He was completely and utterly disheveled, panting like a rabid animal as he stalked towards Sonic with eyes that blazed with fury.

Sonic briefly noted the similarity of this scene to the dream he’d had the previous night.

Of this strange hedgehog standing in his and Longclaw’s front lawn.

Although the scene in his dream had been far more pleasant than this. Longclaw had been alive, and the village hadn’t been a field of rubble and destruction.

A wave of grief slapped Sonic upside the head.

Fuck. Really? Now?

Of all fucking times?

He ripped the sentiments to shreds and quickly used the tattered remains to feed the fire of rage that still burned bright within him. His Blade flashed and began to steam and hiss. Sonic bent his knees and prepared for his enemy to close in for the kill.

But he didn’t.

The dark quilled hedgehog hesitated before crossing the stoop into what had once been Sonic’s childhood home.

His eyes wavered, before pulling away from Sonic to glance about.

Red eyes slid across disheveled roses and the weeds that threatened to choke them out. He took in the scorched remains of the home and the echoes of what Sonic had once held dear. Those eyes flickered with what appeared to be a confusion.

Then recognition.

Displeasure rose up within Sonic like bile.

He didn’t know what the fuck was happening, or why his enemy had paused as if he understood what this place meant to Sonic. As if he even fucking cared in the first place?! He’d fucking stolen the Green Emerald from Green Hill and then come all the way here, to Talonpointe Mountain of all godsdamned places, and stolen the Blue Emerald too! Now he was tearing the Mountain down piece by piece! How dare he hesitate, how dare he look at Sonic like that, as if he understood his pain–

Sonic yelled with all the force of his pain. 

It was a guttural battle cry, a cross between a snarl and a sob. 

He charged the fucking faker and tackled him to the ground. The two hedgehogs rolled and wrestled about. Fists flew and claws drew blood. Blades were awkwardly swung and easily ducked under. Both of the hedgehogs were beginning to lose stamina. Either due to the numerous injuries they’d both sustained or the sheer amount of chaos energy they’d been guzzling down.

But Sonic wouldn’t let his ebbing energy slow him down. He was going to kill this fucking hedgehog. 

The Emerald sang its agreement and pumped even more power into his veins.

With an ear splitting cry, Sonic managed to force the dark quilled hedgehog onto his back. Of course the other male wouldn’t stay down, but Sonic acted fast. He grabbed a fistful of red and black quills and bashed his opponent’s head against a nearby rock. Dazed, the faker went limp for a fraction of a second as he struggled to cling to consciousness. 

Sonic took his opportunity.

Kneeling over the dark quilled hedgehog with a knee on either side of his slender hips, Sonic lifted his Blade high over his head and then brought it down.

Red eyes widened in terror, and unfortunately the faker managed to lurch to the side just in time to avoid the tip of Sonic’s rapier piercing his skull and ending his pathetic life.

He did not, however, escape unscathed.

Rather than sink between his eyes Sonic's sword pierced the flesh of his shoulder, right where his arm met his torso. The Emerald Blade skewered him all the way through and sunk half its length into the ground below.

The dark quilled hedgehog screamed.

Blood bubbled forth and Sonic found himself transfixed by the sight of it. He’d done that. He’d caused this damage and inflicted this pain. And he’d managed to catch the faker’s dominant arm too. His grip on the Green Blade had grown weak now that his arm was struggling to stay attached. 

Sonic bared his teeth in an utterly unhinged grin. He felt himself flying off the handle but he didn’t care. This energy that thrummed within him, this bloodlust– he could only satisfy his Blade by ripping this hedgehog to shreds.

In a crazed frenzy, Sonic ripped his Blade from where it had been stuck in the ground and brought it down in the same place. Again. Again. Blood soaked the ground. Tendons and bone began to peek through as ebony fur was torn to shreds. 

The faker’s grip on the Emerald Blade finally failed.

His arm was rendered useless.

Sonic cackled victoriously, his voice warped by the sheer amount of chaos energy that filled him up like an overcharged battery, and rose his sword to sever the arm clean off–

Only for the hedgehog beneath him to surge upwards with a violent cry.

He flipped their positions with great effort and grabbed Sonic’s face with his good hand. The blue hedgehog lost his grip on his Blade as he was slammed to the ground, the rock he’d just painted in the faker’s blood now digging painfully into his back. A heavy weight came down on his waist and strong thighs closed in around Sonic’s hips. 

The Blue and Green Blades flashed briefly as they rolled discarded across the ground. They lost their shape and took the form of rough-cut gemstones once again.

Their wielders were too distracted to take notice.

Sonic yipped in pain as he was grabbed by the quills and slammed against the ground over and over. A throaty growl ripped from the hedgehog that sat atop him and sharp claws began to dig into the skin flesh over Sonic’s skull. Blood began to trickle into his eyes. His vision went black every time he was slammed into the ground. 

Mustering his strength and drawing on the excess chaos energy that was still welled up within him, Sonic managed to push back against his opponent and flip their positions once again. The black quilled hedgehog screamed as his bad arm was bent at a nauseating angle and pinned under his body, the shoulder folded most unnaturally. 

Sonic slugged him across the face. 

A fist collided with his jaw, making him see stars.

Sonic snarled and dove forward to wrap his hands around his enemy’s throat. 

Sharp claws plunged into his side in retaliation. Sonic grunted and tightened his grip on the faker’s windpipe. The claws in his side dug deeper and began to slash upwards. Sonic yelped but refused to let go. 

The dark furred hedgehog bared his teeth in a viscous snarl. 

Sonic’s eyes drew to his fangs, which were longer and sharper than he’d seen on any Mobian. The inappropriately timed observation paired with the sharp claws sinking deeper and deeper into his side caused Sonic to inadvertently loosen his grip around his opponent’s throat.

That one, tiny lapse in guard was all it took.

The world spun and Sonic was on his back once again. 

Growls and cries of pain echoed across the ruin as the two hedgehogs struggled for dominance. Blood spilled and fists collided with unguarded bellies. All the while the Emeralds lay still, waiting for the victor to claim them and do with them what he would.

Even with one arm rendered useless and limp the black and red hedgehog still managed to keep Sonic on the defensive. Hand-to-hand combat was not the blue hedgehog’s strong suit, and it was showing. He was quickly waning, but he refused to surrender. He would not lose.

Though it took more effort than he was willing to admit, Sonic tucked into a spindash and butted his opponent off of him. The other hedgehog shouted in frustration as he was slung backwards. He did not manage to stick the landing, instead rolling pathetically across the ground and leaving a smear of blood in his wake. 

Sonic lurched to his feet and stalked after him. 

His head was pounding and his legs shook beneath him. Blood soaked his entire left side from where sharp claws had dug deep. His entire chest lit up in pain every time he drew breath. He’d definitely snapped a few ribs. It was a wonder one of his lungs hadn’t collapsed. 

Sonic had the sense to stop in his tracks when his enemy managed to haul himself to his feet. 

His bad arm was barely clinging to his body. All that remained of the connection were a few stray tendons and tattered muscles. Just looking at the injury made Sonic’s stomach turn. This guy was a fucking psycho, though Sonic supposed he wasn’t any better off. 

A sudden bolt of pain radiated from the claw-wound in his gut.

Sonic doubled over and hacked up a mouthful of blood.

Okay. That might be a problem.

He wiped the blood from his lips with a bandage-wrapped arm and met his rival’s gaze.

The black and red hedgehog kept at a safe distance. His dark brows were contorted in a deep scowl. Sonic noticed that he had red markings fanning out from his eyes like sharpened lines of kohl. It was almost pretty.

A light laugh bubbled past Sonic’s lips, paired with a searing pain in his ribs.

Perhaps he was delirious. 

“You know,” Sonic rasped. His voice was wet with blood. “I never caught your name.”

The dark quilled hedgehog bared those tantalizing fangs in a snarl.

Yeah, Sonic was definitely delirious.

“Who I am does not matter,” the faker snapped. “You will die soon, anyways.”

Sonic huffed a laugh, then regretted it when he violently coughed up another mouthful of blood as a result. “Me? Nah, I’m not even close to dead. You’ll have to try a little harder to get rid of me, faker.”

The other hedgehog growled in response.

“Here, let’s try this again,” Sonic offered. He flicked a thumb across his nose, then winced when he found it broken and bloodied. “I’m Sonic. It’s awful to meet you.” He dipped into a flourishing bow. 

Bewildered red eyes scrutinized Sonic from across a field of rubble that had once been a fountain depicting the Blind Paladin. 

Tufted ears pinned against dark, blood-matted quills. “You may call me Shadow,” the black and red hedgehog replied slowly. “Though it will be the last name you ever hear.”

Shadow.

An odd shiver ran up Sonic’s spine.

He gazed at this strange hedgehog, this Emerald thief who stopped at nothing to make his life a living hell. With ebony fur and eyes the color of rose petals, the haunting name seemed fitting. After all, he would only ever be a cheap fake. 

Sonic flashed a grin, then turned on his heel.

He knew where the Emeralds were, they called out to him.

The blue hedgehog sauntered across the ruin, though his steps were awkward and pained. He left a thick trail of blood in his wake. Shadow’s eyes bored into his quills as he walked.

Sonic stood before the two discarded Emeralds, then knelt and collected the Blue one.

The sensation of its power seeping into his body was soothing on his aching joints. With a thought, Sonic shifted the Emerald into the form of a glowing rapier.

He turned to face Shadow, who had followed along after him.

The two hedgehogs shared a loaded glance.

Sonic followed Shadow with his eyes as the dark furred male knelt to collect his own Emerald. It shifted into a large scimitar. He held it in his non-dominant hand, though with no less confidence or skill. 

A cloud of dizziness rocked over Sonic like a crashing tidal wave. He swayed on his feet

Fuck.

He needed to wrap this up and do it fast.

Luckily that was his strong suit.

“I could beat you blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back,” Sonic gloated.

Shadow glanced at his limp arm, then back up at Sonic. “I do not lose.”

The two hedgehogs met in a clash of blades.

Sparks flew and metal clanged. The fight quickly grew sloppy, unrefined. They were both at their limit. Each took sloppy nicks that should have been avoidable and fell for feints that would have been obvious had they not been knocking on death’s door. 

Many times Sonic slipped in pools of his own blood. As his strength left him he replenished it with energy from the Emerald, but the more of the Blade’s power he leaned on the closer he felt to snapping like a twig. But he could win this. He could still win this! He had to win this.

There was no other choice. 

Shadow was half dead as it was.

His arm was moments away from falling clean off and he was bleeding so much that his entire side was soaked. 

Yet in spite of that, he fought as if nothing was amiss. Even with his non-dominant arm. Even as he stumbled on his feet and fell sloppily into Sonic’s sword time and again. He was incredible, and Sonic hated it. He needed this faker dead, but he just wouldn’t fucking fall!

One of them had to give! Otherwise they’d both run themselves into the ground!

Fuck, Sonic was so sick of this!

Fighting this terrible battle in the ruins of his childhood home, destroying what little remained as he struggled to cling onto the last piece of Longclaw that he had left?! It was too fucking much! 

Sonic leaned on the Emerald’s power and began to move faster.

Blue sparks flew and he was reduced to a blur.

Shadow responded in kind, teleporting this way and that to keep up with the ruthless pace. Every blow was matched. Every swing was swatted away. Every dirty hit was retaliated against twofold. 

Then Sonic’s body failed him.

His mind was still determined and filled with fire, but he was still mortal. He could still break.

The blue hedgehog tripped over his own feet and collapsed unceremoniously to the ground.

Shadow watched it happen with a startled expression, before quizzing his features back into that blank mask of his. 

Sonic’s breath rattled in his chest where he lay. He tried to force himself back to his feet but his body wouldn’t listen. He tried to pull on the Emerald’s strength but it was too much, he’d gone too far. He simply wasn’t accustomed to controlling this much power.

Unlike Shadow, who seemed to be perfectly fine.

His body hadn’t failed. 

Green sparks still rippled across his fur in spite of his haggard appearance.

What the fuck.

Shadow sighed heavily and then toed at Sonic’s limp form to flip him onto his back. The blue quilled hedgehog glared up at him, a growl rising in his throat. They shared a heated glare, then Shadow knelt at his side.

Neither blinked or broke eye contact.

A drop of blood fell from Shadow’s brow to splatter across Sonic’s wrinkled muzzle.

The Green Emerald Blade erupted in a blinding glow, then shifted forms. In a flash of light it slipped around Shadow’s neck and resolidified in the form of an amulet that was twin to the one Sonic had worn his entire life, save for the shade of its stone. Once the Emerald shifted forms its energy signature vanished, as if it was concealing its own presence.

Sonic would have laughed if he had the strength.

So that’s why he’d never noticed the Emerald hanging around his neck.

He was such a fool.

Shadow wasted no time. His fingers ghosted across Sonic’s bandaged palm as he pried the Blue Emerald Blade from his fist. 

Sonic whimpered pathetically then forced himself to growl instead. “I’ll kill you,” he spat. “You’re a coward. You’re a fucking no good piece of shit! You steal and hurt and destroy, it’s all you’re fucking good for!”

Shadow’s eye twitched, as if the words had hit somewhere too close to home.

He attempted to take the Blade from Sonic’s fist, but with the last of his strength the blue hedgehog refused to let go.

Shadow curled a lip and ruthlessly punched Sonic across the face.

The green eyed hedgehog yipped and cursed his fingers for spasming.

Once more, the Blue Emerald was ripped away from him.

He tried to cling, he tried to reach out to it, but it was no use. Again, the Blue Emerald did not leave easily. It dug its heels into the ground, clung to Sonic’s being with sharp claws and attempted to fight its fate.

When Shadow yanked it away one again, Sonic whimpered pathetically as that awful pain resurfaced for a second time. It wasn’t as jarring or as violent as the first time, but it still ached. A piece of him had been torn away when the Emerald was taken against his will, and he didn’t know why. 

Shadow winced slightly as he sat back on his heels and stared at the surface of the Blue Emerald Blade. His red eyes were troubled and overcast with an indecipherable storm of emotions.

Sonic spitefully hurled a string of creative curses his way when the Blade didn’t shift forms. He hated how good the rapier looked in Shadow’s hand. He hated that this faker was able to take his Emerald and wield it just as well as he could.

Shadow ignored his antics. 

He merely willed the Blue Emerald to shift forms.

Like the fucking traitor that it was, the Blade erupted into a pillar of light and slipped from Shadow’s hand to wrap around his neck.

When the light faded, the two Emeralds had merged into one single amulet.

It was just as simple, just as inconspicuous. Set into a golden clasp and hung from a delicate chain, a now two-toned gem lay nestled against the fluff on Shadow’s chest. One half green and one half blue. Two Emeralds in one. 

Sonic briefly wondered what Blade would form if the two Emeralds were wielded at once, but he would not be given the privilege of that knowledge. 

Shadow braced his claws and lifted his arm.

The blue hedgehog’s eyes widened as he watched the resolve settle in that red gaze.

Shadow was going to kill him.

Again.

And Sonic couldn’t so much as cry out for help.

Shadow’s claws thrust towards Sonic’s neck, but before he could rip that blue throat out a flash of red tackled him to the ground with a howling cry.

“Villain! Your time has come!” Knuckles screamed as he pushed Shadow into the dirt and began pounding him mercilessly with his fists.

Sonic could have cried.

“Holy shit, Sonic!” Tails wailed as he flew in to settle on his knees at his brother’s side. As the blue hedgehog watched the fear and pain overtake the fox’s face, he was overcome with guilt. Tails shouldn’t have had to see him like this.

“Hey, buddy,” Sonic rasped, trying to be reassuring. He then regretted it, when his words spurred on another bloody coughing fit. 

Tails panicked and started fumbling with the healing potions tied to his belt. 

“No, don’t worry about me!” Sonic managed. “Shadow! Get Shadow! He has the Emeralds, you have to stop him!”

Tails nodded and then scrambled to his feet. Sonic watched as his brother hurried to where Knuckles and Shadow were rolling around in the dirt. Upon seeing the fox closing in, Shadow snarled like a caged animal and vanished into thin air.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails all gawked. 

He could teleport.

Fuck.

Sonic flew into a blind rage. He managed to sit up through sheer force of will alone, then forced himself to his feet with more difficulty than there should have been. “Mother fucking fuck!” the hedgehog screamed. He was so dizzy that it hurt. “That cowardly bitch! He can’t be fucking far, I’ll hunt him down and–”

He tripped over his own feet and collided with the ground, his skull striking the same rock that he’d painted in Shadow’s blood mere minutes beforehand.

Knuckles and Tails shouted in alarm and hurried to his side, but Sonic was out light a snuffed candle the moment he hit the bone-riddled ground. 

Chapter Text

Shadow materialized in a burst of green sparks. 

He’d managed to teleport down the Mountain into the jungle below, which was a damn lucky feat considering his condition. The moment the hedgehog made it to safety he collapsed to the ground. Shadow shouted in pain when his bad arm got pinned beneath him upon his fall.

The strain of it ripped the last of the tendons holding it in place.

With a spurt of blood, the arm fell clean off.

Shadow choked back a mouthful of bile. The pain was unbearable. His abnormally high pain tolerance managed to prevent him from passing out, but he wasn’t able to suppress the pathetic yelp that rose up his throat. He sat back on his haunches and stared at the detached arm in a state of shock.

With his remaining hand he reached in disbelief to grip at the bloodied stump that had once been his arm. 

There was blood everywhere.

He was going to bleed out at this rate. The darkness closing in around the edge of his vision suggested that he was nearly there already. 

Shadow growled and dug his fingers deep into the exposed flesh. The resulting pain was unimaginable, but he had inflicted it so it was grounding rather than overwhelming. It shouldn’t have been possible for Shadow to be reduced to this state. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. Had he gone through all that torture at the hands of the alchemist for nothing?! Just to be ripped limb from limb by some random fucking hedgehog–

The amulet around his neck warmed. 

This sensation was most unfamiliar, as with the heat a strange energy rippled through Shadow’s body and tugged at the edges of his mind. 

It made the dark furred hedgehog shiver.

This feeling.

It threatened to pull him under once again and force him into a state of hallucination as he’d experienced the first time he’d touched this accursed Blue Emerald. Shadow fought back, but he was unable to ward off the sensation of warm earth flying beneath racing legs, the satisfaction of an early morning sun warming close cropped chest fur and the comforting weight of a silver rapier that had since been shattered against a greater weapon.

Shadow felt compelled to vomit. 

He moved his hand from the bloodied stump where his arm had once been to the amulet that rested against his chest fluff. The hedgehog gripped it so tight that its edges began to dig into his padded palm. 

The stone continued burning hot, almost as if in defiance.

This was unacceptable.

Shadow had always been able to control the Green Emerald, so why was the Blue one feeding him glimpses of a life that was not his own?!

It was infuriating. 

Shadow knew exactly whose life he had been given an unwilling window into. It was Sonic, that blue quilled menace. The idiotic hedgehog with the cocky grin and infuriating skill with a Blade. The only being in existence that Shadow hadn’t been able to defeat aside from the monster that had taken everything from him. 

Why was this happening?!

How dare he be subjected to this torture?!

Was he being punished for failing to kill the bastard a second time?! Shadow gritted his teeth and curled in on himself, his quills pricking up and flexing dangerously. He moved his hand from the amulet to his bloody shoulder socket once again. 

Shadow stared wild-eyed down at his severed arm. It was bloodied with splayed fingers and still covered by the glove Rouge had lent him. 

When he looked close enough, he could see a couple of stray cobalt quills stuck into the flesh.

The rage simmered within Shadow. It felt wild and untamed. He felt out of control. His entire life had been a downward spiraling labyrinth of despair and loss since that terrible night, but at least he’d been comforted by the fact that he could destroy anything that got in his way.

That was what he was for, wasn’t it? What he’d been created to do?

“You will defend this village and make absolutely certain that Maria remains safe at all times.”

The memory of the alchemist’s words, spoken to a Shadow so young that he could hardly comprehend them, stung like a sharp slap across the face. 

“You’re a coward. You’re a fucking no good piece of shit! You steal and hurt and destroy, it’s all you’re fucking good for!”

Sonic’s words hurt even more, somehow. Destruction was his sole purpose, so why in the everloving hell did he continue failing to do just that? That blue quilled whore’s spawn was still breathing, and that was as a direct result of Shadow’s failure. He should have been the one torn limb from limb, bleeding out in an unfamiliar jungle with his goals insisting upon slipping through his fingers like the sand in an hourglass. 

Shadow had failed to protect, but at the very fucking least he should have been able to kill.

Perhaps it was the blood loss, or the fact that his arm was lying on the ground in front of him, or perhaps it was his continued refusal to process anything that had happened to him over the course of the past five hundred years that had passed in the span of mere days, but the rage within him began to rise to a dangerous boil. 

It spat steam and bubbled and hissed. 

Shadow was losing control, in more ways than one.

He hadn’t slipped up like this since he’d been a child. Had he not discarded his inhibitors that night then this wouldn’t have happened period. Perhaps he’d been a fool to trust himself to control his own form. He clearly wasn’t capable of handling anything else, either.

Shadow curled even further in on himself and allowed the rage to crash over him in waves.

He didn’t fight it.

He didn’t want to.

He wanted to rage and demolish and destroy. Perhaps even scale the Mountain once more and lay waste to all of the loose ends he’d been forced to retreat from.

Shadow dug his fingers deep into his exposed shoulder socket. As his claws dug into his own flesh he felt his form begin to slip, his edges begin to shiver. His ears flattened and began to merge with his skull. His fangs began to elongate and his quills–

“We really have to stop meeting like this.”

The sultry feminine voice cut through the storm that roared within Shadow’s mind and pulled him back to the surface by the scruff of his neck. He sat up with a start, ears still flattened and fangs bared, but having regained the flimsy grip that remained of his self control.

“It’s you,” Shadow breathed. He meant to hiss and snarl, but the words came out breathless and– and what was that, relief?

Rouge sighed and folded her arms across her chest. The hood of her cloak cast her face in deep shadow, but her teal eyes flashed and twinkled like gems. “I had a feeling something like this would happen,” she said with the tone of a mother scolding her misbehaving child.

Shadow took immediate offense to this condescension.

“I told you not to follow me,” he spat. His claws dug deeper into his exposed flesh. The pain was welcomed. It distracted him from the cold that was spreading up his limbs and the shadows that threatened to engulf his vision.

“And I ignored you!” Rouge replied cheerfully. “It’s a good thing I did, too, because otherwise you’d be dead.”

“I’m still alive,” Shadow shot back.

“Not for long,” the witch stated. She flashed a smirk and flipped down her hood, then sashayed towards Shadow while pulling a thick vial containing a viscous healing potion from the travelling pack that was slung from her shoulders.

“You’re helping me,” Shadow observed aloud, “Again.” He didn’t move an inch as Rouge approached him. His quills still remained puffed and standing on end. 

“Like I said before,” Rouge said as she toed Shadow’s severed arm with a foot, “I’ve spent too much trouble monitoring you to let it all go to waste. Besides, who will hunt down and fight Black Doom if you bleed to death out here?”

Shadow’s form shivered once again at the mention of that name.

Rouge’s curious eyes flashed as she witnessed the hedgehog’s very being ripple and shift like the surface of a dark lake. 

“Your insistence on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong is distasteful,” Shadow growled in reply. He pretended that he wasn’t shaken in his open toed boots at the mention of that monster. Hearing that name spilled from another’s lips served as an unpleasant reminder of his nature. It made the fur along his spine stand on end.

“Oh please,” Rouge purred, “You need my help. I’m sure you’re ready to admit it by now.”

She knelt before Shadow and gently reached out with careful fingers. Red eyes bored into challenging teal as the witch slowly gripped his remaining wrist and pried it away from his bleeding stump. The loss of the physical stimuli shook the foundations of Shadow’s crumbling composure. He felt once again as if he was going to fly wildly off the handle. 

The sharp eyes that pinned him to the spot served as a lifeline, however.

Rouge gently rested Shadow’s bloodied hand in his lap, then ghosted her fingers across his torso and head. Her brows furrowed slightly as she assessed his injuries. The internal damage was deadly on its own, Shadow was more than certain of that, but the real issue was his severed arm and the amount of blood that he’d lost.

This bat seemed confident in her potion’s abilities, however.

She’d dragged Shadow from the brink of death once before. What was a second time?

Shadow had to admit that he was daunted by the healing process, though. The power of a well brewed healing potion was vast, but it was impossible to reattach anything that had been severed. The damage was far too great. The life force had already long since faded from Shadow’s lost arm. 

It seemed that the dark furred hedgehog would live out the remainder of his days with one arm gone. This would make combat significantly more difficult, but Shadow would be able to adjust with ease. 

However, the fact that Sonic had been able to alter him so drastically did not sit well.

He’d find that cobalt hedgehog again, and he’d repay the damage tenfold. That blue menace wouldn’t have a chance in hell of recovering after what Shadow was going to do to him.

The Green Emerald warmed in agreement while the Blue Emerald chilled in distaste. 

Rouge picked up Shadow’s severed arm and gave it a curious look. She took in the bone protruding from the open end, as well as the torn muscles and exposed flesh that glared red and ugly. When it was concentrated enough, Shadow’s blood took on an oddly dark tint. Rouge collected some of it on a finger, then tapped her pointer and thumb together to test its consistency. 

It was a hint thicker than the usual consistency of blood, especially when collected from deep within the hedgehog’s body.

Anyone who wasn’t a blood witch wouldn’t have noticed the difference, but Shadow knew that Rouge was able to discern the similarities between the scarlet that pumped through his veins and a certain other substance. 

She exchanged a pointed look with Shadow, but thankfully didn’t comment.

It didn’t matter what thoughts were firing in that head of hers.

Based on all the other knowledge she’d swiped from Shadow against his will, it was more than likely that she already knew.

“Blue did quite a number on you,” Rouge commented. She flopped Shadow’s dead hand about in his face.

The hedgehog rolled his eyes in distaste. “You knew he was still alive,” he settled for.

Rouge’s smirk proved him correct. “I did~”

“Why didn’t you tell me,” Shadow huffed.

The bat’s grin widened. “That would have taken out all the fun! Watching the two of you fight was quite entertaining~”

Shadow rolled his eyes again and attempted to cross his arms over his chest, then startled when he was given a stark reminder that one of them was missing. He placed his remaining hand back in his lap with a disgruntled sigh.

Rouge laughed at his expense.

“Are you going to heal me or not?” Shadow hissed.

The bat calmed her giggling and fixed him with an annoyed glance, then reached into her travel sack a second time. “I really wanted to save this girlie for the perfect time to shine, but it seems you’ve already managed to do irreparable damage to your body. Honestly, I left you unsupervised for three days and you managed to lose a limb. What would you do without me?”

Shadow ignored the witch’s antics and instead focused on what she was pulling from her bag.

It was a second vial, this one containing a single flower.

It was a blood lily.

Shadow inhaled sharply.

Such flowers contained powerful magic, especially when wielded in the hands of one such as Rouge. Their applications were near limitless, and extremely dangerous when used properly. It was a good thing they were so rare. The flowers would only bloom upon the whims of their mother plant, as well as the quality of blood they were fed.

Shadow was most displeased to find that he smelled himself on the flower that Rouge slipped out of the vial.

“My pets offered this to you, since you delivered them such a filling meal on the night that we met,” Rouge explained while grinning at Shadow’s appalled expression. “It’s infused with your blood, your life force. I believe that I’ll be able to work a small miracle for you.” She glanced pointedly at Shadow’s severed arm and then back at him.

“Is it possible?” the hedgehog prompted.

Rouge snorted. “Of course it is. Nothing is impossible for a witch who minds her goddess.” The bat uncorked the healing potion and Shadow’s nose was assaulted by a heavy enough scent blanket to make him recoil. The stuff smelled rancidly sweet. He wondered if the original scent was any worse than the artificial one.

With careful fingers, Rouge plucked each petal from the blood lilly, then dropped each one into the healing potion. Upon each added petal, smoke wafted and the dark shade of the potion shifted closer and closer to a scarlet red. The shade was an exact match to the stripes on Shadow’s fur. 

Once the petals were added Rouge plopped the stem into her mouth.

Shadow blinked, utterly bewildered by her actions.

The witch winked at him as she chewed, then picked up the severed arm and spat her mouthful of green mush onto the bloodied stump at the end. Steam wafted and the exposed flesh began to fizz and bubble. 

Shadow felt himself beginning to tense up. 

It was unlikely that this process would feel particularly pleasant. 

Rouge scooted closer to Shadow on her knees with his arm in one hand and the blood lily enhanced healing potion in the other. 

“I will save your life and reattach your arm on one condition,” the bat declared.

Shadow glared. He already knew where this was going.

“You will allow me to accompany you on your quest without complaining,” Rouge declared with a dazzling grin. 

The dark furred hedgehog grumbled and slouched a little, but ultimately knew that it would be unwise to continue denying the witch’s help. She’d proved useful thus far, after all. “Fine,” he relented. “But you better not slow me down.”

Rouge snickered in delight, “Wouldn’t dream of it. Now hold still, hon. This will hurt a lot.”

With that, the witch shoved Shadow’s severed arm roughly against his bloodied socket. Upon contact the exposed flesh erupted in a flood of burning hot pain. The blood lily residue burnt like acid and Shadow consciously felt it beginning to seep into his bloodstream through the wound. 

Without even giving him time to react to the pain, Rough dumped the healing portion over Shadow’s head.

Liquid thick as honey soaked his quills and then spread impossibly to cover his entire body. It soaked his fur completely within a matter of seconds, bringing with it a heat that burned hotter than molten ore in a blacksmith’s forge. 

Shadow found himself blinded by pain. His vision blacked out immediately and he fell backwards onto the grass to trash and scream. His pain tolerance did nothing to spare him from this torture. He felt as each organ was laced back together, felt as his very bone marrow was kicked into overdrive replenishing his lost blood. Fractured bones were fused together instantaneously and bruises were burned away like demon corpses beneath the sun’s rays. The bloody gash on the back of his skull was mended and the splitting ache between his eyes was alleviated, though it was replaced with a pain far greater. 

Worst of all, Shadow felt in excruciating detail as the shattered bones in his shoulder rearranged themselves. The severed veins in his arm merged back together, all the while tendons and muscles laced themselves back into place. Nerves reconnected and skin began to regrow. As the process continued, the pain slowly spread down Shadow’s dead arm. It was as if he’d stuck his arm into a pool of hot magma. The pain of having it ripped off didn’t hold a candle to the pain of having it reattached. 

As Shadow suffered a torture to combat with the hells, Rouge watched on and cackled while subtly dipping her rosary into the thick puddle of blood the hedgehog had left on the ground.  

When Sonic awoke his entire body was consumed by a dull ache. He was laying on his back on a soft patch of grass with the ratty blanket he’d brought along with him draped across his body. The comforting scent of a campfire warmed his nostrils and the crackling of lazy frames gently pulled him from sleep.

It would have been a pleasant experience, had it not been for the terrible sense of loss that he was struck with the moment he regained consciousness.

A part of him was missing.

Like a limb or an ear. Only it was not a physical piece, it was something buried deep within him. It had once been nestled beneath his breastbone, hidden safely underneath his ribs, but now it had impossibly disappeared. 

Sonic felt off.

He felt understimulated.

Yet he felt as if his skin was crawling at the same time.

He needed to move, but he needed to stay completely still both at once.

This sense of offness was already driving him mad, and he’d only just woken up.

When Sonic drifted his fingers to brush at the amulet around his neck, he found it missing.

The memories of all his failures played rapid fire behind his lids. Shadow had taken an Emerald from him again. Sonic had been defeated by Shadow again. Talonpointe Mountain was in ruins. The bones of his fallen loved ones had been trampled across and defiled by the spilled blood of an enemy. 

Sonic had failed the Guardian Owls, and he’d failed Green Hill. He’d failed Knuckles and Tails, for he had demanded to fight Shadow one-on-one and then immediately fumbled. He’d failed Tails in particular, as well as Quicksilver, for he’d abandoned Silverstrike to be buried under the crumbling remains of the Temple and the rocky peak overtop of it.

And worst of all, Sonic had failed Longclaw.

He’d had the Blue Emerald around his neck this entire time. 

But he hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t even thought to consider the possibility that he carried the thing with him. 

Sonic replayed the memory of that terrible night over and over. He saw the fires behind his eyelids and smelled the scent of rancid smoke as if it was happening all over again. He felt as Longclaw’s blood drenched his fur and he felt suffocated by the soot that covered him head to toe. The whisper of the feathers laced through his quills was no longer a comfort, but a terrible reminder that he was no Guardian Owl.

The hedgehog replayed that terrible conversation in his mind, visualizing the moment when Longclaw settled the amulet around his neck.

“Take this and run. Run as fast as you can and never look back! Never stop, not until you’re safe. You have to be safe, you have to live. You’re our only hope, Sonic.”

Of course Sonic hadn’t understood what she meant.

He’d been a child! Barely five winters old!

When those soldiers from the northern steppe had chased him, they hadn’t been in pursuit out of frustration with their loss against the owls. They’d known that Sonic had the Emerald, and they had meant to kill him for it. They hadn’t been hopelessly chasing, they’d been on an active hunt. When Sonic ran past Green Hill, desperate to follow Longclaw’s final wishes, he’d led the army directly to an objective that was far easier to obtain.

A clan of echidna was far easier prey than a child running with speed fueled by the Blue Emerald.

It all suddenly made sense, why Sonic had been able to run and run and never stop.

His sudden strength hadn’t been the discovery of a latent talent, undiscovered due to his confinement on Talonpointe, it had been the power of the Blue Emerald. It had always been with him. It had protected him in Longclaw’s stead, and he had failed it. 

He had sat on his ass and watched as Shadow took it from him.

The Emerald was gone, and it was all Sonic’s fault.

The Green Emerald had been one thing, but the Blue Emerald… that was a sore spot. This had already been personal, but now it was even more so. 

Turned bitter by the gaping hole within himself, Sonic turned his despair into a burning hatred. This was all Shadow’s fucking fault.

If he hadn’t fucking shown up then Sonic never would have failed. 

It didn’t matter what freakish ability he possessed that allowed him to continue fighting past Sonic’s limits, the blue hedgehog would hunt that fucker down and kill him with his bare hands.

Third time’s the charm, right?

Sonic finally opened his eyes.

He found a sliver of moon overhead and a dazzling blanket of stars. He traced the constellations, just as a certain kindhearted woman had taught him to do all those years prior. Sonic hadn’t properly appreciated her warmth… but he carried it with him now, in spite of his childish hostility towards her when they had first met.

The Night Reaper, the Blind Paladin, and the Hanged Maiden. 

In the distant corners of the sky he caught sight of the Mad Alchemist and the Undead Priest.

Gazing at the stars almost calmed him.

Almost.

The rage still simmered.

Shadow still needed to die.

With an uncomfortable amount of effort, Sonic managed to sit up. His body ached. The movement made his head spin. He glanced to the side and found a pile of empty potion vials. Guilt swirled around in his gut. Tails and Knuckles had been placed on healing duty once again.

Across the campfire, Tails perked up upon seeing Sonic awaken. He was sitting with his knees hugged against his chest and his namesakes wrapped neatly around his feet. When he shifted to move towards Sonic’s side of the fire the hedgehog realized that his brother’s fur was stained with his blood in multiple places.

“Sonic! Good, you’re awake,” the fox sighed in relief. He knelt beside the hedgehog and gave him a quick look over. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Sonic replied, “Just sore.” That was an understatement. He felt wrong. As if to punctuate the sentiment, a terrible tremor ran through Sonic’s body. His limbs shook as he spasmed, his head snapping awkwardly to the side as he twitched. A terrible chill settled throughout his very being.

“Sonic!” Tails cried in alarm. He grabbed his brother’s arms and attempted to hold him steady as he shook. 

“What has happened?” Knuckles cried as he jogged towards the campfire from where he’d been standing watch a ways away.

“I’m– I’m fine,” Sonic hissed. He curled in on himself and shrugged out of Tail’s grip. He’d stopped thrashing, but the shivers rocking his body had not subsided. The hole within him gaped and bled thick, infected ooze throughout his being. He felt incomplete. There was a certain stimulation that he was missing, but it was gone and he had no damn idea how to get it back.

Knuckles jostled Sonic’s shoulder, causing him to remove his head from where he’d ducked it between his knees. The echidna’s lilac eyes bored into him. “You are experiencing withdrawals,” the red quilled warrior stated.

Sonic blanched. “What in the– What?? What are you talking about?”

Knuckles narrowed his eyes, then glanced at Tails. Sonic whipped around to face his brother, who averted his gaze almost guiltily. “You’ve been shaking like that every once in a while since you passed out,” the fox mumbled.

“What the fuck,” Sonic hissed. He gazed down at his bandage wrapped hands, which had a slight tremor to them. They were stained with dried blood, a mixture of his and Shadow’s. That faker’s scent clung to him like a heavy cloak. It was unpleasant. 

“These symptoms are typical of those who come in close contact with an Emerald,” Knuckles explained with a grim expression. “Zealots are said to twitch and seize like mad.”

“I’m not a Zealot!” Sonic snapped, “Do I look like a zombie to you?!”

Knuckles and Tails startled. Red quills bristled and tawny fur stood slightly on end. 

Sonic realized that his teeth were bared in a snarl. He’d spoken far harsher than he’d meant to…

“Fuck. Shit. I’m sorry, guys,” he mumbled. Sonic dragged his hands across his ears and then buried his fingers in his quills. “I don’t know what that was. I’m just– I feel… fuck.” He couldn’t even put it into words. How could he? A part of him was missing, but nothing physical. What if it was all in his head? It probably was.

“This is due to prolonged exposure to the Blue Emerald,” Knuckles said with a growl in his words. “You’ve worn the damn thing around your neck for your entire life. Even in its dormant state, that relic’s power is still vast. Without it, your body does not know how to function. You’re addicted. Like a Warlock.”

Warlock’s were individuals caught between a Zealot and a true Blade wielder. They were not able to withstand the Emerald’s power properly enough to command it entirely, but not weak enough to it to be reduced to a bumbling husk. Warlocks were said to possess somewhat of a control over the Emeralds, however the negative side effects were numerous. They were not true blade wielders, and would still find themselves being warped and twisted by a power that was too great for their bodies to withstand. 

Only Sonic was not a Warlock.

He was chosen, like the Emerald Guard had said. Sonic was a Blade wielder, just the same as Shadow. Were he a Warlock, he wouldn’t have been able to reveal the Blue Emerald’s true form! Yeah! Knuckles was talking nonsense. He wasn’t addicted to chaos energy, that was ridiculous.

“It’s nothing like that Knux,” Sonic argued. He kept his hands wrung together and pressed tight against his chest. The sensation replicated the warmth and weight of the amulet around his neck. It didn’t help much, but it was calming to pretend. 

“How are you so certain, hedgehog?” the echidna spat. His tone was oddly hostile.

Sonic turned to him and gave him his best “what the fuck” expression.

“I wouldn’t put it past you to lie about this subject as well,” Knuckles accused.

Sonic’s eyes fluttered. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

Knuckles crossed his arms and rose from where he’d been kneeling at Sonic’s side. He stood tall and gazed down his nose at the hedgehog. The campfire set his brown muzzled face into harsh shadows. 

“You’ve had the Blue Emerald on your person all these years, and hid that fact from us,” Knuckles proclaimed. “All the while preaching to high heaven about sharing in my sacred duty of defending the Green Emerald and protecting the village. You dragged us along on this petty quest while you possessed the stone all the while. We left Green Hill undefended! Your selfishness put countless lives in danger!”

“Knuckles, what in the fuck are you trying to say?” Sonic sputtered, utterly bewildered by the sudden flurry of accusations. 

“If protecting Green Hill was truly your objective in chasing after the ebony furred villain, then you should have relinquished your Emerald and left it in the temple in the stolen relic’s place,” Knuckles barked. 

Sonic blinked several times.

The echidna’s words swirled around in his mind.

Processing.

The meanings clicked, and the hedgehog’s quills began to prickle as hostility stirred within him. Tails glanced between his friends in alarm.

“So you’re saying that we never should have gone after the Green Emerald in the first place?” Sonic demanded. “Because I already had the Blue Emerald, so I should have given it to you as a replacement for letting the Green one get stolen?”

“That is not what I meant,” Knuckles huffed.

“Isn’t it?” Sonic shot back.

“I still would have quested after the dark quilled thief, but Green Hill did not have to be left unprotected,” the echidna clarified.

“Did you forget about the whole reason why we came all the way the fuck out here?!” Sonic demanded. “You can’t just take an Emerald Blade away from a wielder! Maybe that would work on a Warlock or a Zealot, but not someone like him! We needed an Emerald not just to fight him, but to find him to begin with!”

“Maybe you needed extra power, but not I,” Knuckles snapped.

“Do you even hear yourself right now?!” Sonic shouted. He was beyond frustrated. This was completely ridiculous! Did Knuckles really think that he’d dragged them out here for no fucking reason?! That he’d been pretending to be unaware of the Blue Emerald’s presence around his neck??

“There was no reason for us to travel here!” Knuckles yelled right back. “You had the Blue Emerald the entire time! Why did you not draw it on that night? Why did you hold back and prioritize your own illicit secrets over Green Hill’s safety?!”

“How can you be so sure that I had the Emerald with me the whole time,” Sonic hissed, eyes dark and angry, “You fucking ran off like a coward the second things got too dicey back there. Maybe I did find the Emerald in that Temple!”

Knuckles marched forward and grabbed Sonic by the fur on his chest. He leaned in close and growled low in his throat. “Do not play me for a fool,” he snarled. “I witnessed as the villainous Shadow morphed his Blade into an amulet, an amulet just like the one you’ve worn all your life. He even did the same to your own Blade, after you handed it over to him like an obedient dog.”

Oh, he had not just said that.

Sonic shoved Knuckles off him, threw his blanket aside, and leapt to his feet, ignoring the pain and how his body protested each movement. He pushed into the echidna’s personal space, glaring up into his burning lilac eyes with his fists clenched at his sides. 

“You really don’t think that things would have been different had I known I had the Blue Emerald around my fucking neck?” Sonic spat. His voice was dark and dangerous, his eyes piercing and venomous. “You really think that any of this, any of this would have fucking happened if I’d known?! Do you seriously think that I wanted to come back to this godsforsaken place and trample all over the bones of my dead family?!”

Knuckles’ eyes flashed briefly with regret. 

Sonic didn’t back down.

“You can think whatever the fuck you want about me,” Sonic growled, “I don’t give a damn, but don’t you ever compare me to that godsdamned faker. I ‘handed Longclaw’s Blade over to him?’ No!” Sonic’s voice rose to a roar. “He had to step over my dead body to take the Emerald the first time and the second time! Don’t you dare insinuate that I let him walk away! I did my fucking part, all you did was cower and hide while I fought to the death!”

“You never would have been in that situation had you not insisted upon fighting the villain alone! A second time! Knowing that you failed on the first!” Knuckles retorted. 

“Oh, so this is all my fault?!” Sonic screamed.

“Yes!!” Knuckles shouted in his face.

Sonic knew that it was true, but the words still hurt.

His fist was swinging before he knew what was happening.

Knuckles dodged the blow with ease, lilac eyes widening in surprise, then hardening in challenge.

Twin growls rose in the red and blue furred males’ throats, but before they could tear each other to shreds Tails thrust himself between them and shoved them apart with firm palms to their chests.

“Knuckles! Sonic! Stop!” the fox screamed. 

His friends listened to him. The quilled pair stood with fists and claws brandished as they gawked between the fox and each other. They’d really been about to fight. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you two?!” Tails demanded.

Sonic’s ear flicked. “Langua–”

“-Shut it!” his brother snapped, whipping around to fix Sonic with an angry scowl. His ears were flattened and his fur was standing on end. Tails could look mean as hell when he wanted to. Sonic guiltily backed down.

“Things are bad enough as they are without you two making everything worse by fighting!” Tails scolded. Everything about this sucks, but that doesn’t mean you get to take it out on each other! I understand that both of your are powerful fighters who aren’t familiar with failure or losing a battle, but you need to grow the fuck up and take the situation for what it is. Knuckles, you know that Sonic would have told us if he’d known he had the Blue Emerald all along. And Sonic, don’t take out your frustration on us! We don’t deserve it! Even if Knuckles is being a dick.”

The hedgehog and the echidna hung their heads guiltily. 

Tails sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Knuckles, I’m sorry that we were unable to reclaim your ancestors’ Emerald,” Tails said pleasingly. “And Sonic, I’m sorry that we had to return to this place and dig up past trauma.” Those blue eyes turned sly. “Now that I’ve given such a spectacular example, both of you apologize.”

Sonic and Knuckles grumbled in annoyance but otherwise complied.

“My apologies for wrongly accusing you,” the echidna mumbled.

“Yeah, whatever,” Sonic sighed. He continued after receiving a glare from Tails. “And I’m sorry for yelling and trying to hit you.”

The three of them stood in a tense silence.

Tails gestured with a hand, clearly expecting more.

Sonic and Knuckles exchanged a confused glance.

The fox scoffed in annoyance. “Now hug and make up!”

The chorus of annoyed groaning that resulted only encouraged Tails. He glared and tapped his foot until his grumpy friends obeyed his command.

Sonic stepped into Knuckles’ opened arms and loosely looped his own around a broad, red-furred chest. The echidna returned the embrace and squeezed him close. Sonic made sure to keep his quills tucked so he wouldn’t hurt him. 

The two only broke the embrace once Tails nodded in approval.

“Better?” the fox asked.

Knuckles and Sonic grumbled under their breath and kicked at the ground. 

“I’m going back on watch,” Knuckles huffed. He turned on his heel and wandered across the ruined village.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he watched him go. Knuckles was hot headed as hell. The two of them had butted heads often before, but they’d never been so hostile towards each other. What was happening to them? Were the Emeralds really this important? Were ancient relics seriously worth straining friendships over?

“Um, here,” Tails spoke up in an attempt to gain Sonic’s attention.

The hedgehog turned to face his brother, and was rattled with shock when he found a familiar blade resting in his hands.

It was Silverstrike.

“Where did you…” Sonic trailed off as he took the sword and gazed into its marbled surface. The fire reflected against its freshly polished blade, casting the metal in a warm glow.

“Knuckles went back into the Temple and got it for you while you were passed out,” Tails explained.

“What?!” Sonic breathed. “But the whole Mountain collapsed! I left Silverstrike back in the inner chamber!”

“I told him that, believe me,” Tails huffed. A fond warmth softened his features. “But Knuckles insisted. Echidnas are good at digging, so it didn’t take him too long.”

Sonic gazed down at Silverstrike’s surface in a new light. And after all those horrible things that Knuckles had said. He’d still gone back and retrieved Sonic’s forgotten sword in spite of it all. Now he felt really bad for throwing a punch.

“You two are so stupid,” Tails sighed with an eye roll. 

Sonic snickered and picked his way back to the soft patch of grass he’d been laying on. The night was making him colder than it usually did. He wrapped his blanket tightly around himself and kept Silverstike lying close at his side. 

Tails smiled briefly then returned to his side of the fire to toss a few more twigs into the blaze.

After sitting and watching the embers float and spin for a while, Sonic spoke up again. “I’m sorry, Tails.”

The fox blinked at him in confusion. “What for?”

“I failed to get the Emeralds back, and I put the entire village in danger by being too stupid to realize that I’ve had a literal Emerald Blade around my neck since I was five.”

Tails gazed at him sympathetically then went back to tending the fire. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

Sonic startled. “What do you mean?”

“You sound so pathetic!” Tails snickered, “Like some sort of wet cat. And since when do you apologize for shit? The Sonic I know would have put all this behind him and been plotting a way to hunt the Emeralds down again.”

The hedgehog grumbled and squeezed his blanket tighter around himself. “I guess dying twice in half a week does that to a guy,” Sonic muttered. He chose not to tell his brother about the piece of him that was missing. He didn’t want Tails accusing him of being a power addict too. It was probably nothing, anyway.

Tails hummed in thought as he poked at the fire with a stick. “You’ve really been through the ringer these past few days. Shadow’s really tough, isn’t he?”

Sonic glared. Just hearing that faker’s name was enough to piss him off. “Tell me about it. What’s that bastard’s deal, anyway? Running around stealing Emeralds left and right? What the fuck could he possibly need them for?” The guy could teleport. He could have been literally anywhere. Maybe it was the bone deep exhaustion or the pain in his everywhere, but Sonic was feeling particularly hopeless about his chances of hunting Shadow down a second time. 

“I think I might know where we can find him,” Tails said in a tone similar to one commenting on the weather.

Sonic choked on his own spit.

His ears perked up and he sat up straight. “Wait, really?? How, where is he? When can I kill him?!”

Tails barked a laugh. “There’s the Sonic I know. Welcome back to the land of the living.” The fox rose and began to rummage through the pile of traveling sacks that was leaning against a stray boulder. He pulled an unfamiliar satchel from the pile and carried it to where Sonic was sitting.

The blue hedgehog lifted a single brow, scrutinizing the dark leather and beaded straps. 

“This was Shadow’s,” Tails explained.

“No way!” Sonic gasped, “Gimme!” He snatched the empty pack from his brother’s hands and explored every inch. The thing was so feminine. He was shocked that someone like Shadow would have carried it. Although, the gloves and boots he’d been wearing hadn’t seemed the most manly either. 

Sonic gave the pack a curious sniff, and was surprised to find that he could already recognize Shadow’s scent.

Though it wasn’t too horribly out of the question. He was drenched in the guy’s blood.

The smell was hard like charcoal and ground coffee but hiding a hint of something almost floral. Of course, all of it was drenched in a heavy coating of the coppery tang of blood and earthy scents picked up on the road. 

Sonic lowered the satchel from his nose when he caught Tails looking at him like he was crazy.

The fox snickered at his antics then gestured at Sonic to open the bag. “Look at what’s inside! I think it will help us.”

Sonic reached a hand into the pack without hesitation and grouped about. It was completely empty, save for a paper scroll. Shadow liked to travel light, huh?

When Sonic pulled the paper free and then unrolled it, he was surprised to find a neatly drawn map of Mobius. All across the page seven doodles of neatly cut gemstones were drawn, along with swooping lines of ink zig-zagging from one continent to the next.

The path started at Green Hill, then moved to a village up north called Hellsgate, before swooping downwards to Talonpointe Mountain. 

“What is this?” Sonic asked.

“It’s a map, duh,” Tails teased.

Sonic glared at him. “I knew that, smartass. But what’s Shadow doing with it? Does he have a thing for tourism?”

“No,” Tails huffed. “Obviously he’s hunting down the seven Emerald Blades.”

“WHAT?!” Sonic shrieked. His quills puffed out and stood on end. He held the map up to his nose and took a closer look.

“It’s pretty self explanatory, if you ask me,” the fox explained matter-of-factly. “If the sketches of the Emeralds hadn’t given it away, then I would have figured it out from both Green Hill and Talonpionte being marked.”

“But what about Hellsgate? What even is that place?” Sonic demanded.

“Beats me,” Tails replied with a shrug. “But there isn’t an Emerald sketched beside it so I don’t think it matters. Besides, Shadow’s clearly already left that place behind him.”

“If he’s hunting down the Emerald Blades then that means he’s got a death wish,” Sonic retorted as he glared at the map. To be perfectly honest, he hadn’t looked at a map of Mobius in so long that he’d forgotten there was even a continent aside from his own and the one up north in the first place.

“No,” Tails disagreed, “It means that we know where he’s headed next.”

Sonic gasped and gazed up at his brother, who was standing behind him with his arms planted on his hips and his tails flicking about behind him. “So we can hunt him down and kill him??”

“Not just kill him,” the fox said with an amused laugh, “We can take our Emeralds back and prevent him from collecting any more. Whatever he’s planning, it can’t be a good thing. The Emerald Blades were hidden away for a reason. It would be in our best interest to head back to Green Hill, pack for a longer journey, and then get on the road. If we want to beat Shadow to the next Emerald then we need to hurry.”

A giddy excitement rose within Sonic, paired with a thirst for violence as well as an all consuming desperation to get his Emerald back and fill the gaping hole that had been torn open within him. “Then let’s go right now! Where’s Shadow headed next?”

“You’ve got the map right in front of your face,” Tails pointed out.

With a wild grin spreading across his face Sonic turned back to the map and traced the lines of ink with his eyes. First Green Hill, then Hellsgate, on to Talonpointe Mountain, and then–

No.

Fuck no!

There was no way in fucking hell!!

“Oh, shit on a dick!” Sonic wailed. 

Tails busted out laughing. “That’s right!! We’re going to the Mistystep Sea.”

Sonic was going to throw up.

Down the slope of Talonpointe Mountain and hardly a few paces into the jungle below, Shadow and Rouge sat around their own campfire. Though the two of them sat in a comfortable silence rather than screaming in each other’s faces or wailing to the heavens over a trip out to sea.

Rouge had been gracious enough to pack not only a second blanket, but also a second traveling cloak. Now with the fresh cloak pinned around his shoulders, the blood scrubbed from his fur in the clear waters of a nearby stream, and a fuzzy blanket puddled in his lap, Shadow sat across the fire from the last person he’d ever expected to trust.

The bat had warmed up two mugs of the stew that she’d hauled out here with her and made sure that Shadow drank plenty of water as well as rested rather than immediately taken to the road. It was relieving to have his arm attached again, but the soreness in his shoulder was absolutely miserable. Though it was nothing Shadow couldn’t handle. The pain would likely dissipate come morning.

When a rattling growl sounded from the surrounding trees, disturbing the quiet peace, Shadow snapped his head in the direction of a pair of glowing red eyes and glared at the lurking demon with violent intent.

The beast took pause, lost in the swirling scarlett of Shadow’s gaze, then ultimately backed off and retreated back into the jungle. 

Rouge chuckled as she stirred a mug of chamomile tea. Quite an odd thing to pack for a journey across the globe, but Shadow wasn’t judging. Too much.

“I could get used to this,” the witch commented. “That muddled blood of yours sure comes in handy.”

Shadow shot her a tired glance. He’d since given up at glaring the unwelcomed commentary out of her. If Rouge had something to say then she’d say it. Shadow supposed that he’d come to appreciate her straightforwardness. Somewhat. He still didn’t quite like her refusal to be intimidated by him, but that only meant that she’d be able to keep up with him on the battlefield. Such skills would come in handy.

Maybe this alliance would prove to be more than an annoyance, after all.

That only made him more confused, though. This alliance was far more beneficial to Shadow than it was to Rouge, even if she’d be getting the spoils of an archdemon’s corpse out of it. The bat was needlessly throwing herself into danger and wasting time ensuring that Shadow didn’t get herself killed when she could have stayed at home and comfortable in Hellsgate. The Emerald Blades could be nothing but a danger to those who were unable to withstand their power, and a being such as Shadow could attract nothing but trouble.

Yet in spite of the odds being tipped in his favor, Rouge still sat across the campfire from him. She seemed more than content to be coming along. It was almost as if she was enjoying herself.

Which shouldn’t have been possible.

Shadow knew himself, and he knew that he was not a pleasant person to spend time in the presence of.

He often went out of his way to make absolutely certain of that.

So why?

“I don’t understand,” Shadow murmured.

His words would have been lost upon any other Mobian, but Rouge’s large ears picked up on the soft statement.

“Whatever do you mean, sweet thing?” the bat cooed.

“I do not understand why you are so enthusiastic to help me,” Shadow clarified, speaking at a normal volume this time. “Prophecies and wasted potions aside, you seem all too willing to be friendly towards me.”

The bat blinked, then curled her lips in a mischievous smile. “What can I say? I do love a challenge~ You’re playing hard to get, and that intrigues me.”

Shadow rolled his eyes.

“But also,” Rouge continued, her smile growing softer and her eyes beginning to waver with some kind mix of emotion, “Though it wasn’t my place, I witnessed your tragedy through your blood. You’ve been through a lot, and I… I can sympathize with that.”

Shadow rose his red-tinted brows in curiosity. 

“I was orphaned at a young age,” she began, “My parents were travelling merchants. They were slaughtered by demons outside Hellsgate, right in front of me. I managed to fly into the safety of the city, but they weren’t so lucky. I lived on the streets for a time. It was… difficult. The villagers were cruel. The travelers passing through were even worse. I starved during the winter and stole from the market to survive in the other months. I was desperate and alone, two years after I lost my parents, when a decrepit old man approached me one winter.”

Rouge’s lips curled up in a snarl, but she continued speaking even though the story clearly pained her.

Shadow appreciated her gesture.

A tragedy for a tragedy.

“He told me that he’d feed and house me, but only if I sucked his prick. Said it was easy, that he could help me learn. He was a slaver, owned a whore house a couple of villages over. He’d take me off the street if I came to work for him. It was either prostitution or dying in the snow. He said I didn’t have a choice. But I didn’t want to. I was starving, but at least I was free. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I… My life would have been very different had the Unholy Mother not gutted him before he could take even more from me than what I had already lost.”

Shadow was stunned into silence.

He waited patiently for Rouge to continue.

He listened.

He stayed.

Drawing a deep breath, Rouge continued her story, “With that rat bastard’s steaming corpse staining the snow red, my foremother told me that this was a cruel world with cruel people in it. She said that men were evil and corrupt, and that they’d do anything to take from me until there was nothing but bones and bloodied flesh. She told me that she respected my resolve, and that her goddess didn’t overlook brave girls with hearts of iron and wits of steel. The Unholy Mother told me that I had a place with her in her keep, but only if I so chose. Even if I didn’t want to swear myself to service at her altar, she’d always have a warm bed for me and something to fill my aching belly.”

Rouge smiled softly.

It was a tiny, delicate thing.

And the most genuine expression that Shadow had seen on her thus far.

“I agreed to train under her immediately,” Rouge said proudly with fingers drifting to touch the bloody rosary that rested against her collarbone. “I would rather swear myself to a dark goddess than be forced into servitude against my will. I would be a servant, but at least I’d still be my own. That is what my dark goddess offered to me that night. I swore myself to Her and let my blood flow freely. The rest is history. 

“You asked why I have been so kind to you. The answer is that I… understand what it means to make a difficult choice. I understand what it means to become a monster in the eyes of the world in order to stay true to your own heart. I also understand what it means to be haunted by tragedy. The sensation of their blood on your hands… it never leaves.”

Shadow shook his head in agreement.

It did not.

Rouge readjusted her wings and took a long sip from her mug. After swallowing she locked gazes with Shadow. Teal eyes flashed, turned to molten pools by the reflection of the fire light.

“I don’t want you to be alone. I cannot offer you a spot in my dark goddess’s church, but I can offer you Her power through me. And besides.” The witch flashed a sharp-toothed grin. “We tortured souls should stick together, now, shouldn’t we?”

Shadow found himself returning her smile.

Though his own was tiny and frail.

In that moment, he felt a sense of kinship spark within himself. It glowed softly and spit warmth between the hedgehog and the bat, much like the fire that blazed before their eyes. 

Yes.

Shadow had lost everything.

But at least he was not alone.

Chapter Text

Morning was timid and peaceful.

Shadow awoke lying on his back upon soft grass adorned with drops of dew that sparkled like diamonds. Above him was a leafy canopy dappled with lazy sunlight. Small birds flew from branch to branch as they sang sweet songs.

The day would have almost been pleasant had it not been for the dream that still clung to the fringes of Shadow’s mind.

He’d dreamt of an unfamiliar village, though it was one he was coming to recognize as Talonpointe. Shadow had been small and carefree, running along neatly kept streets and falling into the warm feathered arms of a woman whose face he still could not quite make out. He’d picked flowers and admired roses with blood colored petals and even gazed into the surface of the Blue Emerald, held deep within the Temple and dutifully guarded by an owl with a kind smile and a scared beak. 

The dream had been happy, and uncomfortably so. The visions filled him with dread similarly to the fond memories he possessed of his own village. For he was all too aware of Talonpointe’s fate. He’d become very closely acquainted with it the day prior.

Before long, the visions of a joyful, domestic life had morphed into a terrible nightmare.

Mosaiced streets were overrun with flame and kind feathered faces melted to bloodied slop under the pressure of extreme heat. Blood puddled everywhere and soaked Shadow’s fur. At the end of it all he was forced to say goodbye to the faceless owl and leave all of the destruction behind. Only when he’d turned to run, he’d fallen into a pit of darkness.

Shadow sighed heavily.

He focused on the earthy scent of the grass beneath him and the weight of the amulet against his chest fluff. Slowly the dream faded and he stopped seeing burning buildings and feathered corpses behind his eyelids every time he blinked.

Such memories…

They were obviously Sonic’s, but Shadow still did not understand why he was seeing them. It was as if there was an odd energy floating around him. It was not his own, and it did not fit within him, but it clung to his heels and followed him about as there was nowhere else for it to go. Every time Shadow let his guard down, the strange entity took its opportunity without hesitation and squirmed its way into Shadow’s mind.

It always left unpleasant visions in its wake. 

Shadow was most displeased with the recurrent phenomena.

He did not want to see the blue hedgehog as anything other than a hindrance. Seeing these visions, seeing his tragedy, was causing Shadow to begin to look at him in a new light. With curiosity and the beginnings of sympathy.

Such sentiments were unacceptable.

Sonic was his enemy, and as long as that blue quilled pain-in-the-ass still drew breath there was a threat to Shadow’s possession of the Emeralds. He’d already chased after him once, and it would be wholly unsurprising for it to happen a second time. 

It did not matter how similar his loss was to Shadow’s. 

These memories were not Shadow’s to witness. 

Even though Sonic was an enemy, it was still uncalled for to go prying about in the depths of his psyche. He had no place seeing these visions, and he wanted them to stop.

Unfortunately, in order to make that happen, Shadow needed to pinpoint their source.

The dark furred hedgehog sat up and dragged his fingers through his quills a few times to be sure they laid properly. He cracked a large yawn and stretched his arms high over his head, satisfied to find that the ache in his bones had dissipated over night.

“Rise and shine, handsome,” Rouge purred from where she sat across the charred remains of their campfire. The bat was dragging her own claws through her hair to correct its appearance, similarly to Shadow. It dawned upon the hedgehog that he and the witch might be a bit more similar than he had initially realized.

“Did you sleep alright?” he found himself asking.

Rouge’s ears twitched in surprise.

Shadow ducked his head in embarrassment, his own ears rotating backwards. He didn’t know why he’d said that. Force of habit, he supposed. It was the same question he had asked Maria every morning, after spending each night curled up at the end of her bed like a glorified house cat…

“I slept spectacularly, thank you for asking,” Rouge replied with a grin. She did not question Shadow’s sudden lapse in aloof demeanour, which he was grateful for. 

After giving one final stretch and fluttering her sinewed wings a few times, the bat stood and began to pack her things. Shadow followed suit in silence. The pair moved efficiently and with purpose. When Rouge tossed him a small knot of bread Shadow downed it in one bite, surprised to discover how hungry he was. He briefly noted that he hadn’t eaten since the last time Rouge had fed him. As the Ultimate Lifeform, and by extension a freak of nature, Shadow didn’t exactly need to eat. Not quite as often as normal Mobians, anyway.

Once the hedgehog and the bat had donned their traveling cloaks and adjusted their packs they shared a quick glance.

“I lost the map,” Shadow admitted in a flat tone.

Rouge rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly. “I had a feeling. Luckily it was buried when that Mountain caved in. Means we won’t have to worry about any uninvited guests joining us on our little vacation.” After tossing Shadow a wink Rouge reached into her embroidered satchel and drew out her own map. Upon unrolling it Shadow found that it was a duplicate of the one she’d drawn for him.

It appeared that the bat had been scheming quite heavily about joining him on his journey.

He couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed, since her presence had saved his life on two separate occasions.

“From now on I’ll hold the map, alright hon?” Rouge teased.

Shadow rolled his eyes but did not argue.

The bat began walking and Shadow tagged along at her heels. She gave the map a healthy glance before tucking it back away. “Finding the Light Blue Emerald will prove to be far tricker than finding the other two,” Rouge explained. “All I know is that it is somewhere in the Mistystep Sea, so we’ll have to do a bit of investigating.”

“How do you suggest we proceed?” Shadow inquired. He’d been frozen in stone for five hundred years. It would be in his best interest to take Rouge’s input into account, as she was more aware of the happenings of this world than he was.

Rouge shot him a cocky grin. “Luckily for you, I know a guy. There’s a small coastal village due east from here. I estimate that my contact will be docked in that location for the next couple of days before he sets out for Crystalshore Island.” She clarified after receiving a confused look from Shadow, “Crystalshore is one of the self governed islands that stretch across the sea. It is one of the more densely populated areas, so it will be a good place to start investigating. Sound good to you?”

Shadow grunted in agreement. “I shall trust your judgement. It has not led me astray thus far.”

Rouge grinned and gave him a healthy slap across the back. “That’s the spirit!”

The dark furred hedgehog didn’t particularly appreciate being touched, but the gesture was nothing that would have bothered him under normal circumstances. Only this time, upon the contact with Rouge’s hand, the amulet around his neck heated to a near scalding degree and his senses were swamped with a most unwelcome vision.

Suddenly Shadow was no longer himself.

He was a lanky teen with wild quills and a silver rapier strapped to his hip. He stood in the midst of a field of rolling hills carpeted in swaying grasses. A band of thieves stumbled over themselves as they retreated towards the distant seashore with bloodied fur and empty pockets. Gulls cried overhead and a salt-scented breeze provided much needed reprieve on a hot summer’s day.

Trapped in a young Sonic’s body, Shadow turned to face the friend who stood close at his side. He was met with the sight of the red quilled echidna, though younger and visibly more carefree, with a shit eating grin plastered across his brown muzzled face.

Twinkling lilac eyes met Sonic’s and the two of them immediately doubled over in laughter.

The laugh that shook Shadow’s frame and echoed across the field was not his own. It was boisterous and unfettered, though it twinkled like the chiming of bells and filled him with a warm sensation like a beam of sunlight peeking through fluffy clouds to pass across his fur. He found himself oddly taken about by the noise of it, as well as his own reaction.

Sonic shared a glance with Knuckles once again, who was grinning wide enough to make his eyes crinkle, even though he was sporting a broken nose and bloodied brow. 

“We showed them!” the echidna declared victoriously.

“You know it!!” Shadow found himself saying in Sonic’s voice.

“See those sea-faring scumbags try to rob from Green Hill now!” Knuckles cackled. The echidna then brought his thickly gloved hand across Sonic’s back in a friendly slap. The force of it rattled Shadow’s ribs and made him stumble forward, almost biting the dirt. Though he laughed through it all, and the sound drew him aback the second time as much as it had the first.

The vision faded, and when Shadow was thrust back into his own body he was being shaken by the shoulders by a very concerned looking Rouge.

“Shadow? Shadow!” she shouted. Her teal colored eyes were strained with worry.

The dark quilled hedgehog startled when he reawoke to the real world and found himself shaking off Rouge’s grip and sinking into an instinctual fighting position. His chest pumped as he breathed hard, attempting to regain his bearings. The traitorous amulet around his neck had cooled. 

Rouge and Shadow stared at each other in shock for several moments.

Finally Shadow relaxed and lowered his fists. He groaned and gripped the bridge of his nose. A headache was beginning to brew between his eyes.

“What in the hells was that?!” Rouge demanded. “You just froze! Like your soul had been sucked from your body! Did you hit your head a little too hard while going at it with Blue? Are you possessed?? I can perform exorcisms!”

“No, I am uninjured,” Shadow replied tersely. “And I am not possessed, although I am beginning to wonder if I might be.”

Rouge’s lashes fluttered in confusion. “Explain.”

The hedgehog growled lightly in annoyance, though it was directed at his own situation rather than at the bat interrogating him. How could he even put these nonsensical visions to words?

“Ever since I…” Shadow paused to gather his thoughts. “Obtained the Blue Emerald, I have been plagued by memories. Though these memories are not my own. They are the blue hedgehog’s. It is as if I am being assaulted by echoes of his consciousness. I can fight them if I focus my mind, but sometimes they sneak up on me from behind. It is as if there is this… energy following me about. Like a ghost. It is an intruder in my mind, and I cannot rid myself of it.”

Rouge’s frown deepened with each word. She placed a hand over her chin and began to think. Her wings shuffled and she shifted her weight. 

Shadow brushed his fingers across the surface of the two-toned amulet. There was no way that the Blue Emerald was denying his command. That was impossible. It was merely a weapon. It was meant to be controlled. Had it truly possessed an opinion over who wielded it, then it shouldn’t have melted under Shadow’s touch like putty.

“What do you mean by visions? What is shown to you?” Rouge asked.

Shadow didn’t think it was correct to state that he was being “shown” these things. They were being forced upon him.

“As I stated before, I witness glimpses of Sonic’s memories,” the dark quilled hedgehog explained.

“Strange,” Rouge hummed. “And these visions only started once you captured the Blue Emerald?”

“Correct,” Shadow nodded. He folded his arms across his chest. “The first one occurred the moment I ripped it from that blue fool’s throat.”

Rouge lifted a single brow. “Oh? Was the Emerald not buried in the collapsed Temple?”

“It was not,” Shadow said, frowning as he went over memories that were not his own in his mind’s eye. “It would seem that Sonic was raised by the Guardian Owls. On the night they were slaughtered, the Emerald was given to him as a failsafe. He has worn it around his neck ever since. Though the moron did not realize it was there until I so graciously informed him.”

The bat’s eyes widened. “Well this certainly makes things interesting.”

“Interesting is not the word that I would use,” Shadow scoffed. “These visions are intrusive. I have no care for this blue fool’s repressed trauma.”

Rouge took Shadow’s words into consideration as she thought. Tapping a finger on her chin, she offered her input, “The Emeralds can be finicky bastards when they want to be. Their power is limitless, and as such their potential and behavior can be difficult to understand. I read many tomes on the Blades and their power in my training, so if I had to guess, I’d say that the Blue Emerald has bonded with Sonic’s soul.”

“What?” Shadow spat.

Rouge nodded to herself, almost as if she was agreeing with her own point. “The Green Emerald is bound to you,” she stated, referencing personal knowledge that she had discovered most intrusively. 

“Correct,” Shadow confirmed with a growl in his tone. He was growing tired of this conversation. These guessing games were a waste of his time.

The bat voiced her hypothesis in spite of Shadow’s growing annoyance, “It would seem that your speedy bedmate possesses a similar connection with the Blue Emerald–”

“-We are not sharing a bed,” Shadow snapped, deeply offended by the mere suggestion that he was… involved with that blue quilled freak.

Rouge barked a laugh and continued as if Shadow had not spoken at all, “Assuming that your visions are a reliable source of information, Blue has been wearing that pretty stone for years. Not to mention the fact that he wore it around his neck during a very traumatizing event. Strong emotions and chaos energy tend to make quite the combo. My professional diagnosis is this–” Shadow huffed at the witch’s antics but she was not deterred, “-When you forcibly removed the Blue Emerald from Sonic’s neck and broke his contact with it, the separation wasn’t clean.”

Shadow glared, not following.

“Think of it like this,” Rouge reiterated, “A medical amputation does far less damage than having a limb ripped clean off. You of all people should know.”

Shadow’s ears flattened against his quills in distaste, but he continued listening.

“It would seem that the bond Blue formed with his Emerald was strong enough that his soul was damaged when you ripped it away unexpectedly,” Rouge continued with a smug expression. “It is likely that a piece of him is still clinging to that Emerald you have around your neck.” She nodded at the amulet and Shadow followed her gaze, staring at the cobalt half with suspicious eyes. 

“His residue is seeping into your own spiritual self,” Rouge explained matter-of-factly, “It’s simple stuff, really.” It really wasn’t. “It’s like an echo,” the bat reiterated again, “Like you said earlier. Sonic left a strong imprint on that Emerald, and now that you’ve taken it into your possession he’s leaving a similar impact on you. Your minds are connected.”

A spike of alarm rattled up Shadow’s spine. “Can he see into my memories as well?”

“Definitely not,” Rouge reassured him with a flap of her hand. “There’s no connection on his end. If he managed to swipe the Green Emerald from you then I could see that being a possibility, but as it stands this is only a one-sided link.”

Shadow deflated in relief, feeling his quills settle from where they’d begun to stand on end. He brushed them back with his hands. “This information is most displeasing. How do I break the connection?”

“You can’t, sweetie,” Rouge said. “Until the Blue Emerald is returned to Sonic and he is made whole again, a piece of his essence will cling to it and whisper to whoever holds it. It’s effectively haunted.” The bat wiggled her fingers about for dramatic effect. 

Shadow was not amused.

“So I’m stuck with him in my head for the foreseeable future?” the hedgehog hissed.

“Bingo!” Rouge chirped. She was far too cheerful about this. Did she see that this predicament was a major issue?

“This is ridiculous,” Shadow growled.

“Oh, lighten up,” Rough snorted. “You’re a big boy, I think you can handle a cute little psychic connection.”

“This infestation is anything but cute,” Shadow argued while gesturing towards his head.

Rouge rolled her eyes and turned to continue walking through the jungle. “You said that you can fight off the visions, right? Just do that! You’re the Ultimate Lifeform. Controlling chaos energy is, like, your entire personality.”

Shadow grumbled under his breath and marched through the underbrush after the troublesome witch. She was crafty, playing at his ego. The hedgehog fell to her manipulation willingly and with enthusiasm. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. 

Thoughts of a blue quilled menace plaguing his subconscious were of little consequence.

He would purge the visions as they came upon him as ruthlessly and with as much ease as he handled any other common foe. 

His only real concern was over whether Sonic would be able to track down the Blue Emerald through his connection with it, just like Shadow had been able to do with the Green one. If their connections with the Emeralds truly were of the same nature, then such a concern was not out of the question.

However, he sincerely doubted that such a feat would be a realistic capability of someone with such poor intellect. 

Chapter Text

Three days after the battle on Talonpointe Mountain, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrived back at Green Hill. It had been expected that they’d arrive early that morning, but instead they crossed the grassy field at sunset. 

The journey had been most discouraging, and had left Sonic in a foul mood.

Now that the Blue Emerald was gone, it seemed that he couldn’t run quite as fast. He was still fast, that much was certain, but he wasn’t any faster than Knuckles or Tails. The hedgehog could no longer speed ahead or run laps around his friends when he got bored. In fact, it was a notable effort even to keep up.

Luckily Knuckles hadn’t given him any shit for it.

The echidna could read the room… when he wanted to.

It wasn’t Sonic’s sudden deduction in speed that had prolonged their journey, though. No. They’d arrived late because Sonic kept being overcome by weak spells. They struck him suddenly and without warning. His body would stop obeying him, and he’d collapse to the ground twitching and overcome with a terrible sense of something missing.

Tails called them seizures but Sonic didn’t know what that meant.

All he knew was that these weird spells were making him weak. He was supposed to be strong! The strongest Mobian on the entire continent! Apparently he’d only held that title because of his Emerald. His ego was taking blow after blow now that he’d discovered this. Even if he hadn’t been tapping into the Emerald’s power consciously, he’d still been doing it. He’d been carrying the thing for so damn long that it had all but become a part of him. His body didn’t know what to do without the excess chaos energy.

Knuckles kept looking at him strangely. During every spell he’d kneel next to Sonic and help Tails hold his limbs still until he finally settled. When the thrashing would finally pass and the hedgehog would lay still, drenched in sweat with a stormy expression across his face and fingers that trembled at his sides, Knuckles would always assure him that this would pass.

That his body would grow accustomed to the absence of chaos energy in time.

Knuckles still thought that Sonic was a Warlock. He still thought that Sonic was addicted to the chaos, that that was all any of this was. The hedgehog called his bullshit every single fucking time he said those things, but in spite of that Knuckles always insisted on bringing it back up. Fucking dickhead.

There was more to it than that. It wasn’t an addiction. It wasn’t!

The gaping hole inside him always felt worse after the spells died down. Sonic’s body simply couldn’t help but to rub his failure in his face, rub his weakness in his face. He was nothing without his Emerald, it seemed. It was an unpleasant thought. To cope with the stormy cloud over his head Sonic spent his every nightly watch shift prowling the wilderness and slaughtering demon after demon.

They still fell just as easily as they ever had to his blade. 

Silverstrike was brutal and bloodthirsty. The more Sonic fought with her, the more well accustomed he grew to the fit of her pommel in his fist and the added weight of her broad blade. He still preferred a rapier but he could fight excellently with any weapon. Unfortunately, whenever he fought with Silverstrike, an odd itch in the back of his mind would long for a different weapon.

Not Quicksilver, but a chaos-riddled Blade that glowed blue and pumped Sonic’s veins with unimaginable power. He ignored the feeling and swatted the longing away like a swarm of bothersome gnats. He didn’t need an Emerald Blade. He was just as formidable of a warrior without one… no matter what his body or Knuckles seemed to think.

Each night Sonic painted himself in the blood of the night’s army. But even as the stinking ooze clung to his fur and stained the marbled surface of his blade, the violence was never enough. The hole within him was never filled, and the latent sense of unresolved anger and murderous intent was never sated.

Because the blood was not Shadow’s.

Sonic could kill demons in that faker’s place all he wanted, but no matter how much hell he raised or how much strength he proved against the night’s unending army, the score would never be settled. Not until Sonic ground black fur into the ground and ripped the stripped hedgehog to shreds.

He’d feel better once he pried the Emeralds from Shadow’s cold, dead hands.

Not because he was addicted to the chaos energy or because he wasn’t strong enough on his own - he didn’t care what the fuck Knuckles thought - it was because he was stronger than Shadow, not the other way around. He refused to continue to be humiliated like this.

Sonic the Hedgehog did not lose.

He could only rectify that by tearing Shadow’s head from his shoulders and mounting it on a pike.

When the three heroes finally arrived at Green Hill, they were greeted by an excited crowd. The villagers had gathered and cheered wildly once they saw the three Mobians exit the tree line. Big was at the front of it all, pumping his fists in the air as flower petals were tossed about and bottles of liquor were popped open.

Usually the fanfare of the villagers filled Sonic with satisfaction and pride, but now it only proved to darken his mood.

The villagers hadn’t doubted him. They’d simply assumed that he’d win. To be fair, he, Knuckles and Tails had never lost before. Never failed before. The villagers didn’t know the truth of the night Shadow had stolen from the echidna temple, and they didn’t know the truth of this situation either.

Knuckles and Tails had been scheming about what they’d say. They planned to tell the villagers that they’d followed the thief’s trail for a week only to lose it. He was cunning, a most worthy opponent. Luckily they knew where he was headed next, and come morning they’d board a ship heading to the Mistystep islands to set a trap and cut him off.

Sonic knew the story would work.

The villagers would believe anything they told them.

They didn’t know that their stolen relic was really an Emerald Blade. They didn’t know that a psychotic hedgehog was attempting to gather all seven of them and form the Master Glaive. They didn’t know that Sonic had fought him and lost not once, but twice.

When they cheered it threw salt into Sonic’s wounds.

His face fell into a deep scowl and his quills began to puff. The hole inside him ached. It couldn’t even be filled by the villagers’ attempts to fill his head and inflate his ego. 

Knuckles and Tails ignored Sonic’s souring mood in favor of putting on their little show. They smiled and waved in order to make up for their blue quilled companion’s foul expression. When the trio entered the crowd and the villagers greeted them with friendly gestures and words of a feast in temple square to celebrate, it was difficult for even Knuckles and Tails to keep their smiles wide

Sonic didn’t bother.

He shouldered his way through the crowd and struggled to keep the truth from forcing its way past his lips. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

Tails spoke loud and clear as he told the villagers his silver-tongued lies. He crafted a narrative and the crowd ate it right up. Their fanfair died only slightly. The villagers supported the three heroes unconditionally and took the hunt, though fruitless, as a default victory since they were able to pinpoint the thief’s next location.

It all disgusted Sonic.

He knew why they were lying. Knew they were only doing it to keep Green Hill safe; sometimes knowledge was just as dangerous as a deadly weapon itself.

But Sonic hated the reminder of his failure. Hated that he’d let the villagers down. He didn’t have the patience to sit through a party thrown in favor that he hadn’t earned. Gaia forbid he have another spell in the middle of it all.

The hedgehog was right about to make it through the crowd in a beeline for his shop when a tiny hand reached out and grabbed at his shorts.

Sonic paused and glanced down. A small child gazed up at him with wide eyes and a toy wooden sword clutched against her chest. 

“You fought the bad guy, right?” she asked, eyes gleaming as she gazed up at her hero. She was a cheetah, with rounded ears and fluffy fur. She looked at Sonic like he’d hung the moon. To her, he probably did. He fought off bandits and slayed demons and brewed the healing potions that drove off her runny noses when the leaves turned orange and red.

Sonic hated that he’d let her down.

He rested a reassuring hand on her head.

“Yeah,” he replied, startled when his voice came out as a rasp. “And I’ll fight him again soon.” The gaping wound within him ached, and the starstruck expression that crossed the girl’s face made it ache even more.

“For now, you need to get home where it’s safe,” Sonic instructed her. “It will be dangerous when night falls.” He moved his hand from her head to rest upon the hilt of the sword strapped at his hip. 

She mirrored the action, then cocked her head to one side. “But not now that you’re back, right?”

Sonic forced his ears not to pin back. He offered her a grin that he knew didn’t reach his eyes and shooed her off towards her parents. 

He then drew Silverstrike and dragged the tip of her blade along the cobblestones to get the crowd’s attention. At the sound of the unpleasant screech of iron on stone, the crowd turned to face their local hero with grinning faces and friendly eyes.

Sonic spoke up before they could start cheering his name and begging him to join in on the fun. “All of you need to get inside, now,” the hedgehog ordered. “As long as the relic isn’t here, none of you are safe come nightfall.”

At his back the sun dipped beyond the horizon and stained the skies in bloody pinks and purples.

The villagers were disappointed to have their fun spoiled, but they respected Sonic enough to listen to his words. He didn’t know if he was grateful or spiteful of that. The villagers trickled away as they hurried to their homes. The moment the sun’s touch fully faded from the sky demons would begin to pass through the veil and stalk the streets. 

When Knuckles and Tails stood beside him, intending to clear the streets with him, Sonic gestured with a hand to send them off.

“I’ve got this,” he muttered. 

He ignored Knuckles’ disapproving frown and his brother’s worried eyes.

“Okay…” Tails said slowly, clearly reluctant to leave Sonic to his own devices. “Just be careful.”

“I’ve done this every night since I was twelve,” Sonic grumbled. He was seriously sick of being treated like he was going to tip over and die the second he was left unsupervised. He wasn’t made of glass. It didn’t fucking matter if he had an Emerald or not. Tails and Knuckles needed to calm the hell down.

“Fine,” Knuckles agreed. He pushed Tails between the shoulders to send him towards where his shop rested on the far side of town. “Just make sure you rest properly, hedgehog. We take to the seas come morning.”

Sonic’s quills fanned out at the mere mention of that terrible, horrible, watery hellscape. 

Knuckles threw his head back and cackled at his expense as he wandered down the street, leaving Sonic to kill demons as he pleased.

Two hours later Sonic was covered from head to toe in stinking demon blood and standing at the front stoop of his shop with a decently sized striker held lazily in his hand. He’d dragged the thing back home with him. There was an itch in his head. The same one he got whenever he stumbled across a certain plant or rock with potion brewing potential. 

When Sonic tried the door, he found it locked.

The sheer aggravation caused his quills to stand fully on end. He cursed his past self as he glared at the note he’d pinned to the door. He still didn’t know where that damn key was. 

Sonic muttered a series of curses under his breath as he popped a squat where he stood and pulled a small knife out of his boot. He made quick work of the striker. His cuts were practiced and efficient. More black ooze spilled as he cut out the largest of the creature’s three hearts and pried its left fang from its jaw. After a moment’s hesitation he gouged out its eyes. They were dull now, but in life they’d glowed a haunting red. A shade that was becoming all too familiar.

Satisfied with his collection of demon parts, Sonic stood and left the corpse to rot. It would disintegrate when the sun rose, so he didn’t see a point in bothering to clean it up. Before slipping his knife back into his boot Sonic gave his wrist a quick slash and fed his blood thirsty plant a few drops. The thing greeted him enthusiastically, and Sonic couldn’t help but to pet its leaves a little.

With a put upon sigh, Sonic trudged away from his front stoop and leapt onto the roof with a practiced spindash. He crawled through his bedroom window, which he always left unlocked, and was filled with a familiar sense of calm as he stepped foot back inside his cramped living space. 

He’d have to scrub the demon blood from his fur, but first he had something to attend to.

Sonic shrugged the travelling pack off his shoulders (he’d never bothered to take it off after returning) and reached inside. He procured the flower that his plant had given him, and was satisfied to find that it looked right when held alongside the striker’s heart.

The hedgehog crossed his attic to lay the odd assortment of objects down on his potion brewing table. It was messy and rather disorganized, with random salts, herbs, and odd looking rocks kept in jars and lined up along make-shift shelves that were nailed to the wall. He had herb grinding bowls and ceremonial knives and a squat bunsen burner that ran on oil crafted from demon blood. 

Sonic grabbed his favorite grinding bowl and tossed in the striker fang as well as a few other odds and ends. The corpse of a venomous spider he’d found in the corner and left out to rot. A stalk of dried hemlock. A few pinches of salt, until the amount felt right. Sonic ground all of it into a fine powder, all the while bringing a vile of preserved demon blood to a simmer over the haunting flame of his bunsen burner. 

The stars watched through his cracked window as Sonic poured a decent amount of purified water into the simmering blood, then dropped the flower into the liquid. The petals hissed gave off an unsettling hiss as they sank beneath the surface. The flower liquified almost as if it had been grown specifically for this purpose.

Sonic watched as the bubbling concoction changed from black to milky brown to the gray of a corpse’s flesh. 

The itch in his mind still persisted. He didn’t know exactly what he was making, but he was definitely making something and he had somewhat of an intent behind it. Sonic didn’t know much about the professional art of potion brewing, but he did know that when he put certain ingredients together with a certain intent he’d find that odd instinct of his satisfied with the results.

Sonic stirred the boiling mixture with a thin bone. He didn’t know if it was from a Mobian or a demon. The mystery of it added to its allure, there was nothing notable about the bone save for the fact that it had been born out of death.

The liquid lightened from a sickly gray to a milky white.

Sonic shook off the bone and placed it to the side. He tossed a couple of odds and ends into the mixture, then poured in the powder he’d ground. He stirred for a while then squeezed the striker’s heart over the bubbling concoction. It was more the gesture than the ooze that trickled into the steaming potion that made it give off thick steam and start to glow. Next to join the mix was the striker’s eyes. They disintegrated upon contact as if they’d been dropped into a vat of acid. Usually striker eyes were brewed into poisons or paralysis inducing potions. Sonic supposed that it was fitting.

After watching the potion for a while and tossing in whatever his whims deemed necessary, Sonic decided that he was missing one critical ingredient.

He’d been right to keep the thing after all.

Sonic reached across his brewing table to where a lone red quill lay.

He held the thing up and gazed at it thoughtfully.

Yes. 

He knew what this potion was for.

Sonic dropped the shed quill into the boiling mixture and watched as it turned from a milky white to a deep red.

The air off the sea was crisp and refreshing. After being cooped up on the deck of a brigantine for the past month, finally setting foot on solid ground was a relief. The village the ship had docked at was not large but not particularly small either. The bustling market that sat between the village and docks that jutted out into the ocean was beginning to stretch and yawn as it began to stir.

After wandering the market with a sense of urgency and purpose, the traveler found that their query was not held in any of the stalls. They’d come all this way in hopes of finding an apothecary capable of brewing potions stronger than what could be found at their own village. The traveler’s nerves began to rise as they passed stall after stall and still found no apothecary.

This was an inland village. By all logic, an apothecary should have been present. It was simply not possible for a village this prosperous to be capable of surviving without one.

Refusing to give up after coming all this way, the traveler wandered from the market into the village. Most other visitors from the docks tended to stick to the market, but the villagers didn’t seem bothered or even surprised to see the traveler stray from the market stalls to the cobbled streets beyond.

Half expecting to be turned away, the traveler grabbed the sleeve of the first villager they saw and asked if their village had a local apothecary. 

They were met with a friendly grin and given directions to a shop at the far side of town. 

This interaction had been most peculiar. All other inland villages the traveler had visited had been populated by hardened, foul mooded people who tended to snap at or even go so far as to ignore any outsiders. Yet everyone here seemed so… carefree. It was strange indeed. How could they remain so cheerful while they too were plagued by the night’s horrors?

The traveler shook these thoughts from their mind. Such questions were not important. They’d come here with a mission in mind, and they needed to complete it. Now with hope clinging to their heels, the traveler hurried through the village. 

They passed through winding streets and received friendly waves and smiles at each turn. Children played and local merchants minded their shops with enthusiasm. In the center of the village lay an ancient temple. It appeared out of place, something so outdated in such a well kept village, but it was not the traveler’s place to judge. They continued on their way until they arrived at their destination.

The apothecary’s shop was unmarked and rather modest. Most apothecaries lived in lavish homes and advertised greatly, yet this building was one of the older in the village and quite small. There wasn’t even a front porch, merely a sloping awning and wooden door that sat right on the edge of the cobbled street. 

Refusing to allow themselves to be discouraged, the traveler marched up to the door and raised their fist to knock.

They gasped lightly when they found a small note tacked to the door with a blue quill.

Closed! Will be back 

The handwriting was scrawling and messy, with looping letters and confident stokes. The message scrawled in dark ink was most distressing. After a month at sea, did the traveler really have such back luck to have picked a village that would just so happen to have their apothecary out of down when they stopped by?

Terrible dread dripped down their spine. 

No, they’d come all this way. 

Already it had been too long, and it would take an entire month to get back. This last ditch attempt was cutting it close, and the traveler could not afford to prolong their journey by getting on a ship to the next village over.

They needed a potion now, there was no other choice.

With a shaking breath, the traveler made a decision. They didn’t want to do this, but their mission was too important. They braced themselves to break down the door.

Sitting in a well maintained pot, a waxy-leafed plant watched the traveler curiously. The plant chose not to reduce this unwelcome visitor to a red smear. It had a feeling that its master would benefit from their intrusion. 

Dressed in a fresh pair of shorts with clean bandages wrapped around his hands and a ratty hooded cloak clinging to his shoulders, Sonic dug around in his drawer of rings. He was packed and ready to leave Green Hill once again, with his satchel stuffed full and the potion he’d brewed the previous night hanging from his belt in a wax-sealed glass bottle. 

The last place he wanted to be was on a ship headed into the dead center of the ocean, but Shadow hadn’t exactly left him another choice. Unlike before, Sonic wasn’t going to underestimate how great of a commitment this mission would require. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone, but he did know that he’d need a substantial amount of money to sustain himself on his travels. 

How much did sailors even charge to allow passage on their ships? Sonic grumbled in distaste. He didn’t feel like thinking about this right now, it was making his head hurt. He grabbed a few handfuls of rings, tossed them into a silk pouch, then stuffed the thing into his pocket.

That should be enough.

Sonic shut the drawer and glanced around his shop one last time. Everything seemed to be in order. His note was still on the front door. He’d fed his plant the previous night. He didn’t think he’d need anything that he carried in his shop. He’d already packed a couple of healing potions. Poisons and liquor weren’t exactly necessary.

“I guess that’s everything,” Sonic mumbled. He shoved a bandage-wrapped hand through his quills and huffed a satisfied breath. There was still a hole inside him, but he hadn’t had any twitching spells so far today. He hoped things stayed that way. He’d finish this soon enough.

The hedgehog rested a hand on the potion that was hooked to its belt. Its power heated the glass and was warm to the touch. Sonic couldn’t wait to put it to good use.

After wracking his brain for anything he could have forgotten a second time, Sonic was satisfied with his packing and decided it was time to leave. Tails would kick his ass if he tried to stall. He was right about to head up the stairs to climb out his window when his fucking front door was busted down.

Sonic screamed in surprise when his door flew off its hinges and crashed into a nearby shelf. All of the shelves were bolted to the floor, but the force of the blow managed to crack the wood and send vials of potions and preserved demon bones flying in every direction. The glass vials Tails blew for him were strong enough not to break, but several bones snapped and a few of the candles he’d had on that shelf shattered when they hit the ground.

In the wake of all this chaos, a hooded figure stomped through the door with an enormous hammer in hand.

“We’re closed!” Sonic shouted in annoyance, “Can’t you read?” He did not have time to deal with this shit right now.

“You’re still here!” a feminine voice gasped. The strange woman stalked towards his desk, weaving between shelves as she slipped that huge hammer into a slip on her back. She arrived at the desk and lowered her hood, revealing sharp green eyes and neatly arranged pink quills. “I need a healing potion, a strong one,” the woman declared.

Sonic was surprised to see another hedgehog. After Shadow, this woman was only the second of his kind that he’d seen in his whole life. Then he was annoyed, because why in the fuck did strange hedgehogs keep appearing out of nowhere to make his life difficult?

“Like I said, we’re closed,” Sonic snapped while folding his arms across his chest.

The woman’s eyes widened in what looked like fear, then narrowed in a stubborn glare. “I don’t care!” she retorted, “I spent a month at sea travelling here from the islands, I came here for a healing potion and I’m not leaving without one!”

Sonic’s curiosity piqued. She came from the islands? As in, the Mistystep islands? That’s where he was going.

Then he decided that he didn’t care.

“Sorry, can’t help you there,” he said, devoid of any real sympathy. He was still pissed off that his door had been broken down.

It would appear that the pink quilled hedgehog was just as stubborn as Sonic himself was.

“You have healing potions in stock,” she pointed behind herself at a shelf that was laden with more potions than Sonic knew what to do with. “I won’t be wasting more than a minute of your time if you sell one to me. I’ll pay double, no, triple to make up for the trouble.”

Her logic followed.

But, again, Sonic didn’t care.

“I don’t care how much you’re willing to pay,” Sonic argued with a growl in his voice, “My shop is closed right now, and you need to leave.”

Desperation flashed in the woman’s eyes. “Please, I need this potion.”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “And I need a million rings. Listen, lady, I’m not the only potion brewer on Mobius. Wherever you came from, I’m sure you can find–”

“-You don’t understand!” the pink quilled hedgehog interrupted. “I hail from an Crystalshore Island on the Mistystep Sea, demons can’t pass through the veil too close to water, you know that! We don’t have access to the ingredients necessary to make potions on our own! A friend of mine is very sick, please, I need a healing potion, a powerful one! She’ll die if I don’t get it to her! I’ll do anything, pay anything. Name your price and I’ll make it happen.”

Sonic frowned.

He cursed his conscience for always telling him to do the right thing.

“Your friend is sick?” he asked.

The hope that flashed in the woman’s eyes made Sonic feel terribly guilty for being so cruel to her. “Yes! She’s very sick. She has the– she has a very serious illness. We’ve tried everything, taken her to our medicine woman and called on healers from neighboring islands. There’s nothing we can do without a magical intervention.”

Sonic sighed melodramatically and stepped from behind his desk to take a look at the healing potions he had stocked up. The pink hedgehog was all but radiating gratitude as she tagged along at his heels. He rooted through his disorganized shelf of potions, looking for one that would be strong enough to fight back against a serious illness. He suspected a flu or some sort of viral disease. Sailors brought stuff like that into Green Hill all the time, and Sonic had just the thing for it.

He picked up one vial and stirred it about, but it was too thin. He glanced at a couple more, until he found one of the correct consistency. When he held it up to the light, it took on a slight maroon tint. Perfect.

“Here,” Sonic said as he tossed the potion the woman’s way.

She scrambled to catch it, mouth hanging open in shock.

“It tastes fuckin’ awful, but it should clear your friend up,” Sonic explained. “Make sure she drinks the whole thing, or it won’t take full effect.”

“Thank you!” the woman lamented, “Thank you so much! How much do I owe you?” She began reaching into a pocket, but Sonic stopped her with his words.

“You don’t have to pay me,” he reassured her. 

“What?” she gasped.

Sonic flapped a hand, “Your friend is sick, and I wanna help her. I’d feel bad making you turn out your pockets when you’re just trying to save a life.”

Those green eyes sparkled like diamonds as the woman stared at him as if he’d cured the plague. She suddenly yipped in delight and threw herself at Sonic to wrap her arms tightly around his chest in a thankful hug. Sonic coughed as her embrace knocked the wind out of him. He patted her back gently, feeling a small smile poke at the corners of his lips.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me,” the woman declared, her words dripping with gratitude and relief. She broke the embrace and pulled back to gaze earnestly at Sonic, a slight blush coloring her muzzle. “You have to let me make it up to you!”

The cobalt hedgehog laughed lightly, “You don’t have to do that! I’m happy to help.”

“No, I insist!” the woman grabbed his hands and clutched them tightly, folding the healing potion between their joined claws. Her gloves were made of tight brown leather, well worn and clinging close enough to reveal the outlines of her claws. Looking closer, Sonic realized that she was dressed similarly to the sailors that passed through every now and again. Protective, tight fitting leather with a splash of red fabric clinging to her hips in a makeshift skirt. In addition to the enormous hammer, a number of small knives were strapped to her body in creative places.

This woman was likely a mercenary of some sort, or even a pirate. 

Sonic was surprised that she was so earnest and willing to pay him back. Usually he fought people like her to prevent them from stealing from and threatening the villagers. But something about her was… different.

“You don’t have to, promise,” Sonic insisted once again. “Your thanks is enough.”

“No!” the hedgehog declared, absolutely not having it. “I insist.” Her eyes wracked across Sonic’s body, taking a look at his travelling attire, sword at his hip, and the satchel that hung from his shoulders. “Were you about to leave on a journey of some sort?”

“Yes, actually,” Sonic replied. He pried his hands from hers as politely as possible, before heading towards the front doorway. “I’m heading to the Mistystep Sea. There’s a relic I need to search for and a guy I need to kill.”

“Really?” the woman pressed. “I’m an islander, I could help you. The islands can be difficult to navigate. You’ll need someone to show you around.”

“You’d do that?” Sonic asked, surprised that she was willing to go to such lengths in return for a simple healing potion. He reached for the cracked remains of his door and began to drag them back to where they belonged.

“Of course!” the pink quilled hedgehog replied. She bent down to help Sonic. He was surprised when she ended up doing most of the heavy lifting. She was stronger than she looked. “It’s the least I could do.”

“The help would be great, but I really don’t want to drag you into all this,” Sonic said, feeling reluctant to get such a kind hedgehog involved with the likes of Shadow and the Emerald Blades. “It will be dangerous.”

“Oh, please,” the woman flashed a grin and gestured dismissively with her hand. “I was raised on the Mistystep Sea, I think I can handle a little bit of danger.”

“I mean, if you’re sure,” Sonic replied slowly. He began to awkwardly position the remains of his door back on its hinges. 

“Yes! I want to help you!” the pink quilled hedgehog declared.

Startling both of them, Sonic’s pet plant lurched forward and pricked the woman’s leg in the gap between her protective leather shorts and high, lace-up boots. She cried out in surprise and pain as it sucked up a mouthful of her blood, grew in size significantly, and then busted clean out of its pot to snake across the broken door. Porcelain shards flew and wood cracked as thick vines branched out to fill gaps in wood and latch to broken hinges.

Soon enough, Sonic’s plant had fully restored his front door using its own stem and leaves. New roots pieced the ground on either side of the door and waxy leaves ruffled. It was quite pleased with itself.

Sonic broke out in a grin and gave an excited shout. “Dude! That was awesome!” He reached out to stroke his plant’s leaves, then offered his wrist for a stray vine to slash and then lap from. “I know I won’t have to worry about this place with you guarding the door. You’re the best plant a guy could ask for!” The thing swelled its leaves at the praise and brushed loving vines against Sonic’s chin.

After giving his plant a heartfelt goodbye, Sonic turned from his mutant door to face the female hedgehog. She was covering the gash on her upper leg with a hand and gawking at the display. Sonic gave her a lopsided grin and sauntered towards her with a hand fishing around in his pack. He procured a thin vial and swiftly uncorked it.

“He’s great but he doesn’t really have any manners,” he apologized on his plant’s behalf. Sonic gently moved the woman’s hand aside and gazed up at her from where he kneeled on the ground. “Is it alright if I patch this up real quick?” he asked while holding up the potion for her to see. 

Her muzzle colored briefly and she snapped her eyes away from Sonics. “Yeah! Uh, thanks.”

Huh.

She must have been a little shy.

Sonic brushed off the thought and expertly poured the healing potion into the gash on her pink furred thigh. He knew the pain would bite but the woman didn’t so much as flinch. The skin hissed and as it laced back together the blood evaporated. It was a quick process.

Once the wound his plant had inflicted was healed, Sonic stood and slipped the empty vial back into his satchel. “I’m sorry about him, I swear he isn’t always like this,” he joked while gesturing to his leafy door. 

The woman giggled lightly and returned his smile, “That’s alright! I broke the door, so.” She hesitated for a moment before offering him her hand. “My name is Amy Rose. Thank you again for helping my friend. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sonic replied. He took Amy’s hand and shook it. Her grip was stronger than Knuckles’, which was really saying something. “The name’s Sonic.”

“It’s great to meet you!” Amy chirped. “We got off to a rocky start but I’m certain we’ll be great friends.”

“Same here,” Sonic agreed.

The two of them exchanged a friendly smile. Sonic found himself strangely relieved to have met Amy. It seemed that not all other hedgehogs wanted to kill him the second they met. A hint of his faith in humanity was restored. 

“Whelp,” Sonic said as he dropped Amy’s hand and tossed his arms behind his head. “I’m glad to have you along, but we really need to get going. My brother’s actually gonna kill me if I’m late.”

Amy grinned and followed after him as he began walking down the street. “That’s fine by me! I’m happy to meet him. If you don’t mind my asking, where exactly are you meaning to travel to? There are many different islands and many different routes you could take.”

“I’m not sure,” Sonic said honestly. “I’ll worry about that when we get there. How about we focus on helping your friend, first. I’m sure the guys would be alright taking a quick pitstop. Besides, we can probably start asking around for information once we get to your island.”

Amy all but glowed. “That’s so kind of you! The faster I can get this potion to my friend the better. I promise I’ll make the trouble up to you. Crystalshore is one of the larger islands, whatever it is, or whoever it is, that you’re looking for, it will be a great place to start. I’ll make sure that you get the information that you need.”

Sonic nodded his thanks. He had a feeling that he’d made a good move befriending Amy. He still felt unsettled getting her involved in his problems, but she seemed more than willing to throw herself into whatever battle came her way. And besides, he was quite curious to see what she could do with that hammer.

“Sonic! You’re late!” Tails scolded. It was mid morning by the time Sonic made it to the docks where he’d agreed to meet his brother and Knuckles. 

Had he been held up? Yes. Had that been out of his control? Also yes. Had he taken the super extra long route to get to the docks? Yes again!

Sonic could deal with the ocean, his fear wasn’t that bad. He just… was mildly reluctant to board a ship. Besides, it was such a nice morning! And Amy had never been to Green Hill so it was only polite of him to show her around. 

Tails’ angry glare communicated that he’d see right through whatever excuses Sonic could make.

Luckily, he had a scapegoat.

“Sorry, Tails,” Sonic replied only somewhat guiltily, “I got a little held up.”

The fox’s eyebrow rose comically high when he noticed Amy at Sonic’s side. Seeing another hedgehog was surprising enough, but one dressed in fighting leathers and carrying an enormous warhammer was downright shocking.

Sonic grinned as he came to a stop before Knuckles and Tails. He pretended that he wasn’t standing on a totally, super easily breakable wooden platform that was suspended over a bottomless ocean. He could totally fucking do this. The ocean wasn’t scary at all!

“Tails, Knux, this is Amy,” Sonic said while nodding to the pink quilled hedgehog. She gave a friendly smile and waved at the two of them. “I met her on the way over here. In exchange for helping her friend get over a bad sickness, she’s going to help us on our mission. Amy, this is my brother Tails and my best friend Knuckles.”

“It’s great to meet you!” Amy exclaimed with a friendly grin. Her energy was infectious, and Sonic attempted to gaslight himself into believing that he shared her attitude in taking to the seas. 

“It’s good to meet you too,” Tails replied while extending his hand for Amy to shake.

Knuckles, however, was standing with his head held high and arms crossed as he scrutinized Amy most unkindly. “Are you certain it is in our best interest to divulge our goals to an outside party?” he demanded.

Amy’s quills hackled a bit in response to his hostility.

Sonic was quick to stand up for her, “Don’t be rude, Knuckles!” he scolded in the tone of someone speaking to an ornery child, “Amy here is from the Mistystep islands.” He slung an arm across her shoulders to emphasize his trust, causing a flush to spill across her muzzle and eliciting a second eyebrow raise from Tails. 

“She can help us,” Sonic told Knuckles, “We have no idea where the hell we’re going anyways. Amy will help us find a good place to start looking for the relic.” He chose his words carefully. Upon hearing the word ‘relic,’ both Tails and Knuckles relaxed significantly. Sonic was honestly insulted that they’d really believed he’d gone and plucked a random stranger off the street and told her all about the Emeralds, but he didn’t blame them for being cautious. Hiding the truth from Amy sucked, but it was for the best. If they were accepting outside help it was crucial that they concealed just how dangerous their mission really was. 

Knuckles sighed heavily. “Fine. I shall trust your judgement.” He turned his gaze upon Amy. “I trust that you are a formidable warrior?”

The woman grinned in response to Knuckles’ challenge. She stepped out from Sonic’s arm and marched straight up to him, extending a leather gloved hand. “I can hold my own in a fight, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said coyly.

Knuckles grunted and gripped her hand.

The tension could have been cut with a knife as they shook hands in greeting.

Sonic suppressed a snort as he watched Knuckle’s eyes widen in surprise at how tight Amy’s grip was. Once the two of them completed their dick measuring contest, the four Mobians gathered in a row to take in the collection of ships that were docked. With Green Hill at their backs and the open ocean out in front of them, the promise of an adventure hung heavy in the salty breeze that ruffled quills and fur. 

“We’re sailing to Amy’s island first,” Sonic declared. “We’ve got a potion to drop off and a sickness to cure. From there, we’ll try to pinpoint the location of the relic.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Tails said with a shrug. “To be perfectly honest, none of us have been at sea before. I’m super glad that we have an expert along.” He smiled kindly at Amy.

She grinned at his praise, “I’m happy to help! Any friend of Sonic’s is a friend of mine. Luckily for you three, I planned my trip here in advance, so I already have a ship back to Crystalshore secured.” She started walking down the docks. Knuckles and Tails followed obediently. “The ship I came here on was a supply ship owned by one of the local trade lords. I’m sure the Captain would be willing to allow the three of you to tag along! I can vouch for you.”

“That’s perfect!” Tails replied. “The hardest part was going to be finding the right ship, but you’ve saved us the trouble. Now we can–”

The fox froze in his tracks, then turned on his heel to gaze behind him.

Sonic was still standing on the main dock, the sturdier platform that supported the market. He had not followed the others across the portion that jutted out into the sea. All of a sudden, he found that he couldn’t convince his feet to move. 

“Stop messing around!” Tails called to him. 

Sonic swallowed audibly. The ocean was too loud. He could see the water through the gaps in the wooden planks. The air was so humid– this was terrible! This was exactly why he never came to the damn docks!!

Fuck.

He’d thought it would be fine, but apparently the prospect of hunting down and kicking Shadow’s stripped ass was not great enough to overcome his crippling fear of water.

Knuckles was doubled over in laughter and Amy was looking at him with concern, but Sonic just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t convince his feet to move. If he stepped forward, then he’d be standing over the water supported only by half-rotted wood and dear Chaos–

“I can’t do this,” Sonic stuttered. He turned on his heel and marched back in the direction of the village.

There was definitely a way to get to the Light Blue Emerald that wasn’t by ocean.

Maybe there was a land bridge to the islands that just hadn’t been discovered yet? Yeah! Sonic would find that and cross the sea on nice, sturdy, dry land–

Tails facepalmed as he watched his brother retreat. 

Amy’s eyes fluttered in worry. “Is he…?”

“He’s fine,” Tails reassured her. “He’s just being a little baby bitch.”

“The hedgehog is afraid of water!” Knuckles wheezed. “He cannot swim!” The echidna was all but laying on the docks.

“Oh dear!” Amy squeaked.

Tails dragged his hand down his face then spun his namesakes and bolted after his cowardly older brother. Knuckles was immobilized by his laughter. Amy jogged to follow after him, finding herself most bewildered by the situation.

For a hedgehog who had seemed so suave and confident up until this point, Sonic’s fear was certainly unexpected. 

The blue quilled hedgehog almost jumped out of his own skin when Tails landed in front of him and blocked off his escape. The fox fixed him with a disappointed frown and swished his tails in displeasure. 

“Sonic,” he said slowly.

“We don’t really have to get on a ship, right?” his brother replied with a wavering grin. 

Tails rolled his eyes. “The relic is hidden in the middle of the ocean, so, yes, we do have to get on a ship.”

“Tails I can’t fucking do this,” Sonic deadpanned.

The fox pinched the bridge of his nose. “I understand that you're afraid of water, but it’s really not that big of a deal! I promise it’ll be fine. You don’t have to get anywhere near the water! All you have to do is walk across the dock, get on the ship, and then get off the ship onto another dock. Easy!”

“Nope, not happening,” Sonic argued. “Ships crash! Docks break! And I can’t swim!”

“The ship won’t crash!” Tails reassured him. 

“But it might.”

Tails rolled his eyes and growled lightly. “We don’t have time for this. You said you’d be fine!”

“That was before I remembered that the ocean is full of water,” Sonic replied as if it was obvious.

“I hate you,” Tails grumbled.

Sonic winked, and then attempted to dash off.

Tails caught him by the arm and manhandled him to face the ocean once again. Pushing against his back, Tails attempted to force Sonic to start walking. The hedgehog dug his heels into the wooden floor and refused to move. 

“Stop being difficult!” Tails shouted. They were starting to make a scene. The villagers that understood Sonic’s… situation began to giggle at his expense behind hands. 

“I can’t do this, I can’t fucking do this,” Sonic chattered. His quills were fanning out like mad. 

Tails ducked to avoid his brother’s quills as he slowly shoved him flat-footed across the dock. It was a slow process. “You’re being ridiculous!” the fox snapped.

“I don’t think I can move my legs,” Sonic stated. He really couldn’t. As humiliating as it was, he was frozen in fear. 

Knuckles was laughing so hard that he was crying.

Tails growled viciously as he shoved his brother along.

Luckily, Amy came to his rescue.

She wasted no time. 

Showing no fear for his razor sharp quills, Amy deftly knelt and scooped Sonic off his feet in a practiced motion. With one arm looped under his knees and the other just beneath the quills on his back, she carried him easily and marched with purpose across the docks.

Sonic was so overcome with fear that he couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed. His arms locked around Amy’s neck of their own accord and he tried very hard not to throw up as he watched the ocean thrash and stir as he was carried across a dock that was far too creaky and narrow for his liking. 

Tails watched on in surprise, then laughed and hurried to jog after her. He decided that he liked Amy Rose.

Knuckles was dead.

Chapter Text

After three days of travel Shadow and Rouge arrived at Foggyshore Village. The journey had been uneventful. Rouge proved capable of keeping up with any pace Shadow set, no matter how brisk or rigorous. They ran (and flew, in the bat’s case) during the day and slept in the wilderness at night. No demons dared to cause them trouble, as Shadow’s odd scent was enough to threaten them off.

However, Shadow almost wished that he had an excuse to spend his sleeping hours slaughtering the night’s army. He was able to resist the pull of the Blue Emerald during the day, but his unconscious mind had no such defenses. Each time the hedgehog slept, he was plagued by memories that were not his own.

Sometimes he’d be roaming Talonpointe, before the massacre. Other times he’d be choking on thick smoke and running in a panic through a village that burned and stunk of blood. Most frequently, however, Shadow would dream of running with no destination in mind and a band of bloodthirsty marauders close on his tail. Occasionally he’d catch glimpses of Green Hill or peaceful nights spent gazing at the stars, but such dreams were rare.

Shadow hated to admit it, but a significant portion of his mind had been occupied as of late by thoughts of that wretched blue hedgehog. He knew very little about Sonic, and did not wish to know more than already did. However, there was a noticeable gap in the memories that he had been forcibly shown.

When Sonic had been young, likely the same age as Shadow had been when he’d been taken in by the alchemist, he’d lived alongside the Guardian Owls. Then, one one terrible night, an enemy army stormed the village and destroyed everything in search of the Blue Emerald. Sonic was given the Emerald in its amulet form by the faceless owl who he loved dearly, but Shadow was unsure what had transpired next. The next he’d seen Sonic had been running blindly with a band of enemies on his tail. It was unclear how he had managed to escape the Talonpointe massacre in the first place. 

It shouldn’t have bothered Shadow, as he could not have given a rat’s ass about Sonic or his memories, but the mystery continued to prod at the recesses of his mind. 

The entire situation was beyond strange.

Shadow hardly knew this hedgehog. He knew his name and he knew that he was a pain in the ass, but that was as far as their familiarity went. Yet, in spite of how little they truly knew each other, Shadow had seen deep, personal things about the other hedgehog. He’d seen into his mind and been made privy to knowledge that he shouldn’t have known about in the first place.

At first, Shadow hadn’t cared enough about Sonic to bother with feeling guilty about the massive invasion of privacy. 

However, as the days dragged on and the dreams continued to occupy his thoughts, Shadow found himself conflicted. 

Conflicted because he was beginning to feel uneasy witnessing Sonic’s memories. He still couldn’t quite feel guilty about it, as this hedgehog was decidedly his enemy, but he supposed his unease stemmed from a sense of… of…

Sympathy.

It was a sign of weakness to stop to consider the feelings of his enemy, yet Shadow found himself continuously breaking his own rules in that regard. The similarities between Sonic’s experiences and his own were simply too familiar. Hauntingly so. They’d both watched their homes and families burn, and had both been unable to do anything to tip the scales of their fate.

Shadow did all in his power to avoid such trains of thought, as they would only lead to weakness in the end. Sonic was a stubborn opponent as it was, and he could not afford to be distracted by such frilly thoughts when there were Emeralds on the line. Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform, and the wayward scrap of soul that clung to the Blade he’d claimed should have been far too pathetic an obstacle to truly weigh him down.

He feared that the Emerald had already won, however.

Thoughts of Sonic clung to his subconscious mind and couldn’t help but bubble to the surface as the three days of monotonous travel passed him by.

Shadow cursed his own curiosity over the gap in memories, as well as his apparent inability to resist the Blue Emerald’s spiteful will.

Luckily his and Rouge’s arrival at Foggyshore Village would provide him with a sufficient distraction from these bothersome thoughts of his enemy.

They arrived in the afternoon, although the clouds that choked the sky seemed to suggest that it was late at night. Foggyshore was made up of a collection of slouching structures built of unevenly cut stone slabs and capped with roofs of woven straw. The village itself sat on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the tumultuous Mistystep Sea below. The plateau it rested on the edge of was choked out by stalks upon stalks of wheat and barley. The sprawling farmland was encased by a jagged picket fence, constructed of wood and steel spikes. 

This fence was clearly intended to keep the demons at bay when the sun sunk low. Shadow knew from unfortunate personal experience that such a pathetic attempt would do little to protect the village’s residents. 

As Shadow and Rouge arrived at the edge of Foggyshore’s territory, they were greeted first by the spike-enforced picket fence. The wood was stained with scarlet blood in multiple areas. There was never evidence left behind of the terrible creatures that roamed the night, but the carnage they wrought always remained. Shadow briefly wondered which unfortunate souls had been stupid enough to stray from the safety of the fence.

Shadow followed Rouge’s lead as they approached the fence. The entrance to the village was a simply constructed winging gate that was locked by a lazily clasped iron chain. A man stood watch at the gate with a pitchfork slung over one shoulder and a strand of wheat clutched between his teeth. He was a cat with gray fur dressed in drab clothes that were rolled up at the knees and elbows. His pelt was sprinkled with scars. 

He fixed Shadow and Rouge with a steely glare as they approached. He shifted his grip on his pitchfork and narrowed eyes that were hardened with time.

The watchman’s reaction was warranted. In a world such as theirs, lone travelers that showed up unannounced without the company of trade caravans tended to spell bad news. Thieves and marauders tended to victimize weaker villages. 

“State your business,” the famer demanded gruffly. His words were a warning.

Rouge and Shadow drew to a stop at a careful distance. The two of them lowered their hoods. The farmer’s gaze dragged uncomfortably across Shadow’s stripped quills. Had he never seen a hedgehog before? Shadow resisted the urge to glare or snarl. He needed to play nice if they wanted any hope of being let within the village.

Luckily the farmer’s guard seemed to minutely lower once he took in Rouge.

“It’s you,” he mumbled.

“In the flesh,” Rouge purred, giving a friendly waggle of her fingers. 

The gray furred cat gave her a respectful nod, then lowered his pitchfork and swung the gate wide to let them within. Rouge smiled in thanks and walked through the gate. Shadow followed close at her heels. Upon entering the bat tossed a couple of rings the farmer’s way. He caught them and deftly stuffed them down the front of his shirt.

The gate was closed firmly behind them.

As Rouge and Shadow picked their way across the field of wheat, they earned a fair number of stares from the farmers that tended to the crops. Most gazes were blank faced, but a fair amount of them were borderline hostile. Again, Shadow couldn’t blame them for their apprehension.

“That cat knew you,” Shadow mumbled in Rouge’s direction. He had to admit to his curiosity over how the witch possessed this alleged contact in the first place.

“I’ve been around the continent a few times,” the bat supplied simply. “Hellsgate can get so boring sometimes.”

“You seemed to have earned this village’s trust,” Shadow stated, a subtle hint at his interest in clarification. 

“I happened to visit while they had a pirate problem a couple of winters ago. I was bored so I decided to help them out. They didn’t even notice when I swiped a couple family heirlooms!” The bat giggled in delight.

Shadow rolled his eyes. 

“Oh don’t give me that look,” Rouge said with a knowing glance in his direction. “It was only fair that they pay for my gracious services.”

“I don’t care who you choose to steal from,” the hedgehog replied in a guarded tone. “Their ignorance to their debt to you having already been settled works in our favor.”

“I’m glad you see it the same way I do,” Rouge purred.

In spite of her supposed apathy towards Foggyshore, the witch slipped potions and charms into the hands of the tired villagers that walked the streets as they made their way towards their destination. Upon closer inspection the buildings were cracked and almost decrepit. Food seemed to be scarce, even though the population was so small. It was unlikely that this village would survive the winter, and that was if they managed to survive the next time the night’s army broke through their poor excuse for a fence. 

Taking in the state of this village, Shadow found himself proud for stealing from Green Hill. This was how the rest of Mobius lived. Sonic’s village was an anomaly. The Green Emerald had given them an unfair advantage. Sonic had accused Shadow of putting his village in danger, when in reality they were drowning in rings and living in the dead center of a key trading route. Their buildings were solid and strong, they’d be perfectly safe so long as they had the sense to stay inside at night. Nothing Shadow did could have possibly evened the playing field between Green Hill and the likes of a village such as Foggyshore, but at least this way more demons would prowl their streets rather than breaking down an already weakened fence and painting cracked stone and half rotted wood in blood.

Shadow had hated Green Hill from the moment he’d laid eyes upon it.

A part of him wanted to hate Sonic by extension, if only for how little he’d suffered in comparison to Shadow and everyone else on Mobius, but now that he had these wretched memories swimming about in the back of his mind he couldn’t find it in himself to do so.

Shadow kept his gaze low to avoid looking into the tired faces of the villagers. Their eyes and fur were dull, their clothes scrappy and patched. The children who roamed the streets were melancholy and reluctant to run, merely settling for staring unabashedly at Shadow as he passed to entertain themselves. 

Rouge emptied her pockets into the hands of farmers and mothers and tired-eyed teens. Each gift was given wordlessly. The witch didn’t leave any choice to refuse the help, and didn’t ask for payment either. Each villager accepted her gift with an almost practiced motion; eyes down almost guiltily, slipping the potion or charm away before continuing on with their lives. Thanks was not needed, it seemed. Shadow doubted that Rouge would have had the patience for groveling anyways. 

He had the growing suspicion that the witch visited this village more often than she let on. Were there more villages just like this one that she supplied with potions of healing and charms of prosperity and luck? Once again, he found his preconceived notions about blood witches being broken down.

Rouge certainly wasn’t a hero of any sort, but her heart was in the right place. Maria would have liked her…

Maria had always valued kindness over all else.

Shadow’s chest clenched with a pain that was growing all too familiar.

She shouldn’t have been taken.

But he’d make it right.

Rouge and Shadow crossed Foggyshore village and came upon a rickety staircase that was constructed against the cliff face at the edge of town. At the bottom was a small dock. Sure enough, a decently sized wooden ship was resting far below. 

Dense storm clouds raged overhead and humid spray from the water below began to lightly soak Shadow’s quills as he descended the staircase after Rouge. The wood was creaky and moist. It was a wonder that the structure was stable at all. Once the two travelers made it to dock below, they approached the ship that awaited them.

The ship’s masts were folded in rest and its gang plank was extended to rest against the rickety dock. It was tied securely to the dock, but still rocked steadily on the choppy waters that lapped against the rocky cliff face.

Beside the gangplank, an elderly sailor was sitting in a wooden chair with a cigar clutched between his teeth. He had a faded cap on his head and a fine tailored suit that had since succumbed to the test of time.

He followed Rouge and Shadow’s approach with sharp blue eyes. He was a monkey with a scruffy white beard and a wooden cane leaning against his chair. Smoke spilled from his lips as he straightened upon the two travelers’ approach.

“Rouge?” he pondered aloud. A stray breeze rustled his matted beard. “Is that you?”

“Who else would it be?” the bat replied in her typical sultry manner.

The elderly man seemed to perk up. “Oh! Wonderful to see you, my dear! How long has it been, two seasons?”

“I believe so,” Rouge confirmed. She shook the sailor’s hand briefly before gesturing to Shadow, who hung back with his arms crossed beneath his cloak. “My friend and I need a favor, if you’re up for it.”

The monkey’s watery blue eyes turned sly. “Oh?”

“I understand that your typical route takes you past Crystalshore next, correct?” the bat asked.

“It does,” the sailor confirmed. “I’m not one to change my ways.”

Rouge smiled. “Perfect. Would you mind if we hitched a ride? I have business in Crystalshore.”

At that the old man’s friendly expression wavered. “I would be more than happy to offer you lodging, Miss Rouge, but just know that my cargo this time around is rather… volatile.” Shadow startled when his voice dipped into a growl on the last word.

Rouge was not phased.

“Whatever it is that you’re carrying I assure you that I will be perfectly fine,” she declared.

The old man’s eyes drew to Shadow. They were narrowed and dipping into a frown. “What about him?”

“He’s tougher than he looks,” Rouge reassured him. 

The elderly monkey nodded, then took a long drag from his cigar. Smoke haloed his face as he spoke, “As long as you are aware of the risks, I do not mind offering your lodging on the way to Crystalshore.” He shook his head when Rouge attempted to reach into her pouch of rings. “You need not pay me. You’ve been kind to me all these years.”

Rouge flashed a dazzling grin. “Thank you, I will not forget this kindness.”

Those watery blue eyes twinkled knowingly.

This old man was sly.

“This is Shadow,” Rouge said while gesturing to him. “Shadow, this is the contact I was telling you about. You can call him Captain.”

The hedgehog and the sailor exchanged a nod. The spark of satisfaction in those eyes informed Shadow that the debt Rouge now owed the old man extended to him as well. But it didn’t matter. Whatever the wretched old man wanted, Shadow would be able to deliver with ease. If he demanded too much then he could simply be done away with.

“I’m happy to have the two of you along,” the Captain told Rouge and Shadow. “You arrived just in time, as I’m setting sail at dawn tomorrow. Get some rest while you can. There’s an inn on the outskirts of the village that would be more than happy to accept your business.”

Following the elderly man’s advice, the two travelers checked into the inn and settled in for the night. Rouge paid double and passed rings into the hands of the barkeep and bus boy whenever she got the chance. 

The room they’d been given was comfortable enough. The building was old and the windows let the chilly night air slip in a little, but it was nothing worth complaining over. Shadow was happy to take a warm bed over cold ground any day. 

He was able to bathe in the wash basin they’d been provided and work out the tangles that had formed in his quills over their three days of travel. It would be unlikely that he’d have the opportunity to properly groom himself while on the Captain’s ship, so he made the most of his time. The hedgehog sat within the bathwater until long after it ran cold, with thoughts running in circles in his mind and fingers drifting across the amulet that rested against his chest fluff.

There was an itch in Shadow’s mind that wouldn’t go away.

He decided to do something about it.

Once the sun had dipped past the horizon, the dark furred hedgehog pulled his boots and gloves back on and descended from the upper floors of the inn. Rouge gave him a curious glance when he passed through the tavern on the main floor. She’d been chatting up the bartender for the past several hours.

Neither of the two women questioned Shadow when he walked out the front door into the night.

His suspicions proved correct, as by the time he made it to the outskirts of town the rickety fence had already been torn down. He could smell the blood of the farmer who had been standing on guard from all the way across the field.

Red eyes gazed at Shadow in the dark, a shade that reflected his own.

It was likely that the villagers would remain safe as long as they stayed behind closed doors, but in spite of that Shadow braced his claws and bared his fangs. He didn’t need a sword for mere demons. Frenzied by spilt blood and the sensation of tearing into a living body, the creatures did not so much as hesitate when they caught a whiff of Shadow’s strange scent.

Which was good.

He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Shadow spent that night defending Foggyshore’s border from the army that threatened to breach it. As he tore through monstrous bodies and painted the ground in black ooze, he recalled Maria’s kind spirit. She would not have wanted this village to suffer.

The sky was a gorgeous blue overhead and fluffy clouds cast soft shadows that passed lazily. It was hot out but a comfortable chill breeze reduced the temperature to something cool and relaxed. It was a glorious day out, and it should have been enjoyable.

But Sonic was having the absolute worst day of his entire life.

He was on a ship in the middle of the fucking ocean.

The stench of salt was everywhere and the humidity was stuck in his quills and making them messy enough to stray from tousled to ratty. There was a fine line between being ruggedly handsome and flat out unclean! Sonic did not like crossing that line!

Bad quill day aside, he was all too aware of the fact that he was on a wooden death trap speeding across choppy waters at high speeds. With the wind in their sails and a crew that seemed intent on keeping a breakneck pace, the ship rocked incessantly to and fro as if it wanted Sonic to hurl his guts up.

He’d already thrown up three times, and they hadn’t even been on the ship long enough for Green Hill to vanish over the horizon!

The moment Amy had set him down Sonic had glued himself to the mast, and he hadn’t moved since. The crew and captain were friendly enough to sympathize, but not friendly enough to refrain from poking fun and giving him odd looks. Knuckles and Tails were the worst of it, as they’d been teasing him incessantly since they’d left the docks. The assholes had gotten bored, luckily, once they realized just how deep Sonic’s phobia truly ran, and had resorted to learning the ropes from the sailors. They wanted to make themselves useful since they’d be cooped up on deck for a month.

Yeah! That’s right! They’d be on this Chaos forsaken ship for an entire fucking month!

Sonic was actually going to die.

No, literally.

If he didn’t starve to death at the mast then he’d fall off the ship during a storm and drown. He couldn’t swim! Did no one on this awful ship understand that?!

The hedgehog whimpered when the ship hit a particularly unruly wave. It rocked hard enough to stir the various barrels and crates that were scattered about before evening out once again, though it still swayed with the wind and the water. 

Sonic fought an intense wave of nausea and hugged the mast tighter. He’d wrapped his arms and legs around it the moment he’d stepped onboard and had refused to let go. The ship moved constantly but at least this giant wooden beam stayed put. It was the closest to solid ground he could get, so he wouldn’t be moving any time soon.

He could sit in this exact spot for a whole month.

Yeah! Easy! The less he drank and ate the less he’d have to get up to piss! At this rate he’d rather have his bladder explode than lean over the rails to relieve himself. The worst of it was the pile of vomit beside him but that would wash away the next time it rained.

As the day dragged on Sonic stood on business and refused to move. 

Tails and Knuckles dropped by to attempt to reason with him a couple of times… though the fox attempted peaceful words while the echidna attempted to pry him off the mast by force. Neither method succeeded. 

Occasionally the captain or a passing sailor would offer him kind words about finding his sea legs, but Sonic ignored them every single time. They were so patronizing! He wasn’t a frightened animal, he was just petrified of water! There was a definite difference!

With the sun high in the sky and the crew fully adjusted to their duties out at sea, Amy approached Sonic with a worried expression on her face. She’d spent her afternoon assisting the sailors, showing Tails and Knuckles how to get around a ship, and occasionally tossing Sonic encouraging words. Now that all affairs were settled it seemed that he was the only thing out of order on deck.

If Sonic hadn’t been consumed by existential dread and anxiety strong enough to turn his stomach inside out then he might have felt embarrassed, giving such a shitty first impression to such a cool hedgehog. But unfortunately the only thing he could focus on was preventing himself from throwing up all over Amy’s boots.

“Sonic,” she cooed as she squatted next to him. Her pink brows were upturned placatingly. 

“Amy,” the man in question replied. He managed to school his tone and expression but nothing could convince his quills to lay flat at this point.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Amy reassured him kindly. 

He really didn’t want to have this conversation for the hundredth time today, but he couldn’t find it in himself to get snappy with Amy when she was only trying to help. Sure, the sailors and Tails had only been trying to help, but they weren’t nearly as kind hearted and they didn’t carry enormous hammers.

“On the contrary,” Sonic managed around a mouthful of bile, “There are plenty of things for me to be afraid of. Like the water that stretches as far as I can see in every direction, to name one.”

Amy chuckled lightly at his snarky response, “You’ll get used to it, but not if you don’t take that first step.”

“There’s not much room to take any steps at all, since, you know, we’re on a floating wooden death trap,” Sonic countered. 

Amy sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn’t loosen her smile, “You know what I meant.”

The sailors sprinkled across the deck gawked at the exchange. A number of them had grown up alongside the pink quilled hedgehog on Crystalshore, and she had never been one to take bullshit from anyone. Especially not men with egos and attitudes as big as Sonic’s.

“Come on, stand up for me?” Amy suggested. “This ship is just as solid as dry land, I’ll show you!”

Sonic shot her an unenthused glance. 

The woman did not back down. Rather, she extended her hands towards Sonic. When he didn’t take them she scooted close enough to reach around the mast with him and begin prying his hands away. Knuckles had tried pulling him by the waist, and this approach was far more effective. 

“Don’t be stubborn,” Amy scolded, though there wasn’t any heat to it.

The sailors’ jaws were on the deck. 

Amy glared over her shoulder at the lot of them and sent them scurrying away in fear. They scrambled up to the quarterdeck to hide behind Knuckles and Tails, the two of which were watching the display by the mast with curious eyes.

Eventually Amy managed to get Sonic off the mast and on his feet, though his legs shook as he struggled to balance on the deck as it swayed with the sea’s lazy waves. The pink quilled hedgehog gazed at him with an affectionate smile as she patiently waited for him to adjust.

“I’m gonna be sick,” Sonic deadpanned. He clung to Amy’s offered hands in a vice and stared at his boots– anywhere but at the water that surrounded him. 

“Hey, look at me,” Amy instructed softly. “The hardest part is already over.”

Sonic reluctantly pried his eyes away from the deck and instead met Amy’s.

That gaze was impossibly kind, those irises lively green like the field that embarrassed Green Hill. The stray strands of quills that spilled across her face swayed lightly in the wind the ship picked up as it sailed. That pale-muzzled face was once again stained a light red, but Amy smiled in spite of it.

Being out in the sun must have been burning the skin beneath her fur. Sonic hoped that she’d spend some time below deck to avoid the damaging rays.

“Good!” Amy chirped once Sonic finally stopped staring at the deck. “Now try to relax. Take a deep breath, step forward a little.”

Sonic followed her instructions. At this point the grip of her fingers was the only thing keeping him from tripping and falling off deck, as far as his anxieties were concerned. 

The two hedgehogs walked in a couple of slow, testing circles. After a little while Amy was able to drop one of Sonic’s hands, then both. Once he found his balance they began to circle the mast, then walk the full circumference of the main deck. 

Slowly, with Amy’s patient assistance, Sonic’s anxiety began to calm. His stomach stopped thrashing and his heart stopped hammering. He could finally think straight again and his quills began to flatten. 

“See? It’s not that bad!” Amy said enthusiastically once they’d completed their third lap of the deck. 

“Yeah…” Sonic agreed slowly. He took a brave glance over the railing. The ocean was still daunting, but at least he’d confirmed that the boat underneath him was solid. 

“You’re perfectly safe while on deck,” Amy reassured him. 

He glanced at her, finding kind eyes and a soft smile. “Thanks,” Sonic replied, finally realizing himself, “For helping me out, and for getting me on board in the first place. I, uh, I’m kinda scared of water.”

Amy giggled. “I’d noticed. But that’s alright! I’m scared of heights, you know? Everyone has their fears, and you faced yours today! That was very brave of you.”

Sonic chuckled, finding himself warmed by the praise. Amy certainly knew how to crack through his shell. “Aw, it was nothing,” said with a dismissive flap of his hand. “I owe it all to you.”

Amy’s face gained a bit of color and one hand flew to brush across her quills. “I was happy to help!” she gushed, perhaps a little too quickly. Sonic didn’t pick up on her flustered behavior.

“You seem to really know your way around the ship,” the swordsman observed as they completed their first lap around the deck. He was gradually gaining confidence in the ship beneath him.

“This was the trade ship I boarded to make the trip to Green Hill,” Amy explained. “I’m familiar with this one in particular, but I have spent a fair amount of time sailing over the course of my life.”

“Do you leave the islands often?” Sonic asked.

Amy nodded, “Fairly often. I’m rarely home, really. I only recently found out that Cream was sick– she’s my friend, the one I need the potion for. I had been away on a job when she fell ill, and boarded the first ship that would take me the moment I heard how serious her condition was. I hope she’s still alright.”

“She will be,” Sonic offered as reassurance. “You’ve come all this way to help her, and you said that your medicine woman is watching after her. It’ll be a pretty miserable month but there’s no illness that good care can’t hold at bay.”

Amy smiled in thanks, but the worry didn’t leave her eyes. “I hope so,” she said almost reluctantly. 

Sonic nodded confidently and tucked his arms behind his quills as he walked. “I treat illnesses all the time. Runny noses, pox, you name it. Green Hill catches enough nasty stuff from visiting ships that I’ve gotten pretty skilled with my healing potions. Whatever Cream has, that potion I gave you should be strong enough to fix her up.”

Amy’s smile strengthened, the worry in her eyes minutely decreasing. “Thank you. I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay.”

Sonic was quick to brush her sentiments off. “Oh, come on, it’s not that big’a deal. I can make potions in my sleep. What do you do, anyway? If it keeps you away from your village so often?”

Amy’s lids fluttered, almost as if she was surprised to see Sonic taking such interest in her personal life. She then wavered with a hint of worry, once again, but answered in spite of it. “I’m an assassin. Or a mercenary, whichever my clients wish to call me. I take odd jobs and sail from Cystalshore to wherever my work takes me.” She seemed rather guarded about the information.

Sonic didn’t blame her. Mercenaries tended to be feared and distrusted. But Sonic knew that Amy was different from the shady characters he beat bloody and kicked from Green Hill’s streets. 

“Nice,” he replied simply, earning a surprised glance from the woman beside him. “Is that what the hammer is for?”

Amy smiled, her bubbly energy quickly returning. “No, that’s what these are for.” She gestured towards the wide selection of knives that were strapped across her chest and around her thighs. “The hammer’s for the trip there and back.” She patted its large handle for emphasis.

Sonic laughed, a rowdy and unrestrained sound that made Amy’s ears perk up and face color slightly. “You run into much trouble while sailing?” he asked. “Or is it just to keep the sailors in line?”

Amy snickered along with him. “It’s nothing like that. But the seas can get dangerous. Demons don’t spawn over water, but there are far worse creatures that roam the depths.”

An uncomfortable spark of fear ran up Sonic’s spine. “Uh, what?” The prospect of shadowy creatures swimming about too deep for him to see made him want to throw up all over again.

“We call them sea-spawn. They’re of our own world, unlike the night creatures, but they’re no less dangerous,” Amy explained. “Most mainlanders don’t know of them, so I’m not surprised that you haven't heard. The oceans are a wilderness all of their own.” The pink quilled hedgehog paused to gaze out across the choppy waters as she spoke. Sunlight set her eyes ablaze as a confident smile crossed her face. Sharp fangs peeked from behind soft lips. “The currents are untamed and the sea-spawn are vicious beasts, but I’ve never felt more at home than I have out on the water.”

Sonic could hear the passion in her words. It was written all over her face and accented by her confident posture and the hand that drifted to rest on the handle of her hammer where it lay strapped across her back.

His heart thumped in his chest. 

He understood that feeling, he felt the same while running. He loved the thrill of it, the wind in his face and the ground flying beneath his boots. He felt the same about fighting, too. Sonic loved the thrill of danger and feeling his enemy’s strength as they clashed blades. Chasing the high of spilled blood and a bested opponent was more freeing than anything he’d ever experienced.

Sonic quickly diverted his thoughts when they began to stray to striped fur and eyes the color of rose petals. 

“Do you think we’ll have to fight one of those things?” Sonic asked, referring to the sea-spawn. 

Amy grinned, this one sharp and dangerous rather than soft and saccharine. “Oh, we definitely will. Are you good with that sword? Or is it just for show?”

Sonic’s ears perked up and he quickly rose to the challenge, “Of course I am,” he boasted. “I’m the best swordsman you’ll find on the whole Western Continent.”

Amy barked a laugh, “You’re certainly confident!”

“And with good reason,” Sonic replied with a cocky smirk. “You’ll see just how skilled I am when one of those sea-things tries to drown us all.” He drew Silverstrike and flipped her about a couple of times for show. “You’ll be thanking my confidence when I swoop in and save you from certain danger after putting that slippery monster’s head on a pike,” he declared with a wink tossed Amy’s way.

She giggled and ran gentle fingers through her quills. “I’ll be looking forward to it!”

“As you should,” Sonic agreed. He resheathed Silverstrike and leaned his elbows back against the ship’s railing. The ocean still thrashed and taunted him from below, but he found himself beginning to like the ship. It was safe and sturdy. Also, he liked to think that he was taunting the treacherous ocean by staying so relaxed so close to it. It was the same thrill he got chucking rocks at the snakes that slithered through the grassy fields outside Green Hill. He was a tempting catch, but lay just out of the ocean’s reach. Take that, water!

He still couldn’t swim, but that wouldn’t be a problem. Sonic didn’t have any intention of falling off deck. He didn’t have any intention of falling into the water’s cold embrace ever again.

It took a mere hour to clear the village streets and surrounding forest of night creatures.

By the time Shadow was done he was painted head to toe in demon blood. Ripped flesh was caught under his claws and between his teeth. It had been freeing, letting loose. He’d been tempted to let his form slip, but had decided otherwise. He was strong enough on his own, in this form, his true form.

The night was peaceful and eerily silent by the time he made his way back to the inn he and Rouge were staying at. He was met by the bat at the front steps. She greeted him with a smile and then a bucket of cold water directly in his face.

Shadow hissed as his fur and quills were soaked. He glared at the troublesome witch and fumed, but she was once again unbothered by his threatening demeanor.

“You really thought I’d let you stink up our room with all that nasty shit?” Rouge laughed. “We’re sharing a bed, you know.” 

Shadow decided not to ask how she’d figured out exactly what he was doing and when he’d be back. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer. He merely rolled his eyes and marched up the steps. “I’ll wash it all off,” he promised.

Rouge nodded in satisfaction and handed him the bucket. “Good, but do it out here. There’s a spout off the south wall~”

Shadow growled in annoyance but complied. 

Once he’d scrubbed his fur clean a second time that night he trudged back to the room he was sharing with Rouge. He kicked off his boots and stripped his gloves by the door, then hesitated for a moment, gripping his bare wrists. Every once in a while he found himself startled by the absence of the heavy rings he’d worn for so many years. 

The hedgehog shook himself, reminding himself that his control was solid enough to go without them. Besides, even if he did still need them, the inhibitors had been lost to time. They had likely been buried with the rest of his destroyed village. With the alchemist long gone, there would be no second set. 

Shadow shook away thoughts of the past with a heavy sigh and turned to wander into bed. 

Laying against the pillows, Rouge was splayed in a provocative position with bedroom eyes and a sultry smirk on her face.

Shadow grumbled and rolled his eyes so hard that it made them ache in their sockets. “You look ridiculous,” he huffed. The hedgehog shoved Rouge to clear room for himself on one side of the bed, ignoring the lazy sway of her tail. 

“Oh come on,” the bat whined. “You don’t want to have a little fun? There’s not much room, we’ll have to get all cozied up anyways~”

“If space is an issue then I’ll sleep on the floor,” Shadow replied. 

Rouge huffed in annoyance but laughed all the same. “You’re so boring.”

“I value your company but do not wish to grow that friendly with you,” the hedgehog explained. 

“No need to ruin my fun with so many words,” Rouge mumbled. 

“Did your bartender not entertain you thoroughly enough?” Shadow countered.

He all but sensed the flush that splashed across the bat’s muzzle. “She was wonderful,” Rouge replied without missing a beat, “But I’ll never be one to pass up on dessert.”

Shadow turned over to fix her with an unamused glare.

The bat threw her head back and laughed. “Fine, have it your way,” she said around giggles, “We’ll stick strictly to business. I had to try, at least.” She sighed dramatically and flung herself to the pillows with a dramatic flourish. 

After a bit of squirming the hedgehog and the bat managed to get comfortable. The bed was cramped, but Shadow was grateful for Rouge’s warmth. She was no replacement for Maria, but her companionship was… appreciated. He found that he always rested easier when he could focus on the breathing of another to lull him to sleep. 

Force of habit, he supposed.

When Shadow’s lids finally slid closed, his sleep was peaceful. 

Almost.

Again, the faceless owl was kneeling before Shadow. Though he wasn’t himself. He was Sonic. A younger, more fearful version of Sonic. 

Talonpointe burned around him, but all that mattered was the person before him. All that mattered was the blood that stained her feathers and the desperation in her voice as she pleaded with Shadow to do the unthinkable. 

In dreams like these, ones so charged with emotion that wasn’t his own, he had trouble separating himself from Sonic. It simply hit too close to home.

“You have to run,” she said.

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Shadow said through Sonic's voice. He all but had the scene memorized by heart at this point. Right alongside a different conversation, in a different burning village with a different life on the line. 

“Sonic, you have to go. Now.” Her voice left no room for argument.

“I– I can’t!” Sonic cried as Shadow watched from within his body. That heartbroken voice was cracking and tears were streaming down soot-stained cheeks.

“You can,” the faceless owl said adamantly. As if there weren’t tears in her eyes. As if her blood wasn’t everywhere. “You’re brave, and strong.” 

No. Don’t do this. 

Sonic’s thoughts rattled Shadow’s skull.

“You have to live.”

No, not without you.

He knew what was coming, and cursed that wretched Emerald each time it appeared.

“Take this,” the owl ordered. A weight settled around Shadow’s neck. It was warm, but not as warm as the blood that soaked his fur. The blood that felt so painfully familiar.

“Take this and run,” Sonic's mother pleaded. “Run as fast as you can and never look back! Never stop, not until you’re safe. You have to be safe, you have to live. You’re our only hope, Sonic.”

Usually the dream ended here, but this time it did not.

Sonic’s mouth opened to argue, but the faceless owl did not give him the chance. She turned him around and shoved him forward. Shadow stumbled in Sonic’s feet. He trampled across fallen rose petals, still beautiful even in death. 

No, you can’t leave her.

These were not Sonic’s thoughts, they were Shadow’s.

Because this couldn’t be… it couldn’t be possible. It was too similar. He refused to accept that he shared this tragedy as well.

The faceless owl stood tall as she stared down her beak at Sonic. “Run!” she ordered, her voice hardened and void of the reassurance it had previously held. Shouts rang out from the streets behind her, but she didn’t back down. She left no room for argument. 

Shadow tried to dig Sonic’s feet into the ground, he tried to stop it from happening again even though this was not his memory - not his tragedy - but it was impossible. These events had already occurred, and Shadow could not change the past.

Sonic obeyed his mother and ran. 

His feet flew across mosaiced streets for the last time. He streaked past blazing fires and splashed through puddles of blood while trying not to look in the faces of the bodies it leaked from. His quills and the feathers woven through them whipped in the wind he picked up as he ran. The terror, the pain. The tears that burned in his eyes and the smoke that burned in his throat.

It didn’t feel real.

How could this be happening?

That’s when he heard the scream.

Shadow felt as if he was on the verge of shattering. He didn’t want to watch this again, even if it wasn’t the same. It was similar enough and that was too much for him to handle.

But he was trapped, confined in Sonic’s memory and forced to watch it all happen while he could do nothing to change the outcome that he already saw coming.

“LONGCLAW!” Sonic screamed. 

He turned on his heel and doubled back. This speed was not his own. It was powered by his fear, but his terror, and pushed him faster than his body would have normally allowed. Blue sparks flew and the burning village passed in a flash, but Sonic was too young and too afraid to have possibly understood what was happening to him, the power he was tapping into.

The amulet around his neck burned but he didn’t notice it through the white hot dread that flooded his entire body as he arrived back in his front yard. He stood on fallen rose petals as his childhood home burned. He watched as his mother collapsed with a gush of rose-colored liquid arching through the air.

Her head rolled.

Her torso came apart in two. 

Blood soaked the yard and her insides spread like spilled honey. 

Feathers that had once embraced Sonic fell limp.

Longclaw wasn’t moving.

Sonic couldn’t move either. He was glued to the spot. He couldn’t look away. All he saw was red, all he saw was rose petals. The color he loved so much… how could it be twisted into something so terrible?

Voices spoke to him, but Sonic didn’t hear them.

Then a large body stepped between him and the ruined corpse of his mother.

He gazed up and found a pair of hardened gray eyes gazing down at him, a maw of razor sharp teeth. Pointed ears and sharp claws and fur stained with blood.

Sonic couldn’t hear the words the looming man spoke through the ringing in his ears, but he recognized the instinct that buzzed in his limbs. It was the only thing he could decipher through it all. The only thing he could think to do.

Take this and run.

All he could do was run.

Sonic turned on his heel and was gone in a flash. The man who had ended his mother took chase. He shouted for more, and soon others joined him. Those who hadn’t fallen to the owls left the carnage they’d wrought behind in favor of chasing after Sonic. They were fast, terribly so.

But so was Sonic.

He could outrun them.

He could get away.

Take this and run.

Longclaw’s words to him played in his head over and over in an endless loop. It was as if his mind was fixated on her last living words rather than what he’d last seen of her, as if it could staunch the wound that had been gouged into his very heart, his very being.

Sonic ran even as the soldiers chased him. He ran through the burning streets of Talonpointe until he left the ruined village in his wake. He ran through the flower gardens that bordered the territory and trampled colorful petals. A trail of razed destruction followed him. The army was hot on his tail and they were loud.

He still couldn’t understand their words.

Sonic could only hear one thing, it played in his mind again and again and again.

Take this and run.

He reached the edge of the Mountain too fast. He tried to turn, but it was too late. The soilers were going to catch him. They were going to do to him what they did to Longclaw. They were going to remove his head and cleave him in half. His blood would spill and he’d be reduced to rose petals on the ground. 

Sonic tripped.

He fell.

The soldiers did not follow.

Wind roared in his ears. His stomach was pulled into his throat as he plummeted. He screamed so loud that his throat felt as if it would rip and tear. Then he felt the tear, felt the rip.

He screamed, but no sound would come out.

Sonic tried to shriek and yell, but he could make no noise.

That’s when he saw it.

The terrible monster waiting to swallow him whole.

He’d fallen down the waterfall at the edge of the Mountain. There was nothing but a cold, unforgiving lake to catch him at the bottom. Sonic once tried to scream, but no sound would come out. He thrashed as he fell, curled into a ball and attempted to speed away.

But nothing could prevent his fall.

The amulet he’d been given was like fire around his neck, but even it could not prevent this fate.

Blue sparks encased his quills but they did not slow his fall.

Sonic hit the water and immediately slipped beneath the surface. He screamed as he sank lower and lower, but there was no sound. Only bubbles. He thrashed and kicked and clawed at the frigid monster that had swallowed him whole, but nothing could convince it to cough him up.

It was oppressive.

It was dark, it was cold and it was everywhere.

It clung to his fur and made his quills impossibly heavy.

It stung in his eyes and forced its way up his nose. 

It filled his mouth and began to burrow down his throat. 

The water would fill him up until there was no space left to fill.

Then it would tear him apart from the inside out and reduce him to nothing but rose petals.

Sonic kept sinking.

He kept screaming but there was no sound, nothing but bubbles.

It only got darker and colder.

Sonic couldn’t take the pressure anymore. He opened his mouth to suck down a lungful of certain death–

Shadow awoke with a violent gasp. 

Mortal terror still clung at his shoulders, convinced that he was underwater and on the verge of a most torturous end. 

He sat, shaking from head to toe, until the vision faded and he remembered where he was. Shadow was not Sonic. He was himself, all of him, as he always had been. He was sitting in a down-stuffed bed with threadbare blankets puddled in his lap and a troublesome bat still clinging to his side.

Shadow drew a deep, shuddering breath and focused on Rouge’s breathing.

That’s what he’d always done when he woke up and Maria didn’t. He’d focus on her breathing. Remind himself that she was still alive. Even though his sister wasn’t there, the familiarity of it all was enough to ground him back in reality.

The piece of Sonic’s soul that clung ever-constant at his shoulders felt heavier than it ever had.

Shadow placed a palm over his fluff-covered chest and focused on his own breathing. 

What a… horrible experience.

He shuddered.

Rouge, who still had her arms looped tightly around his waist even after he’d sat up, twitched an ear in her sleep and shuffled about. Shadow sighed and gazed down at his sleeping ally. She was awfully clingy in sleep, but he didn’t have it in him to care. At least she didn’t kick.

Shadow shut his eyes and tried to stop reliving that awful memory behind his lids. Yet it clung as if it had been branded there. It was heavy enough that his heart still raced; disturbing enough that it took several minutes to convince himself that the event had happened to Sonic, and not to him.

If this was the effect it had on him, an outside party, he could only imagine how heavily it weighed on Sonic himself.

Shadow shuddered as he recalled the sensation of drowning.

He can’t swim.

Chapter Text

It was still overcast when Shadow and Rouge returned to the docks outside Foggyshore Village. With the sun so weak in the early morning, it may as well have still been nighttime. It was pitch black outside, though neither of the pair had any trouble seeing in the dark. They picked their way down the cliff with their hoods pulled up and their traveling packs restocked for the journey with food they’d bought off the villagers.

The Captain was waiting for them with his hands folded over his cane. His cigar cast an orange glow against the dense fog that engulfed the docks and the murky sea below. The chair he’d been sitting in the previous day had vanished, likely having been dragged back on board the ship. The elderly man nodded his greeting at Rouge and Shadow, then walked up the gangplank to board his ship.

In silence the two travelers followed suit.

The ship was small, but in decent shape. However, the more Shadow looked around the more his suspicion grew.

It was a modestly sized caravel with the wood boards and paneling in good shape, but its sail was riddled with rips and tears. The deck was devoid of life, save for himself, Rouge, and the Captain. There was no crew in sight. Now that Shadow looked closer, he found that there was no cargo in sight either. 

There was, however, a large pentacle drawn in the center of the main deck in worn black paint. There was a ring of runes around it, too, as well as writing in an odd scrawl that he didn’t understand. 

Shadow glanced at the strange Captain from the corner of his eye.

The elderly monkey limped across deck to stand at the fore, his cane tapping eerily against wooden floorboards. Once he reached the very front of the boat he reached into his pocket and tossed a handful of something into the sea.

Then the ship began to move forward.

It drew away from the dock and set sail all on its own, as if some phantom wind was blowing its sails.

The fur along Shadow’s spine began to rise. What was this?

Rouge’s elbow connected with his ribs. “It’s rude to stare, sweet thing.”

Shadow brushed his quills back and tried to turn his obvious judgement down to a minimum. “There’s something off about him,” he muttered.

“You only just noticed?” Rouge teased. “Look below deck.” The bat approached the mast and squatted behind it where a trapdoor was built into the wooden floor. She carefully unclasped the latch and lifted it up for Shadow to gaze below.

He gasped in horror at what he saw.

The space below deck was filled to the brim with Mobians. All of them dressed in rags and lying about slouched over and hardly moving. Their eyes were glazed over and their chests hardly moved as they breathed. A couple of them glanced up at Shadow, but none of them so much as spoke a greeting.

And the stench.

It was awful. Like a rotting corpse. No, like demon blood.

Shadow looked closer. Saw the flies that swarmed and the grayish pallor set to muzzles. The jaundiced eyes and blood that bubbled from noses and ears. Worst of all, he took in the pustules. Black, glistening and spilling dark ooze. Some were small as spider bites while others were large like gaping wounds, rotting the flesh away to reveal white bone and exposing organs in some cases.

Upon closer inspection it dawned upon Shadow that half of the people below deck were already dead. The dying lay alongside half rotted corpses. What… what was this? What in the hell was–

“This is a plague ship,” Shadow stated morbidly. Uncomfortable thoughts and memories stirred about in the recesses of his mind. Of sickly villagers and empty vials that he had to slit his wrists and fill over and over again. He shuddered and stepped backwards from the opened trap door. The terrible stench clawed at his nose and made his eyes water. It was too familiar. 

Rouge let the door shut once again and clasped it neatly. “Correct,” she murmured.

“After five hundred years, this illness still persists,” Shadow breathed. “Has a cure not been discovered?”

“No,” Rouge replied softly. Her expression was troubled. “Many talented medics and alchemists alike have tried it and failed. There is no known cure. The plague is still just as deadly as it was in your time, and decades prior.”

Rage began to fester within Shadow.

He clenched his fists and stared at the grated trap door. Through the slats he could see those glazed eyes and open wounds that leaked black puss. Had the alchemist’s words all been frilly talk? He’d told Shadow that the work had been for a good cause. For a–

No.

He’d only ever cared about…

“Those people below deck,” Shadow said slowly, not entirely trusting his voice, “Were they the crew of this ship?”

Rouge pursed her lips. “No,” she answered. Her voice was void of emotion. “The Captain sails alone.”

“Where did they come from?” Shadow demanded. “Who are these people? Why are they being kept in such an inhumane manner?”

Rouge’s features were schooled into a careful expression as she spoke, “The Captain worships the goddess of sickness and rot, just as I worship the goddess of blood. In exchange for eternal health, he collects plague victims and delivers them from port to port, ensuring that the illness lives on through the centuries.”

“That’s… horrible.” Suddenly the old man’s odd behavior made sense. The way the ship moved on its own. The pentacle drawn on deck. This whole ship, this entire sailing route, all of it was a part of a huge, sick ritual to a dark goddess.

Shadow’s anger began to rise to a simmer.

He couldn’t stop seeing Maria, sick in bed with this very illness. She’d been so weak… coughing up blood and unable to move an inch save for fear of opening up the vile wounds that covered her body. It had been horrific to see her that way.

To think that, after all these years, an alternative cure still hadn’t been found… it was absurd. 

The people below deck were suffering just as Maria had. They were complete strangers but she never would have wished for anyone to befall to this fate. Shadow peeked around the mast to where that decrepit old man stood at the fore of the ship. He hadn’t moved since he’d led the dark quilled hedgehog and the pale furred bat aboard, hadn’t so much as uttered a single word.

He’d wanted Shadow to see this.

“Just know that my cargo this time around is rather… volatile.”

What a vile old sack of flesh.

Shadow would tear him limb from limb.

Rouge stopped him from stalking across the deck with a firm hand to his shoulder.

“Don’t,” she hissed. “He’s dangerous. Even you wouldn’t want to mess with someone like him. His goddess does not take kindly to harm coming to her followers.”

Shadow shook Rouge’s hand off but stayed put as he was told. This sensation, this itch at the base of his spine. His instincts agreed with the bat. Fighting this wretched man, especially on a ship in the middle of an unfamiliar ocean, was a terrible idea. As much as he hated it, he didn’t have a choice but to comply with the activities of the Captain.

It didn’t mean that he liked it, though.

“I can’t believe that you stay friendly with that wretched scum,” Shadow hissed in Rouge’s direction.

The bat glared, taking offense. “I don’t like it either, but sometimes you have to make tough choices and pick your allies wisely. I’d rather be on his goddess’ good side than bad side. There are some pretty fucked up people in this world, and since the Captain rubs elbows with him he’s able to get me information that I would otherwise not have access to.”

Shadow growled under his breath but understood her logic all the same.

“Will you be safe?” he demanded. He hated the concern that crawled about beneath his fur for the witch. “Is it alright for you to be on this ship, with such contamination so nearby?”

A small smile shone through the troubled expression that clouded Rouge’s features. “Aw, it’s sweet to see you so worried about me. But you don’t have to concern yourself with my safety. My goddess protects me. What about you?”

Shadow scoffed and broke eye contact. “You already know the answer to that.”

Rouge rolled her eyes and shifted her weight. “A confirmation would be nice.”

“I am immune,” Shadow mumbled. It was much deeper than that, but he was not in the mood to discuss his past. Although…

The hedgehog drew closer to the trap door with a hand drifting to peel off the sleeve of his elbow-length glove.

Rouge, once again, stopped him with a hand.

“Don’t,” she murmured, her voice far softer than he’d ever heard it.

“I do not see why I should stand by and watch them suffer,” Shadow countered. Maria would have wanted him to do what he could. She would have wanted him to help people.

“At this point, it would be inhumane to try and aid them,” Rouge explained softly. Her hand gently caressed Shadow’s arm in a feeble attempt to lighten the dark turn their conversation had taken. “They’re too far gone. If you purge the virus there won’t be much of anything left. The Captain’s goddess may seem unforgiving, but she will welcome them gratefully when they pass from this world. She will ensure that they are allotted a luxurious life when they are reborn.”

The plague was as foreign to this world as the demons that stalked its night. Mortal illnesses like scarlet fever, pox, polio, and dysentery were relatively easy to relieve. Mere medicinal herbs were enough to combat the worst of the symptoms. However, the plague was far worse. The sickness spread as a result of infected demons coming in contact with Mortals. Such contact resulted from attacks or demonic products that hadn’t been properly filtered and processed. It was a deadly virus that rotted flesh and reduced the body to a black sludge.

It was horrific in every sense, and just as terrifying as the monsters it was spread by.

Shadow frowned and stared blankly into the distance. 

Thick fog skulked across the surface of the water and dense clouds choked out the sun. The plague ship glided through the churning waters with an unnatural ease. Old wood creaked and the ill below deck could occasionally be heard whimpering in pain or coughing up blood and puss.

It was dreadful.

“Fine,” Shadow muttered. He pulled his glove back up and turned on his heel to stalk to the rear of the ship. He stalked all the way to the poopdeck to rest his elbows on the railing and brood. The further away he was from the Captain the better. As it stood, he did not trust himself to restrain his rage.

Rouge did not follow him, which he was grateful for.

His thoughts were too wild. His dark memories were too close.

Shadow watched the ship's rutters kick up frothy waves that were hardly visible through the fog. Watching the dark waves, the hedgehog recalled the dream he had been subjected to that night and the dark memories that had left him anxious and on edge. As odd as it was, being able to lean on Sonic’s memories as a crutch provided a certain comfort to him. 

There was now plenty of clutter within his own mind to distract him from the minefield of hurt and pain that he’d been pointedly avoiding. 

Puzzling over Sonic’s tragedy was a much preferred alternative to acknowledging his own.

Shadow realized in that moment that something within him had shifted in Sonic’s direction.

He was unsure what this shift entailed, but it had undoubtedly occurred.

That faker represented far more than a mere obstacle now. He was a puzzle to solve and a distraction from the darkness that threatened to swallow Shadow whole. As much as he loathed to admit it, Sonic was a worthy opponent as well. 

Shadow almost looked forward to encountering him again.

It felt wrong only seeing him in dreams.

Being on a ship was manageable, Sonic supposed. 

There was water everywhere and he was floating on a tiny piece of wood, but at least his tiny piece of wood was cozy and dry. The sailors were friendly and the captain was welcoming. There wasn’t any room to run, but there were plenty of activities to keep Sonic occupied. 

Three days had passed since Sonic had been dragged onto the ship. 

He spent most of his time helping out on deck. He’d mind the sails and scrub the deck and nap in the crow’s nest. The crew was always getting into mischief that they were eager to let Sonic in on. He’d join in on card games, join moonlit parties on deck, and trade exciting stories. 

The blue quilled hedgehog had quickly gone from the butt of every joke to a local favorite. He had his good looks and addictive personality to attribute this to, of course, but the sailors were also particularly entertained by his tales of kicking demon butt and the complicated recounts of village drama that he inevitably got wrapped up in due to his line of work.

Food was plentiful and alcohol was passed from hand to hand on the regular. Cheerful shanties were sung to pass the days as fluffy clouds passed overhead. There was an army of hammocks below deck to sleep in, and the deck itself was surprisingly comfortable if the barracks got too stuffy. What wasn’t to love? Honestly, Sonic didn’t know why he’d been so freaked out in the first place!

He’d settled in well enough, and Tail and Knuckles had as well.

The fox was having the time of his life. He’d spent his whole life obsessing over ships and sails and rudders and all other manner of buoyant shit. Tails had been all but glued to the captain at the hip, and the well aged gecko was more than happy to show him around. Soon enough the fox was expertly tying sailor’s knots and tinkering on the ship as if he’d been aboard his whole life.

Sonic tried to keep him away from the rum that was doled out at night, but Tails was too slippery. He got yappy when he was drunk. Luckily there were a few sailors who were actually interested in everything he had to say.

Knuckles had been aloof at first, but had fallen in with the tougher of the sailors by the third day. He arm wrestled and exchanged battle tactics. The echidna was quite helpful when it came to adjusting the sails, as he was able to do a multi-manned job all on his own thanks to his strength. He particularly enjoyed napping in the crow’s nest (Sonic would often join him), which was where he’d spend most of his time before gliding back down to deck once sunset hit and the booze started flowing.

While the sun was out Knuckles bitched and moaned about the constant singing, but the second a bottle touched his lips he was line dancing and belting lyrics like a fool. 

Life at sea was welcoming to the three travelers, and with each passing hour Sonic gained more and more confidence. The longer he spent on deck the easier it seemed it would be to retrieve the Light Blue Emerald. Things were looking up, and he was grateful for it.

Not to mention the fact that he’d gained a new friend out of it!

Amy was great. She was friendly and funny and a fantastic sparring partner. She’d even beaten Knuckles at an arm wrestle! Twice! The pink quilled hedgehog knew her way around the ship better than half the sailors did, and Sonic owed every ounce of confidence that he’d built up to her.

When he wasn’t goofing off with the sailors he spent his hours chatting with Amy. She recounted tales of her assassination missions and told Sonic about all the diverse places she’d visited. He returned the favor with stories of Green Hill and all the foes he’d fought to keep his village safe. They’d raced across the deck a couple of times. There wasn’t much room to run but Sonic would take anything at this point. He’d won every race, but in turn Amy had kicked his ass every time they’d decided to spar. She was strong as hell, and good with a blade too. 

Sonic was glad that they’d met, and proud to call her a friend.

He only felt guilty that she didn’t know the truth of the mission she’d agreed to assist with…

Sonic was startled from his thoughts when Tails’ elbow nudged him in the ribs.

“So,” the fox said in a sly tone.

“What?” Sonic asked.

The two of them were chilling up in the crow’s nest. Knuckles had been dozing with his head flopped onto Sonic’s shoulder, but perked up when the other two began speaking.

“Amy,” Tails stated simply.

Sonic felt as if he was missing context. “What about her?” he asked. He glanced curiously through the gap in the bottom of the crow’s nest where the ladder up the mast poked through. From this vantage point he could see the deck and the crew milling about far below. Amy was showing a couple of knife tricks to a handful of sailors. A pair of deft silver blades spun and danced in her fingers as she twirled the weapons and then sharply chucked them at the mast where they sank to the hilt.

The sight brought a chuckle to Sonic’s lip. Just yesterday she’d been enthusiastically braiding and weaving shells into every head of quills or hair that she could get her hands on. His fingers drifted to his own quills, where a clean lock had been twisted into place and adorned with a set of shiny pink shells. 

Tails snorted and shoved a hand through the fluff that sprouted from his brow. “You’re not subtle, dude.”

“What are you talking about?” Sonic asked, a laugh still in his voice.

Knuckles grumbled and rolled his eyes. “The hedgehog is denser than a whetstone.” He directed his attention to Sonic. “What the fox means to say is that he approves of your romantic pursuit.”

Tails facepalmed. “When you word it that way it sounds creepy!”

Sonic blinked. Twice. He glanced between his brother and his friend, who were sitting on his either side and waiting impatiently for him to catch on.

Oh.

“Oh!” he gasped. “No.”

“What?!” Tails and Knuckles exclaimed in unison.

“What do you mean, no?” the tawny furred fox demanded.

“Your affection is clear!” the echidna declared. “And I approve of your choice as well. The assassin is of a quality bloodline! I tested her strength myself, to ensure that your progeny will be–”

“-I’m just gonna stop you right there,” Sonic sputtered while shoving his fist into Knuckle’s mouth.

“Thank you,” Tails said in earnest while giving the echidna a disgusted frown.

Knuckles glared at the two of him before shoving Sonic’s hand away and crossing his arms in annoyance. 

“Amy and I are just friends,” Sonic explained while rolling his eyes and slouching against the railing with a huff. He glared at Tails when he received a look. “Nothing more.”

“Are you sure about that?” his troublesome brother inquired.

“Yes!” Sonic argued. His quills pricked up in annoyance.

“It appears that he is not only dense but blind,” Knuckles mused.

Tails barked a laugh and Sonic socked Knuckles in the arm.

“Don’t be weird!” the hedgehog scolded. “Just because Ames is the only female hedgehog I’ve ever met doesn’t mean we’re gonna settle down and have thirteen kids.”

“I never said anything about kids,” Tails countered with a sinister grin. “No less thirteen. You can’t hide shit from me Sonic, I can see right through you.”

The hedgehog growled and kicked his brother in the leg. Tails returned his growl and the two of them began to wrestle about. Knuckles laughed as he watched the two throw playful punches and pull at each other’s ears. 

Sonic won the scuffle, as usual.

Tails admitted defeat once Sonic grabbed a hold of either side of the white fluff fanning out from his face.

“Ow! Fuck! Fine, I yield! Yield!” the fox shouted.

Sonic cackled wildly and released his brother, but not before giving the fur atop his head a healthy mussing. 

“I still know what you are, though,” the fox mumbled as he fixed his fur.

Sonic groaned melodramatically and slouched so low against the railing that he was all but laying on his back. “Amy is just a friend,” he stated adamantly. “Both of you have it wrong.”

“Whatever you say,” Tails replied in a singsong voice, still unconvinced.

“I will rub this missight in your face on your wedding day,” Knuckles agreed.

Sonic growled low in his throat and crossed his arms. There would be no convincing Tails and Knuckles to change their minds once they had them set on something… no matter how mortifying it was. Worst case scenario they tried to drag Amy into their delusions, but Sonic knew them well enough to trust that they’d leave her out of it. That was all that mattered to him. He put up with their teasing all the damn time, but she didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of their bullshit.

The cobalt hedgehog didn’t give a shit what Tails or Knuckles or the rest of the crew thought. He and Amy were good friends and nothing more. If they wanted to read into something that wasn’t there then they could knock themselves out.

Sonic was not the type to get in his head over such misconceptions from others around him.

Feeling content with his handling of the situation, Sonic folded his arms underneath his quills and settled in for a nap. The sun shone down from overhead and warmed the peach fur on his chest. The gentle rocking of the boat was relaxing if he gaslit himself into forgetting that it was because he was floating on water. Pretending that the motion was the swing of a hammock, Sonic slowly began to doze off.

He could get used to this, actually.

No demons. No needy villagers whining about this potion or that unholy product. The sun always shining overhead. Nothing to do but nap during the day and drink his cares away at night. The stink of the ocean was the only downside, but it was manageable. 

A small smile turned Sonic’s lips up at the corners as he drifted off.

His nap was interrupted the moment it began, unfortunately.

A terrible racket erupted from the deck below. The clanging of a shrill metal bell shattered Sonic’s lazy relaxation and startled him awake.

“WE HAVE A PROBLEM! PORTSIDE!” came a yell from the fore of the ship.

The captain began screaming orders and sailors started running about like mad. 

“What the hell?” Sonic slurred as he sat up and blinked the remnants of his sleep away. He flopped against the railing of the crow’s nest and gazed portside. 

His eyes just about bugged out of his skull.

It was right out of one of Sonic’s worst nightmares.

An enormous shadow was lurking beneath the surface of the ocean. It had to be as big as the ship itself, and it was moving fast. The surface of the ocean was disturbed as some awful thing closed in on them. Choppy waves hit the ship and sent it teetering. Sailors cried out and barked orders as they worked to steady the vessel. 

Sonic felt like he was going to throw up.

Looking at the ocean was enough to make him dizzy, but watching a giant mystery monster approach them from beneath the surface was enough to fill him with a crippling sense of dread. 

“Shit,” Sonic breathed.

“What is that?” Tails asked as he gawked at the approaching thing.

“It is a sea beast!” Knuckles gasped. He slammed his fists together. “I must challenge it!”

“Oh hell no,” Sonic breathed. 

The hedgehog almost jumped out of his skin when a hand wrapped around his ankle to get his attention. He yelled in surprise and whipped around, expecting to see a shadowy sea creature, but instead finding Amy with her upper half peeking through the gap-entrance to the crow’s nest.

“Chaos! It’s just you,” he gasped.

The mercenary fixed him with a blinding grin. “It’s a sea-spawn! And a big one, too! I told you we’d run into one, remember?”

Oh, Sonic remembered alright. He remembered so much that he’d taken to pretending that he hadn’t been informed about this particular bit of information. It was something about the knowledge that colossal beasts were swimming around underneath him so deep that he couldn’t even see that freaked him the fuck out, you know? Do you blame him for trying to pretend that it was all make believe?!

“We’ve gotta fight it off!” Amy declared. Tails offered her a hand and hauled her up into the crow’s nest. She smiled her thanks and marched forward to stand between Sonic and Knuckles and watch the sea-spawn approach them at a frightening pace. The mystery of it all was making Sonic incredibly uneasy. The thing was little more than an enormous shadow approaching them from the depths. He could only imagine how horrifying it was out of the water.

Sonic really hoped that it didn’t have tentacles.

Tentacles meant that he could be snatched and pulled underwater. 

And he wanted absolutely none of that shit.

In contrast to Sonic’s internal crisis, Knuckles was giddy to get his hands on the approaching beast. “If we are to fight I must be on the front line!” the echidna declared. “I will teach this creature not to challenge an echidna warrior!”

“That’s the spirit!” Amy chirped. She was far too cheerful considering their situation, in Sonic’s humble opinion. “The sea-spawn are carnivorous and deadly, but unfortunately there is no realistic way to avoid their territory. The Mistystep Sea is crawling with them.”

Sonic shuddered.

He had a new reason to hate the ocean, great.

Beside him, Amy drew her enormous hammer. “If we don’t act fast then the beast will sink our ship and drag us to the ocean floor where it will slowly eat us alive until we drown.”

I’m not fucking doing this.

“Well! Good luck with that!” Sonic managed. His voice was just as shaky as his legs. Why had he decided that stranding himself on a tiny piece of wood in the middle of the ocean wasn’t that big of a deal?! This was definitely a big deal! Fuck, he was definitely going to throw up.

Sonic decided to hide below deck until all this boiled over.

He turned on his heel with every intention of scurrying down the ladder and hiding in a barrel, but Amy caught him by the arm.

“Not so fast, Sonic!” she giggled. 

The fear-riddled swordsman turned to her with the expression of a man being led to the gallows. 

Amy’s face turned serious, though her brows remained turned up sympathetically. Her hand remained on his arm, and squeezed it as a show of encouragement. “I know it’s scary, but I need you to join us in this fight.”

“Oh, no no no,” Sonic argued. He shook off Amy’s arm and backed away with his hands held up defensively. “You’ve got Knuckles, Tails, and the entire crew to back you up, I think I’d just get in the way!”

Amy frowned and stepped forward with him. 

In his haste to separate himself from the situation Sonic forgot about the hole in the floor of the crow’s nest. He gasped as his boot accidentally slipped over the edge. Amy was quick, though. She caught him by the front of his cloak and yanked him back onto his feet. Their breaths mingled as Amy gazed up at him with a determined fire in her eyes.

Tails and Knuckles slapped each other like excited school children as they watched the display.

“If you intend on searching the sea for your lost relic, then you’re going to have to face more sea-spawn than you can count,” Amy declared. Her voice was strong, her words dripping with encouragement. “This one is on the smaller side, it’s a perfect place to start.”

“That thing is small?!” Sonic demanded. He gawked at the ship sized monstrosity that was rapidly approaching them. Now that it was closing in he could pick out two sets of enormous fins that fanned out from its sides, as well as a long tail that stretched out for yards.

Amy struggled to fight back a smile. “Yes. This is nothing compared to the creatures we encounter once we get closer to Cyrstalshore.” She released Sonic’s cloak and moved to stand at the railing again. Sonic hesitated, uncertain if he was seriously going to allow himself to cave under the pressure of Amy’s enthusiasm… enthusiasm that he did not share. 

“Aside from all that,” the mercenary continued, “The sailors need us to slay this beast. They’re not like us. They can’t run faster than sound or punch through solid stone. People like me are paid to defend ships such as this one. The captain agreed to give the three of you passage without charge because I volunteered you to assist me in defending the ship against the sea-spawn.”

“Wait, you volunteered us for this?” Tails interjected.

Amy ignored him and turned to Sonic with pleading eyes. “Please, fight with me?” She reached out and took his hands in the one she wasn’t using to balance her hammer over her shoulder. “You’ve protected Green Hill for so many years, can’t you tell that the captain and his crew need you just as much?”

In spite of the raging anxiety that was threatening to tear him to ribbons, Sonic knew that Amy was right.

He needed to face his fears and learn how to fight the sea-spawn if he was going to successfully retrieve the Light Blue Emerald. And he needed to protect the ship. If not for the crew then for his own safety, because he, personally, was not in the mood for being dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

And besides, who could say no to those pleading eyes?

Sonic sighed heavily and gave Amy’s hand a squeeze. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll fight the stupid fish thing, or whatever. But only because you asked so nicely!”

The pink quilled hedgehog all but glowed. “Yes! Thank you, Sonic, I knew you’d help!” She leapt forward and enveloped Sonic in a crushing embrace. He was startled by the sudden display of affection but not upset by it. 

Sonic smiled lightly and patted his friend on the back, all the while ignoring the aneurysm that Tails and Knuckles were having together.

“Oh! Sorry!” Amy gasped, realizing herself and quickly stepping back to a respectable distance. Her muzzle was colored a rosy pink. Damn. She was really happy that Sonic had agreed to help fight the sea-spawn, huh?

The mercenary recovered from her fluster quickly. A chill could be felt in the air as she focused on the task at hand. Amy flipped her enormous hammer in her palm and turned to face the approaching monster. “Are you boys ready?” she asked her three counterparts. 

“Yup!” Tails chirped. He began to spin his tails in a practiced circle, whipping up wind and lifting himself off his feet.

“I thirst for combat!” Knuckles declared. He was already climbing onto the railing.

“Let’s do this fast, okay?” Sonic mumbled. He trudged reluctantly across the crow’s nest to stand in line with the others. Amy shot him a blinding grin. Unfortunately, he could not find it in himself to return it, for in that very moment the sea-spawn finally broke the surface of the water.

“THE BEAST HAS SURFACED!” came a guttural scream from the deck below. 

A panic quickly stirred up as the beast rose from the water.

It was worse than Sonic could have possibly imagined. The sea spawn was huge. It wasn’t scaly like a fish, but slimy like a whale. It was long and serpent like with two sets of fins that fanned out from its body like enormous blades. Dozens of eyes lined its triangular head, all of them acidic green and trained on the pathetic wooden ship that was eclipsed by its shadow. The creature opened its mouth and loosed a ear splitting cry, revealing three rows of razor sharp teeth that were twice Sonic’s height. 

Its call was like the moan of a falling tree, but hollow and deep like the howl of a night creature. The racket tapered off into a chilling hiss at the end that was accentuated by the flapping of rows and rows of gills. 

Sonic’s jaw was hanging wide open. 

Now that the monster wasn’t hidden beneath the surface of the water he was significantly less afraid - he’d been fighting nightmarish creatures his whole life, and this creature was no different - but god damn, if it wasn’t enormous.  

They were seriously supposed to fight this thing?

“Go for the eyes!” Amy bellowed, giving Sonic no warning before she grabbed his arm and leapt clean off the crow’s nest. The swordsman shouted in alarm and scrambled to keep up as the assassin landed upon the top of the main mast and ran across it. 

Tails and Knuckles rushed ahead, the fox soaring high and the echidna gliding on a collision course with the looming sea-spawn. 

Just as the monstrous beast began dipping down with the intention of crushing their ship under the weight of its slimy belly, Knuckles met it with a powerful punch to the face. With an ear splitting battle cry the echidna managed to pound the beast hard enough to send it tipping backwards. 

The sailors watching from the deck cheered like madmen. 

Knuckles yelled and cackled along with them as he hurled curses the sea-spawn’s way and threw punches at the air. His violence was fruitless, he began to plummet towards the water below, but Tails was quick to swoop in and grab him under the arms to save him from his fall. The fox soared upwards in a swooping arch so he could find a good trajectory to hurl Knuckles at the creature for another pass.

In the meantime, it was Sonic and Amy’s turn. 

“Fuck fuck fuck!!” Sonic hissed through clenched teeth as he was yanked along after Amy. Fighting this thing had seemed easy in theory, but he couldn’t fucking swim!! Fighting giant shit was easy when he had solid ground to bounce back on, but he didn’t have that!

“Jump for its face!” Amy instructed. She dropped his arm so as not to hinder either of their movement. 

Sonic had no choice but to follow her lead and take a flying leap off the end of the main mast. The two hedgehogs shot through the air like shot arrows in the direction of the sea beast’s face. The thing had recovered from Knuckle’s punch to its nose and was now lurching forward in another attempt to destroy their ship and everyone on it while screeching in rage.

Amy’s battle cry was ten times more ferocious than any noise the sea-spawn could make. She raised her hammer over her head and prepared to make her strike. 

Sonic followed suit, doing his best to ignore the open ocean beneath him, and drew Silverstrike in a flash of marbled steel. 

The pair met the sea-spawn just as Knuckles had, though with weapons rather than bare fists. Amy whacked the creature hard in one of its larger eyes. The jelly orb burst beneath the force of her blow and sprayed thick green fluid in every direction. In a practiced motion the assassin used the connection she’d made with the beast to push off and throw herself backwards towards the ship again. She tucked into a neat pink ball as she hurtled towards the mast to regain her footing and brace for her next attack.

Sonic, similarly, collided with the sea-spawn’s face and immediately made his attack. He slashed across the fist eye he saw, effectively painting himself in green sludge in the process. The creature screamed in pain as it was once again knocked backwards by the force of the two hedgehog’s simultaneous attacks. Sonic kicked off the creature’s face and made a move for a second eye, then a third. He managed to cut through five of them before he lost his footing and fell. 

The swordsman's boot slipped against the slimy surface of the sea-beast’s flesh, and rather than gaining the footing to leap back to the ship as Amy had he instead tumbled downwards. 

Sonic gasped, finding himself in a state of shock.

The blue sky stretched out above him as he began to fall. 

There was no Tails to swoop in and save him, he was too busy assisting Knuckles and making sure he didn’t fall after taking his turn against the monster. 

Sonic should have been able to follow Amy’s example and jump back to the ship. 

But he’d made a mistake. He’d slipped and now he was falling.

Fuck.

He was falling.

Faster and faster, with wind howling in his ears and nothing but a cold empty ocean to greet him. Fear bubbled up Sonic’s throat and twisted his stomach into knots. It was too similar. It was just like– It was just like that night.

The return of the memory was brittle and unpleasant. 

Sonic’s mind was consumed by sheer terror. He could not think rationally. He could do nothing but scream as he plummeted to his watery death.

He fully expected no sound to come out.

When he did manage to scream, the sound of it wasn’t enough to separate his dark memories from reality. He thrashed as he fell and kicked his feet as if he could run away from fate. Sonic had survived once by the skin of his teeth, but clearly whatever god it was that ruled the waters had decided that he’d cheated death for long enough.

The ship was a blur of wood on his right and the sea-spawn was a blur of blubber and slimy skin on his left. 

Salty ocean waves spread their jaws wide to welcome him, but their appetites would once again remain unsatisfied.

In one moment Sonic was plummeting to his doom, and in the next a strong arm was wrapping around his waist and pulling him away from danger.

He cut it so close that the tip of his boot dipped into the water before he was whisked away.

“Got you!” Amy - precious Amy - shouted triumphantly as she impossibly flew upwards. Sonic instinctively clung to her as they soared through the air. He gawked about with tears still welled in his eyes and his quills fanning out in every direction. 

Amy grinned down at him as they shot through the air. She’d taken the end of one of the halyards and swung on it like a runaway trapeze artist to rescue Sonic from the awaiting jaws of the sea. With one hand firmly gripping the end of the rope and the other wrapped tightly around Sonic’s waist, Amy angled her body to direct their trajectory as she desired. 

“Take the final blow!” she instructed as they reached the height of their apex of motion. 

Sonic, once again, was left no room to argue. 

Amy chucked him in the direction of the sea-spawn like a glorified rubber ball. The force of her throw sent her falling backwards towards the ship, while Sonic was once again sent hurtling in the direction of the sea-spawn.

The beast was bleeding buckets from its several injured eyes and screeching in pain as it teetered on death’s door. It had taken quite the beating from Knuckles while Sonic had been falling to his doom. 

Sonic gritted his teeth and tucked into a spindash. So the creature was almost done for, huh? He wouldn’t fuck up this time.

Riding on a wave of adrenaline, Sonic spun through the air with razor sharp quills braced to tear through slimy flesh. He collided with the center of the sea beast’s forehead hard enough to crack its enormous skull and dug his quills in deep. Blood and slime sprayed as Sonic wreaked havoc on the creature’s already decimated head. The force of his blow sent it falling backwards, and this time for good.

Learning from his past mistakes, Sonic bounced off the sea-spawn’s body after one successful hit and spindashed backwards towards where he hoped the ship was. The creature created an enormous tidal wave as it fell in death, and Sonic was chased by an enormous wall of water as he untucked just in time to hit the deck hard and roll across it like a discarded ragdoll. 

The sailors cleared to let him pass, still screaming and cheering like mad.

They quieted down considerably when they were drenched by gallons of falling water. The ship rocked violently back and forth on the waves created by the sea-spawn’s fall. Erratic currents were formed as its gargantuan form began to sink. At the captain’s barked orders the crew refocused on steadying the ship. 

Sonic, in the meantime, lay flat on his back on deck, drenched in water and sea monster guts and still shaking all over from his close brush with death.

The sky was just as wide and blue overhead as it had been while he’d been falling to what he’d assumed would be his doom.

Sonic lay still and sucked down precious air while squeezing Silverstrike’s hilt hard enough to make the bones in his fingers ache.

That had been the most insane two minutes of his entire fucking life.

His state of shock was interrupted by Tails and Knuckles landing on the deck nearby in an excited frenzy. They cheered and yelled at the tops of their lungs while dancing about and pumping their fists in the air. The echidna was positively coated in green guts and murky red blood. 

“We felled the beast!” Knuckles yelled.

“Hell yeah, we did!!” Tails whooped.

“Did you see me?!” the echidna demanded. “I assaulted the monster with my fists and it cursed me in its dying breath! I must bathe in its blood, where is the body?!”

“That was fucking awesome!” the fox cheered as he jumped up and down and made a fool of himself. Sonic watched in amusement as Knuckles wrapped his brother up in a tight, celebratory embrace, which Tails was enthused by at first until he realized that he was being coated in goopy sea monster remains as a result.

“Language!” Sonic chided good-naturedly as he sat up while leaning heavily on Silverstrike. 

“Sonic!” Tails gasped. “That fight was so fun, wasn’t it?!”

The blue quilled hedgehog had to disagree. He was still… still shaken by his fall, but he didn’t see why he should spoil Tails’ fun. The fox would blame himself for letting Sonic fall and he didn’t want any of that.

So he forced a smile.

And stumbled to his feet, even though his knees shook and his mind still hadn’t caught up with the fact that he was safe on deck and not drowning at the bottom of a frigid waterfall with the blood of his beloved mother staining the water around him a rusty red.

He let Tails and Knuckles celebrate, and he forced his skeletons back into the darkest recesses of his mind where they belonged. 

Fuck.

Sonic hadn’t thought about that particular memory in… in a long time.

A shiver rocked his body. 

He decided to stop thinking about it.

Thankfully, he was provided with a distraction.

Amy landed on deck in a crouch with a noisy thud. She’d leapt down from the mast high overhead. Upon landing she gained the attention of Tails, Knuckles, and the rest of the crew, who all immediately erupted into boisterous cheers and congratulations. 

The assassin, however, only had eyes for Sonic.

A grin brighter than the sun itself split her face as she bounded over to where Sonic was shakily slipping Silverstrike back into the sling on his belt.

“You did it!” she exclaimed. 

This time, Sonic wasn’t surprised when he was wrapped up in a crushing hug. He found his arms winding of their own accord around Amy in a vice. He prayed that she couldn’t feel him shaking. 

“I did, didn’t I?” he replied in a sorry attempt at maintaining his usual swagger. He couldn’t let the others in on his internal struggle. He wasn’t weak. He could handle it. “I couldn’t have done it without you, though. You seriously saved my ass back there.”

“Don’t mention it!” Amy said breathlessly against Sonic’s quills. Their embrace stretched out longer than a typical gesture between friends would have. But Amy didn’t let go until Sonic did, almost as if she could sense how desperately he needed something to ground him in reality. She waited and held Sonic close until his arms lost enough tension to retreat back to his sides.

Even after he broke the embrace, Amy still hung close with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

She smiled at him, a flash of white fangs. “It’s what friend’s do, right?”

Sonic returned her smile and hoped that it didn’t look too weak. 

Amy didn’t bring up how tense he was or how loudly he’d screamed as he fell, which he was thankful for. The crew didn’t need to be reminded of how big of a bitch he got around water, and Tails certainly didn’t need the weight on his conscience.

By the time the crew swarmed the deck and began lifting their heroes into the air to celebrate their victory, Sonic had managed to regain his composure. He reburied his fears and traumas where they belonged and focused on what was real.

He’d faced his fears once again, with Amy’s help, and had slain a sea-spawn. Sonic had proved his status as hero and protected the ship and its crew. It seemed that fighting was still what he was best at, even at sea. 

Sonic reminded himself of these things over and over again until his fears were properly suppressed and his had nerves died down.

The blue quilled hedgehog smiled wide and egged the sailors on as they suggested an immediate party on deck. Liquor and rations were hauled up from below deck and the energy quickly became addicting. Fiddles were tuned and lively beats were drummed onto spare barrels. Sonic greedily downed whatever mead or liquor was passed his way and reveled in the dizzy haze that drowned out his troubles and made his words slur together. He danced and sang and scattered his troubles and the bottoms of dozens of empty mugs.

By the time night had fallen Sonic was so drunk that he couldn’t remember his own name, no less Longclaw’s, and laying against the mast in a dogpile of sailors who listened with lazy smiles as he rambled about eyes the color of rose petals and a patch of white fur that he needed to stain red.

Sonic woke up the next morning in a barrel with a headache so fierce that he couldn’t see straight.

He spent the better part of his day hurling his guts into the ocean with Amy holding his quills back and scolding him about his drinking habits. Tails, luckily, was too busy riding waves of nausea to give him shit for it.

Chapter Text

Thunder cracked and a jagged bolt of lightning raced across a sky choked with murky clouds that drowned out the sun. Shadow stood on the rail of the Captain’s ship and watched blank faced as a sea-spawn three times the size of their vessel sank beneath charcoal colored waves. He brushed his quills back, which didn’t accomplish much considering he was coated in gristle and blood from head to toe. It caked under his claws and clung to his fur in a sticky sheen.

Beside him, Rouge landed with a smirk and a flick of her wrist as the weapon she’d summoned vanished in an arc of scarlett blood.

“I think that’s a new record,” the bat mused.

Shadow grunted in agreement. He’d been counting the time in his head. They’d downed the beast four seconds faster than the previous one of its size. It was rare to see a sea-spawn this large. This was only the second that they had encountered with a maw large enough to swallow their entire ship in one gulp.

It was likely that the creatures would only get larger and more viscous the closer they got to the Light Blue Emerald.

“Well done,” the Captain commended from where he stood in the middle of the deck. He never helped Shadow and Rouge fight, only watched on with a hand in his left pant pocket and the other braced on his cane. 

At first Shadow had been aggravated by the old man’s supposed expectation that he would be protected, but in time he’d come to learn that the hand in his pocket signified a readiness to retaliate and protect his younger shipmates if the need arose. The throwing salts he kept on his person were quite lethal.

Shadow had seen the Captain fight his own battles only once, and he never wanted to again.

“Supper is ready,” the old man said simply as he turned on his heel and walked across the deck. “We will dock at Crystalshore within the hour, but I want the two of you fed before you run off.” He slipped through the door that led to the inner rooms below the quarterdeck. 

“We’ll be there in a moment,” Shadow replied.

The old man nodded, his profile bathed in the soft orange light that poured from the kerosine lamps within the ship’s inner quarters. He shut the door softly behind him, once again leaving Rouge and Shadow in darkness.

Wind whipped at their fur and salty spray soaked through their clothes as their ship gilded lazily across dark waves. The two travelers gazed across the sea in the direction of their heading, where the lurking form of a far off island could be just hardly visible on the murky horizon. The ocean was choppy and the clouds roiling overhead spelled heavy rain inbound.

They hadn’t seen the sun in almost two weeks.

It was hard to believe that Shadow had been at sea for a full month. He was itching to finally step foot on solid ground and begin his search for the next Emerald Blade. The amulet around his neck warmed in agreement. 

Over time the Blue and Green Emeralds had adjusted to both each other as well as Shadow’s command. Additionally, over the course of the past month, Sonic’s memories had begun to plague Shadow less and less. At present, it had been a full week since the dark furred hedgehog had been thrust into his rival’s body and forced to relive his pain. 

Shadow had been so impatient for the Blue Emerald to bend to his will for so long…

Yet in spite of the fact that he’d finally gotten what he’d wanted, it felt strange watching his connection with Sonic weaken. The Blue Emerald had finally bent the knee, but his dreams were once again his own. It was unsettling, considering that Shadow could still sense the piece of the other hedgehog’s soul clinging at his shoulders. Only now it was far more dormant, almost as if it had accepted its fate discorporately following Shadow about.

The stripped hedgehog was uncertain how he felt about this development.

He didn’t want to say that he missed seeing Sonic’s life through his dreams, but he’d grown so used to the nightly intertwining of their consciousnesses that it was strange going without it. The Blue Emerald’s inevitable surrender should have freed Shadow from this infestation, but it seemed that his thoughts of Sonic had only multiplied once the menace was purged from his dreams. 

Shadow couldn’t stop pondering over the dark memories of Talonpointe’s massacre. He couldn’t stop acknowledging the similarities between Sonic’s tragedy and his own. Watching as Sonic ran from the very mercenaries that had slaughtered his people night after night, Shadow couldn’t help but identify with the fear and isolation. Every time he watched Sonic fall down the waterfall and scream so loudly that his voice was ripped from his throat, he couldn’t help but be reminded of his own defeat at the hands of that wretched mage.

Sonic had choked on water and Shadow had choked on stone.

They were… far more similar than he had anticipated. The Blue Emerald had made him unbearably aware of that fact.

Now, on the rare occasion that Shadow was shown a peaceful memory of Green Hill, he felt as if he understood Sonic on a deeper and deeper level.

Yet this understanding was only one sided.

And further than that, nonconsensual. 

Sonic had no idea that Shadow was privy to all of this knowledge.

He had no idea how well Shadow knew him…

It felt strange.

It felt wrong.

But in spite of this knot of complicated thoughts and emotions, a part of Shadow itched to see the blue quilled hedgehog again. Maybe if he saw Sonic face to face after all he’d been forced to witness, it would somehow answer all of his questions and alleviate this inner turmoil. He couldn’t afford distractions, and the sooner he found a way to resolve this strange tension the better.

Shadow hopped down from the railing of the ship. His open-toed boots slapped against the paneling of the deck. He tried not to think about the rotting corpses that were piled up below his feet.

“Can you help with this?” Shadow asked Rouge while holding his arms out from his sides.

The witch grinned at him, “Of course, darling.” She flicked her fingers in Shadow’s direction, and at her flippant command all of the blood and guts that had soaked his fur were removed and tossed into the sea with a pathetic splash. 

Shadow nodded his thanks and threaded clean fingers through his quills a few times to neaten them up. He was still drenched in rain water, but at least he wasn’t dirty. Rouge’s affinity with blood had proven to be more and more handy the longer he spent in her company.

Together, the hedgehog and the bat crossed the deck to pass through the same doorway that the Captain had. Once they entered the inner chambers they obediently wrung as much water from their wings and quills as possible and slipped their soaked cloaks, gloves, and boots off at the doorway. A coat rack had been provided for them to hang their garments on to dry. 

Oddly enough, Shadow had grown familiar enough with both Rouge and the Captain to allow the removal of his paw coverings in their presence. It was an honor typically only reserved for the most trusted of friends and family. Shadow had only previously lended this gesture to two others, and as a result the stark contrast between his shipmates and the humans who had raised him would occasionally tangle him up in a web of thought and melancholy. 

Once sat at the small dining table buried in the cozy inner chambers of the Captain’s wind-worn caravel, Shadow spooned down gray colored stew in a comfortable silence. He sat beside Rouge, with the Captain at the head of the table.

The old man always refrained from touching his food, even though he always went through the trouble of portioning it out for himself.

Shadow had never seen him eat or drink or even sleep.

He was certainly an anomaly.

Though in spite of his inhuman behaviors and horrific religious practice, Shadow had found himself growing quite familiar with the elderly monkey. Familiar in the sense that one would grow with a friendly neighbor, or a distant relative. 

It was clear that the Captain cared for Rouge’s, and now Shadow’s, well being.

The events that had transpired on the full moon had only proved to solidify this.

This month at sea hadn’t been nearly as unbearable as Shadow had expected upon first stepping aboard the Captain’s vessel. The ship was dreary and unsettling as it sailed the seas on phantom winds and carried plague from port to port, and the monsters that lurked beneath the waves were fierce, but meals were frequent and peaceful and Shadow was provided with a soft bed to sleep on at night. The Captain’s recent assertion that his goddess had taken a liking to Shadow had been most unsettling, but it was better than the alternative. 

Shadow had downed three bowls of gruel by the time the Captain finally spoke up again.

“I hope that the two of you will be careful on your journey,” he rasped. In that moment, he sounded older than he ever had. Suddenly the worried wrinkles on his face seemed deeper and the milky sheen to his eyes seemed more distant.

“You know me, Captain,” Rouge purred while swirling a glass of white wine. It was a dry and bitter brew. “I’ve never entered a situation I couldn’t talk my way out of~”

The elderly man nodded, but frowned all the same. “I know you, Rouge. However, it’s you that I worry about.” His eyes drew to Shadow.

“Don’t waste your energy concerning yourself with my safety,” the hedgehog replied smoothly as he chased a hunk of mystery meat with his spoon. “I am more than capable of holding my own.”

The Captain’s frown deepened. “And I do not doubt that fact. I simply worry that you will take on too much, and find yourself in a situation that you cannot escape without considerable sacrifice. Watch your back, if only for my sake, as I will be unable to do so once you leave my care. The Emeralds are dangerous, that those who seek them out are even more so. Desperation… it twists people.”

Shadow’s hand stilled from where it had been stirring about in his bowl. He did not recall disclosing his goals to the old man.

The glance he exchanged with Rouge informed him that she hadn’t told him the truth either.

“I will heed your advice,” Shadow responded slowly. He decided not to ponder over how the old man had gotten his hands on information that he shouldn’t have had access to. He suspected that he would not like the answer.

The Captain nodded in thanks.

“Good. Good…”

After a month at sea, Sonic finally laid his eyes on land once more.

Crystalshore Island was little more than a tiny blip on the cloud riddled horizon, but the tiny sight alone was enough to make his entire body itch all over. Life at sea was great and all, but the sooner Sonic could put a considerable distance between himself and the ocean the better. If he didn’t get a chance to run soon then he was going to go stir crazy.

It had been far too long since he’d felt the wind in his quills and bathed in the freedom of it all.

The hedgehog turned his nose to the air and inhaled deeply, as if he’d be able to smell the soft earth and vegetation from all the way out here.

He only picked up on the sharp stench of the ocean and the softer scent of incoming rain, as well as wet wood and a sweet, clean smell that he was growing more and more familiar with by the day.

Amy smelled of worn leather and spun sugar. After spending a month with her at sea, her company had grown to be just as comfortable as Knuckles or Tails’.

“We’re almost home,” the assassin breathed. Her eyes were locked on the distant form of Crystalshore. She’d dragged Sonic up the main mast the moment the sailors had caught sight of the place. They two of them were sitting perched atop the thing with their legs dangling over the edge and shoulders brushing for balance.

“I can’t believe we’ve been out here for a whole month,” Sonic replied with a breathless laugh. Usually he’d be able to cross such a distance in a matter of days, were he free to run across land. Being trapped at the whims of the wind and ocean currents stressed him out and made his quills prickle if he pondered over it for too long.

“Me either,” Amy agreed. “It feels like the time has flown by!” She turned to him with a soft smile.

Sonic returned it, though he didn’t quite agree with her words. To him, the passage of this month had felt like several painfully long years. There was a growing itch between his shoulder blades that he couldn’t quite get at. He’d been cooped up for far too long. Shadow had been running free when he should have been dead at Sonic’s hands back on Talonpointe Mountain.

The hedgehog craved release desperately. He’d been incomplete for so long that he could hardly remember what it felt like to be whole anymore.

This prolonged sense of something missing…

It was threatening to drive him mad. 

He would have snapped within a matter of days had Crystalshore not made her appearance. 

But Amy didn’t need to know that.

Tails and Knuckles didn’t either. They’d all just call him crazy, tell him he was addicted to the Emerald’s power. 

…Maybe call him insane for how deeply he longed to sink his fangs into that faker’s throat and rip it clean out.

This wouldn’t be over with until he’d painted himself in Shadow’s blood. 

The dark furred hedgehog had disrespected Longclaw. He’d desecrated what remained of Talonpointe. He’d played Sonic like a fool. 

But he’d pay. 

He’d pay dearly, and Sonic would put a stop to whatever fuckass plan he was cooking up in that twisted head of his. The Blades were meant to stay hidden, not to be amassed. If Sonic failed to stop Shadow again… then this problem would extend far past Green Hill alone, but across the entire globe.

Shadow was dangerous, and he needed to be stopped.

“Sonic? Are you alright?”

The cobalt hedgehog was yanked from his thoughts by Amy’s concerned voice. He shook himself and turned to her. 

Her brows were upturned in worry and her hand was rested on Sonic’s shoulder.

He hadn’t even noticed the contact.

“I’m fine!” Sonic replied quickly, and perhaps a little too cheerfully. “Just like always. Why?”

Amy reluctantly removed her hand from his shoulder but the worried crease didn’t leave her brow. “I don’t know… you seemed tense. You zoned out and started growling, just staring off at nothing. Also your quills are standing on end.”

Sonic startled and quickly shoved a hand through his unruly quills. Sure enough, they were prickling and beginning to fan out. Fuck. He really needed to learn how to conceal his emotions better. He couldn’t afford to fly off the handle when he finally got his hands on Shadow again. Sonic could not afford any distractions.

“Damn,” Sonic mumbled, “Nothing gets past you, huh?”

Amy giggled, the twinkle of delicate silver bells. “I just know you, is all. You’ve seemed on edge for the past few days. Are you worried about your search for the relic? Whatever it is that we’re looking for, I promise that we’ll find it. As soon as we cure Cream I’ll help you hunt it down, no matter who has it!”

Guilt skewered Sonic clean through the chest.

Amy still didn’t know the truth…

She had no idea who Shadow was, or what he was planning to do. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into. It wasn’t fair to sign her up for something like this, not with so much on the line. 

All this secret keeping had been driving Sonic up the wall for the past month. Every time he brought it up to Tails and Knuckles they said the same thing.

That the secrets of the Emeralds needed to be kept at all costs.

That they were protecting Amy by withholding the truth from her.

Bull fucking shit.

Something about seeing their destination with his very own eyes awoke something within Sonic. This hunt for the Emerald was no longer a meaningless goal, floating on a horizon too far for them to see. Not any more. This was real, the Emerald was real, Shadow was real, and the hole inside Sonic’s very fucking being was real too.

If Amy was going to fight with them, she deserved to know the truth.

Sonic didn’t give a shit what Knuckles or Tails thought.

Silence had stretched between the two hedgehogs for several minutes.

Clouds stirred overhead and thunder rumbled far off in the distance. Sonic traced the jagged bolt of lightning that danced across the sky with his eyes.

“Ames, have you heard of the Emerald Blades?”

Sonic’s words were wistful and lacking of his usual energy. They were almost carried away on the wind, but Amy heard them.

Her ears swiveled towards him in interest. “The Emerald Blades?” she mused, “Yeah, that’s a children’s tale. The holy mother at the orphanage used to tell us stories about them to scare us into going to sleep.” She trailed off into a chuckle. 

“They’re real.”

Amy’s ears perked up once again. “Huh?”

Sonic locked gazes with her. Green eyes intertwined, one pair searching for a punch line while the other remained deathly serious.

Amy’s eyes fluttered. She broke eye contact after several moments and pushed her fingers through her quills. “You know, there’s an old wive’s tale about a star that fell from the heavens to touch Mobius,” her words were oddly strained. “They say it landed right in the center of the Mistystep Sea, at the top of a mountain that grows from the ocean floor. We call it the Devil’s Lighthouse, and it’s rumored that the water in the pools that collect in its cracks can heal any injury or disease. No matter how serious. It can even bring someone from the brink of death.”

Sonic’s heart began to race.

That’s definitely the Emerald.

Amy glanced at him with unreadable eyes. “You said that you and the others were hunting for a relic, right?”

Sonic nodded. “Yeah. We’re looking for one of the Emerald Blades, and we know that it’s somewhere at sea.”

The pink quilled hedgehog forced a laugh. “Are you sure you aren’t joking with me, Sonic? The Blades can’t be real. That much power– it’s totally unrealistic!”

“They’re real, Amy,” Sonic declared. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. “I– One of them is mine, it was a gift from my mother and I carried it with me my whole life. Another of them belonged to Knuckles’ ancestors. It protected our village from the night creatures, until this– this evil guy showed up and stole it. He took Knuckles’ Emerald, and then he took mine. Now he’s trying to steal yours. Or, well, the Devil’s Lighthouse. I can’t let him do that. I have to find the third Emerald before he does and kill him before he hurts anyone else.”

By the time Sonic was finished speaking he was out of breath.

Amy was gawking at him with wide eyes and parted lips.

“Sorry,” Sonic apologized, “That was a lot.” He let go of her shoulders and shoved a hand through his quills, which had started pricking up again just at the mention of Shadow.

“It… was,” Amy responded slowly.

“I know it sounds insane,” Sonic said quickly, “But it’s all real, I swear. Do you trust me?”

Amy’s eyes widened and her muzzle flushed almost pink enough to match her quills. “Of course I do! I’ll follow you anywhere– to help you on your mission, I mean! Yeah, I, uh, if you say we’re looking for one of the Emerald Blades, then I’ll help you. Whatever you need, I’ll be there.”

Sonic couldn’t help himself.

He slung an arm around Amy’s shoulders and pulled her into a quick hug. The woman squeaked upon the contact and stiffened, but a split second later her arms were locking around Sonic’s chest in a flash. 

“Thank you!” Sonic gushed, his breath stirring the fur at the tip of Amy’s ear. “I know it’s wild, but I promise it’s real. I’ll show you! Fuck, I hated hiding this from you so much. I’m so sorry, Ames, I wanted to tell you as soon as you said you’d help us but Knuckles and Tails wanted to keep it a secret.”

Amy nodded against his chest as she squeezed him tight. Sonic thought he might have heard the faint rumble of a purr. Though as soon as the sound started up it quickly sputtered out. Amy scrambled to break the embrace while giving Sonic a brave smile. Her muzzle was as red as Shadow’s quills.

Shit, Sonic must have been hugging her too hard. She probably hadn’t been able to breathe. He really needed to apologize–

“I’m sorry!” Amy stuttered, “I just–” She drew a deep breath and regained her composure like the snuff of a candle. Her smile relaxed and her eyes turned soft, an expression that Sonic was beginning to find quite familiar. “It’s news to me that the Emerald Blades are real, I had no idea! I thought they killed anyone who dared to touch them, but you said that one of them was yours?”

Sonic nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! The Blades don’t corrupt everyone who tries to use them, some people are born with an innate ability to withstand their power, if that makes sense. I’m one of those people. And Shadow is one of those people, too.” His expression soured upon speaking the other hedgehog’s name.

Amy tilted her head to one side. “Shadow?”

Sonic forced his ears not to pin back. “Yeah, he’s the guy who stole the Emeralds from me and Knuckles. He’s dangerous. I… I don’t want you involved with him. So when we find him, please promise that you’ll let me handle him.”

The assassin blinked. “I promise,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. 

Sonic drew a deep breath. “Thank you.” Keeping Knuckles and Tails out of the fight would be a whole different story, but at least he knew Amy would be safe from that faker.

“If this Shadow has two of the Emerald Blades…” Amy thought aloud as she pieced the situation together, “Even one of them is strong enough to amount to a thousand soldiers, but if he has two– Sonic, won’t it be dangerous to fight him at all?”

The hedgehog flashed a lopsided smirk, “That’s why we need to find the third Emerald before he does. If I can collect that Blade, then I’ll be able to even the playing field a little. He won’t stand a chance.” A growl entered Sonic’s voice as he spoke.

Amy nodded along with him. She took him at his word, even as he proclaimed such ridiculous things and asked so much of her.

She really was an incredible friend. 

Sonic was grateful to have to have her fighting alongside him.

He told her as much. “Thank you for helping us, Amy. I know it’ll be dangerous–”

“-It’s nothing I can’t handle,” the mercenary declared with a smile.

“That’s the Amy I know,” Sonic said. He grinned and gave her a friendly slap across the back. Amy giggled and retaliated with a brief bump of her shoulder.

“Just make sure you don’t tell anyone about the Emeralds, or about Shadow,” Sonic instructed. “Even the knowledge that the Blades are real in the first place is dangerous enough to get people killed. If word got out that someone was trying to collect all seven, then it would be chaos. We need to clean this up as neatly and as quietly as possible.”

“I understand!” Amy assured him. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Sonic smiled in thanks. “Great! Just… don’t tell Knuckles or Tails that I told you the truth. They’ll actually kill me. They mean well, they’re just overly cautious.”

Amy laughed. “Don’t worry, Sonic. It’ll be our little secret.” 

The two hedgehogs laughed and basked in the moment. Sonic had finally gotten this awful weight off his chest, and Cystalshore was a mere half hour away. Amy was still willing to help them even after being fully informed about the situation, and now Shadow had one more brilliant mind working against him.

Things were looking up, in Sonic’s opinion.

In his optimism, he failed to notice tension that had set to Amy’s shoulders or the guilty tinge in her eyes that threatened to crack her smiles and betray her own secrets. However, unlike Sonic, she kept her lips sealed. 

If all went according to plan, the details she’d hidden wouldn’t matter in the first place.

She trusted in Sonic, and trusted that everything would soon be resolved.

The moment their ship hit the dock at Crystalshore Island Sonic leapt onto the dock and sprinted towards dry land. Other Mobians milling around gave him strange looks and shouted curses as he shoulders through them, but couldn’t give a damn. 

He was finally back on land!

This was the best day of his fucking life!

The dock connected directly to a cobbled city street, but Sonic ignored it in favor of veering to the side. With a dramatic shout, the hedgehog threw himself off the dock to land on the beach that lined the island. There was no sand, unlike Green Hill. This beach was littered with smooth stones in varying shades of gray and muted blue.

A chorus of gentle clicks and rattles greeted Sonic as he dropped face first onto the stone covered beach and began rolling around. The stones were cool and impossibly smooth after being watched by the waves over millennia. They got lodged in his quills and dug uncomfortably into his ribs, but Sonic didn’t give a damn.

There was finally solid rock underneath him, rather than rickety wood. Boat life was great, don’t get him wrong, but Sonic was a land lover at heart.

The cobalt hedgehog made quite the scene as he rolled around on the beach cheering and laughing like a madman. Villagers and grumpy sailors stared at him with judgement in their eyes but he didn’t give a shit. He wouldn’t let anything get between him and his reunion with dry land!

Sonic was lying on his back making angles in the stones when Amy and the others finally caught back up with him.

“Sonic, what are you doing?” Tails asked in an exasperated tone. He was betrayed by the affectionate grin on his face.

“Uh, reuniting with my lost love?” Sonic quipped, “What's it look like I’m doing?”

“It appears as though you’re rolling on the ground like an insect,” Knuckles informed him. 

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Don’t hate on me, Knux. You should try the insect life, some time. It’s great!”

“I believe I shall refrain,” the echidna mumbled with a disdainful wrinkle of his muzzle.

Amy giggled at the trio’s antics and decided to follow Sonic’s example. She allowed herself to fall back onto the stony beach, and began running her hands across the pebbles and smoothed rocks. “I missed this place,” she sighed.

“You are no better than he is,” Knuckles complained.

“Ah, what the hell,” Tails sighed. He then spread his arms and tipped backwards to hit the stones. “Ow!” he complained, then laughed at his own actions.

“I am embarrassed to associate with the lot of you,” Knuckles berated while lightly kicking Sonic in the head, “Especially you, hedgehog.”

The swordsman stuck his tongue out at his friend, then hopped to his feet in a flash of blue. “You know you love me,” he teased as he began stretching. He reached his arms high over his head then bent to grab at his boots, then made a show of leaning on the Knuckles for support as he grabbed his ankle to stretch his upper leg.

“What are you stretching for?” Tails inquired, though the deadpan tone in his voice suggested that he already knew. 

“I’ve gotta make up for a month of lost running time!” Sonic replied giddily. “I’m gonna go insane if I don’t run, feel the wind in my quills.” He hopped restlessly from foot to foot.

“Figures,” Tails nodded.

Amy frowned, “Shouldn’t I show you around the island first?”

“No need!” Sonic assured her. “I won’t be long, don’t worry. We’ve got a friend to save.” He shot Amy a wink, to which she blushed and Tails and Knuckles shared a knowing look.

With that, the blue quilled hedgehog shook himself to get the rocks out of his quills so they wouldn’t weigh him down. Stones sprayed in every direction, much to the dismay of his friends. Before Knuckles could chuck a handful of rocks at him in retaliation, however, he vanished in a flash.

Fuck, it felt so good to stretch his legs!

Sonic was flooded with elation as he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. His boots flew over the stony beach, and he rounded the perimeter of the entire island ten times in a matter of seconds. Each time he passed Amy and the others they shouted at the gust of wind he kicked up and scrambled out of his way. 

The hedgehog pushed himself faster and faster.

This. He’d missed this.

Life at sea would never be his thing, not if it meant that he couldn’t run and push his body to its limits. He needed to feel the wind in his quills, to bask in the freedom of being able to go wherever he wanted, with no one there to stop him.

After circling the island three dozen times, Sonic decided to veer into the city. Crystalshore Island was little more than a strip of rocky beach. The rest of it was taken up entirely by a village ten times larger than Green Hill. Cobbled streets were built in winding labyrinths rather than neat grids. Buildings were mismatched and of all different sizes and heights, though all the structures were made of wind-washed wood and stone that matched the color of the beach. 

As Sonic explored, he realized that while Green Hill was sunny and bright, Crystalshore was drab and almost dreary. There were no fields, no trees or farmland. Nothing but buildings stacked on top of each other and packing each street to the brim. Thick smoke rose from chimneys and greasy ooze coated the cobblestone in a slick sheen. Everything was damp, too.

It had been overcast for a full week, and it seemed that the cloud cover did not let up over Crystalshore either. The island’s name had seemed to suggest brilliant skies and turquoise waters, but it appeared that that simply was not the case. It was dark and gray with such thick clouds covering the sun, and the surrounding ocean was choppy and colored a deep navy.

Sonic found it difficult to believe that someone as bubbly as Amy hailed from such an island.

But he decided not to judge.

After sprinting across every inch of the island multiple times over, Sonic finally returned to where he’d left his friends and came to a skidding stop. He kicked up a wave of stones as he stopped short, which rained upon Tails and Knuckles. He’d spared Amy from the assault, who sat neatly on the beach and laughed at the other two’s expense. 

“I will cave your skull in,” Knuckles threatened as he stepped out of the impressively large mound of rocks that Sonic had buried him in.

The hedgehog laughed at the ridiculous sight of the echidna shaking the stones from his quills, then immediately cut off into a scream when he found himself being tackled to the ground and pulled into a wrestling match. 

Tails shook the stones out of his fur and laughed at his quilled friends’ antics. Sonic and Knuckles tended to bicker on occasion, but it was all in good fun. Even now, as they yanked on each other's quills and threw playful punches, they grinned and laughed.

Amy watched the display with an affectionate smile. Though, when her gaze turned to the city nearby, that smile weakened and a strange shadow crossed her face.

Once Sonic and Knuckles had enough goofing off, they picked themselves to their feet and shook the stones from their quills one final time. Tails winced and held up his arms as the spray was aimed in his direction. 

“You ready to get down to business?” Sonic asked Amy. He crossed the beach to offer her a hand. She took it with a grateful smile and allowed him to haul her to her feet. 

“Yes! Very,” the assassin replied. She touched the cross-body travel pack that was hanging at her hip. The healing potion that Sonic had given her was tucked safely away inside. “I’m ready to finally heal Cream. She’s suffered for long enough.”

Sonic nodded and started up a cheer with Knuckles and Tails.

Amy joined in on their enthusiasm, but the tension in her shoulders still remained and her smiles never quite reached her eyes.

Now that Sonic had finished expelling his excess energy, the group of travelers climbed the sloping beach to enter the city. Now that Amy was leading them through the streets at a comfortable pace, Sonic was able to pick up on details that he hadn’t previously noticed.

He eyed the clothes of the locals, which were all dark in color and made of rough fabrics and generic cuts. There were no colorful patterns or creative laying, as there was in Green Hill. The demeanor of the villagers was different from what Sonic was used to as well. They kept to themselves and didn’t return any of the waves or smiles that he offered, just stared blankly or openly glared.

Sonic hadn’t realized that it was so… rough on the islands.

“Welcome to Crystalshore!” Amy exclaimed, though her excitement felt forced. She seemed tense as a whole, and her hand kept drifting to the row of knives strapped at her hip. 

Sonic frowned and placed his hand on Silverstrike’s hilt in turn. Was there danger? If someone was messing with Amy then he’d cut them into tiny pieces. 

The further they travelled into the bowels of the city the more disbelieving Sonic grew that Amy had grown up in a place like this. The market stunk of fish and spoiled produce. Smoke spilled into the streets from opium dens and aggressive drunks stumbled from tavern to tavern with vomit stained clothes and swinging fists. Shady characters armed to the teeth followed their group with sharp eyes and scantily dressed brothel workers called out to everyone who passed by.

Occasionally they would pass other mercenaries on the streets, marked by their expensive armor and near excessive weaponry. Amy exchanged nods with each of them, making it clear that she was a core part of this community and all the dark dealings that happened behind closed doors.

Amy finally spoke up again after they had to change course to skirt a fight that was taking place in the street. 

“I’m sure that this isn’t what the three of you are used to,” she said almost guiltily.

“You’re not wrong,” Sonic replied with a small laugh. He much preferred Green Hill with its friendly faces and blue skies to storm clouds and angry people who looked like they wanted to kill him in six different ways.

“It’s just like all the sailors say,” Tails mused as he drank the city in with hungry eyes. “I’ve heard all kinds of crazy stories on the docks about other cities, but it’s so much different seeing it all for myself!” He seemed particularly enthused by the chance of scenery, which managed to lessen Amy’s stress.

“Is this where you trained in combat?” Knuckles asked as he glared down every single person he passed.

“Yes,” Amy answered. “I was born here, to a brothel worker. She, uh, didn’t want me so she brought me to an orphanage. I was raised there for a few years, but while I was still a hoglet a local assassin’s guild set the place on fire and waited outside to take any of us that escaped and bring us into their organization.”

“Oh!” Tails squeaked.

“That’s, uh, I’m so sorry,” Sonic sputtered. He didn’t understand how Amy could say all of that so easily. He never talked about Talonpointe, or the years he’d spent alone. Or the kind blacksmith who had forged him a sword only to be slain before he could think to react.

“It’s alright!” Amy replied, surprisingly cheerfully. “That was all in the past. If the assassin guild hadn’t taken me in then I never would have learned to defend myself, and I never would have met Vanilla or Cream. There’s a bright side to every situation, no matter how awful.”

Huh. That was… a mindset.

Sonic admired Amy for thinking that way, but he doubted that there was a single bright side to the things that had happened to him in his early years. Fuck, what was he doing, going down that rabbit hole? He quickly shoved the thoughts away and buried the dark memories in the deepest recesses of his mind where they belonged.

“Life at the assassin guild was difficult,” Amy continued, “But they trained me in combat, Knuckles, to answer your question.”

“Are you still a member of this guild?” the echidna inquired. “I have heard that such organizations are ruthless and difficult to break away from. It is unfortunate that you were not given a choice in the matter.”

“Yeah…” Amy shook her head. “The guild was terrible, but I got lucky. I owe the life that I lead to Vanilla. She is Cream’s mother. She was one of the highest ranked assassins in the guild, but left when she discovered that she’d gotten pregnant after an… involved mission. Vanilla was always kind to me. She was one of the mentors that taught me how to fight. She saw that I was about to be sent on a mission similar to the one that pushed her to leave. Vanilla didn’t want that for me, since I was only fourteen. So she bought me from the guild and took me with her when she left. She runs a tavern now. I’ve been living with her ever since.”

“Damn,” Tails breathed.

Sonic elbowed him in the ribs. “Vanilla sounds like a very kind woman, Amy,” he said. “I’d love to meet her.”

The pink hedgehog turned to him with a smile. “And you will!” 

She led them around a corner to reveal a two storied building on the corner of a neat cross between several winding streets. The doors were propped open to allow golden light to spill from within and illuminate the dreary atmosphere outside. Inside was packed with Mobians sitting at tables and milling about while laughing and chattering. The smell of freshly cooked food wafted from within and made Sonic’s mouth begin to water. A neat sign hung over the door, where the word Flora was painted in swirling pink lettering.

“This is the Flora, Vanilla’s tavern and my home for the past six years,” Amy announced. “Cream should be resting inside. Now that we’re here, we can finally make her better.”

“Well let’s get to it!” Sonic exclaimed. Knuckles and Tails nodded in agreement. They’d traveled a month to make it here and heal Amy’s friend. It was about time they made good on their promises.

Following Amy’s lead, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles entered the Flora and shouldered their way through the dense crowd. It was warm inside, constructed of reddish stained wood, and filled to the brim with tables that were packed with locals and hooded travelers alike. Liquor flowed and hot food was brought to tables by waitresses in neat uniforms with knives strapped to their legs. 

They made their way to the bar, which was packed with patrons and minded by a rabbit with cream colored fur and brown bangs hanging across her eyes. Upon noticing Amy and the others standing at an open area along the bar top, she turned to them with a kind smile. Sonic noticed dark circles under her eyes and the way her fur was slightly puffed.

Her daughter’s condition was clearly getting to her.

Luckily, they were going to right the situation.

“Amy,” Vanilla greeted as she set down the glass she’d been polishing and drifted over to where they stood. She wore a simple pink dress, but Sonic immediately noted the durable belt around her waist and the collection of knives strapped to it.

Sonic would hate to get into a bar fight on her watch.

“It’s good to see you,” the rabbit hummed as she reached across the bar to grasp hands with the pink quilled hedgehog. “How was your trip? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages.”

“It’s good to see you too!” Amy replied as she squeezed her friend’s hands. “My trip was peaceful. It was a lot easier than other journeys I’ve taken in the past. I missed you so much, it has been two whole months, after all.”

“Indeed,” Vanilla agreed. “I’m glad to have you back. It doesn’t feel the same around here without you brightening up the place.”

Amy smiled at the praise as she dropped the rabbit’s hands in favor of leaning her elbows on the bar. “It’s great to be back,” she paused for a moment. “How has Cream been?”

Vanilla’s smile fell. 

“Cream has been… managing,” the former assassin responded. “Her condition has considerably worsened. I’ve called in dozens of medicine women, and even commissioned a few from the neighboring islands. Their treatment does little more than lessen her symptoms, but as it stands nothing we do can hold off the infection any more. I’m relieved that you’ve finally returned. If you had been even a couple of days later than…”

Amy’s quills puffed slightly. “Well I’m glad that I made it back.” She stepped back from the bar to gesture towards the three men huddled behind her. “This is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. I met them in Green Hill Village. Sonic is the apothecary that I crossed the sea to find. He’s going to heal Cream.”

At that, Vanilla’s eyes slid to Sonic.

The moment she looked away from Amy the kindness sapped from her expression, leaving deadened eyes with a very palpable threat radiating off her similarly to the chaos energy that the Emerald’s diffused when they weren’t in their dormant form.

Sonic’s quills stood instinctively on end.

The ex-assassin's eyes wracked across his body, assessing his worn boots, Silverstirke, the bandages around his hands, and the travelling cloak that hung from his shoulders. Finally her gaze settled on the potion that was hooked at his hip, the one with dark red liquid that had been brewed from a blooddrop lily and the quill of the hedgehog he’d sworn to kill.

Her eyes dragged back to Sonic’s, her expression now significantly colder.

Could she– could she tell what the potion was for?

“Uh, hi,” Sonic said lamely, uncertain of how else to respond to the situation.

“Is he now?” Vanilla finally settled for, ignoring Sonic entirely and turning her attention back to Amy.

The mercenary gave her a pleading look. “Yes! He’s very kind, I promise! He offered his services free of charge and came all the way out here just to help us out.” 

“I see,” Vanilla muttered.

She seemed far less enthused than Sonic had expected her to be.

“Amy,” the rabbit murmured. She spoke so softly that Sonic had to perk his ears forward to pick up on her words. “We’ve been trying to cure Cream for almost three months now. At this point I don’t…” She sighed. “You know that it’s impos–”

“-Let us try? At least?” Amy interjected. Her voice was more strained than Sonic had ever heard it. There was an odd tension between her and her mentor.

Sonic and Tails exchanged a glance. It felt as if they were missing context.

Eventually Vanilla broke eye contact and relented to Amy’s insistence. “Fine,” she said. “You may lead them up to Cream’s room. She’s been resting. I’ve been meaning to check on her, anyway. If she… if it works then let me know.”

Amy nodded in thanks and turned wordlessly from the bar. She avoided meeting the curious gazes from Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles and instead sidestepped them to head towards the back corner of the tavern. The three men exchanged a confused glance, shrugged, and hurried along at Amy’s heels like a row of ducklings. 

Sonic could feel Vanilla’s eyes boring into his quills long after he’d vanished into the crowd.

She was terrifying.

Amy led the group to a secluded door at the back of the tavern. She slipped a key from a pocket concealed in her leather armor and used it to unlock the door and reveal a secluded, winding staircase. The group took to the stairs and locked the door behind them. 

It was much quieter here, and by the time they reached the landing the din from the tavern below could not be heard at all. 

The upstairs area was completely different from what Sonic had seen below. The walls and ceilings were still constructed of the same reddish stained wood, but rather than tiled stone the floor was covered in plush green carpet. Artistic sconces embracing warm kerosine lamps lined the walls and the wooden crown molding that lined the space was carved with frilly patterns. The upstairs was little more than a long, straight hallway extending all the way to the opposite end of the building, but the hall was lined with dozens of doors. 

“All of these rooms are residential. This is where me, Vanilla, and the waitresses live,” Amy explained as she walked down the hall keeping her steps soft and quiet. “Vanilla has a habit of picking girls up off the streets. I know she seemed cold, but that’s only because she hasn’t gotten to know you. She’ll warm up to you in time, especially after we cure Cream.”

“Yeah,” Sonic agreed, although there was something unsettling about this entire situation. Amy had been growing more and more tense as the day progressed. Now she was so on edge that the quills on her back were standing completely on end. 

He ignored the look Tails was giving him and decided to chalk Amy’s behavior up to nerves. If Tails or Knuckles had been sick for three months then he would be freaking out too! Especially if no previous medic or apothecary had been able to do anything about it. Anyone else might have been nervous about how effective their abilities might be in such a situation, but Sonic was confident in his potion making. Besides, the one he’d given Amy was maximum strength. That was powerful enough to save someone who had a single drop of blood left in their body.

No petty infection could fight against that. 

The group continued walking until they reached the door on the left at the very end of the hall. Unlike the others, this one was painted with colorful flowers and vines, with butterflies surrounding the doorknob and ladybugs marching the frame. 

Amy paused briefly at the door, then drew a deep breath and placed her hand on the gold plated handle. 

“Come on,” she murmured, “Let’s heal Cream.”

Sonic nodded in agreement while Knuckles grunted his and Tails swished his namesakes in suspicion. 

Amy slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

It was dark within, without a single candle or lamp illuminating the space. 

“Cream?” Amy called as she slipped into the shadows. “It’s Amy. I’m back from my mission.”

“Miss Amy?” came a tiny croak from within. Cream sounded far younger than Sonic had expected. He felt bad that a kid so young was so sick–

The hedgehog stopped in his tracks once he made it through the door.

That stench.

The dampened light.

The fact that Cream had been sick for so long without anyone able to cure her–

Amy crossed what was clearly a child’s room. The hardwood floor was covered with a neat fluffy rug. The walls were painted with more floral doodles. Toys were stacked neatly on shelves, untouched and beginning to gather dust. A bookshelf lurked in the corner in disarray beside a small dresser. Against the wall was a large bed with a lace canopy draped from the ceiling. A thick duvet and an impressive collection of blankets were piled on top of a girl who appeared comically small considering the size of her bed.

Cream was a young rabbit who took after her mother to a tee. She was leaned back against a mound of soft pillows in pink silken cases. Her fur was matted and her ears drooped pathetically against her head. Her frame was frail and malnourished.

Her eyes were jaundiced and the veins were stained a horrific black. 

She held a handkerchief clutched in one fist that was stained with blood. 

Crusty trails lined her face from where dark ooze had spilled from her eyes and nose. 

Worst of all, she was covered in pustules. They leaked dark gunk and reeked of rot, peppering her body and revealing the bloody flesh underneath in areas where the infection was at its worst. The arm not holding her handkerchief was wrapped in a thick layer of bandages that were beginning to be soaked through with red and black liquid. The bandages around the arm were tight, but the form they revealed was unnatural. It was too thin, and dipped in places where it shouldn’t. Her arm was likely beginning to rot clean off… that had likely been the infection site.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were frozen in the doorway, their backs illuminated by the light that came in from the hall. The golden glow didn’t quite reach the bed, where Amy was kneeling a safe distance away from the bucket and gazing lovingly at Cream. 

“Miss Amy!” the child rasped. “You’re back! I’m so glad you’re back! How was your trip? How was the sea? Did you visit a new village?”

Amy smiled sweetly, though her hands were squeezing her knees so tightly that it was a wonder she hadn’t broken through her armor. “My trip was lovely, and the sea was just as beautiful as it’s ever been. I did visit a new village, but I can tell you about it later. First, there are some friends I made along the way that I’d like you to meet.”

She gestured to Sonic and the others, who were still frozen in shock.

An infection that had lasted not only so long but gotten this bad, and Cream was only a child! Even an adult would have died at this point. It was almost inhumane to keep her alive like this–

“Cream, this is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles,” Amy said while gesturing at each of the three Mobians. “Sonic is the apothecary and hero of Green Hill Village. He came all this way to see you, because he’s going to cure your illness.”

Those words finally shook Sonic out of his stupor.

Even Cream seemed confused by them. She cocked her head to one side and gave Sonic a curious glance.

Fuck, how was he going to handle this–

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Tails and Knuckles beat him to the punch.

“She is infected with the curse of the night creatures!” the echidna exclaimed while stepping considerably backwards. “The child has the plague! You,” he pointed at Amy and growled, “Vile woman, you set us up! You meant to work against us and infect us with this sick curse as well!”

Amy gasped in offense, in unison with Sonic, who turned towards Knuckles in horror.

“Knux, what the fuck!” he gasped. “Don’t say that about Amy, you know she wouldn’t–”

“-You didn’t tell us that Cream had the plague!” Tails all but shrieked. He gripped his ears in his hands. “Now all of us will get sick! Shit, we’re gonna die! We’re gonna die. We’re gonna–”

“-Really, Knuckles?” Amy spat. A growl accompanied her words and her eyes had gone darker even than Vanilla’s. “You seriously think that I’d betray you like that? I can’t believe you’d say such a thing. I told you that Cream was sick! Don’t pretend like I didn’t make that more than clear. And calm the hell down, Tails, I thought you were smarter than this. The plague is only contagious if you come in contact with the secretion.”

The fox and the echidna immediately shut up and paused their retreat into the hallway, likely because they were in shock after seeing Amy get so angry.

With a snarl, Amy turned back to face Cream while running her hands through her quills in an attempt to get them to lie flat again. “I’m sorry about them, sweetie,” she cooed, “No one taught them any manners.”

Cream giggled at the offhanded insult. “That’s alright! Everyone’s afraid of me so I’m not mad about it. That’s why mother keeps me hiding up here.”

Sonic winced. How could Cream sound so cheerful while talking like that? None of this should have ever happened to a kid. He wished he could confront whatever apothecary hadn’t processed their demon blood properly. Mistakes like this shouldn't happen, period. 

“Well you won’t have to hide any more, Cream,” Amy reassured her, “Sonic is going to heal you. He gave me this potion so you could get better.” She reached into her satchel and drew out the dark colored healing potion that Sonic had given her a month ago. She uncorked it and shuffled closer to the bed. “Make sure you drink the whole thing, okay? Then you’ll be healthy again.”

Sonic couldn’t watch this.

He stumbled forward and stopped Amy with a hand to her shoulder. She glanced up at him with a dangerous expression on her face.

As if she was daring him to react as Tails and Knuckles had.

He swallowed hard and struggled to get his thoughts in a row. “Ames,” he started slowly, “You didn’t tell me that Cream had the plague.”

The mercenary blinked. Her expression was unreadable. “That shouldn’t have mattered. You told me that you could heal any illness, no matter what it was.”

Sonic winced. He had said that but…

“Yes, I can heal any illness,” he countered timidly, “Any Mobian illness, but the plague is different. You know that. It’s not of this world, so there’s no way that we can make a cure on our own plain of reality. The plague isn’t just some illness, it’s the plague! There’s no cure… and you knew that.” Sonic frowned as he thought aloud, “That’s why you were so desperate, and why you’ve been acting strangely all day. You know that there’s no cure but you didn’t tell me because you knew I would have responded differently if you told me the truth.”

It appeared that Sonic chose the wrong thing to say.

Amy’s eyes turned wild and her quills fanned out like mad. She stood from where she’d been kneeling by the bed and rose to her full height to stare Sonic right in the eye. She pushed so far into his space that their noses would have brushed if she’d been a little taller. 

“I crossed the sea for this potion,” Amy snapped, her expression volatile and her voice in shambles. “I left Cream alone to suffer for two months so I could find you! This potion has to work! It has to!” She didn’t deny her deceit, nor did she admit that the plague was incurable.

She was being so stubborn, but for what? Didn’t she know it would only make it hurt worse if she tried to fight fate?

Sonic winced as he recalled a dark night in a burning village. He’d tried to turn back, tried to set it right… but there was no rewinding the clock. There was no taking back loss. The only thing you could do was… run. Move forward.

“Ames,” he tried again, “The potion I gave you is one of the strongest that you’ll find anywhere on this planet. It can heal everything, but it won’t cure Cream. The most it will be able to do is clear up her symptoms temporarily… maybe give her a couple more months.”

His gaze fell.

He hated this conversation.

Especially with Cream sitting right there, watching the adults who had sworn to help her crack under the pressure and come apart at the seams.

Amy broke down.

She hiccupped, then burst into tears. Her sobs wracked her body and made her weak at the knees. The sheer emotion of it all was enough to make Sonic’s throat begin to feel thick. When Amy threw herself into his arms he caught her in earnest. 

He couldn’t imagine how stressed she’d been these past two months. 

Her friend was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

As awful as it had been for her to omit information, Sonic did not blame her for trying to fight the dark reality of their world. After all, he would have done the same exact thing if he had the chance.

If there was even a tiny sliver of chance that he could bring Longclaw or Tom or Maddie back then he’d do so in a heartbeat, no questions asked. He’d do the same for Tails or Knuckles, or even Amy. Only he’d go to lengths far greater and far worse than merely lying and avoiding truths. He’d do anything to protect his loved ones.

However dangerous. However vile. 

“It isn’t fair!” Amy cried as she buried her muzzle in Sonic’s chest fur. It was beginning to grow out again, after a month unable to trim it down. The beginnings of fluff absorbed her tears and muffled her sobs. Sonic ran a hand over her quills in an attempt to soothe her. He tried to be comforting, tried to do what Longclaw would have done for him.

“I know,” Sonic whispered. He didn’t trust his voice not to crack. “None of this is fair.”

“...I’m sorry, Miss Amy.”

The two hedgehogs startled when Cream spoke up. Amy turned in Sonic's arms to face the young girl. 

Cream’s expression was downtrodden as she fidgeted with the handkerchief stained with her own blood. “I’m sorry to you, too, Mister Sonic. Since both of you worked so hard and came all this way for me when it didn’t matter.”

Sonic blanched.

Why was Cream apologizing? How could she even think to apologize? She was, what, six years old? It didn’t sit right with Sonic that she was behaving so maturely about this situation. No child deserved this torture. Cream shouldn’t have been the one comforting him and Amy, it should have been the other way around.

“Don’t apologize, sweetie, please,” Amy pleaded, her voice still thick with tears. Her fingers clenched around Sonic's arms and he felt her claws begin to poke at him through her gloves, but he didn’t flinch or move away. She gazed up at him, “Can’t we at least do something?”

Sonic’s resolve crumbled immediately.

He hated to see Amy like this, he hated to see Cream like this.

Even though it would be cruel to drag her death out even further than the adults around her already had…

Sonic nodded and gently stepped past Amy to kneel next to Cream’s bed. The mercenary stayed close at his side. She had found his hand and laced their fingers together. Sonic squeezed back. He knew how much Amy cared. He knew how much this had to hurt her.

Tails and Knuckles watched on in silence from the doorway.

They did not dare step any closer to the infection, but did not have the heart to leave. The echidna kept his arms crossed firmly over his chest while the fox held one of his tails and guiltily fiddled with the tufted fur there.

Sonic took the healing potion from Amy and held it up for Cream to see.

“This will taste really gross and it might hurt a little,” he informed her, “but it will make you feel better for a little while. It won’t last, but you’ll have at least a couple of weeks before the infection gains strength again. There’s no way to get rid of it entirely, but I can do this for you. I won’t make you drink it, though.”

Amy gasped.

Cream’s eyes widened.

Sonic held the girl’s eyes steadily. He knew she was strong. He knew she’d want a say in her death. She deserved that control.

“Do you want this potion?” Sonic asked.

Amy muffled a sob behind her hand and leaned heavily against Sonic’s side. He squeezed her fingers tight and continued holding the potion up, and in reach of Cream’s remaining arm. The girl furrowed her brows as she considered. Her eyes were glued to the glass vial and the syrupy liquid within it. 

“Hm,” the young rabbit pondered. “I know that I’m going to die.”

This comment stuck Amy hard. She bit into her palm to stifle her sobs and turned to bury her head against Sonic’s shoulder. 

He held strong.

Cream had more to say.

“I’m tired of taking all these potions and drinking all these nasty things. It always hurts so bad,” Cream admitted with a pout. “I know you’re lying about it only hurting a little bit, Mister Sonic.”

The hedgehog in question winced.

Cream narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the potion. “I’m sick of fighting this…” She wiggled the fingers on her bandaged arm. The motion alone caused black ooze to bubble through the thickly wound fabric. The girl didn’t so much as flinch at the pain. “But I’ll take the potion. It won’t help me, but it will help mother. And it will help Amy. I don’t want to make anyone cry anymore.”

Amy whimpered miserably against Sonic’s fur. 

He had to fight the burning in his eyes. The least he could do was maintain his composure.

“You’re very brave, Cream,” Sonic told her. “One of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

The rabbit grinned and began to glow under the praise. 

Sonic inhaled sharply as he uncorked the potion with a thumb and extended it towards Cream. She reached out for it with her remaining hand, the fingertips stained with her own blood. She took the vial from Sonic and gave it a sniff, then gagged and recoiled. Cream giggled and shot Sonic a grin, as if she was trying to make him feel better when she was about to drink that awful thing.

Seeing his strongest potion in the hands of a little girl dying of the plague rattled something deep within Sonic. He wished that he was a better apothecary. He wished that he was good enough with medicine to save Cream, to save everyone who was forced to suffer like this.

But he was only Mobian.

There was nothing he could do against a demon-born illness.

Sonic could kill the night creatures and take their blood as his own, but in the end they still had the upper hand.

“Cheers?” Cream joked as she held the potion up high. 

Sonic snickered at her enthusiasm and made a drinking motion with his thumb and pinkie finger. 

At that, Cream grinned and screwed her eyes shut tight. She then brought the vial to her lips and drank the entire thing as quickly as possible. Tipping the bottle back she made sure to drink every last drop, just as she’d been instructed. 

Clearly she was more than used to taking potions and ailments. 

She must have been, after having what little remained of her preserved for so many long months.

Cream managed to down the last of the potion without gagging, which was rather impressive considering Sonic knew very well how repulsive it was.

There was a moment’s pause before the potion kicked in.

Sonic moved his hand to Amy’s head to prevent her from turning from his shoulder and watching.

Cream’s entire body seized and her fingers locked together in strange shapes. She gritted her teeth and didn’t so much as cry out as every open wound and pustule on her body began to steam and hiss. Exposed flesh bubbled and black ooze spilled as it was pushed to the surface. The stuff began to pour from Cream’s eyes and nose, with the worst of it soaking fully through her bandages to begin staining her quilts. 

It was a gruesome but quick process.

Cream’s wounds laced back together and Sonic's potion pushed out as much of the infection as it could manage. It wasn’t driven full back, though, as the bandaged arm remained frail and half rotted. Although, Sonic was satisfied to watch it fill out a bit.

The process was over in a matter of seconds.

Once the potion’s effect faded, Cream went limp against her pillows and hiccupped a tiny sob. Tears mixed with the black ooze that stained her face.

But in spite of it all, she turned to Sonic and gave him a brave smile.

“How do you feel?” he asked while releasing Amy’s head so she could sit back up.

“I feel…” Cream narrowed her eyes and investigated. She sat up in bed and lifted both of her arms to gaze at her blood covered palms. “I feel great!” Cream exclaimed. She leapt up to begin jumping back and forth across her bed. “I haven't been able to sit up in a week! And I can move my arm again! It’s still infected, but it only hurts a little bit now! Thank you, Mister Sonic, thank you!”

She giggled as she danced around across the bed.

“Oh, Cream!” Amy wailed. She attempted to surge forward and wrap her friend up in a hug but the rabbit quickly scrambled backwards and held up her arms in warning.

“No touching, Miss Amy!” Cream scolded, sounding exactly like Vanilla in that moment. “You know better! Not until I can wash all this gross stuff off at least.” She glanced at her comfy clothes, which were covered in black ooze and her own blood. 

“Oh! You’re right,” the mercenary admitted with a weak laugh. “I’m glad at least one of us has her head screwed on correctly.”

Cream giggled and nodded. “You all should probably go before you accidentally get infected. I can clean up the mess! Since I’m the only one who can touch it and stuff.”

Amy nodded as she wiped her tears. Sonic helped her to her feet but stayed close.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Cream,” he said with a smile.

The girl jumped excitedly. “And I’m glad you gave me that potion! Nobody else could make a potion that made me feel almost better! And none of them made a potion that tasted so horrible, either.”

Sonic cracked a laugh. “Well, that’s a hedgehog guarantee. My potions taste and smell the nastiest out of any other you’ll find!”

Cream laughed as she jumped on the bed.

Amy and Sonic waved to her as they headed towards the door. Knuckles and Tails awkwardly backed into the hallway. Once they all cleared out Amy shut the door gently.

The moment Cream was no longer in ear shot it got deathly silent. 

“You should have told us that Cream has the plague,” Tails told Amy with a frown.

Sonic glared at his brother and flicked him in the forehead. Now was not the time for that! “Tails–” he started, only to be interrupted by the hedgehog he’d been about to defend.

“I’m sorry that I hid the truth from all of you,” Amy stated. Sonic was startled to find that all the kindness had once again drained from her tone. She sounded cold and angry, just like she had before. Her fists were clenched at her sides and thoughts were firing rapid fire behind her eyes, too quick for Sonic to decipher. 

“I had to do it, though,” the mercenary continued, “Sonic wouldn’t have agreed to help me if he knew it was a lost cause.”

Sonic's ears pinned back guiltily. Amy was right. He never would have given a potion to a plague victim in a different situation. It was just cruel to dangle their health in front of them knowing it wouldn’t do anything in the long run.

Tails frowned and flicked an ear, because he knew that Amy was right as well.

“I have to save Cream’s life,” Amy declared, “And I’ll do anything to make that happen.”

“There is no way to cure a plague victim,” Knuckles spat, “You speak nonsense, hedgehog.”

Amy fumed, but restrained herself from leaping at Knuckles with knives drawn. She turned to Sonic with her quills puffing out like mad and a lethal expression on her face. “The Devil’s Lighthouse,” he began.

Oh no.

“You said that it’s real!” Amy exclaimed. “Sonic, if you weren’t lying to me then that means there’s a chance we can save Cream. We need to find the Light Blue Emerald and use its power to save her life! We’re leaving right now, because I’m not wasting another second. Come on, we’re going to talk to Vanilla.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway. Her hammer bounced against her back with every step.

Sonic released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and moved to hurry after her–

Only to be caught by both Tails and Knuckles grabbing him.

“You told her about the Emeralds?!” Tails screamed at a whisper level.

“I cannot believe you!” Knuckles hissed. “To go behind my back is to dishonor me as a warrior! We shall fight right now to settle the score!”

Sonic rolled his eyes and shook off his friends. “No! We’re not fighting, and we’re done hiding things from Amy! Listen, I’m sorry that I told her without your permission, but it isn’t fair to bring her on this mission with us if she doesn’t know what’s really going on!”

“That doesn’t matter!” Tails exclaimed, exasperated, “Playing nice isn’t important right now! Our objective is to find the damn Emeralds and make sure that Shadow doesn’t destroy the fucking world!”

“Watch your mother fucking language, young man!” Sonic scolded.

Tails rolled his eyes. “Oh, fuck off, bitch.”

“Yes! Fuck the bitch off!” Knuckles agreed.

Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose. “Knux, that’s not how the saying goes–”

“-I care not!” the echidna interrupted, “If you will not fight me, then I will fight the assassin instead! She must prove herself worthy if she is to know of my ancestors’ treasure.”

“No! We’re not fighting anyone!” Sonic ordered as he grabbed Knuckles’ shoulder to stop him. “Don’t you two trust Amy? Like, at all?? I thought she was our friend!”

This made the fox and the echidna take pause.

“She is our friend,” Tails admitted, “But–”

“-No buts, then!” Sonic snarled. “We are not putting Amy in danger by hiding this information from her. She needs to know how dangerous Shadow is, and she needs to know exactly what we’re up against! What if she tried to touch the Emerald and fucking dies? You think of that? She didn’t even know the Blades were real until I told her!”

“This isn’t Amy’s problem, Sonic!” Tails shot back. “I understand that you care about her, and I care about her too, but this is Green Hill’s issue, not–”

“-The Light Blue Emerald is just as much Crystalshore’s as the Green Emerald is ours,” Sonic countered, “Amy is right, Cream will die unless we use the Light Blue Emerald’s power.”

Tails grumbled under his breath and blew at the fluff that hung into his eyes. “It is rumored to have healing abilities.”

“Yes!” Sonic gasped. “You get it! You don’t want a little kid to die, right? If we’re gonna save Cream then we have to get that Emerald before Shadow, and if we’re gonna go up against him again we’ll need all the help we can get.”

“So you will allow us to fight the villain alongside you this time?” Knuckles asked.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sonic deadpanned.

Tails facepalmed. “Fine. Fine! Fuck, Amy already knows now, so there’s nothing we can do about it anyway.”

Knuckles perked up, “We can–”

“-We’re not fighting her!” Sonic and Tails barked.

The echidna crossed his arms and descended into a pout.

Sonic dragged his hands through his quills to calm them. “Now that we’re done with that,” he muttered. “Come on, we need to catch up with Amy. 

He hurried down the hallway with the fox and the echidna close at his heels. Sonic was a little ticked that Amy had blurted out about the Emerald in front of Knuckles and Tails when he’d explicitly asked her not to, but he could forgive her. Besides, who could stay mad at Amy? She was so sweet!

…When she wasn’t on a warpath, at least.

The three men hurried down the staircase and slipped out the door that led into the tavern. They shoved their way through the crowd to catch up with Amy, who had just kicked a man out of a barstool so she could occupy it herself. She’d planted herself between a towering crane and a figure in a deep hood with sinewed wings poking out from slits cut in the back.

Sonic and the others huddled around Amy as she sat at the bar with her fingers tapping restlessly against the counter.

Vanilla gave the four of them a curious glance as she finished mixing a drink. She slid it towards the winged Mobian sitting on Amy’s right, then moved to stand in front of them.

She didn’t need to ask.

“Do you know the exact location of the Devil’s Lighthouse?” Amy asked, getting right to the punch. 

Sonic resisted the urge to curl up into a ball and hide when Vanilla skewered him with an icy glare. “I know what you’re thinking,” she told Amy. “I don’t want you going out there.”

“I’m not going to sit back and do nothing!” the pink quilled hedgehog argued with a toss of her hands. 

Vanilla crossed her arms and glared down her nose at her loyal apprentice. “I trust that the potion was ineffective, then?”

“Oh, it was effective alright,” Sonic chimed in. When the ex-assassin narrowed her eyes at him he didn’t back down. “Cream’s feeling better than she has in a long time. We only drove the infection back temporarily, but she should be able to leave her room for a couple weeks before the effects wear off.”

Vanilla’s eyes widened, immediately understanding the implications.

“But Sonic's potion is only temporary!” Amy explained, “It can give Cream maybe a couple more months, but that’s not enough. She’s still going to die and there’s still nothing we can do. I will do anything to save her life, and if that means going on a goose chase for a myth then I’ll do it.”

Vanilla didn’t seem any more convinced. “The Devil’s Lighthouse isn’t real, Amy. You shouldn’t push yourself like this. Believe me, no one is more upset about Cream’s situation than I am… but I’ve accepted her fate, just as she has. You need to respect her wishes.”

Amy dug her claws into the bar top. “She’s just a child. She shouldn’t have to make choices like that. No one’s proved that the Devil’s Lighthouse is real, but no one’s proved that it isn’t real either! If it’s really out there then it can heal Cream, it can heal anything! I’m willing to take that chance, no matter how dangerous it is.”

The rabbit frowned, but didn’t argue. With a heavy sigh she began massaging her temple. “I do know a direct route to the Devil’s Lighthouse.”

Amy immediately perked up. 

“You’ll have to get on a ship directly to Knifepoint Island,” Vanilla explained, “It will take a week to get there, and the currents on this route are volatile, but it's faster to cut directly across the isles than skirt the outer edges. Once you reach Knifepoint Island, you will need to find a willing sailor to bring you to the Devil’s Lighthouse. Knifepoint is the closest to your destination, and everyone living there is guaranteed to have a death wish. It shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as you’re able to pay.”

“Cost won’t be a problem,” Sonic declared. He still had a shit ton of rings on him. Luckily he hadn’t lost too horribly much while playing poker with the sailors on the way over here.

“Good,” Vanilla replied smoothly. “Then you shouldn’t have an issue finding a willing sailor. Though I’d advise you to take caution while selecting a ride. Not many are willing to cross the waters surrounding the Devil’s Lighthouse, and not many who are are entirely sane.”

Amy nodded, “I understand. We’ll be careful.”

“A friend of mine is cutting across the isles to Knifepoint,” Vanilla said, “He’s leaving tonight, actually. It would seem that luck is in your favor, for the time being. Once you find his ship, tell him that you are friend’s of mine. He will let you aboard free of charge, but you will be expected to defend the ship should you run across any sea-spawn.”

“Perfect,” Amy declared, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Vanilla sighed and shook her head. “I admire your bravery, though I disagree with your recklessness. I wish you all the best of luck. If he is on schedule, my contact will be leaving port for Knifepoint in an hour’s time. I only ask that you allow me to give you a good meal as thanks for assisting Cream.” 

She gave Sonic a pointed look. 

He flashed a smile.

Hopefully this meant he was on her good side now.

Hopefully.

“Thank you, Vanilla,” Amy said sincerely. “I owe you, seriously.”

The rabbit smiled. “We help each other out. You have no need to thank me.”

Amy shot her a grateful smile, then pushed off the bar and turned to the three men who were huddled behind her. “Come on, let’s find a table. Vanilla is right, we need to eat before we head out to sea. Get ready for another week or two of rations.”

Sonic groaned melodramatically. “Damn it! I hate that shit, it’s always so nasty. You’re going to have to restrain me cause I’m going to eat twice my weight tonight if no one intervenes. I haven't had real food in way too long.”

Vanilla chuckled lightly at his antics as the group wandered away from the bar to find a place to sit.

As Sonic followed after Amy he accidentally ran into the chest of the person waiting to take the seat they’d vacated.

The hedgehog grunted as he stumbled to regain his balance. He quickly stepped backwards and apologized. “Sorry, dude!” he said quickly.

They were wearing a long cloak with a deep hood that fully shielded their eyes from view.  The only thing visible was a tan colored muzzle peeking from the shadows.

Sonic quickly ducked around them to catch up with Amy and the others. He couldn’t wait to eat! He didn’t want to get on a fucking ship again, but at least he was one step closer to hunting down the Light Blue Emerald.

Which meant he was one step closer to finding Shadow.

Sonic wondered where that faker was right now…

Chapter Text

“Sorry, dude!”

Shadow couldn’t breathe. He was frozen on the spot. The hedgehog he’d seen in his dreams, the one who understood his pain. He was right here.

Sonic was standing right in front of him. 

His fur appeared slightly longer, his quills messier. That wild cobalt blue almost seemed to glow under the light of the lanterns that hung from the ceiling. Those sharp eyes were greener than the Emerald he wore around his neck.

Shadow’s heart began to race.

What was this?

Why couldn’t he formulate a single coherent thought?

Then, as suddenly as Sonic had appeared before him, he slipped away and vanished into the crowd. 

Whatever odd spell had overcome Shadow seemed to break. He blinked and reached to grab at the amulet that was concealed beneath his cloak. It was searing hot. The piece of Sonic’s soul that clung to him had grown more restless than it had since it had first been tethered to him.

But no visions came.

Sonic was in this very tavern, Shadow didn’t need to be reminded of him. It seemed that the Blue Emerald understood this.

He didn’t recognize me.

Shadow thanked his lucky stars that he’d thought to leave his hood up upon entering The Flora. It appeared that he’d manage to slip past Sonic’s entire group undetected. 

The pink quilled hedgehog was an unexpected addition. She seemed dangerous, having grabbed Shadow by his cloak and slung him out of his chair without so much as a warning. He’d been wise to allow her actions to slide. It was fortunate that Sonic had not recognized Shadow, and if he’d made a scene he certainly would have been noticed. The ensuing fight would have been quite destructive, and Shadow did not have time to waste on his blue quilled counterpart or his colorful band of musketeers. 

He shook his head in an attempt to dismiss the stupor that had come over him upon seeing Sonic. His heart was still racing.

He’d just been… caught off guard, he supposed.

With a dramatic sigh, Shadow reclaimed his seat next to Rouge.

The bat greeted him with a grin. “Welcome back~”

“He’s here,” the hedgehog said by way of greeting.

Rouge threw her head back and laughed. “I noticed. Quite the heartfelt reunion, hm?”

Shadow growled lightly and crossed his arms over the bar.

His troublesome friend laughed at his expense once again. “I’m proud of you for not blowing our cover!” she said while bumping Shadow with her shoulder. “I’m sure you’re dying to get your hands on your pretty blue friend.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shadow huffed. For some reason Rouge’s teasing was making his muzzle feel warm. She’d called Sonic ‘pretty?’ Shadow didn’t think that was a correct description. Although, the shade of his fur was rather striking and the jagged edge to his smile always managed to catch Shadow’s eye…

What in the hell was he doing?

Shadow ground his teeth and forced his thoughts elsewhere. The mischievous witch was managing to get under his skin, again. He would ignore her. There was no logical reason for him to be thinking about Sonic in such ways. The only thing that mattered right now was avoiding the other hedgehog and making sure they retrieved the Light Blue Emerald before he did.

Speaking of which…

“You heard the pink hedgehog’s words, correct?” Shadow asked Rouge, making sure to speak softly so they would not be overheard.

“I did,” the bat agreed. “This Devil’s Lighthouse sounds like it may be worth our time.”

“They’re trying to find it so they can heal the innkeeper's daughter,” Shadow mused. “The Light Blue Emerald possesses healing abilities. It is more than likely that this relic and the Blade are one in the same.”

“I agree,” Rouge decided. “We were fortunate to investigate this tavern first. Sonic and his allies put us right on the money.” In a smooth motion, she tipped back her glass and drained the rest of her drink. Upon noticing this Vanilla drifted to their section of the bar to offer a refill. Rouge accepted.

Shadow tugged his hood lower to ensure that it concealed his eyes. They were indeed lucky to have entered this tavern at the same time as Sonic and the others. Rouge had selected this palace on a whim, and it appeared that luck, as well as a certain pair of goddesses, were well on their side.

As Vanilla began mixing Rouge a second drink the bat lowered her hood and fixed the woman with a coy smile.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I noticed you talking about something called the Devil’s Lighthouse?” the bat began, resting a chin on her palm and idly twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

Vanilla perked up in interest. 

“You see, I’m a traveler passing through from the Eastern Continent,” Rouge explained. “I have family in the West and haven’t seen them in moons. Not since I moved across the sea! I live south of New Yolk, it’s quite busy there, you know.” Vanilla nodded along as Rouge spun her web of lies, “I’ve always had a particular interest in relics and treasures of myth, to be perfectly honest. During my stay here I’ve heard a couple of people talking about this Devil’s Lighthouse, would you mind telling me a little about it?” 

“Of course, I would be happy to,” Vanilla agreed. “We islanders have a local legend, about a star that fell from the sky to touch Mobius. It landed at the top of a great mountain that extends from the bottom of the deepest part of the sea to brush the clouds. We call this mountain the Devil’s Lighthouse, because its peak is said to glow with the light of the star that sits atop it. It is rumored that the waters that pool in the cracks and caves of this mountain have healing properties that can cure any disease and bring someone even from the brink of death.”

Rouge gasped in mock interest and leaned forward across the bar. “That certainly is interesting! Have you seen this mountain for yourself?”

“I have not,” Vanilla replied with a shake of her head. “Very few have dared to visit the Devil’s Lighthouse, and out of the small fraction of those who have survived the journey, no one has ever made it far enough up the mountain to find this alleged star.”

The bat hummed as she twirled her straw in her drink.

“Do not allow yourself to be fooled by these tales of grandeur,” Vanilla warned. “The Devil’s Lighthouse is not real, it is only a tale. No such powers exist in this world.”

“I take it that you do not believe in the legends of the Emerald Blades either, then?” Rouge asked slyly.

Shadow shot her a glare, which she ignored.

“The tales of the Blades are even more far fetched than the myth of the Devil’s Lighthouse,” Vanilla said with a frown. If only she knew that Shadow had brought two of them into her very tavern.

“I know that none of it is real,” Rouge sighed while gazing wistfully upwards. “But isn’t it so lovely to dream?”

“...I suppose,” Vanilla murmured. Her eyes glazed over in thought, but as quickly as the expression came she shook it off. “No matter. Was there anything else that you needed?”

“Could I have an order of whatever stew you have on tonight?” Shadow asked.

Rouge snickered into a hand, so he kicked her under the bartop. 

“Of course,” Vanilla said with a nod. “I will have that right out for you.”

With that, the rabbit drifted away to tend to her other patrons.

“You’ll gain weight if you continue eating the way you have been,” Rouge teased. “We just ate before docking!”

“I don’t see why I should pass up on a warm meal,” Shadow grumbled. In truth, he didn’t really need to eat. Not nearly as often as a regular Mobian would, anyway. But there was something to be enjoyed about filling his belly, even if he didn’t really need it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he’d been practically starved for five-hundred years, even though he hadn’t been conscious for the duration of the spell. 

Or perhaps it had something to do with the remnants of Maria’s memories that were draped in shadowy cobwebs in the eaves of his mind.

She’d been too sickly to eat much her whole life, always picking at her food like a bird. 

To avoid getting into trouble with her grandfather for never clearing her plate, she’d slip her food to Shadow and have him finish it off.

There was no Maria slipping him extra helpings under the table, but there was something familiar about eating in excess. It was almost as if Shadow could trick himself into thinking that he was eating for both himself and his sister if he continued scarfing down as much as he could condone.

“My calorie intake does not matter,” Shadow continued, pushing his thoughts of Maria aside as he always did, “I am the Ultimate Lifeform. My body is a constant, and no matter how much I eat it will not be affected. My system merely goes through the motions of digestion. I am a mix of two species, and as such most of my Mobian features are vestigial.”

Rouge rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her drink. “So in other words, you are a freak of nature.”

Shadow growled lightly in annoyance.

The bat smirked, “I wish that I could eat as much as I wanted without consequences, but alas. Everything I eat goes straight to my hips.”

“I don’t think that you’re overweight,” Shadow muttered. “You appear healthy, to me.”

Rouge chuckled and rested her chin on her palm while leaning across the bar to peek under the hedgehog’s hood. “Aw, you’re so sweet~ Who knew you were such a charmer under all the anger and brooding.”

“I take back everything I said,” Shadow huffed pettily.

“Rude!” Rouge gasped. 

The hybrid rolled his eyes and changed the subject to something more productive, “It appears that our suspicions about the Devil’s Lighthouse were correct.” He spoke so softly that only Rouge’s sensitive ears would be able to pick up on his words, a skill that Sonic’s group didn’t appear to possess.

“Indeed,” Rouge purred. “Vanilla is such a dear, serving us the results of an entire investigation on a silver platter. Although I suppose Sonic’s pink quilled friend is due some thanks as well. She’s rather pretty, don’t you think? I love a woman who can hold her own, especially against someone as tough as you.”

“You're getting distracted,” Shadow grumbled.

“You’re one to talk, hon,” the witch replied smoothly. 

“What are you implying?” the hedgehog demanded.

“Oh, nothing,” Rouge sighed. “You’ll get there eventually.”

Shadow rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the bat once again. She would not distract him. He had an Emerald to hunt down and nothing would get between him and his revenge, not even the odd itch in the back of his mind that obsessed over Sonic’s presence a mere few paces away.

The hybrid zoned out and allowed himself to be consumed with the din of the tavern. Mobians chattered around him and silverware clinked against porcelain dishes. Booming laughs erupted here and there and Shadow caught tidbits of all manner of conversations, but even with his abnormally sensitive hearing he was unable to pinpoint where exactly Sonic and his allies had wandered off to.

While waiting on his food, Shadow’s attention was captured by a small commotion happening behind the bar.

A small child had wandered into the tavern, wearing a homespun dress with a blue satin ribbon tied at the collar. One of her arms was wrapped in bandages, and under it a small stuffed toy was clutched.

“Mother!” the girl exclaimed as she skipped over to the bar.

Vanilla perked up upon hearing the voice and quickly spun to face the young rabbit. “Cream?” the woman gasped. “What are you doing down here?”

“Mister Sonic gave me a potion that made me feel better!” the girl cheered as she slipped behind the bar to greet her mother with an enthusiastic hug. Vanilla bent into a crouch and squeezed her daughter close.

“Oh, sweetie, you have no idea how happy I am to see you feeling alright,” the ex-assassin murmured against her daughter’s soft ears. Her words were thick with unshed tears, and her body shook slightly as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Various bar patrons cooed and hummed at the familial display, Rouge among them.

“How adorable,” the bat commented, before turning towards Shadow. “Are you good with kids, handsome? I’m asking for reasons~”

Normally Shadow would have replied to her playful flirting with an icy retort, but he found himself frozen on the spot.

That smell.

He scented the air, his nose twitching slightly as he inhaled.

Dread coiled in his stomach as he watched Vanilla fuss over her daughter, before pushing a steaming bowl of stew into her hands and instructing her to deliver it before she wandered off to find her friends.

Rouge might have spoken to Shadow again, but it felt like his head was under water.

He with a deep-seated sense of dread as Cream rounded the bar and approached him with a happy grin on her face.

“You! In the creepy hood!” she declared. “I have something for you!”

Shadow just stared blankly down at her. His words were caught in his throat as the friendly girl grinned up at him and angled her head to try and see under the shadow cast by his hood, because there was no way that he smelled what he thought he did.

In what sick, fucked up world would this stranger’s child smell exactly how Maria did when she was on the brink of death with what little remained of her life suspended in time by his own accursed blood?

Cream reeked of the plague, but the scent profile was different from what he’d smelled in the bowels of the Captain’s ship. The awful stench of rot still persisted, but it was fermented. Softened, but in the sickening sense of a poisonous flower that appeared delicate but could paralyze upon contact. The rancid smell of the plague was smothered by a conflicting layer of medicinal herbs and potion work, but the combination only served to make the scent even more unnatural. No normal Mobian would have been able to pick up on the smell, due to Shadow’s heightened senses but also because of his personal history with such a scent.

When he’d met Maria, all those years ago, she’d been sick for two years with the plague.

She should have died a week in, considering how immunocompromised she was, yet she had been preserved as the months dragged on.

The alchemist had been too stubborn to let his granddaughter go. When he’d found Shadow on that dark and blood soaked night, it had spelled hope for him but only more suffering for Maria as her mortality would be violated even further.

The smell wafting off of Cream was nowhere near as deep it had been on Maria, but Shadow still recognized it instantly. It was a haunting smell so terribly familiar that he’d learned to associate it with his sister. Smelling it now, here, it was too much.

Shadow didn’t know what to do.

Rouge kicked the hedgehog roughly under the bar, which shook him out of the trance he’d found himself in.

His eyes felt glazed over, his senses distorted.

It was as if his ears and very mind were stuffed with cotton as the memories he’d been struggling so hard to keep down were stirred up like silt at the bottom of a still lake.

Wordlessly, Shadow leaned down to take his stew from Cream.

The girl’s grin widened as he leaned close enough for her to finally peer through the shadows concealing his face. “You have such pretty eyes! They’re like rubies!”

Shadow winced. What sick deity had decided upon this torture?

Those had been the exact words Maria had spoken to him back when…

“You’re sick,” Shadow stated.

He couldn’t take his anymore, could hardly think through the rushing in his ears.

Cream blinked in shock. Her smile faltered slightly.

“Yeah,” she agreed, “I’m gonna die.”

In that moment, Cream reminded Shadow so much of Maria that he could hardly breathe.

The realization was accompanied by a jolting sensation that gripped his heart tight and encouraged a small flicker of anger to spark within him. This girl was so young, so friendly. How was it that she was suffering like this? She didn’t deserve this.

“You can’t tell anyone that I’m sick, though!” Cream instructed him. “Everyone will freak out…” She trailed off, before glancing inconspicuously about and waving for Shadow to lean closer. Wordlessly he slipped from his stool to kneel on the ground before the girl. She motioned him closer, then whispered into his ear, “I have the plague. I can’t get anyone sick right now, but we still have to be careful. Make sure you keep it a secret!”

“Why did you tell me?” Shadow inquired, speaking softly.

Cream shot him a conspirative grin, “I dunno! You’re wearing a creepy hood like one of the characters in my story book! He’s good at keeping secrets so I think you are too.”

Shadow snorted, but deigned not to correct her. He’d keep her secret, he supposed.

If only because of this odd affection that stirred within him towards her.

She reminded him so much of Maria…

The thought sparked a compulsion to fuss over her, to keep her safe. “Shouldn’t you be in bed resting?” he asked, mind half clouded by memories of sneaking out the window with his late sister at dawn to roll in flower fields and count pretty blue petals until they were hunted down and dragged back inside for another day of grueling testing.

Cream pouted, “Not now! I just got better! Well, sort of. All kinds of people have been giving me all these nasty potions, but I just drank one that actually worked!” Her eyes drew to her bandaged arm. “I’m not healed yet, but it feels like I am. I thought I was gonna die tomorrow, but a nice hedgehog with the loveliest blue quills gave me this super disgusting potion that cleared me up! Now I can hug mother again and play in the tavern, at least for a little while.”

Shadow frowned.

It seemed that Sonic and his friends had contributed to Cream’s suspended state. He didn’t know exactly how he felt about that. After seeing all the torture that Maria had been put through, that his blood had been used to put her through, he could only imagine the strain it was putting on Cream.

But, then again, Sonic was hunting for the Emerald with the explicit purpose of healing her permanently. 

Shadow supposed that it was possible. The Light Blue Emerald was a truly formidable force. 

Without Sonic’s aid, Cream certainly would have died. Likely on this very night, considering how sour the stench of rot wafting from her arm was. She shouldn’t have to die. Not so young. 

An odd sense of restlessness gripped Shadow in a vice.

He’d failed to save Maria, but Cream didn’t have to follow in her footsteps.

Seemingly unbothered by the brooding expression on Shadow’s face, Cream rocked back and forth on her heels as she gazed curiously at him. “Are you a hedgehog, too? Your snout looks similar to Miss Amy’s!”

“...I am,” Shadow admitted. Miss Amy? She must be referring to the pink quilled woman.

Cream grinned. “That’s so cool! I’ve only met three hedgehogs, counting you!”

“We are an endangered species, it seems,” Shadow replied, recalling a tale Rouge had told him about a grand hedgehog civilization being burned to the ground in a single night.

The young rabbit cocked her head to one side, “I think you and Mister Sonic would be friends.”

Shadow startled at that. 

Most bewilderingly his muzzle began to feel warm.

“Why do you say that?” he asked guardedly.

Cream giggled, “Just a hunch, I guess! You want me to introduce you to him?”

Shadow’s quills lifted slightly at that, causing his hood to slip a little and reveal a bit more of his face. “No, that won’t be necessary,” he quickly declined, perhaps sounding a little bit frantic.

The girl sighed, but smiled all the same. “Fine,” she said melodramatically, drawing out the syllable. “Your loss! I’m going to say hi to them now, though.”

Shadow nodded. “It was lovely to meet you.” He felt reluctant to let her go, but what point was there in clinging? She wasn’t Maria. She was a total stranger. It was illogical for him to feel so passionately about her wellbeing.

“It was wonderful to meet you, too, Mister Hedgehog!” Cream giggled. “Oh! I’m Cream, by the way. I forgot to say! What’s your name?”

The hedgehog hesitated for a moment before responding.

“My name is Shadow.”

Cream hummed and nodded, “That’s a fitting name! I like it. I like you, too, I think. Can we be friends, Mister Shadow?”

The corner of the hybrid’s mouth twitched a bit, pulling into the tiniest hint of a smile. “I suppose, but only because you asked so nicely.”

“Yay!” Cream cheered while giving an excited little hop. “I’ll see you around!” She skipped backwards with a blinding grin on her face. “I love your necklace, by the way!” With that she vanished into the crowd.

Shadow’s quills prickled even further when he realized, to his horror, that his amulet had been hanging outside of his cloak since he’d drawn it out after Sonic ran into him.

He quickly stashed it back where it belonged, laying against his chest fluff and protected from prying eyes.

A foolish mistake.

With a shake of his head the dark furred hedgehog rose to his feet and returned to his seat beside Rouge while pulling his hood back down over his eyes. 

Suddenly the sight of the stew was no longer appetizing.

He picked up his spoon and began stirring it anyway with a heavy sigh. There was no point in wasting food.

“Aww, my little heart is melting,” Rouge teased once he returned.

“Not a word,” Shadow mumbled.

“I didn’t know you were so great with kids,” the bat pressed. “Though it makes sense. You’re a real softie at heart, hon.”

Shadow growled in warning as he slipped a bite of stew into his mouth.

His head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

He couldn’t taste a thing as he began shoveling the stuff down.

“Could you imagine?” the witch sighed as she leaned across the bar to drape herself against the hedgehog’s side. “The two of us, living a mundane, domestic life in a cute little cottage in the middle of a flower field? With tiny bat-hogs running around and refilling my wine whenever I ask? Obviously our bedroom would have a lock on the door, and the walls would be thick enough so–”

“-I’m nauseated by the suggestion,” Shadow retorted.

Rouge gasped in mock offense while leaning heavily on him to peek under his hood. “You’re so cruel! Crushing my dreams. Although I have to admit that I hate children. And domesticity. And boring cottages in even more boring parts of the woods. Who would I exploit? Who would I rob?”

“You’re drunk,” Shadow deadpanned.

“What? I am not,” the witch argued. “I’m just a little tipsy. Maybe.” She motioned Vanilla for a third drink. Or, more likely, a fourth. Knowing Rouge, she’d likely downed a glass and a half while Shadow had been speaking with Cream.

The hedgehog rolled his eyes and left the troublesome witch to flirt shamelessly with a bemused Vanilla. 

He’d reached the bottom of his bowl before he knew it, and suddenly found himself gazing at the dregs and the shiny surface of his silver spoon.

When he stole the Light Blue Emerald out from under Sonic’s nose, then Cream would be left to contend with her fate.

She’d be left to die.

Shadow squeezed the spoon so tightly in his grip that the handle molded to fit his fingers.

Across the tavern, ignorant to the fact that their enemies were sitting at the bar a mere few paces away, Sonic was sitting with his friends in a circular booth in the far corner. It was somewhat secluded, with a high back that was tall enough to totally block them from view of the other patrons, save for the opening. The table was lit by a single lantern hanging from the ceiling on an iron chain. Its flame burned dutifully on kerosine oil and bathed the group in a shy orange tint. 

The four of them had ordered upon being greeted by one of Vanilla’s waitresses. There was about a half hour left to spare before their ship would set sail. They had just enough time to share a meal and say their goodbyes before they’d take to the seas once again.

Sonic contended with his anxiety as he nursed a mug of ale. It was brewed in house, and tasted of crisp apples and cinnamon. Tails and Amy had scolded him for drinking, but he’d ignored them. He needed to take the edge off!

Sure, he’d been on a ship for a month and it had been fine, but he’d just reunited with dry land! He wasn’t exactly ecstatic to get back on a ship, and his brief time on one hadn’t magically erased his phobia. 

He’d settle once he acquainted himself with the new ship, but for now he had to sit through the nervous twisting of his stomach and the uncomfortable racing in his chest. 

The hedgehog tipped his mug back and managed to drain half of it before Amy elbowed him in the ribs.

“Slow down!” she chided. 

Sonic choked briefly, before obediently pushing his mug back and wiping the foam from his mouth with an arm. “Can’t you let me drown my sorrows in peace?” he complained.

Tails snorted, “What sorrows do you have to drown? Who are you, a melancholy sailor lost at sea without a wife to daydream about?”

The swordsman glared at his teasing younger brother. “No, nothing that serious, I just have a crippling fear of water. Did you know that the ocean is full of water? Ships float on that water!”

Knuckles rolled his eyes at the brothers’ bickering, “You are a yellow bellied coward, hedgehog. A bit of water won’t hurt you. This fear of yours is as irrational and childish as ever.”

Sonic growled lightly and slouched in his booth. The ale had warmed him up a little bit but his head still felt clear. Curse his tolerance. 

“Oh, leave him alone!” Amy complained as she strategically glued herself to Sonic’s side to prevent him from reaching from his mug again. “He has a phobia! You can’t control something like that.”

“Yeah! Hear that?” Sonic demanded. When Amy slipped an arm around his shoulders he wrapped one around her waist to emphasize their point. At least someone didn’t give him hell for his fears. 

Tails and Knuckles backed off, but exchanged a look as the two hedgehogs ganged up against them.

Sonic didn’t blame them for giving him shit over his fear of water. It really was a bit ridiculous, and it wasn’t as if he’d ever told anyone why he was so afraid. He didn’t like to think about that night at all, and especially not about the waterfall. By extension he avoided breaching the topic with anyone. He’d rather take the relentless teasing than cough up his worst memories for his friends to judge and prod at.

Once the fox and the echidna piped down Sonic removed his arm from Amy’s waist, not noticing the crestfallen expression that briefly flashed across her face when he put them back at a friendly distance. The hedgehog was reaching for his mug again when Cream skipped over to their table.

“Miss Amy! Mister Sonic!” she exclaimed excitedly as she hurried over to them.

Foiled once again, Sonic straightened in his seat and crossed his arms casually over the table. “Hey, kiddo! Still feeling alright?”

“Yes! I’m feeling even better than before now that I’ve stretched my legs!” the young rabbit declared giddily. She then turned to face Knuckles and Tails, who were sitting across the table from Sonic and Amy. “Hello Mister Knuckles! Mister Tails!”

The two men in question waved politely, but their subtle guilty tells were not lost upon Sonic. He was glad that they’d changed their minds about helping Cream. He knew they were still reluctant to get involved with a plague victim, but now that they’d acknowledged the gray area of the situation it seemed that they were willing to set their preconceived notions aside.

“Oh, Cream, it’s so great to see you up and about again!” Amy cried as she opened her arms for the young girl to leap into. The two of them shared a gentle embrace before Cream clambered over Amy’s lap to place herself between the two hedgehogs. She giggled when Sonic playfully ruffled the fur on the top of her head. Once she’d swatted the hedgehog’s hands away the young rabbit placed her hands on the table and grinned at each of the travelers in turn.

“What are we going to do now that everyone is back home?” Cream asked. “I think that we should play house! I cleaned up my room to make sure no one gets sick! I’ll be the aunt who goes on awesome adventures and meets mysterious strangers,” she declared while dramatically flipping her ears over her shoulder. “Miss Amy, you don’t have to be the dad anymore now that Mister Sonic is here! Mother is working so I guess you can be the mom instead?”

The mercenary’s face immediately flushed a warm pink.

Tails and Knuckles snickered at the implications and made faces at Sonic across the table. He glared at his shithead friends and made a cutting motion across his throat with his thumb.

“Mister Tails can be the baby and Mister Knuckles can be the nanny!” Cream added, much to the fox and the echidna’s chagrin. 

“I am no one’s nanny,” Knuckles argued. “An echidna warrior would never lower himself to such menial tasks.”

Cream frowned at him and narrowed her eyes, “It’s just a game, silly!”

“Yeah, Knux, relax a little,” Sonic teased.

The echidna fixed him with a glare while Tails smothered his laughter with a hand.

“Oh!” Cream gasped while her eyes lit up with a scheming glow, “I met the kindest man at the bar just now! He’s my new friend! I bet he’d love to play with us.”

“Cream, you shouldn’t talk to strangers,” Amy scolded gently. “What have I told you about bothering the bar guests?”

The young rabbit pouted. “But he was so nice! He’s not like the creepy guys that mother beats up out back.”

Amy sighed and gently ran a hand across Cream’s ears. “You’re too much trouble for your own good.”

“I dunno, Ames, I think she’s just the right amount of trouble,” Sonic disagreed while sharing a conspirative grin with the girl. “Why don’t you introduce me to this new friend of yours? I’m sure he’d love to play house with us.”

“Yes, yes!” Cream gasped while squirming excitedly. “We can have a tea party and everything! If I gave you a sparkly outfit would you wear it, Mister Sonic?”

“Fine, but I’m not wearing pants,” the hedgehog agreed with a put-upon sigh.

“I think you should put him in a dress,” Tails suggested, before swiftly dodging a sharp kick from his brother under the table.

“Good idea!” Cream squealed. “Come on, lets go get Mister Sha–”

“-Oh, no, no,” Amy interrupted. She placed her hands gently on Cream’s shoulder to prevent her from running off. “Sonic, Tails, don’t get her riled up! You know we have to leave in twenty minutes.”

“What? I don’t get to wear a dress?” Sonic complained. 

Amy pinned him with a warning glare.

“You’re leaving already?” Cream exclaimed sadly. “Where are you going? Can I come? I promise I’ll behave!”

“I’m sorry, darling,” Amy cooed as she brought the girl against her chest in a gentle embrace. “We have to head out to sea again, and you can’t come along, it’s too dangerous.”

“That’s what you always say,” Cream complained.

“I know it’s tough,” the mercenary reassured her, “But you’re not old enough to join us on any missions. Give it a few more years.”

“But I don’t have a few more years,” the rabbit pointed out with a downtrodden pout.

Amy’s ears pinned back. “Don’t talk like that. You will. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are going to help me find a cure for you. We already found a way to heal you completely, we just have to go find it!”

Cream sighed and pushed away from Amy’s chest to look her in the eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

The mercenary gasped, at an utter loss for words.

“No one can heal me, not even you,” Cream said. She didn’t mean for her words to be harsh, but in spite of her reassuring tone each letter visibly drove a pike through Amy’s chest. “You shouldn’t stress yourself out so much. It’s okay, really! I’m brave! I want to enjoy the days that I do have, I want to spend them with you.”

Amy frowned and gently ran her hands across Cream’s ears, over and over again. “Your days shouldn’t have to be numbered. We’re going to heal you, I promise. Then we can play house for as long as you want and throw as many tea parties as you wish.”

Cream’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t argue again. 

Sonic exchanged a weighted glance with Tails. 

We have to find the Light Blue Emerald. I know that it can save Cream. She doesn’t deserve to die.

At that moment Vanilla arrived at the table with a tray containing the meals that the four travelers had ordered. It seemed that she’d caught the back end of their conversation, for she continued speaking after Amy trailed off.

“Amy and her friends are going to search for the Devil’s Lighthouse,” Vanilla explained as she began passing them their food. “It’s going to be a dangerous journey, so make sure that they all clear their plates, alright Cream? They need to be at their strongest if they are going to take to the Deadman’s Pass.”

“Deadman’s Pass?” Tails repeated as he accepted a steaming plate of curry and rice. 

“It’s what they call the stretch of ocean in the center of the ring of islands,” Amy explained. “Most ships travel around the outskirts when sailing from island to island, but some brave individuals cut right across to save months of travel.”

“Some foolish individuals,” Vanilla corrected. “It is a dangerous journey, and one that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, no less friends of Amy’s. The waters are volatile and the sea-spawn are monstrous. That stretch of water is their territory, not ours. I’d try to convince you to reconsider, to save yourselves the danger, but I doubt that your minds will be changed now that they’ve been made up.”

Sonic offered Vanilla a reassuring smile as he pulled a plate loaded high with slices of roast and a mound of creamy mashed potatoes. “You don’t have to worry about us. It’ll take a lot more than a couple overgrown goldfish to give us any trouble. It’s nothing we can’t handle.” He gestured towards himself, Tails and Knuckles. The other two men nodded along in agreement as they shoveled hot food down their throats. 

Cream squealed excitedly and glued herself to Sonic’s arm before giving her mother a dazzling grin. “Yeah! Mister Sonic will beat the sea-spawn and find the treasure, you’ll see! Isn’t he cool, mother??”

Vanilla’s lips flicked up at the corners. “I’ve met worse men.” She then schooled her expression and turned her full attention to the blue quilled hedgehog. “I am grateful for your work to assist my daughter, however there is one thing that I do not understand. Why are you so willing to risk your life further? You are helping Amy chase a fairy tale and putting your life on the line for a cause that is lost.”

Amy glared into her stew but didn’t retort.

Sonic quickly swallowed the food he’d been chewing before answering, “I’m joining Amy on her mission because I want to help Cream. I wasn’t able to save her on my own, and I’m sorry for that. I want to do all that I can to make up for it.”

Vanilla’s stern expression wavered slightly. “I admire your tenacity, if nothing else. Cream and I owe you much for all the trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Sonic reassured her. “Helping people out is kinda what I do. What good would my abilities be if I didn’t put them to a good cause?” He patted on Silverstrike’s hilt for emphasis. The motion drew Cream’s attention to the weapon, who began fiddling with it and admiring the roughly cut handle and marbled blade.

Vanilla nodded in acknowledgement of his earnest words. “You are a good man,” she mused.

“I told you,” Cream taunted. She then shot Sonic a pout when he shooed her hands away from Silverstrike.

“Bring Cream to me when you leave,” Vanilla said while smiling fondly at her strong-willed daughter. “I’d like to give the four of you a proper send off. Thank you, again, for your help. Your efforts truly mean the world to me.”

The four travelers smiled their thanks and waved brief goodbyes to Vanilla as she headed back towards the bar. They quickly ate their meals and chatted with Cream until their time ran out. Upon leaving The Flora and heading back towards the docks, Vanilla wished them luck while Cream demanded exciting stories upon their return.

Sonic waved over his shoulder until the tavern and the small family that ran it vanished from sight. 

The moment they did, he pulled his hood over his quills and settled his hand over Silverstrike’s hilt. A determined expression settled across his features as he marched down the street alongside the others. 

He was going to find that damn Emerald and he was going to save Cream’s life.

He didn’t care what it took.

“Ugh, I hate this weather,” Rouge complained as she and Shadow stood in the doorway of The Flora with their cloaks freshly secured and their hoods pulled low. “It’s so humid,” the bat grumbled. “My hair looks awful.”

“We’ve been at sea for a month,” Shadow sighed, “I thought you would have gotten used to this by now.”

“Easy for you to say,” the witch replied. “You have quills, not hair. You’ve got it easy.”

Shadow rolled his eyes and waited for her to stop complaining so they could finally head to the docks. 

“Come on, hun, we’ve got a ship to catch,” Rouge sighed. She marched forward onto the puddle-ridden streets, but Shadow hung back.

Leaving like this felt wrong…

“Shadow? Sweetheart?” Rouge questioned when she noticed the hedgehog hadn’t followed her. “We need to hurry or else Sonic’s team will get a head start on us.”

“There’s… something I need to take care of,” Shadow said slowly.

Rouge lifted a single brow.

“I won’t be long,” the hedgehog said cryptically. “Stay right there.”

Without another word, he drew on the power of the Green Emerald and teleported to the market they’d passed through on the way to the tavern. Even while the Blade was in its dormant form, he could still utilize the ability it gave him without summoning it fully or raising any red flags in someone such as Sonic who was sensitive to chaos energy.

A couple of townsfolk gave him odd looks as he materialized from thin air, but Shadow didn’t pay them any heed.

There was something he needed to do.

He made quick work, making minimal eye contact with the merchants and tradesmen as he picked out the components that he required. As he made his way from stall to stall the thick cloud cover overhead thickened and began to stain the world darker and darker. It would likely storm soon.

It took Shadow a mere couple of minutes to make his purchases. 

A small glass vial with a tight cork.

A flask of purified water.

An assortment of basic herbs and roots. 

None of the components were anything special. One could have accomplished the prep work with the basic ingredients kept in their own kitchen and medicine cabinet. Shadow had been able to pick out the familiar items on the brief pass he’d made through the market with Rouge earlier that day. The simplicity of it all made his blood boil. 

The solution was right under their noses, and yet none had managed to follow in the alchemist’s footsteps, even after all these centuries. 

Once he’d finished shopping Shadow teleported back to The Flora and climbed onto the roof so he could stay out of sight of prying eyes. Leaning against the chimney and concealed by the thick smoke that billowed from it, Shadow lay out the odd collection of items he’d amassed.

The process was muscle memory, at this point.

He’d seen it done so many times, over and over for years and years.

Shadow knew the recipe by heart, as well as each and every experimental version and precisely why each of them were ineffective.

The leaves had to be just the right color. The roots had to be caught halfway between ripe and rotten. The lavender had to be dried in a very specific manner, or else it would lose potency. If the yarrow had been picked too recently or too many days previously then the solution wouldn’t be of the right consistency, you could tell by smelling it.

Soon enough Shadow had filled his vial half way with a muddy mixture. It wasn’t dissolved all the way and the herbs weren’t properly ground, but such details weren’t as important as others. He braced the vial between his thighs to prevent it from spilling and stripped his gloves.

Shadow ran his thumb along the inside of his forearm. 

The ebony fur there was silken and softer than fine cotton, but the flesh beneath was a battlefield of scar tissue. 

When he made a small cut with a claw he didn’t even notice the pain. 

This practice was as familiar as breathing.

As familiar as memories of his precious sister.

Shadow sunk his claw deep enough to draw blood before his skin began to lace itself back together. His durability was both a blessing and a curse. Horrific injuries were necessary to draw decent amounts of blood, but luckily Shadow only needed a little.

He watched intently as the red dripped from his arm to slowly fill the rest of the vial. 

The hybrid made certain to hold his intent with discipline, as was crucial when potion making.

Once the vial was filled a small puff of steam rose from the mixture to kiss the air.

Shadow corked the vial shook it to ensure the blood was mixed in properly. There was only one more ingredient he needed. He hopped from the roof to look around behind the tavern. Sure enough, he found the dumpster out back. Beside it was a smaller metal can with a lid over it. The rancid stench wafting from it was enough to confirm Shadow’s assumptions.

He lifted the lid to reveal a mound of used bandages and rotting ooze. Shadow plunged his arm directly into the bin of mess that would have sentenced any other Mobian to death. He searched the used bandages until he found one with a particularly thick layer of rotting filth caked to it. 

Shadow was pleased to find a thin layer of half-rotten flesh.

He scraped off a pea-sized chuck with a claw and dropped it into the vial.

The flesh dissolved entirely upon contact.

It was done.

Shadow recorked the vial and slipped it into the satchel he carried under his cloak. Now there was only the issue of cleaning himself off before he spread the plague even further…

“I didn’t know you dabbled in potion making~”

Shadow startled when Rouge’s voice echoed down from the roof.

He glared up at the bat, who was sitting on the tiled ledge with her legs crossed and wings folded neatly.

“I told you to wait by the door,” Shadow snapped.

“And I ignored you!” the witch said with a grin. “If I’d known you were an apothecary too then we could have shared so many fun conversations by now.”

“I’m not an apothecary,” Shadow corrected, “I simply know how to make this particular potion.”

“...Is that what I think it is?” Rouge asked while tilting her head to one side.

“Perhaps,” the hedgehog mumbled. “What are you thinking?”

Rouge hesitated before speaking. “I’m thinking that you’re playing god. Do you have any idea the chaos that would break loose if word of this got out? You may as well be performing a miracle.”

“I don’t care what the public may or may not think,” Shadow growled. “There’s no reason that girl should die.”

Rouge narrowed her eyes. “If you’re going to go around healing every plague victim you come across then you might as well share the cure with a real apothecary. The plague could be eliminated in a matter of years. Since you care so much.”

Shadow curled a lip, “I will be no one’s lab rat. Never again.”

“Interesting,” the witch said.

The dark quilled hedgehog could feel those prying eyes boring into him. He already knew what Rouge was thinking, what she wanted to say.

He was being selfish.

But he wouldn’t refute that. His objective was revenge, not correcting the alchemist’s sins. Besides, he did not care how many lives it would save. He would never offer his body, his blood, to sick apothecaries and potion makers ever again. The time he’d spent as a test subject had been hell. He would never subject himself to that torture again, not unless he called the shots and decided exactly how much of himself he was willing to sacrifice.

Shaking his head the hedgehog held his arms up towards Rouge. “Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. Can you remove this?”

Wordlessly Rouge flicked a hand and the ooze was stripped from Shadow’s fur to splatter across the cobblestoned street.

He glared at her carelessness. 

She shrugged, but still didn’t speak.

“You can’t stop me,” Shadow growled.

Rouge rolled her eyes and spread her wings. She flew to the ground and stood before him. “I hold nothing against this. I think it’s sweet that you’re saving that girl. After all, once you take that Emerald she’ll have no more narrow chances at life. This way you can avoid gaining any more of Sonic’s wrath and keep your slate clean of the loss of this particular life.”

“So we understand each other,” Shadow stated. 

“Yes…” Rouge trailed off, considering. “I think that you care more than you’re willing to let on. This isn’t only about revenge for you, is it?”

Shadow snarled. It was a guttural and haunting thing. A sound that no Mobian should have been able to make. “Do not speak on things which you do not understand.” He sidestepped the witch and stormed out of the alley towards the main street, though he hesitated before turning the corner. “Do not fool yourself,” he spat. “This mission is about Maria. It is about delivering her justice, and nothing more. I will not have her revenge tarnished by meaningless virtues.”

Rouge sighed heavily and folded her arms across her chest. “Alright, alright. I understand.”

“Good,” Shadow muttered.

With that, he teleported back into the tavern. 

Now that it was getting later the crowd had grown denser and more intoxicated. No one noticed when Shadow materialized from thin air. 

He wasted no time.

The hybrid immediately sniffed the air and picked out that achingly familiar scent. He weaved through the crowd, dodging drunken fights and attempts at small talk. He only had one goal here, one purpose. Once he did this one thing, he could forget about Cream and the fate she shared with Maria and all the ways that she reminded him of the one he had lost.

Shadow found her delivering a plate of steaming food to a lone patron. She grinned and told him to enjoy his food, to which the man thanked her and accepted the plate.

Once Cream turned around Shadow knelt before her.

“Mister Shadow!” the girl exclaimed excitedly. “I was wondering where you’d run off to! All my friends left, so I have no one to play with. Would you play house with me?”

“Maybe another time,” Shadow murmured. “Right now I have a ship to catch, but before I go there’s something I need to give you.”

Cream cocked her head in curiosity.

Shadow considered for a moment, then slowly lowered his hood. His quills bounced up as they were freed from their confinement and his blood colored eyes reflected the light of the various lantern flames that burned all around. His tufted ears rotated towards Cream, dedicating his full attention.

Never breaking eye contact, Shadow reached into his satchel and pulled out the small vial and the murky colored mixture within it.

He held it up to the light.

Cream looked at it, then gave him a quizzical look.

“I need you to drink this,” Shadow pleaded. He hated how desperate he sounded. How obvious it was that he cared.

“It’s a potion?” Cream asked.

“Yes,” the hedgehog answered.

The girl frowned and her ears pinned back. “I’m so tired of drinking potions. There’s no point, anyway. Mister Sonic’s potion gave me another couple of weeks to say goodbye to mother and Amy and that’s all I really need.”

Don’t talk like that.

Stop pretending that you’re so willing to die.

You’re just like her.

“This potion is different from his,” Shadow declared. “It’s different from anything you’ve ever been given, and from anything you’ll ever see again.”

Cream narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t you want to live?” Shadow asked. He sounded so desperate. It was ridiculous.

The girl stared deeply into his eyes, almost as if she could see through him into his soul and read the chaotic storm of emotions that was thrashing him like a tiny boat on a storm infested sea.

Whatever Cream found there convinced her.

She slowly took the potion from Shadow.

He exhaled in relief.

Cream uncorked the vial, then gave it a sniff. She gasped in surprise. “It smells like lavender!”

Shadow nodded. “It does. Just… understand that the process will be most unpleasant. This infection is stubborn, and forcing it out is quite strenuous.”

Cream’s eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. Shadow doubted that she actually believed that his potion would cure her when so many others had failed, but he was eternally grateful that she was willing to take his offer.

I couldn’t save Maria, but I can do this at least.

“Thank you, Mister Shadow,” the girl said.

Without another word, she lifted the vial to her lips and downed it in one gulp.

The effects were instantaneous.

Cream’s entire body seized and stiffened. She screamed an ear splitting scream and passed out immediately.

Having expected this, Shadow quickly caught her.

All around him the tavern patrons startled and began to panic. They all knew Vanilla, and they all knew Cream. If this strange hedgehog had hurt the girl then–

“What are you doing with my daughter?!” Vanilla demanded. She was standing behind Shadow in an instant with a blade drawn and pointed at his back.

The hedgehog stood, making sure to hold Cream’s unconscious form carefully so as not to jostle her. He turned to face Vanilla. “She had a seizure and passed out. I caught her before she could fall. We need to get her somewhere where she can rest.”

Vanilla’s eyes wavered with alarm, before they drew to the empty vial on the ground, and then back to Shadow. She tightened the grip on her knife. “What did you do?”

“You’ll thank me later,” Shadow said cryptically. “We should go upstairs, unless you want to make an even bigger scene.”

The ex-assassin understood his meaning immediately. She gritted her teeth in rage, but sheathed her knife all the same. “Follow me,” she bit out, before stalking towards the back corner of the tavern. The crowd parted to allow Vanilla and Shadow through. It was totally silent in the tavern. Everyone’s eyes were glued to Cream’s unconscious form. 

Shadow’s quills began to prickle as he kept track of the countdown in his mind. They needed to hurry.

Luckily, Vanilla had led him through a locked door and into a hidden staircase and shut it behind them before Cream began to twitch and seize once again. Only this time, black ooze began to bubble from her nose and eyes.

Vanilla gasped in horror as she gazed at her daughter in the dark of the stairwell. Her hands flew to cover her mouth.

“Don’t stop now, keep going,” Shadow ordered.

The rabbit watched in growing panic as the black ooze began to slip across Cream’s cheeks to soak into the fur of his arms and hands, which were still ungloved. “But–”

“-Don’t concern yourself with me,” the hedgehog hissed.

Vanilla had a clear internal battle, before finally shaking herself and sprinting up the stairs. Shadow hurried after her. Within moments they were rushing through a door painted with flowers and butterflies and into a child’s bedroom.

Shadow crossed the soft rugs to lay Cream down on the bed, where he grabbed each of her arms and held them still while bracing a knee over her feet to keep her from seizing too violently and hurting herself.

Vanilla stood back and watched while choking back sobs as Cream thrashed and bucked.

Shadow held her still and watched intently as black ooze forced its way from every orifice in her face. It gushed from her ears, eyes, nose, and mouth to stain her fur and begin forming a sopping puddle on the quilts beneath her.

Again, Shadow counted the seconds in his mind.

Right on time, Cream’s eyes shot open and she screeched as if she was being torn limb from limb. Eyes that were formerly warm brown had suddenly changed to a haunting red. Her iris cast light against the dark of the room, a perfect match to Shadow’s. 

Once she’d screamed for the necessary seconds, the hedgehog quickly released her arms and stepped back. The moment he moved away the girl sat up and vomited a bucket full of black fluid onto the bed.

After hurling her guts up, Cream passed out once again and collapsed onto her back.

She lay as still as a corpse.

Vanilla cried out in alarm and attempted to rush towards her daughter, but Shadow stopped her with a warning hand. 

“Do not come any closer,” Shadow warned, his eyes glowing red and boring into Vanilla’s own. “You’ll get infected.”

The rabbit gasped and stiffened. Tears poured freely down her cheeks.

She was clearly in shock.

Unlike her, Shadow was desensitized to this process. Maria had gone through this process countless times over, while he had been forced to watch helplessly as she suffered. Luckily, Cream would only have to go through this process once. She would be spared from years of trial and error, and instead would be blessed with the perfected cure rather than going through rounds and rounds of testing that produced seizures and spells far worse. 

Gerald had been a sick, selfish bastard, but his work had been able to save this life, at least.

Shadow supposed that it wasn’t worth nothing, then.

The hedgehog wordlessly approached the bed and kneeled beside it. He checked Cream’s pulse, then lifted a lid to peek at her eye. Satisfied with what he found, Shadow carefully took her bandaged arm and began to unwrap it.

Vanilla watched, still in a state of shock, as the bandages fell away to reveal that the limb was fully healed.

The infection site had cleared up.

All of the rotten flesh had regenerated fully. 

The only evidence left behind was a patch of fur that had changed from pale tan to ebony black struck through with a single streak of red.

Shadow nodded in satisfaction and stood.

Behind him, Vanilla gawked at what she saw.

Her daughter had been healed.

Whatever potion this strange hedgehog had given her, it had cured the plague!

“She will sleep for at least a week before waking,” Shadow said, still facing Cream’s sleeping form. “Keep a close eye on her. There may be more seizing and retching spells. Make sure you don’t touch the secretion, or else you will accept the fate that she has been spared from.”

Vanilla opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Shadow turned on his heel and headed towards the door.

His sudden departure shook Vanilla out of her stupor.

“Wait!” she exclaimed, managing to catch Shadow by his cloak.

The hybrid slowly turned to her, and the expression on his face drove the rabbit to let go of him.

“What just happened?” Vanilla demanded. “What was that? What did you do? Who are you?!”

Shadow merely stared blankly at her.

The ex-assassin glared at him with her shoulders stiff and her fur puffed defensively. 

Deciding to leave her in ignorance, Shadow vanished in a rain of green sparks, leaving Vanilla gawking where he had just stood and struggling to comprehend what she had seen.

When Shadow materialized outside the doors of the tavern he immediately started walking towards the docks.

Rouge perked up from where she’d been leaning against the outer wall. “So dramatic,” the bat snorted as she hurried to catch up with him.

Shadow wordlessly held out an arm to reveal fur soaked with ooze. The witch separated the fluid from him once again and carelessly slung it into a nearby puddle. She then tossed him the gloves he’d abandoned on the roof. Shadow tugged them back over his hands and tried not to become nauseated over the unpleasant smell of ejected plague that clung to his fur.

This scent was even more distressing than the one Cream had carried previously.

He wanted to be done with this place.

He wanted to leave and never return.

He’d healed Cream, so now he could forget that any of this had ever happened and pursue the Light Blue Emerald without this whole mess clinging at his heels and whispering foul things in the back of his mind.

He cursed Sonic a million times over. If it hadn’t been for that blue quilled bastard then he never would have found himself in this ridiculous situation.

Shadow was minutely aware that blaming the other hedgehog for the hole he’d dug himself into was irrational, but he did not care. It was far easier to convert his complicated feelings of grief and compassion into rage and direct them at the man who had decided to make it his life’s mission to thwart Shadow’s revenge.

A part of him hoped that Sonic would clock his presence sooner rather than later.

He was itching to wrap his hands around a blue throat and squeeze.

Chapter Text

A light drizzle had begun to pick up by the time Sonic and the others made it back to the docks. Amy had been able to pinpoint which ship they needed to board with relative ease. It was a large, sturdy carrack with enormous sails and rows of metal spikes fixed along the outer walls. A figurehead of a human woman was fixed at the fore. She wore a billowing cloak and half her face lay obscured by messy strands of hair. A noose was wrapped around her neck and tears were carved along her cheeks.

Sonic recognized the effigy as a depiction of the Hanged Maiden. The figures found in constellations were often used as totems or good luck charms, and were kept in homes to attract good fortune, luck, or whatever else it was that the constellation represented. The Hanged Maiden tended to represent a swift and solemn end, or the fruition of one’s final wishes.

It was quite the morbid figure to select as a defensive charm on the seas, and definitely wouldn’t have been Sonic’s first choice.

But he supposed that he didn’t have any place judging.

The ship Vanilla had instructed them to board was a trade ship that made supply runs between Knifepoint Island and Crystalshore. It cut directly across the Deadman’s Pass to save time and maintain precious cargo… that precious cargo being the islanders that frequently boarded the ship with the intention of making it to Knifepoint and fast, just as Sonic was doing.

Only the other Mobians who were waiting in line to pay onto the ship were not hunting Emerald Blades. 

Knifepoint Island was rich in minerals and ore, and as such was a well known mining town. When money grew scarce, mine work tended to be a dreaded last case scenario, but was still an option that was taken advantage of relatively often. The only issue was the dangerous conditions, which resulted in frequent injury and death. Mining companies needed a steady supply of fresh meat, so they paid brave sailors to make direct trips across Deadman’s Pass to encourage more islanders to come in search of work.

The mood on the docks was solemn and melancholy as the crowd of gathered Mobians was slowly ushered onto the ship headed for Knifepoint. The sailors were foul mooded after spending all day unloading and reloading their wares, and the captain was similarly grumpy after arguing with greedy merchants for hours. Night would fall soon, and the crew was antsy to set sail. 

Sailors leaned over the rails of the ship and watched as their captain slowly vetted each and every villager who came seeking passage. If anyone couldn’t pay the fee in full, they would be turned away. Anyone too elderly or too young was barred passage as well. Most of the crowd was let aboard, however. As more and more people were let up the entry ramp, Sonic began to worry that the ship might fill up before himself and the others were able to board.

It seemed that his worries were misplaced, however, because they managed to make it to the front of the line without being told there was no more room. 

This particular captain was a komodo dragon with dark eyes and deep scar along the right side of his face. He wore a neat brown cap and the same collared shirt and slacks as the rest of his crew. The only thing that displayed his status was a polished golden broach that was collapsed against his life breast pocket.

Again, the golden surface was carved with the image of the Hanged Maiden.

Amy led the way when they were motioned to come forward. The two hooded figures who had been standing behind their group in line closed the gap that they left behind.

The captain scented the air with his tongue as they arrived, his eyes jumping curiously from Amy’s large hammer to the three men that tagged along at her heels.

“You’re Vanilla’s girl,” the komodo dragon stated.

“That’s right,” Amy confirmed with a nod. “I have business on Knifepoint. My colleagues and I will fend off the sea-spawn for you if you would be so kind as to let us aboard.”

The captain’s scaly lips peeled back to reveal a row of jagged fangs. “You hear that, boys?” he called to the sailors who were watching from the ship. “We’ve got a pretty lady to fight the sea devils for us! What d’ya say, interested in a vacation?”

A chorus of rude cheers erupted from the crowd of sailors who leaned over the hedge of the ship to watch from overhead.

Sonic’s quills prickled and a low growl began to crawl up his throat as the sailors cat called and tossed crude comments Amy’s way. He hadn’t noticed that he’d taken a step forward, but the hand the assassin extended to stop him shook him out of the angry trance he’d found himself in.

The scaly captain turned to face Amy once again. “I think that’s a yes,” he said with a slimy grin. “You’re welcome aboard my ship. Don’t mind the boys, they don’t see many lady-folk on the Pass.”

Amy simply nodded her thanks and followed the captain’s flourishing gesture to ascend the boarding ramp. She pointedly ignored the wild cacophony of cheers that welcomed her as she made her way aboard. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails glared at the rowdy sailors as they hurried along at Amy’s heels.

Once they boarded the ship they were greeted with a deck stuffed full with cargo crates and dreary-eyed villagers dressed in rags with small bags of personal belongings held close. Most of the sailors were perched on the upper decks watching the dealings that went on on the docks below, but a few hung back and stood at even intervals while watching the freshly boarded passengers with sharp eyes.

Unlike the friendly band of sailors who had run the ship Sonic had taken from Green Hill to Crystalshore, these men were armed with sharp blades and makeshift weapons. They had hardened eyes and were peppered with scars. There were no friendly greetings, only blank stares that picked him apart as he followed Amy across deck to claim a spot.

This entire situation was piling onto the anxiety that had been coiling in Sonic's gut and making him antsy. He had a feeling that this particular week at sea would be far less pleasant than the previous month.

The rainwater soaking his cloak didn’t help to ease his discomfort.

“Everyone seems so gloomy,” Tails muttered as Amy finally picked a spot to claim in the far corner of the main deck, nestled against a pile of barrels. 

The four of them sat down and huddled together to save space for more passengers. Once Amy had sat, Sonic and Knuckles each flanked her, with Tails sitting next to his brother. The echidna and the hedgehog met the curious glances of the sailors with challenging glares.

“The trip across Deadman’s Pass is notoriously dangerous,” Amy explained to Tails as she removed her hammer from the sling across her back to set it on the deck in front of her. “The villagers making the trip with us aren’t traveling to Knifepoint because they want to. No one wants to take mine work. And the sailors that mind this ship have likely watched comrades die time and time again. This ship has been making runs for the past five years. It’s rare to see a captain maintain a streak like that, and while the men who work under him are very skilled, as a result they have seen many terrible things.”

Tails frowned as he considered the context he’d been given. 

“Don’t make that face,” Sonic said in an attempt to cheer up his little brother. “We’ll cheer everyone up in no time, you’ll see! The people on this ship are in safe hands now that we’re here, even the sailors. The sea-spawn are nothing that we can’t handle.”

“It’s not the sea-spawn that I’m worried about,” Knuckles admitted.

Amy nodded in agreement, “The currents that run through the Pass are dangerous and difficult to predict. Stay on your toes, boys. If any of the sailors go overboard we’ll be expected to step in and take their places on deck.”

Sonic’s ears pinned back as a million horrible images flashed across his mind. He rested his palms on the deck underneath him and dug his claws into the wood, reminding himself that he was on solid sort-of-ground.

“But we’ll be fine!” Amy added after watching his anxiety flare in live time. She rested a comforting hand on Sonic’s shoulder. “Vanilla’s friend is an experienced captain, so he’ll keep us out of any dangerous waters. And if something does end up happening, we spent a month on a ship preparing for this. There’s nothing on deck that we can’t handle.”

“Nothing on deck,” Sonic mumbled.

“Don’t be pathetic, hedgehog,” Knuckles teased. “A splash of water won’t hurt you.”

Sonic rolled his eyes and folded his arms tightly across his chest. “Who said anything about water? I’m fine! Perfectly fucking fine.” He cursed himself for not finishing his drink back at The Flora. He really could have used a bit of liquid courage right about now.

Shadow pulled his hood further down over his face as Sonic and his group left the line to negotiate with the captain. Himself and Rouge silently stepped forward to fill the gap they had left. A decent number of people had been allowed on board the ship, and though the crowd had significantly thinned there were still about a dozen or so waiting to pay their way aboard. 

The sheer number of passengers made Shadow ponder over the safety of this particular ship, but he didn’t exactly have another option to take them to the next island. 

He could not allow Sonic to get a head start.

Shadow watched with eyes that glowed red through the dark of his hood as Sonic waited for his assassin to finish negotiating with the captain. They volunteered themselves to fight the sea-spawn for the crew, and an endorsement from Vanilla secured their cost-free passage.

Sonic followed the pink quilled woman onto the ship with a palpable sense of confidence. 

Shadow was surprised.

The ocean that lurked beneath the docks was dark and threatening. It was growing emboldened thanks to the storm brewing overhead, causing occasional spray to join the falling rainwater and setting a steady rock to each of the vessels that were tied to the docks.

After experiencing Sonic’s fear of water first hand night after night, Shadow was taken aback by how seemingly unaffected he was by the ocean’s proximity. It was impressive.

Rouge’s elbow connecting with his ribs broke his concentration on Sonic.

The two of them were being called forward by the captain.

“Two of you?” the komodo dragon asked. The friendly tone he’d taken while speaking with Amy had vanished, leaving behind sharp words and a foul attitude.

“Yes,” Rouge purred while shaking off her hood.

The resulting chorus from the sailors was most aggravating.

Shadow snapped his head up to glare at them, and commanded his form to slip just enough to ensure that his eyes glowed bright enough for them to see from afar. Their alarm was palpable.

“That’ll be a hundred rings. Each,” the captain demanded, ignoring the antics of his crew.

Rouge sighed melodramatically, “So expensive. You couldn’t even manage a discount for little old me?”

“I can double the cost, if you wish,” the captain grunted.

Shadow growled in warning, which earned him a stern glance from the captain and a stomp on his foot from Rouge.

“Ignore him,” the bat said, “He hasn’t been house trained.”

The captain snorted in amusement while Shadow bit back a fiery retort.

Rouge drew a silken pouch from the satchel concealed beneath her cloak and counted out the price. For all her complaining, Shadow knew that that price of their fare wouldn’t put so much as a dent in her funding.

Soon enough the price had been paid and the pair were making their way up the boarding ramp. Rouge resettled her hood over her face and ignored the jeering of the sailors while Shadow once again glared at them.

He would gut them if they so much as looked at her for too long.

“Please behave,” the witch muttered. “We’ll be cast into the sea if you cause too much trouble.”

“I would gladly swim to the next island if that is the price I must pay for gutting those vile men,” the hedgehog spat.

“Well I would rather not get my hair any wetter than it already is, so restrain your murderous tendencies for me? Pretty please? With blue quills on top?”

Shadow glared at her. “Watch your tongue. We are in mixed company.” He flicked his head towards where Sonic himself was sitting in the corner amongst a pile of barrels.

Rouge threw her head back and laughed.

This was going to be a long week.

Two days passed at sea.

The storm had not let up for even a moment, and the constant moisture that clung to Sonic’s fur was making him feel waterlogged and filthy. Pair that with the constant sensation of a piece of him being missing, and it was fair to say that he was having a pretty foul time aboard this accursed ship.

There was no singing to pass the hours and not a single fishing competition had been held. Each and every one of Sonic’s attempts to climb to the crow’s nest had been thwarted by a grumpy sailor or other, and he was even given odd looks when he took walks across deck!

What, were they expected to stay seated for one hundred and sixty-eight hours straight?!

Yes, apparently.

Sonic couldn’t even take a fucking piss without earning a foul glance.

And don’t even get him started on the fiasco that took place every time Amy had to be escorted to the shit bucket. Sonic had almost gotten into three fights with perverted sailors. He’d only restrained himself because Amy had told him to be on his best behavior.

If it weren’t for her, he’d have beaten half the crew within an inch of their lives by now.

The sailors didn’t even party at night! They just argued about watch shifts before retreating below deck to sleep. The captain didn’t offer to exchange battle stories, either. He’d vanished into his quarters the moment they’d set sail and hadn’t shown his face on deck since. 

Nothing bad had happened yet, though, so Sonic took that as a win. The ocean had been the same as it had been between Green Hill and Crystalshore. There hadn’t been a single sea-spawn sighted, either. That was better than typhoons and whirlpools and sudden current shifts that flipped their ship upside down, though, so Sonic decided not to complain.

Most of the sailors were total dickheads, but a handful of them were decent human beings. Sonic spent most of his time sleeping on Amy’s shoulder or arguing with Tails about what shapes he saw in the storm clouds, but every once in a while a couple of the sailors would pull out playing cards and motion Sonic over to join them. He’d sprinted across deck to try and join their game the first time they’d pulled out the deck, and since then had proven agreeable.

They played poker, black jack, and even go-fish a couple of times. The sailors didn’t have any rings to gamble with, so they played with an assortment of stray pebbles, shells, and even a handful of Sonic’s shed quills. The most interesting trinket they had was the tooth of a sea-spawn, which the four of them constantly fought over.

The card games never lasted long, since the sailors didn’t have much time to spare outside of watching the seas for danger and making sure they stayed on course, but the few they had played had been entertaining.

According to the sailors, although it seemed that the waters were smooth, traversing the Pass was quite difficult. The ride had only been smooth thus far because of how much practice the crew had. Once they got a little further in things would likely get more interesting, though. 

When Sonic had asked about the absence of sea-spawn, his three new friends had laughed at him and told him to relish the peace. This was quite ominous, but the swordsman was never one to shy from a challenge. He was curious to see what the sea-spawn had in store for him.

Listening to the sailors gossip was also quite interesting. Thanks to his card games he’d learned many personal details about total strangers that he probably shouldn’t have known. Sonic reported everything he heard back to Amy, of course. She’d been most pleased to hear the apology Sonic’s three new friends had given on behalf of their rude crewmates. 

The funniest thing he’d heard from the sailors was their fear of one of the other passengers on the ship. Apparently they were convinced this guy was a demon. He was traveling with a woman, similarly to the way Sonic was, and was doing such a good job at scaring off the perverted sailors that the crew was certain that he wasn’t Mobian.

Sonic laughed at them every time they brought this strange man back up, much to the sailors’ dismay.

Whenever he’d laugh they’d swear on their lives that they’d seen his eyes glow, that he didn’t have a face beneath his hood, or that his growl sounded like it had crawled right out of the hells.

It was amusing, was all. Most of the islanders had never seen a real demon, since they couldn’t pass through the veil too close to water. After having spent his entire life slaying the night creatures, Sonic didn’t believe a damn word that came out of their mouths about this alleged demon on board the ship.

And even if it did turn out that this man was dangerous, Sonic would simply kick his ass.

Easy as that.

Upon telling the sailors this, however, they’d laughed Sonic off.

They hadn’t seen him fight yet, but that would be rectified sooner rather than later if the swordsman had his way. 

Over the course of the first two days at sea nothing of interest occurred. Shadow and Rouge occupied their claimed space on deck, which was on the opposite side of the main deck from Sonic and the others. The pair remained unnoticed, which was to be desired. It was quite frustrating, however, that Sonic had managed to go this long without noticing that Shadow was a mere few paces away from him.

The blue fool spent his days lounging against the barrels with his colorful friends and stirring up trouble on deck. He couldn’t seem to sit still, and had gotten into multiple spats with the sailors as a result. 

It was amusing to watch. 

Sonic was nothing if not disruptive. His voice was loud and he walked across the deck as if he owned the place. He threatened to fight the rowdier sailors without any consideration for the consequences and played cards with the others as if he’d been living on the ship with them for years.

Shadow had spent so many long weeks pondering over this hedgehog.

He’d hated him with a passion, then puzzled over him like he was a riddle in need of solving. He’d been forced to experience his darkest memories first hand and nearly killed him twice before having ever been aware of how deep their similarities ran. He’d witnessed this man’s wrath, as well as his kindness. He’d even gone so far as to spare him the guilt of failing to save a young girl from her fate.

Sonic was an enigma, but one that Shadow found himself beginning to understand further and further as the days passed.

It felt strange, watching Sonic from across the deck while the other hedgehog remained unaware of his attentive audience. 

Did Sonic ponder over Shadow? 

Did he meet his rival in dreams and run through the possible circumstances of their next encounter over and over?

Did he see dark quills behind his lids when he drifted to sleep, just as Shadow was plagued with visions of cobalt blue?

Sonic was an infestation, and had been from the very start. He occupied Shadow’s every waking thought, and the effects the other hedgehog had on him had only grown worse now that they were in such close proximity. His blue quilled counterpart remained a mystery to him, nothing more than a stranger that he happened to know too much about, but a part of Shadow felt drawn to him. He felt compelled to break this tension, to cross the deck and draw as close to the other hedgehog as he dared.

But he couldn’t do that.

No matter what these complicated thoughts seemed to want to tell him, Sonic was his enemy.

Shadow narrowed his eyes as he watched the other hedgehog play cards with a group of sailors. They sat on the stairs that led to the foredeck, splayed lazily with piles of junk used as substitute for rings. 

The blue quilled hedgehog tossed down a handful of cards with a mischievous smirk on his face. One of the sailors gawked upon reading the cards and groaned loudly while the other three burst out laughing.

Sonic’s laughter echoed across the deck. It was joyous and carefree, and just as loud and disruptive as he himself was. Yet in spite of this, Shadow couldn’t help but find the sound almost nice. It stirred something within him, made his gut give an odd lurch.

What was wrong with him.

Was he sick?

Sometimes it felt as if he was, since he couldn’t seem to stop tracing unruly blue quills with his eyes and wondering how it might feel to drag his claws through peach fur that had grown scruffier after a month at sea.

He ignored Rouge’s amused snickering and teasing glances.

She had no place to speak, as she’d spent her time watching Sonic’s pink quilled friend with hungry eyes. Though she refused to cross the deck and speak with her, even though there was no real danger in the action.

After all, Rouge’s identity still remained a mystery to their enemy.

On the third day, the storms grew worse than Sonic had ever seen them. Rain poured from the darkened skies in buckets and soaked him to the bone. Lightning raced across the sky and thunder cracked so loudly that it rattled Sonic’s very bones. Wind ripped at the masts and threatened to blow anyone who didn’t cling hard enough to the railing overboard.

That morning the captain had emerged from his quarters. Almost as if he’d been able to sense it coming, moments after he appeared the ocean began to thrash and grow unruly. Enormous waves rose up all around them and the sailors shouted and cried as they struggled to keep the ship right side up. 

The captain merely stood at the helm with his arms folded behind his back as the crew ran mad around him. He watched the sky with pupils so thin his eyes appeared almost entirely yellow. He didn’t move a muscle as the ship crested waves taller than any building Sonic had ever seen. 

It was horrifying.

Through it all Sonic stood at the railing with his hands gripping the wood almost tight enough to splinter it. He kept his legs spread and fought for balance as the ship thrashed and spun. His quills had fanned completely out and humiliating trembles wracked his body even as he fought to stand still. 

His terror was deep seated and all consuming. 

He could hardly think through the panic that seized him and threatened to reduce him to that same whimpering child who had gone over the cliff on that terrible night, so many years past.

Through it all Amy stood loyally at his side with her hand on the handle of her hammer and her eyes scanning the seas. Tails stood close at his other flank, with both of his fluffy namesakes brushing against his legs every once in a while to show his support. Knuckles had finally managed to climb to the crow’s nest without being stopped thanks to all the chaos. 

When the echidna shouted his sighting of the first sea-spawn of the journey, Sonic soon regretted ever having wished that one of the creatures would appear.

Shadow was on his feet in an instant when the sea-beast breached the surface.

This monster was three times the size of the largest beast he and Rouge had fought. It towered over their ship and threatened to swallow it whole. Row after row of razor sharp teeth glistened under the light of lightning strikes, and a terrible gurgling howl erupted from its maw to drown out even the racket of the thunder.

It was covered in spines and pointed scales, with dozens of eyes that spun in their sockets as they took in every inch of the world around them. Finding its blind spot would prove difficult, and finding a way past its dozens of fleshy tentacles would be even more so.

The sailors ignored the looming beast, instead remaining at their posts. The worst of them began raising up a chorus of howling cheers. They sounded like beasts as they hung from the masts and covered the deck, all screaming and cheering as Sonic’s pink quilled assassin drew her hammer and climbed onto the ship’s railing with her eyes trained on the monster.

Shadow watched from across the deck as Sonic shakily let go of the railing and drew his marbled shortsword. Beside him the two tailed fox began to spin his fluffy appendages and rise into the air.

The red quilled echidna leapt from the crow’s nest far overhead and glided towards the head of the beast with his fists bared and a battle cry bellowing from the depths of his chest. Shortly after Amy and Sonic leapt from the railing to be caught by the fox, who swiftly flew further and further upwards, dodging tentacles as he drew them in close for a crushing blow.

The echidna struck with a vicious punch, then the assassin whacked the beast with her enormous hammer so hard that it was slung backwards. Lastly Sonic was spun by the fox and then sent rocketing towards the creature, where he slashed each tentacle that attempted to grab at him in half until he arrived at the sea monster’s face and skewered the largest of its eyes.

Green fluid spewed and the creature shrieked in pain. Yet it did not fall. It descended into an enraged frenzy, which in turn encouraged the sailors to howl and cheer even louder. The passengers on the ship cowered in fear as the four warriors pushed the creature back in a practiced pattern of attacks. Each time one of them fell the fox swooped in to sling them back into the air. With every close call made with the creature’s tentacles they managed to dodge or swiftly remove the limb.

Watching it all was infuriating.

Shadow could have felled the beast in a matter of seconds.

Its weak spot was obviously the crown of its skull. 

Maybe a Mobian wouldn’t have possessed the strength to drill through and kill it in one blow, but Shadow would have been able to execute the move with ease.

He watched Sonic cut at the beast with his sword before falling towards the tumultuous ocean below.

Watching the fall made Shadow’s heart skip a beat.

The fox swooped in to save him, but he took too long to do so.

Shadow clenched his fists and began stalking across the deck. His amulet was already beginning to warm against his chest fur. 

Rouge stopped him by swiftly grabbing his wrist.

He turned to her with an angry glare.

“Don’t,” the bat hissed. “I told you to behave. Let them handle this.”

“But–”

“-I don’t care how much faster you think you can kill the thing,” Rouge retorted, “Sit your ass down and maintain our cover. They can take care of themselves, and if one of them dies in battle then that will make less work for us once we make it to the Devil’s Lighthouse.”

Shadow ground his teeth.

The witch spoke the truth.

He didn’t like it, but he needed to leave this fight to Sonic and trust that he’d be able to fend off the sea-spawn… no matter how inefficiently he chose to do so.

As Shadow sat back down, the beast collapsed into the ocean in death. 

Sonic and each of his allies landed on the deck shortly after, drenched in blood and guts and proudly celebrating their victory. The crew quickly started up a rowdy cheer, which even the solemn passengers began to join in on.

Shadow and Rouge sat in silence.

They watched their enemies make fools of themselves from under deep hoods and pondered over whether or not the sea would take care of their dirty work for them.

The next three days were utter hell.

Once they fought the first sea-spawn the beasts only kept coming. They emerged from the sea, one after the other. They surfaced at irregular intervals, sometimes in the midst of battles that were already taking place and other times at the dead of night while all of the sailors slept.

The beasts only got larger and larger, with more monstrous forms and sharper teeth.

As if the sea-spawn weren’t bad enough, the sea remained ruthless and deadly. The storm had not broken even once. Rain poured and enormous waves threatened to sink their ship and nightmarish monsters rose from the depths at every turn.

Sonic hadn’t been able to relax since the captain had emerged from his quarters. He was stuck in a constant state of stress, of fear. The ocean lurked, waiting to catch him off guard at every turn. Whenever he fought a sea-beast it leered at him, dared him to make one tiny mistake. His heart stopped in his chest every time it took Amy or Tails a split second longer than usual to save him from plummeting to his death.

Not even standing on the solid deck was enough to calm his anxiety at this point. The ship was constantly rocking and thrashing, there was no reprieve. Sleep evaded him night after night. Rainwater clung to his fur and salt burned in his eyes to remind him of exactly where he was.

It was impossible to scrub the blood from his fur.

There was simply no time between one monster attack and the next. 

As it stood he was half starved without a chance to eat. Four warriors were taking over the responsibilities of half a crew, all the while the sailors watched on in amusement as they took the monster slaying duties upon themselves.

Occasionally the three sailors Sonic had grown close with would jump in to assist, but the rest of the crew quickly discouraged this tendency by throwing constant grunt work at them to prevent them from helping the fools who had decided to fight rather than pay for their passage.

After each battle the captain would thank and congratulate Sonic and his friends for their bravery, though each of his kind words were directed at Amy and Amy alone. It was as if Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were invisible. They were nothing but expendable lives, here only to watch Amy’s back as she fought against the sea.

If one more sailor offered to take Amy below deck for a “break” he was going to snap and rip them in half. 

Vanilla had been right, the Deadman’s Pass was a living hell.

Sonic just wanted it to fucking end, but there was still one more day.

And after that, an even more treacherous journey to reach the Devil’s Lighthouse itself.

All of this trouble, all for Shadow…

He hoped that faker knew just how much torture he’d put Sonic through.

Sonic hoped he knew what was coming for him, and he hoped that he dreaded it.

Shadow had managed to crack the watch shifts Sonic and his allies had organized for themselves within a day.

After the first few hours fighting the constant onslaught of sea-spawn, it had been made clear to all new visitors to the Deadman’s Pass that the monsters would not let up in their attacks. These waters were their territory, and Mobians had no business interfering. 

The creatures only got larger and more violent the further they sailed.

It quickly became too much for Sonic and his allies to face each monster as a team. In order to maintain their strength and stamina, they divided each twenty-four hour period into three-hour blocks. During one’s shift, they would fight whatever monsters that attacked one-one-one. Each of them were strong enough to face the beasts alone, even the fox, surprisingly - though he fought using strategy rather than polished skill or brute strength. If a second beast happened to attack at the same time, then whoever was scheduled as backup would leap into the fray. The same was extended for any possible third or fourth beast.

A fifth beast had yet to appear, and Shadow hoped that the four fools were praying to any gods that were watching with their thanks for that.

As the days dragged on Sonic’s group began to gradually earn the respect of the other passengers on the ship, as well as a fraction of the crew. The worst of them still continued shouting vulgar remarks and even cheering for the sea-spawn to tear them apart, but at least a few of the sailors had the decency to show respect.

Although a nod of thanks here and there was a pathetic offering in exchange for the work the group of travelers was doing.

Watching the crew slack off and leave the fighting to a four person team was pissing Shadow the fuck off. They were useless, lazy, and clearly had no care for human life outside of their own useless sacks of flesh. If it had been up to Shadow he would have entered each and every battle and slayed the beasts all on his own.

He was the Ultimate Lifeform.

He had no need to eat or sleep or even rest.

He could have defended the ship for the duration of the entire journey with ease, yet Rouge insisted upon him minding his own business and leaving the fighting to Sonic and the others. Though it drove him up a wall, he abided by the bat’s commands and prioritized his mission over making fools of the wretched sailors that leered at Rouge and chanted for Sonic to be torn limb from limb.

It was in the early hours of the seventh day that Shadow finally had enough.

He awoke from shallow slumber to catch a sailor attempting to groupe Rouge as she slept. The hedgehog had wasted no time and allowed not even the most pathetic of excuses. He had ripped the sailors head clean off before he could so much as lay a finger on his friend.

Before the blood could hit the deck Shadow slung the fucker’s body overboard and watched his limp form sink beneath dark waves.

The rage still boiled beneath his fur, though.

He was too pissed off to sleep.

Shadow had had quite enough of this shitty crew and its vile sailors.

Rather than attempting to calm back down and sleep through the rest of the night, the hedgehog decided to stalk the deck instead. He needed to cool off. Luckily the sailors were still sleeping below deck. The few who had remained above to ensure they stayed on course were half asleep on their posts.

Shadow picked his way through the field of sleeping bodies that covered the main deck. His eyes drew to the sleeping forms of Sonic, the fox, and the echidna.

The blue quilled hedgehog was twitching in his sleep.

Shadow could only imagine what awful things he was seeing as he slept.

He shook himself and dragged his eyes away from Sonic.

After marching up the stairs to the quarterdeck, Shadow hesitated upon finding it not empty, but occupied by the pink quilled hedgehog. She was alone, and leaning against the railing as she watched the churning waters. Her enormous hammer laid on the deck beside her.

A couple of moments passed, in which Shadow considered turning back and going to stand on the foredeck instead.

He was glad he waited, though, because had he turned he would have missed the moment when the assassin drifted off and slumped forward over the railing.

Shadow quickly teleported behind her and looped an arm around her waist to prevent her from falling overboard.

The woman startled as she was awoken by the sudden movement. She gasped and whipped around with deft fingers reaching to draw one of the blades concealed on her person.

Thinking quickly, Shadow dropped his hood and held up his hands where she could see them.

The two hedgehogs stood frozen for a long moment, Shadow blank faced and patient while Amy gawked at him with tired eyes.

Eventually her exhausted mind caught up with her, and she swiftly slipped her blade back into the hidden sheath in her leather armor. “I’m so sorry!” she gasped. “I thought you were– thank you for saving me. I would have drowned.” She brought her fingers to pinch at the bridge of her nose. “It’s been a long three days.”

“...I can imagine,” Shadow said slowly.

It seemed that his suspicions were correct. Sonic had not disclosed his appearance to his newest ally. Rouge would have wrung his neck for taking such a chance, but it had been in his best interest to avoid an accidental fight.

Sonic’s stupidity was working in his favor once again.

Amy sighed and leaned her back against the railing with her elbows perched upon it. She stretched her legs out and crossed her boots in front of her. Shadow slowly moved to stand at the rail beside her, choosing to watch the waters in her place if only for a moment.

“You’re traveling to Knifepoint too?” the assassin asked, making casual small talk. 

“Yes,” Shadow replied. 

“I assume you’re looking for mine work?” Amy guessed while tossing a curious glance his way.

“That is correct,” Shadow lied.

Amy watched him for a moment, and the dark furred hedgehog worried that she might see through his facade. 

She didn’t.

And how would she? As far as she was aware, Shadow was simply another passenger aboard this ship. A fellow Crystalshore islander. His status as a hedgehog might have flagged a bit of interest, but other than that there was no evidence tying his presence here to whatever it was that Sonic had told Amy of his true motives. 

“You don’t have to stand with me,” Amy said softly. “I volunteered to do this. You should sleep, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I’m not tired,” Shadow replied. “You should rest, if only for a little while. It’s the least I can do, since the sailors don’t seem particularly interested in thanking you for your hard work.”

The pink quilled hedgehog watched him with curious eyes, before flashing a small smile. “Thank you. You’re… kinder than most.” She slowly lowered herself into a crouch and leaned her head back against the railing.

Shadow merely grunted in reply.

She was mistaken.

He wasn’t kind.

Midway through the seventh day, the distant form of Knifepoint Island appeared on the horizon. Unfortunately there were still several hours left in their journey, and several leagues of ocean to cross before they made it out safe.

They’d all but crossed the Pass, at least.

It seemed that the sea-spawn had finally settled. Not a single beast had appeared since Shadow had awoken and offered to watch the seas for Amy. Once her shift had ended and Tails had taken over, Shadow had pulled his hood back up and retreated back to his seat next to Rouge before the bat or the fox could catch onto his activities.

Though he hadn’t slept. 

He’d kept his eyes on the surrounding waters and counted the hours.

Tonight was the full moon.

He gripped his fists tightly enough to feel his claws dig into his pads through the protective fabric of his gloves. Of all the times… 

Shadow cursed himself for dropping his inhibitor rings on that terrible night.

A foolish move.

He prayed that his condition wouldn’t make itself an issue. 

Rouge had promised to take care of things under the circumstance that he did lose control again. Unfortunately the Captain would not be around to assist this time, but Shadow was determined to control his monstrous form, determined to spite Black Doom and prove that this curse would not prevent him from exacting his revenge.

Both the Captain and Rouge had mentioned that it would likely be possible to find an alchemist in New Yolk City who would be capable of forging new inhibitor rings, but Shadow was uncertain if that was a course of action he wanted to take. 

No matter.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

For now, he needed to focus on making it to Knifepoint Island and finding a sailor willing to bring them to the Devil’s Lighthouse.

Rouge mumbled in her sleep and nuzzled her head closer into the crook of Shadow’s shoulder. The movement shook the hedgehog from his thoughts and reminded him to keep his eyes on the ocean. 

It was currently Sonic’s watch shift, and he did not particularly trust the blue hedgehog to keep the ship safe. Not this close to Knifepoint, anyway. There was simply too much on the line and too many ways for him to fuck everything up.

Thanks to his regained focus, Shadow’s sensitive ears were able to pick up on a strange howl echoing from deep in the water beneath them. His tufted ears perked up beneath his hood and rotated about in an attempt to listen closer.

He glanced at Sonic, who hadn’t noticed yet.

The fool was leaning against the railing and polishing the surface of his marbled blade.

Shadow’s lips curled up in a displeased snarl. He was considering shouting an insult when Sonic finally caught onto what he had already heard.

Blue ears perked up and Sonic was straightened with his sword held in a readied position in an instant. 

This sea-spawn was different from any of the others that had appeared previously. Never before had one announced its approach like this. The ship began to rock as the ocean’s surface grew disturbed. All around Shadow the sailors and passengers began to chatter and fret. 

Shadow glared at Sonic and prayed that he’d awaken his moronic allies. None of the three had so much as twitched in their sleep… though Shadow supposed he couldn’t blame them. He was certain that they were exhausted after fighting constantly for three days and hardly getting any sleep.

With a decisive huff Shadow shook Rouge awake.

“Ugh, what the hell?” the bat complained as she was shaken back and forth by the shoulders. 

“Wake up,” Shadow commanded.

“I’m awake, I’m awake!” Rouge protested. “This had better be important.”

Satisfied, the hedgehog let go of her and went back to watching Sonic. “There’s a sea-spawn coming,” Shadow said.

The witch rolled her eyes. “Isn’t there always?” she complained. “Sit still, I’m going back to sleep.” She attempted to flop over and drape herself across Shadow’s lap, but the hedgehog stopped her and pushed her back into a sitting position.

“No, I may need to help him,” he stated.

Whatever tiredness that had still been clinging to Rouge was shaken off in an instant. “What,” she hissed. “I know that I misheard you because there is no way in fucking hell that you just said that on the last day we have on this damn ship.”

Shadow glared at him, “Should I sit back and let the ship sink, then?”

“Let the others handle it!” Rouge snapped. “Like I’ve been saying, and like you’ve been doing for the past week!”

“They’re hardly prepared for a fight, and especially not one this intense,” Shadow disagreed while gesturing to where Sonic’s allies were sleeping in a pile of colorful fur and leather armor. “Besides, only I would be able to beat this thing.”

Rouge narrowed her eyes as she perked her ears to listen in on what everyone else onboard was focusing on. Teal eyes widened, then rolled dramatically. “Oh, please. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re underestimating Blue. He can handle this shit just fine. Now be a dear and sit still so I can sleep the rest of this miserable day away?”

Against Shadow’s protests, Rouge rested her head on his shoulder and drifted off once again.

The stripped hedgehog sat and fumed.

Her nap was disrupted once again, however, when the sea-spawn finally surfaced. The thing burst from the water and created a wave powerful enough to rock the ship so violently that even the sailors began to panic. Mobians rolled and tumbled over each other as the deck tipped at a forty-five degree angle before being righted again. 

Shadow growled as he clung to the railing with one hand and looped the other around Rouge’s waist to prevent her from sliding to the other side of the deck.

Their entire ship was eclipsed in an enormous shadow as the biggest fucking sea-spawn that Shadow had ever seen rose to its full height and loosed an earsplitting cry. The clouds overhead chose that exact moment to raise hell once again. Rain began to fall in sheets and dangerous winds ripped at the sails. 

The sailors began to panic even further when the captain reemerged from where he’d retreated to his quarters the previous night. The scaly bastard began barking orders for the first time on this entire fucking trip. Soon enough the crew was struggling to control the ship and while passengers screamed and panicked and the captain screeched about a missing man.

Shadow found an ounce of satisfaction in all the chaos due to that last note.

He didn’t regret killing the bastard.

He’d deserved it, and if the ship sank as a result of his murderous actions then that was that.

By some horrific stroke of fate Sonic’s allies managed to sleep through the madness entirely. 

Things went from bad to worse when the ship finally settled and Sonic alone began to climb the main mast in preparation to fight the beast.

Till the bitter end these damn sailors would choose cowardice and spite, wouldn’t they?

A growl rose in Shadow’s throat as he and Rouge watched Sonic run across the top of the mast with a battle cry on his lips. The bat watched the action unfold with an amused grin while Shadow ground his teeth and argued with himself on whether or not he should get involved.

In the end he decided to give Sonic a chance.

But only one.

The moment he slipped up Shadow would leap into the fray and finish what the blue fool couldn’t.

Sonic had really though that he was done with all these stupid fucking sea spawn! But nope! The exact second he opened his damn mouth and started chatting up a sailor about how they were out of trouble for good, what do you know?

The biggest gods damned sea-spawn that he’d ever fucking seen appeared out of the ocean to make him look like an idiot!!

Unfortunately Amy, Knuckles, and Tails were all so damn tired that they hadn’t woken up upon its arrival. They’d probably wake up sooner or later, but Sonic wanted to do his best to fell the beast on his own. They deserved a break, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t provide at least that for his friends.

The hedgehog climbed the mast as fast as he could so he could make sure the ship didn’t get destroyed before he could get at least one hit in. He ignored the anxiety flaring in his gut at how badly the ship was thrashing and decided to place his trust in the sailors to make sure he’d have something to land on once he took care of this thing.

So what if it was fucking huge?

No problem!

Sonic could slay this thing easy.

If he could fight the night’s entire army all on his own then this was nothing.

It didn’t matter that the thing was, like, huge. Or that it was covered in scales and slime. Or that it had tentacles that were wider than Sonic was tall. Or that it had like a million eyes and three mouths and–

Okay! Whatever! Point made!

Fuck.

Sonic drew Silverstrike once he’d finally made it to the top of the mask. His legs shook beneath him as he glanced from the enormous monster to the raging ocean below. For once the sailors were cheering for him rather than against him. The fact that even the captain was afraid didn’t look good for his odds but Sonic refused to let that discourage him.

He was going to show everyone how badass he was! This would be easy.

A piece of him wished he still had the Blue Emerald Blade around his neck and feeding him chaos energy, but he quieted that voice.

He’d have his Emerald back soon enough.

All he had to do was make sure this ugly fucker didn’t get in his way.

With a wild shout, Sonic took off at a full sprint with Silverstrike in one hand and the end of one of the halyards in the other. He ran across the mast and took a flying leap off the end towards the enormous monster. 

The creature saw him coming and attempted to slap him out of the sky with one of its tentacles, but Sonic was too fast. He quickly ducked into a ball to change his trajectory, then dug his quills into slimy flesh to gain some traction. Soon enough Sonic was running up the monster’s arm while digging his sword into the sticky surface as he went.

Dark green sea-beast blood spewed behind him as he ran. Soon enough Sonic got high enough to jump into the thing’s face. He took the opportunity the moment it presented itself and flung himself in a sailing spin dash towards the largest of its eyes.

Sharp quills dug into the gummy surface and Sonic had the creature reeling backwards mere moments before it could manage to damage the ship.

Satisfied with the blow that he’d made, Sonic kicked off the beast’s face and sent himself hurtling through the air. He yanked on the rope he’d brought with him just as Amy had taught him and sent himself swinging through the air in a wild loop all the way around the ship to meet the sea-beast again.

As he made his pass the sailors cheered and the passengers shouted prayers to the sky.

He did not notice the pair of rose colored eyes watching him intensely, impressed with his progress but overall unconfident in his ability to finish the job.

Encouraged by the adrenaline in his veins and the crowd watching him from below, Sonic beat back at the behemoth with the practiced ease he’d built up over the course of the past month. He slashed its eyes and severed tentacle after tentacle, simultaneously blinding the thing and rendering it unable to fight back.

Thick guts and blood soaked his quills and dripped into his eyes, but Sonic didn’t let up. Even as the rain threatened to blind him and exhaustion made him feel sluggish, he continued fighting. Based on the creatures he’d fought previously, he could likely kill this thing by managing to land a blow to its snout. The only problem was that it had three snouts, one over each mouth on its oddly elongated face.

Sonic’s best guess was that the highest nose was the weakest, so made that area his target. Unfortunately, the creature was just as aware of its weakness as Sonic himself was. It defended itself valiantly, and put up one hell of a fight.

It was no match for Sonic, however, even considering its size.

As the fight stretched on across minutes, the captain ordered the crew to attempt to sail the ship away from the monster. The thing followed, unfortunately, but Sonic continued fighting while swinging on his rope in order to keep it at a relatively safe distance. At some point Amy and the others had been woken up by the commotion on deck, but they chose to cheer Sonic on rather than get in his way.

At this point it was in their best interest not to interrupt the flow he’d found. It would only take one wrong move, one single mistake, and Sonic would be done for.

Luckily for everyone on board the ship, he had enough experience fighting sea-spawn that this outcome was unlikely.

Unfortunately, though, for Sonic and his friends, they would all soon pay dearly for their confidence in his abilities. This confidence was not misplaced, but it in and of itself presented a weakness. Not even Amy was prepared for action when it happened. She couldn’t have moved fast enough if she tried, and even Tails wouldn’t have been able to speed over in time.

Sonic had finally lined up his kill shot, and was swinging on his rope directly for the sea-spawn’s highest snout. With all but three of the mass of tentacles severed, it had no way to defend itself, and was too large to dodge the incoming kill shot.

In a display of what could only be accredited to sheer coincidence, a bolt of lightning cut through the storm at just the right moment to snap Sonic’s rope clean in half.

His trajectory was broken in a flash of light, and Sonic was left soaring through the air towards the open ocean. Without the rope to guide him towards the monster, the ship would be left undefended and Sonic would crash into the ocean.

Even if he had been able to swim, he would have been doomed.

At the speed and height he was falling from, he would die on impact.

Amy screamed, and the sailors shouted alongside her. Several passengers burst into panicked tears and Knuckles roared as he and Tails tore across the deck in an attempt to catch Sonic before he fell.

Their efforts would prove fruitless. 

In the heat of the moment, no one noticed when a single hooded passenger vanished from thin air and reappeared on the top of the main mast. Thanks to the split attention of the crew, no one was the wiser as he ripped free a second halyard and flung himself from the mast at speeds that no Mobian should have been able to reach.

Blue sparks flew as he shot through the air on a reckless trajectory that chased after Sonic’s falling form.

Sonic himself didn’t even have the time to scream between the moment the lightning severed his rope and the split second later when a stranger’s arm collided with his midsection and brought him along on a soaring pass that was lined up perfectly with the sea monster’s highest snout.

The disorientation gave Sonic whiplash, and his mind could hardly keep up with what was going on. “Woah!” he screamed, “What the fu–”

“-Prepare to strike the beast in its highest snout!” a commanding voice barked. 

Sonic gawked upwards at the stranger who had managed to save him, who was currently carrying him under their arm like a sack of potatoes. He saw nothing but a tan-colored muzzle and a deep hood that whipped and thrashed as they soared through the rain-soaked air.

“Focus!” the stranger snarled, revealing sharp white fangs that caught Sonic’s attention and made his stomach give an unhelpful flip that was entirely unrelated to his anxiety over drowning.

“Right!” he gasped, quickly refocusing on the task at hand. He chose to ignore the swoon worthy display this total stranger had made and the muscles that flexed the under dark fur of the arm that gripped their rope in favor of killing this fucking monster.

He could come up with a clever one-liner later.

“You need to roll into a ball and hit it with all your strength!” the stranger announced as they drew close enough to count the various bleeding gashes Sonic had peppered across the monster’s gargantuan body.

A small itch in the corner of his mind told him that he recognized the voice…

But Sonic was too close to the monster to investigate.

Moving quickly, he slipped Silverstrike into the sling on his belt and ducked into a spindash. Beside him, the stranger did the same.

Another hedgehog?!

Side by side with his new ally, Sonic collided with the sea-spawn’s highest snout and dug his quills in deep. He didn’t stop burrowing into its flesh until he heard the creature’s bellowing death-cry and felt it begin to fall backwards. In a rain of blood and guts, Sonic and the mysterious hedgehog simultaneously kicked off the sea-spawn to jump back down to where they knew the ship was waiting for them below.

With a wild grin on his face and a joyous laugh on his lips, Sonic glanced towards the stranger who had saved his ass as they soared through the air towards the deck.

A black cloak billowed out behind them as they flew with their legs already braced to land. One hand was lifted to keep their hood pulled low over their face while the other was held out for balance. Sonic’s eyes wracked down their body–

His heart skipped a beat when he found ebony fur, a patch of white chest fluff, and red stripes peeking from high boots and gloves.

The blue quilled hedgehog’s mind grinded to a screeching halt as the shock of it all slammed into him like a solid brick wall.

Amy and the others cheered like mad on the deck, but their victorious screams sounded muffled. Sonic could hardly hear anything over the thundering of his own pulse in his ears. His adrenaline gave a wild spike once again, and some feral instinct within him howled in excitement at the prospect of finally being able to make himself whole again.

And through it all, his stomach gave a wild lurch.

He’d been waiting for this moment–

Fantasizing about this for over a month.

When he hit the deck he didn’t even feel the impact in his joints. He landed solidly on his feet, and the cloaked figure who had saved him did the same.

The pair were quickly swarmed by a dense crowd of excited sailors and grateful passengers, all of whom they’d saved the lives of. Amy, Tails, and Knuckles were all forcing their way through the crowd with excited grins on their faces as they rejoiced and prepared to smother the stranger who had saved their friend in thanks and affection.

Only one person on the ship did not join in on the commotion.

She watched from afar, with her teeth gritted in frustration and her claws already at her wrist and ready to draw blood.

Whatever was about to happen, it wouldn’t be good.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the crowd sprinted towards Sonic and the cloaked figure who stood beside him.

But for once, Sonic had no care for the fanfare and excited thanks.

He only had eyes for one hedgehog, who stood terribly still at his side, not moving a damn muscle and still hiding beneath that cloak as if it could fool Sonic into thinking that he’d made a mistake. 

The blue quilled hedgehog curled his lips back and growled.

His quills pricked and fanned out in wild puffs.

Rain pelted the deck in sheets and roared all around them. Thunder echoed in and lightning danced across the dark clouds overhead. 

He drew Silverstrike in a flash of iron and steel.

The crowd drew to a screeching halt, forming a starkly drawn bubble around the two hedgehogs who stood coated in guts and rainwater.

Silence overtook the deck.

The tension could have been cut with a knife.

Sonic’s snarl ripped from his throat loud enough to be heard even over the pouring rain.

“I found you again, faker.”

Chapter Text

Amy’s heart froze in her chest as Sonic drew his sword on the hedgehog who had saved his life. 

“I found you again, faker,” the swordsman snarled. He looked angrier than Amy had ever seen him. Beside her Knuckles and Tails stiffened. A growl rose in the echidna’s throat to match Sonic's and the fox drew a startled gasp.

Amy didn’t understand.

She recognized the man in the cloak. He wasn’t any random Mobian, he’d saved her life just that morning and even gone so far as to help her on her watch shift. It didn’t surprise her that this brave stranger had saved Sonic’s life as well, so why was he turning on him?

“It took you long enough,” the hooded hedgehog replied coolly after a moment’s hesitation. “I was starting to think that you’d never notice… faker.” He lifted his arms to drop his hood, revealing the same tan-muzzled face and kind, ruby colored eyes that Amy remembered from that morning.

“It’s him!” Tails exclaimed.

“The villain!” Knuckles added, “He’s been hiding amongst us all this time!”

A terrible dread coiled in the pit of Amy’s gut like a vile serpent.

“Wait, who is that?” she asked, though she feared that she already knew the answer.

Knuckles and Tails shared a quick glance before replying.

“It’s Shadow,” the fox answered slowly, “he’s a bit of a long story.” Knuckles grunted in agreement. They were still unaware that Sonic had already told Amy about him. They didn’t know that she’d already known, and that she had no excuse to have allowed him to slip right under her nose.

Gaia above, he’d been right there.

Amy could have killed him that morning while he had his guard down! She could have ended all of this but she’d been such a fool–

The assassin could do little but gawk at the dark furred stranger who she now knew to be Sonic’s greatest enemy. She could hardly believe that this same kind stranger was the man she had agreed to help fight against, the man that Sonic had sworn to kill.

“I’m ending this right now!” Sonic yelled, startling Amy from her thoughts. Lightning cracked overhead and powerful waves began to lap at the ship. The sailors struggled to keep the ship afloat and continued working in spite of the chaos on deck, but no one dared to get between the two hedgehogs.

“Shit,” Tails hissed as he watched his foolish brother begin to stalk towards Shadow.

The dark furred hedgehog watched Sonic wordlessly. His eyes almost appeared to give off a faint red light that cut through the dreary weather. He ripped his cloak from his shoulders and tossed it aside, revealing a lithe body and a peculiar amulet nestled against a patch of white chest fluff.

“Are they really going to fight right now?!” Amy gasped. They were on a ship in the middle of a stormy sea with innocent bystanders everywhere! Not to mention the fact that Sonic couldn’t swim–

“We've gotta get in there!” Tails exclaimed. 

“Sonic will not hog the spoils of battle for himself!” Knuckles bellowed.

Together the fox and the echidna began forcing their way through the crowd to attempt to… well, Amy was unsure if they were trying to stop the fight or end it faster. In either case she wasn’t going to stand back and do nothing! She couldn’t let Sonic get himself hurt, if this really was Shadow, then she needed to do whatever she could to help.

The assassin drew a pair of knives from her hidden collection and hurried after Tails and Knuckles.

By the time the three of them managed to enter the ring formed on deck the two hedgehogs had begun slowly circling each other. Sonic had Silverstrike held at the ready but Shadow had yet to draw a weapon. He didn’t appear to have one on him, but Amy wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he didn’t have one hidden. She didn’t know where exactly he was keeping the two Emerald Blades, but if they could defeat him before he could draw them then they had a chance.

It was in their best interest to overwhelm Shadow four-on-one. 

Amy flipped her knives in her palms and readied herself for a fight.

She steeled her heart against whatever compassion was still left over within her from the short interaction she’d shared with their dark quilled enemy that morning. Shadow was dangerous, no matter how oddly willing he had been to save both her’s and Sonic’s lives. Amy had a mission to complete, and no one would stop her from doing so.

No one save for Sonic himself, it seemed.

He glared angrily at the four of them once he saw them closing in. “No! Stay back!” the blue hedgehog barked. “He’s mine!”

Amy hesitated for a moment, but Tails and Knuckles weren’t swayed in the slightest.

“Cease your foolishness, hedgehog!” the echidna snapped as he pounded his fists together. “I will not repeat the mistake of leaving this responsibility to you alone. We will best this villain as a team and put an end to this quest!”

“Yeah!” Tails chimed in.

Sonic paused briefly, his attention preoccupied with finding a way to keep Knuckles and Tails from getting between him and his rival. While the blue hedgehog’s attention split, Shadow’s did not. Those chilling red eyes hadn’t left Sonic once since they’d returned to the ship.

Amy fell into a readied stance and kept her focus trained on Shadow in Sonic’s place.

If he tried anything while her friend had his back turned, she’d gut him like a fish.

She didn’t care how strong he allegedly was. No man was stronger than her.

“Rush him!” Knuckles roared.

Much to Sonic’s dismay, his friends darted forward with every intention of ignoring his wishes and ending things now that they had the chance.

Unfortunately for them, their plans would quickly be thwarted.

Amy, Knuckles, and Tails all cried out simultaneously in alarm as they were yanked backwards by some invisible force.

The crowd of sailors and passengers screamed at the supernatural display and hurried to huddle on the edges of the dock.

Once the crowd had thinned out to provide a proper battle field, a second cloaked figure descended from the air on sinewed wings to land on deck between Sonic, Shadow, and the group of vigilantes who had attempted to get between them.

“Now, now,” a female voice purred from beneath a deep hood, “We’ll have none of that. Let’s have a fair fight today, hm?”

“What in the hells,” Knuckles growled.

“Who are you?” Amy demanded. She tightened her grip on her knives and reestablished her stance. She’d fought many dangerous people over the course of her life, and her experience led her to believe that this newcomer presented just as large of a threat as Shadow himself did.

She hadn’t been tossed across deck by a stray gust of wind.

If she had to bet, she’d say that they had a witch on their hands.

That was never a good sign.

“Oh, me?” the hooded woman asked, feigning innocence. She folded her wings neatly across her back and then dropped her hood, revealing large white ears, teal colored eyes lined in glittering kohl, and gorgeous features. “My name is Rouge. And you are?”

Amy blinked, finding her mind grinding momentarily to a halt before she got her head back in the game. She’s really pretty.

She glanced briefly down at the blood stained rosary that was not visible around the woman’s neck.

But she’s also definitely a blood witch.

This might be a problem.

The assassin’s lips flicked up in a confident smirk.

Luckily I love a challenge.

“My name is Amy. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the pink quilled hedgehog replied as she deftly slipped her knives back into their hidden sheathes in exchange for drawing her hammer. She couldn’t afford to hold back, not with so much on the line and certainly not against someone like Rouge.

“Oh, honey, the pleasure is all mine,” the bat purred. Her eyes wracked shamelessly down Amy’s body and back up again. The boldness of it all brought a light flush to the assassin’s muzzle, but she ignored it. She’d always been quick to blush.

“It’s you!” Tails exclaimed, his fur beginning to puff out. “You were on Talonpointe Mountain! Were you the one who led Shadow there? Have you been following us this whole time?”

Rouge’s eyes flicked to the fox. “A lady never tells her secrets~”

“Foul wench,” the echidna growled. “Step aside! You will not come between me and my Emerald!”

“Knuckles!” Tails hissed.

Rouge threw her head back and laughed. “Oh! Aren’t you three just darling? Blue certainly has a lovely taste in company. Just for that, I’ll give you a choice. Walk away now, and I won’t have to hurt you.” The grin on her face seemed to indicate that she was joking, but Amy had the chilling feeling that the threat was very real.

Knuckles, unfortunately, had no such foresight. “I have no time to waste on your games!” he roared. “Get out of my way if you know what’s good for you.” He marched forward on a collision course with the witch, daring her to step aside or be shoved away.

Amy’s ears pinned back and she prepared for a messy fight. Tails attempted to follow after Knuckles but she stopped him with a warning glance.

“Fine,” Rouge sighed as she watched Knuckles storm towards her. “Have it your way.” She glanced briefly over her shoulder to where Sonic and Shadow had paused their arguing to watch their allies stir up trouble. “I’ll take care of this, sweetheart,” Rouge told the dark furred hedgehog. “You take care of Blue. And make sure you finish the job this time.”

Shadow, surprisingly, nodded in acknowledgement and fell into a fighting stance.

Even from across the deck, Amy could tell that his focus was lethal. 

She needed to get past Rouge and help Sonic now. Unfortunately that meant that she’d have to leave the reckless hedgehog to his own devices, at least for the time being. Determined to take care of her battles quickly, Amy switched her grip on her hammer and prepared for the madness to begin.

Knuckles did not pull his punches.

He immediately descended upon Rouge with a ruthless swing aimed directly at her face.

The witch’s grin widened and she sidestepped him with ease. Enraged, the echidna went in for another punch, only for Rouge to hold up a single hand.

Knuckles froze.

Though not of his own accord.

The warrior’s eyes widened in abject horror as his body was controlled by the blood witch.

He yelled in excretion, but was unable to break free. “Witch!” he gasped. “Foul hellspawn! Release me immediately!”

Rouge laughed at his expense. “Not so strong now, are you?” she cooed in a demeaning tone.

“Do not patronize me!” Knuckles snarled. “Fight me like a noble warrior!”

“She’s not a noble warrior, Knuckles,” Amy declared. “She won’t play by the rules.”

Rouge turned her gaze upon the assassin. “And what rules are there in combat, sweet thing?”

The hedgehog raised her hammer and jumped in to take a swing of her own, “I, for one, believe that a woman should right with her fists–” she punctuated with a powerful blow, arching the hammer over her head and bringing it down towards the bat’s  head. Predictably, Rouge dodged once again. Unfortunately she did not break her hold on Knuckles, her arm still remaining raised to keep him in place. “-Rather than with petty magic tricks,” Amy continued, already lifting her enormous weapon again to swing it at Rouge’s back.

The witch gracefully flipped over Amy’s swing and landed neatly on her feet.

Tails wasted no time, having crept behind her while Amy had her distracted. He leapt towards the bat from behind with his hands braced and ready to grab her head and snap her neck if he was lucky.

Somehow Rouge sensed him coming.

She met him with a vicious kick to the gut, which sent the fox tumbling across the deck with a gag.

The moment the witch turned her back on Amy the assassin swiftly drew a knife and chucked it on a collision course with her chest.

Rouge would not be bested so easily, it seemed, for rather than trying and failing to dodge the sailing knife, she summoned her own blade and used it to deflect Amy’s. The witch’s knife seemed to materialize out of thin air, but upon closer inspection one would find that it was in reality forged of her own blood. An arc of scarlet fluid was drained from a slit in her gloved wrist, where it solidified in her hand to form a curved blade. 

Amy’s knife clanged loudly against the summoned weapon before falling uselessly to the deck.

The hedgehog cursed under her breath.

Rouge tossed her a sharp-toothed grin and flipped the knife in her hand. 

Knuckles growled and thrashed against the hold he was trapped in, but was still unable to move. The witch had taken control of his blood. She was using his very body against him. He would not be able to move unless Rouge allowed him to.

This bat was proving to be quite the issue indeed.

Shadow certainly knew how to pick his allies.

When Tails soared in for another try at the witch, she slung Knuckles at him and puppetted the echidna. Borrowing his strength, she used him to grab the fox around the waist and trap him in a clever hold. 

“Knuckles! What the fuck is wrong with you, let me go!” Tails shrieked in outrage.

“This is not my doing!” the echidna stammered as he struggled to control his own strength and avoid bruising his friend. His efforts proved fruitless. “It is the witch! She moves me like a straw doll!”

“Fuck!” Tails yelled. “Amy! You have to kill her now!”

“I’m working on it!” the hedgehog snapped. She didn’t mean to get short with him, but the stress of the situation was getting to her. She’d spent the past ninety-six hours fighting constantly on very little sleep and hardly any food to speak for. Her body and mind were exhausted, and the stress of Shadow’s appearance was making all of it so much worse. Now she had to fight a blood witch, which would have been a difficult feat even if she’d been at her best.

The odds were not in Amy’s favor.

Knuckles and Tails had been defeated in under two minutes, and Sonic was preoccupied with Shadow.

In spite of all of this, Amy refused to allow herself to be discouraged. She’d faced numerous challenges like this in the past. And besides, losing was not an option. She needed to put Rouge out of commission so she could help Sonic! He was strong, but he was up against far too much! …And Amy loved him too much to sit back and let him die because of her own shortcomings.

“My, my,” Rouge chuckled. “It seems that my ‘petty magic tricks’ have given me the upper hand!” She inspected the serrated edge of her knife. Its surface swirled like stirring liquid, yet its form was tougher than steel. “Tell me, sweet thing, where have your fists gotten you now?”

Amy growled. She’d played around for long enough.

The assassin tossed her hammer to the side where it crashed onto the deck with a loud thud. She then tore her cloak from her shoulders and tossed it to the ground. She’d been able to best other witches with her hammer in the past, but it seemed that Rouge would require a more refined touch. 

She reached into the two hidden sheathes on each of her outer thighs and drew out a pair of twin, glistening dirks, each the length of her forearm and ornamented with elegantly engraved handles. 

“Oh?” the witch purred. “Still more tricks up your sleeve? You’re just full of surprises, now, aren’t you?” With her eyes never leaving Amy and one arm still extended in Knuckles and Tails’ direction, Rouge pointed her knife towards the assassin.

Amy watched as more blood was pulled from the bat’s wrist to join the weapon in her fist. The curved knife began to grow and elongate, until it took the form of a thin-bladed cutlass. Rouge then deftly flipped the blade in her hand and fell into a fighting stance.

Her form was impressively solid, considering she still had one arm held out.

The assassin inhaled deeply through her nose, then slowly exhaled. She eliminated all outside distractions and personal concerns, just as Vanilla had taught her to do. The only things that mattered were her blades and her target. Her face fell into a dark mask, her eyes turning blank and her quills falling startlingly flat considering the danger of the situation.

Amy was the picture of calm as she straightened her shoulders and walked towards Rouge as if they weren’t in the middle of a battle.

The witch narrowed her eyes, which was the only tell of nerves that she offered.

“It can’t be easy, holding Knuckles like that,” Amy mused. Her voice was smooth and cold as ice. “If I had to guess, I’d say that it places considerable strain on you and your abilities. You can put up a good front, I’ll give you that, but I’ve fought and slain your kind in the past. I know what makes you tick, know the exact significance of that rosary around your neck. You won’t last long, not while you're focused on puppeting another’s body.”

“Is that so?” Rouge asked. She was still the picture of easy confidence, but her grin had faded into a tight lipped smirk. Though, at the same time, her eyes had narrowed and taken on a dangerous shadow to them. 

Neither the witch nor the assassin had any intention of losing this fight.

“Let’s see how long you last,” Amy said darkly.

“The same to you,” Rouge countered.

With that, the two leapt forward with their blades brandished and expressions guarded. Knuckles and Tails watched on, frustrated with their own uselessness in the situation. On the outskirts of the deck, the sailors and other passengers made sure to give the makeshift battleground a wide berth.

As two violent fights took place in the midst of a raging storm, the captive audience could not discern who they should keep eyes on.

“I found you again, faker,” Sonic growled. The crowd around him might have gasped, and the storm that raged might have tossed his quills about like mad, but the hedgehog only had eyes for one man. There was only one thing that mattered, and that was the fact that Shadow was standing right in front of them.

He’d taken the Emeralds, he’d taken what made Sonic whole, and now he was trying to take Cream’s only hope at a full life.

But he wouldn’t get away with anything else. Sonic would kill him right here, right now. He’d rip that damn amulet from his neck and cut the bastard into such tiny pieces that even his mother wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

When Shadow finally spoke up, Sonic hung on his every word.

“It took you long enough. I was starting to think that you’d never notice… faker.” As he spoke, Shadow lifted his arms to drop his hood.

Sonic’s heart gave a violent lurch when he finally laid eyes on the man he’d crossed the sea to find. Heavy droplets of rain clung to midnight fur and rose colored eyes burned just as vibrantly as they did in Sonic’s memory. He was held captive by that gaze and he couldn’t look away.

An enormous bolt of lightning spiderwebbed across the sky and stained the charcoal clouds overhead a haunting purple. Sonic peeled back his lips in a snarl and fell into a fighting stance. It was finally time, Shadow was finally here. 

“I’m ending this right now!” he screamed. His voice echoed across the deck in time with a powerful crack of thunder. Waves thrashed the ship and sent salty water slinging over the rails to join the rainwater that turned the deck slick and dripped between the cracks in the floorboards to pool in the bowles down below. 

“I’d reconsider,” Shadow replied. His voice was infuriatingly calm. 

“What, are you scared?!” Sonic demanded. He could hardly see past his fury. He’d been waiting for this for weeks. His blood was boiling, his fangs itched to sink into ebony fur and make the fucker bleed and bleed.

“Of course not,” the striped hedgehog scoffed. “We’re only confined on a wooden ship in the middle of a storm. What possible negative consequences could there be to fighting right here, right now?” Sarcasm dripped from his words and turned his tone hostile and sour.

A snarl ripped from Sonic’s throat. “Shut up!” he barked, “I’m not letting you get away this time, you’ll pay for what you’ve done!”

“And what crimes have I committed?” Shadow demanded. “Other than playing you for a fool and revealing the weakling that you truly are? Do not waste my time. I’ll kill you. There won’t be another second chance.”

Subconsciously, the two hedgehogs began to circle each other. Their steps were slow and calculated. They walked with bent knees, braced for action and never breaking eye contact as they each dared their opponent to make the first move. Sonic’s quills grew wilder by the second as they prickled and fanned out, while Shadow’s remained relaxed and waterlogged but tidy.

Sonic tightened his grip on Silverstrike and waited for the perfect moment to attack. If he moved in fast, then he could rip the amulet from around Shadow’s neck before he could think to react. 

Unfortunately Sonic’s concentration was broken a split second before he jumped in for the kill.

To his immense displeasure, Amy, Knuckles, and Tails chose that exact moment to force their way through the crowd in an attempt to interfere in his fight with Shadow. They hurried across the deck with fists and weapons held at the ready.

Most uncharacteristically, the sight of his friends skewered Sonic with a hot bolt of rage and frustration. What the fuck were they doing?! Shadow was his to fight, not theirs!

“No!” he screamed at them, pausing briefly in his circling to stop their approach with a vicious glare. “Stay back! He’s mine!”

Amy startled and skidded to a halt, but Knuckles and Tails didn’t so much as blink.

“Cease your foolishness, hedgehog!” the echidna snapped as he continued storming towards Shadow. “I will not repeat the mistake of leaving this responsibility to you alone. We will best this villain as a team and put an end to this quest!”

“Yeah!” Tails agreed.

Sonic fumed.

“Rush him!” Knuckles ordered Tails and Amy, his focus still pinned on Shadow. 

Sonic’s quills hackled to their fullest height and his eyes flashed with pure, unfettered anger. Several reckless thoughts shot rapid fire across his mind, but before he could do something he’d regret a second hooded figure descended from the air on sinewed wings to land on the deck between Sonic and his troublesome friends.

The cobalt hedgehog watched on in confusion as Knuckles, Tails, and Amy were all slung backwards as if on a stray gust of wind.

What the fuck?!

“Now, now,” the hooded figure purred, “We’ll have none of that. Let’s have a fair fight today, hm?”

“What in the hells,” Knuckles growled.

“Who are you?” Amy demanded. 

“Oh, me?” The newcomer dropped her hood with a graceful flourish, revealing a pair of large white ears that were painfully familiar. “My name is Rouge. And you are?”

Sonic’s jaw dropped clean open.

He recognized this lady. She’d been the strange woman they’d run into on Talonpointe Mountain! Momentarily the altercation taking place between the white furred bat and his allies drowned out in Sonic’s mind. He whipped his head around to glance at Shadow in disbelief. 

The black and red hedgehog’s concentration had been broken upon this Rouge’s arrival. He now watched her with widened eyes and a guarded expression.

Sonic’s brows furrowed as he put two and two together.

He was no alchemist, but he wasn’t a fucking idiot.

This bat was clearly working with Shadow. The two of them were a team. Were there more of them? Or was it only the two? Things had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated.

Rouge’s next words were shouted across the deck, and managed to shake Sonic out of his spiraling thoughts. “I’ll take care of this, sweetheart, you take care of Blue.” She was talking to Shadow. “And make sure you finish the job this time.”

Still rattled with disbelief, Sonic glanced from the bat back to his rival. 

For as rude and uncaring as he was, Shadow nodded along with Rouge’s plan and refocused on Sonic as if he’d been about to turn his back and join the other battle that was starting up behind them.

The implications of it all struck Sonic like a slap across the face.

What the fuck was Shadow doing, getting distracted? The only thing he needed to be focused on was him!

A growl ripped from the blue hedgehog’s throat as he flipped Silverstrike in his hand and began stalking towards his rival with murder in his eyes.

The other hedgehog loosened his cloak and tossed it aside before falling into a fighting stance of his own and refocusing on the task at hand. Now no longer concealed beneath heavy fabric, the amulet forged of the Blue and Green Emeralds gave off an ethereal glow where it lay nestled against a patch of white chest fur.

Sonic’s eyes were magnetized to the amulet then back to Shadow’s eyes again.

Longclaw’s Emerald was right there.

All he had to do was take it.

Sonic stripped himself of his own cloak as a brief distraction and used the fluttering fabric as cover for his swift approach. He closed in on Shadow in a split second, but his attempt at grabbing the amulet proved futile. Sonic was fast but somehow his enemy was faster.

Shadow slipped behind him in an instant. 

A rough kick connected with Sonic’s back and sent him stumbling forward. The swordsman quickly recovered with a cry of rage and turned on his enemy with a barbaric swing of his blade, only for Shadow to execute an uncannily speedy dodge once again and come at Sonic with an uppercut to the face.

The blue hedgehog managed to duck away from this blow, luckily, but the thrust of his blade that he aimed at Shadow’s belly in return was skirted yet again.

Sonic would have loved to blame Shadow’s lithe movements on teleportation, but that simply was not the case. As much as he hated it, Sonic couldn’t deny the fact that his rival wasn’t blipping in and out of existence. He never left the swordsman’s vision, only became reduced to a smear of black and red in the corner of his eye.

It dawned upon Sonic that he was being forced to go up against his own power.

He was fast as hell without the Blue Emerald giving him a boost, but with that extra speed stolen from him and thrust into Shadow’s possession, he couldn’t keep up.

For the first time in Sonic’s life, he was too slow.

It filled him with a bottomless fury. It agitated him to no end.

This speed was his to wield, not this faker’s! Longclaw had entrusted this power to him and him alone! Shadow couldn’t just steal that from him and claim it as his own! Sonic was the fastest thing alive. That was his entire fucking brand.

How dare Shadow take that from him.

How dare he usurp him like this!

The imbalance in power got into Sonic’s head and began breaking him down almost immediately. His fight with Shadow hadn’t lasted but a couple of minutes, but they’d exchanged numerous blows and danced around each other in enough looping steps and clever feints that a normal pair of Mobians would have taken half an hour to perform the same movements.

In his blind rage he forgot about the potion hooked at his belt and the intentions he’d had with it. All that was left was his sword and an ebony body that needed to be impaled on it.

Sonic’s swordplay grew unpolished and erratic as he struggled to keep up with Shadow. He swung and swung, but his rival consistently dodged his every attack. Sonic took punches and kicks and knees to the gut, but never managed to land anything in retaliation. Shadow was always just out of reach, always too fast. No matter how many times the blue hedgehog reached for the amulet he always missed it and watched it slip through his grasp again and again.

Yet in spite of all this, the most enraging thing about this accursed battle was that Shadow had yet to draw his Blades.

In fact, he went out of his way to adjust his fighting style to accommodate the sword that Sonic was swinging around without drawing his own.

The Emerald Blades were what Sonic was fucking here for, but Shadow wouldn’t summon them! He was holding back, and even though Sonic was already decisively losing, that fact irritated him to no end.

“Stop playing around!” the blue hedgehog screamed as he fought a losing battle against his rival in the pouring rain. His boots kicked up water with every step and the ocean around them roared with a fury ravenous enough to match his own.

“What are you talking about,” Shadow hissed as he caught Sonic with a vicious uppercut.

The swordsman spat a mouthful of blood and swung his sword wildly in his opponent’s direction, only for him to evade with supernatural speeds once again. It was so fucking frustrating! Why wouldn’t he fight?!

“Draw your sword!” Sonic roared. He yelled so loudly that his voice echoed out across the open ocean. “What are you fucking waiting for?! You think I’m not good enough?! You think I’m too weak?!”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed and began to cloud with some unreadable emotion. “Not here, you idiot.”

“Why not?! Are you scared?!” Sonic shrieked while lunging at Shadow mindlessly. “Fucking fight me, gods dammit!” At this point all the ebony furred hedgehog had to do to evade was step continuously backwards. 

Sonic was coming apart at the seams. 

After spending a month not only missing a part of himself but also at sea, then followed by days of continuous physical and mental strain? He was losing his grip. There was finally an outlet for him to release his frustrations upon, something to direct all his pent up anger at, but he was not awarded the fight that he so craved.

It was dangled in front of him, just out of his reach.

He craved Shadow’s blood like a rabid animal but if the other hedgehog wouldn’t stop playing the defensive and fight then he’d never have it.

“Are you a fool?” Shadow demanded, glaring daggers at the hedgehog who always insisted on making things so difficult. “The entire ship will be destroyed!”

“Since when do you care about destruction?!” Sonic screamed, “You didn’t give a rat’s ass about tearing my fucking home to the ground!”

Shadow, most bewilderingly, winced at the accusation. “It was different then,” he said through gritted teeth as he ducked a barbaric swing from Sonic’s sword.

“Oh, am I not good enough for you anymore?” the blue hedgehog demanded. “I’m not a coward like you, I don’t run when things get too dicey! Draw your Blade and give me a real fight! The winner claims the Emeralds and the loser gets fed to the sea-spawn!”

Shadow growled at that, “Watch your tongue, you imbecile! Is that all you care about? The Blades? If we fight at full strength on this ship then everyone on board will die! Are you really willing to sacrifice every single innocent life? I hadn’t realized that your allies were so expendable.”

His words made Sonic stumble. 

Then they made his blood begin to boil.

What the hell was Shadow talking about, accusing Sonic of such things?! He was the one who didn’t give a fucking shit about anything but the Emeralds! How dare he act like he had more on the line than his own selfish gain?! Sonic was fighting for all of Green Hill, for Longclaw’s memory, for Cream!

And what did Shadow have?

A tiny voice in the back of Sonic’s mind whispered that he really didn’t know much of anything about Shadow. The hedgehog was a complete total mystery. If he had family or friends somewhere out there then Sonic was totally unaware. Everything he supposedly knew about Shadow’s motives had been assumptions.

That same tiny voice threatened to put a chip into Sonic’s resolve.

Shadow had stolen the Green and Blue Emeralds, but he’d also saved his life and the lives of everyone on the ship. In addition to that he had an ally that he supposedly cared for and respected. And now he was prioritizing the lives of the passengers and the crew over finally getting Sonic out of the way?

Was this blind hatred really that well placed–

Sonic silenced the tiny voice as quickly as it spoke up.

Shadow had committed far too many sins to afford mercy. He’d put Green Hill in danger and trampled over Longclaw’s memory. Now he was trying to kill Cream. He was evil, and there was no room for debate on that fact.

Though unfortunately, he was right about one thing.

It pissed Sonic the fuck off, but Shadow was right to avoid drawing his Blade on the ship. 

Fine then.

If he wouldn’t fight Sonic's way then Sonic would fight his.

With an enraged shout, Sonic chucked Silverstrike aside where she clattered haphazardly across the deck. The blue hedgehog then ripped his unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders and hurled it to the ground, before cracking his knuckles and flexing his fingers.

Shadow lifted a single red-tinted brow.

Sonic didn’t give him so much as an explanation before he leapt at him once again, this time with no Silverstrike forcing distance between them. Fists flew and lithe bodies dodged. Black and red quills finally began to prick up in hostility now that Sonic had closed the distance.

Shadow was still fast as hell, but now that Sonic wasn’t slowing himself down by trying to win a one-sided sword fight, he was able to rely on his raw speed to keep up.

Well, enough to put up a good fight, that was.

The ebony hedgehog was still faster. But he wouldn’t be for long.

Sonic swung his punches without restraint, leaving Shadow to catch them against his forearms as they danced across the deck. The hybrid’s own blows were now growing easier and easier for his opponent to dodge. Sonic was still at a disadvantage, but he was able to learn on his feet. And quickly. Once their battle finally fell into a familiar rhythm, he grew accustomed to the difference in speed and even found himself welcoming the challenge.

When Sonic’s fists finally managed to collide with Shadow’s face it split his face in a manic grin.

The dark furred hedgehog grunted, his head bucking backwards as blood spurted from his split lip. A growl rose up from the depths of that white-furred chest, and a chill entered the air the moment Shadow finally decided to stop holding back.

Snarls and grunts of excretion harmonized with the hush of the pouring rain. Sonic and Shadow fought unlike any other, impossibly fast and without mercy. They kicked and swung and danced around each other as they searched for a perfect opening, an opportunity to gain the upper hand.

Even with the power of the Blue Emerald on his side, once Sonic grew accustomed to Shadow’s increase in speed he was able to even the playing field with sheer force of will alone.

Only the playing field once again grew too even.

Each of the hedgehogs quickly grew frustrated with their inability to gain a considerable edge. Neither of them had ever faced a true challenge outside of each other, and fighting twice previously had not been enough to accustom them to the adjustment. Sonic was the greatest swordsman on his side of the globe, he should have been able to win. Shadow shared the same sentiment, for he was the Ultimate Lifeform.

Yet their efforts consistently proved futile, no matter how hard they fought. 

Their blows were matched in strength and their skills were mirrored not necessarily in fighting style but in long practiced finesse. Shadow had every opportunity to take advantage of the combined chaos of his Emeralds, but he resisted for the sake of keeping the truth of their existence a mystery to the prying eyes that watched the fight from every corner of the deck. 

This made the fight more fair, and that fact should have satisfied Sonic, but instead it only made him more frustrated that he continuously failed to get a hold on the amulet that bounced and swung around Shadow’s neck.

Because as long as Shadow wasn’t utilizing the Emeralds, he wasn’t fighting at his full strength.

He was holding back, and it was pissing Sonic the fuck off.

As the minutes dragged and the fight remained at a standstill, the two hedgehogs began to get desperate. Frustrated. Growls ripped from their throats and anger shone in their eyes. They punched harder, took more reckless opportunities, and began to fight dirty.

Shadow tripped Sonic and sent stumbling. The cobalt hedgehog struggled to regain his footing but was interrupted by an elbow coming down onto his back. He fell with a shout of pain, which was cut off prematurely when Shadow grabbed him by the quills and slammed his face into the deck.

Sonic’s nose gave a cry of pain and stained the pooling rainwater a rusty red as it began to bleed. He refused to let Shadow get the upper hand, and quickly tucked into a ball to roll out of the way of the hybrid’s reaching claws.

The ebony hedgehog chased after him with a snarl, and when Sonic uncurled and hopped to his feet they leapt together to exchange a flurry of blows. Sonic’s fists pounded against ebony fur, drawing hisses of pain and slinging splatters of blood across the deck. Shadow retaliated with equal ferocity, always catching Sonic with a clever jab or ruthless kick to his knees.

Sonic punched Shadow in the face hard enough to make him spit blood.

Shadow replied by weaving past his swinging fists and grabbing his head to slam it into his lifted knee. 

Sonic saw stars, but he didn’t let up. He surged forward with an enraged cry, ignoring the blood that trickled from his brow to drip into his eyes, fully body slamming Shadow and sending both of them crashing to the deck.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before they ended up on the ground.

Stray quills got lodged in wooden floorboards and angry snarls sounded like alarm bells. The two hedgehogs rolled around as they punched and kicked and thrashed, fighting for dominance but never quite managing to hold onto it once they caught a hold of it. 

Sonic straddled Shadow long enough to beat his muzzle until his nose broke, but he was slung off before he could take advantage of the hybrid’s pained state to snatch the amulet. 

Shadow leapt after him as Sonic rolled across the deck like a discarded doll. The dark furred hedgehog scrambled on top of him, grunting as a knee connected with his gut but not letting up. He grabbed each of Sonic’s arms and pinned them to the deck, then ruthlessly headbutted him hard enough to make both of them yelp.

The hybrid struggled to keep his hold on Sonic, but the blue hedgehog thrashed beneath him even as he fought against what had definitely been a concussion. Shadow sat heavily on his thighs and kept his arms pinned with strong hands, but Sonic still had his legs. He managed to get his feet under him and awkwardly buck his rival off. 

Sonic rolled after Shadow and lurched to try and get him in a chokehold, but was met with dangerous fists and sharp fangs bared in warning. They continued wrestling across the deck, with Shadow kicking Sonic into the air only for the blue furred hedgehog to leap back at him to punch at his ribs and stomp hard on his limbs in attempts to break a bone.

After a considerable struggle, Shadow managed to get Sonic into a hold. He leaned down on him heavily with one forearm pressed into the back of his neck, ignoring the pain of blue quills puncturing his flesh. He dug one knee into Sonic’s back to keep him on the ground while the other pressed hard against the back of a blue thigh, digging in deep and making him whimper lightly in pain. 

“Yield,” Shadow snarled as he tightened his grip on Sonic’s forearm, which he had pinned to the deck. The other arm was left free, but there wasn’t much the other hedgehog could do with Shadow’s entire body weight holding him down. 

“Never,” Sonic snarled, a throaty and violent sound. 

Shadow growled in response and pressed harder on Sonic’s arm, threatening to snap the bone. His claws poked through the fabric of his gloves to dig into peach fur. “Why do you insist on doing this?” he demanded.

“I dunno,” Sonic spat, “Why don’t you surrender and give me my fucking Emerald back?”

“That’s not happening,” the hybrid said darkly, “I need it far more than you do.”

Oh, that pissed Sonic off.

What the fuck did Shadow need his Emerald for? Nothing! Hadn’t the Green one been enough?! What could he possibly need all fucking seven for? There was no sane reason to amass the seven Emerald Blades, and the mere implication that Shadow thought there was only served to ignite a fresh reserve of angry determination within him.

Fueled by rage, Sonic yanked the arm that Shadow had pinned to the deck closer to himself and threw his entire body weight towards it. Knowing that the element of surprise wouldn’t loosen his rival’s hold on him for long, he acted fast and on total impulse. 

Some feral aspect of himself took over, and Sonic jumped at the only opportunity that he had.

He sunk his teeth into Shadow’s forearm and bit down hard.

The hybrid yelled in surprise and pain, but unfortunately didn’t break his hold. He tried to yank his arm out of Sonic’s mouth, but the other hedgehog wouldn’t let go. He only bit down harder, and relished into the gush of coppery blood that spilled hot across his tongue and stained his teeth. He bit down further still, until he felt his fangs scrape against bone. 

“What in the hells,” Shadow gasped, “Are you insane?! What the fuck! Don’t bite me, you barbaric–”

Sonic bit harder still and drew a cry of pain from his rival. He clenched his jaw and refused to let go. Pinned as he was, this was all he could do. It was feral and animalistic, but the raw violence of it all sent a sick thrill up his spine. He reveled in the sensation of Shadow’s blood spilling down his chin, the taste of ebony fur on his tongue through the tattered fabric of the gloves that stretched past his elbows.

He didn’t care how insane he may have looked or how depraved the action was.

As long as Sonic could make Shadow bleed, he hadn’t lost yet.

He wouldn’t leave this fucking ship without his Emeralds.

Shadow would have to kill him first.

As Sonic’s fangs sunk deep into the flesh in Shadow’s arm, he felt something within him snap.

He knew he’d been a fool. Rouge had yelled at him to stop but he’d climbed the mast and saved his blue quilled enemy from certain death anyway. He didn’t know what had pushed him to do it, only knew that a sudden cry within him that had panicked upon coming to terms with the fact that he was about to watch Sonic die.

The hedgehog that understood him, though he didn’t yet know that himself.

The emerald eyed fool that had haunted Shadow’s thoughts for the past month and drew his eyes like magnets over the course of the week they’d spent on this ship.

The swordsman who laughed so beautifully even after all the tragedy he’d seen.

In the moment Shadow had reasoned that he was fighting the sea-spawn to preserve his own mission. He couldn’t make it to Knifepoint if he was eaten by a monster at sea. Saving everyone else on the ship was merely a side effect.

And he was saving Sonic because it was his place to kill the blue fool, not some grotesque creature’s.

Sonic was his to fight, his to grind under his boot and his to send to the hells.

He’d told himself this, yet as he leapt from the mast and yanked his moronic rival from the clutches of certain death while holding him close, he’d known that in reality it was something else. He wasn’t saving Sonic to preserve the kill for himself or even using him as a tool to assist in defeating the sea-spawn. 

Shadow had done it because he couldn’t stand to see him die.

Because he didn’t want Sonic to die.

Why he felt this way was a complete and utter mystery. He told himself it had nothing to do with the odd way his heart had raced when he’d held Sonic close as they soared through the air, or the odd thrill he gained from fighting alongside the idiot rather than against him. 

The moment had shattered when they’d returned to deck, however.

Whatever Shadow had thought would happen after revealing himself so obviously hadn’t occurred. Because of course Sonic would attack him the moment he caught onto who was hiding beneath the deep hood and heroic acts.

They weren’t meant to work as a team.

Shadow had something that Sonic wanted, and they would remain enemies until one of them fell in death.

That person would not be Shadow. His revenge was too important, far more important than whatever this strange aversion to watching Sonic die was. 

The hybrid’s odd delusions from the past few weeks had quickly trickled away into something bitter and confused as he and Sonic fought. Once the heat of the moment had passed he had been left with the consequences of his actions. Now his mission would be jeopardized once again, all because he’d insisted upon saving Sonic’s life instead of letting him drown.

Shadow was frustrated with himself for showing such weakness and he was frustrated with Sonic for continuously making his mission more difficult than it already was.

Unpacking these strange feelings was unpleasant and near maddening, but fighting was easy.

Anger was something that he could understand. Rage was something that he could act on and resolve. This strange fluttering in his stomach, this cursed affection, it was dangerous. It was vile. Shadow refused to allow it to control him any longer.

So he fought Sonic. He fought him with all his might, with every intention of putting the other hedgehog in his place and getting him out of the way once and for all.

But the sensation of those sharp fangs digging into his flesh shattered his precious concentration.

Suddenly all the feelings and observations that he’d tried so hard to compartmentalize slammed into him with full force. His eyes wracked across razor sharp quills, soaked and dripping with rainwater but no less deadly. Tight muscle rolled beneath brilliant blue fur as Sonic struggled to break out of the hold Shadow held him in. The fool was covered in blood, but in spite of that he was pushing Shadow to his limits. 

It was admirable.

It was… intoxicating.

Shadow was a monster, a creature born of destruction and violence, but Sonic was too. He was dangerous, a weapon of his own right. Though he’d been born that way, not patched together like a broken ragdoll, as Shadow had been. 

Watching Sonic bite down on his arm, meeting those green eyes that glared up at him from under a brow stained with blood and dirtied rainwater, Shadow realized that Rouge was right.

Sonic really was beautiful, wasn’t he?

A deep flush spilled across his muzzle as the hedgehog beneath him bit deeper - as Shadow felt those sharp fangs for himself. He wondered how they would feel biting down on his neck, spilling blood across his shoulder and chest and–

Fuck.

No.

What the hell was he thinking–

Sonic was his enemy!

Mortified by his train of thought and frustrated to no end by his inability to treat his opponent as just that, Shadow halted his spiraling thoughts in their tracks. He shoved them aside and buried them beneath layers of fury and grief and pain. 

He was not here to fraternize with this blue nuisance and fantasize over– over whatever the fuck it was about Sonic that drove him insane and made him think such irrational things.

Shadow was a weapon.

He’d been created to kill, to destroy everything in his path. He was the Ultimate Lifeform, and this displayed weakness was unacceptable. Sonic was standing between him and Maria’s justice, and Shadow would no longer stand for it.

No holding back.

This was over.

With a furious cry on his lips, Shadow broke his hold on Sonic and rolled over, bringing the other hedgehog with him. He rearranged their positions quickly, placing Sonic on his back while Shadow straddled him with his arm still clenched in that powerful jaw. 

Green eyes widened in shock at the sudden movement, but the determined fire didn’t leave them.

No matter.

If Sonic wanted to fight like a dog in the mud then that’s what Shadow would give him.

In his rage he felt his control begin to loosen, felt his form shiver like the surface of a still lake. 

Shadow leaned down and butted heads with Sonic, though this time he left their brows connected as he gazed deep into his eyes and growled.

“Let go, you filthy scum,” he spat.

Sonic shook his head and bit down harder.

Shadow felt his bones begin to fracture.

The hybrid flexed the fingers on his free arm and allowed his claws to cut through the tips of his gloves. Then he dug his claws deep into Sonic’s side and dragged them down, carving deep gouges and making hot blood spill.

Predictably, the blue hedgehog yelled in pain, finally releasing Shadow’s arm.

He wasted no time.

Blue and green sparks combined skittered across Shadow’s fur as his self control slipped and he began to subconsciously feed on the strength the Emeralds around his neck offered. He grabbed Sonic by the face, stood, and chucked his body at the main mast.

The blue hedgehog gagged as he hit the wood. Sailors cried out in alarm as the sail itself began to shiver as the mast absorbed the impact. Shadow’s sensitive ears picked up the sickening crunch of breaking ribs. 

Sonic managed to land on his feet, but Shadow was already closing in. 

He jabbed his claws directly at the other hedgehog’s throat.

Sonic lurched out of the way, but Shadow followed him.

The two of them fell to the deck again in a tangle of limbs and puffed quills. Only now they didn’t punch or kick, but swiped with sharp claws and drew blood with bared fangs. Now that Shadow was leaning on the Emeralds, Sonic stood no chance.

Though the blue hedgehog might have equated to a hundred normal Mobians on his own, thanks to the Emeralds Shadow equated to two thousand. More than that, even, as his form continued to shiver and eerie growls and clicks began to tear from his throat. 

Blood and clumps of blue fur began to paint the rain soaked deck, but the mess was accompanied by ebony fur and stray red quills. All around sailors paused in their struggles to control the ship and the passengers watched on in horror. The captain himself stood on the safety of the quarterdeck with his eyes narrowed and arms folded tightly across his chest.

Mobians didn’t usually fight like this. 

It was a horrific display, but not a single person made a move to break up the fight. 

If one of the hedgehogs died on deck, their body would be tossed to the waves without a second thought. 

There was nothing and no one that could stop Shadow from finally putting an end to this ridiculous rivalry. 

He held Sonic by his quills and beat his skull against the deck over and over again, not stopping until that blue body finally went slack and stopped fighting.

With a growl on his lips, Shadow rose to his full height and lifted Sonic high by a fistful of quills. His hand was being torn to shreds in the process but he didn’t care. Shadow had flown completely off the handle. He was tired of being shown the other hedgehog’s memories and he was tired of being forced to feel for him and he was tired of these complicated emotions!

Shadow couldn’t show affection for another person, he couldn’t care.

Just look where it had gotten him the first time. Maria was fucking dead and he was left all alone with nothing but her memory and a gaping hole inside him that was filled with rage and grief and pain. Maria was the only person that mattered, and Sonic was getting in the way of the only thing he could do to soothe the pain of having her ripped away from him.

He was done.

Sonic wheezed and glared at Shadow through the gore that painted his face. He coughed weakly and a mouthful of blood spilled past his lips to splatter Shadow’s arm. Even after all this, he was still fucking alive. He was a vermin, so difficult to kill yet so infuriatingly persistent. 

Shadow stalked across the deck, his eyes trained on the tumultuous sea that thrashed their ship and begged for blood.

As he walked, Sonic looked confused, then began to panic. Terror seized his eyes and he began to kick weakly. He tried to speak, but only managed to cough up more blood. Shadow ignored the pathetic display and whatever disgusting part of himself screamed at him to reconsider.

He stopped only when he reached the railing at the very edge of the deck.

“No!” Sonic gasped, his voice wet with blood, “Please! Don’t–”

Shadow ignored him.

With a grunt of exertion he slung the blue quilled hedgehog over the railing and into the jagged waves below.

Chapter Text

It was over.

Amy had lost to the witch and she’d let Sonic down. 

She and Rouge had been relatively well matched in their sword play, until the bat had grown tired of humoring her and taken control of her body. Now the assassin lay face down on the deck with rainwater soaking into her muzzle as she struggled against the bat’s power.

Amy could try to push back and fight all she wanted, but the witch’s will was uncharacteristically strong. She was quite skilled, which was most alarming. Usually blood witches weren’t this powerful. Such prowess could have only been developed if a coven had existed in practice for thousands of years, and the thought did not sit well with the assassin. She’d killed many a witch on various missions across the globe, but never had she fought one as strong as Rouge.

Now watching as the bat sashayed across the deck with one arm extended to hold Knuckles and the other to hold her, all Amy could do was glare up at her and struggle fruitlessly against the invisible force that kept her flush with the deck.

“It was fun, really, it was,” Rouge told her with mock reassurance, “But I have a gem to steal, and I can’t have you getting in my way.”

Amy growled in displeasure.

The bat merely laughed, revealing sharp white fangs.

Fuck. Sonic’s all on his own, now! We failed to defeat the witch, and now she’ll be able to defeat him just as easily as she defeated Tails, Knuckles, and I.

Amy gazed up through pink quills that spilled across her face to check on Sonic’s condition. Fear swirled about in her gut and pressed between her shoulder blades. The entire point of fighting Rouge had been to get past her to help fight Shadow! But Amy had failed, and now her friend was in danger.

Across the deck she caught sight of Sonic.

A gasp immediately slipped past her lips.

It had only been a handful of minutes that Amy had spent fighting Rouge, but during that time Sonic had discarded Silverstrike and begun fighting Shadow with his bare hands. An Emerald Blade hadn’t been drawn, which was a relief, but it was clear that their power was being used against Sonic nonetheless.

It was horrific. 

The two hedgehogs tumbled together and wrestled across the deck with claws and fangs bared. They punched and kicked, but also scratched at each other's fur and gnashed blood stained teeth. Sonic was in terrible shape. He was bleeding from multiple gash and claw wounds and struggled against his more powerful rival to no avail. Sparks of pure energy crackled across Shadow’s dark fur, flashes of blue and green against the dark, as he tore into the cobalt hedgehog and painted the deck with his blood.

Amy squirmed against Rouge’s hold on her but was unable to move.

She watched in sheer terror as Shadow kicked Sonic roughly across the deck. This time, the blue hedgehog didn’t get up.

Shadow was on him in seconds. He grabbed Sonic by his quills and slammed his face against the hard, wooden floorboards. 

Again. 

Again. 

Again.

Blood was everywhere. Sonic’s ears began to droop. His body went limp. 

“Sonic!” Amy cried, giving one more hopeless thrash against Rouge’s power. She managed to squirm, but the invisible force pressing her down didn’t let up.

“Won’t you hold still?” the bat complained, “You’ll miss the show!” A grin split her face as she watched the two hedgehogs fight. She didn’t step in to help Shadow, and though Amy supposed he didn’t need it she was still grateful for that fact.

Though it didn’t matter whether or not Rouge stepped in.

Sonic was already doomed. Amy could see it in those angry blood colored eyes. Shadow was about to kill him.

Her fears were confirmed when Shadow stood and brought Sonic with him, still holding him by his quills. The dark furred hedgehog held his beaten and bloodied rival high, scrutinizing his face for a moment before turning and walking towards the edge of the deck.

Amy gasped and began to thrash wildly.

No.

He wouldn’t.

Shadow had just saved Sonic’s life, so why would he–?

Sonic squirmed weakly, but was unable to so much as move his arms up to grip at the hand that was knotted in his quills. Amy could see the panic in his eyes from all the way over here.

“No! Please!” His pleading cries were desperate and heartbreaking. Amy’s heart ached. She couldn’t let this happen! She had to do something!

“Don’t–” Sonic gasped, but it was too late.

Shadow hurled him over the railing and into the ocean below.

As if to punctuate the sealing of his fate, a bolt of lighting cracked overhead and a particularly large wave sent their ship reeling.

“SONIC! NO!” Amy screamed, her voice ripping from her chest, guttural and desperate. Knuckles and Tails screamed alongside her, but she couldn’t pick out their words through the panic that rose up her throat like bile. 

She bucked and thrashed, but there was nothing she could do.

The witch held her still, and she could only watch helplessly as the man she loved was swallowed by the treacherous sea.

It transpired over the course of a matter of fleeting moments.

Shadow hurled Sonic overboard, finally putting an end to the infuriating blue hedgehog. Then the pink quilled assassin screamed and began thrashing so roughly against Rouge’s hold on her that the bat had to double down the force of her spell.

The dark quilled hedgehog had every intention of turning from the sea to put an end to the rest of his irksome enemies, but the moment Sonic’s body splashed as it hit the ravenous ocean waves below, the Blue Emerald burst from its barred enclosure in a wild display of enraged grief for its master’s impending death.

Immense amounts of chaos energy poured from the Emerald around Shadow’s neck and into his body. The amulet began to burn, its metal heating to such a degree that it began to singe white chest fluff and sizzle against the skin beneath. Shadow’s eyes were engulfed by blue pools of light as he was overwhelmed by the Emerald’s wrath. The force of it all hit him so hard that he immediately doubled over and hurled his guts onto the deck. His vomit was tinged with the shocking red of his blood.

Shadow gagged and wretched, but was unable to recover from the whiplash of energy coursing through him before he was pulled violently under the most powerful hallucination he’d experienced to date.

He collapsed forward into his own bile as the fragment of Sonic’s spirit, strengthened by the Blue Emerald, surged forward and forced its way into Shadow's body. It overtook his mind, senses, and being, until he was no longer onboard the ship.

Shadow was falling down a waterfall, drowning in mortal terror as frigid water rushed up to meet him.

He hit the surface and his tiny body almost broke on impact, only to sink deep beneath dark waters. He thrashed and struggled, but the undertow of the waterfall was too powerful. Shadow was pulled deeper and deeper, and his screams only served to fill his mouth and throat with water. In his panic he inhaled–

But water did not pour into his lungs and end his pathetic life.

The vision changed, and he was no longer drowning at the base of a waterfall but sitting in a shallow wash basin. Shadow was fully grown, with blue quills longer and thicker and the fur on his arms and chest shaved down to the peach undertone beneath. A heavy amulet hung around his neck and offered warmth, but he couldn’t think through his panic.

His fingers dug into his quills and his chest rose and fell in quick succession. He breathed so quickly, but no air entered his lungs. He was suffocating. Suffocating on that frigid poison that filled his nose and throat, even though he was safe in his own home sitting in inch deep water.

But it was still water.

It still soaked his fur.

Even getting his fur wet reminded him of that terrible night. The night he’d lost everything and then been swallowed up by that ice cold monster–

The vision changed again, and now Shadow was a lanky teenager. Rain poured from the heavens overhead, and even as he sat on solid ground, with wet grass swaying around him, the water that clogged his fur was too heavy. It soaked him to the bone and ran in rivulets across his eyes and mouth.

His friends were watching him.

He could feel the echidna and the fox staring at him in horror, in pity, they knew he was weak but he just couldn’t stop shaking. His breaths came too fast. The panic seized him and there was nothing he could but curl in on himself as his fingers clenched up and his vision began to blur. 

Tears welled up in his eyes and Shadow was flooded with a crushing sense of shame.

Embarrassment.

He was supposed to be strong, the village’s protector, even though he was young.

But here he was, completely losing it because of a little rain–

Shadow wasn’t sitting in the field in a gentle rainstorm anymore. Now he stood on the beach, small again but grown a little from the night he’d lost it all. An oversized rapier was hooked at his hip. Its weight made him sad, but also reminded him of kind smiles and nights gazing at the stars. This village was his home now. They needed him just as much as he needed it.

Just like the small, tawny furred fox needed him. He watched as the kid ran across the beach to kick excitedly at the lazy waves that lapped against the shore. The boy loved the beach. He wanted nothing more than to sail, to explore the open seas.

But Shadow couldn’t give that to him.

He couldn’t even play with his two tailed friend.

No, for he found himself frozen. His feet were stuck in the sand, his eyes trained on the indigo water that stretched out as far as his eyes could see. It was so deep. So vast. If he sank in that then he’d be sucked to the bottom with no hope of escape, no hope of breathing.

Shadow’s breath caught in his throat. 

Panic churned his stomach and suddenly he tasted bile on his tongue.

His lungs caved in. What was happening? What was this? The terror was too much, but he couldn’t move. All he could do was stand and wonder why he was breathing so fast as he stared back at the monster that leered at him from beyond the safety of the sand. 

The small fox stopped his playing to run over to him, tears welling in ice colored eyes as he shook Shadow’s shoulders and tried to get his hands to stop clenching into such scary shapes. Shadow didn’t want to scare his friend, didn’t want to see him cry, but the ocean had him under its spell.

He should have died that night.

He couldn’t even remember how he’d survived, all he knew was that the water was out to get him.

It was waiting for the chance to take him back.

To fill his lungs and pull him deep underneath, where he belonged.

All he could see was Longclaw’s bleeding body, laying on the distant ocean floor, reaching up to him with dead feathers and blank eyes as he was sucked down, down, down to join her in death.

The world spun. There was no beach, no waterfall, no shallow bath, and no grassy plain. All the visions melded together and twisted about before Shadow’s eyes. He didn’t know where he was, didn’t know what was going on. All he could feel was the panic, the fear. The water logging his quills and soaking his fur. 

Then he saw Sonic, alive, at present. This was pulled from Shadow’s own memory and thrust into his hands in the midst of all the chaos. He watched from afar as the blue quilled hedgehog sauntered across the deck of their ship. Even though the ocean surrounded him on all sides. Even though the humidity choked his fur and made every breath feel impossibly wet.

In spite of it all Sonic smiled. 

Laughed. 

He glowed, as if he was a second sun.

His laughter was boisterous and loud, but beautiful as it graced Shadow’s ears from across the deck. Shadow couldn’t help the way his stomach lurched. The way his heart clenched in his chest. What was this? Why was Sonic so–

So–

Then everything changed, again.

Rain poured from the sky and thunder roared overhead as Shadow hurled Sonic over the railing of the ship and into the waiting arms of the ocean below.

Dread, dark and terrible, coiled in Shadow’s gut. He didn’t know if it was remnants of Sonic’s memories or his own, but it shook him to his core and snapped him out of his manic rage like a slap across the face.

The water was pouring into his nose. It was forcing its way past his lips and spilling down his throat as he sank deeper and deeper–

Shadow was back in his own body again. He was back in the rain storm, covered in blood with Blue electricity skating across his dark fur. His stomach convulsed again, and this time when he vomited it had nothing to do with a sudden surge of chaos energy.

The hybrid whimpered miserably as the last contents of his stomach forced their way up his throat to join the pool of bile and rainwater that he’d formed on the deck. As unpleasant as the sensation was, it grounded him in reality.

The amulet around his neck burned.

Shadow was on his feet in an instant. In a panicked frenzy he scrambled across the deck, his eyes trained on dark waters. Sonic was nowhere to be found. He was down there, somewhere. Reliving that terrible night. Shadow winced as he recalled burning buildings and smoke that made him choke on his own breath, though he wasn’t certain if the memory was his or Sonic’s anymore.

He realized that he didn’t care.

Shadow leapt over the railing and dove head first into the raging ocean below.

He didn’t hear Rouge’s enraged shout, demanding to know what the fuck he thought he was doing, why he wasn’t just letting the blue bastard die.

None of that mattered, none of it!

Sonic was going to drown if he didn’t fucking do something about it!

Powerful currents pulled at Shadow’s body and slung him this way and that. The ocean was angry. It could tell that Shadow was trying to take its prize away from it. The hybrid refused to let it get the better of him. He opened his eyes and ignored the burn of the salty water. There was nothing but shadows, darkness. Even with his heightened senses he couldn’t see shit.

Shadow cursed mentally and whipped around underwater as he was twisted about, the surface spinning as he was sucked deeper and deeper. His lungs burned, but he refused to give up. Sonic couldn’t be far, could he? It had only been a matter of seconds before Shadow had followed him overboard.

Where was–

Lighting struck overhead, and for a split second the water was illuminated. 

Shadow’s eyes widened as he was assaulted with a world of blue. He could see the bright glow of the lightning’s strike, far above him, as well as the shadow of the ship’s hull. His eyes hunted the expanse of water, searching for cobalt in a hellscape of navy.

The amulet around his neck suddenly heated to a near scalding degree, and Shadow turned on pure impulse.

There.

Floating in the endless blue and veiled in a haze of blood that stained the water around him in rusty clouds.

Sonic.

The illumination from the lightning faded, but Shadow had already won.

He teleported to Sonic’s location and reached through the water with desperate hands. His arms locked around the other hedgehog’s chest and he pulled him close, folding his rival’s body against his own. The amulet, now pressed between each of their chests, began to glow. It was almost blinding, a starburst of green and blue that melded together to illuminate a peach-muzzled face and soft blue ears that floated limp in the water.

As well as a parted mouth that had long since stopped spilling bubbles.

Shadow was skewered with a bolt of fear. The strength of it rattled him to his core, made him question why he cared so much, but he ignored it.

He wasn’t done yet.

Using the last of his strength, the black and red hedgehog pulled on the power of his Emerald and teleported himself and Sonic back to the ship.

The two hedgehogs blipped into existence a couple feet over the deck, then collapsed onto it in a pile of soaked fur and waterlogged quills. 

Amy might have screamed and the crowd on deck might have descended into a chorus of alarmed gasps and speculative shouts, but Shadow didn’t hear any of it. He could do little but desperately suck down air as he caught his breath. His lungs still burned from spending so much time underwater, but he would recover.

He wasn’t important right now.

Sonic still hadn’t drawn breath.

He hadn’t so much as twitched.

Moving frantically, Shadow untangled himself from his rival and flipped him onto his back. Sonic was limp, unmoving. His three troublesome friends began to shout and shriek like howler monkeys, but the dark quilled hedgehog ignored them, as well as Rouge’s colorful string of curses as she struggled to continue holding them down.

There was only one person that mattered, and that was Sonic.

Feeling slightly guilty, Shadow pounded his fist hard into the other hedgehog’s abdomen. A blue body convulsed and a mouthful of saltwater poured from his lips, but he still didn’t wake up. He still didn’t breathe.

Shadow bit back a curse and quickly laced his fingers together, then pressed down on that peach chest in practiced, regular intervals. With each pump of his arms, more water bubbled from Sonic’s mouth, but the fool still didn’t wake up.

Panic began to stir within Shadow. It crawled up his spine to drill between his shoulders and spread across the crown of his skull. 

He still didn’t give up.

The alchemist had taught him how to do this, how to save a life. Just in case Maria ever…

Shadow had never had to resuscitate someone before, luckily, but he did know not to stop. Not even for a moment. Even a second’s hesitation could mean the difference between life and death. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched him work in utter shock, but he ignored them all. 

He counted the compressions, just as he’d been taught.

Sonic still didn’t move.

An odd sensation fluttered about in Shadow’s stomach, even though he knew that what he was about to do was merely medical procedure. He ignored the gymnastics in his gut and placed one hand on Sonic’s forehead and the other beneath his chin. Shadow tilted his head back to open his airway then shifted his fingers to plug his nose.

Wasting no time, the hybrid bent down and pressed his lips against Sonic’s. A jolt of surprise surged through him and his muzzle flushed hot. He ignored whatever the fuck was going on and breathed into his rival’s mouth, only stopping when his chest lifted. Shadow breathed for him once more than returned to compressing his chest.

The minutes dragged, but Shadow didn’t stop.

Soon enough silence overtook the deck, even from Sonic’s idiotic friends.

No one’s eyes left the pair of hedgehogs, who had miraculously gone from trying to kill each other to saving each other’s lives.

The storm finally began to fade, with the pouring rain reducing to a calm shower and the raging ocean calming, if only slightly.

Shadow was in the midst of breathing into Sonic’s mouth for what felt like the hundredth time when the other hedgehog finally woke up.

He gasped against the hybrid’s lips and both hedgehogs gawked at each other with wide eyes.

Then Sonic lurched upright to vomit buckets of seawater between his lifted knees. Shadow hung instinctively at his side, panting as he was finally able to rest after resuscitating for so long. He sat on his knees beside Sonic with a hand rested firmly on his rival’s shoulder as he coughed up the last of the sea water.

When Sonic finally stilled the silence was excruciating.

The blue hedgehog slowly turned to face Shadow. His expression was unreadable.

Shadow grasped for words, but he didn’t know what to say. He still didn’t know what the fuck he’d just done in the first place. He didn’t know what had come over him. He’d finally rid himself of this blue imbecile, but then the Blue Emerald had accosted him with the first visions he’d seen in weeks and–

“You–” Sonic began, only to be interrupted by Rouge.

“Time’s up!” she gasped, just as Amy and Knuckles broke out of the hold she’d had them in. The bat spread her wings and darted across the deck to grab Shadow under his arms and take off towards the open ocean.

“Rouge!” Shadow gasped, “What are you–”

“-You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?!” the witch exclaimed. “You could have gotten him out of the way and opened a clear path to the Emerald but you just had to go and play hero, huh?”

“It wasn’t my choice!” Shadow argued as he watched the ocean pass underneath them in a blur. “It was the Emerald! It–”

“-Ugh, whatever!” Rouge bemoaned, “Doesn’t matter! I want that gem! For now, we need to get to the Devil’s Lighthouse while we have the chance. Look.”

Shadow followed her instruction and gazed across the open ocean. Sure enough, Knifepoint Island had appeared on the horizon. The landmass was mountainous where it sat in the embrace of the sprawling ocean and charcoal sky. It grew and grew as Rouge sped towards it on powerful wings. She was far faster in flight than Shadow had previously assumed.

At this rate they’d get to the island with enough spare time to find passage to the Devil’s Lighthouse and steal the Light Blue Emerald before Sonic and the others could even–

“You will not get away so easily, villain!!”

That was the voice of the echidna.

The shout was the only warning Shadow and Rouge received before the fool collided with them and sent all three of them plummeting towards the choppy waves below. 

Sonic sat crumpled on the deck, soaked to the bone and bleeding from a litany of wounds. Everything hurt. Salt water burned against his exposed flesh and his entire chest felt like it had been lit on fire from the inside out. 

Yet in spite of the immense pain and the full blown panic that had erupted on deck, Sonic could do little but sit and gawk at Shadow’s retreating form as his bat friend carried him away towards the island that loomed on the horizon. 

His fingers drifted subconsciously to brush across his lips.

He replayed the past several seconds in his mind, when he’d awoken from what he’d thought was his watery grave to find soft lips against his breathing precious air into his lungs. Sonic could still see that wide-eyed expression on Shadow’s face when he’d woken up, the tiny flicker of relief and something else that had flashed in rose-colored eyes before he’d shattered the moment by coughing up enough sea water to fill a small pond.

The fur on Sonic’s shoulder still prickled as if Shadow’s hand was still resting there.

His muzzle felt oddly warm.

Shadow saved me. Again. But why? He was the one who threw me into the ocean in the first place so why the hell would he–

The hedgehog’s dazed thought process was interrupted by Amy and Tails colliding with him and forming a soggy dogpile on the deck.

“Sonic!” Amy wailed, “Chaos, I thought you were dead! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I should have been able to beat Rouge but she was too strong! It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault.” She wrapped her arms tightly around him and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. 

Tails, similarly, was doing his damndest to squeeze the air Shadow had managed to give him right back out while he hooked his chin over Sonic’s opposite shoulder. “You’re safe! I’m so glad you’re okay, Sonic, never fucking fight him again, you’re so stupid!”

“Hey, hey, I’m alright! Everything's fine,” Sonic rasped. His voice sounded raw, like he’d swallowed glass. He returned his friends’ desperate embrace to the best of his ability, but his body ached with every move he made. 

“The villain is escaping!” Knuckles roared, interrupting Sonic, Amy, and Tails’ heartfelt embrace. They scrambled to sit up and watched in growing alarm as the echidna threw himself off the deck and spread his arms to glide after Rouge’s and Shadow’s retreating forms. 

“Knuckles!” Sonic shouted, the yell ripping from his throat painfully and immediately sending him into a coughing fit. He doubled over in Amy and Tails’ arms hacked up a mouthful of blood. 

“Oh no!” Amy gasped. “He’s hurt! Shit, there’s blood everywhere!” Her voice was panicked as she glanced down at herself to find her leather armor stained with Sonic’s blood. There was a growing puddle of it beneath them, as well. 

“We have to go after him!” Sonic exclaimed wetly as he watched Knuckles zip further and further away. What the fuck was he thinking?!

“No! Stop!” Tails shouted. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders in an attempt to prevent him from diving overboard again like a total fool. “We have to heal you before we do anything else!”

“But Knuckles is–”

“It won’t take that long!” the fox barked. “Hold him,” he snapped while shoving Sonic backwards into Amy’s awaiting arms. The assassin gripped him from behind and held him still, much to the swordsman’s dissatisfaction. He watched in growing alarm as Knuckles collided with their enemies in the far distance and sent all three of them crashing into the sea. They had to get out there and fast!

Tails worked fast. He’d been carrying healing potions on his belt for this exact purpose. He quickly uncorked one that was so strong that it began to hiss and steam when the rain hit it. The fox wasted no time in pouring its contents directly into the worst of Sonic’s wounds, which was the row of deep claw marks down his side.

The blue hedgehog ground his teeth and choked down a shout of pain as the viscous liquid soaked into his flesh and began lacing it back together. Sonic’s potions always worked quickly, and this one was no exception. Tails poured a couple more potions over the worst of his injuries and soon enough Sonic was all healed up.

He lay panting in Amy’s arms as the damage done to his lungs completed its healing process. With fractured bones properly fused and his body stitched back together like a straw doll, Sonic stumbled to his feet and quickly moved to retrieve Silverstrike from where he’d abandoned her on deck.

“Sonic, wait!” Amy fretted. “Shouldn’t you rest for a little while?”

“No, there’s no time,” the blue hedgehog growled while slipping his sword back into the sling on his belt. He left his abandoned cloak and shirt and marched with purpose towards the railing that Knuckles had just jumped off of. His soggy boots splashed in vast puddles of his own blood, mixed with clumps of blue and black fur and occasional shed quills.