Chapter Text
Everything went dark.
This wasn’t an unfamiliar experience for Sonic; As a matter of fact, he’d tell you that it’d always been this way. There was nothing more familiar than the cold, quiet, unforgiving embrace of the void that clouded his vision as much as it did his heart. Dark tendrils had wrapped around his mind, enclosing it in a thick cocoon that the light couldn’t pierce. Day and night had lost its meaning, there was nothing that could shine bright enough for Sonic anymore, nothing that would put a stop to the incessant ache that he felt in mind, body and soul.
Except for him.
The sole reason for all of Sonic’s anguish, and the only pitiful cure to his affliction, allowing him fleeting moments of calm before the ever-raging storm within him reaches its apex once again, with no signs of ending in sight. It's a name that reaches Sonic’s tongue with venom every time: Hyper Shadow. A sickeningly sweet poison that he can’t get enough of, no matter how much he pleads with himself to pick his feet up, run far away and never see him again (Which he’ll never do, as the thought of having to suffer alone was far worse than whatever this was.)
Speaking of this, he couldn’t feel anything right now. Which, in itself, was already a sign that something wasn’t quite - for lack of a better term - ‘normal’ compared to how every day for the last few weeks- months? Time had little meaning to Sonic anymore. He stopped keeping track after he resigned himself to what was apparently his fate. Sonic had accepted that he would follow Hyper Shadow, his brilliant shimmering white quills accented with cyan, those gorgeous star-struck blue eyes of the same color, and that unfading hollow smile, anywhere.
Either way, no matter how long it had been, every day was always the same. Wherever he went, no matter what he did, he couldn’t suppress the despair and anger that boiled at the surface of his skin. Hyper Shadow was always none the wiser, as it seemed he wasn’t simply unwilling, but literally unable to grasp the concept of being anything but happy. It only served to fuel Sonic’s rage. Every time those soft, radiant eyes beamed at him, it made Sonic want to scream. He’d tried this, of course, but one day it had struck him that as Hyper Shadow would look his way, lock eyes with Sonic, he would never fully see him. He saw what he wanted to see, which was a world free of flaws. Then, Hyper Shadow stretched out his arms, and Sonic could do nothing as he melted into the embrace, drinking in the light as it buzzed against his skin like a warm blanket shielding him from a harsh storm. It wouldn’t last, he knew this, but he couldn’t resist the feeling. He needed this, he needed him.
And it went on this way every. Single. Day.
Except for right now, of course. Finally getting back to that, what was happening? He couldn't think, couldn't feel, couldn't move. It was completely empty, and in a way it was almost comforting. It was…freeing.
Freedom. Once upon a time, that word and the name Sonic were practically interchangeable. Nothing and nobody could tie down the fastest thing alive. The wind as his guide, whim as his counsel. No matter what life threw at Sonic, he took it in stride. He could always count on himself and his crew when hard times came, so he never had to worry. He would keep running, and wherever a trail of crackling blue energy was left in wake of a blue blur, adventure was sure to follow.
‘That’s right. It wasn’t always this way.’ The hint of a thought tried to pierce itself from his subconscious. In this vast expanse of darkness, Sonic could almost wonder if he would be stuck like this forever now. Is this it? Was this all there was ever gonna be now? It was certainly calmer than what he was going through before. “This” wasn’t anything, but seeing as a few hours -or however long it had been- ago he couldn’t seem to stop the feeling of the world continuously crashing down on him, it was a welcome change of pace. Maybe he was dead, that was certainly possible. As for how that happened? Well, it probably doesn’t matter at this point. The idea of this being the rest of eternity was kind of lame, but it’s not like he’s alive to complain about it anyway.
This was it, this is what it is and it’s all it’s ever going to be.
Or, that’s what he had assumed until a familiar feeling buzzed under his skin. There was a warmth to it, and in that void Sonic could just barely make it out. A faint, distant, light that beckoned to him. Was that Hyper Shadow? He sure hoped not. If it was, he didn’t want him coming any closer. This was better than the miserable cycle he was stuck with day in and day out.
But no, there was something different about this, a kinship with the light that he couldn’t explain, at least not from this distance.
Sonic found himself getting closer to the glow. He wasn’t sure how he was moving, as he couldn't see or feel anything other than what he found himself chasing after. As he drew forward, he could begin to hear whispers hitting his ears. A cacophony of different voices, but they all chanted the same thing:
“Sonic.”
Straining to listen to the voices individually, he began to pick out the ones he could recognize: Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Silver. Undoubtedly, they were all voices of his allies, his friends. Just how long has it been since he’s seen them? Had they been looking for him? How many problems has Eggman caused in his absence?
What has he been doing all this time?
All at once, his emotions began to swell. Except this time, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, they weren’t negative emotions. It wasn’t a white-hot anger that threatened to bubble over at a moment's notice, or a sadness that left him paralyzed by his own anguish. It wasn’t the obsessive anxiety that crawled under his skin when he couldn’t be near Hyper Shadow’s light, and it wasn’t the frigid cold feeling that remained when he was nothing more than a husk when all of the other emotions died down. No, it wasn’t any of those. This time, he felt hope. Basking in the light that he was getting ever so close to, Sonic was able to think clearly for the first time. This whole thing started with the mission to find - and potentially save - Shadow. A quick in and out mission before getting back to his friends. This mission had long overstayed its welcome, and Sonic was ready, determined , to get back home.
He could finally see his arms as he stretched out into the burning white blaze in front of him: He was ready to take back his light, his freedom.
Everything went bright.
.
.
.
—-------
The first thing Sonic was oh so graciously greeted with as he faded into consciousness was the bright morning sun blaring rays directly into his eyes. Awesome. He tightly scrunched his eyelids shut as he tried to adjust to his body again. Which, speaking of, ached like hell. He had a headache like none other, which was only getting worse with the bright lights and loud, yet still muffled sounds that began to hit his ears. It was odd, it almost sounded like metal was being hit.
“..-tta hold them off!!”
A voice shouted a command amongst the chaotic noises. The familiar tone ripped Sonic out of his paralyzed trance; He sat up, holding his head and rubbing at his eyes which were still blurry. There was no mistake about it, that voice belonged to Amy. But how and what was she doing here of all places? He rubbed his eyes more fiercely, desperate to gain control over his senses. Finally, his vision came clear, only to allow Sonic to witness what was, he could only describe as, a sight to behold.
His hearing hadn't led him astray, there were badniks coming from all sides of the forest into the small clearing which he found himself. Well, not just him. Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge and Blaze were all there, scrapping with the badniks that were trying to take hold of a chaos emerald. Eggman was commanding his fleet from above, but perhaps the most baffling part of this was what new wacky machine Eggman flew in.
It looked like a minivan , but in place of the wheels were jets that allowed the vehicle to levitate. At the front of this…car(?), a comically large sonar flared out, with a goofy looking antenna that flopped around as the vehicle juddered in the air. From the driver's seat, Eggman was yelling into some kind of microphone that echoed out of a speaker that was somewhere on the vehicle, yelling his usual lame, villainous quips to provoke the ones below him. Sonic always knew eggman never had style to begin with, but boy was this thing ugly. Normally, Sonic would chime in about now, with a million cooler quips of his own to spit at his old nemesis. However, he was still dazed, and could barely process what he had just bore witness to mere moments ago. Thus, he simply looked on in awe, still gripping one of his temples with one hand and holding himself up with the other.
“This wasn't the deal, Egghead!!” Amy's furious shout ripped through the air as she charged back her hammer as Rouge pitched a heart bomb towards her. With ease, Amy batted it into a large group of other robots which Tails had corralled together in one spot. They all exploded in a spectacular fashion, with robotic scraps flying out in all directions like a firework. “You promised to help us save Sonic!”
The girl’s words elicited a harsh, obnoxious laugh from Eggman.
“Pah! You've got it all wrong. I gave you my word that I would locate Sonic. I never made any promise about saving him, or what would happen afterwards. Thanks to my genius, I managed to track him, and he just so happened to be in possession of a chaos emerald! I was just going to take it and leave, but you fools just had to show up and make a mess of everything like you always do!”
“That's a lie, and you know it!” Knuckles retorted, gripping a badnik by the arm and twisting its head off with frightening ease. “You didn't even tell us you had found Sonic! You just ran off without telling anyone!”
At this point, Sonic felt another pang of pain hit his skull, as he shut his eyes tight and gripped his forehead. The only thing he managed to register out of all of that was that it sounded like Eggman had been assisting his friends In looking for him. The idea of it would’ve been a little moving, if Sonic hadn't been watching him try to destroy him and his friends once again.
“Hmph. Well you found me anyway, so I don't see why that really matters. Plus, the rodent is awake anyway!”
“Do you seriously think we're going to fall for-” Knuckles had started to speak, but was cut off by Blaze.
“Wait! He really is awake, look!”
As she called attention to him, Sonic faintly opened his eyes and managed a weak grin of acknowledgement. Immediately, all his friends turned his attention to him, which was exactly what Eggman was waiting for. In their brief moment of hesitance, a metal claw reached out and took the Emerald from Tails’s grasp. As soon as it retracted, Eggman was already speeding away. However, Tails didn't exactly seem to notice, as he his eyes locked with Sonics in shock, like he was seeing a ghost
Amy, however, did take notice, and didn't hesitate to shout a few threats as the villain took off.
“Urghhh! I hate that guy.”
She didn't chase after him, though. The moment she took her eyes off Eggman, she whipped around and took off into a sprint towards Sonic. Tails soon followed, and so did the test of his friends.
“Oh, Sonic!!” She cried, tears beginning to form at the edges of her eyes. Sonic was worried that she would jump into his arms like every other time, but she stopped just short of that, lowering herself to the ground with him and taking hold of one of his hands. “Are you alright? What happened?? Where have you been?!”
“I, Uh..” That was all Sonic could muster. Truth be told, he didn't have a very good answer to any of those questions.
“Slow down with the questions, darling.” Rogue approached behind Amy, showing her a sympathetic look. “He's likely overwhelmed right now.”
Amy only nodded in acknowledgement, the worry still present on her face as she never let go of Sonic’s hand. The feeling of someone else's presence was extremely grounding, as the reality of what was happening finally began to set in for Sonic. He was really back, wasn't he?
“This…” Sonic swallowed thickly, now realizing how dry his throat was. “This is real, right?”
“Yes,” Tails acknowledged, and Sonic finally looked back over to him: He looked tired, and a little disheveled. He wasn't a complete wreck, but definitely worse for wear. Tears were welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall down within a seconds notice. It made something in Sonic’s heart shatter for his younger brother. How many sleepless nights did he have while he was gone? Had he been eating properly?
Sonic shot Tails a weak smile, “Hey, little bro..Long time no see, I think.”
That was the breaking point for Tails, as he jumped into Sonic’s arms which caught him, leaving them both unsteady. Sonic would've fallen, if not for Blaze keeping him from falling back with a supportive hand that steadier him.
“Woah, take it easy, man! Feeling a little banged up over here..” He stated, but wrapped his arms around Tails all the same. He missed this, he missed this so much.
Tails gasped a bit before drawing back, with a quick change in attitude. “That's right! We should get you and Shadow looked at as soon as possible!”
Sonic's shoulders tensed. For a second, he had actually forgotten about Shadow. Logically, as Sonic was back to normal, it should be safe to assume Shadow would be as well. But he hesitated to turn around. He didn't want to look back, only to see that soulless form that caused him nothing but grief, or even worse, see that and realize that all of this was fake. He couldn't go back, he wouldn't-
“Sonic, are you okay?” Tails’s voice snapped him out of it.
“I- yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s..fine.” Tails looked a little concerned, but didn't push further. “We found you and Shadow here, unconscious and weak. Shadow woke up a little before you did, and according to Rouge, it doesn't seem like he knows where he is right now, or where he's been the last few months.”
“ What? ”
“Yeah, you were both in rough shape. Rouge!” Tails called over to the bat, who was Shadow's side rather than Sonic's. “Is Shadow doing okay?”
“Seems like it, hon. He can at least see now.”
Sonic's mind was elsewhere. The words replayed in his mind over and over again. Shadow had apparently forgotten everything. Sonic frantically scrambled to stand up, stumbling a bit and earning a few protests from his friends. Any hesitation he previously had was washed out by the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. He whipped around to face his rival and-
Well, sure enough, it was Shadow. No longer did his quills illuminate the world with their bright platinum glow. They were jet black, with his highlights back to their usual shade of crimson. He held a harsh grimace on his face, blinking roughly and rubbing at his temples as he tried to push himself up off the ground. He was weak, a mess, but most importantly, he was back to normal.
And he didn't remember anything.
Sonic should've been happy. He should've felt beyond relieved, overjoyed that this whole ordeal was over, but he wasn't, not yet. He wasn't just going to let this go. He had far too many questions, too many things he wanted to say and do. There was no way he was just going to leave things like this.
“ Shadow.” Sonic's voice rasped when he attempted to raise his voice. He hadn't realized when he started moving towards Shadow but he was there within seconds, a mix of emotions bubbling under his skin.
Shadow couldn't have forgotten. There was no way. Sonic was not going to be the only one to remember. All the suffering, all the pain he went through because of Hyper Shadow, and Shadow just gets to forget? No, Sonic would make him remember if he had to, he would-
“What.”
All thoughts subsided as Shadow’s hoarse voice pierced directly through Sonic’s mind. Sonic looked down at Shadow, who had made it up to one knee in his endeavor to try and get up, and they locked eyes. Shadow’s eyes were back to their regular sharp red color, as opposed to his lifeless cyan ones that would only ever see through Sonic, and not directly at him. Those eyes had no story to them, no pain or fear, it lacked everything that made Shadow… Well, Shadow. Now, as those scarlet orbs glared daggers into his own with irritation for bothering him in such a vulnerable state, Sonic couldn’t ignore the giddy feeling that made his stomach flip. His mere being enough to bother Shadow could only mean one thing: he really was back to normal.
Sonic shook his head rapidly and pushed the feeling away momentarily. He had to focus.
“Looks like you’re finally back to normal, faker.” Sonic tried to sound light about the situation with the classic nickname, but couldn’t fully restrain the animosity in his tone.
Shadow didn't humor him with a response, only narrowing his eyes with a mix of confusion and aggravation before pushing himself to his feet.
“Do you seriously not remember anything ?” He tried again, desperate for confirmation to his question which he already knew the answer to.
Shadow let out a grunt before rolling his eyes. “No, hedgehog, I don't. I'm as confused as you are right now."
Something about that flipped a switch in Sonic's brain. He put his hands over his face and he laughed. Well, it was more like a scream, an irritated cry that echoed through the air even though he tried to muffle it with his hands. His shaking hands dropped limply to his sides as he faced Shadow once again. He didn't care that all of his friends were looking at him with concern, that Shadow almost seemed concerned with his sudden outburst.
“No, no no. We are not ‘just as confused’ as one another!” Before Sonic even realized, he was gripping Shadow’s forearm as he continued to yell. “I suffered for months because of you. You don't just get to go and FORGET everything!!”
Shadow winced at how loud Sonic's voice was, likely with a headache just a piercing as Sonic’s was right now. “Calm down. ” He warned, “I'm not in the mood to-”
“ DON'T tell me what to do!!” Sonic yelled back. He released Shadow's arm by throwing it back his way, causing him to stumble. Shadow glared at him, backing up and taking an offensive stance that matched Sonic's.
They were about to fight.
“Boys!” Rouge tried to deescalate the situation, “This isn't the time not place to do this! You're both hurt, and-”
“ Quiet , Rouge.” Shadow hissed, “He started this. I don't know why he's acting like this, but if it's a fight he wants, I'm more than happy to oblige.”
That was a challenge, an invitation. It was Shadow's way of saying ‘ come at me, I dare you. ’
Normally, it'd be the other way around right now. Sonic was never the one to initiate a fight with Shadow. He would just bother Shadow enough to the point where he got angry and started the fight. But not right now. As much as he loathed to admit it, he was itching to fight Shadow.
Sonic was quick to accept Shadow's invitation and within the blink of an eye, he tore through the distance between them and closed it. He was ready to hit him, putting all of his pent up anger into his fist as he swung towards Shadow.
Just before it could collide with Shadow’s muzzle, Shadow caught Sonic's fist on his own. The collision sent a shockwave out that elicited a few sounds from his friends that Sonic ignored. He was completely and utterly enraptured in the feeling of their Chaos energies colliding with one another, sending a buzz under his skin that he hadn't experienced in what felt like forever. A wild grin lit up on Sonic's face, as the two hedgehogs stumbled back to regain their balance.
It went on like this for a while. The two stepped around each other, waiting for the other to strike, before one would close the distance and they made contact again. Each heavy impact sent out sparks of crackling energy, and each time Sonic felt his mind clear a little more.
He wasn't actually mad at Shadow, he realized. Shadow wasn’t the one who caused him all this torment, that was Hyper Shadow. Hyper Shadow was a soulless, hungry entity that was already overwhelmed with the amount of energy he had taken in, but still craved more. Worst of all, he was unable to see the harm he caused to those around him, namely Sonic. More than likely, Shadow was nothing more than a slave to the energy that had overtaken his body, unable to think or act clearly, as all of his pain and suffering that he clung to was forcefully erased from his mind, pushed deep into his subconscious. Of course he wasn't going to come down from his high, how could he, when he was unable to remember the very moments that made him Shadow?
What happened was beyond both of their control. Sonic happened to be in the right place at the wrong time, and he suffered for it. It wasn't going to wipe away the pain he went through for so long, but seeing the picture in full gave him a sort of clarity about the whole ordeal.
As for the matter at hand, which was him and Shadow trading blows, well, it didn't change anything about that. As stated before, the realization of the full picture wasn't going to change the fact that Sonic was hurting after everything. Although, as the fight went on, it became less tinged with the malice it had initially begun with. Each blow Sonic dealt out was filled with a million words and feelings he needed to let out, and each time, Shadow would catch it with his own. Every time, Sonic hoped that something would reach Shadow. He wasn't sure if it ever did, but he continued to hope anyway.
Shadow no longer looked angry, but rather focused. Sonic was certain that Shadow was weakened and in pain like he was, but of course neither would allow that to show, especially not in battle. Right now, this is what Sonic needed. Both of them on an equal level, hurting and being hurt. Neither one was above or below the other. He was enjoying this to an uneasy degree, and if he didn't know any better, he would've said Shadow was too.
A few more minutes of this debacle went on before those around then realized it wasn't going to end until one of them was on the ground. Just as the two were going to grip at each other's heads, Sonic felt something grab and jerk him upwards, leaving him suspended in the air. Similarly, Shadow was apprehended by Rouge and Blaze, both taking hold of one of his arms.
Knuckles, who was responsible for Sonic's humiliating restraint, finally spoke up.
“You go missing for five months, we spend every resource tracking you both down, going as far as to team up with Eggman just to find you. Out of the blue, you happen to show up and Eggman is the first to get to you two. And now, not even 10 minutes after you two are both conscious, and you're already fighting. Are you kidding me? ”
Sonic winced. Not only had he just received the outrageous amount of time he spent missing, but unfortunately Knuckles had a point. Right now, to anyone else but Sonic, this was a mad display. He lowered his head, still dangling limply in the air. Shadow, on the other hand, let out a defeated grunt of acknowledgement.
“The two of you are in bad condition.” Blaze chimed in, “You both need medical attention.”
“You- You're right…Sorry about that.” Sonic conceded. “But maybe, you could put me down, yeah?” He let out a weak laugh, trying to ease his embarrassment.
“Are you gonna go straight for Shadow if I do?” Knuckles retorted light-heartedly, Sonic could just hear the grin on his face, obviously finding amusement in having Sonic apprehended like this.
Sonic let out a long, annoyed groan, “Ughhh, no, okay? I'm tired, I just.. I just wanna go home.”
Finally satisfied with the answer he received, Knuckles set Sonic down, helping to steady him as he stumbled about. Sonic was getting really dizzy at this point. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was beginning to feel the effects of the fight.
But when Rouge and Blaze relieved Shadow from his suspension, he outright collapsed on the ground, unconscious once again.
Rouge clicked her tongue and sighed with immense irritation, “Idiot.”
Sonic tried to step towards Shadow to check on him. After all, that might have been his fault. But Rouge quickly flicked her hand up and sent a stern look towards Sonic.
“Don't even think about it, Blue. You've both caused enough trouble for all of us.”
Sonic couldn't do much more than stand there, humbled and guilty. More than that though, he was tired and didn't have the energy to put up any kind of fight. He simply nodded and swayed around, Amy catching him as he nearly fell down and holding a supportive arm around his back to assist him in moving.
Rouge picked up Shadow with ease, but nevertheless Blaze joined by her side. “I'll help you get him somewhere safe.”
Rouge extended a tired smile, “You’re a real gem, darling. Tails, I'll report back to you on his condition in a few hours.”
Tails nodded, “Thank you Rouge, we'll take Sonic and do the same.”
“Blaze!” Amy quickly called out, “Would you mind reaching out to Silver and the diamond cutters to let them know that we've located Sonic and Shadow?”
Blaze nodded in response as her and Rouge began to head off in the opposite direction.
“Rouge!” Sonic faintly called out as his vision blurred on and off. “..Make sure he's okay, yeah?”
Rouge didn't even turn back around, simply holding out a hand and waving it. “Worry about yourself for once, Sonic. We'll see you later.”
Sonic wished he could've done more to express his gratitude to her, but that last moment was all he could muster up before he completely collapsed into Amy’s side, more or less being dragged by her as they began to exit the forest clearing. He felt knuckles come to his other side in added support.
There were so many questions flying through Sonic's mind: What now? Would Shadow ever remember anything, or would he remain ignorant to everything that had transpired? What all had changed in his absence? The biggest question that lingered in his mind though, was how exactly did they get back to normal? Sonic's memory of everything was perfect up until that specific moment, perhaps the most important one he needed to remember.
He needed answers, and he was going to get them, but not right now. He was fading fast, darkness began to creep In at the edges of his vision. Right now, he was happy to be himself, and he was happy to be home.
He held onto that joy as his last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness.
Everything went dark.
.
.
.