Black ears flick at the whispering sounds of birds chirping, gradually becoming louder and more definite as he awoke. A low hiss and groan was uttered from tan lips as this newfound consciousness brought him pain. Intense pain. Screaming pain. Burnt fur tinged by fire and over sensitive burn wounds in his flesh made the blades of grass and twigs beneath him like daggers jabbing into his limp body. He struggled to move, coming up with fruitless –agonizing- attempts and struggles just to find out where the hell he was, eventually going slack once more and forcing himself to rely on his other (less painful) senses. His damp fur stuck to his skin from more than just the humid, damp jungle air that wafted about. Singed nostrils picked up a certain musk in the air, that of trees and dense greenery. And blood. Lots of blood. As he listened closer to the arid sounds of the wild birds, he couldn’t make out anything familiar about the calls and related them closer to the ones he had heard on TV wild nature shows. Though his lack of Earth life was obvious, he had enough brains to know that in his current environment, he would be an easy target for predators.
Shadow the Hedgehog -ultimate life form- was injured and completely helpless. ‘Ultimate my ass...’ he thought bitterly, a grimace plastered to his muzzle as he uttered a low growl. He felt so vulnerable, which was something he was defiantly not used to. At all. After a few more disgruntled tries, Shadow succeeded in opening his eyes and immediately regretted doing so.
“Shit!” He yelped, the bright sunlight stinging like venom on his bloodshot, ruby eyes. With a mumble and a groan, he forced them to stay open until his vision cleared of the blurry, bright mess. He could make out the vivid green coloring of the trees around him and slowly, he was able to focus on the tree in front of him.
Once his vision finally cleared, he began to take into account of his injuries. His eyes widened at the horror of what was left of his body from his merciless fall from space. What remained of his fur was caked with mud, his open wounds smelled of burned flesh that he assumed came from re-entering the atmosphere. His attempts to clean the wounds and charred fur of dirt was futile, as it seemed to have permanently discolored his fur to a dark brown and his formally ruby red stripes and spotless white chest fur appeared to be nowhere in sight.
More and more details could be made out as his sight returned in a pace as slow as babies learning to crawl. But now it was obvious walking would be out of the question; the damage to his knees was horrific. And though in his mind he knew that it was useless, he made an attempt to stand, pushing himself with the nearby tree. Shaky hands and knees quickly gave way and he flopped back down on the moist earth, pain shooting through his veins and pounding his skull like rabid gorilla. His limp body slumped and attempted to curl into a loose ball of fur and spines, but it only brought more pain than protection. His chest heaved with pants that mingled with his pathetic groans and murmurs of torture.
With a quick glance around at his surroundings, it was obvious that no one was going to find him -and no one was likely to be looking for him either. With a grunt, he forced himself to sit up, ignoring the cries of his body that pleaded him not to. His head swayed as he was suddenly overcome by such a dizziness that made his head spin and made him want to puke up whatever was left in his empty stomach. A shaky hand was placed at his temple and his eyes widened as his fingers probed at what could have been his forehead. His head had taken much more damage than he had thought. In fact, every part of him had.
‘How am I still alive?’ he wondered in awe.
The weak hedgehog didn’t try to stand on his legs, but instead settled on a crawl as he set out to find something he knew he would desperately need: a source of water. His legs fitfully refused this sudden movement and would often disobey the commands his brain begged them to do, so he was left with dragging his body with what strength he had left in his arms. Shadow’s eyes clenched shut as the misery of strain that was inflicted on his sore body caused by only moving mere feet. Stones and roots plunged deep into his open wounds, earning him a number of new and worsened scrapes and scars. Dulled ruby eyes became damp at the corners as it became just too much for his abused body to take.
Shadow began to pant hysterically not only from the pressure he was putting on his body, but from the increasing heat in the humid air. He never expected that tears would pry themselves free from his eyes and only noticed when the salty tears stung at open the wounds on his cheeks. Wincing at the sudden painful throbbing, he tried desperately to hold back his tears, struggling to keep hold of one last thing that was whole: his dignity. After finally regaining control over his emotions, he scolded himself for being so out of character. The fact he even cried surprised him, since he had never shed a single tear since the incident on Ark. Nothing had been more horrible or terrifying than what had occurred that day and now there was absolutely no reason for his tears, and yet… he cried. Forcing the thoughts out of his mind, he continued on -leaving thick trails of blood in the grass.
Luckily for the miserable ebony hedgehog, he found a small lake sheltered by overgrown trees with flat, green leaves and dark, twisting roots that dipped into the water. Water lilies floated across the surface of the crystal clear water and dragonflies darted and flicked through the tall weeds. Despite its beauty, this lake proved trouble for the hedgehog. He would most likely have a quite a far journey before he would even encounter a small village or let alone a town.
Ruby red irises traced the tree line and immediately deemed them familiar, but couldn’t recall the name of them. At first, Shadow had assumed he had landed in a jungle, but now that he was able to look more closely, it seemed more worthy of being called a forest. He could breathe a slight sigh of relief at this recollection which meant he could be less wary of predators. More dangerous things lurked in jungles than they did forests, and at this point worst he had to fear was an alligator or perhaps a pack of wolves or mountain lion, but he doubted he would.
Shadow felt his throat desperately begging for water, his dry mouth making him feel choked. His hands dug into the moist earth of the bank as he pulled himself to the water’s edge and plunked his face into the water. He took enormous gulps of the satisfyingly cool liquid, but it came in far too quickly, sloshing into his windpipe and sending the ebony hedgehog into a panic. He flung his head back out of the water and broke into a painful fit of coughing. He flopped down onto the back –gasping and wheezing like a fish out of water- and took deep, calming breaths until he finally controlled the cough.
Sitting up again, he peered around nervously. He had been making so much noise, had he attracted any predators? The silent wish to clean himself was soon dismissed as he stilled and perked his ears to listen for any nearing animals he might have brought with his scent and unnecessary splashing. Triangular black and tan appendages swiveled to pick up any disturbance, but when he felt none he relaxed again.
Slowly, he lowered his feet into the still water. After he cleaning off the dirt caking his hover shoes, he closely examined them. Surprisingly enough, they seemed to survive the crash without any damage other than chipped paint. His socks and gloves had been burned to scraps and could easily be replaced; on the other hand, if he had lost his shoes or say, his power rings, he would have a serious problem.
After another quick survey of the trees around him, he began to slowly push himself off the edge of the bank, careful not to cause a large splash as he slipped into the waist-deep water. The cold liquid was anything but merciful to his wounds and he groaned as he felt it wash away the dirt from his singed flesh. His pitiful yelps and moans mixed into the air like the muck in his fur turned the water around him murky and tinged it crimson with blood from reopened wounds that were now left to bleed freely.
Shadow’s concerns weren’t focused on possible permanent burns and scars; unlike other people, he had an incredible healing ability that far surpassed that of mortals. Being the Ultimate life form had its perks and with time, he would look like his normal self with no permanent damage whatsoever.
After being sure to have scrubbed most of the dirt from his fur and assorted wounds, he pulled himself from the water’s edge and lay in the soft grass to dry. He knew not to attempt shaking the water from his fur (usually having used the same method a wet dog would), for it would only do more damage to his currently sabotaged body.
The smallest of smiles goasted across his tan muzzle as the sun soaked through his drenched ebony pelt and warmed him to his core. He guessed it was either summer time or perhaps the climate of the place was sunny here all the time. Tense muscles began to relax and the ebony hedgehog lay calmly in the cool grass, exhausted from the journey to the water’s edge. Finally being able to find peace from his ailing body, he began to slowly drift off to the memory of the battle that brought him here.
FLASHBACK *Shadow’s Point of View*
--------------------------------------------------
I had made a solemn promise to Maria long, long ago: to protect the people of the planet, no matter what the cost. I remember having faced the biohazard with my rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, and I used everything in my power to fight for Earth’s safety -even though I knew I would have to give my own life in return.
In those last moments after the battle, as my Super form was wearing off and I was losing my vision quickly, I recall hearing Sonic screaming my name. His hands were reaching out for me, his emerald eyes sparkling from the tears that trickled down his cheeks. As I saw his golden pelt begin to flicker azure, I knew he didn’t have much time. He came flying toward me, instead of towards the safety of the Ark! My heart skipped a beat as I realized… Sonic was trying to rescue me. For some reason, I felt a growing warmth welling up in my chest. Someone actually cared for me enough to not want to see me die? The desperate cries of the hero gave me the will to live again, giving me sudden strength. I suddenly wanted to be with him, to enjoy life, have friends, and maybe even find someone special to hold. I stretched my hand out to close the distance between us. The moment our hands touched, he pulled me close. His arms encircled me in a protective hold that felt to me as if he never wanted to let go. My hands timidly wrapped around his shoulders in return for the embrace, as he turned and began the trip back to the space colony.
“You’re safe now, Shadow,” Sonic whispered into my ear, giving a small chuckle and that stubborn smile of his. His grip on me was tightened as he struggled to cart us both back to safety. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I knew better. I could feel the Chaos Energy draining from him at a frightening rate; the gold streaks flowing behind us were growing thinner and came in small spurts. He knew that only one of us could survive this, but his loving, heroic nature denied the truth. Thinking this would be the end, I stopped him, and dug my fingers into his head and back quills as I pulled him into a warm, constricting hug. My fingers played with his quills as I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck to hide my blush. Why did he care so much to risk his life for someone like me? I took a deep breath, hoping he hadn’t noticed my racing heartbeat. Sonic looked shocked, but didn’t pull away. I couldn’t see his face, but I hoped he wasn’t upset at me. The unexpected response I received from him was him hugging me right back, which made my heart race faster, my blush deepen, and my smile widen. I felt my breath shake as I lent up to his ear.
“Think you for caring,” I whispered and hastily transferred every bit of remaining Chaos Energy in my body, enough for one lone hero to escape space. The real hero. Before he could object, I took hold of his shoulders and forced him away from me, propelling us both in opposite directions. As I began to feel a gripping force pulling me downwards, the only thing I could hear was Sonic’s devastated screams. A grin found its way to my muzzle as my vision became splotched with black. I could just barely see him, tears streaking down his cheeks as he dashed back to the Ark.
Then everything went black.
-------------------------------
FLASHBACK END
Shadow took a deep breath, his exhale becoming shaky with tears of remembrance, “But here I am…” he told himself. The emotionally and physically wrecked hedgehog lay curled among the soft blades grass, listening to the lulling song of the birds, trying to fall asleep. Hopefully, when he woke, he would have new energy and his body would be able to heal some of his various wounds. Perhaps he would even be able to walk. With his thoughts finally stilled from their toil, he began to slowly drift into a dreamless sleep.
When his eyelids finally lifted, he found the sun shining down on him through the broad leaves of the trees. It was still day, or had he slept to the next day? He sat up and gave his arms a good stretch, then began to examine himself. A new layer of soft, pink skin had formed over his burns and scrapes; it was a flimsy covering, but at least the wounds weren’t open.
A new, dreadfully familiar pain came from his stomach. Shadow huffed in annoyance, the grumbling only adding to his misery. He wouldn’t die of hunger since he constantly absorbed Chaos Energy through the air, but because he had drained his entire stock to give to Sonic, he was going on an almost completely empty tank. So much for renewed energy! Now he needed to find food to fuel his aching body. The task wouldn’t be simple and he knew it. Who knew if the little food he did come across wouldn’t be poisoning? He couldn’t die from any poison, but it still hurt like a bitch going through his system! Now that his body was already in a state of disaster, no telling how his immune system would fair, so he couldn’t risk it with trying to eat plants. He’d have to stick with meat of some sort. Perhaps a rabbit or squirrel cooked over a fire… that is, if he could catch one.
Clinging to the bark of a nearby tree, he managed to pull himself to his feet. The pain that had pounded his temple before the nap was thankfully now only a mild panging. He took shaky steps on his unused legs, getting used to them before setting out to explore his surroundings for anything he could eat.
Even after moving deeper and farther away from the lake, he had yet to encounter any kind of animals. This, he figured, was probably because his loud, clomping footsteps -from his unrealistically heavy hover skates- had scared them off. As he trotted along, he came across several berry bushes, but knew it would be a disaster if they were poisonous, so he moved on, cursing himself mentally for not having paid more attention during Gerald’s lessons on Earth plantlife. His lead feet dragged in the soft earth as he trudged along, leaving deep scrapes in the damp soil.
The feeling of the new skin over his wounds painfully rip open and stinging in the air shook him from his short-lived peace; the pain became worse as he walked, spiking with every footstep. Although the wounded ebony knew he was in no condition to be walking about and that he needed rest, he knew he would get nowhere by waiting for his ailments to heal. It could take weeks in his condition (his super-natural healing being reduced to minimum while running on an empty stomach and without Chaos Energy)! His patience had already worn thin and all he wanted to do was get out of this god-forsaken forest! So he let the blood flow from his wounds, not even attempting –or caring- to stop the flow. It was a miracle that a wolf or a bear hadn’t found him by now and made him their feast.
A shaky sigh escaped his chest as black eyelids clenched; the pain of his open wounds quickly becoming well known to the hedgehog and his body screamed at him for rest. Crimson liquid trickled down from wounds on his stomach and sides; if he didn’t die by becoming someone’s snack the only other way for him to die was… blood loss. A long string of profanity found its way to the hedgehog’s lips that was so foul it could have cursed you and every one of your ancestors. He kicked a tree with all the might his banged-up body would allow -which wasn’t much- and ended up slipping and landing with a ‘thunk’ on his back.
A small tingle crept into his anger-ridden senses. He stiffened. There was a strong beacon of Chaos Energy radiating from somewhere in the distance… a Chaos Emerald! It had to be! Wave after wave of delicious energy sent Shadow into a state of bliss as he neared the glistening jewel. He was running now, ignoring the pain shooting from every possible place in his body; once he located the Emerald, he could leave and find help! A flicker of green light caught his eye and he turned to dash through a small clearing. Once he spotted it, he flung himself at the life-giving emerald through the tall grass. A childlike giggle almost leapt itself free from Shadow’s lips from the sheer joy of his finding as he clung to it, pressing it against his chest as he tumbled through the tall weeds.
Warmth entered his system and he felt the rushing essence of Chaos Energy enter him. He found his life-line and didn’t hesitate to yell a seemingly simple phrase:
“Chaos control!!”
With that, he disappeared in an emerald green flash.
Another flash, and the warp was over, finding himself in a dark back ally, deep in the heart of Station Square. Tucking the emerald safely in his quills, he thought up a plan of action. He would need to search for any sign of the others, but at the same time, keep himself well concealed and away from the public eye. G.U.N. was still after him and he knew they would stick him back into that pod the first chance they got. The thought of being a frozen captive for another 50 years sent shivers up his spine. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused his mind back on his mission.
The Chaos buzz from the transport had finally worn off and now he realized the disastrous effects it had on his wounds; it seemed to have torn them open wider, letting blood flow in rivers down his legs and pool onto the asphalt. He gave a grunt and supported himself against a wall with one bare hand, seriously regretting his run for the Emerald. Knowing he’d have to wrap up the gashes, he momentarily stopped to look for some scraps of cloth but came up with nothing he could us as bandages. Oh well, maybe his healing abilities would kick in now that he had a full reserve of Chaos Energy.
He pushed on, traveling the back streets in dead silence, having to make frequent stops to catch his breath. In his mind, he listed his priorities: find the others (or someone at least remotely recognizable) before turning any sort attention to himself. Shadow had keep hidden from the general public though; he didn’t think he would be very ‘appreciated’ by the humans after he almost blew their planet sky-high, knowing that humans were so dense that they wouldn’t even consider the fact that he had saved the damn floating space rock as well.
A stray newspaper flicked off a pile of garbage and landed at the hedgehog’s feet. He leaned down and picked it up; having to un-stick the back of it from a pool of blood. Bold headlines flashed ’World Savior’, catching the attention of the ebony to the picture beneath them. Black and white images showed Sonic and a large group of his friends flashing wide, proud smiles. The group consisted of everyone from an oversized Crocodile to a small rabbit girl. The Echidna sporting long dreadlocks looked a bit familiar, and so did the girl Hedgehog standing next to Sonic, but who were all these other people? Curiosity got the better of him and he read the paper to find out who they had battled: ‘…the alien race, the ‘Black Arms’, that invaded Westopolise was vanquished by Shadow the Hedgehog…’. Wait… why was his name here?
“Psh. Stupid humans put the wrong name… You’d think by now they’d know who they’re hero is. Why do they always confuse me with Sonic?” He grumbled at the supposed typo.
He was about to fling the paper aside, thinking they appeared to be just fine without him, but looked back over the faces in the picture… realizing with a shock that he, too, was among Sonic’s friends with a proud smirk of his own. When had he ever had his picture taken with all of them? Never! He hadn’t fought in some alien war! How could they possibly…
Then he double-checked the date. Trembling, gloveless black and red streaked hands let the newspaper fall back down to the ground. This new piece of information hit him with a harsh reality. Two years. A whole two years had passed since the fight with the biohazard. Had he been orbiting Earth for that long? Well that shouldn’t surprise him, considering how he slept for 50 years in a pod. But that didn’t explain the imposter pictured in the paper. Or was that really the imposter? Was he the fake? Who was the real Shadow?
Shadow fell to his bloodied knees into a pool of red; he choked on his own breath and his shoulders heaved. Confused tears tugged at the corners of his eyes. Rouge had said long ago that he was just a clone, but after all that he had gone though, he was sure that he had found out who he really was! Now the uncertainty was just too much. Had he ever really met Maria? What about Sonic? Were all these memories, these feelings, real or fake? The traumatized ebony sat trembling from the fear, confusion, and pain that came from his heart. His pulse pounded in his ears and he clawed at them in vain attempts to end his suffering.
“No, I am real!” he sputtered, shouting to no one but himself as the salty tears seeping from his bloodshot eyes stung his open wounds. He pressed his palm against his stomach in an attempt to stop the blood that continuously flowed. His other hand caught the floor as his head began to sway, feeling the full effects of blood-loss for the first time. Cursing under his breath, he fought just to keep conscious.
Shadow was so far gone already that he did not hear the footsteps that neared and skid to an abrupt halt.
A panicked gasp filled the air, startling the ebony temporarily out of his daze, “Shadow! What happened to you!?”
If he hadn’t been currently bleeding to death in an ally, he would have chuckled at the voice. He hadn’t expected anyone to find him hiding in the dark, damp alleyway, and now he looked up to face someone who he now dreaded having back in his life again. Sonic knew a different Shadow; the real Shadow. He was certain. Sonic knew the real Shadow the Hedgehog, and he was just a fake- a copy with false memories. No purpose and never loved. A hot, wet stream of tears drenched his cheeks, dripping down his chin and mixing with the ever-growing pool of blood.
After getting no response from the other hedgehog, Sonic stepped up to him, “I followed the trail of blood! What happened to you? What are you doing here? Oh, it doesn’t matter what you got yourself into,” he snaked his arms beneath Shadow’s arms and legs to pick him up, “I’m taking you to a hospital!”
Black and red hands began to feverishly scrape away at blue fur and quills, “No hospital! I REFUSE!” Shadow yowled, screaming out at the pain and confusion in his heart. He wanted to be left to die; he wasn’t worth anything. He was a fake.
Sonic sighed, “Fine, if you insist, I’ll take care of you myself,” he muttered, looking over the frail body in his arms, a worried look twisting his features as he pulled the injured hedgehog to his chest.
Shadow panicked, “N-No! Let go of me you stupid hedgehog!” He struggled against Sonic’s arms as best he could in his weakened state, but the blue hedgehog only held him tighter and drew him closer to himself, searing the open burns and cuts that coated the ebony’s body. Shadow gave a sharp cry at the hard pressure applied to his wounds; with heavy pants, he stopped fighting his rival’s hold and grew limp from the effort.
A peach muzzle buried itself beside the tan one in an act of protection, “If you could run, I’d reconsider. But as you are now, you won’t last much longer, let alone stand!” Sonic chuckled, for once he had the upper hand against his rival and after all, he was right, “Just let me take care of you. Why do you always struggle like this?” Shadow lowered his eyes as he lifted a shaky hand to pilfer through his quills and retrieve a single item. Sonic’s eyes widened as the Chaos Emerald was extracted.
“Chaos-“
The emerald was snatched before he could finish, “Oh, no you don’t! What are you thinking!? You’re half-dead, can’t walk and you’re trying to teleport?!? Just where are you planning to go??” Sonic cried.
Shadow wanted to retaliate, but he had finally fallen unconscious in Sonic’s arms.
“Guess I got my answer…” Sonic smiled, clutching the shimmering emerald in his hand and the crimson-coated hedgehog in the other, “Chaos Control.”