Chapter Text
Pain.
It was the first thing Shadow felt as his consciousness began to bubble up from the depths of oblivion. It was distant at first, like a full-body bruise that was still stubbornly refusing to heal, seeping into his muscles and penetrating his bones. As his awareness slowly solidified, the pain became sharper, stabbing in waves along his spine. The next thing he felt was the heat. It was unbearable; suffocating. His skin felt like fire under his fur. Light bore down on him so strong, even the insides of his eyelids were illuminated.
With a groan, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he squinted up at the sun high in the sky. He raised a hand to shield his eyes but pain lanced through his arm and sent tiny jolts of amber lightning along the ground. He sucked in a breath, squeezed his eyes shut and curled in on himself. Shadow gritted his teeth to hold back a pained whimper as he forced himself to open his eyes and take in his surroundings. He had to figure out where he was, what had happened.
Steeling himself against the onslaught of pain, Shadow slowly pushed off the ground, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his middle as he took deep breaths. His vision swam and sparks of Chaos traveled along his black fur. When the world stopped spinning, he was finally able to focus on what was in front of him.
He was sitting at the center of a shallow crater in reddish dirt. The silvery luminescent glow of power from the mysterious crystals was gone, and his sleek black fur was covered in grime, and singed with soot. Above him, the sun was oppressive in the cloudless blue sky. Just beyond the crater, something familiar lingered over the dirt walls. A cactus. One of the tall ones he had seen before in books. He must be in a desert, which would explain the excruciating heat. The sides of the crater around him were littered with ash and smoldering pieces of shrapnel. Some must have fallen with him when he—
Pain sear through him again, the Chaos inside him causing lightning to dance around his arms and along his chest. Inhaling sharply, he scanned his body, trying to assess the cause. Then, he remembered--he had removed his Inhibitor Rings. Growling at another spike of pain, Shadow forced himself to move and slowly got to his feet.
Do not pass out. Do not pass out.
Shadow looked around, searching for the Rings in his immediate area. He needed to find them quickly, before the Chaos inside him built up so much that it would start pouring off of him in waves. Weakly, he limped towards the slope of the crater and hoisted himself up, Chaos snapping around him. Each movement was laborious, but he still scanned the area, looking for any familiar golden glints. As his gaze grazed the desert scenery, a sudden sparkle caught his attention. Gingerly, he made his way over and retrieved his first Inhibitor Ring, latching it back into place around his wrist. The relief was immediate, the pain dulling to a more manageable ache, and the surging Chaos receded enough for him to move more easily. He let out a sigh, then began searching for its companion. Using his Air Shoes to lift himself up for a moment, he found the second Ring a little further away in the opposite direction. As soon as both Rings were back in place and the Chaos settled completely inside him, he took a moment to reassess his injuries.
No open wounds, but he was still in pain. It was mostly concentrated to one side of his chest— that must have been where he’d hit the ground on impact, with numerous aches scattered around the rest of his body. His head throbbed, the pressure pulsing against his temples was enough to make his vision swim. He swayed on his feet—he had to get somewhere safe. He desperately needed to rest.
Nearby, a small outcropping of rocks caught his eye. That would have to do. Still unsteady, he made his way over and crawled into a tight space between two of the large boulders. That would protect him from the sun, at least. He took a moment to survey his surroundings again, searching for movement. The desert stretched out in front of him, gentle mounts and craggy patches of rocks with distant pale mountains. Aside from the sounds of insects that buzzed in the short brush, or the various tiny birds that flitted around the tall cacti, nothing stirred. For the moment, he was safe—safe enough to think back. Safe enough to remember. His eyes stung with tears.
Maria.
Glowing flowers. Arms holding him close. Her smile.
"Find your light."
Shadow curled himself into a protective ball, becoming as small as he could manage before he allowed himself to cry. Emotions poured out of him in silent sobs—grief, regret, guilt, sorrow, gratitude, relief. It all swept over him in waves as the memories flowed through his mind. He was so overcome by the deluge that he didn’t even realize as he once again began to drift into unconsciousness.
~~~
Rustling near Shadow’s head startled him awake. He jolted up, icy adrenaline surging through him. Amber lightning flickered around his eyes as they darted back and forth from where he had wedged himself in between the two boulders, ready to defend himself, ready to attack, ready to run. A lizard smaller than the palm of his hand scurried away from its hiding place and vanished into the rocks nearby. Shadow’s eyes glowed, watching after the creature for a long moment before the tension in his body slowly relaxed and the Chaos died down. His muscles twitched, pain sweeping over him once again as the adrenaline receded. He groaned in frustration and his head throbbed. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep. But even so, he didn’t feel rested at all.
The sun was going down now, but he had no way of knowing how long he’d been out. He could have been asleep for hours or even days . The pain in his side still ached, and his whole body was still sore enough that every part of him felt stiff. He healed quickly, and he'd healed from worse. But then again, had anything been worse than falling back to the earth from space? Still, he knew he should be back to full strength soon.
Being dead would have been easier.
That thought made him curl back into a ball. He hadn’t dreamed again. He’d hoped that he would. It made his heart ache. He couldn’t figure out what the dream had been. His subconscious? A vision being so close to death? A visit from a ghost? Shadow almost scoffed at himself. None of them sounded plausible at all. Probably just his subconscious. He closed his eyes, picturing her smile, her hands holding his. His body trembled again, flooded with another wave of grief. He had barely had time to register what had happened to her before they’d locked him away. He could vaguely remember being forced back into the containment tube after the “accident”—the prison where he was forced to relive those final horrific moments over and over again. Now that he was free, now that he wasn’t dead, now that he couldn’t give Maria the justice that he still desperately wanted to exact on the people that had slaughtered her, all he could do was feel . And the feelings were too much—too big. Just like the Chaos inside of his body.
Shadow whimpered, curling tighter into his ball. Then, a flap of wings caught his attention. He uncurled just enough to watch an owl land on one of the larger cactus plants. She hooted softly as the sun slowly vanished into the horizon. Something about the way the owl surveyed the area looking for prey made him feel dangerously exposed. He couldn’t stay in these rocks out in the desert indefinitely. He needed to at least find out where on Earth he was. He assumed somewhere in the southwest of the United States, but it had been fifty years since he had seen photographs of the outside world, or even a map.
Carefully, mindful of the pain in his side, he uncurled himself, stood, and stepped out of his hiding place. He did his best to stretch out his sore limbs, wincing at short stabs of pain. He could feel dirt and grime clinging to his fur. The sensation made his skin crawl, and he ran his hands through his quills to try to dislodge some of it.
The sun was almost gone from the sky, and the sounds of the desert were beginning to shift as nocturnal animals started to stir. He would just have to pick a direction and see where it took him. As he understood it, humans populated a large portion of the Earth, so he should eventually find some sort of civilization. Then, he might find answers.
Kicking on his Air Shoes again, he lifted himself up to the top of the rocks to get a better view, ears twitching in silent alert. He hadn’t expected the scenery to have changed much, but what he saw made his breath catch in his throat. As twilight set in, the desert sky was painted bright with colors that Shadow hadn’t known could exist in such radiance. Vibrant yellows and reds slowly melting into rich violets and deep blues. The last lights of the blazing sun bathed the whole landscape into an orange glow that persisted even after the last rays vanished behind the horizon. The hills in the distance stood majestically in every direction, casting long purple shadows against the ruddy hue of the earth.
He had almost destroyed this. This quiet beauty, where the world seemed to pause for something as simple as a sunset, was almost lost. Because of him.
He squeezed his eyes shut as the guilt caught him, wrapping around his throat like a vice as it threatened to drag him down again. He felt the familiar knot of anxiety building in his chest. He started taking slow breaths, the way Maria had taught him to. In and out, in and out. It was far more difficult to do without someone there to breathe with him, but he forced himself to continue, shaking breath after shaking breath. After a few minutes, he felt the anxiety beginning to loosen. As he let out the last deep breath, he opened his eyes, feeling lightheaded.
Something caught his eye just beyond the crater he’d crawled out from after the fall. Small colorful glowing lights pulsed in a circle on the ground. Shadow could see their faint colors slowly growing brighter as the sky darkened. He carefully jumped down from the rock and glided towards them. As he got close, he stopped short when he realized what they were. The crystals! Those mysterious stones that had amplified his power! Hesitantly, he reached for them, wincing as he scooped them up from the dirt, bracing to feel the same rush of raw power as before. The gems twinkled and glowed but did nothing else. He furrowed his brow, dropping the gems into his other hand, then back and forth a few times. He wasn’t sure how they had worked before, but he could feel the familiar pulse of Chaos humming softly within them. Somehow, they had interfaced with his own Chaos and infused him with their power. He remembered the way his body surged with it as he flew through space, streaking the sky with silvery rose luminescence against Sonic’s radiant gold.
Sonic.
The thought of the other hedgehog jolted Shadow from the memories, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He reached behind his head, settling the gems securely within his quills to keep them safe. He would figure out what to do with them later. Right now, he needed to figure out where he was. Acting on instinct, his Air Shoes blazed to life, and he began to glide forward, chasing the sunset west.
~~~
The pain in Shadow’s side was becoming unbearable. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been running, gliding through the desert silently. Moving at night was easy for him as his eyes adjusted to the low light naturally, offering a layer of safety where daylight left him feeling exposed.
It didn’t take him long to find a road. He knew better than to directly use it, but he glided parallel alongside it from a safe distance in search of human population. Ahead, city lights illuminated the sky above like an ominous beacon. He could see signs along the way, most of them made little sense without context, but a few stood out and jogged some memory of what minimal geographical knowledge he could remember.
One of the largest signs read “Saguaro National Park, State Park Service.” A few miles further, there was another. This one read “Tucson” with an arrow pointing forward and “Phoenix” with an arrow pointing right. That was enough to confirm Shadow’s assumption that he had landed in the American southwest.
The closer he came to civilization, the more careful he had to be. He could move faster than the human eye could comprehend, but that didn’t make him completely invisible. As he approached the town, he chanced a teleport. It sent shockwaves of pain shooting through his injured side, the aches throughout his body as he reappeared. Still, he would rather risk further injury rather than risk being seen. He could deal with the pain. He had dealt with worse.
Moving through the city was frustrating. Most of the buildings were homes (or what he assumed were homes based on pictures he could recall), and they were packed together with narrow roads laid through them. He could keep his cover from the sporadic cars here and there. But the residential roads all eventually led out into bright, wide thoroughfares that were populated by a seemingly endless stream of cars. Shadow did his best to navigate away from those and ended up sticking to the outskirts of the city.
He knew he had to find somewhere to rest soon, or at least get his bearings or formulate a more concrete plan. He continued on for a few miles more before he found his chance. He brought himself to a stop, his Air Shoes powered down and his feet hit the pavement. He leaned against a larger building, hiding in the darkness to avoid the obnoxious glowing green light cast by a neon sign above the adjacent building that read “Cactus Jack Motel.” Shadow frowned up at it. The word “motel” jogged his memory. He remembered asking Maria what a motel was during one of their movies (although he couldn’t remember anything about the actual movie.)
He surveyed the area, scanning for movement before he proceeded. The open desert was just beyond the long, squat building if he needed to make a quick retreat. Thankfully, he was far enough from the center of the city that the quiet darkness of the night was only interrupted by the occasional car rolling by. When Shadow was sure that the coast was clear, he snuck around the edge of the parking lot. Carefully, he stepped into the blaring light that illuminated the side of the building lined with multiple doors, feeling instantly exposed by the garish glow. He peered inside one of the dark windows, taking a quick glance at the room’s interior. When he was sure the space was vacant, he teleported inside.
As soon as he was on the other side of the door, he felt the same searing pain rip through him. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly ignored it as he reached up and pulled the curtains closed over the windows, plunging the room into blessed darkness. He bypassed the bed and the sparse furnishings as he made his way to the back of the room and felt a rush of relief wash over him at the sight of the tub. Traversing through the human city had kept his mind distracted enough that the dirt clinging to his fur could be ignored. But as the adrenaline wore off, the feeling of grime against his skin came back in full force. Suddenly the only thing on his mind was getting himself clean.
He had only intended to stay in the shower long enough to wash the dirt, grime, soot, and dust away. But the heat from the water soothed out some of the dull aches in his muscles. The pain in his side still burned despite it, but even so, it was calming. He let himself stay under the scalding spray until the heat ran out. It occurred to him that the last time he had actually bathed himself was fifty years ago. He frowned at that thought and turned off the cooling water, attempting to distract himself with the next task. Carefully, he stepped out of the shower and began drying off, running the towels he’d found along his fur. As he set the second one down, he realized there were only two and scowled. He was still damp, despite them both being soaked through. What was the point of them at all? He could tolerate being a little damp, he supposed. At least now he was clean. He pulled his socks, Air Shoes, and gloves back on. They were in surprisingly good condition for falling from space.
His eyes fell to the bathroom countertop where he’d put the mysterious glowing stones before stepping into the shower. They still shimmered with power, faint lights dancing within them. He scooped them up, holding them in his palms once again, watching the way the light danced around them as he moved them between his fingers. They were such small things, but held so much power. Like him. Like Sonic.
Sonic.
The hedgehog’s face flashed in his mind again. The way his bright green eyes had become a striking ruby, his vibrant blue fur blazing into radiant gold as they’d grasped hands, the crystals blazing to life and infusing them with raw Chaos. The way his sad smile had lit up into a playful grin as they headed into battle.
“Gotta go fast!”
“Don’t tell me you have a catchphrase…”
“That’s right, New Hedgehog. And everyone loves it!”
The memory had the tiniest hint of a smile tugging on Shadow’s lips. For four days, he’d allowed his rage to consume him, the three aliens and their humans chasing him all over Earth, followed by the inevitable emotional crash at the end of it all, urging the one being that had managed to match him to finally end it. End him. Only for that same being to hold out his hand to him, like he was inviting him to dance.
“You always have a choice.”
He still didn’t understand why Sonic had chosen to give him another chance. Shadow knew he didn’t deserve it. But for those few moments among the stars, the mysterious gems singing inside both of their bodies as they moved with each other through the robotic carnage they dealt, Shadow hadn’t been able to stop smiling. Sonic’s laugh was infectious, and it echoed in his ears as they spun and collided in the sky, reaching for each other like they had been born doing this. Instinctual memory at the deepest level. He wasn’t sure if it was the crystals forming some sort of connection between them as their shared power flowed through one another, or if it was something about Sonic himself. Maybe it was both. The blue hero’s Chaos had reached out to him in that first race through the city. The faster they went, the more Sonic’s Chaos surged, reaching out to him. Calling to him.
Dance with me.
Suddenly, Shadow’s Chaos sparked around him, as if trying to reach back in an attempt to answer that distant call. His ears flattened slightly, and he closed his eyes, the smile falling from his face. Sonic wasn’t here and couldn’t answer anything. He placed the glittering stones securely back within his quills, casting the room in darkness once again. He didn’t know what he was going to do with them, but he knew he couldn’t leave them behind. Standing there in the motel bathroom for a moment, he let out a sigh. He listened to the water dripping into the tub from the shower, felt the dampness in his fur and the aches in his body as he stared at his reflection in the dark mirror.
He felt so utterly lost.
A sudden spark crackled in the room, the noise startling Shadow so much that he jumped back instinctually and hit the back of his head on the cabinet on the opposite wall. He hissed through clenched teeth as pain seared through his injured side, but his eyes widened in shock at the tiny sparks that fizzled out along the wall— blue sparks.
The familiar pattern of Chaos was only there for a moment—a tiny burst of awareness. But it was enough to make his quills stand up at the recognition. Shadow’s brows furrowed as he tried to grasp onto the familiar signature. Moving on instinct, he teleported himself into the desert a few miles away from the motel, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain as he tried to follow it. The distant sounds of cars and civilization were replaced by the sounds of insects and small animals scurrying along the desert ground. He called forth his own Chaos, feeling the power surge around him for a moment. He let the Chaos guide his movements as he felt a pull like a magnet from… somewhere. From him ? He reached up, following that pull and sent up a bolt of Chaos into the sky. His brow furrowed once again, and he wondered what he had hoped to accomplish with that.
As soon as the thought formed in his mind, a bolt of blue Chaos shot down from the sky, as if answering his call. It landed right in front of him, sizzling in a circle along the ground, almost playfully before him. His own amber Chaos crackled around him, tiny sparks jumping out from his body to join the blue. The two bolts twirled around one another until they finally collided and formed into a single circle of energy. Shadow’s eyes widened at the sight of it. Electrically charged and beautiful, it hung suspended in the air, flooding the surrounding area with dazzling light. Without even needing to think, Shadow reached for it. He expected to feel a burning tingle of energy as his fingers entangled in the spinning bolts, but instead he felt an awareness—one that he somehow knew could see him just as clearly as he could see the dance of Chaos. Shadow’s breath caught in his throat as he heard his voice.
“Shadow?!”
“Sonic?”
Then, it was gone just as quickly as it had formed. The twin Chaos bolts winked out, casting him into darkness as he stood in the desert, the scent of ozone still hanging in the air. His hand remained outstretched, still reaching for…whatever had just happened. But then the pain seared through him again, sharper and far more intense than it had been before. He sucked in a pained breath, letting it out in a whimper as he fell to his knees. He clutched his side, clenching his teeth as a wave of nausea swept through him. He coughed, his chest seizing as he dry heaved. All he could do was try to steady himself and wait until the sensations finally passed. Whatever he’d just done, his injuries had not handled it well.
What did he just do?
He didn’t think his body would be able to handle doing it again. But he knew he had managed to somehow reach out and touch Sonic’s chaos. He’d even heard him. But, no. It was even more than that—Shadow had felt him.
His breath shaking as the pain finally began to subside, he brought up a trembling hand. He could still feel the Chaos signatures there— both of them. He rubbed his fingers together, heart hammering and eyes widening as tiny blue sparks re-formed around his fingertips, followed by his own amber bolts, still intertwining with each other
What is happening?
Slowly, shakily, he got to his feet, trying to be gentle with his side. He glanced around, surveying for noise or movement. Someone could have seen the brilliant bolts of blue and gold out in the desert. If not from the city behind him, then from the cars that were passing on the roadway that he could see in the distance. He had to move.
“To where?” he whispered, to the sparks encircling his fingers. The words had his ears flattening back against his head.
The thought brought up a weight he had been carrying since he woke up from the cryotube— a doubt that haunted his steps and clouded his thoughts whenever he gave himself a moment to think beyond what he was doing in the immediate. A lingering, ever-present anxiety that only the destruction in pursuit of revenge had manage to quiet:
What was he supposed to do now?
When he was at the Lab, his only purpose was as an asset to be studied—an unknown species that could be useful for an endless number of possibilities. The Professor had told him that his Chaos energy could be the key to a new golden age of alternative energy. Others told him his advanced healing could be used to further advancements in medicine. But others saw him only as something dangerous—a weapon to be harnessed, to be controlled. To be used.
Maria was the only one who hadn’t seen him that way.
Shadow’s eyes stung at the thought of her again, memories and emotions flooding back to him unbidden. His whole world had fallen apart the night he’d lost her. Without her, he had truly become something to fear. A monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike any and all with the full force of his power. With her gone, was there anything even left for him here? Or anywhere ? The entirety of his memories—of his entire existence, was of her. Even those that had been corrupted by time in the confines of his own mind for fifty years, even the ugly promises the Professor had used to fuel his rage. They were all of her.
The realization that he’d been holding off for as long as he could remember suddenly blazed to fruition in his mind—he barely knew what he was. But at least in the Lab—with Maria, he’d had a purpose.
The blue lighting tickled his fingers along his glove, as if attempting to pull him from his dark thoughts. Shadow watched it for a moment with fascination and a deep sense of longing. He still wasn’t sure what he’d done just then, but Sonic had answered. So he must be alright.
He thought back to the GUN headquarters, remembering how he’d attacked Commander Walters, or who he’d thought was Commander Walters. He’d put the full force of his strength into that strike—he could remember the feeling of his impact with the human’s chest, the feeling of his ribs cracking and his sternum collapsing under his fist. He closed his eyes, doubtfully hoping that that man,Tom, was alright too. He wasn’t sure what the human was to Sonic but if he was anything like Maria had been to him….
The blue lightning sparked again, dancing to the tips of his fingers before arching out, as if the Chaos was reaching for something. Shadow felt a definite tug in his chest—that same magnet force pulling him forward. His brow furrowed in confusion. Tentatively, he took a step in the direction of the blue lightning’s arc. The Chaos sparked in a little encouraging burst. Sparks of his own amber Chaos joined in for a moment, as if to celebrate with its companion. Then he felt the blue tug at him once again. Brows still furrowed, he turned his hand over, watching the sparks, trying to ignore how pleasant the feeling was.
“Give yourself a chance to be happy.”
Shadow’s heart thundered in his chest, and he felt ice drop into his stomach—the option that was now before him was terrifying. Sonic may have given him a second chance to make things right when they were on the moon, but it didn’t mean he had even begun to make up for what he had done, the people he hurt, for what he had been willing to do in the name of revenge. If he saw the blue hero again, how would he look at him? Would it be the same mischievous camaraderie as he had circling each other among the stars? Or would he look at him with the disdain and resentment he knew he deserved? Shadow had been the villain in his story, after all. He’d almost destroyed everything that Sonic loved. If Sonic looked at him with hatred, he knew without a doubt that it was hatred that he’d absolutely well earned. It was even entirely possible that he and the rest of his family wanted him dead. And Shadow couldn’t deny that they had every right to want that. He didn’t even know if he could bring himself to deny it to them….
“One other thing I learned: when you really screw something up, you can’t fix it on your own.”
The blue Chaos lightning inched over his hand to his Inhibitor Rings, dancing around his wrist for a moment before returning to the center of his palm and pulsing gently. Waiting. Shadow watched it, feeling a familiar fist around his heart. He thought back to the dream, how Maria had called him brave. He didn’t feel brave at all. He felt paralyzed with the weight of guilt, self-loathing, and regret. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel the deep yearning for the companionship he’d shared with the other hedgehog in those brief moments in space—two beings of Chaos, moving so in sync with one another in an amazing, exuberant dance. Up there, for the first time since he’d lost Maria, he hadn’t felt alone.
Shadow looked up, trying to see the stars, as if trying to reach for her and for Sonic and for some feeling of purpose. But even out in the desert, they were too close to the city lights to be any more than faint specks against the inky sky. Even if he could see them clearly, would they have any answers for him anyway? Any comfort?
“I promise you, all you have to do is reach out and your light will find you.”
With her voice echoing in his head and a lump in his throat, Shadow looked back down at his hand. The little spark of blue Chaos had dimmed considerably. Maybe it was getting weaker the longer he waited, or maybe Sonic’s Chaos was giving up. His mouth quirked into a tiny smirk at the thought. No. That wasn’t it. That damn hedgehog didn’t know how to give up. Why would his Chaos be any different?
He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. Before he had a chance to change his mind, he extended his arm towards the desert, reaching out.
“Alright, Blue,” he whispered, resolved. “Tell me where you are.”
The blue Chaos sparked back to life, leaping forward to Shadow’s fingertips, and he once again felt the pull. His Air Shoes blazed to life, and he propelled himself forward gliding smoothly as he allowed the pull to guide him. The further he moved, the more insistent the pull became. Pain throbbed through his body as he went, but it was manageable for the most part, even as he picked up speed. He raced forward, his haste eating up miles through the desert as he followed the pull that guided him north.
~~~
It was dawn when Shadow’s strength finally gave out.
He'd traveled through the night, stopping only to make sure he wasn't seen by human eyes. Desert and scrubland slowly gave way to grassy hills and vast fields. His Air Shoes could handle any terrain without having to resort to the man-made roads, until the grasslands sloped upward into mountains. He traversed along paved highways as he needed to in order to continue forward, but the pull of the blue Chaos in his hand often took him in other directions, off-road and over steep peaks. At least he could see the stars again, twinkling in the sky next to a shattered moon. He had started in astonishment when he first realized it had been broken, scattered chunks holding orbit around a larger portion. The Cannon had caused some destruction, after all. Shadow did his best not to think too hard about that. He had to focus on moving.
The sun slowly turned the sky from an inky black, to a deep blue, then a soft haze of red and purple. A low fog hung over the ground, swirling around his feet when he finally came to a halt. He was so exhausted that he could only hold himself up by bracing his hands on his knees. His chest heaved from the exertion, and the pain had become so intense that he started seeing black spots across his vision. The blue lightning still tugged at his senses but it had calmed considerably from its eager insistence in the desert. Shadow couldn’t decide if he was annoyed by his silent passenger or relieved at how it made him feel less alone. But no matter how pushy the little blue Chaos bolt was, he had to stop. He needed to rest, at least until the worst of the pain passed.
It was strange, he thought. He should have healed by now. His accelerated healing worked quickly, repairing damaged flesh, bones, and organs in a fraction of the time it would take any Earth-born organism. Or so they had told him in the Lab. Even with the grave trauma that falling to Earth from space must have inflicted on his body, he felt like he should have been more resilient than he was finding himself to be.
Shadow stood there, vision swimming for a few moments as he waited for his breathing to even out. He took a moment to take stock of where he was and what was surrounding him. The striking grandeur of the mountains had given way to tree-lined roads surrounded by endless fields and only the occasional buildings. Shadow had mostly ignored them, but as morning had drawn near, signs of life became more apparent—more lights in the windows of the sporadic buildings, more cars on the roads. Shadow moved to follow the power lines rather than risk being spotted on the open pavement. He still wasn’t quite sure where he was, but he could once again see mountains in the distance over the tops of the trees.
He let out an annoyed sigh and rubbed at his side. He could see a few dilapidated buildings not far from the unkempt gravel road where he was standing. They were overgrown with thick patches of brush. He squinted at the largest building. He tried to remember what buildings shaped like that were called…. a barn? He pushed forward, Air Shoes blinking to life as he approached the structure. The wood panels that made up the exterior looked damp and partially rotted, but he could see the dull red paint that had mostly faded with time and exposure. Nature had reclaimed most of it—various plants grew advantageously through broken windows or crumbling walls. Even the roof was sagging inward with the weight of time, weather, and flora swallowing what was left after it had been abandoned.
Shadow scowled at the building, narrowing his eyes as he let out a frustrated growl. He could already feel the grime that would stick to his fur if he set foot in there. He considered moving forward to find somewhere more hygienic to rest, but another burning stab of pain in his side sent tremors through him and he almost lost his footing. It was as if his body was protesting the very thought. It seemed he had no choice. He had to rest, and this would at least keep him hidden.
Shadow hovered over the overgrown grass and past the barn’s open entrance. He scrunched up his nose in disgust as he entered—the decay was even worse on the inside. Rotted hay covered the floor, while various pieces of broken furniture lay upended or destroyed. A rusted metal table on its side, a stack of faded tires in the corner, the remnants of a pen that had been abandoned along with the structure. He was sure he could smell mold too, which made his quills stand on end.
There wasn’t much else that he could recognize in there, but as his eyes scanned the large open space, he spotted the loft. It still seemed mostly intact. He levitated up to the elevated space, expecting to find even more damp, rotting disrepair, but he was pleasantly surprised to find it relatively dry, even with how close it was to the ceiling. The loft must have been used for storage—the space was almost completely packed with various unfamiliar tools and machines all caked in dust and old cobwebs. His ears pinned back against his head and let out a reproachful scoff.
Shadow barely had time to consider his options when he felt the blue sparks suddenly blaze bright and alive against his palm. It startled him, and he lifted his hand to watch the Chaos dance excitedly over his black fur. He narrowed his eyes at the cheerful blue sparks. He didn’t know how to convey the fact that he had to rest. He may have been the Ultimate Lifeform, but even he had his limits, including falling from space and racing across the countryside all through the night, apparently. No matter how enthusiastically the little pulse was to pull him along.
His eyes widened as he realized— the pull. It was gone. The little bolt of Chaos still manifested in his hand, but he no longer felt the sensation of a magnet tugging him onward. But he didn’t have time to be alarmed before he heard a noise outside.
Shadow whirled around, his body tense and ready to strike. He couldn’t see them or make out anything they were saying, but he could clearly hear a voice outside, far closer than he wanted it to be. And getting closer.
He crouched down next to one of the loft’s support beams. The light from the excited blue bolt of Chaos would be just enough to draw attention to his hiding spot. His fingers curled into a fist and he put his hand behind his back in an effort to obscure it.
His heart raced as adrenaline flooded him, temporarily dulling the pain in his body. He had to avoid being spotted at all costs. He was too weak to risk a fight, but he could teleport himself far enough away if he needed to. It would hurt, but he would do it if it meant remaining undetected. Human eyes meant GUN would eventually catch up with him, and he knew he stood no chance against an assault from their forces in the state he was in. Running was his only option.
The voices (Of course, there were more than one ) outside hadn’t drawn any closer, but one of them began speaking more animatedly. He strained his ears, trying to hear what was being said.
The blue lightning sparked again; no longer content to stay in his closed fist, it traveled up his arm and over his shoulders. He bared his teeth and scowled furiously at it, silently demanding it to be quiet. Then, one of the voices shouted something. Panic surged through Shadow’s veins, and he crouched lower to the floor of the loft, trying harder to blend in with the darkness. His crimson eyes darted around the barn, scanning for any sort of movement before locking onto the open door at the front where streams of the morning sun cascaded in in dusty light shafts.
There was a moment of silence. The voices fell back to their distant murmuring. Shadow kept his breathing steady, preparing for as many eventualities as he could.
Then, someone was running . The sound of their footfalls against the grass outside faster than any human would have been capable of achieving. And along with it, the unmistakable hum of Chaos. Blue Chaos.
Shadow didn’t even have time to register that before Sonic the Hedgehog burst through the open door, screeching to a halt in the middle of the wide open room, dust and debris kicking up in his frantic wake.
“Shadow?!” he called out. He whirled around, darting in blue streaks from one corner of the ground floor to the other as if Shadow was somehow hiding among the rotting debris. “ Shadow?! ” he repeated, more urgently.
Shadow stopped breathing, his eyes going wide in utter disbelief. He could feel his heart beating so hard, he was surprised that Sonic didn’t hear it. Then suddenly, a wave of staggering, overwhelming relief washed over him so intensely that he felt tears well in his eyes
Sonic’s alive. He’s okay.
He hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding onto that—the faint but ever present worry that Sonic might not have survived. That the fox hadn’t reached him in time, or that they had both perished as they fell back to Earth, or had gotten caught in the blast as the Cannon exploded.
“Come on, Shadow!” The frustration in Sonic’s voice brought Shadow’s attention into sharp focus as he watched Sonic raise his empty hand. Golden amber chaos energy sparked in the hero’s gloved palm. Shadow instantly recognized it as his own power, gently running along Sonic’s arm. The other hedgehog’s frown deepened as he watched the blazing amber bolt. Shadow still couldn’t be sure how, but whatever he had done to reach out with his Chaos back in the motel had worked.
“Where are you?” Sonic demanded, either to him or the Chaos in his hand. “Come on, point somewhere!”
Suddenly, the blue Chaos bolt Shadow was holding behind his back jumped forward, surging in an elegant arc from his hand down from the loft to land squarely in front of Sonic’s feet. Sonic yelped and jumped away, startled. Shadow watched in fascination as the golden Chaos that Sonic had been carrying joined the blue that he had been carrying. They twirled around each other in a circle on the floor of the barn, like two friends excited to see one another after being separated. He was so distracted with watching, that he didn’t notice Sonic’s two friends coming in behind him, only realizing their presence as one of them spoke.
“Sonic!” The small yellow fox exclaimed as he flew in after him, held aloft and propelled by his whirring two tails. He landed next to Sonic, holding a device in his hand, the screen softly beeping rapidly.
“Hedgehog!” The red echidna followed a moment later, his fists raised and ready for a battle. “I heard your cry for help!” He skidded to a halt next to the fox and scanned the room with narrowed violet eyes as he growled.
“Look!” Sonic didn’t even look up at them, pointing excitedly to the circle of Chaos lightning at his feet. Twin powers of pure Chaos moved around on the floor, circling each other, waiting for the other to make a move. “It’s doing it again!” Sonic shouted as he watched them, enthralled. Shadow couldn’t help but do the same.
“What is that?” the echidna said, jumping back slightly at the sight. “ What is going on?! ” he growled, raising his fists up slightly higher, as if he expected the entwined lightning to attack him at any moment.
“I’m…not sure.” The fox admitted, looking back and forth between the Chaos and his gadget, “They’re the same energy readings, like the ones from the attic. Exactly the same.” He pushed a few buttons on the device. “But I’ve never seen Chaos do anything like this before.”
“Okay, but if it's the same then where is he? Shouldn’t he be here?” Sonic asked, even more urgently than before, still not looking away from the lightning. The worry in his voice was unmistakable.
Shadow blinked, trying to catch his breath.
He was worried. He…they all came looking for me.
Suddenly, both arcs of Chaos curled into spheres and dove at one another, hissing out sparks as they collided that crawled in delicate tendrils along the ground and up the walls. All three of the others exclaimed and jumped at the sight. The echidna shouted something, but Shadow wasn’t listening
It was just like what Shadow had seen the blue Chaos do in the desert—what he and Sonic had done in space. An excited playful dance of power, colliding together in dazzling, beautiful, brilliant radiance. Then, just like before in the desert, the light suddenly winked out. The blue lightning surged forward back into Sonic, its bright tendrils traveling around his body before settling back where it belonged, lighting up his quills for a moment before it dimmed. At the same time, the amber Chaos shot upward toward the loft, directly into Shadow’s open palm, grasping it as he stood from his hiding spot. The golden lightning sparked around him, dancing across his fur before settling back inside him.
Shadow looked down at the trio as they looked back up at him, their expressions a mix of awe, wariness, and relief.
“Shadow?” Sonic whispered, his green eyes wide and shining. Shadow felt a squeeze in his chest as he watched Sonic’s face break into a brilliant smile. A smile that looked so much like hope. That promised possibilities. The same smile from the moon. The one that called out to him. He couldn’t help it as the thought sprung up once again, unbidden as their gazes locked together.
Dance with me.
In the back of his mind, he heard her voice—soft and full of reassurance.
“You really could use someone to get you into trouble.”