Chapter Text
My feet pounded into the ground, hardening the mud and dirt into a path. The twigs and leaves broke and shredded under me as I forced my way through the familiar forest ground. My speed rushed through the bedhead I refused to take care of, my azure quills tangling in the wind. I would have to admit; I wasn't taking this too seriously. I spun around a tree for no reason, laughing at the nonsensical motion of it as I ran around it once or twice. Though just as I was about to dash along to go get a look at a flower, forgetting a little about my original goal, an orange blur rushed past! Quickly realizing Shadow had overtaken me during my brief distraction I shift gears and rush after him. It's a little early in the morning so I almost forgot to dust this faker in my sleepiness! Nearly catching up with him I trash talk him, just a bit, though I'm fairly certain it's in one ear out the other. Shadow nears the last tree as I make it right behind him, just as Shadow’s about to go across I shove my foot into the ground and spike myself into the air. Gaining just enough momentum to rocket myself to the finish line just before Shadow! My celebration was cut short as I watched Shad's face contort into horror, I hardly had time to close my eyes to brace for impact.
But nothing happens. I wait and wait but when I open my eyes again the badnik isn't there and neither is Shadow. I get up from the ground where I had landed (apparently. I didn't even feel myself hit the floor) and I stand near the tree we had chosen. My head hurts as I attempt to recall what I was doing. I was competing against Shadow… and I needed to win. I circle around the tree as I try to recall anything.. Amy, Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, my friends… beating Shadow.. winning against Shadow.. racing Shadow…
I can't seem to get rid of the thought of beating shadow at something, anything really.. a dark liquid drips into my eye and I wipe it away, it's a navy color that seemed foreign to me. I followed it up to a crack in my skull, thinking back to the badnik I put it together.
I'm dead.
Does that mean shadow beat me by living longer? I clicked my tongue and tapped my foot. The last place I saw him was around the winning tree so I lingered near it and waited.
I waited for over a month for him to show back up.
...
I crashed into his door, quickly and efficiently shoving the door open before slamming it shut once I was in. Why was he alive? No he's not alive. He's a ghost of some sort but why was he here? I rip open his drawers and sift through all his stuff, I then begin to tear away his sheets checking for anything unusual, throwing the rug out of the way to inspect the floors. I look for anything that might be a clue to his current state. There's a sharp pounding on the door cutting through my quiet spiral as his voice dripped in.
“Shadow! Shadow are you in there? You're not right? I won right?!”
I paused, letting my out of control thoughts center for a moment. I deliberate on his behavior. He's usually competitive but this was on a whole other level. He seems rather obsessive, I was already aware something was not right but perhaps it's a clue as to what's happening to him? In a less rushed, more careful manner I inspected his house. Let him think he's won as I try to find out why he's here. My search and ransacking of his house turns up nothing and it doesn't help that I don't know what I'm looking for. I open another drawer to look through when a familiar face jumps out. I bounce backwards, stumbling at the sight. He pushes himself up and out of the drawer, laughing, before leaning against the dresser.
“So I didn't beat you. You don't have to hand me the win you know? I won't be that butthurt about it.”
His bright blue quills shimmer in the moonlight that's filtering through the window, his wounds– in stark contrast– don't reflect any light nor gain any highlights. They seep the navy blue liquid and I watch as it drips onto the ground like ectoplasm. He giggles, the laughter dropping from his mouth along with his smile.
“How did you get so far ahead.. I ran like normal…”
He mutters under his breath looking slightly distraught. Thinking back on it now, he did seem slower than usual. Was that a side effect to his current condition? I inspect his body, he seems to look the exact way I first saw him but checking closely I notice a gold ring attached to his foot. It hung just above his shoe and looked similar in design to my inhibitor ring.
I take a step forward, I need to find out what was going on. I blink back tears and open my mouth,
“How are you here?”
He looks at me, his smile returns and he prances around me, looking me up and down.
“I don't know? I just woke up back here. Say shadow, let's say that this one doesn't count, okay? Let's do a rematch!”
I ignore him and continue my inspection of him. I probably shouldn't have freaked myself out as much as I did back there. Now that the shock has worn off I just feel choked up, like someone shot me. I try to keep my emotions calm.
“That… liquid..? What is it?”
“I don't know!
“Then your shackle, on your foot?”
“Hmm? I didn't even realize I had one!”
He glances down to inspect it, glancing at both his feet before looking back to me.
“Which foot is it on?”
“... The right one”
He puts his hands up in Ls looking oddly serious before looking at his left foot.
“Your right.”
He moves to his right foot not even looking embarrassed before looking back up at me
“I don't see anything!”