Chapter Text
When Shadow had attempted to enter the Shatterspace, failed, and was subsequently blasted back and knocked out, it was a miracle he hadn’t fallen into the blackness of the void.
He’d been only momentarily knocked out and woke up just in time to use his rocket shoes to prevent himself from presumably (since he doesn’t actually know what happens to things in the void) being consumed. After that he had taken a small breather on one of the bigger and much more stable shards. He took that time to think back on his original plan and eventually had to admit to himself that he would need Sonic’s assistance since he was unable to go into the other Shatterspaces himself.
It sucked that he would have to rely on Sonic, especially since he’d undoubtedly rub it in his face, but it seemed he had little choice at this point. And sure, he could try to enter a Shatterspace again, but does he really want to run the risk of the same thing happening but not waking up in time to narrowly escape the void’s clutches?
The answer is no. He’d rather not risk it.
So after collecting his thoughts and determining what to do next he heads back to the yellow Shatterspace portal and goes in. He easily lands on his feet and checks his surroundings for any sign of Sonic.
No annoying blue hedgehogs were currently around. He wondered what Sonic was currently doing. Perhaps he was waiting for him near the Paradox Prism outline? It would be the smart thing to do and Sonic did occasionally have smart ideas— not that he’d ever admit it aloud.
When he reached the cave there was still no sign of him. The only other place he could think of that Sonic would be was with his fake and ghostly looking friends.
As he approaches it doesn’t take him long to see a familiar shade of blue sitting in the grass... but something about his appearance was very obviously off. Namely the fact he was covered in white glowing lines.
It vaguely reminded him of his shoes and gloves when he had first entered the current Shatterspace and still had the tech on. Perhaps it was a side effect of taking Sonic’s tech? The other hedgehog had made it apparent that he had little to no control over the Prism energy currently inhabiting his body.
Though that doesn’t explain why it would’ve progressed to such a state so fast... or why he could now hear muttering coming from the hedgehog. It kind of sounded like he was repeating their fake friends’ phrases. And it was kind of creepy too; The fact he was so perfectly in sync with what they were saying and how he just kept repeating it.
Shadow wasn’t quite sure what to say. He definitely hadn’t been expecting this, especially since Sonic hadn’t noticed him and was acting strangely.
Well... standing around wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Sonic.“ He said in order to get the hedgehog’s attention.
Sonic’s ears perk up and his head swiftly turns to the side, his eyes going completely wide. “Shadow...? I-Is that really you...?” He says with such realistic sounding disbelief it confuses Shadow.
Shadow’s brows can’t help but furrow at the unexpected reaction. “Yes... Of course it’s me.“
“I-I-I can’t believe it!” Sonic exclaims as he hastily gets up, Shadow swearing he could see the hedgehog visibly glitch as if he were a lagging video, and walks up to the black hedgehog with a hand on his head while looking him up and down. “You’re here... After all this time, you’re actually here!”
That made Shadow’s brows furrow even more. “What do you mean ‘after all this time?’ I mean really, you make it sound like it hasn’t just been minutes since I last saw you.”
“Minutes?” Sonic parroted with confusion that quickly turned to anger. “MINUTES!? I don’t know what the hell you’ve been doing this entire time Shadow, but it has NOT been MINUTES!!” He screamed as he pointed at Shadow, causing him to take a step back at the sudden outburst, when suddenly that anger morphed into something calmer looking... and yet Shadow couldn’t help but be creeped out by the sudden change in tone. “I waited for you, ya know. I waited and waited and waited... I screamed, I cried, hoping that somebody, anybody, would come save me from this forsaken place!”
Sonic’s demeanor suddenly went cold and rigid. “But nobody came...” There was a pause before he tilted his head and spoke again, his demeanor returning to how it was before. “And that’s your fault, isn’t it?” He said with an unsettling grin.
Shadow took another step back before summoning a Chaos Spear and taking a fighting stance. “Where’s Sonic?”
“What?” The Sonic-lookalike said flatly.
“Where. Is. Sonic? The real Sonic would never act this way.”
“The real Sonic? Seriously?” ‘Sonic’ chuckled. “That’s a hilarious accusation coming from you! For all I know, you could just be a hallucination. I wouldn’t be too surprised either. Being a hero doesn’t make me immune to the effects of isolation... Though I’m not sure if that hero title even applies anymore. Isolation can really mess with a guy’s head, ya know? Especially when that guy is me! So tell me, what makes you the real Shadow?”
“I told you, I’ve only been gone for minutes and you’re acting nothing like Sonic would.” He pointed the Chaos Spear at the other. “Now where is he? Don’t make me ask again.”
“Again with the minutes thing? Really?!” He said with clear agitation.
‘Sonic’ suddenly tackles him to the ground and pins him down in rage, making Shadow lose concentration and subsequently causing the Chaos Spear to fizzle out- not that he’d really be able to aim at them with it while being pinned down.
Shadow fights against the other’s hold as much as possible, but damn were they abnormally strong! He’d even tried kicking them off but they had only briefly lost their hold on him and had almost immediately pinned him down again.
If only he still had that Chaos Emerald...!
“Would you quit struggling? I’m not gonna hurt you, Shadow. Just force you to listen to me because I really don’t appreciate you playing dumb with me after all this time!”
“As if I’d believe an imposter!” Shadow yelled. The fact they were strong enough to keep the Ultimate Lifeform pinned down was just another indicator this couldn’t be Sonic.
At this point he was considering using Chaos Control without an Emerald. It’d drain him significantly without one but it didn’t seem like he’d be getting out any other way... But then again, if he let them monologue they might reveal something useful. He’ll just have to time his escape right.
“Oh shut it and listen. I know you’ve been gallivanting around with the tech you stole from me, Shads!” Shadow’s eyes widened a bit at the all too familiar nickname. “And I am Sonic, you just don’t wanna admit it! Don’t wanna admit that you’re guilty... So just quit the damn act already and I’ll let you go.”
Shadow still didn’t trust them, especially since they were talking nonsense, but that nickname... could it actually be...?
No.
Perhaps this shapeshifter disguised as himself first and Sonic just happened to use the nickname. Or perhaps he’d been tortured or threatened for such information?
But still... There was this nagging feeling at the back of his head that told him otherwise. He should try to test him- subtly of course. And something that should only get a real reaction out of Sonic.
“So you say, faker, but what I say is the truth.”
They squinted their eyes at that. “Did... Did you seriously just call me a faker? I mean, really? Especially when you’re probably the real faker around here. Heheh, just couldn’t help but make the joke.” He said with a wink. “But... Hmm... Maybe this is just some weird new power? Creating interactive illusions...” A shiver seemed to go up his spine. After that he quickly backed off Shadow and stood up. “Eugh.” He looked down and rubbed his arms in discomfort. “I don’t like this. Reminds me too much of damn Infinite’s power.”
Shadow relaxed a bit at having his theory confirmed— not to mention that all too accurate tidbit about Infinite— and got up. “Ignoring those last few parts, you passed my test. So I suppose you truly are Sonic. But what happened to you while I was gone? Why are you acting so... odd?”
“Heheheh, I’ve already told ya Shads! It’s been so long since I last saw anyone real. I know I’m a bit off my rocker-“ He spun a finger at the side of his head for emphasis. “-but such isolation can really change a guy after long enough.”
“That’s something I still don’t get. You say it’s been a long time since you’ve seen me but the last time I recall seeing you was no more than 15 minutes ago, much less however long it takes for the effects of prolonged isolation to start messing with your head.“
A look of annoyance was plastered on Sonic’s face for a few seconds before his eyes seemed to widen in realization. “Wait a second... I think I know what’s going on here. It’s just like that time I returned to New Yoke from the Maze place, isn’t it? For me it had been only a day, but for them it had been significantly longer. For you it’s only been minutes, but for me it’s been far far longer.”
Sonic laughs a little before tears start to form. “Why is it only a few days for them, but much longer for me!?” He says that last part as he collapses to his knees and proceeds to slam his fists on the ground. “It isn’t fair! After everything I’ve done, after all the times I’ve saved the world, this is what I get from the universe as thanks?!”
There’s a small pause before he continued. “No wonder you didn’t think I’m really me. Chaos...” He then looks up at Shadow. “It really has only been minutes for you, hasn’t it?”
Shadow is stunned for a moment before giving a stiff nod. The black hedgehog was still processing the new information. “I... I’m sorry.” He said while guiltily averting Sonic’s gaze. “For leaving you here, that is. If I had known this would happen I never would’ve left you here by yourself.”
“It’s fine... I’m fine...” There was a bit of a pause before he let out a bitter chuckle and retracted his previous statement. “But it’s not, isn’t it? And what will everyone think of me now? Their unstoppable blue hero reduced to this.” He said as he looked at his shaky hands, then back up at the black hedgehog. “I don’t feel like myself anymore, Shadow- Don’t even sound like myself sometimes- and I haven’t for awhile... What do we do? ...What do I do? I don’t want them to see me like this. Broken. Crazy. Not... me.”
“It’ll take some time, but I’m sure you’ll get there.”
“Not fast enough. Never fast enough. That’s how I ended up stuck here, after all.”
Shadow sighed. “Well, being self aware of your problem is probably a good first step to... recovery.” He said that last part with immense guilt. “Actually, how about this: If I’m around and notice you falling out of line, I’ll tell you so you can correct yourself? It’s the least I can do seeing as this is technically my fault...”
“I guess... But I don’t think it’s going to count for much seeing as you’re unable to accompany me.”
“It will when we have restored our reality. As for now, I think you should know I saw the Chaos Council head into the Boscage Maze. They need to be stopped.”
“Sure, but how do I get even get out of these Shatterspaces on my own? Every time I have before it’s been a fluke.” He once again chuckles bitterly. “I mean if I knew then we wouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place. Ya know, with me like this.”
“Well you’ll need to use the Prism Energy inside you-“
“Yeah, but how?!” Sonic shouts impatiently.
“If you’d let me finish, I was getting to that. Anyways, as I was saying, you need to use the Prism Energy inside you by going as fast as possible. Once you pick up enough speed you should be able to make a temporary portal to the place between worlds.”
“Oh... Heheh... That’s...” Sonic breaks into a hysterical laughter “hahahaHAHAHAHAHA-“ and is stopped when Shadow slaps him. His head immediately swerved to his attacker. “Ow! What the heck was that for!?”
Shadow raises a brow. “Your abnormal behavior? You know, the thing I said I’d help you out with?”
“Ah. Sorry. I-It’s just... You’re telling me that if I went fast enough I could’ve gotten out of here on my own? If I had just pushed myself a little harder then maybe, just maybe, I could’ve gotten myself out of here all on my own? What a cruel joke from the universe...”
“Hm.” Was the only thing Shadow could think to say in response. He felt immensely guilty about the situation and knew it’d remain that way for as long as he remembered this happening. “We should fully cross those kinds of bridges once our home is restored. Get you some proper help. But for now we must focus on fixing the Paradox Prism.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Guess I’m off then. Cya later Shads.” Sonic gave him a two fingered salute before running off, going as fast as he could, making it to the space in between, and eventually going into the Bocage Maze.