Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Shadow was awoken late at night, he wasn't truly expecting it to be his doorbell frantically being rung. His sleep-drunk brain told him to ignore it, to let it pass and check in the morning. His brainless plans were squashed the moment the ringing stopped and the banging began. Who the hell could possibly want my attention at three in the fucking morning?

Shadow tossed his covers off him and swung gracelessly out of bed. He didn't bother hitting the lights—he'd been designed as an ultimate weapon, so night vision was one of his perks. He navigated the hall and the spacious expanse of his tidy living room to arrive on his doorstep.

He glowered out the peephole, seeing nobody but still certainly hearing the incessant knocking growing weaker and fainter. "I'm working on it, shut the fuck up!" The pounding on the oak stopped with his sour words as he unlocked the deadbolt and doorknob.

When Shadow was awoken late at night, he wasn't truly expecting it to be anything serious. He expected Rouge or some other G.U.N operative to assign him some new top-secret mission. What he wasn't expecting, however, was his rival on his knees on the doormat, grasping a gaping wound on his right side and bleeding out onto the concrete. "Hey, Shadow." Sonic still cracked a grin despite his definitely grim circumstances.

"Sonic?" Shadow exclaimed, both from surprise and concern. He immediately jumped into action, carefully lifting Sonic to his feet and guiding him into the home he'd clearly sought out. Shadow glanced over his shoulder out the door, and could barely make out the winding trail of blood Sonic had left on the sidewalk in his wake. "What the hell happened to you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he croaked. He winced as Shadow hoisted him up by his hips and sat him on the counter dividing the kitchen and living room. Shadow moved Sonic's bloodsoaked hand away from the wound on his side and examined it with a steady gaze. The pressure Sonic had been applying had slowed the bleeding, but hadn't completely stopped it. Shadow fetched the emergency first aid kit he kept in the kitchen.

"Really?" He asked skeptically as he removed some antiseptic spray from the kit in his hands.

"Seriously." Sonic confirmed, squinting in the dark to watch Shadow. He'd forgotten he left the lights off, and hastily flipped the switch on the wall to his left. Sonic squinted in the sudden light. "You wouldn't."

Shadow shook his head dismissively, applying the spray to the wound and wrenching a yelp and a squirm from Sonic. In the clear lighting, he could actually see more than just the gaping wound on his lithe body. No, Sonic was truly and utterly battered. "Unless you told me the Black Arms were back and running amok, I doubt it would surprise me."

Sonic whimpered softly as Shadow treated him, withering slightly under the hard stare the other was giving him. Shadow had leaned so close to the wound that he could smell the metallic sharpness of Sonic's blood. The wound looked otherwise clean and sterile, so he went ahead and fetched the styptic powder from the kit. He gently applied it to the wound, earning a hiss from the cobalt hedgehog. The blood clotted nicely with the powder, and Sonic's impromptu bloodletting came to an end.

"You never answered me, Sonic." Shadow came again, gazing up at him now that the wound was no longer festering and bleeding all over his marble countertop. "What happened?"

Sonic averted his emerald eyes, looking nervous, hesitant, scared. "Eggman." He admitted at last. "It was Eggman."

"Eggman?" He parroted.

Sonic nodded, his dirtied quills bouncing along with the motion. "I don't know what happened," he continued, "he wasn't acting like he usually did, and then he just—" Sonic cut himself off with a gasp, and Shadow was sure that hurt his injured side more than the hero let on. "Tails! He has Tails!"

Shadow zipped up his first aid kit and set it aside. "He grabbed Tails?" He questioned.

"Yes!" Sonic gasped, jumping back to his feet and yelping as he did so. His arm flew around his torso, cradling his injured side. "We have to help him!"

"You aren't going anywhere." Shadow interjected, placing one hand firmly on Sonic's shoulder. "You're in no condition to be fighting the clearly mad doctor."

Sonic gazed into his eyes, his own glassy and welling with tears. "Well we can't just do nothing! Judging by what he did to me, he won't hesitate to," he choked on the words, swallowing loudly, "t-to kill him!"

Shadow guided Sonic to the ottoman in his living room, having him sit while he fetched some gauze from the adjacent bathroom's medicine cabinet. "We aren't doing nothing." Shadow countered upon his return, wrapping the bandages around Sonic's middle. The azure made no protests. "You will sit here and rest, and I'll go rescue Tails."

"Uh, no." Sonic protested. "He's my best friend! I can't just sit idly by!"

"And you're in no condition to actually try and save him. You'd just get yourself killed." Shadow grumbled, giving Sonic a hard frown and a nasty glare. Sonic either didn't see it or chose not to react to it. "I can't lose another friend, Sonic."

"No, Shadow, you don't know what you're up against." Sonic retorted, with a quiver in his lip and a tremor in his voice. "I've seen what he's done firsthand, and he'd kill you too."

"I'm practically immortal, Sonic." Shadow answered, cutting the gauze and wrapping it around its other layers in a way that it would hold. "He won't touch me."

Sonic was silent for a moment, green eyes closed to the world. Shadow took that as an opportunity to treat his other cuts and bruises. "I suppose that's why I dragged myself here." He said at last after about two minutes of silence. "To seek your help. Guess I can't deny it now."

"Thank you." Shadow replied, setting the bandages aside once he was finished wrapping his wounds up. "I'll find where he's keeping Tails. You get yourself a sponge bath and get some rest. Just take my bed, I won't be in it and I don't have a guest room ready."

Sonic was quiet again, and kept his back to the ebony. Just as Shadow took that as the end of the conversation and stood to leave, Sonic looked back at him with misty eyes and a tiny smile. "Thanks Shadow," he whispered, "I owe you one."

Shadow gave him a nod and a small hmph, walking out the still open door and skating along Sonic's blood trail towards the recent battlefield.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t hard to locate the field Sonic had come from. The land was torn and mangled, and there were scraps of titanium and fur scattered about. Shadow was able to deduce where Sonic had been mortally wounded, judging by the blood scattered about and pooled in the dirt. Their battle had left a decent crater in the earth.

It wouldn’t be easy in the least to find where Eggman had gone. Shadow exhaled loudly through his nose and pressed his fingers to his temple. He would’ve grilled Sonic for more information before he left if he’d thought the hedgehog was in any state to do so. He would have to do this the old fashioned way.

Shadow approached one of the mangled titanium scraps, kneeling beside it and lifting its heft into his hands. His vision wasn’t clear due to it still being dark, but he could at least make out the details of its design.

The sheet was thick, with paint scratched on its surface where Sonic had likely made contact. He ghosted his hand along the metal, a disturbing shiver wracking his body. While it looked natural and unassuming, Shadow was more observant than that.

Something was wrong with this metal.

Even upon inspecting the other torn pieces of the robot it likely had been, Shadow detected the same disturbing energy from it. Similar to Chaos Energy, he deduced, but with the added affect of making him lightheaded and weak. Shadow stumbled away from the largest pile of wreckage, glaring at it as though it were a mamba coiling to strike at him.

His shoe splashed in a puddle he hadn’t recognized in the dark, and he snapped his gaze down to look at it. It didn’t bear the same color as Sonic’s blood he saw to his far left, but rather a darker, heavier sheen. It’s oil, he thought, stepping out of the puddle and leaving a print the shape of his shoe. Motor oil. Sonic must’ve damaged the motor or the oil pan. That, or the Tornado did.

Shadow cast his gaze over at the plane nearby, lying abandoned and battered on the grass just outside the battle-crater. Shadow shook his head, trying to piece together in his mind what happened. From the position of the Tornado, he thought, resting his pointer finger and thumb on his chin, I take it Sonic was wounded first, then Tails landed and rushed to his side. He looked back over at the oil puddle in the mud. But that doesn’t explain Eggman’s irrational behavior.

He walked back over to the cursed metal, brow furrowing at the lingering corruption. “Nor does it explain this.” He thought aloud. “What the hell happened here to cause such a catastrophe?”

As much as he hated to admit, Shadow had to gather his courage to draw any closer to the corrupted metal. He reached out his hand, the energy around him stabbing straight into his bones. He recoiled, jerking his hand back against his chest. It tingled, burning hot and cold simultaneously and mimicking the feeling of a thousand needles stabbing into his skin. The feeling made him woozy, though he couldn’t place why.

The corrupted feeling sunk deep into his core, blurring his vision and making him nauseous as though it were irradiated. It could’ve been, Shadow guessed, but it was too late now. He took a few steps away again, scanning the immediate area for anything he could use to move the metal from a distance. He slumped slightly, finding nothing of use, and inhaled deeply. He would have to do it himself, quickly.

His hand was still tingling as he stepped back into the corruption field. The feeling he felt briefly on his arm slammed into his entire body as he grasped at the metal. The sheet was hot and cold, and sent electric shocks up through his body. He couldn’t stop the cry of agony from leaving his lips as he hauled the metal pile apart and unburied its corrupted center.

Shadow had to retreat before uncovering the source, his body weak and shaky and filled with icy-hot needles. He stumbled back, lowering himself to the ground before he could gracelessly fall onto it. His breath heaved in his aching lungs, and he felt like his muscles were turned to sludge. What the hell could cause me to feel so horrible just by proximity?

Shadow wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but he couldn’t bring himself to move until the stabbing feeling faded and the hot-cold sensation dissipated. He clamored to his feet, slow and unsteady, looking back across the crater towards that poisoned metal. He craned himself, stretching up as tall as he could to peer over the wreckage he barely moved to locate the source. His mind didn’t believe what his eyes saw.

A Chaos Emerald.

A Chaos Emerald, streaked with black and emanating a deep violet-black aura. While it was hard to figure out what color it was originally through the thick black cracks, Shadow guessed that it was the cyan one. The light from the gem pulsed like a heartbeat, and even just looking upon it made his head hurt.

Something was very wrong with that emerald.

Shadow had no choice but to leave it. He couldn’t get near it, and he wasn’t about to parade an unstable gem of ultimate power into Eggman’s base. It didn’t help that Shadow had come to the conclusion that it was the reason for Eggman’s irrational behavior. He realized he’d sat there longer than he’d hoped recovering from the full body ache that emerald gave him. The sky was lightening, streaked with paler blues and subtle orange hues.

The coming dawn did come with its perks, however. Shadow could see an oil trail leading out of the crater, strewn across the grass and soil. That was his lead, and he followed it with a swift activation of his air shoes. He had found Eggman.

He could only hope Tails was still alive when he got there.

Chapter Text

The dawn was just breaking when Shadow arrived at Eggman’s base. He’d followed the oil trail through the expanse of the wilderness until he arrived at a base constructed half in a mountain. The hangar the ‘bleeding’ robot had gone into was locked shut, and it was all Shadow could do to avoid detection by the security cameras and robot patrols.

There wasn’t an obvious easy way to infiltrate the base, which Shadow had quickly learned stretched from the mountain he’d first discovered it in across the range until about the fourth peak. Judging by the doors up and along the rocky face, he had rooms that expanded up the mountain and likely down as well. As the dawn fully faded to early morning, Shadow knew his ebony and crimson quills would likely get him detected instantaneously against the sterile white of the exposed metal. He dove behind some crates, barrel rolling into cover and flattening his back against the wall.

“Shit.” He cursed softly. “Fuck me.”

There were Buzz Bomber patrols everywhere, buzzing monotonously across the expanse of the base. He would have to sneak inside following a patrol, or find a door and hack his way past the security system into the building. He gazed around quickly, mind racing as he tried to formulate a plan before he got himself caught.

He spotted a fault in the building, his ticket to the interior—an open window. It was certainly easier than his original options, if he could just cross the courtyard to reach it without triggering the cameras or the Buzz Bombers. He let the next patrol pass as he mapped out where the cameras were, where they looked, and where their blind spots would likely be.

Most of them were able to cover each other’s blind spots, but Shadow found one area that was completely unprotected. After allowing another patrol to buzz by, he went for it. He skated soundlessly, using a quick Chaos Control to teleport himself into the location he’d located as the safe spot. Thankfully, the cameras didn’t detect his teleport.

Shadow crouched low to the ground as another patrol buzzed overhead, trying to make himself melt into his namesake that he was sitting in. He let the badniks pass, then teleported himself over to the window. He slung himself inside, rolling to the nearest cover once he’d infiltrated the base. The room was empty, but the motion lights snapped on with his presence. Another soft curse left his lips as he crept around the room to the exit.

The hall lights were permanently on, thank Chaos, so he didn’t have to worry about his movements giving him away. He slipped into the stark white hall, moving swiftly from blind spot to blind spot to avoid the cameras. He located a central corridor, with a map and elevators going up and down. He snickered. I guess even Eggman gets lost in his own base sometimes, huh?

He used a Chaos Spear to disable the cameras, zipping quickly to the map between the elevators. “C’mon,” he grumbled, “where is the prison hold?” He skimmed over each location and its name, narrowing his eyes as he ruled out the upper and ground floors. After a nerve wracking few seconds, Shadow jabbed at the button going down as he located the prison hold on the basement floor. He tapped his fingers over the map’s surface as he waited for it to arrive.

The elevator arrived thankfully before the shorted out cameras could come back online. He zipped inside and pushed the basement floor and close door buttons. He saw the sparking electricity off the cameras stop, and they returned to full functionality without any clue Shadow was even there.

He huddled himself out of sight as he descended, aware that there were likely cameras outside the elevator on each floor. He was right in that hunch, as he could see them from his position in the elevator once the box reached the bottom and its doors slid open. He charged some Chaos Spears, and fired them at the cameras to disable them before he skated out of the doors and found himself in another blind spot of the cameras. The prison hold was to the left of the elevator doors when facing them, so that’s the direction he went.

Rather than trying to be stealthy, he chose the faster, more efficient route. He continuously fired Chaos Spears at the cameras as he skated down the hall. The directions were thankfully labeled, so he knew to turn right at the next junction. Energy and adrenaline pumped in his veins, the urgency of his mission ringing clear in his head as he disabled the cameras outside the prison doors, and tucked himself into a corner.

The doors were locked with an electronic code, and he attempted unsuccessfully to short it with a Chaos Spear. He huffed, drawing his leg up and slamming his heel down into the electronics.

The door slid open without resistance upon the destruction of its keypad. Shadow stepped into the room, gazing around it. It wasn’t hard to find a yellow-orange fox laying battered and huddled in a cell to his right. He’d found Tails.

Shadow approached the cell, ghosting his hand over the shield device used to lock the twin-tailed fox inside. He found the keypad for it immediately, and destroyed this one with a less dramatic chop. The shield failed, flickering and dissipating immediately. “Tails!” He whisper-yelled.

Tails lifted his head weakly, looking back at Shadow standing in the doorway. “Sh-Shadow?”

“Yeah. C’mon, we’ve gotta go. Now.” He didn’t wait for Tails’s answer before he walked in and hauled the limp fox to his feet. He realized hastily that Tails was physically incapable of supporting his own weight, and hauled him up into his arms instead.

INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT. DEPLOYING BADNIKS.

Shit.

Tails looked up at Shadow in alarm as the hedgehog gritted his teeth. He said nothing to the fox as he activated his jet shoes and began his hasty escape. He could hear the sounds of Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns pursuing him, but didn’t dare turn around to look. Tails huddled close to him, and Shadow could feel him trembling.

INITIATE BUILDING LOCKDOWN. INITIATE BUILDING LOCKDOWN.

Shadow could see the sections of the hallway beginning to close. With the elevators surely locked, he knew the best way to get himself and Tails back to the ground floor would be to teleport. Without an emerald he couldn’t go far, but he hoped it would be enough. He sped through the closing hall segments, building Chaos Energy inside him. He let it out with a “Chaos Control!”

He and Tails reappeared in the room he’d hoped, the one he’d snuck in originally. He vaulted out the window, keeping one arm firmly locked around Tails as he skated back the way he came. With the open space, he had enough room to truly open it up. He poured every ounce of his energy into his speed, blazing back along the grassy trail and into the neighboring forest. He spotted the oil trail he’d followed, but ignored it in favor of trying to shake the Badniks still following them. He weaved through the trees, dodging laser bullet after laser bullet and attempted to double around on them without their knowledge.

His ploy worked like a charm, and Shadow backtracked until he found the oil trail again. He followed it back to the battle-crater he came from, breath heaving slightly in his chest. The corrupted emerald was still there, and Shadow could feel his skin prickling and fur stand on end as he drew near it.

Tails seemed to have the same reaction to its corruption, and so Shadow gave the emerald a wide berth. He kept going, following the blood trail this time back to his house. It would be midday by the time he got there, but Shadow didn’t care.

He’d succeeded in his mission, and he’d succeeded in uncovering a new mystery they would have to solve.

Chapter Text

"You seem to have made yourself completely at home, haven't you?"

Upon his return home with Tails, Shadow had found Sonic lazily draped across his sofa wearing a bright pink robe. He had a towel on his head containing his quills, and he smelled rather strongly of Shadow's lavender scented soap.

"Yeah, you could say that." Sonic grinned. "I wasn't aware you owned such girly robes." He teased.

"They aren't mine," Shadow gritted, "they're Rouge's. She crashes here more often than her own place."

"Po-tay-to, po-tot-o."

Shadow really considered punching him in the ribs.

"Anyways," he bit through gritted teeth, "I found Tails. He's not doing so well." Shadow glanced down at the fox unconscious in his arms. He wasn't entirely sure when Tails had passed out, but he knew it happened somewhere between the crater and his home. Shadow stepped inside and nudged the door closed with his foot.

His words broke Sonic's cocky attitude, and the azure leapt to his feet. He winced as he did so, but it didn't stop him from rushing over to their side to take Tails from him. "Tails! Oh, buddy hang on!"

"He's not dying." Shadow explained with a sigh. "He's just real beat up. He'll be fine with medical attention and bedrest." He walked to his kitchen to get himself and his guests a glass of water.

Shadow hadn't lied when he said Tails wasn't dying. The fox was in better condition than Sonic had been merely hours earlier. Shadow filled two glasses with ice and fresh distilled water from his fridge. He returned to the living room, finding Sonic on the couch again with Tails cradled in his lap. He gazes back at Shadow with his emerald eyes laced with concern. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Shadow responded, sitting in the chair to the right of the couch. Shadow debated on telling Sonic about what he'd found with the Chaos Emerald. He mulled it over in his head. "Hey, Sonic?"

Sonic took a sip of his water, meeting the ebony's gaze again as he swallowed. "Yeah Shadow?"

"I found something at the battlefield." He picked his words slowly and carefully, averting his eyes to stare at the ice in his cup. "I'm not entirely sure what it was. I mean, I know what it is, but not why."

"Well, talk to me." Sonic coaxed. "Maybe we can figure it out together." He rustles his head towel, shaking excess water from his quills before removing the towel entirely. The pink robe remained on, however.

Shadow took a swig of his water, the icy coldness feeling good on his parched tongue and scratchy throat. "It was a Chaos Emerald." He began. "But it wasn't normal. It felt," he stumbled over the words, trying to pick out the right one, "corrupted."

"Corrupted?" Sonic echoed. The blue blur raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. That's the only word I can think of to describe it." Shadow rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno, it just felt wrong."

Sonic hummed. "Well, I suppose that could explain Eggy's behavior." He tapped his chin.

"It does, I'm sure." Shadow concurred. "I found it under a heap of titanium."

"Yeah, that sounds like my doing." Sonic puffed his peach chest.

Shadow snorted a soft laugh, taking another long drink of his water. His body still ached slightly from the discordant gem, as if the energy lingered in his muscles and in the Chaos Energy he bore inside him. He hadn't been in its tainted energy field for long, so he hoped whatever corruption had overtaken the emerald wouldn't overtake him as well. He closed his eyes as he tried to push that thought away.

"Shadow, you don't look so hot." Sonic spoke again, his voice soft and concerned.

"I'm fine." Shadow lied, opening his eyes and looking up at Sonic. "Just tired."

Sonic gazed at him, his eyes disbelieving his rival's words. Instead, all he said was "If you say so."

Shadow looked back down at the melting ice in his glass, a thin, uneasy silence blanketing over the living room. The only thing that broke it was a small groan from Tails. Both hedgehogs looked over at the fox immediately.

"Sonic?" Tails' voice was weak, but a smile grew on his face nonetheless.

"I'm here buddy," Sonic whispered, tears of relief flooding his emerald eyes, "easy does it." Tails sat up with Sonic's help, and he shifted off the cobalt's lap to rest beside him on the couch.

Tails looked Sonic from head to toe. "I have so many questions." He stated.

"And we have a lot to tell you." Sonic chuckled, likely feeling the fox's eyes on the robe he borrowed.

"It's not exactly pleasant." Shadow added, causing Tails to look over at him. He stood up and set his glass on the coffee table, walking to the kitchen to fetch Tails a glass of water.

"Okay, then you two start." Tails replied as Shadow returned and gave him his glass. "I think my questions are less important."

Shadow took his seat again, pressing his back against the chair and shifting his quills to rest comfortably. "I found a Chaos Emerald on my way to rescue you." He explained. "Buried under robot wreckage. It appears to be corrupted."

Tails's eyes blew wide. "Do you think it's why Eggman went crazy?"

"Oh, I know it." Shadow grabbed his half-empty glass of water and chugged the rest, munching on some of the ice cubes. "But when I got near it, it made me lightheaded and nauseous."

Both Sonic and Tails seemed surprised to hear it. "You didn't tell me that part." Sonic interjected with a frown.

"Slipped my mind." Shadow lied again. Truth be told, that was all that was on his mind. I won't tell them that, though. Can't have them freaking out any more than they already are over this.

"Well, we need to figure out why that emerald is the way it is, and find a way to fix it." Tails continued. "And most importantly, a way to handle it."

As much as Shadow never wanted to go back near that thing, he knew Tails was right. They had to get the bottom of this mystery. The world was counting on it. "I take it we should leave figuring out how to handle it to you?" He asked, fishing more ice out from his glass.

Tails nodded. "Yes. I'll leave figuring out the how and why, and how to fix it to you two."

"Well, I have an idea." Sonic grinned. "Tails, remember Dark Gaia?"

Shadow had heard of that incident, and how Sonic had stopped it as usual. He recalled the planet breaking apart once, and how it was all Eggman's fault. He just didn't see how Dark Gaia was relevant.

"Yes, I do." Tails answered, interrupting Shadow's thoughts.

"Then you remember the Gaia Gates we went to to restore the emeralds' power. Around the world." Sonic continued.

"You mean to say the Gaia Gates could fix them?" Shadow put together.

Sonic nodded. "I don't see why they couldn't. They restored power to completely drained emeralds. Who's to say they can't cleanse them too?"

"It's a plausible theory." Tails agreed. "We need to test it, though. I'll find a way to collect the corrupted emerald, then we can fly it to a Gaia Gate and see if it can clean it."

"You'll be doing that after you two rest." Shadow crossed his arms. "You two were just beaten within inches of your lives, you need time to recover."

Sonic looked back over at Shadow, emerald green meeting ruby red. "We don't have time, Shadow. This could be the fate of the world again."

"All the more reason to rest first." Shadow argued. "If it is the fate of the world, and you're going into that fight wounded, you'll have a higher chance of getting your ass killed than you would pulling through."

Sonic opened and closed his mouth a few times. "But—"

Shadow interrupted him. "Also, do you think you could even run with a gaping wound in your side? I doubt it. You'd tear it right open and bleed out all over the ground."

"He has a point, Sonic." Tails sighed. "Maybe we leave the beginning of this quest to him, and join him later."

Sonic looked between the two, his lips pursed. He sighs, deep and long, lowering his head in defeat. "Yeah, that's probably for the best."

"Besides, Shadow's saved the world before. He can handle it." Tails reassured, rubbing Sonic's back.

Shadow nodded. "You can count on me." He paused, then added, "After I have a nap. I'm exhausted." The three shared a laugh.

"Okay, cycling back a bit, Tails? You had questions?" Sonic chuckled.

Tails giggled. "Oh, yeah. Mainly just one."

"Shoot." Shadow stood up to head towards his room as he spoke. He paused his movements to hear what Tails had to say.

"Sonic?" Tails snickered. "What the heck are you wearing?"

Chapter Text

If Shadow had a nickel for every time someone had come banging on his door at three in the fucking morning, he’d have two nickels. It wasn’t a lot, but weird that its happened twice. This time, at least, Sonic was there to get the door for him while he lazily slung himself out of bed and trudged to the living room.

He wasn’t sure who to expect this time, given the circumstances. But he was certainly less than pleased to find a very ruffled, very angry-looking Knuckles on his doorstep. “Knuckles,” he yawned as he approached, “what an unexpected surprise.”

“Well I tried the workshop first.” he grumbled with discontent. “No one was home so I came here.”

“Yeah we’ve been here. Long story.” Sonic crossed his arms, more hugging himself than anything. Even with just the dim glow of his porchlight, Sonic’s bandages were clear and easy to see.

Knuckles seemed to take notice of them and grimaced, hard expression faltering. “So I can tell.”

“Well, come in.” Shadow sighed, waving his hand dismissively as he walked slowly to his kitchen. He had a wave of déjà vu wash over him as he fetched three glasses from his cupboard and filled them with ice and water. “And please elaborate on why you’re here at three in the morning.”

He flicked his ear back towards the living room as he heard Knuckles enter and Sonic close the front door. “Yeah, this is the second night in a row he’s been woken at three. Last night had me bleeding out on his doorstep.” Sonic explained as he took a seat. At least the cerulean hedgehog had forgone the hot pink robe this time.

“Something’s wrong with the Master Emerald.” Knuckles explained, remaining on his feet. Shadow returned to the living room, passing out the cups of water. “I can’t go near it. It messes with my brain, makes me hear and see things, and it just feels wrong.”

Sonic and Shadow locked eyes intantly.

“What?” Knuckles asked, the tone of his voice slightly frustrated. “Do you not believe me?”

“What? No, that’s not it at all!” Sonic exclaimed, breaking the eye contact first. “Quite the opposite!”

Shadow turned to the echidna, and spoke only when his amethyst eyes looked at him in the dark. “I found a Chaos Emerald yesterday that had that same effect.” He turned on the table lamp on the coffee table and sat in the chair he’d previously occupied earlier that day.

“Well, on Eggman.” Sonic interejcted, lifting his arm to display his bandages. “Shadow said it made him lightheaded and nauseous.”

Knuckles snorted. “It makes sense. Shadow has his own Chaos Energy inside him.”

“We don’t know if any of the other emeralds are like this.” Shadow sighed into his glass, taking a big gulp of the liquid. Damn, that water tasted better at three in the morning—or was that just him? “I only found the one.”

“Well, if its affecting the Master Emerald, it’s safe to say it’s affecting all of the Chaos Emeralds too.” Knuckles surmised. “The emerald had cracks all over it, and they were tainted black like a festering cut.” He explained.

Shadow nodded. “So did the Chaos Emerald. Though it was so black I could barely tell what color it was originally.”

Their conversation, despite having tried to remain quiet, had carried down the hall and woken up the young fox in his guest room. Tails dragged his feet as he walked into the room, yawning and drawing the trio’s attention.

“What’s going on out here?” He asked, slurring his words through his yawn.

“Sorry Tails,” Sonic scooted over as he spoke to make space for the fox. Tails sat down with him, slumping into his big brother figure. “Knuckles just arrived. He says the Master Emerald is suffering the same fate as the Chaos Emeralds.”

“He said it made him hallucinate.” Shadow added. “Which is likely what happened to Eggman.”

Tails nodded. “Glad I woke up, then.”

“I take it you’re looking into all this?” Knuckles rumbled as he sat down on the ottoman when Shadow prompted.

“Trying to.” Tails yawned again. “I’ve been trying to research it all day. But it’s hard when you’re cooped up in Shadow’s house.”

Knuckles frowned over at Shadow. “They’re hurt,” he defended himself, “and I needed a nap.”

“He did.” Sonic snickered. Shadow glared at him, but the blue hedgehog didn’t seem to care.

“Anyways,” Tails continued, “I planned to go out to see the emerald in the morning. Perhaps you could come with, Knuckles.”

Knuckles was quiet a moment, as though he were weighing his options. “Okay.” He said at last. “But I’m staying away from it.”

“Probably wise.” Shadow agreed. “I’m going to keep my distance as well. I don’t like the lingering feeling it left me with.”

“Well, while you guys are risking your lives with an unstable gemstone,” Sonic began with the biggest shit-eating grin, “I’ll be resting and healing my poor wound right here in the comfort of Shadow’s home.”

“Lucky bastard.” Knuckles gritted.

“Oh, you wouldn’t be thinking that if you had this bad boy.” He patted his side, then, by the look Shadow saw on his face, instantly regretted it. “It’s awfully painful.”

Shadow finished his glass of water, the liquid going down like a treat. Maybe he should drink more water in the wee hours of the morning. “Okay, I’ll go set up another guest room. Then everyone should get some sleep, because we’re leaving early.”

He stood up and walked down the hall without waiting for any responses.

Chapter Text

The sky, dark and overcast, didn’t bring Shadow any confidence. He’d set out with Tails and Knuckles around eight that morning to go inspect the Chaos Emerald, and they’d only just arrived at the crater. They’d had to walk since Tails couldn’t move fast, and refused to be carried again. It appeared to have rained somewhere between Knuckles’ arrival at his house and then, because the blood trail he’d followed to find Tails had washed away on wet pavement. He at least remembered the way.

Shadow could immediately feel the emerald when they were still out of sight of the crater, and that feeling hadn’t gotten better any closer they got. By the time the crater was actually within sight, he noticed Tails and Knuckles having similar reactions to himself. The immense unease appeared to be the most common response.

Shadow halted his advance on the crater’s edge, keeping as much distance between him and the gemstone as he could while still being within sight of the others. “This is as far as I go.”

“Scared?” Knuckles teased, definitely trying to rouse a response. Shadow knew what response he wanted, for him to trudge down into the mud with them.

“Yes.” He answered, mostly from his own truth. “I felt that thing a mile away. I’d only get closer out of necessity.”

Knuckles nor Tails had been expecting that response at all, but neither thankfully said anything of it. Tails crept closer to the emerald through the mud, the only one of the three to dare get that close. He held a device in his hand, likely something he’d tinkered before he’d gone to bed, and held it towards the emerald.

“There’s a strange reading coming off it.” Tails announced with a startled expression, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “I don’t know what it is, but it appears organic.”

“So this whole corruption thing is organic?” Knuckles grumbled.

Tails shook his head. “Not the cause, but the effect. The corruption itself seems organic.”

“That makes no sense.” Shadow sighed from where he stood, shifting his weight.

Come closer.

Shadow about jumped out of his skin, and unfortunately for him, Knuckles saw. “The hell’s wrong with you?”

“I heard a voice,” Shadow replied, knowing how crazy he sounded. “I still hear it.”

Come closer. Touch it. Touch me.

“What does it want?” Tails asked, looking over at him. At least someone was humoring him, despite how stupid he sounded.

“It,” he hesitated, licking his lips, “wants me to come closer. To touch the emerald.”

“Oh, no.” Knuckles growled. “Absolutely not.”

Ignore them. Come here, touch it. Pick it up, hold it out.

I’m actually going insane. “I don’t want to do it, clearly.” He took a few steps back, hoping that the voice would go away the more he distanced. “I don’t want near that thing.”

“Yeah, that would be bad.” Tails looked back at his device. “Don’t do it.”

“I’m not.” Shadow gruffly snorted, crossing his arms to brood.

Don’t resist, come here. Now.

Oh, Shadow was definitely resisting. He tried anything to tune that voice out, to bury it and hide it from his head. There were several minutes he was completely aware of it, pleading with him to give in and touch the emerald. As if rubbing it like a magic lamp would do anything.

He weighed the option of going home as well, to just bury himself in his bed under his comforter and scream into his pillows until he forgot about it. He also debated music, but alas had no way of getting any where he was.

There was something about that slimy, oily voice in his mind that made Shadow’s fur stand on end. It’s creepy, he justified to himself, that’s the only reason.

“Um,” Tails’s voice broke the silence, “is now a bad time to say I need someone to pick it up?”

“Yes!” Knuckles exclaimed. “Why do you need that at all?”

“I can make a temporary holding device with the titanium scraps and wiring from the Tornado over there, so we can move it elsewhere or to a Gaia Gate.” The fox explained, frowning over at his inoperable biplane.

Shadow grumbled. “Well, it won’t be me. Not with creepy voices in my head telling me to.”

But you will. I will make it so.

Shut up! Shadow scowled at nothing. His quills bristled the more that annoying voice sounded off in his skull.

“Okay, you make that cage thingy, then I’ll grab it.” Knuckles huffed, crossing his arms. He glared at the emerald as though it had just slaughtered everything close to his heart.

Tails grabbed some some of the titanium scraps from around the battlefield, making his way up to the Tornado to salvage from it what he would need. He looked remorseful about it, and Shadow felt a pang of sympathy for him. At least the plane could be rebuilt.

Shadow lost himself in his head again as Tails spent the time tinkering and trying to create an energy blocking cage for the corrupted gem. His body was aching just being that close to the emerald, head pounding and temples throbbing. He felt a weakness in his arms he hadn’t felt since his creation, and a dull ache in his heart he hadn’t felt since Maria.

Maria.

She always saw the best in him, even when he couldn’t. Without her here, he often felt lost and out of control. He’d dreamt of her that night, her touch and her voice, singing praises to him and applauding him for his unparalleled bravery in investigating the emerald. As if I needed justification.

Her voice had been so clear, so ethereal, as though she were actually there. Her voice, even just through his memory, was enough to drown out the oily voice the emerald projected onto him. Just imagining her soft face, her gentle laugh, her warm hugs, the sweet scent of her floral perfume—

He blinked hard when he’d realized he’d spaced out, and again when he realized his dry eyes were hot and stinging with the threat of tears. He turned away and pawed at his eyes discreetly. He couldn’t have anyone seeing his weakness. Especially Knuckles.

He took a deep, stabilizing breath and turned back to face the crater. The energy of the emerald had receded when he was zoned out, but slapped back into him full force when he returned his attention to it. As awful as it felt, he was oddly drawn to it.

No. I won’t let you win.

Tails had finished his makeshift cage, and had it set down where Knuckles could easily deposit the emerald inside when he grabbed it. They communicated wordlessly, something Shadow found that Sonic’s crew did exceptionally well, and Knuckles began his walk towards the gem. Shadow bit his lip in anxious anticipation. Why did this make him so nervous?

Knuckles braced himself as he entered the field of its corruption, crying out as he crept closer. He reached down for the emerald, and to their surprise, was launched backwards. The echidna crashed into the side of the crater, near the dried pool of Sonic’s blood.

He can’t have it. He isn’t worthy. Only you are, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Judging by the little yelp Tails gave, he heard the voice this time as well. Shadow locked eyes with the fox briefly before rushing down into the crater seconds later against his better judgement. While his body wanted to beeline straight for the Chaos Emerald, something he was sure was influenced by the gem in question, he rushed to the echidna’s side. “Knuckles!” He barked. “Are you alright?”

Knuckles groaned, slowly opening his eyes and sitting up. His muscles were trembling like autumn leaves in the breeze, and his amethyst irises were surrounded by a sea of black. Shadow recoiled, taking a stumbled step back as the blackness of Knuckles’ sclera slowly faded away back to the regular white. “I think so?” He answered, the response coming out more like a question. “My head is killing me, and I feel real weak.”

“The voice said only Shadow could touch the emerald,” Tails whimpered. “I don’t like where this is heading.”

“No good could come from him obeying the voice.” Knuckles gritted as he sat up. Shadow offered him his hand, and the echidna accepted his help. The hedgehog hauled him to his feet, steadying him when he swerved.

“But if we’re to get the emerald into the cage and to a Gaia Gate, I’ve got to touch it.” Shadow sighed. “By the way it sent you flying, it won’t let anyone but me do so.”

“And what happens when you do?” Knuckles challenged, his voice lacking the usual bite as he regained his strength.

“I guess we’re about to find out.”

“Shadow, be careful.” Tails grasped his hand, causing the hedgehog to glance down at them. Tails had his hand clasped between both of his, likely how he would grab Sonic’s. The fox seemed to realize what he was doing by the way Shadow was staring, and released his hand.

“I will be.” Shadow turned towards the emerald and gave into the temptation that had been eating away at him since the voice began.

Yes, the voice sneered, come here. Come closer, Shadow.

“I don’t like this,” Knuckles mumbled from somewhere behind him, “at all.”

The energy field hit Shadow again like it had before; hot and cold with a thousand needles stabbing into his skin. He bit back the cry of agony at the tip of his tongue, allowing the sound to pass as a hiss through his teeth. Each step became slower, more laborious, as the energy pooled in his body and caused his muscles to weaken.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the Chaos Emerald. The act of moving to one knee to collect the gem knocked the wind from his lungs and made him descend faster than he intended. He could feel the Chaos Energy, his Chaos Energy, crackling through his fur, as if trying to shield him from the corrupted Chaos Energy. He extended his shaking hand, and grasped the Chaos Emerald.

The corruption field faded instantly, almost like it had never been there at all. Shadow rose to his feet, holding the gem in his hands, and turned back to face Tails and Knuckles. He chanced a glance at the emerald in his hands, unsurprised to see that it still bore its corrupted, black cracks.

Energy exploded from the gem and wrenched a surprised yelp from Shadow. The needles that had receded were back with a vengeance, and Shadow saw this nasty, oily purple-black goop pouring from the gemstone and enveloping his arm. Another cry left the ultimate lifeform, of surprise and pain. The goop spread fast, even after Shadow threw the Chaos Emerald across the crater.

His breathing quickened as the goop spread, and he frantically tried to wipe, scratch, and shake it off to no avail. The pain spread with it, and it dropped the hedgehog to his hands and knees.

“Shadow!” Tails shrieked, but his voice was drowned out by the blood and adrenaline roaring in Shadow’s ears. Shadow was sure he was screaming, or yelling, or something. The pain this stuff caused him was worse than anything he’d ever felt in his life.

He found himself unable to breathe as the goop spread over his face, drowning his cries as it covered his muzzle. He shook his head in alarm, panic rising from his feet to the tips of his ears. Almost as soon as it had started, it was gone, and oxygen poured into his aching lungs. He coughed, the pain fading excruciatingly slowly as he forced himself to rise to his feet.

Shadow opened his teary eyes, breath heaving, glaring down at the Chaos Emerald laying in his shadow. The goop that had covered him puddled at his feet, and wriggled unnaturally to morph itself into the shape of his shadow. As much as he wanted to move, he found himself frozen in place. He chanced a glance up at Knuckles and Tails, finding their horrified expressions matched his gut feeling.

Shadow’s attention was drawn back down to his namesake as the goop began undulating. A deep purple mist erupted from it, and from the mist came a figure. When his body was able to move, Shadow took a step away. The figure emerging from the mist bore his appearance, matching everything from the jet shoes to the inhibitor rings, and striped, upturned quills. Its stripes were grey rather than red, and its eyes were green and lizard-like. The most unsettling part aside from its appearance was the lack of a mouth on its muzzle.

“I thank you, Shadow the Hedgehog. How I’ve been longing for you to hear me and obey.” Its voice, clearly masculine, was just as oily and slimy as it had been in Shadow’s head. “I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Your form is perfect for my needs.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Shadow snapped, his strength returning. “What do you want?”

“How harsh,” the figure chuckled evilly, “my name is Mephiles. I appreciate your cooperation.” Mephiles turned and stepped towards the emerald, slow and zombie-like.

Shadow bristled. “I didn’t cooperate with shit.”

“Oh, but you did. You’ve set me free, Shadow.” He picked up the emerald, lifting it towards the light. He gazed into it as he turned back to face Shadow, stepping to stand beside the cage Tails had built. “I would love to stay and chat, but I’ve got places to be, and Emeralds to claim. I’ll let you keep this one, as a parting gift.” Mephiles sneered, bowing to Shadow and dropping the emerald into the cage. Before Shadow could react, Mephiles was gone, melting into the shadows with nothing but echoing, eerie laughter to fill his place.

What have I done?

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry, you did WHAT?”

Sonic’s voice made the sharp pain in Shadow’s skull intensify, blasting the metaphorical ice pick into his brain. According to Knuckles, he’d collapsed after their encounter with Mephiles, and he’d been out cold until his doorstep. They’d let him walk in on his own to preserve what little dignity he had left, and had him sit and rest as they explained what happened to Sonic.

Yes, Shadow would be the first to admit he’d made a grave miscalculation. He could’ve taken more caution than he did, and things likely would’ve gone differently. As it stood, they were down one powerful fighter and up one dangerous enemy. The near future definitely appeared bleak.

Shadow was almost positive that would lead to another knock on his door real soon.

“What the hell were you thinking, man?” Sonic’s furious barking drew him out of his head. “You heard a creepy voice in your head and you listened to it?”

“I know I fucked up, Chaos!” Shadow snapped back. “You don’t need to rub it in!” He glared at the emerald cage on the table in front of him. The Chaos Emerald hadn’t changed at all, even after Mephiles had erupted from it. It was still black and cracked, with a nasty aura emanating off of it. Shadow found himself more used to the feeling of it now.

“Oh, you more than just fucked up!” Knuckles growled.

Shadow bristled. “I know.”

“Okay, let’s all back off and stop pointing the blame at him!” Tails defended, standing next to Shadow. The hedgehog cast a glance up at Tails, meeting his baby blue eyes briefly before the fox turned them away towards the emerald. Shadow followed his gaze back to the gemstone. “It happened, and it’s done and over with.”

Sonic huffed. “I suppose you’re right.” Knuckles said nothing, rather choosing to grumble incoherently to himself. Shadow sighed softly through his nose, relieved the barrage of angry comments was over.

“All we should focus on now is getting this Chaos Emerald cured.” Tails continued. “To make the cage, I had to disassemble the Tornado. That method of transportation is out of the question, at least until I can fix it.”

Sonic frowned softly. “Okay, so how do you plan on getting to the Gaia Gate, then?”

Tails hesitated. “I,” he looked away and lowered his ears, “I don’t know. That might be something Shadow has to figure out.”

“You’re giving him the emerald again?” Knuckles seethed. “After what he just did?”

“It won’t matter now, Mephiles is gone.” Tails countered with more bite to his voice than Shadow had ever heard from the eight-year-old. “Shadow can deliver the Chaos Emerald to the first Gaia Gate, and report to us what happens.”

“I guess it’s also a plus that after that whole fiasco, the corruption doesn’t seem to be bothering me.” Shadow added.

“Yeah, whoop-de-do.” Sonic deadpanned. “Good for you, because the rest of us are having splitting headaches and occasional fits of madness.”

Shadow frowned at him. “Don’t think I don’t also have a headache, Faker.”

Sonic shrugged half-heartedly, leaning away from the emerald on the couch.

“Okay, so where is this first Gaia Gate?” Shadow continued, looking up at Tails.

“I’m looking,” the fox replied. “I’ll likely have the results by morning.”

“Good. We need a break anyway.” Knuckles grumbled, slumping down on the couch next to Sonic.

“Oh, and where are we keeping that thing while it’s contaminated?” Sonic asked, waving his hand towards the caged gemstone.

“I’ll keep it with me.” Shadow replied. “The corruption isn’t bothering me, so it can stay under my bed or something.”

While they seemed less than thrilled about that plan, Sonic and Knuckles both nodded in agreement with it.

Tails studied the gem again. “We know it’s corruption now stems from Mephiles,” he thought aloud, “but what we don’t know is why Mephiles suddenly appeared.”

“Maybe it’s something Eggy did.” Sonic supplied. “I mean, it was during our fight that he went all wacko-crazy, which we now know was because of the emerald.”

Knuckles huffed. “Or was it something you did when attacking him?”

Sonic supplied a shrug to his question. “I dunno. Care to go ask the Eggster?” Knuckles clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the nonchalant hedgehog.

“We can ask him later.” Shadow interrupted. “That’s not really top priority at the moment.”

“Shadow’s right.” Tails agreed, though not sounding too interested in their side conversation. “My next question is how Mephiles was able to corrupt the Master Emerald through the Chaos Emerald. He wasn’t out and about to be able to do that until after Shadow made contact.”

“Which, by the way, looked very painful.” Knuckles added, giving Shadow a small glance. Only Shadow was able to detect the concern hidden behind his anger.

“It was.” Shadow confirmed, recalling the panic that flared in his chest when Mephiles’ goop suffocated him briefly. It took all his willpower not to cringe at the memory. “I’m fine.”

“The Master Emerald is kinda like the head honcho of the emeralds, yeah?” Sonic referred back to Tails’ earlier question. “That might be how. Because one got corrupted, so did the top dog.”

Tails nodded. “That could be it. Or maybe it was just a bad side effect of the original incident?” The fox shook his head and rubbed his temples.

“Tails, back away from it.” Shadow warned. “You’re not looking good.”

Thankfully the fox listened and obeyed without question. Shadow relaxed slightly watching the looming madness leave the kit’s expression. “Thanks Shadow.”

“Perhaps you should take it to the other room.” Sonic eyed the gem warily. “Like, now.”

“Sure.” Shadow stood slowly, his muscles aching and head throbbing. “And I’ll get myself a nap to sleep off my fatigue. Whatever that goo Mephiles came from did a number on me.”

“I’d say,” Knuckles snorted, “you practically became the gunk.”

Sonic looked between them. “Guess I missed all the action, huh?” Shadow sighed and Knuckles crossed his arms before averting his gaze.

“You could say that.” The other hedgehog replied. He grabbed the emerald cage and walked down the hall to his room. “Oh, and if anything happens or someone comes up to the door, come get me.”

“Sure thing Shadow.” Sonic gave him a trademark wink and thumbs up. “Wouldn’t let ya miss it for the world.”

Shadow scoffed a laugh, heading to his bedroom. He nudged the door shut with his foot, ear flicking as it clicked shut. He slid the emerald’s cage under his bed for safe keeping, closing his crimson curtains and turning out the lamp next to his bed. After removing his shoes, Shadow slung himself in bed and buried himself under his thick black comforter.

His sleep was solid and dreamless that night.

Chapter Text

“It seems like the Gaia Gate is around here, in the Green Hill area.” Tails reported as everyone gathered around him. He held in his hands his Miles Electric, and on its screen was a projected holographic map of the world. The fox gestured to the general vicinity of the ruins they were looking for. Tails’s genius never ceased to amaze Shadow. He swore that fox had something crafty up his sleeve for every occasion.

“We’ve been over that area hundreds of times, bud.” Sonic pointed out. “We’ve never seen hide nor hair of a Gaia Gate.”

Tails grinned. “On the surface.”

Sonic and Knuckles shared glances with each other before each sharing one with Shadow. Sonic’s face suddenly lit up in understanding. “It’s underground!”

“Bingo!” Tails confirmed with a giggle. “There’s likely a cave or a sinkhole or something that leads to it.”

“So that’s my mark?” Shadow asked, studying the images of the Gaia Gates from Sonic’s previous experience. “A dusty old crypt?”

“It’s not a crypt, Shads.” Sonic interjected, the nickname earning him a sharp glare. “It’s a sacred temple, used as part of Light Gaia’s armor in a battle against Dark Gaia. It just so happens to awaken Chaos Energy, like when it restored power to the depleted emeralds.”

Shadow spared a glance at the caged emerald on the kitchen counter. “So, in having the ability to awaken Chaos Energy, it could also have the potential to cleanse it?”

“That’s the hope.” Sonic nodded.

Shadow stood up straight from where he had been leaning on the back of the couch behind Tails. “I’ll leave immediately, then.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Knuckles spoke, the first words he’d said all morning. “Yesterday was not easy on your body.”

Shadow did agree, he still ached and his head retained its dull throb. But he was also painfully aware that they didn’t exactly have the luxury of time on their hands. “No, I’m not. But we don’t have a choice.” He cast another solemn glance at the caged gemstone.

As if almost on cue, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation. “Well gee, someone’s incredibly popular this week.” Sonic teased as he slowly started to rise from the couch. Shadow stopped him with a wave of his hand, walking to the door himself.

And it was no surprise to him to see a pale grey hedgehog standing on his doorstep. At least he had the decency to wait until an acceptable time to show up. “Silver.”

Silver met Shadow’s gaze and supplied a soft smile. “Shadow, good to see you again.”

“I take it you’re here because the future is fucked?” Shadow huffed as he let the other hedgehog inside.

Silver laughed softly, though it was hard to tell if it was a sarcastic laugh or an optimistic one. “You could say that.” He replied.

Silver’s words caused Knuckles and Sonic to glare harshly in Shadow’s direction. “I figured as much.” The echidna grumbled.

“I acted rashly,” Shadow explained when Silver looked between them all curiously, “and I released an evil from a corrupted emerald.”

The newcomer paused. “Wait, what?”

“It’s a lot to explain.” Sonic interjected. “And we’ll explain it later. But you’ve happened to show up at an opportune time.”

“I’m taking this to a Gaia Gate Tails located under Green Hill in hopes it can clear it of the corruption.” Shadow gestured back to the Chaos Emerald in the cage on the kitchen counter. “Sonic’s been badly wounded by Eggman in a fit of madness, and Tails, Knuckles, and I went yesterday to retrieve the thing.”

“So you want me to tag along as backup.” Silver surmised.

“If that’s alright with you.” Shadow confirmed. “I’m not in the best of shape, and I think with at least one of us at a hundred percent we’d stand a chance in case that Mephiles guy shows up.”

Sonic grinned. “Besides, having a powerful psychic around’s always handy.” He winked at Silver. The dove grey hedgehog clearly didn’t catch the playful lilt the azure had to his voice.

“Okay, sure. I’ll join you.” Silver gave Shadow a confident smile, straightening up at Sonic’s playful praise.

“Just one more thing.” Knuckles warned. “Whatever you do, absolutely under no circumstance, touch the Chaos Emerald while it’s like that.”

“It took over Eggman’s mind.” Tails added, albeit softly. “He fatally wounded Sonic, but kept swinging and attacking like he wasn’t laying in a bloody heap a few feet away.”

Sonic looked away, wincing visibly as he appeared to relive the events of that night. Knuckles and Tails both rested their hands on the Blue Blur’s shoulders to ease him.

Silver’s expression softened, and he nodded. “Understood. I won’t lay a finger on it until it’s purified.”

Knuckles nodded. “Thank you. We don’t know what it might do to someone whose powers are directly tied to their mind.” The psychic nodded again, a look of concern crossing his expression.

“Silver?” Shadow picked up the handle of the emerald cage, looking over. “You ready to go?”

Silver gave him a nod. “Lead the way.”

Tails stood and walked with them to the door. “Take this.” He said, passing Silver what appeared to be a smaller version of the Miles Electric. “It’s like mine, but easier to carry. It has built in comms so you can talk to us whenever, and a map. I’ve already inputted the general coordinates to the Gaia Gate, but there’s no guarantee that it will lead directly to it.”

“Thanks Tails.” Silver smiled as he accepted the walkie-talkie shaped Miles Electric. “We’ll call to report our findings, or if we run into trouble.”

“You two be safe.” Tails smiled as the two hedgehogs departed. Shadow could see the ghost of concern Tails was trying to hide just through his eyes.

To be honest, Shadow felt that same pang of concern as he activated his skates and boosted towards Green Hill with Silver flying close behind.

* * *

Shadow had almost completely forgotten about the mission at hand. He’d spent almost their whole time exploring the hills and loop-de-loops of Green Hill explaining to Silver the events of the past few days. The dove grey hedgehog was floating at his side, encased in a cyan aura of his own psychic power.

Silver picked up on where he was going a lot of the time, so explaining it to him was actually very easy. After that, they engaged in a friendly conversation (that was mostly just Silver blabbing on about things while Shadow listened). They would’ve completely forgotten everything about their current mission if the small Miles Electric hadn’t started beeping, pinging their current location with that of their destination. Silver lifted his hand, the one containing the device, and held it for them both to see.

They were close to their objective, the holographic map appearing through the screen and Silver’s teal psychokinesis, to display for them their location. According to the map, which was scanning several hundred feet below them as well, they were standing directly above the shrine.

“We’re above it.” Silver said, stating the obvious. “That means there must be a way down around here.”

Shadow scanned the nearby surroundings, the referred back to the holographic map. There was indeed a small cave system that twisted around underneath, and he followed its winding tunnels to their source. “That way.” He stated, pointing off towards one of the many loops in the zone.

Silver followed his gaze and his finger, nodding and following Shadow’s lead. Shadow skated around the loop, locating a small crack in the checkered brown wall. Without saying a word, he drew back his fist and punched the cracks. The force of his impact shattered the weakened wall, and opened a passage in.

“Let’s go.” Shadow dusted off his gloves as he walked inside. Silver said not a word as he followed after him. The tunnel leading down was dark, but with his night vision and Silver’s glow it wouldn’t be hard to navigate. “Stay on your guard.”

“Right.”

Ahh, Shadow. And a friend? How nice of you to join me.

Silver jumped when he heard the voice, and Shadow just scowled. Mephiles. How did he get here so fast? How did he even know where we were? “Tch.”

“Who’s there?” Silver called out into the tunnel, his own voice echoing across the shadowed walls of the corridor. “Show yourself!”

Hah, no. I don’t think so. You’ll see me later on down here. You do need to get to the shrine eventually. Mephiles’s oily voice shifted to dark laughter as the sound seemed to travel along down the hall. Come find me.

Silver gritted his teeth, and Shadow’s ears folded back against his head. “I suppose we can’t leave him waiting.”

“You seriously want to approach him?” Silver looked over and down at him from his hovering position. “What if this is a trap?”

“Oh, it definitely is.” Shadow bit bitterly. “But what choice do we have? We’ll have to come back here eventually, and he’ll be back to do this again.”

Silver hesitated. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s go then.”

Shadow led Silver down the hall, walking. He chose not to skate down in case Mephiles did lay traps along the corridor, but the path seemed clear for the most part. Silver used his psychokinesis to illuminate a few feet ahead of them to ensure there were no traps to stumble into.

Yes, good. Come now, a bit farther.

Shadow saw the fur on Silver’s chest fluff up, and his quills spike the more Mephiles taunted them. While Shadow was sure he was pissed, he could sense the unease buried beneath the younger hedgehog’s facade of steely courage. He flexed the hand not carrying the emerald cage, glad to feel Chaos Energy crackling at his fingertips. He might need it.

They came across a large, open room at the bottom of the cave, a sealed door at the far end closing them off from their goal. And standing in front of it—or rather manifesting from the dark in front of it—was Mephiles. Shadow hastened to form a bolt of Chaos Energy in his free hand, setting the caged emerald down at his feet. Silver hovered at Shadow’s side with his hands raised and ready to levitate objects in the room to hurl.

“Mephiles.” Shadow snarled with all the venom in the world.

“Oh, Shadow, Shadow, why so foul?” Mephiles teased, his reptilian eyes flicking to the psychic at Shadow’s side. The hedgehog felt a prickle of rage along his spine as his foe set his sights on Silver. “You didn’t possibly think I’d just let you waltz in here and heal the emerald without opposition, did you? I need to gage your abilities, after all.”

So the Gaia Gates can heal an emerald. Shadow hummed in his mind. Thanks for the information.

“You’re outmatched.” Silver hissed. “You can’t win against us both.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Mephiles laughed, deep and sinister. Shadow spared Silver a worried glance, and the other hedgehog returned it. “That’s why I came prepared. I’ve been studying this new form I’ve so graciously been given, and I’ve learned it can do so many things I never expected.”

“What’re you getting at?” Shadow growled through clenched teeth.

“While I can’t take you on even at half power,” Mephiles sneered, “he can.”

Before Shadow or Silver could react, Mephiles copied the Chaos Spear in Shadow’s hand in his own, the color a deep indigo rather than yellow. He hurled it at Silver, and the spear met its mark. Silver cried out as he was struck in the shoulder by the corrupt energy spear, falling back as the sudden pain caused his psychic aura to fail.

“Silver!” Shadow launched his volley of spears at Mephiles, which were all dodged as the latter melded back into the shadows around them.

Shadow rushed to his friend’s aid, teeth grinding as Mephiles’s laughter erupted through the room. The Ultimate Lifeform checked his friend’s shoulder, relived to find it uninjured.

Without warning, Silver blasted Shadow off of him with a powerful psychic surge. Shadow barely recovered in the air, righting himself in a way that he landed with his feet flat on the wall. He was able to kick off of it to avoid a psychic blade tossed his way. “Silver, what the hell? Snap out of it!”

But as Silver rose to his feet, Shadow’s heart sank. His once lively and spirited golden eyes were blank, and sclera was tainted black like Knuckles’s had been only a day prior. His expression was neutral, too neutral, as he readied himself for a fight.

Oh, he can’t. Mephiles’s voice came from behind him. He’s mine to control now. What a pretty little thing. Strong, too. I think I might keep him.

“Let him go! You coward bastard!” Shadow bared his teeth and clenched his crackling fists.

I think not. Mephiles laughed, to his left now. Silver, was it? Kill him.

Silver, without a word spoken, launched forward with psychic energy burning around him.

Chapter Text

“Silver! Snap out of it!” Shadow barrel rolled out of the way of a large rock thrown his direction. Silver continued his barrage, expression unflinching. Shadow leapt away from another one, tripped up by a tendril of black malice.

Running scared, Shadow? What a pathetic excuse for the Ultimate Lifeform. Mephiles sneered from somewhere above him as Shadow tumbled on the ground.

“Shut up!”

Oh? I see now. You won’t hurt him. Silver launched forward again, landing a punch to Shadow’s jaw. While Silver himself wasn’t very physically strong, the force of the psychokinetic energy behind his attack is what sent Shadow flying. Afraid of the backlash the others will give you if you injure him?

“Shut up!” Shadow snapped again. He recovered and leapt away from another psychic blade. “Silver! Stop this! Fight it!”

He saw a flicker of light shimmer back into his golden irises, but it died away as fast as it appeared. Silver launched another rock his way. Shadow shook his head, jumping up to meet the boulder and kicking it hard with both feet. The rock flew backward, and struck Silver dead on.

“I’m so sorry Silver.” Shadow grimaced as he prepared a volley of Chaos Spears and launched them at his opponent. Silver recovered from the initial strike and bolted away from the attack.

Oh, he’s fighting back? What an interesting turn of events. Mephiles commented underneath him.

“We don’t need you commentating!” Shadow snapped, unable to dodge a strong kick the now flying hedgehog swung at his head. Silver’s boot made contact, sending Shadow crashing into the wall next to the passage he came through. The impact knocked the air from his lungs, and wrenched a cry from him. Shadow hadn’t ever been aware that Silver’s boots were heavy and steel-toed until he’d been the point blank recipient of a psychic-boosted strike from them.

When Silver got hit by the Corruption Spear, he’d dropped the Miles Electric he’d been holding. As he recovered from the kick, Shadow noticed it sitting abandoned nearby. He rolled away from another kick Silver unleashed, the grey hedgehog’s heel colliding with dirt rather than the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow snatched up the device, hauling himself to his feet.

“Tails! Do you read me?” He shouted into it after he pressed the communication button. “Tails!” Shadow dove away from another blade of energy hurled his direction.

“I’m here Shadow, what’s up?” Tails calmly replied from the other end.

Shadow grunted with effort as he punched Silver in the chest and rammed into Mephiles as he manifested to his right. “We got ambushed! Silver’s lost it!”

“O-okay!” Tails answered hastily. “I can send Knuckles over, but I have to wake him!”

“Hurry!”

The call cut out as Shadow tossed the device across the cave. He brought his arms up in an ‘X’ position, guarding himself from a chop thrown his way by his dove-colored friend. He hastened to grab Silver’s arm, drawing him in for a sharp punch to the chin. He winced slightly when he heard a grunt from Silver, the first sound he’d made since he got corrupted. He threw him at Mephiles as he manifested again, causing them both to crash into the wall.

Shadow stepped forward, Chaos Energy crackling in his hands as Chaos Spears formed in them. Silver recovered too fast and bolted away, but Mephiles was struck by the bolts of energy dead on. The wind left the mouthless creature, and he sunk into the darkness around them again. Shadow saw a shadow retreating out of the cave before getting a boulder hauled at his head.

So even though Mephiles left, his corruption remains. Shadow scowled as he thought. Perhaps a Chaos Spear would work, if I could just hit him.

The boulder hit its mark, blasting Shadow against the wall of the temple’s forefront antechamber. Before he had a chance to recover from that strike, Silver was on him, pressing his arm to his throat and choking Shadow. Shadow struggled, his own limbs pinned down by Silver’s psychokinesis. Spots danced across his blurring vision as he struggled to get any air.

No! I do not go down like this! Shadow built up Chaos Energy inside him, the power glowing red around him. Silver remained unflinching, eyes soulless and blank as he pressed harder on Shadow’s throat. His vision began to fade to black as he unleashed his fury, sending a shockwave of Chaos Energy through the cavern. It wasn’t as powerful as he’d hoped, but that miniature Chaos Blast would do. Silver flew backwards with the force, slamming into the wall by the sealed doors leading to the temple. Shadow recovered, gasping for air as it filled his lungs.

Silver was down, and Shadow shakily fetched the Miles Electric and the emerald cage. “Tails,” he croaked as he activated comms, “threat neutralized. Proceeding to the Gate now.”

“Sh-Shadow?” Tails squeaked from the other end. “Are you okay? Do you still need backup?”

“No, I’ve got it under control now.” Shadow coughed. “Once Mephiles left, I could focus solely on fighting Silver. I’m going to heal the emerald, and use it to heal him. Shadow out.” Shadow disconnected the call and stumbled his way to the doors of the temple. He spared a sorrowful glance at Silver, whom was laying unconscious from the impact, before hauling the doors open.

The inside of the temple was peaceful, quiet, and flowing with energy Shadow could only describe as light. The feeling of it eased his pain and caused his fatigue to recede, even if just slightly. He located the main shrine in the center of the room, and approached it. He set down the emerald cage and opened it, fetching the corrupted gem from inside. The dark power seeped into his bones and caused a sharp pain to ricochet in his arm, but he just gritted his teeth and endured.

Shadow placed the Chaos Emerald on the pedestal, taking a few steps back. Light from above filtered through, beaming on the gemstone. Where the hell did that come from? He wondered. Just above the shrine is nothing but solid dirt and grass. He shrugged it away and watched the gate work.

The glowing light intensified, the corruption on the Chaos Emerald melting off it to form a vile blob above the gemstone. The cracks in its sides restored with the power of the Gaia Gate, and the orb of goo disintegrated in the light. A beam of it shot out the door, and Shadow whirled around to follow it. It’s healing Silver for me. At least I hope that’s what it’s doing.

Shadow’s gaze returned to the shrine as the light died away and left nothing behind but a restored Chaos Emerald. The shrine closed down, any soft light coming from it vanishing. All that remained was the cyan emerald, glittering in all its majesty. Shadow took it into his hands, feeling a surge of Chaos Energy inside him and purging the own feeling of corruption inside him. That goop had done a number on him, he knew, but now he understood why.

He collected the emerald cage and stashed the purified gem in his quills, turning and walking out. “Tails, do you read?”

“I do, what’s your status?”

“Mission accomplished. The emerald is purified. I’m getting Silver, then we’ll be back.” He reported.

Tails exhaled loudly in relief on the other line. “Thank Chaos for that. See you two in a bit.” The comms cut out as Shadow and Tails both ended the call.

Shadow walked over to Silver, who groaned softly from where he was sitting. “Silver?”

“Ugh, Shadow?” He opened his golden eyes, sclera white again. “What happened? Oww, my head hurts.” He rubbed his head as Shadow helped him to his feet. He wobbled.

“I’ll explain later.” Shadow supported him. “But our mission was a success. We’re going back the fast way.”

“Fast way?” Silver gave Shadow a side glance, eyes half lidded from exhaustion.

“Yep.” Shadow closed his eyes and allowed the power of the emerald in his quills to surge through him. “Chaos Control!”

And they were gone in a flash.

Chapter Text

When he and Silver returned home, Shadow hastened to lay his companion on the couch. Silver was still fatigued from the corruption, and likely incredibly sore from where Shadow had hit him. All three of the other boys were eager to see them, or more likely the emerald.

After he got Silver situated, Shadow did just that. He pulled the gem from his quills and passed it over to Tails. “We’ve got our plan.” He smirked.

“Yes!” Tails pumped his fist excitedly as he took the gem. “I wasn’t sure it would work, but I’m glad it did!”

“Mephiles confirmed our suspicions for us when we got there.” Shadow explained smugly. “He also said that he wouldn’t just let us do it, so I assume we can expect opposition at each gate.”

“Nothing we can’t handle,” Silver laughed weakly from the couch, “if one of us doesn’t get mind controlled.”

Knuckles gritted his teeth. “He’s gonna pay for that, too. He messed with one of us, and he’s gonna get us all.”

“Tails, can you use it to locate the other emeralds?” Sonic asked him, standing at his side. At least he looked better than he had a few days ago. However Shadow could still tell he was in a lot of pain. Perhaps I can help him more later now that we have an emerald.

Tails allowed Sonic to hold the gem as he pressed some buttons on his Miles Electric. “Likely.” He answered. “But no guarantees that they’re all on one continent.”

“When has that ever been the case?” Shadow sighed. “We’d have to continent hop for the Gaia Gates anyway. They’re a one-time use, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.” Sonic nodded, smiling as he allowed that same Chaos Energy to wash over him that Shadow enjoyed. “But maybe there’s another on this continent. Y’know, cause it’s so big.”

“We’ll see.” Shadow crossed his arms as he tried to keep his mind from wandering. He didn’t want to recall the events of the day so far.

Silver sat up and stood, joining them after a few minutes. He seemed better, but again, Shadow knew he was still aching from the way he carried himself. He’d at least caught his breath.

“There is another here.” Tails announced after a moment. “Along with another Gaia Gate. I made an effort to pinpoint the other six gates while you and Silver were away.” He grinned.

Tails pointed to an area just outside Station Square, on the opposite end of the continent as Green Hill. While it wasn’t far, especially for a hedgehog that could move as fast as Shadow, it would still be quite the trip. He studied the map Tails displayed.

“That’s at least a day’s trip from here.” He said. “Not too bad.”

Tails nodded. “Are you taking anyone with you?” He asked.

“No.” Shadow shook his head as he spoke. “Mephiles is using my body’s abilities against us. He learned how to make a corrupted Chaos Spear, and used it to turn Silver.” He spared a glance over at their friend.

Silver looked away. “Even so, I won’t let it happen again. He took me by surprise, he won’t have that luxury this time.”

“No.” Shadow stood his ground, tone harsher than he expected but fitting for the situation. “I’m not going to give him that chance. You all are staying here, I’m going alone.”

“Shadow, That’s dumb move.” Knuckles warned.

“Maybe, but at least he can’t use anyone against me that way.” Shadow looked away, glaring harshly at the cream carpet of his living room floor. No one had a counter to that. Shadow closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. “I’ll depart tomorrow. Use that time to locate the other five emeralds to save me some trips.”

Tails nodded hesitantly. “Okay. But just so you know, while you’re off searching for the emerald outside Station Square,” he pressed some buttons on his tablet to begin searching, “I’ll be fixing up the Tornado to help fly you across the sea.”

Shadow sighed. “Fine, okay.”

“You aren’t doing this alone forever, pal.” Knuckles walked over and clapped his hand hard on Shadow’s shoulder. Shadow glared at him, but the echidna just glared back. “Once we recover, we’re helping.”

“Agreed.” Sonic grinned, giving them his trademark wink.

“I really can’t stop you, can I?” Shadow sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face.

“Nope.” Sonic replied smoothly. “We’re a stubborn bunch.”

“You’re at least waiting until that wound is healed completely before you do any fighting, Sonic.” Tails reminded, baby blue eyes never leaving his Miles Electric. He was taking notes, meaning he’d likely located some of the other gems. “We can’t risk you too.”

“Especially in that state.” Knuckles concurred.

Sonic pouted. “So what, I’m supposed to sit this whole adventure out?”

“No, just give yourself time to heal.” Silver rested his hand soothingly on Sonic’s back. “You said once before that you heal fast.”

“I do.” Sonic gazed down at the wound on his side. He’d left it uncovered so it could breathe, and while it still looked gnarly, it looked significantly better for being only three days old. Shadow grimaced slightly, knowing that kind of injury would leave a scar. “It aches and pulls every now and then, but give me another four days or so and I’ll be good to go.”

Shadow snorted. “Then you’ll be good to help likely when we cross the sea.” He looked at Tails. “Have you found the others?”

“Only a few. One’s out in the old valley near Soleanna, one’s located in the remnants of Westopolis, and the last one I’ve pinged so far is out in the Starfall Islands.” Tails looked up at them. “The corruption follows. The emeralds themselves aren’t too far from their respective gates, but far enough that they’ll be more than one trip.”

Shadow recognized the first two, but the last one he’d only heard about from Sonic’s time there. “Okay, that’s not too bad.”

“I’ll work on pinging those last two while you make your game plan for Station Square.” Tails turned and walked back to the couch Silver had been previously occupying and plopped down on it.

Sonic cast Shadow a grin. “At least there won’t be aliens in Westopolis this time, ‘ey Shads?” Shadow rolled his eyes.

“No, but there is corruption. And I don’t know which is worse.” Shadow walked to the kitchen to get some water, brainstorming how to go about acquiring the Station Square emerald. Sonic just shrugged with a soft ‘eh’.

Silver looked between them, perplexed. “Wait, aliens?”

Chapter Text

Wind whooshed by Shadow’s head as he skated across the ground. He’d departed early that morning, barely past dawn, to try and arrive in Station Square by nightfall. He passed the old Chemical Plant ruins after about an hour, still smoldering in the distance. He held in his hands the corrupted emerald cage, modified by Tails to be even more sturdy and portable, the smaller Miles Electric, and in his quills the purified Chaos Emerald.

Birdsong drowned in the wind in his ears as he skated by, the more open hills of Green Hill fading into a deciduous forest. Shadow slowed his movements, not desiring a face full of wood. His mind couldn’t help but wander, thinking about the encounter with Mephiles at the Gaia Gate. He had been powerless to save Silver when he was hit by the corruption, and it left him with a lingering bitter taste on his tongue. He would give anything to have that memory erased from his mind, that feeling of helplessness ripped from his twisting gut.

But he would never admit it aloud. He was Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform. He couldn’t show weakness, not around friends, and especially not around his foes. He had to perfect, streamlined, powerful…

And he couldn’t begin to count the amount of times this last week he’d felt completely and utterly useless.

Shadow snapped out of his thoughts and barely managed to swerve away from a tree. What is wrong with me? I’m losing it!

He shook his head as he tried to stay focused on the winding path through the trees. He couldn’t afford to go on autopilot now, lest he risk an embarrassing crash into a tree trunk he was sure someone would show up to see. Shadow cast a slight glance at the Miles Electric, temped to call Knuckles or maybe even Sonic just to have someone to talk to idly and distract his mind from the disastrously distracting thoughts in his mind.

No, I can’t. He thought. I must keep moving forward. He stashed the Miles Electric in his quills along with the Chaos Emerald.

The feeling in his chest was tight and hot, and coiling and constricting like a snake around his ribcage. The feeling of creeping doubt and prickling worry. His mind wandered aimlessly again despite his attempts to stop it, his body thankfully aware of the forest he was in. While his mind was back in that cavern under Green Hill, his body was there in those deep woods, skating along a path that likely didn’t even exist.

His mind bounced around, remembering Silver’s contorted face of agony as he fought the corruption shot into him. He remembered that expression, and his mind shifted focus from Silver to Maria. He recalled her face twisting in pain much like Silver’s had when she was gunned down on the ARK all those years ago. His heart felt strangled in his chest as he remembered her tear stained cheeks as she sent him down to the planet she so desperately wanted to see again.

Shadow shook his head again to clear his thoughts, slowing his pace down to a more leisurely one before stopping altogether. In the time he was buried amongst his thoughts, he’d cleared the forest and stood upon a cliff overlooking the rest of the continent to the sea. There was more forest below him, and in the distance stood the tall buildings of Station Square.

Shadow pulled out and looked down at the Miles Electric again, pulling up the map and checking where he had to go. The city was situated on the coast, with an area of thicker, more jungle-like forest to the southeast of it. When looking there on the map, Shadow saw the emerald he was pinging. He gazed up at the scenery around him, squinting. Sure enough, in the distance, he could spot some inky purple corruption amongst the trees. He stashed the device away again for safekeeping.

Shadow took a few steps back, giving himself a boost as he activated his jet shoes and bolted forward. He launched, clearing a good segment of forest as he descended. He landed easily with his shoes activated, and began skating through the forest again eastward towards Station Square.

Sure enough, dusk was settling into the city by the time he’d actually arrived, leaping up into the trees to parkour his way up onto a rooftop. He perched himself there, checking the Miles Electric again. From his position, the emerald was tucked away south in the thicket, and the Gaia Gate amongst the Mystic Ruins to the north. As much as he didn’t want to deal with the corruption in the dark again, Shadow wanted his assignment completed as soon as possible. He turned to the south, propping himself up to leap off the rooftop.

“Hey there, handsome. Long time no see.”

Shadow froze and sighed at the voice addressing him, turning to see the familiar faces of a bat and a large, hulking robot. “Rouge. Omega.”

“What brings you to this side of the continent?” Rouge asked, her voice as smooth as silk and as sweet as honey.

Shadow looked away. “I could ask you both the same.” He replied, crossing his arms indignantly.

“Classified.” Rouge giggled. “G.U.N assignment. And you?”

Shadow sighed. “Mission from Tails.” He answered vaguely.

“Doing their work for them now?” She teased, shifting her weight sassily. “Errand boy”

“I’m not an errand boy,” Shadow growled, “but this mission concerns me anyway.”

“DOES THIS MISSION INVOLVE THE PURPLE CORRUPTION GROWING IN THE FOREST?” Omega droned.

“Yes.”

Rouge paused. “Okay, so does ours.” She admitted. “If our two missions align, we might as well work together.”

“No.” Shadow looked over at them, tone firm. “I’m doing this alone.”

“NEGATIVE. WE WILL ACCOMPANY SHADOW TO INVESTIGATE THE CORRUPTION.”

“No, you won’t.” Shadow’s expression hardened. “I almost lost two friends to it already, both for different reasons. I won’t risk anymore.”

Rouge shook her head and approached Shadow. “Sorry Shadow, we’ve made up our minds. Tell us what you know on the way.” With that, she spread her wigs and lifted into the air, holding her hands out for the hedgehog to grab. Shadow sighed heavily, walking over and taking her hands as Omega grabbed his feet. With the aid of Omega’s thrusters, Rouge lifted them into the air. “Where to, Shadow?”

“South, towards the corruption.” He replied. “And whatever you do, do not touch that stuff. I’ve seen firsthand what it does to someone.” He squeezed his eyes shut as memories of his battle against Silver flooded back.

“DO NOT WORRY.” Omega intoned. “I AM A ROBOT, I CANNOT BE CORRUPTED BY ORGANIC MATERIAL.”

“Still, be cautious Omega. For poor Shadow’s sake.” Rouge pouted.

“ACKNOWLEDGED.”

* * *

Catching Rouge and Omega up to their current situation was fairly easy, like it had been with Silver. He gave them the rundown on the emerald situation, Sonic’s condition, and especially Mephiles and what happened with Silver at the previous Gaia Gate. He also made a point to tell them that he had the cleansed Chaos Emerald on him at the moment. Omega was pleased with Shadow’s report, but Rouge had more concerns.

“Are you sure it was wise to bring the purified emerald with you?” She asked him seriously, gliding her team down over the corruption below. This emerald looked worse, corruption bleeding further into the terrain rather than the first that only charged the metal. That little detail also seemed to spark Rouge’s concerns about Omega.

“No,” Shadow replied, feeling the emerald’s power seeping into every muscle he had, “but I’d feel better in a fight with Mephiles if I had it.”

“AFFIRMATIVE. SHADOW’S POWER LEVEL IS INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY TWENTY PERCENT WHEN HE IS IN POSSESSION OF A CHAOS EMERALD.” Omega reported monotonously.

Shadow huffed in delight. “Thank you, Omega.”

“Are you expecting opposition?” She asked as she landed Omega outside the corruption field. Rouge released Shadow’s arms but remained hovering, and Omega shifted the black hedgehog to rest perched on his pauldron.

“Oh, I’m definitely counting on it.” He answered. “If not here, then at the Gaia gate.” He adjusted himself to a more comfortable position, kneeling on the black and red of Omega’s shoulder. “Now, the plan is for me to pass you my things and for Omega to launch me across the field so I can—”

“Hold on, slow down.” Rouge interrupted. “You just told us not to touch this stuff not ten minutes ago, and now you are?”

Shadow rubbed his temple. “Whatever happened to me when Mephiles was released renders me mostly immune to its effects.” He explained. “So, as I was saying, Rouge you will hold the Miles Electric and the cleansed Chaos Emerald while Omega launches me and the emerald cage into the center of this so I can cage the gem and get out of there.”

Rouge frowned down at him. “I don’t like this plan.”

“Do you have a better one?” Shadow grumbled as he retrieved the three items from his quills. He passed the bat his communicator and the gemstone, clutching the cage to his chest. The silence from Rouge told him all that he needed to know as she took the items from him. “Ready Omega?”

“AFFIRMATIVE.” The robot grabbed Shadow as the hedgehog curled into as tight a ball as the emerald cage would allow. Tails should really consider a strap that crosses over the body. He thought, the pressure of the metal against his sternum bringing a dull discomfort. Omega drew his arm back, preparing a coordinated toss of his teammate across the corrupted field.

“Be careful, Shadow.” Rouge spoke from behind him as she swerved out of the way.

“I will be.”

“INITIATING LAUNCH.” Omega droned, throwing Shadow as forcefully as he could.

Shadow flew through the air, remaining curled up in a ball as he soared across the swirling purple gunk below him. Once he spotted the Chaos Emerald, he uncurled and braced for impact. His feet touched down on the slimy, corrupted gunk, and he activated his jet shoes hastily. Even with as brief of contact as his shoes had with the goo, sharp, blazing agony shot up his legs like lightning. He bit his lip and held down a growl of pain, gazing up at the emerald a few paces ahead of him.

He skated forward, opening the cage he held in his hands. He stopped in front of the emerald, pulsing corruption that sent blooms of sharp discomfort blossoming through his head. Shadow almost knelt down to collect it, deciding better of it when another sharp pang jolted through his knee. Shadow instead bent at the hips, reaching down into the goop to fish the emerald out. As soon as the sludge touched his hands, the icy-hot stabbing sensation returned and nearly sent him toppling head first into the viscous liquid. As he recoiled, the gemstone slowly sunk under.

He heard a voice behind him, likely Rouge, and realized with the grating hoarseness of his throat that he’d likely yelled out. He gritted his teeth hard, plunging his hand back under the surface of the swirling corruption. He sunk his arm down to his elbow in the vile substance as he fished the submerging emerald from its confines. He pulled his arm out, oily corruption clinging desperately to his fur, and threw the vile emerald into the container in his other hand. Shadow shook his arm, slinging the substance off him, and slammed the lid of the cage closed. He turned and skated hastily back to the waiting members of Team Dark.

He wasn’t sure if he’d tripped, or if his knees simply gave out, but as soon as he’d crossed the corruption field, Shadow collapsed and tumbled through the grass. He hissed through his teeth, clawing at his burning arm and spreading its blazingly cold irritation to his palm. Rouge and Omega rushed to his side, the former showing her extreme concern. “Shadow!”

“Give me a moment.” He gritted out. “It takes a bit.” At least he hoped it would. He’d never had to submerge a part of himself in the swirling goop, so he just hoped it would be temporary. Sure enough, after about five minutes of recoil, the freezing hot pain faded from his bones. Shadow relaxed, though it was short lived.

“You neglected to mention that the goo still brought you unbearable agony!” Rough snapped, crossing her arms and pouting. “That was terrifying!”

“Not as terrifying as watching a friend become a puppet.” Shadow bit back. His voice was tight from the pain, making the words come out softer than he’d have liked. “I wasn’t about to watch that happen again.”

Rouge hesitated. “It still would’ve been nice to know about.” She reaffirmed.

“Sorry.” Shadow forced himself to his feet, looking down at the caged gemstone he held. The new cage contained most of the radiating corruption, but he still had a dull, reoccurring headache as he held it.

“SHADOW IS IN POSSESSION OF THE TAINTED CHAOS EMERALD. RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN OF THE ITEM.” Omega announced. Shadow let him, knowing they likely wanted to present this information to G.U.N. “REPORT. THE CORRUPTION APPEARS TO BE A LIVING ENTITY.”

“Mephiles.” Shadow growled.

“ADDING ‘MEPHILES’ UNDER DIAGNOSTIC REPORT.” Omega droned.

“So all of this,” Rouge turned back towards the gunk, “is one guy?”

“More or less.” Shadow answered. “It’s his power, I’m assuming.”

“WE WOULD LIKE TO COLLECT A SAMPLE.” Omega added. “TO STUDY ITS COMPOSITION.”

Shadow and Rouge shared equally concerned glances. The hedgehog narrowed his eyes. “You’d like to what?”

“The commander thinks that if we can understand it better, we can purge the world of it.” Rouge defended. “But after you said it can corrupt metal, I’m concerned about our ability to collect and contain a sample.”

Shadow crossed his arms. “Simple answer? You can’t. While the substance doesn’t have a mind of its own, Mephiles can control it, or emerge from it.” He groused.

“ADDING THAT TO THE REPORT.” Omega emitted.

“Okay, alright.” Rouge sighed. “Then what’s our next destination?”

Shadow gazed at the cage in his hands, then north towards where the Gaia Gate was. “The Mystic Ruins.”

Chapter Text

The lightless moon peaked in the midnight sky as Rouge touched Team Dark down outside the Mystic Ruins. Though he’d never actually been here himself, Shadow had heard the stories and seen the pictures Sonic had from his time there. It was difficult to make out a lot in the dark, even for Shadow, but he could definitely see the rough outline of ruined buildings and other such structures and hear the roar of the waterfall somewhere in the dark.

Shadow extended his hand to Rouge as she landed, and the bat wordlessly passed him both the Chaos Emerald and his Miles Electric. Shadow tucked the purified gem into his quills again, using the Miles Electric to ping the acute location of the Gaia Gate. Rouge landed at his side, and he felt her lean into his space to watch what he was doing.

The device pinged the shrine, slightly northeast of where they landed, and Shadow wordlessly signed for his team to follow. They did so without hesitation, Rouge flying after him and Omega using his thrusters to propel himself as silently as possible.

“THREAT DETECTED AGEAD.” Omega said, and the team stopped in their tracks. Sure enough, squinting in the dark, Shadow could see the curling purple tendrils of corruption that signaled Mephiles’ influence. “MORE CORRUPTION GOO.”

“Geez, this stuff is everywhere.” Rouge winced, her wingbeats the only sound aside from her voice to cut the night.

“Mephiles knew we were coming.” Shadow growled lowly. “He doesn’t appear to be here.”

“CORRECT. MEPHILES NOT DETECTED.” Omega announced. “ONLY CORRUPTION GOO DETECTED.”

Rouge landed next to Omega, just behind Shadow. “Great. So what now?”

Shadow thought a moment, squinting harder at the dark maze of corruption that lay before him. He could barely make out a temple-like building in the center, also bound by tendrils of snaking corruption. “Our goal is there.” He pointed to the temple. “If I can get in, I can place the emerald on the pedestal and cleanse it.”

“QUERY. HOW WILL SHADOW GAIN ENTRY TO THE TEMPLE?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” Shadow sighed. He could barely see the front door of the temple, and he saw it was blocked off by a large splotch of the gloom. “The main entrance is sealed.”

“I doubt that’s the only way into the temple.” Rouge sighed, narrowing her eyes at the swirling gunk.

Shadow nodded in agreement. “It’s an old, decrepit temple. There’s bound to be holes in the wall we can enter through.”

“I take it I’m the scout?” Rouge pouted at him.

“Yes.” Shadow answered. “Unless you’d rather me go alone.”

Rouge scoffed a laugh. “Hardly. I’ll be back in a few, boys.” She spread her wings again, beating them and lifting herself into the night. Shadow studied her outline as she glided off into the dark.

The wait dragged on so long Shadow was sure she’d gotten snagged in the goo. Though it was more likely that he was simply impatient. He glanced at the emerald cage secured to the back of Omega’s metal carapace, a sharp icicle jabbing his eyes and generating a nasty headache. He grimaced when he realized he’d have to do this more than five more times with the other emeralds.

Rouge landed beside the boys after a moment. “There’s only one unblocked way in.” She announced. “Through the top.”

“Only one?” Shadow questioned, turning his gaze to her. He frowned when Rouge only nodded. “Damn.”

“WHY IS THAT A PROBLEM?” Omega asked.

Shadow gazed back out at the temple. “Because he wants us to go in that way, especially if he went through the trouble of securing other entrances.” He explained. “He’s likely set a trap.”

“I agree with Shads on this one.” Rouge shifted her weight and flicked one radar dish of an ear. “It’s obvious that it’s a trap.”

“THEN HOW WILL WE GAIN ENTRY?”

A thought crossed Shadow’s mind, and he curled his lips into a smirk. He reached into his quills, cautious of their jagged edges, and produced the cyan Chaos Emerald. “With this.”

Rouge raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that will work?” She inquired skeptically.

“Quite sure.” He replied. “Why else would Mephiles be corrupting them and sealing away their power?”

“Hm.” Rouge mused. “Good point. It’s worth a shot.”

Shadow nodded, the smirk only growing on his lips. “If I hit it with a Chaos Spear, it might retreat. I don’t want to risk corrupting this emerald again, so I’ll put it back.” He tucked the gem away in his quills as he hypothesized. “If that’s the case, then we can bust down that goo wall blocking the main entry.”

“I’m with you, no matter what happens.” Rouge smiled.

“I WILL FOLLOW SHADOW AS LONG AS HE LEADS ME TO THINGS I MAY DESTROY.” Omega droned.

Rouge laughed and Shadow shook his head endearingly. “I’ll see what I can do, Omega.” He grinned, turning back towards the temple. “Let’s go.”

He skated down into the maze with Rouge and Omega both at his sides. He shot an emerald-boosted Chaos Spear into the tendril blocking his path, very pleased to see it wriggle and writhe out of his way. He heard a pleased gasp from Rouge behind him as well as he charged forward. His little plan worked. He didn’t really listen over the adrenaline that began roaring in his ears, but Shadow felt sure Omega was listing their discovery in his report.

The trip down towards the temple lasted mere minutes with Shadow’s boosted spears of Chaos Energy. While it took more than one, the gunk sealing the Gaia Temple’s doors also withered away and retreated at the hedgehog’s power. Omega stepped up and hauled the large stone doors open for his teammates, and Shadow took the lead inside.

This temple was dark compared to the last one. The sconces on the walls that once held fire were extinguished, and the heavenly Gaia Light that beamed into the last Gate was nowhere to be seen. Shadow scanned the room, eyes accustomed to the dark, noticing branches of twisted corruption coiling around the main shrine and blocking pathways. In the center, just below the hole in the roof Rouge spotted, was a cage made out of the corruption goo. We were right to expect a trap, then.

“There’s corruption everywhere. Watch your step.” He reported to them. “One brief brush is enough to cause madness.”

“Understood,” Rouge grumbled, rubbing her temple, “but seeing as I’ve already got a headache, I think I’ll stay here.”

Shadow nodded. “Omega, guard Rouge then.” He ordered. “I can take care of myself.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED. SWITCHING TO DEFENSE MODE.” Omega agreed, shifting into a more defensive position. Shadow fetched the emerald cage from his back, and turned back towards the goo.

Again, he wished for a body strap on the cage as he shot Chaos Spear after Chaos Spear into the gunk. Most of it receded with one or two spears, but crossing the large section of goop where the cage laid was more complicated. He misjudged the width and resilience of the slime and his jump, and landed right in it.

Agony shot up his legs again like it had in the forest, and the emerald in his quills sent sharp javelins of pain into his head. Shadow launched out of the muck with an alarmed cry, his landing next to the shrine ending up more like a crash. The gem in his quills pulsed with gentler Chaos Energy once they’d left the field of the corruption.

Shadow gave himself a few seconds to recover before he stood on shaky knees and stepped up to the pedestal. He saw the gunk blocking the windows in the ceiling that allowed light to filter in, and rectified it with a handful of Chaos Spears. The brilliant healing light of the Gaia Gate poured into the room as he did, and the shrine lit up. Shadow opened the cage in his hands, fishing out the corrupted gem with a grunt. He placed it in the emerald shaped slot in the pedestal, shaking the hand that touched the corrupted gemstone.

Much like the last shrine, the light beaming down onto the emerald began to intensify as the slime melted off it and formed an orb above it. The cracks began to heal, revealing the true color of the emerald. The gemstone glittered a brilliant green as the Gaia Gate purged the corruption from it. The goo ball evaporated in the pure light, and a beam shot from it like last time as well.

Shadow whirled around to watch the beam, observing as it crashed into the purplish black cage of gunk in the middle of the room. He could see Rouge’s eyes alight with wonder across the room. The corruption hissed and smoked, fizzling away into nothing as the light subsided and all that remained was the Chaos Emerald, pure and clean.

Shadow removed it from the pedestal, more power coursing through his veins as he held a second cleansed emerald in his possession. He tucked it away in his quills beside its twin, turning to greet Omega and Rouge as they ran up greet him.

“Well that was a stunning performance.” Rouge smiled as she landed in front of Shadow. “So it’s clear?”

“Yes.” He verified. “That’s two down, only five to go.”

“QUERY. HOW WILL YOU GO ABOUT COLLECTING AND CLEANSING THEM?” Questioned the robot.

As if almost on cue, the Miles Electric Shadow had chimed with an incoming transmission. He retrieved it and answered the call when he saw Tails was calling. “Tails.”

“Hey Shadow! I just wanted you to know I’ve got the Tornado up and running so we can go cross-continental now!” Tails reported as his face appeared on the screen. “How’s your current objective panning out?”

Shadow pulled the green Chaos Emerald from his quills and held it to the camera. “Complete.” He replied. “I met Omega and Rouge along the way, and they demanded they help.” He heard the bat giggle as he relayed the information to Tails.

“That’s awesome!” The fox laughed, his namesakes fluffing behind him. “I can come get you here soon, if you’re ready to go.”

Shadow nodded. “I am.” He looked to his companions. “I take it you’ll be staying?”

“Unfortunately.” Rouge smiled, shifting her weight. “We have to report to the commander. If we get the opportunity, we’ll call and join up with you later on.”

“Sounds good. Have a safe trip back to HQ.” Shadow lifted his hand as a wave, Rouge doing the same in return.

“Thanks. And good luck on your mission.” She smiled as she spoke, and turned to leave. “C’mon Omega.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED. FAREWELL SHADOW. WE WILL MEET AGAIN.” Omega intoned, turning and following Rouge out of the Gaia Temple.

“So, how soon can you pick me up? Shadow asked as he gazed down at the time on the Miles Electric. It was only a few hours from dawn.

“I can be there about sunrise.” Tails informed. “Gives you some time to sleep and time for everyone here to wake up.”

Shadow nodded, able to feel the exhaustion creeping through his body now that the adrenaline and excitement had passed. “Good idea.” He sighed. “I’m still at the Gaia Gate in the Mystic Ruins. I’ll stay in the temple, so you can send someone in when you arrive to wake me.” He verified.

“Sounds good.” Tails replied. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Shadow.”

“Likewise.” Shadow and Tails disconnected the call, and he sat down on the stone steps leading up to the shrine. While it would be uncomfortable, he desperately needed some shuteye after traveling all day.

As he laid down, a gentle bloom of accomplishment washed over Shadow. He hadn’t intended on this mission going by so quickly, but he was glad it did. Having Rouge and Omega at his side again even briefly felt nice. He was happy to see they were keeping well.

But amongst the accomplishment and the joy, Shadow felt a prickle of concern run down his spine. His encounters with the corruption had been bad, but he still felt the lingering pain of the last bunch he’d landed on pinging through his legs. I’m sure it’s nothing, he reassured himself, no worse than when I first touched it. Right?

Shadow shook his head, clearing his thoughts to the best of his ability, and let sleep overtake him.

Chapter Text

Shadow awoke to a gentle nudge rocking his shoulder. His eyes of ruby slid open, his gaze shifting to meet eyes of honeyed gold. Silver stood overtop of him, a smile on his lips as warm as the comfort blooming in Shadow’s bones. The two shared not a word, the pale grey hedgehog stepping back and offering his glowing palm to the ebony. Shadow took it, and allowed his friend to haul him onto his feet. He felt slightly unstable from sleep, and upon noticing that, Silver helped him move until his body woke enough to carry itself.

Shadow was walking on his own beside Silver by the time they emerged from the temple, greeting the early dawn. Tails patiently sat there waiting, charting a course across the world from the cockpit of the Tornado.

Sonic sat beside Knuckles in the passenger’s seats rather than perched on the wing as Shadow had seen him do before. His again bandaged side proved the reason why he chose to sit rather than stand. Shadow instead assumed that position, hopping up onto the wing of the biplane effortlessly. Silver remained on the ground, likely planning to fly alongside them until he tired out. Shadow had noted under Green Hill that the young psychic’s powers had been growing as of late.

“Oh!” Tails chirped when he both heard and felt the thump of Shadow’s weight on the plane. “Good morning, Shadow!”

“Morning.” He yawned, big and toothy. “Where’s our next stop?”

“Straight to the point, eh?” Sonic quipped from where he sat. “Typical Shads.” Shadow gave him a glare so deadly he was sure it would kill the blue annoyance if simple looks could. Sonic seemed not to care, and winked in response.

“I think we’re planning on Soleanna next.” Tails answered when he finished calibrating their route. “After that we’ll go to Westopolis, then to the Starfall Islands.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Shadow huffed, turning away from the now grinning Sonic to admire the scenery. The Mystic Ruins were simply gorgeous, for lack of a better word—lush and green now that the corruption from the night prior had been purged. Birds sang in the trees, and the whole area felt alive with history. Shadow could spend an eternity there easily, meditating amongst the deafening crash of water and the singing of the birds.

The sounds of nature became silenced as the biplane’s engine suddenly roared to life. Shadow adjusted his position and held on, wondering idly to himself how Sonic did this all the time. As the plane started down its runway of grass, Shadow saw from his peripheral the cyan glow of Silver’s psychic aura following alongside.

Liftoff was easy and smooth, Shadow quickly finding the correct position to reduce drag on his body. He was able to relax once they reached cruising altitude, understanding a bit more now how Sonic could stand completely upright on the wing. With the weight of himself and the strength he had, the force of the air kept him firmly planted on the moving plane. Silver flew alongside them, seeming to enjoy playing in the slipstream the plane made in the air.

“So Tails, you said the Chaos Emerald was located in the valley?” Sonic questioned, raising his voice just loud enough for them to hear over the roar of the wind.

“Yes, in the old kingdom area.” Tails confirmed. “I’m not sure where, but I’m positive we’ll see it.”

“If it’s anything like the last emerald,” Shadow commented, “we’ll see it very easily.”

“How was the last emerald?” Asked Knuckles, gazing up at the black and red hedgehog questioningly.

Shadow frowned as he remembered the massive stretch of corrupted forest. “Bad. It stretched a decent segment of the forest south of Station Square.” He explained.

“Yikes.” Sonic winced, closing one eye and gritting his teeth.

“Yeah. Yikes indeed.” Shadow agreed.

“Well, at least we’ll know where it’s at so we can collect it easily.” Silver added from somewhere behind them, ever the optimist.

“I suppose.” Knuckles grumbled.

An easy silence fell over them as Tails flew the plane over the ocean below. Shadow opted to kneel and grasp the wing below his feet to steady himself, then closed his eyes to meditate. The Chaos Emeralds in his quills washed a sense of relief and relaxation over him, and he was almost able to hear their hum as he focused his thoughts.

His meditation broke about an hour and a half later when he felt the weight of Silver landing beside him on the wing. Shadow opened his eyes and glanced over at the grey hedgehog, who upon detecting his gaze looked over and gave him a sweet smile. Shadow didn’t reciprocate, likely as the other expected, and gazed back out at the sea around them.

He could see far off on the horizon the beautiful sandy beaches that surrounded the city of Soleanna. He wasn’t sure why they felt so familiar, seeing as his time in the city had been brief. But gazing past them and over the clouds at their ears he could see the sprawling city with its tightly knit buildings and beautiful canals. Within the hour, they were crossing the beach and flying over the city itself.

Silver was from Soleanna, Shadow recalled, albeit two hundred years from that point in time. Even with that gap between his then and their now, Shadow hoped he could help them navigate the winding streets of the city if necessary. He traced the path between the buildings with his eyes, looking up past them as they soared over Soleanna towards a section of ruins to the southwest.

As it stood, there were no signs of the corruption at all. The city was clear, as was the ruins that they could see so far. It wasn’t much longer before they were swooping down between crumbling towers and eroding walls, flying close to the water below. Shadow felt himself struck with deja vu despite having never been there. He wasn’t sure what gave him that feeling of remembrance.

A feeling of dread.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts to remain focused on his mission at hand. He had never been here. Those thoughts didn’t matter.

He felt Silver lift off from the wing again, back to flying alongside the Tornado since he was more maneuverable than a plane in the tight canyons and valleys of their location. Shadow watched him break away from the group to go scout on his own.

“So, what exactly is the plan when we find the emerald?” Knuckles asked.

“I’ll go in and cage it, then we take it to the Gaia Gate. From there, we purify it and head to Westopolis.” Shadow explained.

Sonic shook his head. “Nuh-uh, you’re not really saying you’ve been touching the thing, right?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, Faker.” Shadow gritted. “I’d rather not carry around a corrupted emerald with Mephiles’s gunk.”

“Oh sweet Chaos you’ve been touching them.” Sonic mumbled, emerald eyes wide with concern.

Shadow flattened his ears to his head. “I have to. No one else can.”

“Do you think Silver could use his psychokinesis to lift one?” Knuckles asked.

Shadow shrugged. “Worth a try, I suppose.” He admitted.

As if hearing his name, the grey hedgehog dove back down from the sky and flew alongside the biplane. “Guys!” He called above the wind. “I think I found it!”

Tails turned the biplane to follow after the psychic as Silver led them around some ruins and towards a section of nature almost devoid of ruins. Sure enough, a pool of swirling gunk churned across the land and dribbled down the hill into the lake below. The water contaminated by the goo seemed to also turn into the viscous liquid.

“Chaos,” Knuckles breathed, “was it this bad when you found the last one?”

“Somehow worse.” Shadow frowned. “But now we know it contaminates water too.”

Tails located a safe place to land the plane away from the corruption, touching down and applying brakes. Shadow and Knuckles had already flung themselves to the ground, but Sonic didn’t leave the plane at all. He instead watched on with concern, Shadow saw, his gloved hand ghosting over his bandages. Tails said something to the azure, likely a “stay put” command, and then joined them. Silver remained flying above the emerald.

“Okay, we need to get that emerald caged then to the Gaia Gate under the city.” Tails reported.

Shadow gazed down at the emerald cage in his hands, opening the lid and stepping to the edge of the goo. He debated just going on and skating across it to collect the gem, but Knuckles had other plans.

“Silver,” the echidna spoke, “could you possibly levitate the emerald over and into the cage? To save Shadow some pain?”

“Oh,” the other hedgehog squeaked, “I can try.”

“Don’t strain yourself.” Shadow warned. “If it’s too much, I can handle it.”

Silver nodded. “Understood. Yeah.” He chose to land beside Shadow, likely wise, before beginning to manipulate the gem.

Shadow studied Silver’s face, remembering his neutral expression as he began. If the other showed any signs of corruption, Shadow would purge it from him before it had the chance to take hold. He was not about to let what happened under Green Hill happen again.

Silver didn’t show any signs of mental deterioration as he started levitating the Chaos Emerald. However, as he lifted it from the goo it sat in, he seemed to look like he was being stabbed in his brain. He cried out, dropping the gemstone, and stumbled back with his head in his hands. A valid hypothesis, Knuckles, but an incorrect one nonetheless.

“Silver!” Tails shouted, and Shadow was sure he heard Sonic’s distant voice in the chorus. “Are you okay?”

Silver only whimpered in response, dropping to one knee and clawing at his head. Despite Tails’s command, Sonic flung himself out of the biplane and rushed to his friend’s aid.

Shadow produced the cyan emerald from his quills and hastily stuffed it in Silver’s, relieved to see the other relaxing with its gentle energy. “Well, there’s that plan out the window.” He mumbled, casting Knuckles a glance. The echidna frowned, but seemed equally worried about his friend.

“Sorry,” Silver’s voice wobbled as he spoke, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Sonic reassured. “You gave it a try, and that’s all that matters.”

“Are you doing okay?” Tails asked with concern lacing his voice. “What happened?”

Silver groaned something incoherent, then repeated himself when it processed that he’d spoken gibberish. “Hurts.” He slurred, stumbling over syllables. “Hurts s’lot. Like burnin’ icicles in mah brain.”

Shadow winced. “That’s how it feels when I touch it.” He sympathized. “I can’t imagine how it feels directly in your head.” The paler hedgehog mumbled a strangled sound of agreement, letting Sonic support his weight as he rolled off his knee.

“Is the Chaos Emerald helping?” The blue hedgehog asked the grey, earning himself a wobbly nod. “Good, good.”

“Here, Sonic.” Shadow said, pulling the green Chaos Emerald from his quills and passing it to his rival. “Put this in your quills and get Silver to the Tornado.”

Sonic didn’t argue, taking the gemstone from Shadow and nestling it in his quills safely. “What’re you gonna do?” He asked as he heaved the dove grey hedgehog into his arms. Knuckles rushed to help him.

“Get the damn emerald, of course.” Shadow snorted, walking back towards the corruption. He gazed down at the cage in his hands, his lips pursed, then turned his gaze back on the emerald. When Silver had lost control of his powers and dropped the gemstone, he’d actually flung it a little bit closer to them than where it was previously. Shadow was thankful for that fact. He activated his jet shoes, hovering above the ground a few inches.

“Please be careful Shadow.” Tails whimpered, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

Shadow nodded wordlessly, skating out over the swirling, inky goop towards the Chaos Emerald. He clutched the cage in his left hand so tightly his fingertips started to tingle. It didn’t take him long to reach the gemstone, skidding to a halt with his jets still activated. He repeated his previous action of bending at the hips to scoop the emerald from the murk.

Searing pain shot through his hand and up his arm as he touched the gemstone, more violent than he’d been expecting. He felt a pained cry rasp his throat, clutching the stone tightly as he yanked it from the goo and threw it into the cage in his hands. He felt his burning arm trembling as he skated back towards the group, Knuckles having returned to Tails’s side. The echidna caught Shadow as he tumbled, yelping and recoiling as he touched Shadow’s burning arm.

“Shadow!” Tails cried in alarm.

“I got it.” He grunted, shakily holding out the corrupted emerald cage. The fox and echidna turned away from it as he held it out, each raising a hand to their head. Shadow remembered the headache it gave him, and set the cage on the grass. His arm felt like the flesh was melting off his bones and his head felt like it was squeezed under a hydraulic press.

A menacing laugh pierced the calm surroundings, no doubt Mephiles, and caused Shadow to grip his head harder. It felt like it was in his brain, circling him and vying him for control of his body. He gritted his teeth so hard he thought they’d shatter, and growled lowly. You won’t control me. You can’t control me.

Almost as soon as the fog cluttered his consciousness it was gone, and Shadow was left with a splitting headache and weakness. He opened his eyes, his vision clearing, and senses coming back online. His chest was heaving, his arms wobbling, and his quills tense and bristled. He realized he had fallen to his hands and knees, and it looked like he’d been clawing at the dirt around him. He could feel the concerned looks of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, closing his eyes again as he breathed out softly.

“Shadow?” Sonic’s voice was hardly a whisper, but it was still too loud in Shadow’s ears. “Are you, uh, alright?”

Shadow exhaled hard through his nose, forcing himself up to his feet. “I’m fine.” He gritted, grabbing the emerald cage again. Shadow walked towards the biplane, dragging his feet more than he wanted, hauling himself up into the plane beside Silver. The other hedgehog groaned a quiet sound of recognition, but otherwise made no other moves as Shadow settled beside him.

Shadow didn’t really pay much attention to his surroundings for the next few minutes, just resting his eyes and trying to ease his growing migraine. He felt a soft warmth at his left side, his right getting pressed up against the warm fur of Silver. He figured it was Sonic, though his brain didn’t process that until after his pulsing headache died down.

When Shadow did come to his senses again, everything seemed to slam into him all at once. They were in the air again, wind roaring in his ears. He felt hot and cold at the same time, in excruciating agony yet numb all at once. A groan slipped from his lips as he opened his ruby eyes, sitting more upright in the passenger seats of the Tornado.

“Morning Sleeping Beauty.” Sonic chuckled from beside him. “Feeling any better?”

Shadow snorted in response. “Hardly.” He sighed. “But I’ll live. Where are we now? How long was I out for?”

“About fifteen minutes.” Knuckles answered, perched upon the wing of the plane. Since Shadow had taken his seat, he’d had nowhere else to ride aside from the wing. “We’re on our way to Soleanna. The emerald was deeper in the kingdom valley than anticipated. We’ve been flying for about ten minutes.”

“We should be there soon.” Tails added. “From there, we need to access the labs under the city.”

“The what under the what?” Sonic echoed, earning himself a quiet chuckle from the near unconscious Silver.

Tails also giggled at what his blue brother said. “I was just as surprised as you to find out about those.” He admitted. “But apparently there’s a laboratory underneath the old kingdom that we can access most easily from the new kingdom.” Tails explained.

“So where we needed to go is literally where we just were?” Knuckles deadpanned.

“Yes and no.” Tails replied. “The entrance to where we need to go in the old kingdom has since been sealed shut completely. The only way we can access it now is through Soleanna.”

“You did say ‘most easily’.” Sonic affirmed with a grin.

Tails laughed. “It would be a lot of punching and explosions to get to it through the valley.”

“Makes sense.” Shadow mumbled. “How long until we get there?”

“About five minutes.” Tails estimated. “Possibly more if I need to find clearance to land.”

“So not enough time for a nap?” Shadow sighed.

“A power nap maybe.” Sonic chuckled.

“Mm.” Shadow hummed, settling back in the seat. As much as he would never admit it, the warmth and comfort of his rivals felt soothing. He let his heavy eyelids fall, almost instantly dozing off. “A power nap it is.”

Chapter Text

While it felt like an eternity, Shadow knew his power nap had only lasted about five or ten minutes. He felt slightly more alert than he had been before, but his body still felt heavy with weakness and exhaustion. He hadn’t been sleeping much or very well over the course of all this, so he assumed it natural to be so weak.

It didn’t change how much he hated it, of course.

Before he was even fully awake he was hauling his thousand-ton body from the plane and planting his feet on the ground. The cage in his hands felt big and clunky, and it messed with his smooth descent. Tails seemed to notice, as the first real sound his ears picked up was a gentle hum of acknowledgment from the fox in question. He flicked his ear, stretching his sore muscles out as Silver disembarked and landed on the ground beside him.

“So, where to, bud?” Sonic asked his brother with a grin.

“I’ll get us to the approximate location of the entrance.” Tails waved them along as he spoke. “Then it’s up to you guys to figure out how to get inside. They’re closed off for a reason.”

Knuckles cracked his namesakes, the first to follow the fox. “Sounds easy enough.”

Shadow brought up the rear of their group, still too tired to move too quickly. That, and he wanted to keep the others further away from the corrupt gemstone he held crated in his hands. He still bore the horrendous headache that bitch gave him, and he doubted it would fade any time soon.

“Hey Shadow.” Sonic’s voice cut through his thoughts, a bit deeper and softer than he’d expected. “You doing alright?”

Shadow cast the other hedgehog a glance, noting that he’d slowed down just to talk with him. He carried himself more upright, almost as though his injury wasn’t bothering him anymore. He bore a gentle look of concern in his emerald eyes. “I’m fine.”

Sonic frowned softly, a look that never sat well on his face. “You’re not fine.” He pushed gently. “You know you can talk to me.”

Shadow did know that. He pursed his lips into their own frown, breaking his eyes away from the royal cobalt of the hero. “It’s nothing, really. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sonic didn’t reply right away. Shadow wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that fact or if he hated it more than anything. They walked together, side by side almost, neither speaking a word to the other. Shadow worried that prolonged proximity to the corrupt gemstone would cause Sonic to go mad.

But nothing happened. Sonic kept his head up and back straight, limbs relaxed as he walked a single pace ahead of Shadow. Shadow almost let himself entertain the idea that Sonic’s presence was nice and very welcome after the events of the last week. Almost.

Their silence drug on, with the only sounds breaking it being the idle chatter of Silver, Tails, and Knuckles ahead of them. Shadow didn’t really tune into their conversation, instead just watching, waiting for Sonic to speak. Yet he didn’t, just walking alongside him in comfortable silence.

After a solid six or seven minutes of navigating through the winding streets and bridges of Soleanna, they came across a larger bridge. Just before the other side, there was a passage leading left into a large plaza-like area below a large tower. Tails led them across the bridge and to the tower, stopping in front of a large metal gate separating them from what looked to be an elevator.

“Is this it?” Knuckles asked, resting his hands on his hips and frowning.

“Yes.” Tails acknowledged. “Past this gate should be an elevator that leads down into the lab.”

“And from the lab, where do we go?” Sonic asked, still standing at Shadow’s side. Shadow was aware he was slightly slumped over, but by this point he didn’t care. The exhaustion in his bones was overwhelming.

“I’ll pull up the Gaia Gate locator I have, and it should help guide us.” Tails continued, answering Sonic’s question. “The hard part right now is getting inside.”

“Nah,” Knuckles dismissed, rolling his shoulders to loosen them, “it’ll be a piece of cake.” The echidna stepped forward, squatting down and grabbing ahold of the gate from the bottom. He grunted with exertion as hauled the gate up slowly from the concrete. He stood up straight as he hefted it up just enough for the others to squeeze under.

Tails went first, followed by Silver. Sonic gently rubbed his wounded side before bending over to slip underneath. He hissed through his teeth, allowing Tails to help guide him under. Shadow ducked underneath next, making sure to do so at a distance from the rest of the group. After they were through, Knuckles maneuvered himself in just the right way to get through before he let the gate go. He jumped back as it slammed back down to the ground.

“Okay, we’re in.” Knuckles panted. “Now what?”

“Now, I hack the system, and we go down.” Tails replied, hacking past the security protocols on the keypad next to the elevator. He bypassed its firewall, beckoning everyone onto the elevator pad as he set it to descend.

Shadow stood on one end while Knuckles took the other. Sonic and Silver stood between him and Tails, likely as a buffer to keep the fox further from the corrupted Chaos Emerald Shadow was clutching close to him. Again, Sonic didn’t seem bothered, and neither did Silver. Shadow realized, pretty dumbly, that they were both still holding onto the Chaos Emeralds he’d given them.

The elevator descended, long and slow, into the dark labs. Motion lights flickered on as they descended, illuminating the sterile chrome walls of the building. The elevator hissed as it arrived at the bottom, lights along the ceilings and floors sparking to life as they took their first step off the elevators. There was some broken glass and empty crates littering the room, and the basement elevator keypad was banged up pretty badly. Shadow wasn’t sure what had happened down there, but whatever it was, it wasn’t pretty.

The large doors slid open as they approached, the red lights on them flashing green as they did. The group entered a room with a dip in its middle, stairs leading down onto a metal bridge of sorts. Surrounding the bridge was a rippling floor that looked like liquid mercury, but seemed to just be water under glass. The stairs to the other side were broken, as was the door leading past it.

“Is this place underwater?” Sonic asked aloud as he gazed up at the ceiling. Following his eyes, Shadow could see what appeared to be rippling water above them, as well as algae and faint outlines of fish.

No one answered the blue hedgehog as they descended the steps down, every one of them looking around cautiously as they approached the ledge with the wiped out stairs. Bubbles the size of their heads floated along the edges of the room, just as shiny and reflective as the glass floors beside them. Silver leapt up to the top of the ledge, then levitated everyone else up. He seemed to struggle a little bit with Shadow, likely due to the corrupted emerald hidden away in the cage, but managed anyway.

Knuckles pushed the broken doors open just enough for everyone to slip through before he followed. The following room was confusing, with multiple different exits on multiple levels, some with ladders that were missing most if not all their rungs. “Tails,” the echidna said breathlessly as he gazed around, “now’s probably the time to use the locator.”

The fox nodded without a word, opening his Miles Electric and activating the locator. Shadow took a few steps away from the group, approaching the large support pillar in the middle of the room. His hand ghosted along its metal wall. Why is this all so familiar?

Sonic again was the one to follow him, standing at his side as Shadow wondered to himself. “It’s strangely familiar, isn’t it?” He commented, confirming Shadow’s thoughts.

“Yeah.”

“Makes me wonder why.” Sonic set his hand by Shadow’s, almost on top of it, tracing the grooves along the walls that came with whatever happened. “Like, is there a piece of the puzzle we’re missing?”

“A past life?” Shadow added, drawing Sonic’s full attention. “Or perhaps an alternate reality?”

“Maybe.” Sonic smiled when Shadow met his gaze. He removed his hand from the wall, and Shadow followed suit. “I suppose we’ll never know.”

Shadow broke their eye contact, looking back towards the rest of the gang near the broken doorway they’d come through. “Perhaps.” He replied.

Sonic gave him a nod and a smile, then returned to the rest of the group. Shadow hesitated before he also rejoined them. “Did you find where we needed to go?” The blue hedgehog asked upon their return.

“I have.” The fox answered. “There’s a door to the right from here, and through there should be the hall we need to follow.”

“Let’s get going then.” Silver said, gazing around almost nervously. “This place gives me a weird feeling.”

“You wouldn’t be the only one.” Shadow sighed, making brief eye contact with Silver. They looked away again as fast as they had gazed at each other.

Tails again took the lead, walking over to the doors. They slid open upon his approach, revealing to them another hall. This one had its end at a much higher point, with a gap dropping down into the darkness below. There had likely been a bridge there, but it had long since collapsed into the pit it crossed.

“Well, that’s nice.” Knuckles deadpanned.

“Silver, I hate to ask, but could you get us across?” Sonic gazed over at him. “Me and Shadow, at least.”

Silver looked between them a bit nervously. “You, yes. Shadow, I’m not sure. That emerald messes with my brain, especially when I levitate anything it touches.”

Shadow gazed down at the cage in his hands, frowning. “Hmph.”

“I can probably get him.” Tails offered.

Silver smiled softly, relieved. “And I can get Sonic.”

Knuckles nodded, jumping over the pit and gliding his way to the other side. He drove the spikes on his knuckles into the wall, using them to haul himself to the top. Silver went next, levitating up and lifting Sonic with him. As he flew them across, Tails spun his twin namesakes to lift himself into the air, catching Shadow’s hand and flying him up.

Shadow had felt a feeling of weightlessness when being carried by Silver, but the feeling was the opposite when carried by Tails. He could feel every ounce of his body weight down to the last pound as that poor fox flew him across the few foot gap. As much as he wanted to stabilize himself with both hands clasping the fox’s, he knew with the emerald cage that would be very unwise.

Tails sat him down in his feet next to Sonic once they had made it across, landing in front of them. He continued leading them along, the doors at that end of the hall sliding open to allow them through.

The area past these doors was in total ruin. There was a glass capsule in the center of the room, much like the one Shadow was made in, with an entire side blown out. Shattered glass scattered about the room from both the central capsule and from broken observatory windows a few feet above the main chamber. A few skeletons of humans littered the room as well, and dried blood stained the dark chrome of the floor.

Shadow wrinkled his nose at the sight of it all, finding this gruesome scene strangely familiar. He heard the soft gasp of Sonic to his left, and the gentle whimper of Tails ahead of him.

“Chaos,” the blue hero spoke in barely a whisper, “what happened in here?”

One other sound hit Shadow’s ears aside from the tremulous breathing of his comrades, that being the Miles Electric. Tails recalibrated his machine, ears drooped as he imagined what happened in that room. “This had to be where the accident occurred.” He concluded quietly. “The one that forced the Kingdom of Soleanna to abandon their castle in the valley and build the new city we see today.”

“These poor souls.” Silver solemnly whispered. “They probably only wanted the best for their kingdom, and it cost them their lives.” He closed his hands into fists, lowering his head and closing his eyes. Shadow noted how his crown of five quills drooped with his change in mood, and rested his hand on the other’s shoulder. Silver seemed startled by the sudden contact, but didn’t shy away from it.

“The Gaia Gate should be just beyond this room.” Tails spoke up after a few moments of silence. “This way.” He began walking again, and the rest of them followed close behind. Shadow removed his hand from Silver’s shoulder as they drew up the rear of the group.

Sure enough, past a door to the right of where they’d come in, sat the Gaia Gate they’d been tracking. The old ruins were definitely out of place in the high-tech laboratory, but were likely the reason it was built there. The whole shrine was encapsulated in the chrome metals of the wall, with that same mirror-like floor along the edges of the room. The ceiling, likely made of reinforced glass, led straight up to the surface of the water hundreds of feet above. Sunlight rippled across the floors from the water above.

The group split a path between them for Shadow as the doors slid closed behind them. Shadow held the cage in his hands, walking along the metal floors until he stepped up the stone steps to the altar. He opened the emerald cage, gazed into it at the dark gem, then unceremoniously dumped the item into his hand.

As he expected, pain seared through his hand and arm as he caught the gemstone in it. He hissed and winced, but strengthened his resolve. He paced the emerald onto the pedestal, the pain fading away as the gate roared to life.

Just like the first two, the corruption melted off the gemstone as light exploded across the room. An orb of viscous corruption again formed above the emerald, fizzling away under the intense light of the gate.

Slowly, as the purification came to an end, the light dimmed and shimmered away. When Shadow gazed upon the emerald again, his eyes of shining ruby were met with glittering cerulean. He scooped the Chaos Emerald up from the altar, feeling bathed in its soothing energy. He exhaled in relief, tucking it back into his quills as he had the first two, closing the cage and returning to the awestruck group that’d accompanied him.

“And it’s done.” He reported. “To Westopolis, now.”

Tails giggled as he recalibrated his Miles Electric to guide them out of the aquatic labyrinth they’d ventured into. “Sounds perfect to me.”

Chapter Text

The group found the trek back to the Tornado from the aquatic base rather uneventful. They shared idle chatter, and Shadow finally felt relief from his killer headache. Sonic was more talkative now that he was aware Shadow wasn't in pain, and he couldn't decide whether to punch the blue idiot or humor him.

After they'd returned to the streets of Soleanna, they walked the five or ten minutes or so back to the biplane Tails had parked nearby. The sun dipped lower and lower in the strawberry sky, and, judging by the Miles Electric's GPS, if they left now, they would arrive in Westopolis's ruins well after midnight.

They'd put it to a vote on whether to start flying or stop and take in the sights of the city and crash in a hotel until dawn. While Shadow wanted this nightmare over as soon as possible, he understood the necessity of kicking back to rest every now and then. His muscles felt like jello, and his eyelids like cinder from how light and how little he'd slept the past week or so. He made it obvious what his choice was. Everyone else followed suit with his vote.

Silver took the lead on most of the sightseeing, pointing out things he recalled that likely were the same or very similar in his futuristic timeline. Shadow found it endearing how his face would light up with all the joy in the world talking about his future. Silver was often very passionate about his home.

Shadow didn't really care too much about the touring of the city, his aching body and sleep-drunk brain being the main reasons. He had been the likely the reason Sonic prompted them to locate the nearest restaurant to eat at, then the best hotel in the Soleanna New City to rest their weary heads at. While he would, again, never admit it aloud, he was very thankful that Sonic could read his body language enough to know when he was through with their tourism.

Shadow slept solidly that night, the first in a long while, surrounded by his trusted friends and allies. He only woke up because Tails shook his shoulder the following morning. He wasn't sure what time it was, maybe just past ten or eleven, but he could've slept much longer if he'd able.

"C'mon Shadow, it's time to go." The fox spoke softly. "The others have already gone to get the Tornado."

Shadow went to speak, interrupted by a spontaneous yawn that split his face. "I didn't think they could pilot it." He mumbled around the yawn.

Tails giggled softly. "They can't. Silver's gonna levitate it over to the open area by the harbor, and I can assume command from there."

Shadow pawed his eyes as his yawn finally came to an end, frustrated at how the sleepy gesture always made him tear up. "I get it."

"So," the fox began again as Shadow shifted out of his hotel bed, "did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, actually." He replied. He felt aware of Tails' nervousness—he'd not been the nicest to the kit in their time knowing each other. He could recall at least four or five times where he'd hunted down and beat him up for no reason aside from him being allied with Sonic. He felt a little regret, especially now. "Did you?"

Tails nodded, the fur on his head bouncing with the simple motion. "Yeah. I think Sonic and Knuckles did too."

"And Silver?"

"Probably." Tails chuckled. "He was floating above his bed when I woke up."

The two shared a quiet laugh as Shadow pulled on his air shoes. He readjusted the inhibitor rings around his ankles to rest comfortably around his shoes. "Did you check over Sonic's injury lately?" He asked absentmindedly, wanting to strike up a gentle conversation with Tails.

The fox nodded. "This morning." He answered. "It looks much better. The Chaos Energy from the emerald you gave him really seems to have helped."

"That's good to hear." Shadow noted, standing and stretching his sore muscles out. The stretch was spontaneous, but Shadow welcomed it. "You think he's good to join this mission soon?"

"Maybe in the next few days or so." Tails concurred, peeking out the window. "Ah, they're here. Let's go."

After making sure he had everything, Shadow joined Tails outside the room. He accompanied him to the front desk to turn in the hotel keys, then outside to greet the morning. Shadow squinted as he exited the building into the day.

The city around him bustled, awake and alive with the day. Shadow took a few gulps of that sweet, salty sea spray in the air, cleansing himself in the peace and tranquility of the city. He drank it in, knowing this calmness wouldn't last. The Chaos Emerald humming in his quills proved that painfully. I still wish I could've shared it with her.

Sonic, upon seeing them both, ran over to greet them with the biggest grin on his face. He looked like he'd decided to forgo the bandages, and Shadow couldn't help but spare a glance down at his wound. It appeared mostly closed up and healed, scarred over where his tissue was so damaged it wouldn't recover. Shadow felt a pang of guilt, even though he knew that injury had nothing to do with him.

"Hey Tails! Morning Shads!" He spoke, his voice just a hint too loud for Shadow's ears at the moment. He hoped he didn't flinch. "We spoke with the local police, and we got this clear for our runway!" Sonic turned to gesture to the wide open area by the harbor.

"Thanks Sonic." Tails smiled, fluffing his tails. His voice was softer, more mindful. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, we're clear." Knuckles called from where he stood by the gasoline port. Shadow glanced at him, and assumed by the way his attention was drawn to the plane, he was topping off their fuel.

Silver sat lazily in the passenger's seats, looking over with a smile when Sonic led Shadow and Tails over to the plane. He made haste to levitate Sonic, lifting him up into the seat beside him. Shadow chose the wing again, jumping up there with no issue. He crossed his arms as he stood tall on the wing of the biplane. Knuckles climbed up beside Sonic in the passenger's seats, plopping down and signaling to Tails.

The fox nodded and flew up into the cockpit, buckling himself in and starting the engine. Shadow shifted his position, bracing himself like he'd done at the Mystic Ruins. The plane began rolling, gathering speed as it barreled towards the warehouse situated at the other end of their makeshift runway. The fox pulled back gradually on the yolk, and the plane gained altitude, eventually soaring over the grand city of Soleanna.

Shadow gazed down below at the city as Tails turned the plane in a large arc to get them on course. He'd watched the city as they'd flown in the day before, but he still never got enough of it. He felt pretty sure any city would be this gorgeous from the air. He could guess the others agreed.

Tails got the Tornado on course and recalibrated the GPS, flying them northwest towards the ruins of Westopolis. "Our ETA at Westopolis is six hours."

"That far?" Sonic loudly whined.

"It's on the other side of the continent, Faker." Shadow bit.

Sonic lamented. "It's still so far!"

"In due time, Sonic." Knuckles added. "After Westopolis, we have to go to the Starfall Islands, which are even further."

The next few seconds of silence were deafening. After about ten seconds, Sonic loudly groaned and sank in his seat, defeated. Silver and Tails laughed, and Shadow swore he felt a chuckle jerk its way from his chest.

It was passive, peaceful moments like this that made Shadow feel better. He, just as much as them, needed these interactions, these fleeting moments of relaxation to just be them. He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed listening to their banter. It made him feel less alone. Like she was still there.

Shadow shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. They weren't her, they never would be. He didn't want them to be. It was hard, however, for Shadow to look at them and not remember his time on the ARK with her. A smile of nostalgic sadness grew on his face as Sonic and Knuckles conversed some more, with moans and groans of displeasure and impatience. His blue rival reminded him the most of his fallen friend.

Maybe he's all he'd need to finally heal.

Chapter Text

The flight to Westopolis dragged on longer than Shadow expected. There wasn’t any threats to them that high in the air, so there wasn’t much to pass the time. Even the flight across the sea from Station Square to Soleanna didn’t last this long. This had to be the first time in a long while Shadow actually felt bored.

He’d traded places on the wing with Knuckles after about two hours, and he felt sure that he’d napped at least a few hours sitting beside Sonic. He jolted back to attention when the Tornado began to descend, his eyes snapping open.

“Easy Shadow,” Sonic reassured him. “We’re almost at Westopolis.”

As he gazed ahead, he could see the dilapidated buildings and mangled streets of the abandoned metropolis. The sun had begun its descent towards the horizon by then, likely only being early afternoon. He remembered vividly the day Black Doom invaded with his legion of aliens. His kin. A grimace wracked his body as he remembered the events of that week.

A grounding hand rested on his shoulder, and he spared a glance at its owner. Sonic met his eyes with gentle understanding in his own. Sonic had been there, Shadow recalled. He’d been there to help him save the world. He didn’t admit it then, nor would he ever, but having him there while he’d rediscovered himself had made him feel better.

The plane arched and weaved around the desecrated buildings as it approached, Tails finding a long stretch of road to land the Tornado. The wheels touched the ground, and the fox expertly piloted the vehicle along the runway and to a stop. Once the engine had died off, everyone climbed from the plane and stood on the street.

“Okay,” Tails began, the last one to leave the plane. “The emerald should be somewhere in this general area.” He turned and pulled his Miles Electric from the cockpit.

“This a large area to cover.” Silver gazed about as he spoke. “Perhaps we go in pairs?”

Knuckles nodded. “Probably wise. And definitely faster than going as a full group. But there’s five of us.” He grabbed the cage and passed it to Shadow.

“I’ll stay with the Tornado.” Tails offered. “I’ll try to pinpoint the emerald exactly while you four search for it.”

“Sounds good, buddy!” Sonic chirped. “I’ll go with Silver, and Knuckles can go with Shadow!”

Shadow and Knuckles both shared a side glance, frowning at each other. They’d never really gotten along before, and Shadow could already feel their tension rising. “Are you sure that’s wise?” The hedgehog questioned his rival.

“C’mon, you and Knux haven’t spent a lot of time together!” Sonic smiled. “This will be good for you both!”

“If you say so,” Knuckles shrugged dismissively.

Tails walked over to Sonic and passed him another small Miles Electric, a lot like the one Shadow had. “The three Miles Electric should be able to communicate with each other no matter the distance.” He explained. “Radio if you need assistance at any point.”

Sonic took the device, turning it over in his hands as Silver shifted to stand beside him. “Thanks, lil bro.” He replied with a smile. He and Silver turned and took off to investigate the left side of the city.

Shadow sighed as he watched the silver, cyan, and cobalt of the duo fade around the ruined block. He turned to the crimson echidna beside him, ruby eyes meeting amethyst. “I guess we have the right half of the city.”

“Suppose so.” Knuckles grumbled, crossing his arms. “Let’s get going.”

Shadow nodded and waved Knuckles along. The two walked rather than ran, conserving their precious energy in case they needed it. Shadow found himself bracing mentally for the agony he would endure getting the Chaos Emerald.

He and his echidna partner scaled buildings and leapt rooftop to rooftop in search of the Chaos Emerald. Normally, Shadow would feel for its pull, tapping into the Chaos Energy reserves in his body to locate the gemstone. With the dark possession Mephiles had over it, however, the only pull he could feel were from the three emeralds they had purified in their possession. He’d let Sonic and Silver keep ahold of their two, and gave the one from Soleanna to Tails to keep it away from the ooze. He planned to pass this one to Knuckles after getting it and purifying it at the Gaia Temple Tails said was just outside the city limits.

He’d found it strange how they hadn’t encountered opposition since the first emerald they’d cleansed. He knew Mephiles was out there, honing his skills and preparing for the next round. Another grimace shook his body as he settled down and sat on a skyscraper rooftop. Knuckles landed beside him, having glided over from another building. “Found anything?” He asked as he righted himself and stood beside Shadow.

“No,” Shadow responded. He shifted back, propping himself up on his hands. “I take it you haven’t either?”

“No.” Knuckles stood beside him, shifting himself to sit beside him. “With how prominent the last one was, you’d think this one would be easy to spot.” He grumbled, flicking a loose pebble off the rooftop.

Shadow nodded in agreement, slow and slight. “Yeah. We didn’t even see a hint of it flying in.”

“Weird.” Knuckles flopped down, laying his back flat on the concrete. “But it is a large, cluttered area to comb through.”

Shadow glanced over at him, studying him for a moment. He’d always knew that Knuckles was strong and muscular, but he’d never really taken the time to study him. His quills were slightly unkempt, gloves and boots dusty and well worn. The white half-moon on his chest had splotches of dirt on it that the echidna hadn’t bothered to wipe away. Shadow broke his eyes off him before Knuckles could catch him staring.

“Well, we still have the northern half of the city to cover.” Shadow spoke after a moment, breaking the thin veil of silence between them. “Sonic radioed and said he and Silver will cover the south.”

“I guess that’s our next shot.” Knuckles sighed, shifting back upright. Shadow saw his muscles rippling beneath his crimson fur as he did. “We’ve had our break, let’s get going.”

Shadow stood after Knuckles had, his limbs still feeling shaky and tired. He readjusted his neck, popping some of the out of place bones in his back. Knuckles, who saw him do so, copied his movements to loosen up. Shadow turned north, and began walking towards that edge of the building.

Without a word from either, they both pushed off the rooftop and leapt into the air. Knuckles started to glide, weaving his way through the tightly knit buildings of the ruined streets. Shadow activated his jet shoes, using the boost to propel him to the other rooftop across the way.

He would occasionally see flashes of garnet red in his peripheral as he scoured north Westopolis, knowing it was Knuckles. By that point, the sun had fallen to hide halfway behind the horizon. Shadow spared it a glance, gazing out at its deep tangerine glow for only a second. The sunset was a beauty he rarely stopped to behold.

But, tucked away beneath the red-orange hues of the sunset, a glint of violet fluttered into his vision. His eyes flicked downward, and he knew immediately he’d found his target. Deep, swirling corruption tainted the northwest corner of the abandoned city. No doubt at its center rested the Chaos Emerald.

He motioned to Knuckles as the echidna glided by, thankfully garnering his attention as he flew past. He turned in midair, gliding back towards the hedgehog and landing at his side. “You find something?”

“There.” Shadow pointed out towards the gunk he saw. “We’ve found it.”

Knuckles stood at his side and gazed out past Shadow’s pointed finger. He took the communicator from Shadow, tuning into the channel Tails and Sonic were linked to. “Hey! Tails, Sonic, you read me?”

“Loud and clear!” Sonic’s voice grated loudly over the speakers.

“Yep! Need something?” Tails answered just after Sonic had. His voice was slightly more pleasant over the communicator, as it had been before. Adding a third line to the frequency channel muffled the voices with slight static.

“Shadow found the emerald. Northern District.” Knuckles reported, his eyes never leaving the target. “He and I are moving in. I’ll ping our coordinates.”

“Roger that. Silv and I are en route to your location.” Sonic answered.

“Be careful. Radio me again if you need backup.” Tails added.

“Noted.” Knuckles said before he shut off the call, turning and nodding to Shadow.

Shadow returned the gesture, leaping off the roof with Knuckles in tow. Shadow activated his air shoes as Knuckles began to glide, leading him towards the goo. It took them only about a minute or two to reach their destination, landing on the concrete street by the churning gloom. Knuckles recoiled almost as soon as he landed, the energy and proximity of the gunk affecting his head. Shadow frowned softly, taking the Miles Electric and pinging Sonic and Tails’ communicators with their precise location.

He took another step closer to the goo, frowning as it sunk into the concrete of the crumbling buildings and the asphalt of the shredded street. He could feel the corruption around him, his body numb to the stabbing pain caused by proximity. He turned his air shoes back on, skating over the oily corruption towards a glimmer he could only assume was the emerald. He arrived in seconds, reaching out his hand to collect the gemstone wedged between some rubble.

Sharp pain seared his back like a hot iron, and he nearly toppled completely into the gunk. Shadow whirled around, coming face to face with nothing. He bared his gritted teeth, ears folding back against his skull as an echoing laughter filled the abandoned streets of Westopolis.

Shadow. How kind of you to show up.

“Mephiles!” He shouted into the empty air. “Show yourself, you coward!”

How very demanding for someone in my domain.

Tentacles of corruption burst from the sea of the substance around him, coiling and writhing like snakes. Shadow snarled, charging Chaos Spears in his hands as he stared down the new foes. A tentacle lurched, swinging down towards him, and he fired the volley of spears. The goo fizzled away at his power, but he’d realized he’d left himself open a heartbeat too late. A second tendril of corruption swung him, and slapped him hard across the stomach. Pins and needles of flaming ice seared his belly as he found himself sent flying and slammed into the closest building. He cried out as the wind got harshly knocked from his lungs.

An adorable attempt, but not quite enough. Mephiles laughed from the shadows around him. I must thank you, though, for showing me to the emerald. Not that I needed your aid.

“Shadow!” Knuckles cried from across the corruption field.

Oh? Another puppet for me to play with? How kind. He’s not as fancy or as nice as the silver boy, but he’ll do. Oh, he’ll do nicely.

Anger boiled in Shadow’s veins. “You leave him alone!” He snapped. “Knuckles, get out of here!”

The echidna seemed to either disregard everything that had been said, or perhaps he just didn’t hear. Knuckles rushed forward, fists raised, as he bolted to Shadow’s aid. Tendrils of corruption rose to oppose him. The hedgehog rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the ground he’d collapsed on. Pain in the ass. With one swift motion, he’d activated his air shoes yet again, and began skating towards him. He charged Chaos Energy in his hands, launching the volley at the snake of goo lurching towards Knuckles. Each spear met its mark, and the tentacle withered away into a violet smoke.

“I had that handled, Shadow!” Knuckles snapped, glaring at the hedgehog as he landed on the concrete between his ally and the corruption.

“Perhaps you did,” Shadow growled, righting himself. “Or perhaps you misunderstood what Mephiles wanted.”

Knuckles gritted his teeth. “The hell are you on about?”

“Under Green Hill, Mephiles possessed Silver. He intends to do the same to you.” Shadow crossed his arms and spared a glance back at Knuckles. “With him here, any contact with the darkness he possesses lands you under his control.”

Knuckles flushed a shade of crimson, matching his fur. Shadow wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment, rage, or both. “So what do we do?”

“I’ll worry about Mephiles. You tell everyone else not to come here.” Shadow tossed the Miles electric back over, turning completely to face the goo. Mephiles emerged slowly from its center, bathed in the same violet smoke as the rest of the corruption. “Go!”

Despite how hesitant he was, Knuckles nodded and turned, running off rough the city streets. The last Shadow heard of him was his voice echoing faintly as he tuned into the channel Sonic and Tails were linked to. Another laugh rumbled from Mephiles, hoarse and sinister.

“How valiant.” He mocked, his head rocking back limply. “Oh, how I would love to destroy you right now.”

“Then why don’t you?” Shadow challenged, summoning more Chaos Spears in his hands.

Another laugh erupted from his foe’s mouthless form. “Now is not the time,” he replied. “And just as much as I’d love to stay and flip you into the corruption I rule, I’ve got other places I need to go. And I require this, too.”

The Chaos Emerald popped free from the rubble it was lodged in, slithering along inside the churning sludge. The gem lifted up, and rested in the gloved hand of Mephiles. Fury prickled at the back of Shadow’s neck.

“How beautiful.” Mephiles cooed maliciously as he examined the emerald in his hands. The faint glow it possessed flickered and dimmed in his possession. “A gem containing the ultimate power.”

“Hand it over.” Shadow snarled. “I will only ask you once.”

Mephiles laughed, sinking into the muck around him. “No. I’ve got some big plans for this beauty.” His reptilian eyes landed on Shadow one final time as he melded with his corruption. “Until we meet again, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

Shadow unleashed his handfuls of Chaos Spears upon the location Mephiles vanished beneath. The grunge sizzled and belched smoke, but Mephiles was already long gone. “Damn it all!”

His ear flicked upon the detection of footsteps behind him. Shadow whirled around, coming face to face with Sonic, Knuckles, and a flying Silver.

“I tried to stop them,” Knuckles defended himself immediately.

“It’s fine.” Shadow gritted, averting his gaze from the others. “He’s gone anyway.”

“And the emerald?” Silver asked, voice meek and hopeful. Shadow only shook his head in response.

“Fuck.” Knuckles gritted.

Sonic said nothing, only walking over to his black rival. Shadow looked back over, meeting Sonic’s emerald eyes with his own. “What?”

“You’re hurt,” he said at last. Sonic’s hand reached towards Shadow’s belly. His hand stopped, hovering a few inches from the wound.

Upon looking down, Shadow realized he was right. While there wasn’t much blood, Shadow did see the large laceration across his belly where the tendril of corruption slammed into him. Flecks of purple ooze stuck to the wound and fur around it, and Shadow scowled down at it. “It’s nothing.” He dismissed.

“It’s not nothing, Shadow. That’s a nasty cut.” Sonic countered, expression hardening.

“It’s fine.” Shadow hissed. “It won’t hinder my mission.”

“So, back to the Tornado?” Knuckles huffed, changing the topic before Sonic and Shadow could sink into an argument.

“Yes,” Shadow gritted.

“Yeah.” Sonic said at the same time, averting his eyes.

“Tails found the exact location of the next emerald.” Silver began as they all started back towards the plane parked in the center of Westopolis.

“Which island?” Sonic asked before Shadow could get the question out.

“Chaos Island.” The pewter hedgehog replied. “It’s one of the islands further from the continents.”

“Then we’ve got a long flight ahead of us.” Shadow sighed, gazing up at the darkening sky devoid of stars. “I think I’ll take a nap on the way there.”

“Sleep.” Sonic interjected instead. “We’ll wake you when we get there.”

Shadow gazed out at the plane ahead of them as they arrived back at its landing spot. “Sure.”

Silver levitated him into the plane as they arrived at last, and he wasted no time drifting off into a dreamless slumber.

Chapter Text

Sonic kept true to his word. A gentle hand rocked his shoulder, stirring Shadow’s stilled consciousness. His eyes opened slowly, the sky above him grey, and met eyes of shining emerald and fur of shimmering cerulean. His peach lips moved, but Shadow didn’t register the words.

His eyes welled slightly with tears as he drew in a large breath, yawning with lips spread wide and teeth bared. He felt heavy, yet weightless all at once. His face split into a second yawn a few seconds later.

Sonic helped him sit up, the softness and warmth of his fur being the next thing Shadow registered in his sleep-drunk brain. His smell followed, of sweet grass and lemon, with a splash of sea salt mixed in. Shadow nearly punched Sonic lazily as he extended his arms and legs and arched into a mandatory stretch. Another yawn slipped from him as he flexed his stiff muscles, and he had to wipe away the yawn-induced tears from his eyes and cheeks. His ear flicked at the faint sound of a chuckle coming from his blue rival.

“C’mon Shadow, get up.” Sonic snickered. “We’re here.”

Shadow mumbled in response, aware his words were complete nonsense. He pawed at his eyes again, this time rubbing away the sleep in them. He let the world come back into focus around him.

They had already touched down on what he assumed was Chaos Island. The ground, ash-laden and grey, matched the sky full of smoke. The volcano peaking up on the island’s western horizon belched out the pollution, the lava oozing from it glowing hot and bright amongst the drab. Shadow wrinkled his nose as the stench of sulfuric gasses reached it.

“I’ve tracked the emerald to a lava field due north from here.” Tails spoke as Shadow and Sonic both rose from their seats. “The Gaia Gate appears to be inside that volcano.”

Knuckles snorted. “Of course it is.” He grumbled. “It couldn’t be anywhere easy.”

“Hopefully this will be the last of the difficult Gates,” Shadow sighed. “I doubt the emeralds will get any easier.” Sonic rested his hand on Shadow’s shoulder, and Shadow let him. He still felt heavy from sleep.

Silver ended up being the first to disembark the plane, the thump of his boots dislodging and stirring the ash around them. He arched his back into an easy stretch as Sonic joined him on the ground. Shadow followed last, sliding lazily down the side of the crimson plane.

“Is it always so dark here?” Silver asked, turning to gaze at the hedgehogs beside him.

“Yep.” Sonic confirmed. “Unfortunately.”

Silver hummed softly in response. Shadow let loose another yawn, hastily biting his tongue and cheek to prevent it as best he could. He needed to focus.

“This island has lots of guardians on it,” Tails warned. “Be on your guard.”

Sonic shot him a thumbs up, though his eyes trailed up towards a large white object circling the volcano. “We will be.”

“He will prove to be a problem.” Shadow added after following Sonic’s gaze. He gestured lazily towards the flying object. “Especially as we near the Gate.”

Silver cracked a grin, the gesture becoming a competitive smirk the longer it sat on his muzzle. “I’ll take care of him. By the time you two have your emerald, he’ll be dealt with.” The young hedgehog cracked his knuckles, psychic energy pulsing bright cyan around him.

“Thanks Silv.” Sonic smiled. “We owe ya.”

Silver nodded with a grin, blasting into the sky with a trail of cyan. His blast upset the ash around him, and sent it flying about half as high as him. Shadow coughed and waved his hand to dispel it, as did Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

“Okay, with the Fortress problem dealt with,” Sonic continued, “Shadow and I can blast our way to the lava field.”

“You remember the way?” Tails asked, glancing down at him.

“Are you up to it?” Knuckles asked at the same time.

Sonic nodded to Tails, and again to Knuckles. “It’s healed up now.” He added. “Scarred, but healed. I can run, and I can fight should the need arise.”

“Alright.” Knuckles sat back in his seat.

Shadow turned to Tails. “Do you have the cage?”

“I do.” Tails grinned. “And I made some modifications. Specifically, that body strap you mentioned. That will make retrieval a bit easier.”

Tails passed Shadow the cage, and it now bore a new strap of dark leather. Shadow slung it over his head, resting the strap on his left shoulder and cage on his right hip. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“You’re very welcome.” Tails responded. “Be careful, you two.”

“We will be.” Sonic reassured, walking a few paces away with Shadow. “I’ll lead, you follow?”

“Yeah.” Shadow answered as Sonic began running, the pace starting slow and a little clumsy. Shadow followed him, able to keep up with ease. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

Sonic waved his hand dismissively, the smile never dislodging itself from his lips. “I’m fine, Shadow. I never took you for the worrywart.”

Shadow frowned at him, scowling hard as their pace quickened. “I’m not worried, I’m just,” he paused, searching for the right word, “concerned.”

“That’s kinda the same thing, buddy.” Sonic teased.

“No it’s not.” Shadow defended.

“Sure, sure.” Sonic laughed as their pace became a full run. Shadow’s air shoes activated as he crossed the certain speed threshold, and he adapted his skating stance.

Despite the glumness of the volcanic island, Shadow could definitely see its beauty. They ran and skated past pools of hardened lava, glistening with pumice and obsidian, and vaulted over active streams of the glowing orange substance. Aside from those brief moments of intense heat, the island itself was cold and dry. Faint crashes and explosions rang in his ears, and as he looked, Shadow could faintly make out the tiny speck of cyan warring against the massive white guardian of the island.

Sonic seemed to have a mental map of the whole island plastered in his brain. Without second guessing or hesitation, he led Shadow over the various contraptions and platforms that bridged gaps between the land. He wasn’t moving as fast as he normally would, but honestly, neither was Shadow. The dried wound on his belly stung and pulled as he moved.

Sonic led them up a hill, slowing down as they reached the crest of it. Shadow slowed with him, his shoes deactivating as he came to a stop next to his blue rival. As he followed Sonic’s green gaze, he could see the lava field before them, bubbling and hot.

“That’s it there.” Sonic clarified, nodding to it. “At the bottom of that cliff.”

“I can see it.” Shadow agreed, crossing his arms. A hand ghosted down to his belly, the injury he’d received only a day prior sore and aching. Sonic’s eyes flicked down to watch.

“Well, we know that Mephiles’, er, goop, can contaminate water.” Sonic continued, making no comment about Shadow’s wound. “Do you think it can do the same with lava?”

Shadow hummed thoughtfully. “Who’s to say it can’t?” He answered, resting his arms neutrally at his sides. “Let’s get going.” He began his walk down towards the glowing, boiling rock. Sonic followed him with a soft sigh.

They walked down the hill, side by side, and Sonic led him down the incline rather than down the sharp cliff. The suffocating heat enveloped Shadow as he and Sonic rounded the bend and approached the pool. The heat, or possibly the corruption in the air, sent sharp needles through his abdomen.

Sure enough, the corrupted emerald showed its vile face to them from across the field of lava. Tendrils of corruption bled into the molten rock, fizzling and bubbling, but not outwardly contaminating it. Sonic squinted from the heat, and Shadow followed suit.

“There it is,” Sonic said, looking out across the magma at it. He seemed mostly immune to the corruption’s effects thanks to the purified emerald he kept tucked away in his azure quills. “How’re we gonna get it?”

“I’m not sure my shoes could keep me aloft over lava.” Shadow grumbled, gazing down at his air shoes. “We’re gonna have to get creative.”

Sonic gazed around, tapping his foot and resting his pointer finger and thumb to his chin. “Hm.” Shadow wiped at his forehead as Sonic hummed aloud, sighing. He pawed gently at the stinging injury on his belly. “Ooh!”

“You got something?” Shadow asked.

“I think so!” Sonic chirped. “If you could get enough speed from the top of the cliff there, you might be able to vault yourself over the lava and over to the side with the emerald!” He made dramatic hand gestures as he spoke, and Shadow quirked an eyebrow.

Shadow hummed softly. “It could work.” He mused. “But how would I get back?”

“That’s a whole other animal.” Sonic frowned. “I haven’t got that part down yet.”

“Perhaps Chaos Control.” Shadow hypothesized. “However, I don’t think that’s possible with a corrupt emerald.”

“I guess we’ll figure it out?” Sonic shrugged meekly, wincing with a sheepish smile. Shadow deadpanned.

“No wonder you constantly find yourself in perilous situations.” He grumbled, turning and making his way back up the hill. He followed the indentations their shoes had left in the ash back onto the peak of the hill. He craned his neck and stood on his tip-toes to ensure he’d lined himself up perfectly. With the swift, manual activation of his air shoes, Shadow sent himself barreling down towards the cliff’s edge.

He shot himself off the edge like a bullet, the strap on the emerald cage making curling into a ball significantly easier. His lacerated stomach screamed in agony as he did, though the change in his shape allowed him to travel farther. He cleared the lava field, crashing down towards the ground corrupted by the emerald. Shadow uncurled, activated his shoes again, and caught himself just above the swirling purple ooze beneath him.

“Hell yeah!” Sonic whooped from across the lava. Shadow turned back to face him, seeing him jump off the ground and pump his fist into the air. “You did it!”

Shadow caught a prideful smirk smearing across his lips, shaking his head endearingly as he let loose a small snort. Sonic couldn’t hear the laugh from that far away, so Shadow didn’t mind letting it out. “You better figure out how to get me back across in the next few seconds, Faker.” He called back to him teasingly. He heard a laugh from Sonic, and rolled his eyes playfully.

Shadow made his way carefully towards the emerald, making sure he was balanced on his hover shoes. He squatted down slowly, frowning at the corrupted emerald. He opened the lid of the corrupt emerald cage at his side, hastily snatching the gemstone and depositing it inside.

Sharp pain blazed through his hand as he slammed the lid down. Pain blossomed in his already throbbing abdomen, nearly dropping him down into the corruption. It stung sharper, hotter, than anything he’d felt before. He growled as he bit back his cries of agony.

Sonic seemed to take notice of his pain, and called out to him. His words fell on deaf ears, Shadow registering his voice but hearing nothing he’d said. The pain in his belly flared as the corruption around him wriggled and writhed to life. Tendrils of the sludge sprouted up around him from the lava, sizzling and smoking from their previous contact with it. He bared his teeth, forcing his body upright.

“Shadow!” Sonic cried from across the molten pool.

“I’ve got this,” Shadow hissed back, though he couldn’t confirm that Sonic had even heard him. He let the Chaos Energy in his body surge, as weak and faint as it was, generating volley of Chaos Spears in his gloved hands. As the first writhing snake of corruption lashed at him, Shadow unleashed his quiver of spears. The corruption recoiled and hissed at his power, reeling back and falling down across the lava. Shadow saw the opportunity, narrowly dodging another tendril of the muck. With air shoes active, he skated across the corrupted ‘bridge’ over half of the pool.

As the tendril recovered, Shadow launched himself as fast as he could from its tip. He curled into a ball, barely crashing into the ash beside Sonic. The other ropes of gunge hissed and smoked as they attempted to cross the lava in pursuit of the dark hedgehog.

“Shadow!” Sonic shouted, rushing over and helping his rival stand. Shadow shook ash from his quills.

“I got the gem,” he gritted, squeezing one eye shut and clutching his throbbing wound. “Let’s hurry and get to that damn volcano.”

Chapter Text

Shadow found himself unable to run as he followed Sonic back up the ashen hill. The cooler air of the island away from the lava washed over him, a welcome feeling. His lungs and eyes stung from the heat, and his arms, legs, and the gash on his belly throbbed and burned. Despite sleeping the entire flight there, that brief encounter with the corruption drained him of every ounce of energy he had.

He could definitely feel the concern from Sonic well before the blue hedgehog even said anything. His shoe caught slightly on the ground, and he stumbled forward in the ash. Sonic’s hands braced his shoulders, holding him upright and stopping him in his tracks.

“Shadow, you can’t go on like this.” Sonic sternly spoke, his voice muddled in Shadow’s ears.

Shadow shook his head, vision blurry through his unfocused eyes. “I’m the only one who can,” he slurred, standing back upright with his rival’s aid. “So I’ve got to keep moving forward.”

“Shadow, I mean it.” Sonic spoke softer, his hands lingering on Shadow’s shoulders. “You aren’t looking good in the slightest. Silver and I can handle this one, I promise.” He flashed a trademark grin, with little humor behind it.

“You can’t.” Shadow repeated, eyes slowly coming back to focus. He fixed his gaze on the volcano smoldering just beyond Sonic’s shoulders. “The corruption in the emeralds would drive you both mad. I’m the only one who can touch them and keep my sanity.”

“But at what cost?” Sonic asked morosely, his voice cracking with emotion. “Look at you, you’re a mess.” He slowly let go of the dark hedgehog and stepped back, gesturing towards all of Shadow.

Shadow did have to admit, Sonic was right. His knees were weak, arms trembling, and the wound on his belly had reopened. He huffed out a strong breath through his nose, glaring down at his pathetically weak form before locking his eyes back on the volcano.

“You can’t keep going like this,” Sonic continued. “Even the Ultimate Lifeform can only take so much.”

Shadow shook his head, beginning again towards the smoking mountain behind the cobalt hero. “Let’s keep moving. Silver’s likely waiting on us.”

Sonic hesitated. “Okay.” He said at last. “But don’t think this conversation is over just because you changed the subject.” He picked up his feet and rejoined Shadow.

They did need to pick up the pace in the end, neither of them keen on battling the many other guardians scattered about the island. Shadow felt ready to collapse by the time they’d arrived at the base of the belching volcano. Silver spotted them from above and flew down to greet them.

“Guys!” He called down to them.

“Silver!” Sonic shouted back, waving to him as the pewter hedgehog landed in front of them. “Did the Fortress give you much trouble?”

“Hah!” He laughed. “Hardly! It was a nice challenge!” Silver flexed his arms as he laced his fingers and stretched with arms extended above his head.

“Did you happen to spot the Gaia Gate?” Shadow asked, voice much softer and slower than theirs.

“No,” Silver relaxed once his stretch had come to an end. “But I did see an area that looked like it could be an entrance.” He turned and pointed to the right, around the west side of the volcano.

“Then it’s worth a look.” Sonic agreed. He began in that direction, keeping his pace slow. Shadow could see in the way he started limping along that his flank was hurting him again. A sharp pain flared in his injured belly as he watched him, a hand instinctively covering it.

Silver glanced over at Shadow, hesitating. The dark hedgehog flicked his ruby gaze over to him, and met his eyes of glittering gold. “Is there a problem, Silver?”

“Ah, no.” Silver replied quickly, averting his gaze. “I just,” he hesitated, licking his lips, “are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Shadow frowned. “I’m fine. It’s Sonic I’m worried about.” He answered. Shadow lowered his hand from his aching stomach and sighed softly. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, of course.” Silver started levitating again, flying on ahead of Sonic to lead them. Shadow followed up behind them slowly. His knees only tried to buckle once before he got it together.

The three hedgehogs traveled in silence. The trek around the base of the volcano only lasted a few minutes at most, but each step crawled on and felt like hours. To say Shadow was miserably exhausted by the time they’d arrived at their next obstacle would be an understatement. He felt like he was actually being tortured.

Naturally their next challenge lay in the form of another large pool of lava. Heat billowed up around them unbearably, and Shadow felt almost all his strength be sapped away by the sudden warmth. A sigh fluttered from his chapped lips as he gazed over the bubbling magma. “Great.”

“Well, we need to cross.” Sonic stated the obvious. “And I don’t think you could do it in your state, Shads.”

“Oh really? What gave you that idea?” He growled bitterly. He grew a headache steadily as the heat wafted further around him and combined with the oppressive throbbing of the corrupt emerald on his right hip.

“You both are in hardly any condition to cross.” Silver pointed out. “Not without a bridge.”

“Then make one, wise guy.” Shadow grumbled. He was having a hard time keeping his vision from crossing. “And bust down that wall while you’re at it.”

“Me and what bridge materials?” Silver bit back, brow furrowing. “I could only make it about halfway with these pebbles.” He levitated a few of the larger though still measly boulders, and hurled them at the wall across the bubbling magma. They met their mark, each cracking the wall and sending rocks into the lava. Shadow could see ancient structures carved inside the tunnel Silver revealed, and knew immediately they’d found their temple.

“Okay, enough.” Sonic sighed. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a platform that bridges about halfway over the lava. If we get on it, Silver can make us a bridge across the rest of it. Sound good?”

“Fine.” Shadow snorted.

“I can do that, yeah.” Silver agreed.

“Great. It’s this way.” Sonic began walking again, leading them around the lava pool. Shadow followed next, with Silver bringing up the rear this time. Shadow wiped sweat from his brow as he followed his blue companion.

Sonic had been right about the platform, and led them straight to it. With the push of a button, it rose from the magma and steamed into the air. It did cover only about half, with what would’ve likely been the last half having long since broken off. After letting it cool for a moment, Sonic hopped up onto it and helped Shadow up beside him. Both hedgehogs strained to pull each other. Silver floated up and past them, levitating what boulders he deemed fit for a bridge.

Shadow refused to admit he was seconds away from succumbing to the heat and his exhaustion. Even as his knees buckled and his eyelids fell, he refused to submit. Sonic braced him again, concern in his eyes, and aided him across the crude bridge Silver had crafted.

Despite being literally inside an active volcano, the air in the tunnel enveloped them with a welcome coolness. Shadow felt a meager amount of his strength return as the heat receded. It was still enough for Shadow to pull away from Sonic’s aid and stand on his own. Sonic flashed him a look of concern, but Shadow little heeded it.

The tunnel that lay before them was dark, with only the faint glow from the lava outside to guide them down its maw. Shadow started down the path first, likely because he was the only one that could see in the dark. Silver followed next, palms glowing just enough to illuminate some of the passageway. Sonic followed up last, the sound of his limping footsteps echoing in the hall alongside Shadow’s.

“Look at the carvings,” Silver mused almost to himself as he strayed slightly to gaze at a mural etched into the left wall. He ran his glowing, gloved hand over it slowly, gently. “These must be centuries old.”

“Yeah, they are.” Sonic shot him a tired, lopsided smile. “Could you infer what they mean?”

Silver nodded and looked back at the carvings with a serious expression. Shadow sighed softly, the corrupted gemstone at his hip sending waves of pain through his body. “I think they’re referring to the Gaia Gate’s healing abilities.” Silver continued. “In this one, the people are offering an emerald to a pedestal bathed with light.”

“Likely instructions on what to do if they needed it,” Shadow added his two cents, voice flat with exhaustion. “Would’ve been helpful if this had been the first temple we came to.” He rubbed his forehead, eyes flicking to his right.

Down the hall, he could see reptilian eyes staring back at him, green and taunting. He squinted, frowning hard at what he was seeing. Mephiles? No way. You won’t be getting away this time! He bared his teeth slightly, not enough to draw attention, glaring down the tunnel. Slimy laughter belted through the passage, ringing loudly in Shadow’s ears as the sclera of the reptilian eyes shimmered as red as blood.

Shadow snarled, generating Chaos Spears and launching them down the dark hallway. This was enough to get the attention of the other hedgehogs, and they both turned to him with a start. Shadow gazed at them, then back down the hall to Mephiles. With the three them, even with two at a fraction of their strength, they could kick his ass and reclaim the emerald from Westopolis.

Only, when he looked back towards the dark, he saw nothing but that. The glowing red and green eyes were gone, the laughter silenced. “What?” Shadow perked his ears up, twitching them and turning them in every direction to just try to get a single noise from Mephiles.

“Shadow, are you okay?” Sonic asked with concern. He walked back over to stand next to the ebony, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Shadow shook his hand off immediately, shaking his head and glaring down the hall. “Mephiles, he was here.” He explained desperately. “At the end of the hall.”

“Shadow, are you sure you’re okay?” Silver asked as he floated over to his other side. “No one’s here.”

“He laughed, clear as day!” He defended. “Bastard!”

Sonic and Silver shared a glance Shadow could only describe as fearful. “Shad?” Sonic started again, slowly. “We’ve been alone this whole time. There was no laughter.”

Shadow sighed, running a hand over his head. “Maybe I’m just overly tired. Let’s go.” He dismissed, started quickly down the hallway. Each step felt like hell and the pace like murder.

He saw the cyan of Silver’s glow in his right side peripheral, and heard the tapping of Sonic’s sneakers at his left. A soft breath huffed from his nose as he kept his gaze ahead of him. He didn’t want to see their faces after his hallucination.

They arrived at the end of the hall fairly quickly, standing before the shut doors of the temple. A sigh again left Shadow as he gazed at the locked door. “Great.”

“Oh boy, a puzzle.” Sonic chirped sarcastically. “Just the thing we needed with two tired brains. And a Silver.”

“Hey!” Silver frowned, illuminating the door for them in full. It was a tall door, possibly ten feet high with panels up along the edges. It had large stone hoop handles carved into it like a doorknob or knocker, though it looked more like a decorative touch than a functional one.

Shadow’s eyes immediately went to the walls, scanning them for any sort of information about how they could unlock and enter the Gaia temple. He blinked slowly, studying the carvings etched into the stone with the gentle, flickering light Silver’s aura gave off. Something had to give them some clue. He trailed a hand across the etched murals in the basalt. Upon seeing his attention drawn to them, Silver shined more light on the walls for Shadow.

There were various different carvings, including the one Silver marveled at further up the hall. The figures depicted in the murals looked like beings of water with little stone idols in their chests. He saw an etching of them bowed down to a large emerald on a pedestal, and assumed it was the Master Emerald. Logically speaking, that was the only explanation. Shadow sighed and shook his head. As impressive as that was, it wasn’t the answer they were looking for.

He turned his gaze back to the door, and to Sonic running his hands over the panels. Shadow approached them, standing close to Sonic’s side and resting his hand on one. He felt a gentle electricity on it, and heard a soft hum in his ears as he kept contact with it. Oh, he thought, its got Chaos Energy. I suppose that makes sense.

“Any ideas, Shadow?” Sonic asked him almost immediately as an idea crossed his mind.

“I think I might.” He replied. He slung the strap of the corrupt cage off his shoulder, the ringing headache receding as his contact with it ceased. He took a few steps back as to get a better view of the puzzle in its entirety. “Both of you, away from the door.”

The other hedgehogs didn’t hesitate to back away, Sonic flattening himself against the left wall while Silver hovered by the right. Shadow allowed his body’s Chaos Energy reserves to open, generating a cluster of Chaos Spears in his hands. He made one for each panel, taking aim as the final one manifested itself at his fingertips. With a shout, he launched them all at the panels, each of them striking the obsidian plates lining the doors. As each spear landed, a subtle blue glow appeared behind each obsidian square. With all the panels glowing, the door unlocked with a loud clunk.

“Oh, thank Chaos! Shadow, I could kiss you right now.” Sonic drawled as he walked back to stand at his side.

Shadow shot him a strange look, stepping a few paces closer to Silver as the grey hedgehog floated over. He shared a similar look of amused surprise on his face. “Please don’t.”

“I never said I would.” Sonic defended with an echoed laugh. “Just that I could.”

Silver giggled, stifling it with his hand as Shadow fetched the corrupt gem cage he’d sat down. Immediately, his headache returned. “Anyway, let’s get going.” He placed his hands, palms flat on the door, and shoved.

The doors opened, stone scraping against stone as they revealed to the trio the Gaia Temple inside. The temple itself glowed orange, illuminated by contained pools of magma bubbling at each corner. The orange substance oozed from the ceilings, just beside the four corners of the pedestal, flowing slowly into the pools beside it. Despite the open magma in the room, the air around them was cool and only mildly warm. Shadow was the first to enter.

“Whoa,” Sonic breathed, following him next. “This place is amazing.”

“Definitely cooler than the last temple we saw.” Silver agreed, having landed to walk into the temple with them. His boots made a heavier, louder clack on the basalt. “Significantly less dead bodies.”

Shadow approached the pedestal, stepping cautiously up the stairs that lead to it. Heat engulfed him as he stepped between the pillars of magma, reaching into the cage after opening it. Pain shot aggressively up his arm even before he touched the Chaos Emerald, and he winced. Even with how aggressively the pain blazed, Shadow found himself numb to it. He grabbed the gemstone, hissing softly through his teeth as the agony intensified. He pulled the gem free, corruption pulsing in its cracks, and situated it on the altar before him.

As it had the many times before, light filled the shrine and basked the emerald in its cleansing glow. Shadow took a few steps back down the stairs, shielding his eyes that had adjusted to the dark. In a matter of moments, the light faded from the temple and it dimmed down to the gentle tangerine glow of the lava.

Shadow lowered his arm and returned to the top of the steps, plucking the violet Chaos Emerald from the pedestal. Its gentle, cleansed energy washed over him, replenishing his diminished Chaos Energy and easing the pain burning in his head and arm. He turned and walked back to the other two hedgehogs in the room, barely even comprehending the buckling in his knees. “Let’s go.”

“Shadow, you don’t look so hot.” Sonic pointed out, his concerned voice dimming in Shadow’s ringing ears.

Silver said something after him, but his voice just became noise in his ears. Shadow blinked slowly, his eyes closing and refusing to open.

He didn’t recall what happened next as the darkness enveloped him.