Work Text:
The sun slowly began to set, coloring bits and pieces of the sky into beautiful mixes of orange, red, and yellow. But the rest of the sky was covered in the blackish-blue of night. But a few clouds were starting to roll in. Dark and gray ones, shielding the stars of night with each passing second.
…but down below in a barren desert, the sights didn’t matter. For the sand and dirt were quickly blown into the air by the impact of over a million steps.
A green blur raced all across the sandy ground of the desert, its body violently sparking with electricity with every step. To normal eyes, it was gone before it could even be seen.
But this power and speed belonged to none other than Surge The Tenrec…and while her body was racing around the globe, so too was her mind.
‘...Kit…?’
‘S…Surge?’
‘W…what the heck is that thing?!’
‘It’s…it’s not what it looks like! I-I swear! It’s…it’s m-meant to help you-!’
‘Is that…is that the bomb we stopped yesterday…?’
‘I…I-I…’
‘Why do you still have that friggin’ thing?! Do you wanna get us killed, Drippy?!?’
‘N-no! No, of course not!! I would never want to-’
‘THEN EXPLAIN!!!’
‘...it’s…i-it’s…not the bomb from yesterday…it’s a new one…’
‘...what do you mean ‘a new one’?’
‘I...I made it…’
‘...made it? You…you made it?’
‘The last one too.’
‘You…you made a bomb?’
‘...yes…’
‘...ARE YOU INSANE?!?! THAT COULD’VE TAKEN THE WHOLE CITY OUT, YOU IDIOT!!!’
Surge’s footsteps became even faster as she gritted her razor sharp teeth. Her fur sparked with more and more electricity as she kept running through the sand.
She had no destination. She just wanted to run. Run away from her own memories…but they were faster than she ever could be.
‘M-ma’am- S-Surge! P…please let me explain…!’
‘WHAT’S THERE TO EXPLAIN?!? YOU’RE TRYING TO BLOW STUFF UP!!!’
‘O-only so you can stop it!!!’
‘...what?’
‘Y…you wanted us t-to be heroes! A-and you’re a fantastic hero! The world and people l-love you…b…but…w-what happens if…if there’s nothing left to stop? T-that’s where I come in! This bomb isn’t meant to hurt anyone because you’re going to save them!!! Like you always do!!! And the people love you for it!!! J-just like you wanted!!!’
‘...t…this is…’
‘I-it works!!! It really works!!! It’s been working several times!!! I-I wreck things so you can fix them!!! Y-you can be fulfilled!!! You can be a hero-!’
‘T…this…isn’t…right…’
Surge began running even faster as she shut her eyes tightly, already creating a sonic boom just from her speed alone. Her body had practically become a perpetual storm.
The evening had finally turned to night. The dark clouds had completely swallowed the sky.
‘W…what…?’
‘T-this isn’t right, Kit!!! W…we can’t just do that!!! W…what if someone actually does get hurt? What if they find out? We won’t be seen as heroes!!! We’ll be no better than-!’
‘T-then I’ll take the blame! For all of it! You still get to be the hero! M-maybe even more so!! I-I get to be the villain you stop and everyone loves you for it!!!’
‘N…no…no, I don’t want that!!! I don’t want any of this!!!’
‘B…but…t…they’ll love you, I…I don’t get it…’
‘I DON’T WANNA STOP FAKE THINGS!!! THAT ISN’T DOING ANYTHING!!! THAT’S JUST…THAT’S JUST SOME MESSED UP FANTASY!!! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?!?’
‘S…Surge…p-please…please stop yelling, I…I just want to help you-’
‘HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?!?!’
Surge then finally forced her legs to stop running, sliding across the dirt as she came to a screeching halt. The electricity continued to crackle around her body as she grabbed at her hair, pulling at it in an attempt to get her mind to focus on something else.
She didn’t want to remember the rest of that…she didn’t want to think about any of it.
“Stop! Stop! STOP!!!” Surge screamed at herself, pulling at her hair with all her might. But she finally stopped when it began to hurt too much, so she quickly let go.
The tenrec began to take deep breaths, not in an attempt to calm down, but just to focus on something else. Anything else. It was like she was fighting her own brain. Just so she wouldn’t remember the rest of that memory.
She began to look around in an almost panicked manner…before suddenly, she squinted her eyes at something that was different from her sandy surroundings. It was…some kind of green light.
Surge didn’t care what it was, so as long as it kept her mind on other things. So, she quickly sped right over to the source of the glow and arrived in half of a second. But she froze when she saw just what had been glowing so brightly.
A Chaos Emerald.
She had…heard of these things before. Mystical jewels of infinite power. That Dr. Eggman freak was always trying to find them. He was usually fighting over them with…Sonic.
Surge growled at the thought of her most hated enemy, but even she had to admit that thinking of him was better than the other memory. She then grabbed the Emerald, staring at her own reflection in the gem.
She could see her own snarling face.
Surge sighed and then lightly bounced the Emerald in her hand, as if it was just a ball to play around with. “...I don’t see what’s so special about these stupid things. They’re just shiny rocks.”
But then, as if responding to her question, a voice called out from the darkness.
“Then clearly you need to look harder…”
Surge immediately whipped around, her body once again beginning to spark as she gripped the Emerald tightly. Her eyes darted across the desert before she finally saw the owner of the voice she had never heard before…but her eyes only seemed to widen even further when she saw it had come from a hedgehog with bright white gloves and quills coming from the back of his head.
“...YOU!!!” Surge sneered as she opened her hand, electrical energy crackling around her fingertips. “Y’know what?! This is perfect!!! Maybe crushing you will finally get my brain to shut up!!!”
The hedgehog didn’t move.
“What?! Got nothing to say, you blue rat?!?” Surge cried as she threw her hand forward, firing out a small blast of electricity.
But the hedgehog simply stepped to the side, the blast failing to even graze him. But what it did do was illuminate him, revealing that…this wasn’t Sonic.
He was a hedgehog, but his fur was completely black with touches of red on his head, arms, and legs. Unlike Sonic’s almost blank chest, this hedgehog had a patch of white fur on his. And to go along with all of that were some strange shoes and a face that was supposedly cemented in anger. Nothing like Sonic’s infuriating grin.
Surge’s eyes widened as she pulled her hand back, studying the hedgehog more closely. She…recognized him. She had seen him from somewhere before.
“...I’m getting sick and tired of people not being able to see.” The hedgehog sneered before holding out his hand. “Now…give me the Emerald. It’s dangerous in the wrong hands.”
Surge was quiet…before she suddenly cackled, a lightbulb going off in her mind. “Ohhh, I remember you!!! You’re that wannabe edgelord, aren’t you?! What was your name again? Shade or somethin’?”
The hedgehog’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Shadow…now hand over the Emerald, Surge.”
Surge looked at the new hedgehog in surprise, but a grin slowly formed across her face. “Ohhh, so you’ve heard of me? Can’t say I’m surprised. I’m sort of a famous hero-”
Hero.
The tenrec went quiet at the word, her voice shriveling up in her own throat. She…she wasn’t a hero. What real threats had she stopped?
The memory began creeping back. The very next thing Kit said to her became audible in her mind, growing louder and louder-
Surge rapidly shook her head before bouncing the Emerald in her hand again. “Bah, whatever. Why do you want this green rock anyway?”
Shadow took a step forward. “Were you not listening…? That Emerald is more dangerous than you could imagine. Do not make me ask for it again.”
“...and what if I don’t wanna give it, huh?” Surge asked. “What are you-”
But then, Surge suddenly felt her hand…empty. She tried to wrap her fingers around the Emerald, but found only air. She turned and saw that the green gem was no longer in her hand, as if it had just disappeared.
And when she turned, Shadow now had it in his hand. He looked annoyed.
“...for someone who wants to kill Sonic, you act no better than him.” The Ultimate Lifeform said, his voice deadpan. As if he meant every word he said, but cared very little about how it would impact the person he spoke them to.
Surge felt her eyes twitch and her fists clench as she stared down this hedgehog she had never met before. She then cackled lightly. “Ohhh, you are barking up the wrong tree…I have had a really bad day…and if you don’t walk away right now, I’ll be more than happy to take it out on you!!!”
Shadow…didn’t even flinch. It was as if her threat had gone in one ear and went out the other. He didn’t look afraid or challenged. He simply put the Emerald away.
“...fine.” Surge said before generating as much electricity in her hands as she could. She then lunged at Shadow, immediately blasting at him. “YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!”
The two blasts struck, immediately illuminating the dark desert in an almost blinding light. But the light faded as quick as it came to reveal that the only thing she had hit…was the ground.
Surge’s eyes widened in confusion before she felt a presence behind her.
“Stop wasting your time…” Shadow said, his crimson eyes still narrowed.
Surge turned around with a snarl, immediately throwing a punch at the black hedgehog. But her fist never hit Shadow’s face, crushing it like she had hoped.
Shadow simply held up his wrist and blocked her punch. And as she pushed against him, he refused to even slide back an inch, as if he had become a statue.
Surge snarled and leapt into the air, landing a small distance away from him. She then curled up into an electrified Spin-Dash before rocketing herself forward at him.
But Shadow’s unamused expression did not change. He simply spun around and roundhouse kicked Surge just before she could hit him, knocking her out of the air and onto the ground.
Surge cried out as she hit the ground, but she was quick as ever to get back to her feet. “Lucky shot!”
“You charge in, expecting that sheer force is going to pull you through.” Shadow said suddenly. “Luck has nothing to do with this. You’re just sloppy.”
Surge was now properly enraged, if she wasn’t already. This hedgehog just showed up out of nowhere and acted as if he was better than her and she wasn’t going to just take that. She then blasted at Shadow again, even clapping her hands together to shoot out a much larger blast.
But Shadow suddenly teleported away from the blast and reappeared right in front of her, socking her across the face. His punch was hard, as if Surge had just been rammed by a truck. It was strong enough to cause her to stumble backwards before regaining her composure.
“Are you done?” Shadow asked.
“NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!” Surge cried as she dashed towards him and threw her hand to blast at The Ultimate Lifeform once more.
The blast began generating, but Shadow suddenly elbowed her in the stomach just before the blast could finish. Surge felt the air leave her lungs, but she had little time to even realize it before Shadow suddenly grabbed her by the back of her head and began to spin her around.
Shadow then suddenly threw her across the desert, once again watching her slide across the dirt. He then crossed his arms as he watched her smash the ground in frustration, once again getting back up. “You fight as if you’re invincible…but you are far from the definition.”
“SHUT…UP!!!” Surge cried as she began firing blast after blast at The Ultimate Lifeform, not caring what else she hit as long as she could hit him.
But the black hedgehog suddenly started skating across the desert, a golden blur trailing behind him as he avoided every volt of electricity.
Surge roared like a rabid beast and practically began throwing the various blasts of electricity like they were spears, watching each one hit the ground and fail to even singe the fur of her opponent. And just as she generated another one, aiming for Shadow, the black hedgehog suddenly lunged at her.
Shadow rammed into her like a raging bull, gritting his teeth as the tenrec just barely managed to land on her feet. The Ultimate Lifeform then swung his fist, striking Surge in her side before dealing a second blow to her face.
Surge stumbled back with every punch before she finally held her arms in front of her face, blocking a punch from the black hedgehog. But she was quick to uncross them as she threw her own electrified punch.
Shadow, however, dodged the punch by once again moving to the side.
Surge screamed as she began firing punches at super speed, wildly throwing her fists in some attempt to hit him even once. But The Ultimate Lifeform was able to perfectly keep up with her speed by using his own, practically zig-zagging, to dodge each punch.
“STAND STILL, YOU LITTLE RAT!!!” Surge screamed as she began punching even faster.
Shadow didn’t answer with anything verbal. Instead, he did exactly as she asked and held up both of his hands to block both punches.
Surge’s eyes widened in shock before it was quickly replaced with an aching pain in her chest as Shadow launched forward and slammed his knee into her stomach, sending her tumbling onto the dirt once more.
“...I was wrong before.” Shadow said suddenly. “You’re not like Sonic…you’re a cheap imitation.”
Surge’s eyes snapped back open, immediately beginning to glow a bright blue.
“You talk and talk, but are never focused.” Shadow sneered. “You’re reckless and arrogant. You’re slow and sloppy. Every attack you’ve done has been nothing more than mirroring Sonic…and even his robotic fake can do more.”
Surge stood up, her entire body now crackling like a violent storm as more and more electricity began shooting out, even blowing up small rocks and boulders around her.
“And the one power that is unique to you….you’re careless with it.” Shadow huffed. “Untrained.”
Surge then slowly turned her head towards Shadow, her eyes completely enveloped with electrical energy. She then fully turned around to face him before lifting her hands and shooting the biggest blast of electricity that she could muster.
The blast was so large and so powerful that an ear-piercing BOOM rang throughout the desert as its light illuminated the surrounding area. And when the light and blast faded, Surge’s arms were still outstretched as she panted, expecting there to be nothing more than a pile of dust.
…but there was nothing.
Surge’s eyes widened as she quickly realized what that meant. And sure enough, Shadow reappeared in front of her and punched her across the face before suddenly kicking her high into the air.
Shadow then suddenly blasted off into the air himself, using his air shoes to fly. He drew closer and closer before he grabbed her by the shirt and began rocketing through the sky with her in his grasp. He then suddenly held her out, slamming her into a canyon wall.
Surge’s back exploded with pain, but she quickly turned it into anger as she began sparking with electricity once more.
“I have fought and conquered Sonic before!!! You couldn’t even compare to him!!!” Shadow snarled. “Even after everything, you’re still holding yourself back by trying to be him!!!”
“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!!!” Surge screamed as she finally punched Shadow square in the face. And as The Ultimate Lifeform stumbled back, letting go of her, Surge tackled him through the air and rammed him into another canyon.
The tenrec then began punching Shadow over and over again with her electfristed fist, even screaming into his face as she felt her rage flow through her entire body…but then?
Shadow caught her fist and clenched it tightly as he pushed it away, his eyes now glowing red. He then suddenly curled up himself and Spin-Dashed into her chest, the two of them falling through the air and crashing onto the ground, forming a crater from their impact alone.
The smoke and dust surrounded the crater for a moment before Surge leapt right through it, looking around for her enemy the moment she landed.
“I know your life was stolen from you by that obsessed doctor…” Shadow’s voice echoed.
A rock fell and hit the ground, alerting Surge and causing her to spin around and blast at the canyon’s walls with all her might. She hit nothing but stone.
“I know you remember nothing of your past. That you’re angry and desperate for answers of any kind.”
Surge turned around again, blasting at where she thought Shadow was, but she missed once again.
“I know that you were forced to be a weapon for a cause you don’t believe in. I know that Starline subjected you and the fennec fox to unimaginable pain and suffering just so he could get what he wanted.”
“STOP…STOP TALKING!!!” Surge roared as she began to blast around the canyon aimlessly.
“And I know that your programming is commanding you to kill Sonic to this very moment! The very thought of him drives you mad!”
Surge was screaming as her entire body became an electrical storm, shooting out countless blasts in almost every direction.
…but then, Shadow’s voice rang out again.
“CHAOS CONTROL!!!”
Something happened after he said those two words. Surge didn’t know what, but something had happened.
But in that moment, Shadow suddenly appeared in front of her once again and spin-dashed into her chest, cutting off the storm and launching her to the ground yet again. Surge felt her back hit the dirt, but her rage refused to subside so easily.
Shadow then landed across from her. “I know plenty about you, Surge…which is why I’m so disappointed. You’ve been through so much, yet you’ve learned nothing!”
“YOU THINK I LEARNED NOTHING?!?!” Surge screamed as she blasted at The Ultimate Lifeform yet again. “I LEARNED THAT I CAN NEVER BE FREE FROM HIM NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY!!! THAT I’LL NEVER BE MORE THAN HIS STUPID WEAPON!!!”
As Surge stood up to continue blasting at her foe, a familiar laughter suddenly began seeping into her mind…his laughter. It was echoing all across the canyon, becoming louder than her own attacks.
“I LEARNED THAT SOMEONE IS ALWAYS CONTROLLING ME!!! THAT I HAVE NO LIFE OF MY OWN!!!” Surge shrieked as she continued to fire. “I TRY TO BE THE BAD GUY AND I LOSE!!! I TRY TO BE THE GOOD GUY AND THE ONE PERSON I TRUSTED STABS ME IN THE BACK!!!”
Shadow began flipping and twirling around in the air as he dodged every blast, even using Chaos Control to warp higher and higher into the air.
Surge kept firing. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT’S LIKE!!! TO HAVE IT ALL TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU!!! TO HAVE THIS WORLD HATE YOU!!!”
The heinous laughter of Dr. Starline grew and grew. It was like he was still there, his gloved hand wrapping around her throat and forcing her to continue firing, like she was his puppet all over again.
…but then…another voice suddenly blocked out the laughter for the briefest of moments.
“I know exactly what that’s like!!!” Shadow bellowed as he teleported in front of her and grabbed at her wrists, holding them above her head. “To be a puppet!!! To be nothing more than a tool!!! This world feared me and took everything away from me because of it!!!”
Surge headbutted Shadow, freeing herself from his grasp. She then rolled up into a Spin-Dash once again and launched herself forward at him, but The Ultimate Lifeform swiftly countered each Spin Attack with his own.
Gold and blue colors clashed over and over again before both finally uncurled and punched each other, their fists now being the one to collide.
Thunder rumbled through the sky, as if their collision summoned it. Rain began to pour from the sky and onto their fur, but it was nothing more than an afterthought to the two.
“Our lives were taken from us, Surge!!! All because of someone else’s ambition!!!” Shadow boomed as they pushed against each other. “You think you can never escape…but you can!!!”
Surge screamed and threw another punch, only for Shadow to block it yet again. The process continued with the tenrec throwing punch after punch and The Ultimate Lifeform either blocking or countering each one.
“You will never be Sonic!!! So stop trying to be him!!! SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE!!!” Shadow roared as the thunder boomed, lightning briefly flashing in the sky and shining its light upon them for a moment. “THEY ONLY HOLD YOU BACK IF YOU LET THEM, SO TAKE YOUR POWER BACK!!! TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK!!!”
Surge’s glowing eyes were wide as she stared at her opponent, pushing against him with her fist once more. And as his words settled in…so did everything else. Everything she had been through began to flash alongside the thunderstorm roaring in the sky.
The countless trials that the platypus had put her and Kit through, readying them for the day they would fight and surpass their counterparts. How it took all of her physical and mental strength just to resist the power of that cursed glove…
The overwhelming hatred she felt against Sonic before she had even met him. The way he smiled and laughed while she suffered. The way he talked to her about freedom when all she had known was life tangled in strings.
The day she and Kit had found out the truth. That they were nothing more than puppets to their ‘maker’ and how whatever past life they had was now completely erased. How much it hurt to have no one come to their rescue. How not even a sliver of their past life remained.
This…cycle of constant fighting the world was being put through. This never ending battle of good and evil that she wanted to finally put an end to, but simply wasn’t strong enough, even with the upgrades she had given herself.
Even after Starline had met his end, he was still in her mind, haunting her every move. Every time she tried to break free of him, she always found herself being controlled by someone else like Clutch.
…and when she finally felt like she could control her life again. Become a better hero than her hated rival ever could be alongside the only real friend she had…that friend was simply dragging her along through a fantasy. A fantasy where she could pick up his mess and be celebrated for it, as if that was regaining control.
All of that came back in a matter of moments…and Surge felt tears begin to fall down her face. Her lips wobbled as her entire body trembled, yet she kept pushing against Shadow. She looked into The Ultimate Lifeform’s eyes once again.
“...y-you wanna see who I am, huh…?” Surge asked. “I’LL SHOW YOU WHO I AM!!! BECAUSE I’M NOT DONE YET!!!”
Then, Surge leapt right off of Shadow and into the air. She then threw her hands above her head as the thunder rumbled through the sky…and as if obeying her command?
A massive lightning bolt shot down from the clouds and struck Shadow, enveloping him in its might. The Ultimate Lifeform screamed into the air as his body took on the full power of the lightning.
But the lightning disappeared as quick as it came and Shadow was left standing there, his body now bruised and even burned from the strike…yet he still stood.
Surge then landed, breathing heavily as she raised her fists, tears streaming down her face in perfect sync with the rain. She felt vulnerable. She felt like Shadow’s words alone had completely exposed her to all of the world’s dangers.
…yet…she didn’t care…she felt…free. Even if only for that moment, her chains had been cut.
Shadow looked at her and realized that words were no longer needed. He raised his own fists as the wind began to howl, almost singing of their battle. And The Ultimate Lifeform suddenly grinned.
He could see a glimpse of who Surge The Tenrec was. Not Sonic’s copy.
Then, as the thunder rumbled one more time, the two warriors charged at each other and quickly began attacking each other at super speed. Punches, kicks, spin-attacks, any move they had in their arsenal was being thrown at each other.
Shadow then leapt into the air as he performed another Spin Attack, but Surge suddenly caught it and tossed him into a canyon wall. The Ultimate Lifeform crashed against it, but he just smirked as he held out his hands.
Then, a barrage of golden spears circled around him, each one beaming with Chaos Energy.
“CHAOS…SPEAR!!!” Shadow cried as he unleashed his barrage.
Surge, however, didn’t care. She ran forward and blasted each spear apart with her electricity before throwing a punch at Shadow, who crossed his arms to block it.
Shadow then broke his defense and threw his own punch, which Surge actually managed to dodge. Then, in colorful streaks, they began racing all across the desert and canyons, clashing with each other over and over again.
The two warriors fought into the night, only stopping their race across their newly formed battlefield to either blast at each other or tussle in hand to hand combat. Neither of them knew how many hours had passed, but for once, it was like time was moving faster than they could.
Neither of their goals were to win, but both refused to lose. No matter how many times they were knocked down, they would get right back up and keep up the fight. Every flash of lighting would simply illuminate another clash between the two.
…but…even the greatest of battles have an ending…
Surge and Shadow spin-dashed against each other once more before they both landed across from each other. The tenrec breathed heavily before she suddenly began glowing brighter than ever before.
Shadow’s eyes narrowed as his own body began to glow a bright red, the complete opposite to Surge’s violent blue.
“OVER…CHARGE!!!” Surge boomed as she unleashed a blast with every ounce of strength and power she had in her body.
“CHAOS…BLAST!!!” Shadow roared, quickly countering the attack with one of his strongest.
The two blasts collided…and the desert was completely engulfed in a blinding red and blue light, outshining even the thunderstorm roaring in the sky.
Surge’s body…ached. Even her eyes felt almost impossible to open, but the sounds of the day had forced her awake. But she couldn’t get up. Every part of her brain was screaming at her to just lay down and rest.
But once her vision became clear, she could see that the sky was no longer cloudy or dark…it was bright and blue, with hardly a single cloud in sight. It was almost a welcoming sight, as if the world itself was saying ‘good morning’.
After simply laying there for what felt like an eternity, Surge slowly forced herself to sit up…only for her eyes to widen when she saw someone sitting right across from her.
Shadow, who looked to be cooking something over a campfire.
Surge was left baffled for a moment before it all came flooding back to her. The battle they had shared and the literal explosion it had as its finale.
Shadow, however, noticed she was awake and hummed. “How are you feeling?”
“...like every part of my body wants to quit and retire.” Surge said.
Shadow hummed. “You should be proud of yourself. You’re able to sit up even after 7 hours of combat.”
“7 hours?” Surge asked. “We fought the whole night?”
“Yes. And right now, it’s noon.” Shadow said before pulling out what Surge assumed was a hot dog from the fire.
Surge’s stomach immediately growled at the sight of food and she attempted to try and swipe it from The Ultimate Lifeform, but her body was simply too exhausted. Thankfully, she didn’t have to.
Shadow put the hot dog into a bun and handed it out to the tenrec, not saying a word.
Surge didn’t say anything back as she took it, humming. “...you got anything to put on this thing?”
“No.” Shadow said immediately.
Surge scoffed, but ate it anyway. And in a few quick bites, it was already gone. She then looked at Shadow and hummed. “So. What are those ring things for?”
“They’re Inhibitor Rings. They’re designed to keep my powers in check.” Shadow replied, eating his own lunch.
Surge blinked. “Wait, wait…so…they’re like restraints?”
Shadow nodded.
“...you’re kidding…THAT WHOLE TIME, YOU WERE HOLDING BACK!?!?” Surge shrieked.
Shadow faced her, an unamused look on his face. “I am The Ultimate Lifeform. If I truly wanted to, I could have crushed you.”
Surge then groaned, collapsing on the ground once again. “Fan-friggin’-tastic! I gave it my all and I couldn’t even beat you at your weakest!!! Some fighter I turned out to be…”
“You’re powerful, Surge.” Shadow said suddenly. “You just lack experience. And only now you’ve found out you’ve barely scratched the surface of what you’re capable of.”
Surge sighed. “...yeah…I think I commanded lightning for a second.”
“You did.” Shadow confirmed.
“...wasn’t able to do that before.” The tenrec hummed. “So…you know my story. Do you…do you know where I came from?”
Shadow looked down. “...no…G.U.N didn’t have anything about your past. But I’m sure if they started looking, they’d find something.”
Surge sighed again, slowly nodding. She then turned her head. “...so…why’d you help me?”
Shadow faced her again.
“I mean…you said you could’ve just mopped the floor with me, but ya didn’t. You…you were tryna help me.” Surge said. “Why? I tried to fry you the moment we met.”
Shadow looked at the campfire for a moment before looking at her. “When I looked over your files, I was reminded of someone. Someone who declared vengeance on the world because of how it treated him.”
“...who was it?”
“Me.” Shadow said.
Surge then recalled some of her opponent’s words and how they had almost immediately gotten through to her. It sounded like he…understood what she had gone through. The only other person who was able to do that was Kit. She then looked at Shadow again. “What happened to you?”
“I was created from the blood of an alien warlord and the inventions of a scientist.” Shadow said. “From the beginning, my purpose was to be a weapon…but someone showed me that I could choose my own destiny. Decide my own fate. She was my family.”
“...sounds nice.” Surge said.
Shadow nodded. “Her name was Maria. I lost her a long time ago…she had been stolen from me along with my entire life aboard The Ark. I woke up 50 years later, consumed with hatred for this planet. I was barely able to stop myself by remembering what Maria truly wanted for the world. For me. In return, I gave my life to protect this world.”
Surge looked at him. “Sooo, what? You’re a ghost or something?”
“No. I was saved by Eggman for some scheme of his.” Shadow said. “But I had lost my memories. All I had were glimpses of them.”
Surge scoffed. “Lucky. I don’t remember squat about my old life.”
“...and I’m sorry for that.” Shadow said suddenly. “For what Starline took from you.”
Surge’s eyes softened before nodding. “Y…yeah…I…I’m, uhh…sorry for what you lost too.”
“...something clearly set you off. Even though you’re normally unfocused, you were especially strained during the fight.” Shadow said. “What happened?”
Surge was quiet for a long time, as if trying to find the words. And when she finally did, she spoke. “Kit. My, uhh, my friend…he was making threats for me to stop so I could keep playing hero. For like a month.”
Shadow turned towards her.
“I felt…kinda hurt. Like he had stabbed me in the back.” Surge said. “Like…sure! I love when people cheer me on! They look at me like I’m the best thing in the world when I save the day! It’s nice! It’s awesome! But…what’s the point if it ain’t real?”
“Where is he now?”
“I dunno. I kinda just screamed at him and then started running.” Surge said. “...he said it was to help me. How was that gonna help me?”
“I think you forget that you weren’t the only one put under Starline’s experiments.” Shadow said. “His purpose was to help you…and nothing else. That’s all he has, so that is all he will continue to do until he can break free.”
Surge sighed. “...guess we really are nothing more than his stupid puppets. Even after he’s long gone.”
“For now.” Shadow said. “The path to freeing yourselves from that is long and hard…and one day you will have to realize that trying to destroy that blue faker isn’t worth it.”
Surge was quiet, already well aware of who he was talking about.
“I know you aren’t ready to accept that yet. You won’t be for a while.” Shadow said. “But you can.”
“...how?” Surge asked.
Shadow suddenly stood up. “That’s something I can’t just tell you.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s real helpful.” Surge remarked, slowly getting to her feet again.
Shadow sighed before he fired a Chaos Spear, putting out the campfire. He then suddenly reached over and pulled out a wristband of some kind, attaching it to Surge. “Here.”
“Uhh…what’s this?” Surge asked.
“If you feel like you need help finding yourself…I’ll be there.” Shadow said.
Surge was quiet, but she nodded. “...yeah…got it.”
The Ultimate Lifeform then began walking off…but he turned his head when Surge suddenly snickered.
“I’ll also use this thing for when I want a rematch.” Surge grinned. “And you better not hold back next time.”
Shadow huffed. “Don’t expect me to. That is not something I do often.”
And with that, the black hedgehog disappeared in a golden blur, leaving Surge alone. Surge stayed at the makeshift campsite just to devour the rest of the food that Shadow had brought before eventually speeding off herself.
After all…if what he said was true…
She had a long way to go.