"In the time before most human life began, many of the beings of higher intelligence recorded a great apocalypse that could have ended life as we know it before it had begun. A being made entirely of shadows, darkness, doubts, fears and despair known only as the Shadowed One, cast the world into darkness, able to see all and destroy anything with a mere thought." Darkness Manuscripts 1:1
It was a normal, peaceful day. Eggman had been quiet for a few weeks, and Rouge was using this down time to forcefully drag Shadow to Station Square to mainly window shop, despite the Ultimate Life form's protests and threats.
"Couldn't you have called Amy to come or gone on some treasure hunt with Wave?" Shadow asked, his patience wearing thin as the bat dragged him into another jewellery store.
"But I know how much you enjoy mixing with other people Shadow," Rouge said sarcastically, which caused another annoyed sigh to come from the black hedgehog. She continued to look at the various gems, seeing a few that particularly caught her interest with huge price tags.
"Can I help you?" a shop assistant asked, observing the suspiciously interested bat and agitated black hedgehog.
"We're just browsing. This surely isn't all the jewels you have?" Rouge asked, peaking into the store room the assistant had appeared from.
"We do have a rather interesting jewel that just came in yesterday. Just wait one moment," the assistant said, stepping back into the store room.
"I'm surprised you didn't make some joke about us getting married," Shadow muttered, arms folded in the usual bored way.
"I'd save a joke like that for when I'm with old Knucklehead. Speaking of which, I think I might pay him a visit after I see this gem," Rouge said, hearing Shadow's muttering. As the shop assistant came back in, Rouge turned her attention to the gem.
It was at least the same size as a Chaos Emerald, only it was in the shape of a Master Emerald shard. It was a red/orange colour, and at the heart of the gem there seemed to be what looked like flames dancing around. Rouge stared at the gem with huge eyes that said "This gem is going to be mine by tomorrow".
Before Rouge could even touch the jewel, Shadow swiped it, holding it up to the light. Though Rouge tried to take it from him, he held her back like a kid at a playground, keeping her at bay by pushing against her head.
"How exactly does this jewel have flickering flames inside it?" Shadow asked, stepping to the side causing Rouge to fall forward.
"That's the magic of it. No expert has been able to find the reason," the assistant said. "Now, are you interested in possibly buying the jewel?" he asked, breaking the hedgehog from his thoughts.
"Probably won't find anything else that I'll want to buy," Shadow shrugged, bringing out a credit card that was standard issue for all G.U.N agents.
"Thanks for buying me the jewel," Rouge said once they got outside.
"I didn't buy it for you. I bought it to stop you from stealing it. And first it's going to see Tails or Omega," Shadow said, smirking as Rouge fumed off to go and see Knuckles. "Maybe you'll think twice before dragging me out shopping next time," he said to himself as he walked through Station Square to find the train to Mystic Ruins.
Station Square M/H (Mobian/Human) High School
"Hey Sky Guy, where's the sky blue shirt?" one panther asked mockingly as a dark blue hedgehog with seven drooping quills, each with a different coloured stripe, longish darker blue hair, pale peach skin, dark blue shirt, blue jeans and black converse walked down the hallway. The hedgehog simply quickened his pace, a small snarl coming from his mouth. His name was Skyfire, and was one of the biggest freaks of the school.
"Hey emohog! Trying to hide something under those gloves and wristbands?" someone called, each word eating away at Skyfire's patience. The dark purple stripe on one of his quills glowed dimly, and Shadow the Hedgehog markings on his arms became visible, also glowing a dim dark purple.
"Hey Fire..." one human started, stopped when Skyfire's hand grabbed his throat, slamming him into a locker. Skyfire had stopped, still looking ahead of him, before closing his eyes.
"Say one more word, and I will snap that puny neck of yours like a twig beneath my foot. Am I...clear?" the hedgehog asked, now giving the boy death glares. His eyes, which were normally sky blue with an orange ring around the pupil, now had a purple ring instead of orange. The boy nodded as best he could before falling to his knees, watching the dark hedgehog walk off.
"At least school's over for the weekend," he muttered to himself, those seven words running through his mind as he made his way to the main doors. A quick flick of his wrist, a strong wind blew the doors open as he walked out, looking around for his friends.
"Hey Sky, over here!" a lavender cat with maroon waist length hair, a pink/red tube top that stopped above her naval, dark purple jeans and plum sneakers called. Skyfire walked over to her, his eyes slowly returning to the natural sky blue/orange combination.
"Hey Cyn," Skyfire said, his voice a little brighter now. It was hard, almost impossible to stay angry around his best friend Cynder, though one person was usually always doom and gloom, and said person just emerged from the school doors.
Like the way the doors had opened for Skyfire, these doors flew open, only they were pushed hard by an echidna's hands. Said echidna was pretty much all black with waist length night black hair that covered almost her entire face, shoulder length dreadlocks, black fur, an almost white muzzle, black tube top like Cynder's, torn ¾ length jeans and black knee high boots.
"She looks like she's going to explode," Cynder whispered to Skyfire as the echidna came over to them, her piercing violet hue eyes the only things visible through her hair.
"Rough day?" Skyfire asked, able to fully predict the answer.
"Yes," the echidna muttered, her voice creepy and dark.
"Hey Miranda, try to cheer up a little. At least we get to go to Mystic Ruins today," Cynder said, taking a few nervous steps back from Miranda's icy glare.
"You two coming? Or are you two just going to go through this again?" Skyfire asked, stepping between the polar opposites. "If we want to catch the train, we need to leave our stuff at home now," he added, getting ready to drag them there if he had to. It wouldn't have been the first time, or the second.
Fifteen minutes later
"Anyone need to change before I do?" Cynder asked, Skyfire and Miranda shaking their heads from their respective third of the room. Cynder's segment was perhaps the brightest, decorated with various shades of purple and with a few posters that fit her ever cheerful style. Skyfire's segment was a dark blue with a few posters, most with Linkin Park on them. Miranda's segment was by far the creepiest and right next to Skyfire's. It was mainly black with a few creepy posters on the wall. As always, it was Skyfire who kept the two polar opposites that were Cynder's ever cheerfulness and Miranda's creepiness apart.
"Anything particular planned when we get there?" Miranda asked once they were both in the living room, waiting for Cynder to change.
"Probably nothing much. Maybe just relax a little or blow off some steam," Skyfire replied as Cynder came out, pretty much wearing the same as before.
"We going or just standing here," Cynder asked, already at the door out of the apartment. Skyfire and Miranda followed suit. It was only a five minute walk to the station, and the train would be there five minutes after they arrived.
Five minutes later, Station Square Station
As the group of misfits walked up onto the platform, Cynder noticed the ebony, red streaked hedgehog sitting there impatiently. She nudged her friends gently, getting their attention.
"Isn't that Shadow the Hedgehog. He looks like he's waiting for train too," Cynder said.
"What of it," the dark voice of said hedgehog muttered, now right behind the lavender cat.
"What are you going to Mystic Ruins for?" Skyfire asked, seeing the gem in Shadow's hand.
"I was going to see Tails about this," the black hedgehog said, bringing the gem into view.
"Hey, that things got flames flickering in it like Skyfire's eyes when he..." Cynder said, cut off when Miranda's hand clamped over her mouth.
"When you what?" Shadow asked, now taking a good look at the dark blue hedgehog. He noticed the yellow/gold streak glowing, and saw the orange ring in the hedgehog's eyes turn the same colour.
"Any reason you have that ring around your eye glowing yellow?" Shadow asked with a grin that said "you can't hide anything from me".
"What if he doesn't want to tell you?" Miranda said, her voice dripping with venom that made Shadow step back in surprise. He mentally slapped himself for it, but felt awkward under her piercing eyes.
"Miranda let go of my mouth or else," Cynder said, somewhat muffled, before Miranda's fish-net gloved hand moved away.
"Fine, I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else," Skyfire said, giving in. "I have elemental powers okay, don't tell anyone or I'll give you a demonstration," he explained, the yellow streak glowing brighter.
"And what's with the glowing streak?" Shadow asked.
"When I feel a certain emotion, a different streak glows. When irritated like I am now, the yellow streak glows," Skyfire said, his voice backing up what he'd said.
"Okay, anything else?" Shadow asked, sensing there was more.
"Fine, Cynder and I have dragon wings folded against our backs," Skyfire added, the red streak now starting to glow.
"Hmm, maybe Tails can study why," Shadow said before a very ticked off Miranda stepped towards him, eyes ablaze like violet fire.
"You are not taking them to any scientist to study. You may be the Ultimate Life form, but I will hand your sorry butt to you any day, got it?" she said, her fang like teeth bared like a vampire ready to bite.
"He's a friend of mine. It's not like I'm taking them to see Eggman," Shadow said, somewhat nervously. "He may get a bit excited, but he'll treat it like it's just a check up," he added, trying to soften the venomous glare.
"If you say so. I've always wanted to know why anyway," Skyfire shrugged. Miranda backed off, still glaring venom at the black hedgehog. Shadow looked at the three of them, an ever cheerful looking cat, a hedgehog much like himself and an echidna who looked like she could face Black Doom with no fear whatsoever.
"The train's here, so shall we get going?" Cynder asked, breaking the three others from their silence. As they boarded the train, none of them noticed the gem's flames burn brighter as it grew closer to Skyfire.
One hour later. Outside Tails' workshop
After a rather uneventful train ride and silent walk to the workshop, Shadow knocked Tails' door, feeling Miranda's glare on his back. "Please tell me Tails will act like I promised he would," Shadow thought to himself, not scared of Skyfire or Cynder's reaction, but more so of their echidna friend.
"Who is it?" the young fox asked, walking towards the door.
"It's me, Shadow, and some...friends," the ebony hedgehog said, feeling Miranda's glare increase strength on him when he said friends.
"Shadow, I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you here?" Tails asked, picking up on the glare Miranda was giving Shadow.
"Two things, one of them possibly getting me killed if you do something wrong," Shadow said, nervousness in his voice.
"Like what?" Tails asked.
"Acting like an over excited kid when you do a bio scan on the hedgehog and cat," Shadow said, pointing over his shoulder at the echidna.
Ten minutes later. Tails' lab
"This is incredible! Your dragon wings seem to be an inherit trait from your parents, namely your mother's side," Tails said, going over results from Skyfire and Cynder's bio-scan.
"Our moms didn't have dragon wings, how come we do?" Cynder asked.
"It seems that everyone born on your mother's side of the family had a rare genetic mutation, somehow infected with dragon genes. This occasionally gave someone in your family dragon traits, and you two have dragon wings," Tails explained.
"Well Cynder and I aren't related. How come we both have this mutation?" Skyfire asked.
"Correction, you're both so distantly related that it was by incredible coincidence you were both born at the same exact time. I don't think I can explain your powers though," Tails said, scratching his head. He noticed Miranda staring at both him and Shadow with her piercing eyes, almost in a look of hate.
"Does that echidna Miranda hate me and Shadow or something? I don't like the look she's giving me," Tails whispered nervously.
"Tails, you're lucky you don't go to our school. She pretty much hates everyone and everything but her friends," Cynder gestured to her and Skyfire before adding "but she's just showing you mild dislike, and Shadow the hate look."
"Don't take it personally Tails, she's always been like that," Skyfire said, noticing Miranda had went outside.
Outside
"Why the heck are you giving me that look?" Shadow asked, his back to Miranda.
"Because I know how much you secretly hate humans. Though unlike you, I pretty much hate every being, human and Mobian," Miranda said flatly.
"So, Skyfire has elemental powers. Out of curiosity, do you or that cat have any?" Shadow asked.
"Cynder has the power to inflict bad luck on whatever she hits with pink energy, and I can become a cloud of black mist, or I can shoot it from my hand," Miranda answered.
"Any main reason you hate everyone and everything?" Shadow asked.
"If you've lived my life, you'd get a fair idea why," Miranda said before stepping forward to the edge of the cliff, looking down into the ocean before jumping.
"What in the...!?" Shadow yelled, running to the edge in time to hear a splash. "Why the heck did she jump?! Oh great, what the heck'll....?!" Shadow said, stopping in mid sentence when he felt a strange, creepy, depressing feeling around him. Looking down, he saw a black mist at his feet, leaping back when the dark form of Miranda rose from it.
"What...how...where...what in the name of Chaos did you do that for? How are you standing here right now?" Shadow asked, still shocked from the fact Miranda had jumped more than the fact she was right there in front of him.
"When I jumped I did what every echidna could do and glided to the cliff, then turned into the shadow mist and moved up to here," Miranda said, her voice sounding bored and almost emotionless.