Shadow turned to leave as Sonic dealt the last blow to Eggman's latest creation. The contraption fell to the ground and the trade mark wail of defeat sounded from the scraps of metal. Sonic turned around quickly and called out to his ally.

"Shadow! Going so soon?"

Shadow didn't answer, he just turned to look at Sonic for a second with a lack of expression and continued walking.

"It's just like Shadow to leave like that… before we've even celebrated," Sonic mumbled to himself. The blue hedgehog's attention had left Eggman for only a few seconds and the scientist had escaped. Sonic could see the bloated man running in the distance. He saw no point in chasing after him, whether he gave him an extra beating or not, his enemy would return within a few months.

He decided to go back to Tail's work shop and tell Tails about what had happened. Sonic had only left his friend alone for an hour and he'd been on an adventure already. The blue blur sped off to mystic ruins and barged through the door of the work shop. "Hi Tails!" the blur called cheerily.

Tails was tinkering with the Tornado. "Hi there, Sonic," the young one said casually.

"Hey, Tails… you'll never guess what just happened." Tails looked up from his work and faced Sonic as the blue hedgehog walked over to him. "I have some good news… and some bad news."

"Oh no… Sonic, what have you been up t-"

"The bad news," Sonic interrupted before Tails took his words in the wrong way. "Eggman has a new invention which he's using to take over the world again." At this, Tails sighed. "The good news is, Shadow and I already trashed it."

The both of them smirked at each other. Tails' look of ease turned to confusion.

"Wait, Shadow was there?" he asked.

"Yeah… but he left as soon as the fight was over, he didn't even say a word," Sonic shrugged, he didn't understand Shadow's nature. "I wonder what his problem is." Tails also shrugged, it seemed as though no one understood Shadow's lonesome and grumpy nature.

Shadow walked through the seemingly endless fields and slowly made his way from the scene of the fight in emerald hill to his usual sulky spot in Station Square. Before he could arrive there, he was intercepted by Eggman who was in his Eggmobile. "Hmph, what do you want?" Shadow asked, there was a lack of interest in his tone of voice, despite the question asked.

"I want you gone, Shadow. I freed you from prison island in a hope that you would help me take over the world, and you've done nothing but stop me," Eggman complained.

"So, what do you want me to do? Take a vacation or something?" the dark hedgehog scoffed.

"No, I want you gone, permanently."

Shadow looked unnerved by this, he felt like there was no way Eggman could defeat him, he would have to do something else… which made him anxious.

"And, how will you make sure this is done, doctor?" Shadow asked brashly. "I can't be killed because of my immortality, so even if you somehow managed to defeat me, I'd still be around."

"But I don't plan to kill you, Shadow."

"I suppose you think you'll be able to imprison me," Shadow smirked.

"Yes."

"Ha! Try me." The dark hedgehog walked under the Eggmobile which was floating several metres above him, and then past his adversary.

"But, if you don't, Shadow, your friend might get hurt," Eggman teased. Shadow stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened. The hedgehog turned and looked at the scientist in confusion. "I have Rouge back at the base, all I have to do is say the word and my robots will execute her on the spot."

"I only saw Rouge this morning, you're lying," Shadow said plainly.

"Willing to take that risk?" Eggman smirked maliciously.

Shadow stood in silence for a moment, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head, he didn't know what to do. There was a chance Rouge could die, but there was also a chance Eggman was lying and Shadow would end himself in captivity again. The persistent hedgehog moved his hand slightly, as if he was going to perform a Chaos attack.

"Don't even move, all I have to do is press this button and she dies," Eggman threatened. Shadow noticed Eggman's stare, directed at his body and face. He couldn't move, he couldn't even say the word. The scientist's finger was over the button, there was no way Shadow could use Chaos Control before the button was pressed.

The dark hedgehog gave a sigh of defeat. "Take me, I'm yours," he said reluctantly and put his hands behind his head. Shadow kept a strong and bold look as he made the walk of shame across the wide landscape.

Too Easy, Eggman thought. He literally had the ultimate life form at his command, Shadow was his emotional prisoner, no bars or cages were needed, only the threat of a friends' execution.

But he still had to take precautions. After five minutes of a walking filled with awkward silence Eggman got out of his Egg Mobile and stood in front of his prisoner. "Give me any Chaos Emeralds you have, now," he commanded.

"But-"

"Ah-ah! You don't want me to order Rouge's execution, do you?" Eggman threatened smugly. Shadow scowled and handed over his only emerald, the green one. "Now put your hands back behind your head, I don't want you trying anything."

"How do I know you're not just pulling a cheap trick?" Shadow growled and did as he was told. The hedgehog hated to be pushed about, he preferred to be the one in control.

"Now walk, we're nearly there," Eggman said. Up ahead, Shadow could see a grave yard. Many thoughts went through his head, what was Eggman up to? They entered the yard full of graves. Eggman nudged Shadow towards one of the newly dug ones, there was a box beside it.

"Ha! You've got to be kidding me! You really are cheap, aren't you?" Shadow said in amusement.

"Get in the box, Shadow."

"Hmph, never. This is low, even for you. You're planning to seal me, the ultimate life form, in a measly hole in the ground?" Shadow sighed when he realised he was talking to Eggman, a man who was insane and had recently snapped into an even deeper insanity after his hundredth defeat.

"Get in the box if you want Rouge to live."

Shadow looked at the doctor with a look of deep hatred. "Don't you have a cryo chamber or high security prison you could use?"

"This is much easier. No one will ever come looking for you in a cemetery… you're doomed, hedgehog, now get inside before I lose my patience."

Shadow felt as though his heart head dropped into his stomach. "Y-you're really going through with this… you… you sicken me," Shadow said in disgust and walked over to the small wooden box with his hands still behind his head. Eggman's smirked evilly, something that angered Shadow even more. "You'll regret this you sick bastard."

"Get inside." Eggman walked over the put the lid over Shadow when he laid down inside. The hedgehog began to feel claustrophobic.

"W-wait… let's think about this… do I have to do this now?" Shadow's muffled words came from the box as it began to move.

"Yes, now."

Shadow tensed up. It was pitch black inside of the box and there was hardly any room to move. He was stuck on his back, slowly falling into a deep panic. "I've changed my mind!"

"It's too late now… I wonder if I can get Sonic into one of the open graves nearby… Muahaha!"

Shadow heard the sound of crumbling dirt above him, Eggman was covering the box and filling the hole. There was no way out now. All of a sudden, his head was filled with all of the things he wished he'd done before getting in the box.

"You're insane!" Shadow cried out and banged on the top of the box but by then it was completely covered in a thick layer of dirt. Shadow couldn't hear anything but himself, he was encased in earth, all alone. The hedgehog loved to be alone but this was going too far for him.

He didn't know where Eggman was now, what he was doing or how much time had passed. He was in complete solitary from the world with no one to talk to or turn to. No comfort or even room to move. He stretched out his limbs as far as they could in within his lacking prison. He could barely put his arms out to the side and there was no room to sit up or bend his legs. Shadow could feel the lid of the box on the tip of his nose.

There was a lack of air inside of the box, and Shadow knew that there would soon be none left, but he would have to put up with the oxygen starvation. Not only that but he would have to put up with hunger, thirst, his full bladder that that itch he couldn't reach. Then it hit him, he'd be stuck like this, possibly forever. Slowly getting more and more; hungry thirsty, desperate for air, desperate for the toilet, uncomfortable and almost certainly go insane because of it.

Realising this he could only do one thing, scream.