Prologue: Holoska

Author's Note

Thank you for looking at this piece!

This is a reimagining of Shadow the Hedgehog, the 2005 Sonic platformer/shooter. It's being told with a framing tale of Sonic recounting the events to another character from Sonic Unleashed. As a result, the following Sonic games will be spoiled:

Sonic Adventure 2 (major)

Sonic Heroes (major)

Shadow the Hedgehog (major)

Sonic Unleashed (minor)

This story is going to contain violence comparable to that in the game itself, which had earned an E10 rating, but possibly far more disturbing in context. There is also mild sexually suggestive content in the form of Rouge the Bat and Amy Rose, but that isn't the reason this is getting an M rating.

Lastly, the first few chapters of this story will be very similar to the beginning of Shadow's game. Each chapter will deviate a little more than the previous. I would be grateful for your patience, but by no means do I expect it.

Trigger Warning

This story contains a number of potentially triggering things.

It includes:

* Violence, slightly more graphic than the actual game

* Attempted murder (arguably in the original game)

* Attempted suicide, relatively non-violent (NOT in the original game)

* A mental illness that is portrayed inaccurately for dramatic purposes (in addition to the one portrayed in the actual game)

* Swearing (slightly more intense than the actual game)

Thanks to iammemyself for her wonderful editing help and the deviantart community for their feedback!

Enjoy!

The wind whipped through the entrance of the cave, howling. Though the mossy stone provided some protection, each howl sent a cold chill through them. They huddled closer to each other, and the blue creature wrapped a stretchy arm around the maroon one protectively.

"It's so cold… What a storm!" the maroon fairy whined.

"It probably wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't gotten wet first," growled the werehog.

"You don't mind if I cuddle up in your fur, Sonic?" Chip asked, snuggling closer to the white fuzz on Sonic's chest.

"Heh. Well, at least it's good for something. I'm just glad you're not afraid of Mr. Monster Guy anymore."

Chip laughed, looking up at Sonic, his amber eyes peeking out from a rug of Sonic's fur. "How could I be afraid of you? You're like the nicest guy ever. You're so brave and you're so willing to help people… most people don't want to go help me find my memories."

"I know a guy who had some trouble with his. It was hard on him." Sonic pulled Chip a little closer with a claw. "I can't just sit by and let somebody go through that again."

The wind roared in their ears again, and Sonic shifted around, scooting so that Chip was away from the entrance to the cave.

"How did he deal with it?"

Sonic looked up at the roof of the cave. "It's a long story, buddy. Are you sure you can sit still that long?"

"Please? It'll keep my mind off that wind…"

"All right. But no interruptions. There's a lot of it that won't make sense until later."