Once More Chapter 1: Act I, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

A/N: I welcome you to another Shadow x Sonic fanfiction (and my first, mind you), Once More!

This action-packed story does not only have adventure, but it also has mystery, angst, drama, and of course! Romance~. Without further ado, here's a brief summary to introduce you to the bit background of the story that we will be developing in the future!

Summary: Five years later when the world was once again saved from the clutches of evil, Sonic and his friends were finally at ease since Dr Eggman, have not shown his face for the past month, granting them peace and quiet for awhile. However, it looks like our blue hero is suspecting a foul play at the scientist's absence and decided to search for him. One thing led to another, and now a new threat arises yet again to destroy the world and Sonic has been kidnapped! It's now up to the Ultimate Lifeform to save the world and Sonic from the wicked before everything is too late!

So, there you have it! Plot summary? Check. Tags? Check. Warnings for those who are easily fazed by sad stories? Uhh... Well, I'll leave that for later.~ In any case, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this new story and I hope you stay tune for more!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review and I'll get back at ya!

~ Bye-bye!

Act I : Part I

~ Premonition ~

It was uncomfortably hot as he came to, or at least became aware of his surroundings; however, he knew also that he's in fact only dreaming. As the searing feeling grew and made him annoyed, he involuntarily fluttered his crimson orbs open and gazed upon the blurry, fiery image before him that seemed to surround him. The air was covered with heavy, choking smoke as flickers of flame danced amidst the slight chilling air.

Where am I…? Was the first question his mind as he took a quick gander around his surroundings, growing worried as moments ticked on without a pause. He found out in a second that he was trapped somewhat in his position and cannot move a limb. He mildly mused that he usually can defy the logics of the dream world whenever he want since he does not bend to any rules, but it appears that he cannot in this case.

Strange.. How did I get here…? What's happening? Though it is not apparent in his cool mask, his dark eye ridges furrowed in contempt and confusion as he glanced once more around the blaze, looking for some sort of clue as to what's occurring in the space. So far, he had recognized none and was only left with a familiar out-of-body sense. This is a dream, isn't it? Why can't I…—

His thoughts were then halted as another figure looms into his hazy vision, at the same time, his strength was suddenly sapped away from him, leaving him gasping for air and clenching his abdomen in one swift moment. What the heck?!

I can't talk either! What is this?! Panic soon sets upon him as the figure grew closer as he attempted to find his balance despite his initial collapse when his lower limbs gave way and he had found himself in a precarious situation where he can't do anything at all. His ruby optics zeroed in to the approaching figure, a sense of foreboding and curiosity dawning upon his racing mind. For once, he was actually terrified of what's to come, knowing that he can't maneuver away with all the anticipation in the air rising and the alarm bells that were set off at the immediate appearance of the presence before him.

Another second ticked by before the frame of the being closing in on him finally came into view, and he can't help but gasped in surprise and horror.

There, before him, was the downtrodden anthropomorphic body of a recognizable hedgehog, severely injured and bloody to the point that his cobalt blue fur was matted with dried blood from all assortments of wounds, bruises and punctures. The familiar frame of the well-known blue speedster swayed forward and the crimson-eyed spectator can't do a thing beside watch him fall from his fumbling, weak grace. The witness of this unlikely sight internally called out to the fallen hedgehog in worry, yet he remained speechless at the dire scene before him. The body before him was no longer moving after another second ticked by, then another passed…

The one who had surveyed all of this was none other than the ebony, crimson-eyed hedgehog known for his title as the Ultimate Life-form and his mercilessness towards his enemy. He prided himself as an unbreakable and unaffected individual, yet at this moment, all those labels were loosely kicked away as the Shadow the Hedgehog, screamed for his rival's name, as if it his own life is flashing before his very eyes: Sonic the Hedgehog.

-x-

"Aah!" A wild gasp makes its way through the throat of a certain bio-engineered hedgehog as he snapped awake from his equally disturbing dream. Disconcerted ruby oculars flickered into reality and instantly recognized the all too mundane ceiling of his apartment floor. Shadow the hedgehog slowly sat up in his twin size bed, his face evident that the image left by the nightmare still lingered and made him, surprisingly, sweat in nervousness. His heart beat was hammering away, his lungs whining for air, while all in all, he attempted to calm himself down and remind himself harshly that it was only a mere dream.

"This is really unbecoming of me.." He whispered to himself quietly, his quiet, keen gaze lifting up after they were cast down to the white, untarnished mattress. It was still night time and the full moon outside was still hovering just about the horizon. This, of course, didn't surprised Shadow since he had headed to bed earlier than the usual due to a reason. Still perturbed by the rather vivid imagery produced by his subconsciousness, he silently laid down back again to his bed and stared at the ceiling emptily, letting out a final sigh. Though the vision he had perceived in his sleep perturbed him to an extent, he would be lying if he wasn't at least interested and curious of what had actually happened. His mind pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

It's no use thinking about now… Must have been the work and the pasta that Rouge gave me today's lunch… I knew there was something fishy—

"Shadow..? Are you sleeping, darling?"

And speak of the devil… He released a sigh and answered the female's call from the other side of the door. "I'm still up, you can come in."

The door swung open slightly before a curious white ear poked through, followed by a pair of concerned sky blue optics that seemed to peer around the dim lit, small space of where Shadow has been staying awhile. Or ever since she had met him.

"Are you doing alright?" Her velvety voice called out to the dark furred artificial hedgehog who is still laying against the headboard of his bed, boring his ruby red oculars to the wooden door. "I heard yelling in here and was worried—"

"No. I'm fine. Nothing is going on… Sorry for the bother." Shadow abruptly cut her off before he could hear her out. The last thing he wants to deal with was the bat getting worried over a small nightmare.

"Oh.. Alright. Well, if you say so… And another thing actually…" The opal white gem huntress stepped inside his room and closed the door behind her with a gentle click. Her ears perked in attention as did Shadow's as she let herself in. The male bio engineered being waited for her to state her further business, recognizing the familiar serious mood expressed in her small gestures and expression.

"What seems to be the matter?"

"It's about the GUN actually.."

"The GUN…? What about them?" An eye ridge raises conspicuously at the presented subject.

Brief silence pressed after his reiteration before Rouge spoke up again in a soft, mild tone, though it still retained a heavy undertone of solemnity.

"They're actually looking for you and wondering what you've been up to."

This time, Shadow glanced to her with a tilt of his head.

"Are they not aware where I am living currently, Rouge?"

"No, no. They do. It's just that… They're kind of doubting you that you're scheming something."

".. Huh. I thought they knew better than to jump into conclusions after all the trouble they sparked five years ago."

A sigh escapes the bat's rosy lips as she consciously rub the back of her neck. "I told them that you're not doing anything suspicious at all."

Shadow sat up straighter in his position as he cast his glimpse away from the huntress and onto the nearby open window across the room, gazing at the glistening glow of the full moon hovering above the busy night city somewhere in Mobius.

"They are getting antsy because of my absences in their useless meetings, aren't they?"

His guess was greeted by yet another silence from the bat which he could only take as a yes. Sighing, the crimson-eyed life-form shook his head once before glancing back to Rouge.

"Fine. There's an upcoming meeting sometime today in the afternoon, right? I'll attend to that one so their worries can be appeased…"

Rouge nodded in affirmation, relief flooding her once nervous stature as she watched her companion quietly. "Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow nodded, "Is there anything else that you should tell me?"

Azure orbs flickered to the side as she was asked once again, cursing the life-form's sharp senses. "Well… There is one more thing. And it's a personal one."

"Well… What is it? Spit it out."

"Well… I'm curious as to why you're not attending to these meetings at all, and not contacting the GUN and I this past month…" She glanced back to him, worry evident in her features once again. "Is something wrong that I should know about?"

A thin line formed in the ultimate life-form's face as he was asked. He lowered his head to the blanket covering his lower half of his body before answering. He didn't really want to cause any more unnecessary concern for the bat's part but he had promised her in the beginning that he shouldn't lie to her. Heaving a sigh, he looked at her with a determined, serious gaze.

"I'm tracking down something."

"Tracking..? What or who is it?"

"Not many people know what it is yet, but I need to find it first before anyone does."

"… So, what is it..? A Chaos Emerald?"

"No… It's something else.

It's another life-form that looks like me."

-x-

Act I : Part II

~ A New Threat Surfaces! ~

In another part of Mobius, where the vast emerald grass carpeted field stretched boundlessly, landscapes shifting into incredible terrains and lush covered forests filled with natural wildlife; the sunny, clear blue summer skies showed nothing but fair weather ahead, and it appears to be a good day for speeding through the free, wide space for Sonic the Hedgehog.

Haha! This is the best! The cobalt blue anthropomorphic hedgehog thought as he dashed through the lively plains of the zone (which happened to be the all too familiar Green Hills). With his lanky soft tanned arms splayed at their respective sides as he raced against the passing breeze billowing through the field and his six sleek quills, the feeling that he's currently overwhelmed by was a sense of joy and thrill. Like the usual, the blue blur streaked across the area without difficulty, going at 80 kilometres per hour currently.

And like the usual, he's on the hunt for his arch-enemy, Doctor Eggman. From all the past encounters he had with the mad scientist, he's aware that the villain won't be sitting so quietly and idling by without plotting something wicked for the past month.

"Just what is that Eggbreath up to nowadays?" He wondered to himself rather audibly, keeping his bright green eyes forward. He had been roaming around the land, and so far, he did not once came across a badnik or any of the stupid contraptions set by the aforementioned intellect. This, of course, came off strange to the blue hedgehog while the rest of his friends assumed that the doctor just took a vacation from conquering the universe or something. While they enjoyed the freedom from fighting robots and the doctor, Sonic wanted to know the answer of the fat egg's absence.

I bet he's planning something huge! He contemplated in silence as he made his way to the coastal area now, the wide green landscape fading behind his dusty wake. You better show your face sooner or later, Eggface! You do not want this to be any more difficult than it has to be!

Without missing a beat, he increased his speed, a sliver of sound barrier manifesting above his head as he tore through the sandy beach of Mobius, leaving nothing but dust trails and smoke.

Unbeknownst to the azure hot rod, a pair of observant golden-ringed irises had been watching at the sidelines, particularly under the shadows, away from the eyes of the other. Those eyes remained on the moving body of the running hedgehog before they flashed away and there was darkness.

-x-

A couple of minutes had passed by quickly before Sonic came into a sudden halt, his form already passing the seaside already and now coming to the edge of another spacious track. He had been ready to blaze the familiar vista already but something had caused him to stop in his hurried steps.

And that was the appearance of another noticeable figure dawning on his sight before him. Blinking his curious emerald optics at the physique, a small smirk crossed his features. His feet was put to work once again, quickly making his way to the waiting form. It didn't took him long before the azure Mobian reached the other.

"Heya!" Sonic greeted out as he approached the recognizable dark furred creature. "Shadow, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Nothing. Sonic leaned his head to the side, raising a ridge to the unusual silent artificial life-form. He tried again, his tone light and chirp as ever.

"Giving me the silent treatment, huh? M'afraid that won't do at all, Shads~. Last time you tried to tune me out was you getting really annoyed in the end and me running away from your wrath." He let out a short laugh but stop when the other spoke in a low tone.

"Let's have a race to end this once for all."

Nonetheless to say, the blue Mobian was a bit shocked at the presented suggestion of race before he composed himself and allowed a confident smirk to be placed on his fawn lips. He relaxed his arms at his sides while his bright jade orbs focused on the figure before him.

"You're on!"

Finally, the one that was recognized as "Shadow" swivelled around and faced the hedgehog. Much to the astonishment of Sonic, it turned out to be not the one who he had thought of. The being before him looked more or less like Shadow from the front, bearing the same number of spiky quills of a hedgehog and with the same style too, except they appear more fierce looking and the tips were faded to a hue of opal white. It took a while for Sonic to regain back his composure before he had the chance to inspect his opponent (who is NOT Shadow) again. The other was not wearing any inhibitors or anything, but instead his wrists were bandaged, the white linen showing signs that it was worn for a long time. Same goes with his legs and the hover skates adorning his feet that more or less resembles Shadow's Darkness skates albeit with minor tweaks here and there.

Crap! Sonic panicked inwardly, not because he found the stranger to be intimidating (no, not at all! Well.. Maybe a little, but who needs to know that?!), but because of his uncanny resemblance to one of his close friends, How the hell did I mistake him for Shads?! But I swore that it was Shadow just a second ago… What the hell is going on?!

"S-Sorry about that," Sonic proceeded to apologize right after he got over his shock and balanced out what's going on. "I thought you were someone else." Oh, how he wished he could hide in his closet for at least a week to get over his embarrassment. He never had mistaken anyone for somebody, except this time he did. His jade eyes roamed back to the empty expression of the being, a pink blush evident from his embarrassment colouring his tan cheeks no matter how self-assuring he appears. He scratched the side of his head, one of his die-hard habits when he's self-conscious of what he had done, while he waited for the other to at least say something to ease the awkward mood.

Thankfully, the stranger had sensed the discomfort that settled upon the hedgehog and merely bobbed his head. Though the being had not particularly said anything, just the small gesture was enough for the speedster to carry on and ignore his past mistake.

"Erm, since you're not Shads, you can totally ignore the proposition," Sonic said with a clear of his throat, looking at him with an apologetic expression.

"No."

"Huh?"Wait, what did he just say?"C-Come again?"

"I want to race with you." An evil grin crosses his face as his ridges furrowed curtly and stared back to the disbelieving eyes of the Mobian before him. "Since it's going to be your last… Sonic the Hedgehog."

Alarm bells started ringing in Sonic's mind as his honed instincts of danger urgently told him to bound away and analyze the situation carefully, while the other side of his primordial senses (from his years of battling Dr. Eggman combined with the desire of fighting and the thrill for adventure) stated otherwise. When he didn't say anything as a result of scrambling his thoughts into order, the posing adversary in this situation continued on, implying more of the direness of the circumstances.

"For your information, Dr. Eggman has one of the seven Chaos Emeralds," the being pressed on, "The first one to reach the scientist and grab the gem will be the winner. If you must know also, the scientist is currently not doing anything with the Emerald, he's just possessing it and storing it for later use. But don't get too relaxed…

If I win and grab the Emerald before you do, the world you live in will end as you know it…"

Several thoughts flashed by the speedster's mind like ricocheting bullets as he listened to his words. He badly wanted to ask what Dr. Eggman has got to do with this and how he had attained one of the Chaos Emeralds. Also, how would the other be able to start an apocalypse with a single Chaos Emerald?! No matter how many conclusions he could come up with, it doesn't make sense at all!

Yet the Shadow-lookalike doesn't appear to be joking from the way he's speaking.

Just what the hell is going on?! All of a sudden the fate of this world is once again thrust upon me without warning! Geez! With a grim expression, he narrowed his eyes at his potential foe and took a step back. I knew something is up with Dr. Eggman, but still! How the heck did he managed to search for a Chaos Emerald? And who is this guy anyway? Why does he talk like he could change the future of this world in a blink of an eye when I lose? (which would NOT be happening!)

In any case, it looks like it's too late for me to back out..Not like I was planningto at the start anyway!

"What happens if I win?" Sonic half-glared at the impostor before him.

"Then nothing will happen. Or at least, after the end of the race. I'm not as patient and tolerant like any other enemies you've faced before, Sonic the Hedgehog. You better take this seriously.. Or else—

You'll be the downfall of this planet."

Sonic can't help but frowned before a bleak yet serious grin broke through his once confused visage. He looks like a tough guy to beat… But —

"Ha! I always take my contests seriously without taking the fun from it!" The renowned blue speedster readied himself, taking a starting stance at his spot. "If you already know me, then you should be aware that I'm the fastest thing alive on this planet!

They don't call me the "Sonic the Hedgehog" for nothin'!"

The Shadow clone took his position also, his head turning forward to his set destination, his face assuming a neutral mask. Both hedgehogs lowered themselves, their centre of gravity positioning to their abdomen area, while they arched forward, like a loaded barrel ready to blast off into blinding velocity.

"Your doom and this planet's destruction is at nigh!"

"Let's just see about that." 3…

2…

1…

"LET'S GO!"

-x-

END OF ACT 1

A/N: And there you have it! That was the first chapter for this series! I welcome any grammar comments but only that. I will be posting the second act hopefully soon to flesh the plot more and introduce more characters in the story! Stay tune for more and thank you for reading! - dettel

Note: This is also available in dA! Check it out!