Prologue 2
Blackness. That is all one can see. It is all encompassing, suffocating. Such blackness could only be filled by imagination…..or by paranoia. Suddenly, as if summoned by will or prayers, a single small white light winks into being, growing ever larger. It gives off no heat, nor does it reveal anything in the darkness, even so its mere presence gives off a sense of comfort no flame could ever hope to. As the light grows larger and larger it gains detectible features. As sharp edges and smooth curves combine together, it takes the form of a woman bathed in light. The word woman was a bad term to use however. Though clearly feminine she looked unlike any mobian (or human) female. Her body was smooth and sensual. In fact the only "sharp edges" that could be associated with her slender, pale gray frame were attributed to the armor that encased some parts of her body. The light blue protective gear covered her head, chest, forearms and forelegs. The peak of her helm dipped low hiding her forehead. Beautiful though she was, her face was seemed unsettling. Most likely due to the fact she had no nose or mouth. The lack of which however did not at all hinder her apparent ability to speak.
"That was not the world you are familiar with was it?" She questioned, her voice angelic yet slightly authoritative. She waved her hand and another light appeared, growing to a size twice that of her.
"This is it, correct." As if the light were a television screen a crisp image appeared. The image was a portrait of several anthropomorphic animals, a large purple walrus, a bunny with a metallic arm and legs, a sword wielding coyote, a pink hedgehog swinging a large hammer, a two tailed yellow fox, a squirrel with a blue vest and boots, and a blue hedgehog.
"A familiar description I'm sure." She said. "You would know them as the….Freedom Fighters, am I right?"
Each of these Freedom Fighters had grim concentration etched onto their faces as they battled what could only be described as a large robotic snake. It eviscerated the lush scenery around them with weapons that dotted its hardened scales. The blue hedgehog looked elated as he dogged the deadly beams and missiles. Behind a domed cockpit atop the snakes head sat a rather round man, with a large bushy mustache. He too seemed excited at the thought of battle.
"This is the prime zone, the central and most important piece of the multiverse. Its history is rich, as is the quantity of heroes that occupy and call this universe home." Another light screen appeared, in the midst of its brightness blazed the image of the black hedgehog, Shadow, being pierced in the heart by the Metal Sonic's deadly attack.
"What you witnessed is a world similar… yet very different. A world with one key difference of the past that changed nearly its entire future…. You seem curious about it… Curiosity is an accomplished trait amongst you and your kind I see." she paused, in apparent thought, and then spoke again.
"This normally isn't in my power to do so but….I shall grant you a privilege; you may see this world so different from your own. You may witness its differences as well as its similarities…I will start you off in an earlier point in its time however, so that you may have some…..context."
And with that she disappeared, nowhere near as flashy as her arrival. But with her departure the black void began to lose its claustrophobic edge. Stars began to dot its vast upper regions while trees grew from the lower. Their leaves rustled in the cool wind of the night, bringing the soft scuffling noises of the creatures that refused the embrace of sleep. Those that did lay comfortably in their dens, burrows, or nests, dreaming of what tomorrow may bring.
It was here on a rather thick branch that a black and red hedgehog softly snored.