Chapter two! I posted this one yesterday on my dA and forgot to do the same here! My bad.
Anyways, I hope you all like it!
I own NONE of the characters!
The pills' effects were different then what Tails had told Shadow.
For starters, the hedgehog was actually having dreams. His brain didn't slow to a crawl like the fox had predicted it would. As a matter of fact, he felt like he was still awake. Everything around him felt so real to the touch and it kind of surprised him.
Shadow's dream started out with him being in a bed, underneath large baby blue blankets that were so easy to cuddle and hold. He pushed them away though, red eyes scanning the world around him.
He was on the ARK, more specifically the bedroom that he and Maria shared. Memories started to flash back temporarily of things the two of them did together. From playing hide and seek to taking simple naps, the two of them were as thick as thieves. This made Shadow smile as he slipped out of the bed.
The first thing he noticed was the amount of stuff that littered the floor. From books to paper and colored pencils, everything laid out in front of him.
He remembered the times when the ARK would float near a meteor or an asteroid and the two of them would draw it along with each other. He would also recall the stories that Maria told, whether they be made up or from a book. She would read with so much vigor and excitement that it made the hedgehog feel connected to books. Hell, he would take some time out of his day to pick up a novel and read, pretending that Maria was still there with him as they went through the story together.
As he moved closer to the bedroom door, he started to hear voices. They sounded further away from the door but they got progressively closer as seconds went by. Shadow raised an eyebrow as he pressed his ear against the wood, listening in on the conversation.
"I really don't think Shadow should be used like this Grandpa." a soft female voice - Maria - stated.
"I'm sorry Maria but it's to help with our studies." an older masculine voice - Grandpa Gerald - replied. "We want to cure you and-"
"But he's not a weapon Grandpa. He's supposed to be my friend."
"He still is Maria, don't worry. But he is also going to be use to benefit the Earth. We have to train him for that."
"...I know...I'm sorry Grandpa." they were right in front of the door now. "I was being selfish…"
"It's alright Maria. Now go get Shadow and give him some of your delicious cooking. I'm sure he'll wake up to that."
"Alright."
The hedgehog backed up and blinked when he saw how tall Maria was. Either she had grown an extra foot or he shrank slightly. Regardless, it made him feel weirdly tiny by comparison.
The blonde looked down at him and smiled. He noticed she was wearing a cream colored apron that covered up her bright blue nightgown. She then spoke.
"Good morning Shadow! Ready for some breakfast?"
Shadow nodded as Maria grabbed his hand and the two of them walked out of the room. As they headed out, Gerald walked beside them momentarily to ruffle the hedgehog's quills a little and talk to his granddaughter.
"I'll be in the kitchen in ten minutes to get Shadow for his training alright?" he told her.
"Okay Grandpa." Maria replied as he nodded and walked further down the hallway as she and Shadow made it to the kitchen.
As they entered it, the blonde had lifted the hedgehog into her arms and placed him in the high stool that was placed next to the island counter. In front of him was some small pancakes, a few sausages and scrambled eggs as well as a bowl of banana pennies and strawberries on the side. He licked his lips as he smelled the yummy food. It all looked so good.
"You want some syrup on your pancakes?" Maria asked, pulling out a bottle of the maple flavored substance from the cupboard.
He nodded and she placed the sticky syrup onto the hotcakes in a heart shape before placing a square of butter on top. Maria nodded with a smile as Shadow popped a few strawberries into his mouth.
"Want anything to drink Shadow?" she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of chocolate milk. "We got chocolate milk and orange juice."
"Chocolate milk." the hedgehog replied before his eyes widened. His voice was more high-pitched than his own, making it almost sound like Sonic...in a weird way. He relaxed and ignored it as Maria poured him a glass of the dairy product.
As she finished, she let out a sigh and put the drink away. "You ready for training Shadow? Grandpa already told me what he had prepared for you today."
The hedgehog shook his head.
"How come?"
"I wanna stay and play with you." he answered, a sad frown appearing on his lips. He sounded so childish, it made him feel kind of embarrassed even if none of his teammates or acquaintances were around to witness it.
She smiled sadly at him, nuzzling his nose. "Aww, it's okay Shadow. We can play after you're done." she then added as her grin appeared more gleeful and mischievous. "Tell you what? We can play a game after you're done with breakfast. It's called hide from Grandpa." she winked.
Shadow beamed, letting a small laugh escape. "Okay!"
"Just finish eating and then you can hide."
He nodded as he ate his sausages.
Shadow chuckled as he hid under the bed.
He and Maria had found the perfect hiding spot before starting their plan. The hedgehog's job was to stay absolutely still and quiet while the human talked to her grandfather about losing Shadow. And it was Gerald's job to look for him.
What an elaborate scheme!
The Ultimate Lifeform covered his mouth with his gloved hands, giggling all of while. This was the most fun he had had in a long time! Especially since he was with his first family again. He just felt so free and happy.
He then realized that he wasn't with them.
This was all a dream. Sure, it felt so real with the way he interacted with them, as if it was a day-to-day occurrence, but this was all a fantasy. They weren't really with him anymore and he was going to wake up and feel lonely once more. And that made his smile disappear.
He stared at his sock covered feet as he waited for the old scientist to get him. His grin had turned into a very solemn frown as time ticked away. Minutes felt like years as he continued waiting and waiting for Gerald to show up.
After a while, the door to the bedroom opened. Shadow blinked and turned slightly to see two pairs of feet walk in. He knew that they belonged to Maria and her grandfather so he covered his mouth and didn't move. Even if they couldn't see him immediately, he still didn't want to get caught.
"Where in the world can he be?" Gerald asked.
"I don't know Grandpa but this room was the first place I checked." Maria stated. "There's no way he could be in here."
"I'll be the judge of that. Besides, we've scoured all over the ARK for him. The only place that we haven't checked is this room."
"Hmm…" Shadow noticed the blonde tapping her foot. She then stopped. "I guess Shadow's gonna miss out on the chocolate cupcake I'm giving him with his lunch."
The hedgehog's eyes lit up and rushed out of hiding, showing his face to a startled Gerald. "Cupcakes?!"
The tween laughed. "There he is!"
Shadow and Maria hugged as the older man glared at them. They turned to him and his granddaughter smiled innocently.
The scientist didn't look amused. "Maria, you know how important this is for him. He needs to be ready."
The blonde pouted, picking up Shadow like a toddler. "But you never let him do anything fun. He's a kid like me! He's supposed to be having fun."
"We talked about this Maria. He's different."
Her blue eyes stared at the floor for a moment before turning back to her relative. "Yeah...but…"
Gerald grabbed Shadow from the blonde and placed him on the floor. "Come on Shadow, let's go."
The hedgehog frowned. "No…"
The old man sighed. "Shadow...listen to me. I know you don't want to, but you have to…"
"No I don't! I don't wanna!" he was starting to sound like a child. "I wanna play!"
"Listen to Grandpa Shadow." Maria stated, her eyes downcast. "Go train and then we can play."
It took Shadow a minute to agree. But when he did, he asked. "Can Maria come too?"
The old man smiled reassuringly. "I don't see why not."
The hedgehog beamed, grabbing both of the Robotniks' hands as they strolled through the hallways. He playfully skipped along with them and piped. "Swing me! Swing me!"
Maria and Gerald chuckled as they did as they were told. Shadow continued to laugh and smile as everything faded to black.
