Hello again everyone!
Shadow: …
Sonic: Nope, he's still broken.
Dang, well waving chocolate in front of his face didn't work… Sonic, try bragging that you're better than him at-
Shadow: I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM! NO ONE IS BETTER THAN ME AT ANYTHING!
Sonic: He's fixed!
Good, now onto the third chapter. And happy Winter-een-mas everyone!
Knuckles: Not that stupid made-up holiday again…
…You want to be beaten over the head with a controller? Then do not insult Winter-een-mas!
For those of you who don't know what Winter-een-mas is, read Ctrl-Alt-Del
Sonic made his way out of the train station slowly. Needless to say, several people had stared at him while he was aboard the train, it wasn't often you saw the heroic hedgehog who was faster than the wind itself actually sit down on the train to get somewhere. Sonic was a little nervous about running off again after what had just happened earlier that day. So he simply walked to Tails' workshop… Or rather he tried to. He kept running into people who would either stop and stare at him, or come up to him and start trying to talk to him about things he really didn't wish to know.
After finally getting fed up, Sonic took of running again, but went slower than he normally would. He winced slightly as he was forced to keep putting pressure on his legs; one had been bruised pretty badly from that fall. He was relieved as he came to a halt outside of Tails' workshop that was set up in what looked like an oversized garage. Sonic breathed heavily, trying to regain his lost breath. "What's happening to me lately?" He said, voicing his thoughts aloud.
"Who is it?" Tails called as he heard the voice outside his door. "Just me." Sonic answered as he opened the door and stepped in. Tails looked up from the device he was busy re-assembling. "Whoa, what in the world happened to you?" He said as he saw the state his friend was in. "…I fell." The azure hedgehog answered, his head falling a little with embarrassment. "…All those years of running, and you trip now and do this to yourself?" Tails said with a chuckle. "Uhh, actually I didn't so much as trip as the ground kinda… broke apart underneath my feet believe it or not." Sonic said, a bit nervous how Tails would react to this bit of news.
"…You're kidding me right?" Tails asked as he looked at his friend in disbelief. "I may brag about what I can do, but I never lie about it, you know that." Sonic said as he raised his head again. "…Interesting…" Tails said as he looked back down at the device and picked up his tools again. Sonic knew that the way Tails mind worked, it was always easier for the fox to think of something if he was busy working on something. ("Still, it's strange, why would that happen just when I feel like I'm at the best of my form, and now all of a sudden I'm exhausted.") He thought as he took a seat on the same wooden stool he had sat on the previous day.
Shadow narrowed his eyes in irritation as he closed another book. He had snuck into the public records, trying to find some hint of information that might lead him to the answers he was seeking. So far all he could find about his blue doppelganger was records of his past heroics, nothing really useful. The black and red hedgehog put the book away and yawned. Then a look of confusion grew on his face.
Sure he was tired, but he had just passed it off as still being drained from using chaos control to get down to earth without bringing his emerald with him. ("No, that can't be it; I already recovered from that… So why do I feel so physically tired?") He thought to himself. He put a hand to his head and sighed. ("Now I'm getting mentally tired as well… I'm not going to manage to get back to the ARK today it seems; I'll have to find someplace to spend the night.") He decided.
Thankfully he knew of an abandoned cabin in some nearby woods that he used whenever there was some reason that he had to remain on earth rather than return to the ARK. It was only a short distance away and GUN had no knowledge of it, so it would suit his needs for now.
Sonic yawned for what felt like the fifth time. "Stop it, that's…" Tails interrupted himself as he too yawned. "…contagious." He muttered, finishing his statement. "Dude, you look beat, get some rest and call it a day." Sonic advised his two tailed friend. "I'm not tired…" Tails muttered as he looked for a pair of pliers. "If you're gonna stay awake, at least stop working, you'll just make mistakes that you'll have to fix later if you keep at it." Sonic said, trying to convince his friend. "…Alright." Tails said with a sigh as he pushed the device to one side.
"Good. Speaking of rest, I'm out of it for some reason. Mind if I crash here for the night?" Sonic asked as he walked over to the door leading into Tail's real home. "Sure, why not? I don't mind." Tails said as he fallowed. Tails' home was small, but had all the necessities. "Thanks bud." Sonic said with a tired smile as he turned the knob.
Sonic laid down on the heavily worn couch that Tails had in front of the television he grabbed the remote and decided to see if the news had anything of interest on before he fell asleep. He turned the TV on in the middle of a report. "-multiple jewelry stores have been broken into in the past week. The thief has always left all gold, silver, and cash, and instead only stolen the stores' gems. Of particular interest, one such gem stolen was a large emerald, one of seven referred to as the Chaos emeralds." The newscaster said in the usual monotone voice that all people seemed to have when on the news. "Heh, sounds like Rouge has been busy." Tails said as he walked into the room. He didn't get a response. Sonic was out cold and snoring on the couch before the newscaster had even finished the report.
The blond female hedgehog that was now Maria gently reached down and brushed aside the dust that had collected on the floor from over fifty years. Her own reflection became clearer. She wasn't exactly certain how long she had been asleep in that pod, but she had matured, as far as mobians were concerned, into a young woman. Her blond quills were about shoulder length, and she was wearing a blue dress similar to what she had been wearing fifty years ago. Instead of normal shoes, she was now wearing blue boots, that if she wasn't busy trying to figure out what was going on, she would have noticed felt quiet comfortable.
She wanted to cry out, scream in fear, call for help; she just wanted to do something. But she was unable to, she was too overwhelmed. She heard static, like a monitor being turned on. She turned around to see a screen powering up, revealing the image of a young human man in a lab coat. He had dark rings under his eyes as if he was suffering from a lot of stress. "Maria, if you're hearing this, then it is approximately over fifty years from now. I wish there was an easier way to tell you all of this, but I lack the time, GUN is still onboard the ARK gathering everyone they can find. Maria… sometime before I made this recording, you were shot, attempting to save Shadow from GUN…" The man said.
Maria's eyes widened. How could that be? She was here and… She couldn't think straight anymore, her memories were colliding with one another, only allowing her glimpses of what she last saw. The man started talking again. "I'm an assistant of your grandfather's. You see, while creating Shadow, he did find a cure for your illness, but it meant that you would have to give up your humanity. He decided to continue his research until he could find a cure that would not do so, however there was no time as GUN arrived before he could do so. You see Maria, I found you lying on the floor, slowly dieing of blood-loss. Dr. Gerald was already taken away; I quickly decided to do what I could. Maria, you are now a mobian hedgehog. Your new DNA is based off that of Shadow, with some variations to keep you as close to your former self as much as possible. You are now cured of your disease; however… you will never be human again." The man said.
Maria could only stand there and watch, so much information was overwhelming to the point where her emotions were unable to react to it. "There is something that should comfort you however. Somewhere, Shadow is still alive. Gerald made him ageless and he cannot die of disease, so he must be alive if he's still as stubborn as he is at the time I am recording this." The man said. "Hey! Someone's in here!" A voice said in the background of the monitor. "Oh no, they've found me!" The man said as he looked around wildly. He quickly turned back to the camera that had recorded the video. "The computer should be able to tell you where he is. Good luck Maria." The video ended there.
Maria took a moment to try and sort out everything she had just learned. One thing that stuck out in her mind was that fifty years had passed. Fifty years… everyone she knew and cared about was gone now. He grandfather, all the people aboard the ARK… everyone. A tear fell down her cheek and hit the cold metal floor, creating a dark spot.
However, the news that Shadow was still alive somewhere gave her hope. Shadow had been her best friend, perhaps he could help her figure out what to do now. She stood up to her full height, a confident look growing in her blue eyes. "Computer, locate Shadow." She instructed it.
"Last known location of Shadow the Hedgehog is in Central City." The computer informed her, displaying a picture of the city in its current state on the monitor that the video had been playing on earlier. "…Please suggest a way to reach Central City?" Maria asked. "Detecting a Chaos emerald aboard the ARK, suggested that request be fulfilled using the ability known as Chaos Control." The computer said. "Chaos Control? But I can't…" Maria said, but stopped herself. If her new DNA was based off Shadow's… then perhaps she could. "Computer, where exactly onboard the ARK is the chaos emerald?" Maria inquired. "It is near Dr. Gerald's laboratory." The computer answered.
It was early in the morning, so early that most people are still in bed sleeping, not even aware that a new day has already started. It was then that Sonic was slipping his shoes back on and grabbed some toast that wasn't fully toasted due to his impatience. "Tails, I'm going out for a run!" He called, when he didn't get an answer, he looked into the fox's room to see that Tails was still sound asleep. "Eh, figures." Sonic said to himself before taking a bite out of the toast.
Sonic took a look around before he took off, the city had only a few rays of light hitting it yet, making the majority of it look like Sonic was seeing it through a dark blue lens. The cold air blew through his quills as a smile grew on his face. He took off, becoming nothing more than a blur of blue against the gray pavement.
Sonic was amazed at seeing how different the city was at this time in the morning. Everything was so quiet, and the roads that were normally congested with cars were open. Sonic decided to go through the heart of the city, which normally was so busy and crowded that he purposely avoided them. However, it was the same as the rest of the city at this hour, quiet and calm.
"…Ok, it sounds simple enough…" Maria said as she picked up the green emerald. ("But I know it can't be that simple… I mean, according to this, the fabric of space and time are going to be warped around me… Calm down Maria, Shadow does this all the time; you can do it too… I just have to clear my mind and then focus on where I want to go…") She thought to herself.
Maria closed her eyes and focused on the image of the city that the computer had shown her. She closed her hands around the emerald, holding it tightly as she felt a strange sensation run through her fingers and down her arms. Whatever it was, it was soon flowing through her, creating a pleasant sensation that calmed her nervous mind. The energy of the emerald reacted with her concentration on Central City. Even through her closed lids she could see a bright flash of green light. She felt like she was falling through the air, only faster and that she actually had control over where she was going.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in the very same city she had been picturing in her mind before she had used chaos control. She blinked as the thought struck her. She had used chaos control, her best friend's signature ability. She giggled a little as she thought of what Shadow would say.
Something caught her eyes, it would have been simply a blur to others, but she managed to make out the vague outline of a hedgehog. Naturally she began to run after it, the only one she knew who could possibly run that fast was Shadow, so that blur could have been him.
She chased after it, actually managing to start to catch up with it. She was amazed at how fast she was running on her own that she nearly tripped. The hedgehog ahead of her noticed that he was being fallowed, and slowed down, letting her catch up to him. "Shadow?" Maria whispered to herself. When she got closer, she realized it couldn't be him. Many of the facial features were the same, this hedgehog could have easily been mistaken for Shadow's brother perhaps. But this hedgehog did not have black quills with red highlights, rather he had very unique blue quills. Shadow had confident red eyes that were one of the few windows to his emotions, and this hedgehog had wild green eyes like flakes of emerald.
Maria was about to apologize for interrupting the hedgehog's run, when he stopped her. "Nope, sorry miss, don't worry you're not the first one to mistake me for him or vise versa, just don't tell him that." The hedgehog laughed. "Say, how do you know Shadow anyways? He's not exactly the most social of people." He asked her. "I was about to ask you the same thing. I'm… a friend of his." Maria answered. "Hmm, a friend eh? Well, I don't know where he is at the moment. But tell you what, I'm impressed you managed to keep pace with me thus far, if you have a race with me I'll help you look for him." The hedgehog said.
Maria was a bit confused by the hedgehog's proposal, but if he knew Shadow, then he could help her find him. "We'll start when we hit that intersection up ahead." He said, not waiting for an answer. "Wait, what's your name?" Maria asked. The hedgehog turned to look at her, still running and smirked. "It's Sonic the Hedgehog." He said. They reached the intersection and Sonic took off, becoming just a blue speck in the distance to her.
And that's the third chapter.
Shadow: What are you doing with Maria faker?!
Sonic: Easy Shadow, it's just a race, I challenge anyone who's fast to a race.
Shadow: I'LL KEEL YOU!
Whoa! Whoa!... not until the next chapter Shadow
Shadow: I can wait…
Sonic: You can't be serious!
Shut up Sonic.
Tell me what you think of it!
