Sonic's Christmas Adventure

Chapter 4: Travelling to the Past

~~11:00pm, Shadow's House~~

"Damn, I can't believe all of this holiday stuff is everywhere." Shadow said as he came into the door, exhausted from his day. "I don't see why everyone's wasting their time with this stupid holiday…"

With that said, the black and red hedgehog retired into his room and took off his sweater, gloves and air shoes and just hopped into bed, not bothering about taking a shower and just fell asleep, totally unaware about what's about to happen…

~~30 Minutes later…~~

Shadow was sleeping soundly as he heard the sound of something loudly scuffling in his own room. He ignored it for a bit, then, when it got more frequent, he became more alert. The black hedgehog awoke with a jump as he saw a ghostly figure floating there right in front of him. It was a ghost that looked like Rouge, except with longer hair and dressed in an old fashion holiday themed dress and had a scepter in her hands and with the displeased look on her face, she seemed pretty crossed with him.

"What the hell!?" Shadow exclaimed as he fell out of bed in shock, taking his bed sheet with him. The bat floated over to Shadow, without even flapping her wings.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, I'm here for you." The bat informed him, in a deep, commanding voice.

"Who are you?!" Shadow asked her.

"The Ghost of Christmas Present." She stated to him and pointed her scepter as she asked him a question. "Didn't your blue hedgehog friend warn you that I'll be here?"

"So, you are real…" Shadow whispered to himself, but she overheard.

"Of course." She nodded. "And I'm as real as this trip we're going to take."

"What trip?" Shadow questioned her, Chirstmas Past waved her scepter in the air, muttering a few words and suddenly, a portal opened up right in front of them. She then grabbed Shadow's hand, firmly soon after.

"This one." She answered as she and Shadow flew into the portal.

When they popped out the portal, they were on a spaceship, somewhere in the wide void of space. Shadow looked around the place, and all at once he remembered where they are.

"This is the ARK!" Shadow exclaimed looking around the Ark like he wasn't here at all.

"That's right." said as she floated next to him. "Space Colony Ark around fifty years ago."

"But why here?" Shadow asked the ghost.

"Follow me." She instructed him as they both walked down the hall and they made it to a room. It looked like a bedroom and someone was in a bed, asleep, it looked like a young girl with blonde hair.

"No, it can't be." Shadow said like he was seeing a ghost in a dream. "Maria!"

"Sorry Shadow." told the black and red hedgehog as they looked at the sleeping Maria. "I'm afraid she can't hear you or even see you.

"So, why did you bring me here?" Shadow asked as he looked at the ghostly bat, then back at the sleeping Past Maria.

"Watch." She simply said, as soon as she said that the door suddenly opened and there was another Shadow with something behind his back. Maria woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes and saw there, with his hands behind his back.

"Shadow?" Maria asked drowsily as she sat up and saw her favorite friend there with a small smile on his face. "What're you doing here?"

"I…made you something, Maria." simply said to her and handed out a gift wrapped present. Maria's eyes lit and she smiled.

"For me Shadow?" she said happily.

"Yeah." said as he gave it to her. "Remember how you told me about that Earth holiday, name Christmas?"

"Yeah?" Maria said as a question rather than a statement.

"Well, I thought that me and you could celebrate it together." told her. Maria smiled brightly and hugged him.

"Thanks Shadow!" Maria told him happily. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're welcome." said and hugged her back. Maria opened the gift and saw that it was a small teddy bear inside.

"I love it!" Maria said and she hugged the teddy bear. "You made this Shadow?"

"With a little help." admitted.

Maria smiled again and got out of bed, carrying her new teddy bear out of the room.

"That was pretty nice of you, Shadow." chuckled to herself. "To make Maria smile like that."

"Humph…" Shadow said, crossing his arms. "I only did that to cheer Maria up."

"Cheer her up?" the ghost bat questioned.

"You see." Shadow began. "That was the day we found out…Maria had a rare sort of illness, which makes her sick all the time, but…"

"But?" repeated, cocking and eyebrow, but that look was soon replaced with sorrow and sympathy, when Shadow turned his back and walked away from the spirit when he told here, but:

"They didn't think there was a cure for her…" Shadow finished. "So, Maria was dying little by little each day…"

"I'm so sorry, Shadow…" said as she reached out to Shadow, but Shadow swatted her hand away.

"Don't be." Shadow said, glaring at her. "Seeing all of this reminds me of why I don't care about Christmas at all, because it reminds me too much of her and knowing on a day of joy, there was sadness for me."

just looked at Shadow in sadness at what he said.

"Besides, all of this is a dream. I bet as soon as we go back I'll wake up and you'll be gone." Shadow added with a mean smirk on his face.

just shook her head and waved her scepter as they both teleported out of the past…

When Shadow awoken, he saw what he expected; no spirit and he's back into his room.

"I knew it." Shadow said in a prideful tone. "I knew Sonic was messing with me."

But as he said that, he went to look at his bedside clock; it read 11:30pm but there was a note attached to it saying: "I not be able to change your mind, Shadow but there are two more ghost to come…"