Chapter Six: Darkness Rises, A Hero Falls
Shadow awoke with his arm wrapped around Rouge's stomach.
She was still sleeping soundly.
Shadow smiled softly and kissed the back of Rouge's neck, making her smile dreamily and coo softly.
It was at that moment when the scanner Shadow had set up started beeping rapidly with a contact.
Shadow got out of bed and looked at it...
The signal was strong and only about a block away.
But...
Shadow glanced back at Rouge's sleeping form...
He didn't want to leave now, not after what had occurred between them...
But Shadow had a mission to accomplish.
So Shadow wrote Rouge a note and put it by the bed, and with one last glance, left the building.
Shadow was following the signal via jumping from building top to building top, which kept him from blocking street traffic and allowed him to cover ground more quickly.
The signal was reading a good deal of energy... probably too strong to be a Metarex, but it was better than nothing.
As Shadow continued his trek, he noticed some heavy clouds slowly forming.
They'd block out the sun in a matter of a few hours.
It was odd... something was forbidding and dark about them...
Shadow shook this off.
'Just floating puff balls gone black... nothing to worry about' Shadow thought to himself.
Shadow continued on over the buildings, trying to catch up with the signal. His footfalls hit more and more rapidly as Shadow increased his pace.
In fact, it sounded like more than one pair of feet...
Shadow sensed another presence, and made a quick glance over his shoulder...
About eight of Eggman's mechs were pursuing him.
Shadow snarled, and quickly fired a Chaos Spear back at them, destroying three.
Shadow sensed one extending a blade and leaping for him, so Shadow backflipped over the mech, and used a Homing Attack on it, knocking it into scrap.
Shadow turned to face the other four mechs. Two had machine-gun turrets, one had an extended blade, and the other had a flame-thrower.
Shadow smirked; this would be easier than jumping over an ant hill.
But then he heard another metallic clank behind him, and looked to see something he really, REALLY didn't want to see:
Metarex soldiers.
About seven of them.
When Shadow looked back to face Eggman's mechs, two more of the robots appeared.
Shadow snarled, but then leapt up in the air and used a Homing Attack on one, then used Chaos Control to warp to another building top.
The sightings were confirmed. Shadow had to lose his pursuers and get back to Rouge and tell her.
Shadow cursed himself for not bringing a communicator.
Rouge awoke, expecting to find Shadow lying next to her.
Instead, she just saw a note with his semi-neat handwriting. It read;
"Rouge, the scanner went off shortly after I woke up. Sorry I made such a rude exit, but this could be our break for the mission.
When I get back, I want to talk things over. I really enjoyed last night.
Salutations,
Shadow."
Rouge chuckled to herself. "Ah Shad, you never change" she said to no one in particular. "Always leaving when the going is good for everyone else."
Rouge stretched herself out, and was about to get dressed when someone started knocking.
"Who is it?" Rouge called.
"You know damn well who it is!!" a voice shouted.
Rouge sighed sharply; it was Knuckles.
"Be right there" she called back dully. Rouge quickly threw a robe on, tied it, and answered the door.
"All right Knucky, let's finish this like civilized people" Rouge said to the angry echidna.
"Where's the Master Emerald, bat?" Knuckles demanded.
"I already told you, I didn't take it!" Rouge said exasperatedly. "Ask someone else!"
Rouge was about to close the door but Knuckles stopped it. "Listen, I can't fight you here, but the second you're away from that gay hedgehog, you're-"
"GAY HEDGEHOG?!" Rouge snarled, suddenly angry. "Shadow is ANYTHING but gay, you stupid echidna!"
"Yeah?" Knuckles scoffed. "How would YOU know? He ignores every girl he comes into contact with..."
Rouge smirked in a way that made Knuckles squirm a little. "I'll have YOU know that I tackled Shadow on the bed last night and we went at it like a couple of drunk monkeys!"
Knuckles' mouth hung open.
Drool started to form.
Rouge took in a breath. "Now, why don't you let THAT image soak in awhile?" she said, and slammed the door in Knuckles' face.
After awhile, the stunned echidna stumbled away.
"I thought they were watching some weirdo animal show last night with women in pain..." Knuckles mumbled, remembering the noises he'd heard last night.
Shadow finally lost the Metarex and Eggman mechs after nearly an hour of running. The clouds were now practically black, and thundered dangerously. Shadow occasionally saw a brief flash of lightning. Shadow walked on, but was encountered by even more surprising foes;
Black Arms soldiers.
Three of them were of elite status, and eight others were standard troops. The elite ones wielded laser rifles, and two of the standard troops had swords. The other troops had laser pistols and shields.
Shadow growled to himself, but the Black Arms were then met by ten of Eggman's mechs, and eight Metarex.
Shadow then realized with horror; these three factions had allied.
That would mean great trouble for G.U.N. and the rest of the planet; they already had their hands full with Eggman.
Shadow leapt at them and fired several Chaos Spears, blowing away about seven foes. Then Shadow uses chained-Homing Attacks to finish off the elite Black Arms soldiers.
The other soldiers there fired their weapons while the Metarex and Black Arms with swords moved in.
Shadow merely chuckled, and blew away all of the Metarex and Black Arms.
Then Shadow warped about, and strategically finished off the others.
One Metarex tried to rise, but Shadow crushed the torso with his foot.
Shadow was then about to head back, when he saw more Metarex and Eggman mechs appear on another rooftop.
Shadow snarled, and then the clouds flashed brightly and clashed loudly with thunder.
Then it began to rain heavily.
Shadow looked back at the distant foes when suddenly many more appeared, followed by dozens of Black Arms soldiers of all kinds; standard, elite, giant, the worm-like ones, all of them.
And then yet more foes appeared...
Shadow estimated hundreds of foes before him...
They all surged forward.
Shadow rolled into a ball, and knocked down about ten with a burst of speed. Then he fired a number of Chaos Spears, and warped about to dodge the attacks.
Shadow put forth all his skill, destroying them all.
Then, Shadow finished them with a large Chaos Blast.
Shadow panted, and wiped some rain from his forehead.
Suddenly, he heard another metallic footfall.
"Oh, what now?!" Shadow grumbled.
He looked up, and saw five dark figures on a neighboring, taller building...
Shaped like hedgehogs...
They leapt down to Shadow's level, and he recognized them immediately.
Eggman's Shadow Androids, perhaps the strongest in his arsenal.
Shadow snarled; he hated these guys.
They leapt at him with nimbleness almost as great as Shadow's, and they attempted a Homing Attack. Shadow rolled under them, and kicked the lead one in the head, then blew away the furthest one with a Chaos Spear.
But another one fired a missile at him, blowing Shadow to the other side of the building.
He landed with a thud, growled, and landed a Homing Attack on another Android's face, knocking it askew.
The other three moved in, which Shadow dodged, slammed two together, and kicked the other one.
But the one with a damaged head landed a Homing Attack while Shadow was distracted.
Shadow fell, but immediately got back up, and warped behind the damaged Android, and finished it with a strong punch.
The last three surged forward, but Shadow knocked them aside with a spin-kick, and finished them with a Chaos Spear.
Sonic and Tails were playing a game of "Go-Fish" in their apartment.
"Got any 2s?" Sonic asked.
Tails shook his head. "Go-Fish."
Sonic pulled another card out.
"Gah, just a three" he muttered.
Tails thought a moment, then asked; "Got any 3s?"
"Yeah, here you go bud" Sonic said, handing Tails his newly-acquired card.
Tails smiled, then laid out his cards.
"Sorry Sonic, that's another win for me" he said, trying to be polite.
Sonic nodded. "You've got talent at this game, buddy" he said.
Tails smiled sheepishly. "Nah, just lucky" he said modestly.
Suddenly, Knuckles came in.
"Hey Knuckles!" Sonic greeted with a wave.
Knuckles just seated himself, and stared.
Sonic went up to him. "Hey man, everything cool?" Sonic asked.
Knuckles slowly faced him.
"Sonic... I think the universe is coming to an end, if what I think is true" he said darkly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Sonic inquired.
Knuckles whispered in Sonic's ear what he'd heard from Rouge, and Sonic's eyes widened.
"Knuckles... if that's true, you may be right" Sonic said.
Shadow was still being pursued by Metarex, Black Arms, and Eggman mechs, even a few Shadow Androids. Shadow finally made a standing point on a large rooftop, and readied himself for further battle.
But then, a much larger Metarex pushed his way to the front of Shadow's foes.
Shadow recognized the size and style of this one as a Metarex commander, no one to be trifled with.
The Metarex was colored red, and wielded a large, black sword of fine craft.
"Greetings, Shadow the Hedgehog" it said in a deep, monstrous voice.
Shadow recognized the voice now.
"...Red Pine?!" Shadow half-gasped. "How did you survive?"
"The question is, Shadow, how will YOU survive THIS?" Red Pine growled, stepping forward. "You and Sonic the Hedgehog destroyed my lord, Dark Oak, and now with these united forces, you shall be crushed in Dark Oak's memory!"
Shadow only smirked. "Bring it, then" he challenged.
Lightning flashed, and Red Pine charged forward with a bellow. But Shadow jumped over him while the troops watched the battle.
"Too slow?" Shadow taunted.
Red Pine growled, and slashed at Shadow rapidly, nearly nicking Shadow's quills.
Shadow leapt up again after Red Pine attempted a wide slash, but Red Pine then smashed him into the wall with great force.
Shadow groaned a little, and got on his knees.
Red Pine held the sword in a poised position, ready to finish him as lightning flashed.
"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled, hitting Red Pine right in the chest, making him stumble to the edge, and then Shadow landed a Homing Attack on the head, making Red Pine fall off the building.
Two Shadow Androids fired missiles at Shadow.
"Chaos Control!" Shadow shouted, freezing the missiles in place.
Shadow then took the missiles and threw them back, blowing up the Shadow Androids and a few other troops.
Shadow faced them. The troops retreated to regroup, knowing they didn't stand a chance alone.
Shadow then breathed deeply. "I really need to get back now" he told himself. "Red Pine won't stay down forever..."
Shadow was now running, bruised, cut slightly and exhausted, for his life.
Hundreds of Metarex, Black Arms, and Eggman robots pursued him. In the core of the horde, about a dozen Shadow Androids ran along with a damaged but enraged Red Pine.
Shadow finally stopped, now drenched in rain, panting and facing perhaps the biggest opposing force he had seen since he had once fought G.U.N. Headquarters' entire force.
Red Pine approached Shadow, flanked by Shadow Androids.
Shadow then closed his eyes, and summoned all his strength.
Shadow opened them, and was now glowing blue with energy.
Shadow leapt at the enemy horde, smashing them all aside, blowing them back and forth with Chaos Spears, Chaos Blasts, and strategic kicks and Homing Attacks.
None of them stood a chance against the Ultimate Life Form.
When Shadow's blue energy finally ran out, Red Pine attempted to charge him, but Shadow knocked him down, kicked Red Pine in the back of the head, and then landed a Homing Attack on the chest, knocking Red Pine on his backside.
Red Pine attempted to rise again despite the pain he felt. "You shall DIE, you miserable-"
Red Pine stopped, and looked at something behind Shadow, and chuckled menacingly while the remaining troops there suddenly saluted.
"What the-?" Shadow said to himself, and looked to see what they saw...
There was an echidna, standing on higher ground not far from Shadow...
An echidna with glowing red eyes, curved dreadlocks that looked like a cross between Knuckles' dreadlocks and Shadow's quills, and jet-black and crimson fur.
Shadow realized; this was HIS echidna equivalent.
Shadow smirked; at least it was as far as LOOKS.
Shadow leapt up to attack the echidna...
But it warped away in a flash of blue light.
"What?!" Shadow exclaimed.
The echidna reappeared below next to Red Pine and the others.
Shadow growled as he realized this echidna had very mighty powers, maybe equal or greater than Shadow's.
Then, Shadow saw another silhouette in the distance, but couldn't see it clearly...
But a flash of lightning revealed a crude, dark hedgehog-shaped being with dark energy around it...
Shadow instantly knew who it was, and all hope faded there as the echidna, Red Pine, and the others bowed to it.
"No..." Shadow mumbled.
The echidna warped back to where Shadow was, and two steel blades about 11 inches long emerged from each hand.
Shadow moved to attack, but the echidna was much more rested and full of stamina, and attacked in a frenzy, slashing Shadow in multiple places.
Shadow heavily fired a Chaos Spear, but the shot went too far, and flew off into the distance.
The echidna landed a heavy slash on Shadow's back, and the hedgehog fell over in agony.
Shadow panted, struggling to stand again. "Who... who are you?" Shadow demanded.
The echidna smiled cruelly. "I am Shade the Echidna" he stated. "And I am your successor as Ultimate Life Form."
Shadow snarled. "Successor, HUH?!" he yelled, and removed his bracelets and attacked again, surging with dangerous energy...
But Shade only laughed, and the steel on his blades fell off, revealing blades of pure energy beneath, and the echidna surged with energy too.
The two clashed, and Shadow might've won if he hadn't been running and fighting all day...
But he had, and it was no contest under the circumstances.
Shade fired a Chaos Spear, and Shadow went flying...
Defeated...
Fallen...
Rouge sat on the couch, now fully dressed and with a plate of cold breakfast before her.
'I wonder if Shadow's found anything yet' Rouge wondered. 'Either way, I hope he comes back soon...'
Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly by the window being smashed open by a limp, bleeding figure.
Rouge screamed when she saw it was Shadow.
She felt for a pulse... it was there, but weak.
"Shadow! Can you hear me?!" Rouge said, resisting the tears trying to come to her eyes.
Shadow weakly opened his eyes. "R-Rouge... go, get out of here... he'll come... he'll kill us all... he's returned for... r...revenge..."
"What?" Rouge asked. "Who's back?"
Shadow gathered what little strength he had and said;
"Mephiles... Mephiles has come back..." and then Shadow fell unconscious.
Rouge sat there, holding Shadow's wounded form with an unaccustomed emotion.
Fear
Shade stood out by the rain, savoring his victory.
"Is it done?" a cold voice asked.
Shade turned and bowed. "Master Mephiles" he said respectfully. "Shadow is defeated. A token-" Shade held up Shadow's ring-bracelets; "-of your victory."
Mephiles would've smiled if he had a mouth.
The dark hedgehog-shadow incarnation approached Shade, and the prize he held.
Finally, the only being who wielded the power to stop Mephiles...
Had fallen to his only equal.
Mephiles seized Shadow's rings, and held them up as the foreboding lightning flashed.
Mephiles tightened his grip around the bracelets, which soon groaned under the pressure.
Then, they were crushed into powder in Mephiles' hands, which he threw across the ground.
Mephiles rose his hands as the lightning and thunder clashed around him.
Mephiles the Dark then laughed dramatically in his victory.