Live and Learn

Chapter 7: Escape from Prison Island

"I found you, Faker!" Sonic snapped, pointing at Shadow for emphasis.

"Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here. You're comparing yourself to me? HA! You're not even good enough to be my fake!"

Sonic was outraged. He jumped toward Shadow shouting, "I'll make you eat those words! You can't get away this time! There's only one REAL Sonic!"

"There's no time to play games! You won't even get the chance!"

Before Sonic could ask what Shadow had meant by that, the ebony hedgehog had struck the cobalt one with a punch to the face. Sonic hardly knew was what was happening- he was on the ground one moment and flying upwards toward a branch the next. He quickly grabbed it at the last second, and then swung himself up there. Shadow jumped up to strike again, but Sonic was quicker and sent him back to the ground almost instantly. Sonic charged straight at Shadow- Shadow moved out of the way and backed to the edge of where they were fighting. Sonic clenched his teeth and tried another Spin Dash, though Shadow ended up behind him and gave him a kick to the head.

"Oomph!"

"You dare oppose me?" Shadow roared, walking toward Sonic who had fallen into a bush. Sonic glanced up at him, awaiting a strike, but Shadow never gave one.

"Well what are you waiting for? I'm vulnerable! Hit me!" Sonic then added, "Or are you scared?"

"I'm not scared at all."

Shadow then roared and tried to Spear Sonic, who was long gone out of the bush and perched on a tree by then. Shadow turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"You appear hesitant to fight me. Are you scared of something?"

Sonic's mind flashed a picture of the military locking him up forever, and then shook it away. "Heck no! I fear nothing!"

"Then show it!" Shadow growled, appearing next to Sonic and bashing him out of the tree like a piñata. Sonic cried out, then curled up into a ball to protect himself…and also charged up light. Shadow showed signs of confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Ready? GO!"

Shadow didn't know what hit him. Sonic plowed into him at mach speed, briefly knocking the wind out of Shadow and sending him into a tree. Shadow resiliently bounced back up, until Sonic tackled him with his shoulder. Shadow was sent straight back into the tree. The Ultimate Life form was not going to take that. He ran up the tree, and then flipped backward until his foot connected with an oncoming Sonic's head.

"You may be able to sneak in a few hits but you'll never defeat me! I was created for an ultimate purpose!" Shadow blared. Sonic staggered around grabbing his head.

"I don't wanna hear you."

"I don't care what you want and don't want- you're in my way right now! I don't want that but I'm at least taking care of it!"

Shadow kicked Sonic to the side, Sonic tumbling onto the ground and panting heavily."Shadow, don't make me upset…"

Shadow tightened his hands into fists and marched toward Sonic. "I don't wanna hear you, Faker…."

Sonic struggled, but he managed to at least push himself off the ground. "Shadow, don't make me upset…"

He then did a break dancing sweep kick, knocking Shadow right off his feet. Sonic followed up with another Spin Dash, socking Shadow right in the stomach. Shadow replied to this with another kick to Sonic. Sonic went flying upwards and landed on his spines.

"Ow…that hurt…" he wheezed. Sonic glanced up - Shadow was once again strolling up for an attack. But this time…there was something in his eyes…and even though Sonic didn't know what it was, he knew how to describe it.

"You are hiding something."

"RARGH!"

Sonic wasn't expecting those four words to cause Shadow to blow a gasket, resulting in him getting kneed and punched. Luckily he jumped right back up and plowed into Shadow once more, the two practically dancing with their kicks, punches, Spin Dashes, and blocks. Shadow crashed down on Sonic's head with a double fisted bash, but then Sonic Spin Dashed Shadow's head afterward. Shadow grabbed Sonic and tossed him toward a tree. Sonic landed on his feet, skidding to a stop, then charged back at Shadow with a light dash. Shadow was bowled over and it was now him looking up at Sonic, who wore a look determined to win.

"So you're not just a hedgehog..." Shadow mused to himself, however, Sonic had heard him.

"What's that supposed to mean? I want answers!"

"…not bad for an impostor." Shadow then shakily stood back up, glancing at his watch. "But I don't have time to hang out with the likes of you."

"Do you know who I am?" Sonic asked, a bit of pride in his voice.

"No. And I don't think I want to either."

His communication device started beeping and Eggman's voice rang out.

"Shadow! What are you doing? Hurry and get back down here right away before the island blows up with you on it- blasting you sky high!"

Sonic's eyes widened three times their size. "BLOWS UP?"

Shadow, whose jaw was dropped, said nothing upon realizing the graveness of the situation, jumped back ten feet away from Sonic, and skated away to save himself. Sonic reached out as if to stop him, then quickly realized that was pointless.

"I've got to get out of here and find Tails and Amy right away!"

He bolted in the opposite direction Shadow took. He had caught sight of the watch on his wrist- 8 minutes left. 8 minutes to get Tails and Amy to the Tornado and get out. Speaking of, where WAS Tails? He certainly wasn't there when Amy rescued him.

"I'll find out when I reach them…"

So now it was Sonic's turn to make a mad sprint through the jungle. Robots, as they were programmed to detonate all intruders, appeared, but Sonic blasted right by them and sent them flying out of his path. He swerved between trees and bushes, bolted over Boost Pads, and took off on a ramp that Sonic wasn't even really sure why that was there.

"I…jeez, the island's really going to blow up?" Sonic groaned to himself as he grinded on a vine and bounced off a spring. "I knew there was something going on! And to think! That's seems like it was just a step in a much broader plan…"

He was grateful there were boost Pads everywhere- what if he didn't make it in time? Ah, screw that- he was the fastest thing alive! Well, there WAS Shadow…but Shadow hadn't beaten him in a race, so the title was still his to claim. Sonic rushed around a loop, dashed over another series of Boost Pads, and fell through a hollow tree.

As he jumped on another vine, he felt highly guilty about Tails and Amy. He had left Amy behind just because she was pressuring marriage again, and he didn't even get to see Tails…yes, they had come here on their own account, but they had saved him.

"If they didn't come at all, well, I guess I could say I was sentenced for life on Prison Island…"

If he didn't move though, none of them would be escaping!

"I'm almost there…I'll make it, I'll make it…"

He repeated that to himself as he bounded upwards via springs and vines. Sonic was a blue streak in a sea of green, the blue rushing by for the green and the green rushing by for the blue. The 'blue' also ended up getting his foot snagged on a "bungee vine" and found himself falling several stories upside down with no support but a vine.

"Whoa!"

The vine than snapped him back up, and Sonic scrambled back for solid ground before he carelessly stepped into another trap of sorts. He mentally told himself that there were approximately 6 minutes left, and knew he had to hurry. But really…he had to almost be there, right?

"I'd better be!"

Sonic grabbed onto a vine and swung around a large tree, like Shadow had done previously. He flung himself onto the next area and rocketed off once again.

"I knew it! There's the way out!"

Sure enough, just ahead, the forest ended and the main prison began again. Sonic rushed out, not caring if any military soldiers would see him.

"TAILS? AMY?"

. .

"…you're telling me you lost Sonic?" Tails complained, now that he and Amy were reunited thanks to Amy unintentionally running into him (literally) while on the prowl for her hero.

"I didn't lose him! I freed him, and he ran off, as usual! I don't know why- usually guys like to stick by their girlfriends…"

Tails rolled his eyes and groaned. "I told you to stay here-"

"If I did, Sonic wouldn't be free, would he?"

"He wouldn't be lost either!"

"GUYS!" Sonic shouted, running toward his friends who were bickering on the runway.

"There's Sonic!" Both of them cried in unison.

"How come you came from the forest-" Tails started to ask.

"Oh Sonic I missed you! Why did you run-" Amy began to question.

"NO! No time for talk!" Sonic exclaimed. "Bomb…island…blow up…five minutes…we need to JUICE!"

"WHAT!"

Sonic motioned toward the Tornado in walker form, then charaded out "transform now".

"Uh, okay!" Tails squeaked, leaping into the cockpit and firing up the engine. "Tornado…transform!"

"I'll explain everything later once we get off this soon-to-be death trap!" Sonic promised, jumping onto the half-transformed Tornado and helping Amy up. "But we've barely got any time to get out of here!"

"Just leave it to me, Sonic!" Tails called, hitting buttons and slapping the levers, trying to get the plane of the ground. Amy, meanwhile, hugged Sonic and giggled.

"I knew you'd come back! And now we have you to thank from saving us from the bomb! Now we can get married and grow old-"

"Not now Amy."

. . .

A minute left…and slowly counting down the seconds. Rouge knew she was going to die. Eggman certainly wasn't going to help her, and Shadow was apparently busy.

"At least I'll go out in a bang…" she sighed. "…and I'll have these beautiful jewels by my side…"

Then, with 6 seconds left, Shadow miraculously jumped in out of nowhere, running straight toward Rouge while holding a glowing Chaos Emerald and shouting, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

. . .

The island suffered a series of explosions, ranging from the Metal Harbor to that vast jungle. From the prison itself to the runway. One little bomb could do ALL that damage. It was a wonder the entire island didn't just sink. With one final, massive explosion, Prison Island was blasted into ruins. The aftershock was enough to cause huge waves in the ocean, and light the sky up in a deathly orange.

Sonic, Tails, and Amy just looked back, thinking about why such a thing had to be done.