Phew, it's been a while to say the least. So the last time we left off, Aurora made a bet with Shadow over a sparring match. Gemerl showed what a drunk gizoid is like, and Amy and Aurora had a mother-daughter moment with Amy being aware of it.

I apologize for how long it took for me to get this out, both time and inspiration were somewhat lacking with this. I knew I wanted to write a scene where Shadow and Aurora sparred, but I didn't wanna drag it out too long...and of course I'm a stickler for word count, a rather unfortunate trait of mine that I've picked up over the years.

Anyway, enough of my excuses. Let's take care of those anonymous reviews, shall we?

Yago: You'll get to read this sparring match between Shadow and Aurora now...as for that other part...well...you'll just have to see for yourself. Heh heh.

Nightshade: Really appreciate the review! Thanks!

Sunset: You'll get to see what happens next right now! Thanks so much for the review!

Alright, that's done. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story, I really appreciate the support. And I hope E-vay is enjoying it too. I know she's been under a lot of stress these past few months, what will all those art thieves taking her work without permission and now her job eating up all her spare time.

At least she's got a great guy in her life now who's clearly been making her happy. I'm happy for her as well, and I hope that this story also contributes to the bettering of her mood. Without further ado, on with the show! I own nothing except the story and Yukon "Houdini" the Sugar Glider. Aurora the Hedgehog belongs to E-vay.
_

Darkness. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him on all sides, running in any direction only led him to more of this seemingly eternal void of nothingness that he'd found himself trapped in. "This is seriously messed up, where am I?" Sonic poured on the speed and accelerated faster and faster, the only sounds reaching his ears coming from the pounding of his feet against the ground and the pumping of his heart in his chest.

The last thing he could remember was being separated from Ba'Gan, he had memories of the pain he'd suffered from the ordeal, never had he felt anything like it before, like he was being ripped in two. "Well," he grinned in spite of his situation. "At least I know if I felt it, that walking snot ball felt it too." While he did take some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one who'd had to deal with the agony of what happened, it still didn't answer the question of what was happening now.

Sonic continued to accelerate, reaching speeds only attainable by him. 300 miles per hour...500...800...his feet became nothing more than a blur underneath his torso as he sped ever faster, until he finally heard the familiar sound of a sonic boom in his wake as he broke the sound barrier. "Guess I'll just keep going, seems like I'm alone here...wherever here is." Sonic continued to run in one direction for several minutes, the utter silence beginning to grate on his nerves as there seemed to be no end in sight even at his current speed.

Then he heard a faint cackle, and Sonic skidded to a sudden stop.

"Who's there?!" Sonic looked around warily, his muscles tensed and his fists clenched as he mentally prepared himself for battle. "That you snot rocket?! Why don't ya come out and face me?!" He heard the cackle again, this time a little louder. A chill ran down the hedgehog's spine as the realization that the laughter he'd heard sounded incredibly similar to his own voice. It was unnerving to say the least. "This game's gettin' old real quick! Make your move Ba'Gan!"

Suddenly light invaded the void of darkness and forced the blue hedgehog to shield his eyes with his arm to keep from being blinded. When he uncovered them, they immediately widened in shock as he was now standing in the middle of a grassy plain, the sky was now a brilliant shade of blue and the sound of birds flying overhead reached his ears. "I've gotta be dreaming."

"Sonic!"

Sonic quickly turned towards the sound of the voice he'd heard, and he saw Tails, Amy, Cream, and even Knuckles sitting around a picnic blanket, waving him over to enjoy the plethora of chili dogs that looked liked they'd been made from Amy's signature recipe. Sonic licked his lips with his mouth watering in anticipation. "Well, if this is a dream, I might as well make the best of it!" He was there in less than a second, and he eagerly took the chili dog Amy offered him. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to take a bite, the rich and spicy aroma of Amy's homemade chili tempting him to swallow it whole.

But all he bit down on was air.

"What the?!" Sonic opened his eyes and whipped his head around as the environment had suddenly changed dramatically. Looking into the sky, Sonic saw nothing but a blood red hue, and he couldn't help but notice that the air itself seemed thicker than it was just moments ago. "What...what gives? Tails! Amy!" His calls were left unanswered...by the ones he was calling at least.

"Hello Sonic."

The hedgehog clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, he knew that voice all too well...it was his own voice, but far more sinister. "Ba'Gan!" Sonic turned and saw the alien creature standing there with an evil grin on his face with his arms crossed proudly over his chest. "About time you showed up, little word of advice, that smile doesn't look good on my face."

"It's not your face anymore, it's mine."

"I thought we went over this, you're invading my body, remember?" Sonic rotated his shoulder and bounced the tip of his shoe against the red grass before putting up his fists. "This is gonna bring a whole new meaning to the term 'fighting yourself.'"

Instead of answering, Ba'Gan merely cackled again and suddenly transformed into Sonic's golden super form, and the next thing Sonic knew, he was tumbling backwards as Ba'Gan had slammed into him hard. "You're such a fool, delaying the inevitable, perhaps you need a demonstration of just how weak you are!"

Sonic got back on his feet with a low growl, but his eyes quickly widened in horror and his stomach dropped when he looked past the floating Ba'Gan to see his friends, bloodied and badly bruised as they laid on the ground, completely unmoving. "No!"

"You've failed Sonic the Hedgehog, you can't stop me, I possess far more power than you could ever hope to muster. Your friends will die by your own hands, all except for the one called Amy, I still have big plans for her."

Sonic clenched his fists so tight that the bones in his hands made a cracking sound, and he glared up at Ba'Gan with his teeth bared in rage. "Over my dead body."

"I was hoping you'd say that...very well Sonic the Hedgehog, let's see just how much fight you have left in that miserable shell of yours."

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Shadow the Hedgehog considered himself to be one of the best fighters on the planet, perhaps even the universe. His unique blend of speed, strength and agility, along with his intelligence and of course his chaos abilities made him a force that any mortal would be foolish to challenge to a one-on-one battle.

Which made what was currently taking place extremely confusing.

The Ultimate Life Form had deemed it fit to take it easy on this Amy Rose-caliber fangirl who seemed all too thirsty for his attention, challenging him to a fight he knew he would win without even putting forth much of an effort, but so far she'd been able to match his every move, and that fact was unsettling.

"C'mon Shadow, that all ya got?!"

"I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that I'm purposely holding back so you don't get hurt."

"It occurred, but I can tell you're not."

Shadow growled lowly and went in for another assault. He threw a swift punch and then twisted his torso to launch his foot out for a hard back kick, but just like before, Aurora was somehow able to dodge each attack while still staying in range for an attack of her own. "I have to admit, you're good." he smirked and then suddenly disappeared from view.

"Uh oh."

Shadow reappeared right next to her and grunted in exertion as he unleashed a powerful Chaos Burst attack, with chaos energy swirling around him in a pulsating sphere that would've easily sent her flying. "But I'm-" Shadow's eyes suddenly widened as he looked around to see that Aurora was nowhere to be found. "How did she-"

"Up here Grumpy!"

The Ultimate Life Form looked up and saw the young woman bearing down on him from above, and just a second later he was knocked back by a spin dash that left the hedgehog's mind reeling, as he slammed his hand into the ground to keep from sliding away, leaving marks in the ground in front of him. "That attack felt a lot like Sonic's." he said to himself before getting back up. "It's almost as if she knows what I'm going to do before I do it."

Aurora smiled to herself as she got back into a battle-ready stance, her plan was going better than she'd hoped. Shadow was unable to break through her defensive strategies, as she'd trained with him for a long time before this match...not that he knew that. "For once, it looks like being from the future is actually working to my advantage." Aurora then charged forward with a burst of speed, and she started running in circles around the black hedgehog as she activated her photokinesis, creating after-images of herself that clearly had Shadow struggling to focus. "Now you see me!" she then shimmered out of sight completely along with her after-images.

"Now what's she doing?" Shadow then gave out a grunt as he was smacked from behind by another spin dash, only an impressive display of acrobatics on his part kept him from landing on his back and giving Aurora the sparring match victory, instead he was able to twist his torso around and land on his feet. "Ok then, I think it's time I started trying." Shadow clenched his fists and leaped up into the air, whipping his arm back as energy enveloped his glove. "Chaos..."

Aurora looked up and her eyes widened as Shadow prepared to launch his signature move. "Oh I hate when he does this."

"Spear!"

The pink hedgehog took off running around the field to try and avoid the barrage of energy spears raining down from above, but then she was faced with a new problem when Shadow suddenly appeared right in front of her again with his fist reeled back for what would've surely been a finishing blow. Thinking fast, Aurora leaped over him just as he swung his fist, and when he made a move to follow, she twisted her torso around in midair and stretched out her hand as if she were taking aim with it. "Flash Dance!" The bands running down the sleeves of her clothes glowed brighter, and out of her hands came a flurry of light beam projectiles that forced Shadow to veer away to avoid the attack. Then as soon as she landed, she rushed forward again at full speed.

It only took Shadow a moment to adjust, and as soon as she reached him, he somersaulted under the attack and launched another, much larger individual Chaos Spear, but again the attack was avoided as Aurora made a sharp right turn and let the spear fly by. Grunting in mild frustration, Shadow pressed his attack, firing another barrage of smaller chaos energy projectiles that Aurora seemed to be getting hit by, but somehow was unaffected. "She's creating those illusions again."

Aurora panted as she fought to stay ahead of Shadow's attacks, it was clear he hadn't been fooled by her after-images for very long, and he was now attempting to compensate. "Gotta come up with something and fast, I can't keep this up for much longer!"

Unbeknownst to the both of them, their battle had attracted the attention of a few of the others inside Tails' laboratory, and now Rouge, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, Yukon and Sticks were all watching the sparring match take place with rapt interest. "C'mon Rory! Show 'im what for!" Sticks shouted at the top of her lungs.

"You know if I didn't know any better," Knuckles scratched his chin as he watched Aurora roll into a spin dash and force Shadow back on the defensive. "I'd say that her fighting style looks a lot like Sonic's." He missed the wide-eyed expression that had appeared on Sticks' face after he said that. "Her speed, her approach, similar but not exactly the same...she's attacking like she knows how Shadow fights."

"Pfffff, what? You can't - I mean she's just, don't you know she's a big fan of his?! That's all!" The rest of the group gave the badger weird looks after her outburst. "I'm just saying! She-"

Silver grabbed Sticks by the shoulders, throwing off her train of thought. "You mind keeping it down, you're gonna distract them." Before she could object he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You're gonna raise suspicion, drop it."

Rouge watched the whole thing with an amused smirk on her face. "She is an odd one." she shook her head.

Back on the battlefield, Shadow and Aurora were having a standoff. The pink hedgehog had managed to keep herself from falling, but she was out of breath and desperately trying to maintain the solidity of her battle-ready stance as she fought to get air back in her lungs.

"I have to admit, you've given me more of a challenge than I thought you would, you're really good at playing defense." Shadow noted the slight smile that had appeared on her face after he said that. "But I think we've gone on long enough."

Aurora gasped when Shadow suddenly rushed forward for another assault, and she fought to dodge the kicks and punches as they came, faster than they had the whole battle. "This is it, I just need to wait for the opening!" She watched carefully as the black hedgehog got into a rhythm, some of his attacks had even managed to hit her, though they weren't enough to knock her down. All she had to do was keep it up for a few more seconds, and the opening would appear.

"This battle's over!"

"There!" It seemed to happen in slow motion. As soon as Shadow launched his fist forward for the finishing blow, Aurora ducked underneath the attack and grabbed his wrist, using his momentum to swing him over her shoulder, and onto his back. "I'd say you're right." she panted.

Shadow looked up at his victorious opponent in stunned silence, as did almost everyone on the sidelines, except for Sticks who just had a smug grin on her face. For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of nature surrounding them, and of course the panting of the two fighters as they came off their adrenaline high.

Finally it was Sticks who broke the silence. "I knew she'd win." she said with her arms crossed smugly over her chest.

Rouge was the first of the shocked members of the group to regain her composure, as she pasted on a sly smirk and placed a hand on her hip. "Well now, looks like we got us a little powerhouse here...either that or Shadow's slowin' down in his old age."

Shadow shot the bat woman a glare before getting back up off the ground and dusting himself off. Then he regarded the pink hedgehog with an intense look that caused her to shrink back a little. "You knew what was coming. How?"

It was worded like a demand, not a request. She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "I-I just...I dunno, I saw it coming."

"That's all? You 'just saw it coming.'"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, yeah." He continued to stare at her, then he leaned in close and narrowed his eyes, prompting Aurora to lean back to get some breathing room. "What?"

The Ultimate Life Form said nothing, then simply stood up straight again and crossed his arms, his eyes closed as he exhaled through his nose before answering. "You are a worthy opponent."

"T-Thanks!"

The black hedgehog then opened his eyes and nodded at her. "I will fulfill my part of the wager. You're free to be around me, for whatever it's worth. I'm not particularly good company."

Even as standoffish as they were, hearing those words caused Aurora's heart to flutter a little. Finally she would be able to be around the hedgehog she loved again...naturally he wasn't exactly the same as the one she left behind...

But it was a start.

"Believe me Shadow, you'll be better company than you think." she beamed at him with a dazzling smile. "Somehow I can't wait for this adventure to get started!" Her moment of ecstasy was interrupted when Sticks suddenly tackled her to the ground and pinned her there with a playful grin on her face. "Why?"

"Duh! You beat Shadow of course!"

The other future dwellers gathered around her as well, offering their congratulations and patting her on the back for her accomplishment. "That sure was impressive," Yukon chuckled. "You read that attack like a true martial artist, I don't think even I could've reacted fast enough to do what you did."

"Thanks guys," the pink hedgehog blushed bashfully. "I-" Suddenly Aurora's pupils shrunk, and she grasped at her chest as a panicked expression overcame her. "W-What's...happening to..." she suddenly collapsed to the ground and fainted, and the others knelt down in front of her in utter horror.

"What's happening?!" Sticks shrieked.

The outburst gained the attention of the others, and they all gathered around to see what was going on. "What happened to her?!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Don't worry!" Silver laughed. "She was just overwhelmed with happiness, after all, she's a big fan of Shadow's, remember?" the psychokinetic hedgehog waved them off dismissively, desperately ignoring the incredulous stares on the faces of his friends. "You all just head inside and check on Sonic, we'll take care of everything out here!" Silver looked at Sticks and Yukon and gave a supportive smile. "Back up guys, let's give her a little air."

Seemingly convinced, the others slowly turned and eventually walked back towards the laboratory, and once they were out of earshot, Silver dropped his smile, and Sticks stopped holding her tongue. "Rory did not just faint!" she hissed at him venomously. "What's happening to my best friend?!"

"I have a hunch...but I really hope I'm wrong." Silver pressed two fingers against the fainted girl's neck, and the pulse he felt didn't fill him with much confidence. "Thready...not good." Suddenly Aurora's body seemed to fade slightly, and the three observers jumped back in shock. "Oh this is definitely not good."

Sticks snarled and grabbed the silver hedgehog by his chest fur. "You've got less than five seconds to tell me what horrible monster is doing this to her!"

"Silver!"

The trio turned to see Blaze rushing out to them after she'd gone inside with the others, and the ashen look on her face filled all three of them with dread. "Blaze, what's going on?" Yukon gulped.

The cat girl clenched her fists a moment and shook her head before looking back at them. "I just found out what's really going on...it's Sonic..."

Silver paled and looked back down at Aurora, who still seemed to be flickering in and out of existence. "It can't be."

Blaze nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. It's a chain reaction situation. Sonic is dying..." she looked down at the ground where Aurora was slowly fading away, and she shook her head in sadness. "And it looks like he's taking Aurora with him."
_

A/N: I'm almost sure I'm gonna have people coming at me for what I've done here...I won't say anything else, other than just be gentle with your reviews, please? Hopefully it won't be long before the next chapter is out. In the meantime, hang on everyone.