In Goodville…

BRIIIING!

It was late afternoon and the school bell of Light Magic Academy rang for dismissal. All the students exited the building, most of them chattering happily with one another.

Sonic, on the other hand, just ran out, alone while the other teens looked at him and laughed mockingly. He had tears in his eyes as he grabbed his broom and hopped on it.

"Sonic, wait—!" His friends and brothers tried to catch up with him to try to calm him down but he only gave them a tearful glance before flying off.

He zoomed through the sky, his tears rolling down his cheeks as he flew above the forest. He found his favorite spot, an empty patch of grass near the tree at the edge of the forest, just near the Gorge Barrier, and landed. He got off his broom and leaned it against the bark then he sat beneath the tree and began to cry, pulling his legs to his chest and hugging it tightly as he let his tears flow.

'Why does this have to happen to us?!' he thought as he gripped his the lavender top of his Witch clothing. 'Why is our family like this?! Why are we freaks and outcasts to everyone?! Just why?!'

He took out his wand and stared at it.

It was a Witch's wand made of crystal from Crystal Sorcerer's Magic, an evil kind of magic that was forbidden in Goodville for years. Their other biological mother Bernadette Melody, however, indirectly gave him and his siblings the crystal Witch wands to use for their upcoming magic lessons at school when Sonia was 15, Manic was 8 and he and his triplet brothers were 5. Everyone in their classes, except for their friends, always mocked them and hated them for the magic they held, even if they don't know that it was stronger than meets the eye.

With that, he threw the wand away and cried harder.

'Why are our lives so fucking complicated?!'

X

In Evilopolis…

"Ugh, this is shit." Shadow groaned as he folded his arms and leaned against the bark of a tree, whose branches and leaves shielded him from the afternoon sun. "Why did father have to fucking send us to guard some shitty spots where idiotic bastards and bitches would try to enter to kill us? Why not those lazy-ass guards?!"

He gave a loud growl, turned and punched the tree, his ruby red eyes flashing in rage. He continued to attack the plant until a huge crack appeared, sending the whole thing down.

Thankfully, the sun was covered by the clouds and it wasn't that hot anymore because it was getting late so he didn't need to worry of getting burnt.

Anyway, he huffed at the destroyed tree and sat down on the leftover stump, folding his arms as he closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

Suddenly, one of his ears perked up at the faint sound of…crying?

His eyes flashed open as he stood up, alert.

'Whoever's crying is nearby and that's not good for us.'

He looked around and sniffed the air, letting his Werewolf Sense of Smell take over as he found the scent of a hedgehog in the air, coming past the Gorge Barrier.

'Good monsters…' he growled in disgust before speeding to the barrier.

He stopped by a tree and hid behind it then he peeked out and saw a little blue hedgehog wearing a purple Witch outfit with a lavender top and skirt and wearing a purple Witch hat on his head as he sat beneath a tree.

'What the hell does he think he's doing here?' Shadow narrowed his eyes at the other. 'That's it. I'll take him to father so he could face the consequences of being near Evilopolis…'

He took a step forward but, unfortunately, stepped on a twig, breaking it as it made a sound.

One of Sonic's ears perked up in alarm before he slowly looked up at the source of noise and saw Shadow peeking from the tree.

Usually, any good monster who would see an evil monster would scream and then flee in terror but not Sonic. He knew what he was and he was never bias about it so he wasn't afraid.

Unfortunately, this was his first time directly encountering an evil monster so he had no idea what to do.

He usually saw his biological mother Bernadette and her older brother/his uncle Jules Melody indirectly, or via crystal ball messaging or got in contact with them through letters but he never met them or any other evil monster in real life until now.

He froze, his breath hitching before it fades for a while. His tearful emerald green eyes met Shadow's threatening ruby red ones, both orbs flashing as they stared at each other.

Shadow was actually glaring a warning glare, trying to signal the other to leave or else they'll be consequences. Sonic knew what the evil one was doing but couldn't move to oblige so he just sat and stared in nervousness.

It was all silent between them for the rest of the time. Neither of them spoke a word or made a move. It was as if time stood still.

Soon, it was nearly dusk. Both of them could see it at the corner of their eyes but neither one chose to speak up until…

"Um, hi?" Sonic wiped the tear that was running down his cheek before standing up shakily.

Shadow was caught off guard by this simple greeting. 'Wait, why isn't he running away or screaming for help?'

"W-What are you doing behind that tree?" Sonic went on, walking closer and closer, almost to the Gorge Barrier.

Shadow kept silent and watched as the hedgehog came. He had his eyes locked on the barrier, a smirk on his face.

'He'll just get himself reflected back to his land.' he thought with a chuckle. 'Stupid Witch. He has no idea that goodie-two-shoes are forbidden to enter here.'

As he came close, however, Sonic spotted one of the miniature enchanted beings of the forest, the Glow Fairy, as it flew towards Evilopolis. Sonic watched as it did, curious on why the Glow Fairy wanted to go to the land of evil hell until the Glow Fairy was knocked back into the forest of Goodville, making Sonic gasp and jump in shock.

'What the hell?!' he was confused at what he witnessed before turning to Shadow, who looked amused at what just happened to the Glow Fairy. 'Did…he have something to do with that?'

He placed on his bravest face and went on ahead.

Shadow slightly tilted his head and simply watched. 'Huh, this little Witch seems tougher than he looks. Too bad he won't get past that barrier spell father made…'

To his shock, however, Sonic was just fine. He made it to the center of the Gorge Barrier and went through it with ease, like the spell wasn't even there.

Shadow's eyes widened in horror as Sonic stomped up to the land of Evilopolis then stomped when he felt the grass beneath his feet.

The grass felt different from the one back at Goodville. The one in his home land was soft and felt enchanted with glitter or something else that's light and sparkly, like it was made by fairies. It felt foreign and uncomfortable under his feet and that's why he'd wear sneakers or sandals whenever he walked.

The one in Evilopolis felt different from Goodville. Not foreign at all, as if he longed for it. It wasn't soft and glittery at all but rough and dull, like it was nearly destroyed by flowing lava. However, this made it more comfortable for Sonic, as if it was unlocking the part of him that was forced to be hidden because of what everyone else felt and thought about it.

You see, two of his favorite powers were Snake and Siren. The Siren was for his bond with water but he was to pretend not to swim because his tail and fins were spikier and darker than a normal mermaid's. The Snake was when he walked on land, bonding him with mostly hard rocks and rough grass but it was hard to do that when everything in Goodville was soft, smooth and glittery.

Sonic sighed in relief, his eyes closing before he took off his Witch Sandals and placed his bare feet on the grass.

Peace. Relaxation. Something he's been longing for. Away from all the stress and panic of hiding the truth.

In this land, he knew he could do the things he wanted…

…BUT not in front of HIM.

Shadow, on the other hand, simply stared at Sonic, completely frozen in shock. He knew that the barrier spell could prevent good monsters from coming to their land so how did this hedgehog Witch get past it?

Sonic opened his eyes and stared back at the evil monster.

"Um, hello?" he tried to start communication again. "What are you doing behind the tree? Are you hiding from someone?"

Shadow growled and didn't hesitate anymore. He came out from hiding then pounced on the Witch.

Sonic gasped, his eyes widening in shock as he was pinned to the grass, the rocks being his mattress as his arms and legs were prevented from moving. He tried to get free by squirming but it was no use.

"Hey!" he glared at the evil being on top of him. "What was that for?!"

"Good monsters aren't allowed here, you freak!" Shadow snapped, making Sonic pin his ears. "Now, tell me, what are you? And how did you get past that barrier?!"

"W-What do you mean?" Sonic was shaking. "T-The barrier is just a small gorge. A-Anyone can go through it…"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the other, his mind full of questions of confusion. He tilted his head and studied the hedgehog.

He was blue. Azure blue. But…it was rare for blue hedgehogs to exist except if you were a Crystal Sorcerer or if you were a Siren…

Shadow smirked and chuckled then raised his fist. Sonic saw this and gulped, his body trembling in fear when he realized what the other was about to do.

"W-Wait! P-Please, don't—!"

WHACK!

Sonic was knocked out with one, hard punch on the head, his whole body going limp. Shadow just watched as the other lost consciousness then he carried him over his shoulder and sped back to the castle of Horror.

X

Back in the Magics house, in Goodville…

"Fuck that bastard!" Maurice threw a chair across the room after watching his younger triplet brother get knocked out and captured through their special bond, the Mind Link. "He's gonna fucking pay for kidnapping Sonic! I swear to hell—!"

"Ric, calm down!" Ogilvie placed both hands on his oldest triplet brother's shoulders. "We'll get Sonic back. Just calm down."

Maurice growled and shook his head. He walked to his bed and folded his arms, his anger boiling inside of him as he felt his eyes turn obsidian black.

'I'll get you back Sonic: I SWEAR IT.'