"But… I don't want to be a queen…"

"Well, mother certainly can't be queen forever… Why do you worry, about something that will happen in such a distant future?"

"...Why can't mother simply, pick someone else…?"

"...Are you nervous?"

"..."

"...I know a lot is weighing on you… And everything can seem… big, at first… Not only are you heir to the throne, but an ember, by birth-"

"I'm not."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I still don't have any, 'grand' abilities… like you, or mother…"

"I told you, there is a time for everything-"

"But, what if I'm really not…? What if… the both of you, is all that is left…?"

"We won't be. Because, you'll always carry-"

"The future of the embers-you keep telling me that… Father, look at me…"

"..."

"...I can't carry something I don't even have…"

"...You really believe that, do you?"

"..."

"...Do you know, that jewel? In your forehead?"

"..."

"Not only a symbol, of a true ember… but also, a legacy, we carry…"

"..."

"It owns your essence… but also, hope… Which, can be passed on to others…"

"...What, do you mean?"

"Well, mother and I were planning to tell you this when you'd turn older, but,"

"What is it?"

"Fine, I'll tell… If, you promise you will become a queen when the time comes-"

"Not fair."

"I jest… But, do promise me something…"

"...?"

"You must, keep it a secret… Understand?"

"I promise, I won't tell mother-"

"You cannot tell anyone."

"..."

"Mother and I already know… However... this, is for you, alone…"

"...all right…"

"...You've been given the title of ember by birth… But… such title, can also be gifted."

"...gifted…?"

"Yes… There will be a time, when you'll have to choose someone worthy… Someone, who'll keep the gems safe, from corrupt eyes. And care for the people of this kingdom, with their life… Not only so that the lineage can continue… but, so that hope can still prevail, in such dark times… We know, you'll choose wisely."

"...I… didn't, know…"

"There is still so much you don't know… But I promise, I'll show you. One day."

"...all right… But, if that's the case, then-"

"Mother can't choose someone else to be queen, because we already did…"

"..."

"My dear… Do you know why, it'll be you?"

"...Because… I'm, the sole heir-"

"No, silly…"

"...?"

"A kingdom is always defined, by the heart of its ruler… It can stand strong, or be easily swayed… But your heart, is nothing but beautiful, Blaze… And mother and I know, without a shadow of a doubt… that you will do beautiful things."

"..."

"...Well, would you look at the time… Why don't we join your mother for supper?"

|| Shadow the Hedgehog ||

"Miles, how long until we reach the threshold?"

"[[ I'm, not sure. Traveling through this field is jamming everything. ]] "

"...How sure are you that this thing will work-"

"[[ It will, Shadow. I'm sure of it… ]]"

We flew fast through some sort of, 'dimensional field'. We were surrounded by nothing but strangely colored fog, while energy in the form of lightning would strike past us every so often, causing everything to slightly shake. I sat right behind Amy in the back cockpit, while Knuckles and Miles would sit ahead of us. Apparently, they needed access to the doctor's base in order to shed some light on Sonic's disappearance. I gave them permission, just as long as I'd supervise and lead the search. Miles managed to study the doctor's research on his new creation, and quickly found out that the machine was damaged during their confrontation. From the footage Rogue managed to pull, somehow, chaos control was induced. Things stack up, one after another, and Sonic pays the price. Luckily for him, his comms has pinged his location ever since. Now, using the emeralds as a way to travel to other worlds would only cause more problems. However, instead of linking them straight to the jet, Miles charged an external power supply with nothing but pure chaos energy. He implemented Eggman's work in creating a device mounted to the craft, which forced a rift in the hopes that it would give us answers regarding Sonic's whereabouts.

"[[... I hope he's doing alright. ]]"

"[[ You kidding, Tails? He's probably out there, having the time of his life. ]]"

I chuckled at Knuckles' response.

"He's right... Sonic just can't help making the most out of everything…"

"[[Yeah… wait… I'm, picking up something... Shadow, be on the lookout. You're our eyes on this one.]]"

"What am I sensing for, exactly?"

"[[I, wish I could say, but I don't even know what to tell you. Whatever it is, it should bring us to the Sol Dimension. So it might feel, unfamiliar.]]"

"...Copy."

"…You got this..." Amy said, looking over her seat.

I wasn't too encouraged to find anything. We were flying in blind, to the point that I could barely see the wings beside us due to the fog. Yet, I carefully paid attention to my surroundings, trying to spot any slight sign of irregularity. And after moments, I did... It grew distant… away from us... We were off course.

"...Bank right."

Miles immediately angled us until I signaled him.

"[[ What did you find? ]]" Knuckles said.

"I'm not sure, but… Keep this heading. We're almost there."

"[[...That's weird… I, don't feel anything...]]"

"[[ Wait, I think I see it, ]]" Miles said, raising his head.

A faint light sat in front of us, clouded by the fog. Growing brighter the closer we got to it.

"Tails, be careful," Amy said .

"She's right... I can't tell what waits for us on the other side."

We braced, and soon, we would slowly be engulfed with bright light and loud noise. For moments, everything started to shake. All sorts of alarms went off, and it felt as if we were spinning out of control. But abruptly, we passed through it and into a different scenery, as if nothing ever happened. Miles straightened us after our arrival, and we recovered after what happened then.

"[[ Told you, Shadow. ]]" said Miles.

I had to give credit where it was due. I didn't know this was possible, at all. And let alone, done in a month. Yet, he went against all odds. We found ourselves, in a completely different world, covered in clear skies and mountains below.

We started to circle the jet around, looking for anything that could tell us exactly where we were.

"That smoke…" Amy said.

We noticed a giant dark cloud of smoke coming from not too far.

"...Miles… down below."

I said, as we held on to the side while he angled us for a better view.

"[[ Look at that… what in the world happened here? ]]" Knuckles stared down to what appeared to be some sort of, downed airship.

I took a better look. "That damage…" Instead of damage from an all-out attack, the damage was all concentrated in one single spot: the bottom of the ship. And the wrecked metal was drastically bent inside out… Sabotage. "Looks like it came from the inside-"

I stopped talking, at a sight that would catch all of us off guard. A familiar symbol, on the side of the ship…

"Miles?" Knuckles said, confused.

I couldn't blame him… Eggman? Here…? He was being held back at HQ. Or so I thought.

"[[ Don't worry. I know what you're thinking… In simpler terms, this world's pretty much a mirror of ours... So, where there is an Eggman back at home… ]]"

"…There's an Eggman here…"

"[[ Eggman Nega… And like I said, Blaze's pretty much the Sonic of this world. A princess, actually- ]]"

Both me and Knuckles got hit with a wave of sharp pain in our heads.

"Shadow? Knuckles?! What's wrong?!" Amy said.

"I… what, is this… Knuckles?!"

"[[Y-yeah, I feel it too…]]" Knuckles responded.

We quickly looked around us, just to find nothing but what seemed like a huge settlement in the distance. Both of us could feel it, weighing on us. But it was so overwhelming, I couldn't tell where the source was.

"[[ I'm coming around, hold on, ]]" Tails said as we turned to the left and started descending.

We continued flying, when suddenly, I heard a gasp coming from Miles.

"Miles, Knuckles. What's going on?"

"[[ N-no… ]]"

"Miles, what's wrong? What do you see?" Amy tried to talk to him, but he couldn't speak clearly.

Yet, we kept closing in on whatever was ahead of us. It felt… wrong. Overpowered. Enough for me to see it as a threat.

"I need you to listen to me. Slow us down."

"[[ W-what- ]]"

"Just do it."

He brought the speed down enough for me to open the canopy, and step outside. Amy, however, objected.

"S-Shadow?!" I closed it back up. "[[ What are you doing?! ]]"

"Stay in here, all right?!" I talked to her over the comms against the loud wind.

I stood up, and looked forward. Soon noticing a fight taking place in front of us, at a speed too fast to see clearly. It was some sort of, knight. Exaggeratedly armored, and exchanging blows with… a hedgehog; the source of that energy. The fact that he was able to contain such power within him… It was even flowing away from its body in a dark mist, tainting the skin. We circled them, maintaining our distance. I couldn't believe it at first, but…

"Knuckles…?!" I said over the wind.

"[[ Yeah… That's him...]]"

"What do you mean that's Sonic?! What's wrong with him?!"

"[[... Over the years, he's been exposed to dark energy, in many ways, ]]" Miles explained.

"Why didn't I know this?!"

"[[ Because he didn't want everyone to worry… It's not, something he can take hold of… But, it doesn't really happen as often as you'd think. ]]"

"...That careless idiot-"

"[[ That's not the point. Shadow, that's, not Sonic anymore. The longer he's in that state, the harder it is to bring him back... We have to help him. And fast.]]"

"How?!"

"[[ ...I-I… ]]"

"Prower!"

"[[ I don't know, okay?! I don't… know… For so long, I've tried fixing him, but… ]]"

"…"

"[[…]]"

"...I'm going after him!"

[["Shadow, whatever you got in mind… he won't listen. "]] Knuckles said otherwise.

"..."

[["...You're thinking of fighting him, aren't you? "]]

"...I will if I have to!"

Amy spoke to me… "[[Shadow, listen to me… That's, not him… He's going to go all out… Let's just, wait until they- ]]"

"Rose… you knew too…?! …Did he ever-"

"[[No! Never... He has never hurt us… But, as for the rest…]]"

"...Miles! We're wasting time, and you know I can't just sit here…!"

"[[...]]"

"Keep the Stormblade circling for support!"

I crouched at the edge of the wing.

"...Trust me!"

Miles nodded at me, and I stood up, letting the winds take me. I headed straight down at him, while he clashed against that strange knight… If he was in that state, things were serious. I could only wonder what had brought him to this, as I rapidly cut through the sky.

"Chaos…"

I carefully aimed at both of them, waiting for the right moment…

"...Spear!"

In a swift move, I sent as many spears as I could, filling the skies with them. They curved and sliced through the clouds, soon hitting their targets and sending them toward the ground. I followed right after Sonic, who fell against some trees and into a field. I landed right next to him, while he tried to stand up.

"Sonic…! Tell me what's going o-"

He appeared right in front of me, and hit me… I took a step back.

"..."

"…What are 'you' doing here…?"

"…Sonic…? …What, happened to you…?" Slowly, he began walking over me.

"Stay away from this, Shadow…"

"...Who are you fighting-"

"You lay one single finger on him and I'll-"

"...!"

"…"

"...you're, not in your right mind… are you…"

"..."

He wasn't. He was… crying…? But small laughs covered it.

The Stormblade flew right above us with a roar.

"…Tails…"

"...We've been looking for you for a long, time. Everyone has…"

I said, as I approached him. He slowly calmed down, and his tainted aura started to dissipate.

"We don't know what is going on here… But from the looks of it, it can't be anything good…"

His blue fur started to show again.

"We can help you… But, we need you, to cooperate."

He got on one knee, and looked as if he was struggling with something.

"Look… just tell me, what's happening he-"

Suddenly, I felt something appear near us. It was that knight again. It flew straight at us from above, but we both saw it coming in time and jumped away. It landed, crushing the ground below. Sonic saw this, slowly losing himself again.

"Bringing more friends?"

"Your fight is with me, Nega."

"Sonic!" I called out to him, just for the fight to continue in front of me.

I went after them, as they exchanged blows throughout the woods and left a path of nothing but destruction. Wood and bark flew all over, but I managed to follow them through. I ran close enough to them, just to notice something. The energy that knight possessed wasn't being produced by him. It was something else, entirely. And then, I saw them. Gems, shining across its shoulders and arms. I remembered what Miles said then. If what he said was true, then… this fight, had to end.

I watched, and waited for the perfect chance to take them away…

"Wha-"

"Get. Away."

Only for Sonic to appear right in front of me. And without moving a finger, he sent me flying against the woods. I hit the ground, scurrying to get back up. They weren't that far. But before I shot myself right back at them, I sensed someone. I turned, spear in hand.

"S-Shadow!"

"Silver?! What, are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too."

He landed right in front of me, and began to brief me.

"From the looks of it, you already met Nega… and, Sonic."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Long story short, Nega's… got a lot of people hurt... They're safe for now, but Sonic's… He's… He's been like this, ever since… I-I've never seen him like that."

"That knight, is the 'Eggman' of this world…?"

"Y-yeah, sort of…"

"..."

"...Shadow, I'm worried. Do you know what's going on with him?"

"...He won't let me help him, let alone get close."

"..."

"The longer Sonic's in that state, the bigger the chances are of him not coming back..."

"...I understand. What's the plan?"

"Hold off Nega, and see what you can do about those gems… I'll take care of Sonic."

"Alright, hold on."

Their fight continued high above us, while Miles followed them, keeping a distance. Silver lifted me off the ground, and flew us straight at them. We remained above them, and we gained their attention. Right after, Silver threw me at Sonic as fast as he could, and I tackled him toward the ground. I rolled off of him and saved my fall, as he crashed into the dirt. I stood up, and walked towards the mess, just to find nothing. Just as I turned, I met him face to face.

He swung at me, but I ducked in response and moved away. I sent spears right at him, but as soon as I looked, he wasn't there anymore. I got hit from behind. Then from the front. The sides. It didn't matter if I'd turned to expect him, or moved to evade. Yet all he did, was stand in front of me and watch. His movements were unpredictable, and erratic. In those circumstances, I had to make an opening of my own. I threw another spear in his general direction, just to swing my leg right behind me. As expected, I landed a blow and sent him sideways. I shot myself right at him and pinned him against the ground, holding his wrists.

He didn't even struggle.

"I don't, w-want to fight you!"

"You call this a 'fight'...?"

With minimum effort, he lifted his arms and punched me away from him. I rolled over to the ground and quickly recovered. The moment I looked up, he was already grabbing my neck and throwing me against a tree. However, I warped behind him just in time.

"...fine…"

I stood up, and quickly reached for the ring on my left wrist. But he had already appeared right beside me, pulling my arm away.

"I thought you didn't want to-"

"Y-you're giving me not much of a choice!"

I sent a punch, just for him to hold my fist in place. I kicked him twice on his side, leaving him unfazed. I tried to reach the ring on my right wrist with my teeth, but got hit across my face instead. Then headbutted me and kicked my stomach, sending me backward.

"Go back home, Shadow-"

"This isn't you!"

"And why do you care?"

"..."

"…"

"...Whatever this Eggman is plotting, we can stop him-"

"No."

"…"

"This is none of your business… Nega's mine-"

"If this 'Nega' is somehow threatening our world in 'any' way, then it's damn well my business…"

"…"

"You can't try and stop me if you want… But I have a job to-"

He held onto my arm. Tight.

"...I don't think you heard m-guh!""

I punched him, square in the gut. He stood on one knee in front of me, struggling for breath.

"…"

"…You're… you're, making the same mistakes I did…"

"…"

"I know people got hurt… But, would they be proud, seeing you like this?"

"Nghh!"

He dashed right at me, pinning me against a tree. And hit me.

"Shut up."

He hit me again.

"Just-"

And again.

"Just shut up."

Over, and over…

"Shut up!"

"…"

The tree behind me started to crack. Soon, it would tear itself apart and slowly fall away from us. I stood against its remains, while he started to… sob. Right in front of me. I stood there panting while he looked at his hands, covering his eyes with them. Trembling, and holding his head as if trying to keep himself together. Slowly, his knees hit the ground, and his head right after. I stared at him as he unraveled, completely speechless. I, didn't know what to do.

His appearance was slowly turning back. But I had never, seen him like this before. He hugged himself tight, heaving on the dirt.

"…"

"…d-damn it…"

"…"

"…damn it…. Damn it!"

He punched the dirt with all he had, right beside my legs. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at me. His face was so, distorted. In pain… I knew those eyes, very well. Eyes filled with nothing… but loss.

"..."

"...e-everything, hurts…"

"..."

"…so much…"

"..."

"I-I don't know, what to do…"

He tightly held my wrist, and looked up to me.

"…I want her back…"

He grabbed onto my arm, and pulled me down. The moment I slowly sat on one knee, his head was already buried on my shoulder. I, was unsure on what to do other than to watch him. But I knew, very well, how he felt. And all I could do, was place a hand on his shoulder. Leaving him in silence, shaking against me. Minutes passed and dragged on, sitting under the fight above us. Silver and Miles danced through the skies, in pursuit of Nega. Unaware of an even more dreadful fight, right against my shoulder. A fight, so familiar to me… But, not for him.

When he calmed down, I spoke to him…

"...When, I lost Maria… the pain came, only after recovering my memories… It's ironic… 'The ultimate lifeform'... For so long, I've been told I was designed to be a symbol of 'hope' for everyone… Yet, I couldn't even speak, or act, for something I didn't even have… The only thing, that kept me going, was that promise she asked me to keep… To protect those who couldn't watch over themselves… Even those, who took her away… I'd find myself, in conflict, sometimes at first… But… All those years the Doctor spent on me… All her dreams, and aspirations… Her trust, on me… I couldn't just, let it go all in vain… I can't. And I won't… I carry them, wherever I go… That's what I decided to do."

"..."

"...What about you…? What will you do?"