Hero
By Formerly Known As
Chapter 7
Revelations
Author's first note: Just in time for the holiday season, an extra long chapter.
"What?!" cried Sonic.
Shadow's smile slowly grew bigger. "I didn't stutter, faker. You heard me perfectly. I'm offering you the chance to join me."
"Join you? Join you doing what?"
"I always thought you were stupid, Faker, but now I know it. Didn't I just say that?"
Sonic blinked in confusion. "I heard something about destruction and darkness and chaos."
"You heard right."
Sonic opened his mouth and struggled for a witty reply. Not finding any of those, he struggled for a reply of any kind. Finally, he gave up and stated the obvious. "I'm confused."
"I noticed," answered Shadow.
This statement did little to help Sonic. Struggling to make sense of the situation, Sonic stated what he knew. "I...I thought you died falling from ARK...But you're not dead."
"Truly, you have a talent for stating the obvious."
"We...saved the world together. And now you want to...destroy it again?"
Shadow laughed slowly. "I said nothing about destroying the world."
Sonic blinked and then shook his head. "Wait a minute here. You're talking about death and chaos and destruction, but not destroying the world? This isn't making any sense."
Shadow seemed to be really enjoying watching Sonic squirm in confusion. He considered continuing this for a while, just to see how confused he could make the poor hedgehog, but decided things would go a lot smoother in the long run if he just explained everything now. Besides, confusing Sonic was proving to be too easy a game.
"I have no intent of harming the world. I wish to help the world."
"By destruction and chaos?"
"Exactly."
"I think I'm missing something here."
"Obviously."
"Hey, it's not like you're doing a good job explaining anything!"
"Well, I'd do a better job if you would BE QUIET!"
Sonic bristled at the tone in Shadow's voice, but remained silent. Shadow paused, trying to recompose his calm, smooth exterior. After a bit he succeeded. "I have plans, Sonic. Great plans. Together I know they will go perfectly. So I now offer you the chance to join me. Together the things we could accomplish..." Shadow's face suddenly darkened. His dark, piercing gaze met Sonic's confused one. "But I will not let anything stop me, Hedgehog. I will succeed. With or with out you at my side. Even if I have to go through you, Sonic, I will succeed."
Sonic remained silent, intently watching the changes that came over Shadow.
From dark and piercing Shadow was once again changing. He became down cast, a sorrowful look filled his eyes as he looked away from Sonic.
"This world, Sonic," said Shadow, his voice barely above a whisper. Sonic struggled to hear it above the faint buzzing of the lights overhead. "This world, hedgehog...It's beautiful. Glorious. In...incredible." Shadow looked up slowly, his eyes filled with piercing emotion. "You have no idea, hedgehog, what this world looks like to me. How, how magnificent. There just aren't words to describe how this world seems to me, Faker."
Sonic looked into Shadow's eyes, so filled with emotion they seemed multi-faceted. Sonic knew little about Shadow's past, but he did know that Shadow had spent most of his life on a cold, sterile space station, the ARK. He had never been to earth before the day G.U.N. dragged him into their facility. At G.U.N., Shadow had been locked away, cryogenically frozen. When finally freed by Eggman, Shadow had been bent on destruction of those he hated, not even seeing the world around him. And now...now Shadow had nothing binding him. He felt no more need for revenge. G.U.N. still thought Shadow was dead so had no need to chase after the black hedgehog. Everyone else either didn't know of his existence, thought he was dead, or just didn't care one way or another. In those deep, almost endless red eyes, Sonic began to get an idea of what it must be like to see the world for the first time.
"If you find the world so beautiful, why do want to hurt it?" asked Sonic tentatively.
"I have no intention of hurting this world. Not at all. Would you destroy a beautiful gem, a soaring eagle, a fragile flower? Of course you wouldn't. No more than I would harm this world."
Sonic idly wondered just what had happened when Shadow fell from ARK. Sonic wondered how long Shadow had been wandering the world. How much he had seen.
What he had seen. He also wondered what the hell Shadow was planning.
Taking a wild guess, Sonic spoke slowly, testing his guess. "So...you've become an environmentalist?"
Shadow shrugged. "Perhaps you could say that."
"So...you're planning on destroying the human civilizations so that everything returns to nature?"
Shadow gave Sonic a scathingly look. "Don't be any more of an imbecile than you already are, Faker. That's the stupidest plan I've EVER heard. And was stuck with Robotnik for a while so I've heard quite a few."
Sonic blushed, rubbing his neck. It had seemed like a guess plan before he'd actually said it.
"Then what are you planning?" asked Sonic, his old frustration resurfacing.
Shadow smiled. "I will make this world a better place."
Sonic gave Shadow a half doubtful, half sarcastic look. "Through destruction and chaos?"
"Exactly."
Sonic's mouth dropped open as he tried to vocalize the complete profound
stupidness of this train of thought. "Huh? Shadow that's beyond the way past stupidest thing I've ever heard." He didn't succeed.
Shadow merely raised an eyebrow, giving Sonic the signal to continue talking.
Sonic tried again. "Destruction, chaos, things like that don't make the world any better, Shadow. They just make it worse, darker." Sonic paused, searching for words. "The only way to make things better is by hard work, trying, believing. You just can't make the world better through destruction and chaos. Because they only spread darkness."
Shadow smiled a patronizing smile. "But I will make the world a better place.
With destruction and chaos I'll make so much darkness that people will have to notice the light," Shadow was silent for a moment, as was Sonic as he struggled to make sense of what Shadow had just said. "You don't see things the same way I do, hedgehog. You have been here all your life, fighting against the darkness, fighting the shadows. But I...I am like the observer looking in. I can see how much those pathetic people out there truly have. You have so much here, yet you don't realize it. There is so much beauty, so much wonder. You have this whole beautiful world. And yet you can't see any of it. You're blind to the beauty that surrounds you. You've lived in light so long you can't see that there are worse things out there." He looked up. "So I shall make people realize how beautiful things are by bringing the horrible things to them. I will make them realize how incredible their lives are by making them see how much worse they could be. I will make today look so much brighter, by making tomorrow so much darker. They will realize, in the end." There was a determined gleam in Shadow's eyes. A look that would have scared most people. But Sonic the Hedgehog isn't most people.
Sonic folded his arms and put on his cockiest expression. "And you called my plan stupid."
Shadow took a deep breath and barely stopped himself from attacking Sonic right there and then. He struggled a good deal longer to hold his tongue and keep his cool. Years of experience in remaining cool and cold at times paid off and Shadow started speaking again, his voice betraying no hint of emotion.
"We are not here to talk about the merit of my plan, hedgehog. This isn't about what I have chosen." Shadow looked up and smiled at the blue hedgehog. "This is about the choice you will make. You can stand with me, help me in my journey through darkness. Or you can continue to play hero and stand against me."
Sonic's mouth flew open to return with a witty retort. But the fiery words fell into ash in his mouth and nothing moved past his lips. Memories and old thoughts came flying back into his head at the word hero. Memories of all his battles and the pains, both emotional and physical he had suffered. Thoughts of all the things Sonic couldn't have, all the sacrifices he had to make to become what he was. Thoughts of everything Sonic had to lose to become the hero he was. And memories of Shadow, falling away from him, taking the ultimate sacrifice of a hero. The realization that some day he too may be forced to make that same sacrifice.
"Well, Sonic?" taunted Shadow. "What will you choose? A path of darkness with me, or the same old walk of hero through the blinding light?"
Blinding light. That sounded about right to Sonic. Blinding light. It's all you ever got as a hero. You always walked in the light, always had to be ten times happier than everyone else, ten times braver. There never was a chance to descend into the darkness of your own soul, to wallow in your own grief or pity. Actually, now that he thought about it, there never was any time for anything as a hero. No time to hang with your friends. No time to search for a real romance, not just some flunky wanting a hero. No time to revel in the very sweetness of life that Shadow was talking about.
Silence had descended on the old factory, as Sonic stood, head bowed, deep in thought. Shadow had watched as Sonic's hands closed tightly into fists. He had stood braced for an attack, a yelling fit, or even the cocky retort he knew would be coming from the other hedgehog. All he got in response was silence.
Now that Sonic thought about it, he realized that beiing a hero hadn't ever really given him anything. At least nothing he wanted. The only thing he'd ever really received was pain. Lots and lots of pain. The pains of being kicked, punched, hit with lasers, and just generally pummeled. The pains of fighting battle after battle, no time to rest, no break in between, no time to even catch his breath. The pains of loneliness as he had spent another worthless night alone at home because he was too tired from the last battle or too tired from the endless publicity. Now that Sonic thought about it, he realized that he had never been on a regular date with a girl. He'd never spent a regular night hanging out with the guys and playing pool or something equally stupid. Sonic didn't have many friends and all the friends he had he had made during one fight or another.
Being a hero had given Sonic nothing but pain.
Shadow watched Sonic with decreasing alarm and increasing curiosity. Sonic hadn't thrown his offer back in his face yet. Fascinated and curious, Shadow walked over to Sonic. "What are you thinking, hedgehog?" asked Shadow, as he forced Sonic's head up to look him in the eyes.
With slight reluctance, Sonic met Shadow's eyes. Only the greatest self-control kept Shadow from gasping out loud when he saw the tears just barely kept from spilling over and flowing down Sonic's face. The greatest of revelations was not in the tears, but the emotions in the eyes. Immediately present in Sonic's eyes was a strong and burning anger, fueled by countless frustrations with life. But looking beyond the anger and frustration, Shadow saw nothing but sorrow and loneliness. These two emotions were stronger, though masked by others shown through clear. Shadow didn't know much about people or emotions having spent most of his life on cold, sterile ARK. But he could clearly see the anguish deep in Sonic's soul.
It startled and scared Shadow the amount of emotion he saw. It scared him more when he felt similar emotions surge within himself, echoing the losses seen in those emerald eyes. He felt nearly petrified when he felt sympathy for the blue one.
The mix of fear and sorrow and sympathy lasted for one single moment, until
Sonic jerked his head away from Shadow, breaking eye contact. He was blushing, ashamed of his tears and what he felt. He was angry at Shadow for having seen his tears. He was also grateful for the sympathy, however faint it had been, that he had seen in the other hedgehog's eyes. Sonic's emotions rose and tangled up inside him, then slid away into the depths of his soul, leaving him nothing but confusion in their wake.
Shadow's eyes slid half shut as inside he struggled to keep his own emotions of confusion from showing.
In those eyes Shadow had see that there was much more to the blue hedgehog than first appeared. But then, thought Shadow, that always was his way. Shadow himself had mistaken Sonic for nothing but some idiot the job of hero. But Sonic had proven to be more, so much more.
The silence stretched out in the old factory once again, Sonic refusing to meet
Shadow's eyes again, Shadow not even trying to see into his eyes, neither knowing what to think or what they were feeling.
Finally, Shadow became aware that it was growing late, or perhaps the better word was early, as it was now past midnight. While Shadow didn't mind staying up to all sorts of hours, he needed sleep. It had been a rather long week. Shadow figured that Sonic needed sleep as well. He glanced out the small windows near the ceiling of the factory, then back to Sonic, who was still refusing to even look at Shadow.
"I will you give you a chance to think my offer over, faker. Till then I bid you adieu," Shadow said, his voice filling the cool silence of the room. Sonic glanced at Shadow, only to see him turn and walk away.
Sonic reached out a hand, his insides in turmoil. "Wait, I-'' Sonic cried.
His cry came to late as Shadow suddenly vanished in a flash of green light.
Sonic's ears went back and his body tensed. "A chaos emerald?" he said to himself. "How in the world..." Sonic snapped his fingers in sudden realization. "Of course! We never did find the last emerald. Shadow must have had it the whole time. Why didn't I think of that before?"
Muttering to himself about what an idiot he could be, Sonic headed for the factory door. He knew that Shadow was long gone. He also knew that this was not the last he had seen of the black hedgehog.
Sonic spotted a light switch on the wall next to the door. He casually flicked it off as he headed out the door. Behind him the factory door banged shut, sending its echoing boom through the current darkness of the factory.
Sonic walked off slowly, needing time to think of everything Shadow had said.
What he meant. The simple fact that he was still alive.
In the darkness of the factory, Shadow listened carefully as to the hedgehog's footsteps fading off into the empty streets of the Dikes. He smiled in contentment.
Everything hadn't gone quite as he planned. But it just may be, that things were going better than he thought they ever could.
*************
Author's second note: Whoo! That was a looooong chapter. Consider this to be my Christmas present (or my whatever present depending on what it is you celebrate) to all you guys out there. Happy holiday season, whatever holiday that may be.
Next chapter may take a while as I'm getting a Gamecube and Sonic Mega Collection for Christmas. Then again, maybe the game will encourage more chapters. I make no promises when it comes to writing because honestly, you just can never tell.
This is one chapter that was particularly hard for me to write. This is the one that had countless gaping plot holes in it that needed to be filled. This is the one, that if you're only going to review once, that I'd like you to review. I really want to know if I pulled the whole thing off. So let me know, one way or another. Thank you!
Notes to my reviewers:
First off, SonicFan#1: On how to register at .
Look towards the top of the screen. See the blue bar up there just below the add and logo? See the last word just before the little pull down box? It says register. Click on that. It should give you the steps on how to register at . If it doesn't, there's a help page running around somewhere. Good luck!
To fiona_da_fox: I knew that Sonadow is the name of the Sonic/Shadow romance. I also think it would be a fine name for a character. What can I say, I go for ideas on any end of the spectrum.
Big important note I think I need to make:
THIS IS NOT A SONIC/SHADOW ROMANCE! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SHADOW/SONIC ROMANCE!
I have nothing against those. I've written one, for goodness sake. The facts are, though, that this isn't one. Thought I might want to clear that fact up now, so there isn't any confusion or people hoping for something they won't get. Hope I've made myself clear.
REPEAT ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A SONIC/SHADOW ROMANCE!
Okay, I'm done with that then. I swear, my author's notes are getting longer than the story...
Well, Merry Christmas, and thank you for all the reviews. They give me strength and keep me from sulking.
Peace out yo!