Enter the Thousand

Shadow looked down at Earth through a thick window.
"Promise me Shadowkin… you'll protect them; make those people happy for me. Like you make me happy."
Shadow's vision was watery. He could discern a shape but nothing more.
"But Maria where are you-
Shadow heard two booms.

He sat up with a start. Espio was awake and staring around too, his yellow eyes glinting in the sparse light.
"They're coming!" he shouted, and Shadow knew he was right. Beside him Knuckles jumped to his feet.
"Everyone into your battle formations!" He shouted, and everyone responded. Knuckles ripped the bandages off his hands and replaced them with gloves. Suddenly Sonic and Tails were by his side. Just for a moment Shadow wished he had friends as loyal as them, and his body again caught aflame, but this time he wasn't afraid. Then they arrived.

A swirl of dark bodies swarmed them. Espio standing at Shadow's side was suddenly swept back. Shadow threw his flaming fists into the surprised faces of his other selves. His whole body glowing bright red and black. There were screams, his own voice and those of the others. Cries of pain. Tails' scream, high pitched over all the others, calling to Sonic for help. Shadow turned and raced to the sound of his voice. One of his selves stood over him about to administer the final blow. Shadow grabbed hold of it and a blast of flame turned it to ashy dust which fell all over Tails and the swarming mass of Shαdøws around them.
"Sonic Wind!" Sonic's voice shouted. Far away several Shαdøws met the fury of his power. The Shαdøws were pushing them to the limits.
"Chaos Control!" Shadow screamed.
Everything became silent, and suddenly still. Vector smashed one apart, Knuckles threw a rock into their mist and they could do nothing, as for the Shαdøws, time had stopped.
"Destroy them!" Shadow yelled as the others paused confused for a moment. Then they turned back to destroying the enemy. Time started again, and Chaos returned. There was more fighting. Then Shadow felt himself being dragged under a wave of enemies. They were smothering him; any he destroyed were simply replaced by more, striking whatever part of his body they could reach, striking through the flame, even though it burnt them. Then as Shadow watched he saw it start to dwindle and begin to go out.
"Guardian Shield!"
Suddenly they were gone and Shadow lay next to Knuckles, beside him Sonic lay on his back, kicking his legs and flailing his fists like an upturned turtle. Knuckles in the centre was glowing, emitting a shield around them.
"Mm two for one" he said
"They're leaving!" Sonic's voice.
"Oh good…" Knuckles, his fur matted with blood collapsed to the floor.

"Can you make yellow fire Shadow?"
"Isn't black enough?-

Shadow sat up suddenly. Someone was crying. He dragged himself along the floor, unable to stand. He found the source of the noise. There was a pile of bodies, and the noise was coming from under them. With all that remained of his strength he pulled the bodies away, trying to ignore the sight of his dead selves. Beneath them Shadow found Tails, screaming in fear and covered in blood.
"Tails!" Shadow shouted pulling him from under the lasts of the bodies. He screamed with pain and Shadow's heart went cold.
"Shadow, Shadow! …I want Sonic" Tails cried
"Shh… little foxy" Shadow heard himself say, looking down on Tails. His body was broken, and… dying.
"Sha-dow…" Tail's voice grew weaker.
"Shh…" Shadow again soothed and lifted Tails in his arms, who only whimpered slightly in pain. Shadow felt lost, Tails was dying in his arms and he didn't know what to do.
"Sonic…" Tails slurred his eyes closing.
"Help us…" he mumbled softly "father, what should I do?"
Shadow's world grew blurred.

Tails felt warm all of a sudden. Then his whole body seemed to catch aflame with pain. He was being rocked by someone. Then the pain vanished and he was filled with a floating sensation. He opened his eyes. Shadow of all people was rocking him, a white glow around their bodies, all the while he started to feel better, the pain was gone and he felt lighter and his body warmer.
"Sh-Shadow?" Tails started to say.
Shadow's closed eyes snapped open. He jumped and the comforting white fire around them went out. Tails was left with the sensation that something had been left half done. Shadow looked at him, an odd expression on his face as he lowered him to the ground and backed away. Shadow ran off. Tails watched him go sitting up on his elbow that wasn't broken anymore. Distantly he heard Shadow calling out to the others, and slowly other voices responding.

A moment later Shadow returned with their pitiful group. Vector was carrying Espio. Charmy was walking instead of flying. Doctor Eggman carried Amy and Knuckles, Rouge limped along and Shadow was in the centre with Sonic's arm around his neck, carrying him. Shadow lowered Sonic to the ground by Tails' side.
"Sonic are you ok?"
He asked moving to kneel by his side.
"I will be" Sonic sighed.
"I think it's Espio we need to worry about now" Doctor Eggman said as Vector lowered him to the ground.
"We're all a mess" Vector said. Shadow couldn't help but feel guilty.
"And this is just the beginning" Sonic gasped
"There's a thousand more where they came from" Rouge agreed.
"Espio, can you hear me?" Eggman asked. No response "I think he's dying…" A murmur ran around the group. "I'll do what I can but I'm not really that kind of doctor…"

Shadow looked around the group. Tails and Amy were clinging tightly to Sonic, who looked suddenly and unusually fragile. Knuckles, alone as always, was nursing his own injuries, his fur dark with blood and sweat. Rouge sat on the floor just looking dazed. Charmy and Vector bent over Espio, Charmy looking as though he would cry. Shadow couldn't stand it anymore. He bolted into the trees.

No one even seemed to notice him go. Sonic was sliding in and out of consciousness. Eggman doubted Espio would survive the night. His body was ripped to shreds, Eggman found it easier to name limbs that weren't broken than those that were. But the main problem was the damage done inside.
"Rouge…" Came a voice. Rouge looked up to see Knuckles collapse.

Shadow ran for a long time, but no matter how far or fast he went he couldn't escape the feeling clinging to his heart. When he finally stopped running he was on the edge of a lake, not far from where he'd left the group. It was wide and still. The moon's light shinning down on it turned it milky silver. He stared around, how could this place dare to be so beautiful when the world was such a cruel and terrible place? Why was he here when he was the last to deserve to look upon it?

The atmosphere around the campfire was sombre that night. The three casualties were laid next to each other to share their warmth, tended over continually by one or other of the group. Amy never left Sonic's side.

Shadow stared down at his reflection in the water. His face was cut, bleeding and swollen. Shadow looked at his eyes. They looked back at him, emptily, searchingly, looking for something they would never find. Shadow watched how the reflection changed and shifted in the water as he moved, as he placed his hands into it. The water was cool. It stung at the cuts on his hands, but was oddly pleasant, cooling the heat in his body. He splashed the water against his face and let it drip back into the water, red droplets glittering in the moonlight.

Tails sat staring into the fire. He could remember being hit during the battle, but he seemed to have come off almost completely unscathed, just a few light bruises and cuts. He'd been sure he'd had worse injuries than that. He wasn't sure if he had dreamed what had happened with Shadow, it seemed too incredible to believe…

A silver glow against his eyelids disturbed him from sleep. He glanced across; the glow seemed to be coming from Espio's direction. He wasn't sure if he could see a dark shape in the middle of the glow. Before he could ponder this anymore sleep took him again.
"Huh? Shadow get off me!" the sound of a struggle then a thud. Then Knuckles saw a black streak moving away from Espio. He blinked, uncertain whether he'd dreamt it, but Espio was sat up, staring around and his wounds were gone.
"What the…" Espio muttered "What'd he do?"
By now most of the group were awake, starring irritably around. Knuckles noticed Shadow rejoin them from the fringes of the trees, looking slightly abashed and uncertain.
"What's the matter?" Vector asked
"Shadow was molesting me!"
"I was not!" Shadow shouted from the other side of the group.
"You were laid on top of me!"
Shadow snorted and looked away. Meanwhile Eggman had moved across the group and was staring down on Espio.
"Your wounds appear to be healed"
"Whoa! Shadow what did you do?" Knuckles asked
"Nothing"
"Why do you presume that thing did it Knux?" Sonic asked groggily"All the evidence points that way, besides, who else do you think could have done it?"
"Anyone but him! All he's good for is violence and destruction"
Shadow said nothing, neither in acceptance nor defence, he was silent. Knuckles was about to say something rather rude.
"That's not fair Sonic" Rouge said
Shadow watched the exchange, not seeming to care who should speak and what they would say.
"Take it back Sonic" Tails said
Sonic folded his arms and said nothing.
"Well whatever happened Espio's wounds are entirely healed."
"That's good"
"Yes who or whatever saved his life"
Espio just grunted at that.
"Whoever it was, you have my thanks" Vector said
There was a moment's silence. Imperceptibly Shadow smiled.
"If everyone can walk, maybe we should move on" Knuckles muttered, struggling to his feet "Sonic, are you up for it?"
"I'm fine"
"Let's get out of here then. I don't know about the rest of you but all these bodies are beginning to give me the creeps"
"Yeah" Tails agreed

The ten of them walked along. Knuckles relinquishing his lead after just a few moments as his injuries restricted him to no more than a slow limp. Sonic was only a little better. His sleep seemed to have replenished him a little, though he too struggled to walk, Amy however was always at his side and for once he accepted her offer of help and allowed her to half carry him along. Though Rouge and Shadow walked at either side of Knuckles they both knew better than to offer him help.

"Where exactly are we going?" Vector asked as they all paused to wait for Knuckles to drag himself up from where he'd stumbled for a third time.

"I dunno"

"There's a lake not far from here. Maybe we could go there" Shadow offered softly, watching Knuckles try to stand again.

Vector shrugged "Lead the way"

Finally Rouge helped Knuckles to his feet. Once he was standing she let him go. They all trudged off again.

Knuckles was falling with increasing regularity. They couldn't travel far or fast because of him. He was clearly in a lot of pain, but was too proud to ask for help.

"This is ridiculous" Vector finally said as Knuckles tried and failed to stand. Carefully Vector picked Knuckles up, he struggled for a moment, but finally realising he was beaten, relaxed and allowed himself to be carried. They could move faster then, and reached the lake just as the sun was sinking below the trees. Exhausted the stronger ones did no more than collect a few logs for a fire, and collapse with the weaker ones onto the sandy shore to sleep.

"Shadow you must learn balance… you are so filled with hate…"

His eyes opened. The fragmented moon was right overhead, looking almost resentfully down on him. He sat up. There was a figure standing at the lake edge, carefully so as not to wake the others he moved down to the edge of the water. Amy looked across at him.

"You look different in the dark" She said softly

"Really?"

"Yeah… I dunno… smaller maybe"

Shadow said nothing

"The lake is so pretty don't you think?"

Shadow agreed but refused to admit it.

"Sonic's scared of the water because he can't swim… If you're supposed to be like him are you scared of the water too?"

Shadow shook his head "I think I can swim… but I don't remember"

"Oh so… err… what can you remember?"

"Not much, sometimes when I dream… I remember things… someone… and… A voice telling me to do stuff"

"A bad voice?" Amy asked her eyebrow raised

"I don't know… I don't think so… at least not in the voice that tells you to burn things sense, well he was telling me to burn things but that's not the point…" Shadow grinned a little "I didn't hate the voice I don't think… but… maybe I resented it a little" Shadow shook his head "I don't know"

Amy nodded her head and looked back at the water "Do you think Sonic will ever like me?"

"Nothing's impossible" Shadow answered "You can take comfort in knowing he likes you more than me"

Amy sighed "That's different"

Shadow shrugged his shoulders "…I think I loved someone once…"

Amy turned to stare at him, a look of amazement on her face. "Really?... Who?"

Shadow looked up at what was left of the moon "A human" he sighed.

"A human?..."

Shadow nodded and turned away, as he walked off he spoke "I loved her… and she deserted me"

Knuckles had the most bizarre dream; he was back on the ARK, as vividly as the day he'd actually been there. He'd wandered alone through the space base on that day, and found the strangest things, the last things he would have expected…

These parts of the ARK were different to the places where Eggman held Amy and Tails captured. Knuckles walked slowly along the many twisting corridors, his curiosity drawing him to explore. As he forced one more door open he stepped into an odd room. It was almost pitch black, the only light came from a small flickering panel at the far end. Through the darkness Knuckles could tell it was large, his footsteps echoed hollowly. The walls were entirely plated with thick metal, so thick he doubted if even he could punch through it. In places the metal was scorched black and melted, hanging in globules off the walls, floor and ceiling. This room, like everywhere else had a thin layer of water on the floor as the ice formed during the ARK's long slumber deactivated in space melted with the reactivation of its power core. The room smelt burnt. As Knuckles looked up he saw why there was so little light. The florescent panels in the centre of the ceiling looked to have been burnt away. The others were so black with soot that they gave little light. The whole room looked as though it had once been subjected to a huge firestorm… odd… He turned round to go. He stared at the doors. There were two handprints burned deep into the metal of the door… Knuckles reached up to touch the mark. They were small hands, though everyone's hands seemed small when compared with his own, but these were no bigger than Tail's or Amy's. As his hands made contact with the burn he felt a flash of desperation. He snatched his hands away. Hastily Knuckles left, the room though clearly deserted for many years made him nervous. It seemed to tingle with anger and pain…

He wandered on; the next room he came to was different again. Some kind of science lab, still sterile, white and almost perfect, though like the other rooms it dripped with water. Near the door there was a desk, clearly designed for a creature far bigger than Knuckles himself, probably a human. He hopped up into the chair and looked down on the papers and graphs sprawled across the table, because of the wet most of the text was illegible. There were a few charts too, but what they denoted Knuckles couldn't tell. Bored he jumped down again. He had better things to do than puzzle over the ramblings of a scientist.

Further up the corridor he came to another room, the door to this was half open, the light coming from it was softer, it was this that drew Knuckles' attention. He squeezed himself through the gap in the door. What he found was the most surprising room he'd so far encountered. It was a bedroom. It seemed to be that of a young girl. The walls were painted pink and decorated with faded and blurred posters. Knuckles stared around at the things in the room. It was as though they had been frozen in time. He half expected a little girl to walk through the door at any moment. The floor of the room was strewn with toys, but it struck Knuckles that they were strange toys for a little girl. The bed in the centre of the room was vast; it had pink curtains around it, and matching covers, the kind of thing he could imagine Amy dreaming of. At the foot of the bed sat a smaller one, almost like a dog basket, the covers still rumpled as though recently slept in. They too like so many of the things on the ship had scorch marks.

The next room he came too seemed to be at the front of the ARK, indeed it had a vast window looking out onto the stars, this room seemed better preserved than the rest. Gazing around Knuckles heard a crunch. He looked down; he'd stepped on a small toy plane. Next to it sat a plastic train, though as he looked more closely at this he noticed it was burnt, especially the area around the chimney stack. Knuckles picked this up and carried it with him for a moment, he walked across the room. Spread out on the floor he found a small book, within it were maths sums scribbled in a young hand. He guessed these must belong to the same person as the toy. Beside the window he noticed something else; he walked over and picked it up. Knuckles gazed down at a faded photograph of a young girl and an older man. The whole ARK shook. Knuckles stared around himself startled, let the photo and the train fall to the ground, and ran.

His eyes drifted open. The fragmented moon was again high above him, though now much of it had fallen under the Earth's shadow. Knuckles frowned at himself, an idea seemed to be fluttering at the back of his mind, just out of his reach, he knew that if he could just grasp it so many things would make sense, but then like a wisp of smoke the closer he drew to it the more disturbed it became, until finally it evaporated. Disappointed Knuckles tried to return to sleep, hoping the dream would be repeated and so he would be able to find the answers he was sure they all so desperately needed.

The sun rose over the lake to the sounds of Tails and Charmy's giggles. They had decided to take an early morning swim and were showering each other with water. When Vector sat up he watched Amy run down to join them. He looked around. Beside him Espio was still snoring softly. As Vector watched the younger ones playing he noticed Shadow watching them from a distance, his black form casting a long and equally black shadow across the sand. Vector wasn't sure whether joining him would be a good idea.

Shadow watched them play, barely acknowledging his deep longing to join them. He knew it was pointless, he wouldn't be welcome with them, besides, he was too old to play tag…

"Why did you burn your toys?"

"I wanted to make the steam engine go… but it just melted…"

"Hey Shadow"

Shadow leapt up a few feet into the air, like a coiled spring, suddenly released, then landed in a muddle on the sand.

"Whoa cool it buddy, it's only me, Vector"

Shadow shuffled round in the sand and stood up to face him.

"You startled me" he said hastily

"Don't worry, I wont tell…" Vector smiled "Hey Shadow, do you sleep standing up"

Shadow walked up to him "I don't think so… maybe years spent in that stasis pod…" He shook his head "So what did you want me for?"

"Espio caught a wild deer, the rest of us are going to have a barbeque, we wondered if you wanted to join us" Vector paused "Tails and I were starting to get worried about you, you've been standing here for ages"

Shadow looked around. The sun was now well into the sky.

"So are you up for it?"

Shadow nodded and started to follow Vector up the beach.

"Hey Vector…what's a barbeque?"

Vector laughed "Come on we'll show you"

He led Shadow to where Espio sat just away from the fire, butchering a young stag with his combat knife, spilling blood all across the yellow sand. Vector and Shadow watched him for a moment. His skilled and nimble fingers easily worked their way through the carcass. After a moment Vector noticed Shadow staring at the internal organs laid out on a sheet of large leaves.

"Lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach… heart" Shadow was saying to himself

"You know the organs?" Espio asked looking up.

Shadow nodded "Yes…"

"But you don't know what a barbeque is?" Vector asked

Shadow shook his head blankly.

"You remember some strange things"

Shadow nodded, he'd give up all the knowledge and power he possessed for just one warm memory of his past.

"Do you remember anything about cooking?" Vector asked.

Shadow frowned "Metal doors"

"What?"

"Metal doors, with plastic handles, that I shouldn't touch"

"Huh?" Espio asked as he fought with the carcass, trying to cut through the thick muscle of the hindquarters.

"That's all I remember of cooking." Shadow frowned "and flour, falling like snow"

Vector raised an eyebrow "Well a barbeque is basically outdoor cooking, its great fun! Espio here's secretly quite a good cook."

Espio snorted "Only because you burn everything"

"Hey I deal with the paperwork"

"And you still managed to forget to pay the electric bill for the office"

"I know… Espio, can you make some of that nice sauce"

"That comes out of a jar"

"Oh…"

Espio looked up and grinned at them.

Knuckles stirred, his body felt unpleasantly dirty, like he was caked in mud. He soon realised he was covered in something far worse, blood, his, and the Shαdøws'. Repulsed he sat up. In his haste he knocked into someone.

"Ugh… Knuckles that hurt"

"Sorry Sonic" He said meekly realising he was laid next to him.

"That's ok… I was getting up anyway"

Knuckles stood up and moved away.

"Where you going Knux?"

"We're by a lake… I want to wash… I'm filthy"

"Yeah… you don't smell too good buddy"

"Cheers… I won't ask you to come with me."

"Actually I will"

Knuckles was surprised, it was rare for Sonic to volunteer to go anywhere near water.

"I don't feel too fresh myself" Sonic stood up smiling "And if I look anything nearly as bad as you I need it"

"Wouldn't want Amy to go off you now would we?" Knuckles laughed

"Hardly"

Together they walked slowly to the lake shore, Knuckles still limping heavily.

Sonic reached the water's edge and refused to go any further. He remained in the shallows with the water no higher than his ankles. Knuckles plunged into the water up to his middle and promptly dunked his head under the water, rubbing at the blood matting his spines and fur.

"I don't know how you can do that" Sonic said as Knuckles drew his dripping head out of the water.

"I've already offered to teach you to swim" Knuckles said, brushing the water from his eyes. Sonic ignored the offer.

"Is it cold?" Sonic asked

Knuckles shrugged "I've swum in worse; it's when it's got icebergs floating in it that you have to worry."

Sonic raised an eyebrow "You do that a lot do you?"

"Not if it can be avoided"

Sonic smirked as he rubbed at the dirt plastering his arms.

"Do you think it'll rain today?" Sonic asked

"I hope not"

"Well look at that cloud bank" Sonic pointed to the north

"I heard someone say barbeque, so it's bound to rain" Knuckles trudged back out of the water, grinning as he splashed Sonic. "Come on, before Vector eats all the food"

Espio had just finished spearing some chunks of meat and setting them up in the flames when Sonic and Knuckles returned. Despite everything the mood was jovial. The group seemed to have dared to relax, with no-one in danger of loosing their lives and refreshed from a full night's sleep everyone seemed happy. Espio at the very least seemed to be filled with a kind of springy energy. He spent several minutes play fighting with Charmy and Amy until Vector interrupted them by asking:

"Who are you and what have you done with Espio?"

The good mood didn't last. Lightening cracked the sky. The rain pelted down on them, threatening to put their fire out completely. Shadow was shivering by Knuckles' side.

"I don't like this weather… it's a bad omen"

"Stop it with your bad omens Shadow! That's what you said right before we went up against Metal Sonic!" Rouge growled

"At least Omega didn't try to kill you" He growled resentfully as another flash of lightning split the sky in two.

"It was raining the night I arrived at the Guardian School" Knuckles muttered "Or so I was told… I was too young to remember"

"Do I feel a tale coming on Storyteller?"

"Sonic I'm not in the mood"

"Storyteller?" Rouge asked

Knuckles shrugged "That was something I did at the School, and I'm beginning to regret telling Sonic about it"

"Oh come on Knux… it'll lighten the mood a bit"

Another peal of thunder crashed above them. Shadow flinched and flattened his ears against his head.

"Please Knuckles… anything to take our minds off this cold and wet"

He frowned thoughtfully "I think I've got one…

"Long, long ago when the Echidna were young, and the humans even younger 2 children were born, one to each race. They grew respectively, but for all their lives each was plagued by a feeling that they had something missing. The human girl was weak, and lame, in the young human culture there was little hope for her, every day was a struggle, just to win enough food to feed herself. Though her family did their best, there was little hope for her; it was unlikely she would ever be able to care for herself. The Echidna, Maré too was weak, the Shards has not given her strength, she was one of the few who chose heart over power, for that she was revered and loved by the elders, but mocked and humiliated by her kin. It made her sad, and all the time she was plagued by a felling that she was missing half herself. One day her torment drove her out of her village, towards the humans. On the same day the human child wandered into the mountains from her home. Fate you could say drew them together. Each was led by the sound of running water to a river, and each bent down to drink. When they raised their heads, their eyes met, and each knew they had found the half of themselves they were looking for.

Maré became the first Echidna to guard something living, she established the Guardianship, as she was the first to guard something other than the Master Emerald. Maré and her Charge were happy, because each had found what they were looking for, and Maré's strength, though it was limited allowed the human to live a full and happy life. The two, Guardian and Charge lived their lives together, and after many seasons of shared joy and pain, died together"

"Oh sure Knuckles, something to lighten the mood" Sonic said sarcastically

"The Echidna tales aren't bedtime stories"

"I think it's nice, because neither of them had to be alone anymore" Shadow said, shivering slightly

"Yeah… isn't that what all of us want?" Vector asked

A few of the others nodded. Shadow again sneezed.

"You don't do well in the rain do ya love!" Rouge laughed.

"The only times I can remember it raining are now, and when we were fighting Metal Sonic. It doesn't have good associations. In books bad things always happen when it rains."

"When have you read books?"

Shadow shrugged. "I just remember books… I used to like books, they made me feel all warm and safe and…" he stopped "Never mind"

Beside him Shadow could just make out Knuckles laughing at him.

"Don't laugh at me Echidna" Shadow growled "I hate to be laughed at"

"Sorry Shadow, I wasn't laughing at you"

"Then why say sorry?"

Knuckles paused "You got me there"