Chapter 7: Sonic vs. Shadow

Eggman had enough trouble with just one hyperactive hedgehog, but two? He could hardly keep up let alone defeat them and oddly enough they were fighting in unison.

"No fair! Shadow you're supposed to be on my side!" whined Eggman.

"There's been a change of plans and one of them is getting rid of you."

Shadow reared up behind the Gorilla Mecha and attacked going straight through his back and causing multiple explosions.

"NOOOOO!"

Sonic was ticked that Shadow beat him to Eggman, but Tails was the true objective. He'd already freed the fox from his bindings.

"You okay, pal?" asked Sonic.

"Sigh…I will be once I get out of here."

"Well do it soon 'cause I'm not leaving until Shadow's K.O.ed."

While the mecha fell, Shadow approached with a sneer.

"Don't be so eager to fight me Sonic."

"Tails you'd better go right now."

"Uh, okay Sonic. See ya." He twirled his tails about and flew until he departed from the tower. Then came the crumbling noise of a man climbing out of his now destroyed robot.

"Hey! You can't fight each other, not here!"

"Shut it Egghead!" snapped the blue hedgehog. "You're old news."

Shut down by Sonic's words, Eggman bawled hysterically and ran away.

"I'm not Sonic's nemesis anymore! My life is over!"

"Right…any who…get ready Shadow!"

"I've been ready." He said plainly.

Eagerly Sonic dashed over to one side, Shadow on the latter, and then they came at each other with full momentum. Curved in a ball they bounced back and forth repeatedly for a good five minutes until they formed dents in the walls. In accord they uncoiled and ran along the sides then twisted into two deadly tornadoes. In between they were in a collided whirl of doom.

Once they subsided, Sonic and Shadow revealed themselves, both breathing heavily.

"Heh heh. You look a little wobbly there Sonic. Still think you can beat me?"

Sonic was trembling each time he took a step but he'd used so many rings fighting Eggman that it was only natural for him to be in such a mood.

"I don't think I can beat you, I know I can and I will!"

Furiously he lunged forward and clothes lined Shadow to the ground. He grunted heavily but then countered with a swift kick to the gut. Flying overhead of Shadow, Sonic somersaulted back on his feet. Springing away from reach Shadow ambushed the Sonic and they both rolled back and forth until the blue hedgehog gave way.

The dark one was relentless. Unlike Sonic he didn't need as many rings to keep him going and whenever Sonic was exposed (not coiled up) he took them away with a punch or a kick. Then he'd follow up and do the same but the only response he'd get from Shadow is a few grunts here and there. It aggravated him to see his enemy act so tough and unbreakable, like Sonic's efforts were futile at best. At the same time Sonic only grew weaker with each theft of his precious golden rings and what was worst of all is that once Shadow had the rings he tossed them aside.

"What the hell are you doing wasting rings like that! If you were smart you could use them against me!"

"You're a dirty little liar, Sonic. It shows in your fighting, for every time you are alone with Eggman you struggle but when your friends are around with a bundle of rings you're 'stronger' than ever. A real fighter-a Freedom Fighter-should be able to manage without any! And you had the nerve to call Amy useless…"

"D-did she tell you I said that?"

"Naturally she felt inadequate because her self-proclaimed hero brought her down…but then I was there to get her back up. For this act you are to suffer the consequences."

Having used them for so long Sonic wasn't even sure if he'd be able to hold his own. The time had come for him to go all out. With much effort he stood up, knees buckling. Shadow just stood there coolly with his arms crossed.

"Ugh! I hate your guts!" the blue one snarled.

Shadow closed his eyes saying 'I don't give a damn', which set off Sonic like a bomb. In seconds he was nose to nose with his enemy and a fist ready to knock him out senseless. As he tried to strike…no one was there.

What?...thought Sonic frantically. How'd he…

Breathing softly behind him was the dark menace. Sonic was frozen.

"GOTCHA!" he exclaimed while grabbing hold of him.

Annoyed, Sonic wriggled out of Shadow's grasp and twisted up again, this time charging his attack to as much as possible (which wasn't much without his rings). Still invincible at this point Shadow hopped back and crouched.

"Go ahead, I'm waiting…"

Developing his temporary shield, he flung himself directly at his enemy's gut, the perfect ending. There was an unseen collision, in an explosion of the wall that was at the back of them. Everything was now clear, and Sonic smiled underneath his ball. He had won…or so he thought. The quills on his back didn't sense the hands pressing them with firmness. Nor did Sonic bother to uncoil because in his mind he considered himself to be the victor. This was not so.

Shadow had prevented the attack from the moment they first joined up, and was using an unknown force to slow down the impact. Finally the blue hedgehog halted completely and dropped with that same beam on his mug. Seconds later he becomes conscious of Shadow's presence.

"……!" he couldn't stifle a word.

Absorbing the opportunity, Shadow roundhouse kicked Sonic in the stomach. He gagged up spit while getting thwacked repetitively with the dark one's leg alone.

Eventually Sonic became so weak he couldn't even stand. In a huff the blue hedgehog crawled out of harm's way only to be pulled back in.

"Face it Sonic. I'm too strong for you even without the rings. Using your friends' names' in vein is the ultimate sin."

"Oh, yeah…well what about you! Betraying your friends so that you could have your way with Amy?"

"They ARE NOT my friends. They never were, merely allies and nothing else. Eggman was a burden from the very day I met him and had to be disposed of. Rouge had the same ideals about Knuckles as I did about you; same with Mina. And as for Amy…I had no intentions of 'having my way with her' or whatever you mean. She's the only one I can talk to other than the humans on Earth, the only one who tried to value what I went through…and I'll always love her for that. The rest of you are selfish, discriminating pigs! Sonic, you're the worst of them all!"

Sonic fumbled his leg to kick the guy in the face, but his movements were so sluggish now that he easily avoided it.

"Shut you face! No way are you taking Amy away from me!"

This comment made Shadow chuckle. "Sigh, Sonic…you never had her! The perfect girl was right there for you if not handed to you by the divine and you constantly rejected her. All the years she's supported you and been by your side and you still never understood. She was in love with you!"

An imaginary light bulb appeared over Sonic's head. "In love…with me?"

"Don't try to be smart now. You don't have any strength left and times running out…"

Shadow kicked Sonic to the side, making him lay face down. Then as he abandoned the room he glanced back at Sonic one final time. "By the way, if not Amy then why Mina? She's not even in our species."

He lifted his head up. "I…don't love Mina…!"

"Oh…" though Shadow aloud. "I remember hearing a word back on Earth for you. I'm not sure if it was happy or…well never mind."

The room felt dreadfully cold at that moment, when Sonic lay defeated in solitude.

Note: A little joke to lighten the mood in the end! Anyway it's obvious that Shadow is the victor of both the battle and Amy's heart…but what's he running out of time for? And what will Sonic do now that he's realized the error of his ways? In the next chapter, Amy vs. Mina. R and R, and just so we're clear my favorite characters are: Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Big, Cream and Cheese. Sonic is annoying sometimes, especially in the show Sonic X (which doesn't even come on anymore!) with his one track mind. They're in order too!