Away From the Sun

Chapter 2: Rude Awakenings


T.A.R.N.S.: Alright, in this chapter, we're going to meet an OC I designed for this story. Plus, we're going to get a bit more background.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.


Shadow let out a moan. Being in stasis for so long had made his muscles stiff.

That was when he realized that he wasn't in stasis anymore.

"Hey you guys, he's starting to wake up!" A feminine voice called.

Shadow opened his eyes to find himself lying on a pile of dirty blankets. Grimacing, he pushed himself up on one elbow, then sat up and looked around.

The room he was in was tiny There were two other piles of dirty blankets beside the one he was laying on, though most of the blankets were in his pile. Each pile was set against one of the three walls in the room, minus the wall that had the door in it. On the opposite wall from where Shadow was he could see that several feet above the floor was a single shelf containing several lidded bowls and jars.

Sitting next to the pile of blankets he was laying on was a lavender Mobian cat that he recognized.

Before he could say anything, the door opened, and a silver hedgehog and a blue-haired girl entered the room.

"Blaze, what's going on?" Shadow asked.

Blaze was shocked. "How do you know my name?"

"I've met you before, Blaze, you and Silver over there." Shadow indicated the white hedgehog.

"When did this supposedly happen?" Silver asked the black hedgehog.

"It happened when you and Blaze came back in time with Mephiles to try and stop Iblis. Of course, that was before we knew Mephiles was the enemy."

Silver blinked. "I've never gone back in time, Iblis is still at large, I don't know anyone named Mephiles, and I think I'd remember if I met you before. You don't make much sense."

"What do you mean, I don't make sense?" Shadow demanded. "Of course this makes sense. You came back to my time to stop the Iblis Trigger, remember?"

Silver thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't. When was 'your time'?"

Shadow let out a growl. The blue-haired girl decided she'd better speak up.

"So, was this stuff supposed to happen before they found you in stasis?"

Shadow felt as though he'd been struck. "What do you mean by found me in stasis?"

Blaze briefly explained how she and Silver had found him in the G.U.N. base.

"Then Sonic must have failed. We all must have failed." Shadow said. He turned back to Silver. "Why haven't you used the Chaos Emeralds to turn super and stop Iblis?"

"What are Chaos Emeralds?" Silver asked.

"Seven magical gems that some Mobians can use to gain a super form." Blaze told him. "But the last time they were seen was the last time Sonic the Hedgehog used them, 50 years ago."


The grass underneath his feet was crunching; hard, brittle, and black. It had been three days now, and Shadow was still trying to figure out which was worse, being in Stasis, or the world he'd woken up into.

The tiny, two room building Silver and his friends called a home was half buried into a hill, which, according to Blaze, helped keep the ash and cinders out. For all of their efforts, ash still got in. The whole place could use a good cleaning.

Water was a precious commodity in this new world. Rain was virtually unheard of, happening to any part of the world only a few times a year at the most. This caused problems for Titania, Silver and Blaze's blue-haired friend. She had had the misfortune to be born a hydrokinetic in a world where there was barely enough water for the population.

This world was hopeless. Shadow continued walking until he reached the tree on the hill.

This hill had once overlooked Westopolis, and the tree had once been alive and thriving. Now it was a burnt black skeleton.

Above his head, the black clouds rolled, occasionally flashing heat lightning.

Shadow shook his head. "It's a miracle this place survived…" He let the statement trail off.

The only light in the distance came from The Flames. The city had long since been destroyed.

"Shadow!" The black hedgehog turned as Blaze came racing up to him. "Shadow, I've been looking all over for you. Come on, it's time to eat." She turned and began hurrying back the way she'd come.

Mealtime. It was a pity all the food was inedible. Shadow hid his grimace a followed Blaze back to the house.


The heat this close to the lava was nearly unbearable to a mortal. But Mephiles wasn't disturbed at all. After the time he'd spent trying to find Iblis, he wasn't going to be deterred by that insignificant fact.

"Brother, are you there?"

A resounding roar answered his question.

"We have a problem, brother. Someone has freed Shadow the hedgehog from suspended animation."

"And how is this a problem?"

"He can sense the Chaos Emeralds, no matter where they are." Mephiles replied.

"Then it's a good thing you've already destroyed them."

Mephiles let out a growl. "I told you already, I was unable to completely destroy those Emeralds."

There was a moment of silence. "Can he find the few shards left?" Iblis asked.

"The probability is high." Mephiles said grimly.

"Find him. Bring him to me, and I'll destroy him for you." Iblis offered.

If he had a mouth, Mephiles would have been smiling.


Shadow used his fork to poke at the dark brown sludge residing on his plate. Sitting on their respective piles of blankets, the other two occupants and Titania were scarfing their food down.

"What are we eating?" He asked.

Silver, Blaze, and Titania paused.

"Um… That's a good question." Titania told him. "But you probably don't want to know."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Should you be eating it?"

"Yep." Titania assured him, before shoving another bite into her mouth.

Silver had stopped eating now. "But really, what have I been eating for the last six years?"

"Don't ask me." Titania replied. "I just take it out of the can and put it on the plates."

"It's probably some kind of porridge." Blaze said matter-of-factly as she placed another spoonful into her mouth.

"Okay," Silver said as he resumed eating.

Shadow ate two more bites before he gave up and pushed the plate away.

"Something wrong?" Blaze asked him.

"I'm just not used to this food yet." Shadow replied.

"Maybe you'll like desert better." Titania set her plate down and vanished into the kitchen, returning a minute later with four of the sickest-looking apples Shadow had ever seen.

This was going to take a lot of getting used to.


T.A.R.N.S.: Sorry guys, it's just more plot setup. But we're getting to the action. Slowly but surely, we're getting there. In the meantime, please review.