I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the characters.
Chaos
Shadow spun around Blaze, allowing her to stumble away as he leaned backward, avoiding Rouge's foot, then catching her ankle, spinning and hurling her. The moment she was flying away, he sent a burst of flames out of his shoe and curled into curled into a ball, crashing into Blaze's gut just as she launched flames out of her feet to superman punch him. Blaze bounced off of her back and flipped to her feet as Shadow landed on his left hand, flipping horizontal and kicking Rouge in the stomach at the same time as allowing her kick to pass under his body. She shot backward, flipping and landing on the side of a tree before dropping to the ground once her momentum had dispersed.
"You're doing much better than yesterday," Blaze noted. "Did something finally click?"
"Something like that," Shadow said, holding his hand out to the side and firing blasts of Chaos Energy, as he had in his dream, blasting a tree into splinters with it. "I remembered a little bit of how to control it. And I finally figured out how to stay in control of my emotions a bit."
"That's great!" Rouge cheered, launching herself forward and grabbing him in a spinning hug.
Shadow rolled his eyes but smiled, hugging her back. "It's not perfect. I'm still struggling with keeping myself from turning into a bomb again. But it's progress."
"Yes it is," Rouge nodded, smiling at him before it faded slightly. "Do you...feel under control enough to go back? We can show them all that you're not a danger."
"Not yet," Shadow said. "If I went back now, and they tried to attack me, I'd probably blow up again."
"Okay," Rouge nodded. "You want to take a break for a little bit?"
"Sure," Shadow nodded. "Let's head into the city for lunch. I think I can control myself enough for that."
Rouge nodded and looked to Blaze, who also nodded, smiling almost as widely as Rouge was. The three of them turned, speeding through the forest and down the mountain they'd been living on, reaching the city within a few minutes. They headed to a small fast food restaurant where they all ordered chilidogs, then sat around a picnic table, Rouge and blaze sitting beside each other and Shadow across from them.
"It's been nice the last few days," Rouge said. "We haven't really had anything major to worry about."
"Me being a time bomb wasn't anything major to worry about?" Shadow asked.
"Not really," Rouge said. "I was never afraid of you."
"Like we told you at the beginning, we trust you," Blaze said. "We weren't worried about you exploding, because we trusted you to be able to keep control."
"I almost couldn't, several times," Shadow said.
"And we never lost faith in you," Rouge said. "And we never will. We'll always trust you."
Shadow smiled. "Thank you. both of you. If it weren't for the two of you...I don't think I'd be alive now. I would have given up a long time ago. I might have actually exploded."
"You will never be alone," Rouge said.
"Even if we can't be at your side, you're not alone," Blaze said.
Shadow frowned. "You two sound like you're going somewhere."
"No," Rouge said. "But eventually we're going to have to go back to our lives, right? We won't be able to be together all hours of every day."
"Oh," Shadow said, deflating a bit. "I suppose you're right."
"Hey," Blaze said, taking his hand and smiling. "I told you, didn't I? Just because we're not at your side, doesn't mean you're alone."
Shadow managed a small smile and nodded. "I suppose you're right. What about your own dimension?"
"I can sense that there's nothing going on right now," Blaze said. "And right now, I'm here for you."
Shadow's smile widened. "Thanks."
"Hey, who's that?" Rouge asked.
Shadow twisted around, following Rouge's line of sight until he spotted a female echidna with a dark grey jacket with a white zipper up the middle, a white belt with a buckle bearing a "Z" on the face of it, pants that were black where she'd have underwear underneath, then turned dark grey, black boots with white along the bottom and for the three inch heels as well as a plate of white metal across the bridge of her feet, white gloves, and a gold hairband with a pair of earmuff-like ends, both of which bore stylized "Z"s on them. Her fur was a light grey, about the same shade as Silver's fur, and her dark blue eyes with pale blue sclerae were rivetted on Shadow. Shadow narrowed his eyes slightly. He had a really bad feeling about this.
"Be ready for anything," Shadow said, all three standing and both women as tense as him, also sensing trouble.
"If it's just her, we can handle her," Rouge said.
Shadow nodded in agreement, the three of them starting forward. The area was crowded with people going about their business, walking to or from lunch, heading back to work. They had to carefully weave their way through the crowd, but as they got about halfway, they stopped, seeing more and more probable enemies appearing each time someone passed and blocked their view. Shadow tensed, staring at the assembled group. The echidna A robot that looked disturbingly like sonic, but with some kind of crater or slot in its chest and with black sclerae. A humanoid robot with yellowish copper plating on its shins, forearms, torso and head, orange plating on a fin-like extension sticking up from the front of its head and curving backward, dark brown plating for its fingers, upper arms, and thighs, and blue eyes. And last but very, very far from least, Shadow. He blinked, staring at the other him. It was like looking in a mirror, except that its eyes had black sclerae, it had no mouth, and its spines were a little longer and more pointed.
"What...What's going on?" Rouge asked. "Why is Metal Sonic here? Why is there another Shadow?"
"Why is Emerl here?" Blaze asked.
"Who?" Shadow asked.
"Metal Sonic is the robot that looks like Sonic," Rouge said. "It's about as strong and fast as him. And Emerl is the other robot. It fought both Sonic and the first Shadow on level ground a few times."
"Both of you need to run, now," Shadow said, watching the enemies carefully. "If what you said is true, you need to get Sonic and the others. And you need to get everyone out of this area."
"What about you?" Blaze asked.
"I'll keep them all busy," Shadow said. "The way I see it, if I'm constantly exploding, they won't be able to beat me and still have the strength to take Sonic and the others when they get here."
"Be careful," Rouge said, knowing that he was right about her needing to leave with the others.
"You too," Shadow said. "Go now!"
Just as he said this, all of the enemies, shot into the air, only for Shadow to blast them all with a Chaos Spear, sending them crashing into buildings around the square. At the same time, it caused a panic, everyone fleeing from the square instantly, leaving Shadow plenty of room to lose the fight. He looked around, seeing Blaze and Rouge were both gone as well, and sighed in relief. He turned back tot he front as Emerl walked forward.
"I had heard you were dead," Emerl said.
"It's complicated," Shadow said, preparing himself. "Take my advice and walk away."
"Not happening," Emerl said. "I'm sorry Shadow, but you're going to have to die again. He didn't leave an option."
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.
"Kill him now!" the echidna ordered.
Emerl sighed, then shot forward, punching at Shadow, who barely managed to deflect it, slamming a punch of his own into Emerl's head, sending him staggering away. He sent a blast out of his feet instantly, curling into a ball and tapping into his Chaos energy, only for the other Shadow to appear beside him, punting him and sending him crashing into the building. The robot from his nightmare flashed into his mind, and when he stood, he was shaking. However, he turned to his enemies and exploded forward anyway. The other Shadow met him, the two trading blows for several moments before Shadow flipped over his doppelganger's kick, slamming the bottom of his foot into its head and sending a blast of flames out of the thrusters, launching the other Shadow at the same time as sending himself at Emerl, who had been moving to attack him from behind. Unlike last time, he actually exploded into Emerl hard this time, sending him exploding backward into the same building the other Shadow had send Shadow into.
As soon as Shadow uncurled his body, Metal Sonic crashed into his gut as a ball of its own, sending him blasting into the ground where he bounced. He flipped, landing on his feet as Metal Sonic landed in front of him, punching and kicking at him rapidly. Shadow retreated from the blows rapidly, managing to fend them off for a few moments, before flames suddenly exploded out of the back of Metal Sonic's foot, sending a Roundhouse kick flashing up at Shadow's head, the same way Blaze liked to do. The difference was that this kick held all the speed of Sonic, more than double Blaze's top speed, and when it hit Shadow's forearms, it shattered both of them, then connected with his head anyway, sending him exploding along the ground.
He rolled to a stop just as the other Shadow crashed down on his stomach, the fir on half of his head burned away and revealing a machine skull. A robot. He flipped, throwing the robot Shadow's foot off before jumping and sending a blast of flames out of the front thruster of his right shoe, spinning himself in a circle before his heel collided with the side of that Shadow's head, launching it away. He landed on his feet, shouting in pain as white-blue light suddenly shone from his arms and they cracked loudly before healing, the pain fading in a second. Then, Emerl reached him, throwing a right cross. Shadow didn't give him time for a follow up strike, instead, shoving the punch across Emerl's body before drilling his own fist into Emerl's body, then slamming a same-side roundhouse kick into his head as he was partially bent to the side. Emerl flipped, his head hitting the ground before flames exploded out of Shadow's right shoe's front thruster again, flipping him in a complete circle and allowing him to slam a devastating axe kick down onto Emerl's head, cracking it.
He flipped backward instantly with a blast from his shoes just before Metal Sonic's foot could hit him. Then, as soon as he landed, he launched himself forward, curling into a ball as Chaos Energy raced over his curled up body. He exploded into Metal Sonic and launched him away, then used a blast from his shoes to send himself crashing down on Emerl's head. He bounced into the air and uncurled himself crossing his arms just in time for the Shadow robot's foot to crash into them, throwing him backward. That Shadow chased him as Emerl stood, but Shadow landed and raced forward, ducking aside from a punch and leaping off the ground, his knee colliding with the other Shadow's face hard, launching him as Shadow transitioned fluidly into a drop kick against Emerl's face, launching him backward into Metal Sonic, both crashing down on the other Shadow.
"Looks like it wasn't excessive to send them all, plus myself after all," the echidna said. "You're stronger than we anticipated. You're stronger than the last one."
Shadow watched her carefully, head pulsating and red energy glowing from his body. He was starting to slip. He couldn't hold it in much longer. The more he fought, the harder it became to control. Suddenly, Metal Sonic was behind him, once again using his foot's thruster to slam a roundhouse kick into Shadow's head, fortunately not cracking his skull open. Shadow flipped, managing to land on his feet only for Emerl and the other Shadow's feet to explode into his back, launching him at Metal Sonic again. Metal Sonic shot forward and slammed a lariat into Shadow's head, flipping him backward before he crashed to the ground and bounced and rolled to a stop. Then, he opened his eyes, seeing all three falling at him from above.
Fear ripped through him and his control snapped. He shouted in pain as the explosion ripped out of his body, filling the square and blasting all three of his attackers high into the air before they all crashed back down, none moving. Shadow gasped and panted for breath for a few moments before standing, turning and looking around. The echidna was standing just outside the crater, unscathed.
"I was...hoping you'd...get blasted too," Shadow said before taking a slow breath, calming his pounding heart and slowing his breathing.
"You have no Emeralds, and yet your power is still devastating," she said. "Impressive."
"It's down to just you," Shadow said, only for all three of the others to stand, preparing to fight again.
"Stop," the echidna said. "I'll deal with this. Go and begin phase one."
All three took off instantly, spreading into the city and beginning to obliterate it, wreaking havoc and causing a panic in seconds. Shadow glanced around, then focused his attention on her again.
"You don't need to worry about those three," she said. "Because I'm going to kill you, here and now."
She shot forward, reaching him almost before he could react and spun, swinging a left-legged windmill kick at his head. He ducked under it, moving to counter, only for her support leg to push off of the ground, flashing up at him as her other leg flipped straight toward the ground. Her right heel exploded into the underside of his chin as she finished her kick by swinging her leg around into a twirl, then set it back down. Then, just as Shadow hit the ground, she had reached him again, punting him. He shot away, bouncing once before flipping and swiping both arms, spraying a dozen Chaos Spears into the air before him, not bothering to aim since she had already almost reached him. However, she spun counterclockwise to her right, going around the blasts, and reached him just as his feet hit the ground. He sent a blast of flames out of his shoes and stopped himself on a dime, sweeping a punch aside before stepping forward, going onto the offensive. he punched at her head and she brushed it aside, smirking. He spun, throwing an elbow and she blocked it, so he spun the other way, throwing a feint punch from his right while using his left shoe's thrusters to throw a roundhouse kick. However, she caught his right arm, flipping over him, then hurled him over her head by the hand and forearm. He flipped backward once before crashing to the ground and flipping again. He send a larger blast out of his shoes, launching himself forward as he curled into a ball, Chaos Energy streaming over his skin, but she likewise launched herself into a homing attack. When they hit, both bounced backward and uncurled, landing on their feet before shooting forward, throwing a knee at each other, only for the other to catch it.
Shadow shoved her knee away and sent a continuous blast out of his shoe's front thruster, spinning into a windmill kick, which she leaned out of the way of, only for him to focus his Chaos Energy into a tornado around himself as he leapt at her while continuing to successively spin. She leapt backward, landing on her feet as he sped toward her, only for her to stand, pulling her right hand off entirely, revealing the inside of her arm to be a barrel, which she aimed at him. Then, an ion blast exploded into his chest and launched him backward. He crashed to the ground, groaning, and watched as she pressed her detached hand to her wrist and twisted it outward, a click sounding as the hand reattached itself, suddenly seeming to have never been detached as she flexed, twisted, and rolled it. Shadow pushed himself up and grit his teeth. he refused to lose. He couldn't. If he lost this fight, the city would be destroyed. He focused, instinct driving him as he exploded forward once again, pulling his right fist back. His fist suddenly shove with blood red Chaos Energy, and the echidna, who had been moving to meet him, suddenly dropped into a slide, instead taking his feet out from under him. He swore, falling forward and his fist met the ground rather than her face. Instantly, a massive explosion of chaos energy went off, obliterating the ground within then entirety of the square, but not going very far around it. Shadow rolled to the bottom of the crater and grit his teeth. She was too fast. She was too skilled. He couldn't beat her.
He looked up at her as she walked calmly down the side of the crater at him. He shot forward, jumping and Superman punching at her, only for her to turn sideways, avoiding it and drilling a punch into his side. He spun, punching at her and she brushed it aside, a second punch colliding with his gut. He threw a haymaker with his other hand, all sense of technique gone in his desperation, and she blocked the punch less than a second before drilling a roundhouse kick into his head. He staggered to the side and she dropped, sweeping his legs out from under him, sending him bouncing and rolling down into the crater again. When he stood, she was already in front of him. He sung a blurred uppercut at her, but she leaned back out of the way, then slammed a punch into the side of his jaw, then another into his gut. She grabbed his head and threw it downward as she jumped into a knee, slamming it directly into his muzzle, and when he flipped backward, she again swept his feet out from under him. He crashed to the ground again only for her to grab him by the throat, lifting him back up to continue her beating.
As soon as he was upright, he spat blood into her eyes and threw a jab at her, but she knocked it aside, slamming a pair of punches into his face, an uppercut into his lower ribs, a chop into the side of his neck, making the lights go out instantly, only to wake him back up immediately afterward by greeting his head on the way down with a kick that flipped him backward fast enough that he landed on his upper shoulder, rolled over his right shoulder, and ended up on his stomach in a groaning, bleeding heap.
"Just lay there and die," she said. "I'll make it painless if you hold still." She reached for her hand, only for Shadow to slowly begin to push himself up, swaying badly, his torso's fur matted with his blood, and his face coated in it from his broken nose split lips. The echidna shook her head slowly. "Why don't you just give up? You obviously can't win."
"Because...I want to...see them again," Shadow said, red Chaos Energy suddenly shining from his right palm almost blindingly as he shot forward, slamming his hand into her abdomen. "Chaos Blast!"
The explosion was directed almost into a beam, this time, and she wasn't able to dodge or block it, forcing her to take the full brunt of the blast. She exploded backward, the blast carrying her with it all the way up the side of the crater, then into a parking garage on the edge of the square, which collapsed on her instantly. Shadow sighed, staggering his way up out of the crater, only for the debris to suddenly explode off of her as ion energy exploded off of her, freeing her instantly. Shadow stared, wide-eyed, at her in shock and disbelief. She wasn't hurt. At all. She had taken the full force of that blast, and she wasn't even burned. The only thing that had been damaged were her clothes, which were hanging off of her in tatters. She walked forward, tearing the remains of her clothes off of herself when her hand caught on one of the tears in her pantleg. Shadow's eyes widened still further, but he wasn't staring at her perky breasts with her pale pink nipples, or at the cleft between her legs, though his brain did manage to register those details. Instead, his eyes were glued to the seams. She was like him. Her body was segmented the same way he was. She was the same as him. Except, she was completely different. She was so much stronger than him. He had put all the power he had into that last blast, and it hadn't even gotten her dirty.
"It's...impossible," Shadow breathed, swaying dangerously before steadying himself. "How?"
"You almost had me," she admitted. "Fortunately for me, I enveloped my entire body with ion energy the moment you moved. Even still, your blast was able to get through close enough to completely ruin my clothes. I'm glad I blocked it as fast as I did, or else we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Shadow swayed again and fell to his knees. So she wasn't just indestructible, then. She was just skilled and resourceful. He let out a long, exhausted sigh that was closer to a slow exhale. He didn't feel like such a failure knowing that. He had at least been close. Which meant Sonic could beat her. Or Silver could.
The echidna closed her fingers around his throat, lifting him up off the ground, holding him over her head. "Any last words?"
Shadow's eyes slid from her face to the destruction around them. He could still hear the three robots terrorizing the city, see the smoke of the fires they were causing, hear the screams of citizens trying to find someplace safe to hide. He still didn't know who was in charge, he realized. It could be anyone. Eggman. That Black Doom alien that had apparently been defeated by the original Shadow. One of the other dozens of evil beings the others had told Shadow about.
"Who...do you...serve?" Shadow finally asked.
The echidna stared at him for a long while before speaking. "I serve Mephiles."
"Mephiles?" Shadow asked.
"He's the dark half of the sun god Solaris," she said. "But he's been collecting power since he lost to the original Shadow. He absorbed Dark Gaia's power, he absorbed the power of the Time Eater, and he stole the Phantom Ruby. He's basically all powerful now."
"Do you serve him out of loyalty?" Shadow asked.
"He created me," she said. "Or, so I was told. But if I don't serve, I die."
Shadow nodded. "Then I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked.
"For this," he said, smashing her arm away, Chaos Energy shining from both palms.
However, before he could strike her, movement to his right caught his eye. His eyes flicked to the side and he saw a mass of darkness with glowing red eyes fire a massive blast of compressed darkness out of itself at them both. Instinct drove Shadow forward, wrapped his arms around her, and spun so that he would take the brunt of the blast and shield her. And then, instinct sent white-blue Chaos Energy flooding over his skin, condensing it on his back. And then, when the blast hit and exploded, intstinct faded along with his consciousness.
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