Shadow was a closed off mind, quiet and mysterious. Sonic was an open mind, a book full of pages and pages.
Shadow found that Sonic's mind was rather interesting, the other hedgehog's highs being clearly high and the lows devastatingly low. It was almost saddening how high of a pedestal Sonic placed himself on when he was just one little hedgehog.
Well. Not anymore he supposed, their two minds tangled like a ball of yarn. They spent many nights ignoring sleep by unraveling their thoughts and soon the difference was more distinguishable. Shadow instantly raised mental walls, refusing to let Sonic know what he was thinking unless it was necessary. Sonic however was a flood of ideas, cascading into their shared head, not even hesitating to at least try and act on these thoughts. Shadow always retained him, not wanting to look weak.
It was a little disappointing when he stopped trying to initiate physical contact with his friends.
It felt a little weird to know Sonic's mind was right there, open to be cracked like an egg. Shadow had spent most of his life playing mental chess except with…
No, no, no more showing weakness, not in front of Faker. He had shown enough already and the hedgehog's pity flooding him constantly was sickening.
And then there were the blue one's responsibilities. Leave it to the Doctor to force Shadic to leave bed.
Shadic didn't understand how the Doctor Egghead had recovered so quickly from the ARK Incident. If anything, he should be as recluent to fight as Shadic was!
At least most of the mad scientist's forces were easily crushed, crushed like a soda can.
"Shadic!" the kitsune called out to the one person duo. "We need to get to Station Square! That's where Eggman and his giant machine is!"
Shadic frowned but nodded, metal crumpling under their foot. With a speed boost, they were carving through the layers of badniks like a knife through hot butter.
They slowed for a minute, needing to recharge again before bursting.
Shadic froze at the sound of a person. They wheeled around to spy a family of sheep on top of an overturned minivan in a sea (sea, sea, sea, sea, SEA-) of badniks. They move to help them but hesitate.
Why aren't they helping?! Can't they see those people are in trouble?! Yes, but wouldn't it be easier to just eliminate the source?
One of the children slips on their isle and nearly falls into the rising waters (water, water, water, WATER) of machines, bleating in panic. Their mother cries out and grabs them, pulling them back into her grasp.
There's no time! They have to get those people out before they're seriously hurt, but the Doctor would probably get further away, but these people are in trouble NOW, but the best way to help was, NO, HE COULDN'T JUST STAND TO THE SIDE, THEY'LL DIE, HE'LL FAIL AGAIN, NOT AGAIN, NO.
7The sheer panic in their mind shocked them into action, a well aimed kick sending the motobugs flying.
"It's safe, come on down," Shadic assured, smiling comfortingly. The family inched down the overturned car, the two hogs for the price of one helping every step of the way.
"Thank you." the mother said gratefully, pressing a hoof to their shoulder before leaving for shelter with her family. Shadic allowed themself to bask in that feeling of success before kicking themself into gear, boosting long recharged.
Eggman seemed to be surprised when Shadic burst on the scene.
"Sonic?" he questioned, raising a hairy eyebrow up his bald skull.
"No and yes. Shadic for now." the fusion responded in clipped replies. After what happened earlier, they had put a tighter grip on their emotions. Eggman just stared at them for a second.
"Oh." Eggman shrugged. "Still gonna kill you."
The Dragoon Robot burst to life, drills whirling and lasers firing. Shadic sighed.
They just wanted to sleep…...
A drill dived down, Shadic barely able to move in time to avoid his ear getting sliced clean off. A spear of pure, rippling, purple chaos energy appeared in the hedgehog(s)' open palm before it slammed shut, Shadic grabbing the drill's wire and slashing down on the drill, the repurposed tool cut clean in half.
They didn't waste a second to leap up onto the drill's arm, another spear bursting to life in their hand. Shadic raced up the wired arm, weaving past lasers and other drills, all in a mad scramble to quickly reach the cockpit.
They weren't fast enough to avoid the metallic claw, that immediately pinned them up against a skyscraper. They hissed, already feeling bruises form under their fur.
"OHOHOHO!" Eggman howled. "I have you now! I'll eliminate with you and finally-"
"For Chaos' sake, will you just kill us already?"
"Wha- " Eggman faltered, arms falling from their dramatic posture. "What?"
Shadic stares at the oversized man with an angry and tired expression. If this was Sonic, it would be said with a teasing lit in his voice in an attempt of angering the man and getting more time, but this is not Sonic and so the words carry the burden of a boy with a mountain of regrets.
Their eyes beam red as they dangle from the tyrantic man's grasp and somehow it feels like Eggman is trapped with them and not the opposite.
"You heard me," Shadic growls out. "You go on and on about how you're gonna destroy us but you never do. You threaten and demand but you can never pull the trigger, can you?"
Eggman goes to respond but is stopped by Shadic, a cascade that once started seemed to overflow.
"And why? You've never hesitated before, not in that shabby little hole you called a lab and not now in your flying fortresses. You've never been afraid to bloody your hands so what's one more life? What's two? Think about it, you can eliminate the problem before it begins if you just kill us."
Shadic wasn't even sure of half of what they were saying. It sounded right but they weren' around for that…..
At least, half of them weren't.
"So what are you waiting for? Why are you hesitating, hm? You don't care about us, you don't care about anyone!" Shadic could feel themselves crying but their thoughts were pounding in their head like hammers, they couldn't focus. "Why don't you just do something right for once and KILL ME?!"
Silence ruled the square, only Shadic's shaky breaths heard.
The claw pulled itself free, Shadic automatically catching themself as they fell.
"Okay, WOW," Eggman said, rubbing his eyes. "Clearly you still are reacting to these last few adventures. I'll give you some time to rest because, Light Gaia, do you need it. I'll be back with a really evil plot, until then, GET SOME HEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS, sheesh."
The robot rolled away, Shadic too shell shocked to do anything. Their face was still wet.
They heard the sounds of fur cutting through air and stood up, not facing Tails.
"Shadic? What happened?" the eight year old asked.
"We're going for a walk." Shadic said quietly. "We'll give you a full update when we get back."
"Shadic, wai-" they didn't stick around to hear the rest of Tails' sentence, already gone.
Shadic ran into a tree, gasping as the full force of what they said to Eggman hit them.
Shadow's thoughts darted around but somehow it still felt emptier than usual.
Faker, I-the thought ended as they hit a wall. Shadow buzzed with displeasure and confusion. What had happened? Why couldn't he feel Sonic?
He pressed a tentative thought to their mind, feeling it bump off a….. wall? Sonic knew how to do that?
Well, he supposed the quiet was appreciated.
It wasn't appreciated, not at all, it was too quiet and too loud and, wow, Shadow forgot how his mind could spiral sometimes.
He had no idea the blue hog had been keeping him so grounded throughout all of this.
Shadow pressed against the wall again, the resistance being an almost midnight blue feeling.
What had gotten into the other? Why had he closed up? Was it what just happened? Oooooh, why didn't he take advantage of Sonic's open mind and at least look for common weakness of Sonic's foes?
He couldn't reach the other, not like this. If he wanted to get to the bottom of this, he had to...he had to… he had to lower his guard.
Shadow shuddered, only once, before slowly loosening his defenses, his thoughts cascading out into the space.
Shadow pressed against Sonic's wall, testing its strength.
Whoa. This was gonna be harder than he thought.
Faker? the thought echoed. Sonic? Listen, I… I'm sorry about forcing you to say all that stuff.
Nothing.
Sonic, look, I- Ugh, I can't do this without you. This is a two man operation. I'll promise to be a better headmate or whatever, just tell me what's going on.
The border shuddered, as if Sonic was considering it.
I just, I just want to help.
The wall didn't move and Shadow feared he'd sent the wrong message before-
The wall slammed down and a cascade of melancholy blue washed over concerned red.
Sonic's thoughts echoed memories of failure after failure; a white glove missing the falling hand of a terrified man, screams silenced by water's cold embrace, a hedgehog that looked like a star but was determined to plummet like a comet.
Now, Shadow was clearly in the 'Doesn't deserve forgiveness and should have been left for dead' camp so it kinda stung how Sonic considered this thought process was his fault or responsibility. Oh no, this mess was all Shadow. Stupid 'hog and his stupid thing for saving people.
You can't save everyone.
I should at least try.
Oh, there's the issue. And honestly, it was a little annoying how familiar it was.
You did. You did your best and next time-
Next time, what, you'll burn up in the atmosphere, completely convinced there's nothing worth living for and that you don't deserve forgiveness for manipulation?
Um. No. Shadow winced. Sonic and his big heart, darn it. Next time, you'll have me and knowledge from past experiences to help you.
... Sonic was quiet before softly saying, Really?
Shadow tried not to get sucked into a memory of the past. He may be opening up but he wasn't ready for that part just yet.
Yeah. But don't make me regret it, Faker.
Heh...I won't.
...wanna get some chili dogs?
Hmmm, I'd prefer burgers.
Oh, what about Sloppy Joes?
What are those?
Oooooh, boy, you're gonna love this….