Chapter 5

The 2 hedgehogs and chameleon were walking through the tunnel with a lantern as their only guide. Shade was excited.

"Well, I gotta admit," the hedgehog said, "I didn't know you had that in you back there. That's pretty...impressive."

"I KNOW! I know." She toned it down like she knew it was great already. "So, Ultimate Life-form, I'm just gonna call you Red 'cause of your stripes now. The name's not fun. Anyway, where do you live?"

"Whoa there, Blondie. I don't do backstory, it's not pretty. However, I am becoming very interested in yours. Now, I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair..."

"Nope."

"Or the dad..."

"Uh-uh."

"Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog..."

"Chameleon."

"Here's my question though, if you want to see the lanterns so badly why haven't you gone before?"

"Uh, well..." a pebble fell on top of her head and landed on the ground. Soon the ground started to shake. "Uh, Red?" they looked to see soldiers running after them.

"Red?!"

"Run!" Red said as Shade grabbed her hair and left.

When they made it outside, they were around a rickety dam and on a ledge that was way too high to jump down from. They looked around to see an opening on the ground. They also saw Jet and Storm on the ground as well.

"Who's that?" Shade asked.

"They don't like me." Red replied. The soldiers stopped behind them.

"Who are they?"

"They don't like me either." Sonic ran in front of them.

"Who's that?!"

"Let's just assume for the moment that everyone here dosen't like me!"

Shade gave him the frying pan as she threw and wrapped her hair around a beam connecting to an irrigation system taking water from the dam to the ground.

She then swung over to a small ledge on the canyon surrounding them.

"I've waited a long time for this." The commander said as he took out his sword. Red held the frying pan and whacked the man to the ground. He then ducked and did the same thing to the other guards.

"Oh, mamma, I have got to get me one of these!" he exclaimed.

"Don't forget about me." Sonic said with his dagger out.

Red and Sonic started to block, dodge, and swipe with their weapons each proving to themselves who was better.

"You should know this is the strangest thing I have ever done!" Red was fighting with a frying pan against a dagger; wouldn't you think it would be strange? But that was short lived as Sonic whacked the pan out of his hands and it fell to the ground below.

"How about 2 out of 3?" Red asked before holding his hands up.

"Shut it!" Sonic yelled at him pointing his dagger.

"RED!" Shade called. They both looked to see Shade's hair wrapped around Red's hand before pulling him away from Sonic. Sonic gasped and dropped the dagger.

"Red, look out!"

Jet and Storm were on the ground with Red coming towards them. Shade pulled her hair lifting him up over them. "Ha!" he yelled. "You should see your faces, because you look-" he crashed into a beam straight into his gut. "...ridiculous."

Sonic pushed against a beam that was holding the dam in place. When it was down water started pouring out little by little. Sonic walked over the beam to where Shade was.

"C'mon, Blondie!" Red yelled from the beam holding her hair. "JUMP!" When Shade jumped off the edge Sonic was right behind her trying to grab her hair but missed by an inch. Red let go of her hair and slid down the irrigation system before it broke into pieces. The 2 started to run away towards the opening from before.

The dam broke under pressure and all the water poured out sweeping away everybody in its path. The water knocked over a column of rocks falling on top of Shade and Red. When they made it to the opening, the water brought Shade's pan back and Red grabbed just before the rocks crashed onto them.

The water gushed passed them submerging everything. A hole in the cave surrounding them let water in as they tried to find a way out. The water poured in fast as they climbed onto a higher part of the cave, but still couldn't find a way out.

Red jumped into the water to find a hole or something they could swim out of. Shade poked the handle of the pan into crack of rocks to find something, but nothing came up. Red came back up and pushed and pulled against the rocks. But as he did he cut a large gash on his hand. He dove back under water to try again, but just couldn't find a hole.

"It's no use." He gasped. "I can't see anything."

Shade shook her head and dove under water, but Red pulled her back up. "Hey! There's no point! It's pitch black down there."

Shade looked around to see Espio against the wall curled up in a ball. She started to cry. "This is all my fault. He was right. I never should have done this. I'm so...I'm so sorry, Red."

Red sighed, "Shadow."

"What?"

"My real name is Shadow the Hedgehog. Someone might as well know."

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Shade admitted.

Shadow looked at her confused. "What?"

She then realized something, "I have magic hair that glows when I sing! Flower gleam and glow let you power shine..." the water rose above their heads. Soon, her hair glowed a bright white like the moon. Shadow opened his eyes and freaked out a bit before looking at her hair. It was moving towards a current through the rocks. Shadow and Shade dug as the lights started to dim.

On the outside, water was pouring through the rocks. Suddenly, Shadow's hand pops through and pushed more rocks out of the way before the whole wall collapsed into a river below them.

On the river bank, Shade and Espio came up first gasping for air before and Shadow came up coughing.

"We made it." Shade said.

"Her hair glows." Shadow replied.

"We're alive. We're alive!"

"I didn't see that coming..." he started to talk to Espio.

"Shadow..."

"The hair actually glows..."

"Shadow..."

"Why does her hair glow?!"

"Shadow!"

"What?!"

Shade pulled the rest of her hair from the water, "It dosen't just glow..."

Espio grinned mischievously at Shadow. "Why is he smiling at me?"

At the real entrance for the Snuggly Ducking escape route, Mephiles was already there with his dagger ready. He crept toward the door, but instead Jet and Storm came out of the hole wet and coughing. Mephiles hid behind some rocks as he heard them talking.

"I'll kill him." Jet said. "I'll kill that Life-form! We'll cut him off at the kingdom, and get back the crown. Come on!"

"Boys..." Mephiles said from standing on top of the rocks. They turned around. "Maybe it's time for you to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment." He took out the satchel. The 2 birds took out their weapons, but he just laughed. "Oh, please there's no need for that."

He threw the satchel down to them and they fought over it. As Jet pulled out the tiara Mephiles said, "Well, if that's all you desire then be on your way. I was going to offer what's worth 1000 crowns and make you rich beyond belief, but that wasn't even the best part! Ah, well, se la vie, have fun with your crown." He started to walk away.

"What's the best part?" Jet asked.

"It comes with revenge on the Ultimate Life-form."

Shade, Shadow, and Espio sat by the fire. She was wrapping her hair around Shadow's hand whose glove was off.

"So," he said. "you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand. Ah!"

"Sorry. Just don't...don't freak out."

Shadow looked at his hand before looking back at her. Shade sighed and started to sing.

"Flower gleam and glow...let your power shine...make the clock reverse...bring back what once was mine..." her hair started to glow a bright white as the moon. It reached to end of her hair and around Shadow's hand. He looked at Espio who just pointed to his own hand and smirked.

"Heal what has been hurt...change the fate's design...save what has been lost...bring back what once was mine...what once was mine..." Shade's hair stopped glowing as she opened her eyes and looked at Shadow waiting for his reaction.

As he unwrapped the hair from around his hand and his eyes widened. The gash on his hand was completely gone! Before he could scream Shade yelled, "Please don't freak out!"

"...I-i-i-I'm not freaking out! Are you freaking out? No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses. How long has it been doing that, exactly?"

"Uh, forever I guess. Dad says when I was a baby people tried to cut it. They wanted to take for themselves. But once it's cut, it turns red and loses its power." She showed him the part of her hair that Mephiles cut when she was younger. "A gift like that, it needs to be protected. That's why dad never let me...that's why I never left and..." she looked away.

"You never left that tower." Shadow said. Shade turned to face him. "And you're still gonna go back?"

"No! Yes? It's complicated." Shade sighed and pushed her hair back. "So, Shadow the Hedgehog, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, well I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphaned Shadow the Hedgehog. It's a little bit of a...well, it's a bit of a downer."

Shade scooter closer to him and rested her head on her hands and knees.

"Heh, well, when I was born, I was actually supposed to be dead. But someone saved me, a girl named Maria. She did something, I don't know what, but it gave me my life back. Soon word got out that she could "lift the dead". People thought of her as a witch. We were both hunted down for it and she sacrificed herself to save me."

"I'm sorry." Shade said.

"It's ok. I got the name Ultimate Life-form because, well, I sorta am one. I was raised from the dead. What'd you expect? You can't tell anyone about this, okay. It could ruin my whole reputation."

"Ah, we wouldn't want that." Shade said sarcastically.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has." Shade laughed and so did he after that. She looked at him smiling and then Shadow said, "Uh, I should get some more firewood."

As he walked away Shade called him back. "Hey, for the record, I like Shadow the Hedgehog much better than the Ultimate Life-form."

"Well, then you'd be the first, but thank you." And he walked away.

Shade sighed as he left but a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Well! I thought he'd never leave." The voice said.

"Dad?" she turned around. He took off his hood showing some of his crystalline features. Espio blended in with the log he was on to hide from him.

"Hello dear."Mephiles hugged her.

"But I-I-I-I-well, you see uh... how did you find me?"

"Oh it was easy really. I just listened to sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that."

"...Dad-"

"We're going home, Shade. Now." Mephiles pulled her towards the forest until Shade stopped him.

"But you don't understand. I've been on this incredible journey, and seen and learned so much. I...I even met someone."

"Yes, the wanted thief. I'm so proud. Come on, Shade." He pulled her again, but this time Shade yanked her hand back.

"But, Dad, wait! I think...I think he likes me."

"Likes you? Now, Shade, really that's demented."

"But, Dad, I-"

"This is why you never should've left. Dear this whole romance that you've invented just proves that you're too naïve to be here."

Mephiles spun her around trying to convince her to leave. "Why would he like you, come on now, really? Look at you. You think that he's impressed. Don't be a dummy. Come with daddy. Father-"

"No!"

"No?" Mephiles got mad. "Oh, I see how it is. Shade knows best. Shade is so mature now. Such a clever grown up miss. Shade knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now, go ahead give him this!" Mephiles took out the satchel and threw it at her.

"How did you-"

"This is why he's here. Don't let him deceive you. Give it to him watch you'll see."

"I will."

"Trust me my dear. That's how fast he'll leave you. I won't say I told you so! NO! Shade knows best. So if he's such a dream boat. Go and him to the test!" He started to leave.

"Dad wait!"

"If he's lying, don't some crying! Father Knows Best!" with a flick of his cloak he disappeared into the night.

Shade was left alone staring at the satchel thinking. Shadow's voice was heard in the distance.

"So! Hey, uh, can I ask you something?" he came to where she was carrying firewood. "Is there any chance that I'm gonna get super strength in my hand, because I'm not gonna lie, that would be stupendous." He noticed Shade's back turned to him.

"Hey. You alright?"

She turned around, "Oh! Sorry yes, just, um, lost in thought I guess."

Shadow shrugged putting the wood down. "You see, here's the thing, super-human good looks, I've always had them. Born with it. But super-human strength?..." he went on about it, Shade glanced back at a tree stump where she put the satchel.

Mephiles, Jet, and Storm watched them silently. When the 2 birds were about to walk over, Mephiles stopped them.

"Patience, boys." He said. "All good things to those who wait..."