Shadow looked around him frantically to see where he had ended up. He saw Mephiles standing right in front of him. His surroundings were a tunnel of stone. But it wasn't just any tunnel of stone… it looked like the same cave he fought Mephiles in to begin with. Mephiles looked down at Shadow, who was sitting down, maliciously. Then the demon turned around and called out with a voice just like Shadow's.

"I've found him! Come quick, before he gets up!"

Shadow could only guess that Mephiles was calling to Sonic and the others. Not long after, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy and Rouge ran into the cave. Shadow looked up at them in fear, there was no doubt that his friends would not hold back on him, whilst Shadow would have to take it because he didn't want to hurt his friends. The ultimate life form could definitely forgive himself for beating up someone like Sonic, who was asking for it half of the time, and Knuckles, who was tough enough to take it anyway. But not Tails, a child, Amy, also a child and a girl, and Rouge… his best friend. The hedgehog closed his eyes tightly and put his hands up in front of his face, cowering helplessly.

"We're not falling for the act of innocence. You're evil and we know it!" Sonic yelled and charged forwards. Shadow was pushed back with a homing attack; the hedgehog hit the wall behind him with a massive thud then fell to the floor. His head and back, the parts of his body that had hit the wall hardest, throbbed in pain, but Shadow couldn't do anything about it. Next was Knuckles, who ran forwards and punched Shadow in the stomach several times before giving and uppercut that sent the hedgehog rocketing towards the ceiling. Shadow's vision began to blur and he heard nothing but ringing in his ears. The ultimate life form could withstand the usual bump the head, but this was Sonic and Knuckles who dealt the blows. The hedgehog was doomed. He knew this wouldn't be enough to kill him, but he was unable to defend himself.

Shadow didn't even know what was going on now. He couldn't make out the shapes in front of him, and couldn't hear the footsteps of the people around him. That's when he became terrified. The end could happen at any second and he wouldn't see or hear it coming. The suspense was killing him. Nothing was happening. Why hadn't anyone tried to kill him yet? Then he felt a gloved and tender hand wrap around his throat and Rouge's breath tickled his ears.

"This is for making Shadow suffer," Rouge hissed and kicked the real Shadow in the chest. The ultimate life form could just about make out those words, and hit hurt him even more than the kick itself.

"And for all of the panic you've caused us!" Sonic yelled out from wherever he stood. Shadow could make out a blue figure that stood a few feet away.

The heel the Rouge's boot had cut the skin on Shadow's chest open, causing him to bleed profoundly. The hedgehog howled out in pain as he tried to move his hand to cover to wound. He couldn't move anything; he hurt all over. Mephiles noticed the look of guilt on everyone's faces and became alarmed.

"Don't let his cries fool you," Mephiles deceived them with Shadow's voice. "He's trying to trick us into thinking we've seriously hurt him, when in fact he could easily kill us all in the second if we let our guards down." The demon clicked his fingers and a machine appeared in the cave in mid-air. It was a kite shaped metal casing surrounded by a purple aura. The perfect size for a hedgehog like Shadow. "I managed to find a way to seal him. It's the best he can do for now. If we kill him, then that will only destroy the body and Mephiles himself will escape and possess someone else. So, if we seal him in a machine as was done to him fifty years ago, then he won't be able to bother us again."

"You're right," Sonic said. "Let's put him inside while he's immobilised."

"Quickly, before he escapes from my body," Mephiles said. Shadow felt furious. Mephiles' body!? Shadow's body belonged to him and him only. Everyone was buying the demons act and it made his blood boil! But he couldn't do anything about it.

With a collective effort, Sonic and Knuckles picked Shadow up and pushed him into the machine. Tails flew upwards and clipped Shadow's hands and feet into their slots and locked him in tight. Shadow groaned and lifted his head.

"Ssssstoooop…" Shadow rasped as he felt his clear sight return. The ultimate life form could also hear clearly again; he could hear himself and how pathetic he sounded. "Please…"

Mephiles walked over to the machine, and Shadow looked him in the eye with fake anger as he tried to hide his fear. The hedgehog wasn't terrified of physical torture, sure he didn't like it, but he could take it over emotional pain any day. He realised that Mephiles wasn't going to let Shadow off with a beating alone. The demon was going to do much worse things, and Shadow could tell by the glint of determination in Mephiles' sickly green eyes… the glint of madness and insanity, the sign that he had something gruesome planned.

Mephiles changed to his crystal form in a flash. Everyone in the room covered their eyes for a few moments, while all Shadow could do was shut them tightly.

"Well, are you going to close the machine or what?" Sonic asked, becoming impatient. "Do you need your super form to seal him or something?"

Super form? Was that what Mephiles told them all to believe? Shadow thought. The crystal demon drew back his hand and charged up a beam of energy and pointed it at Shadow. The hedgehog went pale and his heart stopped for a second. This was it…

Suddenly, Mephiles turned around and pointed his light energy spear at Sonic, who didn't see the attack from his trusted friend coming. The hedgehog gave a grunt and a choke then stood there in pain. Amy began to scream while the rest just stood still looking horror stricken. Mephiles retracted the deadly beam of light and watched Sonic drop to the floor; he was dead cold. But it didn't end there. Mephiles put on an act of surprise and confusion.

"What happened? Why is Sonic on the floor? I blacked out for a second… WHAT DID I DO?" Mephiles cried out with panicked a voice that sounded like Shadow. "He's… controlling me from the machine… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" the demon fell to his knees in his plea for forgiveness.

Shadow just grit his teeth to try and stop himself from crying. Mephiles had won. There was no way of going back to change the past. If Shadow went back to the ARK fifty years ago to stop Mephiles, then he would have to kill himself because the demon was using Shadow's body at the time. No one would believe him even if he tried to prove himself innocent. There was no way to change the past… and no way to fix the future. His destiny was settled and locked, and nothing could change it. The hedgehog just sobbed as he hung in the machine. With his head lowered in shame and despair, he began to cry silently.

"It wasn't me… I swear…" the ultimate life form rasped through his constricted throat. "He's fooled you all…"

All heroes turned to face Shadow, apart from Sonic, who was dead, and Amy, who was crying over Sonic's body. Tails had tears in his eyes also, but he was determined to fight for Sonic.

"Go ahead… kill me, seal me away. That won't solve the problem," Shadow said harshly. "You're all about to suffer as badly as I have because you didn't listen to me. Instead you listened to Mephiles' lies!"

"Just shut it already! You've done enough and now you're mocking our intelligence! We'd never fall for any tricks!" Tails yelled. Shadow gave a soft chuckle at the irony of the statement. The furious fox lifted himself from the ground with his tails and charged towards Shadow in the air. Without warning, Mephiles got up and another spear, this time through Tails' chest. The fox plummeted to the floor and lay there… also dead cold.

Before anyone could react Mephiles created three duplicates of himself and turned them against the remaining three. The survivors were held in a headlock. Amy screamed at the top of her lungs as a crystallised arm was wrapped around her neck and she was put into a headlock. The other two were held by their arms. Knuckles and Rouge struggled silently. Amy screamed out a last time before Mephiles clicked his fingers and the duplicate that held her hostage snapped her neck. The last scream Amy let out reminded Shadow of Maria's last scream in the alternate timeline. The one where Mephiles gave Shadow a choice between Maria and Earth. This time, Shadow didn't have a choice. It was the death of his friends and nothing else.

"STOP IT!" Shadow yelled out desperately. The hedgehog decided that fighting his feelings were useless and cried, regardless of the fact that he was showing weakness to his friends and enemy. The hedgehog just let the tears pour and breathed in heavily and raggedly. "Stop… please…"

"Oh… we know your tricks… just do it already! Kill me," Knuckles said aggressively while looking at Shadow. The remaining two still thought Shadow was behind the murders.

"No Knuckles! Don't say that!" Shadow roared.

Mephiles looked at the echidna mischievously. If he had a mouth he would have smiled evilly. The demon chuckled manically.

"It isn't a trick you gullible fool. You and your comrades have punished the wrong being!" Mephiles said in his own voice.

"Shadow, what happened to your voice?" Knuckles said in shock. Rouge looked at Mephiles in realisation. "Shadow? I am Mephiles, Mephiles the Dark!"

"Shadow!?" Rouge said, this time her words were directed towards the real Shadow. The hedgehog tensed up and looked at her uncomfortably. He hung his head in shame again and mumbled.

"… I'm sorry…"

Mephiles clicked his fingers and the two duplicates moved into action. Their flawed and clawed hands wrapped around Knuckles and Rouge's gullets.

"All the times you hurt him. The many times you called him scum. You were abusing the real Shadow. The innocent hedgehog who was cruelly mistreated by everyone who knew him. He suffered because of your mistakes!" Mephiles lectured as the bad and echidna choked and struggled.

"They've learned their lessons! Please spare them!" Shadow cried out. He sounded like a pathetic screaming child at this point, but he didn't care anymore. It wouldn't matter in the end. The two of them looked weaker and weaker each second. Within two minutes they both collapsed. All of them, dead.

Shadow closed his eyes and let out a massive sigh of despair and relief. It was over. Until…

Maria!

The hedgehog realised she was yet to suffer under the hands of Mephiles. His eyes shot open as he saw Mephiles walk towards the exit of the cave.

"I've not decided how I'll kill her yet…" Mephiles teased with his back to Shadow. "But don't worry. Whichever way I chose to do it, I'll make sure you get to watch."

Shadow was left to wait for Mephiles to return with Maria… at least Shadow assumed that was what Mephiles planned to do. His heart beat so hard he felt it beating in his limbs… on his neck, and he heard the blood pumping in his ears. The hedgehog swallowed hard and trembled like a terrified child. Just as he felt that he could faint from the stress he felt, there was a bright flash, and something appeared in front of him.

But it wasn't Mephiles. This time… the figure was a white hedgehog. Shadow called out to him desperately.

"Silver!"

Lucy Labrador