Chapter 17: Prophesy

'What will I become if I don't look back?'- Never turn back – Crush 40

He found his past self defending a family of badgers. The robots came thickly like hornets. The insignia of Eggman on their shoulders seemed to laugh and jeer mockingly.

Again, he found himself waiting for the perfect moment to strike. All this patience was really starting to anger him.

Right, I've done everything haven't I? I have Tails ready to rescue Sally. Silver's safe somewhere… I hope… and now it's Shadow's turn. Have I left anything out?

Staying hidden, he took out his communicator and signaled for Tails. The fox answered swiftly. He told him to pick up Sally immediately and await further instructions. He nodded and cut the communication.

Satisfied, Sonic returned the communicator to his bag and set his sights on his other. It was time to use the flare gun. It had one round left.

He shuffled forward, aimed and fired at the ground near him, which was very risky. Nevertheless, his past self noticed and came after the sudden disturbance. The fire had pelted into the ground, leaving a large, smoking patch of ruined earth.

Sonic watched him come closer. He had to wait until his back was turned.

"Come on… come on…"

The blue hedgehog with the green emerald almost looked in his direction. Sonic bolted to the floor, hidden behind rough foliage and rocky mounds. His past self looked on for a little longer. He seemed nervous, and for good reason. He was alone, and he too was now aware of the bugs, or so Sonic hoped.

Finally after a good sniff of the air and a vigil to his surroundings, he turned his back to him.

"At last!"

Sonic belted forward like a rocket. He couldn't make a mistake now. Everything had to be perfect. Already he could see his other start to turn towards him.

Sonic dipped into his true speed, and he struck his past self before he could turn to see who it was.

Sonic stuck the end of the needle into his arm, and the drugs were instantly inserted into the bloodstream.

"What the?" The other Sonic struggled violently, "who the hell are you? What are you doing to me?"

He couldn't say anything, least he give himself away. All he did was pray that the tranquilizer would act fast. And it did. The other Sonic started to weaken. His voice slurred as if he were drunk, and his legs threatened to betray him.

"Wha… wha ave you done ta me?"

Sonic smirked, even though he was doing this to himself. Sweet dreams, pal.

The past Sonic jerked, desperate not to be beaten. He slumped forward and fell to his knees. "The feck is oin' on?" His eyelids drooped and his tongue hung out his mouth. "Wha?" Before he knew it, he was out cold. Now there was only one Sonic.

Quickly and neatly, Sonic dropped the empty syringe, grabbed the ankles of the hedgehog and pulled him up to a lone standing tree. There he covered him with thistles and bits of bushes to conceal him for the time being. He took the green emerald and looked at it darkly. "Not you again." He told it reverently.

Its glow was warm and gentle. It seemed so innocent, but Sonic knew how that could change.

The sky was very dark and menacing. The temperature dropped lower. The rain clouds gathered thickly. Sonic started to make his way to Shadow. As he went, he paused and saw a bug climb over a stone. Its body was beetle green, and its long antennas flicked back and forth like rods.

Sonic grinned and splattered it with his fist. The bug's green guts marked the stone as a sign of its grave. "Ha, you'll be possessing no one today."

Unbeknownst to him, that was the wrong bug.

Meanwhile, Rouge met up with Shadow near the frontline of the enemy. The bio-engineered hedgehog was gasping for breath. He was fought endlessly for days. Around him lay hundreds of badnik carcasses.

"You've… you've got to do better than that… Eggman…"

"Shadow!" He turned. Rouge. The bat landed beside him. She tucked her wings up and out of the way.

"What?"

"Look at you! You've got to retreat! You'll kill yourself!"

Sonic was running faster. Would he get there in time? A pain lashed through his skull and he had to stop. He braked hard, almost sending himself reeling into darkness. He plastered his sweaty gloves to his temples and cried bitterly. "Ooh!" When all this was over, he was going to sedate himself so that he could have a painless, comfortable sleep.

How was he going to stop Shadow?

"I'll… I'll tell him we have to leave… we'll go…" Go where?

This was all too confusing for him now. He fell to his knees in a similar act his past self had done when he had drugged him.

A metal bug zoomed through the air and found its comely target. Its wings snapped shut inside its shell and it fell from the air, straight down Sonic's ear cannel.

Sonic slapped at his ear, feeling a rather distressing itch. The déjà vu hit him, and he stumbled upright. "Oh shits no!" He turned fruitlessly around, rubbing at his left ear. Then he tried shaking his already hurting head, trying to rid himself of the irritation. It was all in vain. His limbs drooped. His legs turned to stone. He couldn't control his own actions.

"It's… it's happening again!" Without the past Sonic, he had unintentionally taken his place to be possessed. History had repeated itself.

Sonic tried to dislodge whatever had gone done his ear cannel. His lips folded tightly over his teeth that suddenly looked sharp and poised for blood.

His eyes faded to a creamy blue shade.

Her unusual tide of concern made Shadow snarl. "Go home, Rouge. I don't want another corpse under my feet."

"What? So you're just gonna keep fighting? You can't beat Eggman all by yourself, Shadow. That's stupid."

"Maybe, but at least I try."

She paused. Her wings shivered against the cold. "I've managed to make some of the freedom fighters retreat. The ravine's almost within walking distance. You can make it too."

"Oh really?"

"Shadow, if you don't move then…" A sudden, unseen wind clenched her for a moment.

She turned and saw Sonic standing behind her. "Oh, hello Sonic." She said, "come to fight 'til you drop too? Sonic?" She asked when he did not respond.

Shadow glanced at him with some hint of concern. "Sonic? What are you doing here?"

Sonic rose his blue eyes to meet his ruby ones.

He grinned. His hand powered down on Rouge and the bat fell to the floor. When Shadow came at him like a bullet from a shotgun, Sonic foresaw his move, because he was from the future. Instead of normally sending him into the air as the future had done, Sonic countered by spin-dashing the Ultimate Lifeform. His spines cut neatly into Shadow like a harpoon. The blow was devastating.

Shadow struggled resiliently. His body flared with dark power and suddenly, Sonic remembered that he didn't have the gold bangles on his wrists. His green eyes shone through and he stopped his attack.

Shadow landed in the dirt, blood marked on his white tuft of fur. He sat up and stared at Sonic with unspeakable astonishment.

Rouge cried out pensively, "Shadow, what the hell is going on?"

Shads ignored her. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He roared bitterly.

Sonic didn't speak. He just grinned. The sight unnerved the darker hedgehog.

The blue hero's ear itched and he reached to scratch it. The bug! He thought. I've got to get rid of it before I kill him again!

"Shadow!" He tried to speak through the numbness. He could feel the power growing stronger in his head, threatening to overpower his senses, "Shadow…"

The Ultimate Lifeform got to his feet. "What?"

"I'll…" His eyes went back to blue. "I'll KILL YOU!"

Shadow smirked. "Try it."

They met again. Kicking and punching. Shadow leant away from his main power. He didn't want to hurt Sonic too much. He knew he wasn't himself. Something was wrong.

Sonic rushed into him and dealt a lethal kick into Shadow's chest. The knock reverberated in the hedgehog's ribs. Winded, the Ultimate Lifeform shied away. Sonic gained on his attack, using Shadow's moments of weakness to assail him again.

The storm was right upon them.

Sonic's backpack ripped and tore from his shoulders. It fell and landed on the earth. The green chaos emerald rolled out of it. This didn't hinder Sonic. They dove at each other like pythons. Sonic smacked Shadow in the eye. And in return, Shadow head-butted him, aggravating Sonic's head injury.

The red quilled hedgehog screamed. "SONIC! What are you doing?"

Sonic laughed. He laughed until he was coughing. Blood leaked from his nose, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

Then, without warning, the blue hedgehog turned into a blur and spun into his black nemesis. Shadow boiled with rage.

"CHAOS SPEAR!" The bolts of lightening smashed into Sonic, causing him to be flung back. "What's going on?" Shadow raged, "Why are you attacking me? I'm not your enemy! So stop! Stop it now!"

Spittle and white foam spilled from his mouth. His eyes were hooded. He did not see a white hedgehog coming his way. He was too focused on Sonic.

Then Sonic did something very odd. He clutched his head and started to scream as though he were under attack, which he wasn't. He stumbled to and fro, crying and yelling. He quivered like an invalid. His eyes were fixed shut. Shadow watched and waited. He didn't know what to expect anymore.

After a personal battle it seemed, Sonic was back to his deranged self, and the evil grin spread over his face until it seemed like it would stay that way forever.

Oh how he wanted to KILL! He wanted to end all life, but first he had to eliminate Shadow, just as Eggman wanted. Traitors always got what they deserved. Oh yes.

Always.

Sonic shot forward again like a living torpedo. Shadow joined the charge and they smashed into one another.

A bone crushing kick broke Shadow's right arm. But the Ultimate Lifeform did not let him get away with it. He punched Sonic so hard in the jaw that he felt a few of his teeth loosen. Then he delivered an upper kick into Sonic's groin. Frozen with pain, Sonic fell away, whimpering. His green eyes were back.

"Sonic, listen to me! Come to your senses! Can't you see that fighting me is getting you nowhere? I am not your target! Please!" Shadow was tired of this. They were not supposed to be killing each other! This was a war against Eggman! Nothing else!

"Oh stuff your lectures up your anus!" Sonic mocked sourly. He ran up and thumped his fist so severe and tremendously into Shadow's side that the blow burst his kidney. The air was harried with howls of pain.

Rouge was on her toes. "Leave him alone!" She shrieked at Sonic, "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Even evening sky seemed drenched in blood itself.

Seething, the red quilled hedgehog thrust out a wave of dark energy, causing Sonic to fall awkwardly on his chest. Both hedgehogs were bleeding badly.

Sonic dimly opened his blue eyes and saw the green emerald lay but inches from his head. He snatched it up.

Shadow saw too late. "Sonic! NO!"

A lime green film of energy enveloped Sonic, and the emerald fell from his twitching fingers. Silver landed on the floor like a delicate ballerina. The emerald floated from the floor, up to his hand. "Gotcha." He whispered faintly.

"Silver you prick! Look out!"

Sonic leapt onto the white psychic like a puma and got his hands on his throat. "It's just like you to get in the way!"

Though weakened, Shadow threw him off with a rough shove. Silver, gasping, used the emerald to stop Sonic in motion. The blue freedom fighter growled and roared angrily, but he could not move.

Shadow couldn't stay on his feet and he fell from where he stood. Silver looked over at him; shock plain on his face. "Shadow!"

The loss of concentration freed Sonic instantly. He came like an avalanche, quick and hard. He ploughed into Silver, knocking him down, and using his teeth, bit into the child's face.

Silver screeched in utter hysteria.

Shadow's heart tore at the noise and he forced himself up. "Son… please stop this…" His voice was thick and low, bubbling out of the bloody spume in his mouth.

Rogue slammed her heel into the base of Sonic's skull, almost knocking him out. The brief reprieve made Sonic flinch in disdain, and his teeth left Silver's bleeding complexion but he did not let go of him. It was Shadow who ruthlessly kicked him off.

Sonic spun hard in the dirt. And he lay there, and didn't get back up.

Rouge was sobbing hard. Her leg throbbed from the attack.

Silver regained some of his composure and gripped the emerald tightly. He had been ready for this and he wasn't about to give up, even if he could hardly see past the blood in his eyes.

Shadow was lying perfectly still on the floor. His face was white and his eyes were closed.

"Shadow," he gasped, "hold on…"

He looked over at the place where Sonic had fallen. He wasn't there anymore.

Silver felt panic spill over his defenses. He looked around desperately for him. With insecure intentions, he held the emerald close to his chest.

"Stop panicking," he hyperventilated, "you'll find him. He's hurt too. He can't do much…"

He tried to reach out with his mind, find his energy source. His fear clouded his extra sensory perception (ESP).

Sonic came for him from behind. It was his speed that kept him from being detected.

Just before he struck Silver, a memory returned, and his orbs moistened to a soft emerald green.

'I came to save us all.'

"You… you knew about this…" Sonic choked. His gums and hands were bloody. His head felt like it would explode at any moment.

Silver nodded. "And like you said, the people you intent to save, mustn't know." With a good hard whack, he hit Sonic over the head with the emerald. The bug was jarred loose from his ear, and it tumbled out and landed on the snowy earth. Before the bug could flee, Silver crunched it up with his boot.

Sonic leaned into unconsciousness. He fell into a tide of black water.

…The nightmare, was over.

Dib07: Omg these chapters are sooo long!