Cf96: I'm glad you like the moment with Shadow and Rouge, but I don't really ship them. I can see them in a relationship, but I personally think they work better as just friends. :)
Chapter 3: The Sinner's Repose
~Darkness' Conspiracy~
Unknown Location-
When Black Doom teleported us out of the Digital Circuit, I had no idea where he ended up, especially since he was so pertinent to stick to me…but in the end, I found I didn't even know where I had ended up. I had exited cyberspace into a room with a scanner of sorts, which was undeniably strange…
The room was very metallic, color schemed with red and accented with green…mustachioed evil grins emblazoned on every piece of technology…
I had a feeling it was Eggman-related.
This was pretty much confirmed when I saw the doctor himself hovering overhead, flying across the orange sky. He moved like he was on a mission or something, but I couldn't tell due to the distance.
"Hmmm…maybe this is my chance to get him to tell me about these black creatures," I trailed to myself. After all, the things they were doing I didn't exactly agree with, but I refused to tell Black Doom that. Maybe if I received a second opinion, I'd be able to make an easier decision.
However, when I left the high-tech room, I was greeted to an utter surprise.
Cryptic Castle-
"His base is in an old castle?" I inquired aloud, looking around in disbelief. The castle itself had an uncanny resemblance to Hang Castle, outfitted with flaming scones of every wall, but that wasn't entirely why I was taken so aback.
"Shadow!" cried the pink hedgehog girl known as Amy Rose, emerging from nowhere that I could see and scrambling up to me haphazardly. "I'm so glad you're here!"
Naturally.
"Cream went into this weird-looking castle, and hasn't come back out!" she explained rapidly, grabbing my arm and panting slightly. "Will you go in there with me?"
"Hold on," I interrupted, not moving an inch as Amy tried to tug me away. "Rouge told me that you and Cream were searching for a Chaos Emerald around this area."
"We were!" Amy cried, sounding distraught. "We looked all around the castle and even inside Eggman's base thingy, so then Cream thought there might be one inside the castle itself so she went in…now I'm thinking there's not one in there and she may have been captured by…something!"
"Do you know where Eggman went?"
Amy shook her head. "He's been flying around as if he's preparing for something, so he hasn't really been paying much attention to what Cream and I have been doing. There are some TV monitors that he uses to check up on things every once in a while though."
What do you know; she DID do her reconnaissance.
In any case, I really didn't have the time to help look for Cream, knowing that there was no way Amy was going to back down from this without a fight, and combined with the fact that I didn't want to see Cream hurt either, I went with a compromise of sorts.
"Fine, I'll help you look for Cream, but just remember, I'm only here to see Eggman. As soon as I find him in person, or we find Cream, you're on your own," I explained, motioning for her to follow me. Amy nodded, obediently following behind me.
"Okay, okay. I just don't want to go in there by myself!"
I pretty much had that figured out as well.
We entered a huge wooden door, only to be greeted by a stone pathway with spiked arches curved over it, almost like misshapen trees. Amy winced a little, and I gave her a disbelieving look.
"Really, Amy? We just entered."
"I know, I'm sorry!" Her hands flew to her face in a panic. "I just keep thinking about what Cream could've possibly gotten herself into and everything's freaking me out!"
I took a few steps forward and wedged my fingers underneath a stone slab, lifting it over my head and smashing it into a wall. Amy blinked, simply speechless.
"Now, pull yourself together. Hang Castle and Mystic Mansion were way worse than this- especially if Eggman is romping around the place."
Amy nodded and jumped down the hole I had revealed, with me following down after her. I hardly had a chance to survey my surroundings when Amy started cheering.
"Ooh, a balloon! Come on Shadow! It's shaped like a pumpkin!"
"…What?" was all I could mutter out before being lifted away by a pumpkin shaped balloon. Amy was hanging on it next to me, scouring the area below for any sign of her friend. While she did that, I just looked for a place to land.
"Hmm…" I noted, catching sight of a vine leading down to a path below. "I bet I can rail grind on that."
I released the balloon, landing on the vine below and grinding my way down. Amy noticed I was gone and let go of the balloon too, falling behind me and sliding down the vine as well. Once we hit the bottom, we were greeted by an Egg Pawn dancing atop a Jack-o-Lantern.
"Well," I scoffed, grabbing a nearby torch. "This place is definitely under control of Eggman."
I held the torch close to the pumpkin, lighting it in flames and taking the Egg Pawn down with it. Simultaneously, the door ahead of us swung open, and I carried on. Amy was sticking to my side like a lost puppy, but gasped and quickly hid behind me when Eggman's voice echoed throughout the castle.
His face appeared on the nearest monitor, grinning at me and seemingly not suspecting anything.
"Why hello, Shadow," the doctor greeted me pleasantly, either not caring that I was running amok in his castle or desperately needing my help.
I'd bet on the latter.
"Hello, Doctor," I replied cautiously, wondering what he was about to get at.
"The black creatures infiltrated my castle," he began, and I was just surprised he hadn't said anything about Amy, Cream, or even me. "I'd like you to light all the giant lanterns. They're part of my special defenses!"
Why should I help you?" I questioned, twirling the torch I currently held in my hand.
"It looks like you're already armed for the job."
"Well played. All right, I'll think about it. But you have to answer me a question first."
"Certainly, so long as it agrees with me."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the monitor. "Is there a Chaos Emerald in this castle?"
Eggman's expression deterred a bit as he rolled a finger through his oversized mound of facial hair. "Hmmm…well, I suppose I could say that there WAS one here, the yellow one if I do recall, but a certain flying furball managed to break in and take it from right under my nose."
"Flying furball…?" I questioned to myself.
Amy gasped in a hushed whisper. "Tails!"
"Yes, and as soon as he took it, my defenses fell, and those black aliens began to run rampant. Now I need you to activate my backup defenses on the double! Now go!"
Eggman disappeared from the screen, and I growled in retaliation.
"Why does everyone feel the need to tell me what to do?" I grumbled, my hand clenching the torch tightly.
"I dunno; you set yourself up for that one, Shadow," Amy interrupted, coming out now that Eggman was gone. I whirled around and gave her a look.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, you bargained with Eggman! He gave you information, and now you have to raise his defenses! Highly ironic, I will add."
"Yeah, but all that's going to do is help him defend against the alien invasion," I explained, shaking my head. "Their leader is planning something absolutely terrible and I'm…getting caught up in it."
Probably wouldn't be wise to tell Amy that I'm helping plan the extinction of humanity…
"Well, I know you'll do the right thing, won't you Shadow?" Amy asked, giggling and spinning around. "You always pull through in the end!"
"…you put too much faith in me."
"I know what you can do, though! You're just as heroic and brave-hearted as Sonic!" she continued to ramble, and I tolerated her rant with silence.
"There are things I've done that I'm not proud of, and there are things I'll have to do that I might end up regretting…"
I don't think she heard my comment- all she had to say was 'Sonic' and she was off listing every comparison between us that she could think of. I, however, was wondering if "brave-hearted" was a correct term to describe me.
With the way things were now, I was feeling more like black-hearted evil than anything.
. . .
I continued to walk through the corridors of Cryptic Castle, swapping out my torches from time to time and being checked up several times by Eggman.
I really wish he wouldn't do that.
Amy was still having no luck in finding Cream, and I'll admit, I wasn't looking very hard myself. She was growing increasingly more worried, but Amy maintained a pleasant demeanor anytime she bothered to talk to me. I didn't mind her presence -surprisingly it was much less annoying than being with Sonic- but I still didn't want to be distracted by looking for Cream.
Eventually we came upon a squad of Egg Pawns battling against a troop of Black Arms. Knowing what would happen if I were to attack the Black Arms, I went at the Egg Pawns.
Of course, I had to be chastised for that as well.
"Don't you dare go harming my robots!" Eggman yelled out of the blue, nudging me with the monitor. I glared at him as Amy stood off to the side, hammer in her hand.
"Well, if they're helping drive off the monsters, I guess they can't be all that bad…" she admitted.
"Yes, but those robots will be used for the doctor's own plans once the Black Arms are out of the way!"
"Oh, feel free to dispose of the aliens as you wish," Eggman interrupted, and I rolled my eyes. "They're ruining everything! And screwing up my fine décor!"
"Sorry, but that's not going to happen," I huffed as I turned away obstinately.
"I'll take care of it, then!" Amy declared, raising her hammer and jumping into the fray. I did a double take.
"Amy-?!"
Both Eggman and I gawked as Amy jumped in front of the Egg Pawns (who also stopped to gape in confusion) and began to swing her mallet into the brutes. All of the Black Arm creatures fell over, and Amy went to town on them with vicious swings of her hammer.
And take my word for it, it sounded like it hurt.
"Wow," Eggman whistled. "I'll hand it to her- she's efficient."
"You don't even care that she broke into your castle?"
Eggman shrugged. "Not my castle. As long as she doesn't harm my robots or steals anything, it's no skin off my nose!"
Incompetence these days.
"And, ahem, shouldn't you be worrying less about what Miss Rose over there is doing and instead be focusing on activating my defenses? You've only lit two up so far! There's three left!"
"I'm working on it," I grumbled, snatching another torch off a wall and stomping off. "But don't think I'm doing this because you told me to. I make my own decisions."
"Of course, Shadow. I wouldn't expect anything else from you."
"I'd ask what you meant, but I have a feeling you'll give me a cryptic answer that'll bug the hell out of me."
"We ARE in Cryptic Castle, my boy! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"
I wondered if I could use Chaos Blast on myself.
Regardless, I walked away from Eggman and proceeded to help Amy fight. Black Doom wasn't around to tell me I couldn't this time.
Though I still had the restriction of the Eggman robots.
"Let's finish them off, Amy!" I exclaimed, jumping at two of them and destroying them with a spin dash. Amy smiled, then continued to bash some skulls. Within moments the whole slew of Black Arms were dealt with, and Amy jumped around and started cheering. I felt pretty proud of myself, but I suddenly had a nagging pain in the back of my mind.
"What in the world…?"
"Shadow!" Amy cried, running over to me as I inexplicably fell to my knees moments later. I was grabbing the back of my head, writhing in pain and wishing for it to end, but I had no idea what was wrong. It was more like…I had done something wrong.
"I'm always watching, Shadow…"
It was like someone had attached a chain to the back of my skull and was endlessly tugging at it, and it was driving me mad. It was as though someone had latched it to all of me and wouldn't let go for nothing- it was tearing me apart!
Amy was at my side, panicking and not knowing what to do. She was only able to watch as I slowly cascaded onto the ground, grabbing the back of my head and trying not to scream. A few muffled groans managed to escape, and Amy just watched helplessly with watery eyes.
"Shadow, tell me there's something, anything I can do…!"
"Nrgh…NRGH-"
I completely collapsed into a fetal position, sucking in my cheeks, biting my lip, doing everything to prevent a scream. I couldn't even give Amy a clear answer because I didn't know what to tell her…
Eventually, the pain subsided, trickling away like the rain after a storm, and I lay sprawled out on the ground, gasping, sweating, panting, and wondering just what came over me.
"Shadow…please tell me that you're okay…" Amy trailed, staring straight into my eyes and practically begging me to be all right. I sighed again, closing my eyes and trying to figure out what came over me, slowly calming myself down, but it was like it hadn't even been there…
"…I'm okay, Amy. I'm okay."
"Good! Don't scare me like that again!" Her voice rose exceedingly sharply, as if she was trying to hit me with her words instead of her hammer. "You suddenly started grabbing your head and groaning and you fell to the ground and-"
"I just lived through it Amy. I don't want to live through it again."
"Right, right, sorry."
I took a deep breath and pushed myself back to my feet- I'd take Eggman's cryptic descriptions any day over that experience…
. . .
We continued to make our way through the castle, with me lighting the way and setting two more of Eggman's torches aflame. Amy still hadn't left me, not just searching for Cream, but I'm pretty sure she was now concerned for my wellbeing.
I was concerned too.
I was hunting down the final torch like no tomorrow, so I could ask Eggman about what he knew about the Black Arms, but I was deterred from my path after having heard a cry of sorts. Amy was right next me, claiming that she heard it too. She quickly ran over to a wall and knocked against it.
"Help me!"
"Shadow, it's Cream!" she cried, frantically whipping out her hammer and slamming it against the weakened wall. "Someone put her back here! We have to get her out!"
"I don't think even your hammer can break through that, Amy," I deduced, tapping against it. "Too bad someone like Omega or Knuckles isn't here…"
"Or Big!" Amy pointed out.
I was a bit skeptical on that one.
"Well, she got in there somehow, so there must be a way to get her out…"
I looked about the room- crates and other boxes loitered there, but lucky for me, there was something awfully convenient lying behind those boxes.
"Dynamite?"
"It's an explosive of some sort," Amy stated, watching as I picked up the red bomb. "I suppose we could use that to blast the wall open, but what if we hurt-"
"Stand clear of wall, Cream!" I yelled impulsively, hurling the detonation device at the wall. As soon as it made contact, it exploded, blasting pieces of the wall in all directions. I shielded Amy from the debris until the smoke cleared, and Cream could be visibly seen, emerging from the cloud of dust. She stepped out of her imprisonment…and ran right into me.
"Oh, thank you, Shadow!" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug. I had no idea how to respond to this, but luckily Amy saved me by scooping up Cream and squeezing her tighter than she had to me.
"Cream! I was so worried! What happened? How did you get behind the wall?"
"Those scary black monsters put me there!" Cream exclaimed, looking petrified at recalling. "Some Egg Pawns tried to stop them, but they were no match for them…"
"Guess the Black Arms really are a force meant to be dealt with." I mused to myself. This wasn't a very reassuring prospect, especially if GUN's weapons did nothing and Eggman's robots were useless competition…
Humans were weak to begin with though, so it was no wonder neither Eggman nor GUN could come out on top.
"It's okay now- Eggman told Shadow that Tails has the Chaos Emerald from this area, so we can get out of here!" Amy explained. Cream looked utterly dejected.
"No we can't…"
"No? But Cream-" Amy then sensed something was amiss, and glanced down into her friend's large blazoned eyes. "Cream…where's Cheese?"
"They took him too," she said quietly.
"Who, Cream?"
"The Black Arms, the same ones that had her," I mumbled, picking up my torch and leaving the area. Cream and Amy watched me walk away until Cream tugged Amy's arm.
"Amy, we can't leave without Cheese! We can't!"
"I know Cream, I know how much he means to you…" she then glanced up at me, and I knew she was staring at my back despite the fact I was looking away. "Shadow, would you mind-?"
"Yes," I said furiously, spinning around and creating quite the effect with the torch in my hand. "I offered to help you find Cream, and I did. I said nothing about Cheese, and I also said that as soon as I found Eggman, you were on your own."
"Shadow, have a heart-" Cream began, but I silenced her with another wave of the torch.
"My heart is black," I grunted through gritted teeth, the red aura coming back to life and shining brighter than the torch I held in front of me. "I'm going to finish lighting Eggman's lanterns…I recommend you get out of here before then!"
"To think I was worried about you!" Amy hissed, grabbing Cream's wrist and furiously stalking behind me as I paved the way through the darkness. "How can you turn your back on two girls? On your friends?"
"Like I just did."
Amy scoffed, but refused to release me from out of her sight. "Oh no, we are not done here, Shadow! Get back here!"
"Forget him, Amy, he did help save me…" Cream trailed. "We should worry about Cheese-"
"No way! That'll be like admitting defeat! I can't believe that guy!"
I could hear them conversing, but I willed myself not to turn around- there was a torch that needed to be lit, and I wasn't about to be bared down any longer.
. . .
To help in my search for Eggman's final torch, I enlisted the help of a Black Volt, a bird-like member of the Black Arms, using its strength and ability to fly to reach another section of the castle far off in the distance.
I was just grateful that it wasn't rabidly trying to peck at me. The other aliens hated me even when I was clearly on their side.
When the bird landed, I quickly jumped off and forged onward- the torch had to be around there somewhere. I knew Amy and Cream were following me, Cream able to fly them both over the gap. They were looking for answers from me, just like I was looking for answers from Eggman.
Mine were much more important.
"What's wrong, Shadow?" Eggman's voice called out to me, following once again with the floating monitor. "Does my castle scare you?"
"First off- it's not your castle. Second- never. Nothing scares me."
Except the idea that I was supposed to be shot instead of that 'Maria'…
"Well, something must be eating at you. After all you haven't located my last torch yet! I'm waiting, Shadow! I'm waiting!"
"Impatient," I spat. "Just like Sonic."
"Hmm, yes, but his is much more…irritating impatience. Mine is completely justified."
"Sure. Whatever. Leave me alone so I can fulfill your request. Or I can toss this torch over the side of the castle, start a fire, head to Central City, and get on with my own life."
"Nippy, nippy, nippy! Boy, you can be very touchy! Are you ever happy?"
"Give me a good reason and I'll smile. But until I know who I am…I don't think I can ever be satisfied."
Eggman's eyes deviated from me on the monitor. "Yes, I see…but tell me, what shall you be going to Central City for?"
I stopped in mid-step, cursing myself for letting slip my next destination. Eggman looked expectant for an answer, and I was unsure as to how to reply.
Once again, Amy had unintentionally rescued me.
"SHADOW!" Amy screeched, flying at me full force and tugging Cream behind her. Eggman stuck his tongue in his cheek and looked bemused.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman-"
"Can it, Eggman!"
I whirled to face Amy, who had finally let go of Cream and was now approaching me with her hammer outstretched like a sword. Eggman was looking forward to seeing how this would turn out, and I was dying to punch that monitor and to crack it into a thousand separate shards.
"Shadow…I know you've been doing bad things, but when you offered to help me find Cream, I thought the others were overreacting. But with how easily you discarded us afterward, I'm starting to think there was something to what they were saying after all."
"I don't know what they've been saying about me…" I began, taking a few steps back. "…but you can't say that I didn't warn you!"
With that, I lit the lantern placed ceremoniously behind me, Eggman cackling as the blue flames rose up to the ceiling. Amy gasped, and in the back of my mind I wondered what I had just done.
"Nicely done, Shadow…" Eggman said, before his face vanished from the monitor. I stared hard at Amy, who had her jaw dropped and was staring right back at me.
"I'm one step closer from getting the truth from the doctor…" I explained to her. "I will not let him interfere with my plans!"
"But…did you have to be so cruel to us in the process?" Amy asked, clasping her hands together. "You could've just explained instead of brushing us off…"
"I don't have time for explanations. I need to collect the Chaos Emeralds to unlock the secrets of my past, no matter who I'm helping! I make my own decisions; I chose my own path…"
I strolled up to her, gazing into her widened jade eyes.
"And if Tails has a Chaos Emerald, I will take it. If Knuckles has one, I will take it. If Sonic has one, I will take it…even if I have to pry it out of his lifeless, unmoving hands!"
"Shadow-?!"
"Just know I will do what it takes…and anyone that gets in my way is my enemy."
Amy just looked back at me, pained and disappointed. "Shadow, you are not like this! I don't know what has come over you but-"
A loud metallic thud suddenly hit the ground, causing the walls around us to crack and crumble, collapsing into tall piles of rubble. Amy gasped once again as I just looked on at the arrival of Eggman in the latest battle mech, silhouetted against the now viewable orange sky.
"Now that the dirty work is complete, what ARE you doing here, Shadow?" the doctor asked me dangerously, and in person.
"Obviously what he was looking for is long gone, so we all were just leaving!" Amy scoffed, grabbing my arm and once more failing to tug me along. I was not going to be moved.
"Doctor," I exclaimed slowly, proclaiming my intentions. "I don't want to fight with you, but I need those Chaos Emeralds. They hold the secret to my-"
"Enough of this nonsense! The Chaos Emeralds belong to me! All of them! No one gets in my way! Those that do will be destroyed!" he barked rapidly. If that's how he wanted to play…
"Well, the feeling is mutual!"
"Regardless…" Eggman readied his machine, lifting its clawed arm over his head. "Stand clear or I WILL crush you! Just as I will those black creatures!"
He brought the fist down, all its spikes just a few centimeters away from impaling me. It set me aback, for sure, but I shook my head and stood my ground, ready to fight.
"Looks like you know what it's like to be betrayed now, don't ya?" Amy huffed, sashaying up to me and giving me a disappointed glare.
"Amy, what are you still doing here?" I asked, sighing. "If you want to stay out of trouble, then stay away from the doctor…and me!"
"Nuh-uh! I'm going to be the better person and help you out anyway, Shadow! I know there's still good in you somewhere in there, and it will overcome this darkness that you're suddenly experiencing!"
The Egg Breaker's fist slammed down again, both Amy and I darting out of the way.
"All you want is to get your memories back, I understand that…but pushing away your friends is not the answer!"
"Allow me to interrupt your pointless squabble by showing off my latest and greatest creation!" Eggman boomed, raising the arms of his Egg Breaker once more.
"Why can't you just leave us alone already!?" Amy yelled, holding off a punch with her hammer. "Shadow, bring him down!"
"Don't have to tell me twice- do you plan to do the same?"
"Duh! You're not the only one who has a bone to pick with him!"
She spun around and knocked the Egg Breaker's fist to the ground, getting it stuck for the moment, which truly did surprise me.
And apparently Eggman too.
"What the heck? That's not possible!" Eggman guffawed, struggling to free his left fist…along with allowing me an opportunity to attack.
I jump onto a crate and took aim at the cockpit of the Egg Breaker- Eggman was wide open and completely exposed for attack. I threw myself at it, curling myself into a ball in the process and bowling right into him. The Egg Breaker lurched back, freeing itself from the ground, but also taking some damage. I returned back to the ground to await another moment to strike as Eggman glared down at me and faced his arm at me.
"Take THIS!"
Several spiked balls flew out of his arms, flying at me but being too slow to actually make any contact. None of them hit Amy either, and it wouldn't surprise me if she tried to batter it back. I decided she could hold her own and tried to focus on looking for another opening.
"Lights out!" he cried, leaping into the air and crashing back down, emitting a shockwave that pushed Amy back. I was too far away for it to have any effect on me, and I knew getting close could be costly.
That's when I located another gun.
It would make breaking the Breaker incredibly easy, but it was dangerous…I didn't want to harm the doctor like that, or accidentally hurt Amy…
I picked it up, closing my left hand around it gingerly.
I had decent aim, and I was just going to have to trust in that…guns might have bad tendencies, but they can be used for good, right?
Was I even good to begin with?
I took aim at the Egg Breaker, pulling the trigger as soon as I had a clear shot. It fired on overdrive, hitting the Egg Breaker several times and breaking through its armor. Eggman had no idea it was coming, but was furious to find that his machine was being destroyed so easily.
"That ought to leave holes in your defenses," I smirked, spinning the gun around in my hand. I heard Amy laugh as she ran behind the Egg Breaker and smashed it in the back, knocking it off balance and leaving Eggman helpless.
"He's all yours, Shadow!" Amy called, smiling at me despite the way I had acted before. I assured her with a nod, then cocked the gun and aimed at the Egg Breaker once again.
"Tried to do this peacefully Eggman, but you're just like all the other humans- greedy and reckless!"
Within a few more shots, the Egg Breaker ceased to function, Eggman losing control and getting caught up in the following explosion.
"You haven't seen the last of me! THis isn't over...!" he exclaimed within the smoke, letting his rage ride the wind as he went down with his machine.
Darn. He told me nothing about the Black Arms…but with the way he referred to them, I didn't think he knew much anyway.
"Sorry Doctor, but the Chaos Emeralds are going to be mine!"
As I walked away from the Egg Breaker, Amy ran up to me, grabbing my arm and tugging me for the third time in a row. This time, I stopped and acknowledged her, raising an eyebrow.
"Thanks, Shadow…you see, you don't have to always be forceful to get what you want!" she exclaimed. "Well, overly forceful anyway."
"Amy…" I began, closing my eyes. "I apologize for the way I acted earlier. I just want my memory back, that's all. But associating myself with the Black Arms is…doing something to me, I just know it…but I don't have a choice. Whether I like it or not, bad things are going to go down…and the humans are going to pay!"
Amy looked genuinely confused, tilting her head. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Before I could elaborate further, Cream suddenly ran up, looking incredibly excited.
"Amy! Amy! I found Cheese! All by myself!"
To prove it, she released her bowtie-wearing Chao, allowing him to chirp a gentle, "Chao! CHAO!"
"That's great, Cream!" Amy exclaimed, pulling Cream into a hug. "I'm proud of you. Shadow look! Cream found-"
She turned to face where I was standing, but I was gone. Her eyes softened after this, wondering if she should turn on her communicator, but she decided against it.
"Let's go, Cream. No point in hanging around a creepy place like this for longer than necessary! Maybe we should go regroup with the others!"
"Okay, Amy!" Cream agreed instantly, skipping off with Amy following behind.
Cream was now perpetually happy, having been reunited with Cheese. Amy was happy for Cream, but when she thought about me, she became worried. She feared that I would end up doing something that would hurt everybody…
As I watched them leave from the edge of the castle, I realized I feared that too.
And the plot finally starts to thicken from here on out. Woot!
Next time, Shadow's trip to Central City for a Chaos Emerald turns out to be far more than he bargained for...