Cf96: The shouting part references Shadow's growing frustration with being unable to get some answers. But trust me, he gets quite a few on Prison Island...

SonicSonic12345: To answer your questions: 1. There is no set date because I don't have enough chapters prepared to update on a regular schedule. That's just how I do things, but as I'm on Winter Break now, I'm going to push to get it done.

2. No. Sonic Lost World doesn't need me to adapt it, and I'm not sure how I'd go about it anyway. And between you and me (and anyone else reading this), there's about two (or more like one and a half) more Sonic adaptions that I'd go about doing before I end it off and focus on more original ideas and other fandoms. I...just need to finish Speak With Your Heart first. X.X

3. Short answer: A lot. More specific answer: Anything Nintendo plus Sonic, Sly Cooper, Phoenix Wright, a couple FPS games (no names!) ... and the list could go on. Sonic might be my favorite character and hold the spot for my favorite game (Sonic Unleashed), but there's at least two franchises that I like more than Sonic. Just haven't written for them yet. (And also, I love writing crossovers. They're my favorite. Especially with tons of characters.)

. . .

And with that...enjoy this flashback heavy chapter coupled with the antics of a hyperactive bee.

Chapter 13: Punishment, Thy Name is Ruin

~The Nightmare's Sublimation~

Prison Island-

When I teleported into Prison Island, I had been wondering if there were any Chaos Emeralds there, until I got my first look at the place. It turned out to be nothing like I had originally imagined it to be.

It was completely devastated.

Evidence of a large explosion hung over the place like dark cloud, and green ooze and fungus smothered the walls like paint. What was once a prison now seemed to be more like a nuclear power plant…but without the plant. It was so destroyed; it almost put Westopolis to shame. The worst part was… this destruction…

I knew in my gut that it had something to do with me.

"What could have possibly happened here…?"

I took my first step to look around, until the white Chaos Emerald stowed away in my quills started flashing, and some memories came flooding back.

XxX

"Oh ho!"

Once again, an image of Eggman causing trouble appeared in my mind, but this time, instead of the ARK, it appeared that he was in some sort of high security military facility…

But could it really have been Prison Island in the past? The resemblance was absolutely lost on me…

Eggman's Egg Walker stomped up to a highly secured containment device, glowing in neon blues and greens.

"So this is the military's top secret weapon? It's a lot smaller than I expected," the doctor mused to himself, stroking his chin in a though-provoking way. "Enter user data…aha, enter password…"

Eggman reached out of his ride and started typing on a nearby keyboard. "Password is MA-RI-A. Maria! Now all I have to do is place the Chaos Emerald into this console…"

He pulled out the white Chaos Emerald and placed it into said console. The moment he did, the room descended into darkness, channeling all of its power into a far greater machine. Eggman climbed down into a deeper part of the room as an even bigger containment unit arose out of a sparking mist of electricity, once sealed beneath the heavily reinforced floor of the prison. Eggman sighed deeply in hypnotized awe as his prize reached the top.

The doors opened, cryogenic mist spewing out of the container. A small life form resided within, and as soon as it had been stirred from its slumber, it rose, welcoming the one who dared to awaken it.

The last thing I expected was a hedgehog to pop out and boldly fold his arms in the doctor's presence.

The last thing I expected…was me.

"What's that! Is that you, Sonic? Are you trying to spoil my plans again?" Eggman boomed, mistaking my silhouette for his arch enemy's.

It was undoubtedly me- this uncanny hedgehog had black fur, red eyes, turned up quills with red streaks, hover shoes, a white patch of fur, a tan muzzle, and finally, four golden rings bound around his wrists and ankles, fastened with red and black cuffs.

I just wondered how it could've been possible.

"Wait a minute…" Eggman finally said, noticing the differences. "You're not Sonic! This is impossible!"

I had just looked down at Eggman with a slight glare, beginning to say my first words in fifty years.

"My name is Shadow," my own voice rang out, and the more the memory played, the more I recalled it. "Since you've been so kind to release me, my master, I will grant you one wish."

Eggman suddenly snapped away from my sudden appearance and turned to look behind me. A loud rumbling contraption had entered the room, disturbing my introduction. "Now what!?"

"Behold the true power I possess!" I had exclaimed, activating my hover shoes and suspending myself in the air. I had seen the army robot enter the room as well, and I could recall that burned ambition to prove my strength to that egg-shaped stranger…

"This is Scorpion Troop's Hot Shot. Enemy movement has been detected," announced the military robot that had been sent to dispatch Eggman. "En route to intercept and destroy."

"Copy that."

I remembered not even being the slightest bit phased by the soldier, standing my ground a top a stack of crates and daring him to come forward with an attack.

"Witness my true power…"

We duked it out, with my strength easily surpassing that of the machine. I recalled how fast I'd moved around the arena, and overhearing Eggman compare me to Sonic.

"He's very similar to Sonic…but his outlook definitely betrays that."

"Pathetic…" I'd huffed after dodging another sad attempt of an attack. I took off into the air and struck Hot Shot once more, doing a cascading amount of damage. It started to crumble, but it stayed standing and fighting, and Eggman was slightly impressed when he saw that I wasn't deterred. I caught him taking notes out of the corner of my eye.

"Hmm…he doesn't just throw himself at the robot- he waits for the right time to strike! And he strikes different places with several small hits instead of just plowing into it with one massive blow! Interesting…"

I stalled in one spot, luring Hot Shot into a sense of false security as he aimed an arsenal of missiles in my direction. With a scoff, I jetted forward, allowing the projectiles to hit where I had been and allowing me to attack the bottom of the robot.

"This is Scorpion Troop's Hot Shot! The enemy is stronger than expected! Requesting additional support!"

"No one can stand up to me!" I howled acidly, taking off high into the air and crashing straight down onto the Hot Shot, delivering the final devastating blow. A pained scream came from the inside…and now, it still echoed in my mind to this very day.

"He is…too strong!"

"There's no time to play games…" I grunted while turning to Eggman for his reaction.

Eggman just had his jaw dropped. "Destroying that guard robot was spectacular!"

He coughed, then glanced at me as I turned away, lost in thoughts that I couldn't yet recount.

"So, Shadow…YOU are the military's top secret weapon?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"…But what did you mean when you said you will grant me a wish?"

I had barely turned, yet Eggman felt like I was staring straight at him. "Bring more Chaos Emeralds…"

"Shadow, wait!"

I glanced over my shoulder, giving him a grin of other intentions. "I'll be waiting for you in the central control room on the Space Colony ARK…"

And that was when I'd shown him how to work the Eclipse Cannon…

XxX

"Th-That's right…I had somehow escaped the ARK, but then those humans captured me…until Eggman freed me! I wonder…where that chamber I saw was? And why did they take me?"

I knew there was more to the story of Prison Island than I was being let in on, and maybe if I looked around more, the Emeralds would be generous enough to gift me with more memories…

But the heavy feeling in my heart knew that I'd been to Prison Island after that…and my association with it was not good…

And a bad feeling was telling me…it was destructive.

"Shadow…" Doom's Eye crept up on me, and I whirled around to punch it. It dodged without missing a beat and glowered at me. "This place used to be a human military base, and they still maintain a presence here…"

"…You'd think that'd be hazardous," I contemplated, before glancing back at the abomination in front of me. "But let me guess. Despite the fact I've infuriated you beyond compare, you still want me to kill all the humans, right?"

"Yes. Destroy all of what remains, and deal a heavy blow against their military might! Even if it takes you forever, you will learn your place among the Black Arms…"

"Nah," I hummed, walking right by him. Of course, he didn't take too kindly to that.

"What? You dare defy me so blatantly?! I'll kill all these damn humans myself if I have to-"

I left him ranting, and hoped he would leave me alone for at least a little while.

Please, just a little while…

. . .

Cautiously making my way through the desolate oozing cavern that once held an array of the world's most dastardly criminals, I sought out for any little thing that would have been familiar to me. It was hard to make out anything relevant through the decay, however.

In fact, I was so focused on looking for a sign that I was completely unprepared for one of the most fearsome things the world had ever known.

"SHADOW! HI! IS THAT REALLY YOU?!"

"Yaaaargh!"

Charmy Bee had caught me so off guard that I fell off my grind rail, but at least he had the sense to fly after me and catch me by the arm…although it was only mere inches from that toxic goo.

"Hello, Charmy," I grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Wow, Shadow, I haven't seen you since you beat up that mean ol' Metal Sonic three months ago!"

"That wasn't just me, you know," I exasperated. "All I did was put the plan for everyone else as Team Sonic powered up with the emeralds. Now, if you don't mind moving me someplace where I'm not dangling precariously over an unknown substance?!"

Charmy sighed. "Aw, Espio yells that at me a lot too. Okay…"

Charmy eventually complied with my demands and set me down…harshly, but at least my fur wasn't burning off. I regained my bearings and dusted myself off.

"All right Charmy, I know you're here on orders from Vector and Espio, but what exactly could you possibly want from a place like this?"

"I suppose I could ask you the same thing, Shads," Charmy chuckled, sticking out his tongue and pulling down his eyelid. I growled at him and raised my fist.

"Charmy…"

"All right, all right- cool your temperature," scoffed the bee, folding his arms in midair. "Vector told me he wants to find five top secret discs that were left behind here, but…like, what's a top secret disc?"

"…how am I supposed to know?!"

'Because you're Shadow! You know everything!"

I narrowed my eyes and stared into his blissfully happy expression.

"I don't even know who I am. How am I supposed to know what a top secret disc looks like?"

"Oh yeah!" Charmy cried, snapping his fingers. "You're a robot! You wouldn't know!"

I recoiled, not quite expecting the response. "Excuse me?!"

Charmy started flying around and getting really excited. "Yeah, yeah! At Bullet Station! Those containers- they were all filled with Shadow Androids! That's why I'm here- those top secrets discs are said to have information related to you- er, the original you! If that's not you already- I'm confused now…"

"Slow down and start at the beginning," I sighed, pinning the bridge of my nose. "You mean that the information the Chaotix is looking for…is about me?"

"Yup yup!" chirped Charmy. "That's why Espio's currently poking through some of Eggman's old bases, hacking into deeply encoded files from over fifty years ago that he'd managed to steal, and it's why Vector is pouring over the incident that occurred eight months ago-"

"Shouldn't you guys be helping the others?" I asked quizzically, and Charmy shrugged.

"Erm, well, we'd heard you had returned, and it reminded Vector that we still didn't know much about the missions Eggman had given us way back when, so…we're just looking for answers like you, and it would be SO COOL if you helped me-"

"I'll think about it," I mused, walking over to a sealed off area. "Charmy, do you know anything about what happened here?"

"Only from the newspapers," Charmy explained, fiddling with his helmet. "Vector said it was eight months ago, and…I guess Eggman was doing some bad stuff, and I know that Sonic had been framed by some poser who looked like him who had stolen a Chaos Emerald, and he was locked up on the island at time…"

Sonic? In jail? You think you know a guy…

"…and I guess it all ended when some fool blew up the island," Charmy finished. "The reporters all said that it was Eggman's doing, but they could only prove that he had a hand in planning it, not that he'd pushed the detonator…and I'm not even sure what a detonator is, but it sounds like a really good potato chip to me."

I halted, glancing over my shoulder at Charmy. "You mean…someone set off a bomb on this island…and it wasn't Eggman?"

Charmy shook his head, hungrily craving a bag of chips now. "Nah, I know he blew up the moon afterwards, but I doubt he'd set off a bomb on an island he was on himself. I think he had a buddy do it for him!"

"…you mean an accomplice?" I was going to go brain-dead from talking to this kid. I'd much rather have Tails' company- especially since he had a Chaos Emerald.

"Sure, why not?"

"But from what I've seen, Eggman usually works alone…" I pondered this to myself as I returned to searching through the sealed off area. "I wonder who Eggman hired…"

As I searched, I came across a flat object on the ground, buried under a few molded crates and other miscellaneous debris. I picked it up off the ground, dusted it off, and held it out to Charmy.

"This…isn't what you're looking for, is it, Charmy?"

"Well, let's see!" Charmy exclaimed, buzzing over and snagging the disc. "It looks like a disc, and I guess it was top secret…I'll take it! Not like I'm gonna find anything else in this dump!"

"I guess that's one down for you…" I trailed, walking off. Charmy snuggled the disc until he saw me trudging away.

"Hey, wait! Shadow! I thought you were gonna help me…"

"I never confirmed that," I scoffed, folding my arms. "I found that one by happenstance. In any case, I can't linger too long here. I can't sense any Chaos Emeralds here, and the more time I spend wandering aimlessly here, the less time I have to get the Emeralds before everyone else does!"

"…oh," Charmy sighed, clutching the disc and staring at the ground. "I didn't realize your problems were so bad, Shads…okay. I'll leave you alone and keep looking for discs that may just help you in your quest!"

He sang the last word, holding out the disc and shaking it at my face. I glared at the disc for the longest time, a stray beam of light bouncing off it and creating a gleam. It was bright…really bright…almost a little too bright…

Next thing I knew, I was blinded by the light.

XxX

I knew I was in another bout of "lucid remembering", as I called it, when I saw a really bright morning sun forcing its way through a grove of vivid green trees. I was on an island of some sort, but it couldn't have been Prison Island…things were lush, and there was a sturdy building just beyond the forest…nothing even close to the upset atmosphere the island had now.

And that's how I knew it was a memory.

"Having to come back isn't my idea of a vacation…" I heard Eggman mutter, meaning this must have occurred sometime after he'd freed me from suspended animation. Indeed, he was in the jungle surrounding the prison, along with me…and shockingly enough, along with Rouge. I watched the doctor turn to Rouge and give her a questioning look. "How can you be sure your intelligence reports are correct? Why would the Chaos Emeralds be here on the island? Are you absolutely sure?"

Rouge shrugged, although an all-knowing twinkle was in her eye. "Well, believe what you wanna believe."

I was notably staying quiet.

"Hmph. Very well," Eggman huffed, getting straight down to business after that. "Let's discuss how we are going to do this. I will go in first and distract the military troops, allowing you to sneak into the bases without being detected."

"Naturally," Rouge interrupted with a chuckle, and I could only wonder what her ulterior motives were at this point in time. Eggman rolled his eyes and continued.

"Then, Shadow will enter the armory, where he will set the timer on these dynamite packs. Once that is in place, we will blow up the whole island and get away before anyone has a chance to know what hit them!"

I reached out my hand to accept the dynamite packs, along with the detonator to blow them up. I secured the detonator in my quills, then tossed the dynamite packs in my hand.

"All this nonsense…I should have just done this myself," I grumbled under my breath, and glaring at the dynamite packs in my hand a little too eagerly. Eggman missed my dark undertones, turning his attention back to Rouge.

"Meanwhile, you'll have to sneak into the Cargo Area and grab the Chaos Emeralds. That's a challenge for a worthy treasure hunter such as yourself, isn't it, Bat Girl?"

Rouge cracked a smile and gave Eggman a salute. "Just leave it to me."

"We only have thirty minutes to pull this mission off…and we only get one try, so don't fail me!"

I said nothing as we prepared to make our entrance into the prison, where I remembered being hugged by Amy…and first going into the prison to carry out my mission.

Blow up the island.

. . .

"Shadow? Shadow, what's wrong? Your pupils got really small all of a sudden…"

Charmy's obnoxious voice pulled me back into reality, and the inside of the once sterling, shiny, and stable prison now had ashen and crumbled walls, explosion marks, and inexplicable toxins everywhere.

And now I knew I'd caused it…but what role did the others play? After all, Eggman and Rouge were heisting for the Emeralds, and Sonic was supposedly in jail at the time…something wasn't adding up.

"Come on, Charmy…those discs won't find themselves," I beckoned, starting to walk away. Charmy's mood brightened considerably.

"You mean you'll help me!?"

"No," I replied simply. "But as long as I'm taking a look around, I might as well keep you out of trouble."

"I'll take it!"

This kid was way too easily pleased.

. . .

I was currently riding down the river of poisoned "yellow water" as Charmy called it, while Charmy hovered over my shoulder contemplatively. I was surfing on a floating disc, and after racing that river of gunk on the Black Comet, this was child's play in comparison.

"Just think, there were a bunch of bad guys holed up in here- except Sonic, cause he was, you know, framed. I wonder if they were all evacuated when the bomb went off-"

"Charmy, why are you insisting on this course of conversation?"

"Well, don't you want to know?" Charmy asked, and admittedly I couldn't deny it. "You just keep making sure you don't crash; this thing is way too much fun!"

"…and you just keep looking for your discs," I sighed, continuing to look for anything. After all, both Gerald and I were locked up in here…obviously my cell had lasted through the years, but what about Gerald's? Maybe there was a sign…or something…anything…

Too bad for Charmy we didn't surf forever, but he became occupied by the few Black Arms that were crawling around the place.

"Hey, it's those evil creatures! Go smash 'em all up!"

"Isn't beating up bad guys more of your hobby?" I inquired. Charmy laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh heh heh…I'm more effective when I'm with my team, really," he explained.

"Fine, I'll take care of them myself," I huffed, reaching down and scooping up an old rifle. It looked just as worse for wear as the rest of the place, but at least it still worked. Charmy just gaped in awe as I blasted away at the fiends, and they didn't even know what hit him.

"Wow, Shadow! You took them out so fast with that gun! Maybe I should get myself one! Yeah, I'll have my guns, Espio can have his ninja stars, and Vector can have his bad singing-"

"Charmy, try to have brighter aspirations. I don't think Espio or Vector would appreciate it if they found out you were trying to imitate me."

"OH-kay…" Charmy sighed dramatically. "But if you keep on looking cool like that, I might not be able to help myself!"

"Urgh…"

At least I could insult Sonic- this kid is a true test of my patience…

We forged onward, more and more jail cells becoming apparent. I scanned the insides of each of them for a sign of anything, but all of them were completely solitary and identical.

A cell belonging to Professor Gerald Robotnik would not be uniform to the rest of them.

"There really are a lot of cells," chimed Charmy. "It's almost like a zoo!"

"Not all criminals can be compared to caged animals, Charmy."

"I know," Charmy huffed, recoiling from the harsh reality. "I was just making an observation s'all…"

I frowned a bit- of all the people I'd been paired up with, Charmy was by far the hardest to handle. However, the brief moment of tension was washed away by Charmy's childlike demeanor, as he'd caught sight of something shiny and scooped it off the ground.

"I found the second disc!" Charmy cheered, waving it over his head. His celebrating ceased when he glanced over at me again. "Hey, Shadow…the back of your head is glowing…"

I could barely register his voice; the Chaos Emeralds already had me reminiscing.

XxX

I found myself remembering feeling accomplished, annoyed, and impatient all at the same time, just as the bright sky above came back into play. I was surrounded by the lush plants of the jungle, and the soft chirping of some birds native to the island filled the air.

It was hard to believe such a seeming paradise was home to criminals.

I was strolling down the path with haughty confidence, having had no problems getting in and out and doing my job. The dynamite packs were in place, and the timers had been set around twenty minutes ago, giving me the okay to get off the island. Only problem was, I was still waiting on Rouge, who was supposed to be collecting the emeralds I needed, but I hadn't heard from her yet…

"I knew she couldn't be trusted," I had finally sighed, shaking his head. "Well, if I have to come back and comb through the rubble for the Chaos Emeralds, then so be it…"

Still, I held my communicator at the ready, waiting just in case Rouge made her last minute call. It was by a pure miracle itself that it crackled to life, and I held up the communication device to receive the message.

"This is Rouge. I've got a small problem…" I had raised an eyebrow curiously, but I didn't question her yet. "I can't believe that I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds! I guess I won't be able to call myself a Treasure Hunter anymore…"

I had halted on the spot.

I was having a flashback inception, recalling how my mind had raced after hearing of Rouge's dilemma. Picture after picture flashed in my mind in a single fluid motion, ranging from the timer getting ready to go off at any second and Rouge preparing to die…to Maria's face just before her life was so abruptly snuffed out.

I'd clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes in determination, mouthing the word, "Maria…"

It was then that I felt a burning passion to fulfill her wishes, avenge her death, and make it all not be in vain…but I needed the Chaos Emeralds for that, and it was only in that instant that I hadn't cared about Rouge in the slightest- I had needed the Emeralds to make it up to Maria…and if saving Rouge was what needed to be done, then so be it!

A surge of anger, confusion, and conflict rocketed through me, causing me to stomp at the ground and shout at the top of my lungs. Damn Rouge for getting herself into such a cutthroat predicament…but at the same time, I'd realized I didn't want anything to happen to her just as much as the Chaos Emeralds.

"Aw shoot!" I howled, sprinting back the way I came to go get Rouge. I was too conflicted to make much sense of anything, but I had my course of action.

"T-Troublemaker…" I hissed under my breath, unknowingly breathing the word into my communicator. "I've got ten minutes to get there…This will be cutting it close…"

XxX

"SHADOW!" Charmy howled, resorting to smacking me in the temple with the nearest thing he could find- a lead pipe. I yowled in pain, and while I was blessed to not have a concussion, I glowered at Charmy.

"What was that for?!"

"You were staring into space and breaking out into a cold sweat and panting all weird and I didn't know what to do…"

"So you thought smacking me with a lead pipe was a good idea?!"

"Not all kids can be as smart as Tails, you know!" Charmy whined in defense, flying out of my reach but cowering anyway. I just sighed and rubbed my now aching temple, trying to forge on to find Gerald's cell. Charmy kept up his disc search, but always stayed at least three feet away from me.

However, he came scrambling back to my side when his stinger was set aflame.

"FIRE! Hot, hot, HOT!"

I glanced at where he came from, noticing a huge fire-spitting flower up ahead, and it did not look friendly.

"Must be a mutated plant affected by all this ooze," I deduced, raising my gun and blasting its stem several times. Charmy swooned dramatically in the background.

"Shadow, you're so cool!"

"And so is that flower, now," I smirked, watching the plant wither into a meager pile of ashes.

"It just keeps getting more and more like a war zone, huh?"

He had no idea.

. . .

After a series of tile flipping, flower pruning, alien battling, and traversing poisonous yellow gunk, I was making progress in getting closer to Gerald's cell, as evidence of the more criminally insane became prominent. Charmy's search for the discs wasn't doing well either, but it also wasn't too much of my concern.

It wasn't until we'd surfed into a secret area did we find the third one, which made Charmy extra happy.

"That's number three! I'm so psyched!"

When we reached the end of the current river we were on, I stumbled off my rotating platform and cascaded to the ground. Charmy winced and tried to get me to come to, but as soon as my pupils shrunk again, he gave up and sighed.

XxX

I recalled cutting through the jungle like a streak of black lightning, furiously hurrying through all the brush to get back to the prison before it was too late. I blazed down a large fallen tree as my mind was lost in thought. The first thing I could depict was being far too confident that I was going to reach Rouge before the island was set to blow up. I was easily fast enough, and the only "obstacle" was locating her and making sure nothing would get in my way. Second…why was I really going after Rouge anyway?

"Hmph, obviously for the Chaos Emeralds she couldn't handle getting out…" I had grimaced, bounding off a spring, grabbing a vine, and circling a rather massive tree. I timed it perfectly and launched myself at the inner reaches of the forest. I fumed a bit at this show of failure from Rouge, and she had better be extremely grateful that I had hurried back for her, because Eggman sure wouldn't have.

"Troublemaker…should've known!"

If I was really was going back just for the Chaos Emeralds that I couldn't risk losing, even as early then, then why did Maria keep constantly appearing in my thoughts whenever Rouge came to mind?

I hung my head low- I was impossibly uncertain at this point, and relentlessly searching through my thoughts wasn't going to do anything. Whatever the reason may be, and whatever reasons this reminded me of Maria, I was going back for Rouge.

XxX

"Shadow, I really hate to do this, but…"

I suddenly felt a sharp prick being applied to my shoulder, jostling me out of memory lane once again, this time with even more pain than getting smacked with the lead pipe.

"CHARMY!"

"I'm sorry! You started flipping out on the ground so I had to do something!"

"You stung me!"

"Yes, thank you, Captain Observant!"

"It's Captain Obvious, genius…" I murmured dangerously. "If you're going to insult me, do it right…"

"Well, now that your head is back in reality, let's get a move on! That damn fourth top secret disc won't find itself!" Charmy chuckled, flying away. I guffawed in return, shaking it off and running after the hyperactive bee.

"Charmy, get back here! And don't you dare go around using such language!"

Charmy just laughed and spiraled deeper into the prison, not moving very fast but staying just out of my reach. He also felt the need to turn around and throw bunch of faces at me.

"Charmy, I will get ahold of Espio and suggest some ideal punishments for your behavior!"

"Eek! You wouldn't!"

Only I could have an argument with a six-year-old in a rundown prison filled with poison and black aliens.

It was then that I caught sight of the fourth disc, perched on a ledge that I could jump to easily. I darted up there on the spot and grinned, tossing the disc up and down in my hand.

"Charmy, if you don't start shaping up, I'll take the fourth disc that I just found, break it, you'll fail Vector's mission and you'll never be deemed a worthy detective!"

Charmy looked like I punched him for a moment.

"Way to hit below the belt, Shadow…okay, I'll behave. After all, there's only one more disc to find now! Hee hee hee!"

I lowered the disc, blinking at the bee's rapid mood whiplash that he was constantly experiencing. One minute he was annoying, the next emotionally wounded, and after that he was chipper! He was rainbow of emotions, ones that I wasn't even sure I was capable of experiencing…

Conflicted, I glanced down at the fourth disc, losing myself in its glare once again. Charmy looked on this time, but made no attempt to stop me this time.

XxX

"I found you, Faker!" Sonic's sharp voice zinging into my mind. The scene unfolded gradually, ending with Sonic pointing accusingly at me and trying to stop me from getting to where I needed to go. I didn't have time for his accusations, but I wasn't about to let him get away with them either.

"Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here. You're comparing yourself to me? HA! You're not even good enough to be my fake!"

This apparently outraged Sonic, who proceeded to throw himself at me. I sidestepped the attack, but that didn't stop Sonic from lashing out with words.

"I'll make you eat those words! You can't get away this time! There's only one REAL Sonic!"

"There's no time to play games! You won't even get the chance!" I sneered, punching Sonic across the face. I meant business, and certainly had no time to mess around with him.

This is where our first true fight began…our first showdown in the light of Prison Island, a clash to determine the better hedgehog.

Our strikes were fast and fierce, each connecting but not managing to bring the other down. We were both resilient, both resourceful, and both relentless, letting nothing allow us to give up the conquest for victory. I had managed to get the upper hand at some point, clonking Sonic in the head with a well-placed kick that forced him to stumble back.

"Oomph!"

"You dare oppose me?" I had roared, walking toward Sonic, who had gotten himself tangled in a bush. Sonic glanced up at me meekly, awaiting a strike, but I never gave him one.

"Well what are you waiting for? I'm vulnerable! Hit me!" Sonic dared, before quickly tacking on, "Or are you scared?"

My expression was blank, as was my tone. "I'm not scared at all."

I then yelled and tried to launch a Chaos Spear at Sonic, but he was long gone out of the bush and had perched himself in a tree by then. I whirled around to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"You appear hesitant to fight me. Are you scared of something?"

I saw a look of hesitation cross Sonic's features, but as fast as it had appeared it was gone again. "Heck no! I fear nothing!"

"Then show it!" I demanded teleporting next to Sonic and bashing him out of the tree like a piñata. Sonic cried out as he fell out of the tree, but he'd protectively curled into a ball to protect himself…and also began glowing faintly.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, bracing myself for a possible onslaught.

"Ready? GO!"

He hadn't answered me, but his attack sure had. Sonic plowed into me at Mach speed, briefly knocking the wind out of me and sending me into a tree. Furiously, I lashed out and tackled him, with him struggling against me as we dueled.

"You may be able to sneak in a few hits but you'll never defeat me! I was created for an ultimate purpose!" I blared, sneaking in another strike. Sonic staggered around from the blow while grabbing his head.

"I don't wanna hear you," he mumbled, grimacing deeply.

"I don't care what you want and don't want- you're in my way right now! I don't want that but I'm at least taking care of it!"

I kicked Sonic to the side, Sonic tumbling onto the ground and panting heavily. "Shadow, don't make me upset…"

I tightened my hands into fists and marched toward Sonic. "I don't wanna hear you, Faker…."

Sonic struggled, but he managed to at least push himself off the ground. "Shadow, don't make me upset…"

He then did a break dancing sweep kick, knocking me right off my feet without a chance to catch myself. Sonic followed up with another Spin Dash, socking me right in the stomach. I replied to that with another kick, sending Sonic flying upwards and landing on his spines.

"Ow…that hurt…" he wheezed. Sonic glanced up - I was once again running up for an attack. But this time…he looked dead into my eyes, and I swear that he was looking right into my soul and he could read my mind.

"You are hiding something."

And somehow, those four words had set me off.

"RARGH!"

We clashed once again, throwing ourselves sat each other and showing no signs of giving up. I glanced at Sonic for a brief moment, seeing flares of determination and pure will power in his eyes, and it dawned on me that he wasn't normal…and he was nothing like me.

"So you're not just a hedgehog..." I mused under my breath, but Sonic had caught it regardless.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic sneered, looking a little worse for wear. "I want answers!"

"…not bad for an impostor." I let slip, shakily standing back up and looking at my communicator. "But I don't have time to hang out with the likes of you."

"Do you know who I am?" Sonic asked haughtily, a bit of pride in his voice.

"No. And I don't think I want to either."

My communication device started beeping and Eggman's voice rang out.

"Shadow! What are you doing? Hurry and get back down here right away before the island blows up with you on it- blasting you sky high!"

Sonic's eyes widened three times their size. "BLOWS UP!?"

I had literally dropped my jaw upon forgetting about Rouge and the Chaos Emeralds. I said nothing upon realizing the graveness of the situation, jumping back ten feet away from Sonic, and I skated away before time ticked to an unwanted halt. I had places I needed to be…

Sonic reached out as if to stop me, then quickly realized that was pointless.

XxX

This time, I snapped back to reality without Charmy's interference, and it finally came to my attention that the Chaos Emeralds were trying to tell me something about this place. Eight months ago, I had been here, insinuating a plan with Eggman and Rouge, and I had battled with Sonic for the first time…

And I had been responsible for blowing up the very island where I now stood.

"I just…want to know how we all got off that island," I murmured to myself, sitting down and staring into an empty cell, picturing myself in there. Trapped, locked up, and without hope for freedom…

"This place has quite an impact on you, huh?" Charmy asked, floating down to hover over the shoulder.

"I guess you could say that," I sighed. "Or maybe it's more like I had an impact on it…"

"Whatever that means," Charmy chuckled, the meaning completely going over his head. "Anyway, we'd better get a move on! That fifth disc won't find itself!"

"And I can't afford to waste time staring into a cell…"

"What was that Shadow?"

"Er, nothing. Don't worry about it."

. . .

The two of us were navigating the sea of yellow poison on the aliens' saucers once more, with Charmy wedging himself between my quills, hanging on for the ride. He was constantly singing instructions in my ear and wasn't letting up for nothing, and it was all I could do to keep my hand from turning into a bug swatter.

"Um, I think it's dangerous up ahead…" Charmy trailed, with his most recent "advice".

Well, that was painstaking obvious- aside from the acidic liquid surrounding us, there were also hunks of debris jetting out of it, providing obstacles for the path ahead. I managed to maneuver myself around them, but Charmy felt the need to yank on my ears in an attempt to "steer" me.

"To the left! To the left!"

"I would appreciate it if you chose not to do that," I strained to say through gritted teeth. Charmy instantly released and proceeded to whistle. I sighed, simply glancing around for the fifth disc so he could get the heck out of here.

Sure enough, at the other side of the ooze was one safe spot in the middle of it all, with the last of Charmy's top secret discs sitting between two dead trees that had somehow sprouted from the decay. I navigated the saucer to get really close to it, then I leapt off at the last second and grabbed onto the railing. Charmy flew off my back and over the ledge, grabbing my other hand and pulling me up.

"Well, there you go, Charmy," I huffed, gesturing him to the disc. "Now you can get out of here before you breathe in too many toxins."

"Thanks, Shadow!" Charmy chirped, snagging the disc off the ground and grinning at me. "I'd better take these to Vector right away! If we find out anything new about you, I suppose I could let the info leak…as long as you're willing to trade some candy!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but eventually I just waved him off. "Whatever you say, Charmy. Just try to stay out of trouble on your way out."

"Leave it to me!" he called, somersaulting in midair before giving me a salute. He then flew off into the darkness of the prison, going back the way he came with the five dics in hand. I sighed and shook my head, turning away from the path and catching sight of a long worn out sign. Its description had all but faded, and part of it was covered with overgrown moss. I tried brushing some of it away, but I managed to get the main message.

"Solitary Confinement Asylum: North Sector, B3F"

. . .

Following the sign's directions, my interest and path lead me straight down several floors, all the way to the bottom of the prisons. Signs of past struggles lingered here, along with a bunch of broken safes, but otherwise, it appeared to have had no damage from the explosion. Moss still grew in massive heaps and acids still leaked in the crevices, but it still looked like a prison.

There was only one path, and it lead through five steel doors broken into long ago, and still broken from when they had last been used. A sense of dread and misery filled the atmosphere, but I pushed through it, seeking out what lied on the other side.

Eventually, I came across an elevator, one that apparently needed a key card, but its months of uselessness rendered the keycard unnecessary. I pushed the down button, and the rickety old thing descended even deeper into the prison.

"Imagine…being so evil and crazy that you'd have to go practically to the center of the world for a punishment…" I mused, feeling slightly relived when the horrid creaking ended and the elevator came to a stop. I had to force the doors open after that, but what I saw was almost a little too much to bear.

It was a dome prison cell, suspended away from any of the walls and reinforced to impossible proportions. I walked toward it, gasping in awe, and the closer I got, the more I could make out…

"Black writings on the wall…" I whispered, forcing my way into the cell and pressing my hand against the scribbles on the wall. They had been forcibly spattered on there in a fit of anger and insanity, and I could tell from the general sloppiness and emotion that radiated from the ink.

"This handwriting…could it be?"

I could only make out a few words in the flurry of numbers, equations, and random squiggles- revenge, hatred, humanity, Maria…and a few notes related to me.

"My work…is done in secret," I tried to read, running my fingers along the letters I could make out. "The fools…Shadow…they allowed me time…which was their undoing…"

I blinked and pulled away.

"Allowed him time? Time to do what?"

I thought back to what Black Doom had said about Gerald doing something to my memory…but could that have happened while he was locked in the cell? And did that have anything to do with my amnesia now? It seemed unlikely…but it was important nonetheless.

"Come on…" I growled to myself, trying to see the words through the array of disorganized equations. "There's gotta be more of anything to read about…"

I didn't find anything pertaining to me immediately, but something in the area did catch my eye. Getting low to the floor, I saw something engraved in the wall, written in perfect handwriting and was a stark contrast to the rest of the scrawl.

"I know I did nothing wrong," I recited, finding these words much less strenuous to the eyes. "That black hedgehog who looks like me…he framed me, whether he knows it or not. Thanks to him, I'm locked in here while Eggman's probably launching his next big scheme."

I quietly blanched.

"There are a lot of what ifs going on in my head, but I just gotta believe it'll turn out okay in the end. If I never get out of here or if there's a chance that someone reads this…then I want it on the record that I hope my friends get out of this mess okay, and that they don't need to worry about me. Don't let the works of yesterday ruin the edge of tomorrow…never turn back, you guys."

I exhaled, hanging my head as I read off the signature.

"Yours Truly, Sonic the Hedgehog…"

I hated the moments when I realized that he wasn't as totally annoying as I wanted to believe.

So Sonic had been placed in the same solitary cell as Gerald Robotnik…and around the same time that the island was about to blow, no less. It was obvious that he'd managed to get away…

"But how?!" I hissed, falling to the ground and pounding my fists against the wall. "I blew up the island, and there's no way everyone managed to get away…how are they still alive? Sonic was locked up, Tails was looking for Sonic with Amy, Eggman was there, and Rouge was stuck in that safe…they all should have died!"

I trembled with the realization, starting to feel the Chaos Emeralds resonate with my wild emotions. I could feel their power absorbing into me a little, before my eyes glazed over and I divulged into my memories once more.

XxX

A minute left…and slowly counting down the seconds. Rouge knew she was going to die. Never before had she been in such a cutthroat situation before; all her stealth had been built up through petty pickpocketing and pathetic purloining of useless trinkets. This was a whole new level- she had captured the all-power Chaos Emeralds, was on an island set to blow at any given second, and there was more than just her at stake.

It was actually the point in her life where she began to question why she did what she did.

True, her thieving skills were what had nabbed her the position as a semi-freelance government agent, but she continued the deplorable acts in secret as a hobby of sorts. While she had her own reasons for being there, this was the first time she knew she'd gone too far.

"At least I'll go out in a bang…" she sighed, rolling one of the Chaos Emeralds around in her hand. "…and I'll have these beautiful jewels by my side…"

She quivered and bit her lip, eyes starting to glisten slightly.

"…but I wish I didn't have to be alone."

Then, with six astonishing seconds left, I had miraculously teleported into the safe, running straight toward Rouge while holding a glowing Chaos Emerald and shouting, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

I'd scooped her up in my arms just as the glow engulfed us, and miracles being miracles, the both of us were teleported safely to the ARK, just as the safe collapsed in a series of devastating blasts.

.

The island suffered a terrible series of explosions, horrendous fires spreading to the Metal Harbor from that once green jungle, emerging from the prison itself all the way down the runway. A few little bombs could do ALL that damage. It was a wonder the entire island didn't just sink. With one final, massive detonation, Prison Island was blasted into ruins. The aftershock was enough to cause huge waves in the ocean and light the sky up in a deathly orange.

Sonic, Tails, and Amy, flying away on the Tornado II, just looked back, contemplating why such a thing had to be done.

But at the very bottom of things, it was I who had brought on the destruction of Prison Island.

XxX

The Chaos Emeralds were radiating negative energy as they played the memory back for me, and I now understood just how impactful the loss of Prison Island had been. Everyone had gotten away by the skin of their teeth, including me…

"I could have prevented all that," I seethed, clenching my fist. "But as usual, I was drawn to the destruction…"

"And what's wrong with that?" a deep scathing voice suddenly challenged me, and I found myself taking on a fighting stance.

Black Doom had found me once again, and I really didn't like the implications of that.

"Ah, Black Doom. What a pleasure to see that hideous triple-eyed face of yours again. We really need to stop meeting like this."

"Shut up, whelp," he hissed, sending me flying into the wall without even moving. My head banged against the wall, causing me to go cross-eyed for a few seconds. Scowling, I slumped forward, trying to focus on Black Doom.

"Why are you still trailing me? If I'm such a nuisance to you, then just try to kill me already!"

"No." He leaned over and breathed the word at me. "You may not be listening to me anymore, but that doesn't mean you can order me around either."

He started glowing, and just before he forced me to teleport once again, I caught something written on the wall that I hadn't noticed before, a bold warning lost among the sea of black letters. I squinted at it, making sure I read it right before being whisked off to wherever Doom wanted me.

"I will get Black Doom for this."

One more chapter until we ditch Doom for a while- I mean, until we get really into Neutral territory. Yeah. Anyway, sorry for massive flashbacking. I wouldn't do it unless it was entirely necessary, which it is. ^^;

Next time...

"…I'm coming for you next, Eggman," I warned, and I noted Eggman sliding low in his chair. "This world is in enough trouble- it doesn't need your pointless attacks with selfish reasons adding fuel to the fire! You'd better get ready, because your interference is about to come to an end!"

I whirled around and hurled the monitor toward the ground, hearing Eggman's panicked scream before it shattered into a thousand pieces. Instantly, any and all Egg Pawns that were battling the Black Arms turned on me, and as the aliens saw what their rivals were locked onto, they began approaching me as well.

"Looks like it's me against everyone," I hummed, balling my fists and glaring at my adversaries. "...Better start placing your bets."