this is way too much for a child who doesnt know whats even going on half the time
"What are you going here!" Shadow shouted, driving his palm further into the back of the ranger' hood. "I told you to get back to the-"
Shadow let out a yelp as Shadow twisted - rolling on top of the attacking hedgehog with a well placed kick. With a nasty hiss, Shadow clawed at Shadow's eyes - earning a displeased growl and a strike to the throat. In the moment of attack, Shadow flipped on top of Shadow - pulling on the ears and driving his boots into the ranger's chest. With the tension of the bodies came the pivot - Shadow using Shadow's weight against him in a spinning escape. As the elder flipped away from the ranger, Shadow tackled and the two found themselves back in a pinwheeling roll - each refusing to let go of the other.
Extremely unnerved and upset by the situation, Silver stumbled backwards - narrowly avoiding the whirling boots of one of the hedgehog figures. Growling and hissing, the twin adults grappled on the dirt - toppling and throwing this way and that until Silver couldn't even tell which one had emerged from the mist first - even less so which one had been the real Shadow in the first place. Gold eyes darted back and forth - trying to find some sort of identifying feature between the two only to be met with constant motion and a cruel shade of brown.
"A-aah…" He anxiously choked out, unable to make a noise louder than a whimper.
Shadow punched Shadow, sending the adult flying backwards into a tree as the hedgehog pounced - pinning the elder against the bark. A choking noise escaped the ranger's mouth as leather gloves closed around his throat tighter and tighter.
"Silver!" Shadow shouted, holding Shadow firmly against the trembling tree. "You can't just stand there, you need to move!"
"N-nnn." Shadow sputtered, struggling to speak sounds through the fierce grip. "Gt uhnt…nnnngh.."
A hard boot to the stomach sent Shadow toppling backwards - dragging Shadow with him. A few seconds passed as the hedgehog grappled once again, rolling about with one on top of the other.
"I…I…I have to help!" Silver choked out, eyes flitting between the adults. "But-"
" I don't care! " One of them shouted. "You need to-"
"Stop talking - you're confusing him!"
" Confusing ? He's five - he's bound by-"
"I never taught him any code words he'll never figure-"
"Oh so you're taking the blame now. I see how this i-"
" I'm taking blame? That's tough talk for someone who couldn't-"
"You need to shut the f-"
Silver backed against a tree as the rangers spiraled around in a mass of limbs and teeth. There was no way to distinguish between the two. Identical faces. Identical voices. Identical personality. Silver felt his fur puff out as he gripped the bark. Originally he had come here to grab Mephiles, but now it seemed such a feat wouldn't be so easy. Either one of the hedgehogs could be the crystal demon. But how could he choose? If he grabbed Shadow in this mess of a fight, it would surely spell death.
"Silver you need to-"
A boot to the mouth stopped Shadow from speaking as Shadow forced himself to the ground. Leather gloves gripped the hard boots and twisted, stealing balance and sending the hedgehog to the dirt. Before Shadow could grab Shadow, a downwards kick to the hand and a boot to the forehead interrupted the move.
"What do I do?" Silver cried, fur puffed out to twice his width in the panic of the situation. "Who do I grab?"
"Why on earth would you do that?" Both of the hedgehogs snapped.
"Is that why you came out here?"
"Do you have a death wish?"
"What lapse in judgment-"
A punch to the gut interrupted the last statement, leaving Silver even more unsure of why he had decided to leave; heck - why the guard had allowed him to leave. Spines scraping against the bark, Silver pressed himself further against the tree; eyes wide as saucers and skin pale as clouds. Mouth still dry, and lungs working overtime, Silver managed a few stuttered words.
"I…I have to help…I..-"
Hands were thrown and the hedgehog's separated - switching from grappling to martial arts in an attempt to put some distance between themselves.
"Grab him - he's trying to-"
"Don't bother he's-"
" Grab him! "
"Grab us both!"
Ivory ears perked up. Grab…them both? Silver hadn't thought of that.
"You can't tell the difference so don't! Grab us-"
"He's manipulating you, there's no way you could do that - it's out of your-"
"Don't trust either of us-"
"Don't trust him-"
"This isn't time for-"
Shadow clamped his hand over Shadow's mouth, sealing the hedgehog's voice with a harsh grip. In response, Shadow slammed his boot against Shadow's temple - knocking himself free. A thrown punch was blocked by a sideways slap. A kick was dodged by a well timed duck. A shot to the balancing leg was dodged by a jump. An aerial attack was blocked with crossed forearms. A jab to the eye was blocked by a grabbing twist. A spinning kick was halted by a raised arm. A grab to the ankle was abused for a twisted strike to the ear.
Silver watched as the combat continued on - both opponents equally matched in skill and speed. Had they been going at this forever? Feeling frustrated, Silver felt his eyes begin to drip. Tears raced down his cheeks as he stared at the two hedgehogs. There was no way to tell the two apart. Any longer and a small creature such as himself would be caught in collateral and die.
Before he had any control over what he was doing, Silver felt himself start to bawl. All the stress and anxiety of the last few days finally caught up to him and the hoglet felt himself break. The goliath attack. Mephiles almost killing him. Undoing a dam. Being separated from Shadow. Finding out Skip was really sick... And now this?
Sliding down the bark, Silver covered his eyes with his fists and sobbed. Saltwater droplets raced off his nose and plopped into the dirt as he sat - trembling and bawling from the circumstances. The situation seemed hopeless. He could never tell which one was Shadow. The fate of the village rested on his shoulders and he was going to fail. If he didn't grab Mephiles (choosing wrong, in other words) everyone would die. And that only made him cry harder.
"Cease that infernal noise!"
"Now is not the time for tears!"
"Pick yourself up and do something!"
"Lives are at stake!"
"I know! " Silver screamed, mouth open and wide in his frustration. " I can't tell- "
"Silver the Hedgehog - grab us BOTH!"
Startled by the commanding voice, Silver flinched - knocking the back of his head into the tree. As if reacting to the frightened movement, one of the fighters launched himself at his opponent's chest. The two toppled over; rolling in the dirt and stone once more with enraged growling and animalistic snarls.
Silver watched with horror as the first hedgehog refused to let go - holding the other opponent in place as he took hit after hit after hit. It was now or never. If he didn't do something the fight would be lost with who knows who coming out on top. But how on earth was he going to grab both of them? The hoglet had only ever handled one object at a time; even when building the gate. Silver found himself trembling from head to toe as he pushed himself back up the trunk - using its rooted form for balance.
Calling his aura, Silver watched his markings light aglow. Shakily, he extended his hand - palm out in an attempt to find the fighters with his mind. If only they would stay still… The twin fighters refused to be stationary; rolling around with one figure latched to the other in a battle for dominance and control. Right when the hoglet thought they were still enough to catch, one would twist - leaving the stone behind to be caught in his grasp.
"I can't-" Silver choked out, only to be interrupted.
"I told you to stop saying that!"
"Don't doubt yourself now; everything is at stake!"
"You can't afford to quit!"
"But how do I grab two things?" Silver sobbed, glow dissipating from his fingers as he rubbed his leaking eyes.
"We're not two things!"
"What are you-"
"We are one object rolling on the ground!"
"He can'-"
"Don't think about us as separate but as on-"
Shadow slammed his fist into Shadow's jaw, cutting him off with a harsh clack .
" That doesn't make any sense !" Silver screeched, stomping his foot.
"You need to trust me!"
With blurred vision, Silver re-summoned his aura. He only now learned how to use his imagination, and he had to use it in battle? Unable to control himself, he felt another sob escape his lips as he closed his eyes; re-envisioning the situation as Shadow told him. He had to be clever. There were no fighters. Only one fight. Only one thing. But how could he translate two things into one? There was no way he could do that. They were fighting each other . Two people fighting. They punched and kicked and had an effect on each other. The only reason they weren't being thrown around was because one had held on tight to the other, and they were rolling around like…
…like a ball.
The two fighters were rolling around like a ball.
Opening his golden eyes, Silver looked at the situation before him. With how the hedgehogs flipped and tumbled about, it was not dissimilar to a ball rolling on the floor. If he could imagine them as a ball, perhaps he could catch the ball?
Throwing his hands forwards he forced his concentration at the ball - missing and seizing the stick behind. Releasing the item from his grasp, Silver tried again. Another thrust and another dodge. Whimpering in frustration, Silver tried again. And again. And again. And aga-
"Gotcha!" He squeaked, grasping the ball in his mind.
Shadow let out a cry as the aura gripped his body. Shadow also gasped in pain, gripping onto the other hedgehog's chest tightly with drawn claws and a bone crunching grasp. Silver choked on spit and mucus as he let himself relax slightly, adrenaline high and heartbeat racing. Slowly he raised the hedgehogs off the ground and into the air, rotating them around until he could see both of their identical faces.
"Good work." One of the hedgehogs spoke. "Now release me."
"Don't do that." The other commanded. "Use your head - there's no way either of us could convince you which one is the real Shadow."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Silver sniffled, breath shaky and uncontrolled.
"Both of us know the other far too well." The hedgehog responded. "Any answer we choose could have been easily guessed."
"Well can't the real Shadow tel a port out?" Silver asked.
"In case you haven't noticed, we are holding on to one another." The other hedgehog answered. "Anywhere he goes, I go."
"Well…" Silver pondered, thinking back to the last time he had tried to identify Shadow from Mephiles. "What was the first thing I gave you?"
"I am not answering that." A hedgehog snapped. "If I tell you, then he can fool you later."
"Well what's one thing I can ask you?"
" Nothing ." Both hedgehogs snapped.
"Anything you say, can and will be used against you later." One continued. "He's crafty, Silver, never let your guard down."
"But who do I choose?" Silver cried, trying not to wipe another runaway tear.
"Choose him." The bottommost Shadow spoke, gesturing with his eyes to the opponent.
"What?"
"What?" Silver choked, trying to understand why the adult would want the other hedgehog released.
"Choose him." The bottom figure repeated.
Silver felt his gears turn. That statement was highly illogical. Both of them had previously made it extremely clear that each wanted the other caught. But now that they both were caught, wouldn't each want themselves released? Each of the hedgehogs should be shouting at the hoglet to release them. Unless…Shadow knew that.
Silver stared at the lower hedgehog, looking into the figure's eyes. If Shadow knew that Silver knew that either of them should be begging for release, would he intentionally be asking for the other's release? That seemed like a very Shadow thing to do. Know the mind of his young charge to the point he could read it well. That was something Mephiles didn't know how to do.
Gears turning once again, Silver tried to figure out how to separate the figures. Hypothetically, if he put all his focus on one, the other would fall…right? Mentally crossing his fingers, Silver tested his theory.
The bottom hedgehog hit the ground with a thump, gasping and coughing with pain and exhaustion.
" How did you know that would work? " Mephiles growled, voice returned to its demonic state as Shadow slowly stood from the dirt.
"I didn't." Shadow wheezed, shaking his head of stones and leaves. "I just trusted my gut."
"I…I did it?" Silver asked, looking up at the back of the ranger's head in awe.
"Yes." Shadow growled. "Now let me finish this."
" I'll kill both of you! " Mephiles roared, body trying and failing to shift under the psychokinetic grasp. " I'll tear you down until there's nothing but atomic sludge! "
"Struggle all you want." Shadow threatened, reaching back into his cloak. "You can't break free."
Silver shifted his stance, switching to a stronger one as the demon fought his aura. Mephiles was strong - muscles twitching and stretching in an attempt to change into crystal; yet Silver's control had trapped him in his mirrored form. The hoglet couldn't help but smile through the last of his tears as the creature fought and battled, unable to break from the tiny child's hold.
Gold eyes dilated as Shadow removed his arm from his cloak - Blue emerald shining bright in the moonlight as the adult held it into the air. Almost immediately the atmosphere lit ablaze with Chaos Energy, strengthening Silver's muscles and with it - his resolve.
" Impossible - how- "
"Now that I can focus," Shadow spat, tilting his head slightly with a glint of pride and triumph, "Let me remove you from this riverside area."
Extending his other hand, an orb of gold formed in the adult's palm; twinkling under the influence of Shadow's heart and will. Excited, the young hoglet watched as the ranger flicked his hand - fingers extending outwards as the orb enveloped the struggling demon. Silver couldn't even start guessing what could happen next before Shadow opened his mouth once more.
"I'm afraid you've overstayed your welcome." The ranger spoke, voice sharp and full of venom. "I can't let you roam these woods any longer."
Silver felt the demon flinch.
"Chaos Control."