AN: "Why?" Because existentialism and character psychology.

"The train headed for the Mystic Ruins will be departing soon."

Sonic smiled and waved at the crowd of strangers that had gathered around him at the station. He didn't love being enclosed by overly-enthusiastic strangers, but he just didn't have it in him to brush them all off. After all, who wouldn't be excited to have an opportunity to see the hero who saved the entire planet in the flesh?

"Hey, c'mon everyone, I'm happy to see all of you, but we've got a train to catch! Oops! Hey! Excuse me!" Sonic carefully wriggled and squirmed his way through the crowd shouting his name in adoration, through the roar of cheers, the applauding, the small children tugging on the cuffs of his gloves wanting high-fives. Amy batted away the girls who fawned over Sonic and begged for autographs, frustrated and jealous. Knuckles, much to his relief, succeeded in evading most of the crowd; seemed like most of them were mostly eager to see Sonic himself, more than anything.

A voice called from the crowd. "Hey, it's the black hedgehog! He was up there in space with Sonic!"

Oh no.

Shadow's fur stood on end as the flow of the crowd slowly surged towards him too, dizzying camera-flashes making him see spots, an overwhelming tidal wave of praise and questions washed over him and drowned him. Hero. Hero hero hero. No matter how many times someone threw the word at Shadow, it just never stuck. Did these people have the right person? Shadow continued to silently make his way through the crowd, trying his best to ignore urges to shove past people. That's not the person he wanted to be anymore. He just wanted to disappear inside himself. Or be swallowed whole by the earth. Of all the potential futures Gerald could have had in mind for Shadow, surely, this had to have been the one to drive the man even madder.

Knuckles raised a warning fist. "Hey, hey, back up a little! You heard Sonic, we've got a train to catch! Wait for a press conference instead, or something!"

The three eventually made their way onto the train, largely empty, given that not many people lived in the Mystic Ruins or had much business over there. Sonic slumped down onto his seat, stretching his legs out and sighing. He looked out the window as the doors closed. Within a moment, the train lurched, and began pushing forward, with Knuckles stumbling and momentarily losing his balance before sitting himself down. The city rushed past them in a high-speed panorama, the crowd finally vanishing into the distance. Sonic looked over across the train at Shadow, who sat uncomfortably in the far corner of the seat.

Sonic shrugged with a wink. "You get used to it eventually! Sometimes people can't contain themselves when they meet someone special to them, you know?"

Shadow struggled with the idea of that. Who even were these people? How could he be special to them when they didn't know a thing about him, or how he felt? Wasn't he a criminal in their eyes just a day or so ago? How could their opinions of him change so quickly after one 'good' deed? These were the people Maria wanted him to protect and have faith in, but meeting them in the flesh, coming face-to-face with them for the first time...it felt like he'd saved a planet full of aliens. He tensed his brow, looking out the window at the sun stuttering behind the buildings flashing past. He couldn't deny that it did feel...good. He'd used his power to save innocent people, innocent lives. People who just wanted to live and chase happiness. Families. Children. People living in horrendous conditions, up against overwhelming trauma, who merely wanted a chance to live long enough to see better days. People like him, maybe. Could there be people in this world who had felt the way he had felt? He thought about what Amy had told him on the ARK. Whatever bloodlust that once plagued his thoughts was no longer detectable, the rage he once felt was all but gone. It was his choice. He'd made his choice.

But he was still angry. This was a different anger. This was a helpless anger.

Amy continued to talk about her chao to Sonic, with Sonic politely (albeit uncomfortably) nodding as she continued to try and snuggle up next to him. Knuckles sat opposite them, arms crossed, head slightly tilted down, eyes shut (though not quite sleeping) as he rested quietly. Shadow sat a small distance away from Knuckles, and leaned his head on the wall at the end of the seat. The light of the sun kept flashing in and out, in and out, flickering brightly into his eyes. He squinted a little, shielding his eyes.

Knuckles spoke. "Looks kind of blue in this light,"

"Huh?" Shadow looked over, wincing slightly. His neck still hurt a little.

"Your fur. It's black, but the sunlight kinda makes it look a little blueish. Never noticed that before,"

"Ah...I see," Shadow blinked, unsure of how to respond.

We have enough blue hedgehogs.

Shadow stayed silent for about seven seconds. "Is there any way to re-charge an imitation emerald after it loses its energy?"

Knuckles woke up a little more. "Hmm? Well, like I said, Tails would know more than me...but based on what I do know, that depends, really. Not all imitation emeralds are the same. Some just become useless after their energy's been used up. Though some can have their energy re-filled, but they'd need to be charged up by a real emerald, or the Master Emerald, in order for that to happen. But none will really come close to a real emerald." Shadow didn't reply.

Knuckles lowered his tone. "This is really bothering you, huh?"

"I'll figure it out on my own," Shadow replied quickly, shutting the conversation down, knowing very well that he would not be able to figure it out on his own.

Amy chirped, "Hey! We're almost there! You've never been here before Shadow, look! You can see the old temples from here, they're beautiful!"

Shadow hesitantly looked over, before looking away again.

Knuckles scooted over to Shadow, giving him a nudge with his elbow. "Hey, man. It's a nice place. You might like it,"

Shadow stayed still and silent.

"C'mon. Just try and enjoy the view."

Red eyes twitched to the left to look out the window. Indeed, enormous stone fixtures stood upright, reaching towards the sky. Giant, ancient spires of sculpted rock. Gerald had been here before. He conducted some good years of study here, as well as on Angel Island, which would currently be at ground-level due to the Master Emerald having been removed. Shadow had seen a few photos of this place, at least, while perusing Gerald's library with Maria. There was little Maria could do up in the ARK in her condition but study. The two spent many days together just reading whatever piqued their interest. She was eloquent for a twelve year-old, always eager to learn, fascinated by the natural world. She would've grown up to be an excellent scientific mind, had she been given the chance. It was fascinating seeing the ruins in person, as though photos that just existed as memories in his mind were slowly re-forming and animating before his eyes.

The train eventually screeched to a halt, giving everyone aboard a small jostle.

Sonic quickly stood up, hopping to his feet. "Tails is probably here by now! Don't wanna keep him waiting!"

Amy tugged on his arm again. "Sonic, you're always in such a rush! Why can't you just slow down and enjoy the scenery once in a while?!"

Knuckles smirked. "I can think of a few reasons why he'd be eager to get out of here..."

Shadow didn't say anything. He kept his expression neutral. Knuckles gave Shadow another nudge.

"Hey, if you don't wanna stick around with them," he whispered. "I can show you Angel Island, if you like. It'll be real quiet there, and you might find it interesting- and I might be able to help you figure this problem out, too,"

Shadow mulled the thought. "I suppose so."

"But I'll be watching you. Don't try anything funny with the emerald, got it? Or I'll pummel you."

The hedgehog blinked rapidly, growing slightly tense. He could certainly do that now, couldn't he...?

As much gratitude as Shadow did feel towards Sonic for helping him fulfill Maria's wish, for some reason, Sonic's presence was making him feel ill. It made him feel guilty, in a way. Didn't he owe Sonic for this? He had to figure out what had happened to him, first. He knew that this would eat away at him and drive him to madness if he didn't get some answers soon.

The Ultimate Lifeform will not be stripped of that title. I won't allow it, for as long as I live.

The air was clean, the breeze calm. It was a little more humid here, and definitely much quieter than the city. Shadow hadn't really been given much of a chance to enjoy any of Earth's natural wonders during the time he did spend on Earth, his mind had been elsewhere. Without insatiable desires for revenge constantly pushing him to act and think in accordance to one goal alone, he was able to take in his surroundings a little more thoughtfully now. He caught sight of the rushing waterfall in the distance, he gazed at the exotic flowers that sat on curling vines on the cliffs, wind blew in his quills. For a moment, he felt a disarming stillness inside him, before anxious thoughts began to storm in his mind again. Perhaps there would be more opportunities to feel that sense of...whatever it was. Peace?

Sonic and Amy had already made their way away from the station area, and were down on the ground below. Tails was there, having already parked the Cyclone somewhere, now idly chit-chatting with the others. Knuckles stayed where he was, surveying his surroundings quietly too, seemingly just enjoying the view. Not that this place was exactly new or exciting for Knuckles. He'd spent more time here than away, but that didn't seem to matter. He just seemed to enjoy being alive, enjoying the world he lived in.

All living things belonged to the Earth, didn't they? Yet Shadow wasn't entirely sure whether he belonged here. He wasn't sure if he belonged anywhere.

"Psst," Knuckles said. "Gotta go fix the emerald. You coming or what?"

"S-Sure." Shadow blinked, nodding once.

Would be interesting to see the real Master Emerald shrine in person, at the very least. He thought about how being completely powerless was likely the only reason Knuckles was willing to help him. He wasn't sure how he felt about this. The whole situation made him feel weird about himself. Though truthfully, there was nothing Shadow didn't feel weird about, at this time.