True Purpose Ch. 2: I Told the Witch Doctor


The dialogue in italics are things that have been said in the past.

Since Shadow's sudden awakening into a new world – a bright, shiny, Maria-less world – his memories of his life on the Ark were like shapeless puzzle pieces. Sometimes, when Shadow least expects it, his senses are abruptly assaulted with something reminiscent of the Ark and Maria. Then, the puzzle pieces suddenly slide into place, and he's back to staring at Maria's pale face and bright smile. (They're triggers, Rouge once explained to him around a sip of latte).

Most times, when the memories wriggle free from the confines of his mind, Shadow's happy. He's delighted to have another piece of his past – of Maria – to latch onto.

Funnily enough, Shadow remembers his awakening from a suspended sleep in the depths of a secret GUN facility, clearly. He recalls opening his eyes to see a familiar mustached face staring down at him with a strangely sinister smile. The "familiar face" turned out to be Dr. Eggman.

"Or," Eggman says, fancily bowing to Shadow. "You may better know me by my real name: Dr. Ivo Robotnik."

From there, Eggman explains everything he knows to Shadow. He tells him about the future – or to be more accurate, the present – Maria, the Ark, and GUN. Throughout the entirety of Eggman's spiel, Shadow can only associate several words with his limited memory: Maria, Shadow – his name – and Robotnik. So, Shadow follows Eggman, performing what's asked of him while he struggles to remember himself.

"You know-" Shadow picks his head up from where he's staring out into the vast expanse of space, and he stares hard at Eggman. The egg-shaped man's sitting at a massive monitor, quickly typing something on the keyboard before him. "The whole amnesia thing makes sense when you really think about it."

Eggman inputs a phrase into the monitor, and the screen flashes a brilliant shade of red. The color floods the entire room, drowning them in nothing but a bloody red. Then, the color abruptly disappears, and the screen of the monitor informs the supposed doctor of his limited attempts. Eggman curses, loudly cracks his knuckles, and he types another phrase on his keyboard.

"What?" Shadow raises a brow, warily observing the doctor's actions. "What do you mean?"

Eggman hums. "When GUN decided to place you into a cryogenic sleep over fifty years ago, the science behind cryogenics was just barely getting off the ground."

The screen flashes red again, and the number of attempts left lowers.

"Add in the simple fact that you've been frozen for fifty or so years, then the likelihood of something going wrong increases greatly. Honestly," Eggman twists around in his seat as the lights from the screen drown the room, making the man's circular glasses glow brightly. "You should be lucky you're not braindead."

Shadow's not sure if he could call himself that.

The story of Shadow's twisted life shortly writes itself after that. His frustration, confusion, and rage grow and twist into a mistaken desire to destroy everything around him. Somehow, Shadow just barely remembers Maria's love for a world she couldn't exist in and his promise to protect that precious world.

Along with his promise, some of Shadow's memories gradually come back on their own. Specifically, he remembers all the highs and lows of Maria's incurable illness, and the horrible toll that it took on Maria's frail body. A small part of him despises these memories - like the distinct memory of Maria's body seizing against the sheets of her bed - because he was painfully aware of the suffering Maria went through to merely survive another day. However, the larger part of him cherishes these memories like they're something precious because it's another piece of Maria he doesn't ever want to lose.

Now, he's grateful for the way he treasured those memories as he stares down at Sonic's pale face. Despite how weary and sickly the hedgehog looks, Sonic looks up at him with an expression that was fairly cheery for someone in the hospital. (The longer Shadow looks at him, the more he sees the parallels between the hedgehog and Maria. The obvious similarities between the two make something sour settle into the pit of his stomach).

"It's been a while, faker," Shadow greets, discreetly pushing these feelings to the side. (déjà vu, he knows this feeling painfully well).

Sonic pouts, and he tilts his head to the side, thoughtfully. "Oh, come on now, Shadow. Is that any way to greet someone you haven't seen in nearly a year?"

Shadow rolls his eyes in response.

Sonic leans back in his bed, fiddling with the side of the bed to adjust the back. "So, how was it?"

Shadow raises a brow.

Sonic smiles. "Your trip? You know, the year-long thing you went on-"

"I know what you're talking about."

"So? How was it?" Sonic struggles to sit up straighter, his arms lightly trembling from trying to bear his weight. Despite that, Sonic smiles up at Shadow, and he pats the seat of the gray plastic chair next to him.

Shadow hums, mulling over the simple question. Truthfully, it's the first time someone's asked for details about his trip. "It was good," he says while sitting down.

"Just good?" Sonic mimics, eying Shadow. "Come on, Shads. You can do better than that. Give me some juicy details. Like, did you go to any of the places I circled on your map?"

"Still not my name," Shadow murmurs, but he still turns and pulls out the map to show the other hedgehog.

The map, itself, is slightly wrinkled from the numerous times he's folded and re-folded it into a small square. As he opens it up, the names and colored shapes of different continents are made visible. In addition, some areas on the map are circled or starred alongside Sonic's surprisingly legible handwriting. Next to a few of them are small checks Shadow's made over the past year.

Shadow holds the map out for Sonic to take. When the hedgehog first reaches out to grasp it, his hand completely misses Shadow's by several inches. Shadow's gaze hardens, but he doesn't comment as Sonic finally grips the map. The blue hedgehog doesn't look at Shadow as he unfolds the map, his tired eyes browsing its contents. Suddenly, Sonic squints his eyes and his bright smile dims just a bit.

This time, Shadow chooses to say something. "What's wrong?"

Sonic settles the map on his lap, and he presses the palm of his IV-less hand into his left eye. "Nothing," he sighs out, and Shadow scowls at him. Sonic seemingly notices, and he huffs. "Fine. It's just that my head's killing me. Do you mind?"

Sonic holds the map out to Shadow with a slight sheepish expression. That same feeling from before suddenly wells up within Shadow, and he blinks and –


Maria's lying in her bed, drowning in her soft blue nightgown. Her face's pale and sweaty, and Shadow can see the red lines from where the oxygen mask has pressed into her face. Even so, Maria grins when she looks at Shadow.

"Here."

Shadow looks down, and Maria's holding out a small multicolored book. It's a book that she's read several times.

"It's just," Maria begins, her voice small and meek. "I like it when you read to me."

Shadow pauses because he knows there's more to that, but he also knows Maria. So, he settles for nodding in agreement.

"Of course," Shadow promises, and he reaches out for the book -


Then, he's abruptly sucked back into the present with something awful molded into a lump in his throat. Shadow's aware of the map grasped tightly his hand, the paper crumpled under the force of his grip. When he looks up, Sonic is staring intensely, scrutinizing him in a way that distinctly reminds him of Rouge.

"You good?" Sonic asks.

"I'm fine," Shadow grinds out. He finds it maddening that Sonic would be lying in a hospital, and yet he's asking Shadow if he's okay. (Just like-) Shadow pushes the ugly roiling sea of his memories aside, and he tugs the map open before him.

"If you're sure," Sonic states, simply, but his tone suggests otherwise. He shifts stiffly in his bed, pulling at the edges of his oxygen mask. "Well, tell me where you've been. Like, where was the last place that you've visited?"

Shadow breathes through his nose, and he points at the orange blob on the map. "I was recently in Spagonia."

"And?" Sonic prompts, tugging more forcibly on the oxygen mask. Shadow briefly considered slapping the hedgehog's hand away. "Did you like it?"

"Yes, I guess I did."

Before Shadow knows it, he's telling Sonic a couple of details about his time in Spagonia. He describes the beauty of each sunset and sunrise and the peacefulness of each part of Spagonia. Sonic listens intently like Shadow's the most interesting thing in the world, grinning brightly when he hears Shadow mention visiting Sonic's favorite ice cream vendor.

"Oh!" Sonic interjects, his throat spasming at sudden abuse. He coughs roughly a couple of times in the crook of his elbow, his oxygen mask fogging up as a result. The familiar sound makes Shadow itch to do something, but he settles for giving Sonic room to breathe.

After a few mere seconds, Sonic sucks in one, two breaths before giving Shadow an apologetic look. "Sorry. Did you, uh, go to that one cafe that I told you about? The one in the northern part of Spagonia? The-"

Sonic snaps his fingers as if trying to magically conjure the answer before his face.

"The Retro Cafe?" Shadow finishes, settling back in his seat.

Sonic smiles, knowingly. The sharp expression reminds him a lot of Rouge, and Shadow wonders how many times the two interact with one another. "So, you went then? How was it?"

"It was decent," Shadow concludes. What he didn't tell Sonic was that he visited the cafe almost every day that he stayed in Spagonia. The small family-owned cafe had an interestingly calm atmosphere compared to some of the other bustling areas of Spagonia.

"Just decent, huh?" Sonic echoes, smugly, like he's easily read between the three words that Shadow's said.

Shadow huffs at Sonic's strange perceptiveness. "You do realize that I didn't come here to have a friendly conversation, right?"

"Of course, I do. Can't fault a guy for being curious." Sonic tugs at his oxygen mask again before becoming annoyed, and he merely pulls it off. "What do you want to know?"

Shadow stares at the oxygen mask hanging around Sonic's neck, but he doesn't say anything. "How long has it been going on for?"

"It?"

"You know what I mean."

Sonic shrugs, picking at his white sheets. "A couple of days or so."

Shadow crosses his arms against his chest. "And this just hit you out of nowhere?"

"Pretty much," Sonic agrees. "To tell you the truth, I felt fine for the most part, and it all just suddenly hit me."

Shadow purses his lips, thinking. "What are your symptoms?"

For the first time, Sonic's expression changes. Unease drains into Sonic's face, and his green eyes look past Shadow. Shadow follows his gaze to the boring curtains, where the others are most likely eavesdropping on their entire conversation.

"Sonic."

"Ok, ok," Sonic sighs, rubbing his hand along the nape of his neck. "I don't know. I guess I've been pretty tired lately."

"Tired, how?"

"Uh, exhausted?" Sonic admits. "Amy and Tails said I've been sleeping a lot."

Shadow makes a mental note. "Ok. And, what about your head? You mentioned that it's been bothering you?"

"Yeah. I keep getting these migraines," Sonic says, digging his palm into his left eye again. For the first time, Shadow notices that the lights in the hospital room have been dimmed.

"On and off?"

"Pretty much."

Shadow eyes the oxygen line leading from Sonic's mask and into the wall. "You're also on oxygen."

"Yep." Sonic flicks the mask with his finger. Without the mask on his face, Shadow could hear the slightest whistle when the hedgehog takes a breath. "According to the doc, my lung's having issues with regulating the stuff."

"Any pain or stiffness?"

"Uh, yeah, in my back, but it's just a little worse with my legs." Sonic smiles at Shadow, but it looks more along the lines of a grimace. Out of the corner of his eyes, he notes the way Sonic's hands grip his white sheets. "They've been cramping."

Shadow carefully keeps his face neutral as he hums, considering each of Sonic's responses.

"So," Sonic begins after mere seconds of silence between the two of them. "What's the verdict, doc? Tell it to me straight, am I going to die?"

It's a horrible joke that even Shadow understands, and he rolls his eyes at Sonic's antics. Still, Sonic's question bothers Shadow, and he opens his mouth to answer it -

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Shadow pauses, his ears straightening at the sudden four knocks that echoed throughout the room. Beside him, Sonic stares to the right where the bland set of curtains block their view. Together, they listen as Amy's cheery voice answers the door, speaking quietly to their sudden guest. Then, a part of the bland curtains slides open, squeaking quietly, and reveals Tails.

"Sorry," Tails says, meekly, his namesakes swishing around his feet. "I know you guys are busy talking and all, but the doctor's here for Sonic."

Sonic gives him a thumbs-up and a smile. "No problem, bud. We were just wrapping up."

Tails smiles back, and he begins to open the curtains all the way. Amid Tails doing that, Sonic earns Shadow's attention by leaning closer to him.

"We'll talk later," Sonic whispers. "Alright, Shads?"

Shadow ignores his unwanted nickname in favor of nodding in agreement. "Fine."

By the time Tails finishes his task, Amy's holding and opening the door for their one-two guests to walk through. Their first guest was a young human woman in purple scrubs with short copper-colored hair. She pushes a small beige cart filled with various pieces of equipment into the room, her sharp green eyes twinkling as she greets them.

Their second guest follows closely beside her, adjusting his bright white lab coat that's been thrown over his blue scrubs. He was a tall human man with spiky chestnut brown hair, and, despite his young face, Shadow assumes he's Sonic's doctor.

"Good evening," the young doctor greets, his voice as equally young as his features. He bows his head slightly, making his stethoscope sway around his neck. He smiles and his dark blue eyes quickly roam over their group, studying everyone in the room. For a split second, they remain on Shadow, studying him, before he's back to kindly addressing them. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Oh, no," Amy states, speaking for their group. "We were just talking."

"Oh, good," the young nurse chirps, pushing her cart towards Sonic's bedside. "Then, I hope you guys don't mind if we-" She pauses, the rest of her words disappearing, as she finally regards Shadow's existence.

"Hey there," the young nurse greets, excitedly. In Shadow's personal opinion, he felt as if the nurse had way too much energy. "I don't think we've met yet."

She abandons her cart in favor of sticking a pale, freckled hand out to him, a kind smile on her face. "My name's Francine," she states, pointing at her silver nametag. "But everyone calls me, Frances."

Shadow hesitatingly grabs her hand, and she gives it one good shake before she's bouncing over to the doctor's side. The young doctor's looking at the clipboard hooked to the edge of Sonic's bed, marking something with his pen, when Frances pulls on his arm. Eagerly, she tugs him before Shadow.

"And this is Christopher."

"Chris," the young doctor - Chris - corrects, smiling awkwardly at Shadow and holding out a gloved hand. "My colleague is right, though. I thought we'd met all of Sonic's friends already."

For a couple of seconds, Shadow's staring at Chris' gloved hand and wrinkled lab coat, before he forces himself to shake the man's hand. "'Friend' is a strong word," he says, pointedly ignoring Sonic's offended gasp beside him. "I'm Shadow."

With Chris this close to him, Shadow's got a perfect view of the young doctor's features. During his time on the Ark, Shadow's encountered many different kinds of doctors; each of them intensely studying Shadow like he's some kind of lab rat. As they pricked him with their numerous needles, Shadow's eyes used to roam over their greying hair and sweaty, wrinkled faces.

Chris, on the other hand, quite literally seems baby-faced.

Before he could stop himself, Shadow blurts out, "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?"

Chris laughs, shyly, and he rubs the nape of his neck. "Oh, that. I get that a lot."

Frances smirks from beside him, smacking her palm on Chris's back. Despite being almost, a head shorter than him, her friendly pat on the back nearly sends him toppling to the floor. "That's because he's the youngest one here. You know, me and Chris, here, actually go a long way back. We've been friends since the beginning of middle school, and this guy's always been the smartest. Graduated early and everything-"

"Thanks, Frances," Chris interrupts with a gasp, finally straightening up. "But enough about me and more about our patient, Mr. Hedgehog-"

"Sonic," Sonic corrects, his voice raspy. When Shadow spares him a glance, he's not surprised to see that the hedgehog's mask has suddenly reappeared on his face - if not a little crooked.

"Right, Sonic," Chris gives the hedgehog a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll get it right eventually."

Frances sighs, dramatically, but she leaves Chris's side. "Fine, but let me check Sonic's vitals, first." She walks over to check the monitors next to Sonic's bedside, slipping a pair of gloves onto her hands from her pocket. She frowns at whatever she sees, and she types some information into the computer on her cart.

"Hm," Frances hums, displeased about something, and she turns to Sonic. "Do you mind if I touch you?"

Sonic quirks a brow but nods.

Frances gently grabs Sonic's hands and adjusts the clip on his pointer finger. "Your oxygen levels are a little on the low side." She gives a pointed stare to the crooked oxygen mask on Sonic's face. "I wonder why?"

The hedgehog looks at the white ceiling like it's suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. Frances rolls her eyes at his reaction, and she carefully fixes the mask on Sonic's face.

While she's fixing the straps around the quills on the back of his head, the hedgehog regards the doctor. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, doc, but is there a reason for the visit?"

Chris pulls the ears of his stethoscope to his ears, and he holds the end of the against Sonic's chest. He quietly instructs the hedgehog to breathe in and out slowly before he answers. "We just wanted to see how you're doing and perform a couple of tests. You know, narrowing down our options for what's going on."

"And," Frances butts in, pulling some items off her cart. "We want to start you on this breathing treatment and see if it'll help with your breathing."

Frances lists off the benefits of the breathing treatments as she begins to set up the needed equipment, while Chris finishes filling out Sonic's clipboard. Amid this, Shadow finds himself thinking about what the doctor said.

"Wait," Shadow says when the doctor completes his work and re-fastens it to the end of Sonic's bed. "Do you not know what he has?"

Chris hesitates at his words. Just out of the corner of his eye, Shadow sees Rouge shake her head from where she leans against the back wall.

"Well, we do have a couple of ideas," Chris admits, eventually, sticking his hands in his coat pockets. "That's why we're performing these tests, so we can further narrow down the options. Actually, with that in mind," he gives them a sheepish look. "We do have to ask if some of you would leave the room while we conduct the tests."

"Oh, it's fine, honey," Rouge states nonchalantly, waving a hand. "Some of us don't mind hanging outside."

"You know, if you guys want, you can head down to the cafeteria and wait there." Frances offers.

Amy bobs her head in agreement, her bubblegum pink quills dripping down her shoulders with the movement. "I mean, that is a good idea, but," she carefully chews on her bottom lip. "We can't all just leave."

"Amy, dear," Shadow's red eyes easily follow the soft, polite voice to Vanilla. The motherly rabbit's still sitting in the stiff hospital chair, her posture impossibly straight. At the moment, she's gently rubbing Cream's back as the now awake young rabbit sits up beside her mother, sleepily rubbing her tired eyes. Noting she's effectively gained the attention of the pink hedgehog, Vanilla smiles warmly. "You all can go ahead, if you like, and catch up with one another. Cream and I will stay with Sonic. Right, Cream?"

Cream nods. "Mhm."

Amy tries to smile back, her jade eyes drifting to look at Sonic. The blue hedgehog's peacefully unaware of Amy's stare, the nurse, Frances, practically talking his ear off as she exchanges his oxygen for a different one. "Are you sure?" Amy says, eventually.

Somehow, Vanilla's smile softens all the more, and she reaches forward to hold Amy's hand in hers. "Yes. It's fine, dear. Once you come back, we'll head down ourselves and get something."

Amy sighs and squeezes Vanilla's hand in gratitude. "Thank you." Then, she drops the rabbit's hand and turns. "Come on, Tails-"

She stops, and Shadow looks to see why.

In the corner of the small hospital room, Tails' curled into one of the plastic chairs, his twin namesakes wrapped close to him. His small head's pressed against the nearby wall, and it's obvious to anyone that the young fox's fallen asleep within minutes of sitting down.

Amy's expression faintly twists into unreadable - at least, to Shadow - as she stares down at Tails. (The expression reminds him of the look Rouge once gave him when they first started working together. He couldn't remember what he'd done to receive such a look in the first place). Before Shadow could fully comprehend the expression, Amy reaches down to gently shake the fox awake.

Almost immediately, Tails wakes up, jolting upright. "Huh?" He says his tone a mixture of worried and exhaustion. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Amy's quick to clarify, brushing back Tails' unkempt bangs with one hand. "The doctor's just running a couple of tests on Sonic, and he needs some of us to leave for a bit. We're heading down to the cafeteria really quick to finish talking and get something to eat."

"What?" Tails asks, confused, briefly squirming away from Amy's touch. Similar to Amy, he twists his head around to look over at Sonic. "But what about Sonic?"

"Vanilla and Cream will stay with him until we get back."

Tails' bottom lip juts out. "But-"

"I'll be fine, Tails," Sonic declares loudly through his new smaller oxygen mask. He gives the fox a comforting smile. "You've been with me all day. Go ahead and get something to eat."

"Sonic-"

"Uh, uh," Sonic wags his finger at Tails. "I invoke my big brother right."

Tails rolls his eyes, but the smallest smile worms its way onto his face. "I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to this situation."

"Excuse me? Big brother rights apply all the time," Sonic states, playfully. "But seriously, Tails, go. I'll still be here when you get back, ok?"

Tails opens and closes his mouth before hesitatingly nodding his head, his namesakes swishing low to the ground. "Fine."

Amy sighs in relief at the fox's decision, and she sends Sonic a grateful look. "Let's go, then," she says, steering Tails towards the door that Knuckles now holds open. Over her shoulder, Shadow notes Amy looks expectantly at him and Rouge. "You guys coming?"

Shadow nods and rises from his seat, while Rouge follows closely behind Amy.

"I'll stay here," Knuckles affirms, flicking the tip of his hat back with one hand. "You know, just in case."

"Ok," Amy agrees, bobbing her head, lightly. "Do you want us to bring back anything for you?"

Before Knuckles could reply, Sonic's immediately butting in. "You could bring me something." When Shadow twists his head to look, Sonic smirks suggestively and flutters his eyelashes. "You know like a chili-"

"Sonic, no," Amy stresses, pointing a firm finger at the hedgehog. "You know better."

Sonic holds his hands up like he's being held at gunpoint. "Alright, alright," he mutters, pouting. "You can blame a guy for trying."

Amy shakes her head, good-naturedly, and she ushers them all out of the door and into the hallway. She begins chatting animatedly about something as they head toward the elevators, but Shadow tunes out her cheery voice to glance at the nursing station.

As they quickly pass by the small area, a few purple-clad nurses are still sitting at the station, typing information into their computers or talking with one another. However, they immediately pause whatever they're doing to openly stare at the four of them, whispering earnestly to each other.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow watches as Rouge leans in close to him. "Don't worry," she reassures him, quietly, covering her mouth with one hand. "Despite what it looks like, they're all pretty trustworthy."

Shadow doesn't ask how Rouge managed to pick up on his wariness. Instead, he lowers his voice and asks, "How do you know?"

Rouge grins, slyly. "From what I've learned, Big Blue's had some sort of a positive influence on each of them, and they're each looking for a way to repay him."

Shadow can't find it in himself to be surprised.

They arrive at the elevators and, when the silver doors finally open, several doctors and visitors are standing inside. Amy and Tails merely step in, finding themselves in a small corner of the elevator. Rouge, however, raises a brow at the packed elevator and shakes her head.

"No thanks," Rouge informs Amy. "We'll take the stairs."

Shadow waits until the elevator doors close completely before he turns his head and shoots Rouge a look.

"What?" Rouge questions, innocently.

"You didn't have to do that."

Rouge hums, and she opens the door to the hospital's staircase. "Hun, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Before Shadow could say anything else, Rouge stretched out her wings and descended the stairs. Shadow scowls at her back, but zips down after her, nevertheless. Together, they race down the stairs in record time, and they patiently wait for Amy and Tails.

Amy eagerly leads them down a couple of short, twisting hallways, pointing out the small blue signs along the walls with 'Cafeteria' written in white letters. Eventually, they arrive, with Amy displaying the area with the swing of her arms.

The cafeteria is a decently sized area in the corner of the hospital, with a couple of stations set up for individuals to purchase food items. Up against one of the walls was a metal stand with a stack of teal trays. Amy swipes a couple of them, and she tries to pass one off to Tails.

Tails holds up a hand in refusal. "I'm not hungry."

Amy responds by pursing her lips. "I doubt that. You haven't eaten all day."

He shrugs his shoulders.

"Well," Amy sighs. "I guess I'll have to let Sonic know."

Tails glares at her. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

Tails pouts - it's honestly not hard to see where he gets it from - and he takes the tray from her hands. Amy passes another tray to Rouge, but Shadow shakes his head when she offers the last to him.

She gives him a similar look that she'd given to Tails. "You sure?"

"Yes."

Thankfully, Amy chooses to listen to him, and she replaces the tray. "Well, if you're not getting anything, then do you mind finding a seat for us?" She gestures to another part of the cafeteria. "There's a more private section just outside those doors."

Shadow nods and leaves them to follow Amy's directions. As he walks through the cafeteria, Shadow notes that most of the tables in the main area were occupied by various doctors, nurses, and a few visitors and patients. He exits through a side door, and he finds himself in a smaller, more secluded part of the cafeteria. A couple of vending machines line the walls along with various fake potted plants. Just like the waiting room, a TV hangs on the wall and, when Shadow looks at it, it's playing an ad for Chaos Cola.

Luckily, the area is devoid of any people, and Shadow plops himself at one of the back tables. Several minutes later, Amy, Tails, and Rouge arrive through the same door and easily make their way to Shadow. When Rouge sits down next to Shadow, she passes him an apple off her tray.

"What?" She says when Shadow looks. "You know I don't like apples."

Shadow rolls his eyes, but he accepts the apple and takes a bite out of it.

"So," Amy starts, slowly, peeling open the orange on her tray. "We have some questions."

"So do I," Shadow admits.

"Alright, then," Rouge butts in, smiling. "Where do we start?"