Chapter 4: Deadly Reflection-Part 2

Robotropolis: Sewer System

Water pushed against Sonic's brain, sloshing through his body like clothes in a washing machine. His limbs were useless against the powerful current that sucked him through a series of tunnels. His head bumped against the ceiling of the stone tube as he drifted through them, knocking him unconscious. The last thing he remembered as his eyes closed was Antoine telling him that drowning was a peaceful way to go. If he somehow survived the events of today, Sonic would tell him that was a load of crap. As he was swallowed by the water, he was then swallowed by darkness, now helpless in the hands of fate.

His mind hadn't let go yet, as his body was still being carried away. Flashes of his life played like a film. He saw the green horizon of the forests he lived in. He saw his friends surrounding him. He saw his step-parents, comforting him when he felt alone and isolated. He hadn't forgotten about them. He never would. Even if it had been years, he still held out hope that they were somewhere in the city. Roboticized or not, he would save them. Then, he saw that hedgehog—the one who put him here. Shadow stood above him, scowling as he struggled to rise. He felt powerless within his presence. Shadow was experienced and more combat-resourceful than he was, but something about him was…off. He didn't know what it was, but Sonic had the sense that Shadow wasn't entirely loyal to Robotnik. 'You wouldn't understand,' is the last thing he said to Sonic before knocking him down here.

Before Sonic's subconscious thought about it more, the thought of the ebony hedgehog faded away as a new, yet unfamiliar figure clouded him. For a moment, she was surrounded by the chiseled walls of a castle, covered in flame, until she shimmered into a new environment, enveloped in woods and rain. Something was weird about this memory. Sonic had never met this person, but she felt like someone very important in his life. It wasn't until his mind made out more of her face that he started to recognize distinct features. She had quills colored in a cold hue. She shared his eye color, and she looked desperate as she stared at him. "Sonic…" She whispered to his subconscious. "Wake up."

Suddenly, Sonic sprung forward. He somehow made it to the end of the pipeline, which leaked into a dryer set of tunnels with a foot length of sewage. Sonic immediately started to gag as he vomited up the water that was inside of him, regaining the capacity in his lungs. Sonic's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the sewer system, seeing a forked path in front of him. Both on the left and right were two tunnels, leading to who knows where. Sonic wasn't fond of his options. One thing could lead to another and he could be going further into the heart of the city. Before he would like those chances, but with Shadow around, he would prefer staying low until he made it back to Knothole. Sonic turned around to see if he could go back, but considering the intensity of water coming from that pipeline, that was going to be a hard no. With no other choice, Sonic chose his path down the right-sided tunnel.

Robotropolis: Living Quarters

Amy kept doing her rounds around the hallway, mindlessly dusting and adjusting. Now that she had a taste of that woman's room, reveling in its warm hospitality, she couldn't think straight anywhere else. She was right, it did feel like just a dream. One so enticing that she craved to return to it. She needed an escape from these dull rooms. As she turned the corner, she saw the carved door frame at the end of the hall. But this time, there was no humming to accompany it. It felt just like an empty room without it. Amy frantically checked around herself, seeing if anyone was watching. With the coast clear, the pink hedgehog strolled to the front of the door and placed her ear on it, trying to hear anything lively inside. Footsteps, voices, movement, anything to let her know that where she was was real. Then, she heard something coming. Something heavy approached the door as Amy backed away in a hurry. That couldn't have been the woman, there was no doubt about that.

The handle to the door quickly turned, leaving Amy looking lost as she was frozen in front of the door. The door opens, revealing both a tall and short man standing over her. "What do we have here?" Robotnik deviously grinned as he saw the fear in Amy's eyes. "A little far away from your duties, aren't you, Ms. Rose?"

"You…" Snively growled as his hateful eyes glared right at hers. "I told you to not come here again. Are you desperate for punishment?"

"I-I…I was just–" Amy struggled to find the right words to form an excuse. She could handle the verbal abuse from Snively, but Robotnik was a different story. He had both the will and the power to convict her if he wanted to. There'd be no hesitation with him, so she quickly had to find anything to bail her out now.

"Leave her alone!" A friendly voice called from the room. It was the elderly woman, wheeling herself to see over Robotnik and Snively. "She doesn't mean any harm."

"Nonsense," Snively responded. "She's been snooping around lately. She might be up to something."

"So what?" Robotnik jested, without a worry in the world. "What would she be able to do? Isn't that right, Ms. Rose? What would you be able to do?" Amy was frozen with fear as words could no longer escape her. Robotnik quickly became bored as he scratched under his mustache, pondering his next approach. "Regardless, this behavior will not go unpunished. You've been neglecting your tasks. That is unacceptable."

"What if she isn't?" The woman spoke up for Amy. "She could help out with my room. Spruce things up here for a change. I could use more company too."

"Hmm," Robotnik wiped the finger he scratched his mustache with against the polished door frame, sullying the pure wooden carving. "Just this once I'll let her off. But allow one of my bots to tidy up your quarters. They would be enough to suffice." Robotnik and Snively push past Amy as they travel down the hall, leaving the pink hedgehog lost for thought. She turned her head back to the room, where a Swatbot eyed her down before slamming the door on her for good.

Within the confines of the room, the woman disheartedly listened as she heard Amy's footsteps echo farther away. Her room, once a haven for her mind to rest against the serene atmosphere, turned to an unpleasant distraction, as Swatbots stood guard at every corner of the room. Their motionless gaze had no direction or purpose. It was just a stationary shell made to follow orders. They disgusted her. She hated that they were in here, and not an actual living being to keep her company. After Amy's first visit, she discovered something that felt so wrong without: conversation. Not like the ones that Robotnik forced onto her, but ones that are exchanged with sincerity. It drove her mad to be without someone who put in the effort to know more about her. At this point, she'd do anything to have that again.

The elderly lady sat beside one of her cabinets, eyeing an artisan vase filled with artificial flowers. An idea came to mind, one that would hopefully bring her new friend back. Her wrinkled hand smoothly ran across the surface of the cabinet, picking up grey dust that coated the end of her index finger. She stared impudently at one of the Swatbots, holding her dusted finger to show. "You there." The Swatbot snapped its head toward her. "This cabinet is filthy. Dust it off now." The Swatbot moved forward without question. It brought forward a rag that was resting close by and started to dust off the surface. As it intently dusted, the woman slid her hand behind the cabinet, where she ever so gently tipped it forward, knocking over the vase, where it shattered thunderously across the ground. "Now look at what you did. Clean that up this instant." The bot expressed a subtle show of confusion as it stared at the broken vase before leaning down to collect the pieces at a sluggish pace. "Faster!" She commanded, leading the bot to only slightly pick up the pace. Unamused, the woman ordered the Swatbot to stop as she looked heavily displeased. "Never mind the mess. You were never made to do something neatly. I'd like to speak to Robotnik, now!"

Robotropolis: Subterranean System

"How do you even know if he went down here?" Sally brushed off the question as she continued through a channel of caves and underpasses. Her feet kept stumbling across jagged rocks due to the lack of light, but her mind didn't seem to process it as she was bent on the way forward. Bunnie struggled to keep up as she was more mindful of where she stepped. "Sally! Be careful!"

"I know where we're going. Just keep following." She eventually replied.

"Kinda hard to do so when you're acting a 'lil crazy." Sally stopped dead in her tracks, ticked off by the comment. Her face twitched with frustration as she fought to uphold her patience. She turned her body around, urging Bunnie to stop as well.

"Our friend just fell hundreds of feet into the water and carried off to who knows where. He is alone, lost, and out of his element, and that's if he survived. How is trying to find him 'crazy'?"

"I never said what we're doing was crazy. I said you were a 'lil crazy." Sally got increasingly angry as Bunnie doubled down on her statement. Seeing hot water boiling inside her friend, Bunnie tried to calm her down. "Listen, I know how urgent this is. But we need to stay calm. If we want another shot at that new hedgehog, we should keep our minds clear."

"It's not about that!" Sally snapped, sinking Bunnie's heart as she flinched away from her. Regret soon spilled in Sally as she realized how harsh she was being. Perhaps it was best to listen to Bunnie for the time being and clear her mind. Sally woefully leaned against the cave's wall, sliding down to sit. "I'm sorry," She stated. "It's just that things have been going so well for a while. I thought at the rate at which we were going, the victories would never stop coming. When that hedgehog came into play, I acted rashly. And now, poor planning might get my friend killed. It might get all of us killed." She sunk her head into her arms. Bunnie tried comforting her as her hand patted and rubbed softly across her shoulder.

"C'mon, you know better than anyone how tough being a leader is. Mistakes are bound to happen."

"I'm not just thinking about the freedom fighters. I'm thinking after this is all over. Without my father or the queen, I have to step up to govern. And I just don't know if I can live up to the task. Not when my stupid decisions have disastrous consequences." Bunnie saw water drip from Sally's covered face.

Bunnie reached her hands forward and linked them with Sally's. She brought her salivated face up as her tears forcefully receded. "You shouldn't worry about that. Not now. That's a whole future away, with people who don't need you yet. But there are people who need you now, and you have to be there with them. And trust me, your father would be proud if he was still around." The two briefly embraced as they knew they had to get going soon. Sally continues forward, slowing her pace and being more aware of her surroundings.

"Let's get going. If Sonic was taken to where I think he was, we shouldn't be far from there."

"How do you know this place?" Bunnie asked. "You never told anyone else."

"The former leader of the freedom fighters used to come down here a lot. She brought me a few times too. That was around the time before she went missing. If I remember correctly, she went down here the day she was gone."

"I never knew her much."

"I didn't really know her a lot either. But she knew father, apparently. That's why she seemed so inclined to appoint me leader if something ever happened to her." Sally and Bunnie reached a small block in their path: a metal grate covering the end of the tunnel. Sally quickly asked Bunnie to remove it, which the rabbit keenly did so by grabbing hold of the grate's center and ripping it effortlessly off. The two drop below where they entered the city's sewer system. On one end was a pipeline flowing water into the ground's drain, and on another end was a forked path with two tunnels–one on each side. Sally's eyes brightened as she checked the pipeline and the drain below it. "He made it." She mumbled.

"How can you tell?"

"All of the city's pipelines lead into this drainage. If he was swooped into one, we would've found his body here." Bunnie turned to the other end, eyeing the split paths.

"Which means he took one of those ways." They both sighed as they pondered which one to take. "No use in splitting up, is there?" Sally shook her head. "Right, well let's hope we get lucky then." Sally and Bunnie flipped that coin, taking the tunnel on the leftmost side. Hopefully, they guessed right, and Sonic wouldn't be too far ahead.

Half an hour goes by as they still travel through the tight corridor. At this point, it felt endless. Bunnie started counting the bricks placed in the walls as a way not to die from boredom. Despite that, she ended up losing count very quickly. She wondered if they were still going straight, and if they weren't already going in circles. "Sally…?" Bunnie groaned as her eyes started to droop. "Do you still know where we're going?"

"We have to be somewhere close. There's no way this place goes on for this long."

"I hope so." Bunnie's stomach started to growl. "I'm so hungry. I forgot to eat before the mission. I could really use some of Antoine's cuisine right now."

"Yeah…" Just then, Sally's stomach also started to grumble. "Me too." They both groaned in unison as they continued forward. As they did, another loud rumbling emitted around the tunnel, one much louder and more intense than before. Sally looked back at Bunnie, who was clutching her belly tightly. She looked famished, but not to the point where her stomach would've made a sound like that. "You're that hungry?" She asked the rabbit.

"Me? I thought that was you." Sally stopped in her tracks as her eyes began to widen. That rumbling wasn't stopping. It was getting closer. She turned her back and looked past Bunnie, who had also stopped where she was. Whatever was coming their way sounded like it was violently bouncing off the sides of the tunnel. The ground started to shake as the rumbling grew louder and louder. The small trail of water below their feet trickled faster and with more volume, eventually becoming clear as to what was coming, with a wall of darkness approaching rapidly at them. It was water, flooding the pipeline where they stood.

"Run!" Sally and Bunnie sprinted as fast as they could. But it was no use, as they were swept up in a turbulent motion. They were flushed forward, forced to ride out the rest of the tunnel as they were submerged in the raging water.

Shortly, they met an end to the pipeline, as water erupted from the exit and down a stone wall, where a dam was placed. Sally and Bunnie were shot out the exit, sliding down the dam's slipway. At the end of it: a bottomless pit with no end. Bunnie quickly grabbed Sally's hand as she dug her robotic fingers into the slipway, holding for dear life as the water kept crashing down into her face. It pierced through her nose and eyelids, causing her to experience pain like no else. She tried scaling up, but even with the powerhouses that were her legs, the intense waves kept her in one place. She started to feel her grip on Sally loosen, as the moisture in her fingers made it exceedingly difficult to hold on to her. Not only that, but her metal hand started to loosen from the wall, due to cracks that shifted her hold. She felt herself slipping at any moment now. "Hold on, Sally!" Bunnie fought with all her might to keep herself and Sally safe, but there was only so much she could do. However, just as she was about to let go, the exit of the tunnel started to seal itself with a steel door, allowing Bunnie to safely descend the slipway with Sally, and land on a flat surface beside the wall.

Sally fell to her knees as she began to cough up water. Bunnie looked up to the entrance of the dam, seeing the closed-off tunnel they were just in. "Bunnie!" Sally said, finally able to stand again. Bunnie turned to her and saw her staring intensely down below. She looked to see what she was staring at, and what she saw was dumbfounding. They were in a ginormous cavern, right below the city. Within the cavern, they saw lights and buildings scattered throughout. There was a whole town underneath Robotropolis. "How did we not know about this? How long has this been here?" Sally questioned as she was drawn into the city further. As she was, Bunnie got an off feeling. Like someone was watching them.

She looked to the side and above, seeing a chamber embedded in the cavern wall. It looked to be a control booth, perhaps one that operated the dam. Within it, Bunnie saw someone looking at them: A cloaked figure. Observing and blankly glaring at Bunnie as she glared back. The hooded figure raised its hand, pointing across the cavern and to a small hole in the wall beside them, illuminated by industrial lights. That was one thing. The other had to do with the figure's hand. Bunnie recognized it. It was a webbed glove with golden caps on the tips of each finger. Her eyes popped forward, her heart beat like a drum. Her mind was racing with gruesome memories of the night she lost most of her limbs. It was the person she was seeing in front of her that saved her—the one who gave her the prosthetics.

"Bunnie, what are you staring at?" Bunnie turned to Sally, who was only focusing on her. As she turned back to the control booth, the figure was gone.

"Nothing. But I may have found a way out of here." Bunnie pointed to the illuminated opening.

Robotropolis: War Room

Finally, there had been good news for Robotnik. His scouts reported back the results of the skirmish between the two hedgehogs. Safe to say, he was more than pleased with how things were turning out. He almost felt like celebrating, but there was still work to be done. The freedom fighters were still in his city, and there still was a chance that Sonic survived his encounter with Shadow. Speaking of, the black hedgehog entered the war room, accompanied by a pair of Swatbots, who had their weapons trained on him the whole way through. Shadow scoffed as he glanced back at them, not taking their threats seriously. Even with the off-chance that Sonic was gone for good, Robotnik would soon have to deal with another problem: He couldn't rely on Shadow forever.

"I did your dirty work, doctor." He grumbled.

"Fantastic job, Shadow. Did he give you a hard time?"

"Hardly. He was no match, even when compared to only a fraction of my power. Maybe if his were nurtured properly, I would understand half the trouble he's caused you."

"Lovely…" Robotnik sighed.

"Now," Shadow moved forward, stepping closer to Robotnik, which triggered the Swatbots to aim directly at the hedgehog's head. Shadow stopped as he heard their weapons charge with plasma. He tilted his head back, leaning one eye to glare at the bots behind him. Suddenly, there was a flash of light that trailed forward and back. In an instant, the arms of the Swatbots were removed, as Shadow threw them against the ground. Oil spilled across the pristine floors, as it was only Shadow and Robotnik left in the room. "You owe me a visit."

"Please," Robotnik sneered. "With all the problems you've caused me," Robotnik raised his metallic hand, showing it off to Shadow. "You have more debt to pay off before I can allow that." Shadow lunged forward, his hand grasping ahead at Robotnik's throat as he went in for the kill. But Robotnik held all the control, as his grin failed to leave his face. All of a sudden, a surge of electricity was pumped into Shadow's body, causing him to fall to the floor in agony. "You think I wouldn't see this coming?" Shadow felt his blood boil and singe. His nerves twitched in response to the bolts, and he was left writhing in pain on the cold floor. Robotnik waved his hand, causing the electricity in Shadow's body to simmer. "I know how prone to violence you are, and I honestly love to see more of it, but we both know who that anger is directed at."

"What the hell did you do to me?" Shadow growled. His fingers dug into the metal floor, tearing away at it.

"A little precaution." Robotnik tapped the side of his neck that was right below his ear. "It's to keep you under control until the job is done, and your debt is paid. You crossed the family once already, I won't let it happen again."

"I never crossed them," Shadow retorted. "I only crossed you!"

"And now, you work for me. But don't worry, old friend." Robotnik stood from his seat and walked down, approaching Shadow without any fear clouding him. He walked past the defeated hedgehog, tapping him on the shoulder as he did. "I've been taking good care of her." Shadow gritted his teeth as Robotnik laughed, infuriated to know that there was nothing he could do to fight back against him.

But before he could fully process anything, an alarm blared on the main computer. Robotnik immediately scrambled to the monitor. His mustache dropped in legitimate concern as the computer displayed a message, alerting him of a security breach in an underground lab. "Report!" He ordered his computer.

"Sub-lab motion sensors detect three anomalous entities entering the facility. One detection was triggered on the northern side, and two detected on the western." The computer relayed.

"Shadow!" Robotnik yelled. "You can start repaying by cleaning up your mess!" Shadow raised to his feet, defiantly eyeing Robotnik one last time before boosting out of the war room. The doctor patted his forehead, wiping off the sweat from his skin. It was one thing to act confident in front of Shadow like that, it was another with this alert. If the freedom fighters discover what he's been harboring in that facility, his master plan might start to crumble. He had hoped that Shadow would take care of them before they could figure anything out.

"Um, sir?" Robotnik turned to see Snively standing behind him.

"What is it, Snively? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Yes, I do. But there appears to be an issue with our guest. She's… not satisfied with her current service." Robotnik fully averted his gaze from the monitor and towered above Snively. Snively yelped as Robotnik grabbed the short man by the collar and raised him to his level.

"What do you mean, 'not satisfied'?"

"She–she says that the Swatbots we left to tidy her place aren't up to par. She's demanding replacements, or else…"

"Or else what?"

"Or else she'll come looking for Shadow herself." Robotnik tightened his grip around Snively's collar, grinding his teeth in anger as he tossed him back to the ground.

"No matter. I guess we'll have to accommodate until I'm through with that hedgehog. I have a feeling I know who she wants as a replacement. Fine, I'll play her little game."

Underground Facility

Sonic, for all intents and purposes, was most certainly lost. The brick and stone coverings on the tunnel's wall merged into a smoother and metallic surface the further he went. LEDs and high bay lights cluttered every inch. The floor was replaced with silver panels as the narrow pathway opened up into a hallway. The tech down here was vastly different from what he had seen on the surface. There were still remnants of Robotnik's design throughout the facility, but a lot of what Sonic was seeing was inspired by something else.

Whatever it was, it wasn't as important as getting out of here. With the way behind no longer being an option, he only hoped that there would be some sort of exit in here. If not, he would have to make one. Sonic passed through a checkpoint, which led him into a much larger chamber. There was a runway ahead of him, spiraling down the curved room. At the very bottom was some sort of core. Sonic investigated as he raced down the runway to the lowest floor. He approached the core, which was layered in a thick container made from glass, holding blue-green water inside. Bubbles flowed from one end to another, forming a screen, and making it more difficult for Sonic to make out what was inside. But as the window through the core cleared up, Sonic stood back in shock at what he saw: A brain. "This day is just getting weirder and weirder." Sonic looked at his surroundings, seeing capsules embedded into the chamber's walls. Each capsule held a green crystal shard, which periodically pulsated, sending out a wave through the room and into the core, almost like it was fueling the brain.

Sonic felt an odd sensation too. The green pulse that traveled through him invigorated his body. He felt his energy come back to him– his aches and pains faded away. The effect was minuscule, but it left Sonic feeling more recharged than ever. Charged enough to tear down this facility if he had to. But fate had different intentions for him today. "I guess you weren't such a disappointment after all." Sonic's heart stilled as he felt a cold sensation run through his spine. His head turned to the top of the room, where he saw Shadow staring down at him. The ebony hedgehog leaped off the runway, landing forcefully in front of Sonic, unscathed. "Color me surprised, blue hedgehog. I thought you met your end at the bottom of a river."

"What can I say? I'm too stubborn to kill." Sonic did his best to stay confident, despite the overwhelming fear clouding his mind. He wasn't so sure he could take Shadow again so soon.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Just then, another pulse from the capsules drifted across the chamber. The pulse not only gave Sonic another warm feeling, but it also emitted yellow sparks from Shadow's body. Shadow stretched his gloves back, reeling in the power that was being transferred between them. "You feel it, don't you? The fire in your fingertips. The seething blood in your heart. This is the power of Chaos." Shadow opened up his palm, conjuring this energy into his hand. It fiercely grew, forming an unstable ball of golden lightning, which protruded into a tipped bolt. Shadow thrusted his hand, driving the bolt forward, which narrowly missed Sonic's head. "The ability to turn thoughts into reality. Without it, you have no hope to face me."

Sonic's breath quivered. Even when that bolt passed him, he felt a sharp sting from it. Its energy was volatile. There was no way to predict what more of those could do. He felt severely outgunned on every front. In his speed, power, and will, Shadow was far more experienced. But that didn't deter him. He was not one to beg, nor was he one to give up. Sonic would find a way to come out of this alive, he knew that there was no choice. He balled his fists, he cracked a smirk, and he leaned forward to where the runway began. Shadow almost looked impressed. "You really do surprise me." Without warning, Shadow blitzed his way toward Sonic. But this time, Sonic was ready for him. The hedgehogs clash as they both spin dashed against each other. Unfortunately, Shadow's attacks were more brutal, as he was able to knock Sonic against the wall before he then pinned him in place. "You think you can win this war?" Shadow lifted him from the wall and then buried his fist straight into his gut, slamming him into the ground where the floor cracked on impact. "You and your band of rebels. You're all just children." Shadow tossed Sonic aside, to which the blue hedgehog struggled to raise himself to his feet. Yet despite his injuries, he was still smiling.

"All the more reason not to underestimate us. You and Robotnik may have all the advantages in the world, but compared to us, you're alone."

"What you're saying is completely asinine. I've seen it firsthand. No matter how strong you stand together, it means nothing in the face of staggering power." Shadow raised both his hands as another pulse from the capsules emitted. His body flows with golden lightning as his hands conjure even more of those golden bolts. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow shot forward a volley of bolts at Sonic. The blue blur tried moving out of the way, but his shoulder was grazed by one of the oncoming spears. His arm went stiff, as the electricity seized up his nerves for but a brief moment. "Even if you had a point, it doesn't matter. You're all alone now." At this point, Sonic was blocking out what Shadow was saying. He jumped back on his feet and hopped up and down nonchalantly. Shadow grunted furiously as he felt disrespected by Sonic's lack of care. "Is all of this a joke to you?"

"Is it to you?" Shadow was visibly taken aback for the first time since they met. "I mean, what's taking you so long to finish me off? Didn't Robotnik order you to get rid of me? So why waste your time? Got something to prove? Or is it that you don't really like him too?"

"That's none of your concern." Shadow snapped his fingers, sending forth more chaos spears that barely missed Sonic. The hedgehogs run side by side up the runway, as Shadow rams his shoulder in an attempt to knock Sonic off the path and back down the chamber.

"Please, you're telling me that you're working for him willingly? Jeez, I thought you were kinda cool at first, but I guess you're just crazy–" Shadow was having none of it, as he lunged his hand around Sonic's neck, grasping tightly as he then leaped off the side of the runway. Shadow holds Sonic in place as they both plummet back to the bottom, with the blue hedgehog taking the full brunt of the fall. Shadow stood up without a scratch as Sonic attempted to crawl away. The ebony hedgehog placed his foot on top of Sonic's ankle, digging his heel into his bones. But just when he thought he had him broken, Sonic turned his head back, still smiling. "That all you got?"

"Do you ever shut up!" Shadow took hold of Sonic's neck again, lifting him to gaze into his eyes. "I don't understand you. How, after everything, can you still smile?"

"You want the truth? Fine. The truth is…I'm not smiling." Sonic said, holding a tight grin. "I am scared. There's so much I still don't know about. Our victories. Our losses. I'm unsure what they'll amount to in the end. Either in our freedom, or our enslavement." Shadow's grip slightly loosened as his angered face started to mellow. "But I do know this. My friends share the same fears, perhaps they struggle with them more than I do. But when I smile, that fear goes away. Their doubts, their worries, that's what I'm really fighting! I'm not smiling to convince myself I can win. I'm smiling to convince them that we can win and that we're never alone!"

Shadow's mind went somewhere else. A feeling of uncertainty rushed through him. He realized that this hedgehog was not fighting for himself but for others. Shadow saw a reflection of himself in the blue blur, knowing that he too was doing this for someone he cared for. But in order for them to survive, he had to do what was needed of him. "In that, maybe we aren't so different after all. But I still can't let you live." Shadow said hesitantly as his grip firmed.

But as Shadow was about to end this, a chunk of torn metal from the wall collided against him, forcing him to release Sonic as he was sent flying away. Sonic caught his breath as he looked up to the top of the chamber, seeing a couple of friendly faces greet him. "Sonic! Hurry!" Sally called out as Bunnie ripped another piece of metal from the wall, aiming it at Shadow, who blew away the chunk of the wall that trapped him. Sonic wasted no time to boost up the runway. However, Shadow was already hot on his trail. Bunnie tried stopping him the same way as before, but Shadow cleaved through the metal like a hot knife through butter.

"Shoot! That's not going to work twice anymore." Bunnie exclaimed as Shadow got closer to Sonic. Just then, another pulse of Chaos flowed through the chamber, empowering Shadow once more. But this time, Sonic had his own intentions to use them. He recalled what Shadow said, to turn thoughts into reality. As the pulse coursed through his veins, he closed his eyes and cleared his head. He needed to focus. He concentrated on the energy inside, using it as a template to form his desires. The one thing he could think of now was to escape. Suddenly, as his feet hit the ground, sharp winds colored sky-blue trailed behind him, casting cyclones with every step. Shadow widened his eyes as he was directed right into the cyclone, causing him to lose his footing and spiral in the air as Sonic made his way to Sally and Bunnie.

Sonic opened his eyes and grabbed both of them as they bolted through the facility, leaving Shadow alone in the chamber as he broke free from the cyclone. He ambivalently watched as the sharp winds died down. He was left alone, with nothing but confused anger.

Robotropolis: Living Quarters

Amy whimsically hummed as she dusted off mantles, dressers, and other surfaces in such a lively room. Ever since Snively sheepishly told her she was now the woman's caretaker, she felt like nothing could break her mood. Speaking of, the elderly women happily watched as Amy kept cleaning. "I don't know what you told them, but I don't think I can ever repay you for helping me." Amy talked as she continued to work.

"No need to thank me. I felt like we both needed someone to talk to." The woman poured a cup of tea, sliding it across the table where an empty seat was placed. "Please, let's take a moment to cool off." Amy pranced over as she blissfully sipped on the tea. A mistake she soon learned, as it was still too hot to drink. Amy spat the tea out as she fanned her burnt tongue.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean–" The woman couldn't help but laugh, not bothered at all by Amy's ill-mannered mistake.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. If anything I'm flattered that you'd so eagerly drink up my tea!" Amy lightly chuckled as she began to blow on the cup. "So, is there anything you wish to talk about?"

"Actually, yeah," Amy said. "I did never catch your name."

The woman held her hand to her mouth, embarrassed that she never got to mention who she was. "Oh my! You're right! How rude of me." The woman set her tea down as she stared into Amy's eyes with soft blue irises. She smiled with the warmth of the sun. "You can call me Maria."

To be continued…

Up Next: The Ambassador!