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White Space expanded before him, an all-encompassing void stretching out in every direction. A white so intense that it almost felt blinding, yet there was no natural source of light or sun. The air was still and heavy, with an unsettling silence that was almost overwhelming, layered with an emptiness. The lack of any sound or movement created an eerie sense of isolation. It made Shadow’s skin crawl; a nightmare given shape as Shadow dashed through the broken remnants of cities and worlds displaced by the time anomaly.
Shadow had strayed a little too far from the sections he had been patrolling as he hunted for relics to unlock his path to get closer to finishing off Black Doom. His mindless minions roamed through the open spaces. Shadow had met many of them as he made his way through the zones searching for the components that would get him one step closer to defeating that wretched eyeball in the sky. One step closer to making sure Maria was no longer in danger.
Just as Shadow was about to turn around, a sound broke through the infinite quiet, pulling Shadow’s attention to a spot off in the distance as a flash of blue streaked by. So apparently Sonic had been pulled into this mess as well.
A swarm of Black Doom’s minions chased after him relentlessly. These things were tough even with some of the new skills Shadow had learned, but Sonic was a strong fighter. He shouldn’t have any issues fighting back against these creatures. Yet the longer he observed, the more something looked off.
Sonic performed a spin dash into one of the monsters, knocking it backwards into his pursuers, but right as he unfurled, another creature had come up behind him. It swiped its arm out in a powerful strike, and Sonic was launched off the enemy he had just grounded, taking the hit hard.
“Stupid hedgehog,” Shadow thought. “That was an amateur move.”
Uneasiness settled under Shadow’s skin, a warning prickling like pins and needles. Was Sonic so distracted that he could not see such an obvious attack coming?
Sonic landed hard on the ground with three of the monsters coming up behind him. Sonic started rolling over onto his side, but his movements were sluggish as if still dazed from the impact of hitting the ground. They loomed over him and prepared to strike. One managed to kick Sonic before he could recover fully, making Sonic’s body fold unnaturally over itself.
It made Shadow’s heart lurch into his throat, threatening to choke him.
Before Shadow even realized what he was doing, he launched three doom spears at the encroaching figures, piercing them straight through their chests. Their forms dissipated instantly, leaving only Shadow and Sonic’s prone form in the vast expanse of nothingness.
“That was a rookie mistake, hedgehog,” Shadow called out, walking closer to Sonic. He was motionless on the ground as Shadow quickly moved to his side. Shocked only to find that this was not Sonic, or at least not the Sonic he knew. Shadow paused in his stride, brow raised. “Or maybe it’s because you are still just a rookie, huh?”
The hedgehog in front of him was indeed the blue menace, but he was shorter and had more rounded features, being far younger than he had ever recalled seeing him. This was a Sonic from the distant past.
Shadow shouldn’t feel surprised. He knew this was a place outside of time, and by far this was not the strangest thing to happen today. Yet as he assessed Sonic, the feeling of panic started to rise and surge through him.
His chest constricted as he crouched down next to the small, unconscious child. His hands hovered over his body, yet paralyzed from continuing further. Until his eyes were drawn to the crimson blood slowly spreading across the pristine white of the ground.
Shadow’s heart was racing as a sense of dread mixed with urgency washed over him. The silence around him was filled by the pounding of his own heartbeat in his ears. The metallic scent of blood was the next thing to assault his senses.
Shaking himself to clear his thoughts, Shadow checked for Sonic’s pulse and found it steady. He carefully placed Sonic on his back and ran his hands down his sides, checking for broken ribs. Thankfully, everything felt intact. When Shadow withdrew his hands to address the bleeding wound, Sonic abruptly opened his eyes, and the next instant, he was gone.
A few feet away, the sudden movement sent Sonic back to his knees with a gasp; disoriented from moving so quickly. That and likely a small amount of blood loss, causing a dizzy spell.
Sonic hissed through his teeth, holding his hand on his left bicep where blood was running down his arm. Shadow’s eyes were watching it drip onto the white surface beneath him.
Shadow started to approach again, and Sonic bristled as he turned to fully face him. A glare rested on his features, eyeing him warily. His dark eyes – and wasn’t that odd they weren’t green – roved over Shadow’s figure, taking in every part of him.
This was so strange. Shadow observed Sonic as he tried to sit up and assess his wound. He had not uttered a single word. Where was the cocky and sassy Sonic that plagued his everyday life? And why was this younger version so vastly different?
Not only that, but this little Sonic wasn’t healing at nearly the same rate as his Sonic did. Curiously, Shadow couldn’t sense the same amount of Chaos energy on him. Apparently, things change quite a bit over time for Sonic.
Shadow inched closer and moved to see the wound. Sonic pulled away with another hiss, his quills flaring out protectively.
Shadow sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you. I can help heal your wound.”
Sonic still recoiled as Shadow reached out once more. He knew he was a stranger to this Sonic, and he was literally a child. Getting mad wouldn’t solve anything.
Shadow huffed and sat down across from Sonic. “You won’t be able to continue with your arm like that.” He tried to reason. “The danger is still present, and we have to continue fighting.”
Sonic glanced over into the distance, where Shadow could make out fragments of more worlds. He hadn’t travelled that far into the White Space yet, but he knew that, without a doubt, the current-day Sonic had to be running around in this mess too.
“So let me heal you,” Shadow continued. “Besides, you probably have to get back to Tails, right?”
Sonic cocked his head to the side, his eyes widened at the mention of his brother. The tension he was holding in his shoulders released some, and his gaze drifted back up to Shadow.
Sonic’s eyes widened with fear as they glanced at the injury on their arm, but the pain was evident in his expression. He tried to steady himself with small breaths; his lips set into a thin line of determination. Sonic straightened his posture and gave a small, reluctant nod at Shadow, along with a thumbs up using the hand that wasn’t clamped over the bleeding wound.
“Okay, good.” Shadow moved closer to Sonic and reached out his hand to hover just above the injury. He reached for the yellow chaos emerald hidden in his quills. Sonic eyed it curiously. It radiated a warm, golden glow that seemed to captivate Sonic.
“You can touch it if you want. Its power will let me heal you once I channel the chaos energy.” Shadow explained.
Sonic reached out reverently. Was this his first time seeing one of these? When his hand settled on the stone, his eyes lit up. No doubt sensing the power hidden within the crystal.
“Okay, sit still for a moment.” Sonic’s eyes snapped back to Shadow’s face as he spoke. Shadow muttered a quick “chaos control” and concentrated the energy into the gash on his arm. The wound quickly sealed shut, and Shadow could hear an audible gasp from the quiet kid in front of him.
The wound and all traces of blood were gone in an instant. Sonic rubbed at the spot in disbelief but immediately smiled up at Shadow, energized by the healing.
Sonic watched Shadow for a few more quiet moments with a perplexed expression. He jumped to his feet suddenly and circled him as if he were trying to see every angle.
“What? Never seen another hedgehog before?”
Sonic shrugs and shakes his head. That surprised Shadow a bit. He knew Sonic had been a loner in his early days from conversations with Rouge, but this little insight made it seem like he had always been alone. At least before meeting Tails.
“Well, you were also the first hedgehog I ever met, so I guess we’re even then.” Shadow found it slightly ironic and yet fate certainly liked to play games with both of them it seemed.
“Anyway, are you feeling better? The bleeding has stopped.” Shadow asked, and Sonic nodded enthusiastically.
“Y-yeah!” Sonic said, his voice soft and breathy. A slight strain to it as if his vocal cords were struggling to produce the sound. The sound of his voice surprised Shadow.
The Sonic he knows is loud, confident, and boisterous. His younger self clearly struggled to even get a single word out.
“What were you doing this far out in the void? Are you lost?” Shadow asked. He needed to get back, but he wasn’t going to abandon Sonic if more of those monsters were going to show up.
“We are…”Sonic cleared his throat. “Trying to find Eggman.”
“Is speaking difficult for you?” Shadow asked curtly. Sonic’s ears pinned back at Shadow’s comment.
Sonic shook his hand in a so-so motion.
“Why is that?” Shadow was on one knee, so he was eye-level with Sonic.
Sonic fiddled with the hem of his left glove for a moment before answering. “I was alone… for a long time, so I just got used to it. Tails is the first friend I have had in a long time, but we don’t need to speak to understand each other. I get by fine with body language.”
“I see,” Shadow responded. “Apologies if I made you uncomfortable.”
So, there was a time when even Sonic faced hardships, and at such a young age. Shadow knew bits and pieces from overhearing stories from Rouge and their other acquaintances. Yet it shifted things into a different perspective to hear Sonic admit such a thing to him.
“Tell me, have you run into the older version of yourself in this space?”
Sonic hummed an affirmative.
“I suspect that something else holds you back as well, but you don’t have to tell me. But he is your future. You’re strong and nothing can hold you back. So don’t let your own fears stop you either.” Shadow told Sonic. “Even now, all of the friends you will have one day are out there waiting for you to rescue them.”
“Friends?” Sonic muttered, looking off into the distance. “Are… we friends?”
A question Shadow never really even asked himself. This day had started with Sonic’s birthday party, and Shadow had been chasing after ghosts on the derelict ARK. Yet, Shadow can hear how Sonic would react to his absence even now, knowing he wouldn’t fault him for not being at the party anyway.
“I think you are a better friend to me than I have been to you.” He said slowly. Not so much a realization, but felt odd to admit aloud. Sonic had always made an effort to include him.
Sonic grinned, “There’s always time to change things, mister!”
“I suppose there is,” Shadow agreed.
A sharp sound erupted in the distance as a black portal opened up in the sky above some of the frozen cityscapes on the horizon. A monstrous-looking creature appeared and vanished back into the portal just as quickly as it had arrived.
“Not good,” Sonic mumbled. “The Time Eater is on the move again.”
Shadow looked back at the section he had come from as well. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have changed with the moon hovering over the cities he had been wandering around.
“I need to get back to my task as well.” Shadow stood up from his spot beside Sonic.
Sonic nodded determinedly. “Thanks for your help, uh…”
“Shadow.” He offered.
Sonic full-on beamed at him, the sparkle of his confidence shining through. “Shadow!”
He offered a small smile in return. “Be careful not to get hurt again.”
Sonic adjusted his posture, standing a little taller as he saluted Shadow.
“And a word of advice before you leave,” Shadow started. “On your next spin dash attack, make sure that you keep your chin tucked tight to your chest. This way, you protect yourself, and you will have a better center of gravity with your attack. It will allow for a stronger hit. Also, there's less of a chance for you to unwind early and end up getting injured.”
Shadow stepped to the side and crouched down into a running stance. He kicked his air jets down and bolted forward with a burst of speed. Quickly, he tucked himself into a spin dash putting as much power into it as he thought he could muster in the open space. It would not have the same impact as if he were hitting a target, but the example should still prove useful.
Instead of unrolling at the end of his turn to attack, he kept spinning turning in a half circle, and came back. Only stopping right before he would have impacted with Sonic. Shadow unraveled from the roll with a flourish, landing on his feet in front of Sonic.
The kid was slack-jawed in awe.
“You're fast! L-Like me!” Sonic exclaimed, coming to his senses a moment later.
Shadow smirked. “The fastest hedgehog of all time.”
“What! No!” Sonic exclaimed. “I’m the fastest!”
“Not anymore.” Shadow goaded.
Sonic growled and stomped his foot. “We need to race!”
Shadow put his hand on top of Sonic’s head and ruffled his quills. “Not now. I promise when we meet in your future, it will be the first thing that we do.”
“Ugh, fine!” Sonic relented, throwing his head back dramatically. “But you won’t beat me!”
“We’ll see about that.” Shadow then pointed off into the distance. A couple of spots of color speckled the horizon. One bright enough that it must have been Green Hill. “You need to get going now. We’ll meet again one day.”
“Alright. Thanks again, Shadow!” Sonic grinned at him. “See you soon!”
In a flash, Sonic shot off, painting the White Space with vibrant lines of blue. Shadow watched until Sonic vanished beyond his line of sight.
Shadow took a moment to collect his thoughts. This interesting encounter proved insightful into the makeup of Sonic’s character. He was curious if he remembered any of this from childhood, even if it presented like some kind of fantastical dream in his memories. He would have to reach out later perhaps. For now, Shadow returned the way he had come. He had a mission to finish and his family to protect.