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The Four Year War (Prequal to The Man Out of Time): First Encounter

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Pairing: Shadow the Hedgehog x Amy Rose

Description: The Battle with Anti and Ace is not the Freedom Fighters first rodeo. Before them, they had spend years battling Eggman until he decreed a war that would last four years.

Both Shadow and Amy have suffered immense loss, but kept fighting for what they believed was true justice. However, that left them on opposite sides of the war, believing that the other was the true enemy. But when a single sentence spoken by Amy sticks with Shadow, will he be willing to abandon the man who promised him vengeance?

In this multi-part saga, read about what really happened between Shadow and Amy before the events of The Man Out of Time.

Warnings: Mild Violence

Word Count: 4.6k

POV: Third Person

!! I do not own any of the artwork/gifs/dividers used in my stories; credits linked below image; All credit to the rightful owner(s) !!

Main Series Masterlist ❀ All Series Masterlist

"Let's go over the plan one more time..."

Sally's voice didn't even register in Amy's mind. All she could focus on was how hard her heart was pounding in her chest and the way everyone in the room was drilling holes into her body with their gazes. She couldn't blame them. She would do the same if it were someone else in her position. The people who would stand in the exact spot she was currently standing in were all accomplished heroes. Now that it was her turn to prove herself, she did not know how to deal with all the pressure place on her.

'This is really happening, isn't it?' The nagging voice of doubt reared it head into her thoughts. 'Everything everyone has worked for is weighing on my shoulders...'

To say the pink hedgehog was feeling nervous was far, far from the truth. She had been so petrified of failing that she began to have nightmares the moment she found out she her first solo mission would be to retrieve the Purple Galactic Chaos Emerald.

'I haven't fought alone since my brother passed. What if I can't fight like I used to?'

Amy let out an inaudible sigh. She held eye contact with Sally and nodded ever so often to try and drown out her self-doubt. But all she could think of at that moment was her brother.

The brother died in the early stages of the war.

The one that she spent almost three years of her life searching for until she had finally accepted that he was gone and never coming back.

Now, she has to fight for the people who gave her a home and a second chance of being a part of a family.

'I can't mess this up. They need me right now, and I have to be there for them. We can't afford to lose all that we have built up.'

"Do you have that all down, Amy?" Sally stared at her, waiting for a response.

"Huh?"

'Calm down! This isn't how he would act! You are his sister. You can do anything he could do!'

"Amy?" Sally questioned, her arms crossed.

"Sorry," Amy quickly responded. "The plan is for Sonic, Mighty, Tails, and Knuckles to all go in one of our co-ships to distract Eggman while I go into a secret underground cave that contains the Purple Emerald?"

"Yes," Sally breathed out, almost relieved. "Everyone else here will hold down the fort in case things go South, but I'm counting on you to recover that Emerald."

Amy's eyes followed all the people who were begrudgingly placing their trust in her hands. They all bore different faces. Some were happy while others looked even more fearful than her. Still, she managed to keep a composed face and bowed her head down toward them.

"I know. I won't let you or anyone else down."

"Good," It was hard for Amy not to wince at Sally's pained words. Amy tried her best to focus away from Sally who was now busying herself with tracking Sonic and the rest of his team.

'Not even she believes I can do this...' Amy kept still and her eyes fixated on the far doorway behind the control station Sally was standing in. She kept trying to keep her mind off her negative thoughts. '...What if she's right?'

Then, in a blink, leaning against the once-empty doorway was her ghost of her brother. Amy should have been more surprised, but at this point, she was accustomed to his presence.

'It's you...again...' She almost uttered aloud. 'Why are you here?'

'Well, I came to check on my baby sister,' The ghost's voice was as gentle as she remembered it being. His eyes looked tired, but his smile was as bright as ever. 'What has you all shaken up like this?'

'All these people are counting on me. Even our leader doesn't think I can handle this.'

'Wow, I didn't realize how much I failed you as a big brother,' The ghost shook his head. Amy bit on her lip, trying to think of a response to the ghost. 'Come on, I taught you better than this, didn't I?'

'You didn't fail,' Amy tries not to let sadness seep into her expression, but she knows nothing gets past her brother's eyes. 'You were perfect.'

'Hey. I know you can do this. Your my little sister. Being a fighter is in your genes. Anything I could do, you could do. Maybe even better.'

'And if I fail?'

'You won't. I know how strong you are. You need to believe in yourself too,' He smiled, the same smile he gave her the last night she saw him. 'Go make me proud, Rosey.'

"Miss Amy?" Amy was so entranced by his ghost that she didn't even feel or hear Cream tugging on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"H-huh?" Amy blinked. The ghost in the doorway was nowhere to be seen. Her heart sank a little as her gaze made it to Cream, who was holding a little black earpiece in her hand. "Y-yes. I'm sorry, I spaced out a little bit."

"Cream, explain the comms," Sally glared at Amy while readjusting the black device clipped on the collar of her vest. "Again." She seethed.

"Yes, of course," Cream carefully placed a tiny earpiece in her hand. Amy equipped it on her ear to make sure it fit right. "Tails said this is the upgraded model, so it should work even in an underground cave!"

As Cream looked up at her with a smile that never seemed to fade, Amy felt something pang inside her chest.

'I can't even be a half-decent friend. Me and my brain...'

"Miss Amy?" She squeaked out quietly. She grabbed Amy's hand in both of hers and tugged gently. "I bet you're really scared. Having to do something so dangerous all by yourself."

"I'm not scared. Just..." Amy closed her eyes for a second to try and think of something to say, but there was nothing but excuses and lies filling her head.

'I can't do this anymore. Spitting out excuse after excuse to hide my real feelings. If there is anyone who deserves the truth, it's her.'

"It's just I haven't fought on my own in such a long time," Amy felt Cream's grip tighten, seemingly trying to comfort her. She took a breath before speaking again. "I hate to admit it, but it all feels strange."

"You must have the pre-mission jitters," Cream giggled. "But I know you'll be okay, Miss Amy. Chao and I believe in you."

"I appreciate it, Cream. Tell Chao I said thank you as well," Amy's eyes winced when Cream let go. She bit down on her teeth before engulfing Cream in a hug. Cream didn't even make a single sound. She just held her best friend tightly and slowly pet her pink quills.

"Be safe, Miss Amy. I don't know what I'd do without you," She whispered in her ear. "Your my best friend."

"Always."

"One, two, we've got eyes on the Egg! Ames is good to go!"

"Got it! On my way!" Amy let go of Cream who stepped back. She waved before running off to the big double doors to enter the main hallway. "Bye, Cream." She whispered before walking toward the small hallway that leads to the exit chamber.

'I can do this,' Amy assured herself again. Reaching the end of the hallway, she entered her passcode into the panel beside the door to exit. 'Everyone is counting on you.'

'AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENING. PLEASE STAND BY.'

The quiet screech of the door could be felt in every fiber of Amy's being. The light of the planet's sun tingled her eyes the higher the door rose.

'Woah. Where are we?'

The ship was parked at a clearing surrounded by tall trees with purple leaves and small pink flowers that swayed with the light tussle of the wind. She could hear the patter of footsteps against the steel ground. She turned her head slightly to see Sally, who was also looking around at the trees as she stood beside her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Amy said in awe.

"I couldn't care less what they look like," Sally whispered. "The trunks are thick, and the leaves are dark enough to work as natural camouflage. Now, you have a mission to complete."

"I'll be back," Amy responded as she stepped down from the steps. She took a breath before running out into the forest. Her breath hitched slightly at the sound of the heavy metal door shutting behind her, sealing her fate. 'I can't fail now. I can do this. I have to.'

"Amy? Can you read me?"

"Loud and clear," Amy almost groaned out at the sound of Sally's voice. "Do you have a signature read yet?"

"Still working on it. I'm having trouble connecting to you," Tails' interjected. "Got it! Sending coordinates to device now."

Amy tapped her watch and sure enough, a notification from Tails popped up. "Coordinates received. Heading there now."

"This planet is made up mostly of ocean and marine life, with most of the organic life that inhabits the planet being plants and microorganisms. You shouldn't have any surprises."

"That's reassuring, thanks again, Tails." Amy breathed out. She looked at her watch again and turned a sharp corner leading downhill.

"Good luck!" The soft static of the feed faded out, and all Amy was left with was the sound of her own feet.

'Almost there,' She picked up her pace slightly, switching her sights between her watch and the pathway in front of her. 'Just a little further down.'

In the distance, she could see various hills and moss-covered rocks. Seeing the deeper forest reminded her of Mobius.

'We haven't been off-planet that long. I guess I've been too distracted by all of this to even think about home.'

"Amy! You're almost there. Do you have eyes on it?"

Amy looked in front of her. The cave entrance looked like a wide, gaping mouth. The surrounding rock was mossy with vines growing on and around the surface. She could barely make out what was even awaiting inside.

'This can't be it, can it?' She looked down at her watch again, and Amy squeaked when she realized where it was leading to. 'You have to be kidding me! I have to go in there?'

"Um, not yet. The coordinates lead to it being inside some sort of cave?" Amy took a deep breath. She looked up at the opening again before taking a few steps into the cave's opening. As she expected, the further she ventured in, the more she was met with darkness. "I'm going in for it."

"Okay, but be careful. You don't know who or what else is in there."

"I know." Amy looked down at her watch, which was telling her to make a turn.

'What the...' As she turned the corner, the once full path thinned out into a jagged pathway barely wide enough to accommodate one person. On each side were teal bodies of water that reflected the glassy luster of the quartz crystals that pointed down towards them. 'At least there is more light in here.'

"Amy! We…visual of…bzzrp…bzRppp!"

"Huh?" Amy pressed on her earpiece, but only got soft clicks and static in return. "The cave must be deeper than I thought if the comms cut."

Amy descended further down the trail, and the light around her dimmed with each step. She could feel her heartbeat pick up as the darkness seemingly consumed her.

'How much further down?' She looked down at her watch and saw that she had reached the end. 'What? That's it?' Amy looked up, a stream of panic filled her mind. 'It can't be it! It's just a wall!'

Amy pressed a button on her watch, making the screen illuminate brightly enough to see what was in front of her.

'It can't be just a wall. There has to be something I'm not seeing,' Amy felt around the hard, stone wall, walking around to see if there were any inscriptions or weak points. Just as she was starting to lose hope, she felt a part of the wall that felt off. It was a smoother material compared to the rest of the rough exterior. 'What is this?'

Amy pressed on the area harder and gasped when she heard a 'click'.

'That can't be good,' She stepped back, looked up at the now rumbling wall. The whole cave seemed to react. Pebbles jumped around her. The quartz, once dull, seemed to flicker with a purple glow. And the still water now crashed against the outer walls of the wave, nearly splashing onto her. 'Don't tell me this whole cave is going down!'

Distracted by the cave's reaction, Amy didn't notice the 'wall' splitting open, revealing what appeared to be the end of the cave.

'It wasn't a wall at all, it was a door!' She nearly squealed. 'That means...'

"There it is..." Even a soft whisper echoed harshly through the small, empty room. With every inch closer that Amy took, the Emerald and the surrounding crystal shone brighter.

'Let's hope nothing weird happens when I take it out,' Amy carefully broke off the Purple Emerald from the bigger piece of rock that it was stuck to. When it settled in her arms, Amy's knees buckled at the weight of the giant Emerald. 'Oof, heavier than I thought it would be. I hope Mighty is close by to take this off my hands.'

The purple Emerald natural gleam was just enough to make out what was right in front of Amy. But even as she walked, she couldn't stop herself from sneaking peeks at her surroundings. She bit back a sigh as she approached the halfway point of the cave. 'It's so beautiful in here. I wish...I could have seen more of this planet.'

Just as she was about to take another step, Amy's ear twitched. Her voice hitched, and she quickly nestled the Emerald underneath her arm.

"Who's there?" She whispered sternly out into the cave. She stuck out her other arm and lightly snapped her fingers. The weight of her hammer and the Emerald nearly pulled her to the ground. "I know you're in here with me. If you reveal yourself now, I might go easy on you."

"Is this who they send to retrieve such an important item?" A harsh voice echoed behind her. Amy looked around, but in the darkness of the cave, all she could make out were a pair of red eyes. "Perhaps we are giving you all too much credit."

"Who are you?" Amy's voice echoed into what seemed like a void. "I asked you a question, so answer it!"

"I am what the ultimate life form looks like. The more important question is," He responded. "Who do you think you are to be speaking to me?"

"Who am I?" Amy scoffed, adjusted the Emerald underneath her arm, and charged at the figure again. Bringing her hammer to his face, she got the gleam of his black fur. He heard him grunt again as he moved back further into the cave. "I'll tell you who I am."

Amy slammed her hammer toward him again, narrowly missing him and hitting the ground instead. The whole cave grumbled at the force of the blow. Some stems of quartz hanging from the ceiling crashed down into the water below. The figure looked around. Amy could swear he looked confused.

"I am a Freedom Fighter," Amy slammed her hammer down again, hoping to cut off the trail leading to the exit, but all it did was bring more quartz crashing down towards them. Amy moved back towards the exit of the cave and slammed her hammer down once more, causing more pillars to rain down. "And you are going down!"

"Well, see about that," The voice chuckled. Amy charged at him, and she narrowly grazed the so-called 'ultimate life form'. She grunted in frustration as she struggled to keep up with his speed.

'Stop dodging and just let me hit you already!'

Being caught off balance by the weight of the chaos emerald, Amy tumbled to the ground, letting go of her hammer. She heard a faint grunt and the sound of her hammer shooshing through the air as the figure played with it.

"Strong weapon you have here," He cackled. "Let's see how you like getting hit with this thing."

"Oh no, you don't!" Amy snapped her fingers and smirked when her piko-piko hammer disappeared from his grip and back into her hand.

"What?" He asked, dumfounded.

"Take this!" Amy screamed as she hit him upside the head and into one of the deep pools of water. 'I gotta get out of here before he resurfaces!'

"Hm. Thank you for humoring me. But this is becoming annoying," Amy almost stopped in her tracks at the sound of dripping water.

'Oh no.'

"Judging by the way that you fight, you have some prowess. But you are still a weakling. I will show you mercy by giving you this one chance to accept your defeat."

"Weak?" Amy seethed through her teeth. She looked up to the ceiling. A giant accumulation of quartz spears was pointed right down at his feet. "Trust me, I am not a WEAKLING!"

Amy slammed her hammer down to the ground with all her might and let go. As it bounced up, it hit a point near the giant spear. Dozens of spears began crashing down around them.

"What?" He growled, dodging the spears falling around him. Then, from the furthest part of the cave, the ceiling began to rumble down.

"Oh, shit," Amy gasped, holding on to the Emerald.

"What did you DO?!" Before he could lunge at Amy, there was a noise from above. Shadow's eyes widened at the sight of the giant spear

"NO-!"

"Okay, gotta go!" Amy whispered as the giant spear crashed down into him. She shut her eyes and gripped the Emerald tight in her arms, running out of the crashing cave behind her.

'Gotta run, don't look back, just run!' Amy couldn't even feel her legs, she was so focused. 'Are the comms seriously still down?'

Weaving her way through the forest, Amy was finally able to hear some static coming from her ear.

"Hello?" She asked, moving the emerald to her other hand to press down on the com to trigger it. "Sally, do you read me?"

"…bRZZP…Amy?" Sally's voice cut into Amy's ear. "Amy, do you read me?"

"SALLY?" Amy asked louder. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Yes, loud and clear," She huffed. "Do you have the Emerald?"

"Yes, but listen!" Amy squealed. "We got company. Very strong company. We have to leave, NOW!"

"Got it," Amy waited for Sally as she used all her might not to look back to see if he was following her. "Okay, listen up. Mighty and Espio will meet you at the halfway point. I'll get the ship started."

"Sounds good!" Amy responded, still running. She could see two silhouettes in the distance running toward her. "There they are!"

"Mighty!" Amy quickly pushed the Emerald into his arms. The armadillo huffed slightly at the weight of it. "We have to get this thing out of here now. Espio and I will be right behind you."

"Got it!" He exlaimed, running ahead of them.

"Let's go," She whispered, shakily. She finally gained the courage to look behind them and almost cried when there was no one in sight.

"Are you alright?" Espio asked. "You seem nervous."

"Yeah, just a bit of a scuffle. But I made it out," She huffed out. "Let's focus on getting this back to the ship."

As they approached the ship, Sonic was at the entrance, waving them in. He patted Espio and Mighty on the back as they made their way inside. Amy dragged herself up the ramp until Sonic held his hand toward her.

"Need a hand?" Sonic asked, smiling down at her.

"Sonic!" Amy gleamed, taking his hand as he pulled her in. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm okay. It's me, remember?" Sonic winked. Before she could give him a clever comeback, he let go of her hand and pointed toward Tails, who was at the ship's control panel. "Alright, Tails. Get those doors closed and get us out of here. We gotta go!"

"Copy that!" He responded. The hissing of the ship made Amy's knees weak.

"AUTOMATIC DOOR CLOSING. PLEASE STAND BY."

"Rest up, everyone. We have a meeting in an hour!"

A chorus of groans belted out as everyone shuffled out from the control deck.

"No complaining!" Sonic yelled from behind them. "Because we're going to celebrate after!" He clapped in excitement. "We got our first emerald guys! Yoo!"

"You heard him," Espio lightly tapped Amy on the arm. "You did well out there, Amy."

"Thanks," Amy said as she sat down on the floor, landing a bit harder than she wanted to. Espio tilted his head at her and crossed his arms when she sprawled her body out on the deck floor. "Sorry, it's just," Amy could feel her body trembling from pain as she exhaled. "I just can't believe I did it," She whispered. "I really did it!"

"I think you should let Cream check you out. You're shaking."

"Did you call for me, Mister Espio?" Cream entered the deck and gasped when she saw Amy on the floor. "Miss Amy!" Cream shrieked, kneeling next to her and looking over her body. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Amy struggled to move her body off the ground. Her eyes widened at how stiff she felt. "Maybe I'm more hurt than I thought I was."

"The adrenaline in your body has likely run its course. You need to get checked."

"Mister Espio is right!" Cream whispered to Amy, getting up from her side. "Let's get you to the medical bay."

"That might be a good idea," Amy whinched as she tried to get herself off the ground. "Oh no," She hummed out nervously. "I-I can't get up."

"Mister Espio!" Cream exclaimed. "Can you please help me bring her to the medical bay?"

"Of course," He nodded, kneeling down towards her. "Um," The chameleon cleared his throat nervously. "D-Do I have permission to pick you up?"

"Oh, y-yeah," Amy nodded nervously. She held back a squeak as Espio picked her up. "

"Hold on," Sally stepped in front of them, her arms crossed. "Where are you taking her?"

"She's hurt, Miss Sally. We're taking her to the medical bay."

"Hm," Sally hummed, moving away from the exit of the control deck. "Let me know when she's stable enough. I need a word with her about the new 'company'."

"Of course, Miss Sally." Cream nodded. "Come on, this way."

"Right," Espio huffed quietly as he followed Cream through the halls of the ship. "To the elevator?"

"Yes," Cream nervously pressed the button to the elevator to try and get it to open. "They always take their time when it's urgent."

"Do you know something? I thought Sally would lighten up now that we got the Emerald," Amy winced out. She could feel Espio's grip on her tighten as she struggled to stop shaking. "But she's just as mean as ever."

"I agree. I don't think I like this new 'co-leader' attitude from Miss Sally," Cream sighed in relief as the doors to the elevator opened. She ushered Espio inside and clicked a button on the panel. "Miss Sally used to be sweet as pie, and now she's more sour than a green grape."

"It's a front. She's scared, just as the rest of us," Espio whispered to the girls. "But I agree. She is not handling it well."

'DING.'

"Finally. Here we are," Cream sighed in relief. "Bring her this way," Espio didn't utter a response as he followed Cream into the hallway of light, powered blue doors. She pushes open one of them and waves her hand to Espio. "Set her on the bed there, Mister Espio."

"Right," Espio carefully lifted Amy up onto the bed, and then quickly snaked his arms out from under her. Cream went into the closet and handed Espio a warm blanket. Without a second thought, he draped it over Amy. "Is that comfortable?"

"Yes, thanks for carrying me here, Espio," Amy smiled. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"No need," Espio said, backing away and covering his redish face with his hand. "We are teammates. We need to help one another when need be," He bowed his head slightly. "Cream. Do you need anything else?"

"Yes, actually," Cream hummed, pointing to the IV rack. "Can you please get me a saline bag and hook it to the pole? We are going to need to get an IV started."

"Wait," He paused, tilting his head. "YOU know how to get an IV started?"

"Of course not, Mister Espio," Cream giggled. "I'm paging my mother right now. I just like to get things set up for her."

"Oh. Right," He nodded, untangling the tubing from the IV bag. Amy gulped at the sight of the needle connected to the bag. "What else should we get ready?"

"We need gauze, tape, and bandages. Just lay them out on the cart right there. I'll get some other tools ready."

As Cream rushed out of the room, Amy used all of her strength to sit up in her bed. As she groaned, Espio dropped the scissors in his hands to try to help her.

"Amy," He breathed out, fixing the blanket to cover her again. "I don't thin-"

"You want to know who the 'company' is, don't you?"

"Yes, I was," Espio whispered to her as he neatly organized the medical supplies on the tray next to her. "How did you know?"

"I felt your heartbeat race when Sally mentioned it," She answered weakly.

"Who did you fight in the cave?"

"I think they have a new guy," Amy huffed out. "He was very powerful. I couldn't see much of his face or body, but I know he had these glowy, red eyes."

"Red eyes?" Espio whispered back. "I don't think we've fought someone like that."

"Really?" Amy tsked. "He really must be new then. If you guys see him again, don't underestimate him, not for a second. He's stronger than he lets on."

"I'll let the others know if we ever see him again," Amy nodded, looking away from the scalpels and other sharp medical supplies Espio was sorting out. "I would be remiss to not thank you for your courage and for getting us the Emerald."

"Y-yeah," Amy squeaked out nervously. "And don't worry about me. I always bounce back."

"Miss Amy is right!" Cream squeaked as she opened the door. "She always recovers quickly!"

"Right," Espio nodded. "I hope you-"

"Amy! I came as soon as I could!" Vanilla rushed to Amy's bedside, pushing Espio aside as she cupped Amy's face, scanning it over for injuries. "Are you okay, sweet thing?"

"Um, I guess as okay as I can be after a battle," Amy responded nervously.

"No need to fret, sweetie, I'll get you fixed up." Vanilla looked over to Espio, who looked confused. "Espio. Thank you for helping out my Cream. Can we have some privacy, please?"

"O-Of course, Vanilla," Espio bowed his head nervously. He looked at Amy one last time and waved his hand toward her. "Get well soon, Amy."

"Thank you, Espio," As he left, Amy felt herself getting lost in though as Vanilla and Cream talked amongst themselves at her bedside. 'I have to get better soon. We need all the help we can get if Eggman has someone as powerful as him on his side.'

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