note from @tflora04: Hello there! Author here! So that one post you made about Shadow getting released by the megaflora by Sonic’s prompting lives rent free in my head, and instead of sleeping like a sane person, I spent the night and day writing this! I hope it deals as much emotional damage to your followers as I managed to deal to you, and I wish all readers who went through this drabble a lovely rest of the day :3c
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Sonic has been running for days.
Okay, that was probably an overstatement, but time was hard to keep track of under the canopy of the jungle around him, and the emotional roller coaster he went through recently more than warranted him feeling like he’s been on the road for a while. Usually when he was upset by something, he would sprint around Green Hill for an eternity, before crashing at Tails’ workshop and falling asleep instantly. It was a good way to let off steam and help him forget about what was bothering him, and he could vent to his little brother when he felt like doing so. But he didn’t have the luxury of an evening jog or the fox’s comfort this time, because a) Green Hill was gone, (shattered thanks to his thoughtlessness, as Shadow loved to remind him all the time) and b) he had someone to catch up with.
Ever since he saw the faker disappear into the foliage and he could touch solid ground again, he’s been rushing through the bushes to find him. His mind was clouded during his pursuit, replaying the last conversation he had with Shadow (but that wasn’t really Shadow was it?) in his head over and over. How Shadow seemed uncharacteristically calm all of a sudden. How he proclaimed he wasn’t mad at Sonic anymore. How he thanked him for destroying the prism that shattered their world, their home-
That’s when Sonic realized that wasn’t Shadow talking anymore. Shadow was furious with him over what happened, expressing how much he blames Sonic very vocally, and very violently. But at least Shadow’s anger, Sonic was familiar with. At least their ensuing fight, like the countless clashes before at their homeworld, was a routine Sonic could fall back on. At least Shadow was himself, not scattered to the wind and reassembled in the handful of worlds he visited like the rest of his friends. At least Shadow was Shadow. At least he remembered. At least Sonic had something- someone left of his world. He may not have had any of his friends, but at least he had found an ally and someone to sympathize with in Shadow.
Shadow, who was slowly getting tangled in the vegetation of the forest as the conversation kept going. Shadow, who wasn’t looking at him not with a guarded expression that betrayed no feelings or thoughts, but with an expression that held no emotion at all. Shadow, who referred to himself as ‘we’, was acting increasingly more wrong the longer he talked. Shadow… who wasn’t Shadow anymore. Someone, or something, was talking through him instead.
They thanked him. Thanked him for creating their world, giving them life, giving them Shadow- like he wanted these houseplants to take Shadow. Like he wanted them to use his copycat as a glorified speaker to talk. Like he led the last remnant of his world straight into a trap on purpose, into a fate worse than death, to serve a giant helping of salad for the rest of his life. No, Sonic didn’t want this. Just like he didn’t want to shatter the Paradox prism that broke their world into pieces.
Up until recently, he was working on fixing the latter, but the task of restoring their world had to be put on hold. Sonic needed to get Shadow back to his senses first. If he could figure out what was going on with the ultimate lifeform, if he could just get him to break free of the Boscage’s megaflora, to talk to him, then maybe-
Sonic had to stop himself from colliding with the other hedgehog as he stumbled into a clearing, where the sun was breaching through the leaves of the foliage in brilliant rays. Sonic was momentarily blinded by the shift in brightness, but recognized where he was instantly. It was the place where he managed to get through to Thorn Rose before. Where he goaded the alternate Amy into helping him smash a hole through the ceiling of leaves. Where she and the rest of his alternate friends reconciled, and with the warm light shining on them from above, things seemed to be turning for the better for the crew of Boscage.
Shadow was standing in the middle of the clearing, staring straight up into the sky through the gap in the trees. For a minute, both mobians stood still, Shadow stiff as a pole struck into the ground, and Sonic hesitant to get closer in fear of scaring Shadow off. Then, slowly, with an unnatural, choppy raise of Shadow’s hand, the canopy of the trees grew over the patch, obscuring the forest floor once again.
Sonic swallowed. ’All that work to get the sun shining down here again, and you undid all of that just ‘cause you need your dramatic lighting? I knew you were a drama queen, but you don’t need to live up to your namesake that badly Shadz.’ The quip was on the tip of his tongue, and had the circumstances been different he probably would’ve said something like that. But his throat felt so tight he couldn’t. Sonic knew now wasn’t the time to be taunting Shadow. Because while the black hedgehog was standing right in front of him, seeing the vines enveloping him from shoulders to toes, Sonic knew he was impossibly far away at the same time.
“Why are you upset, Earthling?” The thing controlling Shadow’s body had him standing rigidly, moving his hand back down clumsily as it spoke. A shiver ran down Sonic’s spine, noticing how hollow Shadow’s voice was, how it was lacking any of his usual edge and moodiness. And there was that nickname again. If it was the megaflora’s attempt at showing affection, Sonic wasn’t having any of it. While the plants may have been genuine with their effort, it made Sonic’s skin crawl to think about how grateful these invaders were to him. For bringing Shadow here in the first place. For not noticing something was wrong sooner. For being so ignorant and unfocused as to let Shadow lose himself to the greenery of this world. Maybe if he stopped Shadow from coming with him, if he managed to convince the faker he could handle the Shatterspaces alone, and left him back in the void (even though Sonic hated the thought of leaving Shadow alone in that lonely space)… none of this would’ve happened.
The void was empty and dull, yes. The ultimate lifeform would’ve been bored out of his mind out there, for however long Sonic took to recover the shards. But that apathy while floating through the remaining shards of their world would’ve been better than… this.
Sonic shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of what-ifs. Now was the time to fix what he could in the present.
“Let him go.” Sonic stepped forward defiantly, putting as much sternness into his voice as he could manage.
Shadow turned his head to stare at him. Just this small movement and the wide-eyed stare his black counterpart was studying him with was so bizarre and wrong, that it made Sonic want to instinctively take a step back. It was as if the plants didn’t know how to properly pilot a mobian body, which, given that they were immobile trees and vines before, made a lot of sense. That, or Shadow wasn’t letting them get the knowledge of how to puppet him around. Maybe, and Sonic let himself believe, Shadow was fighting back. That gave him courage as he steeled himself, glaring at the husk of the other hedgehog coldly.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen. With how much praise the Boscage had given him, Sonic hoped that this would be the end of their conflict. The plants would let Shadow go, and then they could leave this Shatterspace behind together and never set foot in the jungle or look at any vegetables again. But even with how much the megaflora adored him, it seemed they didn’t want to give up their new toy.
“Why would we let him go? Didn’t you bring him to us? He is being put to good use,” the black hedgehog asked as the vines curled tighter around him possessively, rooting Shadow to the spot. Sonic felt his stomach twist at the sight.
“At least let me speak to him. Let me speak to Shadow.” Sonic pleaded.
The thing controlling Shadow’s body made him cock his head to the side, giving the impression of puzzlement.
“You are speaking to us. We are Shadow.”
Sonic felt his mouth twist into a snarl, and his hands ball into fists.
“No, the REAL Shadow, not you weeds talking through him! Stop controlling him and feeding him words, and let HIM speak!” Sonic shouted in anger at the black hedgehog in front of him, and while he stared directly into the other’s eyes, he found no trace of his copycat in them. Looking away, Sonic felt tears prickle his eyes, and his plea came out broken and quiet.
“…please.” he forced out as his throat closed up, not letting out another sound in fear of a sob coming out instead. All the fight was taken out of Sonic as he realized just how far gone Shadow was. He didn’t know what else to convince the plants with other than begging, because if they were truly grateful, they wouldn’t want to see their creator in pain, right?
Shadow’s body fully turned to face him then. Sonic half expected another vine to restrain him like last time for his outburst, but no such thing happened. Instead, Shadow’s body sagged, and the vines started to slither off of him.
“…As you wish, Earthling. ”
Sonic looked back up and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Were these overgrown flowers actually listening to him? Were they really letting Shadow go? As the vines retreated further and further, Sonic let himself take a few cautious steps forward. Reaching out a hand tentatively to catch the other mobian if he were to fall or stumble, Sonic waited with bated breath.
As the last of the vines left Shadow’s body, the black hedgehog let out a soft gasp. He stared straight into Sonic’s eyes, and the hero swore he saw something flicker in them. Shadow’s expression twisted from the blank one the plants had forced on him before, to disbelieving and almost… fearful? Shadow glanced down at the vines on the floor, and Sonic saw his hands move out of the corner of his eye, slowly and with caution, but much more naturally than before. It was as if he was testing how much he could act on his own before the plants enveloped him again. He then glanced at the green chaos emerald clutched tightly in one of his other hand, and judging by the faker’s strength, if that was any ordinary gemstone, Sonic was certain it would be broken by now.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Sonic was advancing on Shadow like he was a startled animal, and Shadow was barely moving his fingers, inch by inch, joint by joint. Eventually, Sonic couldn’t bear the silence anymore and spoke.
“Shadow? Is that… really you now?”
Shadow glanced back up at him. The intense gaze he fixed Sonic with held heaps more emotion than the plants ever managed to put on his face, but Sonic couldn’t decipher any of them. Shadow was always hard to read, but at that moment, Sonic was grateful for the tiny differences he showed from the seconds before when he wasn’t emoting at all.
The other hedgehog still refused to speak though. Worrying as that was, Sonic had to trust that what was standing in front of him was the real Shadow. The plants respected him enough not to trick him like this, right? They wouldn’t be able to put such wariness into his eyes. It dawned on Sonic that maybe Shadow wasn’t aware of the conversation he had with the megaflora, and was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He needed to reassure the black hedgehog that he was safe. Or, well, as safe as he could be with the vines slithering around his feet.
“Shadow, it’s okay. You can talk. These saladbrains won’t-”
As Sonic took another step, the other hedgehog lurched forward. Shoving the chaos emerald into his open palms, Shadow, at last, began to speak.
“S-Sonic. You need to get out of here. Take the chaos emerald and RUN.” the ultimate lifeform told him frantically.
Sonic’s blood ran cold. The desperation in Shadow’s voice, the way his breathing quickened, and the force with which he gripped his hands like a lifeline made something snap in the hero.
“Are you crazy?! I’m not leaving you here!” Sonic shouted at his rival, shoving the emerald back into his hands.
Because how dare Shadow assume Sonic would leave him behind?! How dare Shadow even suggest Sonic leave him to this fate, for the plants drag him around with vines like strings, and eat away at him until there was nothing left?! How dare Shadow act so self-sacrificial, when Sonic ran through half the jungle just to find him again?!
No, that wasn’t happening. Not when Sonic finally got Shadow talking. Not when there was hope. Sonic firmly shoved the emerald back into Shadow’s hands once again as his copy attempted to do the same, and planted his own hands on Shadows shoulders. He noticed the other mobian begin to shake, so trying his best to ground him, Sonic softly spoke.
“Shadow, it’s going to be okay. Tell me how to help you.”
It may have been a trick of the light, but Sonic swore he saw tears in Shadow’s eyes. The faker furrowed his brows in… anger? As he spoke through gritted teeth.
“You can’t! I-…”
Shadow’s body curled in on itself, and for a minute Sonic was terrified the plants broke their promise. That they were trying to take him over again. He gripped the other hedgehog harder as he forced words through his panicked heaving.
“They’re so LOUD Sonic, I can’t-… I can’t tell myself apart from them, we-… they all SOUND THE SAME-”
Sonic put pressure on Shadow’s shoulders in an effort to ground him, to try and guide him through his fear.
“Shadow calm down. We’re gonna find a way out of this, I promise, just hang on-”
“There you are, faker!”
Sonic turned his attention to the new voice, which was oddly reminiscent of-
Shadow pushed him away, just as something slammed into the spot where they were standing seconds before. From the kicked-up dust and wilting plants, another Shadow rose up, and wasted no time in attacking again. His fake, jelly-like arm transformed into something that resembled giant hedge shears, as he slashed across where Shadow was stumbling back from. The plants he came into contact with instead released a strange ooze, which evaporated seconds later, leaving the remaining flora looking more like the vegetation Sonic was familiar with back in Green Hill.
Halcyon. Gerald Robontik’s countermeasure against the megaflora.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Sonic wasted no time throwing himself in between the two versions of his rival.
“Halcyon, stop!”
Sonic had to duck as Halcyon attacked again, bringing Shadow down with him, who was clutching at his head with his free arm in pain. The plants probably became ruffled when Halcyon showed up, and were trying to get the hedgehog under their thrall to act against the intruder. If they took over Shadow again now...
“Sonic, step away from that thing! It needs to be put down, the megaflora can’t have access to such a powerful weapon!” Halcyon declared as his arm shifted into an axe-like appendage.
Weapon. Because that’s all Shadow was to other people, huh? A weapon to be used, to be exploited, and when not needed, to be put away or destroyed. He was nothing but a tool for the megaflora and nothing but a threat to be eliminated for Halcyon. The ultimate lifeform, the most powerful weapon. Just that one word made Sonic’s blood boil on Shadow’s behalf.
Sonic stood back up to shield Shadow from any further attacks Halcyon could throw, yelling furiously at the other ultimate lifeform.
“HE’S NOT A WEAPON, HE’S SHADOW! He’s my friend! You can’t just-”
“S-son-nic.” came a shaky voice from behind him, which made the blue hedgehog shut his mouth instantly. A hand grabbed onto his leg to get his attention as Sonic turned around to look at the source.
The sound of Shadow’s broken muttering and the state he saw him in made the rest of Sonic’s anger evaporate in an instant, and in its place, concern, and then terror flooded him. The vines were starting to ensnare Shadow again, going up from his legs to his waist, his chest, his arms, wrapping around his wrists, his quills-
No. No, no, no! Not again! He couldn’t let Shadow get taken again! Not when he was so close! Sonic desperately held onto his counterpart, with the vines gripping him even harder. He noticed in horror that these creepers had thorns on them, digging into Shadow’s skin, and into his own. He ignored the pain and tried to call out to the other hedgehog again.
“Shadow? No no no, come on, stay with me man, I’ll think of something, just-”
-don’t leave me here alone. Don’t leave me with nobody else to remember our world. Don’t leave me without a reminder of what I’m fighting for, what we’re fighting for. Because we’re in this together, Shadow. So don’t you dare think I’ll give up on you.
He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t say any of it. Because as the vines reached the top of his head, coming to a rest at his ears, Shadow, with one last push, forced the chaos emerald into Sonic’s hands. His face held no emotion anymore, but his mouth formed one last word.
“Go.”
And then Shadow turned towards the advancing Halycon, and Sonic knew, instinctively, that it wasn’t Shadow moving anymore.
