And we're back!! I'm deviating from the game storylines more here because I want to focus more on... well, not that. ALSO: there is a point where the year is said - but I don't want to give exact dates. So you get the last part of them filled with X's to give any dates possible with a ~50-ish year gap :D
Shadow and Sonic ran all the way to the place he called "home." It was quite far away from the facility. How did Sonic end up there in the first place? So many questions piling up, and not enough answers. He wasn't even sure if they'd be able to understand him.
It was a nice looking village, built in the forest with trees all around. Houses were scattered all around on the ground and in the trees, with walkways between them all. He could hardly believe his eyes. An entire community, just like this. Technology and nature, co-existing together.
Sonic chuckled. "Never seen a forest village before? Don't worry, I'm sure we can find a place for you to call your own, here. Oh- right! We never finished introductions. Are you able to talk?"
Shadow put a hand to his throat and shook his head, frowning.
"Hey, that's okay! Let's find my buddy Tails, he should have something for you to write on. His house is over here, c'mon!" Sonic walked him over to one of the bigger houses, the only one in sight with a giant metal door alongside the normal one. He knocked on the door. "Tails, you home? It's me!"
The door slammed open. An orange, two-tailed fox stood there with tears in his eyes. "Sonic, where have you been?! You said you'd only be gone for a couple of hours! It's been an entire week!"
Sonic wore a smile - the kind one might have if they were in trouble. "Hey, hey, buddy, I'm sorry! I kinda got caught up with a few things... but look, I'm here now, and I'm okay! I had some help from a new friend," he said, nodding at the new friend as he waved awkwardly. "I think it would've taken a lot longer if he wasn't there. Oh! Speaking of, do you have something to write on? I think he can't talk."
Tails sniffles, wiping his tears away. "O-oh, yeah I do. Come on in!" He waved them inside, and his house was massive. He could swear it was bigger than the outside looked like it could be. Tails handed him a pen and notepad, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "We should figure out something to help you communicate more easily in the future, but for now this should work! Go ahead and keep it, I've got plenty."
This got Sonic to rush over, from wherever he'd gone. Shadow didn't even notice until he came back. "Oh, oh! Can you tell us your name now?
Taking the notepad and pencil without another look, he wrote, “Shadow. Been gone long time. What year is it?”
Tails grimaces. This can't be good. Shadow wasn't there for that long, right? ..... right? Tails wrung his hands around one of his tails before nervously saying, "It's 20XX."
His expression instantly grew serious, his ears flattening. ..... 20XX? The last time he saw a calendar, it was 19XX. The weight of realization hit Shadow all at once, making him falter. Sonic was quick to catch him, and helped him over to the couch.
"Easy there, buddy. You alright? Need some water?"
Shadow didn't respond, holding his head with a hand.
"Sonic, I think we should give him some time to process this," Tails suggests, turning to Shadow. "Will you be okay on the couch for now?" Shadow gave a small nod. "Okay. Then we're gonna leave you here for a little bit. Sonic, I need you to come with me for a checkup."
"What? Me?! I'm fine!" Sonic protested.
Tails rolls his eyes. "You were gone for an entire week, Sonic. I just want to make sure that you don't have any underlying sicknesses or anything. And I need you to tell me what happened."
"Ugh, fine..." Sonic follows Tails into another room across the house, leaving Shadow on the couch to process.
In the other room...
Sonic sits on a chair, kicking his legs impatiently. "I hate this part."
Tails shakes his head, grabbing some instruments. "Well, it's important that I examine you. I know I'm not a doctor, but I can at least pick up enough to know if you need one. Now, what happened?"
Sonic kicked back and got comfortable while Tails did his thing. "Well... you know how I told you I saw some drones that seemed suspiciously Eggman-style? They weren't even trying to go towards our home, though. So I figured maybe he was going after something else, which, y'know... that would be bad if it was some powerful doomsday crystal or something. So I followed them. I guess I must've gotten ambushed though, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up underwater. Except it wasn't water. I could still breathe."
Tails stopped and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I was in some weird glass-cylinder-thing. It was barely wide enough to hold me, and I couldn't get up any speed or momentum to break it. It felt super weird. But then Shadow showed up a couple days later and broke me out! And now we're here, so it's all good!" He gave a thumbs-up and smile.
Tails threw up his arms. "Sonic, they put you in a stasis tube! Gah, you're so lucky Shadow was there! Do you remember anything other than that and escaping?"
"Uhhh... I think I felt a tiny pain in my arm while I was out, but it was barely noticeable. Like someone pinching me." Sonic rubs his nose.
Tails' ears droop. "Sonic.... I'm gonna have to do a couple more invasive tests now. I need to know what they did to you, and since you don't know..." Tails rummages through his drawers and gets a needle and syringe, which gets Sonic standing up on the chair.
"Oh, no! I don't need that! I told you, buddy, I'm fine!" Sonic crosses his arms.
Tails sighs. "I just need to draw a little bit of blood to test. And I'll need a quill, too. Just... sit back down, and it'll be over before you know it. Look, I'll even get some chili dogs for you after." That did it. Sonic sat back down and stretched out his arm, still trembling a bit behind the hero facade.
"Well, why didn't you say so? Draw away!"
........
........
Tails placed the blood and quill in his machines for testing. "Alright, that's going to examine everything automatically, and it'll be about an hour before it's done. Want to check back in on Shadow?"
"Sure! I want to make sure he's doing okay. Race you there!" Sonic disappears in the blink of an eye, getting a groan out of Tails.
"Sonic.... You know I can't ever keep up with you when you go that fast!" Tails follows after Sonic, stopping short when he sees Sonic standing over the couch, holding a piece of paper. "Sonic?"
"He's... gone. I only found this note on the couch." Sonic shows Tails the note.
"Unfinished business. Back tomorrow. - Shadow"
Sonic and Tails share a worried look between themselves.
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Sonic paced around the village impatiently. What the hell did Shadow mean, unfinished business??? He barely gave them any information, and he's already left. Sure, Shadow said he'd be back tomorrow, but that's an entire day away! He didn't even talk about living arrangements...
Sonic passed by Tails' workshop for the 34th time that hour, but noticed his buddy waving. He sped over, skidding to a stop just in front of the door. "You got an update on your analysis stuff?" he asked.
Tails nodded, waving him inside. "Sure do. I've got good news, and..." He pauses, sucking in air through his teeth. "Well, I'm not sure if it's bad news or not, but..."
Sonic interrupted him. "Tell me all of it. We'll figure it out."
Tails fiddles with a tail as he explains. "Well, the good news is you don't need to go to a medical doctor. At least, not yet. The other news... I couldn't figure out what they did to you. I'm going to need more time, but there has to be something to find. You were gone for a week, they can't have just kept you in stasis... it just doesn't make sense."
Sonic shrugged and smiled. "Why not? Maybe they just didn't know what to do with me! It's hard to improve on perfection, after all."
Tails' brow furrows as he sighs and shakes his head. "Sonic, you are so reckless, you know? Just... look, stay around for the next day. At least until Shadow comes back... if he does."
Sonic pouts. "But sitting around is boring!"
The fox's eyes narrow. "Sitting around is the only thing you'll be doing if this shit turns out to be detrimental to you."
"Woah-ho, easy there, buddy! Language! Fine, I'll stay around... just, give me stuff to do, at least."
......
......
Sonic woke up early and flopped onto the couch, flipping through TV channels. He noticed something odd and went back a couple channels, leaning forward. “BREAKING NEWS” scrolled across the bar at the bottom, as images of smoke and fire billowing out of a distant military base filled the screen.
"... bringing us to wonder, was this a coordinated attack? Or was it simply a malfunction within the facility? Rescue teams have been unable to get inside, and for the moment we don't know if there are any survivors. Up next, the weather."
Sonic rewound and paused. He squinted. Something about this place feels familiar. He was just about to put his finger on it when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. He was at the door in an instant, opening it.
Shadow stood there, looking exhausted. He came inside without waiting for an invitation. "Shadow? Where'd you go off to?" Sonic’s question went unanswered as Shadow stared at the TV. An emotion flickered across his face, one Sonic couldn't quite place. Shadow snatched the remote off the table, changing the channel as he did. "Hey! I was watching that!" Sonic whined.
Shadow glared at the blue hedgehog. He tossed the remote over, which Sonic caught easily. "Dude, what's your deal?" Shadow slumped onto the couch, getting out his notepad and pen.
"Business done.”
The sound of a door opening stopped Sonic before he could respond. Tails groggily leaned over the second floor railing. "Sonic, it's four in the morning... why are you being so loud...?" He rubbed his eyes and slightly opened them, barely catching Sonic and a second shape... a second. Instantly, Tails’ eyes snapped open. "Shadow?! You're actually back! Hold on, let me come down," he said as he began whirling his tails together, helicoptering over the railing and downstairs.
Sonic lets out a long sigh, tapping his foot and running a hand through his quills. “Shadow decided to change the channel when I was trying to figure out why the place they were showing on the news looked familiar.”
Tails landed and folded his arms. “You know they show stuff on the news more than once in the same day, right? Especially if it was something big.”
“I guess you’re right,” Sonic says, scratching his head. “I’ll just catch it later, then.”
Tails lets out a halfhearted laugh before turning to Shadow. "So... did you decide on taking up Sonic's offer of living here? I do have a spare bedroom that you could use until we get a house made for you."
Shadow stared for a moment, slowly coming to the realization that, yes, that was what he was doing. He scribbled on his notepad. “Is that okay?”
"Of course! Are you hungry? We could talk about where you want your house over breakfast." As if on cue, Shadow's stomach growled. Tails and Sonic laugh as Shadow turns away slightly, embarrassed.
"Well, that settles that! Chili dogs, anyone?" Sonic offered, getting a groan out of Tails.
"Chili dogs for breakfast? Come on, Sonic..."
"What? You still owe me from yesterday!"Shadow holds back a smirk. You still don't know if you can fully trust them yet. Give it more time...
Shadow and Tails sit at a table, eating breakfast and working out house planning as Sonic stretches and paces around. Tails shows the blueprint sketch to Shadow, who gives an approving nod.
"Alright, I think we’ve done as much as we can for now. We've gotten enough of an idea to start laying out a basic floor plan. I'll make another draft and show it to you tomorrow. Did you think about where you want it to be built?"
Shadow writes. "Outer limits."
"Sure, we can build it at the edge of the village. Do you want to look around and... pick...?" Tails stops talking when he sees Shadow writing again.
"No. Farther."
"The... edge of the forest...?"
Shadow nods. The fox understands quickly enough.
"I mean, we can definitely do that, but we're gonna need to sacrifice some of the design of the house to hide it from anyone that could be walking by. Are you okay with that?"
“Less people.”
"Alright, then... still, at least look around and pick the spot you want, okay? I'll check with you about that in a few days. For now, just get yourself settled in and get to know some of the people here! I'm sure you'll fit right in." Tails smiles, picking up his things. "Sonic, do you mind showing him around?"
Sonic dashes over, tapping his foot. "I thought you'd never ask! C'mon, Shads, I'll show you everything we've got in no time flat!"
Shadow's eyes narrow as he scribbles out, "Just Shadow."
"Aww, no nicknames? Fine, Shadow it is! C'mon!"
Sonic and Shadow pass the next couple hours touring the village, with Sonic introducing his new friend to everyone. Shadow also learned that these people were called Mobians, and that they've been fighting Eggman for the past decade or so. Every time they've beaten him, he's fled. They never finished him off. Why...? Their lives would be so much easier if they did. Well, whatever. He wasn't even sure if he would stick around long enough to meet this Eggman.
The tour finished with Sonic showing Shadow the edge of the forest. "I heard Tails saying something about you maybe wanting to live at the edge of the forest, so let's look around a bit! Nudge me if you see anywhere you like and we can mark it for later."
Shadow grabs Sonic's arm to stop him from running off, and once he knew he had the hedgehog's attention, wrote in his notepad, then points to a spot. "Here works."
Sonic shot him a confused look. "You sure? You barely saw any of it." Shadow simply nodded, his gaze firm. "Alright, then. Let me just mark it for later, and.... done!" Sonic had set up a bunch of rocks in an odd formation, and was now wiping his hands of dirt. "That's just the shape we use for marking new building projects. They'll be moved later! Anything you want to do?"
Shadow shrugged. What was he supposed to do?
"Well, how about we get you started on learning sign language, then? Work on that communication difficulty! A lot of people here know it, but I think Amy's the best person to learn it from. She's really good at teaching," Sonic suggests. “She’s also very stubborn, so even if you have trouble learning, you can bet she’ll stick it out til the end!”
Shadow ponders this for a moment. It’s not like he’s got much else to do while he waits for the house to be approved and built. His only goals were to get himself and Sonic out of the facility, and... that. Well, he’d completed all of his goals. Does he really want to stay in the village? Communication is a necessity if he wants to be around anyone, and having a method he could learn right here is ideal. He crosses his arms, nodding.
“Then let’s head over! Race you!” Sonic smirks before dashing off, leaving Shadow sighing and following him.
..
..
Shadow catches up to Sonic, who’s already knocking at Amy's door again. The door opens and the pink hedgehog stands there with a raised eyebrow. “Sonic? What’s up?” she asked, looking between the two before her.
Sonic places a hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “Hey Amy, here’s the thing. Shadow here needs to learn sign language, and I know you’re the best teacher for the job, so we were wondering if you’d mind helping him out?”
Amy rests her hands on her hips, smiling. “You know flattery won’t get you anywhere with me, but I’ll take the compliment anyway. Of course I’ll teach him! He’ll be fluent in just a few months, just you wait!” She turns to Shadow. “Did you want to start learning today?” He gives her a short nod. “Alright, then let’s get to it! First lesson starts now!” She grabbed his arm and may as well have dragged him inside in a heartbeat. Her enthusiasm for teaching was only outshone by her temper in battle.
“Poor guy. Hope she goes easy on him.” Sonic chuckled, going off for a run.
Okay. So. Things happened. I kind of became a mod for a Sonic RP Discord server. We kind of plotted a LOT together.
I'm SO sorry this fic got put on the back burner I promise I haven't forgotten about it! My little autistic brain decided that now we roleplay and hasn't let me go...
Part 5 just needs to be edited, part 6 in the works!
