Quills

Just My Luck

Shadow wasn't one to be easily swayed by threats. Usually this personality trait served him quite well, but on rare occasions it ends up doing more damage than intended. The "Ultimate Lifeform" knew somewhere in the back of his mind that one day it would indeed cause something to go wrong, though he usually ignored it when his brain told him he was too cocky for his own good.

Perhaps that wasn't the best idea in retrospect.

Shadow cursed as he skated away from Eggman's base. The ebony hedgehog knew the scientist could be cruel, but damn...he hadn't expected that the mad scientist to actually go through with it. Part of it was his own fault for ignoring the signs that something was wrong until it was too late, he would later tell himself.

Regrets are just part of life.

The Ultimate Lifeform hissed as the snow burned his cuts, the numbing feeling almost sickening in a way. Forcing his hover shoes to go faster, he grit his teeth and kept the pace despite the harsh wind blowing straight into his eyes.

What would Maria think?

That was the last thought he had before he couldn't take it any longer. Fatigue overwhelmed the wounded hedgehog and he collapsed, unconscious, into the snow.

~~~~~
Earlier...

"Haha, this is great!" Cried Sonic happily, dodging missiles and bullets left and right. Shadow mumbled something about idiotic blue pests under his breath, but nobody heard him over the deafening sounds of Eggman's robot army. Charging up a Chaos Spear, Shadow leapt onto the head of a robot and made quick work of it with the energy he channeled through his shoes. With a quick flip he avoided a couple of bullets, aiming the Chaos Spear at the unfortunate Egg Pawn. It never stood a chance.

Meanwhile, the other hedgehog in the room was downing the Egg Pawns with homing attacks. Sonic was so fast that the robots didn't even realize they were done for until...well, never, since scrap metal can't think. The Blue Blur was currently having the time of his life. This is what he lived for. The thrill of danger, the satisfying crunch of an Egg Pawn crushed beneath a spin attack.

If only it had lasted longer.

Sonic's ears twitched when he heard a grunt from behind him, turning around only to find that Shadow was nowhere to be seen. He didn't have time to figure out why his darker counterpart had vanished however...something hard crashed straight into the side of Sonic's head, and the world went dark.

Laughter filled the room. Eggman had finally done it. After years of failure, he had that blue rat in his clutches...and he had gotten Shadow as well. Today is a good day, the doctor mused, and quickly got to work.

There was a lot to be done before they woke up, and there wasn't room for error. This would be the day. They would regret ever going against the mighty Dr. Eggman.