"You sure you want 'em? I mean, they're stale and all that," the baker asks, looking puzzled. In her hand she holds a rather large brown box boasting "Biodegradable" on each side.

"I always say what I mean." I reply coolly, looking her in the eye. "Besides, you're about to throw them away anyhow, right?"

"Well, yeah, but they're kinda gross." She seems really concerned for me. The dirt I smudged on my hair to hide my stripes is what's truly bothering her--fortunately, I really fit the starving-child look, since I myself have been living off scraps for most of my life since I left Robotnik's 'care.'

"Hmph," I lower my head, closing my eyes and smirking. "Doesn't matter to me. I take what I can get. As the proverb goes, one man's trash...!" I trail off, looking back up at her.

"Yeah, I get the feeling," she hands me the box, and I delicately slide it from her hands. Leaning forward, she gives me a sad look. "Listen, times are hard for just about everyone nowadays. If you ever need a job, just come back here, okay?" Stepping back into the doorway, she grabs onto the door. "Every Friday, we throw out the old stock. You need food, you come here on Fridays. It'll be on the house, since it's, y'know, stale."

"Thanks," I reply, holding the box close to me. "I might bring a friend around here some time--unless that's asking too much, of course. I--"

"Oh, that's not an issue!" She interrupts happily. "I'd be glad to help you out. Just don't tell the whole block--we don't have enough stock for that." Chuckling, she shuts the door, calling over her shoulder, "You take care now, honey!"

What a nice woman, I think, and a genuine smile tugs at the edge of my lips. Perhaps this city isn't rotten after all. Turning around, I wipe some of the mud off of my hair, disgusted by it. Wish I'd had something else, but I needed a disguise pronto--my stripes are my defining feature here. Hugging the box, I walk back the way I came, thinking silently. Alright, so I have some food, but now what? Biting my lip, I look up at the sky. Clouds are oozing across the city, dark and ominous, obscuring the stars from my view. It looks like a storm is brewing; that's worrisome. I hope I can make it back before it breaks. Picking up my pace, I round the corner and come face to face with a dumpster. Startled, I hop back, then move around it. Right, I forgot that was there. Oops.

An acrid scent wafts up from it, catching my attention. It's sharp, unfamiliar--an antiseptic smell. Pausing, I survey the area, and then I see it. There's a partially-broken bottle nearby, cracked at the neck, and it smells of chemicals. I trot over to it, picking it up. "Is this something I could use to treat Scourge's wounds?" I ponder aloud. Sniffing it, I gag, holding it away from me. Ugh, no, it's got something else in it, mixed with the antiseptic. Dropping the bottle again, I wipe my hand on my leg. I don't even want to think of where that bottle's been. Sighing, I continue walking. I suppose I'll just have to hope that he has something to clean his cuts with.

Within a few moments, I stand back in front of Scourge's place. Gingerly, I walk up to the door, trying to be silent. What should I say to him? If I act like I've gone out of my way to help him, he'll be offended--he's too proud for his own good, honestly, but I can understand how he feels. It's better to be self-reliant than to count on others, in my opinion; loyalty makes one weak, because they let others cover for one's faults instead of overcoming them on one's own. I chew my lip, stepping slowly up to the door. I guess I'll just tell him I got them so that he wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow to buy food. I shift the box's weight to my right arm, lifting my left hand to knock on the door.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Hold on a minute!" Scourge's rough voice barks, and I wait patiently. The sound of locks rattling ensues, and he opens the door. "Shadz? What are you doin' here again? And why are you all dirty?" He looks down. "What's with the box?"

"Well, I figured, you, uh, shouldn't have to wait until tomorrow to get some food, so I managed to get some." I blink at him. His fur is slightly damp, and I'm guessing he showered to get the blood off. His black eye still looks pretty awful, and some of the wounds he has are also oozing blood.

His eyes widen. "Y-Ya didn't have to do that." He mutters, stepping back. With his right arm he holds the door, using the left to gesture to the room. "C'mon, I don't have all night." Obediently I step into the room, and he shuts the door behind me. "How did you manage that?" He limps towards the couch, flopping down on it and patting the seat next to him as an invitation for me. The TV is on, playing some sort of peculiar show--it's mostly static, so I can't tell what show it is.

I gently sit down on the cushion to his right, setting the box between us. "A nearby bakery was throwing this out, 'cause it was about to go stale." Opening the cardboard, I smirk at him. "Talking her out of it was pretty easy, and she says that any Friday when I need food I can come back. Incidentally, that's why my fur is all gross--I had to cover my stripes with mud," I explain as Scourge reaches into the box, pulling out a baguette and biting into it. "Had to keep a low profile, you know?"

The green hedgehog chuckles. "First good idea you've had all day, Stripes." He grins at me. "Go on, eat somethin'."

"Hm?" Startled, I tilt my head a bit. "N-no, I got the food for you--I mean--" I stammer, trying to find a non-offensive way to explain that I only got the food because I was worried about him.

"Oh, c'mon, ya can't think I'm stupid enough to not notice," he leans back, talking while chewing. "You haven't eaten in a while, either." He suddenly pokes me in the side, causing me to flinch. "I can see ya ribs--even though it's been a while, I know that ain't normal. An' besides, ya brought enough bread for four people."

"Hmph, fine," I grumble, taking a smaller piece of bread. Scourge grins, taking another bite of his; turning around, he grabs the TV remote and turns up the volume. I myself take a small bite of it, but the bread proves a but tougher than I'd thought, so I dig my fangs into it and tug slightly, tearing it.

"Ah, watch this, watch this, it's my favorite bit!" Scourge laughs, thumping my arm. I turn my attention towards the TV. Some cartoon show was playing--a wolf-looking creature was trying to shove a boulder off of a cliff, but somehow the boulder rolled back from the cliff and onto the wolf, inciting a howl of laughter from Scourge. "Didja see that?! Ah, man, so classic!"

"Haha, yeah..." I feign a smile, confused. I don't see anything amusing in that, but, hey, whatever makes him happy.

We sit for a while, watching shows that I don't understand. They're funny to Scourge, though, so I don't say anything; after a long stretch of time, I notice that we both aren't eating anymore, and that it's getting pretty late. Suddenly, thunder rumbles outside, startling the both of us. "Aw, jeez," the lime green hedgehog gets up, hobbling to the front door. He opens it, looking out, and sighs heavily, swearing. "It's gonna rain real soon. You should stay the night so's ya don't get rained on." He turns around, still wincing a bit. "Only problem is, I ain't actually gotta bed--I jus' sleep on da couch." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Not a problem," I reply. "I'll just sleep on the floor." Getting up, I stretch, then pick up the cardboard box and close it.

"Nah, man, you're my guest, you should get the couch!" He protests, limping his way back over to me.

"You're injured and therefore need a better surface to sleep on than the floor." I argue, crossing my arms. "I'm in perfectly fine condition, so I can stand sleeping on the floor."

He sighs, standing toe-to-toe with me. "I ain't gonna be able's to convince ya to take tha couch, am I?"

"Nnnope," I smirk. "You are taking the couch and I am taking the floor and that's that."

Scourge lets out a prolonged groan. "Ugh, fine, Stripes. But ya only stayin' the night, right?" He settles down on the couch, wincing slightly.

"Only the night," I assure him, gliding over to the television and clicking it off. Without its light, the room is rather dark. "If you sleep in too late, I'll probably just go ahead and head off anyways." I growl, lowering myself to the floor near the TV.

"Wh--Nah, don't do that," Scourge stammers, rolling over to look at me, his messy spines cascading down his shoulders. "At least wait for me to wake up so we can have breakfast together."

I turn to look at him, perplexed, and flick an ear. "Hm? Why's that?"

" 'Cuz, Stripes, we ain't seen each other in years--don't'cha think we gots some catchin' up to do's?" He grins, sharp teeth glittering in the darkness.

"Hmph," I remark, flopping back down onto the carpet. "You have a point. But for now let's just focus on sleeping."

"Yeah, yeah," he snorts, rolling over again. "Jeez, what are ya, my mom?"

"I hope not, because if I am then I had no clue." I quip, eliciting a chuckle from the grass-colored hedgehog. A smirk stretches my face, and I close my eyes, trying to relax into the stiff and mildewy carpeting. I toss and turn for a short while, the smell putting me off, but eventually I drift into sleep.

-----------------

Drifting... Floating... Falling... I glide endlessly through this void, unable to see anything around me. Are my eyes open? I can't tell. I can't breathe. Where am I? What's going on? How did I get here? My fur feels wet, suddenly, and I'm choking. Water is flooding all around me, currents buffeting my fur, but I can't move. I'm frozen, and the water slips across my skin, surrounding me. I open my mouth, screaming, but no sound carries through this. I can't even hear myself. Pain lances through my forehead, and I thrash, able to move once again. Something's tearing at me, dragging me down; hands glide up my body, gentle at first, but once they reach my face, claws protrude from their fingertips, digging into my skin. One hand clenches my forehead, the other wrapping around my neck, yanking my head back. I cough, spluttering, as they abruptly change directions and shove me to the surface of the body of water; choking, I try to lower my head, writhing, but an oppressive weight crushes down on me. The hand on my forehead lifts, scraping their nails across my cranium, and moving to my mouth. The hand on my neck lifts two fingers to my lips, pulling my bottom lip away from my teeth while the other hand laces its fingers between my teeth. I gag, my eyes flying open, blinking away the water, but I can't see my assailant, only their arms. A scream tears from my throat as I recognize the blackened, disgusting purple-veined skin on one arm. "Y-You--!" I choke out. Their weight flattens me down onto the now-solid water's surface, forcing my mouth open. "Wh-What are you doing?!" I cry, straining against them.

"Don't resist," the metallic voice hisses. "This is for your own good." I gasp, remembering Robotnik's key phrase before he would plunge the needle into my eye.

"N-No!" I scream, forcing my mouth closed, in a grimace. Concentrating, I divert all of my energy to my upper arms, planting them securely on the pond's crystalline surface, throwing myself forward into a front flip. The force on my back falls, splashing a few feet away, and I roll to my feet, slipping on the slick surface. "No," I snarl, adopting an animalistic defensive stance with my legs spread, knees bent, my right hand flat on the ground and my left hand balled into a fist at my side, prepared to fire off a punch.

My assailant gets up, laughing slightly. "What, are you going to fight me?" They turn their head, and I gasp. Their face...they're wearing my face, but something's wrong. Half of it looks like it's been devoured by a tar-like entity, the fur tinged a dark purple. Cackling maniacally, the other me whirls around, and I stare at them for a long time. Long claws protrude from the ends of their fingers, and their hands up until the elbow are that dark purple color. Dark fog swirls from the righthand edge of their mouth, and the eye on that same side is black save for one red iris floating in the abyss. Their mouth is half-open, baring long fangs slicked with saliva. Drool oozes out of their mouth, slithering down their chin and dripping onto their chest fluff. The edge of the warped and twisted, blackened fur has a bright purple aura pulsing from it. "Ahaha...ahhahahaha..." Their laughter fades as they gasp for breath. "You can't fight me. I," they giggle, stepping forward, "am your future."

"My...future?" Not understanding, I slide my right leg backwards a bit, shifting position, trying to put a little more distance between us.

"Yes," the monster growls in a deep voice. Something about that voice is familiar to me, but I don't understand why or how. "I'm the part of you that you hate most. I'm the part he made," stepping forward, the creature's grin widens, "and I'm going to destroy you."

"What?!" I yelp, terrified. "What does that mean?" Leaping backwards, I land standing upright, adopting a defensive hangetsu stance, my knees bent inwards with my right leg behind the left one, shoulder-width apart.

"Oh, you're so terribly naïve!" The figure sings, dashing forward with incredible speed to grab my shoulder, sinking their claws into my flesh, leading me to inhale sharply. "I'm going to devour you from the inside out until I'm the only thing left." They whisper in my ear cheerfully, and I tremble with terror. "Because I'm the real you, the you you're most terrified of. I'm gonna be the reason people lock their doors~!" With that, the demon suddenly chomps down on my shoulder, razor-sharp teeth ripping my skin with ease, eliciting a howl of agony from me. They shove me to the ground, choking me with one hand as they loom over me, my blood dribbling from their mouth. Their eyes are wide, and hold a vacant expression to them, as the freakish grin on their face displays knife-like incisors. "But I'm doing it to keep you safe," the monster croons, stroking my face with their free hand. "To fight a monster, sometimes, you need to be a monster, and I'm gonna keep them from betraying you. I'm gonna keep the world from backstabbing you," opening their mouth widely, the disgusting apparition licks the side of my face, leaving behind a bloody streak. "They can't hurt you if there's nothing left to hurt, hmm?"

"Keh," I spit, choking out the words past their hands. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't need you to protect me," I snarl, and surprise splashes across their face. "I can take care of myself. I won't let anyone coddle me, not anymore. Do your worst, but I will never let you control me."

Viciously, the monster tears into my face, ripping me to shreds, and my vision turns to blackness.