"Why isn't it working?" The blue-streaked hedgehog complains, frustrated. Several other hedgehogs of similar duotone palettes sit in a circle with her, one very scarred hedgehog opposite her holding a large, multicolored shard of raw crystal in his lap; a myriad of patterns swirl across its surface, colors blending and dancing elegantly. His claws scrape delicately across as he strokes it, frowning.

"I..." He starts, lifting the hefty chunk up to his face, worry etched onto his face, glowing in his one untouched eye. "I don't know." Wonder creeps into his voice as he turns the rock over and over; a swirl of deep, dark purple blossoms from the center. "I've never seen anything like this before, Soul, but..."

Alarm flickers through the group as the normally-cheerful hedgehog's eyebrows crease together, the sparkle in his eyes changing to a flinty sheen. Silence descends, heavy and ominous; all watch in a trapped kind of horror as the dark purple snakes outwards, tainting the beautiful array of colors. "What is that, Crystal?" A larger, fierce-looking hedgehog with deep purple-tipped quills and chaotic fur, long curling fangs flashing in the dim light the stone emits, asks cautiously, catlike green eyes scanning the stone.

"Something else," Crystal answers, muttering. His eyes narrow, searching the shard, and the first hedgehog, Soul, speaks again.

"What does it mean?" Her voice shakes, hands clenched together, and the hedgehog to her immediate left rubs their hand across her back in an attempt to offer support. "Crystal, what is that?!"

"I know little more than you do." He answers calmly, setting the rock down, expression grim. "But I have a hunch..." Closing his eyes, the violet-streaked hedgehog shakes his head. 'Robotnik, what were you thinking?' He leans forward, then stands up, knees cracking. 'Such a fool, taking the prophecy at face value.' "We can't reach him," Crystal states plainly, brushing his legs off. "Not like this, in any case. That just means we have to do things the old-fashioned way." His eyes rove across the small group of his family, and he smiles, even though they still look shell-shocked, terrified. "Don't worry. Everything will work out fine." Crystal reassures them, tugging Soul to her feet; her husband, Heart, clings to her arm, so she in turn assists him.

Once everyone is standing, the gruff-looking hedgehog speaks up once more. "Grandfather, what's happening to him—" one large, taloned purple hand raises to a massive and unruly plume of deep violet chest-fluff, "—is it the same as what blighted me?"

"No," Crystal answers, looking worried again. "This is something else, something further outside normality." 'And by now,' he silently adds, 'it may be too late to reverse, unlike Dark's condition...'

Anger flares rather suddenly as Soul snarls, baring her fangs. "If that Robotnik did something to my boy—!"

"There's no doubt of that," another pipes up—a lithe figure, streaked with emerald, teeth sharp as a shark's—with a sad sigh. "We know he did something, but our question is, what?"

"We'll have to find out," Crystal answers soothingly.

"We will find out," Soul snarls, claws unsheathing reflexively. Murmurs of assent, muffled exclamations of passionate resolve, flutter through the air as the crowd starts to disperse, hedgehogs leaving in pairs, discussing their plans. A tense, nervous air descends, fraught with uncertainty and pressure. 'No one knows what to do,' Crystal realizes, eyes roving the crowd. 'None of them have any inkling of the implications here...' The last of the group departs, leaving Crystal alone with another hedgehog, streaked with pale pink. Pale rose-colored orbs laced with fuchsia trace to the violet-hued hedgehog, a query glowing in their depths.

"Crystal..." The elder hedgehog turns, looking down at the seated one. "Is there something you're omitting?"

"Pearl," Crystal begins, settling back down again and taking the chunk of rock into his arms again. The surface is blighted with that deep, bruised-plum purple, the vibrant colors dying out as the invasive darkness snakes forth, writhing its way through. "I..." He sighs, wilting a bit. 'How am I supposed to broach this subject delicately? I don't even know whether or not Pearl truly knows what's going on here.'  "Do you know the full extent of the Prophecy?"

Pearl tilts his head, brows furrowing. "I mean, I've heard it," he starts, flicking an ear uncomfortably. "Something about a hedgehog from our family with an unidentifiable element, with power like none we've ever seen before," his tone is bored, as if reciting something he's read a hundred times before—something entertaining, sure, but old news. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"...Somewhat." The scarred hedgehog stalls, trying to organize his thoughts. Pearl waits patiently, eyes glued in mild horror to the changing stone. "Pearl. Your element...is the first of its kind that we have seen." He finally begins, catching the younger hedgehog's attention. "But, we knew you weren't The One, because Diamond, too, was the first of his kind." He pushes the stone out of his lap, setting it down on the ground before them, mentally pushing himself to articulate his concerns accurately. "Despite that, we still kept a far tighter leash on the two of you than we ever had with any other child. Do you know why we did that?"

Pearl thinks carefully for a moment, then offers haltingly, "Because, um... Having such powerful abilities also means...bigger destruction if there's an accident?"

Crystal smiles. "Well, yes, that was a factor, but not the leading one." He takes a deep breath, straightening up. "You see, Pearl, a young mind is...impressionable. Likewise, the dormant powers of a child in our family are capable of being manipulated much more easily than those of even an untrained adult." A grim expression twists his face. "We saw this happen with your cousin, Dark Path, and we learned that the darkest of powers can lead their owners astray."

"But," Pearl interjects, leaning forward to look at the stone with a puzzled look on his face, "you just said what happened to Dark isn't the same thing as what's happening to Shadow... So what's really going on here?"

The violet hedgehog chuckles, shaking his head sadly. "Indeed, what happened to Dark is not the same as what's currently happening to Shadow. In Dark's case, his powers grew twisted and warped, but this—" he pauses, staring at the now-pitch-black stone before him. "This isn't a misaligned element." His hands clench in his lap, a slight cracking sound splitting the air for a second as his old joints pop, protesting such a sudden and violent movement.

Silence follows. Pearl holds his breath, eyes fixed on his grandfather's face, waiting for an answer; the suspense overpowers him and he blurts, "So, what is it?"

Crystal stands, face a rock-solid mask, unreadable. Faint violet light dances across his face, illuminating it eerily and casting a frightful aura, as his eyes slide from the stone to his younger relative's face. "It's a corruption."

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

The mustachioed man sprints down the hall as fast as his stick-like legs can carry him, panting from the exertion of an activity he hasn't done in a long while, at least not with such panic in his heart. A few paces ahead of him, a blonde woman jogs forth in a determined manner, her lab coat billowing in the tailwind she creates. Her eyes glow with a cold amber light, excitement flickering deep within, a sickening smile warping her face. Two sets of shoes slap noisily against the metal flooring, with Robotnik's huffing growing louder each second. Sweat drips off both of them, but they dare not stop; their destination isn't so far off, and their message is urgent in the most dire way.

"H-How much," Robotnik starts, coughing a little bit, "farther is it?"

"Not too much, dear," Medusa replies with a subtle wheeze, well-disguised. "Just think of how enthused our Master will be when he hears this—!"

"I know," the mustache-bearing doctor interrupts eagerly. The two hook a right, Medusa flinging the door open, her braid swishing through the air with the force of her movement.

"Just ahead—" she pants, putting on an extra burst of speed and leaving her cohort in the dust. Twisting to one side, she leans to her right, and body-slams into the door at the end of the hall, spilling into the pitch-black room where their boss resides. "Master," Medusa chokes, sucking in huge lungfuls of air; behind her, Robotnik stumbles in, coughing harshly.

Two deep violet eyes glimmer in the dark, filled with a cold curiosity, and slowly the pitch-blackness begins to light up with a light purple aura. "Yes? What do you want? I've told you not to disturb me." His voice is irritated, eyes narrowed, the neon veins in his face framing them in a disturbing spiderweb pattern.

"We are well aware of that," Medusa answers, bowing respectfully while Robotnik wheezes, bent double with his hands on his knees. "But we," she pauses to compose herself, breathing deeply, "we felt that this was a necessary interruption."

"Oh?" A disturbing wet sound follows, and a clawed hand stretches forth, bright purple light painting across the room. "It had better be."

"You won't be disappointed," Robotnik straightens up, red-faced and breathless. "Our sensors detect—"

"Wait!" Their boss freezes, eyes stretching wide. His body solidifies, a flawless carbon copy of Shadow's, yet tinged purple with violet veins running across its surface, pitch black chest fluff brushing its chin. The breath hitches in the back of his throat as he, in perfect unison with his two lackeys, gasps one word.

"Shadow."

Wheeling about, the being leaps upward, soaring into the depths of the huge room, his fuchsia aura the only light in the room.  "The day has arrived," he cries, shivering in delight; a massive web of black goop, solidified into a network of platforms. At the center sits the largest and most complex landing, where the being now lands, crouched in an animalistic manner; slithering forward, he stretches one hand out, delving into a mass of blackness. "Finally, we'll have use for this," he purrs, withdrawing a bright violet crystal from the inky mess. A massive, sharp grin splits his face, razor-like teeth glittering in the low light. Its swirling shades of violet and pink dance and flicker, casting different hues of horrifying light across the monster's face as it laughs, trembling with ecstatic energy.

"I can hardly wait..."

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

My eyes slowly slide open to a blurry, hazy darkness, streaked by my lazy eyes. My vision half-focuses, leaving streaky lines everywhere, and I tilt my head around to the opposite side, confused. Something sticky has matted my fur, sticking it to the floor, and I slowly sit up, drawing one knee up to my chest, the other laying on the ground, bottom of my foot pressed to my ankle. I support myself with stiff, outstretched arms, looking around. The room blurs with the motion of my head, leaving streaky lines of light everywhere, but I'm more concerned by my surroundings...

Blood. Blood everywhere. Splashed across the walls, the floors, in my hair. The stench of it chokes me, and I stagger to my feet, reeling. Oh God, oh no, I gasp, stumbling back. No, no, no, not this again, not this nightmare, please! Shuddering, I try to make myself smaller, looking all about. The cold steel walls stare back at me, emotionless; there's only one door, glowing with light from the hallway behind it, and I know I don't have any choice but to go through it. My bare feet pad against the blood-slicked floor, bumping into odd objects every now and then—I don't dare look down to see what they are—and I try my best to keep from falling. Trembling forces me to stagger, stumbling awkwardly as I train my eyes on the only gore-free thing in sight: the glowing doorway. My tottering steps' pace increases as a rising sense of panic chokes me, the images of what happened here, in my dream, the last time I had it, flashing behind my eyes each time I blink. Snagging the doorway with my left hand, I twist, beginning to sprint down the hallway, already-blurred vision warping, distorting, shaking. I have to hurry. My panting echoes in my ears, my hands swing a bit wildly as my feet, still slicked with blood, slip and slide, leaving streaky dark crimson footprints behind me like a horrific trail. I'm sprinting now, wheezing noisily, and when the lights shut off I don't even hesitate, just focus on the hazy lights way off in the distance. They slowly, ever so slowly, grow larger, and I pick up the pace eagerly, desperate now. I have to hurry. My feet ache, blood being left behind now from scratches marring their pads—the floor is hewn together from steel plates with sharp screws jutting out at odd angles. Sharp pain stabs through me again as another metal joint slashes at my heel, but I don't have any time to waste.

"Shadow, help!" Right on cue, Rouge's screech echoes down the hall, warbling to my ears, only this time, the end is almost in sight. "Help us!"

A scripted event, I muse silently, almost like a play. "Rouge!" I call out her name, heart fluttering. Somehow it feels like the last time it'll ever leave my lips. "Hang on, I'm coming!" The doorway marking the end of the hall wavers, and suddenly a hand wraps around my wrist, wrenching me about; the world reels and I let out a cry of shock as claws gently dig into my skin.

"Don't go in there."

My eyes lock with hers, and my stomach flops like I've just remembered something horrible. Her irises are a deep sapphire, her fur deep ebony like mine, streaked with the same color as her eyes, but with much less of a defined edge than the sharp triangular lines marking my fur. Her spines radiate from her skull like a bent star, swaying gently as she tips her head to one side. Her hands grip my shoulders, and I see a plume of bright blue chest fluff rising from a rather tattered yet still partially whole yellow tank top. Her eyes are kind, soothing, and one of her hands brushes my cheek as she says, "It isn't real, Shadow. Don't go in there."

Another shriek, from behind me now, draws my attention, and I writhe in this strange woman's grasp. Who is she? I've never seen her before... "Let me go!" I cry, struggling. Is she like him, like that horrible monster?

"Please, Shadow!" She replies, tugging at me desperately. Frustrated, I shove her hand off my shoulder, twisting back to the light, back to my goal.

"I have to save them!" I call over my shoulder, springing off the ground with a quick twirl of my ankle.

"It isn't real!" She screams, reaching out for me again; her hand brushes against one of my back-spines, but I ignore it, kicking my ass into gear frantically.

"I don't care!" I howl, lifting my head to the sky as her hands grasp uselessly at the air behind me. "I'll never leave them behind, not even in a dream!"

"Shadow, no!" She wails, and the light grows oppressively bright, blocking out everything else as she screams, "You don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

Her voice fades, my feet skim across the air, and then far too soon I feel them hit slick, harsh metal again. I tumble, the crack of her voice, like she's about to cry, still echoes in my ears as my skull cracks against the floor. Stars scatter across my sight as I gasp, startled, rolling arse-over-teakettle until I dig my claws into the steel, stopping abruptly. Slowly, carefully, I heft myself to my feet, eyes wide and heart pounding...

I stand before the corpses of my friends, horror echoing in every heartbeat, every strangled gasp I emit as I struggle to breathe without inhaling the stench of their blood. Falling to my knees, I stare at that oh-so-hauntingly-familiar white pelt, now streaked with crimson; lifeless eyes glazed with death bore into mine, and I choke back tears. Falling to my knees, I stare wide-eyed at the ground. "No..." I whisper, liquid pooling at the edges of my eyes. "Please, God no..." I hear a footstep, and stiffen with a trembling heart, recalling my sister's appearance in the last version of this nightmare, but something's different this time. Instead of hearing Heather's voice, my ears find another one, a different one, one I don't know. It murmurs, sounding distant; I lift my head, trying to understand. If I concentrate, I know I can hear it...

"...killed them all," it mutters, "all of them....blood all over...."

A different one joins with, "his fault.... Can't even believe..." Twisting, I look around, yet find no one alive among this horrible carnage. The voices grow in volume and number as I frantically glance about the room, frightened.

"—goddamn murderer, a psychopath—"

"—with his bare hands, just tore them ap—"

"—horrifying and unnatural, his face all twisted—" My eyes widen as the room begins to darken, shadowy figures appearing on the ceiling. I gape, aghast, as the shadow-puppet-like silhouettes grow mouths lined with vicious fangs, all jabbering at once, like people speaking directly into my ears.

"—even his partner, all of them dead—" I shudder, suddenly realizing the subject matter of their conversation. Me, I bite down on my lip, hard, they're talking about me. Blood oozes into my mouth, but I don't care as tears stream down my cheeks, mixing with the blood of my friends, splattered across my face.

"—bloody scene, too, and to think we even trusted 'im for a—"

"—unforgivable, the very notion—"

"—just as I thought—"

"—turned out just as we always knew—"

"—really always was a monster—"

The voices stop suddenly, but the mouths keep moving, though now they look like they're laughing. I hold my breath, clapping a hand to my muzzle. Did they realize I'm here? What's going on? Just as abruptly as they stopped, the cacophony of speech starts again, only now the silhouettes all say one word.

Monster, they snarl. Monster. My eyes bulge and I scuffle backwards, my feet slipping in the disgusting half-congealed blood coating the floor. The room slowly starts to close in, the shadows on the ceiling seeming to lean forward. Monster. Monster. Monster!

I let out a shriek, flailing in a pitiful attempt to shove them away from me, but it's useless. They feel so close, but my hands look like they're waving at the sky, like there's a disconnect between my soul and my body; I start to choke, realizing I've been screaming one word this whole time.

"No! No! No!" I howl, trying to escape, to get away, to be anywhere but here; sobbing loudly, I search for a weapon to use, but the floor is bare and I wouldn't dare touch any of the bodies. "No! I didn't do it!" I scream, begging, but the shadows keep closing in. They're all I can see, massive sharp teeth inches from my face, still hissing that ugly word at me.

Monster.

"No!"

Monster.

"No!"

You did this.

"Never!"

You did this to them. They trusted you, the shadows seem to snake about me, suffocating me, and I wheeze. Every breath stings and my stomach churns as the horrific odor of blood pervades my breathing. They trusted you, and look what you did.

"Nooo!" I wail, burying my face in my hands. "No! No! No, no no nonononono—" I'm cut off when I feel something snap inside me, letting out a horrible crunch, and I can't move, I can't breathe, I can't even think as I pitch face-forward; my fall seems to happen so slowly, the wind gently ruffling through my spines as I feel blood oozing down the inside of my ribcage, chilling me to the bone. It moves too fast, and somehow, it feels as though it would look black. My skin crawls with it, and I feel it rising in the back of my throat as I open my mouth one last time for one final howl—

"It's over."

Jolting awake, I gasp loudly, clutching the sheets in my hands. A horrible broiling feeling churns my stomach, and my left hand instinctively slaps to my muzzle as I fling the mildly sweat-tainted sheets off with my right hand. Shoving myself out of the bed, I stumble to my door, ripping it open; in a mad dash down the hall, I gasp, trying to keep my mouth closed as I feel liquid rising in the back of my throat. My clawed feet click on the hardwood floor, slick beneath my toes, and the whole hallway seems to blur and tremble as I dart quickly and not so quietly down the hall. Fumbling with the bathroom doorknob, I desperately shove the door until it opens, and kick it shut behind me, flinging the toilet seat lid up. Tackling it, I shove my head in the bowl just as the fluid in the back of my throat comes hurtling out.

Gagging and retching, I cling to the toilet like it's a lifeline as my stomach turns itself inside out, dumping its contents repeatedly in the toilet bowl. My eyes are kept firmly shut as I heave again and again, shivering and panting. Eventually, my stomach decides to settle down again, and I lean back, still not looking into the toilet. Instead, I stare at the ground, breathing hard and just trying to force myself to relax again. Unfortunately, a knock sounds at the bathroom door, scaring the living hell out of me, and I jump, hackles flaring. "Shadow?" Rouge calls, her voice muffled through the door. Oddly, she doesn't sound tired at all, and I wonder why. "You okay in there? What's going on?"

I open and close my mouth for a second, struggling for words as a panicked sweat breaks out across my forehead. Wiping my muzzle on the back of my arm, I call, "Yeah, fine, don't mind me." My voice sounds so much more steady than I would have thought, though it cracks at bit halfway through. I swallow hard, trying not to wheeze.

"You sure?" She sounds unconvinced. "I could've sworn I heard—"

My instincts kick in and I take a tip from Scourge, interrupting her with coarse language by snapping, "Isn't it a little rude to listen to a guy on the can?"

Embarrassed, Rouge clears her throat, and I hear her feet thump as she fidgets. "O-oh, right, uh, s-sorry," she stutters, and after a pause I hear her feet thumping back into her room. Breathing a sigh of relief, I slump down again, still trembling slightly. Forcing myself to sit up, I turn back to the toilet, prepared to flush my mess away, but what I see makes me freeze in my tracks, almost puking again as my hearts stops.

The toilet bowl is black.

TO BE CONTINUED...