Chapter Text
ARC 3: Moebius
1 - A New Day - 1
Luminescence of ancient chaotic power radiated before them. A tall entity placed their hands behind their back before bending forward and tilting their head. The scarlet glowing orbs of their eyes stared upon them hazardously. The two children of chaos craned their necks upwards at their master, their maker, their creator. They were scared. They were terrified, and utterly horrified of what could happen to them next. However, their hands clutched each other's tightly. No matter what happens, no matter how many times they were punished, no matter how many times they'd be tortured, no matter how many years would go by to extend this potential never-ending torment—they would still always love each other. They would never desert each other, never abandon each other. If they would meet a destiny of constant misery for the rest of their eternal existences, so be it. If they were willing to die for each other, they would be willing to live in agony for each other all the same.
They refused to give an heir, and refused to continue the cycle of interdimensional havoc. They knew what would happen if they denied this all powerful god their due diligence. They knew they would suffer for eternity for this clear disobedience, and they have long accepted this fate of theirs. After waiting ten long excruciating minutes, their punishment was revealed: Not eternal damnation, and not a slow and agonizing death. No. The price they would pay for denying their god an heir, is an infinity of slaughtering each other to the death. Endless stamina, no end with aging, invincible against mortal means of damage, and an empty planet void of life except for natural fauna and flora. And of course, the Titans that still roamed the globe despite their pilots having been killed many years ago.
And the worst of it? The second they saw each other, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves from attacking.
A harsh, white flash of fire would impulse into their brains, causing them to frenzy and mindlessly strike at each other without rest until one of them perished. There would be no more ties, no more deadlocks. Only one could become the victor to end the torment. Such a shame neither of them was stronger than the other, meaning there would never be a winner of their monotonous fighting. They would kill each other, over and over and over and over again. Each time their life forces would end, the punishment would just begin anew, doomed to forever scour the earth for each other and fight to a constant death once more.
The deity just shook their head in disappointment, almost saddened by what would happen next.
They forced their hand.
They couldn't hide from this.
They were their creator, and as such, they had to obey.
There was no argument, no refusal.
"Let our blood subjugate and conquer forevermore."
They didn't have a choice.
30XX, September 15th - No Zone: Acute Square
DAY 57: Friday
Late Morning, 11: 00 AM
"Hi guys!"
The cheerful voices of four Mobian friends happily greeted from the other side of the laptop screen. The laptop was borrowed, not their own, taken from a certain brotherly blue soldier. The friends were huddled together on the light pink sofa of a particular tarot card reader's home. The owner of said home was sitting on the far left of the couch, a bright pink, female adult Mobian hedgehog with long straightened quills and bangs. Her eyes were an emerald green, and her shining smile brightened with rosy cheeks. Her muzzle was a light peach color, with her iconic red headband in her hair. She wore a bright red suspender dress with puffed sleeves, her matching signature small heeled knee-high boots and her golden ring-shaped bracelets. She was no longer that childish, self-proclaiming future wife of her now lovingly platonic best friend. No, that was older times from when she was a silly little twelve year old girl. Now she was a twenty year old young woman who owned her own business, and didn't need anyone to make her fate. As a decent tarotista of the cosmos, she had the cards to read her own destiny.
On the far right of the couch sat a grumpy, taller, male, crimson red, twenty four year old Mobian echidna. Hailing from a forgotten mysterious clan of warriors, his dreadlocks swayed to and fro whenever he'd glare at one of the others sitting beside him. His body was muscular and intimidating from a single glance. His muzzle was tan, his irises a deep violet purple. His deadly, specialized spiked gloves adorned his powerful hands, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Smack dab in the center of his pectorals lied a white crescent shape, the symbol of his people. His red and yellow shoes held metal bolted plates on top, apparently a kind of weighted footwear for training purposes. While he looked annoyed, as he often did, he had a faint smile on his face today. He was secretly happy to see two familiar faces again.
Next to this echidna sat an ivory white, twenty six year old female Mobian bat who was cuddling a little too close to the warrior to be considered platonic. That's because they weren't—They were steadily dating. The bat was a zaftig, curvaceous woman with an hourglass figure. A common place people would always stare at, were her assets and her larger than average bust. She had a tan muzzle, teal eyes, light purple eye shadow and light makeup. She didn't need much of it, because her beauty was second to none. Her short white hair was slightly curled at the ends, and her very presence was a present to all. She wore a black bodysuit that didn't leave much to the imagination, with a hot pink heart-shaped chest plate on her upper body. She wore long white boots, which also had heart-shaped plates on the tips. Her curvy legs were crossed, and she was leaning against the red echidna with a sultry smirk on her powdery pink lipsticked lips. However, there was genuine happiness in that smirk.
Sitting between the bat and the pink hedgehog, was the youngest and shortest of the four. A sixteen year old, Mobian male orange-yellow fox with an abnormal pair of tails grinned excitedly at the other side of the screen. His irises were baby blue, his muzzle pure white just like his furry upper body. He was no longer the chubby and rounded fox cub he was eight years ago. He was a growing boy, and in two short years, he'd be a man. His white and red shoes has seen wear and tear from the millions of times he tried keeping up with his older steadfast brother. His hair was shorter than it was a month ago, and he cut the rattail he used to have. He also stopped wearing that tattered and ruined navy blue hoodie he stole from his elder sibling, and decided not to cling to something that would always hide his face from the world. No, he's better than that now. Now he was just as he was before, not really wearing much just like other male Mobians. He didn't need to hide anymore, he was better than that. He cleaned himself up as his big brother requested, and now looked like a proper gentleman.
All four of these people, were considered family to two very important people.
On the other side of the screen, sat a cobalt blue, male, twenty three year old Mobian hedgehog. His quills were long, and lied against his back. His eyes were bright lime green, and his muzzle, upper torso and arms were a deep peach to a slight tannish color. His body was an athletic, Olympic winning treasure amongst the best of runners in the world. His legs were classified as individual deadly weapons, able to kick down solid concrete foundation in a single hit. His stomach was hardened through experience, personal training and constant exercise...when he wasn't napping the days away. His arms, while not as dangerous as his legs, were still forces not to be underestimated with toned limbs. His pretty boy face was the eye of so many cameras and fashion magazines, a face that could drive hundreds of thousands manic with admiration with one glance. His long lashes, soft lips and naturally attractive features were the first things people saw besides his fur color. He was the reason why so many children screamed and begged their parents to be put in track and field clubs. The reason why the people of Mobius could sleep well at night. The reason why villains hesitated before pulling nasty schemes. To top it all off, anyone would know who he is not from his signature charming TV smile, but his legendary footwear. They've been upgraded and modified over the years, but they were still those same red, white strapped, golden buckled sneakers everyone knew and loved. They were a mix of the original pair, and the grinding pair of sneakers to form a radical fusion of both. Designed and modified by his loving little genius brother himself.
This fun loving, adventurous, yet sometimes lazy individual, was Sonic the Hedgehog. Star of Mobius, and hero to all.
He was leaning back against the white sectional of a couch within an apartment that he did not own. Once again, borrowed from a loving blue twin of his. He was leaning his elbow against the top of the couch, his chin in his palm as he smiled down at the screen filled with friends. His blue ear perked up at the sound of movement from the background, and a whiff of fresh dark coffee. Ah, so he finally finished his shower. Took him long enough. He thought he was the pretty boy in this relationship. Seems their friends noticed his lover's absence as well and aptly pointed it out. The white bat, Rouge, pouted. "Hey...Where's Mr. Sunshine? He promised he'd show his face this time."
"Ehh," Sonic shrugged, his laidback voice flowing effortlessly. "You know how he is. He's always business first, pleasure later. He decided to take it upon himself to pack up all of our stuff without any help, then he decided to take a looooong shower."
"Hmph." Rouge frowned. "Luggage is more important than his friends, huh?"
"Nah, it ain't like that," Sonic shook his head. "You know more than anyone how shy he is. He broods, but in reality, he doesn't-"
"Speaking for me again, faker?"
A deep, gruff voice curtly interrupted. That husky voice belonged to his oh so irritable boyfriend and rival. Actually, no. Maybe the term "rival" was too much of an understatement. This ebony black, male, semi-Mobian hedgehog—Well, biohog—Was more than some rival. He was the only person in existence who could truly match him in whatever he could say or do. The only one who could defeat him instantly if he didn't lock in, the only one who could rise in strength at the same pace he could. The only one who could properly call himself his true equal.
An amber red striped pattern aligned themselves in a peculiar pattern all over his black furred body. His quills, arms and legs held these stripes with pride, or maybe even shame depending on the day. His quills were different from other hedgehogs, as his were upturned. Red and black cuffed white gloves were fitted with a carefully engineered pair of golden bracelets. However, these were not the glittery accessory that the pink hedgehog had, these were something far more dangerous as a last resort. His sharp and vibrant amber red eyes had an extremely faint glow for...alien reasons, and had that same intricate amber red pattern around them like eye shadow. His thick eyelashes and handsome features were only two of the many reasons why the blue hedgehog fell in love. His torso held a big patch of white chest fur that was growing more and more as days went by. It was growing more past his shoulders. An upgraded pair of air shoes were his choice of footwear. They had black cuffs and red tongues, with boosters on the bottoms. This "hedgehog's" body was also quite fit and muscular like his blue muse, but more slightly towards the upper body. Unlike Sonic, this was someone who trained in militant affairs. He was built to be an indestructible bioweapon to cause mass destruction, so it's only right he was more of a puncher than a kicker. But the moment he fell in love with the blue blur, he became more of a lover than a fighter behind closed doors.
He'd never admit it, though.
This introverted, stoic yet covertly gentle individual, was Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Life Form. Although, he supposed he could be considered Shadow Robotnik in some cases.
His fur was slightly moist from the shower, and he wore his average stone faced expression. He sat down beside Sonic, albeit rather closely with their thighs touching. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I was late." He announced with a flat voice. "Sorry." Was all he said.
Sonic just chuckled and snaked his arm around his shoulder to pull him closer. "Haha! You're so crabby in the morning, babe."
"Whatever." Unbeknownst to anyone besides Sonic, his lips were ever so slightly curled upwards.
"There you are," The bat huffed. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Sunshine."
"Good morning, you old bat." The biohog countered.
A vein began to throb on the woman's head as she angrily smiled. "Ha...You're choosing violence today, huh Shadow?" She saw that he fully smirked at her with one eye open. This made her make a more warm smile in return. "You asshole. I miss you too."
"We miss you both so much!" The pink one, Amy Rose, exclaimed with a grin. "How are you? Sonic told us everything in a nutshell, but we were super worried!"
The red echidna, Knuckles, spoke next with a somewhat lopsided frown. "Yeah, no kidding. Turning into a shooting star and nearly plummeting into the earth like Shadow did eight years ago, and fighting some computer clone of Infinite alongside some alternate reality version of yourself?" He sighed and shook his head. "You two are hopelessly reckless. You can't make this stuff up."
The vulpine, Miles "Tails" Prower, chuckled at that. "Yeah, that's how you know it's a Sonic Situation."
"Should we start calling them Shadow Situations, too?" Amy asked.
"Nah," Knuckles shook his head. "Maybe an 'SS Situation'. Or 'SSS'."
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh ha ha ha, guys. We didn't ask for this, y'know. Buuut, it was kinda awesome. I give it a 8.5 outta 10."
Shadow glanced at the blue hedgehog with a stare. "For nearly dying over and over?"
"Yup!" The hero held a thumbs up.
The biohog looked elsewhere. "You're an idiot."
"And you're an ass," Sonic countered with a smirk. "But you don't see me complaining."
They both heard giggling from the laptop. Seems their friends found their banter amusing. Rouge flagged them both off. "You two are made for each other."
"I'll say~!" The pink hedgehog cheered, before suddenly clasping her hands together and rubbing them slowly with a conniving leer. "And I'll be the first one to make those wedding bouquets-"
"Amy," Tails lightly scolded. "I told you already, that's tier eighteen. They're not there yet."
A color of red danced across the blue one's cheeks, as did Shadow's. They both looked at each other, turned even more red and quickly adverted their eyes. "Um..." They both stammered.
"Marriage is out of the question." Shadow quickly dismissed.
"Y-Yeah!" Sonic defensively agreed. "We're too young for that, Ames! Keep it in your fanfics!"
That's when the pink hedgehog slowly turned towards the screen, and made a deviously mischievous smile. "That's not what my readings saaaayyy~"
Before either hedgehog could dispute the girl's fangirlish scheming, their phones buzzed. Time flew by quickly, that's for sure. That must have been their lovely older brothers informing them that it was time to leave. They couldn't waste anymore time here. The two gave each other a slightly somber glance. This would be goodbye to their friends, for now. Sonic made a solemn smile and sighed lightly. "Sorry guys, we gotta go. We still got too much work to do."
"Sonic's right," Shadow concurred with a hint of slight frustration. "I still haven't succeeded in my mission to destroy Infinite. Tell Tower that GUN's going to have to wait a little longer."
Rouge only shook her head. "Don't even mention it, honey. He knows how nonsensical the whole situation is. The fact that it took some suped up version of a crazed Super Sonic to scare him into warping to another reality says a lot. He already understands how difficult this is going to be, and he also knows that GUN can't really do much about it except depend on their one and only SEA." She smiled with a wink. "He still believes in you. And even if he didn't, I do. We all do."
The kitsune genius nodded along with a bright smile. "She's right, guys. You'll get this jerk soon, no need to rush it. And..." His expression became a bit saddened. "...We know that you traveling from reality to reality is risky in terms of time. But, you can't worry about that. You gotta go after him, and you gotta stop him. Don't worry about us." He mostly aimed his baby blue eyes at Sonic, because he knew his older brother would be worried sick. And the hedgehog knew that it would be vice versa with his little bro. "I promise you, if anything happens," He placed his hand up to the screen. "We still have your spines incubated." Yes, they almost forgot. Just in case something bad happening in Mobius or to the two hedgehogs, they gave Tails and Rouge their spines to keep incubated. The energy in them would spike up or die out, indicating they were in danger, or worse. Meanwhile, if either Tails or Rouge took out the spines and held it with negative emotions, the two hedgehogs would know there was trouble back at home. This was a failsafe in case anything went wrong without anyone knowing. "You'll know, I promise. And we'll know if you're in danger too. Sometimes," His voice waned in enthusiasm. "I'd be up late at night, staring at it. And then, I saw it start to shrivel and die. I was scared, but I knew I couldn't lose faith in you. Soon after that, the color in the spine came back, and Rouge told me the spine she had with Shadow's energy did the exact same thing. They turned gold, then black, gold again...It was scary. I don't know exactly what you guys did in No Zone, but I'm just glad you're okay."
Sonic's melancholic smile widened as he placed his hand on the screen too. "Yeah, we're okay, bud. And we're glad you all are too. We'll come back home alive and well, I swear."
Knuckles placed his hand on top of Tails's, and smiled into the webcam. "That's why he's got me, Big Blue. I'll take care of your kid for ya, you know I got your back. Always have, always will." His violet eyes glanced at Shadow. "Make sure you take care of this dummy, okay Shadow?"
"Don't be rude!" Amy placed her hand on top of theirs and grinned. "And I'll make sure to keep the peace and continue my readings. If I find anything weird or favorable, I'll send you a quick text. Those travel instantly no matter what reality you're in, right? Then it's no problem!"
Rouge placed her palm on top of everyone's with a more gentle smile. "I guess I don't mind torturing Omega a few more weeks with the Real Housewives of Empire City~ Then again...I'm almost convinced he likes the show more than me."
The four friends chuckled with each other before looking back at the two hedgehogs. "We're counting on you guys, you can do this!"
That truly touched the cobalt hedgehog's heart, and he looked over at his partner. Shadow looked back, and he had a ghost of a smile himself. He rolled his eyes and placed his hand onto Sonic's on the screen.
But unbeknownst to the others...
...A dainty, female, human, phantom hand was placed on top of theirs as well.
No Zone HQ
Afternoon, 12: 00 PM
Inhabitants of the world of the Perpendicular Zone, the 90 Degree Zone or simply the No Zone, were both blessed and spoiled with a society drenched in futuristic advancement. Their planet was that of a sci-fi's fanatic's fantasy: Flying cars, floating buildings and roads, livable space stations with actual recognized country owned colonies and best of all, adjusted gravity zones. Extreme brutalist modernism or whimsical minimalism was the typical architecture of both the exteriors and interiors of any and all buildings. The entire reality itself was powered by what was known as cyber energy, a direct contrast to chaos energy that was used less as a source of physical or spiritual prowess, and more for innovation and strategic construction. It was everywhere and used for nearly everything. From merely powering electricity, to creating an entire technological grid that blanketed the entire world in a whole digital web.
With great advancement came many drawbacks as the reality matured. Less nature, as there was nearly zero percent amount of flora or fauna in this world. The only thing that remained in a bottomless amount, was their oceans. Waters that, while clean and beautiful, were one of the few treasures of mother nature that didn't waste away. It was still effected however, as cyber grids coated the very bottom of to the sea floors. Some have even reported seeing cyber energy infusing itself with the clouds and the atmosphere, changing the shape of their sky. Manufacturing food wasn't a challenge, but almost nothing was organic. With no animals or crops to harvest, microscopic amounts of cyber energy were responsible for creating codes of consumable objects. Too much cyber energy, and someone would contract a deadly disease known as Cyber Corruption, a potentially lethal affliction that occurs when someone has been exposed to too much raw cyber power. It was painful, slow and excruciatingly stressful to be cured of. If the affliction isn't immediately treated, death was almost certain.
In this world, everyday citizens known as Zonians were the very definition of white and blue collared working class. Almost everyone had a job, including teens who wanted extra allowance. It was almost easy for anyone to get a job, and the societal norms for No Zone was nearly entirely prestigious. Professionalism, politeness, cleanliness and a studious persona were all normal if not solely expected. Even the worst neighborhoods in this reality still held a great sense of dignity and strictness. Rules were very much enforced, and the attitude of rigid poise was a must for any home. That being said, the idea of crime was more than just frowned upon for morality, it was downright damned to the greatest extent. Criminals were more than just scum of the earth, they were the very worms that crawled out from the darkest pit of dung. Even small offenses such as public drinking or even riding a bike without a helmet was shameful. Zonians were a proud, sometimes arrogant race of people who saw status and reputation more important than anything else. Shame was not an option. They were hard on themselves and others for the desire to be better, and because of their advanced world, their knowledge was also quite impressive. The average Zonian had an advanced IQ, as even very small children learned to read and write at ridiculously young ages. Being a genius was almost normal, and it took a lot to stand out.
One notable and common way for any young Zonian to stand out, was to become a No Zone officer.
With great technological prowess came the possibility of interdimensional travel. Zonians, some centuries ago, found a way to traverse to other realities. Inventions such as warp rings became a method of hopping from one realm to the next. This invention, while astronomically marvelous, was incredibly dangerous. To keep order amongst the multiverse from outside sources whilst also condemning intruders of the reality, No Zone Corps was born. The corps consisted of five branches: One—A police force that arrested criminals from their own world, while higher ranked officers arrested criminals from other realities. Two—A brutal army of soldiers trained to combat powerful foes on the ground. Three—An air force that protected the skies and sometimes outer space. Four—A navy to guard the seas and waters from nautical interlopers. And five—The specialist branch or "marines" of the corps. The toughest, smartest and most veteran soldiers of the military. And that was the crux of No Zone Corps, it was in essence a very influential and powerful military. Due to the dangers of interdimensional travel from outsiders, this corporation became the core of this reality. Over many years, it became the biggest authority in the world besides political world leaders. Every continent and every country held an HQ sister branch of the corps. Parallel City however, the largest metropolis in this world, held the biggest HQ of them all and served as the main capital of No Zone Corps.
No Zone HQ.
The clicking of black, steel toed military boots echoed across the roof of No Zone Corps HQ. One dozen of the star soldiers who personally fought in the war alongside Sonic and Shadow, were in two single file lines. Their hands were behind their backs, their uniforms crisp, freshly ironed and pressed. From shortest to tallest, Zonian to Zonian, they were all wearing new shiny medals on their chests. A gold medal lined with silver in the shape of a right angle symbol, the symbol of the reality itself. The medals were rewarded to those who stood out amongst the rest of the military, who were highlighted by the prime hedgehogs themselves as extremely heroic soldiers. Officer Zacorn, Master Sergeant Zangle, Private Zitsunami, Private Zrip, current Chief Master Sergeant D'Zoolette, Admiral Zector, No Zone Prison psychiatrist Zouge the Bat, a few international soldiers from No Zone sister bases around the globe, and...well, they were missing one: Former Chief Master Sergeant, Zespio. He risked his life for other inmates and soldiers, yet he couldn't make it today. That's because he had a court hearing today, to be judged whether or not his crimes of treason, assault of a fellow officer and coercion, could be forgiven for his brave actions during the war. While Shadow wished he could be there to be a witness and officially and legally give his side on how the chameleon aided him in cleaning up the prison, he could only silently pray that he was given mercy from afar.
Every soldier here had a neutral and blank expression. Their eyes aimed at nowhere, and their stances flawless. After all, perfection in No Zone was key, right? The sound of those military boots clicking was heard once more, and if possible, everyone's postures stiffened just a bit more. The First Lieutenant General strutted across the main entrance helipad of the floating building. The second he appeared, the world stopped, all just for him. All soldiers instantly saluted one by one with each Zone Cop he walked by. Fitted in a forest green militant overcoat, bronze, silver and gold medals decorated his chest. There was a new platinum medal with gold lining it, in that same right angle shape—A medal fitting of a war hero. Matching forest green pants with the legs tucked into the boots were accompanied with a thick black belt, that held a hefty nightstick. His well groomed long blue quills were of a vibrant cerulean and laid against his back. Other soldiers such as rookies would have to cut them, since long limbs styled as hair such as quills were seen as a safety hazard and combative liability. He however, was far too skilled to worry himself with such a useless concern. His muzzle was a fawn-like peach color, his plush lips pursed into a tight, stoic flat line. His eyelashes were long and his irises were bright lime green. They used to be a darker shade before harnessing chaos energy in his body. He was still a "pretty boy," according to locker room rumors, but he always held the expression of a bored shark just waiting for a measly fish to make the wrong move and swim by his maw. His shoulders were broad, his muscular and well trained body was concealed behind the fabrics of his freshly ironed uniform. His gloves were crisp and bright white. A simple silver engagement ring on his left hand. His arms were behind his back, his head held high with his nose turned up at anyone below him.
Once he made it towards the end of the line, he didn't immediately turn around.
"Attention!" He called.
And with that single word, all of his soldiers continued their salutes. "Sir!"
"..."
After a few seconds of silence, he was satisfied. Excellent synchronization.
"...At ease."
And like that, their hands rested from their salutes, going back down to their sides.
Slowly, the blue hedgehog turned around with a face entirely identical to Sonic the Hedgehog's. Except this face, belonged to Zonic the Hedgehog, First Lieutenant General of No Zone and Grand Overseer or All Seeing Eye of all Chaos Born within the multiverse. His nightstick was in his hands, and he slammed the end of it against the ground, causing a small wave of wind to blow against everyone. His expression was fierce, yet calm. Intimidating, yet aloof. This was the face of a victorious, and lionhearted leader. Due to the high winds of the skyscraping building's roof, it caused the hedgehog's long quills to blow. With a firm frown on his face, he glanced at every single one of his shining stars of justice. He was proud of them, but he couldn't let them go soft because of a little spotlight. Still, he was pleased with their forms today. Now, they were just missing three...well, four people-
In a light blue flash, someone else appeared right beside him.
A dark red eyed, male, black hedgehog with an almost alien red striped pattern within his fur, walked beside the blue soldier. He cocked his head to the left then to the right, grunting with a tired sigh as he stretched his arms over his head. He brought his hand up to his face and adjusted his tactical red tinted sunglasses, before fixing the collar of his navy blue military overcoat. A few strands of white chest fur was poking out from the top. A thick black belt that held a nightstick was fitted to his waist, with navy blue pants below that was tucked into his boots. Platinum and gold medals were pinned on his chest, including one identical to Zonic's, shining beautifully in the sky's bright sun. His tan muzzle was void of wrinkles despite his old age, as he physically wasn't a day over twenty eight. His black steel toed boots clicked on the ground when he moved to stand directly beside the blue hedgehog. Unlike traditional Zonian hedgehogs, his quills were upturned due to his...unique biology. Though his dark red eyes were hidden behind his shades, in the right light, sometimes others could see them glow from behind them. His eyelashes were thick and his pupils were slightly sharper than normal. He always held a calm and patient gaze, never looking irritated or bothered by anything. Maybe bored sometimes, but that'd be about it. No one ever knew his true intentions or feelings. His body was built like an ox, but his musculature was greatly hidden behind his uniform. His gloves were freshly cleaned in white, with red palms. A silver engagement ring on his left hand glinted along with his medals. Both hands were nonchalantly in his pockets. His face was nearly completely identical to Shadow the hedgehog's.
This mysterious, yet uncaring gumshoe looking dark hedgehog, was not Shadow the Hedgehog, but Zhadow the Hedgehog, General of No Zone Corps, Chief of No Zone Police and two time war hero of No Zone. And technically, official Grand Advisor of the All Seeing Eye or Grand Overseer.
The only creature in existence that could properly equal Zonic.
He had a few bandages and stitches on the sides of his head, but it was nothing a few more weeks of rest could fix. Frankly, considering the amount of stress and pressure he put his body and brain through during the end of the war, he should be a vegetable if not straight up dead. However, thanks to the power of a certain, ghostly young human girl, he no longer had to sit in a wheelchair for days on end while he recovered, and he could live his life. While he'd have to be intensely more cautious from now on when using his special abilities, he was mostly fine, and wouldn't be kicking the bucket anytime soon if he could help it. Zonic meanwhile, despite having little time to rest or recover himself, managed to get himself to one hundred percent through sheer willpower alone. He ran the corporation all by himself while his fiancé—Ahem, superior, was out of commission. Not only did he do that, but he had to manage being an Overseer to all ten thousand other realities of other Sonic and Shadow templates, speak with politicians, and occasionally help the medical staff nurse his general back to health. All without a single issue. Sure, he may be stepping down as the temporary leader for now, but it was proven that he could easily become general one day. Or maybe, way sooner than that. And Zhadow knew it.
They all knew it.
And he couldn't be prouder of his rookie.
In a green flash, the Mobian hedgehogs Chaos Controlled to the roof.
Now everyone was here.
The two walked across the helipad, between the duo single file of soldiers, who all saluted them with faint, grateful smiles. Zouge winked at them, while Zector couldn't help but grin. Shadow just nodded back, while Sonic smiled charmingly at them all. Especially Zector and that lemur girl. Once they made it to the end of the lines, in front of their No Zone counterparts, a strange air settled.
...
...It was quiet.
Sonic slowly smirked towards his Zonian twin. "Hey, Private Napoleon."
"..."
Suddenly, Zonic smirked back.
"...Hey yourself, you spoiled brat."
1 - END - 1