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niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian · 5 months ago

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Alright, alright, alright! New story drop time! After working on this for several months, it's finally time.

This little beauty is a part of the awesome Sonic the Hedgehog Big Bang 2024 event that was ran by the mods over on the discord. ( @sthbigbang ).

Another huge thanks goes to the absolutely wonderful artists for their collaboration art pieces for this fic.

@vanlikespaintingclouds (X), @kkomsed (X), and @mmollymercury (X). Links will be updated!

I See Your Monsters, I’ll Chase Them All Away.

Central Characters: Shadow the Hedgehog, Maria Robotnik, Gerald Robotnik.

Summary:

In the grand scheme of things, Shadow's existence in this world was so short, so inexperienced, yet for Shadow himself, it feels like he's been here as long as everyone else.

Even keeping his best friend, Maria, happy each time they see each other and hang out started to come so naturally that he didn't question how to improve on it, he just did it and the results were better each time.

He wanted to help her, he wanted to save her from this illness, to let her visit that planet that was filled with so much wonder and beauty, something they could experience together.

He wanted to keep her safe.

But just like a fire trying its hardest to burn its last spark of embers in the darkest night to share its glow and warmth, that hope doesn't always last forever.

It's a story about the values of trust, the strength of friendship and the power of love, a story of Shadow the Hedgehog and how he was able to be the last burning ember in the darkness that fell over the entire colony. He will be the light that chases the monsters away.

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Chapter 1. I see you…

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He doesn’t tend to look back on the past too often, mostly because of what is available for him to look back on, which wasn't much.

His memories are usually hazy, out of order and hard to comprehend at times, and that was before he was aware that his own memories were altered after he was woken up.

Whenever he tries to remember those days of his past, the early days of his creation, he could never clearly remember the time where he first opened his eyes or heard sounds for the first time, only things that happened soon afterwards.

His first memories upon his creation were always a blur of images, incomprehensible to his newly born mind.

The lukewarm feeling of the water surrounding his entire body as he floated in the capsule.

The tight yet secure feeling of the mask wrapped around his muzzle that allowed him to get air that never seemed to run out.

It was a whirlwind of emotions and sensations that was overwhelming to him even though he didn’t feel scared.

The various, tall, unrecognizable figures that passed by in his field of view, staring at him with either wonder or bewilderment. Sometimes standing close up to where they talked among themselves while looking at him as if he was a bomb that was getting ready to blow if they got too close.

Humans.

They are called Humans.

Somehow he already knew that; he didn’t know how he knew this answer, but it seemed to match with how he saw them and accepted the notion.

He would tend to imagine what they were actually talking about, since all he could hear was the muffled sounds of their voices. Some were higher in pitch than others, a lot of them were deeper, which made it harder to understand them other than hearing the noise.

The duration of time was unfamiliar, he didn’t know how long a day or a week was while he was in there, only knowing that once the lights had been turned off, it was quite a long time before anyone else came back into the room.

Eventually, he did see one person that caught his eye during one of the dark periods of the day. Somebody he'd never even seen before.

A smaller human?

A child. It is a child.

Again, he already knew despite him never meeting said child before.

He saw her walk into the room, stepping in slow, careful steps; her head glancing around at the endless equipment that towered over her. Eventually her line of sight finally landed on his incubation chamber. At first he thought he was imagining things, with how still she was standing in the near pitch black darkness of the lab until she finally moved closer.

She was smaller than he originally thought, much smaller than any of the humans. She was taking small slow steps towards the capsule, staring at him with wide eyes, tilting her head as he stared back.

Her eyes were a color that he didn't recognize, they were…bright and luminated against the dim, thick liquid of his capsule. The same color was seen on her attire, covering her entire torso to her feet from what he could see.

They were hidden behind some odd, rectangular shapes resting on her face, the light from the capsule reflected off of them each time her head moved.

The one color that stood out was the even brighter color that was seen on the top of her head and was trailing over her shoulders. He couldn’t explain it but as soon as he saw it, he felt… ease. Like the color of this oddly looking mane from this tiny human suddenly made him feel comfort and didn't know the answer why.

If there even was an answer.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the human walking even closer to his capsule and started to knock lightly against the glass. His eyes locked directly onto her's, making her jump from the direct eye contact and take a step back, but not too much where he could still point out the distinct details on her face. Like the light dusting of tiny dots that was around her nose and cheeks or how the square objects on her face were constantly slipping down her nose so she kept having to push them back up towards her eyes.

She brought her balled up fists close to her chin and mouth, shrinking back and stepping backwards away from the capsule and into the shadows.

Why was she backing away? Was she apprehensive?

Or was she scared?

Or was she scared of him? He wouldn't be able to harm her from where he was, not with the thick glass separating them from each other.

Maybe she didn't know that, maybe the smaller human was scared due to how he appeared to her. He still didn’t know how his full appearance looked other than the brief times he was awake and was able to see his reflection and take note of how dark his own body looked, a stark comparison to the human’s light clothing and hair.

It was only when she started to back up more away from his capsule was when his hand began to reach out to her, he didn’t realize until his hand came in his line of focus.

The human paused, eyeing his outstretched hand and hesitating, finally stepping forward into the light once more. She stared curiously, giving a small, timid wave at him.

Raising his hand slowly, he copied her wave, earning him a smile from her and watched her cautiously when she came up close and placed both her hands against the glass.

She studied his face, tilting her head from side to side, making him unconsciously do the same. She then tilted her head to the other side, with Shadow following closely.

This brought an even wider smile from her, she continued to rock her head back and forth while he followed every move. He noticed as she was doing this, her shoulders were moving up and down, while her stomach moved in and out in a manner that looked like she was breathing rather rapidly, but she was still beaming at him in a way that didn't seem like she was in distress.

She even pressed her face up against the glass, crossing her eyes and puffing up her cheeks, creating a small fog with her mouth.

He didn't know much about humans, but they were already so confusing to understand.

The girl's head suddenly whips around, almost in alarm towards the door, making him see where she was looking right as the doors slid open to reveal another human, his silhouette was immediately recognized by the overtaking detail of the long and giant length of the hair follicles that protruded from under his nose.

It was the human that he had seen the most the moment he first opened his eyes. He still didn’t know why he always felt at ease whenever he was around; perhaps it was the way he didn't react to him in a manner the other humans did, more-so bringing a calmer, comforting aura to him whenever he approached the chamber during each visit.

The same aura this child was carrying as well.

The taller human walked over to where she was, taking a quick glance at him through the glass before kneeling down next to the smaller human, saying something to her that he wasn’t able to pick up due to how softly he was talking.

A few moments passed, where the girl nodded her head, her shoulders slumping down and looking at the floor. The man's face softened as he gave her a gentle head pat, got up to his full height and reached out his hand to her.

The girl took it and the two started towards the door. Shadow could feel a sudden wave wash over his body, growing more and more each second as they got farther away.

He didn't want them to leave, he didn't want to be alone. He wanted to follow them outside this tank, to move his legs and arms and not have them be bumped against the glass. To hear their voices clearly and remember the words that they say and hold onto each one in his memory.

The girl waved her hand at him again, her eyes locking once again with his and her mouth moving as if she was saying something to him.

Even though it was during the moment right as the doors closed behind them, he had been able to distinguish certain words that they would repeat around him.

“Bye.”

Though, he could only hope that this was less of a “bye”, but more of a “see you again”.

For the first time, he really hopes that he will be able to see her again.

All he can do now is wait.

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Read the rest of the story here!

#sonic big bang 2024 #sthbigbang2024 #writeblr #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog big bang 2024 #sonic the hedgehog big bang #cross posted on ao3 #shadow the hedgehog #maria robotnik #ark siblings #gerald robotnik #maria #shadoe #shadow #sthbigbang #my writing #niya writes

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fatecanberewritten-writer · 11 months ago

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Crucio | Chapter Four: Waiting

Stars Series | Crucio

Very few remained in the Slytherin common room that late at night. With the fear and excitement that had overtaken the castle at the news of the second attack, many of the students retired to their dormitories earlier than usual, thinking that they might be safe in the comfort of their beds. Left in the common room was a sixth year couple, a group of three seventh years still vehemently discussing theories about the attacks, and a lone fifth year who sat in a shadowy corner of the room, waiting.

The relatively quiet room was awakened with a sudden jolt of noise - the shifting of stones as the entrance revealed itself. All of the remaining students turned to see who was entering, but upon seeing only the Slytherin prefects returning from their emergency meeting, most of them turned their attention back to their respective conversations. Only the fifth year kept his focus on the prefects.

Boys led the group, the sixth and seventh year prefects, walking solemnly beside one another. The girls came shortly after, the two older ones whispering worriedly to each other, the fifth year only walking in their shadow. The boy in the corner sat up, craning his neck towards the entrance, his stomach dropping as he watched it fade back to smooth stone. No one else was coming.

The movement caught Elizabeth Kenter’s eye. She broke away from her fellow prefects, making her way towards the boy. “Ulises?” Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear her, and as he turned to meet her eyes, Eliza almost recoiled. She’d never seen him so worried. “It’s late,” she continued after a minute, watching him with furrowed eyebrows, “shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Where’s Riddle?” Cross retorted, ignoring her question completely.

His bright blue eyes watching hers carefully, Eliza felt a foreign rush that caused her heartbeat to quicken, which left her more flustered than ever. Growing up in Pureblood society, she’d known Ulises for most of her life, but she had never before felt like this when he looked at her. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was something different in his eyes - something almost caring.

“Eliza,” Ulises drawled, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked, suddenly embarrassed at how long she had been staring at him in silence.

“Professor Dippet asked him to stay behind after the meeting, he should be - ” but she stopped, noticing how wide Ulises’ eyes had gotten. “What’s wrong?” she asked sharply, a mirroring worry washing over her features.

“Nothing,” he answered quickly. He sat back in his chair, falling into the shadowy corner, and turned away from her. Even shadowed, she could see his mind working. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s late. You should be in bed.”

Hearing her own words repeated back to her, Eliza’s shoulders drooped. She hesitated for a moment, knowing it was probably best to leave it alone. She knew she should walk away from him and go up to her dormitory, but in one fleeting moment of bravery, she walked closer to him.

Cross glanced up curiously as she took the seat beside him, her careful eyes watching him intently. “What are you doing?” he asked her. It came out more harshly than he had intended.

That didn’t seem to faze her. “Waiting with you,” she said simply. She crossed one leg over the other and tried not to appear intimidated by him.

“Why?”

She raised her innocent blue eyes to meet his, and for a moment, Ulises saw her in a slightly different light as well. “To make sure Tom gets back okay. He’s my friend too, you know.”

Cross scoffed at this, and would have full on laughed had he not seen the way her eyes narrowed at him. He knew for a fact that Elizabeth Kenter and Tom Riddle were not friends - hell, he was hardly Riddle’s friend. The prefects were acquaintances at most. He went to ask her why on earth she thought they were friends when it suddenly dawned on him. Eliza didn’t really have any friends.

“Alright,” he finally said. “Have it your way, then.”

The two sat in silence for a while, Ulises watching the entrance to the common room, Eliza watching him.

Ulises had always been curious to her, but his relationship with Riddle, especially in the last week, was easily the most curious thing about him to her now. After Ulises had drawn her away from Riddle on their patrol last week, she didn’t see Riddle until their patrol had come to an end, and from then until now, the two boys didn’t speak to each other. She wanted to know what had happened that night, and what made Ulises so worried about Tom’s absence now.

“D’you have any idea what Dippet wanted to talk to him about?” Cross asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. His left foot was tapping nervously against the concrete floor. She suddenly realized that they were the only ones left in the common room.

“No,” she said, “but, I mean, Dippet’s always favored him more than any of the other prefects. It’s probably nothing bad.”

Cross considered this momentarily, then nodded. Eliza was probably right. It was stupid of him, really, to think that Riddle was caught already.

“Why are you so worried about him?”

His face paled as he cautiously looked at Eliza. He prayed that she wasn’t suspicious of him. He didn’t have a problem with dealing with the Mudblood in any way Riddle saw fit, but he didn’t know if he could bring himself to do anything that would hurt Eliza, even if it was to save Riddle and himself. “I’m not worried about him.”

As she watched him pensively, Ulises was becoming more and more panicked, though he hid it very well. “Do you - ?”

But Eliza was silenced before she could finish her question. Both of their blue eyes snapped in the direction of the entrance as they heard it begin to open once more.

Tom Riddle, who had walked back from Dippet’s office very quickly, stopped just inside the Slytherin common room, his eyes raking over the dark, empty room, until finally, they settled on a figure sitting in a shadowy corner.

“Cross,” he said pointedly as he made his way towards the boy, his charismatic façade faltering. He stopped suddenly as he got closer, noticing the second figure sitting beside Ulises. Riddle forced a smile that, to Kenter, looked very natural. “Eliza,” he greeted. He looked between the two of them, and for the first time, felt a small tinge of emotion in his chest that he couldn’t quite name. He quickly buried it. “You two didn’t have to wait up for me.” He tried to sound grateful.

“Just wanted to make sure you got back safely,” mused Eliza, rising from her place beside Cross. “With everything going on, you know?”

“I - well - ” Riddle looked genuinely touched. Cross cocked an eyebrow as he saw this. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem at all. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.” Eliza was the only one who thought this to be true. “Well,” she continued, stifling a yawn. “It’s late, we should probably get to bed.”

Eliza started in the direction of the dormitories, but stopped when she realized neither Tom nor Ulises had moved. As she turned back to them, she noticed that Riddle was watching her from the corner of his eye, but Ulises’ bright blue eyes were keenly fixed on Tom. She couldn’t help but wish that it had been the other way around.

“Aren’t you coming?” she prodded, causing Riddle to look at her fully, though Ulises didn’t even flinch.

“Of course,” Riddle answered. It took only one glance from him to get Cross to stand. They walked together to the awaiting Eliza, and the trio carried on in silence until they had to split ways at their separate dormitory entrances.

“Goodnight,” smiled Kenter.

“Goodnight,” responded Riddle.

Cross said nothing. Eliza’s eyes lingered on him for a second longer before she defeatedly started up the stairs to her dormitory.

Tom and Ulises did the same, but only a few steps up, Riddle grabbed Cross’s wrist and held a slender finger to his lips. They waited, listening to the sound of Kenter’s footsteps. As they heard the door to her dormitory close behind her, they walked back into the common room.

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