Chaos and Discord: Infection
Chapter 5: 5. Chapter 4
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Shadow sat in the library and watched as Tails mixed together a few chemicals. "So why do you need me here?" Shadow asked. "Star Mane is coming over and I need you to entertain her while I work. I lost three weeks of work because of Pinkie…" Tails said, Shadow noticed the bags under his eyes and let out a sigh. "How long has it been since you slept?" Shadow asked, he was getting worried because Tails would often wobble and nearly fall. "I've been up for seven weeks straight…" Tails replied. Shadow's jaw dropped, he had been up for seven weeks without sleep. "How have you not crashed yet?" Shadow asked, he was amazed. "Coffee… Lots and lots of coffee…" Tails began to wobble again and Shadow caught him as he fell. "Thenk you…" Tails said, Shadow began to drag Tails towards a couch and said "You need to sleep." Tails began to flail his arms wildly shouting "NO! I CAN'T SLEEP! I NEED TO FIND A CURE!" Tails turned and slapped Shadow, which woke the fox up. Tails began to back away and said "It was an accident! I didn't mean to do it!" Shadow glared at Tails before shouting "YOU'RE DEAD FUCKER!" Tails ran out from the library screaming in terror.
Star Mane watched as Tails ran past her screaming, which made no sense. Why would he be screaming? She looked and saw a pissed off Shadow pursuing him, then everything made sense. "I'd better go get Twilight…" Shadow chased after Tails, he kept moving at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow. Tails would tire out eventually, and Shadow would be ready.
"HELP! HELP ME!" Tails shouted running through the town, ponies looked out of windows in confusion, and many came out see what was going on. Shadow kept following while Tails ran for his life. "YOU'RE DEEEEAAAAD!" Shadow taunted from behind the fox. Eventually Tails found himself at a dead end, he pressed his hands on the wall and looked back to see Shadow standing there. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Speedy managed to find the duo and flew in to stop it. Shadow walked forward and slapped Tails across the face. "There. We're even now." Shadow said reaching out a hand. Tails took it and got onto his feet. "Now go back to the library and sleep." Shadow ordered. "I can't! I need to find a cure!" Tails shouted. "You need to sleep Tails, how can you find a cure if you collapse?" Shadow asked attempting to remain calm. "I guess you have a point… I… I'll go get some sleep…" Tails replied nervously.
Shadow nodded as Rainbow Dash slowed down and stopped. "You chased him through town just for a little slap?" Rainbow Dash asked. "To knock some sense into him." Shadow responded, he turned and began to walk towards the library. He entered to see Tails curled up on the couch, just as Star Mane knocked on the door. Shadow opened it and asked "Can I help you?" Star Mane smiled and replied "I'm here to speak with Tails." "He's asleep right now, come back later." Shadow said attempting to close the door gently. Star Mane stopped it with her hoof and said "It's very urgent, I really need to speak with him." "You just want to talk with him about our planet and the different beings we've encountered." Shadow said, going to shut the door again, but Star Mane stopped it. "I really need to speak with him…" She had begun but Shadow cut her off. "How about you talk with me? I can tell you a lot about some aliens…" Shadow suggested. "I suppose that would suffice." Star Mane replied, before Shadow exited the library and leaned on the trunk of the tree.
"What do you want to know?" Shadow asked. "Last time we spoke you'd mentioned an alien known as Black Doom. Could you tell me more about him?" Star Mane asked. "Black Doom was the leader of an alien race known as the Black Arms. The Black Arms were a violent race, easy to pick out from their black and crimson coloration, much like myself. Black Doom had helped in my creation, but swore he would return to Earth and destroy the planet. However, he required the seven Chaos Emeralds in order to do it. So he sought me out to collect them for him. I had believed him and gathered all seven Emeralds but he betrayed me, so I killed him and destroyed the Black Comet that the aliens knew as home…"
Star Mane was impressed by all this information, alien beings with malicious intent.
"Not all aliens are evil though… Sonic and Tails had encountered a few of them… He had called them… Wisps… I believe… They were able to fuse with Sonic temporarily in order to share their power with him. The Doctor was using them to create a mind control device… Sonic was able to foil the Doctor's plans however…" Shadow explained. "So they were good aliens?" Star Mane asked. "Yes." Shadow replied. Shadow looked over at the Pegasus and asked "Anything else?" She shook her head before walking off happily. Shadow went into the library and saw Tails working. "Go back to sleep!" Shadow shouted, while the fox set down the chemicals and ran back towards the couch before leaping onto it.
Shadow sighed and began to leave the library, he had been requested by Pinkie and he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day. He closed the door behind him and moved towards where Pinkie had told him to meet her. Tails opened his eyes and tiptoed over to the large collection of chemicals and began to work once more. As tired as he was he just couldn't stop working, no matter what anyone said.
Tails began to pour chemicals gently into a larger beaker. "Just a little more…" He muttered until the chemical finished pouring. His stomach growled, but he did his best to ignore it. "All right… Now I need some…" He reached for a beaker but found that it was just out of reach, he kept wiggling his fingers in an attempt to grab the glass, but he couldn't, not once did he look towards where he was reaching. "Come on… Stupid thing…" Tails muttered. He felt it get pushed into his fingers, making him smile. "Thank you." He said. "You're welcome." Fluttershy replied, Tails froze when he heard the voice. He did what his instincts told him to do… "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Tails ran out from the library and towards Sugar Cube Corner.
Shadow sat next to Pinkie who had prepared a dozen cupcakes. "Now we frost them!" Pinkie shouted with a giant smile. Shadow picked up a frosting bag and began to squeeze it, making the sweet substance come out from the end and onto the cake. He let out sigh of boredom and continued frosting the cupcakes, he didn't have anything better to do… Shadow's right ear twitched as he heard a yell. Tails flung the door open, locked it after entering and ran over to the black hedgehog. "SHADOW! FLUTTERSHY! LIBRARY! SCARED! INFECTED! Oh, cupcakes!" Tails shouted getting distracted by his stomach. "What…?" Shadow asked confused until he saw Fluttershy standing outside the door, she waved a hoof before tapping on the window and pointing at the lock.
Shadow began to reach for a knife on the counter, a large one most likely used for cutting cakes, but he felt a hand hold down his wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Scourge said with a large grin. Shadow watched them, their fangs had become shorter, maybe filed down… Scourge picked up the knife and moved over to the door, he flipped the lock and allowed Fluttershy to enter. "I'm sorry… I just want you to feel as good as we do… I mean… If you want to… We won't force you… Will we…?" Fluttershy began to ramble, she looked at Scourge who said "We will force you if we have to." His smile had become a frown. He watched as Shadow reached under the counter for something. "Yeah… Don't worry… There's nothing you have to worry about…" He revealed a flask and began to pour a yellowish liquid into his mouth. "Something to calm your nerves?" Scourge asked, Shadow shook his head, his cheeks were full of what Scourge assumed was alcohol and he hadn't swallowed yet. He revealed a lighter and in one quick moment he activated it. "What you gonna smoke too?" Scourge asked again, Fluttershy began to back up. Shadow spit the liquid out in a stream, creating a string of fire in front of him. Fluttershy let out a cry of fear and ran outside the building, while Scourge took the flames. He yelled in shock as he was engulfed in flames.
"What was that Shadow!?" Tails demanded to know, he wasn't sure if having any form of liquor was smart. "Remember your failed attempt at the cure?" Shadow asked, while Tails began to think. "You mean the…?" Tails began but Shadow cut him off. "Lighter fluid you accidentally created. I thought it might come in handy." Shadow tossed the empty flask behind him and got up. "We better find the others." He said before leading the group outside, Scourge stood there with several burn marks across his body.
"Really? You'll have to try harder than…" Scourge began but was cut off when a metal fist made contact with his jaw knocking it off his skull. Omega lifted Scourge by his head and threw him through the window shattering the glass. Fluttershy let out an "Eep!" and began to run away from the large robot. Omega turned to face Shadow and reached out a hand. "Tails, since we don't have Rouge with us… You are now a temporary member of Team Dark. You're our wings… Er… Flight, I'm the speed, and Omega is the strength. Got it all?" Shadow asked, getting a nod from the little fox. "Good. Let's go!" Shadow ordered running out from the building with Omega, Tails, and Pinkie following.
"Shadow we need to get to the library! I have some armor there! We can probably fit Omega and Gamma with some of it as well!" Tails shouted, avoiding a bite from an infected pony. "Look out!" Tails shouted, shoving the black hedgehog away from the pony as it chose a new target. Tails spun and smacked the stallion several times in the face with his tails, stunning the pony. Shadow pulled a small bottle from his bag and uncorked it. He threw the contents at one of them and the infected began to melt into a strange gray liquid. "What was that?" Tails asked astounded. "Cockatrice blood, melts the fuckers… Not sure why though…" Shadow replied, while Omega dealt with a few infected.
"C'mon guys! You need to chill out! We just want to help!" Sonic shouted at them, while the group turned to face the hedgehog. "You really think this is going to end well? I'm not afraid to fight you!" Shadow shouted, he watched as Sonic laughed. "You seem to have forgotten, I'm basically invincible! You can't kill me, or beat me!" Sonic replied, he ran at Shadow, who rushed forward. The two hedgehogs moved close to each other, Sonic attempted to punch Shadow, but Shadow was able to dodge the attack made. Shadow kicked Sonic in the chest, knocking him a few feet away. However Sonic rose onto his feet and moved, Shadow tried to dodge a kick, but felt Sonic's foot make contact with his forehead. Shadow was flung several feet back, but he landed perfectly. The two hedgehogs charged at each other again and began fighting, it was a flurry of fists and feet as they fought.
Omega however had been angered, he grabbed Sonic by the waist and hoisted the hedgehog into the air. "Hey! W-Wait a minute big guy! Don't you dare…" Sonic began but it turned into a scream as Omega threw Sonic with all his might into the sky. Omega turned and nodded, while they ran for the tree house. Zecora, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big McIntosh, Speedy, Rarity, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Star Mane, Gizmo, Flare, Knuckles, Gamma, Metal Sonic and Spike were inside. "There you guys are!" Knuckles shouted, he looked at them and said "Suit up, we're leaving town." Shadow placed some of the armor, it wasn't heavy so he wasn't sure about it. Tails began to cork some beakers and test tubes, making sure they were ready for travel. "Can't lose my research, like last time." Tails said giving Pinkie a quick glare.
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, not having heard of the incident. "Oh, don't worry about it Rarity, we have to go… Besides, we wouldn't want to bore the readers with something they've already read in the last chapter." Pinkie said with a big smile. Tails leaned over to Twilight and asked "What is she talking about?" Twilight shrugged and replied with "Don't question Pinkie. Something I learned fairly fast." Twilight explained with a roll of her eyes. There was a pounding on the door, the infected could be heard as they slammed on the wooden barrier between them and the uninfected. Shadow looked at the group and asked "Where are we going?" All he received were uneasy glances. "We haven't really figured that much out yet… What we do know is that it has to be far away from here!" Twilight replied, after about two minutes. "What help is that?" Shadow asked, trying to keep calm. "We just need to find a way to get out of here first…" Tails said nervously.
Shadow nodded and faced the door, it would hold for a while, but then what? What if they found another way inside? Shadow groaned in frustration, he had no idea what to do. "Twilight. Is there a window upstairs?" Shadow asked. "Well… Yes, but I don't see how that…" Shadow ran up the stairs and towards the window. He opened it and looked down, there was nothing underneath it making this their only escape route. He ran back down and began to explain his plan. "We need to jump out the window in order to escape. I'll go first and I'll distract them from getting to you. Then you all run and get as far away from this town as possible!" Shadow said in a quiet voice. He led the group upstairs when he heard the door give in, there was a loud crash and the sound of fighting.
Shadow turned around and saw Big McIntosh was fighting them back with a chair, holding it in his teeth he swung it at them. He threw the chair and it made contact with one of the infected. "Go! Get out of here!" He shouted, while Shadow began usher ponies out the window, they all landed with thuds, but were unharmed. Shadow jumped out leaving Applejack and Big Mac still in the building. Applejack turned to face her brother, she said "Be careful…" Big Mac smiled and replied with "Eeyup." Applejack jumped and landed on her hooves. She saw the group had already begun to move, so she ran to catch up.
There was a loud yell as the infected noticed them, rushing at her Applejack had to move quickly. She saw them closing in on her, but Shadow kicked one in the face. He watched as they began to back away from him while he held the headless cockatrice. "Make a move… I dare you." Shadow said narrowing his eyes. Shadow watched as they backed away, leaving a large gap for Applejack to get through. She ran past by the others while Shadow turned and moved over to the group. He dropped the headless cockatrice onto the ground and began to walk away while the rest of the group followed in silence.
Shadow sat under the large tree, it blocked the sun from hitting him and he needed it. The middle of summer in a sunny field, he watched as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran around the flowers, with Twilight and the others not far from them. He wasn't sure why but it seemed like the two fillies were always watching him, he'd catch them glancing at him from time to time, it was usually when he was doing something. He thought back to just earlier today…
Shadow had been searching for a way to get a look at their surroundings, if they didn't know where they were it would end up a disaster. He placed his hand on the trunk of a sturdy tree and looked to his left. There was a second tree, about the same size and width. They were close enough that he could get his way up to the top. Shadow jumped, pressing all of his weight onto the tree, he then used it to launch at the second tree, once again pressing all his weight into it, and he sprung back and forth between the trees rising with each jump. He grabbed the top of the tree and began to search for anything that could provide some form of cover. He saw a field, it had many flowers, some trees that seemed like there was fruit in them, a few streams, and finally what appeared to be several bushes. He looked down and jumped, grinding on each tree branch until he felt his feet hit the ground. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at him in awe, to them he was the very definition of "fearless". Shadow had begun to explain where they were going but the two didn't listen. They were instead telling each other how amazing he was.
Shadow chuckled as he came back to reality, he noticed Scootaloo was doing something, she continuously jumped up and down on a spot in the field. Shadow could hear a muffled metallic clunk as her hooves hit the ground. Shadow walked over, attracting the rest of the group as well. He yanked at the ground and pulled away a blanket woven from grass. It was actual grass, whoever made this didn't cut any corners. He turned his attention to the hatch that he had revealed, wasting no time he grabbed the handle and opened the metal door. "I'm going to investigate this… Don't follow me." Shadow said, but he mostly looked at the two fillies, who both gave sad faces.
Shadow jumped into the long round corridor, his shoes hitting metal as he landed. Shadow began to walk down the pathway made, fully aware for anything that may be dangerous. He listened for any sign of danger, not wanting to get ambushed by anything. He stopped moving when a loud crash was heard before him. He continued moving forward, but at a slower pace. Then in a quick motion he was knocked onto his back. The robot looked at him, it was clearly broken, cracks covered its head, many wires were torn apart, and its left eye wasn't lighting up. Upon closer inspection Shadow noticed that it seemed to be the skeleton of a robot.
"Hello… You seem to be lost… I'm afraid I have to kill you now…" It said in a sweet, gentle tone. "Shit…" Shadow thought as he recognized the voice. It was Metal Fluttershy, somehow she had survived him destroying the factory, and it seemed to have damaged her beyond being able to fully repair herself. Shadow kicked her off and ran back towards the exit, only to find himself at a different door. He flung it open and slammed it shut behind him. Turning he found himself face to face with another robotic skeleton. "GAH!" Shadow let out a cry of surprise.
He noticed the skeleton didn't make a move for him so he tapped it on the nose. It fell to the ground, not having any power. He looked around the room closer, and saw it filled with various skeletons of machines. Each one from the robots that were thought to be destroyed when the factory exploded. Many of them had parts missing, most likely scavenged by each other when they eventually shut down. It seemed that Metal Fluttershy was the only survivor left. He looked at the tools on the ground, and noticed that one robot however was still fully intact, and if any damage had been done it wasn't visible. The Shadow Android sat against the wall, it appeared just as it had when he fought it in the factory.
A scraping sound got his attention, it seemed to be coming from inside the walls, and it traveled until it went into the ceiling, towards a vent cover. Shadow turned and attempted to open the door, but it was stuck. "Come on come on come on!" He began to slam into the door, attempting to break it down. "Open! God dammit!" Shadow shouted continuing to slam himself into the metal door. Metal Fluttershy broke the vent cover and dropped into the room. She moved towards Shadow, who was still trying to break down the door. Shadow couldn't take her on, not down here. He could barely see so he had a large disadvantage. Metal Fluttershy was nearly to him, ready to fight. The moment Shadow was able to see her, a lead pipe made contact with her head, knocking the robot away and shutting it down. Shadow saw Tails approach and smiled. Tails managed to pick the lock to the door, and Shadow left, leaving Tails down there alone. He searched for anything useful and found only a few tools, a screwdriver, a hammer, and a few pieces of metal.
About halfway through the door, Tails felt a metal hand wrap around his ankle. He let out a cry of shock as Metal Fluttershy pulled him onto the ground, the objects he had picked up falling around him. Tails clawed at the metal floor trying to get away from the robotic monster. "You're doomed…!" She said lifting up one of her arms, the metal on the hoof was jagged and broken giving it a knife like form. She quickly swiped Tails across the back of his leg and pulled him down further. She slashed his back, leaving a large gash. She pulled him down even further and focused at his head. "This is it… I'm going to die… I'm sorry Sonic…" He thought, he looked back at Metal Fluttershy who had her weapon raised, ready to strike. Shadow kicked her skull, causing her to release Tails. Tails scrambled onto his feet and towards the exit leaving a trail of blood as he moved. Shadow followed and climbed back to the surface.
"What happened!?" Twilight asked, seeing the bleeding fox and the bruised hedgehog. "One of Eggman's robots. Metal Fluttershy managed to survive the explosion, they all did. As they shut down, they used each other as spare parts. Now, none remain." Shadow explained, while he closed the hatch. Written in fading paint was "Failed Experiments. Do Not Enter!" Shadow groaned and moved back over to the tree where he sat down once again. He was approached by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who were carrying a basket of apples, picked freshly from the trees. He took and bit into one, feeling the juice run down his throat, he swallowed and looked around the area, and this place was nice, not perfect, but nice. Shadow smiled and drifted to sleep in their little Eden.
"Shadow? Have you ever wondered why Grandfather works all the time?" Maria asked the black hedgehog. "The Professor say's his work will help those on Earth." Shadow replied. "It must be important… I barely see him anymore." Maria said with a frown. "The Professor said he was taking tomorrow off, so that he could spend more time with us." Shadow said, making Maria smile a bit. "He did?" She asked. Shadow nodded and looked out the ARK's window, he looked at the blue planet below and felt himself grow with wonders. Would he ever see it? What were the people there like? Would they accept him?
Shadow felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, he faced the Professor who smiled warmly at the hedgehog. "Shadow… I need to talk with you… Alone." Shadow nodded and followed the Professor into a room where no one would be able to hear them. "I have recently come to terms with myself… Shadow… I won't be around forever… I need you to promise me something…" The Professor said, making the black hedgehog feel nervous. "Yes? What is it?" Shadow asked. "Promise me… No matter what… You'll take care of Maria… You and I… Are the only family she has left…" Shadow was shocked, but he knew what he had to do. "I will Professor. I'll protect her with every part of my power." Shadow replied. The Professor smiled and left the room leaving Shadow alone in the darkness.
Shadow awoke to a loud pounding, he looked and saw the metal hatch throb with each hit. "Let… Me… OUT!" Metal Fluttershy screamed in rage. Sweetie and Scootaloo backed up frightened, but Shadow stood in front of the hatch making sure it would hold. He stomped on the metal and heard her shout "I'LL RIP YOUR EYES FROM THEIR SOCKETS! I'LL TEAR YOUR FUCKING ENTRAILS FROM YOUR GUT! I'LL FEED YOUR CORPSES TO THE MANTICORES AND WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH YOU YOU'LL ALL BE NOTHING MORE THAN LITERAL PILES OF SHIT!" She began to laugh, while pounding on the hatch. "The only piece of shit is you! Make sure to tell your robotic buddies that they're nothing but fucking shit just like you!" Shadow yelled, which made her stop.
"I'll come down there and I'll finish you off! I'll use your Goddamn head like a trophy! If you didn't think that was enough, then I'll use your wires to strangle each and every cockatrice I see! Then… Oh ho the… I'll use your hooves as chair fucking chair legs!" Shadow shouted, he heard footsteps moving away from the hatch quickly, making him smile. "She won't be bothering us again." Shadow said to the group who stood wide eyed at him. Rarity had covered Sweetie Belle's ears, while Rainbow Dash did the same with Scootaloo. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do." Shadow said before moving away from the hatch, he moved over to his tree and leaned on it. Shadow placed a cigar in his mouth and lit a match, he stared at it for a bit before waving it out and placing the cigar back in his bag. He didn't want to do this too often, after all he did have small children with him. "Twilight. Are you sure it was a good idea to bring him along? He doesn't seem to be very… Preferable as a leader…" Rarity began, but Applejack bumped into her in an attempt to stop her before Shadow could hear.
"It ain't smart to be talkin bout that feller when he can probably hear yah." Applejack whispered. "I understand Rarity, but he's fought Sonic before. He may know how to beat him." Twilight said in a hushed voice. "He's a brute!" Rarity hissed, pressing her head against Twilight's. "He's our only hope!" Twilight whispered back. "He's going to lead us into certain doom!" "He's going to help us out!" "He has horrible fashion sense!" "He has what it takes to survive!" The two mares glared at each other until Shadow said "You do know you're only about three feet away from me? I heard everything."
Scourge was trying to place his jaw back onto his skull, it finally cracked into place and he lifted his fists in triumph. He heard a screaming as Sonic landed nearby the green hedgehog. "You didn't stop him did you?" Scourge asked. "Yes, I always plummet from at least fifty feet because I stopped them from escaping…" Sonic replied in a sarcastic tone. "Why does this always happen to me…?" Sonic asked, getting onto his feet. "What?" Scourge asked curiously. "There seems to be a pattern of me falling onto my face… After Tails and I first attacked the Egg Carrier… When I had first been turned into a Werehog… After Merlina summoned me to Camelot…" Sonic explained, he knew this had to just be some form of cruel joke. "Sonic, we've captured one." Trixie announced moving over to the two hedgehogs.
Big McIntosh was being herded by the infected, he had several bruises and cuts but no bites. "So… You were trying to escape with the others correct?" Sonic asked. "Eeyup." He replied, his face was void of emotion, so Sonic couldn't tell if he was afraid or not. "You going to tell me where they're heading?" Sonic asked. "Nope." Big Mac answered. Sonic scowled and snapped his fingers, the infected knocked Big Mac's feet out from under him. The infected began to kick him, making him cough up blood. Sonic bent down and asked "You gonna tell me now?" Big Mac spit in his face, Sonic wiped away the mixture of blood and saliva before kicking Big Mac in his jaw. "Tell me now!" Sonic shouted. "Nope. Ah can't." Big Mac muttered between gritted teeth. "Why not!?" Sonic asked now furious. "Ah'd have ta know where they're goin first…" Big Mac replied. For some reason he smiled when Sonic began backing away in shock. "No… No…! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Sonic yelled. He grabbed his left ear and felt it come off in his hand. He tossed the ear aside and looked at Big Mac.
"You will not make a fool of me!" Sonic shouted. "Ah just did." Big Mac said with a grin. Sonic kicked him in the stomach "You son of a bitch!" He shouted, but he continued to kick, soon Big Mac began to bleed, Sonic's shoes had broken through the skin, allowing the red liquid to flow freely. Sonic kept kicking, he only stopped when Silver and Scourge forced him to stop. "We could use him Sonic, let's just infect him and get it over with!" Scourge said. Sonic nodded as the infected surrounded Big Mac, his red coat was unable to be seen through the wriggling mass of the infected fighting over trying who got to infect the large red stallion.