Watchdogs of the ARK

Shadow VS Shadow

Teleporting through space, using Chaos Control, another Shadow the Hedgehog arrives on the ARK, landing on the Highway in the Sky. Is he the one from Infinite's world? No. For his commander is none other than Black Doom himself. The hedgehog is an illusion but still a threat. His target... Infinite the Jackal. Doom's Eye morphs beside the abomination, ready to assist.

"Shadow, find the jackal and kill her. Waste no time. Break and retrieve her dead body for me."

"I will do as you command," Illusion Shadow replies. "Time to suffer for all your crimes, Infinite the Jackal."

He zooms off.

Nearby, the real Shadow can sense an out of place presence near the Highway in the Sky and dashes that way. He knows Infinite is down there and worries his friend may be in great danger.

As Infinite marches up and down the asphalt, humming in bright spirits, Illusion Shadow appears. Instantly, Infinite braces himself. He's been on the ARK long enough to know... that's not his Shadow.

"A fake!" he shouts. "You don't belong here! ARG!"

Illusion Shadow springs into the jackal. Terrified, Infinite hardly expected to engage in a struggle for his life against yet, another Shadow. To his dismay, Illusion Shadow quickly overpowers him and aggressively pins him onto his stomach. The alien then pounds Infinite's chest against the roadway, leg-locks Infinite's torso and head-locks Infinite's skull. He violently grasps the jackal's hair, shoving his pretend hedgehog nose into the warrior's white mane.

"I've been watching you, Zero," he whispers salaciously, sticking a snake-like tongue into the jackal's ear. "Let's see how you like it when I take what's mine and start this war."

The alien proceeds to thrust himself against the jackal, trying to penetrate in the worst way.

"No! No, get off of me!" Infinite hears himself shriek. But the creature wraps it's arm around the jackal's face, covering his mouth, ready to crush his head.

"Chaos Control!" a burst of light! Shadow collides with Shadow. They tumble in the street then leap to their feet to go hand to hand. Infinite watches, stunned from being violated. His heart feels like it's thumped it's way into his throat. Shaking and in tears, he can hardly take in a full breath.

"Faker!" the real Shadow yells as they wrestle. "No one infiltrates the ARK!"

"I came for the jackal," the illusion proclaims. "She's a terrorist and her punishment awaits her. Give her to me and I'll leave this place untouched."

Shadow grips the illusion by the throat, strangling it. Coldness manifests in the air. He lifts the faker about a foot off the ground. Poised and rippling with rage, he then speaks with a tone so threatening, that Black Doom shutters from galaxies away.

"I saw what you did," Shadow says, referring to the revolting thrust performed by the illusion. "I saw the way you touched my partner."

Using an ability he's scarcely channeled, Shadow reverses Chaos Control, a wave of rage festers from his own body and fills the imposter with a toxic swirl of blackness. Discovering a detestable poser infringing upon Infinite like some sick ogre, seems to have unleashed Shadow's most dormant of dark powers. Doom's Eye Chaos Controls beside Infinite and circles him, looking him up and down like a creeper on the prowl.

"My eye has not deceived me. Shadow, you've become infatuated with this thing. This worthless, pathetic thing!"

Before anything else can happen, Illusion Shadow goes limp and dies. It transforms into a Black Arms minion, it's true identity revealed. Doom's Eye whizzes to Shadow as the livid hedgehog mercilessly tosses the faker over the highway. The minion's corpse plummets from the ARK's orbit and is quickly sucked into the void of space. Black Doom is baffled.

"How did you defeat my minion so qui-"

Shadow clutches Doom's Eye violently. It yelps. The Ultimate Life Form has now entered a blind rage.

"I know your intentions, I saw you try to insert yourself inside my companion. How dare you!"

And with that, he gouges Doom's eyeball, permanently blinding the alien. From a far, back in those same, dirty, rotten bowels of deep space, Black Doom screams in agony as the largest of his three eyeballs, is crushed right inside of his head.

Shadow then tosses Doom's Eyeball over the highway as well. With his head down and green blood dripping from his hand, Shadow treads over to Infinite.

He's not able to verbalize it, out of mere shock... but that was literally the coolest damn thing Infinite's ever seen in his entire life, and he wielded the power of the Phantom Ruby!

Shadow kneels to him and offers him his clean hand, Infinite takes it and stands, though shaky. Shadow lifts his head, giving the jackal a piercing look of sincerity. Infinite's ears fall back, he whimpers with glistening eyes and wags his tail. Then he slowly drops back down on his knees and fawns shamelessly over the Ultimate Life Form.

"You're, you're my alpha," Infinite proclaims. "I'm your Beta. Shadow, thank you! Thank you for saving me. I... I love you, my MASTER."

He bows his head, ears still down, tail between his legs. Then he presses his palms and forehead on top of Shadow's shoes. After a moment of basking in this intense display of gratitude, Shadow massages Infinite's head with his clean hand, stroking his hair and scratching behind his ears.

"You're a good boy," he softly whispers. "I know that's what you wanna hear."