Chapter 3

As Shadow had predicted, Ivy started screaming as soon as Shadow re-appeared in his body. Tommy giggled himself senseless as he came out, Shadow gave him a cuff, Ivy had been in the kitchen and hadn't seen them arrive.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Shadow sighed while Fritz and Tommy laughed, rolling around on the floor.

"Just a small problem with an idiot..." Said Shadow.

"SMALL?!"

"Yes. Small." Said Shadow firmly. "And now I've GOT to find Amy." Fritz grinned at Tommy as he stood,

"Your turn to go with Shadow."

"Aww why do I have to go!"

"Father son time." Said Fritz, Shadow tossed a book at him, it passed through, "HEY! I'm gonna feel like paper for the rest of the day now thank you very much!" Said Fritz indignantly. Tommy giggled,

"Well you prettymuch asked for that Fritz." Then Tommy put his pale hand on Shadow's arm. "Let's go!"

***

Amy was floating around near where her body was, in suspended animation. Because they thought she was dead they had put her body in there until they could actually get to trying to figure out what killed her.

She could see many pale people floating around different capsules. She almost couldn't believe it. She'd always believed in spirits. But she'd never believed something like this would happen. Suddenly, she saw one sink into the capsule that was hers and her body changed into a boy's. She gasped, suddenly SHADOW appeared and opened the capsule. The boy stepped out.

He hugged Shadow. "It worked!"

"You still able to see spirits?"

"Oh yes, if you've been one you are able to see them even when inhabiting a body." Shadow looked up then.

"Amy would you come down?" Amy blinked.

"You... you can... you can see me?"

"Of course, come here." She came down and timidly stepped towards him, "You won't really be able to hug me but... if I become a spirit you could."

"Oh Shadow don't die!"

"I don't need to." Suddenly Shadow's body changed into a fox's. Shadow's spirit stepped towards her, "See Amy? I'm alright." She hugged him tightly.

"OH SHADOW!" He grunted, trying to loosen her grip, Tommy and Fritz were giggling.

"Okay Amy, get off or I'll be seriously injured when I get back to my body."

"Oh yeah... sorry." She let go. "So where to now?" She asked.

"My house. Sonic and the others are there."

"Spirits?"

"No." Said Shadow, Amy sighed. Shadow actually regretted the fact that Amy wouldn't be able to hug Sonic.

***

Rouge had just finished an hour of yelling at Sonic. "AND SO WHAT MADE YOU DO THAT?!"

"I've been getting these nightmares about horrible things coming out of mirrors." Sonic whispered.

"IS THAT ALL?!"

"NO. Let me finish! They kill everyone in the nightmares then..... then it gets worse." Sonic's eyes were wide. Everyone was silent, they watched him. "And... and the horrible thing is that... is that... they always have someone's face! The face of someone I know! Last night it was Amy... and... and Tails." Said Sonic. Rouge blinked.

"Alright... Sorry for yelling Sonic." Said Rouge, trying to be gentle, she did succeed a little.

***

Shadow shook his head as Fritz and Amy floated behind him, "I can't believe I'm knocking on my own door." He sighed as Amy giggled. Tommy smiled and hugged him.

"You're fun Da... Shadow." Amy was about to ask what Tommy had been going to say when Fritz put a hand over her mouth.

"Shh." The door opened a tiny bit.

"Shadow!" Charmy hugged him, "Rouge just gave Sonic an hour long shout out about what he did yesterday. She was too tired to do it yesterday."

"A whole hour? Aren't I honored."

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Tommy." Tommy smiled.

"Nice to meet you!" He hugged Charmy who hugged him enthusiastically back. They went inside with Amy and Fritz trailing behind them.

"Do we HAVE to be behind them?"

"Well until we get upstairs into a room that has a mirror yes." Said Fritz.

"SHADOW!" Yelled Rouge, rushing to him and hugging him.

"Let go Rouge..." Groaned Shadow, noticing Sonic's grin. "We need to get into a room with a mirror." Sonic's eyes widened.

"Uhh... no thanks!"

"What do you mean Sonic? You aren't AFRAID are you? You filled me and Fritz full of glass yesterday so I somehow didn't expect you to be."

"Shadow leave him alone." Shadow blinked, "He's had nightmares about things from mirrors killing everyone, he has a right to be scared." Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"Damn it, their plan is already working." Tommy looked confused.

"Plan?"

"You know how we all recieved red envelopes? Some of them were NOT the real thing. Sonic's and Rouge's weren't. Amy's was real, but before she could read it the others attacked and killed her. GUN is acting like the bunch of idiots they are."

"What?"

"They're putting every body of the people that have been killed into suspended animation. Who knows how long it will be before they actually get buried." Knuckles looked alarmed.

"But if you listen to legends then that makes angry spirits."

"Of course it does, they get no rest. They can choose to hang around if they want, but most don't."

"Except me and Fritz as far as you've met. It's possible to kill a person but leave their spirit to remain until they either become angry, or their bodies are buried. They can destroy the body completely, but if even a BIT of that is buried, they're released."

"So... they're making an army?" Asked Sonic.

"Yes." Said Shadow.

"Wow..." Shadow turned.

"Oh alright."

"What?"

"Fritz and Amy want us to hurry up and get to a mirror."

"Oh uh... yeah... HEY WAIT! Amy's here?!" Yelled Sonic as they all dashed off.

"YES!" Shadow yelled back over his shoulder. Sonic had no way of knowing that Amy stayed to look at him for a moment, before following the others.

The others watched Fritz appear, "Where's Amy?"

"She's coming." Two seconds later Amy appeared.

"So what did you want to say?" Asked Rouge. "I... I'm going to tell you about how I was killed." The others were shocked, how could someone tell how they were killed?! "It... it happened five weeks ago."

***

Five weeks ago...

She heard the doorbell ringing as if someone was frantic, "I'm coming I'm coming! I've sprained my ankle okay!" Suddenly the ringing stopped, there was a crisp metal clap from her mailbox, and then silence. Going into the hallway, she saw a red envelope on the ground. She picked it up, and her hand was going to reach in for the letter when she suddenly felt pain in her side.

She fell down, blood pooling all around her... her body. Her spirit rose over it. She gasped. The two attackers were dressed in black, they'd shot her with some weird pellets. "Our work here is done, let's take the envelope and see where it will lead us... we might get those damned..."

"Shut up!" Hissed the second one, "There are spirit spies everywhere!"

"I hate it, we were so close 200 years ago... and they ruined it all! Argh.... at least we caught that meddling human professor and his granddaughter."

"Which ones?"

"The ones that died 50 years ago...."

Shadow growled, "So... Maria and Gerald are still around? I've gotta save them somehow!"

"Let Amy finish!"

As they darted out, Amy's spirit followed them, suddenly, just as they reached a strange building, a golden line appeared, linking her to her body. She struggled, but couldn't move any further forward, so she flew back.

At the crime scene, police had gathered, as well as ambulences. "Both of them are dead." Amy floated closer. Both? She looked outside her door, just around the corner, and gasped in shock and horror. There was the body of another person. And above it floated a cloaked spirit figure.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Amy.. Amy Rose."

"Oh no... if they killed you, there's even less chance of us winning."

"Who's... us?" As the spirit figure opened his mouth they heard a new voice join the conversation, both of them went close to the corner and listened.

"Oh please gentlemen, let me take it from here, they might have demons around them."

"Demons? There are no such things."

"Oh but yes there are. When someone dies... a new demon is born."

"Demon?" Amy asked.

"He means spirits, he's trying to put them against us." A young man's voice rose from the police force.

"No! Spirits are good unless angered, and they are rarely angered, only something very evil can do that, and they generally try to protect their loved ones while that happens!"

"Not these... these are demons. If I can catch them then I can actually save the planet. Unlike that blue hedgehog of yours, or the black one."

"Sonic and Shadow are respected heroes. You aren't." Challenged the young man."

The spirit man grimaced, "That kid is going to die tonight."

"What?"

"He's standing up to someone who can see spirits, someone who's father was chosen many years ago, because of it, he inherited the powers. We need a new hero... now!"

"Wha... what do you mean?"

"Your DNA... mixed with someone else's, you are pure, the one you choose will be too... you won't choose someone poluted, your DNA must be mixed so that a new hero is created, one who can see spirits, and let his whole body become one... his whole body must be a spirit!"

"But.. but how's that possible?!" Asked Amy.

"I can sense two nearby!" They heard the man say.

"Get out of here girl, you're the last hope of everyone living... of ever spirit and body!"

"There they are!"

"FLY!" He pushed her, so hard that she realized he had become temporary solid, if still transparent, she was thrown away hard, she looked back and saw him caught in a weird contraption that held him spread out like a star. Spirit tears fell from her eyes........ and it started to rain as she fell in the bushes, her body calling to her.

"That's what happened. After that, I followed them to the place you found me."

"So your DNA mixed with someone else's huh? I know only one place that can do that, the ARK. You'll have to choose soon Amy. Hold on." Shadow's spirit floated out of his body and into the mirror, "Go Amy." She floated out and into his body. It changed to look like hers.

"Amy!" Sonic backed away, hoping she wouldn't hug him.

"We got work to do." Said Amy, turning to the door. As Rouge passed Sonic she said.

"Guess Amy doesn't need you anymore lover boy."

Shadow floated behind Amy and Tommy with Fritz. "So... where exactly is the ARK?" Fritz asked.

"In space." Said Shadow.

"Space?!"

"How will we get there?" Asked Tommy.

"A rocket."

"And how will we get one of those?"

"GUN."

"Gun? What is a gun going to do for us?"

"No, the government group called GUN. Guardian Units of Nations."

"Oh I see... Not." Said Fritz.

"Well whether or not you get it we're doing it."

The soldiers thought of challenging Amy until she said she was there to see the GUN commander about Shadow, and then one remembered she had been on the news as dead and said so. Both fainted. In the Commander's office there was more challenge.

"What proof do you have? You could be a look-alike, a clone, or an android."

"Do I look metallic? Anyhow... We need a space ship." He scoffed.

"And why should I give it?" His eyes widened in shock as Amy became Shadow.

"It's a matter of life or death to the whole planet Commander."

The Commander nodded, "O... okay." He said softly.

"Good." Out they went, Amy floated as a spirit, her work done at that moment. Shadow swung himself up into the ceiling rafters as a GUN soldier tried to tackle him.

"We're here with permission from the Commander." They instantly started listening. "We're here for a space ship." They were shown one. Shadow smirked and went in, "Okay then. Let's go." Tommy grinned and switched with Fritz.

"I've always been better at flying." He said cracking his knuckles, seemingly not noticing the soldiers fainting.

"Let's do it."

"Chaos time." Said Amy, smiling. Shadow smiled back at her.

"Hey Amy? Do you have the person you've chosen?" "Yes, he'll be with us." "I don't want to wait for takeoff."

"You don't, we can go now."

"Okay Amy..." Said Shadow. They blasted off as Sonic appeared.

"Damn it. Missed them." He glanced at a smaller shuttle and smirked. "Or maybe not." He swung up into it and shot off after them.

A dark figure smiled in the shadows. "Well well well well... this is interesting. My friend's star riders shall try to catch them and kill them I'm sure.... he never passes up the chance to get more angry spirits for his army. Well... I cannot let that happen I'm afraid. Agor." A small sinewy creature that looked like some sort of strange lizard looked at him, "Find and protect." He said, the lizard spread miniature wings, revealing it was a small dragon, and lifted off, flying straight up. "Good luck my friend." With a twirl of his cloak he was gone, leaving the GUN soldiers to wake up and rub their heads.

"How much farther Shadow?"

"Not much farther, I can see the ARK already." Suddenly the ship lurched.

"What was that?!" Tommy yelled.

"Not sure." Said Shadow, he stood, carefully walking back, he looked through some of the windows, a small green lizard thing with wings looked through at him, almost seeming to smile at him.

"Look at this Tommy."

"Wow... what is it?" The lizard nodded towards the ARK then slithered out of sight. "What the...?" Suddenly there was a huge boost of energy and the ship rocketed towards the ARK.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Yelled Fritz.

"I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT'S THAT LIZARD THING!"

"WANT ME TO TAKE A LOOK?"

"PLEASE DO!" Tommy floated and stuck his head through the wall, "IT'S THE LIZARD ALRIGHT. IT SOMEHOW FUSED ITSELF TO THE ENGINE." Shadow shook his head.

"Damn it." He headed back to try and dislodge it when someone shimmered into existence before him. A hooded figure.

"Hello Shadow, Amy, Fritz, Tommy. The dragon isn't there to hurt you, it is helping us outfly our enemies." Said the figure calmly.

"Enemies?"

"Yes, people who would turn you into angry spirits for their own purposes." Tommy smiled.

"Impossible for me, my body and Fritz's are already buried."

"Maybe so, but they know where those bodies are located, they can dig them up. Where do you think most horror stories came from?"

"I dunno..."

"That's right, YOU don't know but my order DOES. Each horror story originates from some attempt to made angry spirits, the first attempt that almost succeeded was two hundred years ago. The only reason it DIDN'T work was because the spirits couldn't really hurt anything, they could make noise if they really really wanted to, but they couldn't hurt anyone. This time though... you know those bodies they have in suspended animation? They are being preserved, there are thousands of other dead bodies that never recieved burial as well, what was buried was holographic images. So there are enough dead bodies for thousands of dead."

"Well this sounds like some cheesy horror novel." Said Shadow.

"Cheesy or not it's true."

"Okay then... what proof do you have that this is true?" The figure pulled a red envelope from the depths of his robe.

"Not that again..."

"The ones sent to Sonic and Rouge were false, the real letters to them were intercepted. One of our agents was killed trying to get Amy's letter to her in time. We are truly sorry you were killed. There is a way to repair your body so that it can house your spirit again, but the memories won't ever leave you."

"This sounds like a lot of sentimental horror crap. Or something like that."

"Okay then, take this envelope, give it to the kid once it's created." Shadow raised his eyebrow as the guy disappeared. They looked back out the window.

"Uh guys?"

"What?"

"WE GOT A PROBLEM!" Yelled Tommy. Black lizards raced towards them, their eyes were large and yellow, almost looking like shooting stars.

"Okay.... just a second." Fritz went back to the engine room and roared, they got an extra burst of speed and got to the ARK shields.

"Identification code." Shadow said it quickly without a stumble and the shield let them through, the lizards crashed into it, they pounded at it, howling in rage.

"How can they even breath up here?"

"Probably some kind of mutation."

"Probably?"

"Hey I don't know everything!" Said Fritz.

"Yeah... Let's go Amy, where's the guy who you've chosen?"

"He's with us."

"Where?"

"Here, let's go." Shadow shook his head in confusion, they went aboard the ARK.

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness I made it in behind them!" He cruised to the ARK landing area and got out. "Now where will you guys be?" He leapt out and walked off, trying to find the others.

Shadow stopped beside a room, "What's wrong Shadow?"

"This was Maria's room."

"Oh, I'm sorry Shadow."

"It's not your fault." Said Shadow quietly as he led the way to the room he'd been born in.

Sonic stopped in front of a row of equipment in what looked like a weapon room. He whistled, "Coolio."

Shadow stopped in front of a control panel. "So Amy, where's the guy you chose."

"Right here."

"Right here WHERE?" Amy smiled, glided forward, and floated through him.

"You are." Shadow blinked.

"Me?"

"Yes." Fritz blew the moment by saying.

"Okay sentimental moment over, let's get on with this!"

Amy rolled her eyes.

"Shadow where would we put our DNA?" Shadow took a needle out of a compartment and checked it.

"This should work." He gave it to Fritz.

"What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Stick it into my arm, and Amy's."

"Okay...." So after that was done Shadow took the needle and looked at the mixed DNAs... he squeezed it into a small tube attached to a MUCH larger machine. "Shadow... do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes." Shadow said without turning around.

"How?"

Shadow turned.

"I did it before."

"When?" Shadow smiled.

"When Maria was busy, I had to have a companion." He whistled.

"Maybe he's still here." A low droning sound filled the air. Suddenly a small lizard appeared, it's eyes were large and green, Shadow smiled as it landed on his shoulder. "Meet Lop."

"Lop?"

"Yup, Maria named him. We made him together." Lop curled up and went to sleep.

"Amy would you like to pull the lever?"

"Sure." Said Amy, no one knew that the same robed figure from the ship had attached another two capsules to the machine. Amy pulled it. With a large flash and lots of machinery groaning the capsules were filled. "Shadow?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we could make me another body?"

"Sure." Said Shadow. Amy floated over to him and just listened to his heartbeat.

"Aaaaah..." It's eyes opened. "What's going on?" He snapped his head to the side, one of his siblings had said that.

"Not sure. You both okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Fine."

"Mother and Father are nearby."

"Mother? Father?" Asked the first, confused.

"Yes." Said the second. "I can hear them nearby."

"Let's get out of here then." They phazed out of the capsules.

Shadow and Amy gasped. Tommy laughed, and Fritz stared. The three hedgehogs in front of them were very odd. One looked like Shadow, but throughout his fur, even in the red stripes, were streaks of pink, but the eyes were mismatched, green and red. That was the one in the middle. The one on the left looked more like Amy, but with black eyes and arms. The one on the right looked like a very strange mix. Half was red, the other green, one eye was black, the other pink, and the arms were white.

"Mom? Dad?" Asked the one on the left, he stepped forward... and actually hugged Amy. She gasped as she solidified, a new body was formed on the spot. The cloaked figure standing in the shadows grinned, they were just as powerful as the legends said, the angry spirits would be calmed and the world would be saved.

"Uh... Shadow, Amy, please tell me I'm dreaming, otherwise I'm going to freak and scream..." The middle one leapt forward and clamped a hand over Fritz's mouth,

"Hey!" Yelled Shadow. The one holding Fritz cringed.

"Sorry Father, but if he screams he might bring something dangerous to us." Shadow blinked.

"Okay...?"

"What are your names?" Amy asked. They looked at each other, not quite sure. The cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows.

"The letter you have is for Spirit, Amy. Give it to me please." He took it and pulled out two more envelopes. "Now, I've mixed them up. One of you must choose each, if legend is correct, you'll each choose the right one." They each reached out. "Names?" He asked. The "middle one" (now on the right), said.

"I am Spirit." The one on the "left" (now on the right), said.

"I am Wanderlo." The one on the "right" (now in the middle), said.

"I am Tracker."

"Good. You are named. I shall leave now. Shadow, Amy, you must take care of them and make sure that those damned spirit makers don't get their hands on them." Shadow nodded. Wanderlo hugged him.

"Hey Dad! Hey bro!" Tommy suddenly found himself hugged by Wanderlo.

"Brother? I'm not your brother."

"Oh yeah you are. I can feel it." Said Wanderlo smiling. "Call me Lo for short."

"Okay, and call me Tom for short."

"Cool Tom." Spirit and Tracker looked at each other and smiled.

"Family hug?"

"Oh yes."

"Oh NO..." Said Fritz. "I'M NOT PART OF YOUR FAMILY!"

"You still are in the hug." Said Tracker, pulling him in.

Yawning, Wanderlo looked out the window at space. "Father, were you born here too?"

"Yes."

"Was mother?"

"Nah, she was born on Mobius."

"Is that the planet we're going to?"

"Yes." Tracker was learning to play cards from Fritz, Wanderlo had given Tommy and Fritz bodies again, and they were happily making use of them. Spirit sat with Amy though, having his chest fur played with. His eyes were closed, a slow rhythmic rumble rose and fell, sort of like a cat purring. "What's..?" Amy put a finger to her lips, she panto-mimed sleep, then pointed to Spirit. Shadow smiled.

Sonic looked at the video cameras again, "So... there's someway to duplicate the ARKs shield? How does it stand up against those creatures though...? Oh well." He turned and felt hands on his neck. His eyes widened, he was going to struggle when a voice hissed.

"Stay still!" A red envelope was put in his hand. "This is the true letter you and Tails were to recieve. Go back to Mobius, I have set up shields on your ship so you won't be harmed. A dragon shall fly with you." A tiny dragon slithered into view.

"Wh... why?"

"To give you more speed." Said the figure, before disappearing. Sonic stared at the envelope, then the dragon.

"Okay... let's go. I really hope this isn't another trick."

Wanderlo stared around at the inside of the GUN base. "Where's the green we saw on the way down Mother?"

"It's outside."

"Outside? We're inside a building?"

"Yes Lo."

"Mother, why are they staring at us?"

"I don't know Tracker."

"Will we get to eat soon?"

"Sure Spirit, as soon as we're outside." They kept on mobbing her with questions... and the funny thing about it was that they were all her height, all like Shadow in appearance, but so so different. Shadow's smiled disappeared, he hoped they never had to go through the things he had.

Suddenly he noticed Spirit was walking on his right, and Tommy on his left. "What is it?" He asked, glaring at the GUN soldiers who seemed to be stopping to question him.

"Did you ever have any brothers or sisters?" Shadow paused.

"Why do you want to know Spirit?"

"It's just that it seems like Amy is Fritz's sister."

"Oh I see." Shadow thought for a few moments. "No. I didn't have any siblings. I had Maria."

"What was she like?" So Shadow told them about her, and about fun times they'd had together. Amy smiled as she noticed Tracker and Wanderlo drifting closer to listen to the conversation. Fritz grabbed them and pushed them so they'd be walking pretty close.

XD I finally updated...... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!! :D Curses to writers block and kudos to creativity! ^_^ R&R!!!!