Humans to Hedgehogs:

Dreams to Reality

Prologue: Dream or Reality?

            He stood in a field. There seemed to be nothing around for miles. The wind sliced through the air and buffeted his…Hair? No, his head felt too heavy and, when he reached up, he felt what seemed to quills instead. I’m a…Hedgehog? In his mind, he knew that statement to be true, and though it was a strange thought it seemed…Right somehow.

            Out of the corner of his eye he saw something, a blue blur. For some reason, a smirk appeared on his face. The ebony hedgehog was pleased at the thought of…What? What was he pleased about? Turning around, the hedgehog quickly raised his gun and aimed it at the blue blur, which stopped to reveal a blue hedgehog. “Shadow, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! How have you been?”

            The cobalt-blue hedgehog seemed to be ignoring the fact that a gun was being pointed at him, or at least was ignoring Shadow’s intent on using it. “Stop right there, Sonic!” He spat out the name venomously, hate and anger clear in his voice.

            Stopping short, Sonic cocked his head to one side as both of his ears swiveled to the side in confusion. “What are you doing? We’re brothers, remember? Twins,” there seemed to be some desperation in his voice and though Shadow knew Sonic’s words to be true, he did not understand why the hedgehog in front of him was so desperate.

            Or maybe he did know. Was the hedgehog in front of him trying to get Shadow to spare his life? “That doesn’t matter anymore! You’re the reason we’re here now; you’re the reason my life has been so hard.” He was breathing heavily now, though he had not done anything to tire him recently.

            “Shadow, what could’ve happened to you in the past two months that we’ve been separated that could’ve changed you so much?” There was genuine concern in Sonic’s voice, but Shadow refused to believe it. But even so, his left hand was starting to shake a little despite the deep hatred felt for the hedgehog before him.

            “Stop it! Stop acting like you care!” His own voice seemed to hold a desperate tone in it now. He shut his eyes tightly and looked away. “You’d never understand! Never! It’s your fault she’s dead. And now, you’ll pay for it. You’ll pay with your own life.” Opening his ruby-red eyes, the hedgehog trained them on his opponent. “Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog,” the ironic words seemed to pierce Sonic’s heart as they flew much faster than the bullet before him.

            As the bullet flew closer and closer to the intended destination, Shadow’s frown deepened. Would the death of his brother really satisfy his rage, his sadness, his…Hate? He did not know, and he would not know then, for he saw a flash of white light and the conclusion of his and his brother’s encounter would not be known to him for some time.

********

            The sound of his alarm clock woke up Kage Kaosu Hedgehog from his fitful slumber. Sitting up quickly, the ebony-haired teen looked down at his tan hand in disgust. To think he had been wielding a gun and had been about to kill whom he assumed to be his twin brother, Olgivlie Maurice Hedgehog.

            Even though it had only been a dream, Kage held a deep hatred for violence and killing along with his cousin, Maria Robotnik, and his twin. Though unlike Maria, he understood that there was always going to be violence and death, which made him feel bitter and angry at the violent world around him. Olgivlie was a different matter. Kage knew his twin also hated violence, but also understood that it would always be there and Oligivlie himself still sometimes had to resort to it in fights with a high school drop-out with red hair.

            The continuation of the wailing of his alarm clock stirred Shadow out of his thoughts. Looking over at the other bed, Kage rolled his eyes as he saw that his twin was still sound asleep. Standing up, Kage yanked the covers off of his brother and threw them on the ground. Olgivlie groaned as his hand searched for his blanket. He did not find it, however, and opened one eye groggily. “Get up, Sonic, or we’ll be late for school!” And, turning around before his brother could say a word, Kage walked towards his open closet and picked out an outfit for himself. With the strange and violent dream still at the forefront of his mind, Kage got dressed and quickly headed out of the door. Why are you worrying so much? It’s just a dream. But was it really a dream, or a reality that would soon happen?