Narrator's POV

"I've got you Shadow. Just jump." Maria said softly as she held her arms out to catch the two pound hedgehog in her arms. He was holding on to a small branch. Apparently the girl was brave enough to take the jump into the soft ashes, but the hedgehog was afraid.

"Okay, here I go..." Shadow let a big breath out and closed his eyes loosening his grip on the rock. He closed eyes tightly as he let go. The curled himself, the fall wasn't long. The trembling quill ball stopped shaking as he started to unroll. Big beautiful blue eyes stared at him.

"See?" Maria smiled. She put him down.

"Hm, we're here... Where's the king though?"

"Didn't The Candle Maker say there'd be traps and monster- Ah!" Shadow turned back to the gasping girl. She had fallen and was now being dragged into the shadows. Shadow acted quickly and took her hands, pulling her.

"Maria!" Shadow groaned as he tried pulling his friend out of the dark. She was being pulled into pitch black shadows. His fear of the dark was over coming him. He started to lose his grip on her.

"Shadow! Wait! Noooooo!" She disappeared into the dark. Shadow fell to his knees. He had just let his friend go, who knows what happening to her right now... All that Shadow knew was that he'd lost his best friend because of his fear.

Darkness...

"Maria! Mariaaaaa!" Yelled the black hedgehog in tears. Seconds seemed like years. He was so torn, so lost, so lonely. "I let you go when I should have gone in there with you. I should've of told you, now you could be hurt or worse and it all my fault..." He started hearing whispers all around him, he felt a presence. "Hello? Maria?" He asked wiping his tears.

Black shadows were gathering around him. They looked like dark figures with cloaks waiting to take him. "Ah!" He gasped as he felt one touch his shoulder.

His fear, his anger... They were building up into rage...

He growled. "If you want me..." He picked up a sword that seemed it had been abandoned for ages and took it out of its sheath. It was still sharp and shiny. "You can have me, but I won't give up without a fight..." He growled. One of the shadows approached him, he swung the sword its way.

Another came to him, he swung the sword to it. The dark figure gave a loud screech as it dropped to its knees and put a hand over his freshly cut left arm. Black light poured out of it as blood would do.

"Who else wants some? Come on! Get closer!" With that shadows approached the small hedgehog. He sliced one in half. That shadow disappeared. Another approached him, Shadow took this opportunity to stab it in the stomach. He drove the sword in deeply, the tip showed through the other side. He drew the sword out and stabbed another shadow behind him in the face.

The shadow didn't have a face, it was just a cloak with darkness inside. He drew his sword out and stabbed another in the stomach. The shadow fell to its knees, Shadow decapitated it.

"Come! Get me! What are you waiting for! Come on! Get close! Come get a taste! Who else wants some?!" He screamed. The whisperings stopped. He dropped to his knees, his face was covered in black blood and so were his hands and chest fur. He wiped some tears away.

He stood and stuck the blade into its sheath and wrapped it around his waist. Just a sword, nothing else. He ran into the darkness, looking for his friend. He just had to know if she was alive or not.

Scourge's POV

"I understand. Loosing someone is hard, and it can get tough." My therapist said as she patted my knee. I was sitting in front of her talking to her.

"I just... I miss him." I admitted.

"It's alright, I know it can get hard. At least he's in a better place." She said.

"Yeah... He is."

"Okay, I have a new activity today. It's called a swear jar." She took out an empty glass jar that looked like a jelly jar. "The point of this jar is to teach you how to get rid of bad language that you may be using too often due to some habits or depression." She handed me it.

"How does it work?" I asked her.

"Well, every time you swear...you put, I don't know, a dollar or fifty cents. When you think your jar is pretty full, we will count the money. With it we can go somewhere or you can save it." She explained. "You will have to show me your jar every week, this way I'll know you're actually using the method to get rid of the swearing. As it starts to get lower because you've started to use it less or maybe stopped using it, the jar needs to back to me."

"Okay." I got up. "Thank you. Today was wonderful." I shook her hand.

"No problem dear, and I'm truly sorry for your loss." She said. My ears lowered, but I raised them again.

"No big...deal. I got to go now. I've got somethings to do."

"Alright, be safe." She said as I walked out the door.

"I will." I shut the door and walked with my jar out the door.

Narrator's POV

Shadow ran through dark forests, destroying the darkness that got in his way. His sword would glow light blue every time there would be danger. He had gained the strength to jump incredible heights and leap far. His heart started to open more, it was golden.

In his path was an old woman. She seemed weak and in need of rest. "Excuse me ma'am, may I help you?" Shadow asked her stretching a hand out for her to take.

"You're a sweet boy lad, there is one thing you can help me with." She spoke.

"What might that be?" Asked the black hedgehog.

"Deep into this forest is a purple glowing stone. This stone will regain my strength, if you could be a dear and get it for me." She said.

Shadow looked at the darkened trees. "I will not disappoint you." He said. He looked into the trees. "Let's see..." He looked around.

"Perhaps I could lend you...a push!" The woman pushed the black hedgehog into a black hole. She had taken his sword.

"Uh..." The black hedgehog fainted as he had hit his head on a rock. The old woman chuckled before his sword that was now broken into two.

A few hours later the black hedgehog awoke. "Ah..." He groaned as he sat up. He looked at his sword that was broken in two. "No, no, no. Not now." He went over to his dimmed blue sword.

Danger...

He looked around as he felt something surrounding him. Something big, something too powerful. He grabbed half of his sword, and stood up protectively. "Where are you?" Whispered the black hedgehog. The black hedgehog stopped and his ears raised as he felt a large amount of wind blow against him. His heart beat fastened. He turned around, and saw a large black creature.

His red glowing eyes stared deep into Shadow's eyes. He pointed his sword at the creature. A small white light stopped at the tip of Shadow's sword. He looked at it. Then he heard a voice.

"If you're pure of heart, prove it..."

The light flew away slowly. Shadow dropped his sword on the ground and looked up at the creature.

"My heart is as strong as gold!" The creature raised his sword, ready to slice the hedgehog in half.

"Shadow!" He heard Maria's voice.

"No Maria, I will not run away... Not this time..." He said. The creature swiped his sword. Dust clouds flew everywhere.

"No!" Maria screamed. The dust cleared, and the black hedgehog was still standing right where he was. The creature's sword had shattered and a bright light shown over the black hedgehog. The black creature vanished leaving someone in the shadows.

Maria ran to Shadow, but Shadow ran away from her to the figure in the dark. He ran quickly to it, before it collapse to the ground.

"Uh..." Groaned the figure.

"My Lord. Are you alright?" Asked the hedgehog. He helped The Forgotten King into the light.

"My dear boy." He said. His armor was shiny and golden. "You have freed me and my knights from the darkness of this realm. I've spent so many years of my life trying to fight the shadows, but failed. But you, Shadow the Hedgehog, have performed an act of bravery and kindness. You truly are pure of heart." He stated.

Shadow kneeled. "My Lord I have traveled far and wide for you. I have heard that you should accomplish a wish for the one who dares to come to you." He told him.

"You shall get your wish my boy." The King started floating, and his wings shine brightly. The feathers began to disappear, as they fell. The Forgotten King disappeared, and a bright star came to the hedgehog.

Maria nodded and smiled at him, Shadow ran to her and hugged her tightly, letting go of some tears. She kissed his forehead. He returned to the star and placed a hand on it.

"I wish things would go back to the way they were..."