‘Tis the season to be spooked, and thus I write The Second Shadow Halloween Special, with all the humour, supposed scares and self-parody you could ever want. I hope you enjoy my first proper attempt at a sequel, and see if you can spot the thinly veiled horror clichés I parody here.

Jake-X out.

--

8.00pm—Central City—Abandoned Estate

Fang the Sniper looked upon his target with a calmness that fitted the soft breeze that had arrived on Halloween night. His hand gun was holstered, and he gripped his trick and treat basket tightly. His target was just standing there, its body covered by some weird black cape and hood, leaning against a lamppost on the seemingly deserted and worn down estate in Central City.

People may consider a deserted and worn down estate unusual on Halloween night (or ever on that matter), but hey, with all its rustling garden bushes and groaning door frames, it definitely made a good scene. Now there would be no witnesses, and Fang would once again execute another successful heist.

Little did poor Fang know that his role would be so much different to the one he envisioned. Actually if I were to be specific about the role he was about to play, I would probably call it…the one where a mugger tries to mug someone but later finds out he’s mugging a psychopathic freak who is actually the villain of the whole thing. Yeah, I bet you all saw that coming, but hey, it gives me a chance to show how damn evil my villain is.

Oh and by the way, Fang isn’t in a disguise or anything, he’s just dressed as he usually is, cowboy hat and gun holsters, plus the aforementioned basket. This isn’t me insulting your intelligence, its just making absolutely sure that you know that Fang is a robber, and why would a robber wear a Halloween costume? Do you see psychopathic serial killers do that?

Oh.

So anyway, Fang quietly walks up to the costumed sap he’s gonna rob. In fact, he’s so quiet that the guy doesn’t even notice him despite them being all alone in an abandoned housing estate (I did mention it was abandoned didn’t I?). He takes out his gun and holds it to the guy’s back.

“Give me your candy, or you’ll join your buddy from the Phantom of the Opera.” He said threateningly.

…Yeah, I had nothin’.

The caped villain to be didn’t respond to the threat. Now the invisible pianist that had started to play a creepy tune should’ve been warning enough for Fang to get the hell outta there. But instead he prodded the caped villain with his gun (get your mind out of the gutter) and demanded he give him his candy, although he added some swearing to his threat this time around. Why? Because every criminal does it, and I’m doing it to fuel a stereotype. Plus it adds an edgier edge to the edgy scene taking place.

Go unimaginative writing!

“Hey, anyone home?”

The black caped villain turned round and upon seeing him, Fang quickly realised just what he had gone himself into. Before he could react, the caped villain grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the ground. Fang gasped in pain and looked up at his assailant. He gasped louder when he saw him brandish a pair of gleaming curved swords.

“No…please…no!”

The last thing he saw was the white gleam of the swords fly towards him.

--

8.20pm—Central City Hospital

Shadow the Hedgehog sighed as he walked into an unspecified ward in Central City Hospital, as were his orders. He continued walking through the ward and past the ill and injured in their beds until he got to his desired spot: a hospital bed that had its curtains drawn. Standing outside the aforementioned spot were two armed GUN soldiers that promptly saluted at the sight of the black hedgehog.

So why are GUN soldiers guarding a hospital bed in public? Surely if GUN were any way involved in anything it’d be a matter of national security. With this mindset, surely GUN would wanna keep things quiet and private so not to induce mass panic? They must have run out of space at the hospital or something, but even so, GUN is the chief security force of the world, surely they would be able to work something out.

Not in this fic.

So anyway, Shadow pushed aside the curtain and saw the GUN Commander accompanied by a couple of doctors. On the aforementioned bed was a purple and white weasel, lying unconscious, with a big purple bruise present on his forehead. His nose was also slightly bent backwards. Shadow looked at the GUN Commander and talked for the first time.

“Another one, huh?”

The GUN Commander nodded before beckoning the two doctors to leave. After they did so, he handed Shadow a small medical file on the weasel. His name was Fang, he was 19 years old. He was supposedly an expert marksman that had previously been under the employ of crime gangs and was suspected of having a previous affiliation with Doctor Eggman. Before today, he hadn’t been reported for anything for 6 months.

“Attempted mugging?”

“Perhaps, it seems a little out of character for Fang though. He prefers big time crime, not petty theft.”

“How can we be sure this wasn’t just an intended victim retaliating?”

“I think the mark on his forehead confirms that it wasn’t just any guy retaliating.”

“My point still stands. Anyone could punch a guy in the forehead and knock him out, depending on how hard they hit him.”

“True. But have you seen what Fang was carrying with him at the time?”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed as he saw the GUN Commander held up a forensic bag which held the damning piece of evidence: a trick or treat basket.

“How many sweets does it have in it?”

“Only one. Just like all the others.”

Shadow sighed. This was a sure-fire sign of the attacker they had been trailing for the last two hours. Ever since night rise (roughly around 6pm), there were reports of a black hooded and caped assailant attacking unsuspecting trick or treaters and stealing their candy, leaving only one piece left in their baskets.

With every found victim, the assailant had left two signs. One was the near empty basket, and the other was a big black bruise on the forehead of the victim. This blow had been enough to render the found victim into a coma. There had been three previous victims found so far, all unconscious.

And all for candy. Totally believable huh?

Shadow looked at the unconscious weasel before turning to the Commander. “So who found him?”

“It was…”

“And that’s my cue!”

Shadow froze upon hearing the familiar voice, and slowly turned around to see none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, wearing his trademark grin. Shadow mentally cursed.

This day just gets worse and worse.

“Hey Shadow, I haven’t seen you since the last holiday special! How ya been?”

“Has it really been that long? Certainly doesn’t feel like it.”

“Oh I’m hurt.” Said Sonic mockingly. “In any case, shouldn’t you be thanking me for helping you with this whacko?”

Shadow ignored his question and instead asked him one. “Where did you find him?”

“At an abandoned housing estate.” Confirmed the Commander.

“What the hell were you doing at such a place?” Shadow asked Sonic.

“Oh…stuff.”

“That explains everything!” Shadow said sarcastically.

“Enough.” Ordered the Commander. “Whatever you may think Agent Shadow, Sonic has done us a great help in bringing Fang here. Give him a little credit.”

Shadow scowled and turned away. Sonic chuckled before the GUN Commander continued: “In any case Agent Shadow, have you received anything from Agent Rouge?”

Shadow turned back to the GUN Commander. “Nothing of any significance. At present, her undercover assignment has turned up no sightings and no confrontations.”

“Her undercover assignment?” Sonic asked.

Shadow nodded. “Rouge is undercover right now, going through the streets of Central City in a Halloween costume. The hope is that she’ll attract the suspect into attacking her, so that she can subdue and bring it into custody.”

“Attract huh? Is she wearing that vampire costume from before?”

Shadow nodded, inciting a smirk from Sonic. “She’ll have no problem then.”

“Don’t be so sure Sonic. Max is a conniving one alright, and he’s obviously strong if he can knock out his victims with one blow. The locations of each reported attack suggest that he’s also pretty fast as well. I want you to call Agent Rouge and find out the latest on Max.”

“Understood, I’ll…” Shadow paused for a second. “…Max?”

“Yes. Max.” the GUN Commander stated blankly.

“Who the hell is Max?” Shadow enquired to his superior.

“He’s the one we’re tracking. It’s our codename for him; get your head in gear Agent Shadow.”

“But…”

“What the hell kinda codename is that!?” asked Sonic, voicing Shadow’s thoughts perfectly.

The GUN Commander’s face remained blank. “It’s just a codename, settle down Sonic.”

“Yeah, but Max? Is that all you could come up with? I mean it’s kinda unthreatening.”

“Of course it’s threatening Sonic. Have you not seen Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street? Their villains are still threatening while being called Jason and Freddy, so Max shouldn’t be any different.”

“Yeah but…”

“I shall hear nothing more of it! Agent Shadow, get out there onto the streets and contact Agent Rouge. Find out what you can and bring Max to justice. Take Sonic with you, he may prove useful, those are your orders.”

Shadow grudgingly nodded before beckoning to Sonic to follow him. The two ran out of the hospital, into the streets and into Station Square. The two stopped outside Twinkle Park, which was open for a Halloween themed night.

“Well this night can’t get much weirder! I was looking forward to kicking back and scaring people for kicks!”

“You mean with that silly Werehog costume?”

Sonic growled. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about what you did in the prequel, I’ll get you back eventually.”

Shadow simply snickered before taking out his radio and muttering. “Rouge can you hear me? It’s Shadow.”

There was the small sound of static from the radio before a familiar female voice answered. “This is Rouge, you missed me?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Any news on the suspect?”

There was a sigh on the other side of the radio. “It’s always business with you isn’t it? Don’t you remember our implied romance in the prequel? Where did that go?”

“When are you going to stop asking questions?” asked Shadow, mimicking his ally for the third special in the row.

“Okay I’ve got it; you’re in one of your moods. But anyway, to answer your first question, there’s been nothing on Max since the last time you asked.”

There was a small paused, followed by the two hedgehogs raising their eyebrows.

“…You’re calling him Max as well?” asked an incredulous Shadow.

“Yeah, it’s his codename. What about it?”

“It just…never mind. Where are you now Rouge?”

“I’m currently stationed in a street littered with apartment blocks, so I believe I’m nearer to the centre of the city. I also believe I’m near the residence of one Amy Rose.”

Sonic suddenly rose to attention and grabbed the radio from Shadow’s grasp. Before the ultimate life form could protest, Sonic began to speaking into it: “Hey Rougey, its Sonic. Could you do me a favour, pretty please?”

“Oh how can I resist Sonic?” said Rouge, laughing. “What can I do for you?”

“Sonic! Don’t distract Rouge from her mission! We’ve got a candy stealing maniac on the loose!”

“Cool it Shadow, it’s just one favour.” Said Sonic plainly, ignoring the fact that Shadow’s eyes were burning into him like a ray of sun through a dark cloud.

“Yeah Shadow, give the guy a break.” Teased Rouge on the radio. “At least he knows how to talk to a lady.”

Shadow growled and turned away, ignoring some teenagers who were taunting him with whipping sounds “Do what you want, just make it quick.”

Sonic chuckled before speaking into the radio. “Alright then Rouge. I need you to go to over to Amy and check she if she’s left yet for her trick or treating. If she has, keep an eye out for her for me.”

“What if she hasn’t?”

“She mentioned something about Cream going along with Tails somewhere tonight. If she’s there, could you ask here where they’re going? I wanna check if they’re safe.”

“That doesn’t sound like too much. But tell me Sonikku, what do I get in return?”

Sonic eyed Shadow twitch slightly and smirked. “Nevermind that, just tell me: Are you gonna be wearing that costume of yours into bed?”

Before Sonic could react, Shadow elbowed him in the forehead and grabbed the radio. “Just ignore him Rouge, get back to the mission!” The black hedgehog growled again as he heard Rouge laugh across the radio.

“Just tell Sonic that consider his favour done, and that he owes me one. Rouge out.”

Shadow seethed as static once again came from the radio. He turned to see Sonic, now with a black eye, getting himself up. This brought a small smile to the ultimate life forms face.

“Why is it you always give me black eyes whenever it concerns Rouge? You knew I was joking!”

Shadow ignored him and sat down on the bench before crossing his arms. “So now we wait.”

“For what?”

“For the next plot device to occur, of course.”

Sonic shrugged and leant against the lamppost opposite where Shadow was sitting. There was silence between the two, disrupted only by the hustle and bustle reverberating through Twinkle Park coupled with the calm tides of the nearby ocean. Station Square was peaceful.

--

8.35pm--Amy’s House

Rouge looked up at the ivory door before knocking on it three times. The famous bat was doing a favour for Sonic the Hedgehog in making sure that Amy Rose was there. He had asked her to warn the emerald eyed hedgehog to be careful while traversing the streets while going trick or treating. It was certainly an unexpected request coming from the famous hero; perhaps he cared more for her than he let on.

The bat rose to attention as the door clicked before it being pulled open by none other than Amy Rose. However she looked a little different this time. Instead of her normal red dress, Amy was now wearing a black dress which stretched to just above her knees. The dress had white starts littered around it. On her feet were black boots which covered her shins. The boots had silver line patterns at its front and back.

Yet perhaps her biggest change was her face. Instead of sporting a strictly pink bob of hair, she had now dyed certain lochs in black. She had also put black lipstick on to match with the new hair colour. It was obvious to Rouge that Amy had put in a lot of effort into her look this year, probably to impress a certain blue hedgehog.

“Oh, hey Rouge. What a surprise to see you here! Come in.” said Amy, gesturing for Rouge to enter the apartment.

Rouge walked in and found herself marvelling on how clean and tidy the place was. There was next to no mess and all appliances and objects seemed to be as clean as a whistle. It stunk of Amy, with the wallpapers being pink and the general feel of the place decidedly girly. To her surprise, there weren’t as many Sonic pictures as she expected, with only one of him being present in the living room. Still, considering she hadn’t seen her bedroom yet, she expected to find a lot more there.

Amy closed the door before walking up to her guest. “Nice outfit you got there Rouge, you trying to impress someone or something?” Amy said all this with a sly smirk, which caused Rouge to blush a bit.

Her outfit certainly was flattering, but that was the point. It was supposed to attract Max to her so she could apprehend him. However, it was obvious that she’d probably attract a lot more than just Max.

On her back was a black cape which was kept together thanks to a tied knot just below Rouge’s neck. She was wearing a black stretch knit dress that reached just below her thighs. The size of this dress meant that it was tight to her body, highlighting those curves while also showing a fair amount of cleavage. Her black boots and red lipstick completed the costume.

Rouge smiled. “Well I dress to impress, nothing wrong with that is there?”

“Nothing at all. So tell me, why are you here? Not meaning to be rude, but you don’t usually just knock for social visits. Therefore I’m guessing there’s something going on.”

Rouge nodded and told Amy about Max, what he was doing and how Shadow and Sonic were involved in the whole thing.

“I see. While it’s kinda hard to believe Sonic specifically asking you to warn me, I’m thankful nonetheless. Thanks for passing on the info in any case. What’s your next move?”

Rouge shrugged. “We have nothing on Max. There’s no pattern to his attacks and he’s left absolutely no evidence behind for us to examine. In the end the only pattern to this guy is that he always leaves one piece of candy to the victim, and knocks them out with a blow to the head. He doesn’t go as far to kill, as far as we know.”

“So until you get anything on him, it’s damage limitation?”

“Yeah, just keeping the citizens safe as best we can and hope we get lucky or something. Which reminds me, Sonic asked where Tails and Cream were going tonight. He was worried about them as well.”

“Oh? Well Cream told me that they were going to Mystic Ruins for some sort of organised fright night. Things like apple bobbing and candy hunts with a spooky twist, at least that’s what she said.”

“They should be okay then; Max has only ever attacked within the city, not outside of it.”

Amy nodded and a silence overcame the two for a while, with neither being sure on what to say next. Amy finally spoke up:

“I guess I better get going. I don’t want all my work into this costume going to waste.”

The obsessive pink hedgehog quickly ran into her bedroom before coming back out, now sporting a witches hat and a trick or treat basket. Rouge thought that she looked nervous, probably due to the fact a mad candy thief was on the prowl.

“Hey Amy?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“How about you come with me? I mean I can see you’re not too confident about going all alone.”

Amy gave a forced giggle. “Don’t worry about me Rouge; I can take care of myself.”

Rouge put a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “No I insist. Sonic asked me to make sure you were alright, and letting you out all alone would be irresponsible. Besides, I could use a bit of help out there. Sonic and Shadow are working together, why can’t we?”

“Well I guess that make sense, but aren’t you worried I’d slow you down?”

Rouge put an arm around Amy. “Slow me down? Look at us, with our womanly wiles, Max will find us impossible to resist! We’ll draw him in instantly!”

Amy gave an uneasy smile. “Well if you’re sure…”

“I’m totally sure. Besides, if we catch Max, imagine how impressed one Sonic the Hedgehog would be.”

Amy’s smile grew and a wave of confidence seemed to come over her features. “Alright then, let’s do it!”

Rouge smiled and the two walked to the front door. Upon opening, they found themselves facing a figure covering its body with a black cape, Batman style. Its head was obscured by a black hood that was connected to the cape, revealing only its burning amethyst eyes.

“Rouge is that…” Amy began.

“I hate bad and unfunny irony.” Said Rouge solemnly.

Max gave a short gruff laugh. “Hello ladies.” His voice was gravely and deep. “You happen to have any candy on you?”

“Wait.” Said Rouge firmly. “Why the hell were you waiting for us? And since when do you go to houses to steal candy?”

“Because it’s a plot device that is going to conveniently lead to a confrontation in the forest! That’s why!”

“Oh, but how do you know about the forest?” asked Amy.

“Because I’m the main villain! If I didn’t know about the forest, there’d be no final confrontation. And what would be the point in that?”

“He’s right.” Said Rouge plainly.

“What!? So you’re just gonna let him kill us and steal our candy!?

“He won’t kill us Amy. Can you imagine the amount of material the Sonic hentai artists would lose if we died?”

There was an awkward silence, to which Max broke.

“Okay, enough with the pointless dialogue. Time to get to the action!”

Max unsheathed both of his swords; temporarily revealing that under his cape he was wearing a long sleeved back shirt and black jeans. He also had black shoes/ Yes, he had no originality and went for the spooky black clothes stereotype. Hey, if it worked for other horror villains, why wouldn’t it work for him?

Max flung his swords down towards the two females, who reacted just in time to dodge the blow. Rouge jumped back and then sent a flying kick towards the hooded heathen thief. Max, with his badass strength, grabbed the outstretched leg and used his grip to swing Rouge into the wall.

Before Amy could run over to help the bat, Max ran over to her and grabbed her by the neck. He took one of his swords, and before Amy could even gasp in reply, hit Amy right in the head with its hilt. This knocked her out almost instantly, causing her to fall to the floor once he released her.

Max looked upon the sight. The two females had been no match for him, with one dazed and one knocked out. Still…there was something unsatisfying about the whole thing. Something he couldn’t put his finger on.

He then figured it out.

The room was spotless; there was absolutely no destruction of anything anywhere. It was a sin for any horror villain not to make a mess in the house of their victim!

With this epiphany, Max drew his two swords and began making hell. He kicked through the TV, sliced through the furniture, knocked down the picture frames and all manners of evil destructive things. Once he was satisfied of the mess he had created, Max went into the kitchen and immediately spotted a bag of candy on the side table. Upon taking it, he walked back into the living room, where he noticed Rouge attempting and failing to get back up.

“Tsk, Rouge you should know better. Nearly all female leads in horror are useless, and that goes for you too!”

Rouge only replied with a barrage of insults and obscenities.

Max chuckled. “They also seem to be much ruder as well, weird. In any case, thank you for helping me to move the plot along. Now we can get to the epic final act. See you then!” Max walked out of the door, before peering back in again. “Oh and thanks for the candy!” he said before disappearing again.

Rouge reached into her hammer space and gripped her radio, before she gasped into the radio: “Shadow, come in Shadow!”

“It’s Shadow, what’s happening Rouge?”

“It’s Max; he got into Amy’s apartment.”

“What!? Did you get him Rouge? Are you and Amy okay?”

“He got away Shadow; he took us both by surprise and was much stronger than we thought.”

“Damn…do you know where he’s headed?”

“He’s going to Mystic Ruins, where there’s this organised fright night thing for the kids. Tails and Cream are there too!”

Rouge heard Sonic gasp on the other side before Shadow spoke again. “Okay Rouge, we’ll get on to it. Inform the Commander and send some units over there, we can get this guy!”

Rouge painfully got up. “Alright, will do. Do you want us to join you?”

“Only if you think you can handle it. You’ve done enough for tonight Rouge, good job. Shadow out.”

Rouge smiled to herself as static took over. She then walked through the messy apartment over to the quietly stirring Amy.

“Our night isn’t over yet honey.”

--

8.50pm—Station Square

Shadow put the radio away and looked at Sonic, who looked back.

“You ready for this?”

“You bet. Let’s do this Shadow.”

Shadow nodded before the two supersonic hedgehogs blasted off towards Mystic Ruins.

--

8.50pm—Mystic Ruins Forest

Cream the Rabbit shivered slightly as she walked through the rough and damp terrain of the Mystic Ruins forest. She had been in here for nearly two hours now, as she and Tails were taking part in an organised fright night there. One of the events was a candy hunt, which involved splitting up into pairs and looking for candy.

They had been more or less unsuccessful in their hunt, but this was mostly due to the lack of clues or directions. It was almost as if the organisers had set the scene for the kids to be lost and all alone in that forest. How cruel.

In any case, Cream kept trudging through the forest, keeping a lookout for any candy that she may find. The young rabbit found herself looking behind a lot, as if there was something there that shouldn’t be. But every time she did, there was only Tails who would flash a smile of comfort through his Frankenstein get up.

Both of them had dressed up like last year. Cream was once again dressed as a witch, with a witches hat and dress confirming the fact. Tails however, had changed his look from last year. Now he had a plastic nail on either side of his neck to give the impression it was actually going through him. He also wore a tattered brown shirt, black jeans and black boots.

Cream stepped through the forest a little more before looking back once more, expecting to see the familiar fox once again.

She froze.

Tails wasn’t there, he had vanished. Cream looked ahead of her. Nothing. She then looked to the sides. Nothing. Tails had gone. Cream found her heart start to pound through her chest faster with this realisation.

“Tails! Tails, where are you?” she shouted in a panicked manner.

There was a crack from deeper in the forest, Cream backed away from the sound. The young rabbit was seriously spooked now, and the constant sounds of the forest didn’t help her state of mind. Without the presence of Cheese (mating season) to comfort her, she felt all alone. Cream briefly considered flying away, but she put aside that thought when she knew she couldn’t leave Tails all alone here.

She started to shakily tiptoe forward again, weary of anything in the forest. She called out for Tails, hoping to garner some response from Station Square saviour. There was only silence. She kept walking forward, seeing a large circular clearing starting to come into eyesight through the dense trees.

When she reached the grassy clearing, she looked around again. Making sure her eyes covered each and every tree in sight; she looked for any sign of Tails. Desperation soon started to seep through her system as she once again saw nothing.

Then two hands gripped her shoulders from behind.

It took Cream a few seconds to register this, and when she did so she started screaming and struggling. She kicked out, shook around and tried all manners of ways to escape, but to no avail.

“Cream, calm down. It’s me.”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Cream stopped struggling and turned around to see none other than Tails. Surprise immediately turned to anger for the young rabbit, and she began shouting at Tails.

“Why did you that!? I was scared out of my mind!”

Tails laughed. “Oh come on Cream it was only a joke! Besides, nothing is gonna get you out here. Even if there was something, I’d protect you.”

Cream crossed her arms and looked away.

Tails rolled his eyes. “Come on Cream, you can’t stay mad at me forever. Do you forgive me?”

The young rabbit seemed to think it over before turning around and smiling. “Alright, I forgive you. But I’ll get you back for it, that’s a promise.”

Tails chuckled before looking around. “Nice bit of the forest, a real “lovers’ lane”.

Cream raised an eyebrow. “A lovers’ lane? You’re not suggesting we…because that’s disgusting Tails!”

Tails shook his head and blushed. “No, I didn’t mean it like that! I was thinking this would be a good place to put candy for us to find. I mean it is kinda secluded.”

“Yeah I guess so.”

“Wanna start looking?”

“Okay, you look over that side and I’ll look over this side.”

So the two split up into two directions, with Tails going to the west side and Cream going to the east side of the clearing. The two looked around for any candy, moving blades of grass to catch a glimpse of any confectionaries. While Cream was preoccupied, she once again felt two hands grip her shoulders.

Cream smiled. “Okay Tails very funny…” the young rabbit turned around and her smile immediately evaporated.

Gripping her shoulders was not Tails after all. Instead it was a figure draped in a black cape, with his face covered by a black hood. Again, it took Cream a moment to figure this out, and once she did so she screamed. This alerted Tails, who turned around to just in time to see Cream squirm away from the figure and run towards Tails. She tripped over nothing, hurriedly picked herself up and then ran behind Tails.

The young fox pointed at the figure. “W-who are you? What do you want with us?”

The figure snickered. “What do I want? I want your candy!”

“Our candy?”

Tails felt into his natural pockets and felt the small and half-full bag of candy. He gripped it, took it out and showed it to the figure. “If I give you this, will you leave us alone?”

The figure shrugged. “Sure. Candy is candy.”

“Wait Tails, we can’t just give him our candy! Can you imagine how much we’d be laughed at if we came back with nothing?”

Tails looked at Cream in disbelief. “So you’d rather risk our lives than be seen as losers? Your logic is totally illogical.”

Cream simply shrugged.

Tails turned back to the figure ad put his candy bag away. “Sorry pal, she’s very convincing. I guess you’ll just have to come and take it.”

The figure shrugged again and unsheathed two curved swords. “Works for me.”

The sight of the two swords washed away all that was remaining of Tails’ bravado. He watched in frozen fear as the maniac charged towards him with his swords raised high. Tails spread his body out in front of Cream, and braced himself when the figure came within a step of him.

“Tails, heads up!”

Tails, Cream and the figure all looked to where the voice came from. A blue blur charged into the latter, sending him flying across the clearing. A familiar blue hedgehog now stood where the figure was previously stationed, causing both Tails and Cream to gape.

“Sonic!” they both shouted simultaneously.

“Hey kids, Happy Halloween!” he said while smirking. He turned to the trees behind him and called out: “Hey, hurry up slowpoke!”

Tails and Cream watched as a grumbling Shadow the Hedgehog emerged from the trees. His face and fur was dirtied, and there were a few leaves littered on his spines. He carried on grumbling as he walked over towards his blue look-alike.

“Hey Shadow…what happened?” asked Tails.

“…tripped while running through forest.”

“Mr Shadow, since when have you sucked that bad?”

Shadow ignored the comment and looked at Max, who was now getting himself back up from the dirt. From under his hood, Shadow could see amethyst eyes full of hatred, cutting into him like a knife through butter. The ultimate life form stood firm.

“It’s over Max. You’re coming with me.”

Max picked up both of his swords. “You think it’s over, my dear deluded ultimate life form…it hasn’t even begun!”

Max charged at Shadow, intending to run him through with both swords. Shadow simply sighed, went into his natural pockets and took out a red Chaos Emerald.

“I warned you…Chaos Control!”

Upon uttering those words, time froze all around the black hedgehog. He walked over to Max and took away both of his swords. He then pulled back his fist and swung into Max’s head just as Chaos Control wore off. This sent Max flying while shouting in surprise. He hit the ground hard and slid across the dirt before finally slumping to a halt.

Sonic and the others gasped as the effects of Chaos Control wore off just in time for them to witness Max landing on the floor. They looked at Shadow before looking back at the grounded villain. Silence overtook the group.

“Well…” began Sonic. “…that was too easy.”

Shadow shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just part and parcel of being a horror villain like Max. You’re a badass, and then you’re defeated in a totally anticlimactic way.”

“It’s true.” Muttered Tails.

“So now what?”

“Now Cream…” Shadow said while walking towards the downed Max. “…we find out who our candy thief is.”

Sonic and the kids approached Shadow as he gripped Max’s hood, and pulled it over. The sight they saw not only caused Sonic and the kids to gasp, but it also had the same effect on the usually indifferent Shadow.

“KNUCKLES!?” they all shouted in disbelief.

It was true. The familiar red dreadlocks and pointy nose of the famous Master Emerald guardian was now facing them. His cheek had been bruised due to Shadow’s punch, but this didn’t stop there being a cheeky grin present on his face.

“Looks like you guys finally got me. Took you long enough!” he said cockily, while getting himself up.

“Y-you’re the maniacal candy thief!?” shouted Sonic for no apparent reason.

“Well I’m in my maniacal candy thief get-up, what do you think?” responded Knux sarcastically.

“Dude, that’s totally unlike you. Who knew you could be so convincing as a badass villain? Or being badass at all?”

“Hey it fooled you didn’t it? Besides, it wasn’t all a success. I got beaten so easily…” Knuckles rubbed his bruised cheek and looked at Shadow. “Nice right hook you got by the way.”

“Thank you…no wait! There are some things that don’t make any sense, villain.”

“Like what?”

“How the hell did you get here before us? We’re supposed to be as fast as the speed of the sound!”

Knuckles smirked and took out an all too familiar green gem. “Simple really. I warped here using Chaos Control with the Master Emerald. Didn’t you notice that Angel Island wasn’t floating anymore?”

Shadow shook his head while Sonic rubbed his. “We…didn’t look?”

“Wow, you guys are idiots.” Said an unusually rude Tails. “It’s not hard to miss.”

“Anyway.” Shadow cut in. “What’s with the two swords? And why didn’t you kill anyone with them?”

“Whoa, hold on. I gotta keep this fic to a strictly T rating y’know? Killing was outta the question, besides I’m not that kind of guy. So instead I knocked them out using the hilts.” Knuckles unsheathed his curved swords. “As for these, they belonged to one of my ancestors. His name was Gawain if I remember right.”

“Well look what we have here.”

Upon hearing the voice, everyone turned to see Rouge and Amy. The latter was now sporting a large black bruise on her forehead, which was creased due to the anger Amy was currently spouting.

“YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KNOCKED ME OUT!?”

Knux shrugged. “Yeah, what of it?”

“We’re supposed to be friends!”

“You try and hit your friends with you big-ass hammer, you’re hardly in a position to tell me off!” shot back the echidna.

“Can we all just calm down?” asked Cream timidly.

Ignoring the young rabbit, Shadow began shouting at Rouge: “Where the hell are the reinforcements I asked you to bring!?”

“We thought we’d come alone and play damsels in distress a bit more. Shame that you settled everything before then.”

After a bit more bickering, the group finally became silent.

“So, what do we do now?” questioned Sonic.

“Well we’ve caught Max. All we do now is ask for GUN to help us bring him in.”

“Are you sure about that Shadow?” asked Knuckles.

“What do you mean? You knocked out five people and stole a hell load of candy. Plus you caused damages to an apartment and you were a general badass. You’re definitely going down.”

“What candy?”

“The candy you stole you stupid echidna!” exclaimed Rouge.

“I repeat my previous question.” Knux took of his hood and cape, as well as his black shirts and jeans to reveal his normal red body. The only things that were unusual were the black boots and the two sheathed swords in his person.

“He has no candy!”

“Don’t be so stupid Sonic! He’s eaten it!”

“Can anyone be that greedy Shadow?”

“Tails has a point Shadow.” Said Knux with a smirk. “I couldn’t have eaten all the supposed candy so quickly could I?”

“Okay fine, but there’s still the point of you getting here before me and Sonic did. You yourself said that you warped here!”

“And the fact you were at my house adds more weight to that.” Added Amy.

“I can answer them with simple logic.” Said Knux confidently.

“Nice to know you have enough brainpower…” muttered Sonic.

Ignoring Sonic, Knuckles began. “Think about it Shadow. In every one of our games the Chaos Emeralds are in random places. I believe that it’s possible that our “Max” picked up an Emerald and used Chaos Control to warp from place to place.”

“But who else can activate Chaos Control apart from you and me?”

“Sonic, Black Doom, Tikal, Silver and some of the Nocturnus Clan. Honestly you’re not in some exclusive club or something.” Knux took a breath before continuing. “And to answer Amy, I never said I warped from her house. For all you know, I could have warped straight from Angel Island. Besides, none of you were looking so no one would have noticed.”

“But wait! Interjected Sonic. “What about the black cloak and the two swords? You don’t see just anyone with those things on them!”

Knuckles shrugged again. “It’s easy to get swords nowadays. Don’t you remember Shadow’s weapon fetish during the whole Black Arms thing? And as for the clothes, you could get them anywhere if you looked in the right places.”

Shadow growled while Tails pointed at his echidna friend. “But you came here and attacked us!”

“And you wanted our candy!” added Cream.

“That’s true. But think about it. I have a good view of the whole fright night thing from my island. Since I know you two, I could have taken my swords and dressed up before warping down here to innocently scare you both.”

“And the candy?”

The guardian shrugged. “I was feeling hungry, so I made the threat in the hope you may relinquish some. You were just too brave.”

Sonic took some time to take it in. “So what you’re implying is…”

“…is that this all could be a case of mistaken identity.” Finished Rouge.

“And that would mean the real Max…” started Tails.

“…is still out there!” exclaimed both Amy and Cream.

“And in this forest if what Rouge said was true.” Said Shadow. “But be honest Knuckles, was it you all along?”

Knuckles smirked. “Are my arguments to my innocence not good enough?”

“It just seems totally stupid and unlikely…it’s based on coincidence way too much.”

“Well I’ll leave it to you to decide. In any case I’m going home, it’s getting late. Have a good Halloween.” And with that the echidna began to walk off.

“You can’t just leave!” shouted Shadow. “We still have the right to take you in!”

Knuckles took out the Master Emerald and it began to glow. “On what evidence?” When Shadow couldn’t give an answer, he smiled. “Thought not. Chaos Control!”

And with that, Knuckles disappeared in a brilliant display of emerald light. Within a few seconds, the others saw Angel Island slowly rise back into its place high in the night sky.

“So…what now?” asked Sonic.

“Well there’s the chance Max is still out there…but in any case I’m gonna file a report in and then call it a night.” Rouge flapped her wings and flew into the air. “See you guys later!” she called as she flew away.

Tails and Cream also started to fly. “We better get going too guys, the organisers may be worried about us. See ya!” said Tails.

“Happy Halloween!” added Cream.

The three remaining hedgehogs watched as the two young heroes flew above the forest trees and away until they were out of view.

“Well this has been one weird night.” Said Sonic. “I think a good midnight run is what I need. I’ll see you guys around, most likely in the Christmas special.”

With that, Sonic ran off into the forest in no particular direction, leaving only Amy and Shadow left.

“Well this has been a massive waste of time.” Grumbled Shadow.

Amy didn’t respond. Shadow raised any eyebrow and looked at her. “You okay Amy?”

“…wanna make out?” she asked suddenly.

Shadow blinked. “And why would we do that? It’s not like we’re an implied couple or anything.”

“Well don’t you remember our implied but scantily detailed romantic back-story? That’s reason enough. Besides…” Amy affectionately rubbed Shadow’s chest. “This experience has put me in the mood for a man.”

In that minute, Shadow remembered the back-story and then smirked. He took Amy’s head and pulled it to his. “I’m all yours.”

To his surprise, Amy pushed him away. “You’re not seriously thinking of doing it here are you?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Well for one, it kinda takes away from the whole private romantic side. Plus, it’s cold out here. And Max might still be out there. Making out here would only invite trouble.”

“Okay fine, how about I warp us to your house?”

“But it’s trashed.”

“But your bedroom isn’t.”

Amy smirked suggestively. “Alright Shady, let’s go.”

Shadow held Amy round her waist, took out his Chaos Emerald and with the command of Chaos Control they warped away for some late night lovin’.

Oooh yeah.

--

At An Undefined Time at an Unknown Location

Max laughed. It had been so easy, taking the candy and knocking out his victims. GUN and their agents were idiots, easy pickings. It gave him such a thrill to be getting away with it; he was already entertaining the thought of returning and doing it again next Halloween.

“Oh yes…that’s be quite…interesting.”

Max laughed maniacally to himself as the authors note came in.

…

Nah I’m just kidding. It was Knuckles. Yep, he has the digestive system to scoff loads of candy down all while showing great cunning and sword skills. Now I could’ve been like any other guy and given Max another run out next Halloween, but I won’t. Sorry, this is one cow I am not gonna milk.

Later bitches.

The End

A/N: Well that’s my effort. I can only hope you enjoyed this as I put a lot of effort into this. Have a good Halloween, see you soon!