𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑: 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕤

      Another Shadow sneaked unnoticed to Sonic and Sally's house. He hid in a shelter from the bushes and spied from afar on his double through the window of the house. And also for Sonic and Sally. — So, in your world there is a sacred butterfly, which you worship and obey, since it is the most important part of nature itself? She's kind of like God to you. — Sonic asked. — Yes. — that Shadow answers him. — Honestly, I always believed that we are alone in our world. I mean, aliens don't exist. But to learn that our world is not the only one and that there are other worlds where certain events or developments went differently. This was a big surprise for me. — Sally explained, laying out all the baskets of berries on the table. — Well. The pie will have to wait for now, but for now we’ll go look for the children, as always. And for one thing, look for your Tails. — I don’t know how I can thank you later. You are very kind for deciding to help me find my friend. — says Shadow and was about to be the first to leave the house when Sally stopped him. — Wait! Before you leave, Sonic and I need to discuss something about you. — says the snake squirrel and takes his blue snake hedgehog with him, going into another room and whispering something in his ear. Sonic thinks for a moment and nods his head in response, agreeing. Sally takes an old and sewn brown neck bandana and takes it to the tabby. — Here! Take it! — Bandana? Why do I need it? — Shadow asked a little modestly. — Our world has its own Shadow. He is evil and only wants to eat our children. So put it around your neck. This way we can at least distinguish you from our Shadow. — she explained and put the bandana around his neck. — It used to belong to me and I once wore it. But I think you will find it much more useful. — Sonic explained. Shadow just smiled, hugged Sally, to which she was a little surprised, and the striped one himself said to her at that moment: — Thank you. Afterwards Sally smiled and hugged him back too. It created such a warm feeling, as if her soul immediately felt lighter. As if their Shadow realized his mistakes and came to ask her forgiveness for everything, after which he hugs her. Although in reality it was a different Shadow. But it is not important. Sonic stood calmly on the sidelines. He also imagined in his head that it was not another Shadow, but theirs, who realized his guilt and corrected himself, after which he asked for forgiveness and hugged him for it. Imagining this, he almost cries with joy. The same Shadow, who was hiding in the bushes and watching them, got a little angry and hissed through his teeth. He felt a little jealous that Sally was hugging not himself, but some fake who looked like himself. Nevertheless, he tried to control himself so as not to burn himself to death. After Shadow and Sally finished hugging, she felt a little embarrassed after hugging that Shadow, her cheeks turned red. And for two reasons. First: Suddenly this might offend Sonic, which is why he will then begin to be jealous of her for that other Shadow. And second: Because this is still not their Shadow, but another and from another world. The same Shadow even noticed that she had redness on her cheeks for a short time while she smiled, looking at him. — Um... Well then. Shall we go look? — suggested Shadow. — Yes, let's go! — Sonic agreed. Three nagas leave their house and go outside. Then they split into three paths and each crawls in its own direction. Shadow, who was hiding in the bushes, quietly crawled out of cover and crawled after his other self.

***

      While Tails, along with the children and his young copy among them, walked through the forest, the adult fox thought and asked those along the way: — Tell me, are you really not afraid? Maybe I shouldn’t have taken you with me after all? Still, it is dangerous for children. — Trust us, Tails. — the little fox assured him. — Even though we are small, we have experienced so many dangerous adventures that almost nothing can scare us anymore. If only you knew what we were going through. We even once fought some strange smoke spirits in purple armor who were guarding the passage to the healing flowers when Sonic got sick and needed treatment. — We were even in the stomachs of the nagas almost three times. — Tiny explained. — Just like me. — the slightly adult fox grinned. — I was in my stomach several times too. For example, my friend. It's actually not that scary there. Warm and soft. The only negative is that it is dark there, like in a cave. — Here. We are a little bit dark, but we are still afraid. Sometimes. Sammy explained. — Why don’t you stay at home if you get involved in such dangerous adventures? — asked Tails. — It's all Benny! — Nelly growled at her brother. — Well, most often he is to blame. And sometimes we are together. Because of this, every naga, except Sonic and Sally, tries to catch and eat us every time they see us. Then we constantly have to run away. — Because of him, I somehow left our family. Simply put, he left. But it’s better not to remember this. Although this is partly my fault too. After all, I thought then that I was only bringing trouble to everyone. — said the little fox, and Benny turned away from what he heard and became sad. Apparently he was ashamed of that moment. — It's nothing, Tails. — the adult fox reassured the young one. — Sometimes making mistakes and getting into trouble is not scary or embarrassing. In our worlds, in our lives, at least some mistakes always happen. However, we try to admit them, and most importantly, we learn from these same mistakes so that we never, or almost never, repeat them. — Tails and the children stopped in place. — I, too, have made many mistakes in my life, and then I was ashamed of them. For example, before I jumped into the portal in pursuit of Luz and chased him between worlds, I didn’t even say goodbye to my mother. Although not dear, but still beloved. How I would like to tell her at least one last time that I love her like a real mother and promise her that from now on I will never hide the truth from her again. She just didn’t know then that I was friends with the naga, since even in our world everyone was afraid of them and avoided them. And he also became cruel. I almost give in to anger that I even want to kill Luz Bucket, just so I don’t have to chase him between worlds anymore. However, I keep myself in control all the time, because I naively believe that I can convince him to stop all this and return home with us. And now I quarreled with my nag and we separated. I told him something that you’d rather not know... Still at your age... He was offended by me and left. How I would like to see him again, ask him for forgiveness and tell him how I... — he decided to remain silent about love and explain something else. — The only time I made a mistake was when I quarreled with him. Sammy, Nelly, young Tails and Tiny came closer to the adult, hugged his legs and took pity on the unfortunate warrior, who himself had suffered a lot of bad things. — Everyone makes mistakes, just like us, Tails. — his young copy addressed him. — We, too, have made mistakes, which is why we got into dangerous adventures. — And so, if we had been more attentive and careful, then, of course, we might not have gotten into such dangerous adventures. — Sammy added. — But if it weren’t for them, then we probably would never have met Chernysh. — Tiny explained. — And they wouldn’t know about other creatures. Like the same arachnid scorpions from dungeons and dragons on a neighboring and distant island. — Benny stated. — Exactly! — Nelly agreed with him. — Perhaps you are right. — Tails patted each baby and toddler on the head, except Benny. When he also put his head down so that Tails could stroke him too, Tails did not do this, to which he was shocked and did not understand why he was not stroked. Tails then smirked, hinting that he was just joking and patted him on the head for one. The rest of the children appreciated this joke. — Let's move on!

***

      Shadow crawled along the path, looking only forward and calling to his friend: — TAILS!!! TAILS!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? Another Shadow came out of hiding and appeared behind that Shadow, for there was no one nearby except them. — Maybe I can help you find him? — Shadow with a neckerchief, as soon as he heard his own voice, spoken not by him and not by his thoughts, immediately realized that it was his double from this world. The same evil Shadow as Sonic and Sally described him. Striped turned back and saw his second self behind him, who was looking at him sarcastically. — Hello, faker. — What do you want from me? Don't you dare touch my friend, you monster! And even more so for the children of Sonic and Sally! — he threatened him. — A monster? — the evil Shadow bulged his eyes. — That’s what I hear from the monster. — I’m not a monster, because unlike some, at least I don’t eat people and Mobians... Well, sometimes... If they’re bad. — Shadow explained with a bandana. — So I, too, usually only eat those who are bad. That's why I'm trying to catch and eat those kids. I have a suspicion that in the future they will become bad and want to kill us. — What if not? — Shadow suggested with a scarf around his neck. — Maybe you're wrong? — Are you really that naive, Shadow? — asked his clone from this world. — I'm not naive. You are the one who is evil and soulless if you are trying to get rid of the unfortunate and innocent children who are not to blame for anything. What did they do to you that was so bad that you were so angry with them? — You’re definitely naive, Shadow. — he shook his head in response. — Humans and Mobians cannot be trusted. I hate them all, and as a child I was afraid of them because they killed my parents and took me prisoner. They kept me in a cage like a lab rat and experimented on me. The only exception among them was whom I knew well, the one person and the only one who truly loved me for who I was. She was almost like a sister to me, and then those bastards killed her. Shadow with a bandana around his neck immediately realized that he was apparently talking about Maria. He probably also knew her in this universe, and then she also died. — I’m so sorry you lost Maria Robotnik, Shadow. Is it true! — So you lost her too? — asked the evil Shadow and crawled around his good self three times, continuing to ask: — Then why are you so optimistic, sometimes cheerful and so concerned about these delicious sausages in the dough? — They are not food for you, do you understand that? They are, first of all, living and intelligent children, intelligent representatives of intelligent races. If we nagas hunt them and kill them, we will become worse than them. You can't eat a sentient being like a cannibal. And I know what it's like when you lose your loved ones. But I was not taken prisoner. I was always free and tried to just avoid people with Mobians. Unlike Luz Bucket, I did not get angry at people and Mobians, but simply accepted the fact that people and Mobians may never accept us nagas as individuals. The main thing is to value your own life and live the way nature allowed you to. And the children, especially still children. They don’t even yet know what the concepts of violence, racism and other adult topics are. — Really? Let's say that you are telling the truth about children. But why are you so concerned about your little fox? He's probably already an adult, unlike them. And besides, he’s a naga hunter, just like you told Sonic and Sally. — he listed to him everything that he had overheard from his conversation with them. - Why would you get along with someone who is a hunter of people like you and me? What if he turns against you? — You don’t know anything about my Tails, unlike me! — the kind Shadow hissed in response. — He will never do that. He used to be one, but for now he still holds this title. In fact, he would never kill nagas without the right reason. Besides, he's not just a little fox. He... — for a minute he thought about how to explain who he is to him. Of course, he could say that he is his lover and loves him, but then perhaps he will laugh at him. So he decided to say differently. — He is my best friend. Even faithful. He always comes to my aid, just as I come to him. He and I trust each other and never betray each other. He is like a son to me, like a younger brother. And I will destroy anyone who dares to threaten him. Even you, Shadow. — Is that so? Fine. If you are against me, then you are my enemy. — answered the evil Shadow and stood in a fighting stance, preparing to attack the striped naga in a bandana. He also takes a fighting stance and prepares to defend himself from him. — Chaos control! Evil Shadow first disappeared from sight with a flash, as if he had never been there. Good Shadow looked around and listened. Feeling that something is sneaking up behind him and attacking him, he manages to duck down and the evil Shadow flies over him, trying to catch him. Shadow from below sharply raises his tail and, like a whip, hits him from above, pushing him forward. The angry striped naga was knocked to the ground, but still stood up. — Chaos control! — the good Shadow decided to try to do this, but he, strangely, could not do this. He decided to try again. — Chaos control! — You're trying in vain! Only I own this, and as far as I understand, you don’t, because you weren’t locked in the laboratory. - The evil one grinned and again ran first to attack. — Then I’ll hit it the old fashioned way. — he answered and, spinning, waved his tail, hitting the evil one in the face with it and thereby pushing him to the side. The striped naga in the bandana quickly crawled towards his evil self and grabbed him by the back of the neck as he stood up. The evil one figured out to grab him by the shoulders with his clawed hands and throw him over himself, throwing him to the ground. He clenched both hands into fists and just began to hit the other himself on the chest, when the latter managed to roll somersault to the side like a log. The evil one raised his tail and sharply hits the ground with it, like a hammer, trying to crush the good guy while he crawled back. — Is this all you can do? — the kind one grinned. — No. — the angry one answered him. — Chaos explosion! — he said, and a blast wave came out of him, which, although it didn’t hurt, pushed the good one back a little like the wind. From the wave of the explosion, the villain jumped with claws outstretched and mouth agape. Good Shadow raised the middle of his tail in time, like his knees, and, using them to grab the evil Shadow by the stomach, threw him over himself. He flew further, flying past the target and crashed with his back into a tree, upside down. Having fallen and stood up, he swung his tail, trying to hit him. Good Shadow figured out to grab him by the tail and hoped to spin him around so that he could throw him later. However, the evil Shadow foresaw this and when the good one grabbed him by the tail, he sharply pulled him towards himself, throwing the good striped naga over himself, first to one side of the ground, then to the other, again in one and so on. And he hit the good guy on the ground about fifteen times, after which he spun him around and threw him against another tree. With groans, the good one gets up, scratching the back of his head and, coming to his senses in time, noticed how the evil double attacked him, grabbed him by the throat, threw him to the ground and began to choke him. — Let me go! I can't breathe! — You'll get by! — the evil striped naga above grinned, until the one below grabbed the needles on his head with his hand and pulled them. — A-A-AY!!! — he screamed, and the good naga began to hit him in the face with his fist. Then he abruptly raised his right hand to his left and hit the villain in the nose with his elbow. The evil Shadow fell, after which the good one stood up, grabbed him by the tail and carried him along. — Now someone will fly! — he said jokingly, sharply pulling his tail behind him, throwing his evil self far against the tree. He then crawled to another tree, climbed up it slightly and jumped off it, falling straight onto his evil self. — And from the turntable! The evil striped naga only saw that the good one was flying at him, his eyes widened and he did not have time to do anything when that belly fell on his face, almost crushing him. Then he crawls away, grabs him by the shoulders, helps him up, and punches him in the nose. Having encircled his tail and torso with his torso with his tail around, he himself almost began to strangle him, again grabbing his neck from the back with his hands. Now the evil one will definitely not escape. — Are you giving up? Just one word and I'll let you go, villain. But that Shadow did not intend to give up to the good man. Although he was short of breath, he managed to whisper out loud: — Cha-a-ao-o-os... Bla-a-ast! There was an explosion and both striped nagas were thrown away from each other. Moreover, a naked man with a bandana around his neck crashed into a large rock and fell next to it, and then he was hit in the head with a stone. After this, the good Shadow lost consciousness. The evil one only fell next to a couple of trees and was still conscious. Looking at his double lying unconscious, he grins and crawls towards him. When his own shadow fell on that Shadow, he began to gloat: — You lost, faker. I turned out to be stronger than you. — he hissed through his teeth, still smiling. Then he lightly took the bandana around his neck with his right hand and untied it with his left. — Your rag is beautiful. — he added and sniffed it lightly. — It smells like this blue weakling, similar in behavior to you. But I think it will be useful to me. With these words, the evil Shadow himself put the scarf around his neck. Now everyone with him will accept him as good, and he will be considered as him. All that remains is to track down his two-tailed friend, who is somewhere here, and finish him off for the same thing. All he has to do is find him, somehow gain his trust so that he doesn’t suspect anything, and then eat him. The main thing is not to give yourself away ahead of time. After thinking about this, he crawls away, leaving the unconscious body of the real good Shadow lying next to a huge boulder.