Cursing his lack of chaos emerald since he had left it at his residence, Shadow charged through the lab door frantically searching for the small kitsune. 

"Tails! Tails were are you?!" 

Hearing his name being called by Shadow, who never called him anything but 'fox boy' and the such, he immediately knew that something was incredibly wrong if the older mobians tone was anything to go by and so rushed out, wiry of what the other wanted. 

"What's up Shadow? Wait, what's wrong with Sonic?!" The kit yelled as he rushed over to the battered pair. 

"It was Eggman! He tried to inject me with some kind of strange serum but Faker jumped in the way!" 

"Alright, put him on the medical table while I get the supplies ready!" 

The ebony rushed over and gently placed the unconscious hedgehog down and stepped back as the kitsune flew back over with several machines and immediately started to attach them to his older brother with a steady hand. 

 Taking a simple of the azure's blood, Tails went over to his desk, picked up some chemicals and using a dropper, put a measured amount into the vile of blood before depositing it in a round machine were it began to spin. 

"Were was he injected?" 

"At the back of his neck near the base." 

"I don't know how long it is going to take to figure out what it was so for now, just go ahead and relax and I'll come out to let you know when I have some results. Also the first aid kit is in the bathroom under the sink, since it looks like you could use it." 

Thanking the child, the tired hedgehog retrieved the offered kit and proceeded to patch himself up before attempting to relax on the couch in the living room, letting his thoughts wander to the previous battle. 

'Just what happened back there? I'm the Ultimate Life Form! Yet I let Dr.Eggman get the better of me, and even worse, Faker had to come and save me! I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone's help!' He thought disgusted. 

Yet the ebony hedgehog was confused. Just why exactly was he angry, and at whom? Was it because he had actually feared the younger one? Feared the sheer amount of power that was as strong as, if not stronger than their super form? 

 Or was it the searing rage that had just poured out of the normally gentle, happy-go-lucky, confident hedgehog? Were exactly did all that darkness come from in the young hero? Was this 'dark Sonic form' really that powerful? 

 Perhaps it was Faker's fault for making him feel that now unfamiliar rush of warmth that he had only ever felt in the presence of his long dead friend and sibling, Maria? Just why exactly would he harbor any kind of feeling such as those for his rival? 

Regardless, exhausted as he was from the previous events and having nothing else to occupy his tired mind, the slightly battered hedgehog let the soothing and much needed vail of sleep pull him under. 

Some time later and only hours into the evening, the dark sleeper was startled awake by a strange sound. The noise was coming from the fox kid's lab and sounded like something was struggling and banging around. 

Listening closely, the occupant of the couch could pick up the sounds of voices in distress when suddenly- 

"SHADOW!!!" 

Hearing the kitsune desperately screaming his name, said hedgehog immediately bolted off the couch and was instantly in the lab with the door slamming open behind him as he stopped just inside the entrance, gasping at the scene before him. 

 The fox kid was pressed up against the wall, several machines including the medical chair Sonic had recently occupied were strewn across the ground, some of which were broken, and in the very center of the room, was the blue hedgehog himself. 

He was grasping desperately at his body, writhing and screaming in pure agony as his slender form began to shape shift. His hands were spazzing as he tried to dig them into the concrete floor as over all the noise, loud, sickening snaps and cracks could be heard emanating from the body of the suffering hedgehog. 

Immediately dashing over and carefully taking hold of his squirming rival, Shadow yells to the still stunned fox, snapping him out of his daze and grabbing his attention. 

"What the HELL is going on here? What's happening to him?!?" 

"I-I don't know! I was just looking at some of his sheets when he started screaming! I'm scared Shadow! I'm scared!"Tails childishly admitted with tears sliding down his muzzle. 

"Dammit! Pull yourself together and get me something to calm him down!" 

The moment his older mate grasped him, Sonic latched on as tight as he could, even as his lengthening claws began to embed themselves into the ebony's back creating new wounds that bled profusely, the crimson liquid splashing around them. 

The Ultimate Life Form did not complain but only watched in mute horror as the azure continued to change. Realizing with a grimace that the cruel snapping sounds from deep within the other was his bones breaking and reforming themselves, he began to notice other changes taking place.  

The fur was lengthening becoming thicker and the color darkening, tail and muzzle more resemblant of a canines than a hedgehog, arms, shoulders and chest becoming broader, more muscled, his voice also having dropped significantly in pitch, now more of a rumbling baritone. 

With a few more agonizing snaps and lengthening of other appendages such as ears and teeth becoming taller and/or more pointed, the transformation was over. What was once Sonic the hedgehog, had now become some kind of wolf-hedgehog hybrid that was about 4x his original size. 

With the event finally over the newly formed hero lay there slumped on his side, panting in relief and exhaustion, arms still somewhat awkwardly wrapped around his mate. 

Pulling the massive claws from their place deep in his back with a pained grunt and earning a low apologetic whine and long gentle lick from the huge beast in front of him that the faker had become, Shadow tensed from the others movement before dragging himself off the ground and out of the puddle of his own blood. 

"I-is it over?"asked a still somewhat terrified Tails as he tentatively approached the pair. 

"Looks like it.Don't think we will be needing that shot anymore." Shadow replied, gesturing at the syringe in the kit's shaking hands. 

*GASP* "What happened to your back!?!" Tails yelled horrified as he noticed the older males newly wounded back, blood dripping in spots on the ground. 

"It happened during his....transformation. Don't worry about it. It will heal in a few minutes." 

Glancing back over to the form beside him and seeing it attempting to stand, the ebony hedgehog stood up and backed up to were Tails was standing unsure how to handle the creature before him and ready for if it decided to attack. 

 Finally on his feet, the wolf/hedgehog took a few unsteady steps getting the hang of his new body before practically trotting over to Shadow who stiffened, before plopping down in front of him, tail wagging with a steady 'wosh wosh' sound and tongue hanging out. 

"Well it looks like he still likes you so I think we can safely assume that he is still under the hypnosis." commented Tails. 

"Humph" was Shadow's reply as he took a hesitant step forward and slowly reached his hand out, gauging the creatures reaction. 

When the others hand was close enough, Sonic slowly bent his head down and gently nuzzled the offered appendage, slightly startling it's owner and the fox by his side. 

Figuring it was safe to continue his exploration of the being in front of him, the ebony let his hand wonder up to the large curved, twitching ears then down the neck to sift through the navy coat which he found to his slight surprise to be soft and silky. 

Remembering that he was not alone, the hedgehog quickly stopped and turned toward the rooms other occupant and asked if the child could figure out what happened. 

"I honestly really don't know. It all happened so fast. One moment it's quiet and I'm reviewing samples, then suddenly all of the machinery I had monitoring him started going berserk and he started groaning and it only got worse from there!" 

"Well ah...Faker...seems fine now so I think you should run some more tests." 

"About that, most of the equipment I would need he kinda smashed." Tails replied sheepishly. "It will take some time to repair everything and get it operational, so for now I would only be able to do the most basic of tests, which honestly would be kinda pointless." 

With a sigh, Shadow removed the few bandages that still clung to him, examining the most recent wounds that Sonic had caused and noticed that they were not healing as quickly as he had expected. 

Leaving the young fox to repair his somewhat destroyed lab and equipment with a huff, the grumpy hedgehog made his way back to the front room to make use of the medical kit he had left there. 

As a second thought he brought it with him and made a b-line for the bathroom to take a shower since he had blood crusting on his pelt. 

Still deep in thought about the younger hedgehogs transformation, and having set the case on the counter, the ebony jumped in the tub, turned on the over head water and began to scrub his fur being mindful of his wounds. 

They had stopped bleeding a few moments ago and were only now starting to repair themselves. Finished with the rest of his cleaning, he shut off the water, pulled the curtain aside and stepped out, only to get the biggest shock of his life in 50 years. 

There, laying in a curled up pile licking the crimson from his paws and taking up most of the floor space, was the former hero of Mobius, who he had almost just stepped on. 

His thick fur was damp enough to need a good drying, hinting that he had been there with Shadow in the bathroom the whole time. 

Realizing that since he had never given the order to stay in the lab, the faker had followed him the moment he had left. Even more disturbing, was the fact that the Ultimate Life Form hadn't even noticed he was being followed. 

None of his supremely heightened senses had picked up even the slightest bit of movement.Even if he was off in his own little world, he still should have picked up something. 

He hadn't even felt a flicker of chaos energy being displaced from the others movement, as even now he couldn't sense the others presence, regardless of the fact that the younger one was now sitting directly in front of him. 

With the realization that Faker had complete and perfect control over his new form, the ebony looked up into the frighteningly sharp and intelligent emerald eyes of the predator Sonic had become. 

A predator that knew how to move and handle himself in any environment you could throw at him.This only proved the hedgehogs suspicions. 

It was in that moment that Shadow felt that it was not him, that deserved the title of 'Ultimate Life Form', and figuring that as long as Faker kept this form, it would not be the last, he vowed to never tell a soul that he had felt inferior to Sonic.