"You are finding your way to unspeakable power, my young (animal)."

        I remembered those words from somewhere, in a time that felt a thousand years ago. The memory was too distant to pinpoint, the image unable to be conjured alongside the deep rumble of words. All I saw was darkness. A pitch-black darkness that detained my limbs no matter how much I moved. I struggled to break free from it, my head twisting from right to left in a maddening search for light.

        "Continue along this path and you will grow strong enough to find me...to join me."

        Why did those words sound so familiar? Where had they come from? Baring my teeth, I stepped forward a few paces—at least it felt like I did—and gained no ground as I fought to locate the source of the voice hidden in blackness. I stretched my hands in front of myself to make sure nothing stood there, invisible. No sensation met my fingertips. I grew frustrated, grinding my teeth together and thrashing around childishly, wanting something to communicate with my senses. Anything.

        "You are perfect."

        At those words, I ceased my ineffective movements. I remembered where I had heard them from. They came from a dream, one of many where a black figure with snake eyes haunted my disturbed nights. They came from Mephiles before I knew him by that name. Back then I had called him my (animal) spirit, my guardian, and I had named him Black. Those deep words that echoed in the darkness were his first to me. Why did I hear them now? That encounter had taken place months ago.

        I wish I knew where that voice came from. But it's so dark, I can't see. Why can't I see?

        "Open your eyes."

        My eyes opened. I found myself standing in a chamber of bright and smooth crystal walls, pink and purple as the dominating colors. In the center of the room, some meters in front of me, a structure protruded from the ground, filled with liquid. This structure was formed from a stone material, solid and bold, unlike the crystals that made up the dimension.

        "(Name), approach the Time Pool," Mephiles' voice rang out, the demonic entity nowhere to be seen. I did as he said, albeit with hesitance. Each step I took reverberated throughout the chamber until I stopped at the edge of the pool. "Look in the water, like I had shown you before. What you experience will be different from what you saw in the lake. There, you saw the world at its present. But here you can view past, present, and future. I want you to look into the past, (Name). Witness what happened during the night of your first transformation into a (animal)."

        My heartbeat thrummed as I listened to him. What I might see frightened me, but curiosity expanded in my chest like a balloon. If I really could see into the past, then I'd know the truth. I'd know how I had become so different from the other were(animal)s—how I had become special. Clasping the pool's ledge, I leaned forward over the swirling liquid that shone with oily rainbow colors. Despite the colors, I saw my reflection easily, and I glared into my own (eye color) eyes. My image warped and rippled, replaced by other familiar images as I thought of the past. The scene I wanted enlarged in the pool, and I watched myself in awe—an average human girl before the monster inside expressed itself.

        A forest of dark, leafy trees rustled in the night breeze, my (hair length) (hair color) hair blew to the side. I traveled alone. Even as a young girl I had always felt the urge to walk underneath the stars, whether they were hidden by blue sunny skies or visible when that flaming ball of fire dropped below the horizon. Tonight, I felt different, and I didn't know why. An itch had lingered in my bones ever since the last ray of light disappeared, forcing me to leave home earlier than usual.

        The wind picked up, a lonesome wail flowed from the distant hills. I grew hot and uncomfortable in my own skin and stopped walking, in the middle of a clearing. Moonlight shone overhead, bright and full, as if the eye of the sky watched me. I stared back at it, feeling its white glow brush against my face with a cool sensation, soothing my fevered skin. What's wrong with me? I wondered.

        Something within me awoke. It clawed at my insides, bringing pain to my stomach and chest. I doubled over, gasping, clutching at my heart as I thought I was having a panic attack. The pain only grew, spreading from my torso to my arms, to my legs, to my jaw. Crying out, I fell to the ground and lied among the blades of grass. They moved back and forth in the breeze, tickling my nose as the rest of my body cramped and writhed. I squeezed my eyelids shut as the pain continued, and the next time I opened them my (eye color) eyes had changed. They glowed vibrantly in the night, reflecting the moon's light. That was only the first change I experienced.

        I moaned as my bones ached, feeling my limbs stretch and contort in ways that shouldn't have been possible. My rib cage expanded—I heard, and felt, every pop and crunch as individual rib bones moved into a new place. Pain exploded from my backside, where the human tailbone ended. The tips of my fingers and toes stung terribly as dark, thick claws burst from my nail beds. Looking at my twitching, misshaped hands, I saw their texture change from smooth skin to coarse (color) fur. I shut my eyes again, afraid to acknowledge the strange and painful transformation taking place.

        Minutes passed when the throbbing of my body finally died away. I lied on the forest floor, exhausted, panting, too scared to see what I had become. If I stayed still long enough—if I never opened my eyes again—then who was to say I had changed? Of course, the time came when I had to perceive what took place. Stumbling on four legs, I sought out the nearest reflective surface, which happened to be a stagnant pond not far off. When I stuck my shaggy (animal) head over the water and saw myself, I cried out in terror and disgust.

        My wails overtook the howling wind and echoed throughout the forest.

        "It's sad, isn't it?" said Mephiles, his voice by my ear. I tore my concentration from the scene with watery eyes, realizing the demon had emerged beside me. His eerie gaze stayed on the were(animal) in the pool, who howled in mourning for her lost humanity. "You despised yourself. You realized the curse that inflicted other members of your family had reached you. All you wanted was to be like everyone else, and in the span of a night that changed. Let me show you what happened to me at this time."

        Mephiles peered into his reflection in the pool. His hand beckoned me near, and I looked in with him. The pictures there were strange, full of fire and destruction in a world I had never seen. Was that the devastation he had generated before Sonic, Silver, Blaze, and the others reverted time? The dark entity flitted through these images without giving attention to them. He retreated from the pool when he found what he was looking for. "The events of this scene are vivid in my memory. There is no need for me to relive it. Look for yourself and learn of what had become of me."

        A black substance crawled along the floor of a laboratory, sluggish. A cloud of energy weakly pulsated around it as it attempted to escape the scrutiny of a figure that loomed nearby. Black fur and pointed red-striped quills accompanied the figure's piercing ruby gaze. It was Shadow the Hedgehog, and in his hand he held a glowing green gemstone. Shadow eyed the moving black mass and clutched at the gemstone, lifting it to his face.

        "Chaos Control!"

        Purple aura surrounded the fleeing mass as Shadow directed his power through the Chaos Emerald, rendering the sludge-like creature disabled. The energy swirled and twisted. It attacked with stinging blows, forcing its victim to contract in pain. "...What? ...Stop!" a deep voice said, coming from the black substance. It could be none other than Mephiles.

        Shadow opened his arms, the emerald continuing to glow as he utilized its power. In the space before him, a strange and magical device materialized—the Scepter of Darkness. Washed in a bright glow from the Chaos Emerald, the scepter rose and hovered high above Mephiles' weakened state. "Who... Who are...you?" he said. From the Scepter of Darkness burst sparks of light as it dispelled its old energy and prepared to take in new energy. Its glow was dazzling, and the black mass retracted further in on itself.

        "I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog," said the striped hedgehog with little emotion, both his hands raised to the sky as he took control of the scepter's main function—to attain and confine the Dark Chaos energy of Mephiles. As he did this, the purple aura enveloped the ink-like substance further and pulled it upward toward the scepter in spirals of energy.

        Though Mephiles had weakened greatly, the venom and rage in his voice showed obvious. "Shadow... Your face... Your form... I will remember." More and more of the demonic entity's life force disappeared into the Scepter of Darkness. With little time left on the physical plane, he chose his last words to instill fear into the heart of black and red hedgehog.

        "Your death...certain. You...will die!"

        Shadow watched with a grim expression as the remaining Dark Chaos energy was sucked out of the room and contained within the scepter. There was one last step to take in preventing Mephiles' escape, and that was for Shadow to use the emerald's power to seal the scepter. He had to work quick, to time the sealing perfectly, otherwise he might lock out some of Mephiles' energy by performing too soon or waiting too long when the Dark Chaos energy might leak.

        The hedgehog waited for the last remnant of Mephiles to disappear. He closed his eyes and focused on the pulsating green jewel, willing it to shut and seal the Scepter of Darkness forever.

        However, Mephiles had a trick up his sleeve. He might have been weakened to the point of capture, unable to break free of the bonds that held him fast in the scepter's casing, but he was intelligent and had observed something peculiar about the scepter. To take in energy the scepter first had to dispel its own. In order for it to be sealed properly, more energy had to be removed to accommodate the Chaos Emerald's. It would be difficult to hitch a ride in the flow of energy, but Mephiles was certain he would succeed.

        When Shadow sent forth the power of the emerald to seal the Scepter of Darkness, the contraption glowed white and released the last of its energy as a beam of light from its top. The glow died away, and the scepter fell to the ground at Shadow's feet, a new darkness swirling within its confines.

        The minuscule fraction of Dark Chaos energy Mephiles could dispel skyrocketed through the roof of the underground laboratory and bypassed the thick stone walls of the Soleanna palace. Outside, night had consumed the land with its cool temperature and alleviating darkness. The stars glimmered, and the moon shone full, causing high-rising buildings and foliage to cast long shadows.

        A faint sensation of power reflected on the moon's face—angry and hateful and scared. On instinct, in his search for energy, Mephiles aimed toward this power and already felt revitalized in the waves of angst that touched on him through the reflection of the moon. "I must...find...where this energy...comes from," said Mephiles in a barely audible whisper. "Take me...to it!"

        Using the last of his strength, Mephiles allowed himself to be sucked into the glow of the full moon and reflected to the distant location of that furious and chaotic energy. When he distinguished the source of energy to be a frantic (color) (animal), howling its contempt at the sky, he slipped into its body unseen.

        Mephiles thought he'd easily overcome the creature's mind, as it was only a simple (animal) whose existence purely revolved around survival. But when he attempted to take control over its thoughts and actions, he found himself unable to. The creature was no ordinary (animal). Too weak to escape from its body, its energy locked away from his grasp, Mephiles took refuge in the subconscious, only existing as a latent disease. One day, he would find a way to regain his full power and wreak havoc on the world in revenge.

        I pulled away from the Time Pool with wide eyes and mouth agape. It was strange viewing Mephiles from that perspective, and I could hardly believe what I saw. But the memory was real, and Mephiles had let me experience it. Though I knew of what he had done in his past, how he had destroyed the future and turned it into a wasteland, I pitied him. In the memory, I experienced his weakened state—the utter humiliation he felt when defeated by Shadow—and I experienced how he had clung to the possibility of escape with his life. After narrowly avoiding absolute containment, he then found himself imprisoned within me by the false belief that he might control a simpleminded animal.

        The demon appeared in front of me, and I stiffened when he clasped my hands and reached out with a black tendril to stroke my cheek. My breathing halted and I closed my eyes. For a moment I was frightened, but the energy that seeped from Mephiles was warm and energizing, and I calmed. "After I escaped the Scepter of Darkness, the part of me that first entered your subconscious could not break free. It is why I can never be at my strongest without you. Together, we are at our most powerful."

        I hummed along with his smooth words, unknowingly. The urge for power intensified in my body and in each of my limbs. I wanted to be strong, and the only way I knew how was by being with Mephiles. In the back of my mind, a small part not clouded by the demon's sway and deception, I remembered Sonic and our goal to obtain the Chaos Emerald.

        "Let me show you who you can really be," said Mephiles, distracting me from my mission. "All you must do is give in to temptation; let me be a part of you again."

        Why did he want that, to be a part of me? Surely, he didn't want to be trapped again? He had striven so hard to free himself by manipulating my thoughts and portraying himself as a hero's aid. Now that he had his main source of energy, why would he want to relive his time of imprisonment? Something was off. Something was wrong.

        "...No," I mumbled, my tone unsure. Mephiles said nothing, staring at me with a dubious glint in his snake eyes. Warmth leaked onto my palms, and I looked down as an ink-like substance oozed from his hands, attaching to me. I knew I should pull away, should struggle, but I wanted to be strong again. The desire for power and the duty to my friends collided together, forcing conflict between my body and mind. As the two fought together, more and more of the sticky blackness slid up my arms and over my shoulders, dripped across my back and curled around my waist, and gravity pulled it down my legs. My face remained uncovered, as my mind had already been touched by Mephiles' dark influence.

        The energy radiated with welcoming warmth, encouraging me to let it in. Sucking in a breath, I tried to clear my thoughts and think of Sonic waiting outside the chamber door—depending on me—but the urge was too great. I let him in.

        Little by little, the gooey ink absorbed into my skin. Mephiles vanished with it, permitting the whole of his being to enter my own and combine with it. The warmth inside me increased. I stood alone by the pool, but not actually alone. The warmth inside me grew even hotter. My muscles flexed and tensed, the strength behind them impossible to see unless put to use. The warmth inside me raised to an intolerable amount, and I leaned over the Time Pool with quick pants. It continued to rise until I screamed.

        A painful transformation took hold of me. I hadn't chosen to change into a (animal), yet it happened, forcefully. The only time I had ever felt pain while transforming was during the night of my first change. The agony of my contorting limbs now was far greater than that. I screeched and groaned, fell to the floor, and thrashed around with clawed hands until it stopped. As I laid gasping, with my head resting on the hard surface of the chamber floor, wild and disordered thoughts ricocheted within the boundaries of my mind. What happened? Why did he do that to me? Was I supposed to feel that way?

        I didn't feel right. Strength pulsed through my veins, yes, but something had changed about me. Struggling to upright myself, I looked for a reflective surface. The pool was close by, so I stumbled toward it on unbalanced paws. When my gaze reached the reflection inside it, I barked in astonishment.

        A shadowy black (animal) with serpentine eyes stared back at me. The image terrified me, and I tried looking away. I couldn't. "I am trapped no longer," said Mephiles, his voice booming in my eardrums. "Now, (Name), it's you who is trapped."

        With my face he grinned menacingly.

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Artwork made by Quotev user Ga1axyWo1f!

Mephiles is getting his revenge. He had spent so long trapped in (Name), and now that he is at his full strength he can take over her actions without the side-effect of getting stuck in her head. Even the original small part of him that got stuck belongs to him again.

To anyone who has had their art featured in this story, I rearranged them to the chapters I thought would fit them best.