Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Running.
It was a cowardly thing to do, but Shadow had no choice. GUN was really trying to make an effort in trying to capture him when he landed back on earth. After landing back on earth in a haphazardly way not 20 minutes ago, GUN operatives were already putting a force together to capture him. GUN were under the assumption he still worked with Gerald and Ivo Robotnik, which meant that he would be considered an active terrorist and a villain, even though it was his and that blue hedgehog’s efforts that saved the planet from being completely annihilated by the Robotnik Orbital Lazer Cannon that had just exploded off in space. Shadow and the blue blur had been separated after the event, with Sonic disappearing into a golden ring and Shadow falling down to earth. He had regained consciousness just as he was landing, letting him reorient himself in the air and land down onto the ground without dying. He was the Ultimate Lifeform after all, it would take more than a fall from space and a Superweapon exploding with the power of Shadow’s Chaos energy to kill him. Now, Shadow was alone in his situation of trying to escape from GUN. Shadow reasoned that he may still have been in London, the same place where the Robotnik weapon had been hidden. The other piece of information that informed Shadow he was still in London was the fact he landed inside of a bustling city, with buildings that looked like the toy castles him and Maria would construct late into the night together. The other indicator was the sight of what the humans called ‘Big Ben’ was just visible in the distance. One side of the clock tower seemed to have been shattered, probably from when that muscle-headed echidna used its surface as a jumping platform to break into the GUN headquarters that was close by.

Several GUN choppers were already in the sky, hunting down the black and red hedgehog as Shadow dashed through the city of London on his air shoes, pushing his feet like they were skates even harder than he usually did to get a wicked amount of speed. He needed off the island as fast as he could, and his only way of doing that was crossing the ocean. “If I run fast enough, maybe I could jump the whole body of water.” He spoke to himself, dashing through the city as GUN forces were slowly closing in on his location. Wind whipped around the quills of the alien hedgehog as he blasted through the city, with several steel vehicles that were piloted by GUN operatives were following behind Shadow. Leaning from the sides of the vehicles, GUN Operatives were firing rounds towards him in an attempt to slow him down. Turning behind him, Shadow scoffed as He suddenly twisted his body and aimed back towards the vehicles, and by rolling into a ball of energy, smashed through the vehicles with an explosive domino effect of explosions. “Easy work. You can’t hope to slow me down, GUN.” He remarked in a low and snarky tone, but not smiling as He looked towards the destruction behind him.
More GUN trucks, this time with turrets on the top that fired Anti-armor rounds, were replacing the vehicles that Shadow had taken down. “Oh? Come to challenge me too? Be my guest.” He said, still frowning as He took off down the streets. It was a sight to behold if you could keep your eyes focused on the blur of red that raced down the streets. Shadow beat up GUN machines and trucks left and right, easily outmaneuvering GUN while showing off at the same time. Running up walls, jumping from building to building, as He outpaced the vehicles and robots that GUN tried throwing into his path. “I’ll admit, even I’m a little impressed with your desperation to capture me, GUN…but its futile.” He said to nobody in particular, gloating as he sped through the city.

Shadow was quickly realizing a problem with his ‘ocean riding’ plan. He couldn’t gain enough speed. The ocean was far too big for Shadow to just blaze across alone, and with GUN slowly him down as he ran by throwing things in front of him would mean he wouldn’t be able to gain that top speed he needed. He needed support of some kind, something he didn’t like to admit out loud. As Shadow ran, something caught his eye that was parked outside of one of the English bars that were dotted around the city. A Black Motorcycle, clearly owned by someone in the bar, was parked on the street. The design of the bike was to Shadow’s liking, with a black body and slight stripes of red on the casing. The bike looked like it was perfect for Shadow’s height too. Jumping onto the bike, he saw it was missing the key to start it. “No problem…CHAOS CONTROL!” he roared, the bike suddenly blasting to life. “Perfect. Less running.” He said, as the motorcycle purred. Shadow blasted down the streets even faster, as He applied ‘Chaos Control’ to the motorcycle, entwining his Chaos energy with the bike to make it even faster. The world became a blur to Shadow’s sides as he raced through the city, his gloved paws clutching onto the handlebars of the motorcycle he had stolen. “Quite the specimen…a kindred soul you and I, yes cycle?” He said, using the energy of the motorcycle.

“ALL UNITS! SUSPECT HAS OBTAINED A BIKE!” Shadow heard in passing, making him look behind him. “Try and catch me, GUN.” Shadow remarked, blasting down the road even faster. As He came to the shoreside, Shadow looked towards the waters. The seas were calm, the starry sky overhead mantling over the freedom that was just barely in sight for the black hedgehog. “Perfect…now to get that last little speed.” He said, drifting the bike to aim towards the water and blasting down the last stretch of road ahead of him. GUN tried cutting him off, but the between the bike’s already impressive top speed and the power of Chaos Energy from Shadow, the bike blasted down the road so fast it generated a wind current that blasted the glass of buildings around the blitzing bike, sound and wind exploding as Shadow blasted out onto the water.

The lights of the city began to fade, the white headlight of the motorcycle Shadow stole being the only light that was around the speeding hedgehog. He rode over the top of the water with ease, the speed of the motorcycle somehow not sinking into the water. Blasts of water shot out from behind the bike as Shadow’s motorcycle skidded over the water. Shadow kept the motorcycle from drifting in a wild direction, his Ultimate Lifeform Strength allowing such feats when combined with his Chaos energy. “Try and catch me now, GUN.” Shadow growled under his breath as He dashed ahead. The black hedgehog then focused ahead on the seas, racing over the water as He focused his energy into powering the bike. The roar of the engine was the only sound Shadow could hear.

Shadow felt he needed to apply extra strength to hold the handle of the motorcycle, which seemed to also gain more speed as Shadow held onto the machine. Shadow began to wonder if he would need to take off his Power bracelets that held back his true power so he could harness the energy of the bike a little better. “Heh, you’re pretty powerful ‘Beast of the road’.” Shadow said to the motorcycle, smiling for the first time since his escape from London. “Perhaps a power like you deserves a title that is as powerful as mine…how is ‘Dark Rider?’” He asked the machine. There was a bit of a whirr from the engine as the motorcycle sped through the sea. “Very well, Dark Rider it is.” Shadow confirmed.

Finally, peace and quiet. He rode over the waters, the glower expression on the ‘Serious Business’ hedgehog framed over his face as he rode into the quiet waters. The clear sky above had twinkling lights that shined down onto Shadow as he drove over the sea. They sparkled in the sky like little sparks of life, reminding Shadow of the emotional deepness he felt inside that still poked and prodded at him. Shadow was very much a ‘go it alone’ kind of hedgehog…but now that he finally got it, there was a bittersweetness to that loneliness he was now feeling. Him and Sonic had a heart to heart on the moon after viciously beating the hell out of each other due to Shadow harming someone close to Sonic, a human named Tom. Shadow had goaded Sonic into fighting him, almost getting decked in the process. Then, at the last second, Sonic had held back. “This isn’t who I am.” was the words Sonic had said.

At first, Shadow saw it as a sign of weakness. Shadow had done everything he could to get under the skin of Sonic, to keep him fighting so the doctors could finish their plan…until Sonic showed him something he had never considered before. Long ago, before Shadow was put on ice for 50 years, someone close to him had been killed by GUN operatives. Maria Robotnik, the granddaughter of Gerald Robotnik and the cousin of Ivo Robotnik. Maria was everything to Shadow, like how Tom was to Sonic. It was in recognizing the two were not so different, Shadow began to see the flaws in his and the doctor’s plans. Shadow was becoming the same monster that took away Maria from him.

Shadow then thought back to his past when Maria was alive, how she and Shadow would take to the surface of the labs to look up at the stars above the sky. They would look towards the constellations and map them together. If he was taking away that same thing from Sonic, would He, Shadow the Hedgehog, be no different than GUN? As He and Sonic had sat on the moon together, there was something that Sonic had said that finally twisted Shadow’s heart in a way he had never felt before. It wasn’t the answer to his pain, but it did quell it. “There are no winners in Revenge.”
Shadow wasn’t sure what to feel then, and he sure didn’t know what to feel now. “Did the pain ever go away?” Shadow had asked Sonic. Sonic sighed as she looked towards the stars too. “When I lost Longclaw, I felt the same way. Pain. Anger…but in time, I learned there was more to hang onto than that…love. That’s what you need to hold onto, Shadow.”

There was loss, pain, frustration…but there was also hope and love still there too. Now, in the present, Shadow sighed as He looked to the stars, thinking to his time with Maria. He hoped that Him and Maria would have a chance to explore the world together. Although his ego hated it, He would take to the advice of the blue rat, holding onto the memory of Maria. As he drove over the ocean, the mantle of stars in the sky shimmering down onto him, Shadow then spoke to the heavens with a whispered and gruff breath. “In a way, you’ll still be here with me…won’t you, Maria?” he spoke to the sky.
As he drove over the ocean, a single, glowing light of red then started following behind Shadow as He drove over the ocean. Shadow looked behind him as the shape of some large, white machine began to rise from the waters, matching his incredible speed and snatching his bike off of the water with a metal tentacle. At first, Shadow was ready to fight, powering his Chaos energy to attack the enemy that dared to touch him or his new vehicle. However, Shadow eased up as he realized the vehicle that was over him, holding his bike carefully. “Hey Shadow, you interested in some company?” Spoke Agent Stone, in the recently repaired Crab Ship that had been recovered after being sunk into the river of London.

Back on the mainland, a very angry and frustrated Doctor Rockwell stood inside of GUN headquarters, watching through footage of various GUN operative vehicles. Standing inside of a dark office, brooding, she watched the footage intensively as she looked for any clues that would let GUN find where Shadow was running to. Forget dealing with Robotnik, as he was most certainly dead by dying inside of the self-destructed mega-weapon that was in space. The most important thing now was to get a read on where Shadow the Hedgehog would be going.

“5 years in training…several years of barracks training…some of best minds giving me their knowledge…and I’m outsmarted by four aliens, a back country sheriff, and a madman who refused to die the first time…” Rockwell said to herself, standing alone in the office as she looked over the dozens of computer screens lining the walls in frustrated determination. She snarled as she realized very quickly that the damn alien clearly got away. The last time they saw him he was blitzing down a street towards the ocean, disappearing into the waters and somehow driving over the water.

Rockwell sighed as she then took to the keyboard sitting on a desk in front of her, looking through various folders of information on the computer system she was operating. She combed through the files, looking for anything more on ‘Project Shadow’. If she could find some kind of weakness or deeper knowledge on this creature, it was possible she could find a weakness. Both what the footage they had of Shadow and also what she had seen for herself had proven that this was no small force she was fighting to control. Shadow was the perfect superweapon to combat GUN. He possessed a greater power than even she initially thought when she first had gotten the files for Shadow the ‘Hedgehog’. “Calling you a hedgehog would be a bit of a misnomer, wouldn’t it edgelord?” She said to herself as she combed the files on the computer.

They knew basic information about Shadow; that he came down on a meteor in the countryside of Oklahoma, that he was inside the meteor itself, and that he possessed some of the same qualities of Sonic, but that unlike Sonic he wasn’t just some strangely shaped creature…he was imitating Him besides the super strength and color. What GUN couldn’t figure out was why? These two creatures clearly had never interacted before…so why would they look so similar? Was Sonic from the same place as this creature, or was there something more nefarious at play? Too many questions and not enough answers. With both of the Robotnik doctors dead, The Orbital Cannon destroyed, and Shadow free, it seemed like there would be no answers for Rockwell.

They were back at square one. The only thing left for Rockwell to do was to just find Shadow and corner him. Luckily, there was a way for them to do just that. Rockwell pulled up a specific file, an overview to another project that GUN was considering as a solution to be sure they didn’t need the assistance of Sonic ever again. They had dug up the file from one of Ivo Robotnik’s computers, the machine designed as a way to contain Sonic’s power in a charging vessel so the power could be used against him. It had been scrapped for one reason or another, but that didn’t matter now. The Doctor was dead, so they might as well use his remaining knowledge for good use. The machine would be able to match the speed of Sonic and have the strength of that red creature called Knuckles. With a couple modifications, there was a chance it could even stand against Shadow. It still had a long way to go to be finished, but it was the only solution that Rockwell had. The named the project was written on the top of the browser page, ‘Operation Omega.’

Chapter Text

“…And make sure you make it decaf! Last time I came you guys caffeinated it and my blood pressure was through the roof!” Said the snarky voice of Linsey Bark, a snobby 30-something year old with short, brunette hair to Stone as He stood on the other side of the counter. Respecting her custom order, Stone answered the same way he would any other valued customer of the recently reopened and renamed Mean Black Bean. Smiling, he replied “Yes Ma’am, of course!” He said, taking genuine delight in helping this customer with her order.

He spun towards the coffee maker and barista set up that was behind him, already hard at work on Linsey’s and everyone else’s order that were waiting inside of the café that Stone was operating. With grace and quick movement, Stone jumped from machine to machine he operated on the backwall of the coffee shop, handing the job with ease and with joy. The master barista was hard at work, keeping the orders of every patron in his store concise, perfected, and made with tender love. As he put the finishing touches on Linsey’s order, He then took to another set of coffee’s made to go and called out the names of the customers who ordered the coffee now in his hands. “To go for Mr. Harvey? One expresso with double caramel and drizzle of coconut milk?” Stone called with a delicate but vibrant voice. After handing off the coffee to a happy gentleman, Harvey thanked Stone for the coffee and even placed a 5 dollar bill he placed in the tip jar after tasting the coffee he had purchased from Stone. “Wonderful as always, Mr. Stone! See you tomorrow!” Harvey called out. Stone waved to Mr. Harvey as he watched him walk out the door. “Of course, Mr. Harvey!” Stone spoke.

As Harvey walked out the door, one of two employee’s Stone had for his store held the door open for Harvey as He walked out the door. A dyed-black hair young lady named Emelyn with a grey beanie and wearing the company outfit of green undershirt, brown slacks and a dark brown apron with the company logo on front, held the door open to let the man walk out, saying in a less-than-enthusiastic tone “Come back to get your Mean on.”, before closing the door and continuing to sweep the floors she was instructed to do by Stone.

Stone, after getting through the rush of the last thirty minutes and had finished Linsey’s order to hand off to the snarky lady, then had a look over his café he had rebuilt in the last year and smiled. Designed just as he imagined it. Beautiful, dark green walls with pictures of his famous coffees on the walls, a beautiful seating arrangement of metal tables and chairs with a floral design, and checkerboard flooring making up the interior of the small café front. Polished wood trim was lining the walls that Stone specifically picked out, a choice of refurbished Maplewood that added to the cozy color of the café. Behind Stone’s counter was his array of coffee machines that did a variety of concoctions for the store, from expressos to mochas, complex teas and cocktail coffees, and even the tools that let him make his signature creation ‘Latte with steamed Austrian goat milk’. A sign for the store was above Stone on the back wall of the store that read ‘The Mean Black Bean Café’ in cozy, green lettering on a circular, brown panel with fake green leaves growing from the side of the sign. The whole vibe of the location was cozy, calm, and safety.

This. This was one of Stone’s dreams. His own Coffee Café, run the way he wanted. He had run the ‘Mean Bean’ down in Green Hills a long time ago as a front to prepare for Doctor Robotnik’s return, but this time this place was Stone’s dream café. It wasn’t a front, or some scheme…it was simply his dream now. As he cleaned down his counter, reorganized his coffee beans under the desk, and then looked through the activity of the morning on a handwritten chart he made for himself, he couldn’t help but enjoy the atmosphere of the store.

But, there was something missing. Stone looked towards the opposite end of the counter towards a framed photo that had only two people in the image; A younger him and a younger and leaner Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Stone was similar to his younger self, with the only difference being a much more muscular than he was as a spry young man and the full beard he was trying to grow out back then now fully formed on the professional barista’s face. Ivo, with his once perfect slicked back hair, groomed stache, and black suit, looked fit and proper for the occasion this photo was being taken for. This was one of the few pictures Stone had of the Doctor, and just the very sight of the picture made Stone smile. The Doctor was not one to be seen as the social type, but Stone never really was as a youth either. Every other kid around him wanted to be something else than what Stone wanted. Firefighters, policemen…but Stone only had one big goal in life; being an artist. His coffee was his art, and The Doctor truly saw that talent in him. Stone brought the coffee, the most critical part of any operation The Doctor ever set out to do. If there was work to be done, Stone was there with the coffee. “You’d of liked this place too, Doctor.” He said under his breath.

There was a sorrow in Stone’s voice. The Doctor was truly long gone. Taken before his time, The Doctor made a grave sacrifice to save the world, to save Agent Stone. The final words of The Doctor to Stone would stay with the barista until the day Stone died; “This is Doctor Ivo Robotnik, dedicating my final livestream to one very special henchman. If I can’t rule the world, I might as well save it. You were one of the only people to really care about me. Stone, you were more than a sycophant to me…you were a Syco-friend. I’ll miss your Lattes with Steamed Austrian Goat Milk…I love the way you make them…”

Stone remembered the words of The Doctor as he watched the final moments of The Doctor play out in his mind, with Stone taking a deep breath and sighing as he exhaled.
A sole voice broke Stone’s admiring of his own storefront to direct his attention away, speaking with a desire to get out of the store as soon as possible. “Hey, gotta get out of here so I can get to classes on time. Am I good to clock out?” Emelyn asked, finally done with the tasks of the day. Stone, snapped from his day dream, quickly cleared his mind. “Ah, yes! Oh, and since you’re on the door out Emelyn, can you deliver these to 110 Jacob’s Lane? Shadow isn’t back yet from the other runs I’ve sent him on.” Stone asked of his Niece. She sighed as she walked to the back to go punch out on the computer. “Whatever.” She replied, with Stone leaving the package on the front counter for the girl to take with her on the way out.

Stone had been out of touch with his family for the last year, on account of the whole ‘Robotnik antics and saving the world’ stuff going on. Now able to connect with them and him explaining how he was opening a coffee shop, His niece who happened to be going to college nearby was looking for a job and her folks suggested Stone’s store as her way of paying for college. Stone actually doubled down and offered to pay for the entirety of her college if she worked for him, to which Emelyn agreed…now the only trouble was now she had a job.

After Emelyn changed into some comfier clothes for school in the back, a fuzzy black sweater and black jeans, she then took up the package of stuff and carried it with her out the door towards her bike that she chained up outside. When Emelyn opened the door, the bell attached to the top of the door rang in his announcement to the store’s door opening as Emelyn said, “See you next week, Uncle Stone.”, finally happy to be out the door for the day. “Joy as ever, Emelyn! See you next week!” Stone said with enthusiasm and love for his niece. She placed the parcel into a basket on the front of her bike, freed her ride from a pole she had chained the bike too, then rode down the street towards the address that Stone had given her to deliver the package.

It was the afternoon by now, with the store’s busy hour behind them and the day left to the few stragglers that would show up every now and again. The store was in a small town north of most major cities on the west coast. The town was at most a few hundred people, and Stone had somewhat figured out the general activity of the town to best run the store’s hours. Left alone with his baby, Stone sighed as he continued looking through the information of the store. He pulled out a laptop that had all of his survey data from people leaving review of the shop up on a open tab and began scrolling through the messages. All of the reviews were either 4-to-5-star reviews…except for one, which of course belonged to Miss Linsey Bark. “1 star: as always, they get the froth of the drink wrong! I don’t know why I keep bothering with this store!” The review said. Stone sighed as He shook his head. “Maybe one of these days, Linsey.” He said, smiling as He then clicked to another tab that read the numbers for the things the store needed to order for next week. Stone then began the process of looking through inventory of the store, both on the front counter and in the back storage room to be sure they had enough for the autumn season that was fast approaching. Soon, Pumpkin Spice would be back in style, and Stone already had a dozen ideas for his own version of the seasonal drink of the fall.

As Stone continued the work of upkeep, there was a bring from the entrance bell of the store. Stone was in the back storage room of the store when he heard the bell. Speed walking out of the backroom through the push door that separated the storefront from the backroom, he looked to see who had just entered into the store but saw nobody there. “Hello?” He called out, when a gruff sounding creature then spoke to him that was lower to the ground. “I have finished the deliveries, Stone.” Shadow said, the black and red hedgehog as grumpy-looking as ever frowning towards Stone as He had his gloved hands on his sides. The hedgehog, against his desires, was dressed with a child’s size green shirt and brown apron that covered a small fluff of white fur on his chest, with a green cap with the company logo on the front placed on the quills of Shadow’s head. He still had on his golden inhibitor rings on his wrists that kept his full power on lockdown, his white gloves that covered his paws, and his black and white Air Shoes that had boosters to speed up Shadow as he ran. He was so cute with the added clothes, with Shadow eventually warming up to the fashion choice so long as He got to wear the ‘badges of honor’ that were sewn onto his leather apron by Stone. “They were a sinch with Dark Rider. I assume the store has managed fine without my speed?” Shadow asked, looking serious for the job. Stone smiled as He looked down towards his friend. “Perfectly! It’s good to see you! Did Mrs. Gabriel’s cat give you any trouble this time when you got to the door?” Stone asked Shadow, who shivered in response to the name of the creature in question. “Such might…for such a tiny form…we have made an agreement, for now.” Shadow warned, folding his arms as He looked towards Stone.

6 Months. It had been 6 whole months since Shadow and Stone had escaped London and GUN together. Stone picked up Shadow not too long after in the crab tank, of which now was sat on top of the roof of the café, covered with a tarp that hid the inconspicuous shape and was the makeshift home of Stone and Shadow for when the store was closed. Shadow thought of it like a secret base or a treehouse, but all it reminded Stone of was The Doctor. It was a secret machine The Doctor had designed before he went full mad scientist and tried to capture Sonic the Hedgehog. The two once-evil-henchmen of the Robotnik family, now the only two remaining members of the group, were finally living a life of freedom that they so desperately desired.

Stone was the man of the business and Shadow was the delivery and the workhorse. They were a team, and in a way, found family through everything they had been through together. At first, Shadow wasn’t sure how he felt about helping run an establishment like this, until he tried one of Stone’s coffees: ‘Latte with Steamed Austrian Goat Milk’. Almost immediately, Shadow was on board with the idea. Shadow was devoted the store, just as Stone was, with the hope of making the place the kind of Café he imagined Maria would enjoy if she was here. Over time, he came to the acceptance of the workplace outfit, so long as he had the ‘badges of Honor’ from Stone every so often to showcase that not only was he the ‘True Ultimate Lifeform’, but also the ‘True Ultimate Coffee Deliverer’ as well.

As the afternoon crept on, Shadow helped in closing down the Café at 5pm, as well as making sure everything was ready for next week, and then closed up the store for the day after changing their clothes in the back bathroom of the store. Stone changed into a comfy grey sweater and grey jeans, while Shadow removed the work clothing and took to a handsewn red sweater that matched the small bits of red in his quills that Stone had handmade for Shadow specifically…he also still didn’t wear pants.

As Stone and Shadow walked outside of the store, Shadow felt the cold wind blow down the road as He gave a shiver. Stone was fiddling with a set of keys to lock up the store for the day as Shadow asked Stone another question about Earth. “Earth is so strange…you mean to tell me that the world gets warmer and colder depending on the calendar? Why doesn’t it stay the same so there’s less confusion?” Shadow asked Stone as Stone locked up the building. “Well, see its because of the change of thermodynamics and the air pressure from the way the Earth spins in axis with the sun and how the angle of the planet sort of changes throughout the cycle of the sun. That also is determined by your spot on the equator and how-” Stone looked down to the hedgehog creature, who looked confused at the big words Stone was using to try and describe the process of ‘Weather’ and ‘Climate’ to a Hedgehog who was conceptually a teenager. Stone decided to reevaluate his explanation and said simply. “Maybe the Earth just gets bored? Maybe it wants to try something new?” Stone answered, smiling towards Shadow as He finished locking up and placed the keys in his pocket.

Shadow thought about what Stone had said, “Try something new? Earth…perhaps you are even more wonderful than Maria thought.” Shadow said, as He and Stone walked towards the side of the building that ‘The Mean Black Bean’ occupied. The side of the building had a small nook where Shadow parked ‘Dark Rider’, a modified bike that he had stolen as his escape off of London and had been keeping as a way of transportation for when he ran deliveries for Stone across town, Scarlet Reach, Oregon.

The town was a quiet, less than one thousand town that was close to the ocean coast. They really had a small collection of everything in this small corner of the United States. Towards the northeast, mountain ranges so tall they pierced the clouds were looking down on the city, their peaks already having a collection of white snow towards the tips that pierced the mountains. Down in the valley was where the town was, as well as a dozen rolling foothills that ending in rivers that all flowed towards the sea on the west. The town itself had a flat plane until you got to the beach, at which point the drop from main ground to seaside was almost 30 feet down. The beaches were massive, stretching across the whole west side of the town. Jagged rocks stuck out of the water the further north you were on the beach, with that deterring a lot of people from surfing out on the waves. The town was no bigger than 100 acres, with most people knowing each other and the community pretty tight knit. Shadow and Stone found it to be the best place for them to get their fresh start. Nobody here really knew anything else going on in the outside world, with a majority of the people there not even really seeming to notice the strange alien creature that Shadow was. The story of Sonic had reached these people at some point, so many of them just wrote it off as this being a creature similar to Sonic and left it at that. Besides, he brought them Coffee from ‘The Mean Black Bean’ whenever they ordered, taking no longer than 2 minutes…even if you were on the other side of town.

As Shadow and Stone walked up the stairway on the side of the building and made their way to the roof of the coffee building where the covered ‘Egg Crab Mobile’ was parked, the side door of the giant, mechanical crab opened up to allow them entrance into the small home inside.

The inside of the crab had been completely changed. The walls were covered with brown tarps and towels to give it a more homely appeal, with the floor having a massive, red rug. A fake fireplace was on the back end of the single room, where two heaters firing off the sides of the television that had a video of a fireplace playing to simulate the look of a fire. A big, red sofa was placed in front of the fireplace that had a whole bunch of decorative pillows that Stone had hand-stitched in the last few months placed onto it. One of them, a white pillow with red text, read a line that The Doctor quoted to those he found annoying that Stone found humorous: “This has been a real drag, thanks for nothing.”. All of the technology of The Doctor was packed away, making room for the décor that Stone tried to spruce the place up with. Two beds were set up inside of the crab; One for Stone that was about what you’d expect for a human that was decorated with red and grey sheets on a brown, wooden frame. The other was more of a nest of pillows and blankets, with several more blankets that Stone covered Shadow with when it was time for the two to hit the hay for the day and rest for tomorrow.
A table was in the center of the room, with a built-in kitchen on the backwall with a fridge for the cold stuff placed inside so the duo could have a home wherever they went and still be able to cook a good meal. Stone had left a crock pot of food to simmer for when the duo got home, revealing it to be a stew of lamb and potatoes.

Shadow helped in setting the table, while Stone prepared the last few bits for dinner, and the two of them ate together at the table in the center of the room. Shadow wasn’t one for real conversation, unless it was something he really wanted to talk about. Stone could see right through Shadow though. He was a lot like The Doctor that way. There was a broodiness and snarky outside to him, but underneath was a caring and intelligent person that held their feelings close. Shadow and Stone had developed kindred for each other, something that Stone valued and he believed that Shadow valued too. After all, why stay here if he didn’t?

“Say, tomorrow, I was thinking after we go down to the beachfront tomorrow and have a walk down the beach?” Stone suggested to Shadow, who had just finished up his bowl of stew. “The beach…sounds intriguing…Are we going to bring the telescope?” Shadow asked, not showing his clear excitement at the idea. Stone smiled as he answered. “Of Course! I did promise I’d pull it out so we could look towards the stars. I’ve also heard it will be a perfectly clear night too.” Shadow nodded as he took his bowl to the counter with his super speed and then joined back at the table with Stone. “That sounds delightful. Consider it scheduled, Mister Stone.” Shadow said in his polite, yet gruff tone. Stone smiled as He replied, “You don’t have to call me Mister Stone. Just Stone is fine, Shadow.” Shadow nodded as He folded His arms, “Understood, ‘Just Stone’.” Shadow joked. Stone had an even bigger smile creep onto his face, as Shadow, on one of the rare occasions, smiled faintly.

After wrapping up dinner, the two snuggled up onto the couch together, tugged in with a red and grey quilt as they watched more of their TV Soap Oprea, ‘La Última Pasión.’ One of the characters on the show, a beautiful Spanish girl named Gabriella, was madly in love with two men, of whom were identical twins that were the stereotypical looks of handsome young men, and was being fought over by the two men who tried to prove their love for Gabriella. However, in this episode, there was a difference in that usual conflict. Gabriella’s estranged mother, Mami Esmeralda, had introduced a third man to the series, of whom she encouraged Gabriella to wed with instead of the two men. Esmeralda wore bright read and black, with eyes red like roses that looked filled with deceit from Shadow’s perspective. For the first time, the two twins had to team up to win back the heart of Gabriella. However, what was most infuriating for Shadow was how he viewed the mother of the show. “Why does she get a say in whom Gabriella is to wed? She’s been missing for most of her life. It’s the inheritance money of Sebastian I bet.” Shadow commented, with Stone agreeing. “Oh absolutely. The two have no chemistry. I highly doubt this plan of Esmeralda will go through...The twins are very smart.” Stone explained.

Sure enough, by the end of the episode’s run, Gabriella spoke up to her mother and stayed with the two men, who of course went right back to squabbling with one another as soon as the third party was dismissed from the elegant, palace-like home that the show took place in. Shadow gave a huff as his suspicions were confirmed. “Just as I suspected. It’s good that Gabriella stood up for herself…now she just needs to do it with those two blubbing baboons.” Shadow added.

Stone and Shadow watched the show together as part of their nighttime ritual. When Shadow and Gerald Robotnik had first teamed up with The Doctor and Stone, Stone was in the middle of watching an episode as Shadow and Him were waiting on the Robotniks to return from their mission into the GUN headquarters. Shadow had quickly become invested in the show after seeing the episode, saying: “Gabriella should kill the two of them. Gabriella isn’t a trophy to be won.”. Ever since, Stone and Shadow watched the show together, watching the antics of Gabriella and her two lovers’ night after night. After the show concluded, they readied themselves for bed.

Stone tucked in Shadow, who nestled himself inside of the nest bed and relaxed in his safety. As Stone tucked in the hedgehog from space, a thought had come to Stone that never really surfaced before. He wasn’t sure if he should speak it aloud, wanting to keep it to himself as he finished tucking in Shadow. Almost like Shadow had read his mind, the alien hedgehog looked straight into Stone’s eyes and said: “I know what you’re thinking. The answer is no. I have no memory from before I landed on earth.” Shadow answered. Stone felt bad in thinking it, why, he wasn’t sure, but it was a thought that had come to his mind. “I guess the show just made me think about it…does that ever bother you? If it does, I’m more than willing to listen.” Stone reassured the hedgehog.

Shadow looked up to the ceiling, the words not really coming to mind as he brooded in his bed. “I suppose I feel a sadness at not knowing where I came from…but I would much rather think about what I have here than what’s up there.” Shadow explained as He laid in bed. “Some nights, when I don’t dream of Maria, I think I see the stars I used to be around in the sky. It’s stars and nebulas of red and gold…but that is all I can ever see…nothing more.” Shadow elaborated, staring off into space as Stone nodded along. Stone then gave a warm and compassionate smile as He knelt by the side of Shadow’s bed. “Well, I’m glad your down here with me. I think I’d have a hard time running the Mean Black Bean all by myself.” Stone admitted. Shadow then looked towards Stone and asked, “What of that girl, Emelyn? She helps you, right?”. Stone nodded, but then further explained. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, Shadow.”

Shadow felt a small twang of joy come from deep within his brooding heart, a genuine feeling of love as Stone gave his gratitude towards Shadow. “I continue to understand why Ivo liked you the more we talk, ‘Just Stone’.” Shadow yawned, beginning to close his eyes as He started to fall asleep. Stone smiled down towards the hedgehog alien as he whispered, “Goodnight, Shadow.”

After tucking in Shadow, Stone then stood up from the nest bed, watching as Shadow’s eyes closed and the hedgehog fell fast asleep. After confirming the hedgehog was completely asleep, Stone then looked towards one of the fake walls made by the brown tarps and walked towards it. Pulling it up so he could slide underneath, Stone now found himself in a tightly confined storage room that was full of the few remaining Robotnik creations. The atmosphere was colder here than the decorated inner sanctum of The Crab Tank, making Stone shiver a bit as he rubbed his hands together. The famous, flying Egg Drones lined the walls of the mechanical side of the crab, with a few walking mechanoids standing in the back. Everything that Stone needed for tomorrow was right here.

Stone then looked to a desk that was to his right. A set of gloves with controls on the wrists and palms was delicately preserved on the table, The Doctor’s old pair of controls. Brief memories of The Doctor came to Stone’s mind. The Doctor took delicate care of his Egg Drones. Them and every machine that was still here. They were his babies. Stone, wanting to respect that, held onto as many as he could. There used to be a fleet of hundreds of them…but now only a few dozen remained. Without the genius of The Doctor repairing them, they were in short supply. They weren’t an army, they were survivors. Stone took the control gloves into his hands, dawning the gloves, and sighed as He then realized a conundrum. “How am I going to get these out of here?” he asked himself.

Chapter Text

Home.
It wasn’t much, but the small townhouse that was on the one and only strip of neighborhoods in the entire county that Scarlet Reach was sat in the middle of was just that. The townhouse was built of the same old brick as the other buildings of town. The homes had definitely shown their wear and tear from over the years in their structure, but it was home.

Emelyn was living with her grandparents, her mother passing away a long time ago and her deadbeat of a father running from the responsibility of raising his kid around the same time. The poor girl had nowhere else to go, suffering from many other problems in her life. When she was 14, she moved in with her grandparents, the Hudsons, who were very quiet and very isolated older folks. Reaching their 70s, their age was already showing in their politics, matters of importance, and the way they were just as people. Granny Hudson was as sweet as honey, contrasting the older Mister Hudson, who refused being called Grandpa or anything of the sort. Their front steps were decorated with various decorations from papier -Mache cardinals and flowers to planters that were built underneath the window sills of the townhouse windows. The suntanned brick townhouse had been in the family for generations, with the Hudson’s being some of the only people who had ancestors who not only were here since the founding of the town that sat towards the north of the United States, but had also stayed there too.

As Emelyn walked up the steps, she unlocked the front door as she pushed a lock of hair aside and stepped into the home. The place had that distinct smell an older home had. It was lived in, and you could tell. The very memory of the home felt ingrained into the very hardwood floor of the home, almost every floorboard creaking as you took each step. The place was cozy, with Mister Hudson having started a fire in the fireplace in the living room off to the side of the main entrance. “Eh! There’s the lass! Make sure to kick any mud at the door! Don’t get me floors mucked up; you hear?” He called out to his granddaughter. “Yes Sir.” Emelyn called to her grandfather, as she already had done so before stepping into the home. Underneath her boots were a pair of super comfy socks that had, in Emelyn’s opinion, super cool looking werewolves on the toes that were so soft she could slide around the floor with them on. Placing her boots in a small shoe cubby by the door, she walked deeper into the home, with the kitchen dead ahead of her towards the back end of the home, and the stairs to go up to her room upstairs in that same direction. “Hey Gran! I’m back!” Emelyn called out, avoiding going into the kitchen. “Welcome home, dear! Dinner will be ready in an hour! Can you walk Odie for me? Your Grandfather’s leg is giving him trouble again!” Granny Hudson called from the kitchen; the heavier-set grandmother affectionately called out.

“Sure, let me put my things down and it’ll be my next stop.” She replied, hiding the fact that Odie was the last thing she was hoping to do. The old dog barely could walk, and that was if he wanted to. The old St. bernard was lying with Mister Hudson in the living room, lazily snoozing the rest of the day away as his old man was sitting in a rocking chair next to him, resting his bad leg.
Heading up the stairs, Emelyn reached the top with ease, then opened a side door to the side of the stairs she just traveled, walked through that doorway, then traveled up the stairs behind the door to her bedroom door up in the attic. The home wasn’t very large, with only two bedrooms, one single bath on the downstairs, and the attic being considered one of the bedrooms. Emelyn didn’t mind it though, as most of the heat could gather in the attic with the way the home was built. The attic was probably the best room in the whole house, having the most space out of the two bedrooms and also having a large, stain glass window that could be opened to let fresh air in and out of that was decorated with the town symbol of a maple leaf.

Stepping inside, the room was decorated like how you would expect an emo-styled young lady to decorate. Fake skulls and unlit candles decorated the shelves, one table towards the back middle of the room was a table of witchcraft stones and books, a corner completely comprised of stuffed animals that were super soft and fluffy, a grand bed that was fitted with purple and black sheets, as well as a desk that had all of her school stuff and technology on. Emelyn much preferred the world of the internet, where the interesting things of the world seemed to happen. This bedroom was the entire world that, at least to Emelyn anyway, really mattered. From writing her stories, drawing, to video gaming…this was her space. Finally, she was home.

She flopped down onto her massive bed, sighing as she relaxed her bones and felt rest come to her. She still had a lot of school to catch up on, doing most of the school work remote and only going into the physical building when she had to. The school was on the complete opposite end of town, closer towards where the richer kids lived. While the city was small, it was no short of cliques and places where more of the city budget were going. The town was home to a good 300 or so people, meaning that it was pretty easy for news to circulate of things happening around town. Out of the dozen or so people attending Scarlet Reach College, Emelyn Hudson was the only person there that was considered ‘poor’. It had an effect on her, both when she was in high school when she went to Scarlet High, of which now was combined with the middle school right next door, where she was very quickly singled out amongst everyone else. She had endured the bullying, and the name calling, to the point she was more than numb to it, but empowered by it. Her strangeness gave her an edge over the ‘boring’ people of this town.

Scarlet Reach was a dying town, everyone knew this. Between most businesses leaving the last few years, the population drop, and then the price of everything around Scarlet exploding out of control, most people sold their homes to move somewhere cheaper. All of Emelyn’s friends had moved away, with many of them not being as active online as they used to be back in high school and now living their own lives, of which were plastered all over social media. There was a jealousy in Emelyn as she looked through the pictures, seeing her old friends partying, meeting other people, and even begin dating…and she was still stuck here in this boring town, with nothing exciting happening…hooray.

The most exciting thing that had happened to this town was the return of one of its most infamous people, Stone Hudson, her uncle. Stone was known as a very different kind of kid growing up, always getting into mischief with his friends for a long time before suddenly dropping all of it and becoming rather successful as a young man. Then, he left town, pursuing a job where he was working with the US army in a secret army division that most people didn’t even know of. It was a surprise for many people, with Stone getting very lucky with getting the job in the first place. Then…he disappeared from public conscious for a long time, before suddenly reappearing back in town a few months ago. Ever since, he bought up the old café that was going out of business and opened ‘The Mean Black Bean’, with sales coming in from all directions. He was a man of the craft, and his delivery time was impeccable. He came home with someone nicknamed ‘Shadow’, of whom didn’t speak with many others and was a very silent type both in and around the store. Most didn’t even see his face, just a short man in a shirt and apron running so fast that many wondered if he was a super hero in disguise.

The store rejuvenated the area quite a bit, but the truth was that the town was still on the decline. No matter how good the coffee was, there was no getting around that. Emelyn had run into her uncle by complete mistake, and ever since, the rest was history. Surprisingly, Emelyn still had yet to truly meet this ‘Shadow’ persona that was stalking the resturant, never able to get a word in with him as he would be very quick in and out of the store, barely stopping for a word. Eventually, Emelyn just gave up, thinking him a recluse like herself. That was fine, she had other important things to do in her mind anyway.

Standing from her bed, she looked towards a shelf where a whole array of trinkets and doo dads were sitting, bundled up together into a nice arrangement. In the center of arts and crafts, décor, and items, was a picture frame of Emelyn when she was 10 and her mother, Abby Hudson. You could tell the two were related, with Emelyn having her mother’s eyes and chin. The two brunettes were smiling towards the camera, the picture being taken from outside Disney World. Emelyn wasn’t much of a Disney fan anymore, but the picture was one of the few that Emelyn had left of her mother. Her father, the deadbeat who ran, took off with many of his wife’s things in the divorce, with this picture getting missed in the shuffle.

Emelyn placed a hand on the picture as she sighed, still missing her mother after all of these years. “Saw him again at work…same as you always talked about him. I love you.” Emelyn said, as she walked over to her desk and sat down in her rolling seat. The comfy gamer chair rocked back as she sat back, the girl in the chair knowing she would soon get glued to this spot either doing the school work she was supposed to do…or potentially getting on and playing Fortnite later…who knows? But first, the old dog downstairs.

After getting the leash, Emelyn clicked it onto the dog she knew she would be practically dragging along the pavement, trying to get the old dog to stand so she could get him taken care of. After finally getting the dog to move, the two set out onto the street, with Granny Hudson thanking the girl for doing the task, and Mister Hudson already fast asleep in his chair by the fire. “Thanks again for taking him…I know it’s a task and a half.” Emelyn’s grandmother said, kissing her granddaughter on the cheek. “Don’t worry of it! Besides, I got the weekend off. I don’t really have much planned.” Emelyn admitted. Granny Hudson smiled as she looked towards her granddaughter, sighing as Emelyn was about to step out the door. “What was with the sigh?” She asked her grandmother, sliding back on her boots and concealing her super-cool wolf socks. “Oh nothing. I love you, dearie.” Her grandmother replied, smiling towards the child as she entered back into the kitchen. “Love you too?” Emelyn replied, adding a mutter under her breath, “Old people are weird.”

As Emelyn stepped down from the stairs, she placed in a pair of earbuds into her ears and started playing a podcast she liked listening to as she walked the old dog, who was struggling to waddle along the pavement of the sidewalk of the city. Emelyn was a true crime and alien podcast enjoyer, really digging into the supernatural and the strange. One of her favorites, Ancestor Aliens, was one she found to be a bit corny, with even the host being a bit more eccentric than what could be considered healthy. As she walked her grandparent’s dog, the waving conversations of her podcast weaved between her ears as she took note of the different things down her street.

You had the usual businesses; a floral store, a bakery, and a hardware store all jammed together into this weird, haphazard strip mall, a old looking arcade and pizza place called Fred’s Pizza that she was pretty sure was haunted by a few dead kids from the 80’s inside, the usual Walmart center that was eating up most of the local business by dominating a whole area of land, a Fred Meyer gas station in the corner of the parking lot of that same Walmart, another group of small businesses, and even a midnight bar for adults to go to called ‘The Blue Booby Bazaar’. “Three more years…so close…” She said, smiling as she looked towards the shoddy-looking club, knowing full well there was a chance the place would probably be torn down by the time she was old enough to go.

She avoided looking towards other people, just focusing in on her podcast as she walked the old dog. “…I’m telling you man. If we got humans on this planet making super crazy space lasers…Who else out in the stars could do it? Aliens, man…Aliens.’ ‘What would they even be called?’ ‘Isn’t it obvious? They are out in space, where it’s dark…what else is dark? The color black…and as we all know, the who government is replaced with Aliens too…I call them, Black Arms.” The podcaster, clearly out of his mind in delusion, began to explain to his fellow podcasteé. “Naw…that’s too on the nose…” The podcaster’s friend said with brutal honesty, with the other guy clearly not taking no for an answer.

“I’m telling you! Aliens walk among us! Being little sussy freaks and getting into everything! We gotta be careful! They could be your boss or your coworker…anybody…” The first guy, who was clearly trying to get his friend to buy into the delusion, explained. Emelyn had to laugh. “Sometimes, I genuinely wonder if what they say is just a bit. Surely if there were weird, freakazoid creatures around…we’d notice.” Emelyn said, pretty sure she hadn’t met any aliens before and new damn well she never was going to meet one. “Besides, what kind of an alien would even want to come here anyway?” She said aloud to know one, laughing at the ridiculousness of it as she continued her walk home.

Chapter Text

By the next morning, Stone had done everything he needed to set up a special surprise for Shadow. All that was left to do was to wake the hedgehog and get him there. Stone hadn’t slept much last night, but it was worth it for his little friend. Stone had to do a lot of math with the calendar and looking through the files that Gerald Robotnik had given off to The Doctor at some point within his stay in the Crab Tank. If Stone’s calculations were correct, then today was something incredibly special for Shadow.

By the time Stone had returned to the Crab Tank, it was a little after 3 in the morning. He slid into bed quietly as to not disturb Shadow and not a few hours later, a smell had hit Stone’s nose as he slept. It woke him up as He raised from his bed, seeing Shadow at the kitchen, scrambling a few eggs and baking bacon. Shadow had to use a little step stool to reach the counter of the kitchen and the stove. Shadow was wearing a small pink apron that said ‘Kiss the Chef’ on the front, the hedgehog clearly already ready for the day and, while not showing it, was excited for the beach day ahead of them. Shadow had come to enjoy the seaside as they lived in Scarlet Reach. The sound of the waves, the distant boats in the ocean of people fishing, and the smell of the sea calming the wails in his soul when he desperately needed it. Stone, still groggy and definitely not getting all the sleep he needed, smiled towards the hedgehog in the kitchen. “Well well well, look who’s with the living once more.” Shadow said, glancing in Stone’s direction as He spoke. Using his super speed, Shadow then placed the scrambled eggs with added siracha and basil with oven-baked bacon on two plates for the two to enjoy on the center. “Shadow? What’s this?” Stone said with joy, standing from his bed and walking to the table. “We’ll need some good protein to get us moving. The beach can be very exhausting if we plan to walk it.” Shadow said, treating the day off like a mission. Stone couldn’t help but smile at the hedgehog. He always took things so seriously.

The two sat down to the breakfast that Shadow had prepared, the two then readied for the day. A small shower was behind one of the other brown tarps. Stone brushed out Shadow’s quills, Stone trimmed his own beard, and the two washed their faces, with Shadow preforming his 20-step face wash routine to keep that youthful look he was trying to maintain. After they were finished, the two of them set out with a basket that Stone had prepared. “Dark Rider calls to me…I think we should ride him today.” Shadow offered as the two departed from the Crab Tank, descending down the fire escape stairs on the side of the building. Stone had ridden on the back of Dark Rider before. The experience was…quick…to say the least. “Lead the way Shadow.” Stone answered.

When the two of them got to the bottom of the stairs, Shadow jumped onto Dark Rider to rev the engine with Chaos Control. The beast of a motorcycle exploded to life, roaring like a lion as Stone sat on the back of the motorcycle. Placed in a duffle bag on the side of the motorcycle was a bike helmet for Stone. Stone applied the helmet, holding onto Shadow as Shadow revved the engine. A wide, menacing smile came over Shadow’s face as He gripped the handles. “Let’s ride, Dark Rider!” Shadow called out, the duo of Stone and Shadow blasting out from the alley and ripping down the street.
The speed was unmatched to any vehicle in existence. Thunderbolts of yellow and red followed behind the duo as they raced down the street, with Shadow even using his Chaos power to ride over the walls and drift on surfaces to bypass traffic and stunt over the small crowds gathered around town. Wind ripped behind them as they drove through the small town, Shadow driving with perfect ease through the streets. Stone had to hold on tight to the hedgehog, worried that if he let go for a second that he’s become a pancake three blocks down the opposite direction.

“WOOOH! THIS IS AWESOME SHADOW!” Stone screamed, the duo drifting down the streets with an awesome speed and control that Stone could rarely ever control when he rode the motorcycle he had put into storage when they first moved to Scarlet Reach. “The power of Chaos Control…truly a spectacle.” Shadow said, focused on his control of the vehicle. The bike had a life of its own in some ways. Shadow thought of Dark Rider as a beast of his own that he had to be in unison with to ride. Dark Rider screamed as it sped through the streets, Shadow having to tame the beast as they drove through the city.

It was true, Shadow was The Ultimate Lifeform, but even he could realize when another being as great as him was before him. Shadow saw Dark Rider as an Ultimate Lifeform like himself. It was a wild animal when fed Chaos energy, bucking and billowing the radiant energy of Chaos power. Red and yellow sparks of energy exploded from behind the machine as it supercharged through the small town. If you looked closely towards Shadow’s eyes and the center of the motorcycle, however, there was a small glow of green from the very power of Chaos energy itself fizzed inside. It was so small that you wouldn’t be able to notice it at a glance. That was true, deep Chaos energy on the same level as The Master Emerald, a gem protected by the Echidna tribes that were from a distant world like Shadow was. The Master Emerald was put in the protection of Knuckles the Echidna and that hedgehog Sonic. As for Shadow, he had no responsibility for some grand power like those heroes did…his responsibility was Stone and The Mean Black Bean, a far more adult responsibility by Shadow’s standards.

Stone and Shadow were able to see some of the details of Scarlet Reach as they drove, with most of it passing in a blur as they raced down the street. If you weren’t looking towards the direction you were moving, you probably would miss them. They moved so fast that it was hard to even tell it was them on the bike or that a bike was even there at all. Between Shadow’s lightning-fast reaction time, insane speed, and ridiculous control, they easily blasted through the city and were able to arrive to the beach in less than 5 minutes.

As the duo arrived on the beach, Shadow drifted to a halt as he grinded onto the sand of the beach. Not wanting to clog the motorcycle with sand, he depowered the motorcycle as they hit the beachside. The beach was completely cleared of people, nobody else wanting to be near the water with the autumn season approaching. Jagged rocks were between the sandy shores of Scarlet Beach, big enough that you could hide behind them to escape any wind that whipped big amounts of sand from the shore. The beach’s shore was pretty wide, with plenty of space to walk on the side of the water and not have to be close to the water. When the vehicle was completely depowered, Stone dismounted from the ride, still shaking from the speed as He removed the helmet off of his head. “Shadow! That was incredible! How do you even go that fast?” Stone asked the Hedgehog. “Chaos power can do many things, Stone. I can funnel it into Dark Rider, making him powerful like me. It’s why I respect him both as an equal and a trustworthy steed that deserves a name.” Shadow explained, kicking the kick stand out and making sure the bike was steady on the beachside.

Then a question came to Stone as he asked a follow up question. “Can you power everything with Chaos energy? Or is it just what you’re touching?” Stone asked harmlessly. Shadow raised a brow as He folded his arms. “If you’re thinking of me giving you Chaos Control, you’d likely explode on the spot like a water balloon. Only a select few could control the power of my Chaos energy.” Shadow explained as the duo walked down the beach towards a direction Stone pointed towards. “Yeah, definitely wouldn’t want that.” Stone admitted, still in awe of the total power of Shadow. This little creature was so full of strength, it was easy to see why someone like Gerald Robotnik or The Doctor would covet him so much…Stone also wondered if Sonic was something similar to Shadow in that same regard. They were both weirdly alien, both had super speed...there were some differences but not that many.

For one thing, they were definitely two different kinds of temperaments. Sonic was very much an outgoing and rambunctious type, but Shadow? He was the loner, the powerhouse, and everything he did was for a reason. He didn’t play games. He was a serious hedgehog, with serious attitude, and he would let everyone else around him know it. After all, as Shadow would quote, he was ‘The Ultimate Lifeform’.

As the duo walked down the beach together, Shadow looked out towards the ocean. The blue sky above it perfectly clear of any clouds. This was one of the last few days of warm they would have for a while, so Shadow enjoyed it for as long as he could. He smelled the salty sea air of the beachside, enjoying the calming feel of the air on his quills. The waves of the sea were mostly calm, with a few big waves being way out to sea that were barely visible on the horizon.

“Earth really is beautiful. I wish Maria could have seen more of it with me…” Shadow said under his breath. Shadow spotted something that was set up ahead, of which Stone smiled in excitement at. There was a collection of The Doctor’s machines that were all decorated with red and black banners, with a pull-out table set up on the beach that had a cake placed in the center of the display, with a few presents dotted around the table. The cake was decorated with Shadow’s head in a cartoon style, made with red and black frosting and the cake itself made of red velvet. A massive banner was being held up by two giant Egg Drones that spelled out in red letters ‘Happy Birthday!’.

Shadow looked towards the display with confusion. “What…is this?” Shadow asked, genuinely surprised by the whole of the set up. “According to the log dates we were able to extract from GUN, and according to the calendar…today, almost 55 years ago, you crash landed on Earth! Surprise!” Stone said, bringing Shadow over to the cake and presents. Shadow, although not showing it, was deeply overjoyed at the work Stone put into this arrangement and the event. “Stone…you didn’t…this is…” Shadow couldn’t find the words at what he was feeling.

Shadow was shaking a little as he looked towards the perfectly designed cake and the clear love put into every inch of the display of celebration. Shadow looked towards Stone, with Shadow then noticing the tired expression on Stone’s face. Shadow realized that Stone must have been out super late to put this together for him. Shadow little nose twitched as a warm smile came over his face. “Heh…I’ve never been moved in such a way before. You have me a little teary-eyed.” Shadow admitted with a gruff but emotional tone. “Stone…this is wonderful.” Shadow admitted, with the duo taking to the beautiful cake that Stone had prepared. “Good, and what of the cake? I made red velvet!” Stone offered with a plate of the sliced cake. Shadow took up the cake and had a nibble with a fork that he took from the table. Taking a bite, the flavor was unlike anything Shadow had tasted before. “Stone. You have outdone yourself entirely! How have you done this without me seeing?” Shadow asked, completely blown away that Stone could do all of this without the Ultimate Lifeform not noticing.

“Anything for a friend, Shadow. Had to get in touch with the bakery down the road early and they were the ones who put the cake together. When they heard it was for you, they were more than excited to put this together.” Stone explained. The two sat together on the sand, enjoying the delicious cake that Stone had ordered, with the two of them talking back and forth with enjoyment. Shadow had never been so happy in his life…beside his time with Maria.

Shadow pushed the sad thoughts from his mind. This was the time for celebration. Stone put in all of this hard work for him, and it was clear that Stone cared for Shadow in a way that Shadow didn’t realize he needed. Was this how Sonic and Tom, the human that Sonic looked up to like a father, felt together?

Shadow looked towards Stone; the older gentleman just as happy as Shadow was. There was a glint in Stone’s eyes, a look that the two of them were not just work acquaintances or henchmen in collaboration, but deep friends. Stone and Shadow relied on one another, and it was clear there was a very personal connection between them…the same kind that Shadow had for Gerald Robotnik.
As they finished the cake, Stone offered up the presents for Shadow to open. There were three gifts that Stone passed off to Shadow; One was a 90’s music player that Stone had as a kid, with every kind of heavy metal song you could imagine recorded onto a set of cassette tapes. “I used to listen to these songs as a teen for years. ‘Green Day’, ‘Fallout Boy’…all the hits. Listened to them religiously as a teen.” Stone explained. “I think they’ll fit your style, Shadow.” Stone explained.

Shadow admired the little cassette player. The thing in his hands clearly refurbished for a new generation. This little device even had wired earbuds for Shadow to listen with, and even Stone packed a dozen hardcore stickers for Shadow to decorate the black and silver cassette player with. “It’s beautiful…You will have to show me how it works.” Shadow explained. Stone smiled as he answered, “Of course! We’ll also need to find some empty cassettes so you can record some of your own songs to it.” Stone added.

The second gift Shadow received from Stone was yet another badge to add to his apron. The badge was a image of Shadow’s meteor form when he crashed down onto Earth back in the 70’s. the badge was different from the others, and instead of just being a quilted badge, this one was made of a glossy metal that reflected in the sunlight with the color of red and yellow. Shadow admired the craftsmanship of such a badge, excited to put it onto his apron as he placed it with the cassette player on the table. “This one was made with a very pretty metal, I assume handmade?” Shadow asked Stone, to which Stone nodded. “That one was tricky…had to do it when I knew you weren’t looking.” Stone explained. “But I think the last gift you’ll really like. It was hard to get my hands on because of all the encrypted documents.” Stone explained, as he reached for the last gift and handed off the small parcel to Shadow.

Shadow, eagerly unwrapping the gift, saw that it was picture of someone within a gold and red frame. Shadow’s eyes widened as he realized it was a picture of Maria. Her golden hair had been brushed for this very professional photograph, her blue eyes reflecting in the light of the picture. Maria was wearing her proper blue dress, with a blue headband holding her hair in place as she sat on a stool for the picture. She smiled towards the camera a smile so wide she looked like she was laughing. Shadow could only sit and admire the image as He held the frame in his hands. “H-how…how did you…?” Shadow was, once again, lost for words. Shadow felt a wave of tears come to his eyes as He looked towards the photo of Maria, completely surprised that Stone was able to find this.

“It was saved to a backup of a backup of Gerald Robotnik’s backup drive. The thing was so crunched I had to do some photoshopping to get the image as clear as I could. I hope it’s okay.” Stone explained. Shadow looked up towards Stone and whimpered a little as he spoke. “It’s wonderful. I can’t believe this…” Shadow said, holding onto the photo of Maria tightly as He closed his eyes and hugged the frame. “She’s beautiful. Thank you, Stone.” Shadow thanked, holding onto the picture with joy.

Stone and Shadow then moved closer to the water to sit down. The two enjoyed their sit by the beach, Stone helping Shadow set up the cassette player. Stone showed him had the buttons worked, as well as how the system played back audio and made sure the earbuds fit his ears. It was a bit of a maneuver, but they were able to get the buds to fit, to which Shadow got his first taste of metal music, listening to a band called Crush-40 first, and loving every second of it. “This music…there’s so much raw energy to it. I admire it…” Shadow admitted, his way of saying he was enjoying every second. Stone smiled as He said, “I’m glad to give the thing a new home. Between that and so much else from my old life in storage, I’m at least glad my old cassette player gets to see the light again.” Stone admitted. Shadow nodded as He admired the music player. “Maria would have loved this…loved you too I bet.” Shadow said. Stone was moved by Shadow’s admittance, wishing for himself that he had the chance of seeing Maria too.

“If she was anything like you, I’m sure we would have been friends too.” Stone said, smiling towards Shadow. As the two sat together on the beach, Shadow looked up into the sky. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the change of seasons, but he could see the moon clearly from here. The giant sphere in the sky had been hit with a blast from the orbital laser, slicing off a corner of it and making part of the moon break apart. “One of the last things Maria ever said to me was, ‘By the time we see the stars from here on Earth, they are already gone.’ It makes me wonder if she’s still here in a way, like the stars.” Shadow explained.

Stone nodded as he listened to Shadow, looking up to the sky himself. Stone couldn’t help but remember some of his own life before Robotnik, his joyful presentation fading a bit as Shadow spoke warmly of his past. “I miss the lab, but I think I also miss what made the Lab home. Perhaps those words from Sonic weren’t wrong. I’d rather hold onto the things that made me happy than the anger of what GUN have done to take it away.” Shadow added.

Stone wasn’t sure how he felt on it, not quite as excited for his home life than Shadow was for his. Shadow must have noticed Stone’s sorrow because immediately after looking towards Stone, Shadow then said, “Do you miss where you are from?”

Stone looked towards the ocean shore for a little while, the smile on his face long faded as he thought back to home. He spoke in smaller statements, biting his lower lip as He spoke. “Me and my folks…we didn’t leave on great terms. I…I had different dreams in mind than what they thought of for me. We never really saw eye to eye and…really my sister was the only one who really supported me.” Stone said. Shadow nodded as He listened. “The mother of Emelyn, correct?” Shadow questioned further. Stone nodded his head. “Well…it’s good you are close to her then. She must have good faith in you to entrust her child to you for The Mean Black Bean.” Shadow assumed.

Stone inhaled sharply as He spoke with a hollow voice, “She’s…not with us anymore.” Stone explained. Shadow had a slightly surprised look on his face, before shifting to a knowing one. “I see.” Shadow spoke quietly. Shadow then took to Stone’s hand, holding it carefully as He looked towards his one and only friend. “She would be proud of what you’re doing, Stone.” Shadow reassured Stone. The man smiled down towards Shadow as the two sat alone on the beach.

“Thanks Shadow…” Stone spoke with a whispered breath to the hedgehog to his side. As Stone looked out towards the ocean, he felt more words come to him as He admired the far off shore. “You know, it would probably blow her mind if she found out I worked for a crazy set of inventors that were hellbent on destroying the world, I think she’d-”

Shadow suddenly picked up Stone and moved him away from the shoreline that the duo had been sitting at. A blast of energy hitting the spot they were just at with a loud boom, pushing sand in every direction. Shadow moved Stone closer to the table of stuff with the Robotnik drones, looking towards the thing that fired at Shadow. “What in the-” Shadow growled, seeing that the thing that attacked them was standing a good 50 feet away from them.

It was bright red machine, with trapezoidal, black shoulders with red handles on the sides of the machine’s shoulders. Two massive, silver claws for hands, with two big gold rings on the wrists decorated the machine, with the gold rings looking similar to Shadow’s golden power stabilizers. The machine had two feet with roller blades on the bottom of the feet that were small enough they were hard to see. Two bright green eyes, with a 360 degree-turning headpiece spun to look towards Shadow and Stone. The reinforced machine looked towards Shadow with the look of destruction in its mind. On the machine’s left shoulder, a symbol printed with red paint was the Greek symbol ‘Omega’.

The machine had a foreboding presence, like it was a sentient machine that was on a warpath…a perfected machine that was ready to show the world what it could do. “Shadow the Hedgehog. I am Omega. I have been sent to terminate you.” The machine said, with a straight forward, authoritarian tone. Shadow laughed as he looked towards the machine. “One second, Stone.” Shadow said, placing the music player and ear buds in Stone’s hands, before as spin dashing towards the machine with breakneck speed. Shadow began spin dashing over Omega, trying to break the machine like any other evil robot that has tried to kill or contain him before. Yet, as Shadow kept trying to hit Omega, it seemed like nothing was working. Red deflector shields protected whatever Shadow tried to hit. Omega then grabbed Shadow by the scruff of the collar and then threw him aside. Omega then retracted his left hand, a new limb coming into its place. It was a silver minigun barrel, spinning as the minigun arm began to charge it’s round into Shadow. “Your Chaos energy has no strength in this fight, Alien.” Omega said.

Shadow stood from the crater he carved after being thrown by Omega, grunting as he stood. “So, this one’s a bit more resilient. Fun.” Shadow groaned. Red and yellow energy began jumping from Shadow’s quills as the machine prepped it’s firing arm. “So, who sent you? What business do you have on such an important day for me?” Shadow asked, angry that this infernal machine dared to interrupt his birthday.

“I was sent by GUN Director Rockwell. I will destroy you as per my command, then bring Stone in for questioning. Prepare to be thrashed, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

Omega blasted forward first, taking Shadow by surprise and grabbing the hedgehog by the white fluff on the front of his chest and throwing him into the air with ease. Shadow, spinning in the air and trying to gain control of the fight, spin dashed to summon Chaos energy, then began blasting down towards the ground as fast as he could towards Omega to smash into the machine. Omega immediately opened fire with his minigun fist, but the bulletproof skin of Shadow easily deflected the bullets. “Didn’t GUN tell you I’m bullet proof? You idiots seem to forget that when we do these little tussles.” Shadow remarked as He landed a blow on Omega’s head. Once again, red shields seemed to block the attack from hurting Omega, making Shadow bounce off of the physical barrier and spin to the ground.

“And yet, you forget my shields. I was designed to fight against something like you.” Omega explained as He fired another battalion of ammunition towards Shadow. Shadow dashed out away from the bullets, trying to find a way of fighting this machine that GUN had sent. “I don’t normally fight like this…but I think it’s needed.” Shadow spoke under his breath, dashing forwards towards the machine. Shadow stuck out a paw, summoning his Chaos energy into a ball and closing his fist, slamming it into the machine. “CHAOS CONTROL!” Shadow roared, a blast of green and red energy shooting into the shields of Omega.

Shadow gasped in disbelief. The shields completely absorbed his energy entirely. “W-what!? How?! How did you?!” Omega slammed Shadow away from his body, the machine completely unaffected by Shadow’s Chaos energy. Omega looked towards Shadow, the oversized machine having no way of showing facial expressions, but the machine clearly proud of its strength. “And you wanna see something even cooler, Shadow?” Omega asked the hedgehog, to which the center chest of the machine hissed steam as it opened the center cavity. A massive plasma cannon thrusted from the center of Omega, and a green charge of energy began powering up from the robot. Using the energy that Shadow gave to him, Omega then fired a blast of bright green energy towards Shadow’s direction and into the sea. Shadow dodged out of the way, the hyper green energy barely missing the hedgehog as the green plasma hit the water, exploding into a ball of energy in the wall and sending ripples of air currents around that kicked up sand and water. The explosion brough up gallons of water from the sea, revealing the smaller scale power of Chaos energy.

Shadow looked towards Omega, a look of fright and seriousness etched onto Shadow’s face as the machine proved to be not just a formidable rival, but an even greater force than him. “So, GUN really did send you…how the hell did they make something like you? Nobody can withstand my absolute awesome power!” Shadow roared. Omega twisted his right arm and made a finger motion for Shadow to come after him. “I don’t know, big boy. Why not you come over here and you can try again?” Omega asked, taunting the hedgehog.

Now Shadow was starting to get angry. “You remind me of a certain blue hedgehog…” Shadow growled towards the robot. “Oh? You mean Sonic, correct? Once I’m done with you, he is my next target. He won’t stand a chance against me.” Omega explained as he charged his minigun arm. Now that was an interesting update. “GUN really is mad at both me and that blue ball of quills, huh? Still angry at us taking the superweapon launch keys?” Shadow asked, readying his fists. Omega tightened his fists as He took aim towards Shadow. “The list of transgressions is far too long…now, where were we? Right, me making you into Swiss cheese.” Omega taunted once more.

Shadow looked towards Dark Rider, the motorbike sitting right where Shadow had left it. An idea came to Shadow in taking this thing down. If he couldn’t break it by normal means, maybe he could get it trapped somewhere. “Then try to keep up, bucket of bolts!” Shadow yelled, speeding off to Dark Rider and using his Chaos energy to rev the engine. Omega, seeing the Hedgehog begin his escape, activated his wheel feet and began rolling after Shadow as the two blasted into the small city of Scarlet Reach.

Shadow blitzed through the small city, trying to take sharp turns around town to try and get Omega to crash as the machine copied Shadow’s moves like when Shadow used his air shoes. Omega even copied the arm motions, keeping up with the hedgehog as Shadow drifted around the old-styled buildings of Scarlet Reach. Shadow was more than impressed with the machine, even a little frightened, of which he didn’t want to admit. This thing really was meant to rival him. Strength, Chaos energy, and even Speed. Just what exactly was this thing GUN unleashed? “You really are impressive…but let us see how you handle this!” Shadow exclaimed as He took a perfectly 90’ degree turn to the right and drifted into an alley, where Shadow then drove up the side of the wall and then applied even more Chaos energy and blasted into the sky, landing back down on the road and blasting out of town and towards the wilderness of the entrance to the highway around the mountains.

To his left, Shadow had a clear view of the ocean from the highway pass he was now blasting down, with trees that belonged to the forest on his right. Farther and farther from the city the hedgehog was going, to the point he could no longer see Scarlet Reach behind him. Shadow was sure he lost the machine, yet sure enough Omega was immediately right behind him again. The machine was jumping from vehicle to vehicle, before landing back on the road and continuing the roller blading down the road to catch up with Shadow.

“Tch! I’m starting to get really sick of you.” Shadow growled under his breath as he ducked and weaved around the road. The highway was already becoming crowded with other cars, and Shadow was sure that he could get Omega to crash if he could just lure Omega into different directions. Shadow applied even more Chaos energy into Dark Rider, trying to get the machine to speed up even faster. They were already going 175 mph, the speed becoming dangerous for the care of the machine. The engine screeched in protest, already not liking the speed that it was going. “You can do this, Dark Rider! Hold together!” Shadow tried to encourage his steed, revving the engine as hard as he could physically push.

Omega was still closing the distance. Inch by inch, the machine designed to kill him was moving closer and closer with each passing second. It wasn’t just matching his speed; it was catching up. Shadow looked in one of the rearview mirrors of his bike to look at the machine behind him. Shadow needed to go even harder…even more powerful than before. Would he need to remove the power inhibitors on his wrists and use the full power of Chaos? The danger of that could mean blowing out this entire roadway just to destroy one machine. After dodging more traffic, he saw cars that were full of families sitting inside.

He thought back to before he was on the run with Stone, remembering when he had full on attacked Sonic’s human friend Tom. Shadow thought back to the pain that destroying someone else’s family could cause, and wasn’t wanting to do it again. He would have to control how much he was blasting, go even faster to get away from these families before unleashing the full power. Shadow pulled in a deep breath, holding it for as long as he could. He thought of every memory that ever frustrated or angered him, every moment of pain that he had ever experienced, and as soon as he came to a section of road that was the clearest for him to perform his next jump in power, he released that anger in one explosive shout.

“CHAOS CONTROL! OVERLOAD!!!” He roared, a surge of red, yellow, and green energy exploding from his body in a fury unlike anything he had ever done before.

Time suddenly stood still. The energy that Shadow used didn’t just speed him up, it sped him up so fast that the world practically stood still. A green aura was around Shadow’s form as the hedgehog was surprised at what was happening. The world seemed to go grey as he looked around, not feeling the speed of going over 170 mph anymore. Shadow looked around his environment, confused on why the world suddenly seemed to have stopped. He looked at his body, his black fur having a radiant green energy around him as He sat on his motorcycle.

Stepping off of the bike and standing in the center of the road, he looked around him to see what else changed in the environment. The birds in the sky were completely dead still, hovering in the air without movement. He looked towards the ocean view to his side, the waves frozen in time as the hedgehog moved at speeds unprecedented. “Well…this wasn’t what I was thinking would happen, but I’ll take it.” Shadow said, as he walked towards Omega, who was less than 15 feet away from Dark Rider. Shadow then realized that he had the ability to not just touch Omega, but land physical blows. A cocky smile formed on his face as He then began pelting the machine with blow after blow with his spin dash attacking. He punched, kicked, and even tried to lift, Omega. Even in doing damage to him, nothing seemed to happen. The machine had clearly been attacked, but Omega still stood in place.

Shadow then gave a deep breath, summoning the last of his strength as he could, and then yelled as he delivered one final punch that was aimed into the center chest of the machine. “CHAOS BLAST!” All of the energy from Shadow then gathered into the punch that landed straight into the center of Omega’s chest, and time seemed to begin once more as the world returned to color, with green light circled around where Shadow was punching Omega, and the machine’s damage finally caught up with him. The final punch, landed straight on Omega’s chest, then sent the Robot flying way off into the sky. Air exploded around where Omega flew, as the machine had finally begun taking damage.

Shadow stood victorious in the street, watching as Omega flew off into the sky. The robot couldn’t even say something snappy before it was launched into the sky and back towards Scarlet Reach. As Shadow stood in the road, he looked behind him towards Dark Rider, who was laying on its side, the energy of the bike completely depleted. Shadow rushed over to the bike, hurriedly moving the bike of the road and looking over his steed to be sure it was alright. “Are you where I got that added boost? I’ve never used my energy like that before. It felt…different.” Shadow spoke towards his bike.
The traffic that was behind Shadow and Omega was beginning to catch up, making Shadow dash back to his bike, power another wave of Chaos energy, then speed around the traffic as he made his way back to Scarlet Reach.

Chapter Text

Stone was left alone on the beach, trying to get the remaining Egg Drones organized. As he stood on the beach, a voice called out from behind him that gave his heart a jump. “Uncle Stone? What are you doing?” a female voice spoke from behind Stone. The man spun around him, looking to see his niece standing behind him. Her signature grey beanie had a new pin in it she had just painted that morning, a red autumn leaf on a black pin decorating the hat with the rest of the other pins placed on by the girl. She had on every layer of black eyeliner she could, matching well with the black hoodie with her favorite metal band on the front. She was wearing slacked jeans with chains around the pockets, a backpack on her back that was filled with her computer for writing her books and her doodle book. Her punk shoes were similar to the style she was rocking, made with genuine leather that she had waxed that morning so they were as shiny as they could be.

Emelyn looked really confused as she looked towards the Egg Drones, then the small crater nearby, then back to her Uncle. She knew her Uncle Stone was a weird, eccentric guy, who had his only other coworker besides her live with him, but never did she take him to be a tech guy. “Are those flying robots?” She asked, as Stone was trying to think of a valid excuse for what he was doing on the beach. “Emelyn, now really isn’t a good time! What are you doing down here?” Stone asked, surprised to see his niece here. “I always come down here on the weekends when it gets chillier…makes a better atmosphere for writing. What are you doing? Whose birthday is it?” She asked, looking towards the giant banner that was becoming slightly tangled up with the robots that were hovering in the sky. “Listen, this is really complicated to explain but I…” As Stone continued to stammer away, a sound was coming from the sky that was rapidly approaching his and Emelyn’s direction. Stone looked towards the air, trying to see what it was.

Pressing a whole flurry of buttons on his Egg Drone controls on his wrist and arms, he moved everything out of the way of the flying object and watched as it crashed into the sand of the beachside. Both Stone and Emelyn had fallen backwards from the explosion, with Stone watching the hole intently to see movement as He scampered backwards from the hole in the ground. “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?” Emelyn yelled, completely disoriented from the explosion. Smoke billowed from the hole carved in the ground from the flying machine, with both Stone and Emelyn standing up and looking towards the hole where the giant hunk of metal just crash landed.

As Stone went to get a closer look at the hole, Shadow immediately arrived back on the back of Dark Rider, parking it a few feet away from the crash site, then super speeding next to Stone, which made Stone jump in surprise. “Did…you get it?” Stone asked Shadow, who was looking into the crater to see movement. “Hopefully. It was designed to withstand my Chaos energy on weaker levels…so I gave it absolutely everything. My hope was I fried it.” Shadow said, kneeling by the crater.

As the smoke cleared, Omega was visible in the hole now. The machine looked still in one piece, but the machine clearly had been pretty shaken up. The robot fizzed on the ground, the red eyes of the machine flashing between their usual red and a bright green glow. The limbs twitched and spurred as it laid on the ground, before going limp and the lights of the eyes going dark. The machine laid in the ground for a couple seconds, making Shadow and Stone believe that the thing had clearly been defeated.

Shadow was the first to say something, “This could be an issue…” Shadow said, as Stone turned from the crater and looked towards Scarlet Reach. Stone sighed as He bowed his head and placed his hands on his hips. “You don’t think GUN knows where we are now, do you?” Shadow asked Stone, who shrugged his shoulders and looked back towards the crater for a moment before looking back towards the small town they called home. “They’ll notice the machine doesn’t come back. They may have more of them…hard to know.” Stone elaborated.

The two creatures were left with no real clue as to their hunter’s true potential. Suppose more of these things show up? If that happened, Shadow may have a harder time facing them all off at once. “It took me putting the full power of Chaos Control to fully take it out. I had considered removing my power inhibitors to pull off the added strength I needed…until something changed.” Shadow explained.
Stone looked towards Shadow, curious. “What do you mean ‘changed’?” He asked. “When I used the most amount of power that I could with my rings on, the world seemed to freeze. It was like time itself stood still. I’ve never done something like that before. My power may be getting stronger.” Shadow explained as he looked down towards his hands. “I’m still unsure…but there’s something deeper to my powers that are changing…I can feel it.” Shadow added.

Emelyn, who had been watching the entire exchange in silence, looked towards the robot in the hole, then to Shadow, then came to the realization all at once. “Holy shirt balls…you’re that creature! From the news! You’re Shadow the Hedgehog!” Emelyn said with shock. She looked like her entire world had just been rocked completely, placing her hands on her head as she looked around in surprise. “Oh my god…my coworker is a freaking alien hedgehog. That makes things make so much sense…” Emelyn said, as she then looked back to the crater that the giant robot had carved after it fell, suddenly looking concerned. “Uh…what’s that sound?” She asked, as both Shadow and Stone looked back towards the hole when metal scraping began to ring from the crater.

One of the massive claws belonging to the machine grabbed onto the side of the, the armored foe standing tall before Shadow and Stone. Both of them stood back and looked towards the machine with a mix of fear and confusion. “How!? That was so much strength!? How did you withstand me!?” Shadow roared; angry he was being bested by a hunk of metal.

The machine’s eyes glowed bright green, the hulking machine standing from the rubble with ease. Shadow went to reach for his cuffs, understanding that the only way he was going to beat this machine was by using the full force of his power. “Perhaps I misjudged your ability…you are quite the rival, Omega.” Shadow growled, both annoyed but also impressed at this robot’s capability of handling Shadow’s immense strength.

As Shadow began to power up another Chaos blast, Omega suddenly glitched again before powering down and then quickly coming back online. “System memory failure. Main motherboard damaged. Cannot execute internal commands. Military response personality condition: Critical failure. Powering back-up personality core. One moment…” The machine said. The lights in the eyes of the machine glowed even brighter as Omega suddenly became far more animated.

“Right! I’m good! Let’s do this! Come at me, Big S!” Omega said, his movements far more fluent as he dashed around Shadow, like he was trying to juke around him. Shadow had to take a second, completely caught off guard by the completely different demeanor of the machine. He went from a quiet, proud machine, to some kind of energetic and hip man. “You think you can take me, huh? Let’s see it! Huh uh uh!” Omega said, acting like he was tricking out Shadow and trying to attack, before flicking Shadow’s nose and then hopping back and laughing. “Ha! Gotcha nose!” Omega said, laughing as he played around with Shadow. “I’m just messing with you, Shades! Got you real good though, gotta admit!” He said, pointing and laughing towards Shadow as he tried to joke with the thoroughly confused Stone and Shadow.

“You…aren’t trying to kill me. This is some sort of trick to lower our guard.” Shadow said, readying his fists as He squinted towards the robot menace turned sudden ally. “I don’t know? Your whole punch knocked up my whole system. Can’t really remember what I was doing…can’t remember anything at all, actually.” Omega admitted.

Both Stone and Shadow looked towards each other, then back to the machine in confusion. Stone was the first to begin asking questions. “So, you don’t remember who sent you or why you’re here?” Stone asked, watching the moves of the machine gone amnesiac with caution. Omega shrugged as He replied, “Nadda! Probably nothing important. Anyway, so what we doin’ now? I got a roaring for some new commands.” Omega asked, rubbing his hands together as He looked towards the duo for any new things for the machine to do. “New…commands?” Shadow asked, even more confused. “My entire directive drive is bust…but I have an even deeper routed protocol: Complete tasks until my battery dies, at which point I need to recharge, then begin again! So, what have you got for me?” Omega asked the duo.

Both boys looked towards each other, then to Omega. Stone and Shadow weren’t a hundred percent sure what to do with this machine. Do they destroy entirely? Study it? Was it pinging their location as they spoke? Stone was the first one to come up with an idea of what to do with Omega, taking charge of the situation. “Omega, come back with us. We’re going to take you back to our place and we’ll figure out the next move from there.” Stone said, with Shadow looking completely against the idea. “You mean to bring this infernal bucket of bolts with us to our home? He will surely destroy us and drop the facade as soon as he enters our home!” Shadow argued, still not trusting Omega.

Stone looked back over to Omega, who locked eyes with Stone and waved it’s hand in joy as it eagerly awaited the next command. Stone made a face as he looked towards the clearly brain-damaged machine and then to Shadow. “Pretty sure he’s actually busted up.” Stone explained to Shadow, who was still reluctant to allow that thing around his home. Groaning, Shadow reluctantly agreed. “Only because it’s my birthday…I will be gracious. But let it be known, if this scrap metal mechanoid so much as spark in a way I don’t like…” Shadow warned the machine, frowning towards the robot as He folded his arms. “He also better assist in upkeep with the shop. It would be beneficial to our coffee empire to have a super computer organizing our various selections of brews and beans.” Shadow added, wanting to find a good use for the machine.

Stone couldn’t believe he had done it, but he had somehow found a new employee for his and Shadow’s birthday by complete accident. Reached a hand out to Omega, Stone welcomed Omega to the team. “The name is Stone! Nice to meet you, Omega.” Stone said with a smile, to which Omega made a fist bump instead and hit Stone’s backhand instead of the handshake. “Sure thing brother! Woooh! I’ve never done ‘Coffee’ before! New learning capabilities! Yeah!” Omega said, the sound of the excitement of the machine somehow making Shadow even angrier. “Oh great…he’s like that damned hedgehog…great.” Shadow added, folding his arms tighter.

Shadow then turned and looked at Emelyn, who still had a look of shock and awe on her face as she didn’t even know how to begin processing everything that she had just become privy to. Was her uncle one of the guys who was working with the crazy science dude that broadcasted to the world his death on the giant spaceship? If that was true then were this space creature and Stone running from the law? So many questions, and she was so excited to finally have something exciting happen in this town. “What do we do with her?” Shadow asked, looking towards the young adult. Stone sighed as He looked towards Emelyn. “Look, follow with us back to the store and we’ll explain everything there. We’ve got to get out of here before more people show up.” Stone explained, quickly getting everything packed up that he could. Stone pressed a flurry of buttons, the Egg Drones and Badniks becoming semi-invisible so they could be taken through town without alerting suspicion. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but are you a supervillain or something Uncle Stone?” She asked with excitement. “ex-supervillain. Again, we will explain at the store. Come on!” Stone said, trying to hurry the girl along.
As Omega, Emelyn, and Stone, along with the other Egg drones and Badniks were going up the beachside towards Scarlet Reach, Shadow walked to his bike and began to rev the engine. “One last ride today, Dark Rider, then I promise we’ll get you cleaned up from this grinding sand.” Shadow said, powering more Chaos energy into the engine of the machine. The bike fizzed to life, but not as energetically as usual. Shadow did use a lot of energy today, and the bike had been through the ringer a bit harder than usual. “You deserve a good work on when we get home…and do NOT allow that pestiferous machine near you.” Shadow spoke to his faithful steed.

As Shadow began to drive the motorcycle, a sound fluttered into his ear that came from a distance. The sound was big, like a massive flap of wings that were from some kind of large bird. He twisted his head towards where he heard the sound. It was a collection of rocks that were closer towards the northern side of the beach. The stones looked like they had been pushed apart by some kind of force, with visible cracks in the stone from something pushing off of them. Shadow super sped on his air shoes towards them, inspecting the rocks closely. He would have noticed this when he first came down to beach, nothing escaped his vision after all. Yet, somehow, they strange detail of the environment illuded him. Something big must have flown from this spot, but as he looked up into the sky, there was nothing there. The bright, blue sky looked completely clear of anything that would be considered dangerous or mysterious.

Shadow couldn’t tell, but he felt like he was being watched now. Whatever this other party was, it potentially was somebody from GUN who had initially set up Omega. “Ugh, I don’t have time for this. WHOEVER YOU ARE, WATCH YOURSELF!” Shadow yelled out, not accepting the idea of getting jumped for a second time today…once was already enough to his ego. As Shadow drove off on Dark Rider to catch up with Stone and Omega, a pair of eyes from another set of rocks watched Shadow disappear up the side of the shore and towards Scarlet Reach.

A pair of Aquamarine eyes watched with curious wonder and intrigue. The figure behind the stones was about the same height as Shadow, but with white fur that functioned more like hair, the rest covered by their white gloves that reached up the arms, white boots that had pink hearts on the toes of the tall boots with pink cuffs, and a chest piece shaped with a pink heart-shaped piece of armor and black leggings. The creature had large, white bat ears that winced and fluttered at every small sound, its gloved hands having two pistols to its sides that it was ready to use the moment the time looked right. The weapons were something she had acquired from her boss, used only in emergencies. Two, large purple wings were tugged behind her back as she tried to hide behind the stones.

The bat creature smiled as she looked on towards the retreating hedgehog, as she felt it safe enough to make a phone call. She pulled out a circular device that she used as a phone, calling someone in her contact’s she named ‘Snobwell’. After the phone rings for a moment, the person the bat lady was calling answered for who was called. “Rouge, calling in…bad news, your little pet project failed.” She said, trying to hide a snickering laugh as she spoke.

Chapter Text

Shadow hated Omega even more now that the machine was in his store than on the beach.

The clunky machine had to squeeze through the doorway of the café to fit, almost taking out the doors as he walked in. The machine then squeezed into a space so he could at the table, watching his large shoulders to be sure then didn’t hit anything on the way in. As everyone was sat together at one of the tables of the closed coffee shop, Stone was busy behind the counter of The Mean Black Bean, furiously working on making a collection of his quintessential coffee, The ‘L.S.A.G.M.’. Emelyn looked first towards the giant red robot to her left, then to Shadow on her right, folding her arms as she sat back in her chair. The lights of the café were kept off, the sunlight from the windows being enough light to illuminate the cozy storefront.

Stone asked if anyone around the table had any preferences for their coffee, to which none of them voiced one. “I uh…don’t have a mouth.” Omega explained, to which Stone took note of as he brought out the three coffees and placed them down on the metal table that the group were sitting at. Stone joined with them, pulling up a seat to join the three other creatures sitting at the table. Stone sighed as He pulled down his shirt to pull the wrinkles out, looking towards Emelyn and speaking straight to the point.

“So, I know you have some questions…but before I start, I need you to understand that you are completely safe, okay?” Stone explained to Emelyn, who looked towards Stone with a look of confusion. “I wasn’t really thinking of that but okay…” She said, eying her uncle for a moment and then turning to Shadow. “So, you’re that hedgehog guy right? Sonic or something?” She asked. She then looked towards his quill colors, noting that they weren’t the bright blue she had seen online from the various videos that had been coming out for the last year. This hedgehog’s quills were a deep black with red hues, with tips of bright red to contrast the dark colors. Shadow growled as the name ‘Sonic’ was mentioned. “I’ll have you know that I have a much wider move set than him. I am Shadow, we’ve worked here together at the café...I’m surprised you didn’t notice sooner.” Shadow admitted. Emelyn thought about the few times she actually ran into Shadow before shrugging. “Good disguise?” She proposed. Shadow huffed as He folded his arms. “I may be the Ultimate Life Form, but being blind is your own curse.” Shadow snipped. Shadow looked over towards Omega, who was rotated in his chair and was tapping on the light fixture above them. “Don’t touch that.” Shadow said, giving the machine a side eye.

Emelyn took a sip of the coffee that Stone had place on the table as Stone began explaining the story of how things with his work with The Doctor went, the super weapon that detonated in space, GUN and Director Rockwell, and everything that had happened afterwards. Stone spoke highly of The Doctor as he described The Doctor’s obvious mania in trying to capture a blue alien hedgehog for his super quills and The Doctor faking of his death twice before dying for real on the spacecraft back 6 months ago. Emelyn looked towards Her uncle with both a look of confusion and surprise. “So…let me get this straight: You were assigned by the U.S. Military and a secret military organization called G.U.N. to hunt down the blue hedgehog guy that was on social media, had your boss almost die twice, then die on his grandpa’s super weapon in space after trying to stop him from destroying the world?” Emelyn summarized. Stone nodded his head as a ‘yes’. Emelyn then turned towards Shadow and then asked him for his story.

“And you are a super weapon developed by that same grandpa doctor with the powers of a meteor that crashed landed on earth, then were put on ice by G.U.N. after they raided your home? Also, you are like sonic but not? Why do you look like him? Seems kinda…weird?” Emelyn asked the black hedgehog. Shadow also nodded in response.

Emelyn was completely befuddled at everything before her. Her uncle just confessed to being a henchman to a crazy mad doctor and this creature to her left was apparently some crazy superweapon. She sighed as she looked towards Stone and asked. “So…if you guys were the bad guys, and this robot was supposed to stop you…does that mean that GUN are still after you?” Emelyn asked. Stone seemed reluctant to answer the question, with Shadow grunting towards Emelyn’s question. “If they know any better, they’ll stay away. I’ll punch everything they throw at us, shoot what I can’t punch.” Shadow admitted. Emelyn smirked towards Shadow. “And why is that one still here then?” Emelyn asked, pointing towards Omega as she asked the question.

Shadow growled as He explained, “This one is different. He lives because he can be useful for the café. If he has any functioning megabytes left, he’ll help our Café Empire expand so we can take over the world with our signature coffee.” Shadow raised his chin to look more superior, still angry that he had to spare Omega at the request of Stone. Emelyn looked towards Shadow with a side eye. “That…doesn’t sound like a retired villain.” She pointed out. Shadow fluffed his quills as He smiled towards the girl. “Relax, girl, I wish no doom on the world. I simply aim to make them all reliant on our caffeinated goodness so they rely on us as important architecture, all while putting a smile on their face. It’s what Maria would have wanted.” Shadow elaborated, folding his arms.

Emelyn looked around the empty store. “Whose Maria? Is that another person around here?” Emelyn asked. Shadow tensed for a second as He looked away from the group with a glower. “Nobody. None of your concern, girl.” Shadow responded quickly. Emelyn huffed as she applied pressure onto Shadow’s mood. “Well now I’m glad I didn’t really get to meet you. You could stand to be a little nicer.” Emelyn retorted. “Some people don’t deserve that. You are one of them in my eyes.” Shadow argued. “Then you should get your vision checked. I’m very trustworthy, Emo-boy.” Emelyn snipped back.

“Guys, come on! There’s no reason to fight!” Stone intervened, with Shadow groaning and twisting around his chair, while Emelyn sighed. Omega looked slightly uncomfortable as He then spoke up after Stone’s putdown. “I, uh, would like to know who Maria is…” Omega put forward. Shadow suddenly spun back around and slammed a paw onto the table. “Keep that name out of your speakers, GUN mech!” Shadow growled. “Enough, Shadow!” Stone intervened again, looking towards Shadow as he barked. Shadow jumped from Stone’s sudden sharpness before huffing and dashing away from the table and out the door, going around the corner of the building where Dark Rider was being stored.

Stone sighed as He sat back in his chair, looking towards the door where Shadow ran through. Emelyn and Omega looked towards each other, then towards Stone. Stone stood from his seat, scooting in the chair and excusing himself from the table to go talk to the angry hedgehog. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t do something out of anger. I’ll be back.” Stone said, as Emelyn then getting a text on her phone. It was her grandmother, calling to see if Emelyn would be home for lunch.

“Well, this has been interesting…I have to go.” Emelyn said, standing from her seat and taking her coffee with her. Omega waved towards Emelyn as she walked out the door. “See you around, coworker!” Omega called out, with Emelyn uncomfortably smiling and walking out the door. Stone looked down towards his niece, unsure of what to say. “Hey…see you guys’ Monday?” She asked, smiling more affectionately towards her uncle.

“Yeah. See you Monday…” Stone spoke with a low tone, smiling towards his niece. “Tell Gran I said hi.” Stone spoke softly to Emelyn, who quickly walked out the door and started heading home. Stone watched Emelyn as she walked down the street, unsure if he brought either comfort or anxiety to the girl. The last thing he wanted was for the last of his family to be unsafe around him. Stone turned to Omega, speaking softly to the machine. “Wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back.” Stone spoke. Omega gave a thumbs up with his claw hand, “Sure thing, new boss!” Omega responded.
Stone walked around the side of the building, where he found Shadow had cleared a space in the alley and was working on Dark Rider, already opening up the outer casing of the vehicle and looking over the machine to care for it. A vast array of vehicle repair tools were organized inside of a black tool kit to Shadow’s side. Shadow sharply picked up various tools and working them into Dark Rider furiously. Shadow was completely absorbed into his motorcycle, still angry at the confrontation of Emelyn and them letting Omega into their store.

Stone tried speaking to the angry hedgehog, speaking to Shadow’s sorrow. “I know GUN took Maria from you, but Omega wasn’t built yet. He doesn’t understand.” Stone explained to Shadow, who ignored him and continued to work on Dark Rider. “Shadow…He’s lost his memory. Maybe he could be of use to us?” Stone proposed. Shadow tossed the current tool in his hands into the toolbox and growled towards Stone. “The only use he has is for spare parts for the crab! We should get rid of it when we have the chance.” Shadow barked, continuing towards His work on his vehicle. Stone knelt down towards Shadow, speaking from the heart to the hedgehog. “Would we be any better than GUN? He’s as much a victim of GUN that you are.” Stone explained. Shadow rolled his eyes towards Stone. “Oh please, he’s a machine. No different than the Egg Drones or the other Badniks and Orbital Cannon. Why should I care?” Shadow argued. “You view Dark Rider as a creature. You understand it as its own life…why is Omega any different?” Stone asked Shadow.

The hedgehog was silent for a few moments, before turning towards Dark Rider. Shadow slowly moved his hand over the body of the motorcycle, his eyes tracing over the form of the vehicle steed. “Dark Rider has earned his name…He has proven to be a creature of worth in my eyes…” Shadow explained, as he continued to work on his noble vehicle with a frown. “That’s all I ask…give Omega a chance to prove himself! If he succeeds, then we bring him in with us.” Stone proposed to the hedgehog. Shadow thought about the agreement for a moment, gazing towards the engine of the semi-disassembled motorcycle. “And if he fails…I break him into his basic parts and put them into something that truly deserves that scrap metal.” Shadow growled in response.

Stone, nodding in agreement, then holds out his hand towards Shadow’s comically large paws. “Deal?” he asked. Shadow looked towards Stone’s hand, before begrudgingly raising his own paw and taking delicate hold of the human’s tender hand. “Deal.”

Chapter Text

Omega was a strange fit for the store. Stone measured the machine’s size and found that Omega could best fit behind the counter and easily turn around by simply spinning the top half of his body. Having Omega handle the counter freed up so much more time for Stone to actually interact with the guests, all without having to pay him. After all, Omega really was more of a captive than an employee, and Stone went through a variety of steps to ensure that Omega couldn’t be traced.

The weekend was Stone carefully looking through Omega’s inner system, using The Doctor’s toolbox of robot repair systems to diagnose Omega’s systems and be sure that there was no inner tracking software of malicious system that was beaming their location. He rooted through Omega’s systems, the vast wires and machine parts all circling around Omega’s center chest where his center power core was located. Just like Dark Rider when he was powered up, a green glow was emanating from Omega’s power core. Whatever Shadow’s power did to Omega was similar to what was happening to Dark Rider, like it was giving Omega a life of his own through the power of Chaos Energy. When asking Shadow if he knew how this energy worked, Shadow responded with the same confusion as Stone. “My energy is simply here. I share it with beings that deserve it…he is an exception. I don’t know how my power transferred to him.” Shadow said quickly, growling towards the machine.
Hoping the machine couldn’t answer his question well, Stone then asked Omega how much of before he could remember. “I remember cold…then things were warm as I was turning on…then the green and red lights…and that’s when I climbed from the pit in the beach and met you guys! I don’t know how I know you though…” Omega began to ponder. Stone quickly diverted Omega’s thinking and welcomed him onto the team once he cleaned up Omega and made sure that none of his weapon systems were functional unless Stone gave the permission to.

Come Monday, and Omega was fresh and ready for the job. Wearing a bigger-sized apron with the company logo on the front and excited to help, Stone opened the café for the first day of the week. “I’ve written down step by step instructions for each item on the menu, do you think you can handle it?” Stone asked the giant, 6-foot-tall machine. “Let me scan up those bad boys!” Omega beeped, reading through a cooking book styled instruction book that sat on the counter in front of Omega. The robot flipped through the pages with excitement in fulfilling this new purpose, scanning each page and memorizing each style of coffee. After a few minutes, Omega beeped and made a thumbs up as he confirmed he had learned all of the recipes. “Soups on!” He exclaimed, the faceless machine ready to start the business. “Oh! Do you think you’ll be able to handle custom orders?” Stone asked, the more demanding of his customers suddenly coming to mind. One of those examples, an early risen Linsey Bark, suddenly burst through the door.

“Stone! We need to make it quick! The Quilting Assembly are meeting in 30 minutes and I can’t bare to wait a second longer!” The older woman croaked, the older woman fidgeting with her hair as he fought to keep it styled. Wearing more bundled up attire in the form of a scarf and jacket, she strutted towards the front counter and immediately took notice of the giant machine creature behind the counter. “Stone? What is this thing?” She asked, tilting her head in confusion. Stone introduced Linsey to Omega, explaining: “Omega here will be running behind the counter today. It’s his first day, but he shows promise.” Stone explained, trying to put forth confidence. “Hmpf! Well, let’s see it then! Give me number 7 with two extra shots of mocha expresso, one half shot goat milk, one half shot almond, make sure the goat milk is towards the top and the almond towards the bottom, and I want an added coffee cake slice with that. Got it?” She barked. Omega gave a salute and immediately set to it.
The coffee machines in the back exploded to life as Omega rolled from station to station, preparing the morning order. In less than 10 minutes, Omega presented his first coffee and breakfast item of the morning. The cake was placed inside of a small to-go box that was styled with a green and brown box, with the cup having Linsey’s name printed in fancy lettering on the side. “Lindsey! Your order!” Omega chimed happily. Surprised by the speed, Linsey paid the amount she owed and had a sip of the coffee. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she tasted the drink, looked down towards the cup and then to Omega. “Impressive…You pass toady, machine.” She said snobbishly, before taking her items up and looking towards Stone. “See you around, Mister Stone.” She said quietly, before dashing out the door and away towards her Quilting Assembly.

Shadow, wearing his company shirt, apron, and hat, watched Omega’s fist customer interaction with a careful eye. He was wiping down the tops of the tables to be sure no lingering dust or grime was on the decorative tables. He still was incredibly untrusting of Omega, watching his moves carefully to be sure no underlying plot was in action. The hedgehog had one ear plugged with his new earbuds that were wired to his new cassette player in his apron pocket, listening to some hardcore rock music as He watched Omega carefully. “Lucky break…let’s see you handle rush hour, Omega.” Shadow sneered quietly, squinting towards the robot. Just a couple days ago, this thing was trying to kill him…now it was his coworker. Stone was a fool in trusting this thing in Shadow’s mind, but Shadow respected the deal Him and Stone made in seeing Omega’s capabilities.

“You need to lighten up, emo-boy.” Emelyn said, walking over towards the black and red hedgehog. She had just tied up her black hair and placed on her work hat, ready to help in operating the shop. “The machine isn’t just gonna go berserk or something…probably.” She said, not really having a lot of hope in her own words. “You don’t know GUN. Their technology is advanced…who knows what tricks that machine will try to pull.” Shadow growled, not taking his eyes off of Omega.

Emelyn pat the top of Shadow’s head gently as she said, “Sure Emo-boy”. Emelyn sighed as she watched Shadow continue to work, looking over the creature as she tilted her head. “I really can’t believe I never noticed you before.” She added, hands in her pockets as she slouched her body to look over Shadow. “I moved fast. Faster than you could imagine.” Shadow said starkly, proud of his speed. Emelyn nodded in understanding, as she tapped the table with her finger. “Look, I uh…I wanted to say sorry about upsetting you the other day. It was uncalled for.” She apologized brazenly, licking her slightly chapped lips as she pulled out a stick of strawberry ChapStick from her pocket and applied it to her lips. “I thought about it. Making enemies with someone who can run faster than the speed of light maybe isn’t a good idea. So…sorry, Emo-boy.” She added.

Shadow huffed as He finished cleaning the table He and Emelyn were standing at. “Emo-boy? What is that supposed to mean?” He asked, confused by what that meant. “Well, you seem like the deep and brooding type…I figured it makes sense for you.” Emelyn smiled. Shadow scoffed as He took the cleaning supplies with him and began to walk towards the back room to put the items away. “I don’t brood. I’m just dedicated.” Shadow tensed. Emelyn rolled her eyes, not swayed by Shadow’s reasoning. “Sure…Emo-boy.”

As Shadow and Emelyn walked towards the backroom, Stone suddenly stopped the duo and wanted to talk with them. “Hey! Shadow, I need you to run a delivery. It’s three whole trays of bunt cakes and brownies and a dozen coffees to The Gabriel’s. You think Dark Rider can handle it?” Stone asked, with Omega hard at work to finish off the massive order as more customers were pouring in to the front door. Shadow folded his arms. “Dark Rider can handle any delivery…usually…” Shadow began. Stone raised a brow, allowing Shadow to continue. “Dark Rider expended much energy in assisting me take down that bucket of bolts over the weekend…he’s tired. I will have to run them on foot…” Shadow explained, willing to take up the challenge.

“Great! I need the two of you to take the delivery wagon and head to the northside of town to deliver the cakes to the town park gazebo.” Stone ordered the two of them to do. Shadow grunted towards Stone. “What do you mean ‘two of us’? Surely you don’t mean I bring this child along?” Shadow asked, pointing towards Emelyn. Emelyn took offence, scoffing. “I’ll have you know I’m a college girl, Emo-boy.” Emelyn snarked. “Oh, you sound so sorry about last week…” Shadow cooed, a small smile forming on his face as He egged on Emelyn. Stone snapped his fingers repeatedly to get the duo’s attention. “Hey! Focus! Shadow, these are a lot of orders to carry on foot through town. Take Emelyn with you so she can help. I’ll keep an eye on the store here while you’re gone.” Stone instructed.

Shadow sighed as He nodded his head. “Very well, Stone. Emelyn, you know where the delivery wagon is?” Shadow caved, as Emelyn gave a thumbs up. “I’ll get it. Is Omega making the orders?” Emelyn asked Stone, of which Omega beat Stone to the punch in answering. “The cakes are cooling! Coffees are next! They’ll be ready in 15 minutes!” Omega announced, who then immediately returned back to the customer in front of him. “So that’s one Vanilia expresso, one mocha iced, two strawberry cakes, and a brownie! $32.76 today ma’am!” Omega said with a chirp.

Emelyn sneakily snatched the cleaning supplies from Shadow, who noticed a bit too late as he was focused on watching Omega. Emelyn stuck out her tongue towards Shadow as she dipped into the backroom to go retrieve the delivery wagon. Stone smiled as he folded his arms, watching Omega work. “He’s fast. Faster than me. I’m happy with the way things are turning out so far.” Stone admitted to Shadow, who was still unconvinced of Omega’s greatness. “Huff…today still has time. I still am untrusting of Omega…” Shadow growled, watching Omega intensely. Stone sighed as He looked down towards the brooding hedgehog. “Hey Shadow…are you still afraid of GUN?” Stone asked Shadow. The hedgehog looked towards Stone with a glare. “I am not afraid of a bunch of monkey’s with space guns and ships.” Shadow stated with strength. Stone sighed as He looked towards Omega, watching the machine continue to do his work behind the counter.

“I know it was hard…when they took Maria and Gerald from you. They locked you up for just being you…sometimes I wonder if you ever were scared of them.” Stone asked, feeling comfortable admitting his thoughts to the hedgehog. More customers came and went as the two stood together within their coffee empire, watching the different faces of town people coming and going, with even some new faces that belonged to the few tourists that were passing through town. Shadow looked into the eyes of the human who cared for Him, kept him fed here in Scarlet Reach, and was the only other friend in this town he felt family with in this small town. “…I know you, Shadow. You’re a strong person.” Stone spoke to Shadow, kneeling down towards the hedgehog and giving a reassuring smile. “I promise, Me and this store aren’t going anywhere. The crab isn’t going anywhere…this is home, and I’ll make sure of it. I promise.” Stone said, smiling towards his friend.

Shadow relaxed his shoulders as He looked towards Stone, not saying anything to Stone as he turned away from the human and back to the machine. Giving a sigh, Shadow began to walk over towards Omega. “Hey! Omega, are those coffees ready? Time is burning.” Shadow asked the machine, going behind the counter to see if the machine could use any help in preparing the last of the delivery items.

Chapter Text

“I would be so much faster on Dark Rider…” Shadow grumbled, easily pulling the load of bakery items on the green and brown wagon as He and Emelyn walked down the sidewalk. The duo walked past the various buildings of the small town of Scarlet Reach, eventually getting to the north side of town that was much more modernized. The streets were freshly paved, with brand new buildings having been constructed last month to hopefully attract more people to stay in town. From gift shops to pieces of art and even the town museum down the road that had a open view towards the ocean not too far from Shadow and Emelyn as they walked towards Scarlet park.

“And yet here you are…stuck with me, Emo-boy.” Emelyn teased, listening to music of her own through her right earbud that was nestled in her left ear in such a way that it would stay inside. Her left earbud had died last night but for some reason it wouldn’t charge when she put it away that night. She also found that the cheap, wireless earbud fit better in her ear this way, plus having an open ear to listen to Shadow and her surroundings was probably a good thing. Emelyn let Shadow be the work horse, since he was the Ultimate life form anyway. He could handle it. “We get these little breakfast things to the old people in the park and then take our sweet time heading back. Sounds like a good work day for me.” Emelyn said, smiling as she looked around the rich side of town. So many things were around that she wished she had the money to go in and shop at, but she knew that she had no way of buying for herself. She was as broke as an empty piggy bank. All of her money she made at the shop was going directly to school, because Stone was paying for her school in the first place. The money she would be making as salary never ended in her hands.

Oh well, one day she’d get some money in her fingers to get into those places. She heard they recently rebuilt a Hot Topic on the mall strip near the museum, maybe she could go window shopping after today if she wanted to procrastinate school even more. After all, there was barely anything cool to do down here in this slowly breaking down town. Most residents here were over the age of 50, and most of them were all buzzkills or boring as hell. Sure, it was great to mess with people here every so often, but the old and rich ones you had to be careful of or they got the cops involved if they thought your antics were getting in the way of their stuff. Maybe Emelyn could call up her old friends and see if they’d be willing to come back into town and the group could get into some trouble, like the old days of high school.

Emelyn didn’t have a lot of friends in high school, but the ones she did have were the cool kids. Playing hooky and sneaking off during school days, getting chased by the blue dolts for their spray painting one of the alley’s, doing dangerous crap like go up to Blood Cliff, a well-known area outside of town where the cliffs were the sharpest towards the ocean, and making out on the cliffs…you name it, they did it. Those were the times, when she didn’t feel so alone in a dying town…

Shadow’s jarring voice interrupted Emelyn’s thinking as the brooding hedgehog continued to walk by her side towards the Scarlet Gazebo. “Stone will be expecting us back post haste. It would be imperative we return quickly to be sure Omega doesn’t try anything.” Shadow spoke as the duo continued down the sidewalk. “You really don’t trust the robot, do you? Man, never took you for a hater Emo.” Emelyn joked, surprised such a small creature could have so much grudge holding. “You forget. GUN took everything from me…I trust nothing from that gaggle of army soldiers and machines.” Shadow explained, more than eager to get back to be sure that Omega wasn’t alone with Stone for too long. “Oh relax, Emo-boy. That robot isn’t exactly playing with a full deck…” Emelyn commented. Shadow looked towards Emelyn, confused. “What do you know of GUN and their systems? He’s clearly playing a fool.” Shadow spoke, raising a brow. “You see how spacey and dopey that thing acts? Nah, that thing isn’t gonna be a problem for you, Emo-boy.” Emelyn explained.

Shadow finally had enough of the nickname, releasing the handle he was holding onto to pull the wagon to speak with Emelyn. “Would you knock it off with that name, School girl? I am not some brooding teenager like you.” Shadow growled with a low voice, finally losing his patience with this girl. “Pfff, you’re the one whose being all broody over there. I’m just Goth. It’s my style.” She said, proud of her style. Shadow tensed his fist as he glared towards the 20-something year old. Her black eyes locked with Shadow’s bright red pupils. Emelyn smiled as she looked down as the fuming hedgehog, feeling bad for the little angry creature. “Fine…I won’t call you that anymore…” She said, rolling her eyes and continuing to walk forward towards the park that was ahead of them. Shadow sighed as he went to go pick up the handle for the heavy wagon that he was pulling, softly speaking: “Thank you.”

“…No problem…Grumphog.” She said, now suddenly running ahead of the hedgehog as Shadow snapped his neck around towards the girl. She was already down the block, giggling as the furious hedgehog immediately began trying to catch up. “Oh, you Child! Get back here! When I get my paws on you!” Shadow growled, trying to build up speed but not too much as to tip the wagon as he tried to keep up with Emelyn.

Emelyn laughed as she was able to outpace the hedgehog, who was doing his best to hurry across town with the wagon. The thing was too heavy and too awkward to pull and also build speed…so he tried the next best thing, pushing. Getting behind the wagon, he placed his hands on the back of the wagon and began using his air shoes to push the heavy wagon down the street. Having much more control of the vehicle, he was slowly beginning to catch up with Emelyn, who suddenly clicked her feet together and under the bottom of her shoes a set of 4, small wheels appeared under her shoes as she started roller skating down the street.

“Can you keep up with those skates, Grumphog?” Emelyn called out, winking towards the creature as the two forms raced down the busy sidewalks and streets. Shadow growled a response, trying to keep up with the girl. “THEY ARE AIR SHOES!”

The duo raced down the streets, ducking and weaving through the crowds as they made their way towards the park. Emelyn rolled her makeshift roller skate shoes with ease, mocking the hedgehog as she dashed ahead of him with ease and even running laps around him as they continued racing down the street. Emelyn ducked through a major crowd of people, yelling as she then raised a cloth mask from under her shirt as she continued down the street. “Race you, Grumphog! First to the park has to do the whole set up! Bye!” She laughed, speeding off ahead of Shadow. The hedgehog, still furious at the girl, accepted the challenge. “Once I prove I’m superior…she’ll knock this whole thing off…Alright, Emelyn…YOU’RE ON!” He roared, kicking up more speed. He called to his deeper speed, hoping to use it to keep up with the girl. As the two raced through town towards the park, Emelyn took alleys and off shoots, showing off her skating skills as she kept pulling ahead of Shadow, who was doing his best to keep the wagon of food and coffee stable.

Shadow growled as he watched the child racer show him up, as if she was better or stronger than The Ultimate Life Form. “Man, for the ‘Ultimate Life Form, you sure are slow, Shadow the Grumphog!” She laughed from ahead of Shadow, spinning 180 degrees and skating backwards with ease as she mocked the black hedgehog. “You try pushing a 140 pound wagon of delicate desserts and drinks, Goth Girl!” He rebutted, proud of his comeback. “Oh! Thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot! See you, Grumphog!” She laughed, spinning back around and speeding way ahead of Shadow and disappearing around a corner to get to the park faster.

Shadow gasped as he realized his opponent was getting away. “NO! UGH! EMELYN!” He roared, trying to speed up, taking a corner a little too tight. Shadow noticed the curb a little too late. It happened so quick, yet time itself seemed to slow motion as Shadow tipped the cart over and the items inside of the wagon toppled over. “NOOOO! CHAOS CONTROL!” Shadow yelled, trying to activate his powers to save the cart.

Green light exploded all around, the world turned grey once again, and Shadow tumbled to the ground. Shadow quickly turned towards the cart, the items inside midway into tumbling out of the heavy monochrome wagon. Shadow looked around, still on edge from the race. “Its…happened again…” Shadow realized, seeing his form enveloped in that green energy from before as he fought Omega. The sky was bright grey, with all of the buildings various hues of grey and white. All of the people around Shadow were frozen in their walking, mid-step as they paused their movement and were unaware of the speeding Hedgehog that just crashed out on the side of the sidewalk.

Realizing he had an opportunity, Shadow quickly collected the floating café items and drinks, placed them into the wagon, and began speeding ahead to get to the park before Emelyn. As he pushed the cart through the frozen time, he quickly caught up to a frozen-in-place Emelyn, who was mid laugh as she was nearing the entrance to the Scarlet Reach Parkside. Shadow smirked as He raced past the time frozen teen, saying. “How’s that for a Grumphog, Goth Girl?”

Coming to the entrance, he placed the cart just inside of the entrance. He looked towards the distant Emelyn, the smile on his face strengthening as he looked at her. “She’s a lot like her…and yet so different.” Shadow admitted, folding his arms as He looked at the girl. Even with her mask covering her face, Shadow could tell that Emelyn was laughing. There was something about the eyes and the slight change in the corners of her face that were visible above the mask. As Shadow was about to call out his power, he hesitated for a second as He felt a cold chill run up his spine.
“Shadow…” A whisper echoed through the timeless landscape. It was a cold, shrill voice. It spoke like it commanded, rather than pleaded. “Shadow…” The voice repeated. The voice was stronger, almost excited sounding, as it whispered through the timeless expanse. Shadow looked around the monochrome world as he searched for the origin of the sound. His eyes panickily looked around the environment, trying to find the source. “Who’s there!?” Shadow demanded. The voice sounded like it was coming from all directions, speaking to taunt Shadow’s sense of direction. “The time is soon, Shadow…” The voice warned, this time sounding like it came from behind him.

Shadow spun around, looking towards the park’s center. The green grass was a light grey, frozen in time as the wind had been blowing the longer pieces of grass that had yet to be cut by the community lawn cutter. The massive structure in the center, the town gazebo, was filled with a dozen older women, and a few comfortable men, who were locked in place in their seats. They were the Quilting Association that Shadow and Emelyn were delivering too.

There was something off about the scene…like something was changing in the environment itself. The world seemed to warp around this center point in the park, and the more Shadow stared at that point, the clearer the warped part of reality seemed to become. The shape floated just above the ground, with six points and a clear center mass. As Shadow focused on the point in space time, the warp got darker and darker, making a strange and liquid looking shape. A sudden bright yellow eye appeared before Shadow as it stared towards the hedgehog. Shadow stepped back a bit, surprised by the alien creature that seemed to exist outside of the Chaos power that was controlling time. “I’m coming, Shadow…Your true purpose will be revealed. My most wonderful…”

“CHAOS CONTROL!” Shadow called out, and slowly the world returned to how it was. The world began shimming with color once more, with people beginning to move once again. The six shaped creature began to slowly disappear into nothingness, the voice becoming fuzzier and fuzzier with each passing second, until Shadow was finally alone.

Emelyn, now able to move and unaware of being frozen in time, looked around behind her when she realized her opponent had disappeared. She quickly spun back around and looked towards the park entrance, then gasped in surprise as she pulled up to the entrance and looked towards Shadow’s red eyes. “How did you?!” She was completely taken aback, lowering her black mask as she looked towards the hedgehog with a gob smacked expression. “Ha, guess I’m setting this all up huh?” Emelyn asked, with Shadow not responding. Emelyn noticed Shadow’s silence, the gloomy hedgehog looking worried about something as they walked into the park.

Emelyn greeted with the people at the park, giving out the ordered items and doing her job for once. Shadow sat next to the wagon he had pulled across town, the angsty hedgehog consumed by his thoughts. Once Emelyn had finished giving out the orders, she kneeled down towards Shadow and asked if he was okay. “Usually you aren’t so quiet, everything okay Grumphog?” She asked, bumping his elbow.

What was that thing? Was it a GUN creature? Whatever it was, it was something completely inhuman. The creature seemed to warp space time around him, unaffected by Shadow’s Chaos Energy. There was something about the monster that frightened Shadow, this looming cloud of doom that seemed to seep into the world as He and this entity stood across from each other. Shadow didn’t speak towards Emelyn, only standing and grabbing the end of the wagon to begin pulling. Finally, the hedgehog spoke as Emelyn and Shadow came to the entrance of the park.

“Emelyn, did you see anything strange in the park? Feel anything off?” Shadow asked Emelyn. Confused by the question, Emelyn shook her head. “No weird vibes for me…why?” Emelyn asked. Shadow sighed as He looked up into the sky, seeing if the creature was still nearby. It seemed to disappear when Shadow called out ‘Chaos Control’, so perhaps it is locked to wherever that ability is. “Forget I said anything. It’s not important.” Shadow spoke.

As Emelyn and Shadow walked out of the park, Emelyn rubbed the top of Shadow’s head with her hand. “Hey Grumphog, how about you gloat a little for beating me? You’re making me feel like a bad person for taunting you into a race earlier.” She admitted to the broody hedgehog. Shadow grunted towards her, “I already knew I was faster…you were the fool in thinking you could outrun me.” Shadow said, taking pride in his ability. Emelyn rolled her eyes as she walked next to the short, black and red hedgehog. “Whatever you say, Emo-boy…” She said, smiling down towards ‘The Ultimate Life Form’.

Chapter Text

Shadow and Emelyn took a short detour towards the oceanside as they walked back towards the store at the command of Emelyn. “Stone will be waiting for us back at the café. We still have work to do.” Shadow argued as the duo walked closer towards the sandy shores of Scarlet Reach. Emelyn smiled down towards the hedgehog as she pushed aside a strand of her black hair. “I think we can take a small break. We’ve been working oh so much already today!” Emelyn argued, giving a yawn and stretching out her arms to show how tired she was. Shadow, sure he wasn’t going to convince Emelyn to change her mind, decided best to follow with her to at least be sure she got back to the store eventually. “Very well, but let’s make it fast. We have responsibilities to get back to.” Shadow reminded the young lady.

The land that connected the roads and landscape of the city to the beach had a bit of a sheer drop. A sloped walkway that looked a little worse for wear was one of the ways to get down towards the beach safely from the side of town Shadow and Emelyn had travelled too. Leaving the wagon at the top of the walkway, Shadow and Emelyn cautiously stepped down the sloped walkway and touched down onto the sandy shoals of the beach. The various pillars of stone that connected the beach to the raised grassland of the town shimmered off the sunlight in the sky, a few flocks of seagulls perching onto the rocks as they watched the girl and the hedgehog walk down the beachside. They cawed towards them, expecting food, then flew away when they realized that the duo had nothing to give.
To the left, further south of where Shadow and Emelyn were standing, used to be a pier that stretched out towards the ocean that had a whole festival ground that even had a Ferris Wheel that was incredibly popular back in the day. Now? The place was practically wiped off the map. The only remnants of the dock that proved it ever existed were the rotting, ripped poles of wood sticking out of the ocean tides. Old police tape was wrapped around a couple of the poles, tape that had closed off the pier after the incident back a decade ago. The whole thing went up into flames, the cause still unknown, and when the fairground was gone, the tourist power of Scarlet Reach started to die out.

Incompetence. That was always the story of this town. Something would get broken, nobody would fix it, the place suffered. That’s how Emelyn saw it anyway. It really did feel like this place was dying, with the only thing keeping this place alive being the few hundreds of people who found the landscape and hiking trails closer inland worth visiting when they could. The mayor was almost never seen, and even if he was many of the folks in town found him to be nothing of help. Plus, the guy was a nerd in Emelyn’s eyes. He always was sucking up to the rich people in town, throwing lavish parties farther south towards the more mountainous terrain where the richer people of the city lived. The community of the middle class and lower of the town were always friendly with one another, but when it came to the richer people that lived south towards ‘Forest Goldtip’, it was clear that they saw themselves as something more…important.

Emelyn was so ready to leave this stupid town. Her main forces stopping her were the fact she didn’t have a car, she had no money, and had no real idea of where to go when she was out there. The closet city outside of Scarlet Reach was a good hundred miles. There was no way she was going to be able to do that walk on foot, and even if she could, she’d have not a dollar to her name. If she could finish school and get a job outside of the city, it was her best shot of getting out…the only difficulty with that being that she had to sit down and actually do the work. How many years left of school did she have left for her degree? 3 years? Yeah, that sounded about right…

Emelyn and Shadow walked down the sands of the beach, cold wind from the autumn season blowing from the ocean to the shore in gusts that made a small chill go up Emelyn’s spine. “I don’t get it. Why here?” Emelyn asked as she and Shadow walked the beachside of Scarlet Reach. Shadow raised a brow to Emelyn’s question. “What do you mean?” Shadow asked for her to elaborate. “I mean, this place is practically falling apart. Why did you and uncle Stone come here?” Emelyn explained, kicking up some of the sand of the beach with her feet as She continued to walked down the beach. “For that reason. It’s quiet. It’s out of the way.” Shadow illuminated, folding his arms as she looked towards the small town of a few hundred people and nodded his head. “This place is low visibility. Nothing comes through here. If tourists come, they are travelling through and aren’t staying. It’s safe from GUN…at least, until now.” Shadow monologued, watching the town carefully and then periodically looking over towards the ocean. Emelyn noticed his quick eye glances in the two directions, rolling her eyes as she proudly stated: “Aren’t you a nervous little thing?”

Shadow looked towards Emelyn, his bright red eyes wider as He stared daggers towards her. “Nervous? Of what? I fear nothing. I am The Ultimate Life Form…nothing can stand against me!” He said, folding his arms even tighter and making himself look bigger. Emelyn smiled as she looked down towards this little creature. He was so cute when he was angry like this. He was like a little puffball of frustration, his cheeks getting a little red as he got flustered. “But you like this place…and this place isn’t indestructible. You want to keep it safe.” Emelyn pointed out, walking ahead of the hedgehog a few paces as Shadow wrestled with the statement that Emelyn spoke.

He did care about Scarlet Reach. This was one of the few places that He was safe, that Maria would have loved if she were still alive, and that would be the start of His and Stone’s coffee empire together. Shadow actually discovered his love of the flavor of Coffee by accidentally eating a jar of coffee beans and ever since he was hooked onto the caffeinated goodness. Would he admit this love, this care, for something other than himself? Absolutely not. It made him look weak, even worse; it gave GUN a card to use against him should GUN track him down. Emelyn pointing out this feeling he had for the Mean Black Bean, for Scarlet Reach, was frustrating…because it was true.

As Shadow walked with Emelyn, He responded back to her with the same question. “Then why are you here? You seem to take a disliking to this place…why stay?” Emelyn tossed the thought around for a moment as she looked out towards the ocean, staring out to sea. “Not a lot of options for me out there, Shadow. Once I finish school, I’ll get out of here. Go out there and see more…maybe live in one of the big cities. Considered going overseas once or twice. Have you ever heard of London? I hear its cozy.” Emelyn asked Shadow, who gave a small laugh as He stood next to Emelyn. “I may have heard of it before.” He answered, thinking back to half a year ago when he was there with Gerald Robotnik and Ivo Robotnik, planning to destroy the world.

Both Emelyn and Shadow stood by the ocean side, watching the waves roll in as the sunlight shimmered down onto the pair. The two stood in the quiet of the shore, the salty air blowing towards the land and playing with Shadow’s quills and Emelyn’s hair. “Did she like the ocean too?” Emelyn asked, folding her arms as she looked out to sea, looking out towards the water. Shadow turned to Emelyn, confused for a moment. “Maria? Did she get excited for the ocean, or for the world?” Emelyn elaborated. Turning back to the water and looking out to sea, Shadow’s expression became heavy with a sadness. “It was something she thought to see, yes. We were more in excitement for the stars.” Shadow admitted. Emelyn nodded as she watched the water roll in, small foamy waves of water kissing onto the shore. “Maria used to say that every star we see in the sky are lights so far away that they are already long gone by the time we see them. The light shining…even though the star is gone…It makes me think of her…that even though she isn’t here with us, she is still here in her own way.” Shadow explained.

Shadow gave a sigh as He turned from the ocean and looked back towards the mainland. “We should get going back.” Shadow said softly. Emelyn noticed the change in demeanor as he spoke. “You still miss her, don’t you?” Emelyn asked Shadow. Shadow’s fists tightened as Emelyn spoke. “You don’t know anything about me…” He growled. Emelyn tilted her head in intrigue. “You can’t hide from your feelings, Shadow. You miss her…that’s okay. I promise.” Emelyn said, a sincerity in her voice that was so sudden and juxtaposed to her usual sarcasm and taunt-like behavior. “Don’t play games with my feelings, Emelyn.” Shadow argued back, still facing away from Emelyn as He spoke. As Emelyn went to speak again, Shadow turned around and pointed a finger towards her. “No! Don’t! You couldn’t possibly understand what me and her had! I have no time for your childishness…I have a job to get back to.” Shadow brooded. Emelyn scoffed as she looked towards the hedgehog with a feeling of disrespect. “Um, hello!? Rude much? Here I am, trying to empathize with you, and you throw me to the rocks? Not cool man!” Emelyn complained as Shadow walked back towards the cart that he parked up towards the top of the beach ramp. Emelyn rolled her eyes as she followed along with Shadow, knowing that if he showed up alone that uncle Stone would have questions as to what happened on the delivery.

As Emelyn walked up with Shadow, Shadow suddenly stopped as He looked into the sky. Emelyn almost ran into him, grunting as she stumbled backwards a bit and looked towards the hedgehog in confusion. “Hey, what’s up, Emo-boy?” She asked, trying to see what he was seeing. At first, Emelyn didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The skies were pretty clear, with a small bit of grey smoke in the air…wait, smoke? Emelyn looked closer, noticing the plumes were coming from deep inside of downtown. A few voices could be heard down the street, with a few sirens screaming in the distance that clearly alerted to something odd going on.

“Emelyn. Somethings wrong.” Shadow said, dashing away towards the smoke on his own two feet and leaving Emelyn with the green and brown delivery cart. “Wait! Shadow! Don’t make me lug this through town! Ugh!!!” Emelyn protested as Shadow Air Shoed away down the street, chasing after the smoke fumes in the distance.

Shadow quickly made his way down the street, rushing as fast as He could to follow the smoke. Panic was shot through his body as he quickly made his way down the road to quickly figure out what the commotion was. Dozens of people were slowly making their way down the street to see what the situation was, with town police trying to direct people away from the scene of the action. As Shadow tried to get through town, he snuck around and hid within the shadows to get around, trying to avoid eyes seeing him so he could get closer to the scene of the crime. That’s when Shadow saw them blitzing down the street.

Big, spiked, heavy military GUN vehicles driving down Hickory Road and turning around one of the intersections that was headed towards the Café. GUN operatives were hanging from the vehicles, making their way towards the café in huge leagues. Shadow ducked through the crowds, avoided eye sight, and even slid underneath a car barricade of police crusiers to sneak onto the streets that were closer towards The Mean Black Bean.

GUN had found them.

Did Omega revert to his old programming? Was there a secret tracker or something on the machine? That surely was the only way that this was possible. If that was the case, Shadow and Stone needed to get into the crab and get the heck out of town now. Hopefully he hasn’t been captured yet. Shadow beat himself up mentally for not getting rid of Omega sooner. Of course, that infernal machine shows up and all hell breaks loose? They never should have trusted that damned machine.

As Shadow made his way to the store, cutting through another back alley and so close to the store, A bright light from a source deep in the alley suddenly illuminated, blinding Shadow as the source of the light gave a sharp kick into Shadow’s side and threw him across the air and into the main street. Shadow grunted as he stumbled, completely taken aback by the strength and loss of air in his lungs. The world got fuzzy for a few seconds as he tried to balance his stance. In his view, thankfully not damaged, was The Mean Black Bean. Then what was the fire from? Shadow looked around himself, realizing very quickly GUN operatives were already circling him as He stood in the center of all of the commotion. Shadow quickly took inventory of the situation, using his super speed and taking out operatives one at a time with his Chaos power.

Too easy, and in fact, provided Shadow time to inspect his surroundings as he fought the puny humans. One of the GUN vehicles was the thing ablaze, a massive melting hole through the side of the vehicle like some kind of plasma blaster had shot through the vehicle to stop it. Smoke had been billowing from that vehicle. As Shadow as taking note of the truck, something snuck up behind Shadow and almost got the jump on him. It looked sleek and shiny, a green machine with rough edges like Omega but smaller than the specialized machine man. A massive headlight for a face was focused down on Shadow as the robot raised a weapon that was charged with electrical energy and went to swing down towards the hedgehog.

A giant, metal fist suddenly smacked the side of the robot that was going to hit Shadow, the green machine flying across the road and tumbling to the ground. The headlights of the robot died, the machine going limp. Shadow stumbled back as he looked towards his assistance. In complete shock, Omega stood before Shadow, the machine still wearing his work attire. “Sup Shades! How’s the delivery? Did it go good?” Omega asked, completely unbothered by the GUN operatives that were slowly circling the duo in the town street. “Omega! You are still with us? Why?” Shadow demanded. “What do you mean? You think I’d turn on a work buddy? Nah, I’m keeping the store safe! Stone is up in the crab! He’s getting the thing online! We got to fight back until he’s ready!” Omega said, as Shadow and Omega stood back-to-back with each other as both GUN operatives and those new machines that almost got the jump on Shadow began to circle around the duo.

“I call dibs on the robot freaks. You handle the humans?” Omega asked, one of his metal fists changing into the very same plasma rifle he used to blast a hole into the side of the GUN vehicle that had summoned Shadow from the beach. “Done.” Shadow said, as the hedgehog pulled out his wired earbuds and placed them into his ears. “I need to tunes to get this done.” Shadow said, sliding in a tape labeled ‘What I’m Made Of…’ by a band called Crush 40.

Shadow then turned to Omega, looking towards the robot and speaking candidly. “You’re good for a metal man, Omega.” Shadow complimented with a grunt. Omega, surprised by the sudden niceness, responded. “Getting that soft spot for Omega now, huh? Nice to have a good work environment!” Omega cheered. “Now…LETS MELT SOME TIN CANS.” Omega said in a deep and threatening voice.
Chaos. That is the best way to explain what was happening in the street as Omega and Shadow fought back the forces of GUN operatives and their weapons. Trying to do as little damage to the town of Scarlet Ridge they could, they pummeled machine after personnel, trying to defend their café as Stone was doing whatever he was planning to defend the store. Shadow and Omega blasted through waves upon waves of enemies, defending their town the best they could and doing it with ease. Omega and Shadow were even passing each other enemies, kicking them around and throwing them around towards each other and grouping their attackers together to knock them out. As a massive wave of machines were marching down the street towards them, Omega took notice and, with ease, picked up the truck he had shot a plasma ball through earlier and chucked the scrap metal towards the bowling pin set up of machine warriors, disassembling the robots with ease and rendering them useless.
As Omega and Shadow fought through the forces, the number of bad guys became smaller and smaller as the fight went on, giving Shadow and Omega the feeling they were finally turning the tide. Suddenly, a voice called out towards Omega and Shadow to stand down. Both of the boys turned towards it, and Shadow saw a woman she was hoping to have to never see again.

Director Rockwell, an older woman with sleek black hair and a tired expression as she held an energy pistol towards a man who had a bag thrown over his head and was being held hostage by two GUN operatives. The woman was wearing a camo suit of green shades, with a fleet of badges on the front of her right chest that showed the woman’s accomplishments throughout her military career. Rockwell looked pleased with herself as she pointed the gun towards the person she had place a bag over, the person wearing the clothing that was associated with The Mean Black Bean. “Remove the bag.” Rockwell commanded the troops to do. Underneath the bag that was placed on the man was the face of Agent Stone. Shadow looked ready to kill Rockwell for daring to restrain Stone, his red eyes illuminating as he growled towards her. “No no…don’t do that. You wouldn’t want to get Stone hurt now, would you? Plus, I’ve got the store armed to detonate if I can’t kill stone…you’ll lose everything, alien.” She roared, clearly her patience already dangerously thin.

“Now then…I believe it’s time we had a little chat about what happened in London, Shall we?” Rockwell asked, a sickeningly sweet smile creeping over her face as she aimed the barrel of the energy gun in her hands directly to the head of a bruised and gagged Agent Stone.

Chapter Text

Shadow and Omega looked towards the roped Agent Stone, who had a little blood leaking down his nose and side of his head after getting roughed up by a swarm of GUN operatives before capture. Rockwell held the energy gun in her right hand, keeping the barrel of the weapon to the temple of Stone’s head as She smiled towards Shadow. Shadow weighed the options of attack before him as He stared towards Rockwell and the remaining forces of GUN. There were far too many enemies to take them out without using Chaos Control, but Shadow also wasn’t sure he’d be able to summon the super speed fast enough to outrun the energy blast that would most certainly kill Stone if Shadow so much as took an inch step too close. “So, this is where you decided to hide out…a nice, small town off the coast of the west. It’s homey.” Rockwell hummed, still smiling as she spoke towards Shadow. “Aim the weapon away from Stone, Rockwell. Don’t do this.” Shadow warned the commander, who clearly didn’t look very threatened by the hedgehog’s warning. “You are in no place to demand from me, Alien. As a matter of fact, the two of you are coming in with me.” Rockwell announced, “Come quietly, and Stone isn’t harmed.” Rockwell threatened, pressing the barrel of the energy pistol further into Stone’s head as she lightly tapped the trigger of the weapon.

Shadow wasn’t sure the next thing to do. He knew for a fact that he was in dire trouble if he went back with GUN, and they most certainly would lock him away again like they did not less than a year ago. What of Omega? Of Stone? Or even Emelyn? There was no way that Shadow would fight his way out of this…he was going to have to talk.

“Listen, Rockwell. We’ve had our differences…” Shadow began, trying to use the little charismatic persuasion he had in his voice to try and sway Rockwell. “…Saying we have differences is putting lightly, Alien.” Rockwell chirped, with a couple GUN operatives rolling their eyes towards the hedgehog’s statement. “Me and Stone vowed away from the destruction of Earth. Stone wasn’t even part of that plan with The Doctors and the orbital laser. We just want to find peace.” Shadow explained, holding his gloved paws up as He showed he was no threat. Rockwell scoffed towards Shadow, “So, because you decided to play nice, you want us to just ‘forgive and forget’ or something? Not how that works, Alien. You almost took the lives of billions of people, and you want to just be ‘left in peace’?” Rockwell pushed a laugh from her mouth as she continued to berate the hedgehog. “You’re a danger, Shadow. You should have been put down like the animal you are, rather than kept alive. You’re dangerous. You and that blue alien too…and all the others! Hell, the only one who I know I can trust was the one who’s been keeping a close eye on you the last week.”

Shadow was confused for a moment. Was she talking about Omega? Did they not design this creature? Calling the machine an alien seemed like a stretch to Shadow. “Do you mean Omega? I assumed you built this tin can.” Shadow asked the commander, who rolled her eyes and glared towards Omega. “Don’t remind me. Damn piece of machinery cost us a fourth of the military budget for the quarter and it broke like a McDonalds toy to a hydraulic press.” She growled. “No…someone else important. Someone who recently came around and is willing to ‘assist’ in dealing with you and your little friends.” Rockwell explained, as she raised her free arm and spoke into a futuristic watch that had another person on the line. “Now Rouge!” Rockwell yelled into the mic.

Suddenly, a gust of wind can up from behind Shadow, pushing Omega to the ground and disorienting the machine. Shadow spun around to face the thing causing the air gusts but as soon as he spun around he felt a kick to the chest that pushed him to the ground. A winged creature, with white fur and a black track suit and purple heart attachment on the center of its chest placed a heeled foot onto Shadow’s chest to hold him down. The light blue eyes of Rouge the Bat looked down towards Shadow as she held him in this awkward position. “Aw, He’s just as cute as He looked from afar. Hello there, Shadow the Hedgehog.” Rouge sung, like she was playing with her prey before eating him alive. Shadow grunted as He looked up towards the anthropomorphic bat, her feminine features leaning in close towards Shadow as Rouge inspected the creature up and down. The creature was clearly a couple decades older than him, her illustrious form front and center as she overtook Shadow. “You’re not so scary without your Chaos power, are you?” She asked, placing a finger on her lip as she slowly pushed Shadow around on the ground with her foot to inspect the hedgehog. “GET OFF ME, WOMAN! You know nothing of my power!” Shadow roared, embarrassed this bat lady dared play with him like some kind of toy.

Shadow, using his super speed that was similar to a telekinesis because of how fast it was, dashed out from underneath Rouge and tried to push her down. “That trick won’t work on me, honey.” Rouge said, a smile forming over her face as she surprised Shadow by grabbing him by the arm and spinning him around 270 degrees and throwing him to the road. Shadow tumbled to the ground, trying to get up, when Rouge then dashed to his side and raised a foot to slam down onto Shadow’s back to throw him into the ground.

Shadow dashed away from the bat, trying to get ground between him and this assassin bat. Shadow then had a realization dawn on him. Back after Omega was defeated, Shadow had heard that same crackle of air that exploded behind him back on the beach. When Shadow looked towards the sound, all that was left was the cracked stone. That must have been Rouge…Had GUN known where they were for even longer than Shadow thought? How could this be? GUN was hiding better than they were and they weren’t even the ones in hiding! “You were the one who flew away from the shore the other day! You broke the rock when you blasted into orbit! You’ve been watching us!” Shadow called out, as Rouge then forced another attack with her sharp heels, digging into his chest and pushing him against the brick wall of the building. He slid across the wall, breaking some of the wall and forcing brick chunks to the ground as he tumbled over the pavement. “And you never saw a thing…watching you the last month has truly not been boring, I must say. You have quite the eye for details around you…it made my job harder than usual!” Rouge said, appearing behind Shadow to pick him up and spin him around in the air, throwing him against the pavement.

This creature was getting to Shadow. He wasn’t able to land any hits onto this creature and she was throwing him around like a ragdoll! He needed to get his mind into the game and start finding openings to fight back! Shadow tried to stand to his feet after another throw before calling out ‘CHAOS CONTROL’ to bring the time travel super speed out. Just as before, the world slowed down to a freeze. The orange flames of the nearby disassembled and broken GUN vehicles began to shift to a hue of bright grey and white, the flames themselves freezing in time but still giving off intense heat. Green energy pulsed off of Shadow’s form as everything in the world shifted to monochrome. Shadow tried to get a visual on Rogue to attack the bat assassin and get a leg up on the conflict, his eyes dashing around the scene to find her. “Oh Honey, that trick doesn’t work either.” Rouge said.

A sharp pain flooded Shadow’s face as the Chaos Control broke instantly, the world returning to its natural flow of time and Shadow thrown to the ground in the center of the road where the fight started. Shadow grunted as he felt his injuries begin to settle in, his eyes locking with Stone as the gagged barista had tears in his eyes, watching his friend struggle on the ground for his life. Stone wanted to jump from his kneeled position by Rockwell’s feet and help Shadow, but the barrel of Rockwell’s weapon against his skull reminded him that it may not be a good idea to get involved.

Rouge nonchalantly stepped towards Shadow as she fluffed her white fur tuffs, walking towards the shaking hedgehog like she was on a catwalk. “Ultimate Life Form or not, you seem…untrained…more than I initially thought…” Rouge said under her breath, leaning in close towards Shadow’s grunting face. Shadow struggling on the ground as Rockwell smiled with glee towards the situation unfolding before her. “Tell me, Shadow, how well can you control your ‘Chaos Energy’?” Rouge asked, as Rockwell then chimed into the conversation. “Doesn’t matter how well he can use it! Destroy him! That’s what we’re paying you for! Do it!” Rockwell roared, wanting to get rid of the menace to the Earth before it had a chance to fight back. Rouge, bending down to the trembling and angry space rodent, then whispered into Shadow’s ear. “Have you seen him? Black Doom?” She asked, her tone soft and more inquisitive than the belittling of Her and Shadow’s fight.

Shadow’s eyes widened as He looked towards Rouge with confusion. “W-what? W-who is…?” Shadow grunted, trying to get words out as Rouge placed a heel onto Shadow’s neck to keep him from talking. Rouge looked up and down Shadow, scoffing with disapproval. “You…the best of them? I disagree, Doom.” Rouge whispered, her bright blue eyes a contrast to the massive flame that was raging behind her. Shadow looked towards the form with fear. This was the first time he had ever felt such an emotion.

Shadow was never afraid. He wouldn’t admit that to himself. He was the Ultimate Life Form. Fear was unquestionably not something he should feel. He was the strongest creature of all. These creatures just got lucky…but then, what was this feeling that was settling inside of his gut as he looked up towards this clearly better trained and older creature. “You act like a child. You fight like one too…like you’ve been frozen in time…” Rouge whispered to herself. Rouge seemed to be weighing something in her mind. What exactly she was thinking was unclear…and the very thought of thinking what she was thinking of made Shadow feel this impatience. He wanted out of this situation. He needed to get away. He needed to run.

Shadow thought dozens of thoughts at once, the very feeling of thinking overwhelming his senses as he laid down on the ground, helpless. He thought of the destruction of the shop, of his new home…he thought of Stone and how afraid he must be…he thought of that blasted blue hedgehog and how he wished he was here to help him. Why didn’t Stone and him find Sonic? That was so foolish! The pit in Shadow’s stomach was growing as he came to the realization of what was happening here.

He was going to die.

A panic was in his mind as he realized the situation in front of him. He wanted to get away, clawing at the ground as he tried to get away. Rouge must have noticed the sudden change in thoughts as a wide smile came over her face that interrupted her thinking. “Well, this is new! Where do you think you’re going, Shadow?” Rouge said, slamming another foot down onto the back of Shadow and forcing him to the floor.

Omega wanted to get up, but a fleet of green GUN robots were over him in an instant, immobilizing him with ease. “NO! SHADOW! WORK FRIEND! GET OFF OF HIM!” Omega roared, the green energy in his eyes lighting up even brighter as he tried to get to his friend. Shadow shook even more as he reached out an arm towards Stone. “S-stone…I can’t…” Shadow couldn’t get out more words, the air in his lungs pushed out once again as Rouge kicked another foot into his back to keep him immobilized. At this point, cracks began to form in the ground with every stomp of Rouge’s heels, the true power of this assassin showing itself slowly as Rouge smiled towards the hedgehog that struggled on the ground.

“I’ll admit, you’re resilient. Maybe that’s why he likes you…” Rouge whispered towards Shadow. “I don’t know…who you…are talking about…” Shadow moaned, struggling on the ground as he tried to crawl towards Stone. He was his rock…his family. Shadow desperately reached out towards Stone, a tearful Agent Stone wanting to do the same. Rockwell was becoming impatient as she held the gun tighter in her hands. “For Walter’s sake! End this, Rouge! Get rid of him! Now!” Rockwell demanded.

He was going to die. Shadow the hedgehog was sure that today, after everything he had been through, was going to die. 6 months…he had the life he wished he did with Maria for the last 6 months. He even had his own birthday. A tear came to Shadow’s face as he looked up towards Stone, but along with it was a smile. “S-stone…” Shadow groaned, struggling to stay lucid. “T-thank you…f-for everything.” Shadow said, relaxing his body as he laid down onto the dirty, cool pavement. Shadow looked up towards the sky as his eyes could see the formations of stars as the evening light began to overtake the sky. A moment of memory came to Shadow as he looked towards the heavens. Orange from the sun was still in some corners, like the night itself was in conflict with the day that was coming to a close. The twilight stars were shining so bright, that for a moment, Shadow could think back to the times he looked towards the stars with Maria. “The light…of the stars…shines…even if the star is gone…” Shadow spoke aloud, as he began to close his eyes with flutters, feeling his body give out from exhaustion and pain. “I…shine though I’m gone…just like you…Maria…” Shadow spoke, the cool air one last respite as he began to feel unconsciousness begin to take him.

Rogue felt no need to attack again. She watched as the form of Shadow began to tense and then relax. Rockwell sighed in relief that finally, after what happened in London, at least one of those monsters were finally destroyed. Stone sobbed through his gag as he looked down towards the body of Shadow. “SHADOW” He tried to sob through the gag, hanging his head and sobbing. “Shadow…no!” Stone fell to the ground, sobbing as his friend was dying right in front of him and he had no ability to fight back.

Rouge’s eyes snapped towards the man and his sobbing; a sudden snap of awareness came to her as she looked down towards the hedgehog. “Get up, Shadow! Get up!” Stone wailed, looking toward the body and trying to inch towards Shadow. GUN operatives finally snapped towards Stone, grabbing his restraints and holding him back. Rogue’s face turned gaunt as she looked down towards the dying hedgehog and then to the wails of Stone. Rouge felt a regret doing this task now. She knew full well the risk of it all, but she didn’t think Shadow was THIS unprepared. How did he fight Sonic and win? How did this creature face off against the power of chaos energy from Gerald Robotnik and survive? Was Shadow being a popsicle for 50 years stunt his power? It would explain why he looked so young and also was clearly so ill-experienced. Was he just lucky?

Rouge, understanding what she had to do now to ensure what she needed was to come to flourish, reached into her pocket and pulled out a shimmering, alluring, green gem that could fit in the palm of Shadow’s hands. Being quick and as sneaky as she could, she waited until Rockwell took her eyes away from Shadow’s body for a second to quickly place the stone in Shadow’s hands. She leaned into Shadow’s ear and spoke calmly and carefully. “Shadow? Can you hear me? I need you to wake up.”

Shadow was still for a moment, Rouge hoping he would wake up soon. As Rockwell helped the GUN operative’s restraint back Stone, Rogue stood up and looked towards the altercation just 20 feet from her and the limp body of Shadow. When Rogue looked back down, Shadow had completely disappeared. A flash of panic suddenly set over Rouge, as Shadow suddenly spoke from behind her. “Surprise.” He growled, before using the energy of the gem in his hands and blasting Rouge away. Rouge slammed into the side of one of the GUN vehicles, her body aching from the pain of being slammed against such a tough surface. She looked down towards the heart emblem on her chest, seeing the chest piece was still intact. “G-good…I’ll need you still…” She said, a slight glimmer of pink like shimmering off of the sparkly accessory as she tried to pull herself from the cocoon of metal she was slammed into.

Rockwell looked over in shock as Stone smiled in joy. There was barely time for Rockwell to do anything to stop the hedgehog as by the time she got to her pocket to the bomb clicker for the weapons to detonate the store and pulled the trigger of her gun to kill Stone, Shadow had snagged both tools from her hands. To call what Shadow was experiencing super speed wasn’t quite the right definition. It was like Chaos Control but even more intense. Shadow’s blood surged with this energetic feeling of power and rush that made him feel like fast that he felt like he was teleporting from spot to spot.
Green energy radiated off of Shadow that was slowly turning a bright red as his powers became stronger and stronger. Shadow looked towards his aura, feeling like his power was shifting from an energy he could control to something unwieldly. Even his limit reducers weren’t enough to keep this power down. Shadow looked to the green gem in his hands, the gem shaped similar to the Master Emerald that belonged to Knuckles the Echidna...but something was different about it. The gem wasn’t nearly as large as the Master Emerald, but it radiated a similar energy to it.

“This is…so much power…” Shadow groaned, struggling to keep himself still as he used the power. A massive discharge of green energy exploded around the area, blasting the GUN machines that were
restraining Omega off of the robot, pushing away GUN operatives so that Stone could break free, and Rockwell being sent backwards from the tremendous force of power. Shadow was barely holding the energy together as GUN began to retreat. Rouge, free from the vehicle she was slammed against, clutched the side of her arm as she looked towards the black and red hedgehog. There was a smile forming over her face as she looked over towards the hedgehog, who stared back confused. “Why did you help me?” Shadow asked to himself, confused on what Rouge was playing at.

“See you around, Emo-boy…” She said, as she took up an unconscious and laying on the pavement Rockwell and helped her into one of the remaining GUN vehicles and driving away from the scene post haste. “HEY! Get back here cowards!” Omega yelled, wanting to chase after them. Shadow zapped in front of Omega, placing a hand on his body to stop him. “Halt, Omega. Let them. They know they can’t do anything.” Shadow explained, watching as the remaining operatives and machines of GUN retreated and escaped town.

Stone ran over to Shadow, who was still emanating the Chaos Energy of the green gemstone in his hands. Shadow tensed his arm as even more Chaos energy was entering into his body, making his form
physically ache with how much power was inside him. “I can’t…handle it! Get rid of it!” Shadow roared, trying to flex his fingers and remove the gem from his hands. Stone immediately tried to help, pulling the gem from Shadow’s arm and immediately the power evaporated. Shadow fell backwards to the ground, tired from trying to contain the energy of the ‘Chaos Emerald’. Stone held the gem in his hands, completely unaffected by the power of the gem.

Stone placed the gem to the ground, worried more for his friend, his family, than the gemstone. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt?” Stone asked, looking over the whole of Shadow to be sure the hedgehog was okay. “I’m fine. The stone…it…healed me?” Shadow explained, still confused himself. The blisters and bruises from that Rouge character seemed to completely disappear after his hands took hold of the “Chaos Emerald’. Shadow admired his arms and body, seeing if any injury was still remaining or returning now that his paws no longer were grasping onto the gemstone. Stone sighed in relief as he hugged Shadow, whispering prayers of thanks that he was okay. “I was so worried…when GUN arrived and then you went down…I was so worried…” Stone said, squeezing Shadow to the point Shadow began to complain he couldn’t breathe. “I refuse to lose to a bunch of GUN soldiers…but the bat intrigues me. I do not know what she is or how GUN got in communication with her. She a new mystery to all of this…that’s for sure.” Shadow explained, with Stone nodding in agreement as He then did one more search over Shadow for injuries.

When Stone was satisfied with his search over Shadow, both Shadow and Stone looked over towards the glowing stone that laid on the concrete of the road. The gem pulsated with a green light that looked like the gem was irradiated with some kind of deadly element, shimmering as it laid alone in the street. “It’s like the Master Emerald and its pieces…but something was different. It felt…strange.” Shadow explained, looking down towards the gem on the street. “Strange how?” Stone asked, as Omega went to go and pick up the gem. Just like stone, Omega was able to pick up the stone with no issue, holding the gem delicately as to not break it. “Let me analyze this bad boy!” Omega said, his eyes scanning the surface of the gem and it’s facets to see if it could read anything off of the gem. The machine suddenly gave a gasp of surprise. “Yeesh! This is some powerful stuff! It’s similar to the power you put in me and Dark Rider…but more…vibrant.” Omega said, holding the gem so both Stone and Shadow could look into the gem.

Inside, sparkles of green energy seemed to radiate from the gem, sparkling with the light of the setting sun. Suddenly very aware of where they were and the mess of GUN vehicles in the street, it was a miracle nobody was around to see this fight go down. GUN robots with their arsenals were scattered across the street, a dozen broken GUN vehicles laying around the place, and various digs into the road and cracks in the pavement of both the sidewalk and road were all over. “We should…probably do something about this mess.” Stone said, but entirely unsure of where to start.

Shadow then took up the gem from Omega’s hands, focusing his energy into it, and before Stone could even register what had happened the street was completely back to normal. The cars disappeared, the robots gone, and the entire place spotless of damage. Shadow then placed the gem back into Omega’s hands and instantly collapsed from the use of the gem. Stone turned to Shadow, suddenly worried. “Shadow Be careful! This thing is clearly unstable and unsafe for you!” Stone moaned. Shadow rubbed his nose, a little blood dribbling down as he replied. “Job…done. I’m going to bed. Too much nonsense today.” Shadow said, coughing as he walked away from the center of the street, clearly dazed from either the whiplash of the speed from the crystal or from the fight.

Shadow had walked into the alley where Dark Rider was safely stored, walking up the fire escape stairs and heading directly for bed, exhausted from fighting GUN and from the stress and excitement from today. Just as Shadow had disappeared from view, Emelyn had turned a corner from the side of the street, hauling the green and brown delivery wagon for The Mean Black Bean behind her. She was visibly sweating, struggling to tug this surprisingly heavy and incredibly awkward cart from down by the beach to the store. She wiped the sweat off of her brow as she looked over towards Omega and Stone, who hadn’t realized they were both covered in soot and dirt from the fighting that happened between Mean Black Bean and them no less than five minutes ago. “Hey uncle Stone! What did I miss? Me and Shadow saw smoke and Shadow left me to pull the wagon all by myself! How selfish, wouldn’t you agree?” The college girl whined jokingly.

Chapter Text

What the hell went wrong?

Rockwell’s mission was clear and straight forward: Eliminate the Ultimate Life Form and get out. It shouldn’t have been more complicated than that. The creature seemed like it was on the verge of death. What happened to him? A second wind from absolutely nowhere? As she sat in the back of the GUN vehicle she was riding, the small regiment of GUN soldiers who were spared riding in silence as they all came to the collective understanding of how much of failures they were both as defenders of their country, but as military soldiers. Rockwell stared throughout the cabin of the vehicle, looking at the bruised and battered army men.

The vehicle rattled as they entered back onto the highway to head back towards the nearest GUN base about 70 miles away, hidden within the forest. The caravan of vehicles was 6 cars long, with all of the troops squeezing into the remaining vehicles to get home. Surprisingly, ever soldier was spared in the conflict. The only deaths were the millions of tax payer money paid war robots that were completely dismantled and shredded by not just Shadow the Hedgehog, but by their own superweapon they had designed to take the little menace out. The silence of the cabin was deafening, with the only person who seemed happy with themselves being the anthropomorphic bat that sat in the passenger seat of the GUN vehicle that Rockwell was riding in the back of. She smiled as she looked out the window, seemingly happy with herself for something that Rockwell couldn’t understand.

Their first meet was a bit of a strange one. Rouge had actually come to GUN themselves. Exactly 4 months, 3 days, 13 hours ago, at the time of 0800, Rouge had descended from the sky like a bat out of hell. She arrived onto Rockwell’s base, snuck through the entirety of GUN’s defense force, and immediately searched for Rockwell to make a proposition for a job offer. Rouge claimed to be sent by someone who had the same goal as Rockwell; subdue Shadow the Hedgehog by any means necessary. Rouge then began to prove herself, explaining more of the functions of Shadow in secret. With what Rockwell knew, she thought for sure that she would be able to finally stop this Alien, and maybe even find a weakness for that damned Sonic while she was at it.

From what Rouge explained back then, Rouge was a sort of alien Assassin. She came down onto worlds, seeking out their strongest forces, to then take on the threat that was poised against that particular planet or solar system. Why Rouge did this she wouldn’t explain. All that Rouge said was that she was a committed ‘equalizer’ in the grand scheme of the universe, with her boss wanting to ensure that the universe was controlled by no force greater than himself so that balance could be maintained. After everything Rockwell had seen, this was the one that made Rockwell finally give in with trying to rationalize anything about the understanding of the world that she had before. “Sure! Of course there are alien gods…sure…why not?” She admitted to herself at one point between then and now, focused more on defending her home and her planet than trying to understand the grand plan of whatever space god was out there watching.

“So, are you an angel? A demon?” Rockwell had asked Rouge at one point, to which Rouge responded, “Oh honey…I’m certainly no angel…and you haven’t a clue the things I’ve done to finish the job.” Rouge warned, her sweet and lubricious voice unsettling when paired with the terrifying statement.

Rouge was a monster out on the field. After dozens of rigorous tests to see what her limitations were, it was clear that between Omega and Rouge, they were the perfect plan in ensuring Shadow the hedgehogs death was inevitable. First, they’d try the machine, then the bat. Rockwell was certain they were to be victorious. There was absolutely no way they could lose to this damned rodent…not again.
Back in present day, Rockwell could only glare at Rouge as the group continued home, the bat clearly unable to fight the threat and the fact she dared sit there like some pompous victor was making Rockwell even more angry than she was before. They failed…and it was her fault. Rockwell knew it was somehow her fault. Now they were back to the drawing board on a plan of getting rid of that hedgehog, the creature now fully aware that they knew where he was. If they were lucky, he’d stay in one spot and defend his home turf…if they weren’t, they’d have to go looking for him again. The only reason they found him the first time was on a whim. One of the bases over in this direction happened to pick up on Shadow’s chaos energy signature before it completely disappeared off the map about 6 months ago, with GUN working tirelessly to prepare for the attack that completely flopped today. It wasn’t enough…they needed more.

“He’s certainly something, Rockwell…” Rouge commented, watching the trees outside of the vehicle pass by as the remaining parts of GUN took an offshoot from the highway to a backroad that lead to the secret military base out in the middle of the forests of Oregon. “…He was more than even I expected. We’ll have to think of a good plan for capture. I’ll need time to scope out the enemy…” Rouge spoke smoothly, rubbing the tip of her crystal heart chest piece as she watched the trees pass by the vehicle on the right hand side of the armored vehicle. Rockwell stumbled up the middle column of the vehicle, reaching the driver side of the vehicle as the armored car came closer to home base. “Get the best infantry men you can. We don’t have a lot of time on our hands.” Rouge continued, not turning towards Rockwell as she tumbled up to the front of the bouncing vehicle.

“How did you fail, Rouge? You should have been able to easily destroy him…how did you fail?” Rockwell demanded, angry and impatient that this bat creature failed them. “He had that back up Chaos Emerald. You didn’t see it?” Rouge asked Rockwell, now willing to turn to look towards the angry commander and director of GUN. “I thought the Master Emeralds were back with Knuckles the Echidna, one of those other aliens.” Rockwell asked Rouge, to which Rouge was incredibly quick to correct. “Ah! That’s The Master Emerald! No…there are dozens of gems like that around the universe. Like my heart stone here…this is what I call, The Hearth Emerald.” Rouge said, petting the top of her stone delicately. “Whatever Emerald Shadow had, it was rebounding and heightening his original power beyond what he was physically capable of on his own. He had assistance.” Rouge explained. Rouge then turned to look back towards Rockwell, the same wide smile over her face as she spoke to the Director of GUN. “We’ll talk more when we arrive back at base.” Rogue finished, before turning back towards the window of the vehicle.

Rockwell’s patience was thin as paper. She was this close to finally closing the book on the Robotnik’s and their misdeeds to the world and her efforts were stopped because of ridiculous reasons. How did Rouge not know of this ‘backup Emerald’ or whatever the hell she was talking about? How many emeralds would be in Shadow’s possession then? Dozens? Hundreds? Were they powerful like the Master Emerald? Would they need to take that first before even trying to fight Shadow? Rockwell pondered all of these things as she travelled back to her seat in the car, the road bumping and rocking the vehicle as the caravan of GUN mobiles were being driven down the winding dirt road towards the main base.

Hidden within the deep forests, a concrete door was located at the base of one of the foothills of Oregon. The door was painted with GUN’s symbol of a blue G with three stars above the letter, the door blocked by as many trees and brush as possible to conceal the base without making the door inaccessible. As the caravan came to the front of the door, wind blew through the valley that the GUN base was located. The trees rustled as the two big doors of the GUN base began to creak open. The doors swung inwards, allowing the caravan of cars to pass inside and escape the chill of night that was slowly encroaching over the valley.

Inside the cave, the base was built inside of the cavernous space that GUN had dug out. The place looked more like a mine that was refurbished into being a military base, with dozens of soldiers that were throughout the regimen running around the building in orderly fashions. Military vehicles that belonged to GUN were parked over to the side of the cave, ready for combat. Military machines like the ones Rockwell had brought with her to face Shadow were placed in various spots around the impromptu military base in the cave. The whole of the base was made of scaffolds and half-built metal supports that were still being constructed by military construction personnel. A handful of military personnel were assisting the wounded soldiers from the caravan off of the vehicle. When it came time for Rockwell to depart from the vehicle, she shooed off the help that was being given to her in favor of making sure she was right behind Rouge as she exited the vehicle.

As soon as the scantily clad bat woman exited the vehicle, Rockwell pulled out a small object from her pocket and immediately clicked a blue button on the side of the device. A blue beam of energy like a whip crackled to life, coiling around Rouge to be sure that the bat couldn’t escape. Rouge, surprised but also willing to let happen this capture, looked towards Rockwell as the Director pulled the bat woman along towards one of the doorways in the cave base.

Taking Rouge deeper into the base, the duo passed a whole fleet of GUN employees that saw Rockwell’s exasperated expression and decided not to intervein with whatever she was up to. Finally, after walking through a dozen restricted access doors and walking into the deepest part of the building, Rockwell then walked through a set of double doors, where a large expanse of military weapons were stored that GUN pulled from for their missions. Releasing the bonds on Rouge, the bat woman looked over the whole of the horde of weapons that were in various states of stored through the trove. Some were placed on racks, some in crates that were still sealed, and many prototype GUN robots were around the storage facility that were still wrapped in a silicon wrap for protection. Rouge looked around the room, not quite seeing the point of Rockwell bringing her here but excited to see all the shiny things that were dotted around the room that her fingers were aching to touch.

“A bad time to bring this up, but I am a massive fan of shiny things. Don’t leave me alone for too long~!” Rouge commented with a giggle. Rockwell ignored the statement and pointed towards all of the weapons in the room, calling out their expenses and how they were paid for. “Top line Stabilize Energy Blasters: One Quarter of a billion dollars and contracted in secret by the US Government. Prototype designs of the Korean Quad Cannon Walker Drones: 1.8 million American USD per drone. Protective Armor Padding for each soldier and 8K resolution video recording software to give live feedback on what’s happening on the ground: 1.4 thousand dollars for the camera and 5 grand for the armor…and yet…” Rockwell listed off, turning towards Rouge. “You can’t kill a single goddamn alien hedgehog with super speed!?” Rockwell barked down towards Rouge, who folded her arms and looked saucily over towards Rockwell. “Mm. That’s a lot of money, darling! I hope you didn’t blow your whole budget on this scrapheap.” Rouge said coyly, now curious herself if there was anything interesting to pilfer from the pile of protective gear.

Rockwell groaned as she folded her arms towards Rouge, trying to contain herself and her anger. “What the hell happened? What brought him back to speed?” She demanded of Rouge. “Well, it’s simple, Darling! He has one of the Emeralds, specifically the Chaos Emerald.” Rouge began. “As I’ve described to you, Shadow is an Ultimate Life Form. He was made from the powers of the stars and far universes, crashing down onto this planet, with the goal to destroy everything on this planet.” Rouge expounded. Rouge walked around the room slowly, admiring all of the different pieces of weaponry and technology. “When he obtained an Emerald, I haven’t the foggiest…” Rouge lied, hiding the truth that she herself had given it to him to insure his victory. “…However! He does have it now. When an Emerald that correlates to the power of the wielder, the wielder gains a boost of power so intense that there is no way to stop them. They become godlike when they gain the powers. I’ve seen it on other worlds before.” Rouge said, facing back towards Rockwell. The Director eyed Rouge skeptically now, staring directly towards the hearth stone in the center of Rouge’s chest. “You know it’s rude to stare like that, darling?” Rouge commented, making a flirtatious smile. Rockwell, undeterred from Rouge’s comment, then asked; “So you are like him too? That’s the stone in your chest? An Emerald too?”
Rouge placed a gloved finger onto the top of the heart stone in the center of her chest piece, nodding with a smile as she rubbed the top of the stone with her finger. “That’s correct! You earn a cookie!” Rouge responded. “So, then you and him should have had equal power. What was stopping you from obliterating him on the spot?” Rockwell demanded, her suspicion of Rouge now raising. Was it possible that she and Shadow were on the same team somehow? Was all of this just an elaborate plan between the two space creatures to destroy Earth? Rockwell suddenly felt a very strong urge to wrap Rouge back up in binds again. Rouge seemed to think for a moment, before thinking of an idea to explain why Rockwell’s thinking was flawed.

Rouge moved as much stuff out of the way as she could, pushing and lifting objects aside until a clear space was made in the center of the cave. Rouge then placed a single, very broken looking, War machine at the farthest end of the cave and then quickly flew towards Rockwell towards the entrance of the room. Rouge, taking a stance to ready herself for the massive flux of power, then pointed a finger towards the broken machine and called out into the cave. “HEAVING HEARTBREAK!” She yelled.

A flux of power so intense, so destructive, laser focused on the target that Rouge was pointed to, blasted into the room with an explosive pink and silver light. The beam of energy so intense that the very foundation of the cave rocked, with Rockwell shielding her eyes from the light that exploded from the single fingertip of Rouge. The beam of power just barely fit through the room as it blasted through the robot with no contest, into the cave wall, then carved through the stone of the wall and continued through. Then, slowly, the beam of light and shaking of the cave began to slow as Rouge decelerated the power of her Hearth and the room went dimly lit as before.

Rockwell looked towards the damage, her eyes wide in horror as she saw the results of the microscopic showcase of her intense power. The machine was completely gone with no trace of its existence, with a massive hole burrowed into the cave wall on the opposite side of the room that went so far back that it looked like it cut through the entirety of the foothill. Rockwell couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. Power this intense was like that of an atomic bomb, and Rouge did it without breaking a sweat. The Director then looked down towards Rouge and immediately changed her mind on that thought.

All across Rouge’s body, pink and purple lines were covering over her fur like projections. The Bat woman suddenly looked visibly exhausted, her legs shaking for a moment as she relaxed herself and tried to stand upright. The lines of energy began to slowly dissipate and she returned to normal. Adjusting her gloves and heart stone over her chest, she looked towards Rockwell and said simply: “Having the power is one thing, but the destruction and having control of it are just as important. Yes, I have my own Emerald, but even after training with it myself I must be careful of it’s absurd and absolute strength. Using it too much can kill me and everyone around me. I think destroying the hedgehog would prove rather pointless to you if I also had to wipe out half of America to do it, wouldn’t you?” Rouge asked the dumbstruck and exhausted Director.

Chapter Text

It was all over the newspaper for almost a week.

“Military forces gather outside of local coffee shop. Military forces sudden disappear and entire block untouched by attack. Owner of store, a 27-year-old Jeremiah Stone, had this to say: ‘It was the most bizarre thing. We have no idea what they wanted and they disappeared long before I could ask anything! The café is completely unharmed, thank God.”
The newspaper only was within town, with nobody getting video footage of GUN or the vehicles entering or leaving town. The conflict happened so fast and within such a small window of time that nobody was able to deduce what was happening. It was a miracle that nobody in town saw Shadow being attacked by GUN, or that they themselves were fighting GUN. The town of Scarlet Reach was so out of the way that most news in the town didn’t travel outside. The story of the strange occurrence on The Mean Black Bean’s Street was more of a whisper among the people of town that very quickly disappeared when other events of town began to take place.

One of the events that was happening not a week after the GUN invasion was ‘Scarlet Fall Fest’ that was gathering in the center of town. Over the week, a select few stores are chosen to have a day to set up a temporary store in the park, followed by musicians playing on a temporary stage set up in the town. It was one of the few things the people of the town organized, with the mayor showing up for the event to welcome it and act as if he was running the event. Once he made his debut, he’d disappear into the hills of the south with the other rich people, leaving everyone else to handle the event. The Mean Black Bean was chosen as the last temporary set up of the week, putting Stone into overdrive to make sure he was prepared for the event at the end of the week.

Since GUN arrived, Shadow had been resting since the fight. He was exhausted, completely run down from the energy of the Chaos Emerald that was now sitting on the center table in the Crab Tank home that was hidden under the blue tarp on the roof, along with the other GUN robots that Omega had fought and disassembled.

As Stone, Emelyn, and Omega kept the store functioning, Shadow laid upstairs in his bed nest within the Crab Tank. Shadow was exhausted. After using the power of that strange gemstone that he was gifted from the adversary, Shadow felt like every bone in his body was completely sore to the core. Running, walking…hell, even standing…were difficult. The poor hedgehog could do nothing but stare at the strange gemstone that was glistening on the table in the center of the Crab tank’s renovated central dining room. Shadow’s red eyes stared towards the neon green gemstone that glistened in the center table of the room, like it was taunting him to come and pick it back up again. The absurd power of the gem seemed to cackle every so often within the shimmer of the emerald.

This gem was an awful lot like the Master Emerald that Sonic shared with him to defeat the Orbital Cannon from earlier in the year. The power seemed wild and out of control, unable to hold itself together…unlike the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald’s power was impressive, yes, but never unruly. It never behaved like this power. The Master Emerald that belonged to the Echidna Knuckles was strong, competent, and flowed from his body like a stream of water. The power of the Master Emerald was comforting and welcoming. The power of this gem? The Emerald seemed abrasive and erratic. The power couldn’t decide where to go, simply lashing out at everything inside of Shadow and wrecking his internal organs like a baseball bat to the bones.

While the color of this gem was a shade of green similar to the Master Emerald, there was also another difference to this gemstone that made it distinct from the Master Emerald, the shape of the gem itself. Technically, the Master ‘Emerald’ was the shape of a diamond, with a top-heavy shape that was where most of the facets of the gem were that then ended in a point the lower down the gem you go. This gem was actually shaped like an emerald, with eight sides that were shaped like an octagon. Its length was longer than the corners of the gem and the width of the gem, with a bit of thickness in the gem towards the center of the stone. The shape of the gem was what an actual Emerald gem would be shaped like, but the size of the gem was a little smaller than the Master Emerald was. The Emerald on the table could fit into one of Shadow’s paws with ease, but using two would definitely make carrying it around easier.

Shadow felt completely bedridden with exhaustion. Shadow laid limply inside of his bed, straining to keep himself awake. He slept for the last 3 days, still feeling the energy consumption of the Chaos Emerald from his fight between Him and GUN. He could barely hold coherent thoughts together as He slogged out of his bed and slowly walked over to the gem on the table. Shadow looked into the shimmer of the gem, squinting as he peered into the facets. Thunder and sparks crackled within the shimmer of the green gem, sparking with power. It was wild and violent within the gem, like a storm of rage and power.

“Perhaps I should avoid you…but what are you?” Shadow spoke to the gem, watching the gem closely. Shadow went to reach out a gloved finger towards the stone. Before Shadow even placed his fingers on the gem, electrical bridges of lights were quickly forming between his fingers and the gem, making him retract his hand immediately in reflex. “A wild card…it’s like you’re alive…like Dark Rider…” Shadow spoke towards the gem. “Are you…alive too?” Shadow asked the gem. The storm within the gem seemed to cackle harder and wilder, staying contained within the gem.

Shadow pulled up a chair, looking into the gem and speaking to it like He would to Dark Rider. Dark Rider had a life of its own because of Shadow’s Chaos Control. When Shadow called onto Dark Rider, there was a violence of life that made Dark Rider not just a faster, stronger vehicle; It gave Dark Rider this connection to Shadow that gave the vehicle a soul when in operation. Was this Gem the same like Dark Rider? Like how Shadow’s power softened Omega? “Who are you? Are you like cycle? Like Omega?” Shadow asked the Gem. Still the storm continued, raging within the shimmering green stone like lightning. Shadow sighed as He spoke towards the Gem. “I am Shadow…Shadow ‘Robotnik’ The Hedgehog. I am the Ultimate Life Form. You and I are powerful, especially together. What is your name?” Shadow asked the Gem, reaching out his hand and slightly grazing the top of the Gem’s surface.

Energy cackled Shadow’s palm, sharp and violent but small and quick. Shadow recoiled as he felt the small shocks, but saw no damage to his hand. “You are…very vibrant. You are Chaos Energy in its purest form. You are untamed and wild…untrained…like how Rouge described me.” Shadow spoke with a low tone. “You are like how Dark Rider was in our early days. You are a power to tame. After all, wild power is a danger if left unchecked. You are like me…” Shadow admitted to the Gem, feeling a sympathy for something he could sense was alive.

Then an idea came to him. Was this Gem angry at him? During Shadow’s days of freedom after the Orbital Cannon destruction, taming Dark Rider was a difficult thing to do. Dark Rider’s uncontrollable speeds showed anger, and refusing to operate was a sign that the steed was furious about how Shadow handled him on their last ride. It was in reading the emotions of the bike that Shadow as able to come to agreements with the bike, the machine never uttering a word. Was this Gem the same? The energy was very similar to that of Dark Rider when angry, so maybe they were one in the same? Shadow wanted to see if connecting this Gem to Dark Rider would help in calming the stone. Shadow couldn’t touch it without experiencing the overwhelming powers, so maybe He needed to find some middle ground with the Gem first before attempting such a thing.
“I do not know what I’ve done to anger you, Chaos Emerald. I apologize if I have treated you unfairly. Those are not words I speak without meaning either. There are few things in this world I find worthy of my sympathies…but I can feel that you are one that deserves respect and admiration. You are VERY powerful.” Shadow admitted to the Gem, bowing his head towards the Gem. The storm within the gem seemed to shift as Shadow spoke, the thunderous energy within the Gem slowly beginning to dissipate. Shadow then looked towards the rickety wood stand that the Gem was placed on, realizing that in his haste with recovering from being tired he had mistreated this living gem. “Perhaps there are ways I can bring you comfort? This cheap wood stand is no place for a Gemstone.” Shadow admitted.

Shadow turned towards one of the tarp flaps that was covering part of the Crab Tank’s old layout and went underneath it and looked in the back for something better for the gem. Shadow looked through the old wares of metal and steel, trying to find some kind of comfortable spot for the gem. Shadow looked through the collection of metal bits and bobs and found a few that he could decorate and set up for the Gem. One of the metal stands was a three prong stand with a cove to cradle the Gem rather than the bad wood stand.

Gathering a small towel, the metal stand with an in-cove, and a few other comforts, He erected a small shrine for the Gem on the table so that it was as comfortable as possible. The Gem was nestled into the red towel snuggly, the Gem softly caressed inside of the metal stand. Inside the Gem, the stone’s inner storm began to dissipate. The conflict of energy within the Gem seemed to calm almost immediately, allowing Shadow to actually communicate with the Gem effectively.

“There we are. Much calmer now?” Shadow asked the Gem. Once Shadow had finished the job, Shadow looked towards the comforted gemstone, folding his arms as he admired his work. “Now that you’re comfortable, we can figure out what you are.” Shadow spoke to the gem. Shadow placed a gloved paw over the front facet of the gem, closed his eyes, and felt the energy of the Gem. There was a chaos in the power, but it was much calmer. The energy felt like little prickles than the sharp, volatile shocks of earlier. This Gem seemed to respond to its environment in a way that was similar to how Dark Rider responds to Shadow when he hasn’t been maintained properly. Slowly removing his paw, standing back a few inches from the Gem. “You are like my cycle, Dark Rider. You require a special care…but now comes the question…why did that Bat Assassin give you to me?” Shadow began to interrogate, keeping his tone soft as he spoke to the Gem. The Gem seemed to give no response. “Can you respond to me? Did GUN create you? You seem similar to the Master Emerald that belongs to Sonic and his friends.” Shadow asked, listening and observing for a response. Still nothing. The Gem was no longer cackling with energy, making Shadow wonder if the Gem was ‘asleep’ or ignoring him now that it was comfortable. Shadow groaned as He then asked another question, this time leaning in close to the Gem. “Who is Black Doom?”

A blast of green energy urupted into the room, making Shadow jump back as he observed the crackling waves of green and yellow begin exploding around the area. Nothing was scalded, but the light was blinding as it appeared for a moment as Shadow tried to calm the Gem down. “Stop! At once! I command it! You’ll fry a system!” Shadow spoke, removing his gold inhibitor rings around his wrists and summoning a red energy to cover the thunderous waves. The two colors conflicted as Shadow seemed to press the active energy of the Chaos Emerald back into the Gem.

After a few moments, Shadow was able to calm the Gem by pressing the energy back into the Gem, the storm of energy within the Gem returning. “You…don’t like this character…understood.” Shadow spoke. Shadow sighed as he paced slowly in a circle, thinking to himself. Shadow considered for a moment if he had ever seen this ‘Black Doom’ before. Shadow then thought back to that strange monster he saw for a brief flash back in the park earlier that day before the GUN invasion.

“Whoever that voice was in the park from the strange starfish monster…could that have been him? That creature and that Rouge woman are the only two people who have been able to exist outside of my Chaos Control Superspeed.” Shadow spoke to himself. Shadow then looked towards the Gem on the table, curious of the stone even more. “Is…is Rouge…like me? Is She an Ultimate Life Form like me?” Shadow asked the stone in a whisper. Before the stone could react, a voice called from the entrance of the Carb Tank that made Shadow jump in surprise. “Are you talking to the rock?” Emelyn asked, walking into the central room of the Crab Tank where most of the space of the Crab was. She was dressed in her work attire: A green shirt with the brown leather apron that had the logo of Mean Black Bean on the front. She wasn’t wearing her black beanie today, having just gotten her hair in a way she liked and didn’t want to mess it up with a hat…at least until she got off work.

Shadow had a bit of red come to his cheeks as he explained himself. “The Emerald is temperamental. I am trying to calm it so it doesn’t destroy us.” Shadow explained as Emelyn looked at the Gem on the table. “I see…well, not the strangest thing I’ve seen this week.” Emelyn said as she admired the gem. After the GUN raid, Stone and Omega explained what had happened and why Shadow was so tired.
“That weird bat lady, she gave this to you, right?” Emelyn asked Shadow. “Correct. Now comes figuring out why. She was sent to kill me…but she stopped. She also mentioned…” Shadow’s voice trailed off into a mumble. Emelyn looked towards Shadow, not quite hearing the last little bit of his statement. “What did she mention?” She asked. Shadow thought about it for a moment. “She mentioned something about a ‘Black Doom’.” Shadow whispered. Emelyn tilted he head in confusion. “‘Black Doom’? What is that, like a disease or something?” Emelyn asked.

Once more, the green Gem erupted into green and yellow sparks, the light bouncing around the room and making Emelyn fall to the ground in surprise. Small bits of the green energy bounced onto Emelyn, pushing her away from the table and making her tumble. “OW! WHAT THE FU-” Before she had time to speak, more electrical bolts seared across her face and pushed her farther away, making her tumble and groan on the floor in pain. Shadow ran back to the Gem and pushed the energy back inside. “IT DOESN’T LIKE THAT NAME!” Shadow yelled as he condensed the energy. After a few moments, the energy was within the gem once more, concealed and beginning to calm.

Shadow then dashed to Emelyn and helped the girl up. Thankfully, only two small dots where the lighting seared deeper seemed to remain on her face. They looked like little cuts on her cheek, but other than that she was fine. “That hurt like a mother trucker…ow…” She moaned, aching as she tried to stand upright. After some time, the pain numbed away, especially with the help of Shadow and him retrieving the medical bag underneath the built-in cabinet under the sink. Shadow looked over Emelyn’s face as He made sure the goth college student didn’t damage herself. “You must be more careful! Power like this is wild and deadly in the wrong conditions!” Shadow barked as He tended to her.

Shadow then found that her neck was where a lot of the sparks had flown. Her neck was seared by the heat of the power around the nape. Shadow cooled the area with a wet towel and then made sure to disinfect the area and then applied a bandage. “Well, you didn’t say NOT to say the name. I’ll take note of that…OW!” She growled as Shadow hit a sensitive nerve when tending to Emelyn’s wounds. Shadow rolled his eyes as He finished with Emelyn and her neck. “You could stand to read the room a little when I whisper something instead of speak it louder…” Shadow said, with Emelyn rolling her eyes. “Okay Edge-hog. Sure.” She responded, smiling faintly as she stood up from the ground.

“Well now that the excitement is over, come to the Café. Uncle Stone is looking for you.” Emelyn said, pushing aside some of her dark black hair. Shadow looked towards Emelyn as he cleaned up the medical kit. “Why? Did something happen?” Shadow asked. Shadow was more alert to their store now, the edge of exhaustion beginning to wear off and the Ultimate Life Form ready to take on GUN should they return. “No. Calm down worry wart. It’s the store. He’s got deliveries to make and I don’t want to do it so I said I got to leave early. Bye!” Emelyn said, immediately dashing out the Crab Tank and leaving Shadow with the responsibility of the store. “EMELYN! YOU…! ARG!” Shadow growled, sighing as he looked towards the stone on the table. “She reminds me of Maria in how crafty she is.”

Chapter Text

It started with a phone call on Emelyn’s phone during her shift at the Mean Black Bean. She just had gone on break, of which she delegated to herself, when her phone then began to ring. Picking it up, a voice Emelyn immediately recognized spoke through the phone and spoke. Excited, Emelyn made every excuse she could, dumped the stuff she needed to do on Shadow, and raced out the door after clocking out. Stone was going to stop her, but with the news press still going on about the GUN attack and then the fall festival coming on and how they were planning to prepare for it as a store after the events of the week, as well as trying to keep his store running, Stone couldn’t stop her.

Emelyn hung up her work apron and changed into a more casual fit of a black sweater, jeans, fingerless gloves, and a grey jacket to beat the cold, then got to her bicycle and raced away from the café with haste. She also placed on her black beanie, a needed accessory that fit the whole vibe of ‘hardcore emo’ she was going for. After all, the fall and winter were the best times of year for her wardrobe, so she better use everything she could.
Dashing through town, she then took a turn that went off closer towards the woods that were north of town, where the older side of town was constructed. The roads slowly became more bleached from being in the sun at all hours, the buildings becoming older, and the wind chillier as you headed farther and farther north. Coming to the end of town, a single dirt road existed that took you farther into the woods of the north. The tree line began by the entrance, becoming thicker almost immediately after crossing out of town.

Trees hung in tangled patterns; the cold wind of autumn even heavier than before. The autumn leaves fell from the trees to the ground, the branches and thick logs of the old trees becoming barer and barer as the wind blew. Most of the road was uphill to the point that Emelyn had to push her bike up rather than ride because of the sheer hills within the forest. This forest was North Scarlet Skids. Danger signs were posted all along the road, warning of the cliffs that were just beyond the tree lines. Sure enough, about 15 minutes into the ride, Emelyn came close to the edges without realizing, the end of the sheer cliffs that went over into the sea were just before her if she wasn’t paying attention.

Following along the sides of the cliff, a smoky fire was in the distance that was over one of the cliffsides that were the farthest from the forest. Emelyn rode closer, seeing two vans in the distance. One van was a white, aged van with its back doors wide open. The other was a newish-looking black one that was closed and parked perpendicular to the white van, sitting in front of it. Three people were around the fire, with one of the people on their phone and trying to get signal, one strumming on a bass guitar, and one standing by the cliff and looking into the distance. With the ground much more even, Emelyn biked over towards the trio and called out towards them. “Yo!” She yelled, which grabbed the attention of the trio.

The girl that was sitting on the ground that was wearing a blue, pink, and white varsity jacket looked over first, jumping from her spot on the ground and dropping her phone. She pushed her short, gold hair aside and ran over towards her friend with joy. “EM!” She yelled with excitement, with Emelyn ditching the bike as soon as she was within hugging distance of the girl. “Shea! I got the call! It’s so good to see you!” Emelyn exclaimed; the two friends excited to see each other again. The boy on the bass guitar placed down the guitar. The bassist wore a black jacket and jeans, with a silver beanie that had a red dot in the center of a black pin that was attached to the hat. He had scruffy facial hair and a small mustache growing in that he was slowly molding into his mustache of pride. The young man, Dennis, called out to the person on the cliff. “Aary! Look!”

The person on the cliff turned their upper body to look behind them, seeing Emelyn, but they slowly spun back around to look over the cliff, folding their arms. The cliff person was wearing a pale white sweater with blue rings towards the hem of the sweater. They had a shaven head, covered by a blue winter cap to keep their head warm from the elements. A chunk of the left ear was missing, along with their left hand, replaced with a prosthetic hand in its place that was bright blue. The person on the cliff, Aary, seemed focused on the distant horizon as they ignored the gathering by the fire.

“You guys are here! I thought you were long gone to Cali by now!” Emelyn exclaimed with excitement. “We’ve been with Aary’s folks for a few months and have finally gotten a gig down there by the end of the month! It was my idea to come by the old hang out spot for the week. Fall fest is still going on right? I thought we saw the set up for it in ‘Scum’ South.” Shea winked, nudging her friend’s elbow. “Yes! Stuff started last week…you will not believe the week I’ve had.” Emelyn explained, sighing in relief that at least some friendly faces were here to listen to her. “Well! Don’t keep us waiting! Aary! Get over here!” Dennis called out to Aary playfully.
Emelyn hesitated looking towards Aary for a second, as Aary turned towards the group with a hesitancy herself. Both Em and Aary looked towards each other, with Emelyn smiling towards their friend first. “Hey Aary…it’s been a while.” Emelyn welcomed. Aary looked Emelyn up and down, sighing as they walked up towards Emelyn a few paces. “It has.” Aary said, keeping their arms folded. Emelyn looked down towards Aary’s prosthetic arm, seeing the bright blue of the semi-mobile attachment flex its system. “You’ve got an upgrade! It looks nice! Better than just the Lego brick fingers huh?” Emelyn tried to joke. Aary wasn’t amused. “Yeah…an ‘upgrade’.” They growled. Emelyn swallowed an awkward gulp as She realized someone was missing from the group. “Where’s…?”

The sound of metal hitting dirt came from behind Emelyn, echoing from the woods. Behind Emelyn was a taller, stronger built young man who was wearing a green camo tank top, ripped jeans, and sported a mustache and beard facial style that was bushy and thick with brown hair. His head was shaven to baldness, giving the young man the stereotypical look of a bouncer. A set of glasses were on his face, the young man having an issue with vision when seeing things up close.

The oldest of the group on the hill was Henry R., the lead of this group. The bigger built man dropped the logs he was cutting for the fire that he was bringing back the group, the hatchet he was using already on the ground. A smile was on the face of Henry as he smiled towards one of his friends. “Hey Em…” Henry said, looking towards his friend. Emelyn smiled back the same, the girl walking up to hug Henry. “Hey there, big man.” She said, grabbing hold of her friend. “I got your phone call.” She said quietly, the two hugging each other tight after being apart for so long. “Sorry if I’m gross, I just got more wood for the fire.” Henry said, picking up the bundle of fire wood and the hatchet to bring back to the fire near the vehicles.

With the whole of the gang back together, Dennis brought out the sodas and snacks, with the group gathered around the fire and talking with each other for the first time in so long. Long distance relationships were difficult for the group, and even more so when the places her friends went were bad cell reception or were busy on gigs that they picked up around the US. Henry and the Harbingers; a band of heavy metal and rock. They were small on the map, a band of musically talented people going from place to place, picking up music jobs as they travelled.

Henry pitched the idea to everyone, with Emelyn being the only one who stayed behind in Scarlet. Emelyn wasn’t very musically talented, but she could DJ pretty good. Still, her grandparents still didn’t want her to leave town and just travel with, in her grandpa’s words, were a ‘bunch of fools on a death march’. These days, Emelyn regretted that choice to stay. This town barely had anything left for Em, and all she ever dreamed of was to leave…that’s why she was in school, why she worked Mean Black Bean. Even with her personality to defect from the norm, she still was compelled to stay. What made it even harder was these stories that Henry and the others brought up around the fire. Their adventures in Alaska, where they all thought they were going to freeze themselves to death, their time in Georgia and North Carolina, of which they agreed to steer far away from unless the money was good, and even their trips into California, of which they were going to do once more.

Even Aary, who seemed apprehensive of putting their two cents in, couldn’t help but get enraptured in the retelling of the stories. “…And that bouncer shot you a LOOK, Dennis. I don’t think they’ll let us play there again after that.” Aary finished. “Yeah, but it was the day I finally found that tiger in me! I had to stick it to the owner! That was no way to treat Shea! I’ll be damned if he treats my friend that way.” Dennis said, punching his fist into his palm like he was starting a fight. Henry placed another long onto the fire as he looked towards Dennis with a humorous smile. “Oh you’ve definitely shown your ‘inner tiger’, Dennis. Just make sure to not go feral on us.” Henry humored. “Don’t worry, Henry! I’ve got the inner power under control!” Dennis growled jokingly, observing the weirdness of his statement. “You’ve not changed, Dennis. Still weird as hell.” Emelyn pointed out. Dennis placed a hand on his chest as he sighed. “I’m so glad you observe that in me. That support means everything…” He spoke with a smile. Aary then directed the attention to Emelyn, still watching the flames of the fire closely as they spoke. “How about you? What’s new in town? It’s been a while.” Aary asked.

Emelyn sighed as she placed her fingers in her lap. “It’s been…interesting.” Emelyn began. She explained how, for the most part, things had been pretty boring. She picked up the job at the Mean black Bean, working for her uncle who had just come into town from…stuff…and how she’s been working on school and being your average ‘broke college student’. Emelyn held her words on Shadow, about Omega and GUN, and how her uncle may have worked with the crazy guys that almost tried to end the world back in London. “…It’s been boring, honestly.” Emelyn explained, not feeling like she had much to contribute to the group. Her friends were all having these adventures, and here she was stuck…but at least Shadow made things interesting.

“I heard the military rolled into here a few days ago…that doesn’t strike you as interesting?” Henry asked, looking towards his friend with curiosity. Just how much got out of this town about it? Did they ask people of town? That was strange of their friends to do, considering they were seen as outcasts to almost everyone in town to the point of banning them from most places. Maybe it got out on the internet? “Well…I may or may not know why…but you’ll have to promise to lay low on it.” Emelyn began, not sure if telling people about Shadow and GUN was the best idea…but she needed a good story of some kind!

Everyone looked amongst themselves, then to Emelyn. “What in the hell did you do to get the military into Scarlet Reach, Oregon?” Aary asked, the question everyone around the fire was thinking to themselves. Emelyn smiled as she then began to explain what had happened in the last week. She talked about how her uncle rolled back into town, opened a café, then enlisted a super speeding, emo, space hedgehog that ran all of the orders across town in semi-disguise. How the military power, GUN, was looking for them both after they were found to be important in the attack back in London, and that they were ambushed by a robot sent to kill Shadow the Hedgehog, but then also were attacked by a Bat lady who was supposed to kill Shadow but didn’t for some reason, then gave him a magic rock that hates the name ‘Black Doom’ for some reason…then very quickly realized how insane she sounded when she spoke it all out loud.

The whole of her group looked towards her with a mixture of shock and disbelief. “So let me get this straight; Your uncle is a criminal, harboring an alien and military weapon machine, who can make frappes and mochas, and were just attacked by the military and an anthropomorphic bat assassin who gave the alien a gemstone with super powers?” Shea concluded. Emelyn nodded her head to confirm the story, of which everyone around the campfire seemed shocked by this news. “it’s so crazy…I can’t believe it, literally. I can’t. that’s insane. You’re crazy.” Dennis admitted.

“Well…what if I could prove it?” Emelyn said, looking proud of her strange life update. Henry leaned in towards the fire as he poked the flame of the fire to be sure the flames were under control. “I myself am curious. I’ve heard of the buzz that little shop has been getting.” Henry spoke. He leaned back as he flexed his fingers after placing down the fire prod. “When did you find out? About Stone and his involvement with Robotnik?” Henry asked Emelyn. She had to think for a moment. Maybe by last week? Honestly, the whole of the situation the last few days has been rather energetic and she hadn’t really processed all of it.

Did she technically work for criminals? That thought wormed into her brain for a second as she tried to think back for how long she knew of Stone and Shadow’s history. “I mean, only this week…” Emelyn admitted. “And you’re aware of what they were trying to do? You’re okay with that?” Aary asked, their tone starting to raise as they spoke. A serious look started to form over their face as Emelyn explained everything that was happening in town. “I mean…I hadn’t really thought about it…” Emelyn began, starting to question the situation she found herself in with this job at MBB. “Well, if that isn’t ‘Peak Emelyn’ right there.” Aary said, clearly angry towards Emelyn as the two young adults looked towards each other. “Oh, come on, Aary. They genuinely are changing from that! Besides, Shadow may be a grump but he’s certainly no monster.” Emelyn defended, trying to make the argument for her friend and her job.

“Well lying and hiding is something bad people are good at. It wouldn’t surprise me. After all, I’ve seen it ‘first hand’.” Aary said, holding up their amputee arm. Now it was Shea’s turn to speak up. “That’s not fair, Aary! You know everything that day was out of control on the pier!” Shea remarked, standing up for her friend. Aary, unconvinced, held their stance. “Just throwing it out there…We all know what happened.” Aary argued, staring towards Emelyn with daggers.

Emelyn took a deep breath, trying to control herself. Henry must have noticed because almost immediately after Emelyn began to try and calm herself, he took charge of the conversation. “Do you kids remember back during your middle school days; you used to follow me around town. God, for the stupidest reasons too. I worked the jobs I could, worked the fair pretty often when it was still around, and it was like magnets to metal. At first, I was annoyed, then confused…” Henry explained. “I started to ask myself; ‘Why would a whole bunch of kids from this nowhere town I happened to pop into for work, want to hang out with a 20 something year old man living out of his van? And should I hide from the police at this point?’” Henry joked, the four people in his audience making the same face of equal concern. As kids, they probably should have known better than following around a completely stranger from a van. “Then…the pier burned down…I remember the fright of that situation. Everyone hurting and struggling afterwards…you and that arm, Aary…Emelyn and your…” Henry stopped short of his words when looking towards Emelyn. A tired expression seemed to etch onto Emelyn’s face, with her eyes looking towards Henry as if to tell him ‘no’.

The circle around the camp fire was silent for a moment as the collection of five watched the fire dance in the center of the group, keeping the chill of autumn away from them so long as they were close. Dennis seemed the most entranced, watching the wood crumble within the fire as his right hand began to shake a little. Shea gave a sigh as she rubbed the temples of her face and under her eyes, and Aary looking towards Emelyn with a small scowl forming on her face.

Henry began again, sighing himself as he rubbed the bridge of his top lip and nostril, clearing his throat. “After everything happened, that’s when I knew it was important to do something. I remembered the days of my loneliness as an orphan, never knowing my father or mother. So…I taught you all what I could, hardened you, and made something of this little group…and then, we went to find our calling. Maybe it’s the same for your uncle and Shadow.” Henry stated, smiling towards Emelyn. The girl smiled as she looked towards her friend. Henry seemed to always know what to say in these situations. “Also…I’ve been having crappy roadside coffee for the better part of a year. I’m dying for something different.” Henry added, stroking his beard with curiosity.

Emelyn smiled as she looked towards the direction of town, then back to the group. “Have you ever tried Austrian Goat Milk?” She asked Henry. Henry looked towards Emelyn with intrigue, a twinkle in his eye.

Chapter Text

The Mean Black Bean was in a tizzy as Omega worked the back of the register, Stone helped with the orders, and Shadow bussed from table to table. Shadow was in his workplace uniform, complete with the green shirt underneath the brown leather apron and green cap with the logo of the company on the front. His badges of how incredible of an employee he was proudly on display on the apron. The whole of the café was in action, with people coming from across the countryside for the fall festival that was being set up. This much traction was unprecedented for the town, surprising the locals that many of them were here. What was also interesting was how young they all were. These weren’t families and older people travelling the country. All of these customers were people coming here for some specific reason that Shadow and Stone were still trying to sus out. Was it them? Nobody asked about GUN or the attack so Shadow assumed no. All of these guests seemed to know of Fall Fest, but what they were discussing about it were things Shadow was confused on. “…Yeah! Supposedly the CEO of the company is here! He’s showcasing it today and construction is starting soon after!” One of the guests said that Shadow was able to pick up in the whirlwind of order delivering.

“What were these people here for?” Shadow spoke to himself, trying to avoid walking into people as the crowded café was slowly working through their customers. One by one, people ordered their café lattes and mochas, their croissants and cupcakes, and slowly the café began to die down as Stone took a look at their inventory and their metrics as a store. “We are up almost 400% in gross income! What on earth happened?” Stone asked himself, scrolling through the information on his laptop now that he had a moment. He was almost out of everything in the store, already making sure his orders of coffee beans he’d need for the coming week were going to get here by tomorrow. “I thought making money was the point? Why call it gross?” Omega asked, thinking he was doing a good job making the orders. “Omega, if you weren’t here…I hardly doubt we would have been able to fight that rush! You did phenomenally, You as well Shadow!” Stone said to the hedgehog, who had made his way behind the counter and was peaking over to the computer screen in front of Stone.

“They all seem to be here for some specific reason, but I don’t know what…It’s confusing.” Shadow told Stone, the black hedgehog folding his arms as He looked across the crowd. All of the guests were travelling 20- to 30-year-olds, all with that summer vibe to their wardrobes and had clearly never stepped foot in the northern parts of the US. Stone dismissed the worry of why they were here and was more focused on the money they were making. “Shadow…I can’t believe I can say this…but we may be able to upgrade the store! If money keeps up like this, we could build an extension on top of the store! We could move out of the Crab Tank, have an actual apartment!” Stone said with excitement. Shadow tilted his head in confusion. “Couldn’t we do that before? We have the tools, don’t we?” Shadow asked, not quite understanding the significance of this upgrade to their living. “We could do it properly. Hire construction for it and have it credible! This is a lead to making our mark here in town!” Stone said with excitement, the owner of the store smiling from ear to ear.

“If this leads us to the total domination of the ‘coffee industry’, then I am enthusiastic. The world will soon know our powerful caffeinated power.” Shadow said, his serious tone betraying the words he spoke as he folded his arms. “We makin’ the money now! Go Team Bean!” Omega pumped up, excited to join into the celebration. “Team Bean? Really? That was the best you had?” Shadow asked, raising a brow towards Omega. “Oh oh! I got a different one! Team Frappe?” Omega suggested. Both Stone and Shadow weren’t sure on that name either. “Team Mean?” Omega suggested. “Now that’s one I can get behind.” Shadow said, a small smile forming on his face. “I don’t think that one works with the vibe the store is trying to set.” Stone chimed in. “Uh…Team Dark? Like in Dark Roast?” Omega gave as his final suggestion. Shadow and Stone both looked to each other, then to Omega. “I can live with that.” Shadow compromised. Omega, while not having the ability to form a smile, still was overjoyed at his suggestion on the team’s name being granted.

Shadow went onto cleaning the newly empty tables in the main café, with Omega cleaning up the back counter. Stone left the continuing care of the café in the hands of the duo, taking the laptop to the back storage room of the store to continue his work. “I’m glad you and me are working so well together bro! Just think, last week we were trying to kill each other. Now we homies! Quite a spin, yeah?” Omega asked, continuing to care for the back counter and cleaning up the small bits of coffee on some parts of the counter from the chaos of rush hour. “Don’t push it, Omega.” Shadow warned, still a little apprehensive of the machine that was still capable of tearing the store apart. “First name basis! That’s a start for me!” Omega said with excitement. Shadow rolled his eyes as he admitted defeat to the machine.

A group of five came in that were led by none other than Emelyn. Shadow was the first to notice Emelyn’s return, tightening the cap on his head as He called to her. “I see your important business led you right back, huh?” Shadow confronted, folding his arms as He looked towards the goth girl. “Hey Emo-boy! How’s the shop going?” Emelyn spoke towards Shadow, ignoring his comment. Shadow rolled his eyes as he took off his cap and straightened it out. “Busy. We could have used extra hands.” He answered. “Oh, but I thought you were the ‘Ultimate Life Form’? My mistake in assuming…” Emelyn said playfully, walking over and petting the head of Shadow as She played with him. “How are you not fired yet?” Shadow asked with genuine surprise she was still able to keep this job. “Nepotism.” She answered, a cocky smile plastered onto her face.

Henry and the others looked down towards the alien creature, with Shea smiling in excitement. “OMG HE’S ADORABLE!” She said, walking over with a brisk pace to Shadow and playing with his cheeks as She excitedly admired the creature. “He’s got such a pout! Omg I’m gonna die!” She exclaimed in excitement. Shadow, unsure of how to handle this abrasive woman in his face, looked towards Emelyn with confusion. “Help.” He mumbled. Emelyn rolled her eyes as she gently pulled Shea away from Shadow. Aary and Dennis looked towards the creature with a mixture of awe and surprise. “Wow…Emelyn wasn’t lying…for once.” Aary said, side-eying Emelyn hard as she folded her arms. Dennis was even more excited, having been one of the people who was tracking the whole of the situation that was happening in Green Hills, Montana.

Green Hills was a small town that was where the first readings of the strange phenomenon around the world began, where the first of the strange creatures appeared, and where Sonic the Hedgehog was currently living with The Donut Lord, Tom Wachowski. “Are you like that ‘Sonic’ creature? You seem colored differently than him.” Dennis asked. “Ha! While I admit that Sonic the Hedgehog wormed his way into my soul, I am far more powerful than that blue blur of speed. I was designed by the late and great Doctor Robotnik, designed to be the Ultimate-” Before Shadow could continue his gloating, Emelyn quickly put a cap on it and explained it for them in a digestible and fast manner. “He’s fast, He’s strong, probably made of magic, he’s from outer space, and he’s a grumpy mc grumpy pants. Any questions?” She said, leaning on his head as She smiled with joy at the showcase of strange anomalies she had before her.

“Welcome in! What can I get started for you?” Omega called out, making the new guests to the café turn their heads towards the voice. Behind the counter, Omega was already ready for taking the orders of the new guests that stepped inside of the cozy café. The group were taken aback by the machine, with Dennis looking towards the machine with that same awe-struck expression he gave Shadow. “Emelyn…this is nuts!” Dennis exclaimed. Shea was still enamored by Shadow, taking note of his badges on his apron. “AWW AND HE HAS LITTLE BADGES! HE’S SO CUTEEE!” Shea chirped with happiness.
Aary tried her best to pull Shea away from Shadow, while Dennis was enthralled with Omega and began asking technical questions about how Omega worked. The best answer Emelyn could give was ‘he was really fast’. Henry, however, was focused on something entirely different. Sitting on the counter, given a space of its own so anyone could see it, was a picture of the great Doctor Ivo Robotnik and a young Agent Stone. Henry looked down towards the picture that was given a small shrine to honor The Doctor, showing that the owner of the store clearly treasured such a picture. The Doctor looked proud of himself, standing with such strength and power, with Agent Stone doing just the same by his side. Henry admired the picture silently as He placed his hands on the table. “It’s you…” Henry mumbled under his breath, trying to bring himself back to reality.

Just as Henry went to turn to his friends, Stone reappeared from the back of the store to see what the commotion was about. Stone noticed Emelyn’s return right away. “I thought you had somewhere to be?” Stone said with confusion. “Exactly! And look! I brought you some paying customers! Aren’t I a doll?” She said with a smile. Stone rolled his eyes as he sighed towards Emelyn. Stone then realized the people that she had brought with her. He recognized them as old friends of hers that she talked about from time to time. “Ah! I see. Only in town for a little while, yes? Wonderful to have you drop by! We actually had one hell of a rush today…I’m not quite sure where it came from.” Stone explained, looking towards Omega. “Just for today, Emelyn’s four friends here are on the house! Today marks a day of celebration!” Stone smiled as he looked towards Emelyn. Now Emelyn was intrigued. “Whys that? Record profit today?” She asked, folding her arms and keyed into the conversation.

“I just got off the phone with the mayor. He wants to give Mean Black Bean an early promotional advert during the entire fall festival event! We won’t just get one day; we will be able to have a permanent stand open throughout the whole event! Could you imagine the money? With Omega at the store, the three of us will be off at the fall fest venue and be making twice the income! We are on track to really start picking up steam here in Scarlet Reach!” Stone said with excitement to his three employees. “It’s almost made me consider hiring more staff…” Stone added at the end, thinking if that was a possibility now that the store was really starting to get its paces.

“What was that about a free coffee? I’ve heard good things of this Austrian Steamed Goatmilk Latte…” Henry asked, stepping forwards towards Stone and Shadow. It wasn’t until this moment that Shadow was able to get a good look at Henry and Stone was able to even see him in the first place. Stone looked towards the gentlemen before him, a look of surprise in his eyes. Before this moment, Stone had heard of Henry before, but Stone had never met any of these people before personally. Stone was 18 by the time his sister, Emelyn’s mom, was a teenager. After Stone’s life called him away from the city, he basically disappeared from their lives, even after Emelyn’s Mother passed away. Stone was wrapped up with the military, making it difficult to even leave, let alone contact the family. Stone had heard of some of Emelyn’s stories while being here, but in the center of most of the stories was a mysterious individual named Henry.

He was someone from out of town that just happened to pass through and stay for work. After the fair burnt down, He pitched in with helping the town with what he could. The kids of the town were attached to him like moths to a flame, saying how cool and rugged he was, and the rest was history. Yet, as Stone stared towards the gentleman, it stuck out almost immediately. The face, the eyes…the long facial hair...

Realizing there was a moment of awkward silence, Stone immediately tried to respond to Henry’s question. “Y-yes! Whatever you are interested in! The Latte with Steamed Austrian Goatmilk is one of my personal flavors I home designed.” Stone said with pride. Shadow looked towards the taller gentleman, a look of shock on his face as he tried to understand what he was seeing before him.

Down to the mustache shape, face, eyes…even the head…they all looked like Gerald. The uncanny similarities were jarring as he looked towards Henry with a mixture of abject horror and sudden pain. Shadow could only stare as he looked towards the man. Henry noticed Shadow and walked over towards him, hands in his pockets. “You must be Shadow? Quite the specimen. I see why Emelyn like you! A ball of cute quills that match her personality wonderfully.” Henry complimented. Shadow could only stare as Henry looked down towards the short creature.

Flashes from Gerald Robotnik of the past suddenly rushed to the front of Shadow’s mind. The time he spent with him...the time he spent with his daughter…Maria. Shadow’s heart suddenly started racing, his mind cycling through the things he never thought about until he was sure he was alone. A tear in his heart began, memories of the old life before Stone coming to the forefront of Shadow’s mind as He looked towards this eerily similar imposter. The only difference was the full beard and more muscular core. Other than those small differences, he was a Robotnik. There was no doubt of that. “You okay there, little man?” Henry asked, seeing that the hedgehog was clearly disturbed. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Henry added.

Emelyn noticed Shadow’s sudden silence, then saw the look that was put onto his face. “Shadow? You okay buddy?” Emelyn asked. “Nothing, I have to check on something. Omega, I’ll return.” Shadow spoke abruptly. He placed back on the green cap in his hands and quickly made his way to the front door of the establishment, making sure nobody could see his face as He left the building. Emelyn stood there in shock, the rest of the group also in confusion as to what just happened. Henry was the most confused out of all of them, looking towards the rest of the group. “Was it something I said?”

Chapter Text

The cold ocean waves of the beach crashed over the shore with the breeze of the evening air. Shadow had hung the apron, shirt, and cap from the Mean Black Bean on the last wood post before getting onto the beach, the hedgehog sitting on the sand of the beach just before the frigid water of the beach. The sun was already lowering in the sky, the early nights of the autumn already coming faster as the days went by. The only thing Shadow could see in the distant horizon was the change in color of the sky, the sun setting behind him to the mountain ranges and tree lines that were beyond the city limits. Shadow had his cassette player of music playing his punk band music he was given as a gift from Stone playing through his earphones, watching the horizon of the beach. He watched the change in sky from the bright orange slowly fade into a mix of red and purple, the night stars beginning to form on the horizon as He looked out towards the sea.

The music was loud in Shadow’s ears as he sat on the beachside, trying to keep the surprise of earlier under control and the anxiety in his mind at ease. ‘Too fast.’ That was the phrase running in his mind. Why did it feel like everything around him was moving faster than he was? He was the Ultimate Life Form! He was supposed to be the strongest thing this world had ever seen! He’s been beaten by a machine, tracked by GUN, beaten by some assassin bat that left more questions than answers, and now some imposter was walking this town that looked like Gerald? Shadow would never admit it out loud, but it was true. He was overwhelmed with the thoughts in his mind. He couldn’t understand why this was all happening now. All these collecting troubles and conflictions. Should he find Sonic? He knew that GUN were looking for Sonic too, so maybe that was a smart angle to take this whole situation. As much as Shadow hated it, Sonic was the only other person he knew that has dealt with GUN before on more than one occasion. While he was annoyed with the more childish tone the hedgehog seemed to have, Sonic was at least one thing he wasn’t: He was good at juggling situations better than he was. It was Sonic after all that convinced him to stop fighting, helped him heal from the struggle of losing Maria…but would Sonic truly take him back as a friend after they fought each other? Sure, it’s one thing to tell people good things and move people away from destroying something they love, but it’s another thing to make a life with them.

Paralyzed with choices he felt he had to make right then and there, Shadow continued to sit by the beach, letting the cool air of the night slowly whip around him and his quills, making his body shiver as he felt the chill. Shadow looked up towards the stars that were beginning to form in the sky, the far away lights twinkling with life as Shadow’s red eyes tracked the stars that were close enough to trace shapes in the air. He spotted many of the constellations that were taught to him by Maria, making him remember back to the time he spent with his first friend. “The light shines bright…even if the star is gone…” Shadow mumbled to himself, closing his eyes as he felt his anger begin to build inside of him.

“…What light is left of you? Are you even up there anymore Maria? Are you seeing what’s happening down here?” Shadow asked the air, pulling off the earphones and placing them in the sand. “I found another Robotnik, Maria. It’s unmistakable. He looked like Ivo…like Gerald.” Shadow spoke to the sky. “How many other Robotnik’s are out there? Why did they break apart? I don’t understand…” Shadow spoke to the sky. Shadow suddenly stood to his feet, growling a yell as he clenched his fists. “WHY? I want normal! No more GUN! No more weapons! I want the world we dreamed of Maria…not this...this hell…afraid of something that I can’t stomp out. Another fight I can’t fix by just smashing through the wall…something I have to feel…” Shadow growled, a small tear of sorrow trailing down his face slowly. His little nose twitched as He held in his frustration. Shadow focused up to the sky as far as he could look, his eyes suddenly fixated on a shape in the sky.

The Moon.

The glowing celestial form shimmered in the sky in a way Shadow had never seen before. The moon was still incredibly far away, but in the glow of the moonlight that was smoothly glowing brighter and brighter, something was visible in space that floated by the bottom crescent of the moon. The remaining, massive chunk of the planetary body shredded by the beam of the Orbital Laser Cannon floated by the moon. It was a mark of how much damage the super weapon that was designed by Gerald Robotnik could do. The image of the sliced moon before him reminded him of the transgressions that brought Shadow here. All of this hiding, running…it wasn’t because he was some prey. He was hunted for almost killing everything down below on Earth. He aided in almost destroying the entirety of the world, and here he was crying about facing those repercussions. Who was he to complain of people wanting him dead, when he himself almost ended the lives of so many people.
“You would be disappointed in me, Maria.” He muttered under his breath.

Shadow sighed as he went to turn back towards the city. Shadow was still stuck with the indecision he was shoved into. As he began to walk back to town, a form was standing in his way that made him stop in his tracks. He stepped back an inch, his eyes meeting with another creature’s that was standing before him. “Nice night for a stroll, is it?” The figure asked, the sweetly effeminate voice familiar to Shadow. Rouge had a smile on her face like she was taking a strange happiness in seeing a frustrated Shadow. “You are far too hard on yourself, Darling. There is much more to you than your shortcomings, I promise.” Rogue comforted, her hearth stone in the center of her chest piece glowing a faint pink color. In the dark, there was a small crack that you wouldn’t be able to see without the gem glowing, making the heart have a faint dark crack straight down the middle of the stone.

Shadow brought up his fists, ready to fight Rouge once again as he tensed his body. “Oh relax, edgelord. I’m not here to fight you…I can clearly see you aren’t ready for that yet.” Rouge spoke as she fluffed the tuffs of her white hair, her blue eyes sparkling as she smiled towards the hedgehog. “Then why are you here? I know more of you now, and I’m not afraid to fight.” Shadow threatened, his red energy starting to pulse through his body. A faint green glow was coming from his feet, getting his attention for a split second. “I see that.” Rouge said, taking note of the slim green light that was popping by Shadow’s feet. “Can you feel it? The power of Chaos Energy in its purest form? Quite a feeling, right? To move at speeds so impossible the world stops moving?” Rouge asked the hedgehog.
Shadow squinted towards the bat woman. “How do you know of my power? Who was that ‘Black Doom’ you mentioned before? Is he with GUN too?” Shadow began to interrogate, growling as he continued with his questions. Rouge mustered a laugh as she fanned her gloved claws towards Shadow. “Calm down, tiger! Have no panic! I simply used GUN’s tools to my advantage to find you! Now that I know where you are, consider me an ‘inside woman’.” Rouge explained, easing him of his anxiety. “Besides, by the time you’re finished you won’t have to worry of them ever again. Consider them a small obstacle in the grand scheme of things, Shadow the Hedgehog.” Rouge comforted.

Shadow couldn’t grasp Rouge’s angle. Why was she helping him now? Nothing about any of this was making any sense. Why should he trust her? She almost killed him not too long ago. “Give me one good reason to trust you.” Shadow argued, keeping his paws up and ready for a fight. “Because you’ll need me to help prepare you. You’ve had quite a bit of time to ready yourself before Doom’s arrival, yet I come and you are barely prepared. I’ve been assigned to rectify that little issue.” Rouge explained. “But first, where is that Emerald I gave you? The Chaos Emerald?” Rouge asked, noticing it wasn’t on Shadow’s possession. Shadow squinted towards Rouge, thinking for a moment if it was wise to tell her of the gem’s position. Considering she was the one who gave him the gem, it seemed weirdly illogical she would try to take it back for no reason if she truly was trying to help him. His powerful aura began to dissipate as he explained the situation here in Scarlet Reach. “it’s back at the shop. I have it in a little display to ensure it didn’t get angry again.” Shadow explained.

Rouge raised an eyebrow as Shadow explained. “It became angry? Elaborate.” Rouge asked of Shadow. “When the name ‘Black Doom’ was mentioned, crackling energy like Chaos Control exploded into the room. It looked like a storm was brewing inside of the stone. I’m still unsure of why this occurred…I assumed it to be that its power was unstable.” Shadow explained, folding his arms as he spoke with Rouge. Rouge tilted her head in confusion. “That…is strange.” Rouge commented, trying to think of the solution herself. “Can pieces of it still remember the Mega Emerald?” Rouge mumbled under her breath. Shadow’s ear twitched at the sound of another Emerald’s name being dropped, wondering if she also knew of the Master Emerald.

“Are you talking about the big, green diamond that Knuckles the Echidna protects? Have you spoken with Sonic and the others?” Shadow demanded, starting to tense again and his powers returning for a second. Rouge suddenly looked incredibly surprised. “The Master Emerald is here?! Where!? Are the rest of the Echidna’s here?” She asked, suddenly looking incredibly worried. Shadow noticed the change in demeanor as He scoffed at her. “I thought you were keeping tabs on everything…yet you know nothing of Sonic and that colorful combo of kids?” Shadow asked, folding his arms. “I was looking for you, Shadow. I couldn’t give a damn about some other Mobians that are around here…besides the Echidnas if they showed themselves.” Rouge explained. Shadow squinted towards Rouge. “Mobians?” He asked, never hearing that term before. “It’s what we call creatures like us. Creatures between wild and tamed. For example, you call yourself a hedgehog…but we know full well you aren’t. You align with being called that by the very nature of your existence. I align with the ideals of a bat, along with having similar characteristics, which were chosen for purpose. All of us were made by something, all by different names and meanings. In the case of ‘Pachacamac’, he was the spirit of Echidnas…” Rouge explained. “Who?” Shadow asked, now thoroughly confused at everything he was being bombarded with.
Rouge seemed to notice his confusion, deciding to hold back all of the information and share it in small doses. “That’s quite fine to not understand it all. There is much history to explain. Let’s find a time to speak…just you and me. How about after your little festival event, yes? Fall Fest it’s called? For now, protect the gem and I’ll keep GUN busy so you can continue caring for the gem and keeping this little nest of yours under control. Besides…I may sneak into the festival to see it for myself. I’ve taken quite a liking to these little human festivals!” Rouge planned, giggling a little.

Shadow still was incredibly untrustworthy of this creature, keeping his defense up as he watched the bat woman closely. Rouge spread her wings, making Shadow back up a bit and almost step into the water with his air shoes. The massive wings of Rouge stretched as she began her takeoff into the night sky. “You really do resemble him. Black Doom…maybe that’s why he’s so excited about you.” Rouge spoke as her final statement, before blasting up into the sky, kicking sand up along with her. Shadow was left alone on the beach, completely lost on what to feel at the moment.

Mega Emerald? Pachacamac? Mobians? What in the hell was happening around him? Shadow tried to think through all the things Rouge had explained to him, but nothing felt like it cohesively fit together. Whoever this Black Doom was, was clearly someone important. If Shadow, Rouge, and whoever this Pachacamac was were designed by this character, and all of them were connected to these strange Emeralds like the Master Emerald and this green gem that Shadow was left with, it meant that there was clearly some bigger picture game at play here. Shadow was the center of everything, just another piece in the game.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this…I need to call Sonic.”
----------------------------------------
Rouge was getting really tired of the long game that Black Doom had assigned to her. Rouge flew through the night air, breathing in the fresh air and mentally preparing herself for dealing with Director Rockwell and her usual line of questioning with what had transpired. The story was straight forward in Rouge’s mind: “Trying to spy on Shadow and see where he was hiding the Chaos Emerald. Of course, Rouge had given him the gem on purpose and of course she was lying about that to GUN too. After all, GUN wasn’t the end goal. Having GUN on her side was helpful as a backup plan in case Rouge needed some kind of battle assistance. Rouge really didn’t want to rely on her Emerald if she didn’t have to. The cracks in her Hearth Emerald were becoming clearer as time went on. She knew she had to use that power before so Rouge could prove to Rockwell how strong she was. In truth, using that power that way was a surefire way of breaking the gem.

The Hearth was cracking, badly. She and ‘The Beast’s’ Gems had gained cracks being abused for so long. Taking over other worlds with this power was effective, but the gems did have a limit. If they were abused to harshly, they’d shatter and become innate. Would it kill Her if her Hearth shattered? Rouge had no idea. The best thing Rouge could do was use the gem sparingly. If she could convince Shadow to come to The Black Arms and Her, then they had bought themselves more time. Plus, Shadow was different than Rouge and ‘The Beast’. Shadow’s Chaos power was the mightiest of the Emeralds. The closest in power scale was the Master Emerald that was entrusted with Pachacamac the Echidna, the Traitor.

Between trying to keep friendly with GUN, keep the rest of The Black Arms in communication, and trying to make a bridge of friendship with Shadow…Rouge felt incredibly exhausted with fighting a three-way war. Rouge did what she could with the situation, keeping the three parties in check and making sure the other had the information they needed to keep them satiated. So long as GUN didn’t get too curious, Shadow become walled off to Rouge Herself, and The Black Arms were happy with the progress, then there was a chance this could go off without a hitch. The last thing Rouge needed was GUN wanting to get involved again…or worse, Black Doom brings in ‘The Beast’.

“God, such a stupid nickname. I still don’t understand why he chose that name…” Rouge spoke out loud as she floated above the clouds. The night air blew underneath Rouge’s wings, giving her the glide to fly into the atmosphere. The stars were twinkling above her as she glided above everything on the Earth. There was a beauty to Earth that reminded Rouge of her home planet, Alanth. The flowing grass, the beautiful oceans that covered the world, and don’t forget the massive mountain ranges. Rouge loved the mountains of her home, hiding within the caves of the highest peaks. As a child, she loved living in the mountains with her wealth she had as a child. The cool wind that drifted between the peaks and valley, blowing her in every direction and making her spin in excitement. Then, when she was tired, she’d find deep, cool caves and would hunt for the most beautiful of gemstones to add to her collection back home. She had so many beautiful gems, all for her to keep to herself within the family castle.

Rouge had come from a line of royalty from Alanth, their castles primarily built in the highest points of the realm. Their planet was much smaller than Earth, with Rouge’s royal family the strongest army on the planet. Their kingdom falling was seen as impossible from their small perspective. Without warning, their kingdom came to ruin. Rouge was still young when it happened, surviving only because The Black Arms, who came to the rubble of the kingdom after the fighting had ended to scavenge for supplies, rescued her after finding her trapped under castle debris. The Black Arms, finding Rouge as the only surviving member of the royal family and of the castle, then offered her a spot within The Black Arms. Now serving under Black Doom, the leader of the army, she was then offered one of the mightiest pieces of power in the entire universe: The Hearth Emerald. It was a glimmering, beautiful gem, one of the most gorgeous she had ever seen. Rouge found her new home among the stars with The Black Arms, now in desperate search to find the space-faring army that dared take her birth home from her.

Her phone rang, breaking her from her silent introspection. Expecting it to be GUN, Rouge landed down on an open spot of land within the forest she was inside of, heading back towards GUN’s mountain base that was hidden within the Eastern forest of Scarlet Reach’s farthest corner. Making sure she wasn’t being observed, she then looked down towards the contact on her phone. Her heart suddenly picked up a few beats, a small panic in her brain as she read the name: ‘Terios “The Beast”’. “Oh god…” Rouge spoke under her breath, answering the call and swallowing a lump in her throat. “Hello, Terios. I’m currently busy with my mission. What do you need?” Rouge asked, hoping to get this call over quickly. “Rouge! Sis! That’s what I’m calling on! I feel like it’s been forever since we talked! How’s everything going?” The voice on the other line said with an enthusiasm, excited to speak with Rouge in this tone like the caller was talking down to Rouge. “It’s going fine. Like I said, just busy.” She repeated, her eyes looking around the clearing as she spoke with ‘The Beast’. “Good! You know, if you need any help, I am always more than willing!” The Beast offered. Rouge quickly shut down the offer, trying to stay polite as to not anger him unintentionally. “No! No, it’s fine! It’s just taking a delicate hand is all! Shadow is…a bit behind and tied down with this world. I’ve got to get him to trust me and that just takes time.” Rouge explained.

The Beast seemed annoyed with Rouge’s dismissal of his assistance, continuing to offer his opinion. “Well…is he aware of his destiny like how we were? The importance of The Black Arm’s mission? I assume you’ve explained that to him to some capacity.” The Beast quizzed, listening more intently to Rouge’s words. “Black Doom is becoming…impatient. He tried to establish contact with Shadow when he used Chaos Control not too long ago and Shadow sliced contact with him…like he was afraid of something…” The Beast interrogated further. Rouge was completely unaware of this development, groaning quietly as she realized she was already beginning to run out of time. “I was unaware of this…I’ll be sure to amend it immediately!” Rouge exclaimed. There was a silence on the other end of the line for a moment. The Beast then seemed to accept this information and confirmed Rouge’s plan. “Very well. By the way, Commander Doom as also asked of me to be the mediator between you and him. He wants me as back up in case this little takeover doesn’t move as smoothly as planned. Black Doom doesn’t want a repeat of Pachacamac, understood?” The Beast asked of Rouge. Rouge nodded her head, then verbally confirmed her understanding of the situation. “It won’t happen. I’ll be sure of it.” Rouge promised.

The Beast then gave a small laugh over the phone. “Oh, no need to be so serious, Rouge! Lighten up! Once we have little baby brother Shadow up here with us, The Black Arm’s true mission will go even smoother! Aren’t you excited?” He asked of his Sister-in-arms. “O-of course…I’m very tired, Terios. Deepest apologies…” She mumbled, her heart racing in her stomach. Why was she anxious? Was she scared of Terios? Before Rouge could elaborate on her own feelings, The Beast then interjected again. “Make sure to rest. Don’t stress your Emerald more than you need until we can figure out how to repair it. Remember…If you ever need help…” The Beast then lowered his voice and growled with a quiet excitement into the microphone. “…I’m looking for a 14th planet to reduce to dust.”
Rouge said her goodbye to The Beast, before flying back into the sky and headed back to GUN. Rouge couldn’t have The Beast interfere with this one. Taking over normal planets was fine, but The Beast’s usual strategy of complete domination wouldn’t work here. If Rouge was correct, it would only divide Shadow away from The Black Arms…and Rouge knew that if Shadow and Terios were to fight each other, nobody would survive it...not with the Emerald Rouge put into Shadow’s possession. “Oh! Why did I give it to him!? I should have kept GUN away longer! Met Shadow on my own! So foolish of me!” Rouge chastised, groveling over her stupidity. “What I’ve done doesn’t matter now…I need to get Shadow to trust me. The only question, is how?” She asked herself, seeing the giant metal door of GUN’s secret base just ahead from a small pocket of the tree line.

Chapter Text

As the night was slowly overtaking the town of Scarlet Reach, Stone had closed down the store for the night. The last of the customers had left long ago, leaving Stone, Omega, Henry, and the rest of the Harbingers in the store alone. The street was slowly growing darker as other places were closing early in preparation for tomorrow’s busy day. Emelyn was talking with Dennis, Shea, and Aary at one of the tables by the entrance of the store, all sipping on decafs they ordered. Omega had been given the task of finishing the last of the cleanup of the store, leaving Henry alone to look to the small frame of Ivo Robotnik and Stone. Henry sighed as He looked towards the photo on the counter, seeing that the picture had been taken good care of by Stone. Henry had his arms folded as he looked at the picture, his eyes focused on The Doctor. Stone, after giving Omega the last of the instructions for closing the store, then walked to Henry’s side and looked towards the picture Henry was looking at.

Stone observed the physical attributes of Henry, the familiar face shape and mustache sticking out like a sore thumb to Stone. “Son? Brother?” Stone asked Henry. Henry sighed as he pulled out his phone. Taking out the camera and taking a photo of the image, Henry observed the picture quality on his phone to ensure he had a good copy of the picture. Henry gave a small chuckle under his breath. “I assume brother with the information I know. I was older…What gave it away?” Henry asked Stone. Stone swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked towards the picture that was sitting on his counter. “The eyes if I’m being honest. The mustache if I want to be coy.” Stone joked. Henry smiled as he twirled his own beard and mustache combo. “Ha. From the pictures I’ve found on the other Robotnik’s, I seem to be the only one willing to commit to the beard look.” Henry commented. Stone tilted his head towards Henry. “You look troubled. Anything I can say to help?” Stone asked Henry, who continued to gaze towards the picture with a strange mix of frustration and depression. “No. Just having this picture actually does a lot for me.” Henry explained, hands in his pockets as he took a hand and adjusted the glasses on his face. Stone was quiet for a moment as the two looked towards the picture in the frame.

“What was he like?” Henry asked Stone, with Stone being surprised by the question. Stone thought back to his time with The Doctor, thinking of the time he spent with the man of his dreams. The Doctor wasn’t one for emotional moments, quite the opposite in fact. He found them to be a nuisance more than anything, emotions getting in the way of his important endeavors. Stone spun it into a positive, answering: “If there was a job to do, The Doctor saw it to the end. He wasn’t one for distractions.” Stone answered. Henry nodded in understanding. “I’d say wiping out humanity is a job that requires some massive focus.” Henry scoffed. Stone made a face of discomfort as he elaborated on what happened back in London. Stone explained that it was Gerald Robotnik, his grandfather, who was the one behind that. Ivo was just happy to have someone important in his life. Happy to learn of his past and have a family again…The Doctor had no idea what Gerald was doing.

“Is that so, Mister Stone?” Henry asked, genuinely hoping that what Stone was saying was the truth. “The Doctor did feel like the world never understood him…but I did.” Stone explained. “it’s why I continued to work with him, to help him…so we could rule it all together…” Stone added, holding down a tear as he looked towards the picture of Ivo Robotnik with a longing. “He was a good boss…all the way to the end. He lost himself for a little while…but I know he was in there. The Great Doctor Ivo Robotnik.” Stone said with a teary smile, missing the doctor. “That coffee? My signature recipe? It was his favorite…I perfected it just for him.” Stone explained. Henry nodded in understanding as he looked towards the clearly mournful barista. “You loved him…” Henry connected, his empathy of Stone’s sorrow showing itself.

“More than anything…what I’d give to have Him back.” Stone admitted, placing his hands in his own pockets as he gazed towards the framed picture. After a moment, Stone wiped a tear from his eye and decided to change the subject. “So…you’ve got a lot on The Robotnik’s I assume? More than Ivo knew? How much do you know, Henry?” Stone asked, curious of his boss’ brother’s past life.
Henry sighed as he looked towards Stone. “Enough to know they were all insane.” He commented, not looking happy with the knowledge he had acquired. Stone was surprised by the sudden coldness of Henry, who seemed disillusioned by the history of his family. “It started about 6 months ago. The Cannon…” Henry began. “I saw the video of Ivo Robotnik and noticed our similarities. It began a search for answers…When I was a child, I never knew my last name besides that it began with the letter ‘R’. It was written on my birth certificate. Before, as a young man, I never knew anything of my birth family, nor my grandparents…once I connected the dots that the ‘R’ was the start of ‘Robotnik’, I then began my search on anything of the family. What I learned…disturbed me.” Henry explained. His face looked a mix of disgusted and frightened, the man having learned a terrible truth that he was burdened with against his will.

Stone then followed up with a question, allowing Henry to continue. “What did you find?” Stone asked with hesitancy. There was a moment of silence as Henry tried to put the emotions and facts into words. “I had to do some very unsavory things to learn this Stone...Some things I’d rather not speak on.” Henry explained to Agent Stone, speaking in a low tone. Stone nodded as he listened to Henry’s troubles. Henry continued. Henry choked down a growl as he looked to the picture in the frame.

Henry tensed his fist as he glared at the portrait, then sighed as he pocketed his phone and fixed his shirt. Henry then looked towards Stone, his anger slowly dissipating. “Turns out, GUN and The Robotnik’s have been close for a long time, with the Robotnik family being head of GUN’s science department for years. I am a Robotnik, of this I know for certain. I found my name printed into a database within GUN’s system, which took about a month to track down without stirring trouble by paying off data pirates to hunt down the information for a good chunk of change. However, they threw me away for a purpose I still don’t understand…” Henry explained.

There was a silence from Henry and Stone as they looked towards the picture on the counter. Henry then looked towards the table where the other Harbingers were. He smiled towards them, seeing their individual faces smiling as they were deep in conversation about something. “Do you believe in fate, Stone?” Henry asked Stone. Stone looked towards the young adults on the table, smiling himself. “In some things, yes.” Stone answered.

Henry sighed as he leaned against the counter, fixing the glasses on his face as he looked towards the kids at the table. “I think fate is giving me a chance to lead these kids to something great. Give them hope for their future…I want to make that a reality for them, Stone. I really do.” Henry said, smiling. Stone felt a small laugh come to him. “Funny…you are very different from The Doctor in so many ways.” Stone admitted. Henry raised a brow. “Oh? How so?” he asked. Stone wasn’t quite sure how to put the feelings into words, but Stone tried his best. “The Doctor…I think wanted the same thing you did. Appreciation. Honnor…he just went about it the wrong way. He thought it was the power he wielded over others…but you…you see the flaw in that?” Stone asked Henry.

Henry scoffed as he stood upright, ready to take his leave so Stone could close his shop. “In some ways. It’s not the power itself, it’s the meaning you give it. Being powerful doesn’t mean you are the greatest, it’s how you use it. ‘Who are you with that strength?’ That’s the better question to be asking.” Henry spoke with wisdom. Before Henry and the other’s left, Stone quickly tried to grab Henry’s attention before he left. “If you ever are looking for quick work, my door’s always open.” Stone proposed to Henry. Henry stopped to think for a moment, thinking through Stone’s proposal. After a few seconds, Henry then asked Stone: “You’ll need some muscle for tomorrow setting up shop in the park yeah? What time?” Henry asked. Stone smiled as he gave Henry the information for tomorrow. “I’ll see you then, Mister Stone.” Henry said, bowing his head swiftly towards his temporary boss before gathering the Harbingers so they could head back home to the Van’s.

Emelyn wished her friends goodnight as they left, waving towards them as they left the store. Emelyn, overhearing some of the conversation between Henry and Stone, then asked Stone what they were talking about before. Stone, keeping true to his word, spoke nary a word as he answered simply. “Things of life. Trying to find purpose after things are taken from you. It’s complicated.” Emelyn squinted her eyes towards Stone, not really believing him but also not wanting to prolong this conversation longer than she had to. “Whatever you say, uncle Stone.”

After about ten minutes passed, and Omega finished the rest of the clean-up of the shop, the trio left the building and closed down the store for the night. The chill of the night was becoming impossible to miss, making Emelyn shiver a bit as the night went on. “Man…I forget how cold it gets around this time. Welp, see you, Uncle!” Emelyn said, clicking her shoes together and revealing the wheels that were hidden in her shoes. Stone had not seen these shoes yet, surprised in seeing them. “I’ve had them for years. Only good for travelling on flat roads.” Emelyn explained. “Welp, bye! See you tomorrow for the fest?” Emelyn asked with a strange excitement. Stone noticed the strange behavior for Emelyn, answering back before she had time to run. “5:00 am! Meet here and we’ll go over the plan for set up for the morning.” Stone explained. Emelyn gave a thumbs up as she then left Omega and Stone to head home.

“Later!” She yelled, starting to skate away. Stone watched as his niece skated down the road. Small green sparks were sparkling at the heel of her feet as she sped off, the speed she was gaining rather impressive for the little wheels on the feet. Stone and Omega looked shocked by the sudden speed coming from Emelyn’s shoes, with Emelyn herself not realizing the sudden speed herself. “Damn! Those kicks got speed!” Omega said with shock. Stone was just as shocked as Omega, making a similar comment. “Yeah…crazy speed…” He murmured.

Just as Emelyn left, Shadow dashed around the corner on his air shoes. He was so fast that he seemed to almost appear in front of Stone and Omega by the entrance of The Mean Black Bean. “Stone! Omega! I’ve learned something important! To the Crab!” Shadow said in his deep voice, his face looking serious as he dashed around the side of the building and up into the inconspicuously covered Crab Tank on the roof of the café building.

Stone and Omega followed into the Crab Tank, confused on what Shadow was in such a hurry for. It was at that moment they saw what Shadow had done with the Chaos Emerald on the table in the center of the main room of the Crab. Stone made a comment on it, asking why Shadow had built the nest for the gem. “The Chaos Emerald, as I’ve been told is its name, is like Dark Rider. The Chaos Energy has a life of its own…but it’s untamed, untrained…wild.” Shadow explained, searching his things around his own nest bed and around the Crab Tank.

Stone then looked towards Shadow, confused. “Who told you the name?” Stone asked. Shadow then turned towards Stone, speaking in a low tone. “Rouge the Bat. She visited with me to ask questions.” Shadow explained, then turning back to his searching of the Crab Tank. “I’m unsure of her alliance with GUN. I believe she has an ulterior motive. She works with GUN because it’s convenient…but her true loyalty lies elsewhere. I must figure out those motives, before I learn them too late.” Shadow explained. “Stone, do we have any of Sonic’s rings? I must find Sonic immediately. Perhaps he knows more on all of this than I do.” Shadow explained. Stone then joined into the search for the golden teleportation rings, but unsure if any were still around. “I think we used the last of them…I can’t remember.” Stone admitted, pulling open drawers and cabinets in desperate search for a teleport ring.

Sonic had a bag that was full of small, golden rings that when thrown, can create portals to travel anywhere in the known universe or beyond. A bag of rings could be one of the most powerful means of teleportation ever conceived. The only kind of teleport they couldn’t do was into the insides of solid matter or through time. As Shadow and Stone continued searching for a gold ring that hopefully was lying around, Shadow explained what had transpired on the beach and what Rouge had told him. “She said I was something called a Mobian…or at least, I am designed off of them. Whoever this Black Do-” Shadow stopped his statement short as he looked over towards the Chaos Emerald, hoping the slight mention of the name made the gem react again.

Breathing a sigh of relief when nothing happened, Shadow changed up his word choice and continued to explain the situation. “Whoever Rouge is truly working for…I think they have something to do with my creation…my original purpose.” Shadow said. Omega suddenly chimed up, revealing something in his claw. “Is this what you were looking for?” Omega asked Shadow, holding a small, golden object before Shadow. Shadow smiled in success, holding his hand out to Omega for the ring. “Wonderful! Thank you, Omega.” Shadow said, excitedly taking the ring. Omega looked pleased with himself; he was glad Shadow found him helpful.

Taking the Chaos Emerald and tying a little hammock for it around his chest like it was a baby, Shadow looked down towards the gold ring, giving a sigh as he prepared to toss it. “I’ll try to hurry back before the celebration of Fall Fest begins.” Shadow explained to Omega and Stone. Shadow then tried to imagine Sonic the Hedgehog: His blue quills, his friends, his annoying and slightly headache-inducing squeak…and don’t forget the catchphrase ‘Gotta Go Fast’. With a toss of the ring, the small gold circle suddenly expanded into a glowing ring of light in front of the black and red hedgehog alien, shimmering with beautiful light inside of the Crab. “Shouldn’t we wait until day? Maybe they’re asleep?” Stone asked, but it was too late. Shadow was already walking through the ring doorway, determined to gain control of his situation and figure out more about what he was facing. “If Sonic doesn’t have answers, or we’ve exhausted everything we can do, I shall return. See you very soon, Stone.” Shadow said, as the golden ring doorway fizzled away. Stone and Omega were left alone in the crab, with Stone sighing as he looked towards Omega. “He’ll be back? Right?” Stone asked Omega, who shrugged in response. “I dunno…figured you’d be the best judge of that.”

Chapter Text

The mountain GUN base that was built into the caves of the eastern mountains of Scarlet Reach wasn’t that large. The entirety of the base was still under construction, with most of the building still being organized and finalized. GUN had been wanting to build a base out this direction for a long time, not just because Shadow happened to be here but because it also was a 3 hour drive to get to where Sonic the Hedgehog was located in Green Hills Oregon. Construction tools and building crews were in almost every room, working on building over the foundations that were just finished yesterday. There was a small map system slowly being added onto, helping Rouge navigate the newest GUN base. Almost 200 construction workers, planners, and coordinators were here along with the 300 best chosen soldiers and commanders for the base. Rouge caught the attention of many of the construction workers and soldiers of the base, with many of them wary of standing near Rouge.

Rouge looked around at the various humans and people of the bunker. They all looked incredibly tired, with only a small few smiling at all. GUN had been pushing these men and women to their hardest to get this base operational, with many of these workers having to travel from so far away to get to this place on their own. GUN were desperate in trying to eliminate Shadow the Hedgehog and Agent Stone, doing everything in their power to bring this duo to their knees. Their Omega machine failed, then their forceful attack…so much had happened with these people as they did everything they could to destroy this perceived threat. Rouge, knowing what Shadow and Stone had done in helping with the plan of the Robotnik’s, understood why they felt that way. This was their planet, their home. They just wanted their home to be safe…something Rouge could relate in having a desire for herself.

Her true loyalty was with The Black Arms, naturally, but Rouge couldn’t lie to herself…she did relate to these people. These people, even Director Rockwell, were doing what they were in the name of protecting Earth. They saw Shadow as a threat and a loose end to the Robotnik problem. They didn’t want to chance having Shadow walking around free. Yet, Rouge understood something that they didn’t: Shadow didn’t want that goal anymore.

Shadow was clearly pushed into doing the things that happened, with him assisting Sonic in stopping the Orbital Cannon and even sacrificing his life to save the planet. Then, what became of Shadow? He now works in a small-town coffee shop, trying to find some kind of peace in his life. Of course, Shadow’s greater purpose is to destroy this planet, join The Black Arm Colonies, then join her and Terios in taking over the rest of the universe under Black Doom, but Rouge couldn’t help feeling a modicum of empathy for these creatures. They were weaker than Mobians, fleshier…they couldn’t handle fights like Rouge’s people or like the Echidnas. Humans relied on their wits and tools, and if their tools were sophisticated or complex enough, then those humans were easily overtaken by other enemies. “Poor creatures…” Rouge said under her breath as she continued to go deeper into the base.

Eventually, she came to a set of metal doors that slid away by Rouge’s presence. Stepping inside, the bigger room she was brightly lit like the metal hallways she had been walking through. The room had a central glass tube that was connected to a dozen wires and pipes. The room was a semi-large size, with a massive back wall of computers built into the walls that were monitoring a whole array of information about the creature in the center of the room. The tube containing the mystery monster was bright blue, with blue liquid inside that was bubbling as it suspended a shape inside of the liquid in the air. Rouge walked deeper into the room, not seeing any sign of Director Rockwell anywhere.

Curious of the tank, Rouge stepped closer to observe what was inside of the tank. At first, Rouge wasn’t sure what she was looking at. The thing inside of the tube was definitely something not human. Rouge then was even more curious as she peered into the thick blue glass. There was a person inside that Rouge wasn’t sure she recognized for a second…until she read the name of the specimen on the bottom of the tube that was stickered to the glass. “What…how is this possible? I thought she was…” Rouge suddenly looked a mixture of surprised and worried. “This…can’t be…” Rouge said aloud, taking a step back as she realized what she was looking at.

“The science boys came up with her. She just came in this evening.” Rockwell said, walking into the room from the double door entrance behind Rouge. Rouge spun around towards Rockwell, a smile on her face at the strings she had to pull to make this next plan of hers possible. “Truthfully, this was done in less than a month. She’s expensive…but it’s worth it.” Rockwell elaborated further, standing next to Rouge. Rouge looked towards the creature in the tank, then to Rockwell. “H-how? What sort of magic…?” Before Rouge could ask another question, Rockwell explained in more detail how they came to pulling this creature together.

“Truthfully, I’m not well versed in every step of the process. What I understand is that between the blood samples I had taken from you the first day I had you here, the blueprints of an old Robotnik project, and a little pressure on the scientific community to disregard certain annoying little ethic codes…we have my next plan of action almost ready.” Rockwell explained. As Rockwell spoke, a few more scientists followed in to prepare for the next stage of developing the creature. “It’s taken quite a bit to get here, but I’m all hands in on this next step.” Rockwell said, as a whole flood more scientists emerged and began speaking with Rockwell about beginning their operation.

“H-hold on! What exactly are we planning here? This isn’t…it can’t be her? Right?” Rouge asked with a nervous laugh. Rockwell looked down towards Rouge, an even wider smile on her face. Rockwell took a knee to come down to Rouge’s height, looking into Rouge’s eyes to be sure her message came across as clear as possible. “She’s the bait. Once He takes it…that’s when you strike.” Rockwell explained.
Standing to her feet, Rockwell explained the plan in better detail. “Offer up a deal with Shadow. The creature for the Chaos Emerald. Once he accepts, place the Chaos Emerald inside of the security container we will give you. He will be powerless to you, and you can destroy him…if you’d like, the both of them. Finally, the Robotnik family will be completely eradicated and security of Earth will be restored. Sure, I’d have to deal with that Sonic pest but with your power that will be a cinch.” Rockwell elaborated.

“So…you ready to wake her up, Rouge?” Rockwell asked of Rouge. The bat woman didn’t have a moment to answer, with one of the scientists calling out: ‘We’re online, Director.” Rockwell turned towards the tank, her arms behind her back as she watched the process begin of waking up the creature inside of the tank. Rouge watched in anxiety, realizing that her stake with GUN was slowly coming to an end. If Rouge didn’t support this plan, then suspicion from Rockwell would be for certain. Hoping that she could squeeze a few extra days of loyalty from the military, Rouge stood by Rockwell’s side as they awoke the artificial Mobian in the tank.

Rockwell whispered a small phrase as the liquid in the tank began to empty, the being inside almost awake. “Good morning…Maria Robotnik.”

Chapter Text

The Wachowski Family game night was already getting intense. Sonic was delicately balancing his Jenga brick onto the tower, trying his best to ensure that the small, wooden brick wouldn’t fall over. The Wachowski family were gathered in their living room of their home, playing their usual weekend game night. This week was Jenga by Knuckles choice, knowing his teammate was a master with the game. Afterwards, they would watch a movie together, with a popcorn movie night and pizza that would soon arrive at the door.

The night outside was dark already, the moon shimmering in the sky over the forested, three-story home of The Wachowskis. The family of Sonic the blue hedgehog, Tails the yellow, white, and two tailed Fox, Knuckles the red echidna, Tom the Donut Lord, and Maddie, also known as Pretzel Lady. The family were in teams of two, with Sonic, Tails, and Tom in one team, and Knuckles and Maddie, The Donut Lord’s wife, on the other. “Face it, Hedgehog. You will not be able to beat The Pretzel Lady’s block placement. She is the master of towers!” Knuckles mocked Sonic.

Sonic, for once in his life, was going as slow as he possibly could. “Just gotta delicately…” Sonic muttered as he slowly pulled the brick out of the tower. With a quick breath, the blue anthropomorphic hedgehog rescued his piece and placed it on top of the tower to continue the pattern. “Ha! Try to get your next brick, Maddie! Team Donut are in the clear!” Sonic said with pride. Tails spun his two tails around with excitement. “Nice job, Sonic!” Tails cheered. Tom laid back in his comfy chair, giving a smile and a thumbs up with his mobile hand. His other arm was still in a cast after he was injured in an accident as he and the rest of Team Earth were trying to stop Shadow and the Robotnik family from destroying the Earth. “You’re go, hon. Don’t worry, it’s okay to lose.” Tom winked. Maddie rolled her eyes as she scoffed affectionately. “Oh please, you haven’t removed or placed a brick this entire game!” Maddie asserted. “And yet, I’m still kicking your butt.” Tom remarked with a smile.

Maddie, getting down to the coffee table the family had the Jenga game on, pulled out a bottom brick with ease and placed it onto the top of the tower, finishing another layer and making Sonic’s team have to go again. “Your play, boys.” She said as she sat back and watched Sonic look towards the tower with a nervous sweat. “Well…Tom? Wanna use those smaller, more dexterous fingers?” Sonic asked with a sheepish smile. Tom made a neutral face as he realized a very critical problem: He’s bad at Jenga.

As Tom came down to get to the tower, he observed his possible moves with a nervous look. There were very few options for blocks left, and the ones that were left were going to be incredibly difficult to pull off. Tom gave a breath as he found his next target, using his fingers to delicately begin pulling out the block. Just as Tom pulled the block out, a golden light suddenly blasted alive by the front entrance of the living room, making Tom and the others jump in surprise and knock the tower over. Before the group could understand what just happened, Knuckles chuckled as he said: “Ha! Knuckles and the Pretzel Lady win again!”

Sonic was the first on his feet, worried of what that gold light was. The ring of light revealed itself to be a gold ring portal, making Sonic go on the defensive. “Hold on! It’s a ring! Be careful!” Sonic said, with Tails ready to throw down with his friend. Knuckles also was ready, with Tom and Maddie standing in their living room and sighing. “Please don’t be something that will destroy the house…” They both said in unison, with the family golden retriever, who was napping in her dog bed off to the side of the couch, awake and looking towards the golden light too.

Stepping through, Shadow the hedgehog emerged from the portal. The golden ring portal shortly disappeared as Shadow walked through, stranding Shadow with the Wachowskis. His Chaos Emerald was still delicately cradled in his handmade sack of blankets, glowing a faint green color. The serious-looking hedgehog looked towards the group of five, his eyes falling onto Sonic’s as the two looked towards each other. Sonic gasped in surprise, unable to comprehend an emotion for a moment.

“Ah! It’s the imposter hedgehog! He lives!” Knuckles exclaimed, readying his fists as he glared towards Shadow. Tails looked just as apprehensive, with Tom and Maddie very unsure of the situation. “TOM?” Maddie said with an unstable voice. “Listen…the house is covered…we just slowly back away…” Tom explained to Maddie.

The thought just then crossed Shadow’s mind. This was the first time in six months that the two parties had met together or were aware of the other’s existence. Sure, Shadow knew Sonic and kin were alive…but they didn’t know he was. The last time Sonic and Shadow had met was on the moon and then fighting the Orbital Cannon. Shadow basically appeared before them with no warning. “Why didn’t I think of that before rushing in?” Shadow groaned under his breath. “Listen, I’m not here to hurt you. I need to speak with Sonic. It’s urgent.” Shadow explained. Tails interjected immediately, jumping in front of Sonic and putting his little paw hands up. “You aren’t getting through to my buddy! I’ll fight to defend him! Right, Knuckles?” Tails called to his red friend. “Absolutely! We will annihilate you, imposter hedgehog!” Knuckles said, puffing his chest and putting a fist to his heart. Shadow rolled his eyes as he explained his situation further. “I’m not trying to hurt him! I just need answers! You’ve worked with GUN before, so I need to know as much as I can…plus, I need your help…” Shadow explained, although he hated to admit it.

“No way! The last time you were around we almost lost Earth! What makes you think Sonic-” Sonic then stopped Tails, putting an arm on his shoulder. “It’s alright buddy, I got this.” Sonic said, his voice soft and reassuring. Sonic then stepped forward from the group; his eyes locked with Shadow’s. Shadow felt his hands tense, like he was waiting for Sonic to say something to him that was similar to the chastising of the others here. Sonic, in a surprise move, then wrapped his arms around Shadow and squeezed softly. “Hey Shades. It’s good to see you!” Sonic said softly, smiling as he held the hedgehog.
Shadow was lost for words, staring towards the other four people in the room as Sonic began to slowly release Shadow. Sonic placed an arm on Shadow’s shoulder as he spoke to him. “You doing alright? Been eating well? Pizza will be here in about the next 15 minutes. You got time?” He asked Shadow. What was this hedgehog doing? Shadow appeared before them, unannounced, and was being so friendly. Why? Doesn’t he remember that they were pummeling each other into the earth not a year ago? Sure, he was kind to him on the moon and assisted in stopping the Orbital Cannon, but to be this friendly like they were family?

“You…you confuse me, Sonic.” Shadow said with a puzzled look. “What? You’re my friend too, right? What’s happened is in the past. I’m just glad to see you alive and okay!” Sonic explained. Sonic then turned to everyone else, explaining that there was nothing to worry about. “Shadow is alright! Remember how I said we talked it out? He’s totally a good guy now!” Sonic explained. Tails and Knuckles looked towards each other, then to Shadow. “I dunno, Sonic. Are you sure? I mean, he helped stop the Orbital Cannon…but…” Tails began, but Knuckles quickly interjected. “I’m with The Fox. This imposter of you is a dangerous creature. He righted a wrong, but that doesn’t make him innocent of his crimes.” Knuckles explained. “Oh, come on Knucks! What about me and you? We hashed that out! Why not Shadow?”

The group wasn’t sure how to feel on it, with Maddie in the same boat as Knuckles and Tails. Tom, however, walked towards Shadow by walking around the coffee table and fallen Jenga blocks. Tom got down on a knee and spoke with Shadow, smiling. “Remember me?” Tom asked, smiling without a hint of malice. Shadow felt his heart rate raise as he saw who it was before him.

Back when Shadow was trying to destroy the earth, Tom had something that Shadow needed…a code to the Orbital Cannon. To get it, He had to punch Tom to get the card, badly injuring him. Now, Tom was kneeling before him, with only a cast on his one arm. “You are ‘The Donut Lord’ Tom…I am sorry for what I’ve done. I acted in revenge for something that happened a long time ago…I almost took from Sonic what was taken from me.” Shadow explained, feeling an immense shame as he held close the Chaos Emerald in his blanket pouch. Tom, however, looked unbothered. “Nah, don’t worry about it, bud. All’s forgiven. Sonic caught me up to speed on everything.” Tom said, empathetic to the hedgehog.

Shadow looked towards Tom and Sonic with a surprise, unable to put into words how grateful he was about their warmth and acceptance. “I understand I’ve come at a bad time and with no warning, but I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t important.” Shadow explained. Tom and Sonic backed up a bit, with them encouraging Shadow into the living room. “You are all go, amigo! Spill the tea, Sister! I want all the details!” Sonic spoke. Using his superspeed, he put together two cups of tea and placed on in Shadow’s paws, with Sonic sipping on the other cup of tea he made.

Shadow, placing down the tea cup on the coffee table, then explained where he had been for the better part of six months, about The Mean Black Bean, Rouge, and GUN being after him and Stone, as well as trying to put into words the subject of whomever this ‘Black Doom’ character was without saying the name in a way the Chaos Emerald would hear. “Wait, so the Emerald reacts to the name? The Master Emerald doesn’t do anything like that…right, Knucks?” Sonic asked Knuckles.

Knuckles then asked to see the Chaos Emerald, to which Shadow delicately placed down the gem onto the coffee table. Shadow made sure the gem was comfortable, trying to be sure the gem wouldn’t explode again. “It’s similar to Dark Rider, my motorcycle, in that its power is wild and untamed. Just touching it softly is enough for the power to transfer.” Shadow explained. Knuckles examined it as it laid on the coffee table, the gem’s inner storm beginning to rile as Knuckles was over it. “Odd…it is most certainly similar to the Master Emerald. What is this storm that is brewing inside of it? Is that a new development?” Knuckles asked Shadow, who explained that ever since he received it from Rouge the Bat it had been this way.

“Knuckles, right? Do you know a Pachamanca? Rouge had mentioned his name in passing and that he was an echidna warrior…perhaps you know him?” Shadow asked, not even sure if any other echidna warriors were here on Earth. Knuckles did know that name, gasping in surprise that Shadow would know it. “That was my clan’s leader…a very important chief. Before my people were all wiped out, He was the leader of my people. I do not remember much, only that a very powerful force defeated my family and I was the only one to live.” Knuckles explained. “Your stone…it is similar to the Master Emerald. These gems are most certainly different, however. I do not know where it comes from or its purpose. You say the Bat woman also had one in the shape of a heart as well? Perhaps the three gems are related to one another?” Knuckles proposed.

Shadow then turned to Sonic, hoping maybe he had some insight. “Do you know anything, Sonic? You too are also not of this world?” he asked the blue hedgehog. Sonic shrugged, unable to answer. “Sorry dude. Just as clueless…most stuff I can remember from back as a kid is pretty faint…Tails? What do you know?” Sonic asked the Fox.

Fright. That was the best Shadow could describe Tail’s face. He looked very afraid, his face not giving Shadow much hope in whatever this topic is. “I…I don’t…” Tails seemed to hold his tongue as he put two paws’ fingers together and push them against each other’s tips. Shadow leaned into the table, focused on Tail’s face. “What do you know? I need as much as I can get so I can be prepared for whatever is coming.” Shadow explained. Tails looked unwilling to explain, trying to regulate his breathing as he was visibly worried.

Maddie and Tom took notice, coming to comfort one of their foster kids. Maddie was first to speak. “Hey, it’s okay buddy. What do you know? We can face whatever it is together.” She spoke, trying to comfort Tails. Tom echoed her words, taking his free hand and placing it on Tails’ shoulder. “It’s for Shadow’s family.” Tom explained.

Tails looked towards Maddie and Tom, then to Shadow. Tails’ glum face started to lessen as he gave a breath and slowly told his tale:

“Back when I was a traveler, I came across a lot of worlds. Some of them were awesome! Some of them…weren’t so awesome. Usually it was one of three groups: A band of army bandits of various names and groups that fought territory, a unified kingdom that was slowly growing its empire, or it was...Them.” Tails said with a shutter. “They have a lot of names: The Dark Ones, The Shadow Army, but they call themselves something far more identifying: The Black Arms. Under Black Doom, the army is a collective of monsters that are known as Darklings, who are so powerful alone that just a handful of them can seize a whole continent in a matter of weeks…even worse are The Black Guard. Black Guards aren’t to be trifled with. There are currently two the last time I heard. Wherever they go, they do nothing but destroy and colonize, using power unlike anything the world had ever seen. They control so much of out there now, that I decided to get as far away from them as I could. That’s why I came here, hoping to find Sonic so that maybe I would have some kind of protection…besides, Earth was so far outside everything that I was sure they wouldn’t come here. But…if what Rouge is saying is true…” Tails said, looking towards Shadow with a look of fear.

Shadow wasn’t sure how to think of this, looking down towards the Chaos Emerald with a mix of disgust and confliction. This Gem was designed by these monster…and they wanted him to join them? Tails looked apprehensive around Shadow, worried that now that Shadow knew this truth, he would turn on them. Shadow noticed the expression, giving a small smile. “Tails, right? I promise I’m not with them. I want to protect this planet…its what Maria would have wanted. I joke I’m taking it over, but Maria wouldn’t want that. She’d want this world to remain free and happy. Whoever these monsters are, they must be stopped.” Shadow comforted. Shadow looked down towards the gem, a look of sudden intense focus on his face. Shadow then picked up the gem with the blanket swaddle he made for it, staring deep into the crystal structure of the Emerald. “Listen here, Chaos Emerald. Whatever your creator intended for You, that purpose is moot now. You don’t like Him either…right? You get angry when I say his name…Doom.” Shadow spoke to the gem.

Small speckles of green energy leaked from the gem for a moment, the Emerald showing more of its inner consciousness. Shadow held it close, trying to comfort the gem. “We aren’t weapons…we’re living things. As such…some beast or king won’t command us. I’ll be sure of it.” Shadow spoke to the gem. The gem seemed comforted by the words, beginning to calm itself as Shadow placed back down the gem. Shadow then looked towards Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. “I know I am in no place to ask this of you…but I think Scarlet Reach is in danger. If GUN tries to do anything…or Rouge returns with The Black Arms…I fear I won’t be able to handle it alone.” Shadow explained.

Sonic chuckled as he bumped Shadow’s elbow playfully. “I thought you were ‘The Ultimate Life Form’? What happened to that?” Sonic asked. Shadow, rolling his eyes, then explained, “Unfortunately, Rouge has her own Emerald. It’s a heart emblem on her chest. Going against her was impossible without my own gem. I’ll need all the help I can get…” Shadow explained.

Suddenly, the doorbell of the house rang. The pizza guy just arrived at the door, of which Sonic answered with his superspeed. “Hey! Why not we vibe with some pizza and chilidogs? All this talk of life-threatening doom and destruction has me starved!” Sonic exclaimed after paying the pizza guy and bringing the food into the house. Tails and Knuckles agreed, with Tom and Maddie having less anxiety that their house wasn’t about to be demolished again by super powered aliens. “I agree! I doubt there is any doom on the way until tomorrow, yeah?” Tom said to Shadow, with Maddie looking very unsure of keeping Shadow in her house longer than she had to. Tom noticed the worried expression, of which he reassured her the same. “He’s good now. I can see it…after all, the house is still standing.” Tom spoke to Maddie. Maddie looked very unsure, squinting as she looked towards Her husband. “You are way too trusting of existential threats, Tom Wachowski.” Maddie spoke through gritted teeth. Knuckles commented a similar comment, “Agreed. Yet, has he been wrong yet?”

After coming together for the food, the group resumed their family activities. Shadow observed the family enjoying their time together, with Sonic and the others becoming warmer to Shadow as the night went on. What started as a mission for answers to his shaky future became a realization to Shadow had a broken past. In this moment, with people he saw as inferior beings not too long ago, he was happy. Shadow looked towards Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue Mobian who didn’t care about his past or what he had lost and only looked for the joy in the moments he still had that were ahead of him, had welcomed him into his home after everything that had happened. Sonic seemed to smile through all of it.

Shadow has a small flashback to the time they were fighting one another with the powers of the Master Emerald. He remembered how hurt and broken Sonic had looked, with Shadow hoping that Sonic would finish the job and destroy him. Shadow craved so much to be destroyed back then, wanting to take everything down with him because of the rage he felt, frozen in time for 50 years. It was like a never-ending nightmare, stuck inside of his mind and forced to replay the horrible memories of Maria’s death and their home being destroyed over and over. Yet, here Sonic was, willing to talk things through with him and help him. Sonic was there on the moon for him, reassuring him and helping him realize that what he was doing wasn’t what Maria would have wanted. It was because of Sonic that Shadow was here, able to have the short life with Omega…with Emelyn…with Scarlet Reach…with Stone.

Shadow then asked Tom if he had a phone. “I want to call Stone and let him know we have a game plan for stopping the chaos…but as we can see…that may take a moment.” Shadow said, showcasing they had some ‘other matters’ to attend to that were slowly going cold. Tom smiled as he pulled out his phone. “What’s the number?”

After explaining the situation to Stone as ‘important study of the emerald’, Shadow joined along with the other members of the Wachowski’s family night. He felt at ease as he watched along with the family their movie of choice for the evening. The lights of the living room were dim, with the biggest light being the one from the tv that was showcasing its movie. The movie of choice was a sequel movie to the monster movie Shadow remembered watching with Maria all those years ago, back in Gerald’s lab. Snuggled onto the couch, Shadow watched as the monster he had known on the tv had become an ally to the main cast and were taking down an even scarier monster that had begun plaguing a city on the other side of the world. It turned out, in a cruel twist, that one of the main characters had secretly been working with the other monster, trying to take down the Biolizard.

Knuckles and Tails were already fast asleep, with Maddie following soon behind them as Tom held her tight, drifting off himself as the movie went on. Sonic and Shadow were the only ones left standing, watching as the movie was beginning to come to its conclusion. Shadow and Sonic were on the same side of the couch together, with Sonic realizing that everyone else was already falling asleep.
Sonic, slowly unwrapping himself from the blanket he was snuggled in, then put the blanket over the family member’s he could. Shadow watched as the end credits of the movie began to roll, relieved to have now finally seen the monster he identifying with negatively in the past had grown just like he had. Shadow was feeling better about himself and his feelings of being a monster, but it was nice to get that confirmation of change being possible from one of the sources that affected him negatively in life.

“I’m glad the Biolizard was different this time around. He was able to grow from that pain…” Shadow spoke to himself. Sonic took up the remote and flicked off the television, smiling towards his friend. “Took long enough. Don’t even get me started on the botched movies with this guy before this one. This sequel gets him just right I think…angsty, a little sarcastic…a bit dense at times.” Sonic joked in a low tone, trying to keep from waking the rest of the family. Shadow huffed as he folded his arms, speaking in the same low voice. “Biolizard was working with limited information and a lifetime of pain…cut him some slack. Being an ‘Ultimate Life Form’ is hard.” Shadow rebutted. Sonic smiled towards his friend, nudging his shoulder. “Reminds me of someone else I know.” Sonic remarked jokingly.
Sonic, seeing that the two of them were still being loud enough to slightly disturb the family, decided to lead Shadow away from the living room. “Follow me. I know somewhere we can talk a bit louder.” Sonic motioned, issuing Shadow to follow. Shadow, making sure the Chaos Emerald was still secured in it’s own swaddle of a blanket on the table, then followed Sonic as the two hedgehogs ascended up the staircase and towards the attic on the third floor.

The two hedgehogs made their way in the makeshift bedroom upstairs that Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles called home. The bedroom was filled with Christmas lights on the ceiling, different road signs hung on the backwall, and of course a bright red bean bag chair that was underneath a perfect skylight in the center of the room. The bedroom was cozy and inviting, feeling like a true den. That’s what Shadow’s place was missing, it felt like a cold shell with the attempt to look like a home. Maybe, if Shadow is actually able to beat whatever horrible evil was coming his way, then they could build the extension Stone was talking about for the store. To have his own room, now that would be amazing.

Sonic didn’t stop at this bedroom of comics, games, and comfort though. Sonic continued to a back window, where he unlatched the lock of the window and ushered Shadow to continue following. “You get a really good view of the stars from the roof.” Sonic explained, showing that it was safe to step out the window. Following behind Sonic, Shadow stepped onto the shingles of the roof with careful steps. The two hedgehogs made their way to the highest point on the roof, then sat down next to each other and gazed upwards towards the stars above them.

The sun was long gone by now, with the moon being the biggest thing in the sky. Stars littered the night sky, making speckled dots that twinkled with strength unseen. The bright sky above shimmered, so similar to the time Sonic and Shadow were on the moon, gazing to the sky beyond. Shadow’s eyes traced the shapes of the sky above, making constellations that fit together and even pointed a few out to Sonic. “Ha, you know your way around space already huh?” Sonic asked Shadow. “Maria taught me. We used to sneak out of the lab and go outside to gaze at the stars. She’d tell me the names of the constellations.” Shadow said, pointing towards the sky.

The two hedgehogs were silent for a moment as they gazed up to the stars. The deep blue expanse above them was like the biggest movie screen you could ever see. Sonic continued to look into the sky as he spoke to Shadow. “You two really were close, huh? I’m sorry GUN took her away from you…and for what they did to you…” Sonic empathized, worried for his friend’s well-being. Shadow, however, seemed…happy? “Actually, I have you to thank, Sonic. As much as my ego hates it, you talked me off that ledge. You told me what I needed to hear…and I found the very thing you told me I could find…a family.” Shadow explained.

“Stone…Emelyn…up until now, I hadn’t really realized how much they meant to me on a deeper level…even Omega…and now…” Shadow began to murmur. A small tear slowly started to fall from his face as he began to think of all the scary things the future had the potential to be. “…now I’m worried that GUN is going to take them away again.” Shadow admitted.

Sonic and Shadow were silent for a moment, looking towards the sky together as the two of them sat alone together. Sonic then turned his head towards Shadow, who was beginning to leak more tears as he looked towards the sky. Small specks of green and red energy were slowly crackling in Shadow’s quills, his eyes beginning to glow bright auburn red. Sonic reached a hand out to Shadow’s shoulder, making Shadow quickly look towards Sonic. There was a softness and kindness in Sonic’s eyes, the two hedgehogs locked in a gaze for a moment. Shadow suddenly felt a web of embarrassment as he wiped away the tears on his face and sniffled faintly. “Sorry…I’m losing myself a little bit.” Shadow said, his right hand beginning to shake as he tapped his heel against the ground in soft, rapid taps.
To Shadow’s surprise, Sonic then reached around the anxious hedgehog and held him tight in a hug. The two friends held each other close for a second as Sonic lead Shadow in a series of deep breaths. “There’s a difference between back then and a now, Shadow.” Sonic whispered to Shadow. Shadow gave a small huff, asking: “What’s that?”

Sonic pulled himself away as he pointed down towards the general direction of the living room. “You aren’t doing this alone. Whatever happens now, we all fight together. Earth is our home, and I’m more than willing to help fight for it with you, buddy.” Sonic encouraged, as the two hedgehogs from wherever in space they originated from glistened towards them from a far away distance in the night sky.

Chapter Text

Henry and the rest of the Harbingers had arrived back at their camp spot on the outside of town. The other small inns and hotels of the area had already been rented out by other visitors to the small town. Henry assumed it was because of the Fall Festival that was going to be going on the next day that he and the other Harbingers would be helping Stone manage for a little extra cash, but even for this event this seemed like a massive crowd. The Fall Fests of the past usually were smaller, community events of the town. Something dragged all of these people, particularly younger folks, to this city. There were talks of special guests coming through town, but Henry had heard so little on it that it was more of a theory than a confirmed explanation. Henry had just brought another bundle of firewood from the forest and was chopping more firewood for the campfire by a thick stump he had claimed to use as a chopping platform. As he readied to chop another, Aary had walked up to him and motioned to get Henry's attention. “Hey Henry, can we talk?” Aary asked Henry. Shea and Dennis were sitting next to the fire, talking about some other subject in deeper discussion and weren’t paying attention to Aary and Henry’s dialogue.

Henry could see that Aary looked incredibly uncomfortable, noticing that ever since they had arrived in Scarlet Reach, Aary had been acting unusual. Aary was holding their prosthetic arm tight with their remaining real hand as they looked towards Henry. Understanding his friend needing some comfort, Henry nodded in understanding. “Sure, lead the way.” Henry grunted as he placed down the hatchet he was using to splinter the wood. Aary led Henry behind one of the two vans they used as storage for the road. Henry made sure they wouldn’t be disturbed by their other friends before turning to Aary and speaking towards them. “How’s the new arm? You feel good control with the wrist now?” He asked Aary. “It’s fine, Henry. Better than the other crappy ones we got here in the US.” They commented. “You’d be surprised how easy Canadian citizenship is…once you have that the hospital was pretty fast in getting it.” Henry said, folding his arms as he smiled towards his friend. “I’m still incredibly grateful. You didn’t have to do that, Henry.” Aary said, smiling faintly towards their Big Brother of the Road. “I promised I’d take good care of you, Shea, and Dennis on the road. Your problems are mine too. We’re a team…but I assume this conversation isn’t about how good the arm is…?” Henry intuited. Aary nodded their head slowly as they adjusted their blue beanie and wrapped herself with their white jacket. “I really don’t want to be here any longer than I have to, Henry.” Aary whispered.

Henry placed his hands in his pockets and nodded, listening to his friend intently. “She…I…I can’t do it, Henry. Every time I look at her…” Aary gasped, like they were holding back crying. Henry adjusted his glasses as he gave a deep breath himself. “She’s no different. Everything she’s told us…the trouble she’s in…it’s just like back then.” Aary confessed to Henry. “It’s not like then. We don’t know everything about-” Aary interrupted with a sharper tone, conveying the seriousness of the situation. “It’s exactly like back then! You weren’t there when everything was happening! What I saw! She…” Aary had a small stream of tears coming down now, clearly still traumatized from what had happened to them. “The pier had been having issues for months. We never found the attacker and there never was enough evidence…she lost her mother to that same accident, too.”

Aary was growing more impatient as the fight continued, shaking as they continued to expel this demon in their soul. “Oh, so because she lost someone like everyone else, she’s not to blame? I lost my arm, Henry! Dennis lost BOTH of his parents! Dozens of others were hurt! The community was crippled since our middle school days! Look at the town! Half the roads are unpaved, the old town is falling apart! This town broke after the pier burned…and it’s her fault!” Aary sobbed. Seeing Aary this upset was like a flashbang to the past.

The day was a mixture of chaos and fright. Fire was burning down everything on the pier all at once, with the cause of the flames still undetermined by authorities as whatever didn’t go up in flames went out to sea and sunk into the ocean. People scrambled to grab their kids, trying to get off of the wooden platform that was quickly coming apart. Where the explosion began was in a strange choke hold spot of the pier.

‘The Scarlet Ribbon Amusement Pier’. That was the name that was on a massive sign that was by the front entrance of the wooden pier that stretched out into the ocean beyond for a solid half a mile. The pier was a long pathway that led out into the ocean, with two main spots on the park. The halfway point was where the famous ‘Scarlet Wheel’ was placed, along with a few stands and even a miniature museum of replica items of the town’s history. There was even a stage, where many musical artists were known to play at back when Scarlet Reach was a thriving, tourist town. At the farthest end of the pier was the ocean dive; a submarine device attached to the pier that lowered people into the ocean water so you could see the waters of the far-off ocean. A small coral reef was by that far end of the water, visible when you went down in the submarine. The pier made so much money for the town, but the care for the pier could have been better.

Many people of the town hall had made various reports on the potential hazard the pier could be if not properly managed. Some of the supports were old, needing to be replaced or at the very least some of the heavier amusements like the Scarlet Wheel should have been pulled off of the pier-grounds. Not wanting to spend the money, the town never fixed the issues…nor made sure that the pier had protection in case someone decided to bring something dangerous onto the pier. Most of the pier was made of wood, and where the fire started was at the worst section of damage the pier was suffering at…the middle section where the Scarlet Wheel stood. A loud bang, followed by more bangs, then lead to sparks as the whole of the pier began to detonate and then catch flame. People ran in all different directions, with everyone trying to get off of the pier as the whole thing was wrapped in flames in a matter of minutes. There were people still on the Scarlet Wheel, stuck as the Wheel began to sink into the ocean. Almost everyone on the wheel had either died from the crashing of the wheel into the water, the fall into the water from such a height, or drowned in the small, glass capsule you were locked inside of when you went inside. Law enforcement couldn’t do much, with everyone scrambling to find their families and get off of the burning building…and many people falling into the sea.

Henry was just passing through town, a younger man with no knowledge of his real home and was working at a café as a janitor, trying to make a little money so he could get back onto the road. When the explosion went off, it caught his attention immediately. The café had a good view of the pier, and when the fire started was when he threw his mop to the ground and immediately dove into action. Henry dashed ahead through the crowds that were gathering at the beach line and pitched in to get people out of the water. When everything happened, he did everything he could to save people, even taking to a borrowed boat and floating out into the water to pull people from the waves that were splashing from the falling debris and sinking Scarlet Wheel that was falling into the sea. Of the many people he helped pull, was a young Aary Tompson. Aary was unconscious, floating in the water and already having lost their arm. Everyone thought she was dead for sure, but Henry had a hope he could save them. He brought them back onto land, where their father had been pulled into shore himself. Henry then gave Aary and their father, Terry, a drive to the nearest hospital to hopefully save Aary’s already fading life.

He remembered how when they were finally conscious at the hospital, they screamed for a solid hour, frightened after everything had happened. Aary only had their dad left, their other dad passing away from cancer the year before. Henry stayed with Aary and their dad at the hospital, doing everything he could for this kid. Aary’s father was so grateful for Henry, he did everything he could for getting Henry back on the road. Terry worked for the museum, being one of the curators who was in charge of the displays at the pier. He also was one of the people who worried about the pier and its very clear erosion over time, trying to get money to fix it.

Terry offered a raised salary position to Henry, having him help the museum in however they needed him and even letting Henry take home in his own house. Henry, of course, refused the home but took to the museum job. “I’m not one to stick around. I just help where I can…” Henry had said to Terry. Terry then took Henry’s hands and looked straight into Henry’s eyes. “I almost lost my child today, and so many others have…but you have saved so many from that fate. The least I can do is this. You have given, give me a chance to give some back to you.”

Ever since, Henry stayed around. As time went on, Henry was seen as a member of the community to some…but also a stranger to others. Many made assumptions of the man, seeing him as an outsider and nothing more. He was unconventional, quiet, a loner. Even after the heroism he showed, everyone was still rattled by the tragedy, untrustworthy of the police, the mayor, and especially of outsiders.
Eventually, that tone changed as time continued to march on. From running errands for the nearby church, deliveries on the weekends, to working the museum throughout the week, people began to see the kindness of Henry. One of them was a recently recovered Aary. Trying to acclimate to the new life of having one less limb was difficult for the youngster. They hated being at school, being the only kid who so seriously injured that Aary swore the other kids made fun of them for the arm. Terry tried to reassure them that it wasn’t true, but they were unconvinced.

One day, on a Friday after school, Aary had been at the museum, waiting for Terry to finish closing down the museum when they had run into Henry. Henry had just finished cleaning the west side of the building, done with his duties for the night and came across Aary in the back breakroom, drawing with her thankfully remaining dominate hand. They were an incredibly talented artist, but shared their work in limited spaces. Aary seemed ashamed that Henry had caught them enjoying their activity, they pulled the notebook close to their body and kept it away. Henry smiled as he set down his mopping equipment and then reached into a backpack that he had carried in with him. “Janitor & Security. I’ll be here a while…want to see something?” He asked the kid.

Henry revealed a collection of thick, drawing paper and a set of charcoal utensils. His most recent work, a sketch of a mountain range he had taken with a professional polaroid camera that was stored back in his van, was half-finished on the paper. “I’m a bit of an artist myself. I could use a second pair of eyes.” He offered. Aary had a light come to their eyes as the two began to draw together in the backroom area of the museum security room.

“You back here by yourself every night? Must get lonely. I know I do.” Henry tried to converse with Aary. “Yeah…but it’s better than school…” They admitted. “I don’t like the other students there…one girl in particular.” They explained. “She’s…scary.” Aary added. Henry nodded in understanding. “Well, I promise I’m not scary.” Henry promised. Aary gave a small laugh. “A lot of people think you are…but I think it’s because they’re still scared after…” Aary stopped short of their statement. Henry smiled down towards the teen, nodding in understanding. “How’s the arm? You handling it okay?” he asked. Aary then set their doodle notebook down and showed what had replaced their arm.

Their arm was completely gone, with the shoulder and a little length down the forearm still remaining. The doctors had wrapped the stump, with the fresh bandages still slightly red from blood. The wound was healing rather well, but the missing arm was the most difficult part. “Everything is harder. I can’t wear my backpack very well, holding stuff is harder.” They explained. “Sometimes, I still feel it…it’s weird.” Aary explained, wiggling the stump as they explained the weird phenomenon. “Phantom Limb. Happens to a lot of people when a sudden amputation happens. The doctors did good work!” Henry praised. “And…you’re one hell of a fighter. I know it’s not been easy.” Henry empathized.

“After all of it…I just can’t believe they didn’t arrest her…” Aary blurted out, the thought clearly troubling the kid for a while. Henry looked towards her confused. “What do you mean? Arrest who?” Henry asked. Aary looked towards Henry, a look of exhaustion and a layer of anger boiling under the surface. “The girl in my class…the scary one…we used to be friends…then she lit the firework and…” The kid went quiet for a while, staring down at the art piece they were working on. It was of the pier, before it had burnt down. The Scarlet Wheel stood tall like how it always did, until it was lost to the sea. The kid was clearly traumatized, staring down towards the picture.

Trying to get Aary’s mind off of the trauma, Henry quickly distracted the kid with their artistry. Every night, when Aary waited for their dad to close the museum, the two of them would sit down and make art together. Aary would talk about their arm, Henry about where he had been, and would make art together as a sort of group therapy. Aary drew with their pencils and colors, and Henry made his charcoal landscapes. Eventually, and Henry and Aary weren’t sure when it happened, but the two then began mixing art styles together. Henry added small splashes of color to his work with colored chalk, and Aary went from characters standing alone to creatures within beautiful landscapes that Henry had photographed using his polaroid camera. Soon, Aary then showed off their artwork in school, and a bunch of kids then excitedly began asking how they did it.

One thing led to another, and suddenly Henry was promoted from Janitor & Security, to Artist teacher, with a pay increase and bonuses to boot. At first, a huge class of people would join, then they slowly whittled down as kids either lost interest or were too busy as they transferred into high school. Eventually, as time went on, the class came down to a group of 4. Aary, his ‘assistant artist’, Dennis, a kid who preferred the name ‘Shea’, and a student who Aary seemed uncomfortable being around: Emelyn Hudson.

After Emelyn had joined the group, Aary had pulled Henry aside and explained that Emelyn was the friend that They were talking about. “It was her! When we were on the pier…she lit it! She said she bought it from this guy she met that same day…I think she said she met them at the back of Walmart…I told her it wasn’t smart! She wouldn’t listen!” Aary explained. Henry tried his best to calm to them down, trying to think of the best thing to do. The last thing Henry wanted to do was stir the pot with town counsel. The effects of the pier burning down ruptured the town in an irredeemable way. The last thing they needed was some random accusation and the town would devolve into chaos.

After Henry calmed Aary down enough that he was sure they were stable, Henry immediately took the information to Terry and asked what he thought was best. “Is Aary sure? That is a massive accusation to throw around.” Terry asked Henry. “Your kid isn’t the lying type…and even before I met Emelyn, there’s a lot that can be done with this information. We could ask the store if they have CCTV, can ask Emelyn herself…I know the last thing this town needs are to point fingers, but we could track down the guy who sold Emelyn the weapon.” Henry proposed. Terry seemed incredibly unsure with the theory, but also wanted to trust his kid if what they said was true. “We need to keep this on the down low. I’ll call the tip. I’ll tell them exactly what Aary said. You’re right in that the last thing this town needs is to make blame games…but if there’s a chance to make this terrible thing right…” Terry hypothesized. “Henry…you’ve done this community a great service.” Terry spoke with earnest. “Don’t thank me yet.” Henry spoke.

What followed was a man hunt for the guy who sold the bomb. The whole town was on the lookout, wanting to right this egregious wrong that had been committed against the community. Law enforcement was able to get video of the seller from the Walmart Aary had described, but unfortunately, they couldn’t place the buyer. Within the grainy footage of the back of the Walmart, where someone in a black hoodie had approached the seller, who was wearing a dark green coat. The two parties exchanged money, the black hoodie person taking the firework and walking away. Information on either person was requested by the Scarlet Reach Police Department, and Henry was the first one to get word on where he was.

“It was a complete accident. I just walked into the Walmart to get some supplies for the week and saw him walk behind the back corner of the building. I followed him and shortly after I think he knew the jig was up. He said ‘You’re not her.’ and he took off running. I chased him down to the street corner and put him into a hold as a woman that was nearby when it happened called 911.” Henry had told both the police and newspaper.

After being reprimanded, the police found him to be a 23-year-old Presley Winson, a son of one of the wealthier families that lived towards the south of the town in the southern forests. It was all over the news for months, with everyone up in arms in wanting to get retribution, furthering the divide between the wealthy and the middle class of the town. As for the buyer, nothing but accusations came forward.

The tricky part of the whole situation came down to timing. The explosion happened at around 5:45 pm, shortly before the real firework display behind the stage was supposed to go off. Their only lead, 13-year-old Emelyn Hudson, was the original suspect of the attack…the only trouble was she was reportedly said to have been with her mother at the farthest end of the pier. Most of the claims that she couldn’t have been the attacker were word of mouth. Everyone, from the preacher of the Lutheran church to the small ocean fisher, knew Emelyn as a sweet yet quiet girl who much preferred to be with her literature and computer than other people. The seller of the firework bomb, Presley Winson, said the person who bought the extreme firework bomb had covered their face and spoke only with flashcards. Whoever did this was someone who knew what they were doing was dangerous, and made sure that nobody could follow their tracks.

Emelyn was known as also being incredibly tardy and careless. The actions of the attacker and the suspect just never lined up. With nobody wanting to put a recently motherless child into prison, and with no other witnesses able to claim who had the bomb, the attacker disappeared into the town history as a ghost. Aary though? They knew deep in their heart the truth.

Eventually, the town moved on. Henry and the Harbingers were formed, and after Dennis and Shea revealed they played instruments one meet, the kids found the idea of a band. Henry learned bass specifically because Shea, Dennis, and even Aary begged for him to join. Thus, Henry and the Harbingers were born. When Henry offered to take Dennis, Shea, and Aary on a trip across the US, they all jumped at the chance. Aary was worried that Emelyn would come along, but Henry had explained that she actually preferred to stay behind for reasons Henry didn’t disclose…only that she wanted to stay.
Ever since, Aary was able to make peace with the past and move on…until they came back.

It was a wild idea one night they had after their last big gig for their music up north. Dennis was thinking of home, with Shea sharing in that homesickness. Aary didn’t voice their opinion, but was wanting to reject the idea. They should have spoken up, reminded them of what happened…but they didn’t…it hurt too much to speak of it. Now, she was stuck here until the group decided to move on…and Aary was forced to see Emelyn once more.

“I just…I can’t do it anymore. After all these years, how is she still free?” Aary demanded from Henry. Henry looked towards Aary, holding her hands tight. “There wasn’t enough evidence back then…look, we help this one day this week, then I’ll get us out.” Henry offered to Aary. It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. “After all this time…you still don’t believe me, do you?” Aary muttered towards Henry. “I…I do…I just…” Henry stuttered, but Aary was relentless. “Then why, after all this time, do you still talk to her?! I don’t understand!” They growled, trying to keep their voice quiet enough that Shea and Dennis didn’t grow wise to their conversation. Aary then had a sparkle come to their eyes. “Wait here, I can prove it was her.” Aary explained.

Aary then went into the black van, disappeared for a few minutes, then reappeared with her phone. “Back when everything was happening, I lost my phone that I used to record everything. When the phone fell into the ocean, I thought the video was lost…Sure, I got my phone replaced after but I never backed up the memory of the broken phone. Then, after buying this new one with my cut of the money, I found that all of my photos and videos had been saved to a cloud server and was able to contact customer service to get the old information…and with all my old photos and videos, was this:” Aary explained.

The video was a little crunchy, the age of the recording device noticeable in the bit rate. Plus, if Aary’s explanation on how they acquired this video was sound, who knows how much compression the video had gone through as it was hidden away for almost a decade. The video looked to be recording somewhere on The Pier before it burnt down, but where exactly looked uncertain. There were bundles of other fireworks, crates, and a bunch of other heavy-duty equipment that showed this clearly was not somewhere tourists were supposed to be. The spot the recording was taping seemed to be behind a massive wooden structure on the Pier, of which Aary explained was the back of the stage that was at the same middle point of where the explosion began. As the video continued to play, clear as day on the screen was a younger Emelyn and Aary at the backstage area with the other fireworks, with a big, delicately wrapped bundle of illegal fireworks she was trying to set up.

Emelyn, wearing the exact same black hoodie as the buyer and even wearing the mask the buyer was seen wearing, had a massive bundle of fireworks in her hands and a box of matches. Aary’s camera was shaking, showing that Aary clearly knew what was going on and didn’t like it. Henry took the phone slowly from Aary’s hands as he watched the video in abject and petrified horror. His skin began to crawl as he watched the video play out, seeing the precious seconds before disaster. “What are you? Pussy? It’s fine! This Firework Show needs some more pizzaz! Just give me a second.” Emelyn said, trying to haphazardly stand up the massive bundle of fireworks. Aary kept trying to talk down Emelyn from it, even saying that she’d tattle on what Emelyn was doing.

Henry’s face was a look between being sick and screaming. His hands shook as he watched the video, knowing full well how this story was going to end. Aary must have noticed how angry and frightened he was, taking to his arm as they showed the damning piece of evidence against Emelyn and what she had done. “And what? You think that’ll go anywhere? Everyone will thank me for doing this! This town’s so boring! We girls just gotta spice things up a bit! That’s all we’re doing. You want everyone at school to think you’re some weenie?” The younger Emelyn mocked, finalizing the set up for the rocket.

Emelyn lit a match, then looked towards the camera. “Stand here and get a good view of the rocket! Gonna light it on the count of three!” Emelyn explained to the camera, still having the mask covering her face. “I don’t know about this Emelyn…” Aary shakingly spoke out. “Just get a good angle on the rocket! Get ready! 3…” as the countdown began, Henry felt his heart begin leaping even harder from his chest. “2” Emelyn said, a sparkle in her eye as an idea suddenly zapped the neurons of her brain.

Henry clutched the phone super hard now, his knuckles white as he held the phone. Before Emelyn even said “1”, she lit the match and ran the opposite way of the camera, leaving Aary behind to film her insane plan. Aary screamed as they realized what Emelyn was doing, running into the firework and kicking it over. The film suddenly cut as the blast blew the phone away from Aary and the film ended abruptly.

Henry didn’t speak a word after, staring at the screen of the phone and desperately holding himself together as he tried to think through the mist of rage inside of him. Henry wasn’t even sure what to think, removing his glasses from his face as he tried to think clearly of the next step forward. He handed back the phone to Aary, turning away from them and looking towards the ocean. He walked towards the cliff edge, looking out over the ocean that was before them.

Henry couldn’t process what he had just seen, his hands shaking as he tried to stroke his beard and think. A small tear ran down his face as he tried to focus on the water. He sore, if he listened close enough, he could still hear the people screaming as they drowned in the water. Aary joined him as they both looked out onto the sea.

Henry spoke first, clearing his throat as he continued to look towards the ocean. “How long have you had that video?” he asked Aary. “Ever since I had stable internet back in Alaska. I used my cut of the paycheck to get a new phone and I discovered the backup system. I never did it with the new phone I got after the pier burnt down because I just never knew how to or that it was even possible…I’m surprised the video even was saved in the first place. One hell of a backup, right?” Aary tried to humor. Henry didn’t laugh. He didn’t even attempt it.

For years, he worried about the safety of the kids he was over after everything happened…but come to find out one of those kids truly was responsible after all this time? What could even be done at this point after so long? Sure, Emelyn would be held responsible…but could he stomach that? He thought so long of Emelyn as a friend, could he really stomach turning her in? Henry, for the first time in a long time, wasn’t sure what to do.

“I’m sorry, Aary. You’ve been telling us for years…and I…God…” Henry whispered quietly, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes and bridge of his nose with his hands. Aary sighed as they looked out towards the water. Heavy gusts of wind that blew towards the bottom of the cliff began to blow upwards, making the sea below the cliff rock and crash against the stony rocks below. Henry felt like the angry waves below, so angry at himself for not doing something sooner. He didn’t want to condemn a child, even if another child he trusted had spoken so and without any proof. ‘They were kids, maybe there was something else more to this?’. That was the thought that Henry had used as his explanation for everything back then. But now? That was out the window. Emelyn knew it was dangerous…she got her friend involved and bullied her into it…and now? What was there to say now?

With a sigh, a sniffle of his nose, and then a slow lower to the ground to sit. Henry continued to look out towards the ocean as he spoke to Aary. “Do you remember the first day we drew in that backroom together?” Henry asked Aary, who took a seat next to their shook friend. “Yeah…it helped with the stuff going on in my head at the time. Why?” Aary asked, curious what that had to do with anything. “It was the first time I think I ever understood something in this town…the first thing I truly cared about. Sure, helping recover the town and doing what I could here and there was great, but you were what brought me together with people. It was the first step…then, before I knew it, I was running an art exhibit for wannabe artists. It was the first time I ever belonged somewhere. Emelyn was one of those kids that did that for me too, giving me that together feeling I had been missing for so long.” Henry explained.

“On the road, I had myself and the van. Here? I had you, and Dennis, and Shea, and Terry…and even Emelyn. Taking care of you kids, teaching you what I knew, felt like being that big brother or guardian that I wish I had as a kid instead of my teacher being The Road and The Road alone.” Henry explained. “I never knew my parents, not until recently, and I wish I never learned. I never knew family until you four…so now, it feels like learning of The Robotnik’s all over again. I never wanted to think Emelyn did it…and yet…” Henry lost his words at that point, hanging his head as he sighed in sorrow and regret.
“But I understand now, I think. It has to be confronted now…” Henry said. “Aary…I’m sorry. I dragged you back to this place and didn’t think twice on it. I should have thought of you, of the tragedy, and instead I let my homesickness get the better of me. Let me at least keep my promise to Stone for tomorrow, then tomorrow night…we leave. We hand over that video to the authorities and we leave, for good.” Henry repented, hoping that Aary would forgive him for this injustice he caused.

Aary was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say as they sat down on the grass of the cliff next to Henry. They felt this strange feeling over them, making them feel lighter somehow. There was less weight in their heart, like a wound that had been blistered and infected for so long had finally scabbed and began to heal. With a smile, a small tear, and grasping delicately onto Her adoptive guardian’s arm, they whispered. “Thank you, Henry.”

Chapter Text

Black.

As Shadow looked around his environment, his vision couldn’t quite grasp the corners of the space, giving this hazy effect to his vision as he looked across the shadowy landscape. There was shape to where he was, but whatever shape existed was undefined and misshaped. Wherever he was, it was somewhere that was unlike anywhere he had been before. This place felt cold, broken, and above all mysterious. Shadow peered around the room with no fear in his eyes or mind, accepting wherever he was and more focused on uncovering the mystery rather than panic. “Well, this is new…” he muttered to himself aloud, raising an eyebrow as he looked around the black space.

Suddenly, a yellow light centered around his chest, making him wince his eyes for a moment as he looked down towards the light. Floating before him, the Chaos Emerald was within easy reaching distance. The light glowed bright and cheerfully, unaffected by whatever curse was on it before. The storm within the stone was gone, replaced with a beam of light that was filled with joy and life. As Shadow reached out to the gem and held it within his paws, rainbow lights from the inner shards of the crystal shimmered their rainbow colors. They were similar shapes to the whole of the Chaos Emerald, mimicking how the Master Emerald could split from the bigger gem to the smaller versions of itself that still hosted the same energy as one another so long as they were in distance of each other.
“So you are like the Master Emerald, curious. But what are we doing here? Are you showing me something?” Shadow asked the Gem. With a small blast of energy, the yellow Chaos Emerald jolted away into the air, then seemed to call out a hollow sound into the void. Almost instantly, more beams of light began to form on the horizon. 4 other lights began to illuminate in the distance. One was a heart-shaped pink gem, swirling around with love and excitement. One was a red square-shaped diamond, a red swirl carved onto the front of the gem as it waved around like ash. One was shaped like a thunderbolt, blue and exotic as it zipped around the space that these gems operated within…and one gem that Shadow immediately recognized as The Master Emerald.

The massive, green gem sparkled as it floated between the other gems and Shadow, the green light of the gem the brightest as the red diamond, blue thunderbolt, pink heart, and yellow emerald shimmered through the air. Shadow admired the lights as they floated in freedom, the world of darkness slowly illuminating to reveal the cosmos of space and the universe. Far away stars glimmered as the universe began to form around Shadow. It was beautiful, like seeing gods dance within the stars as the gems glimmered and shined through space. “You…you are like a family, are you?” Shadow asked the gems, of which the Chaos Gem seemed to illuminate like a beacon of light for a second to respond ‘yes’.

Then, a cloud of black and red mist suddenly began to form in the distance behind the gems. The smoke looked sickly and evil, with various shapes within the fog beginning to emerge from the far away distance. One monster, bigger than all the others, began to float forward from the mist. The evil god of monsters reached out a three clawed arm, a fury of black tendrils coming from its gold-cuffed sleeve. The tendrils grabbed onto the blue gem, shattering it instantly.

The gems began to panic as they each began to fly around space in panic. However, rather than destroy these ones, the monster collected them by summoning forth his monsters of various shapes and sizes, but made of the same fleshy material as their master. The monsters stole away the gems, taking them away and leaving the Master Emerald as the last gem standing. The Master Emerald tried to fight back against this demon of faraway space, almost succumbing to the monster lord.

On the brink of capture, a multitude of red shapes that were similar to Knuckles formed around the emerald. They looked like warriors, with one leading the charge as they used the Master Emerald’s power to blast away the monster lord and protect the Echidna warriors. Then, as the black smoke began to fade, the shadowy realm the Chaos Emerald was showing Shadow began to fall away. The void returned, with the Chaos Emerald in its yellow form beginning to float back towards Shadow from the foggy distance.

The yellow of the gem was slowly dissipating, changing from its vibrant yellow to a melancholy green. The storm within the gem began to emerge, the present-day version of the gem now within the paws of Shadow. “Your family was broken. Black Doom was his name, wasn’t it?” Shadow asked the gemstone. The gem crackled as it answered Shadow, confirming Shadow’s theory. “I…know how it feels to lose your family, too. You feel angry inside…broken.” Shadow reflected, speaking more to himself than the gem now. “I’m…sorry, for you, spirit. You have been reunited with the Master Emerald at least…” Shadow said to the gem, holding it delicately in his arms.

Shadow then had a realization. When he was talking with Rouge, she also had that same gem that was within the vision. “Is the gem that is in possession of the bat woman one of your own as well? The Blue Emerald was destroyed, but the red one also persists…there is a chance to still unite you all together.” Shadow explained to the gem. If that was true, then that means there was a chance at beating these monsters that Rouge was warning were coming. Shadow had no intent of joining these creatures from space…but if he could take the hearth gem from Rouge, use this Chaos Emerald, and had Sonic and Knuckles use the Master Emerald…they wouldn’t just beat the monsters and their lord, Black Doom, they could completely destroy them! “We can save the rest of your family, even the red Emerald. I promise, you will be free of this monster.” Shadow promised to the gem.

Another crackle of light burst from the gem, the storm within the gem suddenly beginning to rise once more. The gem seemed to panic for a moment, the storm inside suddenly becoming violent. It was like spiritual chains were wrapped around the stone, black smoke joining along with the storm inside as the whole of the world began to shift. Black shapes of smoke formed around Shadow, with red light slowly forming around Shadow as a form began to emerge.

Before Shadow the Hedgehog, full and in complete strength, was Black Doom. Two, massive horns that vertically extended from the stump-like head of the monster were tipped with dark red color that looked like blood. It wore a ghostly, ripped cloak like a corrupted priest, with a long necklace of crystal shards of various colors draped across its neck and down its fleece. Three massive metal decorations hung from another set of chains around the beast, looking like abstract décor of a sun and moon eclipse in different states of form. Three bright orange eyes illuminated the smoke, giving that red color that was from within the mist that followed it.

“Shadow…It’s good to see you…” The voice of the demon spoke, hollow like a cave but guttural like a whale. The monster was massive where compared to Shadow’s size, making Shadow take a proper step back as he looked up towards the floating creature. The monster had no legs, floating within the black mist that it excreted from the bottom of its rugged cloak. Rings of gold and red adorned the three-clawed fingers of Lord Doom, with one horn being decorated with a golden earring to match. The beast seemed to have no mouth; the words it spoke seemed to echo from the monster itself. Small creatures like starfish floated around the demon lord, similar to the monster Shadow had seen in the park while in Chaos Control. Each creature had a single eye that matched the three eyes that belonged to the demon lord of The Black Arms.

“My son…my true heir…you have grown like the perfect poison I so desperately wished to cultivate. I smell anger and regret like a weed inside, perfect for absolute strength.” Black Doom complimented, overjoyed to see Shadow. Shadow, however, felt completely the opposite. “So, you are Black Doom? The one who sent Rouge to me?” Shadow interrogated, clenching onto the Chaos Emerald. Black Doom nodded his head, holding a claw out as he spoke. “For more than 50 years I waited…hoping to hear the sound of your soul call for me through Chaos Control, as I had designed it to do…but as time went on, silence was all that we heard. I waited…and waited…and waited…” Black Doom groaned, becoming angrier in tone as he spoke. He suddenly dropped the anger, returning to enjoying that his creation was now before him.

“But that’s over now. The wait is finally over. My child…my beautiful creation…you have been made real.” Black Doom celebrated with his hollow, grungy voice. Shadow looked around the mist that had gathered around him and this god of death, with Shadow beginning to ask more questions of this benevolent god. “Where are we? You cannot be here on Earth yet…” Shadow asked of the god.
“We are in the land of dreams. In the real world, you rest outside of my view. When you entered Chaos Control for a second time, I saw you for a brief moment in time. I know nothing but of the reports of Rouge the Hearth Emerald Keeper. You’ve made quite a kingdom in ‘Scarlet Reach’?” Black Doom asked of Shadow. “It’s not a kingdom, it’s a town. My town…my home…and nothing from out here in space can have it.” Shadow defended, striking a stance by puffing his chest outwards towards Doom. Black Doom took note of the pride of Shadow, impressed with Shadow’s courage to speak to him in such a way.

“You are quiet a creature of words…you speak like you don’t wish for me there, son.” Black Doom spoke to Shadow. “Good, you’re smart. I don’t. Command Rouge to take her leave from my planet and my Town. The Black Arms do not deserve my globe.” Shadow demanded with a tough voice, but keeping himself from a shout. Black Doom, curious on the answer from its creation, then spoke with more of a growl than ever before. “My boy…you cling to this planet, it seems. It is meant to be conquered. That is your goal, and no one shall rob you of it. All of my disciples do so with their first worlds. Terios of the Bethal Galactic, Rouge of the Spines kingdom of Alanth…” Black Doom began to list.

Shadow chuckled as he continued Black Doom’s list. “What about this Pachacamac I’ve heard of? Him and His Master Emerald?” Shadow asked of Doom. Doom suddenly irrupted into a sight of rage. Fire and brimstone screamed from his horns and his cloak blasted fire so hot that the flames danced like madmen. The smell of rot and disease billowed from the coat as if Black Doom was burning his decaying soul of hatred and malice as he roared like a dragon. “DO NOT SPEAK THAT TRAITORS NAME! HE WAS BLESSED WITH THE POWER OF THE DARK AND HE ILLUMINATED MY SHADOWS! HE IS A VIPER! A PURGE!” He growled like a beast, furious.

Shadow stepped back once more, his ears twitching as the roar of the angry god had made Shadow wince in surprise. Shadow looked towards Doom with a face a slight fear. The might of this god wasn’t something to trifle with. This monster was unlike anything Shadow had imagined he could be. This wasn’t some other creature or Mobian like Rouge or Sonic, this was an entirely other creature. It was a ghost of anger and fury, something that burned and rotted whatever it touched. Darkness was all that this beast was. The joy of life died in its presence; the sun would turn cold in its landing. Knowing this fact, Shadow was far more to the knee of this beast. Whatever this thing was, it was a killer…a monster…empathy was no meaningful word to this beast.

With a squint of its eye, the beast floated backwards a few inches as it spoke a few more lines towards Shadow. “I seek a warrior for my army. One way or another I will have one…if not you, then another.” Black Doom warned. Shadow squinted towards Black Doom as the dream that connected him and doom began to fade. “You have eyes on another? Who dares think they are stronger than me? And why would they help you?” Shadow asked the demon. Black Doom began to slowly fade away into shady darkness, speaking softly as he began to dissipate into the smog of his own essence that summoned him to this realm. “One who’s heart of fire has touched my gem of darkness. When the time comes, I will call upon a champion from Earth…one will be taken, one will die…of this, I promise.” Black Doom prophesized.

Before Shadow awoke from this nightmare, Black Doom spoke one more echo as he faded away and the dream came to an end. “Terios…I call to you…find Shadow…the time has come to siege Earth.”
Shadow awoke with a start. Panting, he looked around the space he was in. Sunlight was glowing from the overhead window of Sonic’s bedroom. Shadow as laying in Sonic’s racecar bed, tucked into the covers and the Chaos Emerald still swaddled to his side in the bed. Shadow sighed in relief as he picked up the Chaos Emerald. Shadow was sure that the green of the Emerald was less than before, like the Chaos Emerald having a chance to actually be itself and not stuck within the constraints of whatever curse Black Doom clearly put on it. The spell that was over the stone may have grown weaker, but Shadow wasn’t sure. What Shadow did know was the time to do something about Black Doom was now. They were clearly on the way now, and if Shadow’s dream did confirm anything…Black Doom wasn’t something to trifle with.

Sonic suddenly appeared before the foot of the bed, making Shadow just slightly at the blue blur’s arrival. Sonic was wearing a pair of pink slippers, a pink bathrobe, and even had his quills in pink curlers. “Hey sleepyhead! Pancakes are downstairs! Let’s get munching and get running, yeah?” Sonic asked his friend, making a fist for Shadow to fist bump. Shadow looked towards it for a moment, before leaving Sonic hanging and explaining what happened in his dream.

Sonic’s face went from smiling and nodding at the dream with the Emeralds of space to a frown at the mention of Doom. Sonic then noticed that the gem didn’t seem to react to the name ‘Black Doom’ anymore. Sonic pointed it out to Shadow, who nodded in agreement. “I believe whatever curse was put on the gem is beginning to weaken. I’m giving it the love and respect it deserves…I don’t expect the gem to bend to my will, just to coexist with me. I think these gems have minds of their own…when the power isn’t respected, they become angry and confused.” Shadow explained, getting out of bed and following Sonic downstairs. “Now, the only thing I worry is who the other acolyte Black Doom has his eyes on are.” Shadow wondered. “You have any ideas of who it could be?” Sonic asked Shadow.

“Not one clue.” Shadow admitted.

Chapter Text

The day of the Fall Fest was upon Scarlet Reach. The whole of the park was filled with various stands and amusements for people to gather and view. Everything from cute decorations made by the people of the town’s craftiest people, to selling homemade candles and foods, to even pawning off old belongings, everyone from the town was selling their wares for their own unique reasons. It was a tradition within the town as a way of saying goodbye to the summer and getting ready for the coming winter. It had been a town tradition for centuries, as a celebration of life here in the small town of Scarlet Reach. The festival colors were various shades of yellows, oranges, and reds on the tents of the festival. Just yesterday, young people who were followers of the tech industry and from further south had come up for the festival. Turns out, this year’s fest was a bit different than last year’s. The entire event was paid for by a massive multi-billion dollar start up business that was trying to encourage people to buy into the company start-up. It was the mayor’s idea as a way to encourage business within the town again, with many of the town complaining about its inclusion. Stone only found out about this year’s set up when he arrived and spoke with a couple of the other sellers of the market who were also setting up shop.

One of the sellers, a more outspoken older lady that ran the antiquities shop in downtown, spoke to Stone before the event had started about the ridiculousness of it all. “My grandson has been obsessed with these people! I may not be as with it as the kids these days, but I can smell a scam when I smell it.” She told Stone. Stone, however, saw the event as a positive for himself. More people meant more sold coffee, but he could also understand the worries the town had with this change in the fest. Fall Fest was one of the few ways the town got together after the Scarlet Pier collapse, and to sell it off for a quick buck to pay for the town seemed like such a scummy thing to do. Putting his politics aside, he focused on setting up shop and making sure everything was ready for the massive crowds that were soon to come.

A massive stage that had banners for some events were plastered all over the fall festival. It wasn’t until the posters came up that both Henry’s suspicions about the crowds was explained. The poster was of a tech company based out of California called ‘R.A.D. Energy’. R.A.D., or Regenerative and Development Energy, was a tech company that was looking for ways of increasing energy conservation without polluting the planet. It’s lead, a charismatic and enthusiastic tech bro nicknamed ‘Zeelon’ was on the stage, yapping about his brand and what his company stood for. The eccentric man was doing everything he could to encourage people to buy whatever product he was trying to sell, with a big letter ‘Z’ on the front of every poster he was on.

Henry, snuffing at the nonsense speech from this salesman, decided to tune out the crap-pedaling conman and focused on doing what he could to finish the job before him. Stone and Omega, along with the rest of the Harbingers, were all working to get the coffee stand set up. Once they had finished, Omega had returned back to the min building to be sure both places were in operation, with Stone manning the coffee stand at the fair and Henry helping however he could. Weirdly, however, Emelyn hadn’t arrived as she usually did early to the store. She didn’t call Stone or anything, and any call that Stone made to the Hudson household went immediately to voicemail. Thinking maybe Emelyn just had a lot of school work to catch up on, Stone didn’t think much of it. He did wish she was here though, as the stand was getting non-stop business! It was insane all of these people were willing to shell out money just to come listen to this lunatic. Stone, on the other hand, was more than content. After all, the more people here in the park, the more money he potentially made in sales. Dennis and Shea were exploring the fair themselves, enjoying the small stands of various businesses that had been given a booth for the week-long event of the fall.

Stone was right about fall fest being busy! Scarlet Reach Park was completely packed with people, all of whom were buying things off of every tent in town thanks to the weird event that was being put on by the entrepreneur guy. Stone didn’t mind if the guy was pedaling nonsense; People were buying his coffee either way and were leaving glowing reviews online for both the main store, but also even talking about the pop-up stand in their reviews. Money and customers were rolling in so fast that Stone and Henry were working double time. The coffee selection was much smaller for the booth, which made it easier for Henry to understand the coffee set up easier than having a dozen different kinds of coffee thrown his way. Stone was more than happy to explain the different ways of coffee prep, taking a joy in being able to teach someone else his coffee-making expertise to someone who bothered to listen to him talk about it nonstop. “Ha, and here I was just making instant coffee from the pot. You’re going to make me spoiled for choices, Mister Stone.” Henry joked. Stone blushed as he waved his hand towards Henry. “There’s nothing wrong with expanding your palette, Henry!” Stone chimed, working his corner of the coffee stand.

One thing that was still sticking inside of Henry’s brain, though, was the situation with Emelyn and The Pier.

Henry, now knowing what he did about Emelyn and the Pier, seem hesitant to talk with Stone about the issue. Aary was already talking with the police, having gone to the station in secret from everyone else. Aary and Henry saw it best to keep everything under the radar, with Stone being brought down softly. Henry knew that if Stone was just thrown all of the information at once it would be a lot, especially because it was his niece they were talking about. Henry wasn’t even sure how he felt about everything yet. Emelyn was his friend for so long, and for it to be true that she was the cause of so much suffering…it hurt Henry in a way he couldn’t put into words. As he helped Mister Stone continued to operate the coffee stand, Henry opened the conversation to Stone softly, trying to make the atmosphere of the conversation positive to start. “Hey Stone, you mentioned you worked with my brother by blood. Why did you? If you don’t mind me asking.” Henry asked.

Stone gave a smile as he explained how he had entered into the armed services and how he was picked up by GUN for his high-performance reviews. “After I was in GUN, I was then sent to Ivo as his assistant when he was sent to investigate Sonic, another creature like Shadow, and ever since I’ve followed behind him.” Stone explained. “I mean, we had already broken a lot of ethic codes by that point…and I cared about the professor. One way or another, he came back…and I did what I could to be by his side.” Stone explained, giving away the next order of coffee. Henry nodded as he listened along, asking clarifying questions where he needed. “And it never bothered you that you were villains?” Henry quizzed Stone. “To be honest, it never felt like we were. We were just doing what we could to capture Sonic. It wasn’t until Gerald I began to see problems. Besides, I never had the intent of hurting anyone and I made sure we never went down that route…I did get someone fired from a coffee shop for our cover once though…” Stone recounted, realizing that action had a bit of an evil to it. “Huh…guess I’m not as clean as I hoped. Well, nothing that can be done now, I suppose.” Stone admitted.

To Henry, the small things he learned about Stone were innocent enough. the man was more soft spoken than he thought he'd be, and could see that Stone had a strange admiration for his deceased brother that was evident by the picture of Ivo and Him inside the Mean Black bean. Deciding to change the topic on Stone's work with Ivo then asked about Stone's family life. "Before Ivo. You lived here, yeah? Is Stone your first name? You're related to the Hudson's if I recall." Henry asked, knowing Stone was Emelyn's uncle. Stone sighed as he answered despondently. "Adopted. I was 10 when the Hudson's brought me in. Abby was my closest friend, Emelyn's mother, and my relationship with Missus Hudson was alright...Mister Hudson was always out of sorts though. He had a soft spot, but it was about as small as a needle." Stone explained. "Truth is, I never really saw them as my parents. It just never worked out. Me and the old man were always in a pit with one another. frankly, Gran was the thing holding us together...but when I began to excel in school to the point I was getting attention from the GUN..." Stone began to trail, recounting his time and him leaving home. Stone then stopped, thinking back to that time in his life. It was a choice he was so unsure of. Leaving Scarlet Reach seemed so scary at the time, and to be back in this town was a weird feeling for Stone. Yet, these last couple of days have felt wonderful. Having Omega and Shadow, and even Emelyn...it felt like Stone was building something within this old town. It brought a passion in his soul forward that Stone only felt once before; His time with the Great Doctor Ivo Robotnik. "I finished training, worked in GUN's various departments, then was put under Ivo...Working with the doctor were some of the best days of my life. They were few days, but the ones I had were incredible all the same." Stone reminisced. Henry then asked a more pressing question, testing the waters of the conversation. “But, you wouldn’t hide away someone who has been evil, right? You’d do whatever you could to mend the past?” Henry asked Stone.

Stone then looked towards Henry with a curious look. “I am very aware the Robotnik’s were a difficult bunch. Gerald Robotnik, the guy who convinced Ivo to do what he did, is long gone. When Ivo realized what was happening, he immediately began to put a stop to it. Ivo was a good soul deep down, it's just sad he only found it when he was giving his final words. I also have no worry on if I can trust you, Henry, if that’s what you worry about.” Henry sighed as he contemplated just ripping the bandage on the question he was truly burning to ask.

“Do you trust Emelyn? I mean, does she work hard? Treat people well?” Henry asked. Stone was surprised by the question, thinking about it for a moment before answering. Emelyn was a bit of a rebel, but a danger to people seemed like a massive exaggeration. “She’s quiet with new folks, more open with the ones she cares about…I don’t know, never thought about it that hard. She and Shadow seemed to have really hit it off which makes me happy! Shadow really could use good friends like her after what happened.” Stone sighed as he remembered the story of Maria that Shadow had explained to him once before.

“Shadow has known a lot of sadness in his life, Henry. I think Shadow really needs this place, you know? He’s known so much danger and pain for so long…he never had the chance to be himself.” Stone explained. “But I’ve noticed, in the small things, that Shadow is a little more open now that he began working with Emelyn more and not just avoiding everything around him. I heard of their little race across town from a couple days ago. It was nice to hear Shadow was actually enjoying himself…he’s still a kid in some ways. Being in stasis for 50 years…he never aged a day.” Stone admitted. Henry, sighing, felt like explaining Emelyn just became a thousand times harder to achieve. Stone then looked towards Henry with a confused look. “Why do you ask about Emelyn, though? Did something happen?” Stone asked Henry. Henry sighed as he continued to peel back the layers of the problem slowly.

“Did you ever hear of the Scarlet Pier burning down, Stone?” Henry asked Stone, to which Stone nodded. “That was the fire that took Abby, yeah…I heard about it. I had gotten a letter from the Hudson's about what happened. I was deep in GUN operations when it happened...I was under contract to stay limited contact.” Stone said softly, slightly choking back on the name of his sister. How long had it been since he had said his sister’s name? It felt like eons since Abby’s name ever floated into his mind. "I heard a lot of people died that day. The town wasn't the same after the burning...but what does that have to do with Emelyn?” Stone asked.

Henry took a breath as he suddenly pivoted the conversation. "It's just...I wanted to see if Emelyn had been acting strange. I just worry about her. Did she ever talk about the Pier? her Mom?" Henry asked. Stone tried to think about it, not sure if she had. "Emelyn has always been strange. Nothing that I ever saw as bad though. I mean, I know she was close with my sister, obviously because her mother, but no she doesn't talk about it. Honestly, it seems like a thing in the family to never speak to each other..." Stone admitted. Henry raised a brow, curious of what that meant. Stone then continued to elaborate. “I haven’t talked to the Hudson's since I’ve been back in town.” Stone spoke. "Ever since I left, I just...I never talked with them." Stone admitted, trying to think of the last time he spoke with them. "Emelyn was the one who came to me. I contacted the Hudson's very coldly, not really wanting to talk. Emelyn was the third party contact that just happened to swing by and apply. we worked out a deal for her school to be paid...the rest is history!" Stone explained. "We just never really gelled together, I guess. Adoptive families can be hard." Stone elaborated further.

The barista then looked towards Henry. the buff, lean Robotnik was a stark contrast to the more fluffed out Ivo. the features of Henry's face were so similar to Ivo, however, that Stone could absolutely tell the two were brothers. The major difference was the facial hair. Ivo was against having a beard, but Henry had such a style to his own facial hair that gave him to 'Santa-like' appearance. There was a softness in Henry, a stark contrast to the cold of Ivo. This man was the exact opposite to Ivo, yet so much alike. Stone then gave a huff of air in humor, finding something funny about the situation that Henry seemed to miss. "What's so funny?" Henry asked. “My Ivo always was solving problems with his inventions and smarts, but he never really worried for other people. He was very isolated as a person. You, though? I could get used to.” Stone laughed. Henry had a bit of red come to his face as he began to stutter. “Ha! I appreciate the compliment, Mister Stone!” Henry chuckled. "truth be told, I'm not very smart, Stone. I just do what I can. Hand me a few tools and I'll make you something, as long as I'm not using a computer." Henry admitted. Stone had to laugh, "My Ivo was the very opposite. He'd sit in front of a computer, searching through code and building machines. Handed him a paintbrush and he knew nothing." Stone told Henry. Henry then asked a question that made a small part of Stone's heart sink a little as it was asked. "You and him really had something special, huh?" Henry asked. Stone was silent for a moment, thinking back to his time with the Doctor. With a soft voice, Stone answered, "He was the greatest doctor in the world."

Henry, finishing another order of coffee, then placed the dozen or so drinks on the counter. each one was done precisely as requested, with each drink even having some very good foam patterns on the top layer of the drink. Stone smiled as he looked towards his pupil's handiwork. It wasn't the best, but it was still impressive. "Could have done better, I think. What do you think for first time work?" Henry asked his teacher of the caffeinated arts. "I think that you think to lowly of yourself, Mister Henry." Stone said to the apprentice barista.

A pair of people then came up to Stone and Henry's coffee stand, interrupting the moment the duo were spending with one another. Henry didn't recognize the couple, but Stone most certainly did. Stone felt the air in his lungs disappear as he looked towards the couple that approached his coffee stand. his fingers went cold as he tried to find his voice to speak. The gentleman of the duo had gained a bit of age the last time Stone had seen him, but the face still stuck out to Stone's memory. The man had more greys in his hair than the last time Stone had seen him, as well as a stronger prescription of glasses as well by the deepness of his new frames. the other person was an older lady, who looked incredibly worried and distraught. She was wearing a cloth around her head, which helped hold her hair together in a bun. She wore a set of yellow overalls on a white shirt, having just worked in her backyard garden until she had to rush over to the fair. They both looked to be busy with their own things before coming here, seemingly looking for Stone. Stone cleared his throat as he looked towards the older couple. "Mister and Missus Hudson! I didn't think I'd see you here!" Stone said, to which Henry raised his brows in hearing the name. "What can I get for you?" Stone asked, as if this wasn't the first time Stone had talked to these two in years. Mister Hudson was the first one to speak up. He spoke a question with seriousness and sharpness, making Stone step back a step as he asked. Henry, hearing the question himself, made his blood run ice cold. "Stone, Where's Emelyn?"

Chapter Text

Rouge and the Maria clone rode alone in the back of one of the four GUN vehicles that were driving away from the GUN base within the mountains of Scarlet Reach, slowly making their way towards the town. The GUN vehicles had been given hardier armor attachments and stronger infantry weapons and brawlers. The inside of the cabins was armored like tanks, with only one way out of the cabin of the vehicle, the back. Rouge and Maria were isolated in their own vehicle, leaving the two sometime to discuss a game plan for speaking with Shadow before entering Scarlet Reach. This time, GUN was going to beat Shadow, they just had to be crafty and they needed to hold strong. Rouge had about a dozen thoughts going through her head as she tried to think of a plan that would make sure she could complete her mission to Black Doom, but also ensure that this planet may be able to survive. If she could somehow make the argument to come back, let Shadow get training somewhere else before coming back…or maybe just give Shadow this Maria clone and that way he has a part of the Earth he so desperately seemed to miss…it could work.

Rouge tried to remember back to the time she spent with him on the beach. Maria was the name of the girl he cared about, right? Maybe if Rouge could make that argument that Maria was back, Shadow would be willing to destroy this world and walk away with the one thing he cared about most. Rouge sighed as she looked towards the bracelets on her arms, which were restricting her power, and knowing how thorough Rockwell had shown herself to be, were probably geographically tracked somehow. Rouge didn’t have a lot of room to control the situation, but maybe convincing this Maria clone of how good the Black Arms are was a way to continue her original plan and also ensure this planet that reminded Rouge of home was still kept in one piece and not blown apart.

“GUN is lying, aren’t they?” Maria asked Rouge, which made the bat woman look up towards the artificial mobian with surprise. The golden furred hedgehog that housed a piece of Maria Robotnik had a look in her blue eyes that showed she was far more aware of her situation than Rogue realized. “GUN are doing what they can to keep Earth safe! All you have to do is just talk to Shadow! I’m sure that if you…” Maria interrupted Rouge, Maria becoming more certain of her thoughts. “Shadow would never think to do that unless he was certain it was for the greater good. Besides, that wouldn’t explain you working with GUN. Why are you helping GUN? You aren’t from Earth either, are you?” Maria asked the bat mobian.

Rouge laughed nervously as she tried to take control of the conversation. “Look, just speak with Shadow and we’ll see what’s really going on! I’m sure this can all be worked out!” Rouge explained. “Miss Rouge, that Rockwell lady lied about what happened…GUN came in and tried to kill Shadow. I don’t remember what happened…I think I died just before seeing the conclusion of everything…but I know that if Shadow really wanted to destroy the world, then GUN did something really bad. Shadow doesn’t have an evil heart, Rouge.” Maria vowed, believing there was an immense amount of good still inside of her friend from 50 years ago. Rouge sighed as she tried to explain the situation from Rouge’s perspective. “People change, dear…when bad things happen to people, sometimes they become something else…they lose themselves…it happens all the time, Darling.” Rouge said with a sadness in her own voice.

To Rouge, that statement wasn’t just a lie to get Maria to do what GUN wanted, it was also how Rouge felt about herself. When Rouge lost her home to the bandits from space, she felt like she lost a part of herself when her gems and home were stolen. The Black Arms gave her the Hearth Emerald, yes, but it never fixed that hole inside of Rouge that craved to be healed by what she truly wanted…Love. Real Love. But she wouldn’t see it…because it was all taken from her a long time ago. “That’s not true!” Maria argued with Rouge. “Being hurt…you do feel loss…but nothing goes away forever. What matters is what you do next! Before Grandma passed away, she used to say that if I kept loving the people that were around me, I would never feel lost…does GUN treat you with love?” Maria asked Rouge. Rouge wasn’t sure how to answer. This child from 50 years ago seemed to have more wisdom than her when it came to love, yet Rouge was the guardian of the Hearth Emerald…the whole situation was laughable.

“Trust me, Darling. I do not love GUN…there is someone else I’m worried of.” Rouge foreshadowed. Maria tilted her head in confusion. “Who?” Maria asked. Rouge sighed as she smiled towards Maria. “Nothing you need to worry about, darling.” Rouge explained. Rouge then began to explain the gameplan of how Rouge saw handling the situation. Obviously, Rouge had no plan of taking Maria hostage. She needed to find a way to spin the story for Maria and for Shadow so she could safely migrate to their side. Rouge’s main concern was to be sure that Maria didn’t decide to go against her, thinking Maria was full into GUN’s plan with bringing in Shadow. “Actually, I had a few questions for you, Rouge.” Maria interrupted. “GUN…they have no intent of bringing in Shadow safely, do they?” Maria asked Rouge. The mobian saw a glimmer of hope in dividing Maria and GUN, as Maria began explaining further her problems with GUN’s argument on ‘Shadow going rogue’. “I know Shadow. He is a bit grumpy and off putting sometimes, but he has a big heart! He would never start hurting people like some wild animal! I want the full story…I want everything that GUN was holding back.” Maria demanded
“You’re perceptive, darling. That’s good. There are many people out there who are more than willing to pull the wool over your eyes if given the opportunity.” Rouge complimented. Maria didn’t let the compliment bring her guard down, still focused on what Rogue needed to tell her. “GUN have fabricated some pieces of information, but in the hope that they are protecting Earth. For example, Shadow had been living very peacefully within Scarlet Reach. It wasn’t until they began construction for this base, they sent a droid named ‘Omega’ to destroy him using information I gave them on Shadow’s power. Then, they tried to take him down themselves.” Rouge explained. Maria gasped in surprise to what Rouge explained. “Why did you give it to them? You clearly aren’t super loyal to them so why work with GUN?” Maria questioned. “Simple. I can keep an eye on Shadow, delay GUN as much as possible, and still fulfill my grander purpose. Three birds with one stone!” Rouge explained. Maria then gave Rogue a side eye. “So, who do you work for then? If not the military, who?” Maria pressed.

Rouge, feeling a small pride for the people she now called ‘home’, then began to tell Maria of The Black Arms. “Valiant warriors of the far reaches of space, run by Lord Doom, who explore the farthest reaches of space to bring order and rule to the galaxies! Me and my brother-in-arms, Terios, are ‘Black Guards’, Mobians who are tasked with keeping safe the last of the Cosmic powers of the Emeralds. I hold the Hearth Emerald; my brother holds the Might Emerald. But your friend, Shadow…he’s going to be the greatest of them all.” Rouge foretold, mystified by her own words.

“Your friend Shadow is the future holder of the Chaos Emerald. Sadly, the Light Emerald has been destroyed and the Master Emerald was stolen away…Us Black Guards do what we can to keep the powers safe from enemy hands, and Shadow must be trained in keeping his Emerald safe. When we reach Shadow, we can give him all of the history and he will be able to accept his heritage! He’s going to be wonderful!” Rouge explained. Maria, however, completely rejected the idea. “And what if he doesn’t?” Maria argued. “What if Terios arrives and finds out Shadow doesn’t want that? Shadow loves Earth! I know that’s true!” Maria argued.

Maria didn’t like the sound of any of this! Whoever this guy was that was leading Rouge and Terios was literally named ‘Doom’. No nice sounding guy could be named that! Nothing about this sounded good to Maria at all! On the one hand, one of these groups were humans who tore her family apart and drove her friend to become considered ‘Dangerous’. On the other, space faring monsters who clearly are hell bent on taking over the universe are trying to recruit Shadow for their shady operations? Maria needed to get to Shadow before they arrived in Scarlet Reach. Whoever this Terios guy is, whoever Lord Doom is, they clearly aren’t good things for Earth at all! Maria took a deep, reassuring breath as she tried to gather more information.

“Rouge? Is Earth in danger if we don’t get to Shadow in time?” Maria asked Rouge. Rouge seemed unsure the best way to answer the question, nervously waving her paw in denial. “Pfff! No! absolutely not! Probably…maybe…listen, lets focus on convincing Shadow how great The Black Arms are and everything will be fine!” Rouge explained. Maria then interjected Rouge’s clear bias of the situation. “Appeasing to whoever this Lord Doom is, isn’t the answer either! Either Shadow gets hurt, or Earth clearly is in peril! Whatever is coming is something far worse than GUN! Do you care about Earth? Do you care about what makes this planet special?” Maria demanded of the mobian.

Rouge responded hesitantly, trying not to anger Maria away from her own agenda. “It’s the bigger picture, darling! Besides, even if Earth goes, there’s still a dozen or so other planets out there! I’m sure we can-” Maria scoffed towards Rouge’s idea, appalled she would dare suggest such a thing. “I knew it! You are just as bad as that Rockwell lady is!” Maria exclaimed, realizing she was riding in a vehicle with an enemy. Maria then began thinking of a way to get out of the vehicle or take control of it. Maybe, if she could reach Shadow before they did, she could warn Shadow of what truly was going on. “W-wait! Hold on! Let’s not get antsy here! I’m not an enemy! I do want to help Earth! I promise!” Rouge tried to explain, but Maria knew exactly what was going on now. Maria wouldn’t let GUN hurt Shadow, or The Black Arms destroy Earth because Shadow won’t join them.

Maria then unbuckled from her seat inside of the inner cabin of the vehicle, standing up and heading towards the back doors of the battle vehicle. “W-wait! Maria!” Rouge called out, unbuckling her seat and trying to chase after the child. Maria opened the back doors of the moving vehicle and jumped to the side of the tank-like vehicle. Rouge tried to reach out for Maria, but the girl was already out of the cabin and beginning to run towards what she presumed to be town. Maria had memorized the map that Rockwell had shown them, able to pin point the direction of where ‘Scarlet Reach’ could be.
It wasn’t until Maria looked behind her as she ran that she noticed how fast she was running. As she tried to stop, she slammed into the side of a tree, tumbling to the ground as she came to a stop. “Ow…” Maria groaned as she stood up. As Maria stood up, she realized that the bottom of her metal shoes she was given from Rockwell were glowing bright blue. Maria immediately recognized what was happening. She had super speed! She was like Shadow! If that was the case, she could easily get ahead of Rouge and the rest of GUN! Trying to get a grip on the ability, Maria slipped and slid a little as she tried to target her feet the same way Shadow did it.

“Its just like roller blading! Just gotta…move the feet…OW!” Maria yelled, one of her feet coming up from under her and smacking her in the face as she fell backwards back into the bush. “Ugh…how did Shadow do this?” Maria groaned as she tried to get upright. Maria gave a breath as she kept trying, eventually getting into the rhythm of sweeping her feet side to side, finally getting speed. “Woah! Woahhh! Yeah! This is awesome!” Maria squealed in excitement, speeding across the forest grounds, dodging and avoiding trees and stones as she sped towards Scarlet Reach.

After air dashing for a few minutes, she came to a hill that could look over Scarlet Reach town. The town was split into two parts, the neighborhood towards the north and then the city district towards the south. In the town park, she could see where a massive amount of the town seemed to be gathering for some kind of event, something Rockwell hadn’t mentioned in her report. Whether or not it was on purpose to not mention or an oversight Maria didn’t care, but she knew that it was possible that it could lead Maria to where Shadow was hiding inside of town. “Shadow! I’m coming! Just wait for me!” Maria yelled out, dashing down the hill and heading towards Scarlet Reach…but Rouge wasn’t too far behind.

Chapter Text

Before Shadow and crew left the Wachowski family home, Sonic encouraged Tom and Maddie to come along with the group to Scarlet Reach. “Shadow said there was something going on in town that sounds you guy’s speed!” Sonic suggested. Maddie initially objected Sonic, “You make that sound like we’re some old people you have to babysit! It’s the other way around mister!” Maddie pointed out. “There’s fun craft stuff and homey décor at auction!” Sonic tempted. Maddie, in a sudden realization, decided that maybe it was a good idea to go. Tom looked towards Maddie with a raised eyebrow, asking, “What changed your mind?” He asked coyly. “I’ve still got shelf space in my living room to fill with!” She exclaimed. Tom, regardless of what was going on, was more than willing to tag along. “I gotta keep an eye on you. No more world-ending catastrophes without my supervision, Okay Sonic?” Tom told to the blue hedgehog, who rolled his eyes. “Alright! But also, no getting punched by intergalactic super monsters, got it Donut Lord?” Sonic asked back. Tom was more than happy to oblige.

Shadow and Sonic’s team, along with Tom and Maddie, arrived into Scarlet Reach via Golden Ring Teleporting, arriving just before 10 am. When the six of them made it into town, they made sure to portal somewhere where they wouldn’t cause a scene, The front doors of the Mean Black Bean. Shadow found it smart to start at Mean Black Bean, as hopefully they could catch Stone before he left for the fairgrounds. The team of six walked into the Cafe, with the store being largely unpopulated save for one, Linsey Bark. “Well, if it isn’t Shadow!” Linsey called out from her corner of the store, who was happily munching away on her muffin and coffee she had ordered 10 minutes ago. “I’ll say this, your machine friend impresses me still! Finally, some order in this delightful little café!” She claimed. “Morning Misses Bark. Did Stone already leave?” Shadow asked the snippy, 30 something lady. “Yo! Shadow! He left earlier with Henry and the others!” Omega called out, who was busy cleaning up some ambiguous mess behind the counter, keeping himself busy and the store organized. “How about Emelyn? Did she go with them?” Shadow asked, hoping to get a few extra hands looking for Stone if He could. “Actually, funny enough…she never showed this morning.” Omega explained.

Realizing this was getting him nowhere, Shadow gave his goodbye to Omega and Linsey, guiding Sonic and the others out of the building. “Omega, get the Crab and the remaining Badnick’s ready. We may need backup…” Shadow said ominously, with Omega giving a thumbs up in response.

Realizing the best way to find Stone would be heading to the festival in the town park, the team of six quickly began their way there, with Shadow also saying hello to Dark Rider before he left. The motorcycle was still laying in the alleyway that housed the fire escape up to the Crab on the roof of the café. Shadow petted the handles of the motorcycle, whispering to it. “I’ll call for you if things get dire…it’s wonderful to see you again, my trusty steed.” Shadow spoke softly, as he joined back with Sonic and the others. “Say! Where’d you get the cool bike?” Tails asked Shadow, Tails seeing the thing in the alleyway for a few seconds. “Britian. After I fell back on Earth. Touch him and you won’t hand paws afterwards.” Shadow warned, leading the group towards the Scarlet Park.

The whole of the Fall Fest was in full swing, with dozens of autumn-styled décors dotting the landscape. A cold chill wrapped around the festival grounds, the coming winter beginning its approach. Shadow’s first instinct was to call Stone and let him know that Shadow had returned with helpful information on the Chaos Emerald, as well as the potential Black Arm invasion that was on its way. If they didn’t act fast, they could be in some real peril very soon. Sonic and the group, however, were more entranced by the scenery of the festival. Maddie had already pulled Tom towards the direction of one of the stands, where a lady was selling her homemade quilts for $20 a quilt. “You go save the world; I’ll be here with Tom! Remember, make good choices!” Maddie called out, leaving Shadow and Crew to find Stone.

“So! Where to first buddy?” Sonic asked Shadow. Shadow then began explaining his plan. “Right, the whole of the event is limited to the park. If we split up, we can find Stone faster that way. Also, if you see a gentleman that looks similar to Ivo, that’s Henry. Don’t ask me why he does, I’m still figuring that out. Once we catch up with Stone, we explain the situation with the Emeralds and Black Doom.” Shadow explained. Tails then pulled out a set of communicators that were styled after Himself, handing one to each member of the team. “These will let us communicate with each other! That way, if we find Stone and the others, we can reconvene quickly!” Tails explained, showing off the functions of the devices. “I will show my superior hunting skills through locating the ‘Agent of Stone’ and this ‘Ivo imposter’. I shall hunt around the stage.” Knuckles claimed. “I’ll pass through the market north of here!” Tails claimed. Sonic then tapped Shadow’s elbow with his own. “Me and Shades here can hit the Southern carts! That seems like a ‘two-hedgehog’ job!” Sonic spoke with a wink. Shadow rolled his eyes as he begrudgingly agreed to the terms of the team split.

“Right! Team on three?” Sonic proposed, putting his fist into the middle of the squad. Knuckles and Tails followed along, with the three teammates then turning towards Shadow with a waiting look. Shadow scoffed as he folded his arms. “I’m not that mushy Hedgehog…” Shadow claimed, with Sonic giving a raised brow. “Last night didn’t tell me that, Shades…” Sonic said with a sheepish grin. A small bit of red flushed Shadow’s face as he regretfully placed his fist into the circle of paws. Shadow sighed as he echoed, “Go team…”

With that, the three parties split up to cover ground, looking for Stone and his coffee stand.

Following Sonic and Shadow first, the duo walked through the different stands on the north side. As some point, and Shadow wasn’t sure when, but Sonic had himself a chilidog that was topped with hot sauce, mustard, chili, and relish in his paw as he walked with Shadow. The people of the town largely ignored them, as Sonic and Shadow were travelling booth by booth to find their person of interest. There was a nip of cold in the air, making Shadow shiver a little as he continued to march past the different merchant stands. Some of them were for stores he had delivered coffee to on the regular, and some were even people from out of town. How the town had the money to host this was a question that was on Shadow’s mind. Clearly, whoever that weird tech bro on the stage in town was, was the guy funding this as some kind of publicity stunt. Shadow didn’t give it another thought after that realization, more focused on getting back to Stone.

Shadow wasn’t really in a talking mood, but Sonic was doing everything in his power to get it out of him. “You know, Shadow. You have a bigger heart than you let on. I know you got something in there, pal!” Sonic said, giving a side hug to Shadow. Shadow dismissed it quickly, scoffing at the notion. “What happened last night was exhaustion. Don’t confuse it, Hedgehog. Besides, we have more important things to worry for.” Shadow ordered, trying to keep his eyes peeled for Stone. “Sure buddy…say, I am curious though…” Sonic began, taking another bite of his chilidog and trying to continue the conversation with the food in his mouth. “So, this bat lady, Rouge? What’s she like? Can she fly like Tails but with, like, real wings?” Sonic asked. Finally glad that Sonic was asking real, clarifying questions on enemy forces, Shadow explained his interactions with Rouge and how they went. “She clearly is a trained warrior…but I also believe she has a power similar to the Master Emerald and my Chaos Emerald. If that’s the case, we need to be aware of her presence as soon as it’s known.” Shadow explained. Finishing off the chilidog, Sonic agreed with the sentiment as they continued down the market.
Suddenly, a weight of some kind was pressed down onto Shadow’s head, making Shadow freeze in place as the form began to speak. “There’s the grump! Where’ve you been, Emo-boy?” Emelyn asked, making a playful smile as she leaned her elbows onto Shadow’s quills. Shadow sighed as he looked up towards the college girl. “Hello again, Emelyn. Good seeing you.” Shadow said coldly, annoyed that he now had two hyperactive children in his posse. “Pfff! Yeah, you sound so-o-o happy to see me…” Emelyn said, getting off of Shadow and stepping in front of the duo. Emelyn gasped in joyful surprise when she then turned to the right and saw Sonic. “Oh! You’re that hedgehog Shadow told me about once I think! ‘Sonic’, right?” Emelyn asked. Sonic, flattered, waved a hand towards the girl and then gave a thumbs up and a wink as he spoke. “Aw shucks! You caught me, quills and all! You’re Emelyn! Shades was talking about you when he swung by and invited us over here!” Sonic explained.
The blue ball of quills and hyperactive goth girl seemed to riff off of each other, the duo spirits enjoying their meet with one another. “Huff! You weren’t here for festivities, Hedgehog. We’re here for very important matters!” Shadow growled. “Oh please, can you spare a few minutes? You ARE the fastest things alive! You’ll do whatever you need to do in like, three seconds tops!” Emelyn argued. Shadow, looking to Sonic, saw that the blue idiot was more than willing to continue yapping to Emelyn. Seeing he was out-voted, then let the two continue talking. “He’s always such a busy hedgehog! I’m glad he has some other more laid-back friends!” Emelyn said, folding her arms as she looked towards Shadow. Sonic laughed as he put an arm around Shadow. “I think I like this girl! She keeps you on your toes, eh Shades?” Sonic asked Shadow playfully.

Shadow sighed as he continued to let the children speak their gossips. “You two are so alike its unnerving…” Shadow admitted to the duo, of which they both took as a compliment. “That’s the nicest thing I think I’ve ever heard you say, Emo-boy!” Emelyn teased, with Sonic liking the nickname that Emelyn had seemingly designed for Shadow. “I usually like ‘Shades’ but I like the more direct hit of that one!” Sonic credited. Emelyn blushed as she folded her arms and looked towards her nails with a prideful expression. “Just a genius…like I always am…and one of the humblest people you’ll ever meet if you could believe it!” Emelyn joked.

Shadow, really feeling like they were burning time, then tried to force Sonic to move forward. “Look! We really need to go! Emelyn, do you know where Stone is?” Shadow asked the girl. Emelyn sighed as she tried to think of the last place she had seen her uncle. “Hmmm…I don’t know, unfortunately. I’ve been a bit…busy” Emelyn explained. Emelyn must have noticed the stress on Shadow to find Stone, however, as she then had a look of worry on her face. “You okay, Shadow? You look focused.” She asked, suddenly swapping to a more serious tone. Shadow straightened himself more upright and cleared his throat. “Yes, fine. I just need to find Stone. Something very important is going down and I need to coordinate with him.” Shadow explained vaguely. Emelyn, not quite understanding what Shadow was alluding too, shrugged and accepted the answer. “Okay! Just, if you need anything, let me know! We’re friends, yeah?” Emelyn asked Shadow, winking towards the hedgehog.

Shadow was surprised by the question. He folded his arms and scoffed. “Something like that. Look, just be careful out there, okay? Keep your phone close too.” Shadow commanded to Emelyn. Emelyn made a thumbs up as she said: “Oh don’t worry, I’ve got all my important stuff on me! Computer, phone, charging brick…a lot of electricals now that I think about it…” Emelyn explained, showing off a black backpack she was wearing that had a whole bunch of different stickers over the bag. “I’m meeting with some folks here in the fair so I gotta come prepared!” Emelyn explained, smiling all the while.
Emelyn’s black pupils looked a glisten more green than usual. In fact, there was something radiant about her that was a bit strange. On top of the glow, there was also a small sliver of green in her jet-black hair that if you squinted you could see faint green in the color. Emelyn’s free hand that wasn’t grabbing onto her backpack strap was slightly shaking, as if She couldn’t stand still. After noting the slight alter in appearance, a look of worry was suddenly on Shadow’s face. “Emelyn…after getting shocked with the Chaos Emerald…have you been feeling okay? You seem more jittery than usual.” Shadow asked the girl.

Emelyn thought about it for a moment, then quickly answered: “Been feeling great actually! I was able to catch up on some work and get some things done early! Why?” Emelyn asked, hands on her hips as she looked towards Shadow with a smile. She was slightly tapping her foot with a quick speed, the wheels on her wheelie shoes already out and ready. Shadow looked unsure of the answer Emelyn gave, pursing the topic further. “Stone said you weren’t at the store to help this morning…is everything alright?” Shadow asked. Emelyn gave a small snort and a hand gesture in dismissal, explaining what had happened. “Oh! Just had a real annoying problem early morning! Some…guests…had come early morning and were pounding on my door so I had to deal with them. Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine now!” Emelyn said, smiling.

Sonic paused for a moment. Shadow seemed very worried for the well-being of Emelyn, but something about the way Emelyn said that statement felt…off. Shadow sighed as he let the questions go, but now Sonic was the one worried. Before Sonic could say anything though, Emelyn was already leaving. “I’ve got to go find my friends! I have some stuff to do. See you soon!” Emelyn called out, using her roller shoes and rolling down the festival grounds, ducking and weaving around people.

As Shadow and Sonic continued down the market, Sonic then asked Shadow questions on Emelyn as a person. “Hey Shadow…is she usually that ominous sounding?” Sonic asked Shadow. Shadow then looked towards Sonic was a surprised look. “Using my real name! You’re being serious.” Shadow said in a mocking tone, but also missing what Sonic was trying to explain. “Your friend seems…nice enough.” Sonic said with a mixed facial expression. Shadow rolled his eyes as the duo continued to walk. “Oh! The great and wonderful Sonic the Hedgehog, finally finding a person he mildly dislikes who just so happens to act like him…what crazy things will this hedgehog see next?” Shadow sarcastically growled towards Sonic. Who was he to judge the few people he was willing to stand as his ‘friends’?
Sonic rolled his eyes as he decided to let it go. “I dunno…just a vibe I picked up towards the end there. Anyway! Where to next, buddy?” Sonic asked enthusiastically, ready to follow wherever Shadow thought the next best step would be.

As Shadow and Sonic made their way through the fest, they somehow caught back up with Tom and Maddie. Maddie was already enjoying the fest, having bought a collection of autumn-styled decorations from different venues around town. “Look at this cute little fox! He looks like Tails!” Maddie cherished, holding a glass figure of an auburn fox that was dressed up in a green cap and scarf. As Tom was getting dragged over to another tent, Tom then handed Sonic off to Maddie. “Your turn, buddy! Have some Maddie-time for me. I gotta talk with Shadow really quick!” Tom said, as Sonic realized what he was about to get dragged into. “Wait! Hold on! Let’s be democratic about this!” He tried to yell, but Maddie was more than willing to take up the hedgehog. “Come on, big guy! I need your opinion on these little hedgehog pillows! You’d know best!” Maddie said with excitement, also wanting to get Sonic in on the decoration fun. “TOM! HELP!” Sonic cried out as he was taken further into the fair.

Tom and Shadow walked together, with Shadow still determined to look for Stone. Shadow periodically looked towards Tom’s cast on his arm, still feeling shame about the damage he caused to Mister Wachowski. “How’s the arm?” Shadow asked. Tom shrugged. “Better than before! Doc says by next week he’ll have it off. Most of the damage has been healed since then.” Tom explained. “How about you? You doing okay here? In Scarlet Reach?” Tom asked the hedgehog. Shadow nodded, “It’s been good. Stone is a good leader. Starting the coffee shop gave me something to do, but I think the people here have done me some good.” Shadow admitted. Tom looked happy by the news, smiling as he looked down towards the hedgehog. “That’s good! I’ve heard small whispers of this Emelyn girl. Is she around? You two seem good friends.” Tom questioned further. Shadow nodded, “She reminds me of Maria in some ways. She’s not as kind as Maria, but she definitely is crafty and smart like her.” Shadow elaborated, still slightly worried for her and the weird appearance she made not a moment ago. “You actually just missed her. She caught up with Me and Sonic.” Shadow explained. “Darn shame, wish I had been here sooner.” Tom followed up.

Shadow sighed, stopping his walking as he looked towards Tom. “Why are you so happy around me? Aren’t you angry I almost killed you? That I destroyed the world?” Shadow asked, confused on why Tom was being so friendly. Tom stopped to think for a moment, before looking over to Maddie and Sonic in one of the booths ahead of them. “When I met Sonic, I was pretty disheveled myself. Had a high ego of myself and was a bit of a dweeb if I’m being honest. The thing is, people change. You did. The Shadow that hurt me is not the same one that defended Earth from the Robotnik weapon.” Tom said, as he slowly knelt down towards Shadow. Tom looked into Shadow’s bright red eyes as spoke. “You and Stone want to change, and I can see that. I trust you, Shadow. The same way I trust Sonic, and Tails, and Knuckles…and if Sonic can trust you, I’m even more certain of it.” Tom said, raising up his fist for Shadow to meet with a fist bump of his own.

Shadow was hesitant at first, completely shocked that Tom was so willing to be friends with him. After everything Shadow put them through, this man was more than willing to throw it all aside. Shadow, while not trying to show it, was deeply gracious of the second chance that Tom was giving him. Shadow then lightly tapped the knuckles of his paw to Tom’s extended hand and spoke, “I’m more than committed to protecting Earth. Thank you for giving me another chance, Mister Wachowski.” Shadow thanked. Tom smiled, “Please. Call me ‘Tom’.” Tom said. Shadow smiled, “Thank you, Tom.”

Chapter Text

Away from Sonic and Shadow, Knuckles sniffed through the crowds of people, the echidna warrior hunting down Agent Stone with a strong focus and commitment. He pushed through the crowds, trying to identify the faces of the people and see if he could find Stone. “Not Stone. Not Stone. Definitely not Stone…” Knuckles said as he scanned every face for the identifying facial features of every person, trying to remember the features Stone had. Eventually, Knuckles made his way over to the front of the crowd and to the edge of the temporary stage that the weird Conman was standing on. Knuckles was then distracted by his searching when the man on the stage suddenly called out to the crowd and was looking straight at Knuckles. “Hey! You look like a man of business! Tell me, have you heard the news?” The zesty businessman asked Knuckles, lowering a microphone down to the echidna. Knuckles wasn’t sure how to respond, surprised by the strange man in a yellow and black zig zag suit suddenly drawing attention to him. Not wanting to look unconfident, Knuckles responded: “Of course I have! Nothing escapes my warrior eye!”

The man adjusted his suit as he struck a weird ‘Z’ looking pose with his body. “Zee’s the name! The future is my game. Tell me, have you heard of ‘Z-bros’?” The Conman asked Knuckles. Faking his confidence, Knuckles replied swiftly and with strong volume. “A formidable name! What are these creatures?” Knuckles asked. The Conman then pulled out his phone and showed the screen to Knuckles. On the screen, PNGs of ugly, cartoon Zebras began scrolling up the screen. They were various colors, had different apparels, and were named ridiculous names that Knuckles took as warrior titles. “These little critters are a new phase on the market, designed by yours truly! Each one is highly personalized and unique, tradable and equitize!” Zee advertised. Knuckles twinged a brow as he looked towards Zee suspiciously. “These do not look like strong warriors…one of them was wearing the hat of propellors…” Knuckles pointed out.

Zee made a gasp as he stood back in shock. “But I assure you, they are! They are my next strut of business! Soon, everyone will buy into my Z-bros and I will…I mean…everyone! Yes, Everyone! Will become richer beyond their wildest dreams! We’ll surpass the mainstream market and become gods of wealth!” Zee exclaimed with excitement. Knuckles, however, thought otherwise. “And how strong is this ‘Mainstream Market’? They sound like another one of your smaller foes to me.” Knuckles asked Zee. “Only the most dominating force this side of the US! It’s impossible to beat them unless you’ve a cunning plan of business!” Zee explained. Knuckles scoffed as he placed a fist onto his chest. “A true warrior defies what impossible is, then goes further. You sound like you need a stronger core my friend…a real ‘warrior training’ program.” Knuckles claimed.

The crowd was curious now. Had this creature found a way of outperforming the ‘mainstream market’ that no one, not even Zee, had heard of? What was this illustrious creature’s secret? Curious, Zee leaned down towards the Echidna warrior. “What kind of training?” Zee asked.

Over by the food trucks, Tails was flying with his two tails over the whole of the food carts and stands to see if he could spot Stone. After seeing his attempts of flying in the air were proving unsuccessful, he returned to the ground and continued on foot. The smell of the sweet and salty foods, the sound of sizzling meat on open griddles, and the sights of every food option before the two-tailed fox was enough to make his mouth water. “No! Focus Tails! We have a mission!” Tails spoke to himself as he continued through the crowds. Tails, reaching into a satchel on his waist, pulled out a small collection of dual-propellor drones that scanned various faces in secrecy around the fest. “That should cut down my hunting time for Stone by almost 50%!” Tails said to himself proudly.

As Tails continued the search for Stone, he came to a stand and saw the food being sold there was one of his all-time favorites: Mint Ice-cream. It wasn’t just any kind of ice cream though; this ice cream was made the old-fashioned way, with a homemade ice cream machine and even the toppings to make it the perfect sundae treat. Tails gasped in surprise, wanting desperately to order one of the ice creams for himself. “I got to stay on task! Oh…but it looks so good…” Tails whined. “I suppose…a small detour won’t hurt too much?” Tails tried to argue with himself. “Besides, the facial scanners should pick up on Stone if he is around here!”

After getting an ice cream sundae himself, Tails followed around his small little fox drones, keeping an eye out for Stone as he chowed down on the ice cream. “Mmmm…so good…” Tails said, loving every second of the ice cream. The sundae was three scoops of mint, with a topping of whipped cream and sprinkles, finished off with a big, red cherry on the top. “Heaven in a bowl!” Tails whispered with joy, biting into another spoonful of ice cream. As he continued down the strip, he came to a point where the crowds of people were beginning to separate. Realizing he was coming to the end of his corner to search for Stone, he began gathering his drones together to return back to the others. “Hmm…maybe Stone’s coffee stand is closer towards Sonic and Shadow’s side?” Tails spoke to himself.
As Tails continued down the path, He somehow met back up with Knuckles, who just shooed away the last of the Zee fan boys. “Train hard, men! Don’t let the things of today weigh you! Focus on being warriors for your future!” Knuckles exclaimed, with the other teen and young adult men pumped and wanting to follow the incredibly risky business plan that even Knuckles himself wasn’t sure he was selling. Tails looked towards Knuckles little crowd and asked what was up with the other humans. “They looked to be hanging onto every word you spoke!” Tails said with surprise. “I am a warrior of great strength! They wanted advice on being strong, independent warriors against the ‘Mainstream Market’ and its allies. I told them very good, calculated ideas for fighting such a clearly fearsome foe!” Knuckles explained. Tails raised a brow in confusion, but figured it best to let the weird shenanigans Knuckles was in go from his mind.

“Anyway! Any sign of Stone yet? I haven’t seen anything and neither has my scanners…” Tails explained, letting one of the drones fly close for Knuckles to see. Knuckles shook his head. “My warrior senses have failed me today, fox. But! I am still committed to finding this ‘coffee stand’ and forming our army against the ‘Black Arm’ threat!” Knuckles said with triumph in his voice.
His speech was interrupted by a voice coming from behind a strip of one of the tents, sounding like an agreement of some kind.

Curious, Tails and Knuckles began to tread lightly towards the voice. Knuckles took lead, ready to smash and destroy whatever was going on behind the tent. “Step. Step. Step. Step.” Knuckles said, with Tails looking towards him confused. “What? I am sneaking. This helps me focus on sneaking, fox.” Knuckles explained. As the duo peered around the corner, the two animal-people were able to see vaguely the situation taking place. Two people were standing face to face with each other, speaking like they were clearly doing something that they didn’t want anyone else listening in on. “Look, Henry just wants to talk about it. That’s it.” One of the voices said, the person seemingly apprehensive in telling the other person, a girl of roughly the same age, the instructions. The person talking to the girl was wearing a white and blue jacket, with an arm that looked made of metal and plastic to resemble a human hand. The girl making this other person uncomfortable, was wearing a black hoodie with a skull on the back that looked painted on. She was wearing a black backpack, looking like she packed as if she was on the run. The girl then responded back harshly to the other girl, growling. “I knew you weren’t back in town for no reason…I figured it when the police came to my grandma’s door. Do you know what kind of trouble you’re making me?” The girl interrogated, trying to frighten the other person. “You killed people, Emelyn! What you did killed so many people! I…I didn’t…”

Tails flinched at the name Emelyn, recognizing it as a name that Shadow had spoken about at some point. Wasn’t Emelyn a friend of Shadow’s? Was Emelyn in trouble for something and Shadow didn’t tell them? Knuckles then slowly began to pull out the Master Emerald from his pocket, with Tails making him put it back away. “Wait…let’s not get hasty…just wait, Knucks.” Tails explained to Knuckles in a low voice, of which Knuckles begrudgingly followed.

Without realizing, Tails stepped onto a twig, making a small sound that made Tails flinch. Emelyn turned her head towards the sound, just as Tails backed out of view to keep hidden. Tails covered his mouth, trying to stay as still and quiet as he could. For a few moments, Emelyn looked around behind her, looking for the source of the sound. When it seemed like she and Aary were still alone, Emelyn snuffed and then turned back towards Aary with a snap of her neck. She clenched her fist tight as she got right into the other person’s face, making Aary squeal back a step.

Emelyn then scoffed with a smile. “God…you’re as pathetic as you were back then. Whimpering here…What? You think you’re some hero? All you’re doing is causing me trouble, Aary.” Emelyn mocked. “Coming back here all this time…trying to tear me down. Did we forget who actually bought the weapon? Convinced me to do this in the first place? Sure, you got cold feet by the end but you and I both were sick of this nothing town! The least you could do is thank me for spicing up this town with a cool, gruesome story.” Emelyn laughed. Aary didn’t find any of the story funny, whimpering back: “You’re a monster, Em.”

Emelyn then folded her arms as she laughed. “Yeah…and it’s fun. Guess what though? Everything is going to get spicier, too. I got a ‘call’ from someone…someone who’s gonna solve my little problem you’ve caused for me and maybe, if things go as planned, you’ll have a place in everything too.” Emelyn explained. Emelyn then got up close to Aary’s face, whispering into their ear. “When the time comes, I’m going to ask you to make a choice. When I give the signal, I want you to…” Emelyn then whispered something into Aary’s ear, making the person have a confused look stretch onto their face. “I…I don’t understand what you’re asking me to do…who is…?” Before Aary could ask their question, Emelyn put a finger up to Aary’s lips. “You’ll understand it when you see it, okay? If I give the signal and you follow through, then you’ll have a place…if you don’t follow through…” Emelyn then backed up a few steps, smiling as she shrugged. “The choice is yours…see you soon, friend!” Emelyn chirped.
Suddenly, green light began glowing from her right hand and her feet. It was like Chaos Control, only more subdued and more like an afterburn than the full power. “But first…I’ve got to find someone. I suggest staying out of my way, Aary. Finally, some cool stuff is gonna happen around here.” Emelyn warned. Sure enough, like a lightning strike, Emelyn disappeared before Tail’s, Knuckles’, and Aary’s eyes. Aary backed up in confusion, completely shocked at what just happened. “W-what?! Emelyn! Where did…?” Aary said with a mix of fear and confusion. Did she just teleport?! What the hell just happened.

Knuckles, recognizing the threat had just left, then ran into the scene. “Have no fear! Knuckles the warrior is here! Fox! Did you see where the threat ran to?” Knuckles called to Tails. “Ah! Who are you!?” Aary exclaimed, taking a step back. Stepping in front of the on-edge echidna warrior, Tails held out a paw, shaking Aary’s hand. “The name’s ‘Tails’! My friend here is Knuckles! Was that girl yelling at you Emelyn? Shadow had talked about her like she was a friend…but that didn’t seem very friendly to me…” Tails asked. Knuckles then interjected into the conversation. “No ally speaks that way to a fellow solider, Fox. Whoever that was, was indeed a foe to be vanquished.” Knuckles announced, feeling smart in the situation. Aary sighed. “Great…so there’s more of you…First that Shadow guy, then you…What has Emelyn gotten herself into?” Aary asked themselves, ignoring Tails’ question. “Well, we’ve got much bigger fish to fry! Do you know where I could find a ‘Mister Stone’? He runs Mean Black Bean.” Tails asked. Aary, figuring the best thing to do was find Stone and Henry after her run in with Emelyn, explained: “Yes. They’re over by the south side! I’ve got to get to Henry…Emelyn is going to do something stupid, and I’ve got to stop her…I can’t let it happen again…” Aary warned, a look of fear on Aary as they spoke. Tails reached for his communicator to talk with the others and give his update on the situation, bug quickly realized he was grasping at air. The communicator on his belt was gone.

“Oh shoot! I must have left it at the ice cream stand!” Tails exclaimed. Tails looked towards Knuckles, “Knucks! You got your communicator?” Tails asked the echidna. Knuckles nodded, pulling to his side but finding nothing there. “What!? How can this be!? An Echidna Warrior should never lose possessions, especially ones gifted from allies! How did this happen!?” Knuckled exclaimed in frustration, looking around his environment to see if maybe he had dropped it. Tails sighed, turning back to Aary. The Fox then explained the situation as briefly as he could. “Look, me and my friends are trying to find Mister Stone before something really bad happens! Lead the way to Stone!” Tails explained to Aary.

The two began to talk, with Aary explaining some of the situation and who Emelyn was. “Emelyn was a friend of mine…until something really bad happened. Now we aren’t friends. She’s nuts.” Aary explained. “Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Stone was in on this…he was one of the bad guys who tried to end the world with some crazy space cannon…which is really Sci-fi fiction sounding when you say it aloud like that. The whole situation is absurd…” Aary admitted, thinking the whole of their situation being ridiculous.

“I wouldn’t worry! I was with the team that stopped them! Oh! Shadow is a good guy too, I promise! So is Stone and my other friends! Tom, Maddie…and of course Sonic!” Tails explained. Aary groaned. “How many of you are there!?” Aary exclaimed as the duo began to increase their pace down to Stone’s coffee stand. “Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady are human, just like you, Metal Hand Person.” Knuckles said, folding his arms in seriousness. Aary looked towards the echidna in confusion. “I’m sorry, what did you call me?” they asked, confused. “You have a metal arm. Henceforth! I call you Metal Hand! Now! Metal Hand, lead us to the ‘Man of Stone’. We have very serious preparations to begin for the coming war against the ‘Black Arm’ Army…” Knuckles explained. Tails then interjected, trying to spread positivity to Knuckles frightening statement. “Whatever Emelyn is up to, and with The Black Arms coming, we can definitely stop them before they kill the planet or something like that!” Tails spoke with a cheerful demeanor.

Aary looked down towards the two anthropomorphic creatures with a harrowing glare. “What the hell is a ‘Black Arm’?”

Chapter Text

She was so close now.

Maria had just entered into the town, running past a sign that read ‘Welcome to Scarlet Reach’ in red, cursive letters on a faded wood sign that was painted white. Just as the hedgehog clone entered the town, a flying force of power hit her to the ground and across the street. The roads were barren of people where they were in the town, with everyone already at the town gathering at the park. Both the aggressor and Maria were alone as they confronted one another. Maria groaned as she stood, seeing that the flying object was Rouge.

“I can’t let you blab the plan, Maria. This is bigger than both of us.” Rouge explained. Maria didn’t care, she knew that getting to Shadow was the most important thing to do right now. He needed to know of the threat that was coming, and Maria was determined to see her friend again. “You won’t stop me Rouge! I’m getting to Shadow on my own!” Maria exclaimed. Just as Maria was about to begin Air dashing away, Rouge grabbed the hedgehog by the ankle and threw her the opposite direction, crashing her against the concrete road. Maria bounced down the road a bit, cringing as she slid against the asphalt. “Ow…you could be a bit softer…” Maria groaned, trying to stand on her feet. Rouge then immediately slammed down her elbow onto Maria’s back, pushing her to the ground. “I’ve been trained for the last five years on ‘Shadow technique’ fighting. I, and my brother, are the two strongest Black Arm fighters out in the galaxy. You won’t beat me child.” Rouge explained, trying to get Maria to subdue. “Well…it’s a good thing I’m not fighting you then. I just want Shadow!” Maria gasped, trying to get air back into her lungs as she tried to get away.

Rouge wasn’t going to let it happen. As Maria tried to escape, Rouge was able to get the child back into her range. Rouge didn’t need her hearth powers to prevent the child from escaping. This was Rouge’s pure strength and flying capabilities on full display. Rouge was hoping the kid didn’t think of using her own powers, but when Maria realized there was no other option, suddenly the battle became shaky. Taking her free foot, Maria used her air shoes’ power to power kick right into Rouge’s face, knocking back the Black Guard and giving Maria an escape point. Maria, however, knew Rouge would be able to recover from the simple hit. Using the power of her boots, Maria then dashed towards the flung bat and slammed downwards with the full length of her leg towards the road to hit Rouge against the ground. The bat splattered on the ground and then bounced upwards by the force of the kick, with Maria then grabbing Rouge by the arm and spinning her around and into a building’s glass windows.
Glass splattered in all directions as the duo fought one another, with Maria following Rouge inside of the clothing store Maria had thrown her into. Rouge quickly tried to get up from the ground, ready to square up to the super solider who now was fighting out of desperation. The two forces then delved into a fist fight, both of them trying to swat at each other. Maria had no form, nor focus in her hits, giving Rouge the chance to fight back as she wasn’t being surprised by the sudden change in combat. “Changed your mind that quick? I thought you weren’t going to fight me, darling?” Rouge chided. “You didn’t give me a choice, monster!” Maria growled, surprising Rouge with another uppercut from her foot.

Rouge fell back towards the counter of the store, crashing through the wood counter and disappearing for aa second, before flying back into the fray from the dust cloud formed by the snapping of the wood counter and landing on top of Maria. “Watch the name-calling, darling! It’s not a good look for a sweet girl like yourself to be so nasty!” Rouge mocked, overpowering Maria for a moment.
The two continued to throw each other around for a few moments, with one getting a slight edge on the other for a second and then promptly losing it again. Suddenly, Rouge then had a moment where she was able to hold down Maria by just the heel of her boot, with Rouge getting a good look at the captive girl she had in her claws. “I’ll admit! Your gifted powers from Rockwell that mirror Shadow’s power is giving you an edge…but I already know Shadow’s move set! You can’t surprise me anymore, darling!” The Bat woman laughed, able to hold down the girl for a short moment before Maria then used her power shoes to blast away from underneath Rouge’s boot and through a wall to go to the next building over.

Frazzled, Maria tried to get up and escape. Rouge, watching from the other building, smiled as she dived for the girl to try and grab her again. Maria, in a quick flash of thought, then tried to dash to the side and grab Rouge by the arm. She fell right for Rouge’s trap, with Rouge stopping just short of Maria’s grasp and pulling the exact same move. Grabbing Maria’s arm, Rouge put all of her weight into swinging the hedgehog around, spinning faster and faster. When Rouge felt she was spinning fast enough, she released her grip on Maria, throwing the girl through the glass of the store and back out into the streets.

The ground cracked where Maria landed, the hedgehog groaning in the spot where she was thrown to. Maria’s vision was becoming hazy as she tried to regain composure, trying to get eyes on Rouge’s location. The sun’s light was making Maria squint as she tried to get back up to fight Rouge. Maria needed to win; she had to get to Shadow…but Rouge wasn’t letting it happen. Rouge then pinned the girl down once more with the heel of her boot, holding her hostage and not letting her go. Rouge’s massive bat wings extended as far out as they could, giving her this stance of power. The hearth in the center of Rouge’s chest began to glow bright pink, with a swirling storm of black inside that seemed to grow violent the more Rouge became angrier and angrier.

“Don’t you see? With the power of the Black Arms, we are so much more! Besides, I’m not trying to break your planet! We just need to be sure Shadow joins us and everything will be fine!” Rouge tried to explain. Maria grunted as she tried to pull Rouge’s boot off of her chest, the boot squeezing down on her body and making it hard to breathe. “And what then? He leaves forever? Earth gets taken over? Earth isn’t for monsters!” Maria growled, trying to continue fighting the super solider. “If we don’t convince Terios or Black Doom that Shadow is for the Black Arms, they’ll destroy Earth! If we can make them think Shadow is with them, conquering the planet in a sophisticated plot, then maybe we have a chance! I’m trying to help you!” Rouge spoke with exasperation, getting frustrated at the child’s lack of foresight into the bigger picture. “And why the heck should I trust you, Monster!?” Maria shouted.

Rouge, finally fed up with her plans not working, roared back: “Because I like this planet, too! Okay!?” Maria paused, looking towards the bat woman with a look of confusion. “What?” Maria asked, thinking maybe she misheard the bat woman. Rouge blushed in embarrassment, realizing she let her guard down. She sighed as she slowly decreased the pressure of the shoe on Maria, then slowly stepping backwards.

Rouge turned towards the mountains of the north, watching as the sun illuminated the peaks of the far away crests. The pink light and violent storm within the gem on Rouge’s chest began to lessen, until all that was left was just the storm and the visible cracks on the inside of the gemstone. Wind whipped through the makeshift battlefield of the street, making the white fur that made up Rouge’s hair flow in the wind. The bat mobian’s blue eyes traced the mountains longingly as Maria slowly began to stand, clutching her chest from the discomfort of Rouge’s shoe. There was a silence between the girls as they stood in the street together, with Rouge continuing to look to the mountains in the distance. Maria watched as Rouge sighed, sitting down on the ground and placing her gloved claws in her lap.
Maria saw a chance to run, wanting to take it…but something stopped her. Maria watched as Rouge silently looked towards the sky and mountains, the mobian not moving from the spot on the ground. Maria took a few steps forward, testing to see if Rouge would grab her or surprise her. Then, when Maria was finally close enough to Rouge, she sat down next to her and looked towards the mountains. From where the duo was sitting, you had a clear view of the mountains from the small street of town. The street was still silent of activity other than the Mobians, allowing the girls to talk together alone. “It was a lot like your home…” Rouge began, reminiscing her homeland as she looked towards the mountains. “Valleys…caves…oceans…and those beautiful mountains. One of the first few things I did when I arrived here was fly through them. I missed that…” Rouge lamented, gazing towards the cliffs beyond as she continued to talk to Maria. “There was a moment, for just a brief second, that I felt like I was home again…that I still had my precious gems from home my father always gifted to me when he came home…back when I was wealthy and royalty.” Rouge elaborated, slowly removing her gloves from her claws.

Maria looked down towards the claws, the whole of her claws filled with scars and blisters from all of her training and fighting throughout the cosmos. The tips of the claws were sharp like nails, sharpened with the express purpose to kill. “These claws…they weren’t meant for death…but Doom sculpted them just for that. When my home was destroyed by bandits, he took me in. He gave me this gem and he said I was his. ‘A warrior to be’ he said to me, that I had ‘a greater purpose’. Yet, every time he sent me to a planet to destroy, I felt like my heart broke just a little more every time.” Rouge explained, taking out the hearth gemstone in the center of her chest piece.

Maria looked towards the stone, seeing cracks inside of the gem were beginning to form as Rouge held the gem in her hands. “Then…this began. Small cracks beginning to form within the gem. I could tell the gem didn’t like what I was doing neither, but it was our duty. It was how I could repay Doom for saving me. It wasn’t until recently that I wondered, ‘Why?’, ‘Why was my gem beginning to break? Was I doing something wrong?’. How silly I feel now…” Rouge admitted. Maria looked towards Rouge’s eyes as she asked the bat a question. “Why do you think the gem is breaking?”
Rouge shed a small tear that puddled by the bottom of her eye. Her mouth whimpered an answer as the bat tried to control herself. “I think Shadow was onto something…and I hate that he may be right.” Rouge explained. “I’ve been trying to balance GUN, Shadow, and Doom in their demands in secret. I wanted to see if I could keep this planet, bring Shadow onto the team, and subdue GUN if they interfered. There was something Shadow had explained to me, something I had never considered before, was that the gem I had given him that was like this one here had been acting strange. It seemed…alive. It had feelings and wants, anger and happiness. When he told me this, I wondered if maybe my own gem had something similar; if that was the cause of the cracking within my gem. It wasn’t until I thought about it more that I think now, especially in this moment, it makes sense to me. My gem doesn’t want to destroy this planet like the others we’ve destroyed before.” Rouge explained.
Maria then scooted up closer to Rouge, watching the storm inside of the hearth gem twirl and shake. Black thunder inside of the gem crackled within the gem, an evil power inside that was harboring negative energy that wanted nothing more than to break free. “Then why work for him? Why humor it? You have the power to fight back! I mean, you were throwing me around pretty good…” Maria said, trying to stretch out her sore arm that Rouge had grabbed onto to throw her around the street.

Rogue sighed, “It’s not that simple, darling. Black Doom, he is an incredibly frightful force. With the whole of the Black Arm’s on his side, along with…him…it’s practically impossible!” Rouge explained. Maria wasn’t sure the best way to comfort Rouge. It sounded like Rouge was afraid of a certain person within Black Doom’s army that was particularly powerful. With a hesitancy, Maria asked: “Who is ‘him’?” Rouge looked towards the sky and growled his name: “Terios the Beast.”

“When he was recruited, he was already a powerful force on his home planet, The Bethel Galactic. They were a collection of planets with the Bethel Solar System. Terios was a warrior who was considered a grand champion…but he wanted more. When the Black Arms came, they wanted to recruit him for the ranks. Driven by the excitement of becoming the champion of the cosmos, he took it without hesitance. He was given the Might Emerald, and ever since he’s destroyed more than a dozen planets for the Black Arms…and he trained me. He’s the strongest thing alive, short of Black Doom himself…he is everything Shadow could be.” Rouge explained. As she continued, there was a choke in her voice.

“Doom initially wanted Terios to come down, but when I saw the report of the planet…I had to see it for myself. Coming down here, it was one of the most wonderful places I’d ever seen. Mountains so high that they became snowy peaks, deserts so long they stretched for miles. There were rivers and oceans that went so deep you couldn’t see the bottom. Everything was so beautiful. It was just like Alanth. It was then, I looked for the people who were in charge of this planet, and I wanted to do everything I could to make sure nothing happened to it. That maybe this planet could transfer peacefully, and nobody would be hurt. I could make sure this place wasn’t hurt.” Rouge spoke softly. Rouge then scoffed at her own statement, placing the cracking hearth gemstone back into her center chest piece. “What a fool I was for thinking it.” Rouge grunted.

Maria wasn’t sure what to say to Rouge. Not just five minutes ago, Maria was sure that whoever Rogue was working for was clearly evil, making Rouge that same thing. Yet, just like Shadow, there was a softness inside of Rouge that Maria could see. There was something about her that seemed just like him. Rouge seemed to genuinely want to keep the Earth safe, no matter what it took…but for the mobian, that seemed so difficult. She lived with this conquest-driven gang of monsters, knew their strength, and that alone told her that it would be impossible. Maria, standing from her spot on the ground, then looked towards Rouge and held out a hand. “Come on. Up with you.” Maria said with a calm, sensitive smile. Rouge looked to the girl with a confused look, not understanding what Maria was doing. “Well? Let’s go find Shadow and let him know what’s coming! You want to stop them, yeah? Keep Earth safe? If you want Earth, then you’ll have to stand with it! Fight for it! The only way to do that, is by defending it. Defend it with all your heart!” Maria encouraged, wanting to help Rouge up to her feet.

The bat mobian looked to the paw hand of the girl before her. Rouge knew that if she did decide to decent for this planet, there was a chance she was going to die. That fear, the fear that she wouldn’t be strong enough, was something deep rooted inside her that kept her locked in that box. She would destroy her life with Black Doom, knowing that she’d be safe in the arms of the conqueror if she continued with his plot. Yet, this planet, there was something about it. Whether because it reminded her of home, or because it made her feel safe again like she did as a young child, was unclear. If Rouge did this, there was no going back.

“Maria. I’m afraid…I don’t want to lose a home again.” Rouge whimpered to the child, a small bit of the black mascara on her eyes beginning to liquidate as she shed a few more tears. Maria smiled down wider towards Rouge. “You won’t. I promise. We find Shadow, we tell him the truth of what’s happening. Maybe we can make some kind of a home for you in the mountains! You seem to really like them.” Maria noticed, still holding out her paw for Rouge.

Rouge looked towards the paw, thinking silently for a moment. She looked down to the wrist constraints on her wrists that kept her true inner power of the gem from working. In a way, they were similar to the chains she felt when she thought of Black Doom. They always destroyed what didn’t join them, never staying in one place. Was what she experienced with GUN the same thing? She was now bound down by two armies, both using her for their personal gain to destroy something important. Now? In this moment, Rouge had a sudden sense of clarity. GUN could be handled later, but this was the chance to make things right.

With a strong grip, Rouge took to Maria’s hand and hoisted herself up. The two girls shook paw and claw on the understanding they shared with each other, nodding their heads in agreement. “50 years gave you some good wisdom, didn’t they?” Rouge asked Maria. Maria had to stop for a moment and think on it. “Actually, it really just felt like I was asleep for a really long time. I’ve got a lot of catching up on Earth I got to do myself. Maybe, when this is over, me, you, and Shadow could go around the country together! Oh! I wonder if the Twin Central Towers back in New York are done! Those places had the coolest stores!” Maria spoke with excitement. Rouge, excited for whatever Maria was talking about, smiled alongside her. “Right! But first, I got to get these infernal-”.

Before Rouge could finish her statement, a polyester net suddenly wrapped around the duo and threw them to the ground. The net was tight around the duo as they tried to break out. Suddenly, a giant machine was upon the duo. Maria and Rouge looked up to the red and grey robot, the green eyes of the machine looking down towards its catch. A dozen flying machines, along with a few rolling machines on the ground, were surrounding the girls. Omega kneeled down towards the duo, speaking with an audible excitement but lack of facial features due to a lack of face. “Well! Look what the bat dragged in! Rouge, right? Sup’ girl! Hate to do this, but I think Shadow better know you’re hangin’ around these parts.” The robot explained, taking up his prizes.

Chapter Text

Tom and Maddie went off in another direction after Tom saved Sonic from another round of shopping with Maddie, leaving the two hedgehogs to continue their search. Tom promised they wouldn’t be too far, before Maddie scooped up her husband and the duo disappeared into the crowds once more. Shadow, still thankful of Tom’s forgiveness, then continued the search for Stone within the fest. Shadow was the first to see them, seeing Stone talking with a whole host of people within a corner of the park. They didn’t seem to be by any kind of coffee stand, making Shadow confused on what was going on. Shadow ran towards Stone, seeing who was accompanied Stone was Henry and a few other humans. “Stone!” Shadow called out as he got closer to Stone, dashing over towards the man and Sonic following close behind. Stone sighed in relief when he saw Shadow, then took note of Sonic. “Well, if it isn’t Sonic! Good to see you well!” Stone welcomed. Sonic folded his arms and raised a brow towards Stone. “Ha! The weird barista does live! How’s it hanging goat milker?” He asked Stone, before taking notice to Henry. Sonic’s eyes went wide when he saw the look of the Ivo look alike. Shadow wasn’t kidding, the dude looked almost exactly like Robotnik, with a few differences here and there. “Yowza! You weren’t kidding! That dude literally looks like Egghead! Although, I like the beard! It’s a nice touch! It’s giving Santa vibes but if he was a lumberjack.” Sonic said, raising a paw to shake Henry’s hand. “Sonic The Hedgehog! Kinda the savior of the world like three times in a row, no biggie!” Sonic said with a prideful expression. Henry scoffed with amusement at the little creature. He took note of the bright blue look of Sonic, the creature really standing out in Henry’s vision.

“Henry Robotnik. I promise you, I’m no threat.” Henry introduced. “Also, I don’t think I’ve ever had someone call me ‘Santa’ before. Who is Egghead though?” Henry asked Sonic. “He was my rival but then he sacrificed himself in space to keep the planet from exploding into a billion pieces. He kind of wanted to steal my powers and super speed to try and take over the world! But I’m sure Stone caught you up to speed on that!” Sonic said, looking back and forth between Stone and Henry. Sonic then noticed a sudden tension between the two for a second, suddenly less confident in the answer. “Oh….you didn’t. Well Stone is totally a good guy now! He makes a killer coffee from what I’ve heard!” Sonic spoke, trying to recover the conversation. “Meh, I’ve worked with him. If he was willing to save the world then, he can help this town too.” Henry said, shifting his slight frown to a novice smile. Stone smiled himself, gracious Henry didn’t decide to pummel him.

Shadow, trying to avoid distractions, then tried to explain the situation of the Chaos Emerald and the coming Black Doom invasion. “Stone! Tails and a dream I had with the Chaos Emerald have given me some explanations to what is to come! I’ve already rallied Omega and the badniks! They should be here soon! With the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emerald, and hopefully if we can take down Rouge, we can have the Hearth Emerald. We could fight against the Black Doom Invasion!” Shadow explained, trying to take the task before them seriously.

Stone raised his brows in surprise, then looked to the other people around him. Shadow hadn’t noticed, but behind Henry were a collection of other people. Dennis and Shea, who both were surprised by Sonic and had heard of everything they were talking about looked slightly worried. Another person also in the collective was an older gentleman that Henry had given a call to for their own little situation that was unfolding was with them as well. “What’s this about an ‘invasion’?” Terry, Aary’s father had asked. The older man had very similar features to Aary. With the shorter hair, smaller nose and eyes, and even having a frame of glasses that he applied when he asked his question. The man was dressed in an autumn yellow sweater and cargo pants. A few grey hairs on his head were telling of his age and his stress, and Shadow was sure he saw a few more appear when the mention of an ‘invasion’ slipped Shadow’s lips.

Another group, who were the first to bring everyone together, was Mister and Missus Hudson. The pair of older people looked towards Shadow with a mix of awe and confusion. Mister Hudson was the first to speak up. “I told yah, Marge! That Shadow boy didn’t sound right to me! Emelyn was talkin’ of this strange creature and I knew it sounded dangerous! What’s this of an ‘invasion’ you ol’ rat?” Hudson barked, now worried his home town was in danger. Missus ‘Marge’ Hudson kicked one of the old man’s shin’s lightly, getting him to correct his tone. “Oh, stop it, Angus! The poor creature is on our side!” She chastised to the old man.

Shadow, not wanting to be distracted by frivolous matters, then restated his point to Stone. “Stone! We need to prepare immediately! I believe Black Doom may be on the way!” Shadow explained. Stone, recognizing the importance of Shadow’s problem, also had his own brewing. “Look, world ending catastrophe, locked that down. We deal with them every Tuesday. One slightly problematic issue: Have you seen Emelyn? We need to find her ASAP.” Stone explained. Shadow was confused on why Emelyn would be brought up now of all moments. “I hardly see why that’s important to the current problem. She seemed fine to me.” Shadow said, folding his arms as he looked towards the group of humans.

Sonic was the one to actually answer the question, pointing in a direction to where he and Shadow had seen the girl run off to. “She went back that a way! Why? Did something happen?” Sonic asked, now curious of what Shadow’s friend had been up to. Stone and Henry looked to each other and then to Shadow. Stone then got down on a knee and looked into Shadow’s eyes, then held Shadow’s paw tightly with his hands. “Shadow…I learned something today. Something really bad. I know you have a lot going on but this is really important.” Stone prefaced with Shadow. Shadow looked towards Stone with a gaze of confusion. Stone seemed to struggle to find the words to describe the situation, knowing what he did now about what Emelyn had done in the past. “What do you mean?” Shadow asked Stone, confused.

Stone took as a breath as he began to speak. “Emelyn may not be a very good person. It’s come to my attention something really bad happened a long time ago that hurt some people…and Henry and the others here are trying to make that right.” Stone explained to Shadow. Shadow looked towards all of the humans, seeing a look of worry and concern on all of them of various shapes. Shadow was confused, looking to Stone with a slightly worried look. “I don’t understand. They know what we attempted to do, right? What could Emelyn have done to hurt people that was worse than us? Sure, she’s a bit daft sometimes, but she has a good heart. She’s a lot like Maria that way.” Shadow spoke. Stone lowered his head and tried to bite his tongue, trying to explain this situation slowly.

Henry folded his arms and looked down towards Shadow, knowing full well what Shadow was thinking…he had thought the same way once. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, Son.” Henry explained. “You actively stopped the threat, heck, you only did it because you were suffering…From what Stone told me, you acted in frustration and sadness…this wasn’t the same, Shadow.” Henry spoke for Stone, who looked like he was upset himself. Stone was slightly shaking as he looked back towards Shadow. Shadow, now worried for his friend and his mentor, came in closer to Stone. Stone’s voice was shaky as he talked to the hedgehog “Shadow. You were one of the few things after everything happened that kept me together. I would have fallen apart if it wasn’t for you.” Stone admitted, making Shadow even more concerned. Putting his worries of Black Doom aside, Shadow listened in to what Stone had to say.

Stone, starting from the beginning, tried to softly explain the situation. “Back a long time ago, this town had something very special. Scarlet Reach was famous for the ‘Scarlet Pier’. Now, it burned down some odd years ago but they never caught who did it…well, Aary, the kid of that gentleman over there, Mister Terry, has some good evidence for who it was.” Stone explained. Stone then left the floor for Terry to pick up, the older man seeing his que to speak. “Aary, my kid, had backed up their newest phone and discovered an old video that we were able to download and bring forward. It’s Emelyn…and she…” Terry shivered, along with the others showing their discomfort of the situation. Henry, realizing Stone was struggling, decided to be the one who spoke the full truth of the matter. He spoke clearly and with perfect poise. “Emelyn lit the firework that burned down the Pier. Now, we’re trying to find her. We’re trying to bring justice.” Henry explained.

Shadow looked towards Stone in confusion, who had nodded along with what Henry had spoken. “Emelyn isn’t malicious! She’s your niece!” Shadow tried to argue. “I know…but I can’t just let this go, Shadow.” Stone explained. Shadow wasn’t the closest to Emelyn, but she was kind enough on the outside. It just seemed so sudden of an accusation. “Are you sure it was her? 100%?” Shadow asked the group, of which they unanimously agreed on their stance. Sonic placed a paw on Shadow’s shoulder, trying to offer support of some kind to the hedgehog. Shadow, however, still seemed unconvinced. “No…that can’t be. Emelyn isn’t a monster…she can’t be.” Shadow growled under his breath.

“Sonic! Shadow!” Tails called out from the distance. The yellow fox, Knuckles, and Aary were running towards the collection of people, seemingly worried. The trio seemed to have been running the whole time to get over to this side of the fair, gasping for air when they finally made it to the full group. “You found Stone! Good! Listen, something weird is going on-” Tails began, but Knuckles spoke over him. “There is a magical girl on the loose! She has powers of teleportation and was aggressing ‘Metal Hand’ that stands beside me! The powers were similar to yours, Hedgehog!” Knuckles explained, pointing to Shadow as he spoke. Shadow gasped in surprise. “W-what!? That can’t be! No-one can handle my powers!” Shadow growled in surprise. Shadow then gasped when he realized what could have occurred. “It’s possible…when she was lightly shocked by the Chaos Power of the Chaos Emerald, she gained some of my abilities like how Dark Rider can use my powers…” Shadow hypothesized.

Sonic and Stone both looked to each other after Knuckles words, realizing the serious danger they were suddenly in. Sonic then gave a guess at the description of the aggressing party. “Short girl, black hair and psycho-looking eyes, black backpack?” Sonic asked, hoping that it wasn’t Emelyn they were talking about. Knuckles then nodded. “Yes. That is an exact description. You have seen this scary lady already, Sonic?” Knuckles asked. The group looked amongst one another, with Aary suddenly speaking up. “Henry! She’s going to do something! She told me! We need to get out of here before it happens! Warn someone! Weren’t the police going to arrest her as soon as they could?” They asked Henry. Henry sighed as he explained the situation. “Someone either tipped her off or she was already busy. She wasn’t at the house when the cops came. Emelyn’s folks here had come to us asking for answers…the police missed her.” Henry explained.

The whole group looked slightly disturbed with one another, unsure of what to say to one another. Sonic then spoke up among the group. “Then we need to start looking! Shadow, this may be way more serious than before!” Sonic explained, putting the pieces of the puzzle in his head together. Shadow, not quite following Sonic’s logic, asked for him to elaborate. “I’m not a mind reader, Hedgehog. What are you talking about?” He asked. “Remember how in your dream, Doom said he was getting a warrior ‘One way or another’? You don’t think he meant Emelyn, right?” Sonic asked Shadow. Shadow scoffed at the ridiculousness of the claim. “Black Doom would want someone stronger. He would want someone like Knuckles or you, Sonic.” Shadow explained. Sonic and Knuckles looked to each other and then to Shadow, both feeling moved by Shadow’s surprisingly kind words. “Your words of my greatness are a great honor, Shadow.” Knuckles spoke with pride. “I said someone LIKE you, don’t get it twisted.” Shadow corrected. The group seemed uncertain of what their next move should be, trying to think of how they could find Emelyn. “If Emelyn does have some of your power somehow, we do need to find her! Especially if she’s planning to do something dangerous as Aary claims.” Tails interjected. That was something the group could agree on. Missus Hudson then asked the small group of critters a question. “What exactly does this ‘Black Doom’ intend to do with our grandchild?” She asked worryingly.

Shadow suddenly felt a throbbing headache immediately take over his senses. There was a throb like someone was trying to break his skull open, making the hedgehog grasp his head in pain. Shadow squeezed his eyes closed as he tried to fight through the raking pain within his skull. “Arg! What in the hell?!” Shadow groaned, falling to his knees as something began to happen around the town. Something had happened, what exactly it was that changed was unclear at first. Then, a sound began to echo around Shadow, making the hedgehog flinch from the noise. “Shadow…it’s time to choose.” A low, gravelly voice spoke that Shadow instantly recognized. Shadow opened his slightly teary eyes, looking around and seeing a creature floating in the distance in the sky. It looked like the same creature from the park from a couple days ago, with six black tentacles around a central yellow and red eyes that stared towards Shadow with an intensity unmatched.

The last time Shadow had seen this creature, it was within Chaos Control…this time, it was here for real. Whatever this creature was, it was here and it was ready for him. Shadow looked towards the star in the sky, the creature itself no bigger than him in size by the angle Shadow had when looking up towards the heavens. Shadow’s eyes then saw movement behind the creature that made him shift focus, looking towards the form behind the star monster. Shadow gasped as he saw the size of the vessel that was just beyond the atmosphere. A massive, black form the shape of an oval was hovering in the air. The smoke that had enveloped Shadow’s dream being faintly visible in the distance as the shape became bigger and bigger with time by getting closer to the planet.

Shadow pointed towards the shapes in the sky, making everyone turn their heads and look. The whole of the group stood in shock as one by one they all observed the six-tentacled star in the sky and then the giant structure slowly approaching Earth. The giant shape was like a rock, with black and red tentacles leaking from cracks in the rock that acted like limbs of a giant monster. The star monster that Shadow had seen first them came down closer to Shadow, floating now about 20 feet from Shadow as it continued to stare the hedgehog down. Everyone had noticed the creature, looking towards both it and the giant shape in the sky.

Other people then began to notice the giant rock-shaped thing with tentacles in the sky throughout the fair, with many people pulling out their phones and recording what was happening. Some people had also begun recording the star creature that was staring towards Shadow, watching the shape intensely. “What is that thing?” People throughout the fair began to ask in their own words and sentences. Everyone made room around Shadow as Shadow stared the star down. “Black Doom…is this you? You look thinner than I imagined.” Shadow growled towards the eye, which then floated closer to Shadow. Red light suddenly spirted from the front of the creature, making a holographic projection of a creature before Shadow that looked closer to the form Shadow had seen in his dream.

A tall, ghostly form with two long horns jutting to the side of the stump-like head stared down towards Shadow. The form wore a fanciful robe of black and slight hints of red, with a glimmering necklace of colorful gems around his neck that flowed down his robe. Giant, golden cuffs lay by the wrists of the three-clawed beast that its claws extended like it was offering Shadow a hug. The three eyes of the creature were bright orange, like glowing embers of fire that were powerful and mystical. The beast spoke in hauntingly beautiful lyric, making him sound enlightened within the dark powers he had had under his control. “It is time to choose your path, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

Chapter Text

Black Doom spoke with a high demeanor, making himself sound as important as he saw himself to be before the eyes of the masses. The monstrous beast spoke further to Shadow, hoping to gain more information about his creation than from second hand sources and spy reports. “I hope you have come to understand the important of your destiny since we last spoke. Where is Rouge? Has she spoken with you since our last encounter?” Black Doom asked Shadow. Shadow clasped his paws as he denounced Black Doom. “Must I repeat myself, Demon? Earth is my home! I promised to protect it, no matter the cost! You wish harm on my home; of this I know! Leave, while you still can…” Shadow threatened, ready to fight the foe before him.

The air was still for a moment, as everyone looked on in fear. Dennis and Shea hid behind Henry, who had his hands up as he shielded the duo from the cosmic threat before them. Aary was standing next to their dad, afraid of the creature but not backing down. Tails gasped in fright at the sight of the beast, cowering backwards as Knuckles instantly recognized the devil from the murals of his old home. Knuckles family had spoken of this beast before, speaking of it in fairy tales that would be passed around the village. What Knuckles wasn’t expecting was how similar to the fairy tale version of Black Doom the real Doom truly was. Stone couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He periodically looking down towards Shadow, who was fixated on the beast. Stone mouthed prayers that hoped Shadow knew what he was doing, with Stone ready to hop into action should the opportunity present itself. Sonic, however, had the most interesting reaction. Sonic swore he had seen this creature before. He wasn’t sure where, but there was something about the voice and the form that it looked eerily similar to something he had seen before. Did Longclaw talk about Black Doom before and he just didn’t remember?

Black Doom suddenly began to laugh. His tone and charisma suddenly shifted to something a little more casual, almost like Black Doom was humored by Shadow’s attempt to go against him. “Alright, I understand. Listen, let me explain this a bit more clearly what is happening here.” Black Doom began, taking humor in that his own creation was acting so defiantly. “I made you, okay? I made you, I waited a good long time, and I really could use you now. I’ve got way too much riding on this and I need you to understand the severity of the situation you’re in right now.” Doom explained, starting to sound more exhausted with the repeated attempts Shadow has had fighting against the Black Arms. “You leave me no choice! I have to teach you a lesson! I have to remind you who I am the best way I can think of; through strength! That seems to bend you straight from what the reports have told me.” Black Doom explained.

Not swayed by Black Doom’s words, Shadow kept his stance. “I won’t back down, Black Doom! I’m not afraid of you! I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM!” Shadow exalted, puffing out his chest as he roared towards the beast.

The beast roared back, somehow louder that Shadow and in a way that made Black Doom look more like a savage animal than a demonic priest. The demon’s more postured demeanor seemed to balloon as the veins of his skin and face began to glow bright red and orange with fury. In a fit of sudden rage, Black Doom then began to rant poetically towards Shadow, showing his true frustrations with Shadow and his inability to follow through with his destiny within the ‘Black Arms’.

“I am the Ultimate Creator! You think I need a reminder on what you are? I know you’re an Ultimate Life Form! I know your Chaos Control! I made it! I designed it! I made you! Everything you are, could be, would be, should be, want to be, was designed by meticulous, interwoven, microscopic, and precise detail! Down to the quills, you are everything I ever wanted and desired from a ‘Black Arm’! You are perfect! That is precisely why this infuriates and amuses me! You think you are above me, yet you know NOTHING of the power I wield! I could destroy your planet in an instant should I feel the desire! I’ve watched since your conception, your awakening 50 years later, and your time here in Scarlet Reach! Countless hours of reports and observance! I thought maybe after all of the difficulty and the struggle with GUN that you would be angry enough, strong enough, mighty enough, to slay and destroy this planet on your own! But no! You refuse! You act with humanity and with this disgusting need to be ‘good’ and ‘loving’! You make these alliances with traitorous echidnas as I see before me with that blasted red runt behind you!”

Shadow, surprised by the genuine contempt this creature seemed to have at this very moment, suddenly was very afraid of this creature. Was it truly so omnipotent that it saw all of what Shadow had gone through? How much did this creature know of him? Did it know of Maria? “Now that I see, with my own eyes, that you are so against our terms, I believe that perhaps all of this time I wasted on the wrong source. Rouge had failed to encourage you, you failed your own purpose, and I ignored the true potential of the forms around me…I made a miscalculation…and for that, I shall never forgive myself for such a transgression…on the other hand…” Black Doom began, suddenly placing the tips of his claws together, he began to formulate a new set of plans. “I have discovered something truly powerful here. I found a warrior I know can do exactly what I need. All I need is for them to have a power source like my other Black Guards. Once I defeat you, I saw collect Rouge and this other warrior, and I shall continue through the universe to claim what is rightfully mine.” Black Doom plotted.

Sonic, feeling a boil of defiance begin to surface beneath his soul, had his own words to give the creature from beyond the darkest pits of the cosmos. “HEY! That isn’t going to happen! We’ve gone through too much to lose our home, and we’re not losing it now!" Sonic yelled towards the god of death. Doom then turned towards Sonic, scoffing. “Ugh…YOU. I didn’t think I’d see another Sonic…” Doom growled, before ignoring Sonic entirely. Sonic, Shadow, and everyone else looked towards Doom with a look of confusion. “What does that mean?” Shadow asked with a raised brow. Doom, finding a slight humor in the situation he was more aware of than clearly even ‘Sonic’ himself, refused to elaborate. “Don’t worry yourselves with it. Pretty soon, you’ll be gone anyway. Shadow…If you truly wished to go against me, then I shall send my greatest warrior to prove to you what you’ve missed being this foolish.” Black Doom threatened. Shadow, still defiant, growled back, “I’ll never join your pantheon of sin! I stand for the beauty of Earth, you wretch!” Shadow growled.

Black Doom smiled as he spoke, “Good”. The Hologram of Doom disappeared, the Demon Star that created the projection then floating away back towards the ship and the group left alone for the current moment. The sky was slowly becoming redder as the sun was slowly beginning to set on the horizon, making the people of the town worry for nightfall. People were watching on towards the giant mass in the sky that was resembling that of a war ship, watching in terror for what would change. Shadow and crew looked towards each other in worry as they were waiting for something to change within the environment. Police were entering into the fair, making sure everyone was okay and everyone watching on towards the giant shape in the sky. To call the vessel above a ship was a misnomer. It looked like a giant asteroid with black and red tentacles tha omitted ashy smoke. It was like the ship itself was a monster, wanting to parasite off of Earth and destroy it entirely to make more of itself. Smaller asteroids with tentacles and beady yellow eyes were at the wings of the massive ‘mothership’, aching to touch down.

Tom and Maddie, seeing things were changing, finally met back with Shadow and the others. “Sonic! What’s going on?” Tom asked, as Sonic looked towards his guardian with a look of worry. “I…don’t know…Shadow?” Sonic asked, looking towards his friend. Shadow himself looked worried too, the hedgehog looking around to the other people of the town who were looking towards the sky. Shadow sighed as he looked towards his ‘heritage’, his bloodline, hovering above them.

Shadow sighed as he clenched his fists. They were here because of him, weren’t they? If Shadow had crashed somewhere else, these people wouldn’t be in danger…but would Shadow have even been himself? Probably not. Whatever these beasts above were, they were what was deep within his bones. His very DNA was from these monsters, but his active defiance was what allowed him to protect these people. Shadow felt embarrassed that these creatures above them were his history before his birth, but he also wasn’t afraid of it now. He had Sonic, He had Stone, and he knew that if Maria were here, she would be proud of him too. “Don’t be afraid, friends. Sonic, you’ve saved the world three times before, yeah? Ready for a fourth?” Shadow asked, looking towards Sonic with a devious smile and an outstretched paw. Sonic, seeing that Shadow was unafraid, walked over to his friend. Sonic then looked towards Knuckles, shouting, “Hey Knucks? The Master Emerald?”

Knuckles, seeing what the duo were planning, reached for the Master Emerald to hand it to his friends. “I mean it Hedgehogs, treat it with respect.” Knuckles said, allowing the hedgehogs to borrow the power of the mighty Master Emerald to stop this threat. Knuckles handed off the gem to Sonic. Shadow then explained Sonic’s part of the fight, making sure Sonic was aware of what battle strategy he had in mind. “Now Sonic, should we get separated, I’ll rely on the Chaos Emerald to fight. It will be a two verses one kind of fight. Be ready…” Shadow spoke to Sonic, who gave a thumbs up. “Right behind you, Shadow! These guys have no idea what they’re getting into!” Sonic encouraged.

As Shadow and the others looked towards each other, readying themselves for the threat to come, something was fast approaching the surface of the earth. A small meteor with tentacles so red you’d thought it was blood, and speed so fast that when the rock crashed into the ground about 30 feet from Shadow and the others, it broke the ground around it. The blast pushed people back a few inches, with Shadow and Sonic trying to stay strong to the blast. Was the ship going to throw meteors at them? People were now beginning to panic behind them, stepping back even further to give the hedgehogs and this rock space.

Tails and Knuckles joined with Sonic and Shadow on the battlefield that was forming for the group, with Tom, Maddie, Stone, Henry, and everyone else backing up to give them room. “What the hell is that!?” Mister Hudson barked, beginning to wonder if he should have listened to that ‘alien conspiracy podcast’ that Emelyn listened to regularly.

From the smoke of the meteor, a form began to emerge. The shape was similar in size to Sonic and Shadow, with thick, dark blue and grey quills that sparkled with red energy. The form had pointy ears like a wolf, with tuffs of black fur in the ears. The creature had boots and gauntlets of gold and red metal, with spikes on the wrists and cuffs of the armor. A giant red cape billowed behind the form, with the symbol of a four-point diamond on the back with an inner dark red swirl for the shape. The shoulders of the cape had golden points, giving the creature a more royal-like appearance. The creature had two gold earrings that had the same diamond shape as the cape, giving a styled look to the creature. Only one of the eyes of the creature were visible, the other was covered by a golden eyepatch that had a bright red gem in the center that shimmered with red energy. A huge scar going down the same side of the creature’s eye patched eye, with the scar glowing bright red like it was trying to heal the wounded eye underneath and open scar, but couldn’t. The visible eye was dark grey and soulless, giving a fierce stare as it looked towards Its opponent.

The creature stepped forwards, the true size of the monster being taller than all the other Mobians by at least a foot. There was something in the stance of the creature that gave him this look of superiority that made even Shadow wince back. Suddenly, the serious glare of the beast faded, changing to a handsome smile. “Prince Shadow Chaos Doom, we finally have the chance to meet.” The creature began, his voice sounding aged and gruff. He sounded incredibly similar to Shadow, from tone to cadence. “I’ve hoped to have the chance to finally meet my successor in person! Now, I must ask, have you seen Rouge? She was supposed to speak with you on the matters of your heritage…”

Right as the creature said the words, the sound of an Omega flying in began to echo from behind Sonic and Shadow. Omega landed onto the ground, having just flown into the center of town after he saw the collision. The last of the badniks were right behind him, all poised to attack whatever monster was coming their way. Along with the badniks, the massive Crab tank arrived along with everyone else, cracking the ground as it landed with Omega. Carrying over Omega’s shoulders, suspended in a fiber cable net, was a mysterious hedgehog of golden quills and the very bat woman that the alien super hedgehog had just asked for. “Shadow! Who’s the guy we’re beating up?” Omega asked, ready to throw down as he placed the net of his captives to the ground. Shadow looked towards the bat woman in the net, astonished once more at Omega’s skill. “Omega!? How did you capture Rouge!?” Shadow asked in surprise. “pfff! Easy! Got her while she was moaning something to the other lady. I dunno who she is though…YO who’s the grey alien dude over there?” Omega asked, pointing towards the decorated intruder.

Rouge gasped when she looked towards the creature, with a look of defeat on her face as she recognized the face. Things were still for a moment, before the intruder began to burst out laughing. His laugh was one of a mighty roar, the creature finding something humorous that the rest of the combatants weren’t understanding. “Oh Rouge, did the complex monkey men not quite get what you were doing? If you really needed help, I would have graciously assisted!” the Invader spoke down to Rouge, wiping a tear from his face as he folded his arms. The Invader then looked towards Shadow, asking politely, “Shadow, would you mind releasing Rouge? I promise, there’s no need for a fight. Nothing will happen. We just want to talk.” The Invader promised. The Invader held out a paw, expecting the task to be done.

Omega refused, saying: “Aw heck no! This guy is bad news bears, dude!”. Rouge then showed her arms to The Invader, saying nothing. The Invader then seemed to glean an understanding at Rouge’s power limiters. Seeing as the group were clearly not going to let Rouge go, and that Rouge couldn’t use her own powers, The Invader suddenly took a colder voice. “I’m not asking, Shadow. Release Her, or things will become violent.” The Invader promised.

Shadow weighed his options. If He stood against this creature, there was a chance they could win if they had the power of two gems on their side and his sole power. If he gave off Rouge, then that would give them balanced power but Shadow could get answers from this monster that crashed down onto the planet. Sonic looked towards Shadow, seeing that this was his choice to make and wanting to support his friend. “Hey, Shades, I’m behind you on whatever you want to do here.” Sonic reminded Shadow, who smiled back towards his ally in comfort. “Let Rouge go, I want to keep things civil…but I have one request, Intruder. No Emeralds on anyone’s person.” Shadow spoke, slowly removing the Chaos Emerald from his pocket and placing it down onto the pavement. Sonic, hesitant but loyal, followed along.

The intruder, seeing that they kept true to those words, agreed with a nod. “You hear that, Rouge? Come by my side and pull your Hearth.” The Intruder spoke. Omega, not liking this but following Shadow’s idea, released the net around Rouge and immediately Rouge darted across the landscape and landed next to her fellow Black Guard. Rouge and Maria locked eyes for a moment, Maria worried that Rouge was going to go back on their deal. Rouge then slowly removed her Hearth from the center of her chest and laid it down on the ground. The Intruder, following along, then removed the gem from his eyepatch and placed it down onto the ground beside Rouge’s Hearth.

Four Emeralds of power, together for the first time in a millennium, began to glisten brightly as the family had been reunited after so long. The lights within the gems crackled with joy, something Shadow seemed to be the only one to take notice in. While the Chaos Emerald and Hearth Emerald had small storms of their own floating inside of the gem, none of them compared to the red gem. The swirl gem was so full of dark energy and anger that almost the entire gem was back inside of the crystal. The other three gemstones seemed to notice this, seemingly afraid to interact with this particular gem. It was like the gems were communicating with each other, trying to connect after being apart for so long.

Shadow began the questioning first. “Who are you, Intruder? What is your purpose?” The Intruder nodded as he began to give his full title. “’Grand Champion Terios ‘Doom’ Beast’. I am the highest-ranking commander of the Black Arm’s Army, Right Hand Man of the Grand Chamber Lord, Black Doom. I have come to speak on the matter of your recruitment with the Black Arm’s as the official Black Guard of the Chaos Emerald. My fellow Black Arm Guard to my side here is ‘Ex-Princess Rouge Shimmer of the Spines Sapphire of Planet Alanth’. She was to explain your up-and-coming responsibility and exalted role in expanding the might of the Black Arm’s Army.” Terios explained with proper pose and superiority. The whole of Terios was this weird mix of pride and importance. Clearly, Terios thought highly of himself as he spoke down to Shadow, confident that he could turn this mess Rouge made around.

Shadow folded his arms as he answered back to Terios. “I hate to burst your bubble, but I have interest in building your kingdom of Sin and wrath. Take your ship elsewhere. You don’t belong here.” Shadow growled, trying to square up to the size of the beast that was before him. Terios, not seemingly offended or moved by what Shadow was saying, continued on. “Perhaps you don’t understand, Son. Once more, I’m not asking. This is what is expected of you. I understand you’ve grown attached to this little corner of space…but let me ask you something…how long will that last you?” Terios explained.
“After all, you are immortal! This town will cease to be in a number of centuries and you will be left alone. All of these creatures around you will…” It was then that the Black Guard began to take notice of the creatures around Shadow. He noticed the yellow, two-tailed fox, the red echidna, and even more mystical of all…a blue mobian hedgehog. Terios stopped for a moment as he looked towards the creatures, taking in the awe of the situation presented to him, specifically Sonic. “Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, an echidna warrior…and You.” Terios spoke, pointing a gauntlet finger towards each of the creatures. “I never thought I’d get the chance to break a Galactica Mobian, much less one of You, ever again…” The Beast Mobian growled in excitement. “Sonic looked confused as he looked to Shadow and then back to Terios. “What…are you talking about? If you have a problem, the name is ‘Sonic’ and make it quick! I’m antsy to kick your butt back into space!” Sonic said, placing his fists up and ready to fight this Earth Invader.

Terios’ eyes lit up like voids, becoming wider as he heard the name and whispered it under his breath. “Sonic…that’s wonderful…” Terios spoke. Terios then looked towards Rouge, speaking in a low breath. “When you spoke in the reports of a blue mobian named ‘Sonic’ I thought you were joking…is that really him? After the last 17 years that’s ‘him’?” Terios asked Rouge, who nodded but spoke nary a word. Terios gave a sigh as he looked back towards Shadow. “Well, that’s something we’ll look into later! For now…I believe it's time for you to…”

Suddenly, a group of voices were calling out to someone who was walking towards the talking Mobians. The talking was mainly from Stone, Henry, Tom, and all of the other people gathered to the side who were with Shadow and the others before the conflict began. Shadow, Omega, and the other Mobians turned around to see the advancing person. To Shadow’s joy, as well as worry, saw it was none other than Emelyn. The girl still had the weird energy aura as before, her eyes now even brighter as she roller-bladed towards the group. She came to a sliding halt when she reached Shadow, observing the situation before her. Shadow and Omega seemed excited to see her, with Sonic looking unsure of her arrival. Tails, Knuckles, and Aary, however, looked worried. “Uh…Shadow…I don’t know about this…” Tails began to speak, with Emelyn speaking over him. “Shadow! What’s going on! Who is that?” She asked, pointing towards Terios and Rouge. “That’s Terios! Emelyn! Get with the others! This could be dangerous!” Shadow explained, wanting to keep her safe.

A small light in Emelyn’s eyes then emerged, as the girl then saw the Emeralds all together and then recognized the name Shadow gave. “Oh, that’s him?” Emelyn asked Shadow for confirmation. “Yes! Now get to the-” Before Shadow could even say a word, Emelyn then dashed ahead of the group, swooping up the Chaos and Master Emerald and slid to a halt to the side of Terios. “What took you so long?”

Chapter Text

Shadow looked towards the trio on the other end of the battlefield, distraught and completely dumbfounded at what he was looking at. Emelyn, cozy with Terios and Rouge, and speaking to them as allies. Everyone in the crowds of the fair, from the town, and the small collection around Stone and Henry, looked towards the sight aghast as Shadow. Knuckles and Tails saw it coming, Aary along with them, and Sonic more worried for Shadow. Maria, currently overlooked by the general conflict that was happening, saw how angry and beside himself Shadow suddenly looked. Shadow’s paws shook as he stared towards the sight before him with a swirl of frustration and fear. “I don’t…what…just…” he couldn’t form the words to express his feelings. He felt betrayed, lied to, in a way he thought he would never feel in any capacity. Emelyn, someone who was like his second Maria and someone he felt a beginning close friendship to, shattered before his very eyes before it could even truly begin.

Emelyn spoke on her trials getting here, giving her end of the story of what she had been up to. “I had the cops on my door cause of some stupid crap and thought I was going to get found before you got here!” Emelyn said, thinking Terios’ punctuality could be better. “Apologies, Emelyn, we had to prepare the other Black Arms for after this little conflict. I also had to talk down Doom from doing this planet himself so we could prove Shadow could handle doing the task he was designed for.” Terios explained. Emelyn, accepting the answer, shrugged. “If it works, I suppose. Anyway, I have those files from the Crab Tank you wanted as well! Had to really be sneaky about it because of that damned Omega robot thing.” Emelyn explained, pulling out a set of flash drives and paperwork. As Terios went to reach for them, Emelyn held them back. “Nah ah! I wanna be sure my end of the deal is kept! Also, if I do end up inheriting the Master Emerald, I want to be sure it’s safe in my hands before I lose this leverage.” She explained.

Terios, proud the girl could stand for herself, then asked, “Are you sure you want this? There’s no going back, human.” Terios asked, wanting confirmation on the Human’s determination to follow through. “With all due respect, I was responsible for a few deaths here just for a hell of it. Plus, I wanna blow some things up! I’ve always wanted to see how far you could stretch a person and what better way to do it than with a buddy and the cosmic power of the universe?” She asked, more than excited for indulging her darker ideas and thoughts.

Shadow looked towards Emelyn, a rage in his voice when he realized as well that she had swooped in and stolen their only leverage against Terios and Black Doom. “Emelyn!? What are you doing!?” Shadow roared, completely beside himself as Emelyn looked back in confusion. “What? Get over here! We got stuff to do, Emo-boy!” Emelyn said, smiling that same sweet smile. Sonic, speaking for a very angry and confused Shadow, then tried to explain the situation and how serious it was. “Emelyn! He wants to destroy Earth! He’s going to break Scarlet Reach and kill everyone! He’s part of the Black Arms! You can’t-” Emelyn then interrupted the blue blur, saying swiftly and simply: “I know. Black Doom told me the plan!” Emelyn explained, as suddenly a rumbling came from Emelyn’s backpack. Out from his black backpack, a smaller demon star appeared, with a pre-recorded message for Emelyn playing on loop that shut off as soon as the eye appeared before them. “These demon eyes are also perfect little storage bins to! They can just scan stuff and it goes into this weird, infinite void thing? So, I got all my little writing pieces I’m working on, my computer is actually in my bag cause I’m not 100% sure how the space temporal stuff works on electronics, and all my other stuff packed for the journey! Just think, Shades! The infinite universe! Ours to conqueror! Just you and me…and I guess these two on occasion.” Emelyn said, pointing towards Rouge and Terios. “It’s gonna be so cool! Come on, ‘Lord Shadow’!” Emelyn said, taking a bow towards Shadow in a joking manner as she tried to encourage her friend over towards the bad guys.

Shadow was completely beside himself, looking towards Emelyn in complete shock that She was choose this life at all. Didn’t she see value in her own people? Her own town? How could she just throw all of this away!? What gave her the right to choose to destroy Earth? Henry, however, beat Shadow to the punch in calling this out. “You want to destroy Earth!? Are you out of your mind!? How could you wish for that!?” He roared, stepping forwards and staring straight towards Emelyn. “You have no idea what you’re asking for!! The entire destruction of the human race!” He added, a rage inside of him he struggled to contain. How dare this girl make this choice.

Emelyn, however, smiled sweetly towards her old friends and old world and said very simply; “Because it sounds fun.”. Henry’s blood ran ice cold, along with everyone else having to listen to the psychotic girl give her explanation. “When it first hit me, I never realized how much I needed it. I must thank Aary for waking this in me! Both of us, blowing up the pier…I mean, sure, that was an accident. We never meant to hurt anyone or even make a weapon…but there was something after everything went down that I realized exactly what I wanted. I used to write terribly, horrid stories of bad things happening to people, dreaming for that moment when I could see that misery actually happen. This is my chance to finally see it through! Test the limits of violence I can achieve! When Doom accidentally reached out to me the night after I was shocked by the Chaos Emerald, he explained what the purpose with the Black Arms were. I immediately hopped on board.” Emelyn explained.

“BUT YOU’LL KILL EVERYONE HERE TO GET IT! You can’t!” Shadow growled, completely disgusted this person even dared to try and be his friend. She was a monster now; made clear by the nightmares she wished to bring further. Everyone else were petrified, unsure of what to do. Do they stop her? Kill her? Shadow looked towards Emelyn’s friends, Her grandparents, and to Stone. They all looked mortified the girl would do this. Stone had tears in his eyes as he looked towards his niece, slowly walking forward. “Em…don’t do this…please.” Stone muttered. Emelyn looked towards Stone, noting his sorrowful expression. Her acidic green eyes locked onto his face as she spoke, “Oh Uncle Stone, don’t worry. We’ll take out this town first! You won’t feel a thing when you get blasted! I promise!” She announced, beginning to stir panic in the residents of the town and the group who were opposing Emelyn and her insanity. “Which, speaking of affairs in order. First thing’s first, Master Emerald?” Emelyn asked, pointing towards the gem.

Terios allowed her to take the gem into her hands once more, and as Emelyn held the gem, she also pulled her computer from her bag. She also took the small floating star creature she had on her and held it close, along with the Emerald and the computer. Chaos Energy was beginning to brew around Emelyn as she summoned the powers that were slowly being engrained into her psyche. “Hey Stone, I know the power of the Master Emerald can do a lot…supposedly, it makes any thoughts into reality that the wielder desires, making it one of the most powerful pieces of energy in the universe…I’m curious, what do you think will happen when someone touched with a little Chaos power, some power of the Black Arms, and the full strength of the Master Emerald, all combine together? Shall we find out?” She asked her victims before her.

Shadow, Stone, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and even Terios and Rouge looked suddenly very uncertain about this choice. Rouge was the first to speak to her idea. “Hey, maybe don’t? I don’t think that’s an incredibly good idea, Darling!” Rouge explained. Terios, however, allowed the idea to continue. “If you can manage this, it proves you deserve your spot within the ranks…I want to see this.” He encouraged, watching Emelyn begin the fusion of powers. Emelyn greedily hugged the Emerald, laptop, and dark monster within her backpack as the energies began to mix together.

Stone and Henry tried to run forwards to stop Emelyn, with Shadow doing just the same. “EMELYN! NO!” The three men yelled in unison, knowing this could only go bad. Suddenly, in a blinding flash of light, something changed. Henry, Stone, and Shadow were knocked backwards. Everyone else covered their eyes as the transformation had begun, with no way of stopping it. The Badniks all ran towards the enemy, with the Crab Tank following close behind. As they neared the transforming creature, they all then suddenly seemed to fall into the light that was boiling and shimmering with energy. Omega could feel his feet beginning to loosen from the ground, the machine warrior getting sucked into the vortex of light. Shadow, seeing his friend beginning to float away, caught him by the foot and held on tight to Omega.

Suddenly, items and parts not desirable to the transforming monster were then launched out at high speed, breaking and shattering as they hit the pavement. Everyone hit the dirt, trying to avoid getting hit by a makeshift shower, countertops, bedframes, and unusable plastic. Screaming, melting, the sounds of machinery and electrical energy, and then the screaming turning to laughter as the light of the transformation began to fade into bright green and black energy.

The creature was made of wires, all wrapped together around a summoned metal body that was formed through the summoning of power beyond all comprehension. Many parts were unusable, but the ones that were formed a metal body of strength that held the Master Emerald in its mid chest region. The machine was cobbled together, wires free in some sections and parts loose as they slowly formed together. The monstrous machine had a box head with a screen that made bundles of eyes that stared towards its enemies, which morphed into a wicked smile in a flash and then back to bundles of eyes when observing the whole space or a single eye when focused on a particular subject. The creature was a Frankenstein abomination, as it stood on it’s two hind legs like a dragon’s calf. Two claws of four fingers, with wires connecting the back of the hand to the wrist twitched with life as the machine monster began to become sentient. There was nothing cartoonish about this creature, like it was bred on darkness and gothic horror tones alone, giving it this almost exaggerated appearance. It was so graphic to the point of overexposed, clearly part of Emelyn’s design philosophy when designing the creature. The then cloaked itself with a dark green coat it materialized, as it slowly stood upright.

The creature was taller than anyone else, coming to a stunning 7 feet tall. The endoskeleton with mechanical features then made a single eye as it fluidly moved its box head towards Shadow. She opened her dozens of computerized eyes and began to look over her powerful form, made of metal and parts that she had designed within her own imagination as being horrific and tremendous, smiling in excitement. “Ooh It’s even better than I imagined!!! Ha ha! It’s beautifully horrific! Such a little scrunkly!” She said, giddy with madness.

Shadow looked towards the creature of metal with fear, trying to find something within the monster of machinery to humanize. “Emelyn! Don’t do this! This isn’t you!” Shadow called out, with Stone stepping forward and saying much the same. “You have a life to live, Emelyn! Don’t throw it away for this monster!” Stone yelled, pointing towards Terios, who seemed to take the name ‘monster’ with a smile. Emelyn, or rather, whatever this creature she had become, then scoffed. The hologram seemed to be the only thing to speak, answering back coldly: “Shadow, you barely knew me. That’s fine, though. I’m not heartbroken we couldn’t be closer. I wanted that at first…but I think I’ve found someone more my speed.” The computer Emelyn said, as she then allowed Terios back the spotlight of attention.

“See? She gets it Shadow! Join the side of conquest! Of greatness! Don’t you want to be something bigger than this crummy old town?” Terios asked, using a deep and loud voice to communicate his strength. Shadow, however, was still unconvinced. “Never! You’ll have to kill me!” Shadow growled. “Emelyn may fall to you, but I never will! Even if you have the powers of the Emeralds, I’ll still fight you! It’s what Maria would have wanted!” Shadow growled.

Maria snapped to attention as she heard her own name mentioned by her childhood friend. She had been passively watching the situation unfold before her eyes, snaping to action when her name was spoken. Shadow had clearly not really taken notice of her, with Him more focused on the threat that was approaching his home. Maria, in a snap of movement, then yelled out towards Rouge before the fight could truly escalate. “ROUGE! TELL HIM!” Maria yelled, getting the attention of the others in the mobian group going against Terios and Emelyn. Sonic and the others stepped aside as the stranger among them then stood to her feet and spoke towards Rouge. Shadow looked towards the golden hedgehog before him, her bright blue eyes getting his attention as he looked towards the creature. He noticed the shirt she was wearing, a striped sweater that was similar to what Maria had worn back in the day. The hedgehog also had her own pair of air shoes like his, but the flames were bright blue instead of red and yellow like his. The stranger then restated her words. “Tell him how you feel! Stand up, Rouge!” Maria yelled out.

Terios turned to look towards Rouge, his one eye staring towards his ‘sister of arms’. “What does the mobian girl mean, Rouge?” Terios asked. Emelyn, also curious, turned her massive computer screen head down towards Rouge as the metal parts of Emelyn’s body began to reform and shift again. Emelyn snaked her fluid body behind and around Rouge, keeping her from looking away from Terios as Rouge felt the pressure to speak increase. Rouge felt a knot in her throat as she looked towards Terios’ intimidating and frightening eye. The crystal eyepatch made of the Might Emerald had a glowing red eye in the center, scanning Rouge’s face for any sign of an answer. Rouge swallowed the lump in her throat as she began to make her case.

“I think it would be best if we leave this planet alone. I…um…I think that…” Rouge struggled to find the words after the first sentence, beginning to mumble as she shook in her boots. Adrenaline rushed through her as she shook in place, staring down Terios as the hedgehog seemed to listen with the upmost attention. Emelyn’s dozens of eyes from her television monitor face watched the sweat drip down Rouge’s face as Rouge sheepishly kept trying to speak her answer. “I-I…I like this one. It reminds me of my childhood home…and I wanted to see about taking this place as my new home…” She explained further, feeling fear as she quivered her words. Terios was quiet for a moment, raising his chin as he looked down towards Rouge. There was an ominousness in his stance as he surveyed the issue before him, the leader clearly thinking to himself.

Terios then smiled as he walked towards Rouge, taking an arm and placing it around her shoulders. Rouge winced at the physical contact, uncertain of what Terios was thinking. This was a creature who’s first language was violence. If Terios really thought Rouge as a decenter of the Black Arms, he’d kill her on the spot. That’s why she was afraid. She was afraid to be labelled a traitor and a villain, being thrusted out of the second chance of life she had been given. She didn’t want to lose more family, but was family worth this? Was keeping this family, the ones that took her in, worth more than the one she was about to destroy? Rouge felt her heart thumping out of her chest like a drum, echoing in her ears as she tried to focus on what Terios was speaking. “Rouge…oh Rouge…you know, out of all the entire battalion of the Black Arms, you are my favorite. See, you and I are similar…we both lost our homes, were given another chance, and still miss the old life we had…” Terios explained, showing off the beauty of the small town they stood in. Then, Terios’ claws pulled in Rouge a little tighter, holding her shoulders captive. “But…there’s just one problem with that. That feeling of loss, it’s what drives a warrior. After all, who or what would you be without your drive? Without your need for strength? Out of all of the Black Arms, you were the most talented of any scout, warrior, or strategist…this one, though, was out of your league. As your old mentor and as a friend, I need to give you a ‘lesson’.” Terios explained.

Terios pulled in even tighter, making it hard for Rouge to breathe now. Rouge wanted to escape, but if she fought back, she worried that Terios would pull even tighter. Emelyn backed off, standing by her own with her holographic projection on the floating plate looking towards the same spot in unison. They were looking at Aary, who was staring right back. Emelyn’s hologram pointed towards the interaction Terios and Rouge were having, nodding her head as she mouthed: “He’s speaking truth here, Aary.”

Terios then came up to Rouge’s ear and whispered something soft and delicate, but the words were enough for Rouge’s hairs to stand on end. “So, if we’re going to give you an adequate lesson, I need to give you a punishment. So, what will it be, Rouge of the Spires? Your wings, or your eyes?” Rouge had a small gathering of tears come to her face, the pressure of the decision weighing heavily on her psyche as she wanted to plead to Terios to spare her. Her mouth trembled as she began to beg, now actively trying to pull away. “No. Don’t run from me, Rouge.” Terios demanded, holding her tighter and tighter, constricting her body as the woman began to sniffle and want to wail. “Terios! I’m sorry! Let me go! I don’t want it anymore! Stop!” She whispered, trying to break away. True fear enveloped her brain as she tried to escape but had no means to do so. She couldn’t access her powers with the ring limiters still on her arms and her wings were bound by Terios’ tight grip.

Terios then repeated his question, giving more emphasis to his words. “I’m not going to ask again, Rouge. Choose or I flip a coin, and we see what comes. Tails, I take the wings…heads, the eyes. Choose. Now.” He demanded. Sonic noticed what was happening, stepping forwards and beginning to speak when Terios’ sudden explosive anger roared that the blue hedgehog dared to step forward. “NOT ANOTHER STEP, MAURICE! HOLD! I have a student who has disobeyed my teachings and must be punished! Do not interfere!” He demanded. Sonic, more curious on the name he just called him, then asked: “The name is Sonic…who’s Maurice?”

Terios then snapped his eyes towards Sonic, laughing as he then spoke. “Oh? You don’t know? That’s hilarious! I’ll tell you later before I kill you, for now though…You are about to watch my teachings be given live! Now, choose! Sight, or flight?” Terios demanded. Terios then revealed a coin from his pocket. A gold coin with a star shape in the center of the coin on one side, and a face on the opposite side was a mobian that Sonic didn’t recognize. “Last chance, Rouge!” Terios said, as he got ready to flip the coin.

Shadow wasn’t sure what to do, watching as the two forms were fighting with each other. Sonic looked ready for action, the other humans weren’t sure what to do, Omega had his weapons primed on Emelyn, Tails and Knuckles were mortified, and the new girl looked just as worried as the rest of them. Shadow wasn’t sure what to do. Any wrong move, and Terios could kill everyone in this town. As Shadow began to think of some kind of plan, Terios then readied a claw and flipped the coin.

The coin spun in the air, the gold glint of the coin glistening in the air as the coin spun free. Rouge and Terios, along with everyone else, watched as the coin began to fall down to the ground. Rouge whimpered as the coin flipped, trying even harder to break free. Then, the coin hit the pavement, and the side the coin landed on was revealed. Terios’ eyes looked down towards the coin. He nodded, then took out a sharp, 7-inch blade from his waist made of a vicious black stone and held down Rouge. The bat screamed as she tried to fight back against her captor, who was once an ally. “TERIOS! NO! PLEASE!” She pleaded, trying to get free. “I have to do it, Rouge…for your benefit. For the good of the Black Arms.” He said, feeling no remorse.

“Emelyn, hold her down.” Terios commanded his new commander in arms. Emelyn then moved a weight of machine tendrils to hold the bat down, keeping her from wiggling free as Terios gave a sigh. “You should have let me take this job. You made me do this.” Terios explained. He then accepted one of Rouge’s wings, spreading it open and holding it firmly as he looked down towards Rouge’s exposed face. Her eyes said it all as the bat girl squeaked and screamed to be freed. Terios then looked towards Rouge’s eyes and then to Her majestic wings. It was like he was choosing whether or not to follow through with the choice of the coin, debating if one was better to do inherently to make sure the lesson stuck. Then, after he made up his mind, Terios began to stab and slice with his blade.

Chapter Text

Dozens of tiny holes had been made in the wings of Rouge, the girl screaming in pain as the holes in her delicate wingspan were ripped like a wild animal took their claws and scratched down the walls of her body. She was mutilated in a humiliating and gruesome way, with the road to recovery, if she was even granted one, being a painful and debilitating length of time. Terios, happy with his work, then released Rouge as he then released the woman and sheathed his blade. “It had to be done. Now, Rouge, when you’re done sopping on the ground there, get back onto the mothership using my comet and come back with the usual units. I have a world to conquer.” Terios said.

Emelyn, seeing that it was an opportunity to finish her business with Earth and join the Black Arms, then volunteered to take Rouge onto the ship. “May I also finish my business here? I promise it won’t take long.” Emelyn asked of her new master, bowing respectfully towards Terios. Terios, giving his acceptance, then allowed Emelyn the floor. The holographic Emelyn then looked towards Aary and asked them the question She was burning to ask. “It’s time, Aary. Don’t be an idiot.” Emelyn asked towards the person. Henry and the others looked towards Aary, confused on what that was supposed to mean. Aary looked towards the monster that was their friend…their stomach did backflips as the whole of the situation became increasingly aware to Aary. If they didn’t leave, they were going to die. There was no other way around it. Shadow and his plan failed. Earth was going to be taken over, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Aary weighed their options, sighing as they began to walk forward with hesitancy. Henry shook his head slowly as he looked towards Aary. The young adult looked towards Henry, a tear in their eye as they whispered, “I’m sorry, Henry. I’m scared…” before walking and joining to the side of Emelyn.

As Aary stood next to the pile of wires and metal, Emelyn’s hologram machine then folded their arms as they began to take note of Aary’s appearance. “First thing’s first. Let’s get rid of this junk on your arm!” Emelyn said, as the machine monster then broke off the amputee arm on Aary’s body and then began to replace it with a black and red substance that was similar to the fog that was floating around the asteroid ship up in space. Aary then felt something digging into their shoulder. An arm made of black matter and evil began to form, becoming a four clawed monstrosity of an arm that was clearly inhuman. The arm seemed to grow from her like a parasite, making Aary panic for a moment until the arm began to settle. It felt heavier, but it also had a feeling within the arm itself. Aary to grasp and feel the arm like an arm, giving her two ‘normal’ arms again. There was something now in Aary, a feeling that they couldn’t quite describe. It was like an anger with no rage, a want made need. Aary felt a compulsion to smash something. There was this echo in their brain that demanded destruction, as if the arm itself were alive and sentient. Aary then said a whispered phrase, paging the curiosity of Terios as he watched this human become integrated into the Black Arm miniature hive mind. “The arm is speaking. Is that supposed to happen?” Aary asked, genuinely worried for their own health.

Emelyn, taking up a massive piece of debris that had fallen with Terios when he crash-landed, sprouting three red tentacles of ichor that leaked over the trio of Aary, Emelyn, and Rouge each, making them disappear as the ichor then sucked itself back into the meteor. The rock then blasted off into space, leaving Terios alone with the warriors of earth. “That damned Rouge…” Terios growled under his breath, at least glad to have tied up that one loose end. Taking up the Chaos Emerald off the ground, he smiled as he at least took solace in having the powerful Chaos Emerald back in his own claws.

Shadow, too stunned at the spectacle of Terios’ fury to speak, then jumped as Knuckles showed his outrage towards Terios. The Echidna warrior was beyond angry. If steam could come out of the echidna’s ears, it would. “HOW DARE YOU!? YOU CALL YOURSELF A WARRIOR? A CHAMPION? YOU HARM YOUR OWN AND THINK IT A LESSON? I DON’T CARE IF HE POSSESSES THE EMERALDS! I WILL NOT LET THIS STAND!” Knuckles growled, his inner pride and disgust at the behavior he witnessed hitting a peak. Knuckles, not waiting for some arbitrary signal, then charged forwards and went to land an assault on Terios. Terios didn’t even flinch, taking note of Knuckles’ advance. With one swift movement, Knuckles flew backwards at least 100 feet, colliding with the ground and carving into the earth against his will. Terios’s gemstone eye then illuminated, as the hedgehog then dashed forwards and began to assault the group.

He dashed towards Shadow first. Terios landed a volley of blows one after another so fast that Shadow couldn’t keep up. The strength of the blows was so strong that the wind was completely kicked out of Shadow’s body, making him feel every hit. When Shadow was knocked off his feet, Terios then pivoted towards Sonic. He rammed his shoulder into Sonic’s chest, knocking back the blue hedgehog into the wall of a building strong enough to crack the wall but not break through. This was on purpose, as Terios then almost teleported with how fast he was moving towards Sonic and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, scraping him across the wall of the building and then throwing him to the opposite side of the street and just to the side of the humans of the mobian defense unit of Sonic and crew. Tails wanted to feel, but Terios grabbed hold of by the tail and slammed into the ground. Terios then landed down on top of Tails, landing blow after blow, then throwing him into the air violently and landing dozens more punches with his gauntlet fists for good measure. He then grabbed Tails by the tail again and threw him towards the same pit he threw him upwards from.

Knuckles was slowly rising from his dirt pile in the ground, but Terios dashed in front of him, grabbed him by the fur, then threw him towards the opposite end of the battlefield and kicking him midair as he flew. Shadow then tried to get a grab on Terios, but Terios was faster and mightier. With a snatch, Terios grabbed Shadow and began to spin faster and faster. Wind whipped as Terios kicked up more and more speed. “This is what you get for being a traitor to your people, Shadow! You get hurt!” Terios teased, as he then threw Shadow towards the ocean and at such a high velocity that he disappeared in a blink.

Shadow couldn’t see what was going on around him, just that he was flying through the air at uncontrollable speeds. Shadow tried to pivot or move, but it seemed like the core velocity of the throw seemed to hold him in place as he tried to break free from the throw. He felt cold, then warm, then saw different landmarks and places he hadn’t seen before fly by him at light speed. Wind whipped around him as a slight humming sound could be heard from Shadow as he flew across the sky and into the atmosphere of the earth. The hedgehog, flying through the air against his control, then began to lower back down into the gravity of earth. Suddenly, he was back in Scarlet Reach. Terios then turned 180 degrees on the spot and slammed a fist right into Shadow’s stomach as Shadow was flying by, making Shadow roll to the ground past Terios and continue flying into the ocean itself. The black and red hedgehog skimmed across the water, still maintaining a lot of speed, before sinking into the water about 5 miles from shore and disappearing into the ocean.

“SHADOW! Maria yelled out, watching as the hedgehog was flown across the sky and thrown deep into the bowls of the ocean. Omega, seeing his friend be sent into the sea, then dashed towards the ocean, running with as much speed as he could muster. “I’m coming, Shadow! Hold your breath!” Omega yelled towards Shadow’s general direction, trying to get to his friend. Terios began to laugh, watching as the machine ran off into the distance. “And that was ‘The Punch Felt Across The World’. It’s a signature move of mine…but usually the person who gets punched doesn’t survive, let alone stay in one piece, so that I can deliver the punch line. Now then…” Terios spoke with a smile as he then began to walk over to the pit that hosted Sonic. The blue hedgehog tried to climb out of the crater he was left in. Terios grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, hoisting him up and throwing him down to the ground gently. Sonic’s bag of golden travel rings fell from a pocket, revealing themselves across the ground as Sonic laid on the concrete ground. Terios, curious, then walked to a ring and held one in his claws.

A sudden understanding then etched across the monster’s face as he walked to Sonic and held up his head by the scruff of his quills. He shoved the ring in front of Sonic’s face to show off the ring. “So, this was how Longclaw got you away, huh? These buggers? Do you know how valuable these are? Hand crafted Universe Rings? They are a lost art.” Terios explained. “I bet when that dusty old bird gave these to you, she thought you’d be safe…but she was wrong. I found you…just like I promised her king, her queen, and her advisors before I took their lives with my own claws. Tell me, Prince of the Wind, what say you now? Will you cower like your family before?” Terios asked the 17-year-old hedgehog. Sonic grunted as he answered back. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about!? How do you know Longclaw?” Sonic demanded. Terios, however, wouldn’t answer. Terios licked his lips as he held Sonic’s scruff as tight as he could, ready to kill the hedgehog.

“Get off of him!” Tom yelled, stepping forward and standing against the beast. Terios looked towards Tom, amused that the human dared confront him. “What can you do, human? One flick of my finger and you’d splatter across the ground! What strength do you have?” Terios spoke as he focused on Tom. “The element of surprise!” Henry yelled, holding the glass fox that Maddie had bought from the fair and slamming it down onto Terios’ red crystal eye. Terios roared as he winced back, clinging onto the gem as if he was hurt himself. Dropping from his pocket, the Chaos Emerald clanged to the ground by Sonic. Sonic, seeing he had an opening, then picked up the Emerald and clasped desperately onto the gem. “Please…help!” Sonic begged the crystal.

A blast of green light circled around Sonic, healing his wounds, and giving him to persist in the fight. Sonic growled as he tried to control the power of the Chaos Emerald. Shadow was right, though. Something about this gem was unstable. There was this persistent itch in Sonic’s blood that made him feel rage. An anger was sculpted deep into the gemstone that was beginning to fuel into Sonic. Sonic’s quills became darker, his eyes were pits of white void, and his voice louder as he growled towards Terios. “IT HURTS! BUT I WON’T LET YOU WIN, TERIOS!” Sonic growled, his paws beginning to form sharp claws that were tearing through his gloved hands. Two massive fangs began to form in his upper mouth, sharp and pointy like knives. Sonic seemed overwhelmed with the power of the Chaos inside him now, trying to control the power without losing himself in the gem’s rage. Terios looked towards the transforming Sonic, beginning to smile as he watched the power slowly overcoming Sonic. “Too much, hedgehog? Is that power angry? Unstable? It would be for someone like you…love holds you back. It makes you weak. You become a plaything for the whims of the world around you. Are you beginning to see that?” Terios asked the mirror reflection of himself that was forming in Sonic.

Sonic, with a deeper growl, then dashed forwards and began to fight Terios head on. The two duked punches and kicks towards one another, making shockwaves as they clashed. By now, the other people of the fall festival were seeking shelter from the ongoing fight. Henry and Stone, along with Tom and Maddie, then began moving their group away from the fight to give the hedgehog’s space to duke out the fighting. “YOU HURT MY FRIEND!” Sonic growled, angry that Terios would dare hurt Shadow. “I was teaching Shadow a lesson! He needed my guidance to enlightenment, Sonic!” Terios laughed, matching Sonic’s strength. Sonic, already struggling in the fight with Terios, was outmatched by pure skill alone. Sonic had brute strength and tenacity on his side, but Terios had refined his fighting style. Terios struck with purpose, with clarity…but Sonic was pure rage.

As the two continued to clash, Terios mocked Sonic the entire time. “Just think! In a matter of time, this world will crumble to its knees to the empire of Black Doom. Everything you love will be destroyed in an instant! How does that make you feel, ‘Sonic the hedgehog’?” He goaded Sonic, pushing the wrathful creature aside and landing on top of him. Punch after punch was landed onto Sonic, breaking Sonic’s will more and more. “I will take immense pleasure in breaking everything within you! I’ll drain this world of every color, cliff, and city! Everyone will die! What a glorious thing to witness, I’d say!” Terios gloated, trying to anger Sonic into making more mistakes in his fighting. Sonic’s rage he inherited from the Chaos Emerald was making him more susceptible to Terios’ words, throwing him into deeper rage.

Sonic wasn’t going to last much longer like this, proving Terios’ true might. “See, you may have the Chaos Emerald, but I host a deeper connection with my gem. Me and Might Emerald, after many years of training, have grown closer. We think one and the same now. We will spread our power and influence across the entire universe! And one day, when we think the time is right, we will even usurp Black Doom…The universe will be ours to conquer! With Emelyn on my side, along with that Aary kid, we will be unstoppable!” Terios growled with pride.

Terios then slammed a foot down onto Sonic’s chest. “How does that sound to you, Prince of the Wind?” Terios asked the rabid Sonic. Sonic’s quills grew darker the angrier Sonic became, his body stretching out even further as his wilder animal instincts beginning to take hold. Sonic growled as he continued to hold out against Terios, but if nobody did something soon, Sonic wouldn’t last much longer like this.

Chapter Text

Failure.

As Shadow sank into the sea, Shadow’s consciousness faded between awake and asleep as he drifted down towards the bottom of the ocean. He felt his body go limp as he sunk deeper and deeper into the depths of the ocean, his mind wandering through his memories as he slowly began to drown. The cold pull of the current of the water dragged Shadow even further down into the abyss, making Shadow weaker and weaker. The world began to become darker and darker, as Shadow slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness.

The space before Shadow was a blank abyss of shadows and darkness. Shadow stood in a lone place, devoid of all life around him. Time was outside his view, making it irrelevant in this space. Days, weeks, hours, seconds, they all felt the same. This place was isolated away from the concepts Shadow could understand mentally. He was alone in this place, cold and adrift like he was within the tube that kept him prisoner for half a century. Alone. Hurt. Abandoned. Lost.

This place was cold and isolating, making ever quill in Shadow’s body feel numb and frosty. This place was devoid of anything and anyone that he could comprehend. It was a nightmare, but he couldn’t scream. All he could do was feel the cold. Memories flashed before Shadow’s eyes, making him relive the worst moments of his life. The attack from GUN, the Orbital Cannon, and being frozen in a tube of liquid for 50 years. The world was like a watercolor painting, fading in and out like brush strokes of a giant paintbrush were splattered across his eyes to see the memories around them. The images then began to become faded distortions, like the memories were beginning to leave him. He felt like he was dying. Shadow grasped for any of the memories with an outstretched paw, wanting desperately to hold onto something from what he was before…but they slipped through his paws like water.

He fell to his knees, grasping at the floor as he tried to fight death itself. His whole body was numb and exhausted, losing strength by the minute. Shadow’s breath was shallow and raspy, like his soul was melting within his vessel. “M-maria…I can’t…I can’t move…” Shadow gasped quietly, before relaxing his body and falling to the floor. His paws fell to his sides, his eyes glazed, and his breathing so light that he began to feel lightheaded. Shadow was dying, and the hedgehog to could feel it. Every nerve in his body was screaming that something was wrong, but Shadow couldn’t fight it anymore. He was far too weak. He wasn’t the Ultimate Life Form that Scarlet Reach needed anymore…he wasn’t the hedgehog Stone cared for anymore. “I’m…sorry. I wasn’t strong enough. I’m…I’m…”

Then, as Shadow’s misery began to come to it’s climax, when the light in Shadow’s eyes almost disappeared, a man began to walk forward from the infinite abyss. Shadow looked towards the person, his eyes wet with tears as he drifted within the void outside space and life. The man had no face. He had a white lab coat, a pair of black boots, and a voice that echoed off the walls. Shadow couldn’t seem to look at the face of the man, but the voice was one that was familiar to him. “Welcome, Shadow the Hedgehog.” The man spoke to Shadow. Shadow remained silent as he continued to drift in the nowhere space that held him hostage. “It is good to see you. You kept me waiting.” The man explained. Shadow felt a complex set of emotions at the voice of the man. Familiarity and frustration, anger and sorrow. The man wasn’t who Shadow knew, but a mix of what he was and who Shadow wished he could be.

Shadow never spoke to the man, only allowing the man to continue speaking for Shadow. The man asked questions Shadow couldn’t answer, his throat feeling too collapsed from exhaustion to waste breath. “Do you feel accomplished? Do you feel praised as you used to be? After learning what you are, can you come to terms with it as you are now, son?” The man asked Shadow. “You’ve been bested thrice, all of which you claimed to be something you now know is untrue. You are a monster to some, a baby to others, and a traitor to those you come from. One day, you will have to fight them head on, but I wonder if you’ll have the strength to do it.” The man contemplated to Shadow.

“If you were to die right now, in this very ocean, in this void, would you be happy with the things you’ve done? You’ve barely touched this city’s heart, but yet you will fight for it. Is it because someone you loved would want it, or because you do? Does it replace what was lost to you? Will you ever have the same thing you had lost long ago? What will you do to get that thing you lost back?” The man asked in rapid fire succession, as if the answer was obvious. Each question began to become more specific, like a scientist probing a test subject for evaluation. Shadow was sure that if he squinted hard enough, he could see wires and cables attached to him like how he was tested on back during the days when Maria and Gerald were alive.

Shadow felt his sorrow come to the front of his mind, making him begin to weep as he clenched his fists in frustration. The man must have noticed this change in behavior, as he then began to ask questions to the hedgehog that were even more specific. “You miss them, don’t you? You wish they were here to guide you? Maria, to tell you how everything was going to be okay? Gerald explaining the world to you and making plans? Well, you can’t have them. They’ve been claimed already. You? Not you. There is still time. The question becomes this: “Will you live to see what they wanted, or live so that if they were still alive, they would be proud of you? Why do you persist? Is it because you’re eternal? Truly, I wonder.” The man said.

Just as quickly as he appeared, the man then turned from Shadow and began to walk away. Shadow, becoming lucid enough for just a moment, then asked the man. “What is my purpose? Who am I if I’m not the Ultimate Life Form?” Shadow begged, struggling to hold himself together. The man then turned back around, focused on Shadow’s question. The man thought for a moment, before answering. “Who do you think you are? Sure, you protect Earth, but why? Maybe, if you can answer that, you’ll find your answer, Shadow.” The man explained. Suddenly, small specks of light began to shimmer in the air as Shadow felt strength slowly return back to his body. First his legs, then his arms. As light began to envelope the space like water flooding a pool, loving and soft tone, the man spoke his final words: “The light of a Star shines bright, even if the star is gone. Your ‘Star’ is still here, Shadow. Wake up.”

Chapter Text

Coughing, Shadow awoke on the shores of Scarlet Reach. He released the water in his body through his mouth, with Omega and the Maria clone by his side. “Shadow! Are you okay?” The Maria clone asked, looking over Shadow’s drenched body. Shadow looked around him, trying to get a sense of where he was as Omega and Maria tried to keep him calm. The place seemed to be far down the shore of Scarlet Reach, being outside the town’s borders. Smoke rose from the buildings of the nearby destroyed town, with explosions still being chained in the distance that signaled the fight with Terios was still going down. Shadow gripped the sand as he looked towards the ocean’s tide. The weather was beginning to shift to a stormy brew as overhead, the giant floating stone that was poisoned by Black Doom’s power was over the town. Darkness was growing throughout the land as the power of the shadows was beginning to slowly creep forward.

“You went out really far! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find you in the sea!” Omega explained, the machine having a few scraps of seaweed on his body and the metal of the robot soaking wet. Shadow looked towards his two remaining teammates, the others still fighting Terios. Shadow sighed as he stayed sat on the ocean side, watching the waves with a despondent look on his face. Shadow then pulled out his music player, looking over the machine. Water clogged the device, ruining the music and the music player from ever working again. Both Maria and Omega looked to one another, seeing that their loyalties seemed to lie on the same side, and both focused on making sure Shadow was okay.

“Shadow? You okay, buddy?” Omega asked. Shadow growled his response back. “No. Furthest from okay.” Omega then sat down next to Shadow, with Maria doing the same. “This is the third time I’ve failed. I couldn’t beat you, or Rouge, or Terios…The Master Emerald is gone, the world is about to end…and I’m powerless to stop any of it. I failed, Omega. Stone and the others are going to die soon…and I have no might to stop Terios.” Shadow growled in frustration, livid with himself that he couldn’t live up to the expectation that he set upon himself. “Everything on Earth is doomed. I failed, Maria…” Shadow growled, throwing a small lob of sand in his arm in frustration as he looked out onto the water. “And even worse, my friend betrayed me…” Shadow added.

The trio were quiet for a while, with Omega unsure of what to say to Shadow. Maria saw the sadness and disappointment in Shadow. Her friend for so long seemed so angry and frustrated with himself. She began to wonder how long he felt this way. What kind of suffering had her friend endured without her? Maria, paws in her lap as she sat next to Shadow, then tried to speak some encouragement to the black creature. “You’re doing what you can, Shadow. That’s what matters. You aren’t falling for that darkness. That’s hard to do.” Maria explained, trying to comfort Shadow. “What’s important is you can still do something! We can go back and fight Terios! It will be hard, but this is our home! We can’t let Doom get his hands on it!” She exclaimed.

Shadow then turned towards the stranger, frustrated and exhausted. “He’s too strong! He’d kill us like he’s killing everyone else! He’s a conqueror…not me. I couldn’t even beat Omega and you want me to fight a god like him?” Shadow fumed, small tears in his eyes when the reality of his weakness to Terios began to hit. “I’m…I’m not strong. I’m not fast enough…I wasn’t enough to protect Earth.” Shadow whimpered, slamming his fist onto the sand as he growled on the shoreline. His hot tears spilt onto the sand as he angerly chastised himself for being so weak, so splintered and idiotic for thinking he could ever be enough. “I’m a failure, Maria.” He cried softly, feeling exhaustion begin to take him.

Maria felt a despair for Shadow as she watched her friend beat himself up like this, so angry and full of frustration. In a desperate attempt to help her friend, Maria then dashed into Shadow and squeezed him. “No you’re not! You are Shadow the Hedgehog! You are the Ultimate Life Form! You’re amazing and wonderful! You love Earth and everything on it! You promised someone important to you that you would protect this place with your life! I’m making you keep that promise! So, you can’t give up on yourself, Shadow! You hear me?” Maria said, looking into Shadow’s eyes as she spoke.

The two stared towards each other for a moment, before Maria then squeezed Shadow even tighter. “Don’t give up, Shadow! Don’t give up!” Maria demanded. Shadow then realized that he had no idea who this person was. Omega, nor anyone else, had said the name of this mysterious mobian that was suddenly in the fray of everything happening. “Who are…” before Shadow could finish his question, a familiar voice then yelled out towards the trio. “GOT YOU!” Rockwell yelled, as she and a dozen other GUN agents then materialized around Shadow, Omega, and Maria on the shore.

Guns were pointed towards the trio, with Rockwell making sure the group was completely surrounded. Rockwell looked pissed, holding her assault weapon towards Shadow and making sure the beast wouldn’t move. “Cuff Shadow! Now!” Rockwell demanded. Before Shadow could even answer or do anything, one GUN solider slid on a pair of cuffs similar to Rouge’s, cancelling out Shadow’s powers. “You aren’t going anywhere, Alien! I finally have you cornered!” Rockwell growled, keeping her weapon aimed towards Shadow. She then looked over to Omega, growling towards the machine man as well. “And you, the traitor. You went against your programming…I’ll make sure you get scrapped for parts, machine.” She threatened, as the rest of the GUN forces and the vehicles that GUN had sent towards Scarlet Reach suddenly surrounding Shadow. More than a dozen GUN robots were also behind the vehicles, seemingly called in to assist in the defense of Earth when Rockwell noticed the alien spaceship made of meteoric rocks floating above the city.

Shadow then began to plead towards Rockwell. “Wait! Stop! Please!” Shadow asked of the Director, but Rockwell wasn’t hearing anything out. “No use pleading to me, Alien! We’re fixing what you did and then we’re putting you away! Finally, I’ll keep this Black Arm menace out of my planet and this whole nightmare will be over!” Rockwell said, keeping her gun aimed towards Shadow. “Or maybe, I’ll just kill you here! After all, locking you away seemed to only be a temporary solution. If I truly destroy you, I’ll be able to go that extra mile.” Rockwell exclaimed, the frustrated commander more than ready to destroy Shadow. Maria then spoke up, trying to defend Shadow.

“Wait! He didn’t do this! It was Terios and Black Doom! Shadow was fighting them!” Maria exclaimed, standing between the end of Rockwell’s weapon and Shadow’s body. Rockwell wasn’t convinced, holding the weapon at the ready. “How should I believe you? You care about this filthy alien! Get out of the way or I put you down with him!” Rockwell commanded. Maria matched the energy of Rockwell, roaring back to her revivor. “He’s the key to stopping Terios! Shadow is as strong as Terios! If Shadow dies, then we all lose!” Maria roared, standing her ground.

Rockwell wasn’t backing down. “And why should I believe that? What good has this monster done for humanity? For us? He’s a monster! He’s a demon! I will destroy everything that Gerald brought into this world! Starting with the monster that he made!” Rockwell cried, determined to destroy Shadow. Maria then interjected, growling back towards her. “The only monster I see is you! Shadow moved here to Scarlet to get away from everything, to make something better! Have you seen destruction? Have you seen death? No! Shadow loved this town! He let Omega join into that life too! Omega, tell them!” Maria pleaded. Omega, looking towards his old boss, then clicked a button on his center console. A small projection of Omega’s recording software showed some of the footage that Omega was passively recording as he worked in the background of his software. It showed Omega beginning to integrate with Stone and Shadow. Stone was showing Omega café recipes, and Shadow being in full work attire and serving guests at the café. Rockwell watched the footage with a mix of surprise and disbelief. “It’s true, ma’am. Shades and Stone let me in…it took Shadow a while to trust me…” Omega said, looking towards the black hedgehog, who nodded in acceptance. “I do trust him. He’s a powerful machine.” Shadow backed up. “…Stone and Shadow truly wanted to turn a new leaf, Rockwell. They aren’t the bad guys.” Omega explained.

Rockwell looked down towards Shadow, a glare in her eyes as she stared down towards the black creature. She sighed as she then looked towards the asteroid in the sky that was oozing the red and black smoke, seeing that even with this more built-up army, she probably didn’t stand a chance against this ‘Terios’ creature alone if it was able to beat Shadow. Rockwell sighed as she noticed that Rouge wasn’t with the trio. “And Rouge, where is she?” Rockwell asked, this time with a softer tone. Shadow was able to answer that question, growling under his breath. “She was trying to have Earth spared, then Terios cut up her wings. She’s on the asteroid, getting the troops ready to attack earth.” Shadow explained.

Rockwell looked towards the trio with confusion. “Rouge was trying to save Earth? Why?” Rockwell demanded, thinking that Rouge was only in GUN as a spy for the Black Arms, something that Rockwell had deducted far earlier on in their interactions with each other. Maria explained that part of the story, “She said that this place reminded her of her old home. She wanted to find a peaceful way of keeping away the Black Arms because they had saved her a long time ago…but they betrayed her, and she was hurt. Rouge isn’t bad, she’s scared.” Maria explained. Rockwell wasn’t sure in trusting these Mobians.
Just as the conflict between the two forces was becoming unstable, a shorter man than Rockwell then walked up to Rockwell. He wore a army vest like the other GUN agents, with several accreditation decorating his vest as he looked towards his commander. ‘General Linus’ was printed on the right-hand corner of his vest, showing his superiority as he approached the group. The man wore a pair of circular glasses, allowing him to see. “Miss Rockwell, you’re getting a call.” Linus spoke softly. Rockwell looked annoyed, turning towards the general. “Who is it? I’m in the middle of something important!” Rockwell exclaimed. Linus cleared his throat as he said, “It’s the President of the United States.”

Rockwell made the facial expression as if her entire brain had just been entirely reset as she took note of the caller. Clearing her own throat and saddling her weapon to the side, she then nodded and allowed Linus to place down a small, square device on to the ground. From the device, a blue holographic display appeared that began to form a digital man that was safely away from the conflict that was beginning to take place. He was dressed in a bright blue suit with a red tie, combed back brown hair and a chiseled face line that gave him a strong, stoic face. The dark blue eyes of the president then looked towards Director Rockwell, his arms behind him as he began to talk with Rockwell. “Greetings, Rockwell! I wanted to call in response to your confirmation on the capture of Shadow the Hedgehog. I am asking you to divert your plans, something has changed.” The President explained. Rockwell then began to speak, trying to explain the situation in her own words to the President of the United States. “Sir, I am dealing with the Black Arm’s army at this current moment. I have the whole of the situation under control, I promise.” Rockwell explained to the President. The President smiled as he then elaborated on his own ideals once more. “I’m asking you find Shadow and ask for his assistance. Though, I see finding Shadow won’t be difficult.” The President said, turning to look towards Shadow the Hedgehog. The president adjusted his stance as he looked down towards the creature. “Shadow the Hedgehog! Good to see you well! I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I wanted to get this message to Rockwell so the two of you could devise a plan. Satellite readings show alien spacecraft are quickly headed towards you direction and I want to be sure that everything can be done to prevent this crisis. I know you’re on our side, as you’ve saved Earth once before. I humbly ask that you do it once more for me again.” The President asked of Shadow.

Shadow was completely unaware of who this man was or what was even happening anymore. However, if Rockwell saw him as someone important, there was a good chance that he was. After all, Rockwell seemed to faulter to no one…if this guy is her boss, there was a good chance that Shadow could arrange for Him and Stone to be left alone in Scarlet Reach when this whole situation was over…if they even lived after this at all. “Of course! Earth will be protected! Shadow and Omega are more than willing to do it!” Maria chimed, bringing the two boys together and smiling towards the President. The President, however, had no idea who this mobian was. “And you are?” He asked, raising a brow. Maria winked as she answered, “Just call me ‘Maria’.” The hedgehog of golden quills explained. The President then nodded his head in understanding, before turning back towards Rockwell and giving further instructions. “Gather everyone you can! I will be shortly making my way over to you via helicopter! I want to assist in any way that I can.” The President explained. “Sir, with all due respect, you need to be kept out of these fights!” Rockwell spoke, exasperated. The last thing she needed was ‘death of the president’ connected to her already struggling legacy. “You forget, I was a marine for 15 years. Now, gather the forces! We don’t have much time! Shadow…” The President spoke, turning towards Shadow one more time before ending communication. “Thank you. I’m sorry for the trouble. You are one of Earth’s finest warriors. I hope to see you soon.”

As the hologram disappeared, Rockwell rubbed the temples of her head as she sighed, unable to comprehend what the hell she was having to deal with. She sighed as she snapped her fingers for someone to remove the cuffs on Shadow and for the soldiers to stand down. “Great…awesome. I just love this…of course the President just decides to call on a whim…fine! I will give you one chance, Shadow. On the slim chance that you are needed here, then fine.” Rockwell growled.

Shadow showed his gratitude towards Rockwell reconsidering, bowing towards her. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble, Ma’am. I promise I want to protect Earth just as much as you. What I did back then was in anger and revenge. I promise, I’m different now. Black Doom and Terios must be stopped…but I can’t do it alone. Sonic and the others are fighting Terios, but they will lose. Especially if Emelyn and Rouge come back with that army they promised Terios.” Shadow explained. Rockwell tilted her head towards the name ‘Emelyn’. “Who the hell is ‘Emelyn’?” Rockwell asked. Omega answered that, a bit of viper in his mechanical voice. “A backstabbing, Earth destroyer! That’s who! She took the Master Emerald! We gotta get the gems back!” Omega explained. “Oh…so they have all the super powered space rocks I assume?” Rockwell said, looking oh so joyful at the concept of that reality. Shadow, with a sigh, nodded his head. “Unfortunately.” He replied.

Rockwell, not letting the failure get to her, then gave her a piece of her mind. “I want you to know that I’ve been tirelessly working on ways to get rid of you. Kill you, put you away…anything! So, you better help us save earth. If you don’t, I’ll make sure I see you get destroyed first before we are. Got it, alien?” She fumed, as she began giving instructions to the other soldiers around her. “Linus! Call in all teams! I need every piece of GUN arsenal on the field now! This is a level 5 catastrophe!” Rockwell commanded, as she led the two Mobians and Omega towards the town. “Come on! Let’s go, furballs!” Rockwell barked towards Shadow and Maria.

Shadow couldn’t believe it. GUN, working with him, to stop an alien invasion. The insanity was palpable to Shadow as he walked with the other GUN soldiers, who all looked worried of standing around him. Shadow didn’t feel any more confident in fighting against Terios, but if he had GUN on his side, then there was a good chance that they could stand a chance. As they walked, Shadow looked towards the hedgehog to his side, a thought then came to Shadow as he looked towards the creature. “Maria…you couldn’t be her…right?” He asked himself under his breath, as he and the forces of GUN began to march back towards Scarlet Reach for one more, final confrontation of forces.

The asteroid of Doom rumbled as more red and black smoke billowed from the living rock. It watched from the sky as the GUN army walked along the shore, awaiting Shadow’s return.

Chapter Text

Sonic and Terios’ fight was becoming more intense, the two forces throwing each other around the town and breaking through buildings as they rivalled one another. Sonic’s new transformation under the effects of the Chaos Emerald were taking a stronger hold on him, making the rage even more potent. Terios matched the ferocity of Sonic’s combat, with a few cracks in his Might Emerald as Terios beat down Sonic. Terios and Sonic then found themselves back in the center of the plaza where their fight had begun, with Tails and Knuckles hiding behind a pile of concrete and rubble to repair their wounds.
Tom, calling from an alleyway that was nearby the duo, ushered Tails and Knuckles to the alley to get to safety. When Sonic and Terios moved enough aside for Knuckles and Tails to run, the two brightly colored creatures dashed for their friends. Tom, Maddie, Henry, and Stone were the four in the alleyway, trying to think of a way to help Sonic. “So…this guy is the business, huh?” Henry asked the duo. Knuckles was at a loss of words. “This warrior…Where did his Emerald come from? Tails, do you know?” the echidna asked the two-tailed fox. Tails was digging through his bag, not focused on the question that Knuckles asked. “Fox? Answer me! We are on the clock here!” Knuckles explained. “I don’t know, Knucks! All I know is Terios has destroyed so much throughout the universe! There’s no way we can beat him! When Sonic knocks Terios back enough, we need to grab him and dash through a ring!” Tails said, grabbing for his teleportation rings that he kept hidden in his backpack. Maddie grasped onto Tail’s tiny paws, looking him into the eyes. “We can’t just leave Terios to the town! He’ll destroy Earth! Where could we possibly go?” She tried to explain to Tails. “Nowhere on Earth! We’ll go somewhere else! Anywhere but here! You don’t get it! Terios can’t be stopped! You saw what he did to Rouge! If he gets to one of you guys…” Tails said, sniffling as he spoke.

Knuckles placed a paw onto Tail’s shoulder. “Fox! Get ahold of yourself! This is no time to run! Terios does have a weakness. It is his Emerald within his eyepatch. If we destroy it, he will lose the might of his Emerald! Does anyone know of a plan?” Knuckles asked the humans of his group. “The crab and the last of Ivo’s Badniks were sucked into Emelyn…I…I got nothing.” Stone said, sighing in despair. Tom and Maddie had no ideas between them, but Henry had one. “Stone…you’re a science guy, yeah?” Henry asked the barista specialist. “Well, I know some things…” Stone admitted, only picking up some things from Ivo if the Doctor was willing to share. “How does Sonic and crew get power? Is it only through the Emeralds?” Henry asked. “Well, they have innate power, yes, but the Master Emerald and Chaos Emerald allow them to hit critical powers outside their normal range. Their natural powers can be harnessed from their quills.” Stone explained.

Henry then looked towards Knuckles. “Knuckles, do you have that natural power?” Henry asked. Knuckles nodded. “My body is a temple of power, the likes of which most cannot begin to harness. Taking just a single would give you a strong might that no other creature could withstand! Why?” Knuckles asked. “May I?” Henry asked, holding out his hand. Knuckles looked towards the woodsman with a suspicious eye. “You promise to do good with these powers? I have already had trust broken once before with a Robotnik…I do not wish for it to happen again.” Knuckles growled. Henry looked into the eyes of the Echidna warrior. "I promise, Mister Knuckles.” Henry spoke, trying to show alliance to Knuckles. The echidna sighed as he then picked a quill from his body and handed it off to Henry. Henry observed the bright red, glowing quill as he delicately held it in one hand. “So…how does it work?” he asked, twirling it around to observe it. Stone tried to help by giving instructions. “Open your mouth.” Stone instructed. Henry looked towards Stone with a confused look, but followed his instructions. “Like this?” He mouthed, his tongue hanging in the air. Stone then pressed the quill into Henry’s tongue, giving a spicy sensation on the tasters of Henry’s linguae. Henry sweated as the heat of the quill burned his tongue, but the aftershock gave Henry this unweighted feeling of buzz that gave him clarity to move and lift things. “Woah! That is POWER! You weren’t kidding! Right, I have an idea! Everyone, huddle in close!” Henry said, giving his idea to the group.

Back in the battlefield, Sonic was starting to lose. Sonic was taking too many hits, and Terios was fighting back with the same level of ferocity as how he started. It was clear that Terios was just the better trained of the two, showing his prowess of gladiatorial strength. “See, hedgehog? I’m so much MORE! The might of the Emerald within my eye gives me a strength you couldn’t beg to have!” Terios said, the limp monster Sonic struggling to stay in the fight and push against the power of Terios. Sonic’s bright green eyes glared towards the warrior, wanting to continue to fight. Terios smiled villainously as he looked towards Sonic. “Those eyes…so full of life…and love…and weakness.” He mocked, slowly stepping towards Sonic. “You know, I bet if your parents or this parrakeet of a bird Longclaw saw you, what would they think? Would it be Pride? Fear? ‘What happened to my precious little hedgehog?’ I can hear them say beyond the grave.” Terios snipped with a snide voice.

Sonic perked at the name ‘Longclaw’ and then realized Terios said ‘parents’. “How do you know Longclaw? My parents? You mean Tom?” Sonic growled. “Don’t you dare talk of them!” Sonic growled. Terios laughed a horrific growl as he looked towards Sonic with this sinister gaze. “That old bird…She was the one who saw our plot with the Echidna’s. She told them of what we were seeking from them when we gave them the sacred diamonds that made up the Master Emerald. Then, when we were pushed away, She wanted to lock the Master Emerald away…Pachacamac didn’t like that…” Terios said. “If she had just let them fall in line, and she and the others of the Sonic Kingdom did the same, then maybe you’d still have your real parents…Longclaw wouldn’t have died…all of this, to protect YOU.” Terios growled, pointing towards Sonic with a clawed finger. “Ironically, you and Shadow are the very embodiment of rivals! You are everything that is light…but Shadow? He’s darkness incarnate. Both of you princes of light and darkness, now forged in friendship…how cute.” Terios explained. “To be clear, both of you don’t belong here. Only one of you needed to die today…a shame it was Shadow. Oh well…we’ll just make another…” Terios monologued. “Too bad that you can’t do that with your precious Longclaw or, what was the guy and girl’s names? Those humans you lug around? ‘Tim and Muddie’?” Terios quizzed. Sonic’s anger exploded all at once, the monstrous proportions from the Chaos Emerald showing their full ferocity as Sonic dashed towards Terios. Sonic roared as he punched Terios, flinging him through the Fall Fest stands and towards the temporary stage in the center of the event.

Terios groaned as he reset his jaw from the punch, getting up from the carved earth he made from the punch from Sonic and looking towards the growing beast in the distance. “Now there’s the real power I wanted to fight!” Terios complimented, smiling wickedly. “Don’t you dare speak Tom and Maddie’s names! Don’t talk about Longclaw! You don’t deserve to know them you monster!” Sonic growled, dashing towards Terios with all four limbs as he went to ravage Terios. Terios and Sonic were locked claw in claw, fighting for dominance over the other. Sonic growled in frustration as he felt the anger of the Chaos Emerald sink even deeper into his brain, making him uncontrollable. Sonic held him down onto the ground, trying to do anything to get at Terios. Right as soon as Sonic was sure he was going to get to Terios, a force then jumped from the stage and tackled right into Sonic, pushing him to the ground and surprising even Terios.

Beast Sonic and the mysterious intruder toppled as Sonic saw who had pushed him. Tom was holding onto Sonic, trying to comfort him. “I got you, buddy! Don’t worry! Shhh…” Tom said, holding him like a child. “Henry! Now!” Tom yelled, looking towards the roofing of the temporary stage. On the bars that were holding spotlights for the stage, a sole figure was standing with a sharpened metal spear that he had taken from one of the antique shop stands around the Fall Fest. The weapon still had the 300-dollar tag on the end, with a dozen or so of Knuckles quills on the flair of the weapon and a quill in Henry’s free hand. Henry, giving a breath, then jumped down from the stage roof, landing onto Terios, and then zapped himself with the free quill. “TASTE REAL POWER YOU OVERGROWN PORKUPINE!” Henry exclaimed, stabbing the spear straight into Terios’ eyepatch.

An explosive burst of red energy blasted Henry away from Terios, as Terios let out a rancid, deep roar. Pain went though all of Terios’ body, as the creature’s power began to fade, blasting out throughout the town. The red energy sent shockwaves everywhere before then redirecting into the sky. Red light made a beacon that launched upwards into the air, releasing the energy within the gem and weakening Terios. Tom held Sonic close, as the power blasted more and more until none remained.
Still.

That was the mood of the ruined town park. Tom groaned as he tried to help Sonic up, who was clasping at his chest. “I…hurt…help…dad…” Sonic whimpered, shaking as tears formed in his eyes. Tom looked down towards the mutated Sonic, seeing the patchwork fur of his son that proved his injuries. Tom had tears form into his eyes as he held his boy’s body and head. “It’s okay, Sonic. I’m here…Tom is here…” He whispered into Sonic’s ear. Sonic slowly reformed back to normal, the injuries persisting after de-transformation. Maddie and the others then arrived. “Oh my god, Tom! Is he okay!?” Maddie spoke with worry, dashing over to her husband. Tails and Knuckles followed behind Pretzel Lady, both of them worried for their friend. “SONIC!” Tails yelled, with Knuckles grunting in disbelief. “Hedgehog! Do not die! Please!” Knuckles groaned, as Tom tried to sit Sonic upright. The hedgehog groaned as he looked around. “Dad…is he?” Sonic tried to ask, with Tom smiling as he looked towards Sonic. “Yes, he’s gone Sonic…Henry got him.” Tom said, “Just stay awake with me, okay buddy?” Tom said.

Stone was over by Henry, who groaned as he helped Henry sit upright. “Are you okay? Did Knuckles’ energy help?” Stone asked Henry, who groaned in pain. “More or less…still hurt like the dickens.” Henry grunted, before looking over towards Sonic. “Oh shi-” Henry stood upright and then dashed over towards the weakened Sonic. “Is he okay? Where is he hurt?” Henry asked, throwing the spear aside and dashing to help. “Everywhere…Terios gave him a good fight. Listen, just stay with me, Sonic.” Tom told Sonic, who nodded his head. “I…still have it…” Sonic said, as he slowly revealed the Chaos Emerald. “We need to make sure that Shadow gets it back…” Sonic whimpered. Tom nodded. “Yeah! You will! You’re gonna give it to him! Stay awake just a little while, buddy! Stone! Maddie! Henry! Do you have your phone?” Tom asked anyone of the group.

As the humans tried to get support from anyone, everyone of town began to reemerge from the rubble of the chaos. Some were hurt, hit by rubble and also in need of assistance. Town police began to swarm the area, checking for survivors. Shea and Dennis came running up to Henry, worried for their friend. “Henry! Is Sonic and Shadow okay?” Shea asked. She then saw Sonic and gasped. “He’s hurt! We need someone over here!” Shea yelled towards a paramedic, who immediately began to dash over. Dennis went to help other survivors, with Shea also doing what she could in making sure nobody else was trapped underneath the rubble.

Just as the medics from the Scarlet Reach Hospital were working out in the field, GUN and Shadow had arrived from the oceanside to see the remaining carnage. GUN moved in with their own support, with Shadow, Omega, and Maria seeing Sonic in a bad state. “Oh my god they actually got Terios!” Omega said with excitement, but Maria and Shadow knew something was wrong. Both Hedgehogs dashed away from the main group of GUN, running to the group of Mobians and humans around Sonic. “How hurt is he? Is he okay!?” Shadow roared, looking over his friend. Sonic faintly gasped as he saw Shadow. “Shadow…you’re okay…that’s good…” Sonic moaned quietly, looking towards the black quilled hedgehog. “Don’t die on me you fool! What happened!? Where’s Terios!? What did he do to you?” Shadow demanded. “Relax…it’s okay…he’s gone…Now you just gotta go after Black Doom. Here…this is yours…” Sonic said, slowly trying to lift the Chaos Emerald to Shadow’s hands. Shadow looked down towards the gem, shocked and even more worried. “You used it! That was far too dangerous, hedgehog! You could have gotten yourself killed!” Shadow roared.

Rockwell, Omega, and Maria caught up with Shadow, with Rockwell looking over all of the creatures that were here and noticed how focused on the injured Sonic they were. Rockwell herself looked towards the banged-up creature. Sonic had bruises all over his body, with a little blood on some of his quills as he weakly hung in Shadow’s arms. “Linus! Get medical over here! We got heavily injured personnel over here!” Rockwell yelled, knowing full well that if Sonic died today, the President would have a dozen questions as to why.

There was a peacefulness in Sonic’s voices as he faintly spoke to Shadow. The two friends locked eyes with each other as Shadow began to sob. “You...you aren’t dying…right?” Shadow whimpered worriedly. Shadow took Sonic from Tom’s hands, as GUN medical agents were prepping Sonic for a gurney to get him and his family somewhere safe. “Tails and Knucks…they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond…I’ll be okay, and root for you from the sidelines…okay, bestie?” Sonic asked Shadow, who was holding his friend close. Maria looked towards Shadow and Sonic, seeing the two worried for each other like how Shadow worried for Her. “Hey, Shadow...do me a favor. If you find Black Doom, punch him in the nose for me, okay?” Sonic asked.

“Sonic! We can’t do this without you!” Tails spoke with fear, hoping his friend was going to be okay. Sonic smiled, “Hey…remember what I said a long time ago? You can do this, I promise. You guys are super strong, too…so are you Knuckles…Shadow…you too, Stone.” Sonic spoke with a tired breath. He then weakly held up a paw, his shredded gloves barely hanging on for dear life. “Power…bump?” Sonic asked of his friends. Slowly, Tails and Knuckles tapped their knuckles against Sonic’s, a smile forming on Sonic’s face. “Hey Shadow, Stone…get in here…” Sonic whispered. “A ‘Powerbump’ is a promise…I’ll be perfectly okay, and so will you guys. Beat Black Doom for me, would you? I think that grump has caused enough problems for everyone.” Sonic said weakly.

Shadow, with a sigh, smiled as he looked towards his injured friend. “You told me there was more than hate out there Sonic…but how do you keep getting back up every time you lose? How do you do it with a smile?” Shadow asked the hedgehog. Sonic then delicately placed his paw over Shadow’s and said: “Because that’s what heroes do. Because I always believe in my friends, I know everything will be okay. You’ll be okay too, Shadow the Hedgehog…you’re the ‘Ultimate Life form’ after all!” Sonic said, as he was raised out from Shadow’s arms and placed into a medical gurney.

With a speed only Sonic and Shadow could replicate, Sonic, Tom, and Maddie were whisked away into a GUN ambulance. Shadow could only watch as Sonic was taken away, hopefully somewhere safe so he could recover. Tails and Knuckles, along with Henry, Stone, Omega, and Maria, stood behind Shadow as they watched their friend drive away to safety.

“It won’t matter…” A snarly, dry voice groaned from near the stage. The Mobians and humans turned to look towards the crater that Terios was left in, with everyone on high alert as a shriveled form began to rise from the earth. The creature groaned as it stood itself up. Rockwell, along with the higher forces of GUN, pointed their weapons towards the new foe that was showing itself. Terios, or whatever was left of him, rose form the earth like a zombie. He looked starved and dehydrated, shaking as he stood. The creature was so full of dark power that once he was cut from it, his whole body began to dissolve right before them. “I will admit, you were stronger than I expected…I’ll have to use my real form if I ever want to beat you. This little piece won’t do the job it seems…” the hedgehog laughed, admittedly impressed that these creatures were able to beat him in this smaller form.

“What? You thought I’d bring myself down to a world I’ve never been and just start touching you disgusting nobodies with my bare claws? Don’t make me laugh! I’d die before I dare place myself before such worthless creatures…” The zombie moaned, coughing as its body seemed to dissolve into dark matter. “No…We need to match your power…When I contact Emelyn and Rogue up there, I’m going to make sure we bring every force we have! I want to so thoroughly that I want the light to leave your eyes before you pass away.” The monster spoke. The demon was crumbling before their very eyes. The armor it wore was slipping from its body as it began to disintegrate like a statue of crumbling gravel, red and black smoke beginning to sulfate from its form. “I want to destroy the very ideas of hope inside you…and laugh as you realize the futility of it all! It will be glorious! There is nowhere you can go that Black Doom, and the power of the Black Arms chase you! You can’t run from Shadows! I will break you until you crumble to dust like this clone will…” Terios jeered, the zombie beginning to shamble and crumble as the last words the form could speak were leaving its tongue.

“You…are…nobodies…” The creature wailed. “And I…am…beautiful.”

Rouge, pushing past Shadow and the others, had a giant clay jug in her claws that she then rose above her head and swung downwards. Her wings were bandaged, the giant holes still apparent in the translucent skin that form the sail of the wings. She captured the red and black mist into the jar that was also being sold in the Fair, holding it down as the poisonous smoke tried to rise away. “HELP ME!” Rouge yelled, looking towards Shadow for assistance. Snapping from his trance, Shadow placed the Chaos Emerald in Knuckles hands and ran towards the jug. Rouge helped in lowering down the jug, keeping the deadly mist from escaping. “Don’t let the essence escape! It will let his full form wake up! Hurry!” Rouge exclaimed. Henry and Stone assisted, pushing down on the lid and capturing the mist into the container. The jug shook violently as Rouge slid on the seal and locked it in place, keeping the ghostly remnants of Terios inside, with the armor he wore into the fight safely locked inside the jar along with the red and black smoke.

Chapter Text

Everyone on town was on edge.

GUN had set up barricades and army troops to ensure that if Black Doom began an assault, they were ready for him. Waves of GUN army soldiers, flying drones, GUN robots, and armored vehicles were swarming all of Scarlet Reach…or rather, what was left after Sonic and Terios’ fight. If that Terios wasn’t even the full-scale power of Terios, who know what the rest of the Black Arms were to be like. With Emelyn also with them, using the power of the Master Emerald, then anything could come for them. In Shadow’s mind, it was clear that Black Doom had the true ‘Might Emerald’ that powered the clone Terios, and the Master Emerald. On Shadow’s side, they had the Chaos Emerald…and if Rouge’s sudden defiance against the Black Arms was proof of anything, then they also had the Hearth Emerald too. The fight between the two forces would be dangerous, which lead to GUN deciding to evacuate everyone out of town that were in so fit state to fight. Shea and Dennis, who were subject to that list of people to leave, demanded to stay. “Aary is still in there! We need to make sure our friend gets out of this!” Shea demanded. Dennis agreed the same. “Shadow! They can be helped, right? We can save them?” Dennis begged, wanting to save Aary before it was too late. Shadow looked towards the two young adults, unsure if Aary was even worth saving.

Rockwell wanted them gone, as she had no interest in having more blood on her hands than what was to come. Shadow, however, told Rockwell to help get them to safety. Henry also agreed to this idea, trying to wrangle Dennis and Shea towards their vans back on the other side of the park that were thankfully untouched from the fighting. Henry spoke a few words to Shadow before he dragged away Dennis and Shea to safety, who struggled to break from Henry’s grip. “Help them…please. They aren’t like Emelyn, there is good in them…please see it, Mister Shadow.” Henry asked of the hedgehog, who folded his arms and nodded his head. “I’ll do what I can, Robotnik.” Shadow answered, not quite sure if he could save the victim of Emelyn’s influence, but willing to give his damnedest to try. “Please, call me Henry.” Henry correctly, smiling down towards Shadow as he carried the remaining members of his road buddies to the vans.

Shadow then noticed, along with everyone else, Agent Stone was leaving as well. The barista was walking with Henry, trying to help make sure everything of the Harbinger’s were together. Shadow dashed over towards Stone, questioning the man on what he was doing. Henry had finally convinced Dennis and Shea to work with him on getting out, albeit still in disagreement with the idea. The three of them gave space for Shadow and Stone as the two began to speak. “Stone! Where are you going? I need you to stay with us!” He demanded of Stone. Stone looked towards Shadow, then smiled as he bent a knee and looked towards Shadow. “Shadow the Hedgehog. You are one of the most powerful, kind, and amazing creatures that have ever come to this planet. I think I would have become incredibly lonely without you, but this is a fight you’ll have to do without me.” Stone explained. “I don’t have gear, and I think there is someone really important who could use me being around. Plus, I don’t want you to worry about little old me. You fight for this planet, and I’ll help down here on the ground.” Stone explained.

Shadow sighed as he looked towards the Harbingers and Henry, seeing that Stone wouldn’t be alone. Shadow nodded as he let Stone go, the hedgehog hesitant at first. Suddenly, Shadow then hugged the side of Stone, then slowly pulled away from him as he spoke softly. “Just stay safe, alright Stone?” Shadow asked of the barista master. Stone smiled, a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, “Someone has to work the counter of the café, right?”. Shadow slowly walked away from Stone, as Stone watched the hedgehog then join up with the other Mobians not too far away. Stone watched as Shadow began to speak with the others, seeing that Shadow wouldn’t be alone either. Stone worried that Shadow wouldn’t have anyone like Maria ever again, but in this moment, that fear was immediately dashed as he watched the group form their plan to save the world. Stone looked to the sky, wondering if The Doctor was watching them from wherever he was in the afterlife. “We made something here, Ivo. I wish you could have seen it.” Stone said, as he slowly turned back towards the harbingers and made his evacuation from town with them. Shea then opened the side window of one of the vans, pushing her head out and yelling something towards Shadow. “Shadow! If nothing works! Tell Aary, ‘Juan and Gabriella are forever!’” Shea yelled, which perked Shadow’s ears.

Shadow turned towards the girl, smiled, then nodded his head. “So…they’re a fan of ‘La ùltima Pasión’? Good to know…they have good taste.” Shadow said, pocketing the information for if it would become useful later. As Shadow began to walk back to the others, Aary’s father stood in front of Shadow. The older man looked down towards the creature, a look of worry and exhaustion on his face. “Shadow, right? Can I ask you something?” Terry asked, his grim expression deepening as Shadow nodded his head in agreement. “Save Aary…Bring her home.” He asked, before walking away quickly with the rest of the humans as they evacuated the rest of Scarlet Reach.

Shadow met with the rest of his group, who were trying to come up with a plan to fighting Black Doom head on. Rouge had been sat on the floor, with Omega behind her to make sure he could keep her from doing any funny business. The Terios jar sat to the other side of Omega, with a plasma arm blaster pointed directly at the jar to be sure that if anything happened, the smoke could hopefully be vaporized to truly destroy the remnants that were trying to escape back to the owner the smoke clone was trying to return to. Maria, Knuckles, and Tails gave round robin ideas of what they could do, but everything ended up being a messy or possibly deadly way of dealing with the problem.

“There is no way we can take on all of the Black Arms at once! There’s far too many of them, and Emelyn still has the Master Emerald.” Tails expressed his worry, but Knuckles tapped the back of the Fox’s shoulder. “Worry not, Fox. We have the might of GUN on our side once more. We fight this threat head on!” Knuckles exclaimed with jubilation, confident in his ability. Rouge laughed, “As much as I want to protect Earth, you won’t win against that many Black Arms. It would be virtually impossible.” Rouge explained.

“Which is why, we aren’t fighting them.” Shadow explained, folding his arms and looking around towards the faces of his friends. Maria, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Omega looked towards Shadow with a look of confusion. “Uh…what?” Omega asked, “Now is a bad time to turn coat, man…” Omega added, squinting his robot lenses as he looked towards Shadow confused. Shadow then turned to Tails. “The gold rings, we know they can teleport people around…but can we make them bigger?” Shadow asked Tails. Tails stopped to think for a moment, before briefly explaining how the rings work. “In theory? Transportation rings have specific sizes due to how unstable they can be at bigger sizes. The bigger the ring, the more power you need to keep it stable…Why?” Tails asked the hedgehog. “Simple. I use the power of the Chaos Emerald to make a ring big enough that we suck the Doom Meteor inside of. We send it to the farthest reaches of the galaxy or into a black hole, destroying them entirely.” Shadow explained.

The group looked amongst themselves as Shadow explained his plan, the group unsure of this idea. “Shadow…the last time you tried to use the Chaos Emerald…it wasn’t great. You were bedridden for a couple days because of the excess energy. Are you sure about this?” Omega asked, with Maria looking just as worried. Shadow looked towards Omega, nodding in confidence. Turning over to the gold hedgehog, Shadow then asked Maria of a favor. “Maria. You have similar skills to me, yes? Stay with the others if the Black Arms begin their assault. Me and my steed will handle the meteor.” Shadow explained. Shadow then whistled with his mouth, and after a few moments, a roaring vehicle emerged from down the road. Dark Rider roared with life, green energy burning behind it as it came to a drifting stop to Shadow’s side. Shadow mounted the vehicle, revving the engine and making sure the Chaos Emerald was secured to the bike. “We don’t have a lot of time. Rouge, can we really trust you?” Shadow asked the bat mobian, who suddenly snapped her head towards Shadow in sudden focus to her name being mentioned. “I…yes! Absolutely! I do need these off though.” Rouge said, holding up her arms to reveal the power inhibitors on her wrists. Shadow then pointed a finger towards Rouge’s chains, touched upon the Chaos Emerald, and a bolt of green energy then zapped from Shadow’s finger that hit the chains on Rouge’s arms, freeing her power.

Rouge sighed as she felt the power of the Hearth Emerald begin to surge once more, letting her have the power to use once more. She may not be able to fly with her injured wings, but her Hearth powers would still be handy in dealing with the storm that was to come. “I’m right behind you, Shadow! I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you, darling!” Rouge apologized. Shadow nodded his head, “You did. But you also helped us. Keep it up.” Shadow instructed, revving his vehicle as he readied himself for the storm that was coming.

Suddenly, red thunder crackles above as the meteor began dispelling even more red and black smog that began to fume towards the ground. The ground began to rumble as the meteor began to move closer and closer to Earth, dark power glowing from the mountain sized rock began to grow closer to Earth. A dozen meteors of various sizes suddenly began to fall from the heavens just as GUN finished their set up across the town in preparation for the fight that was coming. Growls of wild animals began to emanate from the smaller meteors as they crashed onto the ground, hitting the earth and disintegrating upon collision.

Monsters. Black, hideous forms of darkness with beady red eyes began to emerge from the ground like weeds. The monsters had claws, and teeth, and pincers that were all different across the different bodies. Some had three horns and one eye, some were eight eyed and two horned, and some were blank slates. These foot soldiers began clawing and growling like savage animals, laughing as they began to tear up the last remaining parts of town. More and more meteors began to descend from the sky, all coming to this one spot just across from the Mobians and GUN’s weapon range. Rockwell halted her soldiers, watching the situation closely before they opened fire.

Knuckles and Omega wanted to spring into action, but Shadow asked for them to hold. “Something is happening. Wait.” Shadow said, with everyone on the edge of their seats. The monsters soon numbered into the hundreds as they emerged from the meteors that fell from the sky. Many of them were in the ocean, having to swim out and join with the others closer in town. Finally, as the crowd of Black Arm monsters formed an army size, a bigger meteor then fell right before them, dividing the Black Arms from the Mobians and GUN.

From the meteor, a familiar shape reemerged. A computer screen head, with a bundle of tightly wound wires and cables and robotic features emerged with a war cloak similar to Terios’ emerged from the fallen meteor, with a Black Arm of black and white coloring emerged along side the machine. The red eyes of the Black Arm Elite stared towards its enemy with intent, ready to fight. The Elite had a massive black arm that pulsed with red energy, the creature prepared to fight using that arm. The machine held the Elite back with a clawed arm, revealing the placement of the Master Emerald in it’s center chest upside down. The monster had a screen full of digital eyes that formed haphazardly on its face that then folded together on the screen into a trio of three eyes, which locked onto Shadow with intense focus. “Where’s Terios?” Emelyn growled, trying to push her menacing look even further beyond. Revealing a staff-like weapon from under her cloak, Emelyn’s computer screen glare bright red as she tightened her grip on her weapon, ready to begin the assault.

Chapter Text

Red.

The whole of the sky became red from the smog of the deadly meteor that hung overhead, the massive stone threatening the ground below that it would smash into at any moment. Fires began to appear throughout the remains of Scarlet Reach from the falling meteors that held monsters within. In a matter of moments, this town would be completely wiped off the face of the earth, with the rest of earth to follow. Emelyn would take these forces across the world, becoming the champion warrior that Black Doom hoped to have within Shadow the Hedgehog.

The two forms looked towards each other, ready to fight the other. Emelyn, now within her complete monster form, had the Master Emerald within her central chest, using its power to keep her body together, along with the chaos energy within her body and the Black Arm magic holding the power together. The white and black Elite Black Arm by Emelyn’s side was aching to attack, but Emelyn continued holding out a mechanized claw to keep it from attacking. “Where’s Terios, Shadow?” Emelyn asked Shadow, staring directly towards the black hedgehog alien with an intense focus. Emelyn then asked Shadow the question once more. “Shadow…where’s Terios?” Emelyn demanded, her computer screen filling with legions of eyes as she looked towards Shadow for an answer. “He’s been taken care of…and if you continue this fight, then the same will happen to you, Emelyn.” Shadow threatened, sitting upon his motorcycle ‘Dark Rider’. Shadow then whistled towards Rockwell, signaling to the commander he was in need of something. “Rockwell! A pistol!” Shadow commanded. Against Rockwell’s wishes, she pulled a laser pistol from her pocket and tossed it over towards Shadow. The hedgehog caught it, checked the ammo of the weapon, then cocked the shaft of the weapon and faced back towards Emelyn.

Emelyn, or whatever beast this creature was before Shadow called itself, laughed as it began to mock Shadow. “You’re 3 to 1 buddy. You’ve been defeated by every force that has come to this little waste of a town…what makes you confident you even have the power to stop me? I have the Master Emerald and an army of monsters hellbent on destroying Earth! What do you have? A pack of rodents?” Emelyn questioned, feeling confident in her ability. “You had an out! You could have been something greater! Instead…you chose to die. You disappoint me, friend.” Emelyn hummed. Shadow growled as he responded to Emelyn’s threatening. “I was actually starting to warm up to you…but if what I found out about you before all this is true, then it explains more than enough that you’re a bad person.” Shadow growled. Emelyn’s face then changed from the array of eyes to a face of three eyes and a mouth of monstrous electronic teeth as she then began to laugh, her voice becoming more mechanized as she howled in laughter. She wiped a corner of her screen monitor as if she was wiping a tear from one of the three eyes, with a small visual of a tear moving across the mono-colored screen. “Oh Shadow, you’re a riot! Me, a bad person? Surely not!” Emelyn smoked sarcastically, sizing herself up to the small little hedgehog in her view.

The other Mobians of Shadow’s party tensed as Emelyn showed her fuller colors and began to admit her horrible atrocities. “Being the villain is awesome! I know full well what I’m doing, Emo-boy! Sure, I wasn’t a killer before, but I certainly liked causing problems! It makes people squirm…makes then frustrated. Do you know how much joy I get in surprising and frustrating people? Of Course you don’t, you barely spoke to me until a few days ago, but Aary here knows…don’t you Aary?” Emelyn asked the Black Arm Elite that sat by her side. The Elite stood, unemotional and tense, as the black skin of the creature began to flower away from the head of the monster to reveal Aary’s face below. Their eyes were voids of bright red, their face stern and tough. Shadow gasped in surprise, with the others following along. Omega was the first to step forwards. “Aary! Fight back! Don’t let this witch command you!” Omega growled, pleading to Aary. Shadow was confused for a moment why Omega was so emotional to this moment, until it clicked to Shadow that this kind of situation was almost exactly like his.

Omega was alive now, and up to now he had been functioning as his own entity thanks to the power of the Chaos Emerald. Before, Omega was forced to follow his own code, devoid of choice. It wasn’t until the power of the Chaos Emerald that he could break free from his programming to make his own choice. Omega continued his pleas, not wanting to hurt Aary. “Aary! I don’t know why you’d choose her, or what happened in the past, but you don’t have to do this now! You can break free from this nightmare!” Shadow, seeing that Omega’s words weren’t working, decided to try talking to Aary through the means Shea suggested before she evacuated. “If you conquer the world, it’s going to be really hard to figure out how ‘La Ultima Pasion’ ends. I personally think Gabriella should ditch them both…” Shadow empathized. Rouge, confused on Shadow’s tactic here, spoke up. “Now isn’t the time for TV show recommendations, Darling!” Rouge discouraged.

Aary’s face tensed a little harder for a moment, as something seemed to stir inside of the person for a moment before disappearing again. Emelyn, seeing the Shadow’s trick from a mile away, laughed as she placed a metal claw onto Aary’s head. “See? They are just as evil as me! I will admit though, that time on the Scarlet Pier was a bit of an accident though…I never meant to hurt anybody or burn the thing down, but I will admit that it’s my magnum opus of destruction. It’s been hard thinking of a way to live up to that level of destruction.” Emelyn explained, confident that this sharing of information wouldn’t come back to bite her. Shadow growled in anger, completely in shock that this person who was once human could dare say such awful things. “How could you be so careless and flippant in killing and destroying lives!? Your own mother died because of what you did! Aary lost their arm! Families drowned or burned! How could you?”

Emelyn, resetting her stance and looking towards the Mobians before her, began her little monologue she had been hoping to share. The thought of expressing her deeper urges of destruction finally coming forwards in this twisted sense of pride. With a deep, mechanical and hollow voice, Emelyn began by saying: “It’s fun.”. leaning on her new staff-like weapon, she elaborated further on what she meant. “Shadow, let me ask you something: Do you genuinely find this place, fun? Being an adult, going to school, living here in this nowhere town…it never showed itself. I almost had a chance to by leaving with Henry and the others a long time ago, but then I’d have to deal with Aary and her insistence on ‘putting me in my place’. Now, the tables have turned…I now am a conqueror…I’m someone important. Only trouble is now I have to fight you. That’s the worst of it.” Emelyn explained.

“We could have had the entire universe together, Shadow…but you chose this pathetic little town of nobodies and nothings. You chose this town because you’re precious little Maria would have loved it…you let Love hold you back…you let Kindness be your undoing…and I notice the lack of a particular blue rodent. Sonic, right? What about him? Where is he now?” Emelyn asked, changing her computer face to be more mocking looking. Shadow and the others readied themselves as Emelyn poised her monsters to fight. Maria couldn’t believe that someone who was human would dare do something this evil. To be so careless with other people’s lives and to be so mean. Maria stepped forwards and scolded the machine woman. “How dare you? What makes you think you have the right to behave like this?! The world isn’t your plaything! You can’t just destroy people’s lives because it’s fun! You’re hurting people! What of your own family? Don’t they live here?” Maria yelled, trying to find some level of empathy in this monster. Emelyn scoffed as she spoke down to the gold hedgehog. “Those old grapes? The Hudson’s are your typical gran and gramps…they exist elsewhere. They aren’t special.” Emelyn hummed, proud of her assertion that they were just as worthless as this dead-end town. “You’re a monster, Emelyn!” Maria roared. Emelyn’s computer face then went blank, before then being replaced by rows upon rows of red eyes that bulged around the center of the screen. “Please, call me Algorethm…Its catchier, plus it adds to the branding. If I’m going to be the ruler of the universe then I need a catchy name!” The computer announced, the body of the super computer of dark power spoke as red energy casted from her body and flowed across the sky. The power of the Master Emerald then called to action the Black Arm’s behind her, as the clash between Earth and Black Arms began. Rockwell saw the approach of the conquesting monsters begin, making the commander turn towards her troops and announce: “BRACE YOURSELVES! The fight for Earth begins now!”

Chapter Text

The fighting was intense.

Monsters crawled from every angle and from every destroyed building, with the fight becoming out of hand so fast that it was becoming difficult to tell what was happening. Emelyn wasn’t a strategist, letting the monsters loose like a pack of wild animals rather than coordinate them into effective patterns. It was the overwhelming numbers that were their strength, letting them overtake GUN if they could just coordinate in a certain direction. GUN had set up temporary defenses, which helped in slowing down the Black Arms, but not enough to fully stop them.

It was chaos. Tails and Knuckles stayed together, with Tails riding on Knuckles back and using his various tech inventions to give Knuckles an edge on the monsters that were taller than the Echidna warrior. “I should have brought Wade. He would be an excellent warrior for times like this!” Knuckles claimed, smashing and thrashing through the monsters as Tails held onto his friend for dear life. “Knucks! Don’t loose me!” Tails called out, as Tails threw a volley of small yellow devices towards a massive horde of the monsters. The little yellow balls stuck to the monsters, beeped for a few seconds, before exploding and destroying the sludgy monsters with ease.

Rouge jumped onto Shadow’s motorcycle, using her Hearth power sparingly to fight back monsters that got in his way as he used his motorbike to charge towards Emelyn and take the Master Emerald from the newfound transformed overlord. “I have to be careful; the Hearth Emerald is shattering. Once to many Hearth blasts and it explodes!” Rogue explained to Shadow, who gave a huff as he was at least glad to have that weapon as a backup to fight Emelyn. “Just watch where you aim. Don’t break the Master Emerald. I’ll never hear the end of it from Knuckles or Sonic if you do.” Shadow exclaimed over the explosions happening around him, as he and Rouge went to square up with Emelyn ‘Algorethm’.

Maria meanwhile, dashed around the city, with dozens of Black Arms following behind her as she led the monsters into a variety of traps and GUN soldiers. Maria had caught up with Rockwell at one point during the fighting, the two coordinating with one another to lead the massive hordes of monsters from space into tight corners where it would be easier for GUN soldiers to mow down the forces of darkness. Her speed allowed her to practically run on walls, fly if she got enough speed off of a building, and break through hordes of enemies with a spin dash like Sonic that made her slightly disoriented after every hit. “Take that, monsters!” She yelled out, taking on a particularly large horde. She was stopped, however, when Aary then snuck up on Maria and yanked her by the leg, throwing her across the pavement.

Maria gasped in pain as she rolled on the ground for a moment, trying to regain her focus as she began to stand again. She looked up towards the fighter that had grabbed her, seeing Aary was already approaching her once more and ready to attack again. Red energy emanated from Aary’s possessed arm, making Aary follow Emelyn’s commands without question and giving the young adult power that they couldn’t control. Dark eyes began to form on the arm, like the arm was the pilot of this body and Aary was stuck listening to its orders to destroy everything around them. “Hey Rockwell! I may have a problem! Give me 10 minutes and I’ll be back to the plan!” Maria said into a wrist communicator she had gotten from Rockwell before they broke apart. “Oh please! Take your time! Only the world is at stake!” She said sarcastically, the director going ahead and planning the next couple of traps to lure in more Black Arm foot soldiers. Now focused on freeing Aary from the control of the Black Arms, Maria tried to reason with the human gone evil commander. “Aary! You don’t have to do this! I know you’re a good person!” Maria yelled out, but the possessed human wouldn’t speak or even listen to what Maria was trying to say. Aary dashed forwards, trying to grab onto Maria. Maria was too fast for Aary, Maria’s speed just fast enough she could avoid the untrained fighter. While Aary had this newfound power thanks to the arm of Doom, she still couldn’t control it perfectly. The arm seemed to dig into her flesh, tugging the rest of the body along like Aary was some kind of host.

As Maria tried to dodge around Aary, Maria tripped on a pile of debris, opening her up to an attack from Aary. As the possessed warrior came to attack downwards with a strike with their possessed arm, Omega arrived into the fight just in time. Omega picked up Maria delicately and dashed to the side, the duo dodging the strike from the possessed human. “Omega! Thanks for the save!” Maria complimented, as Omega came to a drifting halt and turned towards Aary. “Don’t mention it, sister! What is the plan for Aary? You think we can snap them from this?” Omega asked the hedgehog. Aary glared towards the duo, hate and death inside of their eyes as the form began to shamble forwards. The black and white skin of their outer Black Arm form formed around Aary’s body, giving Aary more speed and protection.

“The arm! We have to pull the arm off!” Maria explained, as both Omega and Maria dashed away from the creature and continued to dodge the elite without hurting them. The Elite did everything in its power to try and grab onto Maria, but the speed that Maria inherited from Shadow thanks to the cloning powers of GUN gave her a slight edge even though she was untrained in combat. “Say no more! Which one?” Omega asked, readying a blade that was so massive that it was almost the length of Maria’s whole body. “Their right arm!” Maria yelled, as Aary dashed forwards for another attack, leaving them open to have their arm slashed by Omega.

However, as Omega went in for the slice, Aary’s head then snapped towards Omega and the warrior then made the end of their arm into a stump surface and punched the central console of the computer, forcing the robot backwards. “OMEGA!” Maria yelled, watching the robot tumble to the ground in surprise. “Ow…” Omega groaned; the machine discombobulated. Maria, in a moment of panic, then felt her focus narrow in on the possessed fighter. With a tight grip, Maria dashed off of her feet and grabbed onto Aary’s arm. The Hedgehog reincarnation pulled with every ounce of strength she had, holding her form to the ground as she pulled on the arm. “This isn’t you!” Maria yelled, pulling as hard as she could on the arm. Suddenly, Aary began to moan as they felt the power of the arm beginning to separate from their body. “It hurts! Stop! Stop! Stop! My arm!” They said, like the parasite in Aary’s body was trying to use their voice to throw off Maria from tugging.

Omega, resetting himself and standing back on his feet, saw what was happening and had the idea of pulling on the other arm. “I gotchu fam!” Omega called out, taking up the other arm and side of Aary’s body as he dug his metallic feet into the ground and heaved Aary’s body. With Maria tugging as hard as she could and Omega pulling on the opposite side, the arm began to twinge and snap as it was pulled farther and farther away from its host. “Omega! It’s almost loose! On the count of three! Ready?” Maria asked the robot, who gave an affirmative and readied himself for one last tug.
“One!” Maria yelled out, Aary struggling to fight back. “Two!” Omega yelled out, digging himself even further into the ground as Aary and their parasite did everything they could to stay together. Then, at the same time, Omega and Maria called out “Three” in unison, giving one last tug and ripped Aary’s possessed arm clean off of their body.

Maria threw the arm to the side, the parasite wiggling like a worm on the ground as it tried to escape by crawling away like a spider. Omega then began opening fire on the arm, loosing himself from the ground and letting go of Aary. “Maria! Take to Aary! I’ll kill the monster arm thing!” Omega exclaimed, dashing towards the arm and trying to chase after it. Maria, listening to Omega and his plan, caught the limp and exhausted Aary, the young adult falling to the ground and looking suddenly incredibly ill. Their eyes slowly reverted from the bright red, becoming their normal light blue as their features of humanity began to restore.

Omega chased after the arm, trying to grab it before it could escape, but to no avail. Slipping into a sewer grate, Omega tried firing plasma balls from his gun arm towards the creature, but the arm was far to nimble. It dashed away, disappearing into the depths of the sewers below and away from view. “Dang it!” Omega growled, reaching one of his arms into the sewer with the hope of catching it, but his metal body was far too big for the drain to fit.

Back over in the center of town, Shadow and Rouge’s fight with newly renamed Algorethm was going nowhere. Shadow at the controls of Dark Rider and Rouge with her heart beam, the duo took on Emelyn head on against her waves of Black Arm soldiers. The grunts weren’t the issue, it was Emelyn that was the biggest danger. All of the Black Arm troops were like savage animals, not thinking of their own self-preservation and wildly trying to grab onto Dark Rider and it’s riders to try and kill them. Speeding around a few dozen, kicking a few others, and with the minute uses of Rouge’s Hearth beam, the grunts were easy to take down in the dozens.

Once the grunts were defeated, reduced to nothing more than the smog that they emanated from their body’s as they moved, Rouge and Shadow’s focus then fell onto the towering overlord, Emelyn Algorethm. The power of the Master Emerald assisting Emelyn made getting up close difficult, as Emelyn could use its magical power to augment the world around her, extend her cables and wires, and attempt to knock Shadow and Rouge off of the bike and kills them. “Just hold still! It makes it easier to hit you and get this over with!” Algorethm Emelyn demanded, her computer screen face making swirls of eyes as she refocused on the duo that were driving in circles around her form. Emelyn created more and more wires using the power of the Master Emerald, pulling anything metal around her towards her body in an attempt to create more of a body for herself to catch off guard Shadow and Rouge.

Metal plates and concrete flew around Dark Rider as the bike and its operator hedgehog did everything they could to avoid being hit. Emelyn was uncoordinated, but what she lacked in coordination she made up for in brute force like the army that surrounded her. As the fight continued on, Rouge tried to stabilize herself in order to get a Hearth blast out, but Shadow stopped her from following through when Rouge was sure a clear shot was coming up. “We can’t hit the Master Emerald! We need to somehow get the Emerald away from her.” Shadow explained, as he fired a dozen rounds of the laser gun towards Emelyn’s face. A couple of the wild rounds of green pill-shaped energy scarred the screen of Emelyn’s face, making the warlord wince back and cover their screen. “You little…UGH! Get back here!” Emelyn roared, a corner of her screen’s pixels now off set and damaged. The flickering of the LED’s on the inside of the screen face were bright red, looking like digital blood as she tried to grasp for Shadow’s vehicle with a massive claw arm made of transforming cables and wiring. The massive, quickly transfigured arm slammed down onto the ground, barely missing Shadow as the hedgehog drifted down the road. He was hoping to get Emelyn to chase them, and sure enough, Algorethm then called to a nearby vehicle and used the power of the Master Emerald, calling the metal frame and wheels of the vehicle to her body. The metal frame of the grey Sudan floated towards Algorethm with ease, contorting into long, spindly legs. Two wheels on each leg were bolted to the feet of the machine legs, and with ease Emelyn Algorethm attached to the legs and began to skate towards Shadow’s motorcycle. “Perfect.” Shadow spoke to himself, as Rouge held onto the back of Shadow’s motorcycle. “What exactly is your plan, Shadow?” Rouge asked, confused on what Shadow was trying to do. “There is a bigger building up ahead. We get her inside and collapse the roof. It should hopefully stun her long enough we can get the Emerald away from her!” Shadow explained, driving as fast as he could to the massive, white building up ahead. “Rouge, still seeing the metal monstrosity behind them slowly beginning to catch up, nodded in agreement with the plan.

The building was designed like a pantheon, with painted white walls, a fancy staircase of marble, and a set of massive double doors made of mahogany that were donated to the building when the museum was first built. On the front, the building had a massive sign of cursive font that read ‘Scarlet Museum of History’ that was painted bright red. Shadow, bursting through the mahogany doors, drove through the open halls of the massive building, with Emelyn following closely behind. All of the lights were still on, the building still open before everyone was evacuated. Shadow passed by several dedicated monuments to Scarlet Reach’s history, from the founding of the town to even a replica frame of the Scarlet Reach Pier Ferris Wheel in the front central entrance of the massive opening. As Shadow drifted down the many halls, keeping Emelyn on his tail, the computer chimed with various computer noises as she got closer and closer to the group. “Taking a detour? I love seeing the sights myself! Too bad they’ll be gone when I’m done with this planet!” Emelyn mocked, trying to reach out for the duo.

She was absurdly close now; the tighter corners of the museum not being designed for being chased though on motorcycle by a half omnipotent human made supercomputer overlord of darkness. “She’s gaining on us! You sure you don’t want a Hearth Beam?” Rouge confirmed, but Shadow once again told her to charge but not fire. Following her newfound alley’s instruction, Rouge watched as the computer neared so close now. The computer made a face of two eyes and a sarcastic grin as she spoke to Rouge throughout the chase. “You won’t win, Rouge. You’ve seen the destruction the Black Arm’s do first hand! What makes you think you are someone special to avoid such a fate? Aary tried to run from their destiny, but they came back just the same. What makes you think you are something special?” Emelyn laughed, reaching out even further to grab onto Rouge as the cat and mouse chase rounded them back towards the entrance of the building.

Just as the duo were rounding back to the entrance where the replica Scarlet Ferris Wheel stood, Shadow them yelled to Rouge: “Rouge! The wheel! Hit the bottom end of the wheel!” and pointed with a pawed finger. Rouge, taking immediate action, then focused a small beam of the Hearth Emerald towards the bottom corner of the wheel. Emelyn must have noticed what they were trying to do, as at the same time Emelyn then pulled off her right arm using her left and chucked it towards the duo, destabilizing the duo and Rouge losing focus. Shadow, realizing what was happening, then grabbed for the Chaos Emerald and clutched onto the gem as both he and Rouge tumbled from the motorcycle. The two rodents fell to the ground in two separate directions as Dark Rider slammed face first into the bottom of the Ferris Wheel, cracking the bottom of the wheel and damaging the front end of the bike. As Rouge hit the ground, pink light flashed from her side as the beam of pink light exploded from the gem, shooting straight up into the sky and carving a massive hole in the ceiling that let in the smog red light from outside into this pastel white space of history. Debris from the ceiling dribbled down to the ground, making Rouge tense as she clasped onto the center of her body.

Emelyn laughed as she then took back up her metal arm, reattached it, and then transfigured her arm into a long spear that stabbed straight into the saddle of the vehicle, destroying the inner compartments of the vehicles core. Shadow clenched as he felt a sharp pain in his gut. He looked up towards his bike and its attacker, the green energy of the bike exploding from the gasket and engine of the vehicle as the bike gave a loud squeal like a horse. “DARK RIDER! NO!!!” Shadow roared, watching as the bike tumbled to the ground.

Emelyn manically laughed as she observed the suffering hedgehog, shaking her computer head as she stood before Shadow’s limp state. Shadow clutched the Chaos Emerald in his arms, the hedgehog looking up towards the towering computer monster in fear. “Now now…if you had simply fallen in line…oh well, there’s one heart broken. If you give up and actually do what your told, then maybe we can help him!” Emelyn mocked, making a pouty face with her pixelated face of red coloring. Shadow growled as he held onto the Chaos Emerald. “I can easily help him once I break you! I’ll tear you apart for daring destroy my loyal steed! You’ll pay for this Algorethm!” Shadow growled, standing to his feet. “Oh. I will huh? What say you, Rouge?” Algorethm asked the other mobian, turning her computer head towards the fallen bat girl. Rouge was clutching onto her chest, a gasp in her voice escaped her lips as she held her center chest. Her paws were shaking as she tried to hold her chest piece delicately. “Oh no…” She muttered, with Emelyn tilting her head in confusion. “What? What has you worried?” She asked, before noticing something with Rouge’s chest.

The glowing pink light of the Hearth Emerald was gone, with the crystal looking dark and empty. As Rouge moved, shattered parts of the Hearth gem spilled from the chest insert and scattered to the ground. Rouge desperately tried to pick up the shattered pieces, but the deed was done. The Hearth Emerald was destroyed. Emelyn gasped as she realized what had happened, but then a wicked smile replaced that shock as Emelyn realized that now it was one on one with the Master Emerald and Chaos Emerald. “Now that’s what I call a ‘heartbreaking’ situation! Damn, I’ve heard of having a broken heart but I think that’s a step too far, Rouge!” Emelyn gloated, before looking incredibly dejected for a few seconds. “Yeah…I see why people don’t like that in the movies. Making puns like that kinda ruins the ‘gothic-fear-overlord’ vibe I’m going for. Oh well…” She spoke to herself.

Emelyn then turned back to Shadow, smiling a wicked, pixelated smile. “So…last chance, friend…join us? Become a conqueror! Be the warrior I know you can be! It’ll be so much fun the two of us! We could be what you and that Maria lady were like!” Emelyn offered, trying to convince the hedgehog into sin. Shadow grimaced as he stared towards Emelyn with a look of hatred and disgust. “You’re nothing like Maria.” Shadow answered back, standing his ground. Emelyn sighed as she then raised a spiked, enlarged, mallet-shaped hand and readied to slam down onto the Ultimate Life Form. “Welp, them’s the brakes I ‘suppose.” Emelyn spoke with a dishearten, dejectedness. “Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog…” Emelyn whispered with a sinister smile.

“PUSH!” A collection of voices called out, as the Ferris Wheel suddenly began to fall backwards towards Emelyn and land on top of the super computer monster. Emelyn tried to catch the metal wiring of the giant wheel, even trying to take off some of the metal parts of the wheel, but she wasn’t fast enough. “NO!” She yelled, the giant metal wheel landing on top of the robot and squishing her down. Rouge and Shadow were able to scoot away just in time, turning and looking to their saviors. Tails, Knuckles, Maria, Omega, and a now freed Aary were standing on the display that held up the giant Scarlet Wheel. Shadow and Rouge re-convened with their new found allies. “You came for us! Perfect timing!” Rouge thanked, with Knuckles being the first to take the credit. “An Echidna Warrior is always able to turn the tides of battle in his favor! That is what makes me and my fellow allies strong!” Knuckles announced, proud of his strength.

Rouge, taking notice to the proud personality of the Echidna, smiled as she looked towards his cute face. “Well, I can certainly see why Sonic takes a liking to you all…and Aary! You’re free!” Rouge noticed, pointing towards the only human of the group. Aary looked towards the bat with a look of confusion. “Yeah…sure…” They said, before looking back to Shadow. “Is she…?” before Aary could ask her question, the Wheel began to rumble as the metal parts of the Ferris Wheel began to break apart and reform once more.

A monster, even worse than the last, began to expand from the bending and wrapping wire. A contortion of metal and wiring began to tower over the group, the sound of scraping sheet metal dug into the ground to root the computer in place. The ground rumbled as metal from all across the building was being pulled from every corner of the entrance and throughout the museum. Emelyn condensed her parts before or at least discarded what she didn’t want. This time, however, she was using everything she could. Metal frames in rickety or misplaced spaces, wires free falling, circuit boards made from cheap metal, and plastic parts sticking out of every angle. The form was ugly and contorted, bent and disfigured as the major parts of the mass were broken from the collapse of the wheel. A monstrous pile of trash and motherboards, shifting and rearranging like parts of a slime given physical limitation that were coiled and wielded together in haphazard and crude fashions. A metallic, hollow laugh echoed from the pile, coming from busted speakers that must have been attached to the replica Ferris Wheel or from other parts of the Museum, of which Algorethm was now pulling from. The walls began to crack as wiring and cameras were pulled off of the walls, modern tv’s yanked from their extension cords that connected to the exhibit throughout the building.

A collection of computer monitors came together, forming a flower-like shape that leered over the group. Emerging from the panels of screens, connected to the rest of the machines by wires that ran from the back of the creature, was the endoskeleton of Algorethm, with the Master Emerald placed directed within the chest of the creature. The bigger body behind the endoskeleton was like a plant, its own wires connecting into the ground of the building and magnetizing everything towards itself as the form completed itself. A deep, hollow voice then spoke, the gender unable to be distinguished as the voice was so broken and contorted that whatever was left of Emelyn before was entirely gone now, replaced by this algorithmic power of Chaos and dark energy. “That was a cheap shot.”

Chapter Text

Emelyn laughed as she looked down on the vermin below her. “Honestly, if being smashed by a recreation of my greatest moment was how you think I would go down, you’d be sorely mistaken.” Emelyn jeered, her endoskeleton body’s computer screen face of three pixelated eyes locked onto the rats, bat, and human she now saw as nuisances. Algorethm looked towards Aary, seeing the person had been freed from their corruption. Algorethm sighed as she looked towards her old friend. “Now Aary, this is hardly the time for rebellion! Rouge will be dealt with soon enough, and yet you stand with her in defiance? That seems like aa bad move…remember the last time you didn’t commit?” Algorethm threatened, flexing her metallic claws as the computer plant behind Her whirred with life, the different screens showcasing pictures of places throughout Scarlet Reach’s history.

Visuals of cartoon versions of ‘Scarlet Hamlyn’, the first mayor and founder of Scarlet Reach, showcased the sights of the town. Small little cabins made of wood were dotted around the landscape, which would then turn into lined streets of more complete housing, a street market, and then the expansion down towards the beach, before finally showing what the Scarlet Reach Pier looked like before it was burnt down. The burly man of Scarlet Hamlyn looked so happy to be showing off all of these places, giving a thumbs up before repeating his animation cycle over and over again. As Algorethm talked, different visuals of town popped up around. Shadow and Aary recognized many of these locations, in part because of how often they visited them.

Aary was a street kid. Being inside was never their thing. If they were out in the forest, they were walking around the Pier and investigating the little stores all around town. Aary recognized the old Antiques shoppe, the ice cream parlor that sat on the end of ‘Cyprus Rd’, the movie theater that was just down the road of their old house that played Terminator 3 every weekend…all these places they hadn’t seen in years flashed before Aary in this twisted slideshow presentation that Algorethm forced before their vision. A small tear formed on Aary’s face as they looked towards all of these places, remembering all of the joy they used to have in living here…yet, in all those memories, there was a Emelyn-shaped hole in all of them. Every memory, Aary and their best friend were together through all of it. Aary, now knowing the monster her friend truly was, soiled those memories for them. A dark cloud hovered over all of the joy that was felt from these memories, making Aary question if they had even known the real Emelyn the whole time.

Shadow recognized the various places on screen too, but only as places he had delivered pastries and coffees to. Shadow rarely looked into the town, focused more on his goal of keeping up Mean Black Bean. He looked towards the various pictures, some of them visuals of families who lived in the town just like he did. He watched as the different places flashed before him in brilliant, 4K light. These places, there was something in those visuals that made something in Shadow’s brain click into place. This was what he defended: Scarlet Reach.

All this time, the purpose he was searching for, was right here! How could he not see it? Omega! Stone! Mean Black Bean! They were his purpose! They were his family! They were what he protected! This town, it’s people…they were what truly mattered to him. If Shadow had reached out to them sooner, would he have understood that sooner? Was his weakness the isolation he forced himself into to find purpose? The badges on his apron from work, those were his purpose too! All of it, and everything this town was and could be, was his purpose. Shadow, stepping forward to Algorethm, looked it dead in the eyes as he spoke. “Emelyn! You claimed this town had nothing for you…that nothing happened here…yet, I look on those screens and I see families! I see friends! I see jobs and homes! This town does have things to offer you, but rather than see them as opportunities, you seem them as annoyances. You shut yourself out from the world, thinking you’re above it, but you aren’t! I live every day to serve someone, to care for others, but what do you do? What steps have taken to even leave? You’re lazy, you’re apathetic, and worst of all, you can’t think of what anyone else wants but yourself.” Shadow accused, pointing towards Algorethm as he stood by his assertion.

Algorethm was quiet for a moment, the silent whirrs of her machine programming listening to Shadow’s claim. She then began laughing again, placing a clawed hand on her chest like she was heaving herself to ensure she could breathe…if she even did that anymore. Algorethm then slowly calmed herself, placed out a claw, then slowly raised her hands to her computer head and slowly pulled the tv monitor head off, leaving her headless. A hologram began to slowly build itself, a white 3d shape of a human skull taking the place of the tv monitor. Long, green hair that glowed like radioactive waste. The skull made a crooked smile as Algorethm leaned in closer. “Say that to my face, Shadow.” The creature smirked, the digital wraith closing into the hedgehog.

“He’s right, Emelyn.” Aary spoke, stepping forwards towards the lich monster. Algorethm glared over towards Aary, growling as her lime green ghost hair began to stand on end. “How dare you! I gave you opportunity! Have you forgotten what we’ve been through together? What we did on the pier! You are just as evil as me! I gave you a choice to swell that power!” Algorethm growled, staring Aary down in the face. The two forms, monster and human, looking into each other eyes as Aary continued. Algorethm’s neon green eyes glowed like the Master Emerald, looking deep into Aary’s soul.

Aary sighed as they looked into Algorethm’s face. “I did help you…but that’s not the whole story. You set me up to meet that kid with the firework…I trusted you. You told me it was safe…I trusted you. You told me you had permission…and I trusted you. I should have done more to stop you, tell someone, but you also said not to talk…that it was a surprise. I should have questioned you, but I didn’t. I didn’t stop you, and that is my responsibility. I lost my arm…something I saw as payment enough for my transgressions…now I wonder if it’s deeper than that…” Aary said, a small whimper in their voice as they spoke. Taking a breath, Aary then clenched their one arm tighter. Aary stared right into Emelyn’s eyes, seeing the monster they had come to know this person to be on the inside. “But you aren’t sorry…you liked it. You hurt people because you can. You aren’t a person, Emelyn. You’re a monster. You won’t find what you’re looking for out there, because there are people who will stop you.” Aary then shifted their face upwards, squaring up to the machine. “I will stop you.”

There was silence as the Mobians looked towards Aary’s bravery and then Algorethm’s frightening form. The screens behind Algorethm turned to snow, with the skeleton head hologram staring towards the human. Algorethm seemed stunned by the words Aary spoke, thinking for moment as the silence went longer and longer. Algorethm’s emerald eyes then blinked, as the machine pulled their main body back and moved towards the plant machine behind them. “You know, I always thought you were a coward, Aary. Even as a kid, you just followed everyone else because I knew you had deeper insecurity.” Algorethm began, not looking towards the group as they continued their monologue, the machine making sure they didn’t tie themselves up with their own cords and wires. “You struggled with your own identity, your purpose, that anyone’s ideas were better than yours. You were a conduit for foolishness…I recognize, now with the power of this gem to it’s fullest capabilities, that you are worse than a coward. You’re a empath.” Algorethm said, standing away from the others.

“You, Shea, Dennis…Henry…you all inspire ‘love’ and ‘compassion’…and when one of your own doesn’t follow that ideal, they easily dupe you. You think Shadow is innocent? Knuckles? Rouge? I’m sure they all have their own sins…what makes you all so special?” Algorethm asked of the group, finding it laughable that they dared have a moral high ground like they were special or good. Rogue especially felt the cut of that question, wondering if she was deserving of love herself. After everything that she had done for the Black Arm army, was she a good person that deserved love too? Did changing sides release her of her wrongdoing?

Maria, however, was the first to answer. The silvery gold hedgehog smiled as she looked to the companions around her, then looking to Shadow. Their eyes met for a single moment, before Maria then looked towards the machine monster. “Because they changed.”

Algorethm then slowly rose the computer screen head back onto their body, laughing softly as she then turned back towards the rebellion at her feet. Algorethm’s face was a panel of bright red eyes that stared down towards the group. The screen had an uncanny realism to the eyes, making them look like real eyes rather than the pixelated graphics that had been happening before. The eyes looked venomous as they glared down towards the group, hatred and insanity carved into each iris on the computer. The screens behind Emelyn were bright red, the images of thousands of Black Arm soldiers in the frames that were mauling towards the screen like wild animals. Red filled the whole of the space, giving everything around Algorethm this darker appearance that showcased what her rage could really swell to look like. “Well, so have I. Let me show you…” Algorethm said, spinning back towards the group and pointing a finger towards the group.

Suddenly, bright green light flashed from the Chaos Emerald. Electrical sparks of green and yellow flashed in all directions, dazing everyone in the room, including Algorethm. The energy was bright and unstable, fighting as it took up the whole of the space. The electric arcs crashed onto the Master Emerald, almost connecting with the gem to wake it up with a jolt. Both the Chaos Emerald and the Master Emerald glowed in unison, freeing the imprisoned Master Emerald just that tiny bit. Algorethm stepped back, lowering their guard as the computer tried to rebalance itself. The Master Emerald within the center of Algorthm’s chest then loosened just enough, the power of the emerald began to faulter in Algorethm for just a second. Shadow, realizing what was happening and able to break from the flash, dashed forwards and jumped onto Algorethm’s chest. Shadow grabbed onto the Master Emerald, trying to desperately hold onto the gem.

“OMEGA! MARIA! EVERYONE! GRAB ONTO THE GEM!” Shadow yelled towards his allies. At once, the group jumped into action, Aary included. Omega and Maria grabbed onto Shadow, Tails flew Knuckles up to a top corner and pulled onto the top, and Aary taking up the right-hand side and pulling on the gem with their remaining hand. Heaving together, the energy of the gem slowly began to leave Emelyn’s body as everyone grabbed onto the gem and began to pull with as much strength as they could. “No! Stop that! You fools! Don’t take my gem!” the monster screamed, the robot trying to grab onto their parasites that were trying to stop her. Rouge then jumped from the ground and yanked back Algorethm’s claw, holding the arms of the monster in place so the rest of the group could pull on the gem.
“NO! STOP! STOP! NO! NOAAAAHHHHHHH!” Algorethm screamed, as steadily the Master Emerald slowly pulled out more and more, before finally popping out of place and falling into Shadow’s hands with the Chaos Emerald. Electricity made of green and red energy swirled and crackled as Algorethm began to suffer a massive shut down. “NO! NO! SYSTEMS BREAKING! BAD! BAD! GIVE ME THE EMERALD!” The machine screamed, as lines of white lettered code began scrambling over the various screens behind Algorethm and on Algorethm’s face. The robot flailed as the sheer amount of data within her system that had no power were beginning to corrupt or fail. “System lockdown imminent. Sufficient energy required for system operation. Cutting extraneous programs.” Algorethm’s speaker system spoke, as the machine began to scream in protest. “NO! STOP! DON’T DELETE ANYTHING! YOU’RE DELETING ME! STOP!” Algorethm screamed in fear.

As the Mobians, Aary, and Omega looked on, Algorethm then screamed a horrific sound that was a combination of scraping metal, broken voice lines, static, and computer echo that culminated in this disgusting screech of sound. The sound was so rough it made everyone cover their ears as Algorethm was slowly being pulled apart by her own mechanisms. “NO! STOP! NO NO NO! ERROR! CAN’T! DON’T! AHHHHHH” She screamed as every screen then flashed bright, blood red, the pain of having her very brain and mind being scraped off of her own consciousness happening right before their eyes. The machine god was falling apart at the seams, every circuit breaking as the computer began failing basic system requirements. Her screams echoed off the walls as they grew louder and louder, coming to their apex as the final lines on Algorethm’s screen scrolled forward.

Then silence. Every screen fell to black, as Emelyn’s entire system fell offline and the Endoskeleton with the monitor head detaching from the big plant body as the form fell to the ground, with a massive 404 screen on the face. “Can’t…delete…migrate…software…gone…” Emelyn twitched as the soulless machine laid on the ground, helpless.

The group looked towards the body, as Emelyn slowly picked herself up from the ground. She wore nothing but the bare Endoskeleton and computer monitor, the cloak she had before torn as she de-transformed from the lack of the Master Emerald powering her system. Emelyn looked up towards her opponents, her three pixelated red eyes looking towards the group as she sat on her hands and knees. “I can’t…what…” Everyone around Emelyn had themselves at the ready to fight, with Shadow handing over the Master Emerald back to Knuckles to ensure it was safe once more. “You stood no chance, infernal human turned machine! The might of an Echidna, the wisdom of the Fox, the power of Hedgehogs, bats, and all our friends proves we are stronger!” Knuckles spoke with pride, puffing out his chest.

Omega looked towards Emelyn, scanning her to ensure she wasn’t dangerous anymore. “I dunno if we should let our guard down, this could get bad if we aren’t careful.” Omega whispered to Shadow. Shadow then gave the Chaos Emerald over to Omega, looking to Emelyn with an expression of pity. “You weren’t going to win, Emelyn…but I will grant you this…you aren’t human anymore. It’s gone.” Shadow explained. Emelyn looked down towards her claws, seeing the metal and wire she could fully comprehend being made of. Her flesh was made into copper wire, her bones turned metallic frames. There was no living part of her anymore, only the operating machinery she turned herself into that fit her desire to look as frightening and cool as possible. There was a downside to this, however. Being human was complex. Being human implied emotions and a certain consciousness and sanity that living creatures developed and learned…but the only way that system can work is within a processing system that can handle it.

Without the Master Emerald, Emelyn felt this fuzziness in the corner of her psyche. Touch had no touch. Sound was this visual that couldn’t be felt but only read. Her mind had been downgraded to this level of existence where she simply couldn’t comprehend the human experience. She had knowledge, absolutely, but they were deemed more important and less risky of files to have after the reset than the finicky, dangerous, and highly corruptive human emotion.

Emelyn looked into Shadow’s eyes, a single feeling coursing into Emelyn’s mind that was hatred or anger…it was an emotion less than emotion, a goal. A purpose. “Destroy”. Emelyn’s voice was reduced to this emotionless, careless symphony that had no empathy. The voice was cold and desolate, like an echo that had no reverb to make it louder. “I am going to destroy you, Shadow.” The voice spoke, sounding nothing like the elastic, energetic psychosis of her original personality. Aary stepped forwards to see what happened to Emelyn, wanting to know if this girl was still a threat.

“When we destroy this place, I gain back the Master Emerald, I’m going to make you wish that you hadn’t done this. I will rip you apart with every piece of my focus. I will find the mathematical equation necessary to rip you apart in the most agonizing and anguishing ways possible.” The machine whirred, standing slowly as it towered over the other shorter forms. The 7-foot-tall machine lady showed no emotion as her lanky form went to reach other and grab at Shadow, wanting to complete its programmed task that was now hard baked into her system…until a Black Arm Meteor landed from the opening in the ceiling into the remains of the plant machine behind Emelyn.

Black smog so thick it looked like pure darkness grabbed ahold of Emelyn’s form and pulled her onto the meteor. From the meteor, vaguely casted by the meteor, was a ghostly black monster that was cloaked with a fanciful robe. Two massive claws were by the shoulders of the beast, with two red horns to match. The form was one Shadow easily recognized, making Shadow ready himself if the monster decided to attack. By his side, a lankier version of Terios looked towards the group with two cartoonishly small eyes. This strange creature had a patch of dark grey fur under the arm pits, and shorter quills that implied how very rushed this version of Terios looked. Terios II had no fancy armor or weapon, seemingly here simply to scoop up Emelyn with its master and get her away from the losing battle clearly taking place. Shadow wanted to dash for the form, but red energy similar to Terios’ gem blasted towards Shadow, knocking him backwards and away from the Black Arm Meteor. “That’s enough, you fool! You are in the presence of Black Doom! Lord of the Cosmos!” The lankier, more gravely form of Terios exclaimed.

Black Doom, with his three bright red eyes that were similar to Emelyn’s when she was in ‘Algorethm’ form, looked down towards Shadow as he grumbled under his voice. “I see…you are something special, after all.” Black Doom noted, frustrated that rather than use that talent for the purposes of the Black Arms, he uses it for these pathetic lifeforms and for Earth. “You had a chance for greatness, Shadow…yet here, you choose this…I feel nothing for you.” Black Doom asserted, as if Shadow cared what this demon thought. The power of this entity wasn’t easy to ignore, however, striking fear in everyone else in the room. “You’ve won this battle, but the war is almost over. In less than an hour, the Mother Meteor will crash into Earth, wiping out the entire planet in a mere moment. If you truly want to stop it…face me. I pity the fool who dares step onto my turf and thinks they will win, but you inspire me, Shadow.” Black Doom complemented back-handedly. Shadow, undeterred, growled towards the lord of darkness. “You can threaten me all you want, Black Doom. I won’t faulter! I will stop you no matter what it takes!” Shadow threatened. The demon smiled as he then took up to Shadow’s offer. “Why not you prove that, yes Shadow? Why not you show me what you have learned so far?” Black Doom spoke in a low, gravely voice before slowly disappearing into smoke.

Just as quickly as the Black Arm clone and Black Doom arrived, the Meteor then flew back up into space, leaving behind their enemies in defeat. The dark energy of Black Doom now dissipated; the group sighed in relief. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, the Mother Meteor’s promised arrival being proven true. The Meteor was now moving faster, the giant piece of rock coming closer and closer to the ground of Earth. The sky went even darker, as the red and black essence of the Mother Meteor fell from the heavens above. Shadow growled as he looked towards the sky. Shadow then looked down towards the remains of Dark Rider that were laying on the ground.

“Dark Rider!” Shadow yelled, running to the side of his motorcycle and inspecting the damage. Shadow quickly pulled off the plastic wrapping of the motorcycle and looked at the damage of the engine. Everything within the bike was completely demolished. The gasket, the exhaust, every piston, the oil tank…it would take months to fix it, and even then, some things were just straight up impossible to fix with his limited tools back at the Mean Black Bean. Shadow closed his eyes and sighed as he placed his forehead on the side of the vehicle, saying a prayer for the fallen ally. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Dark Rider. You were the best steed a hedgehog could ask for…I wish I could have done more for you, my friend.” Shadow mourned.

Everyone looked towards Dark Rider, the bike clearly meaning a lot to Shadow as he sat over the destroyed vehicle. Knuckles, walking up to Shadow, then presented the Master Emerald to Shadow. “The Master Emerald has great power. If used correctly, perhaps we can salvage your friend.” Knuckles offered. Tails looked towards Knuckles with a shock. Knuckles would never allow someone to just use the gem like this! Knuckles, however, saw the true honor that Shadow had for those around him. He saw how diligent and caring this creature could be, and as such, he wanted to help how he could.
Knuckles, focusing on the power of the Master Emerald, began to make the gem shimmer faintly with green light. At the same time, the Chaos Emerald began to float near the Master Emerald, the two powers beginning to work together. The Chaos Emerald floated over Dark Rider, the yellow of the Chaos Emerald becoming brighter and brighter as energy from both it and the Master Emerald began to float like a mist over Dark Rider. The damage to the bike slowly began to mold and reform together, the leaks in the engine reverting, and the holes disappearing as the power of the duo of gems worked together. Then, as the last of the damage was fixed, the Chaos Emeralds power shined even brighter than before.

It was beautiful. Yellow and green light enveloped the whole of the room, a healing wave of power washing over everyone. Rouge felt a twinge in her wings, feeling as the tissue that had been cut from them began to heal. She flapped his giant bat wings she had tucked away, feeling air in them once more. Tails and Knuckles felt this calming aura around them, Shadow and Maria the same, giving them this extra push of energy. Omega whirred to life, feeling recharged and ready to fight as he reloaded his plasma weapons. Aary, however, looked down to their missing arm, feeling a tingle. An outline that was mirrored in size to their remaining one began to outline. A ghostly outline of what once was their hand was there, made of a white ghostly light. Aary waved the arm upwards, a mist of white and blue coating the air where the arm moved. They watched it with awe, seeing the ghost of what used to belong to them just in view…

Dark Rider exploded to life, green and red energy blasting from its exhaust and all damage to it healed. The bike seemed eager to ride, having a newfound life in its form from the power of the Chaos Emerald. Shadow smiled as he jumped onto the bike, feeling the engine purr as he revved the engine. “Dark Rider! You live once more! We still have a job to do!” Shadow spoke with excitement. The Chaos Emerald shined like a star, hovering above Dark Rider, ready to follow the group. “I think the Chaos Emerald is giving everything it can to help you!” Maria said with excitement, stars in her eyes as she looked towards Shadow and his smiling face. A wave of relief was over Maria, happy to see Shadow finally smiling for once.

“I agree! Tails! I need three rings! I’m going to end this!” Shadow roared with excitement. Tails, following through on Shadow’s order. “Listen up! I’m going onto the meteor! Go back out there and make sure GUN are still holding back the Black Arms! Rouge, let Rockwell know I’m going to take the Mother Meteor head on!” Shadow commanded to the Earthlings. Rouge, however, looked worried on this plan. “You are going to take Black Doom head on? By yourself!?” Rouge exclaimed. “Far from it…I’m going to try and summon the biggest Ring I can and suck the Mother Meteor inside like we planned before.” Shadow explained. “But we don’t know if that works!” Rouge argued. Shadow smiled towards the mobian. “I’m the Ultimate Life Form of Scarlet Reach, try me.” He said, as he threw a gold ring ahead of him, making a massive gold portal appear before him that lead to the surface of the Mother Meteor.

Revving his engine, Shadow looked over to Omega before racing away. “I’ll be back, Omega. I promise.” He said, holding out his paw for a fist bump. Shadow thanked Omega gasped as he then brought a fist up to Shadow’s and gave a strong fist bump. “Team Dark Roast! Let’s go!” Omega roared, excited for his teammate’s approval. Before Shadow blazed off, Tails stopped him for a moment. The Two-tailed fox then pulled something from his backpack. Into Shadow’s paws, Tails presented a repaired and dried cassette player. It was Shadow’s, completely working and ready for use. “How did?!” before Shadow could even ask, Tails explained that Maria had made sure it was safe, and Tails fixed it on their way over to the museum. “I see why Sonic keeps you around, nice work, Fox.” Shadow thanked, placing the earbuds into his ears and queuing up the perfect racing music. “Let’s end this!” Shadow growled, before driving off into the golden light of the Ring portal. Maria watched as Shadow disappeared into the ring, smiling fondly. “Sayanora, Shadow. See you soon…” She murmured.

At the same time, Aary’s arm had begun to slowly disappear, the ghostly essence clearly tied to whatever power the Chaos Emerald was giving out. Aary, realizing the situation that just unfolded around them, then looked up to the sky through the crack in the ceiling. “Goodbye, Emelyn.” Aary said, free from the curse of the past.

Chapter Text

Six months ago, Shadow the hedgehog fell from outer space after defeating the Orbital Cannon.

He made a new life, turned himself around, and found purpose in himself. He did what he could to make the next day brighter, just like what the Maria from his childhood would have wanted. At first, he wasn’t sure who he would be when he returned to Earth…but then he met Stone, really met him. A kind, compassionate man, who gave him a job and a home…and a town to call his own.
Now, he was riding along the wild, rocky landscape of a massive, corruptive parasitic meteor to save all of it. The fear, adrenaline, and excitement of facing against a foe so massive made Shadow’s very quills stand on end…or it was the power of the Chaos Emerald, of which he found by helping bring peace to the gem now floating just above him that gave Him and his bike a little more edge in fighting against the darkness.

Black and red smog from Black Doom’s army was frothing from every hole, the monsters desperately trying to grab at him as he raced across the barren wasteland planetoid that was slowly moving towards Earth, wanting to consume it and destroy everything. Monsters of many shapes and sizes, all from the Black Arm’s army, were trying desperately to destroy Shadow, with many of them then falling into Scarlet Reach if they couldn’t reach him.

Shadow pressed forwards, using all the speed he could muster. Then, when he knew he was at the top speed of Dark Rider, Shadow looked up to the stars that were just beyond where he was. The stars twinkled in the sky as he smiled, refocused his attention ahead of him, and kept the memory of Maria Robotnik in his mind as he roared like a lion, “CHAOS CONTROL!”. Green energy enveloped Shadow as he dashed even faster across the surface of the giant meteor, trying to get to the opposite end as fast as he could to use his gold ring to fire the meteor into a black hole. He was a complete showoff while doing it too, using the various ramps made of rock to jump cracks and gaps in the meteor that fell into traps and holes of red and black smoke within. He dashed faster and faster with the power of the Chaos Emerald, going farther and farther from Earth. He was strong and fearless, he was powerful and gentle, he was All of Him.

As Shadow came close to the end of the meteor, he could see the excess red energy of Black Doom coming off of the back of the meteor as he neared the edge closer and closer. Shadow then pulled out a gold ring, ready to throw it when he was ready. He focused his energy on the ring, ready to throw it as he envisioned a black hole to be where the ring went to. As Shadow dashed to the end, a form was following behind Shadow, this one much more nefarious and stronger than any of the other monsters that were trying to grab him before. The form had two massive black horns, two three clawed arms, and a trio of red eyes that glared down towards Shadow with both pride and anger. “I see you’ve truly stood against Emelyn…You have chosen defiance, haven’t you, boy? Then let’s see that put to the test!” Black Doom growled, before howling in vicious laugher.

The grounds of the meteor then began to change as Black Doom tried to make Shadow crash into the rubble of the meteor. Rocks flew, smog covered the field, but Shadow was still determined to get to the end. This small inconvenience wasn’t enough to slow him down. However, within Shadow’s vision, a massive wall of rock was beginning to form, blocking any direction of going forwards. Seeing a small gap at the base of the wall, Shadow then drifted into the gap, finding himself inside of the inner nest of the Mother Meteor.

The walls were made of the same hard material, looking like a massive wasp nest that was filled with it’s ugly, disgusting, black creatures. “Huff! Out of my way, vile filth!” Shadow growled, mowing through the crowds of various Black Arm soldiers, all of them in a complete confusion of either to run, grab the invader, or fix the damage Dark Rider was causing the landscape. Shadow pointed a finger towards a wall, then called to the Chaos Emerald. “Through there! Now!” He commanded, and the Chaos Emerald obliged, shooting a beam of green and gold light that exploded the wall ahead of Shadow in the nest.

Shadow then drifted down a sloped part of the nest on the other side of the wall, gaining even more speed beyond the light speed he felt like he was traveling at as he raced into a make ship ramp that could launch him back into the air and through the roof of the meteor cave. “Once more! That wall! Now!” Shadow roared, and once more, a bolt of energy blasted the wall and allowed Shadow entrance into another side room. Shadow went deeper and deeper into the hell, destroying everything he could as he blasted through the walls and roofs of the cave system.

Finally, coming to another wall, Shadow blasted through and found himself in a much more built up, much better carved, grand cathedral. The halls were given a finish that made them shimmer like gems, with waterfalls of red liquid flowing from the walls into basins and rivers below that pooled with hateful energy. Giant pillars made of the same stone as the rest of this place were in single file lines, spaced out to ensure they could hold the weight of the meteor above stable. This place looked like a grand hall, perfect for someone who wanted to appear like some more important god. This must have been the hall of Black Doom, and Shadow fully intended to destroy this disgusting place. Its construction had a few flaws in the pillars, and a few timed shots from the blasts of the Chaos Emerald made quick work of the pillars that held this place stable within the deep recesses of the meteor.
The ghostly form of Black Doom, however, began to follow behind Shadow once more, trying to stop the hedgehog from getting free. “You can’t escape your destiny, Shadow! I will either have you, or destroy you!” Black Doom roared, his ghostly form becoming hotter with rage as fire began fuming from the ends of his robe. “You’ll have to catch me first, Black Doom!” Shadow mocked, putting his paw to his nose and taunting the God of Death. Even more angry now, the Death Cloud then zoomed up to meet Shadow’s speed, trying to grab onto Dark Rider. Suddenly, the bike then burned more rubber, making smog that got into Black Doom’s trio of eyes, stunning the monster. “MY EYES! YOU BRAT!” He growled, rubbing his eyes as he tried to keep up with Shadow.

Shadow was so close now, seeing a grand window up ahead that was on the farthest back end of the meteor. all Shadow had to do was summon a ring using all the power of the Chaos Emerald, and then make a Gold Ring portal for Earth. In a moment, he was about to save Earth and everyone there…but more importantly, he was going to save Scarlet Reach and his family. Black Doom tried everything to reach Shadow, now beginning to plead, which amused the hedgehog as his goal was now in sight. “You’re done for, Doom. I am the Ultimate Life Form of Earth! As you fall into death, remember the name ‘Shadow the Hedgehog’!” Shadow roared, as he performed a drift and spinning around.

Shadow, focusing the power of the Chaos Emerald into the paw with the gold ring, then focused on a trying to find a black hole. Just as he was about to get the right destination, Black Doom surprised Shadow with a burst of red energy, making Shadow lose focus. However, the super ring still activated, Shadow was able to throw it through the glass of the window, summoning the ring and making the ring go to a random place within space that had a super charge of Chaos energy within itself. The ring grew wider and wider, with more of the Chaos Emerald’s power going into the ring as it grew larger and larger outside of the meteor.

Suddenly, ten times the power of the vacuum of space was inside of a small, normal ring. “Let’s go, Dark Rider!” Shadow growled, as he began to speed away, trying to get away from the ring before it began to grow stronger. At first, Doom thought he had won, scolding the Hedgehog as Shadow began to try and escape. “You fool! Why run now!? I finally have you…” Black Doom then realized what was happening around him, with his very essence being sucked out into space. “Wait! What’s happening!? I can’t float away!?” He roared, trying to reach out for Shadow. It was too late; the ghostly essence of the Demon Lord spirit was being sucked inside of the vortex. Without even giving the Dark Lord another look, Shadow raced away from Black Doom as the Lord shouted. “THIS ISN’T OVER, SHADOW ROBOTNIK! I WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF YOU! DARKNESS WILL ALWAYS CAST BEHIND THE LIGHT!!!” He roared, before disappearing into the vacuum of the mega ring.

Now, Shadow had to get out. He wanted to be sure that wherever he placed the ring was as far away from the mega ring as he possibly could. “Damn it!” He yelled, realizing the terrain of the cave was becoming unstable as the Mega ring was sucking in the meteor. From Earth, the sight was bizarre. The meteor wasn’t just falling into the massive, golden ring…it was breaking apart and floating away from the earth like invisible ropes were pulling the boulder away from the surface of Earth. Inside, the entire system of caves and ravines were breaking apart, dark energy floating in every direction as Shadow made his way across the unholy place.

Monsters were screaming in revolt, realizing their home was being destroyed and they had no way to stop it. Shadow zoomed even faster, trying to find a way back onto the surface of the meteor so that he could get a clear view of Earth before throwing the last Gold Ring. To Shadow’s luck, part of the roof of the cave fell, collapsing in such a way that Shadow had a clear jump out of the Meteor. Shadow took it, flying up and away from the inner caves of the meteor. Gravity was being strange, as the massive rock was growing smaller and smaller after being crumbled by the Mega Ring that was growing behind Shadow. The Ring seemed to meet its max size, stopping its growth.

Yet, as Shadow raced away, the golden green light of the Chaos Emerald was weakening above Shadow. Shadow looked towards the crystal, reaching above him and taking the gem into his paws. He inspected the gem as he raced, seeing that the opposite end of the meteor was coming closer and closer. The power stored within the Chaos Emerald was beginning to die, with the corners of the gem beginning to break apart. “You…you’re dying…but what of Dark Rider? Omega? I need you!” Shadow spoke to the gem. It never spoke a word, but there was something about the calm, loving radiant energy within the crystalline structure of the Emerald that reassured Shadow. The storm of anger and hate inside of the Chaos Emerald was gone, replaced with the loving glow that Shadow saw int eh memory dream the Chaos Emerald had shown him last night.

The Chaos Emerald began to break apart, the light disappearing from the Chaos Emerald as Shadow let the final bits of the crystal disappear into dust. “Goodbye, friend.” Shadow said, refocusing his attention on the gold ring he pulled from his sturdy quills. “Let’s go home, Dark Rider!” Shadow yelled to his vehicle, looking behind him towards the direction the Chaos Emerald had scattered. “I’ll help keep the Master Emerald safe, I promise.” He whispered, before throwing a gold ring ahead of him, escaping the meteor.

Shadow made many promises throughout his life, and he would make many more as time went on, but one thing was for certain that he promised Maria. He would protect Earth, most certainly, but not for Maria…he protected the Earth for Scarlet Reach and all of the people within it. Shadow would do everything he could for these people, this town. That was his purpose, because he wanted that purpose.
As Shadow flew through the ring, The mega ring collected the last of the Mother Meteor. The ring, making not a sound, then slowly collapsed into dust, the last of the evil essence of the Black Arms disappearing into the farthest reach of space.

Chapter Text

Home.

That was what it felt like to be in Scarlet Reach for Shadow, and especially so ever since the Mean Black Bean’s renovations over the last month did for him. Stone had made the order for the building to be upgraded, making the Mean Black Bean the first café and apartment complex of Scarlet Reach. News of the Mega Ring and Black Arm invasion spread like wildfire across the US, bringing more people into town that weren’t just a bunch of young adults who followed grifters. People of all kinds wanted to meet the hedgehog that saved the world twice, and have a good cup of coffee while they were at it. One of the many people, a Henry R, decided that it was the perfect place to settle down for a while himself.

After everything happened, Stone and Henry decided that maybe a business venture was in order. After all, with the Café getting expanded and an apartment system being planned, Stone was going to need all the help he could get. Henry, surprisingly enough, was great at the time tables for guests, ensuring everything inside the place was run the best it could be. The two worked fantastic together, both of them caring for every guest that came through their front door. Dennis and Shea, however, weren’t the biggest fans of the idea. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to work, but they felt like there was still so much of the world they hadn’t seen! After hearing this, Henry then gave the keys of the vans to Shea and Dennis. They were shocked, asking how Henry could do it so easily. “I think my days of adventure are done…Those were never my vans, they were ours. Now, they are yours…” He explained, the duo forever joyful that henry would gift them such a treasure.

Aary, however, thought the same as Henry. They decided to work under Henry and Stone, wanting to assist with the Café and the Apartment. “But Aary! I thought you didn’t want to stay around?” Shea asked, with Dennis pretty surprised himself. Aary had one simple reason, “I think this place needs me, and I need it. Besides, you’ll come back, yeah?” Aary asked their friends, who more than willing to visit. “Just don’t make any crazy overlord friends while we’re gone, okay?” Dennis asked, with Aary rolling their eyes.

“Hey Shadow?” Stone called out to the back of the café, which was already getting overrun by customers who were trying to get their order in of the famous ‘Latte with steamed Austrian goat milk’. The 3-foot tall, black and red hedgehog, smiling as he placed on his green cap and tied his brown apron around him. “You called, Stone?” He asked, ready for the delivery Stone was about to give him. Stone then the order to Shadow, wrapped delicately in a brown delivery bag. “Can you run this order to the Wilkersons? The rest is out the back. Omega already connected it to Dark Rider!” Stone explained, with Shadow tipping his cap and getting ready to dash out the door. “And one more thing…” Stone asked of Shadow, producing a white box this time, with the names Mrs. and Mr. Hudson on the wrappings of the lovingly crafted box. “I think they could use it…” Stone spoke softly, with Shadow nodding his head in understanding of the assignment. Using his super speed to disappear out the door, Shadow dodged through the crowds of people that were swarming to door of the busy Mean Black Bean. Just as he was about to slip out the door, a more uptight Linsey Bark took note of the line before her inside of the store, missing the days of when this coffee shop was slower. However, before Shadow left, he caught her attention and gifted to her a coffee of her tastes on the house. “Stone’s pretty busy, he made it in advance. See you around, Mrs. Bark.” He said, “and don’t think I forgot about poker night!” He mentioned out of hand. Smiling as she took a sip of the delicious brew, the older lady sighed as she went into her phone. “5 stars.” She wrote, deciding to take her coffee elsewhere for the day to avoid the busy crowds.

Now with its own little garage, Dark Rider had a wagon behind it that was attached thanks to Omega’s work. It was filled to the brim with a dozen baked goodies and pastries, all ready to be enjoyed when they arrived to their destination. Omega gave a thumbs up to Shadow as Shadow placed the last bag that Stone had given to him in a side compartment of the motor bike. “She’s all ready for you, boss! See you later, mi amigo!” Omega said, forming a fist for a fist bump. “Thanks again, Omega! Stone may need help; we got another rush of customers!” Shadow answered, fisting bumping his buddy. “On it! See you!” Omega said, waving as Shadow took to the streets of Scarlet Reach, off on his delivery.

With ease, Shadow made it down the busy roads of new families moving into the town. Reconstruction efforts had been made to ensure the place was thriving! With so many new people in town, a generous donation of funds from both the President and GUN, the city had become three times the size it was before, with even better infrastructure and roads. The mom-and-pop shops were able to stay open, even thriving as new guests and families were moving in. Thankfully, much of the charm of the town was the same, as many people on the board of Scarlet Reach wanted to be sure Scarlet Reach kept its charming little personality amidst the changes and renovations. One of the biggest changes, however, was the removal of that useless mayor.

Turns out, money laundering is quite the habit to develop. It was found that the mayor had put a massive amount of money into a pyramid scheme-like enterprise that was created by a guy named ‘Zee’. Whoever that dude was didn’t matter, as both the mayor and Zee were arrested not long after the discovery was made. In the mayor’s place, the council then decided to make Scarlet Reach a town with the council leading the way, rather than one man alone. With their help, the reconstruction methods were quicker. Everything was rebuilt bigger and better than ever, with many people pitching in with the clean up after GUN made sure there were no other threats abound.

After Shadow made his delivery to the Wilkersons, a nice family of 6 that lived right next to Emelyn’s family home, Shadow then took up the delivery that Stone had given to Shadow to be delivered to the Hudson’s home. The house was just same as it always was, its age showing by the slightly weathered paint of the outside of the home, with a few bricks clearly missing that were chipped off of the fight with the Black Arms a few months prior. After Emelyn began her takeover, they were the ones to feel it the hardest. Stone tried to reach out, but their calls kept getting ignored. Walking up the front steps of the house, the hedgehog walked to the door and knocked on the hard, wooden door of the old family home. It took a moment, but Mrs. Hudson opened the door and slowly peeked from the doorway to see who it was that was dropping by.

The plump, tired face of Marge Hudson looked towards Shadow through her glasses that were pressed up against her face, allowing her vision. She gave a small gasp of surprise when she saw that it was none other than the famous ‘Shadow’ of Mean Black Bean. “Oh! Shadow! Please…come in!” The older lady said, making enough room for the hedgehog to step foot in the door. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Hudson! I just wanted to be sure you and Mr. Hudson were well.” Shadow said, as he then revealed the white box of pastries to the older lady. She smiled faintly as she showed Shadow to the kitchen that was hidden in the back of the house.

The kitchen had this bright yellow wallpaper, with a crown molding painted white across the corners of the kitchen. The floor was a white-tiled floor, which had a shine to it that showed it has recently been waxed and spot treated. A small wooden table sat towards the back end of the kitchen space, of which three chairs were scooted into the table for the previously three members of the household. A basket of fruits laid on the table, along with a picture of Emelyn and the two Hudson’s still alive. They looked so happy together back then, a far cry from how the present felt now. Shadow placed the desserts onto the table, with Mrs. Hudson allowing Shadow to have a seat at the table himself. “I’ve made tea! It’d be nice to have some company.” The older lady said, of which Shadow obliged.
Shadow had taken notice that Mr. Hudson wasn’t around, and asked where he had been. “Oh, Angus is having a nap. He’s been working over at the new gardening center they built over on Red Clover Street! I think it’s been good for him to get out of the house but he gets tired working as hard as he does.” Mrs. Hudson explained. As Marge Hudson placed down Shadow’s cup of tea onto the table, the hedgehog delicately took up the tea with a paw, blew on the surface gently, then took a sip. “A mix of Spiceberry and ginger. You are keeping yourself energized I see.” Shadow observed. “A tea drinker, I see? Do you drink often?” Marge asked. “I find a nice chamomile a great drink to relax with after working all day. It was one of Maria’s favorites too, my late sister.” Shadow explained, keeping a level of decorum. “My sympathies to her passing. How long ago was it?” She asked. Shadow sighed, “A very long time ago now. I’ve made peace with it, but I won’t admit that I don’t still feel her loss.” Shadow explained.

Marge nodded in agreement. “When my sister, Amelia, passed away of lung cancer a few years ago, it was the same. Me and her were inseparable as kids. Life drug her out of the country to France, but I stayed in Scarlet. I still don’t regret that choice.” Marge explained. “Really? Why did you stay?” Shadow asked. Marge sighed, “It just never felt right. I was never the adventurer of the family. Amelia? She always wanted to fly. I remember when she bought her first student plane ticket. She couldn’t sleep at all the night before! If any of us were to be famous for adventure, it would be her.” Marge explained. Shadow smiled as he and Marge continued to talk together, with Shadow even giving some of the details of Maria’s passing to the older lady.

“I see. Over 50 years ago. Ha! I had no idea we were so close in age, Mr. Shadow!” the older lady remarked, the joy on Marge’s face making Shadow have a smile stretch on his own in empathy. “I was asleep for many of those. I consider it a sort of freeze in time. There were moments I was awake, but very few. It allowed me to feel age without experiencing it. It’s difficult to describe but it was almost like living in dreams.” Shadow explained. “Sometimes, when I fall asleep, I can still see back then. I can’t tell if its mortifying or relieving to see those dreams of me and Maria back then…I get a mix of both feelings.” Shadow explained. “I think it depends on your point of view. You cared for Maria, and in turn bad things happened then. What matters now is what you do going forward with those feelings.” Marge spoke with wisdom, of which Shadow agreed. “Another friend of mine said something similar once.” Shadow explained.

The two enjoyed the tea they had together, with Margee opening the box and revealing the desserts inside. It was a white chocolate, strawberry cake with little strawberries dotted in a circle on the top of the cake. Marge sighed as she smiled towards the dessert, slicing herself a piece. “Oh, that Stone, if only he was as good with his words as he is with his coffee and desserts.” Marge sighed. “How was Stone? As a child, I mean.” Shadow asked, curious of his guardian’s upbringing. Stone didn’t talk about it often, so any details would have been nice to get.

Marge sighed as she sat forward in her chair. “Stone was a difficult child. Not that he was a trouble maker, just that it was hard to get him focused. Being adopted I don’t think helped either. Angus wanted to help him, but he wasn’t sure how to, I think. The two of them struggled working together no matter what I did. I think Abby was Stone’s biggest cheerleader back then.” Marge explained. Shadow had to laugh, “I had no idea me and Stone were so similar. I was much the same. The doctors never quite knew how to handle me, but Maria always knew what to do.” Shadow explained. Marge smiled as she observed the hedgehog, the sweet little creature reminding her of Stone just the same. “You really are…I’m curious, has Stone shown you his old cassette player? It would surprise me if he lost it somehow.” Marge asked. Shadow, reaching into his apron pocket, then pulled out the repainted player with a couple modifications thanks to Tails. The thing was maroon red, with black finishes and a dark grey screen to reveal the cassettes being played inside. Tails also made a set of ear buds that better fit Shadow’s hedgehog ears, which also were given a sound quality boost to boot. “It’s been modified a bit, but Stone gifted it to me a little while ago. He also showed me how to record songs onto the tapes. It’s been difficult to find empty tapes so I can store the songs, but I like the esthetic of this little thing.” Shadow admitted. Marge had to laugh. “Well, another family heirloom to the pile!” She remarked. Shadow tilted his head in confusion. “There are others? I’m curious.” Shadow asked. Marge, standing slowly from her seat, then directed Shadow to follow.

The two of them walked to the basement door that was just outside the kitchen, revealing a long staircase that went deep into the earth. Marge clicked a light switch that sat at the top of the stairs, illuminating the downstairs basement so that the two of them could safely walk down. With Marge leading the way, the duo walked down the stairway and into the basement. It was homey, like a small burrow made by a mole. Boxes were stacked neatly into every corner of the basement, making walk space tight but not impossible. The room’s walls were a deep brown, the age of this place shown in the worn woodwork that met at the corners of the room. A few cobwebs were dangling in the corners, with a family of spiders watching the duo carefully as to plot out their next hunt of flies or other bugs that dared enter their habitat.

Marge looked through the old boxes, determined to find a few of the family keepsakes that were nestled inside of this basement of memories. Smiling when she found what she was looking for, Marge then revealed a small photo album that had a variety of faces within It’s worn pages, showing the history of the town. “The Hudson’s have been apart of Scarlet Reach as long as Scarlet Reach had existed. Jennette Hudson was the cousin of its founder, as a matter a fact! Scarlet Hamlyn, a very proud man...even if he wasn’t the brightest. When Scarlet Reach was first founded, Scarlet and his cousin were the proud leaders of the country. It was said that here, in these very woods, was a fountain that dispersed an elixir known as Scarlet Joy, A ‘fountain of youth’ many called it. So far, no record of its existence is known, but I believe it was made up so as to bring more mystery to this place. Regardless if it was real or not, Scarlet and Jennette firmly believed in this place. They survived harsh winters unlike anything the world had ever seen, making a home in this valley that they could be proud of. As time went on, I think this town gained a life of its own…and many of the details surrounding this place have been…forgotten…over the years. But one thing is for certain, Scarlet was the maker of this place.” Marge explained.

Marge then picked up another book from within the box she pulled the photo album from, dusting off the cover and reading some of the book to Shadow. “Jennette’s old diary. The museum doesn’t know of these artifacts and I intend to keep it that way.” Marge explained. Shadow looked to the old woman, confused. “But wouldn’t you want them to know all of this? If they’ve forgotten, maybe they should know all this stuff is here!” Shadow proposed to Marge. The old woman smiled. “And what? Become the poster old granny of this town? No thank you, I much prefer my quiet gardening in the back and cooking. They may have forgotten this town’s founding, but I won’t. Perhaps once me and ol’ Angus pass away, I’ll let them have it…or I’ll pass it onto Stone. I think the latter is the best option, personally. I’d rather have this small corner of the past for our family, rather than broadcast our ‘heritage’ like it’s a badge of honor. Perhaps it’s selfish, but I’ve made up my mind.” Marge explained softly, delicately holding the old diary in her hands. “Are you worried that the mistakes of the founders would make you look bad?” Shadow asked, curious. “Oh, heavens no! They’ve made tremendous mistakes I am more than willing to cackle at! It’s more of preservation in solitude, I think. Perhaps because these have been hidden for so long, it feels more respectful to keep them hidden…its been generations after all, and there are more than enough secrets to warrant making our history as Hudson’s and Hamlyn’s to make it an amusement park. The last thing I want is to turn our legacy into an attraction…I think it wouldn’t befit the importance of it all, personally.” Marge explained.

“Besides, I doubt the museum would like to hear of my great great grandmother’s ramblings of the ‘hot ginger man that works the fishing hut by the ocean’ for the 5th passage in a row!” Marge laughed, admiring the human-ness of her grandmother from so long ago. Shadow smiled himself, folding his arms and agreeing that maybe Marge had a point. With Marge’s permission, Shadow began looking through the various boxes himself, unearthing the history of the family that he had come to know small bits of over time. He saw their lineage from parent to child, how each of them played a role in helping the small-town benefit in small acts of kindness…and slowly how the Hudson’s disappeared from history as time went on, with even the Hamlyn family disappearing quite the same around the 1940’s. “While the world was suffering the recession, a lot of people moved from Scarlet Reach to the cities. Unless you knew how to live out here, it was difficult. But the Hudson’s never left. I have no idea on the Hamlyn’s sadly.” Marge explained.

“I’ve read every book in here, combed every picture, but I will admit there are some secrets I don’t quite know the answer of myself.” Marge explained. Pulling a small box from a shelf, she opened it and revealed a small, jewelry box made of red and black gemstones, with a small crank in the back that played a quiet melody when twisted. The box’s contents were three items: a small necklace with a single stone made out of a dark rock that Shadow couldn’t identify, a piece of parchment paper folded with a message, and a small key ring with a singular key. Pulling the paper, Marge read the message to Shadow. “‘May the Door always open for you. Love, your adventurous cousin, Scarlet Hamlyn.’ I still have no idea what this key, necklace, or message meant, but it’s always fun to ponder.” Marge said. Shadow tilted his head in confusion. “May I?” Shadow asked, of which Marge obliged to Shadow’s careful inspection of the contents.

As Shadow picked up the key first, he admired the craft of such a key. It was small, made of a thick metal that had a coating of some red powder that flaked off of the key while it moved. The key felt heavy, like the metal inside it was condensed so hard that snapping the key would be practically impossible. Setting down the key, he then inspected the gem. The gem was rather large, looking like it was broken off of aa bigger gemstone in order to be used for this necklace. Just upon touching the stone, the color of the gem slowly began to change. Shadow stepped back in surprise, observing the light of the crystal turn a glow of yellow for a moment, before turning back to pitch black. “What…how did…has it done that before?” Shadow asked. Marge nodded. “Whenever I touch it, it glows for a moment, before disappearing once more. I took it to the pawn shop once just to see what they would consider what it’s worth was or even what it was, but they drew blanks too.” Marge explained. “Like I said, there are many mysteries from this family, but one thing is certain for me…it’s a family secret, and I intend to keep it that way. What Stone does with it would be his to do with when me and Angus depart.” Marge spoke somberly.

Marge put away the small trinket box, with Shadow having more questions himself. Shadow felt it, that small crystal had the same energy as the Chaos Emerald. He debated whether or not to tell Marge this, as the Chaos Emerald’s power was what lead to Emelyn getting power to become Algorethm. The last thing he wanted to do was make Marge feel even more tied to the tragedy of Emelyn and the Black Arms. “Very well, I shall keep your words of your family lineage secret. I am a steel trap, Mrs. Hudson.” Shadow promised, thankful that she would entrust her family secrets with him. Marge smiled as she waved a hand towards the hedgehog. “Please, call me Gran. You have no need to be formal here. You are more than welcome within our home, Shadow.” She whispered kindly, smiling as she spoke. She was happy to share this small section of her family with someone like Shadow, even if it was just the glossary of it all. “If you ever want to hear more, consider it done. I’ll be sure to brew a kettle if you do.” She proposed.

Shadow smiled as he nodded his head. “Saturday evenings are my freest day. I’m over at the community garden Saturday mornings with Henry and Aary. Next Saturday sound alright?” Shadow asked, the duo walking up the stairs of the basement and Marge flicking the light off as the duo reached the top. The older lady closed the door, then looked down and smiled to the hedgehog in delight. “I’ll bake cookies just for the occasion.”

Chapter Text

As Shadow made his way back to Mean Black Bean, Omega had met him at the garage that now was designed specifically for keeping up Dark Rider. After Shadow made sure Dark Rider was properly put away, Omega explained to Shadow that the President and GUN had specifically called for Shadow and Omega to come to the GUN base that wasn’t too far from Scarlet Reach. Sighing, he put up his work uniform and put on a black coat that gave him a little more warmth when outside of the town. He also wrapped himself in a red scarf, knowing the cold would be a little harsher out in the forest. After Omega was given the geo-location information for the GUN base, the duo let Stone and Henry know they were leaving and dashed out into the forests outside of town.

“I really should have asked Tails for some extra teleporting rings. Running through this muck in the forest is ruining my shoes.” Shadow groaned, as Omega and Shadow left the main city of Scarlet Reach and dashed into the forests. Winter was already upon them, with the first round of snow said to hit as of next week. The bare trees rustled in the wind as the duo raced together through the forest of leafless trees, the cold air breezing through Shadow’s quills, even underneath the coat. As the two made their way through the valleys, they came to the massive metal doors that closed off the GUN base from the rest of the world. “I’ll get that.” Omega said, his internal processor computing a computer code that granted access into the base. The two, massive metal doors with the GUN emblem on the front then slowly began opening outward, allowing the robot and hedgehog access to the facilities inside.

Several GUN guards watched the duo enter, alerting the main chiefs in charge that their guests had arrived. Shadow removed his red scarf, just so that his neck was freed up a bit more in order to see around himself. Omega took up the scarf, storing the winter wear in a storage cavity within his central console. The sound of multiple GUN guards jogging around the building could be heard, as various military personnel were maintaining the GUN tanks and vehicles, as well as robots, around the facility’s main hangar section of the base. Iconography of the GUN emblem were on practically every surface of the base, showing that this base most certainly belonged to GUN and GUN alone. Many of the ‘cave’ qualities of the base were gone, replaced with metal walls and beams that gave the base more protections if it was ever raided or attacked. As Shadow and Omega walked through, Omega couldn’t help but smirk at some of the uptightness of some of the military leads who were working their squads of workers. Shadow rolled his eyes at Omega’s childishness, but still admired the emotion of his friend. “Just don’t say anything to their face now…last thing we need is GUN angry at us again.” Shadow whispered, egging his friend on.

As the two came to the back end of the hangar, waiting for them were a collection of familiar faces. Standing from and center was the President of the United States. The man was dressed in a fine, blue suit, with a tight red tie and fancy shoes that were polished just that morning. He had slick back brown hair and a chiseled face that made him give this superior look to him. To his right side, was a slightly frustrated Commander Rockwell. The jet-black haired woman growled quietly as she looked towards Omega and Shadow, fixing her camo black and grey military uniform as she held a computer tablet to her side. On the president’s left were two faces that Shadow and Omega were happier to see: Rouge and Maria. Rouge spoke first, delighted to see Shadow’s face. “He arrives! We worried you wouldn’t make it, Darling!” She spoke with joy. Shadow nodded his head towards the bat mobian. “Been behaving, Rouge?” Shadow asked playfully. Rouge rolled her eyes playfully as she whispered, “Behaving…enough…”

The President smiled as he looked down towards Shadow. “It’s good to see you! I promise we won’t take up too much of your time, but I figured you’d want to see this.” The President explained, leading the charge into the deeper recesses of the bases. As the group walked the halls of the base, Rockwell gave a briefing of information to the President as they walked, with the Mobians catching up with one another to pass the time. “The work for a base up in the mountains finishes next week! I’ve flown over it and I’m more than ready for it! It’s funny, once you said that you wanted it, they seemed to move much quicker in finishing construction…” Rouge pointed out to Shadow, the two of them knowing full well why that was the case. GUN were still clearly on the defense of Shadow as a foreign entity, but they were also certain that keeping him happy were the best ways to ensure no more Black Arm’s threatened Earth in the future.

As Rouge moved on the Omega, the two of them talking on something else, it gave Maria and Shadow a chance to talk. In truth, Shadow avoided talking with the fellow hedgehog, the girl reminding him of Maria in so many ways that it was almost like she was a clone of her somehow. Shadow knew, however, that the Maria he knew had been dead for well over half a century, so there was absolutely no way this creature was her. Yet, in the back of his mind, he was curious in meeting with this mystery mobian. He didn’t know much on her besides her name and nothing more. Anything else and either Rockwell interrupted their conversations with inane tasks or Rouge pulled him away for something she needed help with. “How have you been? We don’t talk much.” Shadow spoke bluntly, the gold Hedgehog sighing as she pushed down a quill that was sticking out from behind her ear. “Fine. Me and Rouge have been keeping a close eye on GUN to be sure they aren’t doing anything…suspicious.” Maria explained, locking her eyes on Rockwell when the word ‘Suspicious’ was uttered. The two hedgehogs were most certainly in agreement with their distrust of Rockwell, but Shadow knew that Rogue and Maria were good in keeping an eye on GUN so long as they were underneath the President of the US along with Rockwell.

“Well…if you happen to get a chance. Maybe see if you can get a day down in Scarlet Reach some time next week. The snow is forecasted to start around then. It would be nice to have a snow day with some friends.” Shadow asked, a small blush to his face as he spoke. Maria smiled towards him with a cheeky expression. “Aw, miss me already? I’ll have to see. It would be nice to have a day off.” Maria said, “God, you are such a dork. You know that?” She asked him in earnest, of which Shadow puffed a breath and folded his arms. “Then don’t take it…it’s up to you.” Shadow growled, slightly embarrassed at his attempt to speak with this person. “Besides, I still know very little of you. Where did you come from? Last I heard, most Mobians don’t travel here unless they have to…so why are-”
Before Shadow could finish his question, Rockwell and the president shuffled the group into a room that was busy with a few other faces. The room was divided by a reinforced glass window, with a dozen or so other GUN members that were operating a fleet of computers that monitored the other side of the room cautiously. The other side of the room was bright white, looking like a testing room of some kind, with the vase of ‘Terios 1’ inside the room. The vase was connected to a dozen other protective devices, ensuring that if the lid of the vase ever opened, the smog creature inside of the containment vessel wouldn’t be able to escape. Of the other faces within the scientist’s side of the glass, Shadow recognized three of the faces as Tails the fox, Knuckles the echidna, and the famous Sonic the hedgehog.

Still with his cast, Sonic smiled as he looked towards Shadow with a knowing look. “Well, look who’s finally here! Looks like you did keep everything together while I was knocked out, huh?” Sonic joked. “Also, I dig the flowing coat! It gives ‘dark and brooding’, more than you already are!” Sonic added, with Shadow smiled towards his healing friend. Shadow and Omega “I didn’t know they were calling in the fools next door for whatever this job is.” Shadow joked with Sonic, as Sonic blew a raspberry and ruffling the quills of his buddy Shadow.

“How are you feeling? Terios didn’t do too much damage, did he?” Shadow asked, observing his friend’s injuries and cast. Sonic, however, seemed unbothered by his altercation with the Black Arm. “It’s gonna take a lot more than a power-hungry megalomaniac to squash me, Shades! Remember, I fought Eggman, trice!” Sonic amused, of which Shadow rolled his eyes. “Well, your ego seems perfectly in tact I’d say.” Shadow poked.

The massive group of Mobians then turned their attention to the room visible through the glass, with Terios’ capture jar sitting right in view. The jar ominously sat alone in the room, held by a reinforced robot arm. Shadow was the first one to ask questions. “Don’t tell me you want to open this thing?” Shadow asked The President, who nodded his head in confirmation. “The idea is to put Terios into a more confined and stronger vessel, that way nobody can run in and smash it to break him out. We already have the perfect vessel, but I wanted you to see this be done personally.” The President explained. Rockwell then went into the deeper analytics of the situation and the specified caging methods to ensure that Terios would be kept under perfect lock and key. “The lockbox is made of a titanium-steel alloy that is 9 inches dense, reinforced with an air-tight sealed lid that doesn’t let in any air. We hypothesize that Terios isn’t living, as he would need air to breath yet we still detect a heat signature within this air-tight vase that Rouge had procured from the Mother Meteor.” Rockwell explained. “If we can get him into this vessel, He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” Rockwell explained.

The Mobians looked towards the vase, watching as a mechanized arm lowered down and began to unscrew the lid of the vase. Even before the lid was halfway off, the black and red smog of Terios’s ghostly form broke from the vase and tried to escape from the room. It hit every corner, every wall, the main body bouncing from corner to corner as it tried to escape, before slamming head first in the reinforced window and trying to break out. The eyes of the well-built, rejuvenated hedgehog were burning with hatred and anger. His red eyes fumed with malice as he stared directly at Rouge the Bat. “YOU TRAITOR! WHEN I BREAK OUT OF HERE! YOU’RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME ROUGE? DEAD! I’LL SHRED EVERY SQUARE INCH OF YOUR WINGS AND THROW YOU INTO THE SUN!” He growled, once more trying to break out of the walls and trying to escape from his prison.

“You won’t get out, Terios. You are trapped. Now tell us what you know!” Tails said, feeling a small bit of bravery as he stood in front of Terios. Terios growled as he looked towards Tails, even more anger in his eyes. “I knew I should have killed you back in the Mystic Isles…If I had known what you’d get up to you little rat...” he growled. Before he even finished his words with Tails, he then looked towards Sonic. Somehow, he looked even more angry. There was a glare in his eyes like that of a bull that were transfixed on the blue hedgehog. This was a hatred unlike anything Sonic had seen before. This was a malice. Terios put a claw onto the glass, licking his lips as he stared directly at Sonic. “You…you got away…speed was always a ‘Sonic’ trait I suppose. That damned Longclaw and the King really thought that they could spirit you away from me. By sheer luck, I find you…then by sheer luck, you survive me.” Terios growled.

Now was Sonic’s turn to ask questions. “How do you know Longclaw? What are you talking about, Terios?” Sonic demanded, now becoming angry at Terios. Everyone else was silent, letting these two have their moment. Sonic’s friends were now all curious themselves, with Rouge looking the most worried herself. Shadow was curious with this revelation that these two even had a history at all, making Shadow pay even closer attention to the words that Terios spoke.

Terios laughed as he relieved his glory days, making every moment last as he spoke of his victory. “It was glorious! I reigned down on the Sonic Kingdom, destroying every family who dared try and fight me…Each hedgehog I slain with ease, taking even the lives of two of the three children of the Sonic family…but you, Maurice, you just happened to slip past my claws. I ripped your family apart with sheer delight, savoring ever moment I could…but that damned bird got to you before I could and disappeared into a Gold Ring. With no way of knowing where they went, I never got to pin that badge of honor of destroying the entire family line…an unfinished masterpiece. When I heard of you being on Earth, I thought it was my chance…” He growled. Sonic felt a fear in his heart as Terios described his take over, with Sonic even feeling some tears come to his eyes as Sonic realized what he was describing. “You…killed my family? Why wouldn’t Longclaw tell me about you? About the Black Arms?” Sonic questioned, not sure if Terios would even know the reason himself. Sonic was overcome with emotion, unsure of how to process these feelings.

Terios mocked Sonic as he soaked in the hedgehog’s misery, laughing as Sonic became visibly angrier. Blue light began glowing off of Sonic, until Shadow came to his side and put a reassuring paw on his shoulder. “He’s trying to work you up. Let it go…we’ll get answers beside him, Sonic.” Shadow explained. Sonic looked towards Shadow, seeing the calm in his friend’s face and deciding that he was right. Guiding Sonic from the room, Shadow then looked back towards Terios and muttered a line to Terios as his send off to the monster. “You are right, Terios. I may not be stronger than you, but I am better than you.”

As Shadow left the room, the President and Rockwell saw no need to leave Terios free. A mechanical arm then entered into the room through a side panel, revealing the trap that the duo designed to keep him locked away inside of. Terios, seeing the new box, then tried to keep away from it, hiding in the corners of the room. A vacuum of air began pulling the ghostly apparition apart, forcing his body into the box. “NO! I’M TERIOS THE BEAST! YOU CAN’T DO THIS! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOOO!” He roared, as he was quickly vacuumed away and trapped within the reinforced box, sealed with the airtight lid and forever trapped within GUN’s prison designed specifically for Black Arms.

Chapter Text

Sonic and Shadow stood on the cliff edge outside of the GUN military base, with Sonic gazing over the horizon beyond. The sun was beginning to lower in the distance, the beginning of the first winter night slowly approaching them as the two hedgehogs stood alone. Shadow had gotten his scarf back from Omega before departing, using it to warm up his friend by wrapping it around the bare hedgehog. “Honestly, you’ll get a cold being just bare quills.” Shadow chided to Sonic. The blue hedgehog didn’t resist as Shadow wrapped him up, with the blue hedgehog looking longingly into the distance.
Wind whipped around the duo as they stood together on the edge of the cliff, talking with one another in somber voice. “Terios knew Longclaw, why?” Sonic asked the wind, unsure of what to do with the knowledge he had now. Sonic did have a family before Earth, even before Longclaw, and this hedgehog knew something about it…and was the reason it was gone. “If he’s the reason I don’t have a home out there, then I need to figure out why.” Sonic asserted, feeling a wrath inside of himself as he clenched his paw into a fist. Shadow, seeing a pattern of vengeance in his friend’s face, interrupted the doom spiral happening before him. “Wasn’t it you who told me revenge wasn’t the answer?” Shadow questioned, trying to center his friend’s thoughts and calm him down. “Besides, you have Tom and Maddie, Tails and Knuckles…you do have a family here, Sonic.” Shadow argued, trying to bring his friend peace. Sonic continued looking into the horizon, his eyes transfixed on the sun that was lowering into the ground in the distance.

A crackle of green light pulsed from Sonic, making the blue hedgehog quake and stumble his footing. Shadow grasped his friend, making sure he didn’t fall. “Sonic!? Are you okay?” Shadow asked his friend, helping Sonic brace his stance. “Yeah, fine. That’s been happening recently…” Sonic winced, the energy clearly being painful to withstand. “That’s Chaos Energy…it must be remnants from the Chaos Emerald when you used it in your fight with Terios.” Shadow explained, with Sonic giving a huff as he stood back upright. “It doesn’t hurt that much…” Sonic tried to fake, but the mixed expression on his face said everything to Shadow. “Sure…I definitely believe you. Either way, we need to keep an eye on you.” Shadow commanded, “Has Tails figured out any way to replicate the Gold Rings yet?” Shadow asked. Sonic shook his head ‘no’, explaining further the difficulty with doing such a thing. “Gold Rings, according to Tails, were made on the Angel Isles far off in space…but the residents and makers of the rings had disappeared a long time ago. Tails lived on Mystic Isle, a small island that is nearby where the Angel Isles were, but even the Mystic Isle was raided by the Black Arms. Its why Tails was here. He figured being near me and being away from Black Arms, he’d be safe.” Sonic explained.

Shadow listened intently, trying to think of the best solution for their problem. “How many Gold Rings do you have left between the three of you?” Shadow asked. Sonic then reached into a bundle to his right, pulling out six Gold Rings. “These are the last Six…after that…” Sonic trailed off. He then took three of them and gave them to Shadow, firmly grasping Shadow’s hand and looking to his friend. “We’re more than friends, we’re family. If you ever need to find us, just throw a ring. We’ll be ready.” Sonic whispered, a look of anxiety sculpted on the blue hedgehog’s face. Shadow had to laugh, “Angst isn’t a good look on you, Sonic. That’s my job.” Shadow said, before moving in and hugging his friend. “The same goes for you.” Shadow spoke gently, making sure no to crush his friend’s arm.
Pulling away from Sonic, the two hedgehogs looked towards one another with reassurance, knowing both of them could rely on one another. Changing the subject, Sonic then asked, “By the way, how did taking on Doom go?” Sonic asked. Shadow smiled as he said simply, “Too easy.”. Shadow then sighed as he looked towards the sunset just beyond them. “Sonic…I know that the creatures that made me destroyed your life before you even knew you had it…but I just want to say that-” Sonic put a finger up, stopping him. “I trust you, Shadow. Yeah, Terios and Black Doom may have broken my birth home, but that had nothing to do with you. Don’t sweat it, big guy. Besides, technically you were on earth when all that happened as a Shadow-popsicle anyway! Not much you could have done, anyway.” Sonic explained, smiling as he gave a thumbs up to the hedgehog. Shadow, thankful of Sonic’s understanding, then felt a presence watching him and Sonic from a distance.

Before the two hedgehogs was The President, his arms behind his back as he looked towards the two hedgehogs. To his side, Rockwell stood with The President, looking dejected and annoyed she had to continue putting up with these two creatures. The President spoke first, “The two of you have served the United States and the Earth marvelously, and I wish to first thank you once more for doing so.” The President began, standing tall with the two hedgehogs. “Well, I do like living here!” Sonic spoke with a care free nature to himself, leaning on Shadow’s shoulder as he looked towards The President.
The President then smiled as he continued to explain himself. “Then I would like to ask a personal request if you would. Rockwell?” The President asked, allowing Rockwell to give a briefing on the update with the Black Arm’s that GUN were tracking. “The Black Arm’s and Black Doom, although we have reason to believe they’ve been stopped for now, are still a potential threat if they truly have control of a massive part of the universe. While we were able to capture many Black Arm grunts, we believe it highly possible a few could have escaped our sights. Over the course of the last month, we’ve had ground teams analyzing the forests for any Black Arm activity…many of the meteors that crashed onto Earth during the invasion overshot their target.” Rockwell explained. She then made a holographic projection that showed video of a dozen or so Black Arm grunts of various sculps and shapes running through the forest, all of which were going in wildly different directions.

“That’s where you come in. Having Rouge and Maria on our team has been helpful, but we need more forces who can handle Black Arms on their own. These grunts are strong, able to withstand plasma weapons and gunfire. For every one Black Arm grunt, we need three to four trained men to take them down.” Rockwell explained. The two hedgehogs looked towards the president, both of them catching on to what the man was asking. “So…you want us to work for you? I dunno man, last I checked babe over here wanted me and Shadow dead, and you put Shades on ice for 50 years. Why should we work for you?” Sonic asked, with Shadow folding his arms and nodding along with Sonic’s accusation. “You still have yet to apologize for what you’ve done to me.” Shadow growled, still massively untrusting of the government body.

The President, nodding his head, understood their sentiment. “How you feel is one hundred percent valid. GUN has been operating as a separate entity from the US government and has been making choices purely for their own development. As of now, GUN’s inner systems are being re-worked as we speak. As of now, I’m in charge. I want you to understand that Earth is your home, and you both have proven time and again that this place matters to you. You aren’t, and never have been, threats. Which is why I have been given the authority to not only have you operate as ‘Agents of Selective Service’, but that your families will be properly given everything they could ever ask for financially and be granted federal protection. You will be in control of all mission statements, give direct orders, and be seen as commanders and be equal level with Commander Rockwell. More of this can be explained with your parental guardians present but I personally would ask of your assistance in protecting Earth from the real invaders.” The President proposed, hoping the duo would take him up on the offer.

Just as The President was giving his job offer to the duo, the rest of their friends slowly made their way out of the GUN base’s metal doors. Omega, Rouge, and Maria were talking amongst each other, laughing about something that Omega had said. Tails was tinkering on his laptop, with Knuckles watching with curiosity. Sonic was the first to ask on specifics. “If you can help in finding more on my birth parents or Longclaw, you’ve got a deal. I want to make sure nobody else loses their families because of those monsters.” Sonic demanded, wanting to make sure that not only he got justice, but also wanted to make sure anyone else hurt by the Black Arm’s had justice too.

Shadow, then remembering Aary, gave his own demand. “Aary, a friend of mine, is an amputee. Get them the best arm you can, and you have a deal with me.” Shadow bargained, with The President nodding in agreement. “Alright! I’ll have it noted. We’ll meet all together to discuss this in length.” The President explained. As the sun lowered deep into the earth, the cool air of the first winter night began to wash over the valley, making The President shiver a bit. “I could go for a good Latte right about now…” He muttered to himself. Shadow, noticing a business opportunity, then proposed a meeting spot. “I don’t know how you fair with Cafes, Mister President, but there’s one that I know of in Scarlet Reach that I think would be a good place to have this ‘meeting of the minds’, and maybe get you a good Latte. Do you care for ‘Steam Austrian Goat Milk’?” Shadow offered. The President smiled, seeing right through the black hedgehog’s idea. “I think I could do just that, Shadow the Hedgehog.”
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The dark corners underneath Scarlet Reach are vast and uncharted. Below the sewers, deep far underground, a network of tunnels exists. The walls etched by running water, cracks from earthquakes, and the very creatures that roam its dark corners. Untouched for almost 200 years, a sanctum far below the earth of Scarlet Reach exists, away from most eyes that would ever look onto the land. A beast, made of dark power, exists now in this catacomb. It slithers like a word, weaving through the cavernous spaces and winding tunnels underneath the ground.

The beast is hungry. It seems worms upon the ground, creatures that are far smaller than it by comparison. It flattened the small creatures, sucking them up into its uncontrollable mass as it crawls down the caves that lead deeper and deeper under the ground. The beast is still hungry, the worms of the dirt not enough to satiate this instilled ache in its stomach. It finds a web of spiders, sucking those up too, greedily eating the family of creatures alive as it goes deeper and deeper.

Finally, it makes its way into a place unlike the rest of the cave. Wooden boards cover a cave entrance further down into the mine, making the other side of the cave inaccessible. The creature, what’s left of Aary’s possessed arm, breaks the boards with ease, continuing down the hole. After crawling through a carved tunnel, made by humans long ago, it arrives at A large, temple-like structure. Made of an ethereal stone not found on Earth, the creature enters this forbidden place like a virus, scouting out the location for any signs of food or drink. A rumbling begins in the creature’s belly, making it agitated and hungrier.

Symbols of creatures the arm doesn’t recognize are patterned on the walls. The creatures on the walls are what we humans would call ‘Owls’ and ‘Hedgehogs’, but to this monster they are indescribable. They aren’t like it, and to not be like it causes hatred to funnel through its malleable veins. A mix of hungry and rage makes the beast lash out, breaking one of the murals of a particular Owl. The mural of the Grand Owl was decorated with gold across its neck, and with colored feathers around its head. Still hungry and angry, the creature continues deeper into the pits of the forgotten temple. Upon reaching a flight of stairs, the groveling mass then comes to an opening within the temple, where more of the shapes of these distant creatures exist. Statues of the Owls and hedgehogs are throughout this place, with a massive collection of them centered around an altar in the center of the dark room.

Torches light with blue and gold flame, illuminating the temple with a warm light. In the center of the altar, a large golden door, locked by a powerful seal, stands alone on a landing of the temple. The door is made of the finest gold, with a handle made of a green stone. The door stands out from the rest of the temple, looking pristine and polished while the rest of the temple is becoming cracked and broken.

The arm then looked around the door, seeing a red liquid similar to blood, flowing from two spouts on the back end of the wall, slowly flowing down a winding carving on the ground into a pool that surrounds the altar with the golden door. Taking its body to the two spouts behind the door, the arm greedily begins to melt into the ground, sucking in the red nutrient. At once, the mass begins to mold into the walls, growing thicker and juicier as it sucks in the red liquid with hunger. It swells like a balloon, before melting the extra mass and slowly reconjoining itself, repeating the ballooning and melting process over and over. As the form sucks in more juice from the walls, the creature continues to suckle the liquid.
The beast is still hungry.