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Chapter Text

Welcome to side story of Lancelot Generations. Focusing on Shadow. And not just any Shadow… BOOM SHADOW

Mostly because I couldn't keep my writing urges down and I failed yet again. This time bringing you a story

Play: AOSTH OST – Robotnik Theme

Dr. Eggman sat slumped in his chair, his fingers idly drumming against the metallic armrests of his lair. The walls, usually humming with the sound of various machines and plans, felt quiet.

"Ugh, I'm bored," Eggman muttered, stretching his arms dramatically. He glanced around at his minions, Orbot and Cubot, who were idly sitting by a console, each with their own disinterest.

"Orbot! Cubot!" Eggman barked. "We need something… stimulating. Something that will get my creative juices flowing. I need to liven things up around here."

Orbot perked up, his robotic face lighting up. "Are you suggesting we take over the village again, Doctor?"

"No, no," Eggman said, waving a dismissive hand. "That's too… predictable. I need a fun project. Something different… Something that will get those fools thinking I'm up to something big."

Cubot tilted his head. "Like a new trap for Sonic?"

"No, not a trap,….ok maybe like a trap but not exactly" Eggman said, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "I want to send out invitations."

"Invitations? To what?" Orbot asked, confused.

Eggman grinned wickedly. "Oh, I'm going to host a little gathering, a villainous soirée, if you will. We'll invite some fellow.. villains! Heheheh Let's see how they like being mysteriously invited to a party!"

Cubot's face lit up. "A party? Ooh, will there be snacks?"

"You're a robot, Cubot" said Eggman flatly before he sighed. "Just fetch me the list of villains in the area, Orbot. The ones who might enjoy a little invitation."

As Orbot typed away, bringing up a screen with a list of known villains from around the village, Eggman's expression darkened in thought. "They'll be clamoring for the chance to be part of my grand scheme."

Before Orbot could present the list, Eggman's chair suddenly emitted a loud ding, followed by a small whirring sound. His eyes widened.

"Ah, finally!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair with sudden excitement. "My pizza! It's ready!"

Orbot and Cubot watched in stunned silence as Eggman hurried over to a small oven on the side of his lair. He eagerly pulled out a steaming pizza, the smell of melted cheese and pepperoni filling the air.

"I've been waiting for this all day," Eggman sighed contentedly, rubbing his hands together. "There's nothing like the perfect slice of pizza after a long, hard day of doing nothing."

Cubot blinked. "Does this mean the invitations will have to wait?"

Eggman paused, his pizza slice halfway to his mouth. "Hmmm… well, a pizza break is important for creative thinking. But don't get too comfortable, you two. After this slice, you'll send out those invitations. And once our 'guests' arrive, we'll show them just how 'fun' this can really be."

As Eggman took his first bite, he smiled, the cheesy goodness lifting his spirits. For a moment, the boredom lifted from his mind. After all, sometimes the best plans are fueled by a bit of pizza and a touch of mischief.

"Alright, you two," Eggman declared, his tone filled with renewed enthusiasm. "go out into the village and find some villains who would enjoy a little invitation. And I'll be expecting results!"

Orbot and Cubot looked at each other in confusion but nodded in sync.

"But Doctor," Orbot asked hesitantly, "what about Sonic and his friends? Won't they get suspicious if we're sending out invitations to everyone but them?"

Eggman waved a dismissive hand. "Tell them to ask me what day they're free. I'll just schedule for the earliest possible date. It'll be perfect."

Orbot and Cubot exchanged uncertain glances before Eggman shoved a list into their hands.

"Now go!" he ordered.

The duo scuttled off to the village, ready to spread the invitations.

Later

Play: Undertale OST - Dummy

Orbot and Cubot traversed the bustling village,

Orbot approached Dave the Intern, who was grilling burgers in front of a small food stand. He extended the invitation with a formal flourish.

"Greetings, Dave. Dr. Eggman has a special event coming up. You're invited," Orbot said

Dave paused for a moment, wiping his brow with his apron. "Hmm, sounds interesting. But my boss says I gotta keep grilling the burgers. I'll look at it after my shift."

"Of course, of course," Orbot replied, unphased. "Enjoy your work."

Next, Cubot arrived at Charlie, who was pacing around with a menacing grin. Charlie's thoughts were consumed by revenge on Knuckles, but when he saw the invitation, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"This woth the added bonus of revenge on Knuckles?!" Charlie said, eager for the chance at something more fun. "I'll be there."

"Great! Enjoy the show!" Cubot cheered before stumbling off.

Orbot then made his way to TW Barker and his two oversized stunt bear henchmen, who were lounging around

Orbot handed Barker the invitation with a small bow. "Dr. Eggman invites you to a special gathering, Mr. Barker."

Barker squinted at the invitation, intrigued. "Hmm. Can I bring my bears?" he asked with a grin.

"The more the merrier," Orbot replied smoothly.

Barker gave a hearty laugh. "Excellent. I'll bring the boys along. This should be fun!"

Cubot, not far behind, was now approaching Tree Spy, the tall, shadowy figure with an affinity for mischief. Tree Spy looked over the invitation with mild interest.

"This sounds like it could be… fun," Tree Spy murmured, a sly grin forming. "I'm in."

As Orbot passed through the marketplace, he handed Weasel Bandit who lazily stretched and yawned, but upon reading the invitation, he perked up.

"Well, this is something to do," Weasel Bandit said with a smirk. "Count me in."

Finally, Cubot stumbled across Willy Walrus, who was lounging near the beach, flipping through a villainous magazine. Upon seeing the invitation, Willy gave a hearty laugh.

"Now this is what I've been waiting for!" Willy said, rubbing his flippers together. "I'll be there, Eggman! Can't wait to meet some fellow bad guys!"

Back over toOrbot, scanning his list with robotic precision, when Sonic spotted him from a fruit stand, munching on a chili dog. Sonic raised a brow.

"Yo, Orbot. Eggman plotting something? He's been awfully quiet lately," Sonic said, talking with his mouth full.

Orbot blinked. "Define 'plotting.'"

Sonic gave him a look. "That exact tone means yes."

"Dr. Eggman simply wishes to know what day you and your band of hyperactive misfits are free for a… social engagement."

Sonic blinked. "You're scheduling a villain attack? Cool"

Orbot nodded. "Efficiency is everything. We find that penciling in conflict works better than surprise mayhem."

Sonic scratched his head. "Well… I guess we're all free in a couple days. Knuckles was busy arguing with a boulder, but I think he finished."

"Perfect!" Orbot said. "Dr. Eggman will ensure your boredom is efficiently obliterated."

"Uh-huh. And while you're at it, tell Eggman to bring snacks this time. Last ambush? Zero refreshments."

Orbot raised a finger. "I'll note that. And for what it's worth, Eggman is just as bored as you are."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Ugh, great. It's contagious."

Orbot floated off calmly.

"Seriously, who schedules villainy…" Sonic muttered as he took another bite of his chili dog. "I guess it's better than nothing

Later to Cubot

Later, deep in the outskirts of the island, far from the sunlit village, Cubot hovered nervously near the entrance of a foreboding dark cave, shadows flickering like whispers against the stone walls

He raised a trembling hand and tapped the cave wall lightly

"Knock knock… Shadow? You… in there, buddy?" Cubot called into the darkness, his voice echoing faintly

From deep within the cave, a silhouette stirred. The red streaks of his quills were barely visible in the gloom

Cubot gulped hard despite being a robot

"S-So! Dr. Eggman knows how much you… uh… enjoy beating up Sonic and his friends into the dirt! So he thought you'd, uh… like this!" He shakily pulled out an envelope with Eggman's logo, setting it carefully on the ground near the edge of the light. "He's, um… looking forward to your cooperation!"

Cubot took one last terrified glance toward the still-silent figure. "PLEASE DON'T SMASH ME TO BITS THANK YOU BYE—!"

And with that, he screamed and zoomed away like a scared toaster with rocket feet.

Moments later, Shadow stepped forward slowly into the faint light of the cave entrance. His crimson eyes narrowed as he looked down at the invitation. He picked it up in silence.

"…Hmph."

Back in the village outskirts…

Orbot was calmly reviewing the list on his data pad when Cubot scurried back, panicked and wheezing

"LET'S GO, LET'S GO, I THINK I WOKE UP THE EDGE!"

Orbot looked up, unfazed. "Relax, Cubot. I'm sure most of Shadow's hostility is directed at Sonic. Not us."

Cubot froze in place "…That actually makes me feel so much better….So… what now?"

Orbot glanced at the now fully checked list. "That was the last one. Let's return to base. The doctor's going to want progress updates."

The two floated off into the jungle path

Back at Eggman's island fortress…

The base buzzed with mechanical life: assembly arms clicking, screens flashing, and the gentle ding! Of a fresh cup of cocoa from the auto-dispenser. Dr. Eggman reclined in his oversized villain-chair, feet propped up, sipping from a mug that read "#1 Evil Genius."

"Ahhh," he sighed, "invitations sent, chaos on the calendar… It's all coming together beautifully."

Orbot floated nearby, holding the now-complete checklist. "So, Doctor, shall I log this under 'World Domination Attempt #348'… or 'Mildly Inconvenient Mischief Gala'?"

Eggman twirled his mustache thoughtfully. "Mmm… Let's go with 'Spectacle of Strategic Shenanigans.' Sounds more festive."

Cubot chimed in. "Hey, uh, boss? Just wondering… why didn't we invite Lyric?"

Eggman immediately spat out his cocoa in cartoonish fashion, nearly falling off his chair. "Lyric?! Are you malfunctioning?!"

Orbot tilted his head. "Statistically, no."

Eggman pointed wildly. "Do you not remember what happened last time? That snakey lunatic hacked my mechs just by slithering into Wi-Fi range! The egg-toaster tried to cook me!"

Cubot's eyes spun. "Oh yeah! And then the fridge tried to trap him in a kale-only diet! Kale, Orbot!"

Eggman shuddered. "Never again. Lyric is banned. Hard stop."

Orbot scratched his metal chin. "Fair enough. I'll mark his name as 'DO NOT INVITE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.'"

"Good," Eggman said, cracking his knuckles and walking to a giant screen that now read: Villain Party Planner v2.3.

"Now then! Let's see…"

He clicked open a calendar, which now had "Ultimate Scheme Social!" scrawled across a date in bold red letters.

"We'll start with a welcome speech. Maybe light fireworks, a villain mixer near the lava pit. Oooh! And I'll need matching name tags with evil puns!"

Cubot held up a fake mustache. "Can mine say 'Dastardly Dishwasher'?"

"Only if you do the robot dance during introductions."

Orbot dryly added, "And refreshments? Last time we ran out of mini quiches."

Eggman gasped. "You're right! We need evil hors d'oeuvres! Little deviled eggs with my face on them!"

Cubot's eyes lit up. "Can we get streamers? Maybe black and red ones to match Shadow's vibe?"

Eggman cackled with delight. "Brilliant! Yes! Streamers, fog machines, holographic lightning effects! This will be the villain event of the season!"

The trio erupted into planning chaos, decorating holograms and scribbling notes as Eggman shouted, "We'll show Sonic that boredom can be diabolical!"

Deep in the cave…

Play: Undertale OST - Barrier

Shadow stood alone, bathed in faint moonlight filtering through cracks in the stone above. In his gloved hands, he held the invitation Cubot had nervously left behind. It was printed on cheap cardstock, with "Eggman's First Annual Villain Meet-Up Bash!" written in flashy red letters… complete with glitter.

He scoffed.

"Tch. Typical."

Flipping it open, Shadow scanned the contents. There was a crude map to Eggman's island fortress, a time, a date, and a rather unconvincing promise of "free snacks and light mayhem." Beneath it all, in large font, read: "Come beat up Sonic and friends with style!"

"A gathering of villains?" he muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching upward ever so slightly. "Cheesy… but maybe amusing."

He walked to the edge of the cave's opening, wind tugging at his quills.

"At the very least, it'll be an excuse to test my strength. And if I get bored… I can just destroy the place."

He turned back, slowly folding the invitation and slipping it into his coat.

"Multiple punching bags in one room. Hmph. Not the worst way to spend an afternoon."

But just as he sat back down near the rocky ledge, ready to return to the silence…

Until a sudden pulse surged through his head—sharp and brief, like a flash of lightning inside his skull. Shadow's eyes snapped open. He stood up instantly, scanning the cave with a hard glare

"…What was that?"

He placed a hand to his temple. The sensation was gone just as fast as it came, but in that single second, he had felt something… foreign. Old. It wasn't Eggman. It wasn't Sonic. It wasn't Lyric. Not Ragnium. Not anyone he'd encountered before.

The air didn't shift. The cave was quiet. But something had scratched at the edge of his mind.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "That energy… it wasn't from this world, was it?"

He stared into the darkness of the cave for a moment longer, tense. But then… he exhaled.

"Hmph. Probably nothing."

With one last glance toward the distant island in the horizon, he sat down again, legs crossed, arms folded.

"But if it happens again… someone's going to regret it."

And with that, Shadow returned to stillness, waiting patiently for the day of the villain meet-up…

A few days later…

The sun beamed down on the village square, the air filled with the gentle buzz of island life. But Sonic wasn't enjoying the calm

He zipped back and forth along the path, creating a light gust every time he passed by Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks, who were trying their best not to get dizzy watching him

Amy tilted her head. "Okay… Sonic, you've been pacing for twenty minutes. What's got your quills in a twist?"

Sonic skidded to a stop and dramatically flopped over a bench, groaning. "I'm bored, Ames. We haven't had a decent Eggman plot all week. This villain meet-up thing is the only exciting thing on the calendar!"

Tails adjusted his goggles. "You mean the party Eggman literally invited us to?"

"Exactly!" Sonic jumped up with a grin. "C'mon, how often does Eggman give us a heads-up? It's like being invited to your own ambush!"

Knuckles crossed his arms with a proud nod. "I'm just hoping Eggman brings bananas."

The rest of the group blinked in unison.

"…What?" Amy asked.

Knuckles shrugged. "Y'know… bananas. Evil guys always have bananas. For energy. Or weapons. Or both. Donkey Monkey used to—uh…" He trailed off, realizing he might've said too much. "Never mind. Ancient echidna prophecy. Probably….KONGQUEST!"

Tails raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

"Bananas are a conspiracy!" Sticks suddenly declared, clutching her boomerang. "I've been saying it for years! Radioactive fruit. It's how they track your potassium levels through satellites!"

Amy pinched the bridge of her nose. "If this was some elaborate banana conspiracy, I doubt Eggman would've sent invitations at all."

Sonic chuckled. "Whatever it is, it beats fishing or painting birdhouses. I'm itching for some real fun!"

As the group continued talking, none of them noticed the large, leafy head of Tree Spy awkwardly peeking out from a bush behind them. The bush leaned at an unnatural angle as Tree Spy slowly tried to shuffle through it… making incredibly obvious leaf rustling sounds.

Yet somehow… no one noticed. Tree Spy gave a silent thumbs-up to himself. "Totally nailed that stealth entry," he whispered.

He crept off in slow motion, completely undetected, despite tripping twice and leaving a small trail of leaves behind him.

Back with the group, Sonic stretched, clearly raring to go. "Well, whatever Eggman's got up his sleeve, I hope it's today. My speed needs something worth sprinting toward."

As then a booming voice suddenly echoed across the area

"SONIC!"

Sonic blinked and casually looked over his shoulder, spotting Eggman dramatically floating in on his hovercraft, arms spread wide like he was announcing the apocalypse. With a speaker phone in his hand

"Oh hey, Eggy. You're right on time," Sonic greeted like he was talking to a mailman. "So… what's the plan? Giant robot? Doomsday device? Piñata filled with bees?"

Eggman grinned wickedly, spinning in his chair. "This time, I've got you, Sonic! You and your friends are doomed! My ultimate team of evil is assembled—and you'll never escape my genius!"

Knuckles crossed his arms and scratched his chin. "Didn't you say that last week?"

"And the week before?" added Tails helpfully.

Eggman scoffed and waved his hand. "Nonsense! This is completely different! Because this time… I brought friends!"

He snapped his fingers dramatically and gestured behind Sonic's group.

Sonic and his friends turned… and saw Tree Spy standing there, awkwardly waving from a bush, one leaf stuck to his face. "…Hi," Tree Spy mumbled Which Knuckles happily waved back

Eggman cleared his throat, a little flustered. "Not just him! Everyone—look in that direction!" He pointed wildly to the other side

The group turned again and this time saw a more impressive sight

Moto Bugs revving up, Crab Bots clacking their claws, Buzz Bombers buzzing in formation. Charlie stomping up in a clunky, hand-welded mech suit

Behind him were TW Barker's stunt bear henchmen, striking vaguely threatening poses that looked more like they were rehearsing a dance routine

Eggman smirked with both arms raised. "Behold! My villainous squad led by yours truly!.." and then he realized something

He looked around, then whispered to Orbot, "Where is everyone else?"

Orbot checked his little screen. "Dave said he's coming after his burger shift. Weasel Bandit's stuck in traffic. Willy Walrus had to find his flippers. And Shadow… didn't say anything. But he didn't say no, either."

Eggman groaned. "Ugh, fashionably late villains. Always with the drama."

He turned back to Sonic, regaining composure. "But no matter! You'll still face an onslaught of doom!"

*CRASH!*

Suddenly, from the sky, TW Barker made a grand entrance—piloting a giant, poorly-balanced octopus robot with glittery circus decals and an unnecessary amount of spinning lights.

"Gaze upon the spectacle of… TW BARKER!" Barker declared dramatically from the cockpit. The octopus bot wobbled dangerously, almost collapsing on a nearby fruit stand.

Eggman threw his hands in the air. "WOULD YOU PLEASE BE CAREFUL?! I just had that thing waxed!"

Barker shrugged. "Show business, Eggman! The spectacle comes first!"

Before Sonic and the others could even process the ridiculousness, more Eggman robots marched in, flanking Dave the Intern and Weasel Bandit, both of whom were armed with oversized machine guns.

Dave adjusted his apron, his signature monotone delivering an unexpected, but oddly committed, line:

"I work in the fast-food industry. I know how to be really annoying."

He pulled the trigger. The gun fired a barrage of… bananas.

Weasel Bandit cackled, waving his banana-gun wildly. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

as Willy Walrus slid into the scene, carrying yet another banana gun "Hey, guys! What'd I miss?"

Dave, without looking at him, deadpanned, "We're all a little late."

Sticks' eyes widened in pure terror. "OH NOOO! IT'S TRUE! BANANA CONSPIRACY! IT'S ALL TRUE! RADIOACTIVE, WEAPONIZED FRUIT. WE'RE DOOOOOOMED!"

Meanwhile, Knuckles' eyes sparkled like a kid on Christmas. "DUDE. They have BANANA GUNS. This is AMAZING."

Sonic, who was definitely not prepared for this level of nonsense, stared at Eggman and sighed. "So… that's everyone?"

Eggman scratched his head, actually embarrassed. "Uh… yeah, I think so? I mean—give or take a few shadowy hedgehogs."

Tails tilted his head, genuinely curious. "Okay but… WHY banana guns?"

Eggman threw his arms in the air. "I DON'T KNOW! I offered them lasers, cannons, you name it! They picked the banana guns!"

Dave nodded flatly. "Banana guns are the most convenient to use."

Weasel Bandit nodded wisely. "Potassium power."

Eggman blinked twice. "…Sure. Let's go with that."

He turned to Orbot and Cubot, who slid in close.

"Hey Doc," Cubot whispered, "we kinda don't think Shadow's coming."

Eggman waved them off dismissively. "Eh. Who needs him? Everyone else is here! We've got… guns that shoot… fruit. It's fine."

Eggman coughed and stood up straight, clearing his throat as if trying to pretend this was all part of his genius master plan.

"Anyway! TIME TO COMMENCE—uh—DOOM!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get this banana party started."

Over to Shadow

Perched atop a rocky outcrop, Shadow the Hedgehog stood with his arms crossed, watching the absurd standoff unfold below. His crimson eyes scanned the battlefield, Sonic and his friends surrounded, Eggman yelling about doom, villains wielding banana guns of all things.

He exhaled sharply. "This was a mistake."

Back in the village square

Amy looked around at the swarm of Eggman robots, stunt bears, banana-armed villains, and Charlie's clunky mech. Her grip tightened around her hammer as she took a deep breath. "Alright. We need a plan. Eggman do you mind?"

Eggman tapped his wrist as if checking a watch. "Oh, sure, take your time! We villains love waiting." In slight annoyance

Ignoring him, Amy, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Sticks huddled up.

Amy looked at them seriously. "Okay, guys, what's our strategy?"

Sonic grinned. "Same as always—we wing it, fight 'em head-on, and look cool doing it."

Knuckles pumped his fists. "And I call dibs on fighting the banana guys."

Amy sighed but waved a hand. "Fine. Go nuts."

Knuckles fist-pumped. "YES!"

Sticks suddenly spoke up. "Ooooor… what if we don't fight them head-on? What if we pretend to go along with it, only for an outside force to mess everything up? A force that's been watching us the whole time… waiting…"

Tails blinked. "Wait. What? Is there someone else here besides the ones we know about?"

Sticks rubbed her chin. "…Dunno. Just a hunch."

Tails frowned but let it slide.

Amy, shaking her head, refocused. "Right. We're doing my plan."

Sonic smirked. "I mean, it's basically my plan."

Amy ignored him. "Knuckles, you take the banana squad. Tails and Sticks, handle the weaker bots."

Tails nodded. "Works for me."

Sonic cracked his knuckles. "And that leaves Eggman to us." They broke the huddle and turned back to Eggman.

Eggman clapped his hands. "Finally! Are we done stalling?"

Sonic smirked. "Yup. Let's do this"

"WAHOO" Knuckles roared and bolted toward the trio—Dave, Weasel Bandit, and Willy Walrus—dodging stray projectiles as they fired endless streams of bananas. With each splat, Knuckles laughed and shouted,

"Keep 'em coming, guys! I'm loving this!"

But his celebration was abruptly cut off. Out of nowhere, Charlie—inside his clunky mech suit—lunged forward and delivered a hefty punch that sent Knuckles tumbling aside. Charlie's booming voice declared,

"This is my chance for revenge! I'm gonna enjoy this!"

Rolling back to his feet, Knuckles waved off Charlie's theatrics. "Forget revenge, Charlie! I need those bananas, alright? They're—"

Before he could finish, scores of Eggman robots clattered in to back Charlie up, their metal limbs clicking in unison

Charlie's eyes sparkled with a mischievous idea as he turned toward Knuckles. "Tell me, wanna know what's so funny?" he asked, half-curious, half-sneering.

"Oh boy a joke!" said Knuckles slightly excited. And a moment passed which made him realize Charlie isn't saying anything funny. In act it confused him for a moment "I was expecting a good joke, but—"

Without missing a beat, Charlie bellowed, "I HATE BANANAS!" His words echoed across the battlefield, catching Knuckles completely off guard

For a split second, Knuckles' was appalled . "I won't take such—" He trailed off, lost for words, before shaking his head and grinning fiercely. "Enough talk! We fight!"

At his signal, Charlie and the swarm of Eggman bots charged at Knuckles with mechanical fury. Amid the melee, Dave wearing an impish grin shifted his aim. With his banana gun still smoking, he mischievously aimed it right at Sonic and Amy, as if to add an extra dash of absurdity to the chaos

The air filled with the slapstick sound of fruit impacts, clashing metal, and the unmistakable energy of an all-out brawl—a battle where every absurdity and quip landed as hard as the blows themselves.

Dave squeezed the trigger of his banana gun with gleeful mischief, launching a rapid barrage of banana projectiles at Sonic. The slippery fruit splattered across the ground in front of him—Sonic's eyes widened too late.

"Whoa—!"

His feet lost traction, sending him skidding comically across the battlefield. He crashed into a group of Eggman robots, knocking them over like bowling pins.

Picking himself up with a banana peel stuck to his quill, Sonic groaned, "Okay, seriously, stop it!"

Dave simply grinned and replied in his usual flat, taunting tone, "No," before unleashing more banana rounds

Amy chuckled at Sonic's plight—right up until a rogue banana smacked her squarely on the head. She froze, scowled, and growled through clenched teeth, "Okay, now it's personal…" Then with a battle cry, she resumed bashing Eggman bots with her hammer, banana goo still clinging to her

High above, TW Barker piloted the octopus robot, its mechanical tentacles swiveling with a theatrical flair. "Let's spice things up!" he declared with a grin. The tentacles began firing lasers wildly at Sonic and Amy, forcing them to dive, flip, and roll through a barrage of pew-pews and sparks

Before they could catch a breath, the two Stunt Bears entered the chaos with their signature brand of unhinged showmanship—heaving random objects like chairs, bowling balls, and flaming hoops from the sidelines. One object after another flew at Sonic and Amy like a slapstick montage

"Who even brings this stuff to a fight!?" Sonic shouted, ducking under a rogue umbrella

Meanwhile, high above the chaos, Eggman lounged in his hovercraft, comfortably munching popcorn, his feet kicked up

Orbot leaned in and asked, "Sir, shouldn't we be… doing something?"

Cubot added, "Yeah, are we just gonna watch?"

Eggman waved them off with a smirk. "Let the cannon fodder soften up Sonic and his stupid friends first. Why waste my genius until the curtain rises on Act Two?"

He tossed a popcorn kernel in his mouth as the lasers, bananas, and rubber chickens continued flying below.

Meanwhile Tree Spy awkwardly walked up to Dave, Weasel Bandit, and Willy Walrus as they kept up their banana-firing frenzy. "Hey, uh… can I try one of those banana guns?"

Before anyone could respond-

CRASH!*

Charlie's battered mech came hurtling through the air, slamming into the ground right next to them. The cockpit popped open, and Charlie tumbled out with comically swirly eyes, groaning as he crawled onto the grass, sparks flying from the wrecked machine

All five villains looked up to see Knuckles stomping toward them, fists clenched and eyes locked on the banana guns with an unsettling glint

Charlie and Tree Spy exchanged panicked glances before turning and bolting in opposite directions without a word

Knuckles cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Hand over the bananas."

Dave, Weasel Bandit, and Willy Walrus dropped their banana guns in unison, nodding furiously. "Fair deal," Dave said dryly before they all ran off, not looking back

Knuckles kneeled down excitedly, scooping up the fallen banana guns like treasure. "Oooooh yeah…" He peeled one of the fruits and began munching it contently. "This is the good stuff…"

Meanwhile, not far off—Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Sticks were sprinting for their lives, pursued by the towering octopus robot firing lasers and a massive stampede of Eggman bots

Sonic glanced over his shoulder and shouted, "Knuckles! Little help!"

Knuckles, focused entirely on his banana feast, didn't even hear him

A bit closer now, Amy dodged a laser blast and called out, "Seriously, Knuckles—we could really use you right now!"

Still Knuckles didn't hear them as he just peeled another banana with a grin.

By the time they were just a few yards behind him, with debris and robots flying everywhere, Sticks shouted, "Did you find the magic banana yet?!"

Without turning around, Knuckles calmly replied, "Not yet."

Tails, in desperation, yelled, "We'll buy you more fruit when we get home!"

That got Knuckles' attention as He turned, banana halfway to his mouth, eyes lighting up. "You mean like… a whole bunch?"

"YES!" they all screamed in unison.

With that, Knuckles dropped the peel, cracked his fists, and bolted straight toward them. "I'm in!"

And with that, Knuckles launched into the fray, barreling past Sonic and the others as he collided with the robot horde in a blur of fists and fruit-fueled fury pounding bots left and right

And this gave Sonic to deliver a spinning kick that smashed straight into the core of the octopus robot chasing it to crash into the ground. Revealing that it was rather poorly made

"AW YEAH! Sonic 1, Octopus 0" said Sonic before dashing off to fight other Eggman bots

TW Barker was flung out of the cockpit, his top hat flying off mid-air. "Retreat! Retreat!" he screeched, tumbling to the ground. "Stunt Bears, execute Plan Panic!"

The two Stunt Bears didn't need to be told twice. They took off running right past Shadow who had snuck much closer to get a better look

"Hi, edgy guy!" one of the Stunt Bears chirped with a wave as they sped which confused Shadow for a moment

A little later

The last of Eggman's metallic forces sputter and spark, collapsing into a smoldering heap at the blue blur's feet. Sonic stands triumphantly atop the wreckage, arms crossed, wind catching his quills as he flashes his signature cocky grin

"Well, that was fun! Chalk up another solid win for Team Sonic!" said Sonic with a grin

He looks skyward toward Eggman's battered hovercraft, still sputtering in the air above the chaos. Cupping his hands around his mouth like a makeshift megaphone, Sonic calls out.
"Hey, Eggman! Just wondering—do you have a calendar for these little beatdowns? Maybe we can pencil the next one in. Tuesdays work great for me!"

High above, Eggman lounges irritably in his hovering command pod, a half-eaten bucket of popcorn in his lap. His moustache twitches with frustration as he watches his robots' remains litter the battlefield

"Activate... FINAL ATTACK!" yelled Eggman as He rubs his hands together maniacally, eyes wild with anticipation

"Uh, boss? Just a teeny-tiny issue... The experimental Egg Dragoon isn't, uh... finished. Not even close." Said Cubot

"WHAT!?" said Eggman

"All your resources kind of went into building those disposable minions" said Orbot

"WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!" yelled Eggman

"You never asked...?" said Cubot

Eggman growls and smacks Orbot on the head, who lets out a mechanical grunt.

"Bah! Whatever... You know what, Sonic? Fine. We'll reschedule the grand finale. Maybe next Tuesday." Said Eggman

"Sweet! Pencil me in right after chili dog lunch hour!" said Sonic with a grin

Amy walks over, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently "Are you seriously doing this right now? Making appointments with Eggman like he's your yoga instructor?" she said in annoyance

"What? I can't schedule fun?" said Sonic with a shrug

Amy groans and facepalms. Meanwhile, Knuckles is still happily munching on a banana, "Hey… so, uh… when are we getting the fruit? I'm still hungry."

"We'll pick some up after this. There's a stand near the beach with decent vitamin C levels." Said Tails still focused on his tablet

"My breakfast is plotting to kill me…" said Sticks staring at her granola bar

The group pauses and slowly turns to look at her.

"...Sticks, that's a granola bar." Muttered Sonic

"That's what they want you to think." Said Sticks narrowing her eyes

Amy throws her hands up in exasperation, turning away as Eggman slowly lowers his hovercraft to the ground, clipboard in hand. "I don't even know what to do with you guys sometimes…" she muttered

"Alright, Sonic. Shall we discuss time slots? I'll send you an email invite." Said Eggman adjusting his glasses

"I hope there are balloons next time!'" said Cubot

"and maybe some gift exchange. That's always fun" said Orbot earning a deadpan lokk from Eggman

Play: Deltarune OST – Pandora Place
"Sounds good. Tuesdays, remember. Preferably after brunch." Said Sonic casually leaning against one of the destroyed robots as Amy rolls her eyes

Shadow, still observing from afar, slowly shook his head. "I should've—" before his eyes narrowed sharply as that same dull, pulsing ache returned in his head—only now, it was stronger. More concentrated. He clutched the side of his head with a quiet grunt as the very air began to warp

A deep rumble shook the ground causing nearly knocking everyone off balance

The sky split open with glowing, jagged cracks, as if reality itself was beginning to fracture. A pulsing, otherworldly energy bled from the rifts, distorting the clouds into violet and crimson spirals

Sonic stared up in awe and gave a low whistle. "Okay… Eggman, I gotta hand it to you. This is actually kinda impressive."

Eggman blinked in confusion. "What?! No! No-no-no, don't you dare pin this on me! As awesome as it would've been—it's not mine! I like drama, not interdimensional collapse!"

Then a monstrous figure loomed just behind the cracks, shifting and writhing like it was part of the fabric of time itself. A mask-like face with a malicious grin formed from the chaos—The Time Eater

Sonic and Eggman locked eyes in mutual shock.

"uh oh," Sonic said

"Still. Would've been awesome if it was me," said Eggman

Suddenly, portals ripped open across the battlefield, swirling vortexes of deep purple and black.

"I KNEW IT!" Sticks screamed, flailing her arms. "The end-times are here! I was right! I was—AAAH!" She was snatched into one of the portals mid-rant.

"Sticks!" Tails shouted, only for another portal to rip open under him and suck him in with a yelp."WHOOAAA-"

Knuckles barely had time to say, "Wait—what's goi—AAAAAA-" before he was dragged into another one, flailing and dropping his last banana.

Eggman turned and tried to fly off in his hovercraft. "This isn't how it's supposed to go! I'm the villain, not the victim!" But the portal had other ideas, dragging him—and a flailing Orbot and Cubot—inside.

"BOSS YOU SURE THIS WASN'T YOUR PLAN!?" saod Orbot holding desperately onto the hovercraft

"I USUALLY DRAW THE CARDS NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!" Yelled Eggman as Orbot loses his grip and is pulled in the vortex

"SONIC DO-AAAAH!" Cubot wailed losing his grip as well

"Sonic if you save us ill build you a free Chili dog mach-AAAAA-" yelled Eggman as he's fully pulled in

Sonic gritted his teeth and charged forward, spinning into the air. "Not today, freakshow!" He struck the Time Eater with a homing attack, but it barely flinched. A single massive energy blast knocked Sonic to the ground.

The Time Eater's dark hand grabbed him, lifting him into the air.

"No—let go!" Sonic yelled, struggling.

Then the time eater yanked him into a swirling black portal, only Amy.

She stood alone in the silent aftermath, gripping her hammer tightly. Her eyes darted around. "S-Sonic? Guys?" Her voice trembled. "Wh-what do I do now—?" as she noticed the Time Eater focus its attention on her

But before it could anything to her. A blur of black and red tore through the air. Shadow crashed down in front of her in a spin dash, slamming into the Time Eater's appendage just before it could reach her

The creature reeled back slightly, snarling with distorted sound.

Shadow stood protectively in front of Amy, fists clenched, his breath steady and focused despite the chaos.

Amy blinked in shock. "S-Shadow?! You're—you're here?!"

Shadow didn't turn to face her. His crimson eyes stayed fixed on the entity before them "…Yeah," he muttered. "Looks like this is what gave me the headaches…ill make it pay.."

"WHAT!? You knew it was coming!?" said Amy rushed to Shadow's side, brandishing her hammer. "Ugh! Whatever! We'll talk about later!"

Shadow grunted, planting his feet to keep from being flung

The Time Eater let out a low, rumbling laugh, distorted like a broken tape, before lashing out with swirling tentacles of energy. Shadow and Amy dodged in sync—Amy leaping with surprising agility while Shadow countered with a flurry of chaos-infused strikes.

"CHAOS SPEAR!" Shadow roared, launching spears of glowing red energy that sliced through the Time Eater's limbs. It staggered, but not for long.

Suddenly, a tendril shot out and snared Amy mid-leap, yanking her into the air.

"Shadow!" she cried, reaching out as a portal opened behind her, dragging her closer

Shadow's eyes widened. Despite seeing Amy as loud, impulsive, and a frequent thorn in his side… in that moment, her outstretched hand stirred something in him

His own hand twitched—almost reaching out. But she was gone. Sucked into the darkness, the portal snapping shut with. The silence afterward was deafening to Shadow

Shadow lowered his hand slowly. Then his fists clenched, teeth grit.

"Whatever you are," he growled, glaring up at the Time Eater, "Ill show you my power!"

The Time Eater's grin widened, amused by the defiance. Cracks spread further across the sky as the creature surged forward with a roar, launching a barrage of energy pulses and void-like tendrils at Shadow

Shadow dodged and countered with speed that blurred the ground beneath him, striking with powerful spin attacks and Chaos-imbued blows

The Time Eater tried to pull him into a portal. but Shadow resisted. The sheer force of his will, his raw power, kept him grounded. He skidded back, dug his heels in, and surged forward again.

The Time Eater snarled. This one wasn't like the others. It couldn't simply pluck him away like the rest. So it changed tactics. With a crack of thunder, the Time Eater descended towards him

"Good. I was hoping you'd try." Said Shadow as he darted forward with a chaos powered roundhouse, in the face making it snarl and unleashed a guttural, otherworldly screech as its core pulsed violently then everything turned white.

A blinding light consumed the world. The sky shattered, the earth vanished, and time itself seemed to stop.

Play: Undertale OST - Respite

Shadow winced, clutching his head as a searing headache surged through his mind. He dropped to one knee, teeth gritted, heart pounding. "Ugh… what… what is this…?!"

He saw a hedgehog… himself? No, not quite. This version of him stood tall in a ruined wasteland, facing off against a monstrous, crystalline figure with lime green eyes and a demonic glare

Shadow gasped. "That… that's me… but it isn't me…"

Then to a snowy forest cloaked in fog. Another black hedgehog just like him wearing armor with a sword at his side as he chopped down every dark knight in his way

Then the vision shifted again now tp a city filled with massive neon signs, symbols he couldn't recognize, and people screaming in the streets. Explosions rocked the skyline as another hedgehog, identical again, darted past military vehicles, spinning through tanks and helicopters

Shadow's eyes widened as all three visions swirled into a chaotic maelstrom, merging and folding into his consciousness before everything—everything—went silent

When he opened his eyes, he was standing alone in a vast, white expanse. No ground. No sky. Just light… endless light.

Shadow looked down at his hands, flexing them slowly. "What… just happened?"

He turned slowly, searching the emptiness, his voice lower now. "…Who were they? Why… do they all look like me?"

He took a shaky step forward, confusion turning into concern "Are those… other versions of me?" he asked aloud, as he looked at his hands. Before he took notice of rhe white expanse, the silence pressing down on him like a heavy fog. The emptiness stretched endlessly… but it wasn't entirely empty

Out in the distance, several structures jutted out of the void like broken islands floating on nothing. Some were rich in color, glowing with vibrancy, warmth, or flickering energy. Others were… gray. Lifeless. Frozen in time

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "What… is this place?" he muttered. "A pocket between time? A fracture…?"

There were no answers. No Amy being the most reasonable of the bunch. No Eggman cackling overhead. No Sonic mouthing off. No annoying chatter from Knuckles, Sticks, or Tails

Just him… and silence

He walked forward, his boots echoing against the invisible ground until he reached one of the more lifeless structures. It looked like a city, but futuristic, more so than anything he could recall..

But he then noticed who was standing in the middle of it

"…Amy?"

She stood there. Or rather, a statue of her—locked in mid-motion as if reaching out, mouth parted in a silent cry

Lifeless and frozen

Shadow rushed forward. And getting closer he reached out, about to touch her hand, just an inch away, but he hesitated

His hand hovered in the air, trembling slightly. He slowly pulled back, staring at her form in uneasy silence. His fists clenched at his sides

"…That could've been me," he whispered

He turned slightly and noticed off to the side, among the frozen towers, was a crack. Not a structural one, but a glowing tear in space—shimmering and pulsing like an open wound in reality. It glowed violet-blue and buzzed faintly, like it was calling

Shadow turned his gaze between the portal and Amy's petrified form

He took a step toward the crack in time and looked back one last time at her. With no further hesitation, Shadow turned and sprinted and leaped into glowing crack in time

Play: Mega Man X Maverick Hunter OST – Vile Theme

Shadow landed in a crouch, the light from the portal vanishing behind him with a soft whump. The ground beneath him hummed with energy.

He looked up—and his crimson eyes widened slightly

Towering green buildings loomed above, sleek and spotless, with mirrored surfaces that reflected the vibrant sky. Blue energy roads streaked through the air like glowing highways, weaving between skyscrapers and zipping around floating platforms. Flying vehicles cruised through the sky like metallic fish in a digital sea

The entire city buzzed with a pristine, futuristic energy. But it wasn't peaceful

Lining the edges of the roads and perched on platforms were Egg Pawns clanking stiffly in place, their yellow eyes scanning for intruders. Mixed in were Turtle Bots with thick shells and humming cannons mounted on their backs

Shadow narrowed his eyes

"Eggman's handiwork," he muttered, stepping forward with slow precision. "No doubt about it."

He didn't recognize this world, but the mechanical presence here? It reeked of Eggman.

He cracked a smirk. "Well… if he's watching, might as well give him a show."

With a sudden burst of speed, Shadow skated forward, his hover shoes gliding smoothly onto one of the arcing blue energy roads. The momentum launched him upward along a loop-de-loop, the wind rushing past as bots began to notice and sound their alerts.

Shadow flipped off the road, twisting midair, and spin-kicked into an Egg Pawn's chest—blasting it into sparks

Shadow soared through the air, flipping from one rooftop to another, crashing down with explosive force as he tore through the swarm of Egg Pawns and Turtle Bots in his path. Shattered metal clattered across the platforms as he dashed through the pristine city, his movements a crimson blur

"These bots are different," Shadow muttered under his breath, grabbing a Turtle Bot and flinging it off a platform before blasting another with a Chaos Spear. "But just as amusing to destroy."

He paused on the edge of a gleaming rooftop, watching the glowing blue energy roads curve through the air like rollercoasters. Vehicles zipped overhead in smooth flight, ignoring the roads entirely

Shadow furrowed his brow "…Who even drives on those roads if there are flying cars everywhere?" he muttered sarcastically. But before he could leap again, a voice rang out behind him

"Hey! Shadow!"

He turned fast, ready to strike—only to freeze when he saw the familiar trio approaching

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. But… not quite

Sonic grinned brightly, waving. "Man, it's been a while! Glad to see you're still kicking, Shadow."

Shadow's red eyes narrowed slightly. That tone. That expression. That wasn't like the Sonic he knew. He didn't have his bandana or sports tape on

Knuckles looked leaner than usual, far less bulky, and Tails seemed… shorter. In fact. All three of them seemed shorter.

"Tch. Definitely not the same ones," Shadow thought, his mind clicking through possibilities. Another world. Another timeline.

Tails blinked and tilted his head. "Uh… Sonic? Doesn't Shadow look taller?"

Shadow smirked. "Observant," he muttered, folding his arms with cool arrogance. "You're not the Tails I know… and none of you are them." He took a few steps forward, eyes gleaming. As his eyes electrified "But since you do look like them… which makes this even more tempting."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Tempting?"

Knuckles narrowed his eyes as Shadow's body tensed with unmistakable hostility.

"Uh… guys? Anyone else noticing how murder-y Shadow's looking right now? Should we be worried?" said Tails

Sonic, still grinning slightly, brushed off the concern. "Eh, he probably just wants a rematch after the Space Colony ARK thing."

Shadow's smirk instantly faltered. "Space Colony ARK?" he thought. That name rang oddly familiar—but it wasn't his memory. He didn't even recognize this version of Sonic… and yet, the name struck a nerve. More visions? More lies? He didn't have time to unpack it

Without a word, Shadow vanished in a red blur and lunged straight at Sonic.

"Whoa—!" Sonic was caught completely off guard as Shadow's spin-kick cracked across his side, launching him skidding across the rooftop. "Okay—yeah, he's serious!"

Knuckles blinked. "Maybe falling from space messed with his brain more than we thought."

Shadow darted again, pelting Sonic with rapid jabs and strikes—some grazing, some landing squarely as Sonic dodged and stumbled back. "Shadow! Chill! We're trying to figure out what Eggman's planning here!"

Tails flew into the air nervously, analyzing. "He doesn't look like he wants to talk!"

Knuckles cracked his fists, watching Shadow's aggressive form shift and attack. "Nah… he's definitely looking for a fight."

"WHOAH!" yelled Sonic as with a grunt, Shadow grabbed and threw Sonic like a projectile—right into Tails, who yelped as the two tumbled into a neon billboard with a burst of sparks.

Then Shadow turned his head slowly toward Knuckles. His red eyes glinted, and with an eerie, slow movement, he raised his hand and gestured 'come at me'

Knuckles let out a short sigh and leapt forward with a battle-ready smirk. "Alright then. Round two it is!"

Knuckles swung hard, fists pounding like jackhammers but Shadow weaved and struck him with a roundhouse kick sent Knuckles staggering back, and Shadow surged forward with a Chaos-charged uppercut that sent the red echidna flying across the rooftop into a ventilation unit

Before Shadow could gloat, a streak of blue slammed into his side—Sonic. "Sorry, Shadow! No more solo time!"

The two began exchanging rapid strikes, spin attacks clashing midair like sonic booms. Knuckles rejoined the fray with a battle cry, and the two heroes began tag-teaming him—Sonic distracting, Knuckles delivering powerhouse blows

Even with their coordination, Shadow held his ground, movements sharp and merciless. He blocked, deflected, and countered every attempt with surgical precision. His Chaos-enhanced strength forced them to play defense more than offense

Sonic, still dodging and blocking as he exchanged blows with Shadow, called out, "Can we, I don't know—postpone this little death match? We've kinda got Eggman business to deal with here!"

Shadow didn't respond. He merely clenched his fist tighter, red energy flaring in his eyes Then, with one fierce pulse of Chaos energy, Shadow blasted Sonic and Knuckles backward, both of them slamming into the rooftop, dazed

Shadow turned his head—slowly—toward Tails with an ominous smile

"Uh-oh…" Tails barely got the words out before Shadow teleported in front of him with a sharp crack of air. With one swift backhand, he sent Tails flying into a pile of crates, landing in a dazed heap—his eyes now comically swirly.

Shadow chuckled lowly, cold and amused. "No matter what world you're from… you're all still inferior to me."

Sonic groaned as he pushed himself up, looking toward Shadow with a mixture of concern and confusion. "Is this even the same Shadow we know…?"

Shadow answered not with words, but by lunging—his fist slamming down where Sonic stood only moments before, cracking the rooftop beneath him in a web of shattered concrete.

Sonic blinked at the crater. "Yeah… something's definitely off…" as they lunged at each other with full force, fists colliding midair with a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them. Sparks flew from the sheer pressure, Shadow pushing harder, his eyes narrowed with deadly focus while Sonic gritted his teeth, trying to hold his ground

"Not bad," Sonic muttered, feet sliding back. "But you're hitting harder than usual."

"tch, I'm just getting started," Shadow growled, surging forward with another punch.

But just as their fists were about to meet again—

"SOOOOONIIIIC!"

A loud, feminine voice rang across the sky like a bell, stopping them both in their tracks.

The two hedgehogs froze mid-motion and turned their heads toward the source of the voice. Standing on a nearby rooftop was Amy Rose, holding her Piko Piko hammer high with Big the Cat beside her, and Cream the Rabbit waving nervously, Cheese the Chao fluttering by her shoulder

Sonic's eyes widened. "Amy!? What are you doing here!?"

Amy pointed her hammer accusingly at Shadow. "You lay off my future husband!" she declared dramatically

Sonic immediately facepalmed and took a half-step behind Shadow. "Not this again…" he mumbled, embarrassment sinking in fast

Shadow glanced sideways at Sonic with a flat, unimpressed stare. "…You shouldn't play with a girl's heart like that."

Sonic poked his head around Shadow's shoulder. "Trust me, I'm not trying to—she just—ugh, never mind."

Meanwhile, Cream tugged on Amy's skirt and whispered, "U-um… Miss Amy… are they going to stop fighting now?"

Amy nodded confidently. "Of course! I've got this handled."

Big simply gave a friendly wave. "Hi, Sonic! Hi..uh…Shadow wasn't it?"

Shadow squinted at the unfamiliar faces. "More… strangers," he muttered, his voice low. He looked back toward Amy. He took notice she seemed more girly than the one he actually knows. It felt weird but he chalked it up to being in a different world

Though if she's more reasonable than Sonic here he wouldn't be surprised

Groaning, Tails slowly sat up, rubbing his head as swirls faded from his eyes. "Ugh… did we win?"

A few feet away, Knuckles pushed himself up on one knee, cracking his neck. "I don't hear any more fighting," he muttered. "So… I'm just gonna say yes."

The two staggered to their feet and blinked as they noticed the new arrivals.

"Hey, Amy!" Tails said with a wave, still swaying slightly.

Amy beamed. "Hi, Tails! You alright?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes and elbowed Sonic with a smirk. "Looks like your Amy's caught up to you again—literally and romantically."

Sonic groaned. "Don't start."

Amy didn't miss a beat. "And I'll keep chasing until we're happily married! That's called determination, Knuckles!"

Knuckles blinked and scratched his head. "Huh. Thought it was just obsession."

Amy readied her hammer. "What was that?"

"…maybe I was wrong about her being more reasonable.." thought Shadow comically

"Nothing Amy!" Knuckles backed up a bit raising his hands defensively, then turned to Sonic. "So uh… are we still fighting Shadow, or…?"

Shadow stepped forward with a smug grin, arms crossed. "If you are, just know this—you'd all lose. I'll crush every last one of you if I have to."

Knuckles immediately bristled and stomped toward him. "Alright, you overgrown ego trip—let's see you try!"

Shadow cracked his knuckles, eager to go another round. "Gladly."

But just as both of them reared back to throw down

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—time out!" Sonic slid between them, holding both arms out to stop Shadow. "Can we not turn Grand Metropolis into a crater today?"

At the same time, Tails fluttered between Knuckles and Shadow, nervously waving his arms. "Come on, guys! Let's not make this worse!"

Shadow narrowed his eyes but held back, his muscles still tense.

Knuckles snorted, stepping back with a muttered, "Fine… but only 'cause I don't feel like wreckin' my spine again."

Shadow kept his eyes locked on him. "Smart choice."

The air hung thick with tension until Cream innocently asked, "Um… why is Mr. Shadow so mad?"

Big looked at Shadow. "Maybe he needs a chili dog."

Sonic sighed. "Yeah, that's not gonna fix this." As he brushed some dust off his gloves and finally turned back to Shadow, still wary

"So… are you mad at Eggman or something?" he asked. "Because if you are, cool—we're after him too. You can join us, But if you're not, then sorry, you can't just tag along."

Before Shadow could say a word, Knuckles stepped forward, crossing his arms with a huff.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on! He doesn't get to join us after backhanding Tails, body-slamming me, and almost turnign you to mince meat!"

Tails, still adjusting his goggles, sheepishly raised a hand. "I mean… he did hit pretty hard…"

Before the argument could go anywhere, Amy threw her hands up with a dreamy sigh.

"Can we not start another fight? Sonic and I are supposed to go on our honeymoon after he marries me, remember?"

Sonic's eyes bulged. "WHAT honeymoon?!"

Before he could react, Shadow casually stepped to his side with a smirk and gave Sonic a firm shove forward

Sonic stumbled straight into Amy's arms, eyes wide in horror. "Wh-whoa!"

Shadow's smirk widened. "Why don't you talk things over with your wife, Sonic."

Amy's eyes sparkled like stars. "Oh Shadow, I knew you supported us!"

Sonic yelped, struggling to break free as Amy clung to him like a vice. "No, no, no—Shadow, Why!?"

But Shadow just stood there with arms crossed, quietly entertained while Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Big, and Cheese watched with a mix of amusement and confusion as Amy chased Sonic around the area, hammer in hand, shrieking about wedding themes and floral arrangements

"Amy listen we can-AAH!" said Sonic avoiding a swing from her hammer

"Get back here Sonic!" yelled Amy

Knuckles shook his head. "Okay, I think you may not be that bad after all Shadow."

"Tch" said Shadow rolling his eyes

Just as Amy lunged with love-fueled determination, Sonic yelped and zipped forward, grabbing Knuckles by the wrist and scooping up Tails under one arm.

"Alright, time to GO! We'll catch you guys later!" Sonic called out mid-blur.

The blue blur vanished in a streak of wind, leaving behind a cloud of dust, a very annoyed pink hedgehog, and the rest of the group blinking.

Amy sighed dramatically, stamping her foot. "Ugh! It's so frustrating when what you want keeps running away!"

She turned to Shadow, arms crossed. "Right, Shadow? Isn't it the worst—…Shadow?"

Shadow

Amy looked around frantically. "Wait—where did he go?!"

Cream, tugging gently on Cheese's ears, glanced around too. "That's strange… I could've sworn he was just standing there!"

Cheese chimed in with a confused "Chao?"

Big scratched his head, blinking. "He… vanished."

Amy groaned and summoned her hammer with a whomp. "Perfect. First Sonic ditches me, and now Shadow does too."

She turned back to her companions, determination in her eyes. "Come on, guys! Let's go find Sonic. Again."

Cream shyly raised her hand. "Um… does that also mean we'll keep looking for Chocola?"

Big raised his hand too. "And Froggy?"

Amy paused mid-step, sighed, and said with heavy reluctance, "Yeah sure... Sonic and Chocola and Froggy."

Cheese happily spun in the air, and Big grinned.

"Great! Maybe they'll all be together!"

Amy groaned under her breath but marched forward anyway, hammer resting on her shoulder. "They'd better be… or someone's getting whacked."

Back to White Space

Play: Shadow Gens OST – White Space

Shadow tumbled through the crack in time, the swirling light and distortion twisting around him. But the moment he broke through, everything fell silent until His boots touched down the same white void from before

Shadow slowly straightened, red eyes narrowing. "…Back here again."

The air shimmered strangely, and then he heard it—a low hum that grew in pitch. He turned sharply as the massive, abstract structure in the center of the void began to regain color—blues, purples, and silver streaks sliding across its surface like light blooming through stained glass.

His gaze shifted and there she was. The Amy he knows, as all color began to return to her frozen form

Shadow's eyes widened slightly. "…Amy?"

Her fingers twitched. Her head jolted

"!" Amy gasped, staggering forward, catching herself. Her eyes blinked open as she took in the blank, luminous space. "Wha… where…?" she murmured, patting her arms, chest, then her face. "I'm… I'm okay?"

Then her eyes found him. "Shadow?"

"…." Said Shadow as he crossed his arms

She looked around warily. "…Where are we? What happened?...that thing attack…but…what?..."

"…it appears that this place is somewhere where timelines collide…" muttered Shadow as he recalled meeting the different Sonic than the one he knew

Amy frowned. "But… how did we get here?"

Shadow's voice dropped, laced with seriousness. "That creature. The one that attacked us.. It likely brought you and everyone else here.." He stepped closer, his eyes locked on hers. "When I found you… you were like a frozen statue"

Amy brought a hand to her mouth in shock

"…" said Shadow as he turned away

But before he could take more than a few steps, Amy ran ahead and slid in front of him, arms outstretched. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Shadow stopped, clearly unamused. "Where do you think I'm going?" he replied with a flat, sarcastic tone

Amy frowned, puffing her cheeks slightly. "Don't play games with me, Shadow. This isn't the time for attitude."

He shrugged nonchalantly, his indifference almost taunting. "Then don't waste time asking obvious questions."

Amy let out an exasperated sigh and stepped closer. "Look… we need to work together if we're going to find the others. We have to."

Shadow glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Why should we?"

Amy didn't respond with words—not immediately. Instead, she reached forward and gently took his gloved hands in hers. Her voice softened.

"Because… I can't do this alone. Please…. We cant just leave everything behind.."

Shadow blinked, surprised by her touch—by the sincerity in her voice. His gaze met hers. Something quiet, something real passed between them. Normally he would say no. However in this situation… it felt like he shouldn't….

He couldn't….

"…..Hmph… Fine."

Amy smiled, relief washing over her. "….and thank you… for saving me, too…"

A few more moments pass as they both suddenly noticed she was still holding onto his hands. Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly let go with a nervous chuckle, tucking her hands behind her back

Shadow said nothing, just gave a brief glance before shaking his head and starting to walk in a seemingly random direction

Amy hesitated a beat before jogging to follow, assuming he saw something she didn't

But as they walked in silence, her thoughts wandered.

"That look in his eyes… That hesitation. I don't think I've ever seen that from him before.." she thought glancing at Shadow as she followed him

Catching up beside him, she peeked over at Shadow's unreadable expression "So…" she began, brushing some stray pink strands behind her ear, "do you, uh… happen to have a plan for all of this?"

Shadow didn't stop walking as he answered. "These lifeless, colorless structures—some of them have cracks in time."

Amy blinked. "Cracks in time?"

He gave a small nod. "If we enter through them and make it out… it restores color to the structures. And anyone frozen near them."

Amy fell quiet, absorbing that. Her eyes lowered slightly. Thinking about her team. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Sticks. Though from what Shadow said. Its likely they are in the same state she was when he found her. And while she hoped she will find them soon. She felt something it was difficult to describe..

Amy glanced back up. "How long do you think it'll take to find everyone?"

"I don't know," Shadow answered bluntly, not turning to her. "Time doesn't seem to work normally here."

Amy gave a soft sigh but nodded in understanding. "Figures."

Just then, something shimmered faintly in the white distance.

They both looked up, and there it was—a colorless structure far ahead, looming like a forgotten relic caught in a moment that never moved.

Amy and Shadow exchanged a brief glance and Without a word, they pressed forward together, walking in sync toward the next mystery waiting in the endless white void.

To be continued

Trivia

1: One thing I've always noticed that's a common misconception about the boom series is that. So many people believed it was a full on reboot of the Sonic series when it wasn't. It was actually an alt universe spinoff

and if more people knew that, the boom series games still would've crashed anyway. Because all 3 of the games were not good. Especially rise of Lyric

BUT there would certainly be less hatred towards the series and maybe the TV would've had better ratings and a season 3

2: did you know that Rise of Lyric wasn't even supposed to be on the WII U? No? Now you do.

the game was actually designed with the PS4 in mind, but reason it was ported to the Wii U was actually a last minute decision and the team making the game only had a few months to get it work on Wii U hardware with no warning

snd the likely reason for this is because Sega likely wanted out of their contract with Nintendo they had at the time. Which was that the Wii U would receive 3 exclusive Sonic Games. That ended up being Rise of Lyric (unfortunately) Mario&Sonic Winter Olympics, and Sonic Lost World (which Sega eventually got full rights to, which allowed it to be in Steam without the Yoshi's Island and Legend of Zelda crossover dlcs)

that any they wanted to release something for the December Holiday for the sales…..and it backfired

sadly Sonic Boom was practically killed by Sega's own fumbles with the only thing that was really going for it was the TV Show

While it's unlikely, I do hope Sega brings back the Boom series with more polish and maybe it being more clear it is an alt universe spinoff

3: Shadow being my favorite character, I was definitely frustrated with how they butchered his character in the series. But I think if it was more successful they would've likely course corrected him

4: did you know one of Shadow's last lines in the boom series is "I want revenge on this whole universe"? You can practically say he did get his revenge since we haven't really heard anything major from Boom since 2017

Chapter Text

Unbiased Biolizard 748 (love the name) – Im glad you liked the chapter a lot, and its true that Sega hasn't had the two interact directly for YEARS. And yeah there's comics but that doesn't really entirely count

BUT

We got a small glimpse in Sonic Dream Team of all games where in Shadow's expansion campaign. In the beginning cutscenes when Shadow appears and checks on everyone

The person he particularly checks on is Amy

And since this is meant to be a duo fic of Shadow and Amy I hope that I write good enough to your liking

Guest: Perhaps for the third flashback I didn't write clear enough. The Shadow there is actually meant to be Movie Shadow causing a mess in Japan

And don't worry. That's more on me because how vague I wrote it. Though I will say. King Shadow was an interesting concept. Albiet a deviation of his character (considering how rather cruel and hostile he was portrayed). But A shame we wont see an resolution of what happened to him after

I bet Ian definitely wanted to potentially write a redemption. But unfortunately, we can thank Ken Penders for causing the preboot to kick the bucket with all the lawsuits (which is a long rabbit hole and would explain a lot of lore changes and decisions)

And I also want to give a shoutout to a certain comic that actually motivated me to write this story in the first place

"Enigma in Shadows" by the talented artist Spectral Woof

Where it was a story of a mini adventure between Shadow and Amy trying solve a mystery of an artifact potentially connected to Shadow's past

And I just loved it so much. I decided I really wanted to write a duo fic (or at least I first intended this to be) between Shadow and Amy

So I hope you all have the patience for reading a nearly 20k chapter

Unto thine Stowy

Play: Shadow Gens OST – White Space

As Shadow and Amy walked through the endless expanse of white, more colorless structures began to appear around them. Like islands frozen in a forgotten dream. They passed towers with no definition, bridges with no depth, and rooftops that looked more like sketches than something solid

Then, suddenly, Shadow paused as a sharp throb echoed through his head. "…Tch…" he grunted, eyes narrowing as the headache struck again..

"…Shadow?" Amy's voice broke through the haze

He blinked and turned to her , "I'm fine," he muttered, resuming his walk

Amy jogged up beside him, concerned. "Are you sure? That didn't look like nothing."

"I said I'm fine," he repeated, in a slightly annoyed tone "..Tell me something… did you see anything when you were frozen? When that creature took you?"

Amy frowned thoughtfully. "No. Nothing. Just blackness. Like I blinked and woke up here." She tilted her head, studying him. "Why? Are you seeing things?"

He grimaced and chose not to answer her as he continued walking

"Hey! Don't ignore my question!" said Amy in annoyance as she followed him "*sigh*…so…you even know where we are going?"

"…." Said Shadow

"Uh huh" said Amy as before she could nag him anymore. She then noticed something that caught her attention. One particular structure that looked interesting enough. Her pace quickened "Wait… Shadow—look!"

The building was built Into a cliffside. It resembled a beautiful cascading waterfall, tiered and flowing. Like it was built by a beach side…or an oasis. Amy's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "I bet this place looks amazing with color…"

But then she froze when she noticed something

At the edge of the waterfall, sitting against a sculpted rock outcrop, was a statue of a person. Amy slowly stepped toward it, her voice quiet. "This must be someone else that thing captured…"

"…I don't recognize who this is, though." She muttered as she turned to Shadow "You recognize this place? Or this helmet person?"

Shadow folded his arms and gave a dry, deadpan look. "Do I look like I do?"

Amy groaned. "You really need to work on your sarcasm settings." She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay then, genius, how'd you restore me and the last structure?"

Shadow lifted one arm and pointed. On one of the frozen waterfall levels, barely visible, was a faint shimmering crack in time, Amy grinned. "Perfect. This could be a good start."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You sure it wouldn't be smarter to find someone we actually know first?"

Amy shook her head. "Saving anyone is better than saving no one. Don't you think this person deserves a second chance too?"

"…." Said Shadow as He just watched as she made her way toward the crack. When she reached it, she looked over her shoulder. "Well? You coming, or are you going to stand there and brood?"

With a sigh, Shadow walked up beside her. Which made her gain a slight smile. As she then leapt in the crack first. And Shadow immediately followed in

Play: Sonic Superstars OST – Lagoon City Zone Act 2

Amy opens her eyes to see they are descending into what looked like an ancient city. However, descending towards it by a high distance lead to some surge of fear within her "W-Whoa—!" said Amy flailing her arms and started to nearly spin in circles. Until she felt a firm grip on her arm to stop her uncontrollable flailing. It of course was Shadow

With practiced ease, he pulled her against him and shifted their descent, boots grinding against a slick mini-waterway that ran through the zone like a glowing slide. The water sparkled beneath their feet as Shadow rode it effortlessly downward, one arm holding her steady

Amy blinked, startled. "U-Uh… thanks…" Shadow didn't respond as they descended smoothly onto solid ground below. Once they landed, he released her, setting her upright.

Amy stepped back, brushing herself off and glancing at him, clearly surprised. She then looked around and gasped softly. "Whoa…"

They stood in a city of beauty and water with shining buildings built from coral-like stone "Its beautiful…" Amy's eyes sparkled. "I'm calling this place… Lagoon City."

She jogged forward, inspecting the scenery "This is amazing. Look at these seashells! The way the buildings glisten—! There's nothing like this back home…"

Shadow stood still for a moment before muttering under his breath, "That's because… this isn't home."

Amy didn't catch the meaning, too caught up in the marvels around her. She picked up a shimmering pink shell that seemed to hum faintly with energy. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind coming here on vacation..if it weren't for, y'know, the terrifying time-devouring monster and all."

But something caught her attention. Floating just above the streets, a few small clouds drifted along, strangely low to the ground, almost cartoonishly puffy. Amy tilted her head, curiosity bubbling again

"Huh? Clouds…? With eyes?" she murmured, stepping closer

The clouds hovered silently for a moment. Their eyes narrowed as they suddenly darkened, turning stormy black with jagged energy. Sparks crackled at their undersides. Amy jumped back. "Okay- definitely not friendly!"

Without hesitation, Shadow shot out several chaos spears making every cloud burst into mechanical pieces before could get any closer

Amy blinked at the debris. "Huh…..They were… robots." She frowned, disappointed. "You know, I feel like I should be surprised—but I'm not. I'm actually just kinda… bummed out."

Shadow shot her a deadpan look. "You're disappointed they were robots?"

Amy gave a sheepish shrug. "I dunno. I guess part of me was hoping for some kind of adorable puffball friend."

Shadow sighed, as Amy walked ahead a little bit. And she took notice of all the pipeworks which her eyes widened in amusement. In fact some had opening that practically dared anyone who sees to go inside "These pipes are just asking for someone to crawl inside," she said with a grin. "Though holding your breath the whole way might be a challenge."

Shadow raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, arms folded. "Let me guess. You're already thinking about trying it."

"Tempting," Amy replied with a smirk. "But those look way more fun!"

Just beyond the pipe junction, a winding slide system, curving all over the city and structures. Amy lit up like a child at a theme park. "Okay but—come on, tell me that doesn't look ridiculously fun!"

Shadow looked at it, unimpressed. "You're asking me if something looks fun?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Well yeah, ugh… But do you think it's safe?" Shadow simply shrugged, then walked forward and leapt into the nearest slide tube "Hey! Wait up!" Amy shouted, diving in after him.

The pair sped through the tubes, twisting and turning downward in bursts of speed as water rushed alongside them. The slide spat them out near the base of a submerged platform, where sunlight pierced the water from above, illuminating the strange serenity of the lower lagoon

Shadow stepped forward as he noticed something moved under the surface.

He froze, his red eyes narrowing as he caught a glimpse of a massive shadow swimming beneath the glowing floor. The water bubbled. Amy crept closer, frowning. As she readied her hammer

A big robot jellyfish rose out of the water . Its metallic tentacles began to electrify

Amy took a step back, immediately tensing. "Okay… Eggman definitely made that." Her voice lowered as the robotic jellyfish lit up with an electric hum

Shadow clenched his fists, stepping in front of Amy. "Doesn't matter. It will fall"

"Guess we're about to find out how well jelly conducts pain." Amy said sarcastically

The robot jellyfish flailed, its metallic frame glowing with stored current, releasing a surge of electricity that crackled through the lagoon

Shadow's eyes narrowed instantly. "Tch. It's trying to fry the whole pool."

Before Amy could react, Shadow grabbed her wrist and warped them both, reappearing atop a large stone jutting out of the lagoon. The electricity surged below them which thankfully they avoided

Amy steadied herself, wide-eyed. "Thanks for the save! …Though maybe a little warning next time?"

Shadow didn't answer, his attention locked on the jellyfish bot. Without hesitation, Shadow launched himself into a high-speed spin dash smashing the robot full-force into the stone wall of the cavern. And in a burst of water and smoke, the jellyfish bot exploded into pieces.

Shadow landed neatly beside Amy, water dripping from his quills as if the destruction behind them hadn't fazed him at all

Amy put her hands on her hips, muttering half to herself, half to him, "You know… if you weren't such a jerk all the time, you'd actually make a great addition to my team."

Shadow gave her a flat, deadpan stare, his silence almost louder than any comeback

"Okay, okay, no need for the death glare. I was kind of complimenting you!" said Amy

Shadow simply crossed his arms "Tch. A waste"

"Hey!" said Amy as she spotted a faint shimmer beneath the surface. At first, she almost dismissed it with a shrug "…Probably just a seashell," she muttered to herself. "And I've already seen enough of those today…"

But something about the glint was…, this light fractured into colors like a rainbow condensed into glass. Her gaze darted to the side and immediately caught Shadow's eyes. He had seen it too

"…Not a seashell," Amy whispered

They shared a silent look before diving together. There, half-buried among rocks and robot fragments, was a shard pulsing like it didn't belong to this world at all. Shadow slowed, narrowing his eyes as Amy tilted her head towards him. Before swimming toward the shard anyway

She reached her hand out, fingers brushing toward the shard's radiant surface. Shadow's eyes widened, and reached his hand to try to stop her

Too late

The moment her fingertips grazed it, the shard burst with a blinding white light. The world around them dissolved in a violent pull, dragging their bodies through the current of energy

The next moment, they were thrown violently out of a crack in time, collapsing into the pale void of White Space. Both landed hard on the unseen "ground," coughing out seawater

Amy groaned and flopped onto her back. She took a deep inhale of the endless stillness. "Ahh, finally… fresh air—" She stopped, blinking at the void around her. "…Or, uh… dead air."

Shadow landed beside her with a scowl, shaking the water from his gloves before casting her a deadpan look, unamused by her comment

Amy awkwardly chuckled, lifting a sheepish hand. "…What? It felt funny to say."

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned back to the colorless structure where he noticed its vivid colors bled back into existence

"…" said Shadow as Amy got up and dusted herself off

"Well the place looks nicer…not by much" she muttered as her eyes noticed the white statue begin to glow. As color began to return to it

The figure blinked awake. She looked down at her hands in shock, flexing her fingers, then glanced around the endless whiteness with blatant confusion

Shadow looked at her with suspicion. Unsure if she will show hostility or not. Amy gave Shadow a deadpan look recognizing what he is likely thinking, doubting his concern as she walked toward the newly awakened figure first

"…" muttered Shadow before he followed her

The figure then took notice of the two of them approaching her. When her gaze went to Shadow, she took a few steps back due to his rather intimidating appearance

"Shadow.. maybe let me handle this?" Said Amy as shadow rolled his eyes and stepped back. As Amy more cautiously approached the figure. Recognition sparked in her eyes. With sudden energy, she darted forward and practically threw herself into Amy's arms, hugging her tightly

"Wha—?!" Amy staggered back a step, caught completely off guard by the girl clinging to her. "Uh, hey there… uh..—do I know you?"

Trip buried her face against Amy's shoulder, refusing to let go. Amy blinked at Shadow, who just folded his arms with a scowl "You don't," he muttered, tone sharp. "But she clearly does."

Thinking about how he seen different versions of Amy, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails earlier. Along with the others he clearly didn't recognize. He deduced that whoever his girl is. Likely knew the Amy variant from the city from watching the way she clung nervously to Amy's arm as if she had known her for years

Amy gently pulled back just enough to look the girl in the eyes, her voice soft but curious. "Hey… do you have a name?"

Trip froze, her hands twitching as though she wanted to respond but couldn't. Her eyes darted away in frustration. She stepped back, thinking hard, before suddenly turning on her heel and dashing toward the lagoon city structure

Shadow and Amy followed her cautiously. Picking up a thin stick, Trip knelt down and carefully began scratching across the sand. Both of them watched in silence as the letters slowly took shape

T R I P

When she was finished, she set the stick down and looked up at them with wide, expectant eyes. Amy blinked, then gave a warm, disarming smile. "Trip… that's a pretty nice name."

Shadow's gaze lingered on Trip for a long moment "…Do you remember how you got here?" prompting Trip to turn her attention to him. And She would then shake her hand in a 'sort of' gesture

Shadow then thought again "Did you see… some big flying shadow monster?" The girl's eyes widened. She nodded quickly. "…then That's how you ended up here. The same thing happened to Amy."

Trip paused, then glanced at Amy with a questioning look. She raised her hand, pointed to Shadow, then tilted her head as though silently asking: Who is he?

Amy smiled sheepishly and patted Trip's shoulder. "Oh, him? That's Shadow. Don't worry about him, he's just super grumpy all the time."

Shadow immediately shot her a withering glare. Amy smirked back at him. "Well, it's true. Often you're a huge jerk too."

Shadow rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath before turning away. His boots echoed softly against the lifeless floor as he walked off

"Hey, wait!" Amy called after him, jogging a few steps with Trip in tow. "What about Trip? What should we do with her?"

Without slowing down, Shadow said "I don't care. She can do whatever she wants."

Amy huffed but turned to the mute girl. "Don't mind him. He's always like this."

Trip simply pressed her fingers together, then quickly gestured toward Amy, then to Shadow's retreating figure, before hugging her arms close to herself

Its if she was asking to come with them. Amy's smile returned "Looks like you're coming with us after all"

Together, Amy and Trip jogged forward, their footsteps quickening until they caught up with Shadow, who didn't even glance their way. As they caught up, Shadow's sharp eyes flicked toward Amy. Suddenly remembering what he was going to ask her

"…You still have that glowing shard?"

Amy blinked, then smiled faintly. "Oh, yeah." She reached into her belt pouch and pulled out the crystal shard. Its surface shimmered faint rainbow colors

Shadow stopped walking, his gaze narrowing on it. "That's… unlike anything I've ever seen."

The shard pulsed brighter as the three of them moved forward, the colors glimmering across their faces "Give it to me." Shadow's voice had a slight threat sound to it

Amy raised a brow but handed it over without protest. When she put it in his hand. His eyes widen for a moment as if sketching was wrong. But it was only for a split second, before his focus resumed as he stepped back a few paces, and the glow dimmed. Then, when he walked closer again, the shard brightened once more

"Hmph," he muttered, handing it back to her. "It's sensing something else… likely other shards."

Amy held it close to her chest, eyes wide with thought. "Then… if there are more, maybe they're what we need. Maybe they're the key to fixing all of this… this paradox."

. "…Paradox.?" Muttered Shadow

Amy perked up. "Yeah! What if we call it the Paradox Prism? Doesn't that sound cool?"

Trip's eyes lit up as she hopped excitedly in agreement, nodding with both hands clapped together

Shadow only gave a slight shrug. "…Call it whatever you want. Doesn't matter." He turned his back on them, starting forward once more. Amy tightened her grip on the prism shard and gave Trip a reassuring nod before the two followed after him

The next structure came into view of a dense tangle of trees, vines, and roots. At first glance, it looked like any other forest… but something about was just off like there was something extra. Before they noticed the frozen statue

Amy squinted her eyes at the statue before recognizing who it was "! That's—Fastidious Beaver! Oh, we have to save him!" as she ran over to him. Shadow gave her a glance, before silently leaping into the glowing crack in time.

Amy sighed. "Typical." She turned to Trip, who lingered behind, nervously hugging her arms. "You coming with us?"

Trip shook her head quickly, stepping back. Amy softened her voice. "That's okay. Stay here if you need to. We'll come back." With that, she jumped in after Shadow while Trip waved her good luck

Play: Sonic Lost World OST – Silent Forest Zone 1

The world snapped back into focus. This time, a strange forest unlike any Amy had seen before. The trees arched and swayed in impossible angles, their trunks twisting like spirals. And some of the ground seemed to… float. Amy pushed off the ground slightly and nearly toppled as her feet took too long to land

"Whoa! Low gravity?" she gasped

Shadow landed gracefully nearby, hardly fazed. His eyes scanned the environment, noting the odd machinery bolted into the ground, marked with Eggman's unmistakable insignia "Doesn't matter where this is," he muttered

Amy spun in place, trying to take it all in. "But—where do you think—"

Her question trailed off as Shadow's attention snapped to a faint energy signature pulsing through the forest. His gaze lifted to a line of suspended grind rails cutting through the treetops

Without a word, Shadow bent his knees and leapt, landing on one rail in a blur of red and black light with sparks

"Shadow! Wait up!" Amy yelped, hopping onto the rail after him, wobbling for balance before steadying herself. The two streaked across the rails, the strange forest and Eggman's half-finished tech sprawling below them like a maze

Shadow vaulted from the rail, landing squarely on a metal platform suspended between two gravity orbs. A pack of Egg Pawns jerked their heads in his direction

They lunged as one, but Shadow only narrowed his eyes. With a blur of speed and crimson trails, he tore through them. Giving a roundhouse kick sending one crashing off into the abyss, a spin dash shredding two more in a single sweep. In seconds, the platform was littered with sparking scrap

Amy skated in on the rail just in time to see Shadow brush dust from his gloves. She hopped down onto the platform beside him. "Well, you sure didn't leave me much fun."

She turned to look around properly for the first time and her eyes widened. Beyond the platform stretched a bizarre vista of small, planet-like spheres, each with its own pocket of gravity

Amy clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "This is incredible! I wonder what kind of treasures we'd find here. Imagine the rare gems, or some kind of magical—"

Her fantasy trailed off as she noticed Shadow standing near an Eggman-logo plate bolted into the platform. He stared at it with a flat, unimpressed expression

"I doubt there's much to find," he muttered. "Clearly Eggman's already been here."

Amy puffed her cheeks, planting her fists on her hips. "Ugh, way to ruin the moment! Can't you let me dream for five seconds before you stomp all over it?"

"…." Muttered Shadow with a shrug

Amy sighed, lowering her hammer across her shoulder. "I suppose… we're going to have to ask him how he found this place."

"Assuming it's the same Eggman we know," Shadow said, crossing his arms. "It's just as likely to be a variant."

Amy twirled her hammer once, resting it against the platform with a sharp clunk. "Well, whether it's our Eggman or not, one thing's for sure." She said with a smirk "The chances are never zero when it comes to him."

Shadow gave a faint grunt in acknowledgment, as his pace slowed a little as he pressed a hand against his temple, a slight brief headache. Amy glanced at him, worried, but before she could ask, Shadow crouched low and motioned forward

Ahead stretched a wide, muddy body of water, with scattered metallic platforms. Shadow jumped first, landing neatly on one. Amy followed, wobbling for a second but regaining balance

It didn't take long before the water stirred. Large, blocky crocodiles surfaced with low growls. Their jaws snapped as they drifted close

One suddenly lunged, snapping straight at Amy's legs

"!" She gasped, swinging her hammer up, only for Shadow to blur forward, his fist slamming down hard on the croc's head and knocking it back into the water with a loud splash

He shot her a look, deadpan. "Can you stop making friends for five minutes?"

Amy puffed her cheeks and stomped onto the next platform. "Ha-ha, very funny." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Next time I'll ask politely before they try to eat me!"

More crocodiles swam closer which seeing them made Amy hurry after Shadow, her hammer ready just in case. Any croc that dared lunge up was met with a brutal kick or punch that sent it crashing back into the muck

After what felt like a gauntlet of leaps, they finally landed on the next stable planetoid. Amy took a long breath, lowering her hammer. "Whew… okay, that was something." She glanced around at the strange spherical landscape, her eyes lighting up a little

"Y'know… lowkey? I wish we had floating planetoids like this back home. You could make up so many games here—races, obstacle courses…" She laughed softly, the idea clearly entertaining her. "Makes me wonder what Sticks would think of all this. Her mind would probably explode heh. And I bet the others would lose it ."

Shadow slowed his stride just enough to speak over his shoulder "Maybe your stupid friends can grab some when you find them."

"HUH!?" Amy blinked, half-offended, half-exasperated. As she then "Look Shadow. My friends aren't stupid. Sure they maybe insane form time to time and definitely sometimes drive me crazy. But don't dismiss them like that!"

"So?" said Shadow

"So?-maybe you should be more considerate of others. Friends will do you good. Unlike all the themselves you attacked us" said Amy in a scolding tone

"Hmph. Like that will do any good" said Shadow earning an annoyed look from Amy

She sighs in annoyance knowing that if she were to argue about this he really won't care… before a thought entered her mind. When she recalled the look in his eyes when she begged for his help earlier

"He's still a jerk… but at least he isn't attacking me. He could've left me behind plenty of times or even leave me in pieces. Maybe… just maybe, there's a part of him capable of change…" she thought as she scratched her chin as she didn't realized she was slowing down

Her train of thought was broken when Shadow suddenly stopped ahead, glancing back at her "are you coming?"

"Wh-Oh! Coming!" said Amy resuming focus as she gave a small jump and hurried forward, leaping onto the same planetoid he stood on as they continued to walk through this place

Amy gave him quick glances, somewhere deep down, she decided she would try to see if Shadow could change….. Maybe not necessarily for herself and the others, but because maybe he deserved that chance…. Even if it seems like a stretch as she wouldn't doubt Sonic or Knuckles would be more hesitant when their rocky history is considered

"What?" Shadow finally asked, cutting through the quiet without looking at her. His voice was low, clipped. "Something on your mind?"

"!?" Amy jolted slightly, then forced a laugh, waving her free hand. "Nope. Nothing at all."

Shadow's eyes could tell. She was lying. But the way his gaze shifted away again made it clear he didn't care enough to press. Whatever she was thinking wasn't his problem. Amy sighed softly, her footsteps lighter than his as they leaps onto another platform

Several large mechanical spiders scuttled out from the twisted roots Shadow and Amy leapt onto higher ground. One spider lunged after them, but Shadow spun into a tight dash, smashing into it with enough force to send it screeching into the muck below

Amy gritted her teeth, pulling out her hammer. "Alright, bugs. Let's dance!" She swung hard, smashing through one spider's head in a burst of sparks. She twirled around just in time to bash another one that tried to leap at her, knocking it into a tree with a metallic crunch

Shadow spun again, kicking one spider into another, knocking them both over in a heap of broken legs. But his eyes narrowed when he caught sight of one mechanical spider not engaging them—it was skittering quickly, following a path deeper into the planetoid's forest. And it was heading toward the shard's glow

"Tch."

Another spider jumped Amy, forcing her into a parry with her hammer. She was mid-swing when a barrage of Chaos Spears tore through the machine, sparking and splitting it apart

"Hey! I had that covered!" said Amy in annoyance

Shadow didn't answer. He warped forward, appearing right in front of the spider that was darting toward the shard's pull. With one fierce lunge, he tackled it, sending both rolling across the dirt before Shadow slammed his fist into its core, throwing it off course

Amy frowned but didn't hesitate. "Ugh, so stubborn…!" She chased after him, leaping down from her ledge and rushing to back him up. His spin dash tore through the mechanical spider with a crunch of metal and sparks, leaving it broken in the dirt. He slid to a stop and looked ahead where just beyond the trees, there it was. The shard… as if it had only just crashed into the ground

Shadow strode over and, without hesitation, bent down to pick it up. The moment his glove touched the jagged crystal, the shard pulsed brightly and a blinding flash engulfed him and Amy

Play: Shadow Gens OST - White Space

The two tumbled out of the cracks in time, back into the vast white void. Shadow twisted midair and landed firmly on his feet. Amy, on the other hand, spun and flopped onto her back with a groan "Ughhh…"

Trip hurried over, nervously helping Amy back onto her feet. Amy smiled softly, brushing herself off

The three turned to see the once colorless forest structure shimmer, as color began to wash over it.. At its heart, the statue of Fastidious Beaver regaining his color as he opems his eyes and nearly stumbles

He blinked a few times, adjusted his glasses, and muttered in his usual deadpan monotone "This… isn't the library."

"Fastidious!" Amy called, relieved

He turned to her, unamused. "Of course. You probably had something to do with this."

Amy put her hands on her hips. "I did have something to do with saving you. Not with dumping you here."

Fastidious's gaze flicked past her, noticing the black-and-red figure looming silently behind. His ears twitched nervously. "And the shady lunatic is right there."

Shadow rolled his eyes hearing that remark

"I know," Amy sighed.

Fastidious pinched the bridge of his nose. "So then. You have some kind of way to fix all this?"

Amy grinned, though she was clearly winging it. "Totally. Me and Shadow have it covered. You're free to help if you want."

Fastidious adjusted his bow tie, shaking his head. "Actually, I am, in fact, a coward. Working in the library is frustrating enough."

Amy blinked, raising a brow. "Aren't libraries usually quiet and chill?"

"They would be," Fastidious said flatly, "if everyone didn't constantly mess up the books."

Amy sighed. "That's because books are meant for reading."

He countered with a sharp gesture. "Reading without returning them to the correct sections."

Amy rubbed her temples, exasperated. "I'm not arguing with this. Too annoying." She waved her hand dismissively and looked to Shadow and Trip "Let's just find another shard… cmon guys"

As the trio began to walk off. And feeling a bit nervous Fastidious began to follow them.

Little later

Not too long later of walking, up ahead, something began to take shape. Tall white buildings, all lined with brilliant gold edges that shimmered faintly against the void's emptiness

Amy gasped softly, her eyes sparkling. "Wow… it's beautiful. Do you think this belonged to some lost people? Some ancient civilization?" She stepped closer, almost rambling in awe. "The way it's built—like it's meant to shine even here—"

But Shadow wasn't looking at the buildings. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing as a faint ache pressed behind his temples. Something above them was wrong. He clenched his jaw, and before Amy could speak again, Trip tugged at her arm and pointed upward.

Amy's words caught in her throat. "What… is that?"

High above, suspended in the still white sky, was a floating black orb, surrounded by several orbiting rings and in the center of the orb, there was a noticeable red eye in the middle of it

Fastidious Beaver's fur bristled. "Oh, that's… no. Absolutely not." He backed up a step, muttering, "A nice, simple place to hide sounds much better right about now."

He scurried toward a pile of crates nearby, pulled a worn book from under his arm, and sat down with his back turned to the orb. "Yes. I'll be perfectly fine right here." He cracked open the book, pretending to be absorbed in it

Amy blinked at him, then turned toward Trip, who was already half-hiding behind her. "Trip… do you know anything about that thing?" Trip hesitated, then shook her head quickly, her eyes wide with nervousness

"It isn't active. At least… not yet….But it's dangerous. I can feel it." Said Shadow. For he wasn't sure why. Bur he felt like he should know about that thing "…lets just go"

Amy frowned, but nodded. She turned toward Fastidious and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey! You coming or not?"

Without looking up from his book, Fastidious replied in his flat monotone, "I prefer not to." As he then pulls up a broken part of the crate to put over himself

Shadow had already turned and walked forward. Amy and Trip exchanged a nervous glance before following after him

In his hand, the shard gave a faint glow, pulling toward something ahead. Shadow raised it slightly, watching the color shift until his eyes caught the sight of their destination

A small city-like structure, like many others, drained of color. Though Shadow does notice it looks noticeably different than the city where he met Amy's counterparts

Amy exhaled, brushing her bangs aside. "Great. I just hope I don't see any monsters this time…"

But as they drew nearer, her hopes dimmed. The structures weren't completely colorless. Some areas glowed faintly, but across the ground and rooftops ran rivers of strange purple goop, like liquid corruption oozing in unnatural shapes

Amy shivered at the sight, gripping her hammer tighter. "I… I don't like that stuff." But her gaze lingered on the buildings themselves. "Still… even like this, the architecture is amazing…" She trailed off, clearly torn between awe and unease

Shadow's gaze lingered on the black orb high above. Its many rings drifted slowly, eyes peering down like a predator waiting for the right moment. Something about it tugged at him as though it recognized him

Which caused another slight headache for him as his eyes clenched shut to try to mitigate it

And then-

He wasn't in white space anymore. A forest stretched around him, tall trees swaying under a bright blue sky. Ahead of him was… himself? And Sonic. The blue hedgehog, glaring back with the same hostility Shadow felt boiling inside him

"I found you faker!" said Sonic

"faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here" said Shadow gaining a arrogant smirk "Anf you're comparing yourself to me. Ha. You're not even good enough to be my fake" as he gets into a fighting stance

"I'll make you eat those words!" yelled Sonic as he gains a competitive smirk as they both lunged at each other

"Shadow?"

Shadow's eyes snapped open as he breaks from his trance as he felt Amy's hands lightly shake his arm. "Are you alright? You just zoned out."

He stared at her for moment "…Did you see anything? Any visions?"

Amy tilted her head confused by that. "Visions? No. What are you talking about?"

"…Nothing." Shadow shook her off and turned away, dismissing whatever it was

Without another word, he walked toward the lifeless city structure over to where the crack in time was. Amy bit her lip but hurried after him, Trip trailing close behind until Shadow leapt without hesitation into the crack

Amy sighed, steeling herself. "Here we go again." She jumped in after him, vanishing into the rift

Trip lingered as she turned her eyes upward again. The orb still hung above, its creepy main eye now faintly glowing as though watching her directly… which was too creepy for her to stick around and with a shudder, she rushed to the crack and dove in after them

Play: Sonic Adventure OST – welcome to Station Square

The trio tumbled out of the crack in time, emerging high above the city. Shadow landed in a crouch on the rooftop of a tall building. Amy wasn't so lucky. She hit the roof with a small yelp, rolling before steadying herself. Trip landed awkwardly behind her, nearly toppling over the edge

"!"

Amy lunged, grabbing Trip's wrist just before she could slip. "Got you!" she huffed, pulling her safely onto the rooftop. Trip clung tightly for a moment

Amy looked up, taking in the sight around them. Her jaw dropped. Towering buildings, sleek cars, neon signs, and massive TV screens covered with ads filled her vision. The world was bustling below them, alive in ways she would say makes her village look smaller

"This place…" Amy muttered, eyes sparkling with both amazement and disbelief. "It looks so… so different. Like… the future."

Trip's head swiveled in every direction, her mouth slightly open in awe

Amy frowned slightly, realizing the problem. "…Okay, but, uh… how are we supposed to get down from here?" Before she could come up with an idea, both she and Trip felt a firm hand press against their shoulders. "What—?"

In a blink, the rooftop vanished beneath them. The next instant, they stood slightly disoriented on the sidewalk, Shadow lowering his arms and looked around. Amy swayed, holding her head. Trip stumbled into her side, equally dizzy

"Ugh," Amy groaned, "you could've given us a warning, you know."

The people. On the other hand. Looked similar to eggman. Not necessarily in the physcal sense. But in species sense. Come to think of it. Whatever Eggman is. Amy would recall she has never seen any kind of being like him. Alt universe versions don't count though

Though none of the people who happen to walk by gave them a second look. Which gave Amy the idea that they seen people like her before

She leaned toward Shadow and whispered, "They… they all look sort of like Eggman!" Trip nodded furiously, eyes wide as she hugged close to Amy

Shadow didn't react as he simply scanned the streets as Amy got an idea, while not ideal, she really couldn't resist herself "Look… I know we're supposed to be looking for the shards. But…" Her gaze lingered on the bustling shops, the strange food stands, and glowing signs. "I really want to look around. Just for a little bit."

Trip tugged gently at Amy's arm and nodded in enthusiastic agreement, practically bouncing on her feet at the idea

Shadow turned his head toward them, his eyes narrowing. "We don't have time for distractions."

Amy pouted, folding her arms. "Please? Just a short look. We've been running nonstop, and it's not like you'll ever not be Mr. Grumpy. What's the harm?"

Normally, Shadow would've shot her down immediately. He would've called it foolish, told her to stay focused, dismissed her excitement as childish. But this time, the words didn't come. A part of him… didn't want to rush.. and he certainly could wait before seeing the weird creepy orb thing in the sky, so he looked away with a low sigh. "…Fine."

Amy blinked in surprise, then grinned brightly. "Wait—did you just say yes?" Trip clapped her hands together, her excitement obvious even without words.

Shadow muttered something under his breath, clearly already regretting it. But Amy didn't care. She grabbed Trip's hand, tugging her gently forward into the busy street. "Come on! Let's see what this place has!"

Shadow followed silently, hands in his quills, with a sigh

The trio made their way through the bustling streets. Amy's eyes kept darting from storefront to storefront, her head turning so much it was a wonder she didn't trip over her own boots

"Ohhh, look!" Amy suddenly pointed at a restaurant across the street, her voice squeaking with delight. The window displayed steaming pies on silver trays, cheese stretching in long strings as slices were lifted. "A pizza place!"

Shadow stopped dead in his tracks with his arms folded. "You're joking."

Amy whirled around on her heel, puffing her cheeks. "I'm not! I haven't eaten all day…well, not since before that giant monster thing dragged us into the… whatever that white void was!"

Shadow's crimson eyes narrowed into a flat unimpressed stare which Amy ignored, turning to Trip instead. "What about you? Do you want to try some? I mean, you've never had it, right?"

Trip hesitated, her eyes lingering on the golden crusts and bubbling toppings through the glass window. She gave a timid nod

"That's settled then!" Amy beamed, grabbing both of their wrists. Before Shadow could protest, she tugged him toward the door with excitement

"Unbelievable…" Shadow muttered, though he didn't pull away

The little bell above the door jingled as they stepped inside. The scent of tomato sauce, warm bread, and melted cheese hit them all at once. Amy's eyes practically sparkled. "It smells amazing in here!" Trip blinked rapidly, her nose twitching at the unfamiliar aroma

A waiter glanced over adjusted his tie and approached with a smile. "Welcome to Tony's Pizza. Table for three?"

"Yes please!" Amy chirped, Trip looked optimistic while Shadow clearly looked like he was sort of annoyed as they were led to a booth. Amy plopped down across from him with a grin. "See? Even heroes need to eat sometimes, Mr. Grumpy."

Trip slid in quietly beside Amy, still staring wide-eyed at the menus. She pointed at one of the pictures, tilting her head

"Oh, don't worry, Trip. We'll share." said Amy

Shadow closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as the two of them started eagerly flipping through the options. Despite himself, he found he wasn't annoyed…just… oddly calm

And when Amy leaned over the menu to point something out to Trip, The clerk barely gave the trio a second glance when he came to them "What can I get you folks?"

Amy bounced slightly on her heels. "One large pepperoni pizza to go, please!"

"That'll be fifteen rings."

Amy blinked at the price before smiling as she dug into her pouch, counting out the exact coins. "Huh… that's exactly the same as back home," she muttered under her breath, handing the payment over

Moments later, the clerk slid the warm, fragrant box across the booth. Amy took it with both hands, her nose twitching at the delicious smell. "Thanks!" she chirped, and with that, the trio stepped back outside

"…I thought you wanted to sit inside" muttered Shadow

"Eh. The fresh air is nice…er… well the industrial sights are" said Amy as they found a table near the sidewalk, tucked under a tree that overlooked the busy street. Amy set the box down and plopped into a seat, patting the bench so Trip and Shadow would join her

As she flipped the lid open, she glanced at the surrounding buildings. "I wonder if this place has a counterpart to Meh Burger," she mused aloud, chin resting on her hand

Shadow gave her a flat look of slight annoyance

Amy puffed her cheeks and shot him a playful glare. "Excuse you. Appreciating the finer things in new places is needed—and fun!"

Shadow said nothing, but the slight twitch of his brow betrayed that her words hit a nerve. Amy, unfazed, leaned closer across the box. "Wait a minute. Shadow… have you ever even tried pizza?"

"…No," he muttered, almost reluctantly

Amy gasped dramatically, holding a hand to her chest. "What? No pizza?!" But after a beat, her expression softened. "…You know, that actually makes sense. Ive never seen you get anything in our village…, and it's not like I can imagine you hanging out at fast food places."

Shadow looked away, clearly uninterested in justifying himself. Amy chuckled and pulled the box open. Steam drifted into the air, revealing the glistening, cheesy surface of pepperoni slices

Trip's eyes immediately lit up with stars practically twinkling in her gaze. She reached forward tentatively, took a slice in both hands, and lifted it carefully. The cheese stretched in strings before snapping, and with a curious tilt of her head, she took a bite

Her eyes widened. She quickly chewed, then took another eager bite, the corners of her mouth tugging into a small, satisfied smile

Amy's own grin widened at the sight. "See? Even Trip gets it!" She slid the box toward Shadow. "Clearly, you haven't tasted the finer things in life. C'mon, try it."

Shadow hesitated, glaring at the slice like it was some kind of trap. Then, with an audible sigh, he finally plucked a piece from the box. He held it for a moment, as though weighing his life choices, before taking a small bite

Amy leaned in eagerly, hands clasped. "…Well?"

. "…It's…edible." Muttered Shadow

"I think he likes it." Said Amy to Trip who nodded quickly in agreement

Not top long after, Shadow finished the last bite of his slice, but his crimson gaze lingered not on the pizza box, nor the girls happily chewing, but on the road. Cars hummed by in ordered streams, their lights flickering past, yet something about the rhythm felt… off

He narrowed his eyes, scanning. A dull throb began at the base of his skull, swelling with every passing second. He stiffened, hand brushing the table as he rose abruptly

Amy blinked at him mid-bite. "Shadow? What is it?"

"…." He muttered as His eyes shifted skyward

The air trembled, then fractured. Thin, jagged lines cracked through the blue sky like glass. Amy and Trip froze, pizza forgotten. The cracks spread wider, glowing faintly, until the sound of shattering filled the air

Amy immediately leapt up, pulling out her hammer, fear written all over her face. Her voice trembled, "Don't tell me that thing is coming back again…"

But Shadow's gaze wasn't on the void itself. He searched past the chaos, his senses burning with the pull of a Prism shard. He clenched his teeth, trying to pinpoint it. when the sky erupted similar to the way it did back in their home

Figures began to descend. Armored, twisted knights that Shadow had a familiar feeling of as They poured through the cracks and began to cause mayhem throughout Station Square, many people scattered, rushing into buildings, cars screeching as they swerved to escape

Before he could do anything. There was another flash in Shadow's mind causing a surge of pain into it

For a fleeting moment he saw himself, one from an earlier vision clad in armor.. fighting these very same knights

before it flickered away, leaving only the headache pounding harder

He snapped back into the present as several knights spotted them, they lowered their blades and pointed toward him

Amy gripped her hammer tighter, her knees trembling. Trip pressed close behind her, wide-eyed but ready to follow Amy's lead

Shadow stepped forward, shoulders squared, his red eyes narrowing to sharp slits. "If my imposter dealt with you things before…" His voice dropped low, a deadly calm. "…then you'll be no problem for me."

The knights then raised their weapons and began to charged forward. Shadow didn't hesitate to curl into a spindash, streaking red light tearing through the pavement as he plowed into them. Bursting straight through some their bodies into black dust that scattered into the wind.

He straightened, eyes narrowing at the remaining swarm. "Watch yourselves," he ordered coldly, not looking back at Amy or Trip. "I'll find the shard on my own."

"Wha—wait, Shadow!" Amy tried to protest, reaching a hand toward him. But he was already gone, a streak of black and crimson zipping through the streets, cutting down Knights that dared block his way

Amy let out a long, exasperated sigh, her grip tightening on her hammer. She turned to Trip, who still looked rattled but determined. "Guess it's just us then. Ready?"

Trip gave a small but firm nod.

Amy smirked despite herself. "Good. Let's show these tin cans they picked the wrong girls to mess with."

The next group of Knights descended, swords gleaming, and with a battle cry Amy and Trip charged forward

Meanwhile,

Shadow dashes through the streets, carrying him closer to the faint energy pulse of the Prism shard. He smashed through another cluster of Knights with a vicious spin-kick when

"…How fascinating."

The voice slithered through his mind like venom

Shadow skidded to a stop, eyes flashing. "Who said that?" he growled, fists tightening.

"…A second double of my son… revealing himself in this fractured place. How… curious."

"Answer me!" Shadow snarled, scanning the rooftops and the streets. "Show yourself!"

"Heh… in time." The chuckle echoed in his skull, dark and mocking. "You'll see me soon enough."

"Coward!" Shadow spat, his voice rising into a roar, gritting his teeth, forcing the haze away. The shard's energy was stronger now, pulling him forward like a beacon. He darted into a plaza, only to find a new horde awaiting him

Dozens of Knights, these ones wielding long spears, lined up in formation, their glowing eyes fixed solely on him. They lowered their weapons in unison, the ground trembling beneath their march

Shadow stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, a dangerous smirk tugging at his lips. "So you want to block my way?" His eyes electrified slightly with chaos energy "Fine. I'll break you all."

And with a burst of speed, he launched himself at the charging horde. Shadow blurred into motion before their first strike could fall

He slammed into the front line like a living missile, spinning into a crimson vortex that ripped through steel and shattered shields. Knights exploded into black dust one after another as Shadow ricocheted of them

One jabbed a spear downward, but Shadow caught it mid-thrust, snapping the shaft in two before driving the broken end into its chest. Another lunged from behind

Shadow ducked low, swept its legs with a spin-kick, then drove a Chaos Spear through its mask as it hit the ground. "Pathetic," he muttered even as a dozen more surrounded him. He clenched his fists with dark energy surging for a moment…. "Let's finish this."

As he then blasted outward in a flash of crimson light that swallowed the street as Shadow dived headlong into the swarm, cutting them down

To Amy and Trip

A few blocks away, Amy Rose swung her hammer with all her might, smashing a Knight into scrap before it disintegrated into dust. She turned and knocked another clear across the pavement "Not today!" she shouted, spinning with her hammer to send three more scattering

Behind her, Trip curled into a shaky spindash and flung herself at an incoming Knight. She hit it with enough force to stagger it, but not destroy it. She tumbled out of her ball clumsily, nearly losing her balance

"Trip!" Amy called, dashing forward. She brought her hammer down on the weakened Knight before it could retaliate, shattering it into smoke. She quickly pulled Trip back to her feet

"Careful," said Amy as Trip gave a small nod, determination burning in her golden eyes. She spun again, this time managing to take down one on her own, though the impact sent her skidding back on her heels. "Just stick close to me. We'll keep each other safe."

Then at the corner of her eye. She sees a Knight seemingly cornering a young boy fearing for his life

"!" said Amy as she readied her hammer and ran over as fast as she could and swung her hammer just in time, smashing an armored Knight before its blade could strike down the boy.

The monster dissolved into black dust, its jagged sword clattering uselessly onto the pavement before vanishing too

Trip stumbled in right after, clumsy but determined, her spindash knocking away another Knight that was reaching for the boy. She wobbled on her feet, almost falling, but Amy steadied her with one hand before bringing her hammer down on the staggered Knight to finish it

The boy's wide eyes darted between them. "I—I…" He couldn't even form words, breath shaking.

Amy gave him a quick smile despite the chaos. "Don't worry. You're safe now." She turned, hammer braced as more shadows gathered. "Stay hidden until this is over!"

The kid nodded stiffly and darted off, glancing back once as Amy and Trip charged at another wave

Between hammer swings and Trip's smaller but eager attacks, they carved a path forward, but Amy's thoughts weighed heavy. She muttered under her breath, "It's such a shame… for a place like this to get wrecked."

Trip nodded, golden eyes soft, before tightening her fists again. Amy took a breath. "Come on. Let's find Shadow." Trip agreed instantly, the two pushing forward into the streets.

Meanwhile,

Shadow dashed down a boulevard littered with rubble

"NO NOO!" yelled a blonde woman cornered by three Knights readying their blades

And upon hearing that, without hesitation, and unsure why. He blurred into a spin-dash going straight through the trio in a single strike. Black dust scattered in the air as he skidded to a halt, standing protectively between the woman and the collapsing husks

The woman gasped, her hands trembling. For a split second, Shadow's vision swam again just from the sight. her blonde hair blurred into another girl's image…

a girl smiling softly at him under a star-filled sky. A name lingered just at the edge of his thoughts… but it was gone before he could grasp it

He gritted his teeth, shaking the vision off

Without a word, Shadow launched himself forward again, tearing into the next wave. His spindash ripped through more armored bodies, his Chaos Spears pierced the Knights mid-flight, bursting them into trails of black smoke

From a nearby street, a man hiding with others peeked out at the sight of the black hedgehog tearing through the battlefield. His voice was hushed, disbelieving "…Was that… Sonic?"

But then, a deep rumble shook the street. The crowd of retreating civilians screamed and scattered as two titan sized Knights descended onto the ground and in Shadow's way Which made him skid to a halt. His lip curled into a smirk. "Hmph. No matter what you are… I'll defeat you all."

The first giant Knight raised its axe high as it came crashing down. Shadow leapt aside, the blade splitting concrete and carving a jagged trench into the road.

Before he could counter, the second Knight's massive gauntlet lunged, claws snapping to crush him in its grip. But Shadow was faster as he warped in a blink, reappearing just behind its arm as it grasped nothing but empty air

He curled into a spinning blur, launching forward with devastating force. His spin dash slammed straight into the chest of the first Knight. The impact echoed like thunder, cracking its armor as it stumbled back

The giant staggered, arms flailing, before it toppled backwards and crashed against a nearby building, rubble exploding outward

Shadow landed gracefully on his feet, eyes narrowing at the second Knight as it reeled back, its axe already raised for another swing. As Shadow's air shoes bursted sending him rocketing toward the second titan punching it straight in the head

As its form collapsing into a puff of dark dust, Shadow's eyes immediately caught something: a faint prism shard glimmering in the distance

"Shadow!" yelled Amy as she hurried over with Trip "Did you find the Shard"

"Over there" said Shadow gesturing far ahead. And it didn't take long as Amy realized what he was talking about

A jewelry store. And from the look on Shadow's face. She knew exactly what he had in mind

"Shadow… we can't just—" Amy began, hesitating at the thought of explaining this to the shopkeepers as she glanced nervously at the store

Shadow didn't answer. As he then dashed forward in high speed before either Amy or Trip could stop him as in a swift motion, he shattered the front window with a punch and snatched the shard from its display. The glass splintered around him, and the faint chime of alarms sounded

but it barely registered in his mind as a blinding white flash erupted from the shard,

Back to White Space

The trio slammed back into the white void with a familiar burst of light.

Amy groaned as she pushed herself up, brushing dust off her dress, while Trip wobbled back to his feet, still disoriented. Amy planted her hands on her hips, glaring at Shadow. "Honestly, Shadow! You didn't have to smash through a jewelry store window just to get the shard. Do you have any idea how much trouble you—"

But she cut herself short when she realized he wasn't even paying attention. Shadow stood stiff, his crimson eyes locked on the black orb hovering high above. Its eerie rings pulsed, shadows rippling across its surface. His expression was ominously blank

"Shadow?" Amy blinked, waving her hand in front of his face. "Helloooo? Anybody home?"

He flinched and blinked rapidly, snapping out of it as if shaken from a trance. "Hmph." He crossed his arms as if nothing happened

Amy narrowed her eyes, clearly wanting to scold him again, but her patience was at its limit. With a huff, she spun on her heel. "Fine. I'll deal with you later. Let's just… see who we freed this time."

The colorless statue ahead of them shimmered before color flooded back into the figure. A familiar face tumbled forward with a groan

"Uuugh… my head feels like a bad punchline." The chimp in a rumpled purple suit staggered up, eyes swirling before he shook himself straight. He glanced around, scratching the back of his head. "…Uh. Not a stage. Not a studio. Definitely not catering. Guess I should go yell at my producer for THIS one."

Amy's eyes widened. "Comedy Chimp!?"

"—Oh hey, pink girl! Sonic's… friend, right?" he said, snapping his fingers as though struggling to place her

Amy's smile flattened into an annoyed glare. "Amy. Amy Rose. We've met before."

"Riiight. Amy. Got it. Totally knew that." Comedy Chimp chuckled nervously, then turned and finally noticed the vast empty space around them. His jaw dropped slightly at the endless white void and the massive black orb looming above. "…Okay. Not to pry, but… where exactly are we? And what's with the creepy Death-Donut hanging in the sky?"

Amy glanced around the blank void, lips pursed as if deep in thought. "I'm… not sure where we are, exactly," she admitted. Then, with a small shrug, she added, "But since everything here is white and soulless, I'm going to call it… White Space."

Trip tilted her head, then gave a small, supportive nod, clutching her hands together as if agreeing was the best encouragement she could give

"White Space, huh?" Comedy Chimp rubbed his chin, then shivered. "Catchy name, but yeesh, this place is giving me all kinds of creepy vibes."

His then took notice of Shadow, whose gaze still occasionally drawn toward the swirling black orb above

"Uh-oh," Comedy Chimp muttered, pointing a finger. "Wait a second. Is he here to destroy us? Because if so, I'd rather not be part of that punchline."

Amy quickly waved her arms. "No, no! He's with me."

"With you, huh?" Comedy Chimp's brow arched as he smirked. "You sure about that? Last I checked, Mr. Frowny-Face over there wasn't exactly palling around with you. More like… trying to smash you guys in the face." He leaned in toward Amy, lowering his voice in mock seriousness. "And that's what you call a 'red flag,' my dear pink girl."

And just from that. Trip immediately took a few steps away from Shadow upon learning that

Amy's eye twitched. "I told you—I've got him under control."

"Right, right, of course you do." Comedy Chimp held up his hands "Totally believable."

Amy huffed, crossing her arms. "Ugh. Forget it."

Unbothered, Comedy Chimp changed the subject. "So, if this is your little rescue party, then where's the rest of your team? Tails? Knuckles? Sonic? Y'know—the actual headliners."

Amy sighed, softening a little. Ignoring the rather rude latter part "I'm… still looking for them."

"Mm-hm." Comedy Chimp tapped his foot. "So who have you managed to dig up so far, besides Tall, Dark, and Grumpy over there and the lizard girl?" He waved vaguely at Trip, who blinked at the nickname but didn't seem offended

"I found the librarian," Amy replied simply

Comedy Chimp's face lit up with recognition. "Oh! You mean Fastidious Beaver. Bookish guy, glasses, knows the Dewey Decimal System like the back of his paw. Yeah, I know him…. Who else?"

Amy exhaled through her nose, patience thinning. "No one else yet. I'm… working on it."

Comedy Chimp chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Working on it, huh? Yeah, you better. This sitcom cast you're pulling together could really use some more star power."

Amy turned away, muttering under her breath, "Why did it have to be him…"

Amy pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a small sigh. "Look, Comedy Chimp, you're free to help if you want to. But if not, Fastidious Beaver is over by those crates near to hide from the… creepy orb thing." She pointed toward the creepy orb again

Comedy Chimp's eyes widened, and he struck a dramatic pose. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me this involves going through danger—" he pointed toward the pure white sky, "—and basking in the glory of saving the entire universe?"

Amy, thinking he was finally stepping up, smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes."

He blinked once, then grinned nervously. "Great. In that case—I'll have to politely decline. I've got to save my beautiful face and my fragile health for my next movie!" He saluted dramatically before dashing across the white space, yelling over his shoulder, "I'll be backstage with Beaver Boy!"

Amy's smile instantly flattened into a deadpan stare

Shadow, arms crossed, gave a low scoff. "Hmph. We'll survive just fine without him."

Amy huffed, adjusting her hammer across her shoulder. "Yeah, well, it's not like I expected much from him anyway…" She glanced between Shadow and Trip as Shadow then walked ahead which Amy and Trip followed

A little later as the trio continued trekking through white space. Despite the creepy orb in the sky, they passed by more structures, some had color already returned to them, some didn't

Shadow slowed his pace every so often, scanning, waiting for the telltale pulse of a Prism Shard. Yet each time he shook his head. "Nothing…" he muttered

Then, ahead, they reached an island shaped like a theme park castle. There was a noticeably big swing ride. And in the center stood a familiar statue. Amy froze as her eyes widened recognizing exactly who the person it"…Sticks!"

Without hesitation, she bolted forward. The petrified form of the wild badger was frozen mid-leap, her boomerang clutched in her hand. Amy skidded to a stop in front of her, pressing her palm on her hand. Her voice trembled. "Sticks… oh no… what did they do to you?" She swallowed hard "Don't worry. I'll save you. I promise."

Shadow's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, noticing a crack in time warping open just ahead, rippling like glass about to shatter. "Amy—?."

But Amy didn't seem to respond as with a look of determination she leapted straight into the crack in time without thinking

"tch" muttered Shadow exhaling through his nose, before he dove in after her

Trip lingered at the edge, staring at Sticks' statue one last time. Then, something or someone caught her attention

"?" said Trip as she squinted her eyes as they then widened with recognition. As if completely forgetting about Shadow and Amy, she ran off

To Amy

Amy tumbled forward with a thud, landing on her hands and knees. She winced and quickly stood, brushing herself off. When she looked around, her jaw dropped

Some neon lights, giant spotlights, and a LOT of bumper cars mindlessly driving around out around her. It was what she could only describe as a massive bumper car arena

Her ears perked up as the sound of metal scraping and rubber squealing filled the air. Dozens of bumper cars zoomed in chaotic patterns, crashing into each other again and again

Amy shaded her eyes and called out, "Hey! Can anyone tell me where I am? Or what's going on?"

One car veered a little too close

*WHOOSH*

It nearly clipped her skirt as it zoomed past. She stumbled back, shouting, "Hey! How rude! Watch where you're driving!". Her eyes darted around nervously until something caught her eye: a lone bumper car parked along the edge of the arena. Empty and pink

She blinked, then let out a sigh. "…eh.. why not?."

She hesitated a moment longer, biting her lip as her gaze shifted inward. "…This is supposed to be fun, right? But I can't shake how guilty I feel… Sticks is frozen like that, and I'm here about to drive a bumper car." She sighed again, softer this time, but shook her head. "Well, maybe this is the only way to figure something out."

Amy climbed into the seat. The car whirred to life the moment her hands touched the wheel, jolting forward with a spark. She squeaked, then tightened her grip. "Okay, okay, Amy. Let's… let's roll."

She pressed her foot down, the car zooming forward into the fray. At first she spun around helplessly, bouncing off the sides as the others rammed into each other without pause. Then, gritting her teeth, she steered hard to the left and forced her way to intercept one.

"Hey! You!" she called out, cornering a blue bumper car against the rails. "Can you answer me? Do you know anything about glowing shards, seen a blue hedgehog? An echidna? A two tailed fox? Or if you seen some creepy shadow monster?"

Which she was only met with Silence. The driver only turned its helmeted head toward her before backing up and slamming into her car to break free

Amy gasped, gripping the wheel. "Wh—Hey! Don't ignore me!"

She spun around, this time chasing a green car and pinning it between her and a red one. "Come on, please! Just tell me something!"

Still Nothing.

The cars rammed her again, sending her spinning out into the center of the arena. Amy let her hands fall limp on the wheel, her head dropping. "…This is hopeless. None of them are saying a word."

And she definitely would be having more fun if Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails wherever they be are here driving with her… Sticks too if she wasn't petrified

Amy's grip tightened on the steering wheel as the arena lights dimmed, then began to strobe in slow, deliberate pulses. The thumping bass of some unseen machine reverberated across the bumper car floor

Play: Mega Man X Maverick Hunter OST – Stage Select (Vile)

"Huh…? What's going on now?" she muttered, twisting in her seat

From the far gate at the back of the arena, a loud metallic clank echoed. Slowly, a row of headlights flicked on. The first a pair glowing bright purple, followed by an entire line of dull orange ones. As they all began to slowly roll out of the darkness

Amy's eyes widened. The orange cars were being driven by: "Egg Pawns?!" she gasped

But her gaze snapped back to the purple car leading them, headlights casting long shadows. The driver inside wasn't an egg Pawn. He leaned forward into the light, revealing a thin, manic face painted with jagged teeth twisted into a grin. His eyes glowed with pure, unhinged malice

His Mohawk, horns, and spiked choker didn't seem to help either

The purple car revved, and the lunatic barked out a laugh that echoed across the whole arena. "Haw haw haw! Well, well, well! If it ain't one o' that blue bastard's friends!"

Amy flinched, her knuckles whitening on the wheel. "Wh–Who are you?!"

The purple car spun in a wide circle, screeching against the floor before sliding to a halt. The driver stood on his seat, pointing a clawed finger at her as he laughed again

"Haha! Name's Zazz! Yessiree, the one an' only! An' lemme tell ya, sugar, normally I'd hop out an' tear ya to pieces." His voice cracking with madness. "But… ohhh, drivin' ya off the road? Sounds like a whole lot more fun!"

Amy's throat tightened. Even with her hammer, she wasn't sure a bumper car was much of a weapon. "Y-You're insane…" she muttered under her breath

Zazz licked his lips and leaned on his steering wheel, grinning ear-to-ear. "Heh heh heh… Aw, don't get all scared on me now! Tell ya what—since I'm feelin' real nice today, I'll give ya a head start." He jabbed a finger forward

Play: No Straight Roads OST – Vs 1010 (Rock Version)

Amy turned. Up ahead, a huge metallic gate loomed, heavy locks sliding into place as lights flared above it. A glowing sign buzzed to life:

RACE START

Her heart skipped a beat. "You've got to be kidding me…"

Behind her, every orange car lined up, Egg Pawns revving their cars as they faced the metallic door. Zazz's purple car pulled to the center lane, his headlights flaring like a predator's eyes in the dark

Above them, a digital voice chimed out:

"Three…"

Amy gripped the wheel tighter. Zazz leaned out of his car just enough so she could see his grin stretch even wider

"Two…"

Amy's palms began to sweat. She tried to steady her breathing, but every hair on her quills stood on end. She'd thought Lyric was the peak of crazy, but this guy felt like something entirely different

"One…"

Zazz tilted his head at her, smile widening into something monstrous. His voice cut through the arena like a knife: "Hope ya last longer than the others, darlin'…"

"GO!"

Amy braced herself to slam on the pedal but plenty of the other bumper car drivers already did and incompletely bumping into each other before going past the opening metal gate

But Zazz didn't move. Instead, the lunatic threw both arms up with a wild grin. "Hold yer horses, boys! Don't ya dare move yet!" as with a dark chuckle he starts digging in his dashboard compartment

"FIREWORKS FOR EVERYONE! HAHAHAHAHA"

Amy blinked, confused. "What's he—?"

Zazz suddenly whipped out a launcher from the side of his car and shot three spiraling fireworks. They ricocheted off the steel walls, screeching and sparking

*BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!*

The explosions ripped across the arena, knocking several of the other bumper cars off balance. Sparks flew, smoke filled the room, and three of the cars outright exploded into heaps of scrap metal

Amy shielded her face from the sparks, coughing. But as the smoke cleared, her eyes widened. The drivers weren't people at all. Underneath the cracked helmets and blown-out cockpits, the wrecked bodies of robot monkeys twitched and fizzed with smoke

"…Monkey robots?!" Amy blurted out, smacking her forehead. "I wasted all that time trying to talk to them? Ugh—I feel like such a fool!"

Zazz's deranged laugh boomed across the bumper car arena, his voice echoing off the metal walls "Haw haw haw haw! Ohhh, that's rich! Don't waste yer pity on those tin chimps, sugar. They weren't gonna give ya much conversation anyhow!"

Amy grit her teeth, slamming her foot on the pedal as her pink bumper car lurched forward toward the glowing race track. "Fine, then! If that's how it is, I'll just plow through this myself!"

The surviving bumper cars swerved and revved, zooming past the metallic door with her

Zazz revved his purple car, his grin somehow growing even wider as he leaned forward.

"Now don't ya waste that head start, girly! 'Cause once I'm rollin'…" He cracked his neck with a jerk "…it's open season."

After a short moment of waiting, Zazz snapped his fingers, pointing ahead. "Times up boys! It's hedgehog season!"

With that, the Egg Pawn drivers all revved in unison, their orange cars screeching as they blasted forward after the pack. And finally, Zazz's purple car rolled through in a blur with a cackle

Amy's heart pounded as she gripped the wheel tighter. She didn't know how long her head start would last. But she knew one thing for sure: once Zazz caught up, this was going to be chaos

Meanwhile, far back at the metallic gates, another heavy clang echoed through the chamber. A second door slowly opened, flooding the darkness with pale, menacing light. The hum of machinery swelled

Then a pair of headlights flared to life. A deep, guttural engine roared, and bolted forward in a black blur of speed, tearing across the metallic floor

To Amy

The tunnel stretched on, the metallic gray walls vibrating with every rumble of engines and the sound of tires screeching. Sparks burst as bumper cars and Egg Pawn vehicles clashed, the air thick with exhaust and chaos. Amy gripped the wheel tightly, muttering under her breath.

"Great… Sticks would love this. She'd never let me live it down… probably rag on me for hours"

"-huh!?" said Amy as she noticed one of the Egg Pawn cars swerved closer, its jagged fenders scraping against the wall before it lunged full force toward her. Amy braked just in time, the impact missing her by inches. The would-be attacker slammed into one of its own, and the two robots erupted in a fiery explosion behind her

*boom*

Amy let out a shaky sigh of relief, pressing forward as the bumper cars and pawns funneled out of the tunnel.

"HAHAHA. I Got one last firework for ya'll!"

Zazz's distorted cackle echoed all around them, followed by another crackling firework launched straight at her. The projectile ricocheted off the tunnel walls like a pinball before slamming into an unfortunate monkey driver's car, reducing it to twisted scrap

Amy winced at the wreckage but pushed ahead, biting her lip. "If I don't find a better ride soon, I'm gonna be toast. These bumper cars are literally sitting ducks compared to their wheels…"

She shot a glance at the horizon as the road track opened wide. Her heart pounded knowing Zazz is hunting her like a cat with a toy. And then at the corner of her eye she noted another Egg Pawn getting dangerously closer

"!" Amy jolted in her seat as another Egg Pawn car sideswiped her, its jagged grill scraping against her bumper. She gasped and yanked the wheel hard, the motion sending two of the monkey-driven bumper cars spinning out of control and careening into the track's edge

"Sorry!" Amy squeaked, grimacing. "Guess they won't be inviting me back to bumper car night…. Not that they ever would.."

Her eyes glanced behind just in time to see Zazz's twisted grin looming ahead on his own vehicle. With a gleeful squeal, he pulled a massive circular buzz saw from nowhere, the blade glowing an ominous green

"Y'know, pinky—it wasn't nice knowing you…BUT it WAS nice destroying you!" Zazz cackled, rearing back. "Hahahahahah!"

He then hurled the buzz saw across the track. Amy's eyes widened in horror as it screeched toward her car

Only for it to veer just slightly off course and cleave an Egg Pawn's vehicle clean in half as the halves of its car split and began spinning in circles

Zazz blinked, slack-jawed. "…WHAT?! That's not how it's supposed to go!" His expression twisted into a snarl

Amy smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. "Nice aim, Zazz! You should see what my hammer can do!"

Zazz burst out in howling laughter, clutching his sides. "HAHAHA! Ohhh, a hammer! How scary! Newsflash, sugarplum: in a bumper car? It means NOTHING!"

The egg Pawn with the halved car wobbled in circles before another pawn barreled right into it

*Boom*

Both exploding in a fireball that made Amy flinch

"Yeesh…" she muttered as she turned her attention back on the track

Zazz, meanwhile, was already reaching for something else, this time pulling out a cartoonishly round bomb with a lit fuse. "Heheheheh… oh, NOW we're getting somewhere…"

He held It up high. "Up!" The bomb inflated, growing in size with a deep metallic booomp.

"UP!" he yelled again, and the bomb swelled even bigger

"And now… BOMBS AWAY!" Zazz cackled as he rolled the massive bomb down the track like a bowling ball. It rumbled violently, bouncing as it barreled straight toward the racers

"!" Amy yelped and swerved hard to the side, her bumper car barely missing it as the explosive slammed into the track's wall

*BOOM!*

The detonation blasted open a massive hole, forcing every driver behind her to throw their vehicles into wild drifts. Sparks screeched across the metal road as several unlucky bumper cars and Egg Pawn vehicles failed to adjust in time, going right off the track into the abyss below

Amy's jaw dropped. "What kind of race is this supposed to be?!"

From behind, Zazz threw his head back and howled with glee, his eyes wide and manic. "It's not just a race, pinky—it's a RACE OF DOOOOM!" as his eyes lit up with fresh madness as he slammed a massive red button on his dashboard. "Hold still now, sugarplum! Time fer me to DESTROY ya proper!" he howled

Amy blinked nervously as the front of his purple car popped open, launching three missiles with glowing green boxing gloves attached. The rockets whirred in the air, spinning their oversized fists as they headed her way

Amy's jaw dropped. "Are… are those green boxing glove missiles?! Who even INVENTS these things?!" She slammed the wheel, but her bumper car and realized it can't go any faster making her panic. "Oh no no no no—I can't dodge this!"

The rockets soared closer, but instead of hitting her, they veered off wildly

Because Zazz's aim straight up sucked… The rockets smashed into a cluster of unlucky monkey bumper cars, exploding them in showers of gears and sparks

Amy froze, sweat on her brow, then exhaled shakily. "…Okay. Remind me to never underestimate how awful his aim is."

But as more Egg Pawn cars swerved in to cut her off, her relief vanished. One clipped her side, jostling her car into two more monkey drivers. They all spun in a comical pinball effect before Amy gripped her wheel tight and forced herself steady again

"Ugh! If these bumper cars actually had weapons, I could fight back!" she groaned

Behind her, Zazz was already rummaging again. "Ooooh-hooo! Lookee here!" He lifted an iron spiked ball "Now THIS looks promisin'!" With another manic laugh, he lobbed it ahead of Amy

"EEK!" She squealed, bracing for impact, but one overeager Egg Pawn swerved in front of her, colliding head-on with the ball

*Boom*

The resulting explosion turned the pawn and its car into flaming wreckage

Zazz blinked in surprise, his face falling. "…Well that's just RUDE. That was wasted! Ain't no fun blowin' up my own pawns! If this keeps up, I'm gonna run outta toys to fall back on!"

The track suddenly twisted upward, forming a wide ramp jump. One by one, racers soared across the gap…

…except for several bumper car drivers and Egg Pawn cars who misjudged their speed which made them plummet into the abyss below

Amy's heart leapt into her throat as her little bumper car wobbled upward. But just at the ramp's peak, her car zipped across a glowing speed boost strip, giving her a burst of velocity that launched her clean across the chasm. She landed safely on the other side, gasping in relief. "Ohhh thank God for that…"

"HAHA!" Zazz revved his car, a purple aura boosting its speed. "Comin' through, pinky!" He rocketed up the ramp, aiming to slam her from behind. But as he soared forward, he crashed through three monkey cars instead, flattening them like bowling pins before landing in a shower of sparks

Smoke trailed from his hood as he growled, gripping his wheel with twitching eyes. "Y'all're really startin' to tick me off, sugarplum. Fine, fine… let's see what OTHER tricks I got left…" He began pawing around his dashboard like a deranged raccoon, muttering gleefully about which toy of destruction to use next

"Lessee here… ooooh, triple red boxing gloves, the ol' Triple Homing Shot!" He slapped the button halfway before pausing. "…Nah. Overkill. Ain't no fun if she explodes too quick."

He scrolled to the next. "Another boost… ehhh, I'll save that for when I wanna look stylish."

The next button glowed faintly. "A single homing shot… hohoho, ohhh now THAT'S special. Last resort special. Gotta savor it."

His crooked finger hovered over a small remote switch, marked with a strange blinking light. "What the hell's this do? Remote control somethin'? Heh—don't even know what it is, but I'll save it for dessert."

Finally, his grin stretched ear to ear as he spotted one more charge in his arsenal. "OHHH-hooo! One last Rocket Punch! One more green fist of DOOM!" He slammed his hand on the button with glee

The rocket glove launched forward with a hiss, streaking down the track straight at Amy's pink bumper car

Amy yanked her wheel desperately…only to feel her car lift off the track from the curved wall. "AAAAH—!"

But before she could hit the track and be flattened by Zazz, a red shimmer snapped around her. In a flash of warped light, Shadow appeared, one arm scooping her from the doomed bumper car. He warped again, landing them neatly inside a sleek, black armored racecar that skidded onto the track with a roar

Play: No Straight Roads OST – Vs. SAYU (Rock version)

The Rocket Punch blasted harmlessly past, slamming into a pack of monkey drivers and reducing them to flaming wreckage

Shadow calmly gripped the wheel, sliding the car perfectly into the lane. The mysterious ride plowed through several other drivers like bowling pins, sending sparks and scrap flying. Shadow's lips tugged into a faint smirk. "Hmph. Amusing."

Amy clutched the seat, wide-eyed. "SHADOW?! Where were you this whole time!?"

"You ran ahead," Shadow answered flatly, spinning the wheel as the car drifted past a wreck

Amy blinked at the car's interior, then back at him. "Wait—where did you even GET this car?!"

"I found it." Said Shadow

Amy's eyes narrowed. "…You stole it, didn't you?"

Shadow didn't answer, simply flooring the pedal blasting past what remained of the track's fodder. That basically was a yes in Amy's mind

She threw her hands up, half-panicked, half-exasperated. "I swear—if we weren't literally racing for our lives, I'd be scolding you right now!" which Shadow gave her a brief glance without a care and continued driving making her hold in more other annoyance

Meanwhile, Zazz's jaw dropped as he watched the mysterious car tear through the crowd. His shock twisted into furious disbelief. "Ohhh, NO, NO, NO! The pink pest's dodgin' ALL my toys! And now she's got a NEW FRIEND?!" His voice cracked with rage. "Fine! If that black-and-red varmint wants to play hero, then he's the one who's gonna get destroyed first!"

He slammed his fists on the wheel, cackling wildly as his car roared forward, now dead-set on Shadow

Amy, gripping the side of the seat as the car screeched around a bend, finally managed to speak up "Wait—Shadow! Where's Trip?! Did you see where she went?"

Shadow's eyes narrowed, still locked on the track ahead. "No. I followed you the moment you jumped in. I didn't see her."

Amy's face fell with worry, but before she could dwell on it further, a manic laugh echoed behind them

Zazz, closing the distance in his dented purple car, squinted at Shadow. "…Wait a tick. You ain't the blue pest! But ya look just like him. Whatcha doin' here? You his brother or somethin'?"

Shadow's response was immediate and ice-cold. "That's the stupidest assumption I've heard all day. From a purple buffoon, no less."

Zazz's eye twitched, his grin twisting wider. "OHHH, it's on now, hedgehog!" He slapped a button on his console, and three bright red boxing-glove missiles shot out, homing in with a mechanical shriek

Amy's eyes widened. "BOXING GLOVE MISSILES!"

But Shadow barely flinched. With a sharp flick of the wheel, the black car swerved into a cluster of egg pawn drivers and stray bumper cars. The missiles locked onto the new targets instantly

*Ba-Ba-Boom*

Scrap metal and smoke filled the tunnel, raining sparks over the track as Shadow's car shot clean through the wreckage

Zazz's jaw dropped before contorting into pure rage. "WHAT—?! They were supposed to hit YOU! Not my pawns!" He yanked out his last homing shot, nearly firing it right then and there, but restrained himself with a guttural before "Grr.. no… need to save it.."

Instead, he bellowed at his mechanical underlings. "GET 'EM, YOU TIN-CAN REJECTS!"

The egg pawn cars immediately revved up and swarmed forward at high speeds, flanking Shadow and Amy's ride. Some swerved dangerously close, others angled to ram from behind

Zazz pounded his steering wheel and threw his head back in lunatic laughter. "YEEEEE-HAH! Today ain't just race day—it's VEHICULAR MAYHEM DAY!"

Amy groaned, gripping her seat tight "Oh boy.…"

Shadow gritted his teeth, swerving sharply as the car's tires screeched against the metal road. Amy clutched the side rail of the passenger seat so tightly her knuckles practically turned white

The pursuing Egg Pawn cars closed in fast. Shadow didn't hesitate to swerve the wheel hard, ramming their car into one Egg Pawn driver with enough force to slam it into the wall. Sparks burst as the pawn screeched sideways before exploding in a fireball

Another tried to flank from the left, Shadow twisted the wheel again, grinding against it until the driver lost control, spinning out into the abyss below. One bumper car got too close from behind, only for Shadow to brake suddenly, letting the machine crash nose-first into a wall before bursting apart

Amy squeaked, tightening her grip on the seat. "Shadow! You've actually done this before, right? Please tell me you've driven before!"

Shadow's eyes never left the road, deadpan as ever. "…No."

Amy's jaw dropped, her face a mix of panic and disbelief. "WHAT?! You're kidding!"

From behind, Zazz's wild laughter echoed like nails on a chalkboard. "Hoo-wee! I like ya, black hedgehog! Nothin' like a natural-born killer at the wheel! But ya know what I'm even better at?" He leaned out of his purple car, grin stretched ear-to-ear. "Splittin' couples!"

Amy's face turned bright pink. "We're NOT—!" She slammed her hands against the dashboard. "You-You-GAH! I just can't with you!"

Zazz pointed a crooked finger at her, tongue hanging out with delight. "Darlin', ya ain't seen nothin' yet!"

With manic glee, he pulled out a glowing blue key and spun it between his fingers and then jammed it into the ignition making a surge of energy explode through his car

Metal shifted, wheels stretched, and in seconds, his vehicle transformed into a roaring monster truck, towering over the track with the menacing size of its wheels

"Now THIS," Zazz bellowed, slamming a massive button, "is how ya go MONDO!"

The monster truck's boosters ignited, and the behemoth barreled forward at terrifying speed. Amy's eyes widened as she watched Zazz flatten Egg Pawn cars and helpless bumper car drivers like tin cans

His laughter boomed over the chaos. "Hoohoohoo! I'm gonna squash ya like flapjacks, pinky and edgy boy!"

Shadow's eyes narrowed, and he pressed the accelerator harder. As the tunnel ahead loomed with a massive cylindrical passage lined with thick concrete pillars

"Shadow," Amy muttered nervously, hugging the seat as their car sped in. "Please tell me you really know what you're doing this time…"

The car swerved tightly between the pillars, Shadow making sure that he and Amy don't end up being burger meat, expertly weaved through much of the pillars ahead of all the other cars. Some of the Egg Pawn cars weren't so lucky, slamming into the supports and bursting into fireballs. Even the last bumper car driver smashed headfirst into a pillar with a sad crunch

"Oooh.. well there goes the last monkey…" muttered Amy watching

"YEEEE-HAAAAWW!"Zazz roared as his monster truck smashed through several pillars. The heavy frame slowed with each impact, but he kept charging, laughing wildly. "HAH! Ya think a few twigs'll stop THIS baby?! No sirree!"

But by the time he clawed through the wreckage, Shadow had already gained distance

As they burst out of the tunnel back into open track, Amy exhaled shakily in relief… only to notice the monster truck shrinking, groaning, and suddenly snapping back into Zazz's car

"What—NO!?" Zazz stomped the wheel, veins bulging on his forehead. "Aw, ya stinkin' piece o' junk! Don't ya DARE betray me now!"

Amy leaned over, smirking just a little despite herself. "Looks like your power up wore off."

Zazz's eye twitched as his fury boiled over. "RRRRGH! Don't think yer safe yet, hedgehogs!"

The screeching roar of the wheels tearing into the track echoed as more Egg Pawn cars closed in on Shadow and Amy's vehicle drawing nearer and nearer

Shadow narrowed his eyes, noticing the upcoming loop-de-loop. "Hold on," he muttered

Before Amy could even respond, Shadow floored the boost. The car roared forward, thrusters spitting blue fire, and momentum carried them cleanly up the curve of the loop. Amy gripped the dashboard with a yelp as her stomach lurched

Behind them, a few Egg Pawn cars tried to follow, yet they weren't fast enough. Two of them lost grip halfway, tires screeching before they plummeted down and exploded in bursts of fire. The shockwave rattled the track

One of the Egg Pawn heads bounced and clanged across the road, tumbling into their car. It landed in Amy's lap, its lifeless glowing eyes seemingly staring at her

"Eek!" Amy shrieked, nearly tossing it out in panic

With a scoff, Shadow snatched it from her hands. "Useless scrap."

Zazz roared from behind. "How about this for useless?!" he cackled, summoning his last homing shot. As he launched it with a vicious laugh

Shadow didn't even flinch. He instead hurled the Egg Pawn head like a baseball straight at the missile

*BOOM*

The head detonated on impact, setting off a fiery explosion midair that shook the whole stretch of road

"WHAT?!" Zazz screeched, veins bulging on his forehead. With a feral growl, the lunatic boosted his car, swerving until he was side by side with Shadow

"Hmph" muttered Shadow as The two vehicles scraped together, sparks flying as metal ground against metal. Zazz bared his jagged teeth, ramming against Shadow, trying to knock him off the track

"Let's play chicken! Vehicular MAYHEM!" yelled Zazz

Shadow gritted his teeth, forcing the wheel back and slamming into Zazz's car in return. The two locked in a brutal clash of wills, grinding across the road until Shadow finally outmaneuvered him with a sharp drift

"-AAAAAAAH!-" Zazz spun out briefly, cursing and flailing his arms as he bumped into one of the Egg Pawns which prevented him from going off track. As he shook his head from the spinning

When he recovered, Shadow glanced back to see only three Egg Pawn cars left. Their glowing eyes turned nervously to him….until Zazz lets out a furious screech

"Don't just sit there, DESTROY THE LOVEBIRDS!"

The three Egg Pawn cars then shot forward, engines shrieking as they formed a tight wedge around Shadow and Amy. Shadow smirked darkly. "Try it." He cut the wheel sharply, sending their car into a drifting spin that clipped one Egg Pawn vehicle and sent it flipping off the track in a fiery wreck

"!" Amy screamed as sparks rained across the windshield, but Shadow was already moving again, cutting between the last two Egg Pawn cars. With perfect timing, he slammed the boost and rammed one into the other, both burst apart in a thunderous chain of explosions

Amy gasped, clutching the dashboard again. "Shadow…!"

"Relax. They were never a threat."

Just as the smoke cleared, Zazz came barreling back into view, his car glowing with another wild burst of energy as he boosted right back toward them. His manic laughter filled the air.

"ROUND TWO, I'M GOMNA TURN YOU RODENTS INTO ROADKILL AND FRY YOU ON MY ENGINE!"

The finish line loomed closer, the track narrowing into a sharp corridor of lights and banners. Shadow and Zazz's cars clashed, metal scraping with sparks that lit up the roadway. Each time Zazz rammed, Shadow countered in a violent ballet of destruction

"GRAAAAH!" Zazz roared, yanking the wheel and slamming again. "I'll smash your gloomy mug into the ground!"

Shadow narrowed his eyes, boosting at the last second. Zazz's eyes widened in shock as before he could react, The jolt forced Zazz's vehicle sideways, tires squealing as it slammed into the wall. With a horrific crunch, Zazz's car flipped over itself

"AAAAAA-*BOOM*"

Sparks and shrapnel went flying until it crashed in a smoking heap

Shadow didn't even look back, simply gaining a subtle smirk as Amy clung to the dashboard. But Zazz survived, crawling out of the wreckage coughing amid smoke, pulled out a remote control with a wicked grin

"Fine! If I can't win… then I'll BLOW YOU SKY HIGH! Let's see what this baby can do!"

He slammed the button down, waiting for missiles or lasers…..

Only for the device to fold out into… a tiny, toy-sized car that dropped right out of his hand onto the ground.

"…Huh?" Zazz blinked, staring at it. "What is this, a Happy Meal prize?"

The little car revved its engine and then took off like a rocket, zooming down the track at unbelievable speeds. Zazz's jaw dropped. "…Okay, that's actually fast…..man Zavok's gonna be pissed"

In the lead, Amy spotted something in the rearview mirror. Her eyes widened "Shadow something's coming!"

Shadow squinted, realizing immediately it wasn't ordinary. His then put his hand onto Amy's shoulder. "Hold on."

In a blink of ran eye, Shadow warped himself and Amy out of the car, leaving it empty. A split-second later, the tiny vehicle slammed into their abandoned ride

*BOOM!*

A fiery blast swallowed the track in smoke and debris.

Shadow landed with Amy at his side "Hmph.… bomber drone." He muttered

Amy gasped, still trembling from the near miss. But then her gaze lifted, the road ended at what looked like a car was supposed to go through yet the hole looking like it was intended for a person to go through

Play: Sonic Adventure OST – Twinkle Park

"The shard is down there." He said as he jumped in. And with a sigh Amy jumped in as well which they landed with a sudden clack!… and with a sudden jerk it began to roll

Amy shrieked as she clutched the sides. "Is this—?!" The two of them then felt a guard as then they both realized they got into a moving rollercoaster which shot out at high speed "WHOOOAH!-"

Which briefly gave them an entire look at the park that looked eerily empty. Besides some robots

And starting to lose his patience, Shadow gritted his teeth and quickly put his hand on Amy's shoulder and in an instant, he warped them off the ride, both landing safely on the ground

Amy had swirly eyes for a moment as she then threw her arms up. "What kind of maniac builds a death race track that leads to some sort of carnival?!" as she exhaled loudly Then, quieter, under her breath, she muttered, "…it was kinda fun, though… but still! I bet it lead to plenty of lawsuits!"

Shadow had already started walking ahead, scanning the strange fairgrounds for the shard's signal

Amy pouted, jogging after him. "Hey! Don't just storm off—wait up!"

From what the two of them noticed, this "park" is eerily silent. The few booths that were around were seemingly abandoned. And the giant swing didn't seem to have anyone on it as it continued to swing

Amy glanced around nervously, hugging her hammer close "…You know, I'm starting to wonder how this place even makes money. I mean—look! No one's here. Not a single visitor."

"It doesn't matter what this pathetic place does to stay afloat." Said Shadow as he stares at the looming castle. Before Amy could respond, a sudden chittering screech echoed overhead. Her eyes shot up just in time to see metal gleams dropping from the rooftops and rafters

Several robotic monkeys with glowing red eyes leapt out of hiding. Many of them held small bombs

Amy braced herself, hammer already in hand. "Figures!"

Shadow then shot out two chaos spears that ended up destroying 2 the robots making them explode "Hmph. Pathetic robots" as then a third one tried jumping at him from behind only for him to backhand if into a wall

Amy spun her hammer in a wide arc, crushing two in one swing. Another lunged at her, and she leapt up, smashing it to pieces with a downward strike. Panting lightly, Amy looked at the smoking wreckage scattered around them. "I guess those robot monkeys are probably the main reason there aren't any customers."

Shadow's lip curled into a sarcastic smirk "Oh really? And here I thought the death race might've discouraged them already."

Amy puffed her cheeks "…Or maybe the race track actually attracts insane people. Ever think of that?"

"hmph," muttered Shadow already turning away and approaching the massive double doors of the carnival's centerpiece. the looming castle

Amy jogged after him, tightening her grip on her hammer. "…Fine, but you're not leaving me behind this time!"

Play: Sonic Adventure OST – Fakery Way

The castle doors opened with a push. The moment they stepped inside, Amy's eyes squinted in confusion. Across the walls was a huge mirror for each "…Okay, this place can't get weirder. Next thing you know, a big green robot will chase us around for a bird."

Shadow blinked, his brow furrowing. "…What?"

Amy crossed her arms. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"That was… oddly specific," Shadow muttered, still dumbfounded

Amy just rolled her eyes. "Oh please, like you haven't seen weirder."

"…." He muttered simply walking further down the mirrored corridor

"…Hey, Shadow?" she finally asked, making him glance over at her. Taking that as permission, Amy fiddled with her hammer before blurting, "When that shadow monster thing first attacked and dragged us into this whole dimensional mess… did Eggman have anything to do with it?"

"…If he did, he certainly didn't tell me." He muttered

Amy frowned, chewing on that answer. "…Then why were you there? You just happened to be hanging around when it all went down?"

A faint smirk tugged at the edge of his mouth. "It was amusing to watch you and your friends getting beaten up."

Amy's cheeks puffed, her grip on her hammer tightening. "Ugh! You're unbelievable"

Shadow's smirk deepened, "Had that shadow beast not interfered, I would've taught you all a lesson. Like I always have."

Amy stomped a foot against the mirrored floor, her face flushed with irritation. "Oh, I would've liked to see you try!"

That's when Shadow suddenly stopped walking.

Amy blinked in surprise, nearly bumping into him. "…Uh, why did you—?"

He turned slowly, his crimson eyes glowing faintly red. The reflections multiplied the glow, making it look as though hundreds of Shadows were staring her down at once

"We could settle this here, if you wish."

Amy instinctively stepped back, gripping her hammer tighter. She remembered the last time she and her friends had fought him. How he clearly was able take them all on his own. With her breath caught in her throat. "…Shadow…"

The way his eyes pulsed red sent a chill down her spine. Like he was ready go throw down right then and there. And for a moment it looked like he was going to maybe spin dash her, which Amy tensed..

But nothing came…

Instead, Shadow's head dipped suddenly. His hand shot to his temple as he let out a low growl…

Amy blinked in surprise as she noticed something was going on in his head, it almost looked like pain. Then, with visible restraint, he straightened up with a clenched fist in a quiet rage. "Tch… this does me no good."

With a sharp exhale, Shadow turned away, his stride resuming down the mirror-stretched hall. Amy hesitated before lowering her hammer, a flood of relief washing over her. She let out a shaky laugh under her breath. "Well… that's one way to give a girl a heart attack…"

But she didn't let her guard down. Not completely. When she followed him, keeping several careful steps back, just enough distance in case he decided to whip around and pull a "gotcha"

Her eyes flickered across his back, her hammer ready for the chance, before he seemingly stop again where he seemingly had another headache

She wondered… but then she remembered. He did ask her if she saw any visions… could he be seeing a vision right now?

Either way. It is something he clearly is keeping from her, which made her frown. But if there was a small chance that maybe getting him to maybe open up

Reminding herself that maybe she can get him to change. And maybe he won't get into as much scuffles with her and her team. But for now, she'll wait and look for a potential chance

Still, her instincts screamed caution. "…Alright, Shadow," she thought, staring at his reflection repeated infinitely in the glass. "What are you hiding?"

Amy swallowed her nerves and finally broke the silence. "Shadow… those visions you mentioned."

Shadow stopped mid-stride and slowly turned his head, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the reflection of the endless mirror walls. The way he looked at her made her chest tighten.

Still, she pushed forward. "You asked me if I've seen any. So if you did… then what did you see?"

For a moment, it felt like the air thickened as Shadow's gaze lingered on her for a moment. "…..What I saw," he finally said "is none of your concern." He turned back around and walked forward without another word.

"Well… at least he didn't deny seeing anything.." she thought as with a sigh, she would try again later

Eventually, after further walking in, the shard was found seemingly laying on the floor, clearly it wasn't originally there "Another one," Amy whispered. Before she could even move, Shadow warped ahead, snatching it off the ground once again causing a blinding flash of light

She braced herself for the usual tumble, but this time, she landed steady on her feet in the familiar blankness of White Space and then she turned and her eyes widened where she looked towards the statue of her friend

"Sticks…!"

Hurrying to her side, Stick's statue began to regain color as she opened her eyes in confusion

"Ugh?.." muttered Sticks "…Amy?"

Amy's eyes lit up as she beamed. Pulling her into a hug "You're back! Im glad your alright!"

."Ugh… last thing I remember, I was… grabbed!" She gasped, pointing wildly into the air. "By a giant interdimensional hand controlled by the lizard overlords! They wanted me for their evil schemes—probably to replace my brain with a radio tower so they could spy on the resistance squirrels in the trees!"

Amy put a hand to her forehead with a small groan. "Sticks… for once, I think your conspiracies might not be that far off."

That only made Sticks' fur bristle. She darted around in a circle before staring wide-eyed at the endless, glowing expanse of White Space. With some noticeable 'islands' with color and other colorless structures "This—this whole place! It's pure white! We're in paper! PAPER! And any second now, the Pencil of Doom is going to swoop down and draw our doom faces!"

Amy threw her arms up. "Sticks! Calm down! There is no pencil!" Her voice cracked with a comical edge of exasperation. "Even here, that's too outlandish."

Sticks froze, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "That's exactly what the Pencil wants us to think…"

Before Amy could respond, Sticks' gaze darted straight to Shadow, standing a short distance away with his arms crossed, clearly not amused

Instantly, Sticks whipped her boomerang into her hands. "Hah! I knew it! He's totally gonna attack! Look at him—he's got that 'brooding villain about to strike' look! I've seen it before!"

Amy quickly stepped in front of her, both palms raised. "Sticks, wait! He's not going to attack." She glanced over her shoulder at Shadow, then muttered under her breath, "…Or at least I think so."

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned away

Sticks jabbed her boomerang in his direction. "Don't you remember the last time he attacked us? Because I do! And it wasn't fun!"

Amy let out a long sigh "I don't have time to argue about this. I've got it under control."

Sticks squinted between Amy and Shadow, unconvinced. "Uh-huh… I'll be watching him. Closely. One wrong move and WHAP—boomerang to the noggin."

Shadow's eye twitched slightly as his hand shot to his head as another sharp, stabbing pain raced through his mind

Before Amy could ask if he was okay, they felt a rumble as then put from nowhere, the Time Eater appeared once again, Amy froze in fear, while Sticks instinctively raised her boomerang

But Shadow's eyes flared a pulsating red with anger "…I won't let it get away this time."

In a flash of red and black, he blurred forward. Amy and Sticks gasped before sprinting after him, The Time Eater let out a warped distorted laughter as it gazed at Shadow with twisted amusement

Shadow lunged forward as he curled into a spin dash towards the Time Eater who raised one of arms and swiped, for Shadow to ricochet off, landing hard on a platform which caused it to crack. The broken platform shuddered as He didn't hesitate to launch himself again into another spin dash

Slamming a kick against the creature's core. The Time Eater reeled back with a guttural distorted growl as something from its shoulder chipped off

"TAKE THIS!" Shadow roared as he unleashed a barrage of Chaos Spears. The crackling red bolts lanced into the beast's form. It flinch as from its shoulder, a golden fragment chipped off spiraling downward

Seeing this as another opportunity, he clenched his fists and had them electrify with chaos energy as his air shoes roared launching himself towards the Time Eater with a smirk eager to give it another hit

But the Time Eater locked onto him, and with an echoing screech, it lashed out with both arms at once. Shadow blurred between them, teleporting short distances narrowly avoiding being torn apart

Shadow twisted in midair, firing another Chaos Spear, and hurled it straight into the monster's head, making the creature reel back for a moment, giving Shadow his opening. He darted forward, spiraling into another spin dash aimed at its chest

But the Time Eater moved differently this time. Its hand pulsed, warping into the shape of a massive spectral clock and fired with terrifying speed

"—!" Shadow barely had time to register it before the construct slammed into his chest and driving him downward. He smashed into the white ground

"Shadow!" Amy's voice pierced the chaos as she and Sticks scrambled to reach him

"HYAH!" yelled Sticks as she threw her boomerang which almost hit the Time Eater, not that it would have done much

But instead of following up the attack, it turned away and flew off vanishing into the mist, as though it had lost interest in finishing the fight

Shadow groaned, trying to rise as the shards of reality drifted away beneath him as Amy and Sticks rushed to his side

"Shadow are you alright!?" said Amy

As all Shadow could hear was sound fading as his vision warped

He saw himself standing with a large, crimson-armed robot and a bat-winged woman he didn't recognize. . Before them loomed an army of shadowy, demonlike figures with piercing teal eyes and a strangely similar appearance to himself

"-Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later?" the demon lookalike said

Shadow clenched his fists, sliding off his golden inhibitor rings as the robot and bat girl slid behind him

"If the world chooses to become my enemy… then I will fight like I always have."

As then in a burst of chaos energy the trio dashed through the army of the copies until the vision shattered

He then began to wake up feeling a nudge on his shoulder, and some poking to his face. He notices it was Amy doing the nudging while Sticks was poking him with her boomerang, both seemingly trying to get him to snap out of it

Shadow raised his hand to stop Sticks from poking him again

"Shadow…! Are you okay?" said Amy with concern

"Shadow if your mind is taken over by evil monsters, say something or ill assume yes!" said Sticks as she crouched seemingly ready to smack him with her boomerang

With a growl, Shadow then got up "…Where did it go?"

"I don't know!? It just hit you and it flew off" said Amy

"Tch. Coward " muttered Shadow " Now both of you, get out of my way." As he rudely brushed passed them

And before either could respond, the shards that Amy and Shadow both had began to pulse. On the ground nearby, the strange ring fragment he'd torn loose from the Time Eater shimmered faintly

Sticks' eyes went wide "Uh—guys? It's… it's doing something weird. It's like it wants the bling!"

As then the ring fragment began to enlarge in a bright light, basically expanding into a shimmering oval of distorted space. As the three of them could see where it seems to lead. On the other side, an island with palm trees and sand, practically a beach island. Beyond that, nothing but a vast sea

Amy looked in blatant confusion "…An island? In the middle of… where is this?"

Sticks crouched low, gripping her boomerang tightly, her eyes darting around like a cornered animal. "It's a trap! I knew it! First the monster, now this! It wants us to go in there so it can eat our bones and sell the leftovers to pencil people!"

Amy pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling with a strained smile. "Sticks… pencils again? Really?"

"…So uh… what do we do with that?..." asked Sticks

Shadow looks at the prism shard he has and noticed it pulsed as of signaling there was another through it

"Hmph.. you do what you want… ill go in.." muttered Shadow

Trivia

1: Did you know that back when David Humphrey still voiced Shadow, he said in an interview that he was under the impression that Shadow wouldve eventually started a relationship with Amy? Yeah it was certainly an interesting thing to learn

If I had to guess. Probably had to do with the voice lines where Amy reminded Shadow of Maria's promise

To be more clear, he said this in an interview and this was an assumption he made on his own when he was still recording for SA2. No one ever told him if it was going to be a thing or not

2: I'm sure some of you are aware of the World's Unite event of the Archie Sonic which included some Boom characters (primarily Sticks)

And the funny thing about it is there is a reason why Boom Sonic didn't directly appear and interact with his prime counterpart is because of a specific mandate (whether or not its still in effect I don't know) that prohibits what Ian described as "Sonic not allowed to meet himself"

And yet Sonic Generations exists. So I guess they probably have different rules between media. Knowing the Archie Comics rabbit hole. There's a good chance many rules were made in response to how the comics went

3: A huge shame that comes at the wasted potential of the Boom series, as someone that has looked into the development history and looked into the unused concepts and designs (which LS Mark's Sonic channel Splash Dash made an hour long video looking into everything. A little over 500 pages)

They really had huge plans for Sonic Boom to go. And seeing how Sega really was confident in it. I can definitely see why people genuinely thought it was a reboot. Especially when the Boom series was the main focus for a bit for 3 years

People forget that mainline Sonic content was still being made with mobile games, comics and future games that were planned for development that wasn't Boom

While it is true the developers of Big Red Button thought it was a reboot. However, they don't get to decide if it is or not.

And I'l reiterate again. And ill do it a million times if I have to, that unless Takashi Iizuka or Sega says it was reboot (which neither of them actually did, and rather described it as more of a franchise expansion)

Don't fall for the reboot misconception please

4: Shadow being in Rise of Lyric was actually done very later. His model is just an edited version of Sonic's

Which due to them being on a significantly cut dev time. I can see why they did so as unfortunate as it was

But at least Shadow had a finalized design. That was his appearances in the Sonic Boom TV show

5: a while back Ian Flynn pitched an idea about Boom Shadow that they said no to, and it was to explain why he is so hostile towards Team Sonic. And while personally I'm on the fence on anything Ian does. But this is actually pretty funny

The explanation would've been that Shadow was at first a really chill surfer dude. With a surfboard he loved very much that he named "Maria"

And one day. Maria the surfboard broke. And a distraught Shadow vowed revenge on the entire world for it

Which as funny as that wouldve been. It makes me wonder if they already had an explanation in mind for Shadow's backstory that either was tossed or never got to it

Kinda like how a tossed storyline in the Boom series is that Eggman started out as a friend of Team Sonic until turning evil. Oh well. We can only hope

Next up: Pirate's Scorn

so like it? Hate it? Got anything to say? Because every review is inspiration for continuation