When a certain black and red hedgehog is transported to Equestria, things become more... chaotic.
Shadow the Hedgehog was created to be the Ultimate Life Form. One day, while working with Sonic and his friends to once again fight Dr. Eggman, the mad doctor uses the Chaos Emeralds to send Shadow to another world. In EG World, Sunset Shimmer is looking to expand her circle of former-villain friends. Then, in a bright flash of light, an anthropomorphic black and red hedgehog appears on the school’s football field. Sunset decides to take in the strange creature. As she learns more about Shadow and his past, she comes to see the pain that some villains and former villains have to deal with. Enjoy this story of healing and friendship.
The villainous Dr. Eggman was at it again. The mad doctor had collected all of the seven Chaos Emeralds for one of his "conquer the world" schemes. Sonic and his friends would usually handle this, but this time, GUN sent Team Dark to assist the Blue Blur in securing the Emeralds.
Shadow the Hedgehog was currently skating towards Eggman's current stronghold. Several armed Badniks stood along the outside of the stronghold's gate firing their weapons at the black and red hedgehog. Shadow used Chaos Spear to destroy the attacking robots.
Next, Shadow used his Rocket Skates to launch himself over the wall and into the main courtyard. Dozens of robots ran towards him firing their weapons. From the corner of his eye, he could see his teammates Rouge the Bat and Omega enter the compound from the opposite side. Shadow smiled at the success of his teammates.
"Now to distract the doctor for Sonic and the others," Shadow said.
But before he could start fighting Eggman's forces, a familiar blue blur immediately destroyed the robots. Sonic stood before Shadow with his trademark smirk.
"Hey, how's it going, Shadow?" he asked.
"Hmph! I can handle Robotnik's robots by myself," Shadow said with his usual bravado. "I don't need help with a few measly Badniks."
"Nice to hear how grateful you are, buddy!" Sonic said patting Shadow on the back.
"Anyway, where are the rest of your friends?"
"They're already within the tower making their way up."
"Just save the Chaos Emeralds for me".
"Sure! Race ya!"
Sonic took off towards the central tower with high speed. Shadow followed him all the way up the tower until they both reached the lab before the rest of their friends.
Eggman was awaiting them there, standing next to a large ring-shaped object elevated high off the ground. The machine had all of the seven Chaos Emeralds contained within the innermost part of it. The mad doctor gave his signature chilling grin once he was face to face with the heroic Mobians.
"Greetings, Sonic and ignoramus friends!" Eggman greeted. "I'm so glad you could be here! I was just about to test something."
"Just what exactly are you planning this time, doctor?" Sonic demanded.
"You see, there's a little problem with our relationship, Sonic: you always win!" Eggman replied. "But that all changes starting today!"
"What does your machine do, doctor?" Shadow asked.
"I actually got the inspiration from you, Shadow! You know how you can teleport using Chaos Control?" Eggman replied. "Well, this machine uses the Chaos Emeralds' energy to transport any target to another world!"
"And let me guess: you plan to use it on us!" Tails said.
"Not all of you, just Sonic. With him out of the way, I can finally build my glorious Eggman Empire!!" Eggman replied with a laugh.
"Not if we take the Emeralds out of your machine before you can use it!" Sonic said.
Sonic used his Spin Dash to attempt to smash the glass housing the Emeralds, but there was no damage at all! The entire team was shocked to say the least. Doctor Eggman just laughed.
"How do you like my diamond-based glass, rodent?" You won't be able to use brute force to break it!" he said with a mocking tone.
"Then we'll just have to tear the machine apart until they fall out!" Knuckles said.
Eggman pulled out a speaker hidden in his right sleeve. "All troops, converge on the lab! We have intruders!!"
Suddenly, the room was filled with armed Badniks and Egg Swats. Sonic and his team would have to take on the oncoming robot hordes until they could retrieve the Emeralds. But as the team was fighting off Eggman's forces, Shadow noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Eggman was turning the ring machine in different directions. A bright rainbow-colored portal formed within the center of the ring. And it was aimed right at Sonic!
"And now, my formidable adversary, it's time to say 'goodbye'!" Eggman shouted before firing a beam form the ring.
"Sonic! Look out!" Shadow said.
As Sonic turned around, the beam was just about to hit him. But Shadow teleported over to Sonic and pushed him out of the way of the beam. Shadow felt the beam strike him in the back with enough force that he went flying backwards. As Shadow was losing consciousness, he looked at Sonic with a small smile.
"Be faster next time, blue," Shadow thought before sleep took him.
Canterlot High School - Football Field at Nighttime
Sunset Shimmer had a lot on her mind. In fact, she hadn't paid attention to Rainbow Dash as she was absolutely decimating the other team at football. It was a thought that haunted her throughout the entire day.
"You seem a bit distracted today," Twilight asked.
"Well, I've been thinking about something I want to try," Sunset replied.
"Ooooooooh, what is it?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I... I want to try starting a group of friends made up of former villains," Sunset replied.
That response made the other members of her friend group look at her with wide eyes. They did not expect to hear something like that. A friend group made up of former villains? Their kneejerk reaction was to think that the idea was crazy. But Sunset had proven to them that redemption was indeed possible. Besides, how many of their new friends were once crazy villains themselves?
"That sounds like a good idea, darling!" Rarity said.
"Yeah, a friend group of people with common ground is certainly something that could work," Twilight said.
"Do you have anyone in mind to join this group?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, Wallflower Blush and Juniper Montage are definitely on my list, but I kind of want to explore outside options," Sunset said.
"'Outside options'? Like who?" Rainbow asked.
"You may not like it, but I was thinking of extending the hand of friendship to the Sirens," Sunset replied.
"The Sirens?!" the others shouted collectively.
"Why would you want to have them as friends?" Applejack asked with venom in her voice.
Sunset raised an eyebrow at all of them. "How many of our friends, including me, are former villains? Besides, the Sirens can't regain their former power, so it should be safe".
"While that's true, what makes you think they'd want to be friends with the ones who defeated them?" Rarity asked.
"Look, maybe they want to put the past behind them and be friends and maybe they'll reject my offer," Sunset said. "All I can do is try".
The other Rainbooms seemed to be considering this. The worst thing the Dazzlings could do was say no. They don't have their former Siren powers so interacting with them should be safe. And who knows? Maybe they can find it in themselves to be redeemed like Sunset.
"Well, even if they say no, we'll support you all the way," Twilight said.
"We're going to be right there for you if you need us," Fluttershy said.
"Thanks, girls," Sunset said.
After a group hug, the other Rainbooms all went home for the night, leaving Sunset all by herself outside the vacant football field. Taking this isolation as an opportunity to think, Sunset walked around the football field trying to think about how to ask the Dazzlings to join her villainous friend group.
"Maybe I can just ask them if they want to join?" Sunset wondered to herself. "Maybe I should ask them if they want to be friends first. Or I could take them out to lunch and get them in a talkative mood".
All of these options seemed viable, but Sunset couldn't accurately predict how the Dazzlings would react. Sonata may be more open to accepting friendship, Aria may just not care, and Adagio just may reject her outright. But either way, some of them would be better than none of them.
Before she could ponder the matter further, a bright light suddenly flared overhead in the center of the football field. From within the light, something emerged from it before landing on the ground. A shocked Sunset looked over at what exactly just came out of the light. She couldn't identify what she was seeing at all.
A short furry creature with black and red fur and quills lay on the ground sleeping. Sunset cautiously approached the creature to get a better look at it. It was male, had a white patch of chest fluff, gloves, rings around his wrists and ankles, and strange-looking shoes on his feet. His rising and falling chest indicated that he was indeed alive.
Suddenly, the creature's eyes shot open and fixed themselves on Sunset. Sunset leapt back with a start, scooting away from the creature on her hands and feet. The creature meanwhile, got up to his feet and looked around with a look of confusion. He then turned his eyes to Sunset and began to walk towards her. The creature gazed into Sunset's eyes with his own glowing red ones.
"What is this place?" he asked in a dark voice.
"Th-this is Earth. The city of Canterlot," Sunset replied quietly.
"Then I'm not on Mobius anymore. This is going to be annoying," Shadow thought to himself.
"I-if you d-don't mind me asking, who are you?" Sunset asked.
"It's Shadow. I am Shadow the Hedgehog," Shadow replied.
"Nice to m-m-meet you," Sunset replied. "My name is Sunset Shimmer".
Sunset Shimmer opened her apartment door and made way for her "guest" to enter. Shadow walked in and immediately began to take in his new surroundings. His expression was fixed and still as a statue.
"Doesn't express much, does he?" Sunset thought.
"So, uh... bathroom's just down the hall and the kitchen's to the right," Sunset said with uncertainty.
"It's fine. Where will I be sleeping?" Shadow asked.
"The couch opens up to form a bed," Sunset replied.
She walked over to the couch, removed the pillows and cushions, and pulled out the springy bed and mattress. Sunset put pillows and blankets on the bed for Shadow, who just watched her the entire time. Once everything was set up, Shadow simply sat on the bed and looked to Sunset.
"I can tell you want to ask me questions," Shadow said. "I'll answer any questions you have. You deserve that much".
Sunset was shocked to hear something like that. She didn't expect Shadow to be so forthcoming about this. Despite his dark and brooding exterior, Shadow can be quite considerate.
"Well, then, where do you come from?" she asked.
"I come from a planet called 'Mobius', a planet similar to yours," Shadow replied.
"Also, you said you're a hedgehog? I've never seen a hedgehog like you," Sunset said.
"I am a hedgehog. And your question tells me that you've never encountered Mobians before," Shadow said.
"That's not the weirdest thing I've heard before. Actually, I'm not from this planet myself," Sunset said with a small smile.
Shadow looked at Sunset with slightly wider eyes. "If you're not from here, then where are you from?"
"I'm from a magical world of talking ponies," Sunset replied.
"Hmph. As a talking hedgehog, I can't really say that's weird," Shadow said. "I guess that gives us something in common".
"Yeah... I guess it does," Sunset said with a smile. "Though when I got here, I didn't make a good impression".
"Yeah?" Shadow said.
"When I got here, I didn't have any friends. Instead, I decided to take my own lonely feelings out on others," Sunset said. "I bullied others, manipulated them, and I even absorbed magic power and turned into a literal Demon".
Sunset wasn't sure why she was just spilling her guts to a talking hedgehog she just met, but it was strangely comforting to talk to someone about her past darkness. Shadow seemed to be a good listener. Then, Shadow looked away.
"I can understand what it's like to take your pain out on others," Shadow said.
That really hooked Sunset's attention. The look in Shadow's eyes were the same as hers when she was wracked with guilt over what she did. Maybe she and Shadow had more in common than she thought.
"You, uh... you wanna talk about it?" Sunset asked.
Shadow then turned his head away from Sunset completely. It saddened her to see Shadow like that, but she decided it was best not to pry. If Shadow wanted to share anything with her, then she'd wait for him to.
"It's okay! You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Sunset said. "But if you ever want to talk, know that I'm right here".
Shadow didn't say anything. He just continued to look away from her with his arms crossed. Sunset stood up and made her way to her bedroom. But before she closed the door, she looked back to Shadow.
"Goodnight, Shadow!" she called to him.
"... Goodnight, Sunset," Shadow said back.
And with a grateful smile, Sunset closed the door and went to sleep.
Sunset's Apartment - The Next Morning
Sunset woke up with a yawn. She stumbled up from her bed and made her way to the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked over and saw that Shadow was already up and helped himself to a bowl of cereal.
But the curious thing was that there was a second bowl for her. Sunset looked to Shadow with gratitude.
"Thanks for making me a bowl, Shadow," Sunset said.
"It's nothing. Back on Mobius, one of my teammates would always sleep in," Shadow said. "It would be up to me to cook breakfast for her".
"She sounds like a sleepy person," Sunset said with a giggle.
Shadow silently harrumphed. "More like lazy in the morning, but she was good at her job".
"What was your job?" Sunset asked.
"We were government agents tasked with protecting the world from supervillains," Shadow replied.
"That kind of sounds like me and my friends," Sunset said.
Shadow looked at Sunset. He didn't smile, but there was sincerity in his voice and curiosity in his eyes.
"They sound like good people," Shadow said.
"You know, some of our new friends used to be villains," Sunset said. "I've been looking to start a friend group made up of former villains. If you'd like, you could join us".
"I'm sorry, but I'm no social butterfly," Shadow said. "But perhaps I could do activities with you from time to time".
"That would be nice," Sunset said. "Well, thanks for breakfast, but I've got to get to school".
Sunset got dressed and out the door, leaving Shadow alone in the apartment. Shadow was about to go take a shower when he happened to glance into Sunset's room. A black backpack sat alone by her bed.
"Hmm. Sunset left her backpack. I should track her down and give it to her," Shadow said.
Since he memorized the way to Sunset's apartment from the school, he was able to teleport there using Chaos Control. He grabbed the backpack and charged up his inherent Chaos Energy.
"Chaos Control!" he cried before disappearing in a blast of light.
...
At Canterlot High's Common Area
Sunset walked up to the rest of the Rainbooms, with the addition of Juniper Montage and Wallflower Blush, with a smile on her face.
"Hey girls! How are you?" Sunset greeted.
"We're doing pretty good," Juniper replied. "The Rainbooms told me and Wallflower that you wanted to start a friend group of former villains. I gotta say that I'm fully on board with the idea."
"I think it sounds good, too," Wallflower said.
"Alright! I think we should hang out at lunch to try to get things out in the open for us to talk," Sunset said.
"Okay!" Juniper said.
The next thing any of them knew, a bright flash of light appeared between Sunset and the rest of her friends. To the surprise of everyone there, a strange red and black creature stood between them with Sunset's backpack in one of its hands. To Sunset, this creature was all too familiar.
"Shadow! What are you doing here?!" Sunset asked.
"You forgot your backpack," Shadow replied handing her the mentioned backpack.
"Oh. Uh, thank you, Shadow," Sunset said. "How did you get here?"
"I used an ability called 'Chaos Control'. It allows me to teleport to other places," Shadow replied.
"Oh, that sounds useful," Sunset said.
"It's gotten me and my team out of some pretty bad situations," Shadow said.
"Uh, Sunset. I don't wish to interrupt but... who is this?" Rarity asked.
Sunset now had a lot of explaining to look forward to. Though, it was probably going to take a while. She gestured to Shadow with a smile.
"Girls, this is my new friend as of last night: Shadow the Hedgehog. He, uh, just arrived on our planet last night," Sunset replied.
That got Twilight to give a Pinkie-sized smile and a bright gleam in her eye. She rushed over to Shadow and bent down to speak to him face-to-face. Shadow simply stood there unfazed.
"You're from another planet?! What is it like? Do you have a spaceship you came here on?" Twilight asked rapidly. Sunset had to pry her away from Shadow.
"Twilight, calm down! There'll be time to get to know him better later," Sunset said before turning to Shadow. "Right now, though, you need to get back to my apartment. I'll be back later."
"Why not let him stay, Miss Shimmer?" a familiar voice asked.
The group turned around and saw Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna walking over to them. They seemed interested in what was happening with them and Shadow. Both women had gentle smiles.
"Perhaps we could allow Shadow to accompany you and learn more about our planet," Celestia said. "After all, we're no stranger to otherworldly beings in this school."
"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" Shadow asked. "You don't know me or the planet I'm from."
"Come on, we have magic, a former unicorn, and former villains attending this school, so this is nothing new for us anymore," Luna said. "Even an alien hedgehog."
"I'm not even a student at this school, so is it really okay for me to just follow Sunset around," Shadow asked.
"Well, we could just say that you're here for cultural exchange. That should keep the school board happy," Celestia said.
"You hear that, Shadow? Looks like you'll get to hang out with me and my friends for the day," Sunset said. "It surely beats hanging out alone in my apartment."
Shadow closed his eyes in thought for a moment before turning to Sunset. "I suppose I can accompany you today."
The girls all seemed to happy to hear that, given their squeals of delight. As Shadow looked at their smiles, the more they reminded him of his first friend's smile. Shadow sighed at the memory and followed the girls to their classes.
"Maybe... maybe this world isn't so bad after all," Shadow thought.
Shadow followed Sunset through her usual classes until they came to the cafeteria to get food. Once he got his tray, he went to go sit with Sunset, Wallflower Blush, and Juniper Montage. These girls were sitting separately from the rest of Sunset's usual friend group and were sitting at their own table. As one would expect, everyone in the cafeteria walked over to the table to interact with Shadow. There were all looking at him with awe and were giving him a barrage of questions.
"Are you from another world?"
"You're really a hedgehog?"
"You're shoes look cool."
"What's the food on your planet like?"
The Ultimate Lifeform tried his best to answer all their questions without popping a blood vessel. As he was nearing his boiling point, Sunset stood up and waved them off.
"Everyone, everyone! Shadow's trying to simply eat his food in peace! There will be more time to answer any questions later. Right now, leave Shadow in peace for the time-being," Sunset said.
The crowd dispersed to go back to their own tables to eat their lunches and Shadow gave Sunset a grateful look. He let out a calming sigh as he continued to eat his food. Sunset sat down next to Shadow.
"Sorry about that, Shadow. I guess an anthropomorphic hedgehog is a lot for them to take in," Sunset said.
"It's fine. Their curiosity is understandable," Shadow said. "I do appreciate you for making them leave."
The group sat in silence for a while until Juniper spoke up. "So, what are we going to call our group of former villains?"
That was something Sunset hadn't thought about, yet. Now that Juniper brought it up, it sounded like a good idea to come up with a name for their former-villain friend group to give them a sense of unity. She put a thumb to her chin in thought for a good name. Shadow's ears perked slightly when he heard the question.
"You're... forming a group of former villains?" he asked. "That's quite an admirable endeavor."
"Thanks, Shadow. Me and Juniper and Wallflower here all used to be villains ourselves until we changed our lives for the better," Sunset said.
"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly did you do?" Shadow asked.
Surprisingly, the girls seemed eager to share their "exploits" with him. Juniper went first.
"I trapped Sunset's friends in a magic mirror and was going to destroy them by shattering the mirror," Juniper said.
"Me? I used a magic stone to erase everyone's memories of Sunset as revenge," Wallflower shared.
"All I did was turn into a rampaging she-demon and attempt to take over multiple worlds," Sunset said with a chuckle.
Each of the girls were laughing at the memories of their past actions as if it was something to laugh about. Shadow found it a slight bit odd, but at least they could laugh it off. He began to wonder of he should tell them what he tried to do in his past. If they learned that he tried to destroy Mobius, they may think that he didn't deserve to be around them. They may reject him completely, an outcome that made Shadow's heart race slightly.
"There's no way they'd want me around after I tried to destroy my home planet. Better to just ask if I could join them," Shadow thought.
"Would it be alright if I join your group?" Shadow asked. "Obviously, I am the only one of my kind here on this planet and none of my companions have arrived here with me. It would be nice if I had others to talk to while I try to find my way home."
"Of course you can join us, Shadow," Wallflower said. "We'd love to have you with us until we find you a way back to wherever you came from."
"Thank you," Shadow said. "I wonder what Maria would say right now. She'd probably say she's proud of me for making new friends on a different planet."
The bell rang to signify the end of lunch period. As they walked back to the classes, Shadow looked out the front doors of the school and saw the large horse statue just outside. His internal Chaos Energy slowly surged the longer he looked at the statue. Something about the statue was reacting to his own energy, elevating his curiosity.
"Odd. Maybe I should try looking into that statue later," Shadow thought. "I hope the rest of my comrades are doing alright."
Planet Mobius - With Sonic and Co
The fight was over. Eggman got away, the base was destroyed, and the Blue Blur regrouped with his friends just outside the perimeter of the base's walls. Sonic was upset about the fact that Shadow pushed him out of the way of Eggman's beam, but not as upset as Rouge, who was crying tears of combined anger and sadness.
"What the hell happened back there?!" she shouted. "What did Egghead do to Shadow?!"
"Rouge, calm down. We'll figure out what happened," Sonic said soothingly before turning to Tails. "Tails, any ideas about what happened?"
Tails thought back to what happened during the fight. Eggman fired up a new device and fired a beam at Shadow. It could've been a new weapon, but the machine didn't look like it was designed to kill the target. But if it wasn't meant to kill the target, the only other option was that Shadow was still alive, just not on Mobius anymore.
"I have reason to believe that Shadow is still alive, but he's not on Mobius anymore. I think Eggman's beam may have sent him to another world entirely," Tails replied.
Rouge grabbed Tails by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you sure Shadow's still alive? Can you find a way to bring him back?"
"I'll have to try to see if I can track him throughout the universe first. After that, I'll create a way for us to bring him back," Tails replied.
"That's good to hear. I miss sparring with him," Knuckles said. "He has a mean right hook."
"And I enjoy him joining me and Cream for tea," Amy said. "Shadow has good taste in tea and I enjoy baking cookies for him."
Rouge turned to Amy when she heard that, her ears perked up in curiosity. "Shadow joins you and Cream for tea?"
"Yeah, he does so whenever GUN gets his nerves bent out of shape," Amy replied. "You'd be surprised how much of a tea connoisseur he is. And Cream loves having him around to play with her."
"That's... really sweet, actually," Rouge said. "Nice to know Grumpy Quills cares about others."
"Huh. Never knew Shadow was the 'tea and babysitter' type," Sonic said. "Alright, let's see if we can get Cream's babysitter back!"
The crew zoomed off to try to get Shadow back. Sonic was just as worried as Rouge for Shadow's well-being. Yeah, the two had a more friendly rivalry nowadays, but he still cared for his brooding friend.
"Hang on, Shadow. We'll get you back, buddy," Sonic thought with determination. "I swear it!"
Earth - With Shadow and the Rainbooms
The school day concluded quickly enough. Shadow's fully stomach made him fall asleep during chemistry class, but he wasn't there to learn. He was simply there to be kept company during the day. Sunset led Shadow and the others towards the football field to show them the crater Shadow made.
"This is where Shadow and I first met. He simply appeared out a ball of light," Sunset said.
"Do you have any idea how you got here, Shadow?" Fluttershy asked.
"I was joining my comrades in a fight against a known supervillain on my planet and he used a machine to send me to your planet," Shadow replied. "Knowing Sonic, he's more than likely celebrating his victory with a hug plate of chili dogs right now."
"'Sonic'? He's one of your friends?" Applejack asked.
"More like a friendly rival. He can be annoying, but he has a hero's heart, so he has my respect," Shadow replied. "In fact, it was me saving his blue butt that got me here in the first place."
"What's Sonic like?" Pinkie asked.
"He's brash and reckless, but he's noble and kind. He's a hedgehog like me, and we're both known for our speed," Shadow replied.
That got Rainbow Dash to look to Shadow with a great deal of interest. A competitive gleam shone in her eye as she spoke to Shadow.
"You're really fast? Can I see some of your speed?" Rainbow asked.
"Sure. A good run sounds good right about now," Shadow replied.
The whole football field had a track surrounding it, a perfect place for Shadow to showcase his speed. He settled on the track and did a few warmup stretches and got into a running position. Shadow primed his rocket skates and shot off like a bullet.
Despite the wind in his ears he could hear the screams and gasps of the girls as he continuously looped around the football field at tremendous speed. Shadow was going so fast that the world around him was nothing but blurry blobs. He could make out Rainbow Dash looking particularly shocked at seeing a display of speed. Shadow smirked as he came to an instant stop.
"How was that for speed?" Shadow asked.
"That... was... AWESOME!!" Rainbow asked. "How are you that fast?!"
Shadow clicked his skates on the ground with a smirk. "My rocket skates. I'm fast enough on my own, but my rocket skates give me a great boost."
"Where'd you get rocket skates?" Twilight asked, taking a closer look at said skates.
"My creator gave them to me. He was a good man, a great man," Shadow replied.
"Wait, you said 'creator'. What do you mean by that?" Rarity asked.
Shadow looked away from them as he spoke. There was a nostalgic familiarity in his voice as he spoke, and it was a tone that made the girls slightly concerned.
"I'm a bio-engineered organism created by a brilliant scientist named Gerald Robotnik, who was in charge of a government science space station called the Space Colony ARK. I was created for the purpose of curing his terminally-ill granddaughter, Maria Robotnik," Shadow replied. "She was my best and only friend. Maria was brighter than the stars we often looked at from within the ARK, and I loved her dearly."
"Maria sounds like a good person," Twilight said.
"Yeah, both she and Professor Robotnik were good people," Shadow said. "They were my family, but the government that hired the professor feared the power I can use, so they sent soldiers to storm the ARK, take me away, and kill the scientists involved with my creation."
That last bit got their eyes wide. Sunset spoke tentatively.
"Does that mean that... ?" she asked before Shadow finished for her.
"Yes. The professor was captured by the soldiers and he ordered me to escape the ARK with Maria," Shadow said. "I got into one of the escape capsules, but Maria didn't follow me. Instead, she closed the capsule and was about to launch my capsule until one of the soldiers came into the room. He order her to get away, but Maria pushed the button. The soldier... shot her right in front of my eyes."
At this point, as the memory of Maria's death came flooding back into Shadow's mind, his eyes began to form tears. He tried to keep his usual expression, but it was hard to do with him seeing Maria falling to the ground with blood pooling around her. Shadow's breathing pitched as he tried to keep the tears and memories at bay. He would've burst into a crying fit if it hadn't been for the warmth that suddenly enveloped him. He opened his eyes to see that Sunset was hugging him.
"Shadow, I'm so sorry you went through something so awful," Sunset said. "I don't care that you were made in a lab or whatever, we'll never abandon you."
Those words struck deeper than Sunset would ever know. No one had ever said those words to him after Maria's death. He felt as if a huge, painful weight had just been lifted from his chest. After 50 years of pent-up pain, Shadow felt something inside him give away, and wept true tears. He sank into Sunset's embrace and cried into her shoulder. Until he found a way home, he would protect this planet as well as Mobius.
Shadow woke up in Sunset's apartment feeling... good. Better than he'd felt in a long time. His body and spirit felt lighter and fresher than ever before. He walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Sunset. She walked out of her bedroom wearing her pajamas.
"Good morning, Shadow. You look a bit chipper despite your neutral expression." Sunset said with a smile.
"I guess I just had a good night's sleep," Shadow said. "I genuinely feel great after our chat last night."
"Like I said, if you ever wanted to talk, I'll be more than happy to listen," Sunset said.
The pair ate breakfast together until they heard a knock at the door. Sunset opened the door and saw Juniper and Wallflower standing there with smiles on their faces.
"Hey, Shadow! Is Sunset here?" Juniper asked. "We need to talk to her about something."
"Yeah, she's here," Shadow replied. "Please come in."
Shadow led to duo to the kitchen to see Sunset. They all sat down and Shadow got to work making breakfast for them, including classic breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Juniper and Wallflower were salivating at the smells coming from the kitchen.
"I think I might come here more often if there's going to be food that smells this good!" Juniper said.
"Agreed. I didn't know Shadow could be such a good cook," Wallflower acknowledged.
Shadow prepared plates for both himself and the two guests and sat down at the table to enjoy breakfast with the girls as Sunset looked to her guests.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Sunset asked.
"We found out where the Dazzlings are going to be!" Juniper replied.
"They're performing in the park tonight! We can talk to them after they perform!" Wallflower said.
This was something that made Shadow curious about who they were talking about. He ate his breakfast and looked to his new friend/roommate Sunset and asked just who the Dazzlings actually were. She shared how they were magical creatures from her world that attempted to take over their world using dark magic. Shadow took all of this in stride, making Juniper and Wallflower tilt their heads in confusion.
"You don't look surprised to hear about things like this," Wallflower said.
"I've faced demons, gods, and malicious aliens. Magic-stealing sirens doesn't bother me," Shadow said. "Besides, they remind me of a certain scientist I know back on Mobius."
"Oh, yeah? Does he try to conquer your world, too?" Sunset asked.
"Constantly. But thanks to my comrades, he's never succeeded," Shadow replied. "Still, he never gives up and is always back for another round. I oddly admire him for that."
Juniper shrugged. "Even villains can have some admirable qualities, I guess."
The girls and hedgehog finished their breakfast and Juniper and Wallflower got into Juniper's car to drive to school, leaving both Sunset and Shadow to walk. As they walked, Shadow stretched and did something he had never done since... the incident on the ARK. He bent down on one knee in front of the girl and turned to look at her.
"If you want, I can carry you to school," Shadow offered. The girl understandably looked concerned about his request.
"I may be smaller than you, but I am much stronger than I look," Shadow said with a confident smirk.
Seemingly sensing Shadow's powerful nature, Sunset allowed Shadow to hold her bridal style and turned down the street in a takeoff position.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Sunset said with a shaky voice. Shadow chuckled.
"I promise I won't go too fast," Shadow said reassuringly.
With a nod from Sunset, Shadow took off. It was one thing watching Shadow's speed when he raced down the school running track, but actually experiencing such speed for herself was another thing entirely. Everything around her was a blur and the wind in her hair felt great. A sense of euphoria was beginning to wash over her until Shadow abruptly stopped. Sunset opened her eyes to see that they've arrived at school. Her friends were shocked to see them arrive so quickly.
Shadow set Sunset up on her feet, which threatened to buckle under her. She righted herself and smoothed her now windswept hair.
"Did you enjoy your ride over here, Sunset?" Rainbow asked with a smirk.
"It was... certainly an experience I'll never forget," Sunset replied with a slight slur.
Applejack turned her attention to Shadow with a look that said that she was impressed with him. "You must have a strong set of arms on ya if you can carry Sunset all the way here."
"It's fine. Sunset hardly weighs anything to me," Shadow said.
"I'm certainly happy to hear that," Sunset said. "How much can you lift, anyway?"
"I can lift over a thousand pounds," Shadow replied.
There was no way the girls expected a three-foot anthropomorphic hedgehog to lift that much weight. Shadow simply crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought.
"The last time I ever carried someone was my best friend from Mobius. She always liked me carrying her whenever I went for my daily runs," Shadow said.
"You have a best friend?" Pinkie asked.
"Had. I had a best friend," Shadow replied. "She's... in a better place now."
It was all too clear what Shadow was implying here. The girls stood in silence for a bit until the school bell rang, prompting the girls and hedgehog to head inside. Shadow's mind was now too focused on Maria to really pay attention to what most of the teachers were saying until he went to gym class with Rainbow Dash.
*****
In the School's Track Field
Shadow was eager to begin running with the other students. He thought that a good run would take his mind off Maria for a while, especially since Rainbow Dash was there with him. She reminded him too much of Sonic to ignore her, and he knew that they would get along great if Sonic was on Earth with him.
The coach of the gym class, Spitfire, blew her whistle and spoke with all the authority of a drill sergeant.
"OK, class! Line up at the start so we can begin the running course!" Spitfire said before looking at Shadow. "Our newest transfer student will be joining us today, so treat him with fairness and respect!"
"Hmm. She's... surprisingly nice under that soldier's exterior. I like her," Shadow thought to himself. Rainbow took a position next to Shadow on his right.
"You ready for a race, hedgehog?" Rainbow asked competitively.
"I never back down from a challenge," Shadow shot back.
Spitfire lifted a hand in the air and dropped it down to signal the run. Shadow and Rainbow took off like bullets. While the rest of the students were running at normal human speeds, the rainbow speedster and the alien hedgehog were zooming by as blurs. Shadow smirked as he skated beside Rainbow.
"Hmph! You're reasonably fast for a human, I suppose," Shadow said.
"You're pretty quick yourself, for a hedgehog from another planet," Rainbow fired back.
The two racers were on the verge of breaking the sound barrier when they heard Spitfire blow her whistle. Shadow and Rainbow stopped running and looked to see Spitfire smiling at them.
"I can understand having fun in gym class, but maybe don't make a sonic boom while we're all here?" Spitfire asked with a chuckle.
"My apologies. I suppose we got caught up in the excitement," Shadow said.
Shadow and Rainbow went back to their regular classes and joined the rest of the Rainbooms for the day. Shadow knew that the plan was for Sunset, Juniper, and Wallflower to go talk to the Dazzlings after their performance in the park tonight. He thought about joining them in case things don't turn out too well. Shadow also thought that he could join them at some point. If the group was made up of former villains, then maybe they'd accept him no matter what. Besides, Sunset had Maria's loving spirit, so he knew he could trust her.
I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter. They all belong to their respective creators.
Canterlot Central Park
Shadow followed Sunset, Juniper, and Wallflower to the park where the Dazzlings were said to be performing. As they walked through the park, Shadow noted how many people were walking through the park to get to a clearing in the center of the woods. Shadow gently tugged on Sunset's sleeve.
"Are the Dazzlings... popular?" Shadow asked.
"They're pretty popular singers. Ever since their gems got destroyed, they've lost the dark magic their voices had, but they've made a comeback as local celebrities," Sunset replied. "I've actually heard some of their songs without my friends knowing, and their songs are straight bops!"
Shadow smirked at Sunset at her mentioning that she never told her friends about their songs. He crossed his arms as he looked to Sunset.
"I'm guessing your friends would have reservations about you listening to songs from your former foes?" Shadow asked.
A very obvious blush appeared on Sunset's cheeks and she scratched the back of her head. "Eh... maybe."
"Maybe they don't understand the concept of separating the artists from the art," Wallflower interjected.
"Regardless of their past actions, they are great singers," Juniper said. "I even have an entire Spotify playlist with just their songs alone!"
The other three looked to Juniper.
"Are you perhaps a fan of the Dazzlings?" Shadow asked.
"I'm a huge fan! I'd like to ask them for their autograph while we're there!" Juniper replied.
Juniper wouldn't have to wait long as they followed the crowd to the forest clearing to see a stage that was set up on the far side with a large crowd in front it. The group worked their way to the front of the crowd and waited for the Dazzlings to appear. After a few minutes of waiting, a girl with poofy golden hair appeared on stage with dazzling purple eyes and a happy smile. Sunset bent down to whisper to Shadow.
"That's Adagio, the older sister of the Dazzlings. She masterminded the whole world domination plan a while back," Sunset said.
Shadow kept his eyes glued to Adagio. He could feel a leader's confidence oozing from her, and her golden hair reminded him of the time he gave Maria's hair a blow-dry. It turned out just as poofy as that, too. Shadow had a feeling that he would somehow like these Dazzlings if he met them.
"She definitely seems like the leader type. It might make convincing her to join us a bit more difficult," Shadow said. "Her sisters might be a different story, though."
Adagio walked onto the stage like a queen walking to greet her subjects. She walked up to the microphone in the center and spoke enthusiastically.
"Hello, Canterlot!" she greeted. "Are you all ready from some sonic relief?!"
The crowd erupted in excited cheers to reply. Adagio was about to speak into the microphone again when her eyes fell on the familiar sight of Sunset Shimmer in the crowd. Her eyes narrowed slightly in a glare until her eyes met Shadow's. Adagio's expression turned to extreme confusion until she remembered that she had to address the crowd. With a few glances back to Sunset and Shadow, Adagio spoke to the crowd again.
"Well, then. Without wasting any more time, me and my sisters are happy to get this concert started!" Adagio said. Shadow looked to Sunset with a shrug.
"I get the feeling that we won't have to ask for permission to meet with them after the concert," Shadow said.
Shouts and cheers blared as the rest of the Dazzlings appeared on the stage. Adagio stood in the middle with her sisters Aria and Sonata by her side. The colorful lights came on as the girls started their performance.
By the end of the concert, Shadow was more than impressed by the musical talents these sisters possessed. Juniper was jumping up and down in absolute elation. Shadow gave a small smile at seeing her like that. It made him happy knowing that Juniper was having fun at this concert. He then turned to his new friends.
"I think we can try to get backstage to talk to the Dazzlings, now," Shadow said.
The group snuck around to the back of the stage and saw the Dazzlings actually waiting for them. As much as they didn't seem happy to see Sunset, they were genuinely surprised to see Shadow the Hedgehog with her, and their faces switched to those of curiosity. Aria let out a sigh.
"I'm not even going to ask why you have an anthropomorphic hedgehog with you. I've seen too much to let this bother me," Aria said.
Sonata let out a squeal and suddenly scooped Shadow into her arms in a hug. Shadow was surprised, but decided to let her hold onto him, as she wasn't squeezing him like a python.
"Who's your new friend?" Sonata asked Sunset. "He's soooooo cute!"
"That is Shadow the Hedgehog. And he's obviously from another world," Sunset said. "But that's not why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you about a proposition."
Adagio looked suspicious of her former enemy. She and Aria looked to each other in suspicion while Sonata was blissfully hugging and petting Shadow. She looked back to Sunset with her arms crossed.
"What do you want, Shimmer?" Adagio asked with a small dose of venom in her voice.
Sunset cleared her throat to begin her little sales' pitch. She was sincerely hoping that the Dazzlings would like to join her group and put the past behind them. The flame-haired girl spoke in a friendly voice to really drive her point home.
"I'm starting up a group, a group of friends that used to be villains. I'd like for you to join us as new friends," Sunset said with and outstretched hand and a smile. "We'd love to have you as friends."
The Dazzlings were surprised to hear that Sunset, their former enemy, was inviting them to join her in a friend group of has-been villains. It was a bizarre thing for them to hear. Adagio walked up to Sunset with her arms crossed.
"Let me get this straight: you beat us in a battle, took away our magic, force us to scrounge around her meager earnings, and you expect us to join you in a group of friends as if that never happened?" she asked.
"Well, it sounds pretty harsh when you put it like that, but what I'm saying is that I'd like for us to move on from this and start over as true friends," Sunset replied. "I don't want us to be enemies anymore."
"Why would we want to hang out with the girl who humiliated us?" Aria asked.
It was at this point that Shadow managed to gently pry himself from Sonata, who was smiling at Sunset.
"I actually think that we should join," Sonata said, earning surprised looks from her sisters. "Look, ever since we lost our powers, we've actually grown closer as a family than ever before. Aria actually helped me with my hair yesterday and you gave me a compliment about my new skirt, Adagio."
There was no denying the truth about Sonata's claims as they looked away with red faces. Adagio turned back around in an attempt to save face.
"Th-that was because you have surprisingly good fashion sense! That's all!" Adagio said.
"Y-yeah, a-and your hair needed better b-brushing, Sonata!" Aria said.
Now, Shadow took this time to step in. He looked to the Dazzlings with a similar pleading look.
"It may not be my place to say this, but I think you should take Sunset up on her offer," Shadow said. "I know what it's like to use power to hurt others, and it doesn't always feel good. You don't have to be alone in this world anymore. You and your sisters can be happy with those who can get where you're coming from."
At least Sonata seemed to be on board with the idea, as she hugged Shadow again. "As long as I get to snuggle Shadow every now and then, I'd love to join!"
The other two sisters looked to each other uneasily and then back with Sunset with stern looks. Adagio spoke first.
"I... suppose I can't refuse if my youngest sister wants to join your club," Adagio said with a sigh.
"Someone has to be there to keep Sonata out of trouble and my older sister could use my help, so... I guess I'll play along with you," Aria said.
With the Dazzlings on board with Sunset's group, the rest of the group minus Shadow swallowed the Dazzlings in a huge group hug. Adagio looked away from Sunset's smiling face.
"D-don't get the wrong idea! We're not friends, yet!" Adagio said. "We are just joining a group and that's it!"
"That's fine. We can work on being friends later," Sunset said.
Shadow watched the loving display with his gaze turning upwards towards the sky. As much as he loved his new human friends he wondered if his friends were working on a way to bring him back home. All he could do was hope that he'd be able to find a way back to Mobius as soon as possible.