The city of Spagonia was currently under attack. The city looked to have been under attack for the first time in a long based on how little damage it appeared to have suffered in comparison to other spots on the planet. The soldiers sent there did their best to fight the Eggman Empire, and it was clear this was the biggest attack they’ve dealt with.
Rainbow Dash huffed at the sight of the Phantom Shadow standing before her, “Okay, fake Shadow. This is the closest I’ll get to a rematch with the real deal so bring it on!” the fake Shadow skated towards the brash pegasus and leaped, his foot directly aimed for her face.
“Chaos Control!”
Time came to a crawling halt for the real Shadow as he jumped and roundhouse-kicked his evil doppelganger away. The effects of the Chaos Control ended, leaving Rainbow Dash speechless as the fake Shadow suddenly appeared on the floor and faded away. “What the heck did you do that for? I had it covered!”
“You were messing around like a child and was left wide open. I merely did you a favor.” Shadow silently huffed.
Rainbow grumbled something under her breath, but Shadow could tell she was mumbling about how he was getting on her nerves. Honestly he didn’t really care, he was here for a mission and that was it. “If you’re finished muttering nonsense, I’d like to remind you that we have to reach the university.” Shadow told her.
The pegasus nodded, “That’s right. I can scout ahead and clear the skies so your trek there is easier.”
“If you must, just don’t go screwing around again.” Shadow ordered.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, whatever. Just don’t get in my way.”
Rouge smirked and sarcastically said, “You two are getting along pretty well.”
Shadow replied, “I can see why Sonic gets along with her, they’re both equally juvenile.”
“Take it from me, she’s pretty cool to have around. You just need to get used to her attitude.” Rouge said.
Shadow crossed his arms, “Easier said than done.”
“I’m friends with you, aren’t I?” Rouge joked before taking off behind Rainbow Dash. Shadow sighed at the quip and silently shook his head, wondering how he put up with them.
Espio jumped from the rooftop and landed next to Shadow, “Another sector of the city is secure, Shadow. It may seem light but I fear that our toughest battle lies on the campus.”
Shadow agreed, “That’s what I’m expecting. Has Silver cleared any areas of the city?”
“Not that I know of. He’s still trying to dismantle the Death Egg Robot last I checked.” Espio revealed.
“You can go aid him. Rouge, Rainbow Dash and myself will check the university for Queen Chrysalis.” Shadow said, Espio nodding before vanishing. The hedgehog put a finger to his ear, “This is Shadow. Are there any updates to this diversion?”
“We’re on our way back from Angel Island.” said Applejack through the comms.
Twilight said, “We’re nearing the untouched sector of Green Hill as we speak. Our plan should keep the Empire busy.”
Sonic added, “Starlight and I are still waiting on Twi’s team to finish their part. Infiltrating the plant will be a lot easier to do once that’s done. How are things in Spagonia?”
Shadow said, “The damage is minimal compared to most regions. The doctor only brought one Death Egg Robot and small swarms of robots and changelings here. Chrysalis might be intended to be the bigger threat, but she won’t last long.”
“She can be tricky. Just keep your guard up.” Twilight warned.
Shadow ended the call and started to skate, following behind Rainbow Dash and Rouge.
Espio threw some shurikens at the smaller Eggman robots, the metal projectiles going through them. The soldiers were able to guide the civilians to safety because of this, all of them thanking the ninja chameleon as he leaped to the next rooftop. He noticed that this attack was tame compared to the one on South Island, he believed that Eggman was saving his forces for the inevitable bigger battles to come.
That’s when he saw Silver struggling to hold a robot back from stomping on the civilians. The Death Egg Robot’s foot was held in the air thanks to the future hedgehog’s telekinesis. Silver turned his gaze to his old friend and asked, “A little help, Espio?”
“Of course.”
The chameleon ninja leaped as high as possible, touching the Death Egg Robot’s foot. He used it to bounce off of and gripped onto the shoulder of the giant robot. Espio used the rope of his kunai to lasso around the robot’s head, spinning around its body to gain enough momentum to reach its eyes. Espio curled into a ball once he released the rope and spun right through its face, breaking through the other side of the head and landing on a rooftop. “You should no longer face resistance from it, Silver.” Espio revealed to his time-traveling ally.
Silver nodded and thrusted his hands, launching the robot into the sky. He clenched a hand and the robot exploded. Hastily finishing the job, the hedgehog grabbed the debris and placed it on the ground as softly as he possibly could. Silver sighed and sat down, wiping the sweat off his face. This war has been the most he’s ever used this much power and it was clear it was wearing him down.
Espio leaped down and aided his friend to stand, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah… just a bit drained.” Silver admitted, “Don’t worry about me. We should get the people to safety.”
“Very well. In the meantime we should also gather the rest of this town’s militia to help with the escorts. I fear that we may have some more battles ahead.” Espio warned.
Silver smiled, “Then let them try to stop us. We worked together great last time, so we should be able to take whatever bad guy comes at us no problem, right?”
Espio also smiled at his friend’s youthful enthusiasm, “Indeed.”
Silver and Espio jumped to the roofs and found some soldiers fighting back the army with their Wispons. They decided to lend a hand, Espio focusing on stealth while Silver held the changelings. A dog slammed their Cube Wispon on the ground and turned the enemies in the area into cubes. He slammed it again and finished the job. A wolf swung her Lightning Wispon and destroyed a remainder of the robots.
While they were doing this, Espio appeared behind a changeling and Spin-Dashed their backs. He flipped and threw a shuriken at an Egg Pawn. The ninja landed and chopped another changeling in the throat. All the enemies he attacked faded once he was done. The soldiers gaped in awe at Espio, the dog saying, “No way, you’re the Espio!”
“There is no need for fanfare. I am only here to help.” Espio said.
Silver hovered down and pushed back more robots charging after them, the force of his attack causing them to combust. A cat cheered, “Yeah, Silver’s here too! This is actually kinda cool!!”
The hedgehog chuckled at that, “Yeah, thanks.” he then put on a serious face, “Listen, we’re rounding up the civilians to escort them to safety and the both of us can only handle so much alone. Think you all can lend us a hand?”
The soldiers saluted, “Of course. Just give us the word and we’ll follow!”
Rainbow Dash spotted Spagonia University close by in her flight, “So this is the place, huh? It sure does have that ‘school’ feel alright. I’m already not liking it.” she flew right through a changeling, it turning into cubes upon contact. She also stomped on an Egg Flyer and kicked down a Buzz Bomber during this.
“You’re just itching for a fight, huh?” Rouge questioned, appearing next to the pegasus.
Rainbow growled, “Yeah. I’d be more than happy to take down another member of Eggman’s team, especially somepony as annoying as Chrysalis. She’s a pain in the flank.”
“Well it looks like you’d get your chance. I’m seeing a big bug lady in there as we speak.” Rouge revealed.
“What?!” Rainbow sped up her flight and shattered the window. For a split second she saw Chrysalis near an older man, who was hiding behind a desk. Before anything could be done to him, Rainbow tackled the changeling queen and pinned her to the ground.
“You!” Chrysalis snarled.
Rainbow smirked, “Yeah, it’s me. One of the ponies you hate so much. If you’re even the real deal!”
Chrysalis shot a green beam from her horn and launched Rainbow Dash, “I’m real enough to destroy you for good. I should’ve just killed you and your friends earlier, but then again, it wouldn’t be as fun if you all weren’t together to suffer as I feed from your friendship.”
Getting her bearings, Rainbow Dash flipped and drove her left hoof directly onto the changeling queen, “Nah, I like living thank you very much.” he taunted. Chrysalis gagged. The pegasus jumped off the rogue queen’s body and narrowly avoided another beam. She turned her head to the older man and said, “Are you gonna move or what?”
“Oh, that is quite a good idea. I shall let you attend to this, miss.” the man replied. He crawled away from the room while Rainbow held off Chrysalis as long as she could. The man stood up once he reached the door and composed himself once he saw Rouge, “Well this a surprise. I assumed Sonic and Tails would arrive here.”
Rouge replied, “They’re busy on a separate mission. You’re Professor Pickle, right?”
Professor Pickle said, “Indeed I am. I’m glad you were all able to aid us. I assume that pegasus in the other room is your friend?”
“She is. Where are the civilians housed here?”
Pickle responded, “In the rooms. I have done my best to provide food and shelter, mostly by feeding them my homemade sandwiches, but Eggman has chosen to fasten his efforts to conquer this city. It would be wise to leave before this escalates.”
“I agree.” Rouge turned on her comms, “Silver, Espio, what’s your status?”
“We’re rounding up the bystanders as fast as we can with the town’s militia.” Silver explained, “Why?”
“We’re at Spagonia University. The people here need to be escorted out too. Get here as soon as you can. I think Shadow and Rainbow Dash can distract Chrysalis long enough for us to do this.”
Espio responded, “We will be there as soon as possible then.”
“Wait, Queen Chrysalis is there, right? You two can go on ahead, I’ll aid Shadow and Rainbow Dash. She’s not an easy foe to face.”
“If you insist. If we need backup, we’ll let you know.” Rouge ended the call, “Espio and the town militia are on their way. While we wait, we should gather the people you brought here.”
“I see. But what of the bug being over there?” Pickle asked.
“The pegasus, Rainbow Dash, is a capable fighter. Her, Silver, and Shadow can keep her busy while we do this.” Rouge assured. The two ran off to find the people sheltered in the school and get them to safety.
Back with Rainbow Dash, the pegasus grunted in pain as she took a punch from Chrysalis, “I’m surprised you’re putting up this much of a fight alone. Maybe this won’t be so easy.”
Rainbow suddenly vanished in a rainbow blur once her wings flared outwards, she constantly smacked Chrysalis with each precise movement. The changeling queen was unable to react to any of her attacks. The pegasus then reared her hoof back and pushed Chrysalis out of the building, shattering a window in the process. Rainbow huffed and said, “You fakes have done more damage to this world than the real deals back on Equestria. You got lucky last time, but now it’s time you vanished like the other Phantoms.”
“Oh, it’s not gonna be that easy, Rainbow Dash.” Chrysalis boasted.
Rainbow raised a brow, “How so?”
Using her magic, Chrysalis pinned Rainbow to the ground and stood on her body, “Have you noticed anything strange about me compared to the other fakes you encountered?”
“I dunno, you’re as annoying as them- AGH!” Rainbow grunted as Chrysalis slammed her head on the floor.
Chrysalis chuckled, “I have yet to turn into those cubes you keep seeing. I would allow you to piece the rest together, but I believe it’s time to make an example out of you.”
“No you won’t!” said a younger voice while Chrysalis found herself trapped on a teal aura. Silver waved his hands and tossed Chrysalis aside like a ragdoll. While she composed herself, the silver hedgehog aided his pegasus friend to her hooves.
“Nice save.” Rainbow complimented.
Silver said, “It’s no problem. Rouge and Espio are getting everyone to safety, so I thought I’d lend a hand in the meantime.”
“It seems the fight is in our favor then.” said Shadow, finally arriving to the scene.
“About time you showed up!” Rainbow huffed, “If you’re gonna use more of your Chaos powers or whatever now would be the time to show off.”
Shadow replied, “Unlike you, I don’t need to show off during situations like this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the pegasus asked.
Chrysalis laughed, “Look at you two bickering like children. The only regret from draining you is no longer having this entertainment.”
“Hmph. You’re nothing but talk. Care to back up those claims?” Shadow insisted.
“And I’m the show-off, huh?” Rainbow muttered.
Silver started to glow his usual aura and aimed his powers at Chrysalis, striking her with a teal burst of energy. Chrysalis countered this with her magic and laughed, “Do you really believe this can stop me?”
“I think we can.” Rainbow pointed a hoof to the black hedgehog, who drove his fist onto Chrysalis’ stomach before she could even see it happen.
Shadow looked at her, “You made a mistake using me as a puppet. I’ll admit I was distracted last time, but now I’ll make sure I’ll finish what I started. Then I’m going after the doctor.”
The hedgehog kicked the changeling queen. Chrysalis slid on the ground, unable to react as Rainbow Dash flew to her and punched her jaw. The pegasus turned around and kicked the queen in the back, making her collapse. Rainbow turned to Silver and asked, “Yo, Silver. Think you can pin her down?”
“I can try.” Silver said, still feeling worn down from taking down the Death Egg Robot. Despite this, he extended his arms and covered Chrysalis in his aura. He said, “There.”
“What is this?” Chrysalis questioned.
“Your end.” Shadow stated in a matter-of-fact tone, clearly done with this fight. He stomped on Chrysalis’ back and said, “The Eggman Empire’s end is going to start with you.”
With green overtaking teal, Chrysalis scowled and her horn glowed. Silver’s hold on her ceased. While he struggled to get his bearings, the changeling queen struck the silver hedgehog with magic and knocked him down temporarily, all while Rainbow Dash tried to reach her, “Correction, the end of the Resistance will start with the lot of you.”
“I prefer what Shadow said.” Rainbow admitted, finally reaching Chrysalis. The pegasus grabbed the queen and threw her into the air. Using her wings, Chrysalis hovered, but Rainbow used her speed to her advantage, a rainbow blur suddenly smacking Chrysalis in the face. She started moving back and forth, landing a hit with each instance of them meeting. Annoyed, Chrysalis tried to punch Rainbow, but the pegasus dodged it, unknowingly taking a volt of magic to the face.
Trying to adjust herself, Rainbow flapped her wings and wiped at the small mark on her face, “Uncool!” she shouted. She tried to strike back, but was blasted again by Chrysalis, launched back into Spagonia University. She screamed in pain as the window shattered upon the force of her being launched through it. “Oh man…” she muttered, trying to shake the cobwebs out of her head. She was leaning on a now broken desk, it collapsing under her crash landing.
Chrysalis tried to follow her, but Shadow warped in the air and grabbed her tail, spinning and throwing her down, the queen screaming as she descended. Shadow threw a Chaos Spear down and stunned her long enough to continue his attack, “I intend to keep my word.” Shadow declared, raising his fist again. He punched Chrysalis repeatedly, and she started to laugh, “Hmph. Finally getting enjoyment out of your defeat?”
“No… heh, it’s just that Infinite has told us your every weakness.” Chrysalis mocked. She shot Shadow, blinding him for a second and changed her form. When Shadow opened his eyes, he started to shake.
Pinned to the ground was a blonde-haired little girl, someone that Shadow knew all too well. One of the few people Shadow has ever cared for in his lengthy lifetime. “How’s this, Shadow?” Chrysalis, now in the form of Maria Robotnik, mocked.
Shadow growled, now hesitating, “You dare use her likeness?!”
“Oh, I understand now. She’s one of the small number of people that you grew attached too. I can sense that love from you.” Chrysalis continued to taunt. Shadow’s fist continued to tremble, “For someone who has moved on from his past, it sure seems to be a touchy subject! Come on, Shadow! You know you cannot harm this innocent face!”
Stepping out of the window, Rainbow watched Shadow’s frozen form, “Shadow? What are you doing?! What’s happening?”
Shadow hissed, not hearing what Rainbow Dash said, “I… I can’t harm her…”
It finally dawned on Rainbow what was happening and she flew towards him, “Shadow. I don’t know who that is or how she’s connected to you, but that’s not really her! Chrysalis is just toying with you!”
Chrysalis said, “Silence, pegasus!” she changed back for a split second and bumped her horn onto Shadow’s head, causing his eyes to turn green. She turned back to Maria and spoke in her voice, “Oh, Shadow. This bad pony is trying to hurt me! Please get rid of her for me.”
Shadow coldly said, “I will, Maria.”
“No!” Rainbow shouted, “Come on, we just saved you!”
Shadow slowly marched her way. Rainbow knew she wouldn’t be able to outpace him so she tried to talk him down, “Look, I know the two of us don’t get along, but hear me out, please… You’re not a villain, Shadow. And I’m sorry for what I’m about to do to your brain.”
Without warning, Rainbow used her hooves to pin ‘Maria’ while standing. Chrysalis spat, “What are you doing?”
“This Maria person is special to you, that much I get. You won’t think to ever hurt her. But this isn’t her, I’m sure the last thing she wanted was to hurt others.” Rainbow insisted. This made Shadow pause. “The real Shadow is a hero, one that wouldn’t dare to let anyone use him like this. Now snap out of it, Shadow and help me kick Queen Chrysalis’ butt!”
Shadow huffed and got closer. Then he stopped. He remembered the promise he made. He remembered the guilt he felt when Sonic and Tails removed the Phantom Ruby’s influence. He remembered his purpose. The green glow on his eyes faded and Shadow struck the fake human, causing her to revert back to Chrysalis. Rainbow Dash released her grip on the changeling and stood at Shadow’s side.
“How dare you?!” Chrysalis snarled. Shadow and Rainbow responded by punching her. Suddenly a teal aura covered her, the heroes saw Silver, sweating as he held her down.
“You used me as a puppet to torment Mobius.” Shadow punched Chrysalis, “You used Maria’s image against me.” he struck her with a Chaos Spear, “You’ll regret the day that you trifled with the Ultimate Life-Form, Chrysalis. It’s time you learned that lesson!”
“NO!”
Chrysalis created a large green aura that covered the immediate area. Shadow, Silver and Rainbow Dash were all caught in it and were knocked back. By the time things cleared up, they noticed that Chrysalis was no longer there. Rainbow stomped on the floor, “Darn it!”
Silver sighed, “Another escape… Sorry I didn’t get up earlier.”
“This isn’t on you, Silver. Chrysalis just caught us off guard, but we’ll get her next time.” Rainbow assured.
Shadow crossed his arms and spoke to Rainbow Dash, “I must admit you handled the situation better than I anticipated.”
“Told you!” Rainbow said.
Silver added, “We should check up with Rouge, Espio, Professor Pickle and the others.”
“We’ll follow, but first we’ll scour the city.” Shadow replied. Silver nodded and ran off to find them.
Shadow sighed, “I must thank you.”
Rainbow tilted her head, “For what?”
“For aiding me in the battle with Chrysalis.” Shadow explained, “She got me in a vulnerable spot and you helped me fight through it.”
Rainbow said, “It’s no problem at all, dude. I’ll always help a friend out, no matter how stubborn they can be…” she paused, “What was that all about anyway if you don’t mind me asking?”
The hedgehog paused, wondering if he should explain. This wasn’t a story he was willing to tell anyone. He decided to tell a shortened version, “Maria was the first friend I had. She was taken from this world too early.” the look in Rainbow’s eyes shifted into pity once he said that, “Before her death, she wanted me to protect this world she loved so much, and that’s a promise I want to keep in her honor. The doctor made me break that promise and Chrysalis almost made me do it again, but because of you and Sonic I can now deliver payback for that.”
Rainbow slowly shook her head, “I’m… sorry to hear about Maria. She must’ve been a really awesome person if you consider her a friend.”
“Hmph. Thank you. But you will not say a word of this to any of your friends unless I say so, understood?” Shadow requested.
“As the Element of Loyalty, I’ll do exactly that!” Rainbow said, now ready to lighten the mood, “Hey, so we should catch up to the others and give an update. Last one there is a rotten Eggman!” she flew over the skyline.
Shadow stood there for a second, smirked and then started skating after her.