//------------------------------// // Episode 11: The Shadow Saga (Part 5): Out with a Bang // Story: My Little Pony: The Mobian Era (Season 2) // by Mister E-Nonymous //------------------------------// Episode 11: The Shadow Saga (Part 5): Out with a Bang The rocket shuttle containing Twilight, Sonic, Tails, MC, Amy, Maria and Knuckles was heading up towards Space Colony ARK. What they didn't expect was a little change to it. "Oh, I love what he's done to the place," MC said, sarcastically. "So that's why that section of the ARK was cut off," Maria said. She then looked towards the broken moon and said, "That isn't what the Eclipse Cannon was supposed to be for." "Let's get in there," Twilight said, pointing to the ARK. Just then Knuckles felt something. He could sense the Master Emerald. He then ran towards the front and took the controls. "What are you doin', Knucklehead?!" Sonic asked. The rocket was going out of control. "I can sense the Master Emerald!" Knuckles said. "I have to get to it!" "Knuckles, let go!!" MC said. Then they all shouted out as the rocket was heading towards the colony, crashing into the docking bay. Back in Equestria, the Spirit of Freedom landed outside of the Castle of Friendship. Olive, Cream and Cheese got out and headed for the door. Spike and Mutt saw them coming up. "Where are the others?" Spike asked. "They went up to Space Colony ARK," Olive said. "There was a rocket in that base. I had to bring Cream and Cheese back because of an unexpected complication." She then looked at Mutt, who was sweating. "Oh, my gosh. You knew, didn't you?" "Maria was determined to get up there and convince Shadow," Mutt said. "He was her only friend 50 years ago. She had to go up there." "Okay, okay," Olive said. "I have to get going. There's somebody I need to talk to." Just then, another ship came down from the sky. It was the Patriot Arrow, the ship of Alex Lynol, also known as Midpoint. The door opened up revealing Cozy Glow. "Hello, Cozy." Olive walked up it. "Hey, Olive," Cream said, making her older sister turn towards her. "Mind if I come along with you?" "Alright, but stay close to us," Olive replied. Cream and Cheese followed Olive into the ship. Meanwhile, in Space Colony ARK, Twilight, Sonic, Tails, Amy, MC and Maria all got out of the shuttle. Sonic was upset that Knuckles took over like that. "What's up with that Knucklehead?" Sonic asked, angrily. "The next time I see him, I'm gonna teach him a lesson he'll never forget." "Forget it, Sonic," MC said. "He said that the Master Emerald is somewhere up here. He's going after it. After all, we're gonna have to split up. Sonic, you, Tails and Amy go and find the Eclipse Cannon and shut it down." "Perhaps we can use this," Tails said, holding up the fake Emerald. "Oh, my god," MC said. "You duplicated an Emerald?!" "It's not perfect, but it should make a counter reaction to the Eclipse Cannon," Tails said. "What are you gonna do?" Amy asked. "We're going after Shadow," MC said. "You all better be careful," Sonic said. "He's a ruthless fighter." "I can heal faster than anyone here," MC said. "Maria's a close second when she heals." "We don't have to fight him," Maria said. "Just get me to him and I can explain everything." "Well, probably not the fact that you're not human anymore," Twilight said. "MC, you still have that file?" MC then held out the file containing the papers of Project: PHOENIX. "Good, because we're going to need that to explain to Shadow." "Alright, guys," Sonic said. "Let's do this." Tails then ran over to the X-Tornado, changed it into the X-Cyclone, and started walking with Sonic and Amy in it. Twilight, MC and Maria went in a different direction. Somewhere in Maryland, the Patriot Arrow landed at a Senior Center. Midpoint, Cozy Glow, Olive, Cream and Cheese got out of the ship and all headed for the doors. Midpoint was using his crutches because of what happened to him the other day. "I'm gonna need some help getting up those steps," Midpoint said. "So, why are we here again?" Cozy Glow asked. "We're here looking for a man named Harold Schmitz," Midpoint replied. "Who's Harold Schmitz?" Cream asked. "He's the guy who shot Maria Robotnik 50 years ago," Midpoint said. "According to the president, Harold Schmitz was distraught after he shot Maria and quit the government entirely." "Wow," Cozy Glow said. "Doing something that you regret must've been hard on him." "You've done a lot of bad things," Olive said. "That was before Alex took me in," Cozy Glow said. They all eventually went inside and walked towards a desk where a woman was typing. "Excuse me, miss," Midpoint replied. "We're here to talk with Harold Schmitz." "What about?" the woman asked. "It concerns what he's done fifty years ago," Midpoint replied. "We have some news that he needs to hear." Up in the ARK, Rouge was getting all of the data on Project: SHADOW. "Okay... the password is... Maria," Rouge said. "Wow. Gerald Robotnik really wanted it to be something he can remember." She then noticed something on the file. "Oh. What's this?" Just then an alarm went throughout the room. Rouge looked towards a screen and saw Knuckles heading into one room. "Him again? Guess he'll never get a break." Knuckles then found himself in the room where the Master Emerald was. "Finally!" Knuckles said. He then ran towards the Master Emerald, but he was kicked when he got close to it. "What?!" "Sorry, Knucky," Rouge said to the echidna. "I'm not done with it, yet." "You're gonna regret that!" Knuckles said. He then started fighting Rouge. Knuckle's punches kept colliding with Rouge's kicks. But Rouge got off balanced and fell off the bridge. "AAAAAAAAH!!" Rouge cried out. But then, Knuckles grabbed her before she fell any further. Rouge looked up and saw Knuckles holding onto her. He helped her up, but then she pushed him away. "How dare you touch me!" "You're welcome," Knuckles said angrily. "But you should be more grateful for saving your life." "Fine, whatever," Rouge said. She then walking out of the room. "What about the Emerald?" Knuckles asked. "Take it," Rouge said. "It's of no use to me." She then headed out of the room, leaving Knuckles confused. Somewhere else in the ARK, Twilight, MC and Maria were running around the place. MC then stopped and got a whiff. "I got a scent," MC said. "Not one I recognize." "Than it must be him," Maria said. "Follow it," Twilight said. Then the three of them headed off somewhere through the ARK, MC taking the lead. Back on Earth, Midpoint, Cozy, Olive, Cream and Cheese walked into the room where Harold Schmitz was. He wasn't looking towards the door from his sofa. "I told you people that I don't want to be disturbed between meals," the old man replied. "Harold Schmitz," Midpoint said. "My friends and I are here to talk about Maria Robotnik." That made the old man gasp. He then sat up and turned towards the group with an angry look. "Get out." "She's still alive," Midpoint said. "My grandfather, Doctor Terrance Lynol, was one of the scientists that worked on Space Colony ARK fifty years ago." Harold got surprised when Alex said that Maria Robotnik, the girl he shot, was still alive. The group was sitting on the couch as Harold was talking about the incident. "I felt so ashamed of what I've done," Harold said. "She didn't know any better. But when I saw her trying to release the creature, I wanted her to stop. But I saw one of those other creatures behind her. Those energy things that looked like that creature that attacked Station Square." "The Artificial Chaos," Midpoint said. "So Maria was caught in the crossfire by accident," Olive said. "Yes," Harold said. "She was a good kid who didn't know any better." He then covered his face, saying, "I felt so ashamed of what I did to her." He then sobbed a little. Cream and Cozy walked over towards Harold and Cozy said, "It's okay. A lot of us make choices we lived to regret." "Some of us still do," Olive said. "All we can do is hope for a better future." On Space Colony ARK, Sonic, Tails and Amy were heading through the halls of the ARK. Tails was controlling the X-Cyclone, Sonic was in the seat behind him, and Amy was in the back seats. "Man, this place is like a maze," Sonic said. "Wish we would've brought Maria with us." "We also have to find a way to destroy that weapon," Amy said. "Perhaps this can help," Tails said, holding out the fake Chaos Emerald. "A Chaos Emerald?" Sonic asked. "It's not a real Chaos Emerald," Tails said. "If this goes into the weapon that Eggman used, it'll shut down for good." Then they went into one room that was completely dark. Just then, something came in and snatched Amy out of her seat, making her scream. "AMY!!" Sonic called out. Sonic and Tails looked out to see Doctor Eggman, holding Amy, and a gun aimed towards her. "Alright, hedgehog," Doctor Eggman said. "You are going to give me that Emerald, and I'll let her go." "Sonic! Help me!" Amy cried out. Sonic then looked at the fake Emerald and smirked, hiding it from Eggman. He then got out of the X-Cyclone, and walked towards the doctor. "Place it down there in the middle of that circle," Eggman said. Sonic then walked into the circle, putting down the fake Emerald, but then a capsule surrounded Sonic, surprising him. "Did you honestly believe that you could trick me with that fake Emerald?" "How did you know that Emerald was a fake?!" Tails asked, shocked. "TAILS!!" Sonic called out. "Because you just told me, fox boy," Eggman said. "Let him go!" Amy said. "Oh, I'll let him go... to his death," Eggman said. "Say your goodbyes to this blue nuisance." "Sonic!!" Tails and Amy said in unison. "It's going to be okay," Sonic said. "Promise me that you'll keep fighting for what's right. The Freedom Fighters will still be strong, even without me." "Blah blah blah!" Eggman said, pushing a button. "Farewell!" Then the capsule Sonic was in was sent down. Amy ran over towards a window and saw the capsule going into the Earth's atmosphere. Twilight, MC and Maria were running down a hall and when they looked out a window, they saw the capsule. The three of them were surprised. "Sonic's in that thing!" MC said. "Please don't be armed," Maria said. "Please, please." Just then, the capsule exploded. "NOOOOO!!!" the three of them said in unison. Back in the room where Tails, Amy and Eggman were, they were surprised to see the capsule exploded. "SONIC!!" Amy cried. In another room in the ARK, Shadow was watching it. "I guess he was just a normal hedgehog after all," Shadow said. He then walked away. Back with Twilight, MC and Maria, MC got angry. "That's... it," MC said. He then bared his claws. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked, getting worried. "I'm gonna kill him," MC said, heading out of the room. "MC, no!" Maria said, trying to stop him by pulling his tail, but he was too strong for her. "Please! You don't have to do this!" "Eggman is going to pay for what he's done!" MC said. Back in the room Tails, Amy and Eggman were in, Tails was upset that he lost his best friend. He then looked towards Doctor Eggman with an angry look. "You're going to pay for what you've done!" Tails said. "I'll never forgive you for this!" He then fired towards Doctor Eggman, who moved out of the line of fire. Amy then ran out the door, watching the fight from a safer place. Eggman fired a bunch of missiles towards the X-Cyclone, which countered by firing the bullets at the missiles. In another part of the ARK, MC was still walking around the halls, Twilight and Maria still tugging on his tail, trying to stop him from doing something he hasn't done. "How is he this strong?!" Twilight asked. "Not even Applejack was this strong." "I was told that whenever MC is determined on something, nothing can stop him!" Maria said. Just then, they saw Knuckles running down the hall, carrying the Master Emerald. "What are you guys doing here?" Knuckles asked. "Knuckles, you have to stop MC!" Twilight called out. "He's going to kill the doctor!" "What did he do?" Knuckles asked. "Sonic was in a capsule and Julian set it to self destruct," Maria said. Knuckles then put the Master Emerald down and said, "I know this isn't you, MC. But I cannot let you do this." "Don't stop me, Knuckles," MC said. He then charged up his fists. "If I have to get through you to kill Eggman, then that's what it'll take." Then the two of them charged at each other, but then a flash of yellow light appeared in front of the two, surprising them, Twilight and Maria. Coming out of the light was Sonic. "What the heck?!" Sonic laid on the floor in between MC and Knuckles. He then got up and looked at the fake Emerald. "Sonic? How did you...?" Knuckles asked. He then looked at the fake Emerald. During the capsule ride, Sonic looked at the fake Emerald he had with him. "I sure hope this works," Sonic said. He then got a good grip on it. "Chaos Control!" Then the fake Emerald started glowing. Back in the present time, Sonic, Knuckles, Twilight, MC and Maria looked at the fake Emerald. "You caused Chaos Control with a fake Chaos Emerald," MC said. "That's impossible." "You may be right, MC," Sonic said. "But it was my only option." He then stood tall and said, "If I get this to the Eclipse Cannon, it'll shut it down for good." He then started running away from the group. Maria then looked at MC and said, "So, about Julian?" "He'll live," MC said. "But that doesn't mean I won't beat the living snot outta him." Twilight, Knuckles and Maria just watched MC leave. Back in the room with the controls for the Eclipse Cannon, Rouge was finishing up with a file. "Finally," Rouge said. "I got all the information. Now... for the Chaos Emeralds." "I don't think so," came the voice of Shadow. Rouge froze up and turned, seeing Shadow walking in. "I should've known you were a government agent. After all, you knew that three of the Chaos Emeralds were locked up on Prison Island." "So, you caught me," Rouge said. "Give me a break. You should be grateful that I've done so much for you already." "I don't think so," Shadow said. "You are going to pay for what you've done. And I, Shadow, am going to give you that punishment." "Really?" Rouge said. "Because I've been looking through the Project: SHADOW file, and I saw this." She then showed Shadow a file. "In that file, Project: SHADOW was locked up in a capsule and sent down to Earth. But there was more than one capsule sent down to Earth from the ARK fifty years ago. None of those capsules have been found." Shadow grumbled at that. Back at the battle between Tails and Eggman, the X-Cyclone crashed into Eggman's mech. Tails walked from the wreckage, coughing. He had the Chaos Emerald in his hand. "That was a tough battle," Tails said. Just then, the Chaos Emerald was grabbed from him by Doctor Eggman. Eggman laughed hysterically and said, "Prepare for the end of the world as you know it." He then ran out of the room. Back in the room with Shadow and Rouge, Shadow was trying to stop Rouge from leaving. "So, there is a high possible chance that you're not the real Shadow at all," Rouge said. "You could be thinking of the Prototype," Shadow said. "If these are the memories of the original Project: SHADOW, it's all I have left." Just then, his communicator beeped. "This is Doctor Eggman to Shadow," came Doctor Eggman's voice. "I have the last Chaos Emerald. Shadow, I have found out that there's an intruder by the end of the Eclipse Cannon. You have to go and stop that intruder." "I understand, doctor," Shadow said. "I'm on my way." He turned towards the door, still looking at Rouge, saying, "Don't even think about taking the Emeralds." He then ran off. In the section of the Eclipse Cannon, Sonic was walking down the hall. But then, someone came in. "So, you survived the trap." Sonic turned to see Shadow walking towards him. "You really are a unique hedgehog, aren't you?" Sonic chuckled and said, "This might've been a fake Emerald, but it sure did me good." "I can't let you stop me," Shadow said. "The Professor was a genius, and nobody took him seriously." The two of them started running down the area. "You don't have to do this Shadow," Sonic said. "I must," Shadow said. "Maria's dead because of the people down there. I'm going to make sure they get what they deserve." Doctor Eggman ran into the control room for the Eclipse Cannon and placed the last Chaos Emerald into the last spot connected to the Eclipse Cannon. "Finally," Doctor Eggman said. "Time to show the people who truly rules this world." He then slammed down the button that activates the cannon. The Emeralds glowed brighter, but then, everything went dark. "What?! What's this?!" Then on the screens, there showed Professor Gerald Robotnik, chained to a chair, and another screen showing a countdown clock. Starting at 27 minutes and 53 seconds. "Grandfather?" Doctor Eggman asked. Twilight, MC, Knuckles and Maria were running down the halls, but then they saw the screens on the walls, seeing Professor Gerald Robotnik on the screen and the countdown clock. "Grandfather?" Maria asked. "I don't like the look of this," Twilight said. "To the control room!" MC said. The four of them started running. Hoping to get to the control room before it was too late.