//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Shadow’s in Equestria: A Sonic the Hedgehog/MLP Crossover // by Lord Shadow Eclipse //------------------------------// Sunset's Apartment 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.