The Blue Blur

by MetalJrock

Bonus: The Ultimate Life Form

Luna wandered the void that was the Dreamscape, wondering if there were any ponies in need of guidance. Her eyes gazed upon the many dreams of her subjects. However, something strange caught her attention. "Hm? What is that?" she asked herself.

There was what looked to be a gateway into a dream, except the rift was green. She peeked inside curiously, having never seen something like it before. "That is most peculiar..." she told herself, wondering where it came from.

Then, she noticed something. A horrifying dark creature in a robe stood over what looked to be a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, the two of them were in what looked to be a laboratory. "Is that... Sonic?" Luna asked before shaking her head, "No, it cannot be. Sonic did not look like that. Yet, how am I able to see these dreams if they are from another world?"

Luna listened into the dream, "You are my creation, Shadow the Hedgehog... The perfect weapon." it growled, "It is about time you fulfill your purpose. Destruction, death... To end the weak pathetic humans that you desired to protect..." he murmured,

The hedgehog, Shadow, growled, "N-No... Never..." he sounded like he was struggling.

"It is a futile effort, Shadow. You shall join the Black Arms!"

Shadow hissed, getting to a knee, as though the entire world was weighed over his shoulders. "D-Damn it..." he cursed, "Grr..." he held his aching head, hoping for the pain to end, that he wouldn't bow down to his creator's evil.

'Shadow...'

"Hm?" Luna asked at the same time as Shadow upon hearing the foreign voice of what sounded like a little girl.

'I beg of you... Please do it for me, for all the people on that planet...'

Those words echoed in Shadow's mind, snapping him out of his trance. He stood up, no longer trembling, "I am no longer the weapon you created me to be, Black Doom. Even in my mind, you and my past cannot haunt me." he declared aloud.

"What?" hissed Black Doom.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog..." Shadow began, taking a step forward towards the stunned Black Doom. "The Ultimate Life-Form. Created by Professor Gerald Robotnik to protect Mobius! Not a slave to you, the doctor, or anyone else! This is who I am!"

"You cannot hope to fully triumph over your nightmares!" Black Doom mocked. "The time will come when you will betray everything you stand for!"

Shadow managed a smirk, "Hmph. Chaos..." his entire body was covered in a red aura, "Blast!" then Black Doom evaporated in a red aura, vanishing without a trace. A scream of agony heard as Shadow repressed his powers once Black Doom was gone. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, "I can sense your presence." he pointed out, knowing that Luna was there.

Luna slowly nodded and walked into the dream, standing on the strange surface near a window that peeked out to the stars, "Pardon my intrusion, but does thou know a Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Shadow huffed, "What's it to you?"

"He is a close ally to my world, my name is Luna. Princess Luna." Luna explained, holding a hoof to her chest, "I am most surprised to have some form of connection to his world though if I am correct."

"Hmph. You must be one of the ponies Faker mentioned then. What are you doing in my mind? How did you even find a way to this world?" Shadow asked.

Luna responded, "As Princess of the Night, I am tasked to guard the dreams of our subjects. I was not anticipating to find your dreams, and I do apologize for my appearance."

Shadow sneered, "You should. I am not one of your lowly subjects." he dismissed.

"...But it looks like something haunts thou mind." Luna pointed out. "May I be able to aid you? Your mind looks to be burdened. Burdened with a hidden darkness."

Turning around to glare at the alicorn, Shadow said, "No. Leave now. What I deal with is none of your concern. My past is over, what happened then doesn't matter. Now go before you really get on my nerves." he grunted.

"..." Luna paused, wondering if she could get the black hedgehog to thaw only a little, she didn't want him to deal with these types of nightmares now that she knew about them. It was the least she could do for a friend of Sonic's, "I too had a darkness in me." she slowly revealed.

Shadow looked at the alicorn, wondering what she meant, "Yes, Thy watched the little display and was ready to intervene to aid you. It seems as though you were conflicted with who you were."

Gritting his teeth, the black hedgehog scowled and snarled, "That. Is none of your business."

Luna gulped, "Y-Yes, I am aware... But I just wish to aid you. To mayhaps end these night terrors." she suggested, "I only want to help."

Shadow folded his arms, "I do not need help. Now leave before I repeat what you saw with Black Doom." he walked away from the alicorn, desiring for her to leave her mind. However, something fell in a light breeze in the station, a small picture. Seeing it, Shadow snatched it in his hand and glanced at it.

On the picture was him, an older man that looked like Eggman with a gray mustache, and a little girl with blonde hair wearing a blue blouse. Shadow merely narrowed his eyes at it before his gaze softened, memories good and bad flooding his mind again.

'Maria!'

BANG!

"Who are they?" asked Luna, taking a peek at the picture.

Shadow huffed, "None of your concern."

Luna pursed her lips, "That doesn't seem the case for you."

"Hmph. You're rather persistent." Shadow admitted.

Luna nodded, "I only wish to remove the darkness that clouds the minds of anypony. Including you. I solemnly vow to not disclose anything. The minds and inner thoughts of everypony are private. It is a daunting task, but it is my sole responsibility."

The black hedgehog frowned, "I did not ask for a therapist. My mind doesn't need to be dissected. It's a recurring dream, nothing more, nothing less. It's nothing I can't handle. What you saw are remnants of my past, that's it. I moved on." he insisted. "I don't have any issues that you should concern yourself with."

"I too had a darkness in me, Shadow." Luna revealed, "It clouded my mind until it took complete control of my actions. Jealousy of my sister, our subjects loving her day while they feared the night. I seeked total conquest of my world for eternal night, and waited a thousand years on the moon to have my revenge. It took the purity of the Elements of Harmony to return me to my senses. But I had my sister, and my friends to guide me to earning the trust of my subjects after so long. I was feared for a millennia, Shadow. Is it not fair to keep that fate from befalling you?" she wondered, glancing at the black hedgehog.

It was strange for Shadow once he finished listening. He could feel something else in his mind. Another voice, not Black Doom, but a stranger, mocking him. Yet it also sounded familiar.

The landscape changed into a volcano to fit the strange memory. Standing on a pillar was someone who looked like Shadow, but he had no mouth and his stripes were bright purple and another Shadow, possibly to fill the memory, 'After the world was devastated... What do you think happened? A search for the guilty. Who did this, you may ask? Humanity wasn't just jealous of your power. They feared it.' he raised a finger once that sentence was finished, 'They used this incident as an excuse to hunt you down...' he saw a cage, where Shadow was trapped.

"What is this?" Luna asked.

The real Shadow shook his head, "I am not sure... I do not recall this happening."

The memory Shadow closed his eyes, 'That's absurd. Whatever it is you wanna do, you can do it alone.'

The fake Shadow huffed, 'You forgive humanity for this folly then?'

The strange memory of Shadow declared, 'I determine my own destiny.'

Then, the dream faded back to the station Shadow and Luna started off at. Luna blinked, "What was that?"

"As I said, I do not know." replied Shadow.

The Princess of the Moon sighed, "I see... P-Perhaps I should take my leave then." her wings unfurled and she was ready to leave the dream, believing Shadow didn't need help.

"Whoever that was is right." came a deep voice.

Shadow silently folded his arms, looking at Luna, who stopped walking to listen, "Humanity does fear my power, like your subjects did for you. But no matter what, I won't stop fighting for them. It is what I promised to Maria all those years ago. It is what the Professor created me for before he went insane."

"Maria... The girl in the picture." realized the alicorn. "Who is she and this professor to you? You were created?"

"People I held close to me... But then the day came. They were taken from this world. I was created with the DNA of a barbaric alien race and the military didn't like the implications so they raided this place, the Space Colony ARK. Maria..." he closed his eyes, "After her untimely demise, the Professor went insane and implanted false memories into my mind before he was executed, allowing me to swear revenge for her. But I came to... I remembered what she promised. To protect the planet she loved. Sonic thought I perished."

Luna's mouth was agape, "I was conflicted without my memories, the leader of the alien race came to me saying he could explain my past to me if I did his bidding. I brought terror to the world for a bit as I went on my mission. I gave him the Chaos Emeralds, but learned that the Professor created me to destroy this race, the Black Arms. So I did. I am unsure of what fate has in store for me now that I know the truth of my past, but I will protect my world. In honor of Maria, and no longer shall I dwell on it." Shadow finished.

"I.. See..." Luna whispered, "To know you endured so much is hesrtbreaking. I can see why your mind is so... clouded."

Shadow manages a thin smirk, "Hmph. I guess we share a little something in common then. We want to move on from our pasts, and it takes the aid of others to guide us. The burden of what I've done is mine alone though, that much is certain."

Luna nodded, "Thy share that sentiment. But the burden was too much for me. I was so blinded by guilt, I nearly destroyed this very mindscape with the Tantabus. I too do not wish for anypony else to share that fate." she admitted.

"Then don't let your mistakes bother you."

"Huh?"

Shadow slowly nodded, "We've made mistakes. It is a matter of how we move on from our past that defines who we are. Even if your subjects fear you, even if you feel guilty, do not let that change who you are and your purpose. You are a princess, your kingdom comes first. I do not dwell on what I've done and focus on the present. Perhaps you should do the same."

"Hm... I see..." Luna muttered. "I have faith you shall never go the dark path of what you endured. Even if the world was against you, if you are tempted with evil, just do not lose focus if who you are. It seems we both learned that lesson that hard way. Do not burden yourself with these inner nightmares even if you don't show your guilt. Follow your advice, focus on the present. Even if it means getting some help. I had my sister and my friends to help me move on. Perhaps you should do the same?" she suggested.

"...We'll see." Shadow stated.

Luna wiped her eye, "It was quite nice meeting you, Shadow the Hedgehog. It's nice to see heroes besides Sonic, Tails and Knuckles protect your world, especially somepony who's gone through so much in their lifetime."

"Hero... No, I'm not one." Shadow denied with a shake of his head, "I'm just doing what I think is right."

Luna smirked, "Very well, Shadow. For now I must bid you farewell, though. For there are other ponies in need of guidance."

"Hmph. If you must." Shadow huffed, "Farewell."

And so, Luna flew out of the rift that was Shadow's mind, leaving her to her own thoughts, 'How did I end up there? Why was the mind of Shadow the Hedgehog there? Is there perhaps a connection to Sonic's world I am unaware of? Maybe I should speak with Celly about it.'

Back in his mind, Shadow looked down at the picture taken all those years ago. He then walked away after gazing at the stars, "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Outside in the mindscape was somepony in a cloak, 'I hope that was enough to clear his mind. I sense dark times coming. And I do not wish for Shadow to befall the twisted fate that awaits him when the darkest hour of his world occurs.' whispered Illumina, having reached Equestria from Maginaryworld, 'HIs dreams have been crowded in corruption and I fear there is a reason for that.'

---

Now...

Shadow the Hedgehog stood among the legion of villains among the rubble, his red eyes glaring down upon both Sonics, the ponies, and the new fighter with them. He stood with Chaos, Zavok, and Metal Sonic, all allied with Eggman, a few rogue Equestrians and a new entity called Infinite. Chaos and destruction had successfully been brought to this world.

And he was playing a part in it.

"...S-Shadow...?" gulped Sonic, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Shadow didn't say anything, and instead looked up to the entity with the red aura, Infinite. The darkest hour had come, the villains have banded together, the Eggman Empire had won, and Sonic will be destroyed by his hand.

Author's Note:

This is the result of me rediscovering the lost theme to Shadow the Hedgehog, Broken. And listening to his soundtrack again.

So I thought I'd give a little bonus chapter to flesh out his original personality before his apparent turn to villainy for Forces. But we'll see what that whole thing is about when it comes out.

Comments

[castroedgar316]

If I had to guess, You're going to wait until you play forces to make a continuation of this, am I right?

[sonicfan05]

Interesting addition to the story. Hopefully we'll find out why Shadow joined Eggman in the upcoming Sonic Forces game.

[MetalJrock]

8422381 I am. I'll probably make an update blog about what how I'm gonna handle it once I finish the game.

8422404 I am praying his character isn't regressed. I accepted it in Boom, but I can't here. Not after we spent like four games developing his character.

[SuperMarioHero8881]

8418910
I'm starting to think Eggman made Infinite, considering the story trailer shows Infinite in a stasis capsule, and that he used the Phantom Ruby to create him

[SonicAKG]

I liked reading this. Nice interaction between Shadow and Luna, with a good tie in to forces at the end.

[knigsonic]

huh, strange, I thought I faved this. Oh well. Now to read this and then the sequel

[sonictj3]

So does this mean the DLC of forces' episode shadow will have Luna along for the ride?

[MetalJrock]

8524149 Not likely.

[unknowncape7377]

8524282
Well you literally copied the 'true' (aka the one after 10 different endings) ending from the game:Shadow the hedgehog

[jisow777]

If I'm not mistaken, Shadow is one of the few who actually remembers the events of 06

[horses are fuckin weird]

Back in his mind, Shadow looked down at the picture taken all those years ago. He then walked away after gazing at the stars, "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow, you aren't Sonic.

[tempesthot-head]

Poor Shadow. He's really traumatized about Maria's death but he would be. She was like a surrogate sister/mother like figure to Shadow and he lost her with a bullet. If he ever finds the soldier that shot her he's gonna kill 'em. They took away his only happiness. If Maria was ever cured he wouldn't be the way he is. Protective? Yes. Mean? Possibly. Alone? No. I get where he's comin' from with his personality. He wants friends but 1: no one wants to be his friends except for Sonic and his crew. 2: he doesn't want to lose anyone else he cares about. Poor Shadow. He's been told to move on from his past and let go. That's hard to do since he holds guilt about not able to save Maria. Shadow, if you ever need to talk or a friend you can come to me. I'll listen all ears. I'm the same way y'know. I'm just like you. Also is Shadow mind controlled in this? He wouldn't side or band with Eggman for any reason. If Sonic said anything bad about him and Shadow found out Shadow would just beat him up.

[Princess Elytra]

11509028
Old School Archie Comics.