Oh-kay... so a bit of backstory before I start. So, I challenged my friends on this site, Zappy and Flora, that we each write a fanfic on the topic each person gives the other, meaning 2 one-shot topics each. This little one-shot was Zappy's challenge to me. Regretably, I have to mention Shadow the Hedgehog in this... but I make up for it with the sheer amounts of awesome poured into it! Anyways, enjoy Destiny...
Destiny… we all have our paths we have to walk. We may stray from our journeys, but those who try will find their way, no matter how cloudy the path they follow…
Shadow stood before the bald man on his knees, pleading for his life. The black and red hedgehog scoffed, holding a green gem into his hand. He turned his head, looking to a pod that held a similar black and red hedgehog. His clone… or it was more that he was a clone. The original Shadow, as he knew, died a long time ago, sacrificed to save the world. This Shadow was born to take over the world. And take over the world he shall…
"Please, Shadow! Don't do this…" the man, known as Dr. Eggman, Shadow's creator and grandson of Gerald Robotnik, who created the original Shadow, pleaded.
Shadow turned to his robotic friend, a large red and black robot with an Omega on his arm. "Omega, finish him…"
"TARGET LOCKED ON. EGGMAN, PREPARE FOR JUSTICE…" the robot replied, aiming his weapons at Eggman.
"Shadow, please! You don't know what you're doing! You're not…" he started to say before he was finally silenced by Omega's bullet.
Shadow walked towards the pods, pressing a button to unlock them. As this occurred, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. A blue hedgehog looked at him with a shocked expression, unable to believe what the hedgehog had done.
"Shadow, what do you think you're doing?!" the hedgehog demanded.
Shadow turned, smiling evilly. "I am Shadow Alpha! I am an android of the original Shadow created by the man you see before you! I shall unleash my brothers upon this world and conquer this pitiful planet! This is who I am!" he cackled, as he rose into the air with the power of the green gem. Before the blue hedgehog, Sonic, could react, a massive explosion flooded the room with light.
The future… this world is a future lost to darkness. Lost to shadows… I don't know how this world came to be this way, but people say that it happened when shadow betrayed and destroyed the light. It has been many years since the androids took over. Many heroes have fallen since then… I don't know how long this war has to go on, but we must try…
Silver stood before the war-ravaged world. Everything had changed since Shadow had betrayed this world's heroes, either killing them or converting them into androids. All that remained was Silver and a small group of resistance fighters to stop the Shadow army and bring peace.
"Is it all worth it, though…?" Silver hesitated. He then turned, expecting another android, but instead there stood a middle aged rabbit, staring at him with tired eyes.
"Silver…" the rabbit said, "Tails wants you right now…"
Silver looked over to her, then nodded. He walked into the resistance base, which was a simple shelter to keep the group protected from the androids. Silver and the rabbit moved through the group of Mobians and humans who had survived this long in the Android onslaught. They eventually came upon a middle aged fox with two tails, who wore an eye patch over one eye.
"Silver, the Androids are preparing a full scale assault on resistance base. Our only chance of survival is to strike now. We have the army all ready to deploy to take the Egg Castle…"
"Commander…" Silver interrupted, "What happens when this war ends? We just go on without realizing what has happened the past 20 years?"
The fox looked down at the floor with sad eyes. "20 years… has it really been that long? 20 years of this tragedy. We first lost Sonic in the fight, then came Espio and Rouge… then Knuckles and Vector… and Amy…" tears seemed to flow most of all on the last name. "Our numbers seemed to dwindle every day…"
He then turned to Silver. "We made a promise the day Shadow took over. Myself, Knuckles, and Amy… we promised no matter what, we shall return this world to the way it was…"
"I… I understand, sir…" Silver hesitated, realizing what the fox had been through to stop the androids.
"Prepare the troops for battle. We leave at sunset…" Tails ordered, walking into his quarters. Silver turned to go but was stopped by another fox around Silver's age, this one female, holding a cake in her hands.
"Happy birthday, Silver…" the fox said, smiling lightly. It wasn't actually his birthday, but it was the day that Tails found Silver alone and welcomed him into the resistance. Before then, Silver had no memories of who he was and only knew his own name.
"Lynette… thank you…" Silver replied, taking the cake and blowing out the sole candle on top.
"Father told you about the attack, didn't he?" Lynette asked.
"Yes… we leave at sunset." Silver replied.
"This is our big chance. Do you think we can beat him?"
"We must… we'll do it for all the people who have fallen…"
"For mother…" Lynette murmured, looking down to the ground.
Silver held out his hand to the girl, looking into her eyes with determination. "For your mother…"
Everyone had prepared for this moment. The group stood outside the large castle in the distance, which initially belonged to Eggman before Shadow Alpha took over. Silver stood in the front lines of the army, holding a large saber in front of him, standing next to Tails and Lynette, as well as the rabbit, Cream, and an elder bee Mobian, Charmy.
"It's time this all goes to rest…" Tails hesitated, drawing his sword.
"We shall
finish this, old friend…" Silver reassured, placing his hand on Tails's shoulder.
"Right…" Tails replied, raising his sword into the air, causing battle shouts from the resistance army. "For Mobius! For Sonic!"
"For Mobius!" they replied, charging into battle against the army of androids piling out from the castle. Silver blazed through the ranks, using his sword to slice through the robots and throwing them with his telekinetic powers. Lynette followed behind him, whacking any androids with her mother's old hammer. Looking behind them, Silver could see the androids attacking the resistance with laser weapons, killing them all off one by one.
"There's no time to stop!" Tails shouted, hovering above them. Silver and Lynette pushed forward as Tails followed. They reached the interior of the castle, which had been changed since Tails was last in the base to a more metallic and robot feel. The group was about to move ahead, when two robots appeared before them. One was a robot that looked like a female squirrel, while the other was a familiar pink hedgehog robot.
"Mother!" Lynette shouted.
"Sally… I thought you were dead…" Tails gasped, surprised by the discovery of the friend he had lost before the Androids had invaded.
"You are an enemy of Master Shadow! You shall be destroyed…" Robot Sally replied in a monotone, robotic voice. Together, she and Robot Amy attacked the group. Silver deflected the attacks with his telekinesis, and drew his sword.
"No…" Tails interrupted, stepping in front of Silver, "Let me fight them. Your fight is with Shadow…"
"Father, you can't! You'll be killed!" Lynette cried, scared for her father.
"Lynette… be a good girl. You and Silver are the last hope for this world…" Tails replied, smiling at his daughter. He then revealed a small orb and pressed the button on it, activating the detonation. A tear formed in his eye as he looked at the robots. "Looks like we go out together after all, my love. I am here to free you from your suffering… goodbye…"
Silver and Lynette ran up the stairs as the room behind them exploded in a white ball of fire. Lynette fought back the tears as they ran to the throne room. Sitting before them was a black and red hedgehog, similar to the other Shadow Androids the pair had faced. The hedgehog threw off his cape, smiling. "So, you two are here to finally defeat me, eh? You know you cannot stop my brothers even if you defeat me…"
"Enough! I'll finish you and restore the future once and for all!" Silver shouted, running toward Shadow Alpha. The hedgehogs clashed sword to sword as the battle ensued. Lynette was about to help, but more Androids were coming up the stairs. She grabbed her laser gun and began to blast them away.
"You realize you will never win! The world you live in now is under my rule! You strike me down, and that will never change!"
"I made a promise to Tails! I will save this world!" Silver shouted, thrusting his sword through Shadow Alpha. To his surprise, blood began to spill from the wound, as Shadow stepped backward, groaning.
The black hedgehog looked at the blood on his hands and gasped at the final truth. "I… I'm the original…"
"Shadow…" Silver started, moving toward Shadow.
"I am not an android… all my conquest… for nothing…"
"Shadow, hang in there! We'll get you help!" Silver shouted.
"It… it's too late for me… I… I'm sorry…"
"Shadow…" Silver murmured. He looked at the blood coming out from the hedgehog, tears welling in his eyes.
"Maria… I'll be with you soon…" With that, Shadow breathed out for the last time and closed his eyes.
"Farewell, Shadow the Hedgehog…" Silver looked at his shoulder to see Lynette's hand placed upon it. He rose, holding the lifeless body of Shadow in his arms, then turned to leave the castle.
Time… The journey of years and years to get to this moment. Everything that we once knew was gone, and we have a new slate to start over…
Lynette sighed, looking at the plaque on the ground honored to the fallen heroes. The lowest of these names was to Shadow, the hedgehog who had suffered for 70 years with the sins of many on his shoulders. The name above it was Miles Prower, Lynette's father.
"You think things will go back to the way they were?" Silver asked.
"We have to try…" Lynette replied, looking toward Silver and holding his hand. "We have a legacy to continue…"
She looked down at the journal in her hands, which she placed down next to the plaque, opened to the last page. The final words on the journal were written in blue ink compared to black, to honor the hero who had first fallen in this struggle.
My name is Lynette Rose-Prower. I am the daughter of two heroes of this world who lost their lives defending it. Though our past is dark, we have overcome the obstacles and we are going to fix the future. We are the legacy of our ancestors who gave us this land for freedom. Our past is behind us, and we shall create a new future… A future of peace…
Notes: So... post apocalyptic future. If you're curious, Zappy's specific challenge was to write some kind of epilogue to the Shadow Android ending of the game that should have never had come out... Anyways, I really do like Shadow as a character and feel he's kinda been through a lotta crap in the games. I personally liked writing this and making Shadow a bad guy...
Lynette was an idea for the idea of "What if Tails and Amy had a daughter together?" which was based by the TailsXAmy thing on the Sonic questionnaire my profile page. If I ever do include Lynette again, there will be some explanation. Anyways, hope you enjoyed Destiny, and I'll see y'all later. Make sure to review and favorite...