Shadow and Mephiles stood in front of each other. Shadow was glaring while Mephiles just smirked along with the Dazzlings. Twilight and Pinkie didn't know what to make of the situation. They heard about Mephiles from Rainbow Dash, but didn't think he would look so much like Shadow, it was creepy.

"It's Shadow's evil twin!" Pinkie yelled pointing at Mephiles.

"Who are you calling evil?" Mephiles asked her.

"We're calling you evil!" Twilight Sparkle yelled at him.

"Well if you want evil, why not look between you two." Mephlies then pointed at Shadow. They girls looked at Shadow, then looked back at Mephiles confused.

"What are you doing here!?" Shadow yelled at Mephiles.

"Why Shadow aren't you happy to see me?" Mephiles smirked. "After all, we're so much alike."

"I'm nothing like you!"

"Are you so sure, Shadow?" Adagio said as she and her sisters smiled wickedly. "Because, Mephiles told us all about you."

"Especially about the ARK," Aria smiled at him. Shadow narrowed his eyes at them. "Oh, did I hit a nerve?"

"What's the ARK?" Twilight asked confused.

"It seems Shadow hasn't told any of you," Mephiles said enjoy to look of Shadow's enraged face.

"Told us what?" Pinkie Pie asked just as confused as Twilight Sparkle.

"You see, Shadow isn't as good as he claims," Adagio answered her in a way. "Especially after what happened to HER."

"Her?" Twilight and Pinkie questioned turning to Shadow.

"Strange isn't it, Shadow?" Mephiles mocked him. "After what you did, you claim to protect the world."

"I'VE CHANGED SINCE THEN!" Shadow yelled.

"Wait! what did Shadow do?" Twilight asked while Pinkie nodded.

"Your dear friend, Shadow, here tried to not only destroy the world, but kill every human on it." Adagio said grinning.

Twilight and Pinkie gasped. Shadow, a kind and wonderful person, tried to do such a thing. Pinkie was the first to recover and yelled, "Your lying!"

Mephiles laughed and said, "Why don't you ask, Shadow? "

The girls turned to Shadow and Twilight asked, "Shadow, he's lying ... right?"

They waited for an answer, but he just turned his head away from them. They knew this meant if he wasn't denying it then it was true. This made made them look down while it made the Sirens and Mephiles laughed at their misery.

"The destroyer turn protector?" Adaigo laughed harder.

"Besides how can you claim to protect the world ..." Mephiles smirked. "... when you couldn't even protect Maria?"

Shadow's power instantly flared. As he grew madder, he growled, "You dare say her name? YOU NO RIGHT TO SAY HER NAME!"

Shadow suddenly launched himself at them. Making a dust cloud, a sideways crater and knocked Twilight and Pinkie to the ground. Shadow focused his chaos energy into his fist and sent at Mephiles's face. Right before it made contact, Mephiles and the Sirens disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Shadow's fist hit the ground and made a huge crater.

Shadow pushed to smoke away and yelled, "Where are you? COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

"All in due time, Shadow," Mephiles voice said on the wind. "We'll be waiting for you in the finals if you want to see me again."

"If you do, you have to beat the Rainbooms," Aria's voice said.

"But then, you might doom this world, but then again why should you care?" Adagio's voice taunted.

"Bye bye," Sonata's voice said.

Soon Sonic and the other Rainboom came to the seen and saw the damage.

They girls went to Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quickly asked, "Girls what happened?"

"Are y'all ok?" Appledjack asked helping Twilight up.

"Who did this?" Rarity asked helping Pinkie up.

"Was it the Sirens?" Sunset Shimmer asked with Futtershy beside her with Spike in her arm.

The two didn't say a thing. They just turned to and looked away. The others followed their gaze to Sonic ran over to Shadow. Sonic jumped into the crater Shadow was in and put him in a full nelson. Shadow, still in his rage, tried to shake Sonic off him.

"Shadow! Its me! Sonic!" Sonic yelled keeping his grip on Shadow. "Calm down!"

"Let go of me, Faker!" Shadow yelled back.

"Remember your promise to Maria!" That made Shadow instantly calm down and stop. As he did, Sonic slowly let go of him. "What happened here, man?"

"Mephiles is here and he's working with the Sirens."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"I need to be alone," Shadow said before teleporting away.

Sonic signed before jumping out. He walk to the Rainbooms and said, "I think its best if we take this to Pinkie's house."

/

Everyone sat in silents in Pinkie's living room, until Sonic had to ask, "What happened?"

Twilight and Pinkie looked at each other then looked down. Twilight then said, "Mephiles and the Sirens confronted us."

"They kept saying some stuff and were being mean to Shadow," Pinkie added.

"They also said Shadow tried to kill everyone in Mobius." The other Rainbooms gasp

"That's obviously a lie!" Applejack yelled.

"Yeah, Shadow would never that!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Shadow couldn't harm a fly!" Sunset added too.

"No, it's true," Sonic said sadly.

"Wait," Everyone, but Twilight, Pinkie, and Sonic yelled.

"Sonic," Twilight started. "Who is Maria?"

Everyone turn to Sonic and saw him look down sadly. "She was someone very special to Shadow."

"Was?"

"She was murdered," a voice said by the door. Everyone turn see Shadow leaning against the door. "By the people of our world!"

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie yelled standing out. "Why would they do that?"

"Because they found out about project 'shadow'."

"What's project 'shadow'?" Rarity asked.

"The medical research program conducted by the United Federation to create the ultimate life form."

"Wait," Rainbow Dash said. "You're the ultimate life form and what do you mean create?"

"Exactly that. I was create, not born."

The girls gasped and Twilight said, "But that's impossible! You can't create life!"

"I'm living proof that you can."

"But that against the laws of nature. It's ... wrong." Twilight said.

"Shadow, what was this project for," Sunset asked.

"To gain a cure." The girls gasp again and Pinkie took a sip of water out of no where and spit it. "and they succeed."

"A cure?"

"It would make sense that the ultimate life form, would have the ultimate antibodies. With my blood, any disease can be cured, even cancer."

"That's true now that I think about." Twilight said.

"I was create ... for Maria."

"What happen to her," Fluttershy asked.

"Maria suffered from a terminal illness. It was so bad, she couldn't even live on Earth."

"Oh my! How horrible!" Rarity yelled.

"The place where I was create and where she was moved to was a orbiting space colony called 'ARK'."

"A orbiting space colony?" Twilight said confused.

"Yeah, it's a lab with the world's finest minds, their chief was Gerald Robotnik, Maria's grandfather."

"Isn't that the same last name as Eggman?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah," Sonic answered. "Gerald was Eggmans grandfather too and Maria's cousin."

"The project was actually so he could cure her. So my very purpose was to save her. After I was 'born', I had to go though numerous tests everyday. Testing my physical and mental abilities. I willingly endured it all for her, my one true friend."

"Sounds like you two were close," Applejack started. "Like brother and sister."

"I made her a promise that one day I would take her back to Earth so she could see all of its beauty, but I couldn't keep it. On the day of final test, GUN soldiers appeared. I was deemed too powerful and dangerous. So they started killing everyone. I'm strong, fast, durable, can memorize anything, I even have combat training! I'm the ultimate life form!" Shadow yelled angrily then went sad with tears forming. "But I couldn't save her. I couldn't save the life of someone close to me."

"Shadow?" Twilight said as she and Pinkie grew concerned for him.

"I tried to get her to the escape pod but she didn't make it." Shadow leaned his head down. "'Shadow I beg of you, please do it for me... for a better future! For all the people who live on that planet... give them a chance to be happy... Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason why you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog.' Those were her last word to me before she used the last of her strength to send me to Earth."

Twilight and Pinkie were about to put their hands on his shoulders when he suddenly yelled.

"HOW CAN PROTECT THEM, WHEN IT WAS THEY WHO TOOK HER FROM ME?! I was capture and was cryogenic storage for 50 years and after I was released, I swore I would have my revenge. And what better way than dropping ARK on earth, but as I was about to get it, I remembered my promise to Maria." Shadow suddenly got calm. "After realizing the mistake I was making, I raced to stop the ARK.

"And that's when me and Shadow worked together to stop it. Till you knocked me out, I forgive you for that by the way, and use all of your energy to save! We all thought you were dead."

Shadow smiled a little at Sonic and said, "Good to know and like a drop from space would kill me."

"Yeah, but it did wipe your memory for a while," Sonic smirked.

"Well now you know my story. If anyone needs me, I'll be on the roof," Shadow stood up and left.

"Sonic?" Twilight started. "How could Shadow forgive them?"

Sonic thought for a sec before answering, "He might not forgive them for taking Maria from him, but I think he knows in his heart that he needs to let go of that anger."

"But, did he forgive himself?" Sunset asking feeling it may help her too.

Sonic smiled at her knowing this. "My uncle Chuck once told me: 'The past doesn't define us. It's just the starting point to who we're gonna be'."

Sunset smiled back at him while Rainbow Dash watched hurting. Sonic then stood up and left. Soon everyone left the room and went home, except Twilight and Pinkie. Both just sat in silence until ...

" Pinkie/Twilight," they both said at the same time.

"You go first," Twilight said.

"No, you," Pinkie countered.

Twilight nodded and said, "Listen. I know we both love Shadow, but I think right now he needs both of us."

Pinkie smiled. "I was thinking the same think. We can fight over him tomorrow."

Twilight agreed and they bot headed up. When they got to the roof, they saw Shadow staring to the night sky. Shadow didn't notice them so they walked over and sat on both sides of him. Twilight on his right and Pinkie on his left. Shadow turned and smiled to them.

"Hey girls," Shadow started.

"Hey, Shadow," Twilight said back.

"Hi!" Pinkie said offering him a big smile which he smiled back.

"What can I do for you," he asked.

"We just wanted to see if you alright," Twilight said.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"What are you doing?" Pinkie asked.

Shadow looked up. "Whenever I look up at the stars I think: 'Are you proud of me, Maria? Am I fulfilling my promise to you?'"

The girls smiled. twilight leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "I think she would be very proud of you."

Pinkie leaned on the other one and said, "And you are keeping your promise."

Shadow didn't try and shake them off. He just smiled to them and said, "Thank you, girls. Thank you."

/

Back at the school, the Sirens and Mephiles were meeting again.

"Everything is going as we planned," Agaio said with a evil smirk.

"And soon all the power will be ours," Mephiles added with is own evil smirk.

"But who need to win for you plan to work?" Aria asked.

"It really doesn't matter." Mephiles create two sets of figures in his hands. In the right were the Freedom fighter and the left held the Rainbooms. "Cause in the end, they all lose."

With that, he crushed to figures with his hands.

"And then we'll have our own boy slave?" Sonota asked cutely.

"Yes, ours to do as we will," Adagio answered. "Anything."

Soon she and Mephiles laughed evilly till Aria and Sonota followed.