Death Egg
The Black Wind wondered something as he stared out the window toward the blue orb hovering down bellow. His hand sat on the glass and pressed upon it, while his face held an expression of pure wonderment. He was on a tight schedule and should have been sticking too it. But the image of the planet Earth right there before him – an image a rare few get to experience in real time – was an image he felt was familiar to him.
"This blue planet," Shadow whispered to himself as he observed it so, "Staring at it from afar... have I seen it before?"
Finally, the gravity of the situation returned to him, pushing away his moment of self-reflection. The Black Wind clenched his fists tightly as he began walking down the hall, a visage of determination wrought upon his face. He now stood in the crown gem of Robotnik's regime; the mighty Death Egg. How the doctor created such a place with his time and resources would be a mystery to the hedgehog for days to come, but that didn't matter. He did know he was going to bring it down.
He rode Robotnik's rocket into the space station, where the cock pit slid into a pathway he couldn't reach. Pulling out a few panels in near zero-gravity, Shadow was able to roll his way into a hallway. The hall he now walked through. The Death Egg was large, though Shadow couldn't tell how large it was from where he stood. He did know Robotnik was around here somewhere.
He saw a light appear down the hall, which stopped him dead in his tracks. Immediately after, the hedgehog rushed forward as fast as he could. The light led him to a cube-shaped room, one with various machines running in the walls. As soon as Shadow entered the room, a door slammed shut behind him, trapping him inside. The Black Wind gazed to the sliding doors before gazing back, already prepared for whatever his enemy had next.
"Doctor!" he shouted, his fist shaking through the wind, "Where are you!? Show yourself this instant, you coward!"
"Ask and ye shall receive, you annoying rat!" his voice echoed.
Shadow's eyes snapped to the wall, where a metal grading slid up. On the other side of said grading was the dictator himself. Dr. Robotnik laughed as he sat behind a screen, sitting in a chair with his cane in hand. He leaned back in his chair while Shadow rammed the glass in a flash.
BONG!
"What the!?"
Robotnik's laughter echoed into his ears while the hedgehog attempted to fight out the ringing his head. Running toward Robotnik's window didn't do damn thing other than hurt his head. After fighting off the pain, he glared at the doctor through the window with his teeth bare in full, while Robotnik laughed and laughed and laughed.
"What's wrong, Shadow?" he chortled, "Did you hurt your head? Oh, I'm so terribly sorry!"
"You know, Robotnik, that window isn't going to keep me out for long," Shadow claimed with a smile on his lips, "I will get in there and tear you apart, you know?"
"Oh, I know, Shadow," Robotnik said as he tapped the window himself, "Nothing can contain you. From South Island to West Side Island, you constantly run afoul of my works. My best laid plans – like the full proof Barrier on Wing Fortress Zone – were all stopped by you and your annoying friend! I realized my traps and Egg Mobile units would only be destroyed or stopped by the both of you..." he smiled dementedly so suddenly, "I needed something like you! You've become to genre savvy; you know how to deal with any giant robot I throw at you, or any Badnik group for that. But what if I created something like you? Something smaller, but still strong? Something that could match your speeds? Which leads me to the grand unveiling of my newest, creation! Say hello to your mirror double, Shadow!"
Flames suddenly shot out from the ceiling, only a few yards away from Shadow himself. He pulled back with his fists at the ready, gazing upon these flames as a being descended from above. It descended ever so slowly, giving Shadow all the time in the world to analyze it. A large silver being; bulky, with varying degrees of smooth, round surfaces, and sharp pointy ones. It appeared to be clunky as well, with Shadow thinking he could dance around the machine without even trying.
But that's not what had the Black Wind so flustered. It was how this machine looked like a clone of him. It was hedgehog in nature, with quills pointing skyward much like his own. It even had red stripes on the back of its quills, much like his own. Seeing this machine stand before him with its black eyes silent made the hedgehog shiver. He didn't like it, not one bit.
"Say hello to Mecha Shadow," Robotnik said, a gleam in his eye, "Or as we like to call him, Silver Shadow. A good color, don't you think? Silver Shadow here was created with the idea of a robian in mind. Remember when I roboticized your parents on South Island? I took their designs and forged this beautiful machine. It's based directly on you, if you hadn't noticed."
"This shotty faker is going down!" Shadow growled, his hand surging with power, "BEGONE! CHAOS SPEAR!"
He fired his blast right into the machine's face, covering it in a rather large explosion. The room shook, and Shadow smiled, though that same smile became a stunned circle as the explosion dissipated. The 'Silver Shadow' was still there, standing tall in the epicenter of the detonation. Upon it sat no marking or scratch, appearing just as pristine as it was when it first arrived.
Honestly, Shadow wasn't that surprised.
"Are you done yet?" Robotnik asked as he looked at Shadow from behind the screen, an image of annoyance on his face, "Now, as you can see, your menial Chaos Powers don't affect Silver Shadow. What part of 'it's based directly on you' don't you understand? So many machines I created to serve dual purposes. The Egg Mobile units – while perfectly capable of killing you on their own – were all created to serve other purposes as well. Even the Egg Barrier – which I thought would kill you with zero effort – proved to be a failure. But Silver Shadow's entire purpose is simple; it wants you dead. A simple algorithm propels it's brain. I call it 'Priority One'. All my machines are programmed with it. It's means is simple; whenever it sees you, they abandon whatever they were doing to instead focus on killing you and killing you alone! Silver Shadow here is programmed only with 'Priority One', as you will see in a few seconds," he reached forward to a command panel in front of him, his finger hovering above a red button "Now observe! As he comes to life!"
He pressed the red button. Shadow looked at the doctor, before looking over to Silver Shadow. The Black Wind remained tensed as he looked at his mechanical doppelganger. And he remained standing like that. For the next one or two minutes. And Silver Shadow never moved.
"What!?" Robotnik growled as he slammed his hand down on the red 'activate' button over and over again, "Work, damn you, work! Turn on! Activated! Come on, come on!"
"Such a shame..." Shadow said as he stood tall, eyes still on his robotic clone with a face of disappointment, "And here I was thinking I'd get a challenge..."
"What is going on here, Silver Shadow!?" Robotnik growled, "Activate now you bucket of bolts!"
"Silver Shadow won't answer you, Ivo," another voice rang, a woman's voice, "Because you are no longer in control..."
"What? That voice...?" Shadow remarked, while Robotnik's glasses fell from his face.
"Maria?" he stated, "What are you doing!?"
Silver Shadow suddenly jostled, alerting Shadow. He glared at the machine, watching as it began moving. The quills on its back began to move like a saw blade, while it's head turned up to face the hedgehog. Blue eyes suddenly appeared on its visor, and it glared directly into Shadow's soul.
"Shadow the hedgehog," Maria said, now in complete control of Silver Shadow, "I'm going to kill you."
"That voice," Shadow said as he pointed at Silver Shadow, "I recognize that voice! That's the same voice from Wood Zone and...!" he seemingly had a moment of clarity, "I know that voice! You spoke to me before! In Scrap Brain Zone! That's why that voice sounds so familiar to me! You taunted me back then!"
"That I did, Shadow," Maria claimed as the Silver Shadow started moving, one finger pointing at the hedgehog, "I was assured of our victory on South Island, until you showed up. All of our plans have been ruined by you up until this point in time. Well no further! At this moment, I will take pleasure in killing you with hands!"
The Silver Shadow's hands began to constrict around the air, as if it were strangling someone. But then it stopped, as the machine spread its legs apart and lifted its arms. Now in a battle ready stance, Shadow did likewise. He rose his fists and slid his legs apart, all while his red eyes glared at his silver clone. He could feel sweat drip from his brow, which made him antsy. The Black Wind had no idea what tricks this 'Silver Shadow' had for him.
Robonik's fingers hovered above Silver Shadows deactivation button, but he pulled back from doing such a thing. Though he was obviously surprised by Maria's actions – especially considering he upgraded her so she wouldn't disobey his orders like this – he was intrigued by what she could bring to the table.
Boosters on the back of Silver Shadow's feet suddenly activated, and it rushed forward at sonic speeds. Shadow leaped out of the way, his hand slammed on the ground, and he rolled to safety. Suddenly Silver Shadow turned around, its actions like a drift. Leaping up high, the clone jumped into the sky and began to spin. Its body was clad in a glowing yellow aura, one Shadow recognized all to well.
Homing Attack.
Silver Shadow sped forward again with speeds to fast to quantify. However, Shadow was just as fast, and was able to dodge the blow by leaping up high. Silver Shadow uncurled from its homing attack after landing upon the ground, but with Shadow in the air. He stared down to his doppelganger with a smile on his face, then exclaimed,
"I've got you now!"
Putting his hands together and connecting them into a combined fist, he dropped them down upon the robot as he fell. But right before his strike could connect, Silver Shadow vanished. The Black Wind slammed upon the earth with his body and fists, stunned silent by what occurred. All the while, Robotnik's insidious laughter echoed into his ear. Shadow glared up to the doctor, and watched as a certain machine phased back into existence from thin air.
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha!" Robotnik chortled, nearly falling back into his chair as he laughed at his foe, "What's wrong, Shadow!? Surprised silent!?"
"But that's impossible," Shadow stated as he stared at Silver Shadow, the machine regaining its battle stance, "That machine used Chaos Control. But how...?" his eyes grew wide and he stood tall, "Unless it has a Chaos Emerald!"
"Oh, Shadow, it seems you've learned Silver Shadow's dirty little secret," Robotnik claimed, his laughter stopping while he prodded his fingers, a despicable smile on his face, "It is a little better clone of you, so it's only right that I give it a Chaos Emerald as well. With that little trinket, it's capable of all the things you're capable of, and then some!"
"We'll see about that..."
Shadow darted for Silver Shadow, now taking up the offensive in the fight. He threw a fist at the machine's face, who took it without any attempt at defending itself. Instead, Shadow's fist slammed into the machination's face, where he began to feel the pain. The Black Wind pulled his fist back, clenching it tight after throwing a blow which, honestly, should have destroyed Silver Shadow in one hit.
The Black Wind wheeled back, going over in his mind the battles he's had so far. Immediately, he could tell Silver Shadow was created from tougher material than Egg Mobile units. An Egg Mobile – when struck – didn't cause him pain. Sure, it may sting here or there, but not actually hurt like this.
"No, please, enlighten me," Robotnik chuckled, "Do that again, Shadow."
The Black Wind growled before standing up again. He watched his silver clone very closely, when its thrusters suddenly activated. It dashed for him, taking him off guard. With one arm out, Silver Shadow gave its real counterpart a devastating close line which winded him. Shadow gave a hard cough as his back hit the metal wall with a press so strong, it caused a dent. He attempted to hold Silver Shadow off of him, but the mechanical beast constantly applied pressure. All the while, Dr. Robotnik laughed.
The Black Wind kicked up his feet finally, pressing them to Silver Shadow's chest. Giving a hard grunt, he caused his air shoes to ignite and push the robot away. Given the chance to breath, Shadow fell forward with his hand around his neck. He growled as he glared at Silver Shadow, shaking his fist as well.
"Chaos..." Shadow growled, "Lance!"
He suddenly flared red, and a so did his weapon. Forging it for use as a blade instead of a blast, Shadow began to wield his Chaos Lance with both hands. Silver Shadow cocked its head at the action, watching as Shadow spun his lance around like a fan. It began to shine a yellow light as it stuck its claws out. Shadow watched as it projected multiple Chaos Spears around its body, all of them aimed at him.
They fired like a machine gun, and all with deadly accuracy to boot. Shadow rushed toward Silver Shadow with his Chaos Lance twirling about, deflecting blasts for the most part. Sure, some struck skin, but they were diverted enough to be superficial wounds at best.
And then he stood before Silver Shadow, and flared a bright white. Said shine was so great, Robotnik needed to cover his eyes from behind the screen. When the shine faded, Silver Shadow stood with smoke streaming off its body. However, Shadow was nowhere to be seen. His double looked around for him, before a red blade slashed against its next. Steel flew from the powerful – but not fatal – strike.
Shadow skidded to a halt beside Silver Shadow, grunting a curse as he did so. He expected his blow to kill the robot, but it was fast enough to dodge it. Silver Shadow wheeled its head down to face Shadow, before lifting its claws. In a blur, it rocketed for the Black Wind, embedding its claws into the ground as it missed its stab.
Shadow rolled onto his feet, only to slip down and kick at Silver Shadow's feet and arm, his showed igniting with flames. The strike knocked Silver Shadow down, to which the Black Wind reacted quickly. He leaped up then dropped his body down on the faux hedgehog, only for it to vanish into thin air one more. Shadow pressed upon the ground with a mighty stomp, now infuriated that he missed his chance to end his clone. Silver Shadow reappeared on the opposite side of the room, glaring at its foe with unfeeling blue eyes.
Shadow pulled up and rose his fists, readying himself for whatever Silver Shadow had planned. At the same time, he thought about what he could do to beat the machination. It hurt to strike it, and all his Chaos powers didn't appear to work either. Chaos Lance did the best, but if it were to miss, he'd be in a bad position.
"Chaos... BOOST!" Shadow roared as a powerful explosion roared around his body, "Level 3!"
As the red aura flowed around his feet, causing the room to shake, Shadow growled at his opponent. He lifted his hand, causing his Chaos powers to swirl into his palm to create a surging red blast. As he did so, he roared out,
"Play time's over! Time to step it up!"
Shadow threw the blast straight toward Silver Shadow, who rose its arms to defend against the blow. The blast struck his silver clone, creating an explosion large enough to shake the entire Death Egg. It was large, and swirled like a dome as it destroyed everything around it. Shadow himself was thrown back by his blast, though he landed on his feet before hurting himself.
The blast steadily began to diminish not so long after. Shadow gave a smile as he looked at his attack, only to be shocked when it finally subsided. Beneath the blast which he enhanced with his powers, Silver Shadow stood. Sure, it was marred with scratches and burn marks, but it wasn't injured.
"Dammit!" Shadow growled, while Robotnik laughed his head off.
Silver Shadow looked at itself, checking its body. Then it looked back up to Shadow and cocked its head.
"Is that all?" Maria asked, her optics squeezing down on the hedgehog.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" the doctor howled, "This is too much! Tooooooo much! Silver Shadow is forged from pure Megatal! The strongest alloy on our planet! It would take an immeasurable force to break through its body! You should've let me kill you before, Shadow! At least then you wouldn't have to face such pain!"
"Indeed..." Maria said, with specific metal slots opening upon Silver Shadow's body.
From these slots, Silver Shadow began to vent Chaos energy. Said energy doused its body, coating it in a red aura much like Shadow when he activated Chaos Boost. The aura went through three shades of strength and length, showing that Silver Shadow too attain Chaos Boost level 3. Seeing this, the Black Wind swallowed his spit.
Energy swirled around Silver Shadow's boosters, and when they ignited, it sounded like an implosion. Silver Shadow rushed forward with so much energy from its engines, the ground was scorched black by the fire and power. Shadow didn't have time to react; its fist struck his face. He was dazed by the strike and lost his footing, while Silver Shadow vanished into a red and silver blur. When it reappeared, it was right at Shadow's side where it struck with another punch. He flew away, where he landed right into Silver Shadow's arms. It slammed him down upon the ground, creating a dent with its massive press.
Silver Shadow held the Black Wind to the ground for a few minutes, then picked up the hedgehog by his collar. The hedgehog had blood leaking from his lips and felt incredibly weak, yet he never broke down. He grabbed Silver Shadow's arm and pulled on it tightly, attempting to free himself from its hold. It didn't work, however.
"I hate you so much," Maria said as she looked at Shadow through her cold, unflinching eyes, "You have no clue how good this feels right now..."
"Damn... you..." Shadow stated through pants for breath.
"Why don't you give up?" Maria asked, performing a very strange action of brushing a finger along his forehead, "I assure you, your death will be quick. I don't want you to suffer, Shadow..."
"I can't give up," Shadow claimed as he put his hands on Silver Shadow's arm, "If I give up..." he began flaring a blue color, "Then... mom..." he closed his eyes, "Dad..." this new blue aura began growing from his body, "Uncle Chuck..." he clenched tightly on Silver Shadow's arm, creating a dent, "Rouge... they'll all die... I... RRRRR! I can't let that happen!"
"What is going on here!?" Robotnik cried out, watching as Shadow turned a bright blue color, "Shadow's never done this before!"
"This is the ultimate power!" Shadow claimed.
His hands slammed down upon Silver Shadow's arm, clenching hard enough to force a dent on the limb. Silver Shadow pulled to retrieve its arm, but Shadow wouldn't let go. With this new blue glow, his powers seemed to be vastly superior to any Chaos Boost he mustered before. More inline to those monstrous Chaos Blasts he was capable of every once in a while. But this appeared to be a more augmented and concentrated version of that destructive wave. With all that power at his fingertips, Shadow applied even more pressure to Silver Shadow's arm. He crushed it, then tore the limb clean off.
"Ah!?" Maria howled as she fell back in Silver Shadow's body, causing the machine to do likewise. Machines can't feel pain. But she can.
"Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!" Robotnik claimed, "Megatal is completely impervious! How is this possible!?"
"Chaos!" Shadow roared, his hand surging yellow with electrical energy, "SPEAR!"
He slammed his palm onto Silver Shadow's open wound, where he began charging Silver Shadow with too much energy. He began overcharging the silver clone, with his bolts of power running through its wires and circuits. Explosions ripped beneath its metal chassis, causing it to shake. Worst of all, Maria felt it all.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she roared, as the explosions from within caused her physical pain.
Them metal platings on Silver Shadow's body were sent flying in all directions, before Shadow finally pilled back. Silver Shadow stood, shaking on its feet, when one more explosion roared through its head. Its eyes went dim, it fell back, and was finally taken by one last detonation. The explosions took the entire machine, with Shadow standing in the flames.
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Ma-ri-A... Maria... E-Series Model M Ver. 3.2.2 Maria Robotnik deactivated.
Maria's holographic body was flung out of Silver Shadow's body. She landed on the ground, gasping for air. Robotnik watched as the fake woman attempting to fight back against something, only to fail miserably. She lifted her arm, where her limb began to fade away into various blocks.
"Oh -CLICK!- no. Oh -CLICK!- no..." she turned to the screen, "I-CLICK!-vo."
She vanished into thin air soon after, this final pained cry escaping her as well. Robotnik gazed at the area in front of him, before dragging his eyes down to the command screen before him. He lifted his finger, where in which he pressed a green button. Nothing happened.
"Maria..." he mumbled, feeling disheartened, "Maria..."
That turned into pure anger moments later. His red eyes shined brightly, and his hands began to scratch upon the command panel. He gave a growl and bit his lips, then stood from his chair as he pressed upon the device.
He shook, he growled, but then he stopped. Dr. Robotnik swallowed his spit and shook his head. Then he started nodding. Pressing another button, a door opened in the room he stood, which he used to exit the area.
Shadow walked through Silver Shadow's corpse picking up the blue Chaos Emerald it left. He gripped it tightly then ran out of the flames, when a door opened before him. On the other end of the doorway was Robotnik himself. Seeing him immediately activated Shadow's rage.
"Robotnik!" he roared, to which the doctor shook his head.
"You have no right to talk to me like that," Robotnik said as he rose his Chaos Emerald adorned cane, "Especially after what you did to Maria..."
Hearing that name, Shadow's rage spiked.
"How do you know that name!?" Shadow growled, "Speak up right now you!"
"I've had enough of our games now, Shadow," Robotnik stated as he began walking down the hall, "It's time I finally ended you."
"Answer me, dammit!"
Shadow darted for Robotnik, running down the hall in chase. Standing on an automatic floor, Robotnik merely stood tall as he slid forward, just out of reach of his nemesis. Shadow continued chasing him down, before they entered an even larger room than before. This large room held many windows, with one side allowing sight to the Earth. Just as before, the sight was impossible to describe. Shadow found himself staring.
"I've always wanted to do this," Robotnik claimed as he stopped sliding forward on the automatic floor, "To crush you beneath my feet..." there was this dome shaped object in the floor, on larger than Robotnik. He opened a door to this object, "But alas, I couldn't... Despite being of a superior race, you're just too strong, Shadow. But I'd have my dream; the dream of stepping on you like the ant you are."
"It's over, doctor!" Shadow stated, "I'm going to send you straight to Hell!"
Robotnik merely shook his head as he climbed into the dome-shaped structure, where he pulled the door shut. Shadow ran for the object, only to slide to a halt as he stood outside of it. Inside the machine, Robontik sat down in a chair. It was a cockpit of some sort, with various buttons, switches, and God knows what sitting around him. Robotnik flipped a switch, causing a screen to appear before him. On said screen, the image of Shadow staring up to him.
Robotnik smiled. His finger flipped a switch.
The room began shaking beneath Shadow's feet. He gazed all around the massive area, watching as the dome Robotnik leaped into began to rise. As it did so, it became apparent the dome-shaped object was actually a face. Robotnik's face. It was red, with a yellow collar and yellow wrists, but with a black underside. Far removed from that brown suit and tie Robotnik usually wears.
The great machine towered over Shadow, easily looming over anything the hedgehog had faced in this adventure or any adventure he's had. In fact, Shadow standing up at foot barely came to the edge of the robot's ankle.
He glared up to the machination, feeling his entire body quake. Sweat formed from his brow, his heart began to race, and he swallowed his spit. Shadow was actually scared. Something about this machine had the Black Wind flustered. Like a part of him believed he was actually in over his head.
"This is the Egg Emperor," Robotnik claimed as the machine stood before the Black Wind, "I've created many machines that serve many purposes. This one's purpose is simple; destruction..." he looked down upon Shadow, "I'm going to start killing you now, and I won't stop until there's nothing left of your existence..."
Shadow felt that pit in his heart swell. He clenched his chest in an attempt to settle himself, and looked up to Robotnik as he did so. Now wasn't the time to suddenly get cold feet. Giant robot or not, he was going to win this fight. He'd put everything he had into it.
Robotnik took one step forward. The monstrous press of the machine's foot caused the entire room to quake. Shadow walked back, his fist still pulled up, wondering what insanity he was in for in this fight. Robotnik took another step forward, once more causing the entire room to quake. Shadow shuffled back on his feet, fist still high, still wondering what the doctor had planned.
The Egg Emperor walked forward again, then stopped. Suddenly, it pulled back on the retreat, and stood there. Until rockets on its back flared to life. The Egg Emperor suddenly took off into the air, causing smog and fumes to fill the floor from its exhaust. Shadow coughed as he waved his hands around in an attempt to push the fog back, when he noticed a strange green marking on his body. It highlighted him, targeted him. When he gazed up, he realized the Egg Emperor was falling on him.
Shadow darted out of the way just in time to dodge a deadly press from the massive machine, as it instead slammed into the ground. The entire room shook to insane levels, knocking Shadow's footing off and causing him to crash and tumble. As he rolled on the ground, Robotnik faced him, and pointed his arms out. Rockets on the back of the Egg Emperor's arm ignited, and sent the hand Shadow's way.
He didn't see it coming, honestly. By the time he looked up, the Black Wind only saw silver. The claw slammed into his body, sending him flying into the wall. He bounced off it, when the Egg Emperor's other arm crashed into him. Taking two blows, Shadow fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, feeling his body rage all around him.
But that wasn't enough to keep him down. The arms returned to the Egg Emperor, and Shadow stood up. Cracking the knuckles in his hands, he rubbed some blood which leaked from his lips. His hand surged with power a few seconds after as he charged up his recognizable Chaos Spear. Already knowing the strike wasn't going to work (as it had failed against every high-leveled Boss he came across), Shadow instead searched for the Egg Emperor's weak spot. Only thing was, he didn't find one.
Shadow flung the Chaos Spear at the Egg Emperor's face, watching as the blast bounced harmlessly off. Immediately after, he followed up his first attack with a homing one. His curled body slammed into the Egg Emperor's face with enough force to dent the head of an Egg Mobile. But with the Egg Emperor, Shadow felt intense pain resonate around his spine. He fell back onto the ground, gasping for air, flabbergasted by what just occurred.
"Much like Mecha Shadow before, the Egg Emperor is comprised of Megatal... this time though, tempered Megatal. It's truly the most impenetrable force in the known galaxy! I'll prove so by removing you!"
Shadow rolled out of the way just in time to dodge another press from the egomaniac doctor. He crawled to his feet as he dodged another stomp, then turned around and fired a series of Chaos Spears at the Egg Mobile's face. They continued to bounce off, even when he activated Chaos Boost to give his blasts an extra punch. Chaos Spear, Chaos Lance, neither of them even phased the machine, let alone did any damage. He needed something more defined, something stronger than just these random blasts.
Shadow opened the palm of his hand right before his face, creating ball of distorted space. Leaping up high, he flung the blast Robotnik's way whilst exclaiming,
"Chaos Ball!"
The ball curled into the air then slammed onto the back of the Egg Emperor's head, where it attached itself like glue. Smirking, Shadow lifted up two fingers then roared out,
"NOW! EXPAND!"
The Chaos Ball began to glow, shining bright enough to be seen from Shadow's position. And then a light grew in size, a rippling powerful light that took the form of a large orb. Said orb swallowed the Egg Emperor whole, causing a detonation which swallowed that side of the room in smog. Shadow smiled at the sight while the wind howled all around him. He knew his attack wasn't enough to destroy the machine whole, but he figured it would cause visible damage.
He was completely wrong.
From the fog and debris, the Egg Emperor walked out completely clean.
"I'm mystified, honestly, Shadow," Robotnik claimed as he walked toward the hedgehog, "You failed to kill Mecha Shadow the same way earlier, why would you suddenly believe it would work against me?"
Shadow growled and refused to give the statement a proper response. Instead, he began charging his powers. Activated Chaos Boost level 3, he put his powers to the peak of their ability. But only a few seconds after performing the action, he toppled over in exhaustion. His Chaos Boost fizzled out, and he felt substantially weaker.
"Please, do over exert yourself, Shadow," Robotnik claimed as he marched toward the hedgehog, "It will make my job for easier..."
He pointed his arm at the hedgehog, then sent it flying forward with its rocket fist. Shadow smiled.
"Chaos Control!" he yelled out, causing time to slow down drastically.
In the pocket of slowed space, Shadow grabbed a hold of the Egg Emperor's flying arm. Using his impressive strength, he turned the arm around and sent it flying Robotnik's way. Time immediately returned to normal after doing. The arm flew at speeds too fast to dodge; impossible so. Shadow watched with sharp eyes, waiting for the moment of impact when...
The arm suddenly stopped. Right there, just like that. The arm came to a sudden halt only a few feet from Robotnik's chest. Even if the arm had engines on the front of the fist – which it didn't – it would be impossible for the arm to come to such a stop in such a short amount of time.
"The Egg Emperor is equipped with an electromagnetic shield, Shadow," the doctor claimed, answering the hedgehog's silent question, "It's been specifically tuned to repel Megetal so something like this wouldn't happen. Good try though; it proves your brain isn't as feeble and small as I thought it would be. Every machine of mine you've faced so far, you've been able to overcome. Whether it be with Rouge or general craftiness on your side, you somehow learn to exploit the weakness of my machines. Or, at the very least, overpower them. However, with the Egg Emperor, I created a machine with no weaknesses to speak of. I've gone through every test, every possible outcome, every power of yours at varying levels to create a machine of impervious levels! Go ahead, throw everything you've got at me, I'll keep walking to crush you!"
"You seem to forget, doctor!" Shadow claimed as he stood up tall, "I've already broken your 'impervious' Silver Shadow, what makes you think I won't do the same to you?"
"Oh, I've already thought of the impossiblity that you'd break the Egg Emperor," Robotnik claimed, "But what are the chances of you surviving long enough to perform such a feet? I'll tell you now; extremely low!"
"I'll show you!" Shadow claimed as he crouched down and readied a spin dash.
He charged up enough kinetic energy to destroy a mountain, then flew off at Robotnik at sonic speeds. Instead of going for the head, Shadow slammed into the Egg Emperor's bottom half. The blow struck between its legs, where Shadow bounced down to the ground with pain on his body. As with before, he barely had enough time to dodge another press from the machine. However, he was kicked by the other foot, and sent flying away.
The Black Wind landed on his side, contorting in pain and growling as he did so. Robotnik's sickening laughter echoed into his ears as he suffered, and the machine got closer to him. Hearing that laughter caused Shadow to turn red, his aura exploding to levels not seen in a while. His rage spiked, he stood up with a burning power raging through his veins. And with the green Chaos Emerald in his hands, Shadow felt stronger than ever before.
"Damn you doctor!" Shadow roared, "I'll kill you for this!" he began shaking, as if he couldn't even control his power, "I'LL KILL YOU! CHAOS BLAST!"
Shadow leaped into the sky, his body curled in. Suddenly throwing out his limbs, his entire body went off like a bomb, triggering an explosion which ate away at the room in a circular fashion. It continued to grow as it red shine covered everything, the Egg Emperor included. Unlike his other Chaos Blasts, this attack wasn't quick. It went on for what felt like forever, all the while the hedgehog roared through it all.
And when it all faded, so did Shadow. Exhausted and nearly too weak to move, the hedgehog fell into the metal floor below with a loud 'THUD!' The hedgehog clenched his chest tightly, a small smile creeping upon his face. Call him cocky, but he put everything into that blast. It was simply impossible for anything to survive such an attack, let alone something created by the doctor.
BANG! Then again, he's been wrong before.
Shadow worked his head toward his red blast, watching as the Egg Emperor walked toward him without even a scratch on its body.
"What?" Shadow said as he forced his body to standing, almost cracking from the added pressure, "How'd you?"
"I am completely impervious to everything, Shadow," Robotnik claimed, "Besides, that blast wasn't nearly as potent as some of the others thrown against me. Come on; much time time did you really take to rest, hm? Besides, you had to fight through Wing Fortress Zone and even Silver Shadow; do you really think you're up to the task of fighting me?" he laughed sadistically at him, "If there's one thing I can say about you, Shadow, it's that you never give up! But haven't you ever thought that running through things at full speed will kill you faster than anything!? For change, why don't you be smart? Why don't you submit? Give in? Give up?"
"I'm... not... done... yet!" Shadow growled as he stood in front of the Egg Emperor, fists at his side, "I haven't given up yet, Robotnik!" he put his hands on the golden rings around his wrist, "I'm not going to give up..." he dropped the wring around his left hand, "Not so long as there's people waiting for me. People who believe in me..." he dropped the wring around his right hand, "Not so long as you're still here. I'm not going to give up, Robotnik. I'm not going down," he smiled, "Not alone, anyway."
The rings around Shadow's wrists fell to the ground, causing Robotnik to look down upon them. He had no idea what that meant; weren't Shadow's rings simply cosmetic? If so, why was he removing them? Why were the scanners going wild on Shadow's body? Why were the Chaos readings bouncing wildly? What was going on?
"Wait! This is it!" Robotnik claimed as a golden hue ripped around Shadow's body, "This is it! You did this before, I know it!" he got closer to the screen, "You annoying little rat!"
Shadow's body suddenly exploding in a glowing yellow light, one with extreme power. He started hovering in the air, flying just above the doctor. Hands opening at his side, the Black Wind began charging some attack. Golden-red orbs appeared around both hands, while his entire body continued to exude this powerful golden aura.
"CHHAAAAOOOOSSSS!" Shadow roared, before aiming both hands forward, "BLAAAAAAAASSTTT!"
Instead of the usual detonation of a large radius that destroys everything around him, the Black Wind forced his eruption of destruction into one single beam. This condensed and augmented beam held far greater power than any Chaos Blast Shadow ever forged in his life. It slammed down upon the Egg Emperor's body, a large splash of chaotic energy erupted from the point of connection.
Robotnik found himself being pushed back by the megaton blast, which shocked him nonetheless. Shadow wasted all his energy using that Chaos Blast from before, how was he capable of performing such an attack now? He scanned the entire area to locate such an answer, when said scanners fell upon the rings Shadow removed from his wrists. They weren't the usual kind of rings one would find randomly. These were special, more like handcuffs; they bound Shadow's connection to his greater strength.
Said strength was enough to push the doctor back and cause damage to the Egg Emperor. If he didn't act quick, there was no telling what Shadow's attack could do. Robotnik began to flip various switches inside the Egg Emperor, before latching both hands upon his controls.
"Divert all power to maximize Chaos shields! Bring me the Chaos Emeralds!" Robotnik claimed, "That blast is not getting through!" he then removed the purple Chaos Emerald from his cane and slammed it upon a special slot on his machine's dashboard, "It's not getting through!"
Shadow continued to unload his beam upon the Egg Emperor's body, being completely ignorant of the Chaos Emeralds which appeared out of nowhere. Shadow had the green one, but around Robotnik in a ring, the red, blue, light-blue, silver, and purple Chaos Emeralds appeared. The six Chaos Emeralds worked in tandem with one another to project a shield around the Egg Emperor's body, a shield strong enough to rebuff Shadow's advances.
"What?" Shadow growled with wide eyes as he noticed his beam was no longer getting through.
"I've got you now, Shadow!" Robotnik claimed as he laughed, "HAH!"
The machine gave a thrust, which caused Shadow's Chaos Beam to fly far into the endless ceiling above. The attack was over, and Shadow felt the draining effects of performing such an act. He continued hovering above as his power faded away, and once it was all gone, fell into the ground. The hedgehog bounced after the impact, only to fall again and grow silent.
"Uuuuuuh... uuuuuuggghh..." he groaned in pain, hands reaching out for his inhibitor rings.
Robotnik walked toward the Black Wind with earth-shattering steps, all while the hedgehog grabbed his inhibitor rings from off the ground. He was about to place them back upon his wrists, when the hand of the Egg Emperor clamped down onto his hand. The hedgehog groaned in pain as he was suddenly lifted up, now being at eye level with the machine itself.
"I wasn't being all that forthcoming in my Egg Emperor's abilities, Shadow," the doctor claimed as he gazed at his mortal enemy, "If there's anything that can break through the power of Megatal, it's Chaos energy. They're so wild and frenzied, it's hard to get an exact reading of their strength, especially when considering you. So I designed a force-field strong enough to rebuff your powers. As you can tell, it uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds."
Shadow didn't utter a word as he was held up high, his scarlet eyes traveling to the doctor before him. Robotnik laughed at his nemesis as he shook the hedgehog a bit, only to stop a few moments later.
"What's wrong, Shadow?" Robotnik asked, "No snappy remark? No witty comment? C'mon, say something. Make it worth my while."
Shadow looked up at the doctor, then closed his mouth. His mouth and muzzle moved a bit, before he spat onto the Egg Emperor's face. Dr. Robotnik's smile left after the action as he leaned back into his chair with a sigh.
"So childish if you, Shadow," he claimed with eyes rolling, "Let me teach you some!" he lifted the hedgehog up, "MANNERS!" then slammed him into the earth.
Shadow roared with pain as he met the metal ground, feeling bones break inside his body. Robotnik – not finished with one simple slam – lifted Shadow high again, then slammed him into the earth once more. The hedgehog roared in pain from that slam as well, while the Egg Emperor released him.
A shadow loomed over the Black Wind's body, making him look up. It was the Egg Emperor's foot.
"I've always wanted to do this, Shadow," Robotnik claimed with a smirk, "To step on you!"
"ARGHUH!?" Shadow roared, feeling the Egg Emperor stomp on him, causing even more limbs to break.
Robotnik lifted his foot again, then dropped it down on Shadow's body again. The Black Wind howled once more as his body was crushed, blood coming from his mouth. Robotnik stomped on him over and over again, breaking his body even more so than before. He could barely keep awake; the pain was simply too much.
"Oh. Oh. Oh," Robotnik panted, "I could do this all day. Stomp on you. But I'm not, Shadow," the doctor began dropping the foot on him slowly, "I want you to hear this. I'm going to crush you now. Put you out of your misery. And then, I'm going to go down to the Earth, and kill everyone you care for. Starting with the bat. Then your family. Then everyone," the foot met the back of the hedgehog's body, and began to drop slowly, "Sayonara, Shadow the hedgehog."
So this was it, huh? The end of Shadow the hedgehog? In a floating base above the planet, red eyes on the blue Earth, being crushed by a dictator. He could feel the metallic foot press hard against his broken body; the end was coming so slowly. He was going to be crushed like an ant.
Alright Shadow, dear. I think you've lazed about far enough today. Come on inside; we don't want you vanishing like other children, now do we?
"Mom...?"
C'mon Shadow. Your mom was cooking up some of that lovely food of hers. Can't wait to get some myself!
"Dad...?"
But remember this; you aren't alone in this world... Shadow… Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that.
"Rouge...?"
I beg of you, Shadow. Give them a chance to be...
Happy...
"Ma... ri... a...?"
Chaos is power. Power enriched by the heart.
Shadow lifted his hands, placing them upon the bottom of the Egg Emperor's foot in an attempt to push it away.
"Chaos is power!" he stated, gaining strength from nowhere, "Power enriched by the heart!"
"What?" Robotnik murmured, watching as the Chaos Emeralds were pulled away from him, "What's happening!? Shadow!? What are you...!?"
The hedgehog started turning gold, and the Egg Emperor's foot was pushed up and away. Robotnik couldn't believe his eyes as he put more strength into his stomp. And yet his foot was still pushed against by the hedgehog beneath. A golden flame erupted beneath the Egg Emperor's foot, and that very same golden light shot up like a bullet. The Egg Emperor was thrown back by the explosion of force, though it skidded to a halt upon its feet.
Hovering before him, a golden light constantly darted around like a pinball. It was near impossible for Robotnik to train his eyes on the light for any more than a split-second, before that same light would dart somewhere else.
Eventually, the light came to a halt right in front of the Egg Emperor. Robotnik readied his arms to strike, but the golden light shot at him.
KER-POW...
Maverick Talks!
Well now, this chapter is long. And rightfully so, it's the final stage in Sonic 2. It has to be long! The final battle deserves to be a long battle between Shadow and his enemies!
And boy... Death Egg. It's simply impossible. Two bosses back to back, zero rings. For the final zone, it lives up to its name. It beats you down like a little girl and laughs all the while. All those lives, gone. Unless you play Sonic and figured it was best to master it. Somewhat like myself. But it doesn't make the boss any less difficult. And if you're playing it as Knuckles, forget it. I fought him all night as Knuckles one day, and when I beat him, I felt like a king!
But enough about that.
For the final battle, I wanted to have this chapter be long. I mean, the next chapter is the ending. I also wanted to show both bosses in their own special light. With Maria taking over Silver Shadow and Dr. Robotniks Egg Emperor, I think I described the bosses to be as impossible and as imposing as they were to me growing up. Just with Shadow fighting them, and what not.
But that's enough of that. The next chapter is the last chapter of the story. We'll wrap up everything and get ready for the future. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And believe me, I have.
So, until the next chapter...
Maverick Kay Prime