(I do not own Sonic X, etc.)

S.O.N.I.C GO!

S.O.N.I.C GO!

Episode 22: Darkness of the Heart, part 2

Destroy. That was the only thought running through his mind. Everything around him, absolutely everything needed to be obliterated. His eyes cast downwards towards the surface below. The first island beneath him had been completely devastated, reduced to a smouldering ruin quickly being consumed by the sea. There was no need to deal with that. What was left however were four other land masses' that needed exterminating.

Raising his left hand, Dark Super Sonic fired a single energy bolt at the one closest to him. It was as if the entire island simply curved in on itself and then in one spectacular explosion was consumed by fire. All the flora and animal life present died instantly, burnt to a cinder.

A second died, ripped to shreds by a succession of blasts that broke it apart piece by piece. Dark Super Sonic watched with satisfaction as each of them were eaten by the water. This power was unlike anything he'd left power, it would be a shame not to test it's maximum capabilities. Holding his hand up, sparks of lightning danced across the sky before flying into his palm, gathering their energy as a bright light culminated between his fingers.

His entire body became a blinking light for a second, before multiable beams shot done towards the ground and tore the land apart with such savage ferocity, the entire planet seemed to tremble. In a blasé of fire, the remaining free islands were reduced to dust.

The storm raged on, and the command to destroy remained as steadfast as ever. Everything had to be set ablaze, and this entire planet would be first. Looking up, Dark Super Sonic could see the faint outline of the planet Earth in the night sky between the caps in the thunder clouds. That would be next…but even he did not have the power to destroy a planet. The full potential of the negative energy contained within the nine emerald circling his body could only be unleashed by a balance between positive and negative. And there was only one thing that could bring about such a balance.

Down in the raging waters below, it's crew thinking them safe behind their camouflage was the Blue Typhoon. The illusion that kept it safe from detection did not work on his eyes. He could see the ship exactly where it lay.

Inside it's energy core was the one thing he needed. He doubted they would relinquish it without a fight, but that did not matter in the end. They, like everything else had to be destroyed.

Turning towards them fully, Dark Super Sonic held his left hand across his chest and began gathering energy. His closed fist pulsating with a blood red glow, before he thrust his arm forward, several bolts of energy manifesting in the air before screaming down towards the ground, one of them smashing across the bow of the ship knocking it sideways. The others cascaded into the water, sending spray high into the air.

"What is the hell does that Hedgehog think he's doing?" Eggman demanded, catching himself before he was tipped out of his chair. The entire Typhoon tipped sideways, nearly rolling onto it's side.

Knuckles was well aware of the side effects of Negative Chaos energy, having experienced them once himself. While it gave you great power, you had no control over your actions. While under it's influence, you would destroy everything in sight. Knuckles had had the will to resist it before, but that had just been a small spark. Sonic was being taken over by NINE emeralds.

With a sudden thrust, the wall of the corridor he was running down broke open and the Echidna was forced to stop. Through the hole came Sonic, his fur now completely jet black and his eyes nothing but white. Around him were the nine fake emeralds Metal X had cloned from one of the originals.

"Sonic, if there's anything of you left in there, listen to me." Knuckles began, backing off slightly as the dark hedgehog turned his head to face him. "Fight it Sonic. You have to…" Before he could finish, some invisible force smacked him right in the face with strength that knocked him over onto the floor. The Echidna grunted loudly as pushed himself back up, blood running out his nostril.

The Dark Super Sonic was staring down at him with a sadistic smirk on his face. "I know you're made of tougher stuff than this Sonic." The smirk remained. "Come on, what happened to that cocky little, fast pain in the neck who used to drive me crazy?" There was a moment of silence, and then the dark hedgehog startled chuckling. Then he rolled his head back and laughed, an evil laugh Knuckles would have expected from Doctor Eggman.

Suddenly his fist flew forward at tremendous speed, slamming hard into the Echidna's stomach. Gasping out in pain, Knuckles fell to his knees.

"You pride yourself on your strength, yet look how weak you really are." The hedgehog stated, his voice echoing in his own throat, before he picking him up roughly by one of his dreadlocks and then repeatedly slamming him into one of the walls. As the Echidna dropped, he rebounded off the floor and threw the strongest punch he could muster straight into the Hedgehog's face.

To his dismay however, the fist stopped just short of the nose, as if held back by some invisible barrier. That sickening smile on the hedgehog's face widened and Knuckles tried again, each punch bouncing off some shield. Not a single blow was hitting home.

Not only that, but it seemed like the pain intended for his opponent happened to him. It was like hitting ones fist against a brick wall.

Dark Super Sonic just sheered, before flicking the Echidna way with a single gesture of his wrist. That one flick felt like someone had slammed a truck into his face as he went flying down the corridor, before smashing into the side of a wall.

"Make you feel good Sonic?" The Echidna asked. The dark hedgehog raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Beating up your friends like this?" For a second, there was a faint flicker of blue across the black and in that instant, Knuckles was convinced her saw a glimmer of the old Sonic in the face, before a scowl emerged and an energy blast was launched from an open palm.

Picking himself up, Knuckles dived out of the way just in time and charged with a fist held ready. Dark Super Sonic fired several other shots straight at him, and dodging these the Echidna tried to get in close for another punch, only to have the Hedgehog block his blow his the side of his arm before trying to throw his own punch. Knuckles managed to dodge around it, before trying a kick.

Kick's being more of Rouge's thing, his own change in tactics did not prove fruitful. Dark Super Sonic simply dodged it with impossible speed, before landing his own kick.

Like his punch, it was incredibly strong and Knuckles ended up getting flung across the corridor again before smashing into a wall.

"You're an insect compared to me!" The dark hedgehog stated as the Echidna pulled himself up again, feelingly every bone in his body had either been broken or removed completely. Growling, Dark Super Sonic curved his body around in a circle and started spinning. As he spun, lighting flashed across his quills, more and more power building up. Knuckles tensed him, before that spin attack shot forward.

Timing it just right, the Echidna slapped his hands together, catching the spinning hedgehog in-between his gloves. It was like trying to hold onto the tyre of formal one race car while it was in the middle of a race.

Forcing everything else out his mind, Knuckles called all the strength he could muster to his arms and then with one sudden effort, he forced Dark Super Sonic back and sent him flying back down through the corridor.

Coming out of the spin, the dark hedgehog floated in mid air, apparently completely unharmed.

"Sonic, don't make me do this!" He began, drawing a fist back and tensing his arm, preparing to deliver the strongest punch he had ever managed. The same punch that when he first used it, broke off a piece of Angel Island. Dark Super Sonic's smirk disappeared and he narrowed his eyes, set in a hard frown.

The Echidna backed off a few paces, before flying forward and swinging his arm forward. The shockwave from the impact radiated outwards like rippling water, craving cracks in the walls and floor. Everyone on the ship felt the tremble, as a strong as an earthquake that tipped anything that wasn't nailed down over. "What!" The Echidna began, his eyes wide in horror, seeing that seemed this, his strongest attack, his best efforts had failed.

His fist hadn't even gotten close.

Dark Super sonic reached up and grabbed his arm, lifting him up into the air.

"That was all you had?" He asked sadistically, and suddenly the Echidna was lifted into the air from his hand by some visible strings and while he hovered there, struggling to free himself from whatever force ha him trapped, Sonic raised a hand and blasted him with an energy bolt, sending him flying through the side of wall and into the chamber beyond. "Truly pathetic."

As the echidna rolled to a stop in a shower of debris, Sonic looked down at his broken body. He could finish him with a thought, yet something inside told him to wait. There would be more fitting to destroy them all at once, only once he had acquired what he had re-entered the ship to obtain.

-

"I'm inciting a security lock down!" Tails replied to Chuck's question, throwing himself into the pilot's sheet and running his fingers over the key pads.

"Just what is going on out there?" Chris asked. As the entire ship shook, lockdown doors slamming into place around the entire vessel, especially around the energy chamber where the six emeralds they had and the Master Emerald.

"Sonic's gone nuts, that's what's happening!" Tails stated, finalizing the condition red condition of the ship. "Those cloned Chaos Emeralds contained nothing but Negative Chaos Energy, and now it's taken him over."

Those words cut through Cosmo like a knife. She had seen it all happen in her vision, and now it was happening, just as it showed her. She couldn't help but curse into the air. What was the point of all this? If she was given these visions to help prevent them from coming to pass, then why had her best efforts failed?

The ship shook violently for a second as Dark Super Sonic blasted his way through a steal door that tried to bare his way, molten fragments of metal thrown out into the corridor beyond. It actually felt amusing, that they were trying to stop him like this.

Surely had they knew how powerful he was now. What was a locked door to him?

"We have to do something!" Chris declared. "There must be someway we can turn him back to normal!"

"Open to suggestions here!" Eggman replied, another violent shudder tearing through the ship as several other security doors were forced open. "Give me a minute and I'll have the sensors for the ship up and running." The Doctor added, running his fingers over the controls.

"Sub processors up and running sir." Becoe told him, assisting in his work.

"Just what happened out there?" Chuck asked. Tails related to them the story, forcing it to a short version. He told them of the discovery of the Machine Federation's laboratory and the nine cloned Chaos Emeralds they were experimenting with. And then of the fight with Lancelot and now, by some fluke, the energy of those fake emeralds had been transferred into the blue Hedgehog. Now he was just some relentless machine of destruction, obliterating anything in sight. And with the power of nine emeralds to back him up, he was quite capable of it.

"Well can't we use the other Emeralds to bring him back?" Chris asked, gaining him a few confused looks. "I mean, if Negative Chaos energy made him like this, then made a jolt of Positive Energy might turn him back again" Tails shook his head.

"It wouldn't work. Negative Chaos energy works differently to Positive. The only way we get the old Sonic back, is if he willingly let's go of that power." He levelled his eyes and muttered reluctantly. "And right now, that's the last thing on his mind."

"Internal sensors are back on line Doctor." Decoe announced. Eggman nodded and punched a couple of commands into his console. A short buzzing echoed around the bridge, before a holographic display of the Blue Typhoon appeared in the middle of the room. Entering a few more commands, the image blurred again to include a red rode slowly moving down through the vessel's many corridors. Whenever it reached a thick blue line that marked where a shutter door was in place, it would stop. Then the entire ship would shake violently as it tore the obstruction out of the way and carried on.

"Just where is here going?" Sam asked. Eggman stood up and study the display in greater detail.

"Let's see, if he remains on his present course….that should take him…" The doctor began, tracing the routes with a fat finger, before his face distorted in horror and he backed off. "He's reading straight for the Energy chamber!" Everyone grew silent. They all knew what he was going there for. That was where they'd stashed the six Chaos Emeralds they'd been able to gather.

Not only that, but the Master Emerald as well. Dark Super Sonic was extremely powerful as it was, but with those added to his reverse, nothing would be able to stop him.

"There has to be something we can do." Chuck argued. "He has to be stopped now before it's too late!" Tails shook his head. There was little any of them could do accept get in Sonic's way, and to him, they'd just be potholes. And small potholes at that.

Cosmo hardened her face. Even if she'd failed to prevent this from happening, there was still something she could do to help. Turning, she ran out through the doors and into another corridor.

"Cosmo, wait!" Tails called after her, sensing her intentions as she passed by. Somersaulting out of the pilot's seat, he rushed after her.

He finally caught up to her waiting for a lift down to the lower levels of the vessel. "What are you doing?" The green haired girl looked back at him.

"There's a chance I might be able to reach him. Get me close enough; and I think I might be able to talk to the real Sonic, the one being overridden by all that darkness." She replied as the lift finally reached her level and the doors opened.

"It's too dangerous." Tails told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sonic isn't himself right now. He could tear you limb from limb."

"He's going to tear me limb from limb even if I don't try." Cosmo persisted with hard eyes. "And the rest of you along with me." Her expression was pleading. "Please, get me close enough; and I can help."

Tails wore an expression of undisguised uncertainty. His loyalties were torn. He didn't want to put Cosmo in harms way, but he didn't want the rest of the crew to be destroyed. And if he was honest, he would admit he didn't want Sonic to get hurt either.

The ship shook as another of the doors baring Dark Super Sonic's way to the energy chamber and Tails was forced to make a decision.

"Alright…" He began and Cosmo managed a small smile. "Are you sure?" She nodded.

"Yes. I know I can do it." Tails sighed out load, his arms dropping to his sides in reluctance.

"Then let's go." He held her hand and the two of them entered the lift.

-

Dark Super Sonic simply flicked the door side with his little finger and watched as the metal caved inward. As the door collapsed before him, the dark hedgehog found himself in a large storage chamber where they stored the Mech's and other modes of transportation. If memory served, then the Energy core of the Typhoon was right through the door on the other side. It would have been easy simply to rip the ship apart and pry the Emeralds out, yet something was telling him that was not a good idea. An introduction of engaged Negative energy to a large collection of Positive Energy could have explosive results. It would be far better to ease his way in.

A shot rang out and a barrage bullet came dangerously close to hitting him in the arm, had his shield not prevented the injury. Looking around, he saw who had fired it.

The Yahger Mech was up and running, striding over the boxed crates towards him, the guns on either side of its large armoured body angled right down towards him.

"Sorry buddy, we figured out what you're trying to do, and I ain't letting you get any further." Okida announced through a loud speaker, the targeting system of his Walker getting a lock on. "I don't want a pull this trigger, but I will if you push me." Sonic simply laughed, before flying up into the air and charging towards the large combat machine. With a loud whirring, bullets flew through the air, all of them bouncing off the shield that covered the dark hedgehog.

Forced to fire missiles, Okida targeted Sonic none last time and fired. Both projectiles collided with Sonic, and the hedgehog disappeared in a blaze of fire and smoke. The shockwave from the blast forced the Mech to stagger backwards a few paces, before it's large foot slammed down into the floor, bringing it to a halt. Okida felt his heart in his throat as the smoke began to clear. Had he stopped Sonic, only by killing him?

Suddenly, the smoke cleared and there without a scratch on him was the dark hedgehog, smiling sadistically as he raised his left hand, an energy blast gathering above his palm.

The Yahger Mech was just a huge target. There was no way it would have avoided the attack. The energy beam struck the machine head on, forcing it across the cargo bay and into the side of a wall with a loud clank. Okida hit his head on something hard behind him in the cockpit and cursed out load. Weapons and targeting systems were offline and the energy core of the walker had been severely damaged. Another hit like that and it could go critical.

The Mech pushed itself back to an upright position and fired several beams from its lasers, one of them actually striking the hedgehog head on. Dark Super sonic convulsed, the attack actually getting past his shield. Okida grinned; it looked like his defences couldn't handle a laser, which at the end of the day was just light, passing through an energy based shield with ease.

Dark Super Sonic backed off as the Yahger continued blasting him over and over again, each one passing through his shield and hitting him.

"Ready to give up?" Okida asked, hitting the hedgehog with a double barrage. Dark Super Sonic's eyes widened, his face twisted in loathing, before he curled himself up into a ball and started spinning. As he spun, the flow of his quills going around formed another shield, one that deflected the lasers away from his body. "Oh crap…" The major muttered as the dark hedgehog came souring towards him at an unbelievable speed. Okida had just enough time to brace for impact as the hyped-up spin attack smashed at full speed into the side of his Walker.

Like a chain saw, the attack tore through the metal plating and then the hedgehog shot through the interior of the machine itself, before tearing violently out the back. Now with a giant hole torn in its side, the Mech swayed in mid air for a moment, before falling backwards.

With a loud crash, it fell to the floor, the impact shaking the entire ship. Alarms began blaring in the cockpit as system after system went offline, and then finally everything went dead as the Mech died completely. Okida cursed. He liked that Mech, and now it had been ruined beyond repair.

Pressing a button, he opened the cockpit to the outside world, only to find the dark hedgehog standing there waiting for him. Okida tried to reach for the gun in his holster, but Sonic simply clenched a fist and paralysis seized his entire body, preventing him from even moving. Something lifted him out of his machine and up into the air.

Okida struggled, his wings flapping about, trying to propel himself backwards out of the way, but nothing was working. He tried to kick him, hoping it would force the ark hedgehog to release him, but for some reason his foot didn't even get close.

There was a loud crash, and something large and metallic red smacked into the hedgehog's face, sending him cascading through the air before smashing into the floor, disappearing into a cloud of dust. Okida was dropped back onto the armoured chest plate of his Mech roughly, possible shipping a bone in the process.

"Are you alright?" Topaz called up. Okida opened an eye to see the human female, Rouge and Omega there. The battle android stood ready for a counterattack as it had been him that knocked Sonic off.

"What is his deal?" Rouge asked.

"I don't know." Okida replied, pushing him up and reaching for his gun. "It's like he doesn't even remember who he is anymore." Suddenly, the dust cascaded to the side and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Dark Super Sonic rose up out of the hole in the floor, pure white eyes fixed only of them.

Omega raised his arm, barrel shaped arms and fired an intense barrage of missiles that screamed through the air towards Sonic. Sonic crossed his arms in front of himself, paused for a moment before throwing his hands out. An intense shockwave passed through the room and the missiles about faced, running straight back to Omega. Each one collided with his chest and the Machine was sent flying backwards in a spray of fire.

Rouge attacked, flying in close before striking Sonic over and over again with several of her best kicks. Sonic not only blocked them, but managed to find the agility to land a punch against the side of her face. Rouge crashed into the ground, and would have gotten back up, had Sonic not come souring in at the last second and dealt a kick of his own to her side, sending her flying up into the ceiling.

As he limp body fell back down to the ground, Okida and Topaz opened fire. Their attempts at stopping him were even less effective, and all Sonic had to do to deal with them was raise his left hand.

The entire ship shook with the explosion that tore the door to the energy chamber open. The double, four foot thick doors just seemed to melt into slag and fall inwards. Sent flying in first was Omega, his left arm completely severed off and one of his optics smashed in. Then he was followed by the others, all with either their hair or clothes scorched badly.

Sonic came floating in last, holding Okida up by the drape around his shoulders, the bat was unconscious. Once inside, the hedgehog cast the vampire bat down to the floor and continued on up towards the metallic version of the Emerald Shrine. Right where they'd left them were the Chaos Emerald, all six of the seven those they had managed to gather and floating directly in the middle was the Master Emerald itself. An enormous, bright green jewel at least twice the size of his own body and the most powerful source of Chaos Energy in existence.

Dark Super Sonic managed a sneer, and carried on up towards it.

"That's far enough." A voice stated; the least likely voice Sonic ever expected to hear at this point. Stepping out from behind the Master Emerald was Amy Rose, her hammer tight in both hands, her emerald green eyes set hard against him.

She was no threat. She was nothing compared to him, sneering at her, he carried on.

Without warning however, each Emeralds began glowing in turn, red, green, purple yellow, grey and sky blue. Each one rose off the pillar they had been placed upon and began to encircle Amy, forming a sphere around her. Slowly they orbited around her, like the nine fakes that went around Sonic.

The two shields connected, and sparks of conflicting energy passed between them.

Sonic was forced to back away, his sneer reduced to a scowl. "I want you back Sonic." The pink hedgehog stated. "But you're going to have to get past me if you want these Emeralds."

-

"Shadow…Shadow…" His name was being called, but right now the black and red hedgehog was not inclined to answer. Something was wrong…he couldn't tell what, but something was not as it should be. Whatever it was, it was very important, that was all he could tell at this moment.

He had to know what. Sorting through memories long since buried, the black and red hedgehog dived into the past, digging for something, anything that was out of place.

"Shadow…Shadow…" Again his name was called, and again he did not answer.

What was here, something…something important? He had to…he paused. Turning slowly, he confronted what had stood before him all along.

"Hello Shadow." A voice stated and for the first time in fifty years, he came face to face with his creator.

"Impossible…" Shadow breathed, backing off a couple of paces. "You can't be him…" The old human man, completely bald apart from a thick grey moustache smiled. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses that rested on the tip of his nose. He looked like an aged version of Eggman.

"Good to see you again." He began, walking closer. Almost in terror, Shadow backed off a few more paces. "You needn't adopt that attitude with me; I'm only here to talk." Shadow remained steadfast there, his eyes wide in a mixture of awe and outright confusion. This could not be…him…it just couldn't be…it was impossible.

"Who…what are you?"

"Oh, has my appearance changed that much?" The old man asked, feigning an upset look. "As for what I am, well I'm not a ghost in the true sense of the word, if you're wondering that." He paused, a smile breaking over his face. "Then again, I don't know what being a ghost feels like so I wouldn't be able to compare the feeling." He knelt down so his face was level with Shadow's. "But right now, I feel more alive then I have in decades." Shadow remained silent for a moment, before his expression grew less petrified.

"Professor?" The old man's smile deepened.

"Ah, good. You haven't forgotten me then." Shadow stood there, dumbfounded, eyes wide and burning with conflicting thoughts and feelings. Then he looked up again.

"Why did you do it?" He asked; the ominous meaning of that question more than evident. The man stood up, his smile fading.

"I don't know Shadow. I didn't know what I was doing when I was doing it, and I don't know now." He shrugged. "I guess I just started listening to the voices in my head. But anyway, right now that's not important."

"What could possible be more…" Shadow began...only to hear that call again.

"Shadow…Shadow…" That call felt like it had almost lifted him off his feet, like every time it sounded he was less and less here.

"An urgent matter." The professor stated. "I do not have the strength to remain here for long, so I will have to make this quick." The human put his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "There is a task that only you can, and must carry out."

"What task?" The black and red hedgehog asked flatly. While he respected this man, he would be wary in listening to his respects. The last time he had asked him to do something; he had not been entirely himself.

"When the ultimate life form project began, Chaos Control was one of the first things I experimented with. I discovered more within it than just the qualities for teleportation."

"Shadow…Shadow...!" The call came again and the environment around them both seemed to blur, becoming less and less solid.

"G.U.N has the records." The human told him, his voice rushed as time began to run out. "I need you to find the Robotnik family legacy. The records I left behind. Something very bad is going to happen very soon, and I need you to help me." Before Shadow could say anything else, everything, including the vision of the Professor blurred into nothing and the hedgehog was propelled back up.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to be met with a blob of orange. Blinking, he cleared his vision and began to see more precise images. Now, instead of a splat of colour, he saw Tikal kneeling over him.

Roughly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His new surroundings were somewhere in the wilderness, the tall expanse of an evergreen forest all around them.

"Hey, look who's up." Hare remarked and the others looked back to see Shadow hoist himself to his feet.

He was extremely low on energy. Whatever had happened after the fight Dark Oak had drained him, leaving him light-headed. Still, he managed to maintain his usual tough façade.

Tikal stared into his eyes, and as if reading his thoughts, set her own face in a frown.

"What is it?" She asked. Shadow did not reply, his own thoughts were a little jumbled at the moment.

He did not know what this 'Robotnik family legacy' was, but if it was that important as the old man claimed then he had to find, but not because the Professor had asked him to.

Perhaps he thought that they could go back to the way things where. Well, he was wrong. Too much bad had happened for that. There was NO going back. Shadow was who he was today, now, this very instant. The hedgehog from fifty years ago was dead.

"We've got work to do."

-

Flip card 1:

Name: Prof. Gerald Robotnik

Description: A ghostly visitation?