Shadow and Speed regarded the robed cat that their father had called Ragen. His yellow eyes looked of the pair, "Your father has prepared a ceremony for you tow that will induct you into his family. He has granted me the power to do it."

"What exactly is this ceremony?"

"You will be exposed to a moment in your past in which you felt the weakest. Once you conquered that part of your life, you will be granted access to the master's energy and power."

Shadow shrugged, "I have never felt weak. Let's just get this over with."

Speed rolled his shoulders, "Bring it on!"

Ragen bowed and smiled, "As you wish! After this your power will be second to none, save your father." Black energy shot from his eyes and entered the two hedgehogs.

Shadow rubbed his head and found himself lying on a cold metal floor. He sat up, "Well that was fun." He looked around and was surprised by where he was, "The birthing lab!" Shadow jumped to his feet, "How?"

"Just about time!"

Shadow turned to see an elderly man standing in front of a green tube, "Professor!" The man didn't take notice to Shadow's voice. Shadow went over to tap him on the shoulder, but his hand passed through him, "Whoa!" He pulled back, "Guess I am just an observer."

The lights around the tub started flashing a multicolored light. Professor Gerald eyes grew in amazement as the tube slid open. Green smoke flowed out of the tube and filled the room. Gerald hit a control and the vents around the lab pulled the smoke out of the lab. A naked black and red hedgehog was kneeling in the tube base. "Your here!"

The hedgehog's red eyes opened slowly, "Who are you?"

"I am the one who created you. Please try to remember me?"

"Professor Gerald Robotnik!"

"Good!" Gerald handed the hedgehog a blanket, "The teaching programs have done their job."

The hedgehog wrapped himself up, "Who am I?"

"The world's ultimate life form. Shadow the hedgehog."

The real Shadow sighed, "I fail to see how this is my weakest point in my life." The image he viewed blurred and reformed to a garden. He recognized where he was. The Ark's arboretum. He spotted himself tossing a ball to a young girl, "Maria!" He remembered when she had first asked him to play. He thought it pointless at first, but soon found an enjoyment he couldn't describe. He enjoyed watching the two play, but the fake blue sky suddenly turned red.

Gerald's voice sounded through out the space colony, "Shadow, Maria, Run! We are under attack."

Shadow watched himself and Maria run toward the exit, "No! Not again!" Shadow chased after them. Before he could reach them, the area around him changed to the command room. He spotted Maria getting shot by G.U.N troops and launching himself toward Mobius. Shadow ran to Maria and fell to his knees, "Maria! Why didn't you let me help you?" His surroundings went black and the last thing he saw was Maria's body vanishing.

Speed found himself standing in the middle of a village. People around him went about their business like he wasn't there. He knew the village, but he had only seen it after it had burned down. He walked down the dirt road and to a wood house near the edge of the village. A small floor garden grew in a small front yard and a garden in back. He walked to the door of the house and reached up to knock. His hand went through the door, "Ok!" He shrugged and walked through the door. It was small house, a small living room, kitchen, and bedroom. He saw a female echidna sitting in a rocking chair. She was nursing a small baby. Speed nearly fell down; he knew her and the small bundle she held, "Mother!" Their was a light knock at the door and a green hedgehog walked in, "Father!"

He smiled and walked over to his wife, "Hungry again?"

The echidna kissed her husband on the cheek, "He has your appetite."

"Hope not! He'll drain those things dry!"

"Very funny!" The baby hedgehog pulled away from the breast and started to hic up. The echidna smiled and burped him, "Drank to fast again." There was a loud burp. She stood up and set him down in a crib in the bedroom. It was then he noticed the metal dreadlocks that were mixed in with the real ones. Speed knew his mother was a former Dark Legion member. The small baby yawned and quickly fell asleep. Speed nearly came to tears when he saw the pair standing over the crib and watching the child sleep.

Speed anger suddenly rose as the scene he was watching began to change, "Not yet!" He found himself back on the dirt road. The village around him was in flames and jackals were running around the place. Speed cursed and ran back to the house. He spotted his father in front of the house. Three dead jackals were at his feet, but there were four others. Speed lunged in to attack, but he soared through them and landed on the ground behind his father. Speed watched in horror as the four jackals pounced the hedgehog and began to tear into him. Speed heard a woman scream. He quickly ran toward the scream, but only got there in time to see a large wolf slam his mother down and snap her neck. Speed again tried to fight, but he eventually gave up as the area around him went black. The rest of the story was simple; his mother managed to get him to his uncle. She went back for her husband. Speed ran away at the age of twelve and became the bounty hunter, Sperk at fifteen. The last thing to vanish was the wolf. He managed a small smile. He killed the wolf and the jackals when he was seventeen.

The two hedgehogs fell to a kneeling position. Their eyes went black as they stood up straight. Ragen bowed and stepped back, "You are ready my lords!"

Ragen walked away and Luxor appeared in front of him. He pointed at them and black lightning shot from the finger and formed black armor on the two, "You are ready my sons. Soon we will purify this world!"

Sally face went pale when she got the news, "I'm pregnant!"

Doctor Quack nodded, "Yes!"

She had come in about stomach problems, but now this. Sally rubbed her lower stomach, "How far along?"

The duck flipped some papers on his clipboard, "Six months!"

"WHAT?" Whatever color she had in her face was gone, "I don't look it. Much!" She whispered the much part. Her stomach had grown.

"It effects people differently. So should I call Sonic back from Station Square."

Sally slowly shook her head. Sonic had gone off with Knuckles to find Shadow. "He can't be the father! We've only been sleeping together for a few weeks."

"Then who?" Sally gulped and looked to the floor. The duck rubbed her shoulder, "You can tell me! I won't tell anybody."

"Sperk!" She had a hard time pushing it out.

Doctor Quack suddenly stepped back, "Are you sure?"

"It must be! That night is a blur at best."

Doctor Quack did his best to comfort her and sent her home to rest. He sighed, "Things just can't stay simple."

A robe figure chuckled behind a building near the hospital, "This is better than I thought. It appears that just before the Bojack incident, Sally and Sperk had a little fun. This will rip Sonic apart. Too bad it isn't the bounty hunter's kid." He walked into the shadows, "Soon they will discover the others pregnancies. But they won't do anything foolish. In one week the children will be born and in one month after that they will grow into powerful fighters for my master. Then this world will be purified."

Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge stood on a rooftop in Station Square. They had been looking for Shadow for several days. As they desired to move on, Shadow and Speed appeared in a flash of black light. Shadow stepped forward, "You will surrender yourselves or be taken by force."

"Shadow!" Sonic and the others stepped back, "What is wrong?"

Speed smiled, "Nothing! We just need your souls to allow our father to remain in this realm."

Shadow lunged at the trio, "Lets get them brother!"

Sonic went to counter, "Should have stayed in bed!"