werewolf lover99: Me too! I really never liked Black Doom too much- he complained a lot. :V
It's No Use: Yeah, I agree that after Shadow's story arc is over, Shadow personality should improve. Although, in my opinion, Shadow is actually a much better character in Sonic 06, but that's just me. And as for his alignment...he's better off just as a Pure Hero, maybe dipping into Semi-Hero every once in awhile.
SonicSonic54321: I have a couple of plans after this story, but nothing immediate, as I'm trying to finish up some of my older stories that have been around forever, and thus is where my focus will be for a while.
Cf96: Thank you kindly! Now let's hope this final chapter is just as awesome!
DanceDream: And a Happy Easter to you as well! ^^
Haha, nice to hear you enjoyed the fight! Probably my most unconventional one yet though (that sign xD) and the only character banter that wasn't a Captain Obvious statement were ones from Eggman, but he didn't have very many. xD
Aww, I love your happy comments! Usually because you pick up on exactly where I wanted to go with a chapter, and even point out some things I did that I hadn't even realized. :) Yeah, other songs are VERY hard to weave in, hence why I went a bit lighter on lyrics this time, but I made what I could work.
Well, the wait is no more! The epilogue is here...and the story is over. ;)
. . .
As stated above, yes, this is the final chapter! I know this story had a bit of rough start, but regardless, I am so thrilled to finally get it done, and it's been great hearing all the feedback from you all! I've wanted to do Shadow's game justice for such a long time...and now I can finally say I think I have.
Without further ado, here is the last chapter...and all I ask is that you simply enjoy. ^^
Epilogue: Never Turn Back
~I Am…The Story is Over~
Black Comet Center-
Sometime after Devil Doom's inevitable plummet and defeat beneath the clouds, the paralyzing gas that had kept Sonic and the crew immobile throughout the whole ordeal finally wore off. One by one, everyone slowly started twitching with returned feeling in their muscles, and Knuckles was the first to be fully able to move, landing on his knees and stretching out his arms.
"Augh…I never thought I'd be so grateful to move again in my whole life…!" he exclaimed, hugging the ground. Tails tapped him on the shoulder and gestured to the exit.
"No time to kiss the floor, Knuckles," he stated, starting to jog off. "We have to get off this comet, quickly!"
"What about Shadow, though…?" Sonic asked, resting on one knee and propping himself up with a hand on the ground.
"What about me?"
Everyone in the area froze, just in time for a blinding presence to arrive…one that belonged to me. Appearing almost like a ghost, I drifted towards them with my arms spread open.
"…it's good to see you're all okay," I stated, although I threw a contemptuous glare in Eggman's direction. He whistled and turned his head the other way.
Rouge just smiled and clasped her hands together. "Well, we can say the same about you, Shadow…"
"There's not much time until my Super Form wears out, and there's still much for me to do…" I trailed, my hands growing brighter. "I'm getting you all out of here, and then I'm destroying this comet! This…was what Gerald had always intended for me to do, until the loss of Maria unfortunately drove him mad…and by extent, that's what had happened to me."
"Aw, Shadow…!" Rouge exclaimed, welled up with emotions as she threw herself at me, trapping me with a hug. Amy and Tails couldn't contain themselves either and joined in, with Knuckles placing a hand on my shoulder and Sonic doing the same with the other one.
"We're all proud of you, Shadow," Sonic said with a lopsided grin. "All you had to do was be you!"
I nodded in his direction as Eggman groaned and stood next to the group.
"Yes, yes, this is touching, but can we hurry up and get off this thing before we're blown up along with it?"
Mood killer…
In any case, I raised one hand above me, summoning the Chaos Emeralds to swirl around us all. Their energy had been replenished greatly with Black Doom's vanquish, allowing me to draw on enough power to teleport the group to safety and me to the top of the comet.
In a glorious amount of light, we all were absorbed by the power, and we were all removed from the interior of the soon-to-be-finished Black Comet.
Outside-
Perched at the very tip of the comet, I looked over the ruined horizon of the city, where I had warped the gang somewhere far to safety, and where they would be well-beyond the range of destruction.
"Only one thing left to do…and that's to put the past behind me!" I breathed quietly, strolling to the edge of the comet and looking down. Aliens were still running amok, but not for much longer…
Whisking myself into the air, I dove downward to the bottom of the comet, with all seven Chaos Emeralds trailing behind me as if to give me guidance.
Placing my hands on the underside of the comet, I closed my eyes and drew on all the power the Chaos Emeralds would allow me. They started glowing as bright as I was, the Black Comet shining just as well…
"Chaos…"
The whole area was engulfed in an impossible light, shining brighter than the sun and blinding all of those within distance.
This was the moment…that would lead to a better future.
"…CONTROL!"
In a universal flash, I, the Chaos Emeralds, and the Black Comet were swept up in the Chaos Control, with the comet's tendrils being ripped right out of the earth as it was warped into the sky. Now it was drifting back in its orbit in space…in the direct line of sight of the Eclipse Cannon.
Space Colony ARK-
I hadn't warped directly into the ARK's cannon control room, because there was one last stop I had to make. I zoomed through the ARK's corridors at the speed of light, finally coming to a stop inside the super computer room.
The Chaotix still resided inside, unsure of what to do now, as they had been monitoring my whole fight with Devil Doom from there.
"…hi?" I stated, and all three of them jumped upon seeing me floating over them.
"Shadow!" they rejoiced, rushing from the computer and patting me on the back.
"Good to see you're in one piece!" exclaimed Vector heartily. Charmy flew by his side and started punching at the air.
"Didja take out that nasty Doom thing and save the world?!" he cried excitedly.
"Yes… the leader of the Black Arms is no more, and all that's left to do is do what should have been done a long time ago…" I trailed.
Espio was the one to catch my drift first and nodded considerately.
"We understand; do not allow us to stand in your way," he said confidently.
"But, uh, before you go saving the world once and for all…" Vector began, scratching the back of his head. "Do you mind sending us home? We're not really up for taking the teleporter…"
A smirk crossed my expression as I started glowing again. "What do you think I'm here for?"
I raised my hands, and the Chaotix were enveloped in the same glow.
"Just…tell the others I said hi."
They nodded in agreement, and I sent them home, where they belonged…
And soon enough, I'd be able to join them.
Eclipse Cannon Control Room-
"At long last…" I trailed, drifting into the room that housed the controls for the Eclipse Cannon. After being there many times, this time felt like it was the most important. "…I have reached my final destination."
I called out the Chaos Emeralds and landed on the floor, giving up the rights to my Super Form and returning the energy to the Emeralds that I had borrowed. They now shined with their true potential, and although the strain the battle with Devil Doom had on them was still prevalent, I was going to need their help one last time.
Placing them one by one in their slots for the Eclipse Cannon, the cannon roared to life, bringing light back to the entirety of the Space Colony ARK, and for a moment, it was almost like I remembered it fifty years ago.
Maria and Gerald's words of encouragement drifted through my mind, and while the sounds of their voices were welcoming…they were no longer needed.
I knew exactly where I wanted to go from here, and I didn't have to rely on guidance from the past anymore…
I stepped toward the control panel, throwing switches, hitting buttons, and changing the cannon's aim to lock onto the Black Comet.
As I prepared to fire the cannon, a brief moment of hesitation washed over me.
"I may not have been able to cure you or save your life, Maria, and I may not have been able to give you all the research you wanted, Professor…"
With no more hesitance, I slammed my hand on the button that launched the cannon.
"…but I hope you're proud of me nevertheless."
. . .
The front of the Space Colony ARK opened up in a green light, the Eclipse Cannon charging up and taking aim at the drifting Black Comet. When it reached maximum power, it released a powerful beam that struck the comet dead on, the two battling for dominance until the power of the beam overcame the comet's defenses and detonated the comet in a brilliant explosion, pieces of it blasting off in every direction, and ridding the world of its influence forever…
"Yeah, he did it! The Black Comet is destroyed!" cheered Tails and Charmy back on the planet, with the rest of the group staring up at the implosion in the sky.
A fire in the sky indeed…
The two of them grabbed hands and started spinning around happily. Sonic just smirked and sent a thumbs up to the sky.
"Shadow…that was sweet! Couldn't have done it any better myself!"
Rouge was just as happy as everyone else was, yet she was still nervously biting her thumb.
"I hope he's okay…"
"I'm sure he's fine, Rouge!" Amy exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "After all, he IS Shadow!"
"He is Shadow indeed," stated a newcomer voice, and everyone glanced over their shoulders to see Omega thundering up to them with Cream sitting perched on his shoulder and waving at everybody. Amy gasped and hurried over to Cream; Cream twirled her ears and flew away from Omega, landing in Amy's arms.
"Mister Omega came and found me after you guys left for space," Cream explained. "He said he was looking Eggman, but when he couldn't track him, he decided to just wait for you guys to return instead…and I wanted to do the same! I'm so proud of you all!"
"We really didn't do that much, Cream," Amy tried to explain, shaking her head as she turned to the sky. "This time… it was all Shadow."
"That's right! While we gave our support, none of us would be here thanks to his efforts," Tails added brightly.
"Don't forget how WE cracked into those old files!" exclaimed Vector, soaking up what little glory he could get. Espio clicked his tongue in shame as Charmy protested that the file cracking was all thanks to HIM.
Rouge, completely oblivious to everyone else, simply cheered and jumped into the air, gliding over to her robot friend immediately.
"Omega, you're okay!" she exclaimed, landing on his shoulder and smiling. "How'd you find us?"
"Eggman reappeared on my radar several minutes ago," Omega explained. "I hurried to his location and found you all; while also partaking in witnessing Comrade Shadow destroy the Black Comet…where is he now?"
"He hasn't come back yet," Amy explained. "But we'll be waiting for him when he does!"
"Is it bad that I'm still kinda worried?" Tails asked meekly, and Sonic put an arm around him and shook his head.
"Of course not, lil' bro. But I'm sure we've got nothing to worry about." He winked and gave Tails a thumbs up. "I think Shadow will finally be fine now…both physically and mentally."
"Yeah, I'm happy for him," Knuckles stated, absentmindedly leaning against Omega. "I'm kind of looking forward to see where he goes next myself!"
"Meatbag, cease leaning on me or else I'll-!" Omega started to say, but Rouge leapt off his shoulder and stood between him and Knuckles.
"Easy there, big guy, Knuckles meant no harm…" Rouge tried to explain before looking coy. "…he tends to be airheaded from time to time, nothing personal."
"HEY!" Knuckles started to argue, but one look from Omega made him snap his mouth shut. The robot stepped to Knuckles and looked down at him.
"Hmph. In light of Comrade Rouge's affections for you, I shall spare you immediate and immense pain for your actions…"
Rouge went red in the face as Knuckles donned a look of confusion.
"Erm, affection…?"
"Ahaha, just a friendly joke from Omega- robots do have a killer sense of humor," Rouge blatantly lied, flying back to Omega's side again. "Anyway Omega, don't you have an Eggman to hunt down or something?"
A loud whirling sound came from Omega as he spun himself in Eggman's direction and locked on. Needless to say, Eggman's mustache stood out on end as he completely blanched.
"Oh ho ho, would you look at the time? I guess I'd better get back to getting my hands on the Chaos Emeralds…!" he exclaimed quietly as he snuck away.
However, Knuckles, Omega, and the Chaotix weren't having any of that.
"Get BACK here, you creep!" Knuckles wailed, following after the doctor and chasing him around the streets with his fists in the air.
"Anihilate! Fire! FIRE!" bellowed Omega, firing ammo in every direction.
"Don't kill him yet!" Espio exclaimed, perching a ninja star between his fingers.
"He still owes us money from three months ago!" shouted Vector. "That slimeball…!"
"He obviously wants another butt-stinging from us!" Charmy yelled, flying into the fray as well. "AFTER HIM!"
As that group chased down Eggman, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Rouge were left to simply laugh at the scene…and after all they'd been through, a good laugh was just what they needed.
Alternate GUN HQ-
Every single member of the Guardian Units of Nations rejoiced as they watched the comet's annihilation from the video footage of their satellites, everyone whooping as loud as they could and tossing papers into the air to celebrate the fact that their planet was still whole.
And amongst all the happy faces, none were more shocked and surprised than Commander Abraham Tower and the President.
In fact, all that the Commander could really do was sigh, emotionally drained from the whole experience himself. The President could see that he was visibly hurt by the unexpected turn of events, and in his time of need, the President put a reassuring hand on Tower's shoulder.
"…how ironic," the President began slowly, and the Commander glanced over to him solemnly. "After the way we all treated him, he saved us in the end. We were all wrong about the professor…"
The Commander's eyes squeezed tightly as he balled up his fists and looked away. The President's face softened as he patted the Commander's back.
"…and we were wrong about Shadow, too."
The Commander was silent for a moment, then-
"…I know," Abraham sobbed, turning even more away from the President. "I'm sorry for my time of weakness, Sir…"
The President shook his head.
"Let this be a time of weakness for us all. Let us let out our negative feelings and transgressions, so we can be like Shadow and work to move forward…"
"…it was never any of his fault…" Abraham admitted, choking on his words. "I'm…I'm the one that tipped off the army all those years ago about the dark secrets that went on behind the walls of the ARK…and if I hadn't been so meddlesome and spiteful…then maybe Maria would still be with me, and this invasion would have never happened…"
The President blinked at this, completely floored at the news but refused to overact.
"So you mean…the attack on the ARK fifty years ago was your doing?"
Abraham nodded.
"And…you knew that the comet would be coming back baring an invasion, and well…you knew everything?"
"And I tried so hard to cover up my own guilt by shoving all of the blame onto Shadow…but he deserved none of it, and I tried to kill him for it…!"
Abraham broke down again, and not only did the President hate to see such a composed, strong, and respected man burst into tears at the thought of all the wrong he'd wrought in the past, but he'd also confessed to a serious crime, one that led to the death of many, and he hid important information from the government, and the public he vowed to protect…!
And yet, the President couldn't find it in him to punish the man, considering that he was suffering and had been punished enough.
"…I just can't understand why?" the President finally said after a disturbing silence. "After all this time…why only speak of this now?"
"Because I'm a coward!" Abraham cried, catching the attention of the once celebrating people of the Headquarters. "Today…it's finally over…I have no more reason to hide anything anymore…but the reason I kept the secret in the first place…"
His two-colored gazed rolled down to meet the President's, and he heavily sighed again.
"…is because I didn't want to bring anymore shame to my family. The one I lost aboard the ARK due to my own actions…and the one I've managed to start now."
The President found himself taken aback once again, just as the Commander's phone began to ring. He turned to the nearest guy running a computer and barked, "Put the call on speaker!"
"Yes sir!" the average Joe remarked, as Abraham wiped away any lingering tears with his white gloves. However, they only came flooding back when the image of a young woman appeared on the screen, apparently in the hospital.
"Hi, Dad," the woman stated, smiling at her father with her own double-colored look in her eyes.
"My dear…" Abraham breathed, starting to shake. "You're okay…you're alive!"
The woman nodded eagerly, an ambivalent look in her eyes. "Yes…I did get caught up in the alien invasion, and I'm afraid…I lost my husband to those monsters…"
She bit her lip and tried to hold back tears, but they overflowed anyway, and even the President had to cover his mouth from the shock of the news.
"Oh, honey…I'm so sorry…I…" Abraham stammered, now quivering even harder. "If only I had been doing my job right…!"
"No, Dad; don't blame yourself," the woman sobbed, managing to smile through the sadness. "There is some good news…and there's someone I want you to meet…"
The next thing GUN knew, there was a small bundle of joy wrapped in a blanket, and she held it up to the camera.
"…I managed to give birth to my beautiful and healthy daughter. According to the doctors, she was born the very moment a comet blew up in the sky! Can you believe what a miracle that is, Dad?"
"N-no…" Abraham trailed, now gaping.
"She will never know her father due to events of yesterday…so in that case, I'd like to pass the honor of naming her to you." She spoke with such a light joy in her voice, despite the turmoil she must've been going through…and just about every heart in the room broke just listening to her talk so brightly. "At least she'll have a hero of a grandfather to look up to as she is growing up."
"Awwww!" went the crowd of soldiers and workers, all turning to the Commander and giving him a well-deserved applause. Abraham honestly didn't know what to do at this point, but he finally wiped away his tears and raised a triumphant fist into the sky.
"Let us officially take this moment to be truly grateful that we have been given a chance to live another day…and to take the time to bow our heads to those that time will never forget…and the chance to thank Shadow the Hedgehog, for acting in our steady despite the horrible way we…I mean, I, have treated him…"
"I agree whole-heartedly," added the President, looking at the Commander and smiling as well. "…let us pay homage to Professor Gerald. Let's work to ensure peace and prosperity for a brighter future! What do you say, Commander?"
"…it's an excellent idea, Mr. President," Abraham finally agreed, turning back to the screen. "We'll work to make the future a better place, and to stop dwelling on our pasts…for all people, for the country, for my family…"
Abraham Tower looked at his granddaughter, with her looking back with bright blue eyes, and he genuinely smiled for the first time in many years.
"…and for little Maria, so she can live in the world that everyone should get the chance to see."
And it was in that moment that the President decided that just once, even for that one little moment…that everything was really okay in the world. Just for a little while, anyhow.
. . .
Still up in the vast loneliness of space, I was still hanging aboard the ARK, looking down at the planet below one last time before I headed back down there once and for all. Yes, I had seen it many times, but perhaps Sonic was right…it was just the sort of sight you couldn't exactly get over. It was a magnificent feeling, seeing the world you lived in from a unique angle in all its splendor…
I just…I wished Maria could've experienced it, but the most I could do now was live life for her, and thrive in it as much as I could.
A sepia photo of her and the professor hung in my hand, which I had found tucked within the professor's old research lab. It was a little charred from the attack and faded due to time, but the picture's message was certainly clear…
They were happy in the "vast loneliness of space", and I guess I understood why, since they had all the stars in the sky to keep them company…
And me, eventually.
Their life with me ended long ago, and now, it was time for me to end my life with them. I was glad that I learned of their existence, of the purposes they gave me, and the love they showered me with before their departure from life itself…but I couldn't hang onto that forever.
I would never forget, but I could no longer allow it to dictate me.
It was a different time now, one filled with threats to the world and a strong group of heroes to rise against it. I'd be willing to help them, in my own way of course, to keep my promise to Maria alive…
But now, it was simply the way I defined myself.
I am Shadow the Hedgehog, nothing more than a simple soul searching for his place in the world. All I ever wanted was to learn of my memories so I could carry on, and now I could finally do that. Really, that's all I ever wanted…
And I'm content with that.
So...I might've once been a killing machine that sought out revenge against all who opposed me...and was almost dead to the world...
I was a drifter, searching for a purpose, on a quest for the truth ...as a broken version of what I once was...
I've discovered I'm not an android, but I'm not here on this planet to wander with an empty mind...it's like I'm waking up for the first time...
I've realized I was wrong and I'm the chosen one to be here...
I've fulfilled my promise to Maria, and will continue to carry out her wishes...
No matter what I do, no matter what path I may take, I am all of me...but I must keep moving forward, now that I know who I am. You can't change me...
And now, I'll never turn back.
Giving the sepia photo one last look before turning away from the window, I tossed it over my shoulder and simply walked away, ready to leave everything behind me and start the journey of my new life…
The photo landed on the cold floor, destined to remain there as a subtle reminder of what happened within the ARK…
A reminder of a past that no longer would be able to hurt anyone ever again.
"Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog…"
…and hello to my new life.