Shadow's p.o.v.

After everything I went through, after all the time that I got to know Maurice, I couldn't believe how he turned into the enemy. It wasn't his fault because the Commander was forcing him to do it. But I could only think of one thing as I stared into his eyes. I couldn't hurt him. Deep down, behind the hatred and twisted pleasure those black eyes gave off, I saw the old Maurice looking at me with such sadness and regret that I didn't know it even existed. I was lucky as the others had shown up at that exact time but if I face down Maurice again then I think -no- I KNOW that I'll freeze up, that I'll end up letting him hurt me because I could never hurt a true friend. Just like Maria and Rouge.

As I burst through the doors of G.U.N. with the others on my tail, I didn't dare turn back until I heard Rouge call out in pain. I turned around just to see her laying on the ground with a few slashes on her back through her clothes, blood coming out slowly. I took a step back as Maurice gave a wicked grin my way but before he could take a step, Knuckles slammed him onto the ground. Maurice growled at him with his teeth bared, then kicked Knuckles off him into a building.

Humans everywhere ran off screaming their heads off but the while they ran, the others trying to snap Maurice out of whatever was going on with him and getting hurt in the process, I had an out of body experience. I could see what was going on but I couldn't move myself to interfere. I watched as they were getting hurt trying to help Maurice but also to snap me out of my own daze. I could only think of Maria and how this situation was the same as that one. Maria was backed up against the wall, I was useless in the escape-pod and the G.U.N. soldier ordering her to back down but she didn't. And like now, I feel even more useless because I can very well stop this but can't.

I snapped out of my daze as my back connected with a solid surface and looked up to see that I was laying against a building and Maurice was making his way toward me. I widened my eyes as Maurice lifted his sword up ready to strike me down. If I didn't do something in the next few seconds, I may as well call my life forfeit. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone was either unconscious or slowly getting up with blood coming out of them from Maurice's sword.

Suddenly my vision changed so all I could see was Maria being shot down. I could feel my breathing become ragged as that image repeated in my mind over and over on a never ending loop. I couldn't control my actions as I screamed out of rage and agony. I didn't even realize that one of my legs kicked out until my vision came back with Maurice flying to the opposite side of the street, smashed into a building with his sword clattering on the ground beside him before disappearing. I blinked once then quickly looked around for anything that could help me until my eyes fell onto the blue Chaos Emerald sitting beside an unconscious Scourge.

I got up with little to no trouble and picked the emerald up twirling it in my hand. Now... what was it that the fox had said? I know that I have an excellent memory but with all the shit that has happened, one can forget even the tiniest details. Okay Shadow, think! Why did the emerald -beside increasing my abilities- become so important? Come on, think dammit! If I don't find a way to stop Maurice before he could get back up then not only mine but everyone's life is in danger. I brought the emerald up to my eyes and squinted through the translucent surface until I looked at Maurice. It looked like his fur had changed to a cobalt colour... wait a minute... I gasped as a sentence came to mind:

"Maurice's raw chaos abilities had a reaction with the chaos emeralds and infused together to become Sonic!"

Of course! If it wasn't for the emerald, Maurice would have been living Sonic's life -in a different way. I lowered the emerald just as Maurice was climbing back to his feet and looked from him to the emerald and back again. Well... here goes nothing... I brought my arm back, gave it a few swings then chucked it directly at him making it bonk on his head and land directly by his feet. I immediately regretted doing that because not only is he still a brown hedgehog, Maurice had looked at me with even more hatred than before. I took a step back as Maurice picked up the emerald and clutched it tightly. I took three more steps back and my eyes widened when Maurice had summoned his sword but it was now three times its size then what it originally was.

"H-Hey Maurice." I said as he began to march towards me and I took a step back for every step he took forward. "Can you maybe calm down and talk about this?" he growled and narrowed his eyes making them look like tiny slits. "Is that a no?" he let out a battle cry and charged directly at me but by pure instinct alone, I charged up a Chaos Spear and flung it directly into his shoulder. He let out a shriek and dropped his sword making it disappear again and try to hide his shoulder from the pain. I knew from experience when a Chaos Spear came directly into contact with someone, that spot will sting for a while but Maurice's reaction was so unorthodox that when I looked at the wound, it had turned into a bright cobalt just like the emerald.

I looked down at my hands and clutched them when realization had dawned on me. If I wanted to stop this madness, I would have to forcefully bring Sonic back and end up hurting Maurice in the process. I didn't want to do it but I will if I have to. For everyone. I charged up another Chaos Spear as I saw Maurice drop the emerald to use his other hand to bring his sword back when I shot it at his foot making him kneel. I kept on firing spear after spear hoping that what I did was the right thing and when I saw he was almost fully blue, I charged up two more spears and rushed directly up to him. Maurice looked up at me with hurt in his eyes but I didn't let that stop me as I threw one spear directly into his eyes making him let out a blood curdling scream and used the other to slice the collar in half.

I went on one knee in front of Maurice as he slowly looked up at me and just before he passed out, the rest of his body that I didn't get turned blue and his eyes turned green but what was strange was that they didn't look like the same emerald green but almost a forest green.

"Shadow?" I turned around to see everyone standing behind me and judging by their looks, I could tell they were all conscious when I turned Maurice into Sonic. "Are you alright?" I looked at Rouge when she asked me that and turned back to Mau-I mean Sonic, giving a nod. I slowly picked him up and turned back around to them.

"Let's bring him back to my lab and make sure that he is 100% Sonic now." the doctor said and we nodded and raced off.