Shadow the Hedgehog of the Colossus
Chapter 1: Shadow's First Christmas
It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, a massive gathering of creatures came together. All of preparing for the big Christmas party taking place tomorrow.
Everyone was either helping with the decorations while others were socialising with each other. Sally Acorn was put in charge of the checklist, making sure that everything and everyone is present and accounted for. Before she could speak up, she quickly ducked out of the way of the two Chao, Cheese and Chocola flying over her head.
She regains her composure and begins what she was about to say.
"Alright everyone, operation "Ho ho ho" is a go." She then looks through the checklist, ready to tick the little boxes next to the tasks. One by one she calls out each task carried out by each Mobian.
"Lights?" she calls out to Tails, who was put in charge of decorating the Christmas tree.
Tails makes one last adjustment to the lights before he was satisfied with turning them on. He then turns to Sally and gives her a thumbs-up. "Check" he responded.
"Fireplace?" She then turns to Blaze the cat who just finished hanging the stocking above it.
Blaze then finishes her task by using her flame powers to light it up. "Check." She replied nervously.
"Christmas turkey?"
She looks over at the kitchen counter where she catches Vector in the act of attempting to eat one of the turkey legs. Vector the Crocodile upon realising he'd been caught red-handed, places the turkey leg back on the plate. "Uhhh, check?" He replies with a sheepish grin. Sally however was not amused.
Regaining focus on the tasks at hand, Sally then turns to Knuckles and Rouge. Knuckles was wearing a green Christmas sweater while Rouge wore a red dress.
"Ugly Christmas sweater?"
Rouge giggles while Knuckles just stood there, growling in annoyance. Still trying to wonder how he was talked into wearing it in the first place.
"Check."
Sally couldn't help but also let out a chuckle at seeing Knuckles being embarrassed. But she still had a job to do, and she wasn't gonna let anything ruin their Christmas party.
"Mistletoe?"
In the centre of the living room stood a massive pile of mistletoe that has yet to be hung up yet. Suddenly, Amy bursts out of the pile in excitement. Probably hoping to trick Sonic into standing underneath it with her so she can finally win his heart.
"Check!" she replies in a pure excited tone while clutching mistletoe in her arms.
"Ok… Letters to Santa Claus?"
Upon hearing that, all the children in the house and the Chao form a line in front of Sally to hand in their letters. First off was Cream the Rabbit, then Charmy the Bee, followed by Cheese and Chocola.
She smiles as she takes each of their letters and places them underneath the checklist on her clipboard. She was then startled by the huge, well-built robot, E123 Omega, approaching her with his heavy footsteps. He looks down at her with his piercing red eyes with such intent. Causing Sally to shake a little.
Omega then pulls out his letter to Santa and gently hands it to her. Sally hesitantly takes the letter and Omega then walks off to socialise with Rouge.
"And thank you too, Omega." She then wipes the sweat off her brow after that intense stare-down. Though she knows that Omega is a nice robot, she still gets intimidated by his huge size, red eyes and long metallic claws…Fortunately, the only one Omega has an intent to kill is his creator, Doctor Robotnik, or Eggman as everyone calls him nowadays.
She then suddenly gets jump scared by Sonic who'd just run up to her from behind.
"Oh, sorry Sal. Didn't mean to scare ya like that." He then pulls out another list from who knows where and presents it to her. "One guest list, ma'am."
"Urgh! Sonic! Don't do that!" She yells in frustration, only to make Sonic laugh in response.
"Come on, Sal, it's Christmas. You gotta learn to lighten up a little."
Sally responds with a sigh. But she can't argue with him there. She then tells Sonic to read out the guest list to make sure that everyone they know is present and accounted for. Sonic decides to demonstrate that he can run his mouth as fast as his legs by speed-reading the list.
"Ok." He then pulls out a pair of reading glasses and proceeds to read the names off the list. "We have me, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Chocola, Vanilla, Emerl, Big, Froggy… who is sitting atop your head-
Froggy then leaps off of Sally's head and lands back in Big's arms.
"Vector, Espio, Charmy, Rouge, Omega, Silver, Blaze, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Orbot, Cubot, Metal Knuckles, - wait, Metal Knuckles? – Jet, Wave, Storm, Tikal, Chaos, Nack, Bark, Bean, Mighty, Ray…Huh. Big house." He takes a breath before continuing. "Tangle, Whisper, Marine, Sonja, Manic, Queen Aleena – Hi Mom – Antoine, Bunny, Roader, Nicole, Uncle Chuck, Sally - that's you - King Acorn, Prince Elias. Honey, Breezy, and a partridge in a pear tree."
"I'm an Albatross!" Yelled Storm who was for some reason clinging to the Christmas tree.
Sally was at a loss for words on how fast and accurate Sonic was at reading the names of all the Mobians who showed up to the party. However, there was only one creature that Sonic hadn't called the name of.
"Wait, where's Shadow?"
"Whatdaya mean? He's right over Sonic then realises that Shadow is nowhere to be found in the house. He turns back to Sally, scratching the back of his head while she just blankly stared at him.
"Don't worry, I'll find him." Sonic then dashes out the front door at top speed. The shockwave of his g-force caused the Christmas tree to fall over as a result. Sally's eye begins to twitch under Sonics recklessness. She makes a mental note to have a few words with him once he returns with Shadow.
Shadow the Hedgehog was standing atop the rooftop of a skyscraper with his arms crossed, staring down at Central City which was glowing bright with Christmas lights. The sky was completely clear of clouds, filled with stars and a full moon. Snow was endlessly falling from above, touching down on the streets below.
It was peaceful. A silent night, apart from the occasional sounds of cars beeping their horns, children playing, and the cold wind blowing through his quills.
"Hey, there's my favourite edge lord."
Shadow then groans in annoyance upon hearing Sonics voice, ruining his moment of peace. Without turning around, he let out a sigh and addresses his blue acquaintance.
"What do you want, Faker?" He asked bluntly.
"Nice to see you too," Sonic replied sarcastically. "I just thought I'd come bug ya."
"Well, you're doing a wonderful job." Now it was Shadow's turn to inflict sarcasm.
"I try." Sonic snapped back at him, not affected at all by Shadow's sarcasm.
"How'd you find me anyway?" Shadow asked curiously. He made sure that nobody could disturb him up here. But it seems that no matter where he went, someone would always bother him.
"Well, a little birdie told me this was one of your favourite brooding spots."
"Rouge?" Shadow guesses.
"Yep," Sonic replied with a quirky smile.
Shadow grunts in frustration and continues to look down on the city below. Sonic twiddles his thumbs trying to think of the best way to ask Shadow to come to the Christmas party without annoying him.
"So… there's this party-
"I'll pass." Shadow cuts him off before he had a chance of finishing his sentence.
Sonic then rushes next to him and attempts to change his mind. He knows it's probably a long shot, but Shadow is not a careless hedgehog. Sure he can be stubborn, stuck up and a lone wolf most of the time, but Sonic knows that deep down he has a heart. It took a while, but he's finally grown to accept the others as his friends, and Sonic would not let him spend his first official Christmas alone.
"Aw, Come on Shadow. It's Christmas."
"So?" Shadow bluntly replies, not caring at all about whatever excuse Sonic would make. If there's one thing he hates, it's parties. Socialising and being friendly weren't mainly his thing. He does occasionally hang out with others, mostly Rouge and Omega. But he's not a fan of big crowds.
"So? It's like the best time of the year."
"Really?" Shadow expresses with sarcasm once again, throwing Sonic off. "Well, that's depressing."
"Don't be like that." Sonic then pokes Shadow's nose as he says that, causing the black hedgehog to move his head away from him in annoyance. "Christmas is a happy time."
"Oh really? And what exactly is so special about it?" He says as he waves his hands in even more sarcasm. Sonic was starting to regret messing with him earlier.
"Well, there's lots of stuff. There are presents, decorations, gingerbread houses, and-
He notices Shadow just blankly staring at him as he was listing Christmas-related things off his fingers.
"Is… any of this working?" He hesitantly asks.
Shadow only responds by slowly shaking his head.
"I didn't think so," Sonic says with a tone of defeat in his voice.
A long awkward silence passes over them as Shadow continues to look down on the city, and Sonic keeps making little glances at him, trying to think of what to say next.
But to his surprise, Shadow speaks up first. "Seems like this Christmas thing really is a waste of time after all."
Sonic attempts to reach out to him and place his hand on his shoulder, but immediately stops himself thinking it is best not to touch him while he's brooding. He then finally finds the words to respond with after more silence followed.
"No, it's more than that. It's a time to spend with the people you care about most. You're friends, you're family-
"I have no family." Shadow responds. His regular moody expression soon changes to one of sadness. "… Not anymore."
Sonic immediately understood what he meant by that. He was referring to the people who died all those years ago on the Space Colony ARK. The professor, and his team of scientists. And most of all…Maria.
"Oh. You mean…on the ARK?" Shadow nods in response, which only made Sonic feel bad. "Hey, I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to-
"No. It's ok… I've learned to put my past behind me." Shadow interrupted him.
For so long he'd been wondering about his past ever since he lost his memories during his heroic sacrifice to save the Earth from the ARK as it was on a collision course with it. And even though he finally did get his memories back, he still has a tough time accepting his new life on Earth, even if it was what Maria wanted.
More silence washes over the two hedgehogs as they boy star down at the city. They notice that there's a massive gathering of city folk gathered in the square around a giant Christmas tree. It would seem that the humans are having a little party of their own.
"Hey, Shadow," Sonic spoke up, grabbing his black counterparts' attention. "What was it like there… On the ARK?"
"It was… quiet, I guess." Shadow was hesitant in revisiting his memories of his time on the ARK. But he made a promise to himself that he'd never let it consume him, no matter how painful some of those memories are. He takes a deep breath and continues his story.
"It was just me, the professor… And Maria. I never understood it, but. Maria used to love this time of year. She used to run around, decorating all the science labs. She drove the other scientists crazy. She… She used to play this record of Christmas songs and- And she'd always make us sing along. I never really understood it. But, she loved it."
Sonic forms a smile after hearing about what Shadow's Christmas was like on the ARK. He never could've imagined Shadow of all people singing along to a Christmas song. He's almost curious to know what he sounds like. But he thinks it's best not to pry.
"Sounds nice."
"It was." Shadow admitted to both Sonic and himself. "But… that was a long time ago."
"That's too bad. I bet you have a great singing voice." Sonic joked.
Shadow looks over at him in surprise, his cheeks slightly blushing from hearing that. Normally he'd have regrets about sharing his past with others, especially Sonic. But this proved to be a nice moment for him. Maybe sharing his past with others wasn't as painful as he once thought.
"You know." He spoke up again, grabbing Sonics attention. " ... I think she would've liked you."
"Yeah?" Sonic smiles in response. "I bet she'd fit right in with us."
"Yeah…maybe."
Sonic then approaches Shadow and places his hand on his shoulder. At first, he was afraid that he'd rip his hand off or something. But Shadow didn't seem to mind it this time around. He makes a mental note to himself not to screw this moment up.
"Look Shadow." He waited until Shadow turned to face him before continuing. "I know you don't want to believe it. But you have a family. And I think they miss you… If Maria were still here, she'd want you to spend time with them. With the people who love you."
Shadow didn't show it, but he was slightly touched by Sonics words. He was pleasantly surprised that the blue, wise-cracking hedgehog can be wise at times. But he was glad that he said those things. For it helped him come to terms with his new life.
"Well, I think I've annoyed you long enough. I'll tell the others you said hi. I know how you feel about parties, so…See ya round, Shadow."
"Wait!"
Sonic was about to run down the building when he was halted by the sound of Shadow's voice. He looks back with a smile on his face, hoping their little talk had convinced him to come to the party.
"I'll… I'll tell them myself."
"So you'll come?" Sonic asked.
Shadow nods in response. He doesn't like parties that much is true. But he's willing to make an exception just this once. And who knows, maybe he'll have a good time for once.
Sonic and Shadow then start leaping from rooftop to rooftop until they land on the streets and start running back to the house the parties held at full speed.
"You know, I'm glad I was able to convince ya," Sonic spoke up while running. "Sally would kill me if this party didn't go as planned."
"Well, the night's still young. Maybe I'll get lucky." Shadow responded without taking his eyes off the path ahead.
"And you're back, great," Sonic replied sarcastically. Hopefully, that'll be the last time the two hedgehogs throw sarcasm at each other.
Back at the Christmas party, all of the Mobians were socialising with each other and having a good time. Everyone except Shadow. He was standing in the corner of the living room, leaning up against the wall with his arm crossed, watching everyone else having a good time.
He watches as everyone has fun. He sees Amy attempting to hang mistletoe over Sonic's head so she'd have an excuse to kiss him. Sonic, of course, wasn't interested and tries so hard to run away without bumping into anything or anyone.
He then looks over towards Knuckles who was having a conversation with Sonic's mother, Aleena, and his brother and sister, Sonja and Manic. This was the first time Shadow ever met Sonics' family, but he could tell by looking at them where Sonics' annoying personality came from.
"Tell me, Knuckles, what's it like on Angel Island?" Queen Aleena asks him.
"Oh, Angel Island is a great place to be. You got everything from beaches to waterparks, to old ruins, to an old night-long carnival, perfect snow-capped mountains, to even steaming deserts. It even has a volcano, which is pretty popular with tourists. And of course, there's the Master Emeralds shrine that I guard 24/7."
"But you're here now. So who's guarding The Master Emerald?" Manic points out.
Knuckles pulls out a tablet device and shows them video footage of The Master Emerald still in its rightful place at the centre of the shrine. "Whenever I'm not around, I just boot up the Master Emerald security system, so I can keep watching it, even when I'm away." He then changes the footage channel to footage of what appears to be a giant mushroom garden. "I also use it to keep tabs on the mushroom garden I grew myself. I'm pretty proud of it."
"Well, it certainly sounds like a great place to live," Aleena says warmly with a motherly smile.
Knuckles nods in response. Suddenly, Rouge joins in on the conversation and decides to rile Knuckles up by teasing him.
"Yeah, and there's plenty of places to hide so I can steal The Master Emerald when Knucky's not looking."
And just like that, Knuckles's smile fades away. By this point, he'd finally gotten over the ugly Christmas sweater he was wearing, only for Rouge to step in and annoy him again.
"That Master Emerald belongs to me thank you very much!" Knuckles responded semi-threateningly.
"Go tend to your mushrooms, Knucky." Rouge giggles as she dangles one of his mushrooms in front of him.
"THOSE ARE MY MUSHROOMS; YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Knuckles then attempts to snatch the mushroom back from Rouge, which then leads to him ragefully chasing her around the house. Sonja and Manic couldn't help but fall backwards on the floor, laughing hysterically, all while Aleena was worried someone might get hurt.
Shadow rolled his eyes over the commotion he'd just witnessed. Some things just never change. Rouge will always be a tease, and Knuckles will always be… a knucklehead? He's starting to worry that all the time he spent with Sonic has changed him. Making him come up with puns like that for no reason.
He was then distracted by someone holding a cup of fruit punch in front of him.
"Care for a drink?"
Shadow knows that raspy voice anywhere. He looks up to his right to see that the one offering him a drink was none other than Doctor Eggman. Why he was invited to the party, he can never understand. He and Sonic are meant to be enemies after all.
"Why are you here, Doctor?" He asked him.
"I'll take that as a no then," Eggman responded as he downs the drink he offered Shadow. "And as for why, well. It's kind of a long story, so I'll just cut to the chase. After years of fighting the annoying hedgehog and failing to take over the world, building my Eggman Empire. Sonic and I came to an agreement. Every year on Christmas Eve, we would form a temporary truce. I promise not to do anything evil, and in return, I get invited to all the parties. It's as simple as that."
"Why would you even agree to that in the first place? What are you up to, Eggman?" Shadow asked. He knows Eggman all too well. Why would he be willing to put all his evil plans on hold just for one party every year? It felt out of character for him, and he should know.
Eggman then pulls up a chair from the dining room table and takes a seat next to Shadow. As he finishes off his cup of drink, he lets out a deep sigh.
"Nothing. I've simply had a change of heart. You may find this hard to believe, but even an egg-centric genius like myself can have a heart."
"You're right. I don't believe you." Shadow snapped back at him. Eggman however ignored it and continued.
"It isn't easy being an evil madman. It's hard work. And-
"I don't buy it." Shadow interrupted him. He was in no mood to hear his excuses. He knows him well enough that he'll never change. He is and always will be an evil madman as he said.
"I mean it, Shadow!" This time it was Eggman who snapped at him.
Shadow will admit that there was a seriousness in his words. He's usually very good at knowing when and if Eggman tells a lie. But this time he sounded so sincere. Perhaps he should hear him out this time. It might be interesting.
"It's just so hard. Building evil robots to do my bidding. Creating a chaos creature just for kicks. Threatening to blow up the planet if they don't surrender to me… Sometimes I think to myself, "What's the point? Maybe I should just give up and retire somewhere, far, far away." These events help me spend some time reflecting on my life choices. As well as think about the family I once had. Like my grandfather, Gerald Robotnik… and my cousin, Maria."
Shadow was slightly taken aback over hearing Maria's name coming from Eggman's mouth of all people.
"Forgive me, Shadow. But I couldn't help but overhear your talk with Sonic about the ARK, via a drone I had secretly spied on my arch nemesis."
Shadow gives Eggman a death stare upon realising that he'd been spying on him this whole time, invading his personal space, listening to him open up to Sonic honestly for a change. Eggman notices this and quickly throws a couple of excuses for his actions his way.
"Sonic and I may have a truce, but a man like me must take precautions in case he tries anything to violate the said truce. He was who I was spying on, not you."
Shadow then turns away from Eggman and continues to watch over the others having fun at the party. He couldn't help but notice that Omega had been standing at the opposite end of the room, blankly staring at Eggman with the intent to kill.
Shadow doesn't care much for the doctor despite his actions. He doesn't like him, but he doesn't hate him either. After all, if it wasn't for Eggman, he'd still be in suspended animation deep underground on the prison island. He'll always be grateful to him for that.
Omega however can never forgive his creator for locking him in the room he kept Shadow's healing pod in, as well kill his brothers, E101 Beta, E102, Gamma, E103 Delta, E104 Epsilon, and E105 Zeta. They may be machines, but Omega viewed them as his friends.
Shadow then signals Omega not to engage Eggman and leave the two of them alone. Omega complies with the request and walks to a different part of the house. Once he was out of sight, Eggman continued.
"Growing up, my grandfather was a role model to me. I wanted to be a great scientist just like him. And Maria. When I heard she'd been chosen to go to the space colony with him, I couldn't help but feel jealous. I had a gifted, scientific mind. Yet she was deemed fit to be alongside him than me. Honestly, I started to hate her for that… Until that day."
Shadow didn't need to ask what day that was. It was painfully obvious that he was referring to the day she died, and Gerald was imprisoned. He had just recently revisited those memories with Sonic, he didn't need to go through it a second time. Especially with Eggman.
"Do you know why I keep building robots and attempting to take over the world, shadow?" He doesn't give Shadow the chance to answer as he decided to tell him anyway. "It's to keep my mind from wandering to the past. By focusing all my attention on defeating Sonic and building my empire, I can stop thinking back on that day. About Maria… It wasn't until after you and Sonic saved the planet from the Biolizard that I finally realised the truth about what happened up there. You of all people should know what it feels like to let the past haunt you, corrupting you."
"Even though you once told me that I had no past. That I was just one of your Shadow Androids?" Shadow stated bluntly.
"I only said that to get in your head. I meant what I said when you were fighting Black Doom. You ARE the real Shadow. The one and only ultimate lifeform my grandfather created… You're the only reminder of my family I have left. I just wished I'd realised that sooner."
Eggman lowers his head as he began to reflect on the past again. Though he and Maria had only met a couple of times in his life, she was one of the only two family members he knew. He grew up without any parents, and Gerald took him in. Trained him to be a scientist. And the rest, he was able to figure out for himself. He may be an evil genius, but even he has feelings that can be hurt.
Shadow stood there and listened to Eggman's words. No matter how much he tries to deny it. Eggman's words were honest and heartfelt. He truly misses Maria as much as he did.
Eggman then decides to get up off his chair and turns to Shadow.
"Well, I think we've been living in the past for too long now. I think it's time we focus on the present. Don't you agree?" Eggman asked.
Shadow says nothing in response. Eggman then decides to take his leave. He picks up a goody bag containing some of the food displayed on the dining room table and heads to the front door.
"Hey, where are you going, Eggman?" Sonic called out, stopping him from leaving the house.
"Relax, hedgehog, I'm not plotting something. I'm just tired and want to head home for some rest. Is that too much to ask?"
"No. I was just expecting you to stick around for the cake that's coming up." Sonic joked.
"No thanks. I'm on a diet." Eggman then turns to his three robots, Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot. "Let's get a move on, boys. It's getting late, and I need my beauty sleep.
"Even though there's no beauty in it," Orbot whispers to Cubot, who starts laughing in response.
"I heard that!" Eggman yelled back at them.
Eggman and his robots soon take their leave, and the rest of the partygoers continue to socialise and have a good time.
Shadow continued to lean against the wall by himself. But instead of brooding like he usually does, he instead thinks over all the things Eggman had said to him. He still couldn't get over seeing the mad doctor express himself in a calm, sincere and caring manner for a change. It was so different from the Eggman he'd come to know, that it almost disturbed him.
He was soon once again interrupted by another one of his friends. This time it was Rouge who just sat down in the chair Eggman sat in, crossing her legs seductively.
"Oh, looky here. Shadow, the angry loner hanging out all by himself once again."
Shadow grunts in response and ignores her teasing and attempts to flirt with him.
"Relax, Shadow. I didn't come here just to bug you. I just wanted to let you know that the rest of us are all getting ready for the Christmas feast. You gonna join us?"
"I'm not hungry," Shadow replied quickly and bluntly as usual.
"Not with that attitude you're not. Sorry, doll, but this isn't a request." She then grabs his hand and starts pulling him towards the dining area. "You promised to come to this party and have a good time. As your friend and valued and gorgeous member of Team Dark, I have to make sure you fulfil that promise."
Shadow wanted to pull his arm away from Rouge and tell her to get lost. But she did have a point. Though he didn't remember making any promise to have a good time, he did say he would at least try. Besides, it's not as if he's being forced to talk to the others. If he wanted to sit and eat in silence, then the others would be respectful enough to let him do just that.
Hours after the big Christmas feast had ended, all the Mobians prepare to head back to their homes (apart from those that lived in the house)
Shadow did join in on the feast in the end and even helped himself to some of the food. But he mostly stayed silent while everyone else gossiped.
The only time he did speak up was when he addressed Silver about the time he and Shadow first met and fought, which resulted in Shadow using Chaos Control to stop time and kick him in the back of the head. Shadow viewed it as one of his more fun moments, while Silver still held a small grudge against him for it.
Shadow also noted that even though the events with Solaris are years behind them now, Silver still calls Sonic the Iblis Trigger, despite him knowing that Mephiles lied to him about him being responsible for the destruction of the future. Sonic however wasn't offended, as he viewed it as a pet name that just stuck with him.
Shadow only paid attention to conversations that either were about him or were of interest. But most of the conversations had were about Christmas and friendships, which he couldn't give a damn about.
As Shadow was about to head out, he was stopped by Omega who placed his big metallic claw on his left shoulder.
"What is it, Omega?" Shadow asked without turning around.
"Forgive my intrusion, Shadow. But I had just returned from my mission of observing Eggman." Omega responded in his autotuned, deep robot voice. "After observing your interaction with him, my scanners detected that he managed to steal one of your quills without alerting you. Shortly afterwards, he decided to leave. I suspected he was up to something, so I followed him back to his base."
Shadow instinctively feels his quills once he heard that Eggman had stolen one of them. He was kinda impressed that Eggman somehow managed to nick one while they were talking. But he could always question how he did it later. Right now he's more focused on why he'd need it.
"Is the doctor attempting to create more Android copies of me?" He asked his robot teammate.
"I am uncertain. But what I am certain of, is that nothing good can ever come out of this as long as Eggman is involved." Omega then retracts his left hand into his wrist, and in its place appears a rotating minigun. "Say the word, and we will attack his base and finally destroy him!"
"No," Shadow responded simply. "Killing Eggman is not an option."
"I fail to see why not," Omega replied.
"Eggman is the reason I am still standing here. He released me from my 50-year slumber, and he saved my life after Sonic and I stopped the ARK's collision. As much as I hate to admit it, I owe him a life debt… That's why we can't kill him, no matter how tempting it may be." Shadow explained.
Omega processed the information thoroughly and concluded that Shadow's reasoning for not killing Eggman was indeed logical. He then retracts his minigun arm and brings back his claw.
"Understood. However, if you plan on finding out what Eggman is plotting, I will lend you my assistance."
Shadow nodded in response and began skating forwards at top speed. Omega follows after him by using his built-in thrusters to propel him forwards, attempting to catch up with the black hedgehog.
As midnight falls over the planet, the people and Mobians are now all home, cosying up to a warm fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate, watching their favourite Christmas movie.
While Shadow and Omega were spending their Christmas night attempting o break into Eggman's base, which was a parked Egg Carrier on the edge of a cliff in an open field of grass now blanketed with snow. Below the edge of the cliffside lay a small beach that was left untouched by the falling snow.
A couple of robots were stationed outside the base shovelling the snow and clearing the pathway to the entrance of the ship.
The two robots were soon blasted by a single laser shot to their heads, shutting them down for good. The shots of course coming from Omega. He turns to Shadow who was down on the beach underneath the rear end of the ship.
Shadow nods to Omega who was providing a distraction for any other robots in the area, while he sneaks in through the ship's exhaust port.
Doctor Eggman had just finished eating the leftover Christmas dinner he took home with him in a doggy bag. He licks his fingers clean of any cranberry sauce that was on his gloves before he was completely satisfied.
"Mmm, I gotta hand it to Amy Rose. She sure knows how to cook."
Eggman then claps his hands and a couple of service robots enter his dining room and clean up the empty plates and rubbish left behind.
As he exits the room he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a single red and black quill. He smiles mischievously as he looked it over.
"Hohoho! Getting Shadow's DNA sample was a lot easier than I thought. I was honestly hoping he'd be more on guard compared to Sonic. But I guess even he can be sloppy at times… Now I can finally complete my secret creation I've been attempting to finish for years."
Eggman chuckles to himself as he walks down the hallway. Unbeknownst to him that Shadow was in the air vents directly above him.
Eggman then enters one of his ship's many labs. It was dark and empty compared to his usual science labs. The only items in the room are a computer, a generator, and a metal pod identical to the one Shadow was born in aboard the Space Colony ARK. The glass was foggy, so it was hard for Shadow to make out what was inside it.
"Just what are you up to, doctor?" He thought to himself as he continued to observe him. He wanted to see what exactly Eggman was attempting to create before barging in and putting a stop to it.
Eggman opens a little compartment on the side of the pod, places Shadow's quill inside and closes it up.
"DNA sample recognised." Said the voice on his computer. It then starts to disintegrate the quill and convert it into a black and red liquid, which was then poured into one of the two test tubes sticking out of the top of the pod. The other test tube contained what appeared to be a blood sample.
"It worked!" Eggman shouted with joy, but then quickly stopped himself from celebrating any further. "But I can't celebrate just yet, not until I know for certain my creation is complete. I just need to add the power source."
Shadow continued to observe Eggman. He was mildly surprised to see him open up a compartment in the generator, revealing that inside of it was the white Chaos Emerald. Eggman connects the emerald generator to the pod, and the sounds of the machine powering up soon fill up the room.
Eggman then takes a deep breath and crosses his fingers, hoping that he'll get whatever he's trying to create right this time. He then hesitantly pulls the lever, starting up the pod.
The Chaos Emeralds send charges of energy into the pod. The two test tubes then begin to empty their contents into the pod. Eggman was rubbing his hands together as he watched his machine begin the construction of his new creation.
After a long wait, the pod started blaring a beeping sound, alerting Eggman that it has finished constructing whatever was inside it. He looks in through the pod viewing screen to get a better look, while Shadow was incapable of seeing a thing due to Eggman's fat body blocking the way.
A smile then forms on Eggman's face as he now begins to celebrate by raising his arms in the air and yelling "It worked!" multiple times at the top of his lungs. This went on for some time until he was finally out of breath. Eggman then places his hand on the pod window and strokes it gently.
"At last. I've finally done it. I've recreated my grandfather's work… I've recreated "Project Shadow" in my image!"
Shadow was shocked upon hearing that. It was obvious what Eggman was up to now. He was attempting to create another ultimate lifeform. One that'll probably outmatch not only Sonic but himself too. He will not stand for this.
Without a moment's notice, Shadow kicked the vent cover below him off and jumped down into the lab. Eggman was startled by Shadow's unannounced visit and backs up against the wall.
"Shadow?! What an unexpected surprise."
"Wish I could say the same thing, doctor." Shadow then slowly approach the pod and readies his arm to fire a chaos spear at it. Eggman however quickly gets in front of it, defending it from him.
"Get out of my way! Or else I'll have to incapacitate you!" Shadow threatened. "You think you could get away with taking one of my quills and using it to create a new ultimate life form to defeat me? I ought to kill you for the mere thought of it!"
"Shadow wait! You got it all wrong! This here isn't what it-
"Spare me the excuses. I overheard what you said earlier. You said you have recreated Project Shadow in your image. It's obvious your trying to replace me, all because I'm not your ally anymore."
"Please listen to me, Shadow!" Eggman begged.
Shadow however starts to charge up red chaos energy throughout his body. Eggman knew exactly what this meant. He was preparing to unleash a Chaos Blast.
"I can look past you blowing up the planet with the Eclipse Cannon. I can get over your involvement in breaking the planet apart. I don't even hold a grudge against you when you got involved with that weakling, Infinite… But attempting to recreate Professor Gerald's greatest achievement in me, is something I will never allow to happen! So unless you want me to blow this entire ship to bits with you in it, I suggest you get out of my way!
Shadow then performs a homing attack on Eggman and manages to knock him out of the way. He then lands on top of the pod and prepares to unleash a chaos spear at the generator with the Chaos Emerald in it.
By now the smoke has been completely cleared from the pod's viewing screen, revealing the newly created ultimate lifeform inside. Shadow was shocked at what he saw. So much so that he cancelled his attack and backed off.
"What- what the hell is this?!" Shadow stuttered as he turned to Eggman.
"That's what I tried to tell you." Eggman started as he slowly got back up. "When I said I was so happy that I recreated my grandfather's project. I said that with joy and relief, not as an intent of evil."
Tears then started to form in both Eggman's and Shadow's eyes. Shadow mostly because of the reveal of what was in the pod. And Eggman's were tears of joy. Because he finally succeeded in what Shadow could estimate years and years of failed attempts.
Shadow once again looks upon the new ultimate lifeform sleeping soundly in its pod. His mind still not accepting what he is seeing. He knew this individual all too well. Someone from his past. Someone who he and Eggman cared about more than anything else in the world.
"It can't be… Is it really you?" Shadow said as he placed his hands on the pod.
The creature's appearance was that of a hedgehog like him, Sonic and Silver. Though it was female in appearance. It had long shoulder length wavy yellow hair. Her hair was held back with a blue hairband. For attire, she wore a dark blue puffy-sleeved T-shirt with light blue trim, a light blue knee-length skirt and dark blue boots with a white stripe going down the middle, similar to Amy's. And of course, the infamous white gloves all Mobians wore.
"…Maria?!"
To Be Continued