Aaaaaaaaalright, let's do this one last time...
Hello, hello! It is I, Yuujin Zone! I am here today/tonight to welcome you all to a new fanfic that I have been wanting to write for a long time. As its written on the top, it's called A Painting's Shadow, a Sonic/Ib crossover that, ironically, doesn't feature the two named figures in this fanfic.
I believe the Sonic series need no introduction as he is widespread and known around the world, but as for Ib, she is a cult classic at best. If you want to know what the game is, it centers on a titular little girl who finds herself trapped in a strange world where all artworks are alive and out for her life. She is not alone however, as she meets a man named Garry and another little girl named Mary. With the three of them, they try to find a way back to the real world...
If you have finished Ib or at least known one of the endings, then you're free to read this. If not, then I advise you to play immediately. The first chapter branches off from a bad ending featuring Mary. As such, there will be spoilers from Ib. I hope you understand.
Now, it's time for me to stay quiet. Onto to the chapter, everyone!
The painting that would finally bring her freedom from this fake world stands before her. Or more accurately, attached to a wall.
She knows what that large painting is, but she doesn't know the entire name because she can't read the first word. All she got from the name written on a plaque below the frame is "? ? ? World." However, a description written next to the title tells her what this painting is.
She's getting impatient however and doesn't want to read it to make sure she comes for the right painting, so she chooses not to interpret what it means. She instead sets her eyes on the large canvas secured behind the glass.
Anticipation wells up within her as the thought of leaving the world she had lived in for all her life and trading that for a life in the real world she had admired will finally come true. She had had enough of waiting for visitors to come so she could have them take her place as this world's master. For some reason, the gallery did not receive any visitors for many months. She wondered why no one showed up during that time since the Fabricated World is easily accessible in the real world for any wandering person to stumble across. Was the gallery closed for some reason or was it forbidding anyone to see the large painting in some way?
…Why am I still thinking that? Mary scolded herself. Waiting for visitors shouldn't matter anymore since I will escape to the real world. I have made up my mind; I cannot take it living here anymore. But... I have to leave my fellow artworks behind... Oh if only the gallery wasn't so strict about letting me leave...
Taking a sharp intake of breath to prepare herself in leaving this world and her "siblings" behind, Mary focused her blue eyes on the painting. After three seconds, the canvas glows brightly, filling her vision with its light. It then recedes, revealing the glass and frame have vanished. She smiled brightly, taking this as a cue that she could step through the painting and enter the real world at last, beginning with the real art gallery.
"I can get out from here… I can finally go outside!" Mary exclaimed in anticipation. "I'll eat lots of candy… and go to all sorts of places! And make lots of friends!" She closes her eyes for a moment to imagine making a friend she can talk and play with. It's an exciting thought, to be sure.
Driven by her desires and expectations to escape her isolation and march straight to the real world, Mary took a few steps backward first before sprinting and leaping toward the painting. Her entire form disappeared into the canvas as it rippled like it's made of water from the impact of her body entering.
In another universe, Mary made a fatal mistake escaping the Fabricated World without trading her place with someone from the real world. The world of art agrees; a living painting with a fabricated heart has no place there. She soon realizes her dreams of living in the real world are all just fantasy and she only foolishly led herself to her doom at the Fabricated World's fingertips.
But not this time.
A yellow gem she's been carrying in her hands would save her from a terrible fate, along with an encounter of a certain lifeform.
The building that stood before his small form appeared to loom over him.
Its intimidating and eerie appearance at this time of night would unnerve anyone, compelling them to leave quickly. This is especially true for the person who has known for some time that this art museum is the source of rumors about the artwork created by the late Weiss Guertena.
Creepy rumors, one may add.
According to the rumors, the Guertena Art Gallery is haunted by the spirit of Guertena himself after he died. Proof of this can be found in a quote from his diary, which reads:
"It's said that spirits dwell in objects into which people put their feelings. I've always thought that, if that's true, then the same must be true of artwork. So today, I shall immerse myself in work, so as to impart my own spirit into my creations."
Any believer will be convinced of what Guertena says is true. However, if they are just being gullible, they claim they aren't because they have experienced spooky things happening in the gallery. They might hear someone coughing when there's no one else around, a cat meowing despite no animals being allowed, someone walking seen in a window on the second floor and knocking on the glass which scares anyone awake, and (hopefully) red paint covering the first-floor window near the entrance when no one's around, which would be washed off by itself suspiciously if it weren't for someone taking a picture of it... These ominous occurrences are said to be encountered by many people who went to the gallery to see the artworks or only for the rumors.
Despite this and some evidence provided through photographs, skeptics do not believe the Guertena Art Gallery could be haunted by the artist's spirit. For all they know, it could be the gallery's management's idea of a prank to scare any conscious person into believing it is true and increase visitors who are only interested in the rumors.
However, he is not interested in such rumors. Even if he knew about them, he would not have come here for that reason.
He's here tonight because his chaos-adept body detected a spike of chaos energy in the gallery. He was passing by when his body reacted to the energy signal.
Unbothered by the exterior's eerie appearance accentuated by the darkness of the cloudy night, Shadow's red eyes turned to a stone erected beside the stairs leading to the entrance doors that had a name written on them. "Guertena Art Gallery..." he read.
Shadow doesn't need to see or know what time and day the gallery is open to the public; it is almost four hours after the gallery has closed, which was 6 P.M.
"Unless the gallery is being monitored by a security guard working close to the graveyard shift, no one else should be in the building," noted Shadow. "Well, it's not like I care if there are people still around. Though I might have to inform any security guards that I am investigating this place with G.U.N.'s permission. A misunderstanding would be the last thing I want, as it would waste valuable time that could be better spent finding the source of the energy I sensed."
With his decision made up, Shadow nonchalantly walks up the stairs and reaches for the handle. But a thought came to him before he grabbed it. Wait. I could trigger the gallery's alarm. Shadow thought. He better add that to the list of situations he does not want to get involved in or got in trouble.
...I don't have a Chaos Emerald, but I have some Chaos Energy I've been conserving to let me teleport. Well then, guess I'm teleporting inside.
Doing just that, Shadow found himself in the gallery in a flash of light. As he expected, there are no people around at this hour. Even the security guards were absent, which meant they hadn't taken their night shifts. Without security around, a thief could easily steal any piece of artwork and sell it for a good or decent price. He could berate the management's incompetence if such an incident occurred, but he wasn't here to chastise them.
"Alright. Time to find where the Chaos Energy is. I'm not sure of what I will find but... I have this feeling that I shouldn't ignore it or else something... bad may happen."
After making those statements, Shadow starts exploring the art gallery that is varied, unique, and admittedly, actually impressive, but also odd and surreal at the same time. Glancing at every painting and sculpture he walks pass by with his hand glowing through transferring little Chaos energy to it to illuminate it like a flashlight, Shadow is unable to deny that Weiss Guertena is truly a profound artist. It seems any idea that came into his mind was never wasted, instead brought to reality through any methods and forms of art like painting and sculpturing. He is not one for arts but he has to admit that they are really great.
Of the artworks Shadow liked, there is a painting of a woman in red clothes named "The Lady in Red", a floor painting depicting a gaping, gray anglerfish swimming in a dark blue water surrounded and guarded by stanchions named "Abyss of the Deep", a big, realistic red rose with green leaves and thorny vines interestingly called "Embodiment of Spirit", "The Hanged Man" painting, three headless statues wearing red, blue and yellow dresses oddly named, "Death of the Individual", and a tall and blue figure with balding head and dress titled peculiarly, "Fusion".
There are many artworks on the first and second floor, but of all the artworks, those listed above are his pending favorites. Not that I will admit it to anyone... Shadow mentally noted.
While he begins to enjoy browsing through the gallery's collection of late Goya works, that is not his primary concern. His main focus and reason for being here so late at night is to locate the source of the chaos energy. Using his Chaos-adept body as a sensor to track Chaos Energy, he detects the energy emanating from above him, indicating that it originates on the second floor. Once he reaches that level, however, his sensors again pick up the energy signal, this time coming from above him. He ascends to the third floor, wondering what he might find there, but knowing one thing for certain: if it were a Chaos Emerald, the energy signal would be much stronger and more focused than the faint, diffuse energy he is currently sensing.
Still, he believes he is bound to discover the source, so imagine his muted disappointment when he sees a large rectangular painting hanging on the wall. The third floor consists only of a small room and the painting itself; perhaps it's a rest area, as suggested by a sign posted before the stairs leading up to it.
"Tsk… Just a painting…" muttered Shadow, scrutinizing the painting before him. If he thought the previous artworks he had seen had bizarre proportions or eye-catching forms, then this painting caused him to raise an eyebrow at what was depicted on the canvas.
The background of the painting was composed of blue, green, yellow, pink, black, violet, and gray, which formed the walls and floors. A red-and-black rose was depicted on the upper left corner, while a small crescent moon appeared on a pink wall. Additionally, there seemed to be three eyes on the gray portion, and finally, The Lady in Red painting was displayed prominently in the red section. If there's one word Shadow could use to describe this abstract piece, it would be 'abstract'.
"No... Abstract is not the right term, even though I did think about it," Shadow touches his forehead with his index finger raised from his hand, a habit he has when he's thinking. He takes a second look at the painting and tries to find a more appropriate word to describe the painting. "Because of the random objects thrown in, I would call it 'disorderly.'"
…
…
"*sighs* Describing things can be difficult, even for me."
Wanting to finish eyeing the painting, he last reads the name of it. "...Fabricated World?"
Suddenly, the light flickered three times, illuminating the room. "Huh?" Before Shadow can know why the room suddenly brightened up, the lights turn off, turning the room dark again. "The lights... Did someone turn the lights on? Or did they turn on by themselves?"
That's not the only thing he noticed. The air in the gallery had become suffocating and still. This was not like the silent ambiance he found himself in when he entered the gallery; it was silent, yes, but still offered some level of comfort, allowing him to not get overwhelmed by it.
Moreover, the Chaos Energy he was detecting suddenly changed direction. Instead of it located within this room, it now seemed to be coming from the first floor. Oh, and the spike of energy rises up, which feels like it's twisting the knot inside him but not out of anxiousness.
Shadow would usually be annoyed by the change, but he wasn't. In fact, his focus shifted from finding the source of energy to seeing what had caused the light to be turned on briefly. Based on what had caused it, he will sound crazy but… Shadow believed reading the title of the painting was the cause. That is a theory though, and he assumes it was a coincidence the lights turned on and off by themselves, but he has a feeling that could be the reason.
"Hmm… I better head down and see what changed here." Shadow did just that.
Like he said, Shadow did see that the gallery changed.
But in a creepy and uncanny manner…
The first thing he notices when he walks down the second floor is that it has grown darker. Too dark for an average person to wander into. Fortunately, his eyes adjusts quickly to the dark being a hedgehog and he can just illuminate his surroundings using his Chaos Energy. Doing so however reveals the dripping red paint on the ceiling above a window, which he cannot see through for some reason even with a light shining near it for a clear sight. Two statements are also seen splattered against a wall between two paintings and near the stairway leading up to the third floor. Both of them read:
Poor Mary. Forever wandering all on your own.
It's too late
Shadow stared at the red messages silently. Mary? Is someone inside the gallery? If so, how didn't I notice her?" he thought.
When he walked down to the first floor, he became alarmed as his surroundings grew increasingly darker than he's comfortable with. He believed he would not have been able to see through the blanketing darkness without his glowing hand. However, he questioned whether being blinded by the dark was preferable to his well-being since he had encountered other creepy things that he was certain did not exist or happen, such as the Abyss of the Deep leaking liquid to cover not only the nearby floors but also the walls and one painting, the Embodiment of the Spirit's petals turning yellow and wilting, blue paint dripping from a ceiling, and other messages similar to the ones in the second floor written on various parts of the first floor. Each message read:
We're _ _ a _ on _ the _ _ss _tena _ _ _ _.
You can't go back, you can't go anywhere.
We're lonely, come back. Everyone's waiting for you.
Your heart is fabricated.
At least Shadow thought one painting had changed; he saw the Fusion sculpture has no head, and an advertisement sign had a red diagonal scribble above a motionless, lying girl. He didn't get to properly observe them all before the darkness became so dark that he was unable to see anything at all.
Even his makeshift flashlight isn't able to shine through the pitch-black darkness, and even then, Shadow can see it's starting to flicker, indicating his conserved Chaos energy is getting empty. Cursing himself for having below-average energy from the start, he stops using his glowing hand to conserve what little energy he has left.
At this point, Shadow found himself enveloped by the pitch-black darkness. He feared that he might stumble over a sculpture or walk up against wall as he aimlessly wandered about. Shadow is a tough and brave, if reckless, hedgehog. He would not let this get to him easily. However, he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't at all unnerved by this unnerving phenomenon occurring in the gallery, which is starting to affect him for his discomfort.
"What is going on here? Why is the gallery acting like this?" asked Shadow, agitated and a little freaked out inwardly. He wanted his questions to be answered quickly; this phenomenon is really starting to get to him. He wanted to teleport out of there, but the little energy he had meant that it wasn't an option for him. If there was one thing he knew for certain, though, it was this: "So I guess the rumors about the Guertena Art Gallery being haunted are true after all. Can't believe I'm bearing witness to the rumors becoming reality before my very eyes…"
Before he can say more or proceed forward into the darkness, which he's now unsure of, a desperate and scared voice enters his ears coming somewhere near him.
"No... I hate this! What's happening...? I can't see a thing! Why... Why is the outside world like this? It's supposed to be bright, and fun, and... And full of people too! Why is it just me here!?"
Running footsteps can be heard going from right to left before she speaks again, "Big sis... Where are you...? I'm lonely..." she can be heard sniffling in fear.
She ran again to the other side as she becomes more scared and frantic, stating, "I'm so scared... Help... Someone, p-please...!"
Crying in fear, she runs for the third time, exclaiming, "Waaaaahhhh... Somebodyyyy..."
Whether it was likely she can't see in the dark or she was so scared, Mary tripped to the floor, dropping her palette knife and a glowing yellow gem to the floor.
Shadow's eyes happen to look at the tumbling gem, it's yellow glow and clinking sound it made unmistakably recognizable to him. Ignoring the tripped girl, his attention is on it, which is quite possibly the source of Chaos Energy spike he was detecting coming from this art gallery. He couldn't believe his luck to have come upon the yellow gem. "Wait, is that… a Chaos Emerald?"
Moving like he's in a daze, Shadow crouches down and reaches his hand out to the emerald. He doesn't have an emerald with him, so he didn't hesitate to go grab it off the floor. After all, he's accustomed to carrying around a Chaos Emerald even when he wasn't working. It didn't always happen, but it's worth noting by someone that he always carried one emerald and take it with him at all times.
At the same time Shadow reached out to the emerald however, Mary also reaches out her hands, raising her weakening body and head up to see where that pretty gem she had taken a liking to went. Desperate eyes hidden in the darkness stares at the glowing gem laid on the concrete floor, as she utters her possible last words. "…Dad…!"
Before either of them could grab it, a bright flash of light pours out from the yellow Chaos Emerald, causing a sound as a result that didn't go unnoticed by the two.
"Huh?" Shadow recoiled from the emerald, his eyes widening at the sight of it doing a Chaos Control.
"Ah!" exclaimed Mary, her hands stopping as she closed her eyes due to the sudden brightness.
The cursed gallery has completely blanketed the floors in absolute darkness at the same time the Chaos Emerald shone so luminously. This brightness expands outward, swallowing the entire gallery, its sole doomed escapee and an unintended visitor whole. A hight-pitched sound is heard and before they can realize what's happening, everything went dark.
Little do these two know, this event will lead them to a harrowing adventure where they must fight for their lives if they have to escape and live for another day. It will not be easy, as supernatural forces in the Fabricated World will keep them company whether they like it or not, and most troubling of all, they may not be aware that they will suffer under the cursed gallery's effects amplififed by the unexpected reaction of the Chaos Emerald. Soon, they will learn what it;s like to live in the world of Guertena…
However, it is said one Chaos Emerald is enough to allow its wielder to control the world, as its power is unmatched by anything in the universe aside from few phenomena or objects. Conflict will mostly play its part in this adventure which the Fabricated World is keen on inflicting it upon the painting girl and black hedgehog. But a miracle shall also assist these two hapless beings, even if they will face the horrors directly soon…
Aaaaaaaand finished!
That's it for the first chapter! As you have read, the entire chapter is based on one of the worst ending you can get in Ib called "A Painting's Demise". This ending has all three characters getting screwed in a worst way possible, with Garry getting permanently insane, Ib losing all hope of escaping after failing to bring him back to sanity and Mary, who is a living painting, decided to escape the Fabricated World alone, only to die horribly because she hasn't killed someone from the real world. I based most of the ending for the first chapter except for Ib and Garry.
In fact, these two will not be in the fanfic, as I want the growing friendship between Shadow and Mary to be the focal point of the entire story.
I want this to get it out of my head, but ever since I discovered Ib, I absolutely adored Mary. From her appearance, personality, her compelling motivation, and just being so pitiable and a tragic girl despite her insanity and villainy, there is nothing that I don't like about her. Since she is doomed to fail and die in most of the endings, I have made this fanfic to finally bring her dream to life. And what better way than to have our Ultimate Lifeform be the one who ultimately saves her from a horrible fate.
This is just my own observation and/or opinion, but both Mary and Maria, Shadow's deceased friend, have some similarities. They have blonde hair, blue eyes, generally cheerful and innocent and have a fascination for Earth. As for differences, Maria must be 12-years-old whereas Mary looks to be 9. Maria wears a headband, puffy-sleeved T-shirt, knee-length skirt and slippers in varying tones of blue while Mary wears a green dress with white collar and wrist cuffs, blue tie or ascot and brown shoes. Lastly, Maria never sheds her innocent demeanor in spite of her disease and told Shadow to make the people of Earth happy before dying while Mary is mentally unstable who will kill her new friends at a drop of the hat due to being lonely and living in the Fabricated World for all her life.
Having someone who bears a resemblance to his deceased friend/surrogate sister appeals so much to me as a Sonic fan, that it became my motivation to make this fanfic. In fact, there is a previous version that I published back in February but after one month, I deleted it because I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote in the previous version. It all comes down to starting it like it was in medias res. Also, I was struggling to write what the first chapter will be for many months, which thankfully ended after comfortably coming up with a version I really want.
Aaaaaaaand yeah... I deleted the second version after becoming disastified with the story flow soooooo... I restarted for the third time. Hopefully this version will stick from now on.
Oh, and if you'd like, please leave a review so I can see if all of you like the first chapter and general premise of this fanfic. This is a story centered around a friendship between a frowning hedgehog and cheerful painting girl as they attempt to escape the new world of Guertena and survive its horrors both old and new within.
Stay safe everyone! Thank you for reading!