-Chapter 172-
Shadow's Grand Stand
Area 99
The group was at the table preparing for war.
"First Knothole, now Azure Lake," Sonic spat. "Black Doom has pole-vaulted over the line... and now we're gonna do whatever it takes to put him down like the animal he is."
"Any ideas?" Tails questioned.
"We need a shuttle. We're going up to the Black Comet and taking the fight to him. With the two emeralds from Chaos, we have all seven."
"We need Shadow too," Sally insisted. "But he hasn't come out of the barracks."
Hope stood up. "I'll go talk to him."
-X-
In the barracks, Shadow hadn't moved a muscle. He continued to sit in silence, blindfolded and ears plugged, as Black Doom's voice boomed in his mind.
"It's a shame Dr. Robotnik wiped your memory. Otherwise, you would remember your past. One filled with nothing but hatred and contempt for the humans who took everything away from you."
"Hope already told me what happened," Shadow replied.
"Did she now? Then she told you of how Mobius betrayed you. How they sent soldiers to kill everyone you loved. To kill… Maria?"
Shadow perked.
"Your closest friend. Your sister figure. A sickly young girl who only wanted to see Mobius, who was no threat to anyone. But that didn't stop them from raiding the ARK and shooting her down in cold blood."
"No…" Shadow shook his head. "You're lying…"
"And you're deluding yourself," Black Doom shot back. "Your mind healed a long time ago, but you've been too afraid to remember. You locked your memories away, afraid of what you'd find. But I found the key."
Shadow felt a sensation like something poking in his brain, and he gasped as he was hit with a wave of memories and the associated emotions. All the memories of his life on ARK, of Maria, and her death hit him like a freight train. He remembered being found, having his mind twisted. He remembered his attempt at vengeance, and his supposed death. He slumped in his chair, panting.
"Now you know," Black Doom said. "Humans are a foolish race, willing to sacrifice their own when overcome by greed. And Mobians are hardly any better. Join me. Make them suffer for all they've done to you. This is your chance."
That last word rang in his ear, and the memory of his promise to Maria. He also recalled his confrontation with Hope that led to his sacrifice, her words ringing in his mind:
"Aunt Maria wouldn't want you to be a killer! She'd want you to give people a chance!"
Bolstered by that recollection, Shadow steeled himself. "No."
"What?!" Black Doom demanded. "After everything they've done to you, how much they've made you suffer, how can you even think of sympathizing with them?!"
"I made a promise to a girl I loved named Maria. A promise to give people a chance," Shadow shot back. "I forgot that promise and I nearly wiped out an entire race because of it. You despise humans... and yet a human taught me the most valuable lesson of all; there are still things worth fighting for. I'm nobody's slave, Black Doom. Especially not yours."
Black Doom let out a snarl.
"The hedgehog hero's foolish altruism runs in the blood after all," he mused. "Perhaps that's why Gerald extracted the DNA he needed from his corpse. But it matters little. If you will not be my knight, you will be my pawn."
"Not a chance. Now get out of my head!"
"Your defiance will lead you to ruin, Shadow. I gave you life... and I can take it away."
The voice quieted down. A few moments of silence passed before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He put his own over it, then felt the headphones being removed again.
"Shadow?" Hope asked. "Are you alright?"
"I…" Shadow sighed. "I remember everything."
"You do?"
"Black Doom was talking to me the entire time. My mind had healed, but I'd blocked the memories for so long. He opened the door."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Shadow assured her. "He did it so I could remember my past, and be more willing to turn on Mobius. But then I remembered my promise to Maria... and our confrontation on the ARK before I helped stop the fall."
There was a moment of silence, then Shadow felt a gentle hand on his blindfold. He hesitated for a moment, then let her take it. He opened his eyes and she was smiling at him.
"See?" she asked. "I was right all along. You're not a monster like the Black Arms."
"For the first time… I actually believe you," Shadow admitted.
They hugged, then Shadow heard a chirp.
"What is-?"
"Oh, I brought you something." Hope reached into a satchel she was wearing, pulling out the Chao hatchling. "Meet Umbra, your new Chao friend. I know you didn't take him last time because he was so small, but now he's bigger, and he wants to stay."
A moment passed before Shadow took Umbra, smiling slightly. He pet the little Chao, getting a happy squeak out of him. Hope watched for a minute before clearing her throat.
"Anyway, that's not the only reason I came in here," she said. "We have all seven Emeralds. It's time to take the fight to the Black Comet."
"Good," Shadow nodded. "He can look through my eyes all he wants. I want him to know I'm coming, that we're coming."
He held out a hand. "We'll show him what happens when you screw with Mobius."
Hope smiled, taking his hand. "Damn straight."
Black Comet
In no time at all, the Freedom Fighters were taking off toward the Black Comet in a GUN shuttle, the UFSF Ratatosk. They were soon joined by an Egg Jet piloted by Robotnik. It wasn't long before they landed on the comet, gaping in shock to see rather than the rock or ice of a normal comet, the innards seemed to be organic or techno-organic in nature, complete with pulsating growths and what appeared to be tentacles, organs, and throat-like halls. It was as if they had stepped into the body of a living organism.
"By Aurora…" Knuckles gasped. "This place is alive."
"This is the heart of their empire," Cosmo noted.
"Literally…" Hope let out.
"So where do we start?" Sonic asked.
"We split up," Shadow decided. "Cover more ground that way."
"Find Black Doom," Sally ordered. "This mess all started with him... and it's gonna end with him."
"He'll find us, no doubt," Tails remarked.
"Let him," Shadow insisted. "I'm gonna kick his ass personally."
They split off into different groups; Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, & Shard, Amy, Cream, Sally, & Cosmo, and Shadow, Rouge, Omega, & Hope. Robotnik went off by himself, equipping his Eggs-O-Skeleton as he went.
"And this is why I sent Agatha home," he muttered. "This is no place for a child to be on her own. Then again, she probably would have been paired off with someone, but still…"
-X-
Team Sonic and Shard went down one hall, a door opening up to reveal what appeared to be a Black Arms laboratory. Sonic let out a whistle.
"Check out all this stuff," he remarked.
Intrigued, they began looking around. Tails approached what appeared to be a computer, taking it in his hands. It suddenly powered on, revealing a list.
"Whoa…" he let out. "Hey Shard, come help me with this."
Shard came over as well, looking it over. Sonic and Knuckles stood off to the side as they did.
"I got it," Shard said after a few moments. "This thing is a DNA recorder. They've spent years scanning every life form on Mobius, encoding genetic information and the like."
"Why?" Sonic asked. "What's the point of doing that?"
"My guess?" Shard looked sick. "So they could determine which creatures would make the best meal."
"Charming," Sonic said flatly.
"Whoa, hold up," Knuckles cut in. "This is DNA scans of every creature on Mobius for several decades? Do you know what this means?"
Tails perked. "It means we have what we need to finish the De-Roboticizer!"
"Of course!" Sonic exclaimed. "That gizmo's the perfect replacement for the Bio-Analyzer!"
"We'll be able to save anyone who's been roboticized!" Tails added. "Uncle Chuck, Mina's mom, your dad, all of them!"
Their moment of celebration was cut short when the door opened, numerous Black Warriors storming in.
"We've got company!" Shard shouted.
"Bring 'em on!" Sonic charged forward and spin dashed numerous Black Warriors.
"You two get that thing!" Knuckles ordered. "Sonic and I got these mooks!"
Tails and Shard grabbed the scanner, hurrying away as Sonic and Knuckles engaged the Black Arms. Knuckles leapt up before punching the ground, producing a shockwave that knocked them into the air.
"Don't blink!" Sonic declared before darting forward and pummeling the Warriors with a chain of Homing Attacks. Knuckles then lifted one Black Arm into the air and tossed it into several others, knocking them down.
"C'mon!" he taunted. "Is that the best you can do?!"
Thunderous footsteps sounded as a Black Oak rounded the corner. Sonic turned to Knuckles, both annoyed and bemused.
"You know this is your fault for asking that, right?" he asked.
"Zip it," Knuckles snapped.
-X-
Meanwhile, Sally's group had arrived in another room, stopping short to see numerous Death Leeches lazily moving back and forth.
"Eww, what are those things?!" Amy let out in revulsion.
"Death Leeches," Cosmo explained. "The larval stage of all Black Arms."
"So this is what Black Doom intends to feed us to," Sally realized.
"Let's squish them." Amy summoned her Piko Piko Hammer.
"Agreed," Sally nodded. "These things are beyond disgusting."
She summoned her Ring Blades, and both of them got to attacking. When one got near Cream and Cheese, Cosmo surprised everyone by stomping on it.
"I'm not letting these things take any more of my friends," she swore.
"Thank you, Cosmo," Cream sighed.
Cheese chirped in response. Eventually, Amy and Sally walked out, Sally swiping the green ooze off of her Ring Blades.
"That should be all of them," Amy said.
"Right," Sally agreed. "But something feels off about this. If that was the nursery, where are the nannies?"
As if to answer her, several Black Arms warped in, carrying blasters. They appeared to be Black Warriors, but with three horns on their heads and golden armor on their torsos. Black Doom's voice came from one of them.
"You slew my children, Freedom Fighters," he snarled. "You have my word you will pay for that affront with your lives!"
"Mister, are we living in the same universe?" Amy demanded. "You came here to kill and eat us all, Black Doom, and you're raging about us squishing a bunch of slimy, gross slugs?"
Black Doom just howled in rage before pressing the attack.
-X-
Elsewhere, Robotnik had arrived in another room. He looked in awe to find it stocked with a variety of Black Arms weapons and technology.
"Well, well," he said. "What do we have here?"
He looked around, pondering what to do.
"I could just destroy all of these and be done with it, preventing Black Doom from using them against us. Or I could take some and use it to improve my Badnik and weapon designs."
After a minute, he shrugged. "Eh, I can do both."
He began grabbing parts of the arsenal, strapping then to his suit before setting charges on others. Once he was finished, the door opened, and he turned to see a Black Warrior similar to the ones that attacked Sally's group enter.
"Dr. Robotnik," Black Doom said through it. "A pity you didn't see things my way, like your grandfather."
"I seek to conquer this world, not destroy it!" Robotnik shot back.
"I recall in the old days of Mobius, those who committed theft had their arms cut off," Black Doom remarked. "I believe that's what I'll do to you."
"Sonic beat you to that long ago. But if you insist on fighting, I suppose I can make things fair for the both of us."
He tossed the Warrior a raygun, which it caught with ease. "I give the first shot to you."
"Then you invite your own demise," the Warrior took aim at Robotnik's head. "You cannot hope to defeat true evil, Doctor."
The Warrior pulled the trigger, only for the gun to explode in its hand, maiming it. Robotnik smirked.
"For the record, I'm not such a nice guy myself."
He then dealt a hard punch to the Warrior's face. As it went down, Robotnik fired a laser through its head. With that, he walked out, setting the charges on the remainder of the weapons and blowing them to pieces.
-X-
Elsewhere, Team Dark had made it to the heart of the comet. They stopped short, seeing they had made it to Black Doom's inner sanctum.
"So… you've found me," the Black Arms leader remarked.
"Yeah, we did," Shadow confirmed.
"You've done well, Shadow. I'm very impressed you've made it this far." Black Doom turned to face them. "I am displeased with your defiance, but you still have one last chance to spare yourself Mobius' fate. Come to your senses, Shadow! Realize that sympathizing with these humans has all been a mistake, and join your brethren on the comet! It is your destiny!"
"Desist in attempting to manipulate my teammate," Omega cut in, aiming his gun at Black Doom. He fired, landing multiple shots. Black Doom grunted in pain, recoiling before scowling.
"Plead and beg all you want, Black Doom," Shadow shot back. "It changes nothing. I made a promise to Maria to save the planet she loved so much, and I'm keeping it!"
"So noble… and foolish." Black Doom rose above them. "So be it. You had your chance. Let me show you THE ULTIMATE POWER IN THE UNIVERSE!"
He waved a hand, waves of flame shooting out at them. "Take this!"
All four dodged, Hope slapping a Flame Shield on in the nick of time.
"Ha!" she taunted. "Suck it!"
Shadow then charged at him, unleashing a torrent of Chaos Spears. Black Doom managed to dodge one, but caught another in the chest. He waved his hand, a circle of five miniature flaming meteors surrounding him.
"Begone!" he roared before bombarding the area with the meteors, forcing them on the run.
Shadow swerved around the meteors before leaping towards him, rolling into a Spin Dash. He landed a solid hit. Black Doom swatted him back before raising his hand, purple energy surrounding it.
"On guard… Swift Strike!"
He launched a purple energy disk that bounced off the walls. When it hit ground level, Shadow gunned his rocket-skates, hovering over it as Omega did the same with his jet boosters and Rouge grabbed Hope before taking to the air. Shadow swooped over to Omega, who had retracted his hand to form a cannon. In spinball form, Shadow plugged himself into the socket of the cannon, allowing Omega to take aim at Black Doom.
"This is for hurting Hope!" the Goodnik shouted before firing Shadow, who was engulfed in flames before pounding into Black Doom and knocking him into the wall. Shadow landed in a perfect, superhero landing, rising back to his feet.
"You're outmatched here, Black Doom," he said.
"Or am I?" Black Doom asked.
Several doors opened to reveal multiple Black Arms soldiers carrying the others, depositing them on the ground. Each and every one of their friends was badly beaten and barely conscious.
"What?!" Rouge cried. "How did you-?!"
"One of the classic tactics," Black Doom boasted. "The war of attrition. Come now; did you really think you could fight forever after fending off my forces at both Knothole and Angel Island?"
"It didn't matter if you won or lost the battles," Hope realized. "You wore us out…"
"I've been doing this for centuries, child. I have mastered the art of patience."
One Black Warrior approached, carrying a brown backpack they recognized as Sonic's. Black Doom opened it up, the Chaos Emeralds floating above his head.
"The time has come. Our ritual of prosperity will begin." he focused, the Emeralds glowing. "Chaos... CONTROL!"
A white light emitted, engulfing everything…
Central City
The Black Comet glowed before blinking out in a green light and appearing right in the middle of Central City on Mobius. As it floated, multiple roots sprouted from the comet, anchoring it to the planet's surface.
Black Comet
"W-what have you done?!" Hope demanded.
"He warped the Black Comet to Mobius' surface via Chaos Control." Omega explained.
Shadow perked. "So that's why you needed the Chaos Emeralds so badly…"
"Precisely," Black Doom gloated. "The comet's velocity isn't powerful enough to pass through another planet's atmosphere. With each Chaos Emerald used, the space-time control power of Chaos Control is amplified... and I required all seven to bring it to Mobius' surface. That is why you were created, Shadow. I helped Professor Gerald create the Ultimate Life Form, and he helped me gather the Emeralds for my plan. Everybody wins. It's the perfect plan, wouldn't you agree?"
"No, I don't!" Shadow shouted. "Mobius is my home! I won't let you take it from me!"
Black Doom just laughed. "This 'home' took everything from you! Why risk your life for beings who would just as sooner lock you away or destroy you?"
"Because I made a promise!" Shadow snapped. "If I don't, who will?!"
"Very well," Black Doom said. "I did say that if you would not be my knight, you would be my pawn."
Doom's Eye launched out, latching onto Shadow's face. Everyone watched in horror as Shadow struggled and grunted, trying to pull Doom's Eye off of his face before he suddenly stopped, standing stick-straight.
"I would have preferred it if you joined me voluntarily, but you forced my hand," Black Doom said. "Now Shadow... as your master, your father, I command you to destroy these pathetic Mobians you call your friends!"
Like a zombie, Shadow began turning towards the others, a Chaos Spear appearing in his hand.
"No! Shadow, fight him!" Hope pleaded. "You're stronger than him!"
Shadow flung the spear, forcing them to dodge. Rouge charged, grabbing him. They grappled before Shadow slammed her into the wall.
"Shadow, are you in there?!" Rouge cried.
"Oh, he's in here, all right," Black Doom gloated, his voice coming from Shadow's mouth. "And he's going to feel the snap of your bones. Every single one. We're going to take our time and have fun!"
"Come on, Shadow!" Rouge pleaded. "Fight him! You're stronger than him!"
"Shadow was created with my blood!" Black Doom shot back. "He's a part of me, one that I command as I see fit!"
Shadow tossed her aside before advancing on Hope.
"I'm not gonna fight you, Shadow!" she cried. "You're my friend!"
"Friend or foe means nothing to us!" Black Doom shouted. "We are merciless until the end!"
Area 99
Meanwhile, Tower was giving orders to attack the Black Comet in Central City.
"Attention, all command units; mobilize all battle sections!" he ordered. "Prepare all weapons to strike incoming vessels! Mobilize Diablon!"
"Dad, have you lost your mind?!" Sarah demanded. "Diablon isn't ready for deployment yet!"
"I don't care!" Tower snapped. "We must defend Mobius at all costs!"
"But-"
"I'm sorry, Sarah," Tower sighed. "But we have no other option."
Sarah sighed, heading into the infirmary to check on the downed Freedom Fighters. As she looked over their wounds, she saw Hope's laptop off to the side, a red light flashing on it.
"Huh?" she let out.
She approached it, seeing that a file was up on the screen with a simple dialogue box: "View File? Y/N". There was a timer beneath it that was flashing 00:00:00. Curiosity peaked, she clicked yes, the file showing a video of Professor Gerald. Suddenly, the video appeared across all of Mobius' screens.
Black Comet
Hope narrowly dodged an attack by Shadow, who remained heavily under Black Doom's control.
"Shadow!" she screamed. "STOP! Don't do this!"
"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice." Black Doom boasted.
Shadow summoned a Chaos Spear, about to run Hope through when Gerald's voice reached their ears.
"Shadow, my son…"
Hearing that seemed to break through the control a bit. Shadow stopped in his tracks
"Professor...?" he managed.
"What is this?!" Black Doom demanded.
Everyone looked confused, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Tails then pulled out his Miles Electric, seeing the screen was completely dominated by the video.
"I can only pray you can hear this message, that the monsters have not fully taken you. By now, you are no doubt aware of my deal with the devil that led to your creation. Thanks to Dr. Amino's treachery, so is the Federation. The government plans to cease all of our research... and imprison all who know about you. I made a terrible mistake, Shadow. It's all my fault... making contact with that comet. Now, listen to me very carefully... This message will only play when fifty years have passed, and the Black Comet returns. The Black Arms plan to harness the Chaos Emeralds' powers to destroy this planet, and with what we had available at the time, we stood no chance. The only way to stop them... was to develop a way to use the very power they intended to use against them."
Hope perked in realization. "So that's why he made the cannon…"
"I developed the Eclipse Cannon, and it's the only weapon that can destroy that Black Comet. Shadow, you are the only hope to save life as we know it. The future of Mobius depends on you. You were made to protect this world, and I pray you are up to the task."
The video ended, and Black Doom laughed.
"Gerald, you old fool," he gloated. "It's too late! Shadow is under my complete control!"
Suddenly, Shadow's fingers twitched. As they watched, he reeled back before grabbing onto Doom's Eye with both hands, straining to rip the creature off of his face.
"Impossible!" Black Doom shouted. "No Black Arm can resist the hive!"
"I... am no... Black Arm!" Shadow snarled, straining hard as he could, his red aura returning. "I... am Shadow! Shadow... the Hedgehog!"
He finally ripped Doom's Eye off, his entire body blazing in righteous fury as he glared at the alien in his hand. He tossed it aside, panting a bit before wiping his face clear of any trace of the vile starfish.
"And you will never have me!"
"Shadow!" Hope cried.
He turned on Black Doom, scowling.
"It's over, Black Doom! You're finished! I will destroy you!"
Black Doom snarled. "How dare you defy me?!"
Shadow threw a Chaos Spear, only for Black Doom to warp away, his voice echoing around them.
"So be it, Shadow! You choose to side with the people of Mobius, and so you'll die with them! Your past, present and future ends here... TODAY!"
-X-
The group hurried out of the Black Comet as Black Doom, floating in the sky, began to change, his body shifting and expanding as flesh tore and bones snapped. When it was completed, he had become a giant, two headed, gargoyle-like creature, the only recognizable parts of him being Doom's Eye and his horizontal horns.
"He's done playing around," Sonic realized. "This calls for some Super Sonic power!"
He made for the discarded Chaos Emeralds, but Shadow beat him to them.
"Sorry Sonic, this one's mine," he said. "You help the others on the ground. I'll handle Black Doom."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. I was born for this." Shadow turned to Hope. "And this time, I'm coming back in one piece."
"You better." Hope said.
Shadow slid out of his jacket, tossing it to her. "Hold onto that for me until I get back."
Hope caught it, nodding as Shadow called the Chaos Emeralds to him, becoming Super Shadow and flying to face Devil Doom.
"How ironic, Shadow," Black Doom mused. "I gave you life fifty years ago, and now I'm taking it back!"
"You take nothing, Black Doom!" Shadow declared. "Your reign of terror ends today!"
They engaged in a furious aerial fight, while on the ground, the remaining Freedom Fighters fought the Black Arms that swarmed out of the Black Comet. They were soon joined by GUN soldiers and mechs, along with a massive red mecha that pointed at the comet.
"This ends now!" Tower's voice came. "I will avenge those whose blood has spilled!"
"Tower!" Rouge cried. "You're actually getting out from behind the desk for this!"
Sonic knocked back one Black Arm before a dark blue blur darted out, narrowly missing him. He found himself faced with Terios.
"I was hoping for a big final showdown with Shadow, but you'll do." the crazed prototype said.
"Please," Sonic scoffed. "For the record, Shadow's twice the Ultimate Life Form you'll ever be!"
"We'll see about that!" Terios declared.
"Bring it on!"
They clashed, throwing punches along the other's arm and simultaneously punching each other in the face.
-X-
Above, Shadow clashed with Black Doom, evading a flaming breath attack.
"Why?" Black Doom ranted. "Why can't you understand that humans and Mobians alike are the parasites of this world?! Absolute power is the only way to bring order to the planet! They all must be eliminated!"
"Nothing you say will deter me from what I have to do!" Shadow shouted. "I will protect Mobius from all who threaten it! Especially you!"
Black Doom levitated debris from the ground before launching them at Shadow, who plowed through them before raining Chaos Spears on him. As blood oozed from his wounds, Black Doom let out a growl.
"I seem to have underestimated the true power of the Chaos Emeralds. No matter! I will destroy you all the same!"
"You will try, and you will fail!"
-X-
Back on the ground, Sonic and Terios were engaged in a vicious battle, slamming each other back and forth.
"Shadow and I are not as different as you and yours pretend," Terios remarked. "I am but a shadowy reflection of him. All it would take is a little nudge, like one bad day, to push him out of the light and make him just like me. That's how far my little brother is from where I am, Sonic. Just one. Bad. Day."
"You've got it backward, Terios," Sonic shot back. "All it would take is a little bit of selflessness... a little bit of decency... And you'd be pushed into the light and be just like Shadow."
"Lies!" Terios ranted. "I am nothing like that weakling! I am the Ultimate Lifeform! I am the most powerful living weapon in the cosmos! I am-!"
Sonic decked him in the mouth. "You talk too much."
Terios kicked him back in a rage. Sonic took in his wrist bands, smirking.
"Shadow's bracelets are power limiters. I wonder what yours do?"
As Terios grabbed him, yanking him to his feet, Sonic smirked, grabbing one band.
"No!" Terios screamed. "Don't!"
Sonic yanked it off, and the effects were instantaneous. Terios' body spasmed, and he let out a scream as his skin and muscles twitched. He threw Sonic into a car, denting it before snatching up his band and fleeing.
"This isn't over!" he screamed as he ran.
Sonic fell out of the dent, landing heavily with a grunt. "Good plan, Sonic…"
-X-
Above, Shadow and Black Doom continued to fight, the latter losing ground.
"Shadow, cease these futile attempts to resist," Black Doom ordered. "You alone cannot change this planet's fate!"
"Who said I'm alone!" Shadow demanded. "My friends are down there right now fighting for the same things I am! I didn't have to control them or manipulate them! They chose to fight with me, and I'll choose them over you any day!"
He summoned a Chaos Spear, throwing it with all his might. The beam pierced through Black Doom's eye, blasting through both heads on either side of his body. As he struggled to stay in flight, he realized his time had come.
"Im... impossible!" he let out. "I am the supreme being that rules this universe! I am the immortal life form! I am the ultimate power!"
As he fell, he let out one final scream of rage.
"DAMN YOU, SHADOOOOOW!"
"You are nothing," Shadow spat as he heard the thunderous crash of Black Doom landing. He flew down to witness the Black Arms either retreating aimlessly or dying where they stood, their connection to Black Doom severed. The exhausted Freedom Fighters stood, Sonic rubbing his sore back.
"So… did we win?" he asked.
"Yeah," Shadow confirmed. "We won."
Sonic managed a smile.
"Alright, hey!" he cheered. "Hurray! Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just... take a day. How about we stop by the pizza joint a few blocks down. I've been dying to try their Super Sonic Special. Pepperoni with extra cheese, tiny chili dogs baked into the crust."
Sally looked at the Black Comet. "We're not finished yet. The Black Comet has to go."
"...And then pizza after?" Sonic requested.
"Yeah," Shadow nodded. "Pizza after."
He flew under the Black Comet, lifting with all his might before tearing its roots free of the ground. As he flew it into space, Hope opened a Warp Ring, heading into the ARK and the Eclipse Cannon controls. The minute it came into view and Shadow got clear, she took careful aim, smirking.
"Hasta la vista, baby," she boasted before hitting the fire button, firing an energy beam from the cannon that struck the Black Comet, shattering it into space dust. All across Mobius people saw the exploding comet and broke into loud, thunderous cheers.
"Alright!" Sonic cheered.
"We did it!" Tails added.
"It's over…" Sally sighed. "It's finally over."
GUN HQ
Later G.U.N. personnel at the various consoles were raising their arms and cheering in victory as the monitors showed the destruction of the Black Comet and the end of the Black Arms and their invasion. Tower stood back with Sarah, Madonna, and Topaz.
"After how poorly we all treated him, deemed him insane... he saved us all in the end," Tower mused. "We were all wrong about Professor Gerald."
"Everything he did... he always had the world's best interest at heart," Topaz remarked. "We drove him to insanity, when all he wanted was to save us all."
"We can't change the past…" Sarah said, "but we can learn from it and be better people. So let's pay homage to Professor Gerald. Work to ensure peace and prosperity for a brighter future."
"Agreed," Tower nodded.
Central City
Much later, the heroic group gathered in the pizza joint Sonic had found, gathered around a large table in the center of the shop as the owners swept up. The Sonic Special pizza was in front of them and they were all silently eating. Shadow and Hope were basically sharing a chair, not wanting to be apart in any way. Knuckles was leaning on one of his fists, basically asleep. Cream was asleep, her head in Amy's lap as the pink hedgehog gently stroked her head. Tails and Cosmo were using the others' chairs as a footrest, and both Sonic and Sally were just sitting next to one another like zombies. Shard stood watch over them, a can of oil in his hand that he was sipping on.
The door creaked open and Sonic looked up to see a weary Robotnik walking in. He met his nemesis' eye, but showed no sign of hostility. Sonic scooched over a bit, and Robotnik took the offered seat. Amy pushed a piece of pizza in front of him, and the doctor took it, his stomach growling audibly. Tails looked at Cosmo as if silently asking "How is it?" Cosmo just chewed meditatively as if making up her mind about the pizza. Eventually, she took a massive bite, taking time to wipe the sauce and grease up before snagging another one. They all ate in silence, enjoying the rare moment of peace after so much destruction and mayhem.
Author's Note:
And there you have it. The Shadow the Hedgehog adaptation out of the way. And yes, the pizza joint scene is based on the shawarma scene from Avengers.
Please R&R. Until next time!
