You Always Have a Choice
(Third-Person POV)
Ayla was fast asleep on a bed with a bandage on her right cheek. As she slept, she began to hear a guitar playing again. Same as the night before*
(Dream)
*Shadow & Maria were sitting in Maria's pillow fort, her playing her guitar. Just then, Gerald burst into the room*
Professor Gerald: Kids! We have to go! Now!
*All three of them ran down the hallway, hand-in-hand. Sirens were blaring all around them. Soldiers chased after them*
Professor Gerald: They want to take Shadow away from us, Maria!
*One of the soldiers raised is gun at them*
(Reality)
Ayla flinched in her sleep*
(Dream)
*A younger Commander Walters pushed through the soldiers & grabbed the gun*
Young Commander Walters: Hey! Wait! What are you doing!? Those are chicken
Soldier: We've got our orders, Walters!
Young Commander Walters: Stand down!
*The gun accidently fired & hit a canister of orange energy. The Professor, Maria, & Shadow stopped as the glass on the canister cracked & then exploded. Then everything went black*
*Shadow groaned as he gained consciousness. He shook his head & saw Maria laying on the floor with the Professor next to her. She wasn't moving*
Shadow: Maria!
*He looked at the Professor, who had tears in his eyes. Soldiers started to surround them as Shadow's eyes started to glow in anger. Then he screamed in anger*
(Ayla's POV)
I woke up with a scream. I looked around & saw I was in a hospital room. Then I felt something wet on my cheek. I touched the spot & saw it was tears. I remembered the dream I had & it made me cry even more*
Ayla: I'm sorry, Shadow . . .
Just then, the door opened & Tails came in*
Tails: Oh, Ayla! You're awake! Maddie! Knuckles! She's awake!
Maddie: & Knuckles ran in behind him,
Maddie: Oh, my God, Ayla! *she hugged me* Thank goodness! I was so worried.
Knuckles: Glad to see you are awake, Ayla.
Ayla: Yeah, thank - *I realized something* Wait. Where's Tom? I remember he was right next to me. Is he okay!?
Maddie: Ayla, Ayla! It's okay. Tom's okay. He's got a broken arm, but he'll pull through. *I sighed in relief* Now, lay back down and wait a minute. I have to go see a doctor about a stethoscope. Boys, keep an eye on her.
She left the room*
Ayla: Guys, where's Sonic?
They both looked each other nervously*
Tails: We'll tell you after Maddie checks you out.
Ayla: Okay . . .
I could tell they were hiding something*
Luckily, one doctor was willing to let Maddie borrow a stethoscope so she could check my chest*
Maddie: Now this might be cold.
She put it to my bare chest to check it out. She had Tails & Knuckles facing the wall for privacy*
Knuckles: How long do we have to look at the wall?
Maddie: Almost done. *she quickly finished* Okay. Don't worry, you're out of the woods no problem. All I recommend is that you take it easy for a while.
Ayla: Thanks, Maddie. But what about . . .
I pointed to the bandage on my cheek*
Maddie: Oh. *she went quiet for a minute* I already checked it out. It'll heal around the edges, but I'm afraid the scar will be permanent.
Ayla: Oh . . .
Maddie: Hey, remember what Grammie always says. "Every woman . . ."
Ayla: "Should have trademark." *I touched my bandage* Cool.
Maddie: I know. *just then, my stomach growled*chuckle* I'll get us some dinner. Boys, keep an eye on Ayla, kay?
Tails: Okay, Maddie.
She left the room. I turned to Tails & Knuckles*
Ayla: Okay, guys. Now are you going to tell where my brother is? *they both looked nervous as they explained everything to me* That idiot!
I got out of bed*
Knuckles: Ayla! What are you doing!? You must rest.
Ayla: There's no time. I know what he's doing and I have to stop him. Him and Shadow before they both make mistakes they'll regret forever. *I brought out my wristwatch* Synergy, do you have Sonic's location?
Synergy: Yes, Ayla.
She showed me holographic image of the Moon*
Ayla: Great. Tails, I need a Ring.
Tails: But, Ayla . . .
Ayla: Look, I know I'm not Super right now, but *I ripped off my bandage, revealing my new cross-shaped scar* I really don't care. All I do care about is helping two people that I really care about. *Tails & Knuckles both looked surprised* Yes, I admit it. I do have feeling for Shadow. But so what? I'm not ashamed of it. So, hand over the Ring before I do something I'll regret to both of you!
The guys could see easily how serious I was about this. Tails sighed & handed me a Ring*
Tails: Okay, here. Just . . . Promise you'll be careful.
I took the Ring*
Ayla: Hey, you know me. I'm the strategist, remember?
I threw the Ring & it expanded, showing the Moon on the other side*
(Third-Person POV)
Maddie came back with four sandwiches, stopping when she saw Ayla's empty bed*
Maddie: Where's Ayla? *Knuckles & Tails looked away nervously, but she got the message* I shouldn't even be surprised at this point. *she turned towards the window* Be careful, sweetie.
Meanwhile, on the Eclipse Cannon, Shadow had just finished using his Chaos energy to power the weapon. The Professor & Eggman were now wearing matching outfits, one white & one red*
Shadow: It's done.
Professor Gerald: Good work, Shadow. I'm prepping the firing sequence. The weapon will be fully charged in 10 minutes.
Shadow went to the window, putting his hand on the glass*
Shadow: It's almost finished, Maria. You will have justice. *then he thought of Ayla, as she lay on the floor, her cheek bleeding* I'm sorry, Ayla.
Just then, they saw a stream of gold light in the distance, coming towards them*
Professor Gerald: What is that?
Shadow: Is G.U.N. launching missiles at us?
Professor Gerald: Impossible. It's moving too fast.
Eggman held up the quill he had gotten from Sonic. It turned yellow*
Dr. Robotnik: It's him.
Suddenly, the light accelerated it's speed & crashed through the window, grabbing Shadow & going through the window on the other side. Both Robotniks held on to the floor as the pressure in the room was sucked out of the room. Then the airlock activated, stopped the suction & dropping them both to the floor*
(Super Sonic Vs Super Shadow Fight Scene SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (2024) Movie CLIP HD by JoBlo Animated Videos on YouTube)
The light was revealed to be Super Sonic, who had Shadow by the throat as they headed back down to Earth*
Sonic: You hurt my family! This ends now!
Shadow: Now you know my anger. The pain I've felt for 50 years! And you've made the same choice I did.
Sonic: I'm nothing like you!
Shadow: We'll see.
He grabbed Sonic & they both spun around & they headed down towards Earth. They crashed into the ground, which was in a mountain range, cracking the ground, causing lava to spew out. Sonic stood up, but Shadow was gone*
Sonic: Show yourself, coward!
Suddenly, Shadow appeared behind him & hit him in the chest with his palm has he turned around, knocking the Chaos Emeralds out of him & turning him back to normal. He hit the ground once, but landed back on his feet. He stopped when he saw the Chaos Emeralds floating in the air. Both he & Shadow began to reach for them at the same time. Suddenly, there was a powerful flash of light. Sonic screamed as he went back into Super Mode, but was surprised to see Shadow has also gone into Super Mode, only he was a lighter shade of yellow. Sonic zoomed in for a punch, but Shadow blocked him with his hand*
Shadow: You were right about one thing. This ends now. *he punched Sonic in the face, sending him flying back. then he punched him two more times before grabbing his feet & slamming him into the ground. then he threw him & he flew far into the distance, bouncing off mountains until he crashed into one, sending lava flying out. he tried to get up, but Shadow slammed him back into the rocks. he tried to punch Sonic, but he blocked him. then they went flying over the ground, creating more lava. the two fought as they flew across the world to different locations. Echo Park in California, Egypt, ect. at once point, Shadow sent Sonic flying into some ancient ruins in Greece. he struggled to get up as he saw Shadow floating in the air above him* Why are you alone? Where are your friends? They tried to stop you, didn't they? But you came anyway. Your anger was too much. What kind of hero abandons his friends to pursue revenge? Abandons his family?
Sonic: Don't you dare talk about my family!
Shadow: And here i thought you cared for them. Especially Ayla and the one . . . What's his name? Tom? *Sonic screamed in anger as he flew towards Shadow & punched him in the face, sending him flying into the sky. the force & power from the punch destroyed the ruins. Shadow landed on the moon & turned back to normal. Sonic flew towards, filled with rage. he grabbed him by his chest fur & raised his fist* Go ahead! Finish it! *Sonic panted as he seemed to hesitate* What are you waiting for? Do it! *he pointed to his chest* I'm right here!
Just then, a Ring Portal appeared & Ayla stepped out of it*
(Ayla's POV)
I arrived on the moon to see Sonic, in Super Mode, holding Shadow by his chest fur & his fist raised*
Ayla: Sonic, don't!
Shadow turned to me. I could see relief in his eyes, which quickly turned to guilt when he saw my new scar*
Shadow: Ayla . . .
Sonic just kept his eyes on Shadow & gripped his chest tighter*
Sonic: Stay out of this, Ayla! He hurt you and Tom! He has to pay!
Ayla: No! I'm okay. Tom's going to be okay. Getting revenge isn't going to solve anything. Remember what Tom said. Don't let your pain change who you are inside.
He stopped as soon as I said those words. He looked at his fist & let go of Shadow*
Sonic: You're right, Ayla. This is not who I am.
He walked & sat down on the ground as he turned back to normal*
Shadow: What are you doing? You won. Take your revenge.
Sonic: There are no winners with revenge.
Ayla: That's right. *Shadow turned to me* Revenge never brings closure or happiness. It only brings more pain and suffering.
Shadow just looked down. I sat down next to Shadow & we all sat in silence for a minute. He looked up at the sky. The stars reflected in his eyes*
Shadow: That last time I sat beneath stars like this . . . I was with her. I felt this pain for so long. It's all I know.
Sonic: When we lost Longclaw, I felt the same way.
Ayla: We both did.
Shadow: Did your pain eventually go away?
Sonic: No. But in time, we learned there's something even more powerful than pain. The love we felt for each other. That's what you need to hold on to, Shadow. Maria might be gone, but your love will always remain.
He went quiet for a moment*
Ayla: Shadow, *he turned to me* I want to show you something. *I took out my watch* Synergy. Play "Dad's Final Message".
Shadow: Who's Synergy?
I smiled at him & showed him a mini version of Synergy*
Ayla: This is Synergy. An A.I. cable of creating realistic 3D holograms.
Synergy: A pleasure to meet you, Shadow the Hedgehog.
Shadow: So . . . That's how you were able to escape from me in London?
Ayla: Yep.
I held up my watch & a hologram of a man with brown hair, blue eyes, caucasian skin, & wearing black rim glasses, a blue suit over a light blue shirt, & black shoes (look up "Danny Tanner" on "Fuller House Wiki")
Shadow: Who is that?
Ayla: That's Emmett Benton. He's the one who created Synergy.
Shadow looked surprised as he turned to watch the hologram play*
Emmett Benton: Final check. It's working. No, I think it's working. Is it working? Jerrica? Are you there? Jerrica? Pretty cool, right?
Shadow: And Jerrica is?
Ayla: His eldest daughter.
Emmett Benton: If you're seeing this, then the curious little girl who used to sneak ino my workshop, has grown. Into the strong, resourceful woman I always knew you'd become. And overcome losses that no child deserves to face. And I'm so proud of you.
As he spoke, I thought back to the day Synergy showed my family this message. It was shortly after we found her*
(Flashback - Third-Person POV)
*The entire Wachowski family, along with Ozzy, Wade, Tyler, Izzy, & Jake, stood in Synergy's room as she showed them the hologram*
Emmett Benton: When I found out how little time I had left, I knew I needed to leave you something. To try . . . To try to teach you the lessons that I most wanted to pass on.
Present Time - Ayla's POV)
Emmett Benton: To never fear the unknown. To create your own destiny. To use your gifts to inspire people. So, I built Synergy. She's my way of saying goodbye.
Shadow*chuckle* She?
I let out a giggle*
Emmett Benton: And I left you that trail of clues that you were brave enough to follow, even though you had no idea where that adventure might lead you. The pier.*a holographic image of the Santa Monica Pier appeared on his right* That the one place your eyes would always fill with wonder. It's the one playing where you always wanted to go. Think of it as a reminder that your destiny can be as mysterious and vast and beautiful as any ocean.*a holographic image of a outdoor stage appeared on his left* The open-air club. That was the one place I always wanted to take you when you were older. Some of the greatest artists I've ever seen were on that stage. And they used their gifts to inspire anyone willing to listen. Whatever journey you take. Whatever journey you choose. I know you can do the same. And now the hardest thing that a Father can do, is to let his little girl go. But you're ready. You have so much ahead of you, Jerrica. And where you go now is up to you. Use all you've learned to be the best version of yourself you can be. Oh, and just so you know, my greatest creation was never Synergy. It was always you and Kimber.
Just then, the sun appeared over the horizon as the hologram disappeared*
(Sonic 3 sonic and shadow Teams up 4k byLight The Roblox kid on YouTube)
Shadow: "A light shines. Even though the star's gone." *Sonic & I smiled at him. then we noticed the Eclipse Cannon in the distance* This whole mess is my fault. I've been so blinded by rage, I thought . . . I had no choice.
Sonic & I stood up & offered him our hands*
Ayla: You always have a choice.
He took both our hands & stood up*
Sonic: But making the right one is never easy. One more thing we learned. Is that when you really screw something up, you can't fix it on your own.
Ayla: No matter what happens. As long as you have friends by your side, nothing is impossible.
Shadow smiled at us. Then all three of us joined hands & the Chaos Emeralds flashed as we went into Super Mode (look up "Ayla - Movie Version (Super Form)" by "SwanGirl24" on "Deviantart"). Sonic fixed his gloves, Shadow cracked his knuckles, & I rolled back my shoulders. Then we got ready to fly*
Sonic; Gotta go fast!
Shadow: Don't tell me you've got a catch phrase.
Sonic; That's right, new hedgehog. And everyone loves it.
Shadow looked at me with a raised eyebrow*
Ayla: Just let him think what he wants.
Then the three of us took off into the sky towards the Eclipse Cannon, spinning around each other. Just then, an army of robots came out of the Cannon & flew towards us*
Sonic: Ready to recycle some tin cans?
Shadow: Just try to keep up.
Ayla: You mean, "keep up with me."
I zoomed ahead of them*
Sonic: Hey! Cheater!
The three of us flew into the army, dodging lasers & destroying bots. At one point, Sonic & Shadow joined hands & spun around. Sonic launched Shadow at a robot & he used it's laser gun to destroy more robots. Then used his Air Shoes to destroy a robot. I pushed a robot towards others, using it like a shield. I pushed it towards the others robots destroying them. Then all three of us flew together, destroying a chunk of the robots*
(Super Sonic and Super Shadow stop Eclipse Canon Sonic 3 Clips by evolution on YouTube)
Shadow & I sliced through another robot. Then we turned & the Eclipse Cannon getting charged to fire*
Shadow: We're out of time! The cannon is about to fire!
Ayla: Sonic! Where the heck are you!?
We turned & saw Sonic flying towards us, an army of robots following him*
Sonic: Oh, you know. Just making friends. They're all yours, Shadow. *Shadow created a bunch of spears made of Chaos Energy & fired them at the robots, destroying them. then we flew towards the cannon* Follow me! *we flew towards the cannon as it combined 6 smaller beams into one giant beam & got ready to fire* Now this might hurt a little!
The beam fired & the three of us created a shield to block. And it did hurt a bit*
Shadow: So this was your plan!?
Ayla: We can't keep this up forever! Who knows how much power that things got!
Sonic: Yeah . . . Would someone mind shutting down the giant death ray!?
Just then, the cannon slowing started to turn to the left. We went with the beam*
Ayla: Just . . . Stay with it!
Sonic: Can't . . . Hold . . . Much longer!
Sonic's Super Mode was starting to weaken. Just then, he passed out & started to fall towards Earth*
Ayla: Sonic! *luckily, by then, the beam was in a position to miss Earth, but instead it sliced off a part of the moon* Ooh. That's gonna be hard to explain to NASA.
Shadow: Ayla. *I turned to him* You should go.
Ayla: What?
Shadow: Go. Be with your friends and family. I can handle this from here.
Ayla: No way. I'm not leaving you to face this alone. I still sone plenty of power left.
Shadow: Maybe so, but it could run out at any time. We can't take that risk.
Ayla: I don't care! I'm not leaving you!
Shadow: Why are you being so stubborn!?
Ayla: Because I love you, you idiot!
My turned when I realized what just said out loud & covered my mouth. I thought he was going to tease me, but instead he put his hands on my face & pulled me in for a kiss (look up "Super Shadow and Super Ayla - Kiss" by "SwanGirl24" on "Deviantart"). I was shocked at first, but I quickly melted into it. It felt as if fireworks had gone off in my head. I wanted to do it longer, but he quickly let go*
Shadow: You really need to learn to keep your guard up more.
Suddenly, I felt a pinch on the back of my neck. I started to feel drowsy*
Ayla: You . . . Sneaky jerk . . .
He just smiled at me*
Shadow: Farewell . . . My Shining Star.
Then everything went black as I felt Shadow use his power to teleport me as my Super Mode began to fade*
(Third-Person POV)
Tails grabbed Sonic as they both fell towards the Earth*
Tails: I've got you, Sonic!
He took out the Ring & got ready to throw it, but he started to lose consciousness. As he lost it, the Ring slipped out of his fingers. Just then, Knuckles appeared. He caught the Ring & threw it. It opened & he grabbed his friends. They went through it, landing in a cornfield. They all started to wake up, coughing. Just then, Ayla appeared in mid-air above them & landed on the ground*
Sonic, Tails, & Knuckles: Ayla!
They all ran to her & gathered around her. Sonic held her in his arms*
Sonic: Ayla?
She groaned & slowly opened her eyes*
(Ayla's POV)
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my brother & my friends*
Ayla: Hey, guys.
They all sighed in relief that I was okay
.Tails looked up at the sky*
Tails: Guys, look. *we all looked up at the sky & saw an explosion in the sky* Shadow and Robotnik . . . They sacrificed themselves . . . To save everyone.
Sonic: You always have a choice. *he turned towards us* Guys, I'm really sorry for running off like that. I shouldn't have left you behind. *Knuckles & I glared at him* The truth is . . . You're the best teammates a hedgehog could ever ask for. And the best friends. Can you ever forgive me?
Knuckles was silent for a few minutes & then raised his fist*
Knuckles: Team Sonic?
Instead of doing a fist bump, my brother hugged him. Then Tails & I joined in*
Sonic: How about just Team?
Ayla: Sounds good to me. *as we all did a group hug, I looked up at the sky back at the explosion*in her mind* Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog.
The next day, we were back at the campsite. The guys were making a sandwich out of toasted marshmallows, chocolate, gram crackers, donuts, ice cream, & candy*
Sonic: Big finish! *he added pretzel sticks & another gram cracker* Now that's what I call teamwork.
Tails & I turned to a tent*
Tails: Okay, it's ready!
We turned back to see that Sonic & Knuckles had already eaten it*
Ayla: You guys!
Sonic: Knuckles, how could you!?
I rolled my eyes at my brother's attempt to play innocent & yanked his ear*
Ayla: Nice try.
Tails turned back to the tent*
Tails: Gotta be faster than that!
Tom came out of the tent, his arm in a cast & sling*
Tom: Give me a break. Still moving a little slow over here.
Sonic: Donut Lord!
Ayla: Tom!
Knuckles laughed as we all went in for a group hug. Tom winches in pain at Knuckles' hug*
Tom: Okay, Knuckles.
Knuckles: I am having the love.
Ozzy: I want the love!
We opened the hug to let Ozzy in*
Ayla: Come here, Ozzy. We wouldn't forget you.
Tails: It's great to be back together.
Knuckles: We're stronger than ever.
Ayla: And nothing is going to stand in our way.
Sonic: Except that one piece of unfinished business. *Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, & I got in our running positions & took off into the forest* And way up in front, to the surprise of absolutely no one, it's the Blue Blur,
Knuckles punched a tree that was in his way as he ran*
Knuckles: Let's do this!
Tails flew how his jetpack*
Tails: Yeah!
I put my hoverboard into full power as I tried to keep up with my brother & friends*
Sonic: Alright, guys, try and keep up!
We all jumped high into the air & cheered*
(Third-Person POV)
That night, Sonic stopped in the middle of a forest*
Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog is family champion once again! *he looked around for Ayla & his friends* Ayla? Tails? Knuckles? *then he saw a sign that said "Welcome. New York State Park. We're glad you're here"* Okay. Yeah, I overshot the finish line.
Just then, Ayla appeared on her hoverboard*
(Ayla's POV)
I finally caught up with my brother*
Ayla: Sonic, you completely missed the finish line!
Sonic: I know, I know. I guess I got a little carried away.
Ayla: A little?
(Third-Person POV)
Suddenly, in a flash of lighting. Two robots appeared behind the hedgehog siblings. One that looked just like Sonic & aone that looked just like Ayla (look up "Metal Ayla" by "SwanGirl24" on "Deviantart"). They're eyes glowing red as they stepped towards the siblings*
Sonic: Okay, so how do we get back?
Ayla: I'll call Tails and see if he can pick up in the Tornado.
Both robots readied their blasters as they aimed at the hedgehogs. They fired, but the siblings dodged & the blasts hit the sign, destroying it*
(Ayla's POV)
Both Sonic & I had just dodged an attack from two robots who looked just like us*
Sonic: Pro-tip. If you're gonna take a shot at the fastest thing in the Universe and his genius sister . . . *he punched his Metal Twin & I punched mine, their heads turning backwards* You better not miss.
The two robots stood up & turned their heads back around*
Ayla: And we're flattered by the cosplay, but you got a few details wrong.
Sonic: We can't blame you, though. It's hard to copy perfection. *suddenly, more red eyes appeared around us. then an army of Metal Sonic's & Metal Ayla's appeared* That's a neat trick. *just then, a figure in a red cape, holding a red & yellow hammer, & running with a pink streak appeared & smashed all the robots into scrap* What!? Who are you!?
They took off her hood, revealing a pink female hedgehog with a peach muzzle & green eyes. Both my eyes & Sonic's went wide. But my shock quickly turned to joy as I jumped into the air*
Ayla: YES!
I finally wasn't the only girl hedgehog on Earth*
(Third-Person POV)
In another part of the world, in the middle of a smoldering crater was a gold Ring. Just then, a familiar pair of shoes stepped up to the Ring & picked it up*