Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow's Return ❯ Grand Finale-- All is Explained ( Chapter 4 )

UsagiGirl: YATA!! I got a review!!! If It wasn't for him, you guys wouldn't be getting this, the FINAL chapter. So, enjoy!! My thanx for that review, and you should all follow in that example.

Back with Sonic and co.
"Why, Shadow, why…" Sonic murmured, staring at the table.
"Oh Sonic, GET OVER IT!!" Knuckles yelled exasperatedly, "He's a bad guy! He was created to be that way! There's nothing you can do!"
"Knuckles is right Sonic," Tails agreed staring at the television screen. "You can't help it, you have to let go."
"Shut it Miles," Sonic said, "He's not bad! I can prove it! He just…. I don't know what he was doing with Robotnic. But he's not bad!"
"Well if you can prove he's not bad, let's find him! But-" Knuckles smiled mischievously, "if he's not good… I get to decide his fate. How's that?"
Sonic hesitated. "Fine."



Later…
"Everybody ready?" Knuckles asked eagerly.
"Yes!" Tales piped. Sonic merely nodded. He wore a solemn expression on his face.
"Good! Let's go!" Knuckles led the group walking off into the city. Tails skipped along behind him and Sonic was last swaying and teetering slightly as he walked.
"Cheer up Sonic," Tails said looking worried. "We'll find him soon." Sonic muttered something under his breath. "What did you say Sonic?" Tails asked angrily.
"Nothing."

After an hour or so of walking around town and questioning some people, Sonic looked up. He saw a black and red female hedgehog about his age helping an older looking hedgehog who was wrapped in a cloak. Sonic saw her look at him and mutter something to the older one, who laughed. Sonic froze and caught Tails's arm. He pulled Tails close and hissed in his ear, "Look!"
"At what Sonic? Ow! You're hurting my arm!" Tails winced at the pain.
Knuckles noticed they had stopped and turned around. "Hey what's the big idea? We just stopped to eat five minutes ago!"
Sonic continued to stare at the pair of hedgehogs and soon Tails and Knuckles noticed too. "Do you think it's him?" Tails asked.
"There's only one way to find out!" Sonic said running over to the pair. "Hello. I'm Sonic The Hedgehog," Sonic started.
The girl looked horrified. She reached a shaking hand into a pocket of the older one's hood and drew out a chaos emerald.
"Where'd you get that?" Sonic yelled. He threw back the hood of the old one's cloak to find his answer. Shadow was there looking calm as always. Shadow threw the cloak completely off himself.
The girl took the chaos emerald in her hand. She stuttered, "C-Chaos contr-"
"Oh no you don't!" Sonic said snatching the emerald from her. She took it back and pocketed it. She still had a look of complete terror across her face. "I don't bite you know." Sonic said laughing at her face. "I'm just here to prove Shadow's a good guy!"
"Oh he is!" She finally blurted forgetting her fear. "He's good and kind and-"
"He's a criminal!" Knuckles interrupted. "He's a dirty, rotten, conceiving little-"
The girl walked over to Knuckles and slapped him hard. "Don't you ever talk like that about Shadow!" She yelled slapping him harder. "He's good and kind and a better person than any of you guys will ever be!" Knuckles looked shocked.
"Tails, take Knuckles a few feet away so he can hear but not interfere," Sonic ordered.
Tails obeyed him and dragged away Knuckles who was screaming, "Do not forget me! 24601!"
"What?" everyone else asked.
"Oops. Sorry. Wrong story." Knuckles said.
"Whatever. Stay back and keep him there Tails."
"Yes sir!"
Shadow sat on the ground and looked up at Sonic. The girl kneeled behind him. "So," Shadow started, "what do you want to know from me?"
"First," Sonic said, "let's go to a more private place. Follow me!" Sonic ran away and Shadow got up and raced after him. The rest of the group chased after them but they weren't as fast. Sonic looked to his side expecting to find Shadow but he wasn't there. He looked ahead of him and saw Shadow up ahead. "No fair using chaos control!" Sonic yelled at him.
"I didn't," Shadow replied. "I've gotten faster since you saw me last."



Back at Sonic's house…
"So," Sonic began his question. They were all back at his house and the moment had finally come, Sonic would find out the truth, "How did you survive going into space, Shadow?"
"First I must introduce my significant other here, meet Mikage," Shadow said smiling. The female behind him curtsied. "It's because of her that I'm alive."
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles stared at Shadow with wide eyes. "Wh-What do you mean Shadow? How could she save you?"
"The way Amy saved you when we tried to blow you up in space." Shadow explained.
"Amy didn't save me!" Sonic argued. "I used the fake chaos emerald to warp!"
"No you just think you did," Shadow replied calmly.
"I did!"
"No you did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Then what happened?"
"Well," Shadow began clearing his throat. "I ask you, what is the most powerful force in the galaxy?"
"The Master Emerald of course!"
"Wrong!"
"Chaos Emeralds?"
"Nope!"
"Then what?"
"Love."
"But, I thought you meant power like 'take over the world' power."
"I do."
"Explain."
"Well, when someone is loved, that power makes a sort of barrier so the one who loves them won't get emotionally hurt. Mikage loved me so I lived. Amy loved you so you lived. Understand?"
"No. If that's true than why do so many people die?" Sonic questioned.
"The love has to be…pure. Completely pure. No questions about it. The way that Amy feels about you. She has no doubt about her love for you. See what I mean?"
"I guess… I never knew she felt that way before."
"Typical guy," Mikage muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" everyone else in the room said.
"Clueless," Mikage said simply.
Mikage slowly backed into a corner as everyone in the room except for Shadow began to advance on her. Shadow rushed in, picked up Mikage, and rushed away before anyone (except for Sonic) knew what had happened.
"Impressive, Grasshopper, but you are not a Jedi yet," Sonic said.
"I'm the one with the cloak and extreme coolness, and yet you get the opportunity to say it first," Shadow said surprised.

"So, why'd you kill Dr. Robotnic?" Sonic asked Shadow.
"I had to get my revenge on him for using me like a pawn and then leaving me to die."
"Then why aren't you killing us?" Tails inquired.
"I knew Sonic would be the only one to take my side, so I couldn't hurt his friends." Shadow answered.


They all talked for a while, and when they were done and Shadow was about to leave, Sonic stopped him.
"Wait! Where are you going? Will I ever see you again?" Sonic cried
"I'll be around. Oh, and Sonic-"
"Yes?"
"Go talk to Amy. Tell her how you feel about her."
"You know, I think I will."
Shadow, Mikage beside him, ran into the sky, laughing. Usually, his laugh was cruel, but this one was truly happy, like an innocent child's. And as Shadow disappeared into the sunlight, Sonic found a tear trickling down his cheek.