Pure Again

By: Shadow the Hedgehog 2099

One lone person was silently walking in the dark of his own mind. He had his heavy heart expressed not only on his face but also in the abnormally slow way he made his way through the darkness. He sighed and sat down, “Why was I even made? This world would’ve been better off without me,”

“I don’t believe that,” a girl’s voice called out to him. He stood up and looked at who it was but was too surprised to say anything. She was a petit fairy-like girl in pink clothes with outlandish pink hair and large almost bug-like purple eyes but she spoke before he could, “I am Lumina Flowlight. I serve under the Queen of Dreams, Illumina. I’ve come here to show you the truth,”

“The truth?” the surprised young man replied, “What is there to show?”

“Plenty!” Lumina smiled, “You have a lot on your mind, and I know why and how of it all. But trust me! Things are not as they seem… so come with me, Shadow the Hedgehog!” She then flew off as a trail of light deeper into the darkness.

Shadow hesitated for a moment before sighing and saying, “What have I got to lose at this point?” and then ran after her. After a while of running in what seemed an absolute abyss, Shadow found the little fairy-girl in the middle of what looked like a large circular room. Though it was pitch black, somehow he knew where the walls were. Shadow gazed around them, “I know this place… but how?”

“This is a Hall of Memories,” Lumina told him, “Everyone has one in the reaches of their mind. There’s more to the soul than brain and tissue! Memories are eternally kept in the deepest reaches of the mind—which goes more than flesh-deep, if you know what I mean,”

“Mind over matter,” Shadow nodded, “I follow what you’re saying. But why are we here? I already understand my memories,”

“Do you?” Lumina lifted her eyebrows. Shadow felt a small numbing fear buzz through his mind.

What if she knows the truth about fifty years ago? What if she knows something I don’t? I mean, what if there’s something here about the past I didn’t know? Could that be possible? Shadow wondered silently. If she is telling the truth… and I think she is… then maybe she knows something I should know.

“Are you curious?” Lumina asked.

“Yeah,” Shadow nodded, “Okay, where do we begin?”

“The beginning, silly!” Lumina giggled, “You know what I mean, right?” Shadow rested his right elbow on his left hand, then braced his cheek on top of that and tried to recall. In the middle of the round room, Shadow’s thoughts began being displayed for them both to see. The first image was the visage of a plump, white-furred hedgehog woman, finding a baby in a strange egg-shaped capsule and after checking around, took the little black hedgehog home with her. “No, Shadow,” Lumina shook her head, “Before that. Long before that. Can’t you recall?”

Shadow sighed a bit and silently recalled seeing the ARK in full operation. He saw through the eyes of a gray, bionic model hedgehog. He recalled destroying berserk units unquestioningly at the beck and call of scientists—even in some cases, knowing full well the model was operating properly. Lumina watched for a moment before speaking again, “The Omega Angel project, right?”

“Yeah. That’s me,” Shadow sighed.

Lumina giggled softly, “That’s not entirely true, Shadow,”

“What do you mean?” Shadow jumped from surprise, “I am the Omega Angel project—I am Shadow, right?”

“Yes and no, but… let me explain,” Lumina snapped her fingers and suddenly, she and Shadow appeared inside the ARK, as it was fifty years before. “Do you recognize this place?” Lumina asked.

“I remember it well,” Shadow sorrowfully replied, “Halls of cold steel, heartless mechanical creatures stoically doing their dance, day after day after day… not even understanding their own existence,”

Lumina frowned at Shadow’s gloomy disposition, so she took his hand and walked him down a long corridor. She then took him to a research and development lab with a very large “R&D” stamped on the door and she guided him clear through it. Shadow gasped in surprise, having just passed through a solid wall but Lumina calmed him down by explaining, “This is not the ARK itself, but a memory of someone from long ago. We can pass through the walls because the walls aren’t there—the memory is all that’s left,” Shadow nodded, then looked forward and saw something frightful.

He saw his creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik, as a human, standing in front of a large, steel tube filling with an unidentifiable green fluid. He couldn’t see quite what was in the tube, but next to him was a massive, bizarre sight. It was tall and dark with monstrously-sized hands and had a large, horned head. Its three eyes glimmered like an unholy fire ignited by hatred, and wore tattered robes that looked as if they had been stolen from a defiled temple, and had large trinkets dangling from the ends of aged chains. It had no eyes or nose of which to speak of, but its massive presence commanded attention and its dark aura permeated even the air of the memory-room.

“Incredible!” the then-hefty Professor Gerald exclaimed in a calm, compassionate voice that Shadow had to struggle to truly recognize as his creator, “Simply amazing, Black Doom! This technology far exceeds humankind’s by centuries! Oh! How I thank you for helping my dream come true!”

“Oh, it was my pleasure,” a semi-telepathic voice emitted from the demonic creature, “Using our Black Arms technology and my DNA, we have finally created the ultimate life form—and using that as a base model, you humans no longer need fear death and destruction! But nothing is free, I hope you know!”

“Of course! I’m sure the government would be happy to pay you for your efforts!” Gerald smiled. Shadow was chilled by this sight—a warm, happy, light-hearted Gerald discussing the Shadow Project, as opposed to the dark, menacing persona of the Gizoid he crushed with his own two hands.

“Not money… not supplies… no,” the one Shadow assumed was Black Doom shook its head, though it lacked a visible neck, “This project will help me in a goal of mine. You see, my Black Arms live aboard the Black Comet you contacted, and it passes through the Milky Way Galaxy every fifty years. When I return, though you may pass before that time, the project… I’ll take it under my wing. And that’ll be my payment. And then, I’ll leave again, Professor,”

“Sounds fair to me,” Gerald nodded and shook the enormous hand of the monster, “I’m sure with the Shadow Project, we can make two worlds better places! Ahh, such is the gift of science, isn’t it?”

With a nod Black Doom replied, “Indeed!” Gerald smiled and then walked towards Lumina and the open-jawed Shadow, and passed right through them, and out the door that opened as he approached.

“P-professor!” Shadow cried, extending a gloved hand towards him.

“He can’t hear you, Shadow,” Lumina told him, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “This is a memory of the past, and it cannot be altered! It’s like a movie, you can see it, and you can hear it… but you’re not actually there, no matter how real it seems to you,”

Shadow’s arm fell limp and his tears welled up in his eyes from the confusion but he jumped in surprise when he heard Black Doom talking to itself, “Yes, foolish human. The ‘gift’ of science! Heh! The humans have resources that, if utilized properly, could take over the entire universe if they tried! Tricking that stupid mortal was all too easy! And this project “Shadow” will help me in destroying the humans of the Earth and helping me take those resources for myself! Why waste thousands of soldiers when one can do the job on its own?!” Black Doom howled with laughter.

“I’m… I’m a weapon?!” Shadow gasped, “I’m just… I’m a weapon…”

“Shadow, calm down,” Lumina offered, “There’s a reason I’m showing you this. Look in that capsule!” Shadow looked at her, still broken-hearted and walked over to it. He looked inside and saw a familiar sight that was too real for his liking. It was indeed a hedgehog, but a gray, generally colorless hedgehog.

“That’s… that was Alpha Ghost’s bionic body that was in the sky fortress!” Shadow gasped, hopping away from it.

“Not exactly,” Lumina shook her head, “Listen and learn,” she then pointed at Black Doom, who was still talking.

“It took so little to convince that bald old man to trust me! Just to make a single nano-bot robot with self-repairing systems and he thinks I’m a god! It’s all becoming so simple… but timing is crucial. I must not have Gerald or his crew in the way when I return. If I tried to attack right away, they could potentially pose a threat to me… so, I must begin preparations for tomorrow’s exiting of the atmosphere!” Black Doom plotted, then turned to the tube, “Oh, little ‘Omega Angel’! How truly wonderful you’ll be when under my lead! You’re going to be crucial to my plans, if I’m to succeed!” he then floated out of the room, laughing in a demonic way.

“Wait…” Shadow’s eyes widened, “THAT is Omega Angel Shadow?! Then who am I?!”

“Come with me, Shadow, there is much more to see,” Lumina told him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shadow sighed, “Right then. Lead on,” Lumina nodded and took his hand again, trying to comfort him as they followed Black Doom across the ARK until they found another R&D room, and they followed the memory of the alien creature walk in. There, was the nano-bot unit Shadow knew only as Alpha Ghost Shadow. Shadow gazed on, deadpan, at the demon machine which he loathed so terribly.

“I can’t allow you to become a nuisance, so I’ll make you one of my aides!” Black Doom laughed as he forced one of his massive fingers into the robot structure of Alpha Ghost, and Shadow gazed in disgust and horror as trails of his flesh, like tiny worms, worked their way into the micro-structure of Alpha Ghost, “You’ll be my parasite to ensure nothing goes awry! You’ll infect those prototype that bumbling scientist made! He came far too close to the ‘ultimate life’ perfection for his own good. Make sure those little mongrels don’t see the sun of this galaxy rise!”

Black Doom then turned and floated out of that room as well and Shadow spoke to Lumina, “You mean Alpha Ghost wasn’t always evil? The change was gradual?!”

“Exactly,” Lumina affirmed him.

“So, Black Doom made the Shadow Series go berserk? Not Gerald?!” Shadow gasped in amazement.

“That’s right,” Lumina nodded, “Gerald wanted to cure disease and end suffering among mankind by bringing forth the ultimate life form project. Maria, his granddaughter, was stricken with a condition that made it impossible for her to survive in Earth’s gravity—so here on the space colony where its rotation provides centrifugal force makes for gravity—was the only place where his research could prevent her from being permanently bedridden,”

“Gerald…” Shadow paused, “Was a good man…?”

Lumina nodded, “There’s more to this story,” And then, the scene changed completely to a very familiar room. It was plain, with a large window gazing over the planet below them. In the middle, there was a tube with a similar fluid as the bionic unit, with seemingly nothing in it. Off to the side, a young Maria Robotnik stood, gazing out of the window, and that same bionic hedgehog stood next to her.

“Shadow, what do you think it’s like on Earth?” the innocent girl asked.

The gray hedgehog looked at Maria and spoke in reply—in a voice very similar to the black hedgehog, “The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once told that the reason for his existence was, making people happy through the power of science,”

Lumina looked at the real Shadow, “Do you recall what happens next?”

“Like it was yesterday,” Shadow teared up again, “She said… my name,”

“Shadow…” right on cue, Maria gently smiled at the gray hedgehog.

The gray hedgehog shrugged, examining his own hands, “Maria... I just don't know anything anymore... I often wonder why I was created; what my purpose if for being here. Maybe if I go down there, I... I will find the answers... maybe... ...Maria...”

Shadow gazed on in awe at this scene, and then angrily pointed at Lumina, “You’re trying to confuse me!”

“What?” Lumina gasped and fluttered back in the air from shock, “Why would you think that?!”

“I know exactly when this happened! That wasn’t Alpha Ghost or Omega Angel or whoever that was there! That was me!” Shadow sternly pointed at the scene in front of them.

Lumina sorrowfully shook her head, “No, Shadow. It wasn’t. You were never there with her. You are in this room, but do you know truly where?”

“What do you mean?!” Shadow grit his teeth in frustration.

“You’re right there!” Lumina pointed at the canister in the center of the room, “You were just made a little while before this conversation occurred. You were a fertilized hedgehog egg that Gerald made, using the data from the Alpha Ghost-Omega Angel research experiments with Black Doom,”

“I was…” Shadow gasped.

“Yes, you were in that goo there,” Lumina nodded towards it, “You never met Maria face-to-face until you two met fifty years later on Earth, when she told you about the Shadow Series, which she knew personally,”

“But… I remember it so vividly!” Shadow protested.

“I know, and that’ll be the barrier to your learning the truth—is your unwillingness to heed when your past is not your own,” Lumina told him.

“Well, then what’s the truth… or are you just going to tell me I can’t ‘handle it’?” Shadow huffed.

“That comes a few weeks after this conversation,” Lumina nodded again, as the scene changed to a field of panic, “Here we are…”

“What’s going on?!” Shadow gasped as GUN soldiers, an elite team of agents from the government, were raiding the ship and fighting with the berserk units of the Shadow Series.

“The ‘parasite’ awoke. It began spreading the Black Seed like a virus and it drove the crew and Gerald mad,” Lumina sadly explained, “The project began attacking each other in rages, and only a handful of them managed to escape the Black Seed. Then…” Lumina trailed off as she suddenly gasped as a door flew to the floor after a blast, with the nano-bot Alpha Ghost Shadow was duking it out with the bionic Omega Angel Shadow.

“This--! I don’t remember this!” Shadow exclaimed in fear.

“Fool! All hail the Black Arms!” Alpha Ghost suddenly shouted as he shot a thin needle into the bionic unit, “There! Now you’ll carry on our mission—as one in the same mind as I!”

“You…” the bionic unit kicked off the robotic hedgehog and made a frenzied dash to the canister where the developing ‘ultimate life’ was, “You gotta get to safety! I’m going to encapsulate you, little brother… I don’t have much time! But you gotta understand what all has happened to us… so I’ll upload my memories to you… so when the capsule breaks orbit in fifty years, you’ll be ready for those aliens! I’ll do what I… can…” sparks flew from its chest as the virus began taking hold. He then shot a stream of strange fluid from its arm, which also apparently contained some of the Black Seed, into the fluid—and it was jettisoned in a capsule.

“That…” Shadow gasped, “Was me… wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Lumina nodded, “Omega Angel… Alpha Ghost… their memories passed on to you. Your body was different than theirs, though, as you were created not from mad-made synthetic techniques, but the energy of the Chaos Emeralds—the power of the heart, which made you immune to the Black Seed’s dementation effects,”

“That’s why I can use the emeralds so freely,” Shadow gasped, as he watched the GUN and Shadow units fight for their lives. Shadow closed his eyes tightly, “I don’t want to see any more!!!”

Lumina sighed and they returned to the Hall of Memories, “I’m sorry you had to endure that,”

“I… I’m not Omega Angel… I’m not even one of the Shadow Series, am I?” Shadow gasped.

“No, you’re not,” Lumina shook her head, “You’re totally different from them,”

“Thank you,” Shadow nodded half-heartedly.

“But you’re still burdened,” Lumina commented.

“No,” Shadow lied.

“You hate yourself, don’t you?” Lumina pried. Shadow just sighed, so she went on, “I know it’s tough to believe this sort of thing for so long, but…”

Shadow angrily interrupted her, “Then why didn’t you contact me sooner?!”

“It’s hard to talk to someone’s heart when it’s closed so tightly in the stone of complacency!” Lumina snapped back at him. Shadow’s ears and spines drooped as did his head. “I know that was mean, but it’s true. People ignore my messages so often, I get frustrated. It takes a completely open heart and mind—or a very badly wounded one—to let me contact them like this. I know what you’re thinking. You should’ve stopped Chaos before it became that strong, right?”

“Bingo,” Shadow sighed.

“You know what happens when your emotions sit and bottle up, right?” Lumina asked with a tone of fear in her voice, “They become nightmare monsters!”

“What?” Shadow gasped, and then looked up. On the opposite side of the room, there was a large, hulking golem creature made of jagged brown stone.

“That creature is here for you, Shadow… prepare to fight for your life,” Lumina sighed, fluttering away from it.

“I’ll handle it,” Shadow growled, “After all… I was born to be nothing more than a weapon… regardless of my ‘code’ name,” Shadow crouched down and analyzed his enemy before he leaped up above it and tried to kick down at it, but it threw up a large, stone hand, which bunted Shadow up and back away from it. He landed on his feet, but not without an injury across his back. He grunted and used his spin-dash charge at it to ram into its feet, but it kicked him back across the invisible floor like a soccer ball. Shadow felt all his emotions rush him at once as the pain overtook him and he broke out two life sword blades on his arms and charged at it, screaming in blind fury.

Shadow began slamming the blades into the arms of the defending golem as suddenly, images of the past flashed into his mind. First, he saw Kindarspirit, tied and captive in Eggman’s base, screaming, “Help me, Shadow!”

Then, he saw Knuckles, injured and lying on the ground, reaching out to him, “Shadow! Save us!”

His emotions only intensified further as he then saw Fiona lying across the floor, bloody and weak, moaning, “Shadow~ save me, please… I… need you…”

But it became all too much when he envisioned the half-broken body of his robotic friend, the late Forte lying on the ground and he called out, “Bro! I need you!”

Shadow then began stabbing in a berserk form into the stone howling;

What do you want from me?! I tried to do everything I could! I fought as hard as I possibly could to protect those I love! I fought against the dark every step of the way! What do you want?! Why are you showing me this?! I did everything I could!

I DID EVERYTHING THAT I POSSIBLY COULD!!!

He then pulled back and gazed up at the cloud of dust he formed from the rock. He gasped as he saw the head of the golem removed, and his own emerging from the next of the monster. It then spoke to him, “Then why do you keep punishing yourself?”

Shadow felt his anger leave him and the life swords dissipated. He then understood what he was doing wrong for so long, and then did a respectful half-bow to the golem, that then disintegrated into the darkness. Shadow wept as he fell to his knees. He then got it all out, and Lumina returned to him and he stood up. “Thank you, Lumina,” Shadow nodded, “I understand now. I was my own worst enemy all along. I was beating myself up and blaming others for that feeling,”

Lumina smiled, “Now you get it!”

“I’m ready to leave my past behind me,” Shadow nodded, “And forgive people I have been holding forgiveness from for a long time now,”

“You mean Dr. Eggman, right?” Lumina asked. Shadow nodded. Lumina smiled, “You know, I could, if you want, let you have a glimpse into his dreams too. Maybe you’d truly be ready to forgive if you saw what went on in his mind?”

“I can do that?” Shadow asked.

“Normally, no, but I was told to make an exception in this case.” Lumina nodded again, “Come on! I’ll take you there!” she then began fluttering off, with Shadow skating right behind her.

Shadow and Lumina walked down the infinite hallways Shadow could only vaguely recognize were even there as he spoke to his fairy-guide, “Lumina, since we’re going into Eggman’s subconscious anyways, I do have a few questions about his grandfather, Gerald… like, when did he become the slim, evil Gerald and when did he set up the Sky Fortress and all that stuff?”

Lumina smiled softly, “Well, to make a long story short: Gerald was also infected by the Black Seed, then he began setting everything into its evil place—he rapidly lost weight during his imprisonment and used Forte to set up the Sky Fortress and other guardians began their new mission to try to make a ‘perfect utopia’. That’s when the evil seed found fertile soil, as it were…”

“I see,” Shadow sighed a little, “I guess that’s it for my past then. It’s time I begin looking towards the future, huh?”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Lumina nodded, “And maybe this visit will help you see all you need to,”

“I certainly hope so,” Shadow softly sighed. They then came into a very large, still utterly black room, and there Shadow saw his old rival, Dr. Eggman. He heard Eggman speak and chose not to interrupt but rather listen to what he had to say—even if it was directed at himself.

He heard the Doctor say: “As I tiny child, I never imagined my life would come to… here. Chaos… who was I trying to kid? Using a monster I knew very little about rather than depend on my own genius! I thought I could control it but… but I couldn’t. Such a stupid, mindless beast attacked that city I wanted to control! Not destroy! What’s the point?! If there’s nothing left, and no one to rule, then what’s the point of ruling it at all?! Why, I remember as a tiny child—finding my grandfather’s old, worn dairy. And how it talked of the injustices that the corrupted government and their obedient military attack dogs did to my family!

“… I remember it so well. That was also when I decided this world needed a good ruler—one who could repair the injustices… and that ruler was to be me!” he sighed for a moment before continuing, “When did I lose sight of that?! I became so desperate to win at any cost… I made thousands of potential subjects suffer mercilessly. Maybe… just maybe I was the stupid beast there for a while… I mean, I could’ve built something a thousand times better than the double-crossing drip! I mean, I’ve built tons of creative things! There was no need for me to rely on something so stupid!” he then stomped his foot with a renewed determination, “That’s it! From this day on—it’s brain over brawn! No more stupid legends or stories! From now on, this planet will know the genius of the one and only Doctor Eggman!”

“And we’re glad to hear that!” Shadow smiled as he walked into view.

“S-Shadow?! What are you doing here?!” Eggman gasped.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you have friends in high and low places,” Shadow grinned as he walked to the doctor, “I’m glad we can both put our pasts behind us, right?”

“What?” Eggman jumped with surprise, “Just like that? No lecture? No trying to knock me down a peg for trying something so reckless?”

“I heard you talking,” Shadow admitted, “And I learned a lot about my past too—and re-learned quite a bit of it. Like you did. We both should let go. We did everything we could and it won’t do anyone a lick of good if we just keep beating ourselves up, y’know?”

“Yes, that is true, I suppose,” Eggman pondered the thought, “So, what next then? Back to the old rivalry?”

“No,” Shadow shook his head, “I don’t think we can go back anymore. I mean, look at how far we’ve come now. Do you really think our origins and newfound knowledge will let us go back? There is no going back anymore,”

“You’re right,” Eggman replied, stroking his mustache in thought, “Things will be different from here on out, but don’t think for a minute I’ve given up on making my empire a reality!”

Shadow laughed, “I wouldn’t have it any other way! Otherwise, I’d go out of my mind!”

Lumina then fluttered up, and Eggman addressed her, “Who are you?”

“I’m Lumina Flowlight. I’m just a guide, I guess you could say. I brought Shadow here, so maybe you two could reach a new understanding,” Lumina smiled.

“I think we handled that,” Shadow smiled, then looking at Eggman, “It’s crazy, huh?”

“Yes…” Eggman paused, “The first time we met was when you were a little snot-nosed brat!”

“And you were a disco dancer!” Shadow laughed, “And our first real fight… you were really serious about nuking the city, weren’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Eggman sighed, “I never really thought it’d ever boil down to that, and needless to say it was quite surprising when you did get to my base!” He smiled, recalling the memories, “Yes, I must say that was quite a shock…”

“Yeah,” Shadow snickered, not wanting to ruin the moment by reminding him who won that confrontation.

“And… about Forte,” Eggman trailed off.

“Forte completed his mission,” Shadow shook his head to prevent Eggman from going further with that thought, “He did what he was made to do and infinitely more. It’s time we both forgive each other and ourselves for our pasts and make for a new beginning!” Shadow extended his gloved hand, “Right?”

Eggman was deeply touched by this gesture (though he refused to admit that out loud) and took Shadow’s hand into his own, “You’re right!”

“I hate to rain on the parade, guys,” Lumina gasped suddenly, “But time is ticking away!”

“What do you mean?” Shadow asked.

“The past is about to return for one last show down,” Lumina glanced about nervously, “You two must wake up and get ready for another battle!”

“Are you serious? Wait! Do you mean…” Shadow hesitated.

“It’s Black Doom and his forces,” Lumina nodded, “And he wants what he was promised,”

“… me,” Shadow grunted, “Well, if he wants me, he’ll have to come and get me! Let’s go ‘welcome’ him, shall we?” Shadow turned to Eggman again.

Eggman nodded, “I know about those freaky aliens too! They won’t wreck what I’ve worked so hard to achieve! We have to prevent anymore needless destruction so I can make my empire faster!”

“Good luck you two!” Lumina said, as a bright light engulfed the three of them.

As that light vanished, Shadow’s eyes opened to look up into the shimmering blue eyes of Fiona the Hegdehog. “Shadow!” she gasped.

Shadow sat up, bruised, battered and breathing quickly, “We have trouble,”

“I know!” Fiona nodded quickly, pointing at the window, “I was about to tell you!”

Shadow glanced at the sky to see it covered in black and red clouds that disguised the ships from where thousands of alien troops were dropping to the ground, “They’re already here…” Shadow forced himself to his feet.

“Shadow! You’re hurt! Stay in bed!” Fiona begged.

“No, don’t worry about me,” Shadow said, handing her back her fire rune, “Get to someplace safe. I’ll handle this fight. I’m gonna have backup so don’t stress!”

“Are you sure? Are you okay? Are you gonna be all right?” Fiona sniffled.

“I’ll be fine,” Shadow embraced his fiancée, “I’ll be back really soon!” he then took off skating down the hallway and quickly made for the ground floor and out the door, rocketing off into the streets. He knew what was coming next. A battle with his rival against and evil alien warlord who wanted nothing short of planetary annihilation. Shadow steadied his heart and made a vow that now matter what happened in that fight, that he was the one, true Shadow the Hedgehog, and no matter how the fight turned out, he knew that he and Doctor Eggman would protect the planet and city from any further harm. “Just hurry up, Doc, I don’t know how long I can go on my own,” Shadow prayed silently and moved deeper into the city.

To be continued…