Fandom Sonic RP (Closed)

[Sparkie_Darkie]

“If I prefer you over Sonic?” What could have sparked this sudden question? Hope wasn’t too familiar with Metal’s constant need to be better than Sonic. While her dimension did have a Metal Sonic in it, the two never got the chance to interact or even met. After so many fails of trying to kill the blue blur, Robotnik simply stopped making and repairing the mechanical menace, putting his entire focus on another model that could get the job done. The Hunter: Model Zero. Hope’s model. “That is a difficult question to answer. While you haven’t given any reason to not prefer you, you also haven’t shown a reason to prefer you over Sonic. At the moment, I cannot decide. Apologies…”

The Doberman sensed the possibility of being a danger to Knukles, so he shook off the echidna grip and stumbled away from him. He only managed to flee some feet away before the inevitable transformation forced the canine to his knees. His fur transitioned to a deep turquoise as his body grew large in mass and build, his ears extending in length and becoming as pointy as ever. Despite wanting to keep his mouth shut tight, the rows upon rows of sharp teeth he wanted to hide that were increasing in sharpness and size, forcing him to open his mouth to avoid the pain of it remaining closed. Claws sprang free from his gloves, succeeding in ripping the fabric to shreds unintentionally. The weredog then let out an ear piercing howl, solidifying the end of the transformation and the thirst for destruction welling up in the beast.

Unexpectedly, the hedgehog wasn’t as horrified of Binx’s new appearance, rather he was astonished by the sight before him. What was even going on? He couldn’t catch a break, could he? He realized pretty quickly that whatever this curse was also had plans for as his headache kicked in as well. Not as severe as Binx’s, but it was proof enough something strange was bound to occur. The dark hedgehog’s frame swelled and enlarged and fur surrounded his form. His hands became larger than imaginable and claws erupted from his fingers. “What’s…happening to me?” Eventually, Shadow came out the other end of the bizarre changes as a werehog, but the instinct to demolish the main room’s decor never arrived. In fact, his mental state remained unaltered by the chaotic energy affecting him. He was the same—different, of course.​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal couldn't hide his childish pouting at her response. Tapping his foot in frustration. "Th4t's f1ne." Even though he somehow felt that it wasn't, given how rapidly he was thumping his foot. Something similar to what Sonic did when nervous or annoyed. "4fter 1 en4ct my pl4n, H0P3 w1ll h4ve to pref3r my fr1endsh1p ov3r Sonic's!" "As y0ur 'fri3nd', 1 must inf0rm y0u of y0ur p00r decis1on." The friction his foot made with the forest floor was enough to put a hole through the earth. He would have to ensure to change her mind. Perhaps he could even win the favor of the rest of Sonic's team--not that it mattered much to Metal other than the fact it would 'prove' his inherent superiority. "1'll l3ave it f0r you t0 c4lculate." It was humorous really, how pouty and childish a villainish robot could be. "S00n y0u w1ll s33 h0w my fr1endsh1p is f4r ex33ding th4t of S0nic's." Again, Metal had a very construed definition of 'friendship.' He had no idea that friendship takes time, hard work, and kindness--not acts of crazy proportions.

Saying that Knuckles was confused was a bold understatement. What in the seven chaos emeralds had happened?? Though this chaotic energy was nothing new to the echidna it was still enough to throw him for a loop. How had he not been able to predict this? After stumbling about on his new feet, he looked over at his companion. "Fy..? Are you alright?" The voice that escaped him somehow sounded deeper with growlish undertones like he'd somehow learned how to speak grizzly bear. "Urrghh my head! This better not be a permanent thing. I didn't like werewolf drama TV as is." Not to mention how much fur he'd have to sweep off the temple floors! Clean-up would be a disaster. He somehow must have not sensed the crazed energy of his friend, blinking at him with worried eyes. "Hey? You good?"

The spider turned to face Shadow now from her perch on the ceiling. Though rather than greeting him with kind words or an awkward excuse to dash away-- her form reared up with spider legs extended outward in attempts to seem larger. She gnashed her fangs in his direction with hostility, as if Shadow were some formidable foe encroaching on her territory. Thankfully, it seemed more of a threatening defense display rather than seeming as though she were about to recklessly launch at him.

"Crap..this isn't good!" Wouldn't you know it, Sonic had met a similar furry fate downstairs. Except he'd been through this transformation before and it wasn't as horrendous. Just incredibly inconvenient. "Dang it! How am I supposed to put these streamers up now?" Actually it might have even been easier given his stretchy limbs--though the futility of his commentary wasn't the purpose of his joke. Humor aside, he'd have to make sure everyone else was alright!​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

Hope’s laugh was soft and lighthearted, coated in a sweet distortion that was unmistakably mechanical. It was to be expected that Metal had no previous knowledge on how a friendship flourishes and blossoms between two people. However, the rabbit admired his conviction to surpass the bond she had with Sonic. Could it even be called a bond? In this world and hers, the blue hedgehog and her weren’t particularly close. They were more allies than friends. But Metal was definitely in a similar yet totally different boat. “Friendship cannot be won over with that mentality. Friendship must be approached with good intentions! Think of it like glass. If you apply too much pressure, it will eventually shatter. As long as you’re careful and don’t rush into anything, our bond will improve with time!”

The transformed echidna had been met with a viscous snarl, followed by a loud growl that rumbled through Fy’s body. The eyes that pierced into Knuckles were wide, pupils growing small. At this rate, the monstrous weredog might start frothing at the mouth from how aggressive he was developing as any sense of reason seemed to evaporate into thin air. Thoughts of mauling anything in his path had entirely enveloped the dog’s mind. And Knuckles just so happened to be in his line of sight. As quick as a bullet, the dog beast barreled himself head on in the way of Knuckles.

Not sure how to approach the now defensive spider atop the ceiling, the furry hedgehog took the option of slowly moving away from her, getting as low to the floor as he could with his massive build. Shadow hoped that Binx would take it as a sign of submission and see him as nonthreatening. While he was confident in his ability to defend himself or even apprehend the spider, he insisted on deescalating the situation to avoid having to engage in fighting with Binx. His gruff voice was hushed since he wanted to be the least intimidating thing in the room. “Calm down, Binx. This isn’t like you.”​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal hmmphed and promptly crossed his arms. "1 d0 n0t underst4nd wh4t is s0 funny." Though he didn't seem to complain about her laughter. "H0w c0me? 1'm sur3 my new3st pl4n w1ll impr3ss many!" Whenever she moved his eyes would follow. Everything she did he tried his best to absorb and relay back in his database. It was imperative for him to gather as much as possible information to better tackle this new mission for H0P3's 'friendship'. "0n 0ther subj3cts, 1 h4ve k3pt my pr0mise. Th3 d0ctor w4s n0t inform3d of 0ur meet1ng, 0r the b4ttery." He shook a clawed finger at her. "h0w ab0ut y0u? D1d y0u inf0rm any0ne of 0ur encount3r?" Metal glanced over his shoulder, as if not trusting that Sonic or one of the others might be watching and ready to ambush him at any second.

Knuckles was quick on his feet. His large spiked gloves collided with the ramming dog, pushing back with all of his might. Not to hurt Fy of course! Rather in an attempt to push him away. "What's gotten into you Fy?!" He held his gloves in a defensive fighting stance. "Look, I don't want to fight you but you're leaving me no choice pal!" "Something's not right. That's not the Fy I know!" Maybe he was under the influence of the book's magic? "How come I'm not acting crazy and rabid?" Not enough time to dwell on theories. Knuckles, in an act of quick thinking, jumped and glided his way to a higher platform of the temple.

Binx did seem to calm down as Shadow backed off, only slightly lowering the spidery limbs and then proceeding to stare at him as if he was about to launch some sudden attack. However, when said attack never came, Binx took to webbing the ceiling up with her mouth. It was like she was trying to make some sort of defense in case the fuzzy hedgehog decided to go on the aggressive. Any slight movement from Shadow made her whip around, show him her fangs, and eye his every move maliciously. It was clear that the spider didn't want to fight--spiders being tactical hunters--though if he were to step closer or be foolish enough to trip in her web she would have no issue trying to eat him.​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

He was answered with a shake of her head. “Of course not. You did not attack me so there was no need to report the meeting. That and my own plans would be sabotaged if they were made aware of you.” Her plan was simple: figure out who Metal really was and possibly become his best friend. Probably also liberate him from Eggman and take him away to hangout with her till they were all rusty. He was the first companion that was a fellow robot so she was set on making him understand how friendship worked so could have a blast together. “You mentioned you had plans yourself?”

Though Knuckles could try to flee from Fy, that wouldn’t stop the Doberman from hunting him down. The canine kept close to him, staying hot in pursuit by digging his claws into different structures and scaling them in a blink of an eye. If he couldn’t grab onto something, he’d let out a bark that sent out a shockwave powerful enough to knock over some architecture and create the way forward.

“Can’t get any closer…this is going to be tricky.” The more he thought it over, the more he realized that he couldn’t do this alone. The goal at the moment was to discover the cause of the transformations and also stop Binx from making the base her personal nest. Those webs were definitely going to be an issue if anyone got stuck in those if she planned to expand the webbings. Plus, they made it harder for Shadow to reach Binx on top of her still lurking on the ceiling. “I think Sonic mentioned going through something similar to this. Perhaps he’ll prove useful here.” The boys had gotten into a heated debate over who had been through the most and who saved the world from worse stakes. Sonic happened to mention the whole situation with Gaia on his long list, going into detail about becoming a werehog. Unfortunately, due to Binx’s hostile behavior, he was too worried to move an inch so he stayed on the floor, being as still as a leaf. He hoped the hedgehog would find his way up here on his own.​

 

[Kumokumo]

"1ndeed 1 d0. 1 st1ll h4ve t0 sh0w ev3ry b3ing 0n th1s pl4n3t h0w sup3ri0r 1 am." Though now he wasn't so sure how to do so without crossing the line with his newfound friend. H0P3 had mentioned something about how destruction wasn't the way to go. "Th3n wh4t else 4m 1 t0 do?" It was a tricky situation. Destruction was all Metal was good for. How else was he to surpass the masses? Tap-dancing?? Perhaps his very insightful counterpart had some ideas. "H0w w0uld 0ne g0 ab0ut that?--and k33p 0ne's fr1ends?"As menacing his appearance was, his demeanor sometimes made him seem naive and immature--very much like his blue rival.

Knuckles was in a panic. What else was there to do but run? He could stand and fight but he absolutely wasn't up for hurting Fy--or being mauled himself for that matter. A reckless opponent was a dangerous opponent. Though maybe there was a solution to this. If this was all caused by the weird chaotic 'magic' from that book, and he himself wasn't effected, perhaps the reason was due to the fact that he'd been exposed to high levels of chaos energy before? "And maybe if I hit him with some concentrated chaos energy..it might adjust his body to the levels of chaos already surging through it!" When it came to chaos and energies, Knuckles was an expert. It was a risky move--and it might hurt--but Fy was better off getting hit with some chaos energy and hurting for a bit rather than getting hurt as a weredog. "Allright buddy, follow me!" Knuckles launched and glided towards the upper levels of the temple towards the master emerald.

Binx eyed Shadow from above whilst her arms and legs went about spreading webs here and there. It seemed as though eventually she would get to him and engulf the werehog in webbing. But at the moment they were in a stalemate. Of course, not for long.

Sonic came barging in, actually breaking off some of the wall on accident as he did so. "Hah, whoops-" And in response to the commotion Binx was barreling towards them both now as she saw the blue werehog as a threat. "EHG! Double whoops!" In sheer panic, Sonic fumbled for his life and quickly whipped out a chaos emerald, which he held no hesitation in straight up blasting Binx with.​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

Again with the superiority! Hope could care less about something as obsolete as that. Still, she wished to help Metal achieve his dreams, no matter how ambitious they were—as long as no one was slain or injured by the end of it all. “It’s just what a good friend would do, right?” Even if their goals didn’t align one for one, she would never stop wishing for her robo-friend’s happiness and success. “Perhaps we can repurpose what skills you have and apply them to other activities. Like the subject called ‘hobbies’. I hear hobbies are enjoyed by those who participate in them and if you do well enough, people might see you as the master of your craft! Also, sharing hobbies with others improves the bonds you share with them too!”

Naturally, the weredog took the bait, locking on Knuckles without fail. Though, his speed had taken an abrupt spike as the dog grew more agitated at not successfully catching his prey. The idea of then aiming his shockwaves at Knuckles popped into his mind. Loud barks reverberated through the temple, the waves just gazing past Knux and not landing a direct hit. At this rate, if Fy’s fangs and claws didn’t strike the echidna first, it’d be the waves that would inevitably hit him with such unbridled power.

Shadow was speechless, having a look of utter shock plastered on his face. Did…Did Sonic just straight up SHOOT her?? With a CHAOS EMERALD?! Where was the speech about being friends? The talk that would settle Binx down? Literally ANY other thing he could’ve done than blast Binx with an emerald?? The hedgehog was baffled, unsure if the poor spider was going to be okay after such a hit. No way it’d kill her—hopefully—but it had to hurt, right? Saying nothing, he only turned to Sonic, still bewildered by what happened.​

 

[Kumokumo]

"H0bb1es. Hm..." What were these hobbies? What could one do for a hobby? He was sure whatever they were he was going to master them all! "D0 y0u part4ke in 4ny 0f th3se 'h0bb1es'?" Metal was juuust about to inquire whether or not Sonic took part in hobbies--and which of those he did. Not for any particular reason.. "1s burn1ng th1ngs a h0bby? H0w ab0ut r1pping or sl4sh1ng??" Those he would excel at for sure. All of this was new data to Metal. He perked up in his spot, no longer burning a shoe-shaped hole in the ground with his aggressive thumping. The sleek metallic hedgehog cocked his head down at her eagerly waiting a response.

"Damn!" Knuckles could feel the waves rushing past his fur, encouraging the echidna to pick up his feet. "At this rate I'm gonna be a chew toy!" Rather than waste his breath on commentary, Knuckles rushed upward to the heights of the temple. It seemed as though he might not make it in time so-- "Looks like I'm gonna be doing some repairs later!" Still, it was better than being mauled to pieces. He slammed his fists against the direct column that held the emerald. It was a suspenseful moment because the doberman would be upon him at any second. Just as the giant gem fell into his hands, Knuckles waited until the right moment to send forth a shockwave of the master emerald's energy. "Hopefully this works or I'm toast!"

Of course Binx didn't die but the blast of raw energy hurt nonetheless. The jagged form of her werespider? Werething? Body collapsed on the floor, the fall thankfully cushioned by some webbing.

Sonic did a little fist-pump to himself just as he noticed Shadow's expression. He was utterly oblivious. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "I mean I knew it wasn't gonna kill her! Probably. No yeah no I knew it wasn't gonna kill her." "Y'know it's not polite to stare Shadow."​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

For the moment, the rabbit refrained from answering his last two questions, not wanting to mention those were technically hobbies since someone else had to be just as enthusiastic as he was about destruction. He didn’t have know yet, right? “I have one singular hobby: photography!” Hope turned her palm upwards as a small slot opened its hatch in the center of it. A miniature beam of light escaped the slot, creating a holographic image. On the right, a skunk working away at something on a sketch pad. She seemed really invested in whatever was on the sketch as she hunched over it with a concentrated expression. To the left nuzzled into a corner was a Doberman, presumably taking a nap on floor. The room they’re in appeared to be a form a bunker based on the room being devoid of any windows or natural sunlight. Noticeably, the middle of the photo had two white mechanical arms fiddling with a colorful Rubik’s cube.

Not even a second after the master emerald fell into Knuckles’ hands, the furious dog had broken through some debris, attempting to reach the echidna quicker. He was so enraged by Knux still breathing that he didn’t care much for bruising himself in the process. The canine was a hazard to himself, Knuckles, and the Echidna Ruins. When in range, Fy lunged for the Echidna, revealing his endless fangs and teeth as he went in for the kill.

“Where did—? When did you—?? How??? WHY?! YOU JUST SHOT BINX WITH A CHAOS EMERALD!!” Shadow couldn’t hold back with disbelief any longer. True, the spider wasn’t dead but no one simply goes around shooting their friends with chaos energy. They were the chaos emeralds for a reason! He let out an exasperated sigh, truly becoming fed up with the shenanigans happening around him. “At least she’s not attempting to eat us. But what’s our next move?”​

 

[Kumokumo]

"Ph0togr4phy.." Metal's visor blinked right in front of her. He wasn't really sure how to feel about this 'photography.' Eggman had something similar to what Hope had; though it was mainly holographs or pictures of Sonic and his friends which he used to write long strains of data on them. Data and information he'd gathered to use against them of course. "And wh4t funct1on4l purp0se do th3se h0logr4phics s3rve? D0 y0u us3 th3m t0 g4ther d4ta l0gs on 4ll of y0ur fr1end's str3ngths and w3aknesses?" Doing anything with the purpose of just being enjoyable was still a foreign concept to Metal Sonic. Eggman never programmed that understanding into him, nor tried to explain it. Thus everything was cut and dry to the robotic hedgehog; everything had to have a strict purpose. He probably didn't even have a concept of fun!

"Sorry about this pal, this is going to sting like hell!" Though Knuckles preferred putting the dog through some pain if it meant an end to this bloodthirsty rampage. "Oh Master Emerald, lend me your power!" And with that the area lit up with bright jade light. Knuckles focused the energy into one concentrated pulse, hitting over the whole area in a wave. He figured a wave might be more accurate than trying to concentrate a beam. Though that did mean that the energy hit himself as well. He staggered a bit trying to keep hold of the emerald.

"Ah she's fine!" "Probably!" "Don't be such a worrywort. It's really the only way to stop this sort of thing." Not that Sonic even knew that for certain. It had just been an extremely lucky guess on the hedgehog's part. Listen, that thing--er,, Binx was about to eat them! He couldn't have just stood there and let that happen. He held up the emerald with a deep Hmmm. "You should probably stay here and make sure she doesn't wake up and try to eat the furniture." Sonic nodded in agreement with himself. "I'm a little more acquainted with this form--so I'll go check on Jazzlyn and Tails." And with that the dark furred werehog took off for Jazzlyn's room, emerald in hand.​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

Oh boy…Hope had her work cut out for her, didn’t she? Though, she supposed that being Metal’s mentor in friendship wouldn’t be so bad. Think of all the time they could spend together! “Perhaps I can get him to perform the ritual of creating friendship bracelets! Another time though…” “No, silly! I would not require a photo to deduce something that simple. I use my photography to capture moments I wish to save for extended periods of time. My memory storage is not in the best condition, so I use the pictures to remember previous events. I also use my photography to record anything I wish to share with my friends at a later date if we happen to become separated.” The rabbit let Metal examine more of her photography. Some images were the standard photos that depicted the same skunk and dog in various situations and Hope being the camera that followed them around. However, select images showed the brutal circumstances of the war that ravaged their home with homes alight with flames, little evidence of plant based life, and smoke that blanketed the sky, blocking out all sun rays. In those images, some fuzzy outline of a ship loomed overhead. It was hard to see, but in a particular photo where the ship was less blurry, there was that unmistakable emblem of Eggman. Except this version of it signified a sign of impending doom rather than simply marking one’s machinery with a logo.

The pulse of energy made contact with Fy, preventing the dog from mutilating Knuckles and sending him some distance away. The beast let out a yelp of agony before skidding across the floor, most likely being scraped in the process. The yelp sounded so meek compared to the crazed growls that erupted from him earlier. As Knuckles predicted, the energy pulse caused the dog suffering, but it was enough for him to stay down and end the weredog’s hunt for the red echidna.

On the way to Jazz’s room, there was no signs of any outbursts of rage. No claw markings of any kind littered about and no signs of a scuffle if Jazz had encountered another transformed base dweller. It was…odd. There was the possibility Jazz hadn’t left her room or maybe wasn’t even affected at all…but if that were the case, Sonic’s noisy entrance through a wall should have alerted her of a threat and sent her coming in to check on things. Where was she?​

 

[Kumokumo]

"1 se3." Metal was surprisingly quiet through the 'slideshow' of imagery. It could have been out of respect for his fellow robot or the fact that his sensors were too busy taking in every detail of the visuals. He was quiet even after the images had settled within his memory. "Wh4t a bl3ak w0rld." He'd always thirsted for domination, but is this what it really looked like? Where were the clouds? The sky? Even a heartless piece of machinery such as himself held some semblance of appreciation for things that were always there such as the stars and sun. It was just nature--astronomy! Facts of life that should never change, but in this case they did. He wasn't sure how much he'd like to exist in a place like that. Without any trees, how was he supposed to sneak up on H0P3 without her seeing him first?

Knuckles had to take a moment himself to breathe, setting the emerald down. The wave did hurt, even though it hadn't hit him as directly as Fy. His moment of relief was quickly overcome by his innate nature to help the other. Standing straight once more, the echidna went rushing to the dog's aid. Again he wasn't certain if the plan had worked or not so he refrained from asking Fy if he was okay. Instead, he placed his gloves on Fy's side, trying to gauge how hurt he was. "Sorry..it was the only way I could think of to stop you from hurting me or yourself."

"Jazz..?" Why did it feel like he was in a horror movie all of a sudden. He clung to the emerald like it was his lifeline. Yeah sure, werehog Sonic was pretty strong all things considered--but he wasn't about to bust a can of whoopass on his new friend! Especially not Jazz. Just y'know. He was fine doing that to Binx. "Ookay. I'm coming in--" Sonic slowly creaked open Jazzlyn's door, barely even peaking his nose through just to make sure she was even in there. His bewildered, somewhat spooked expression made him look like a little kid on Halloween opening the door to a haunted house.

Said Binx had finally started to stir on the ground. "Damn! Why do I hurt all over..?" She wanted to groan in both annoyance and pain, rubbing her temple. "I'm gonna eat whoever did that." All she had remembered was a flash of light and then being on the floor-- and of course a little bit of being angry and wanting to throw people. That part was a tad hazy. Her many magenta eyes then locked onto Shadow, the only one left in the room, immediately assuming he'd done some edgy chaos move on her. "God Shadow that hurt! What did you do?" ​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

Her eyes held a semblance on hidden sadness in them. “This is my home. There’s not much left of it and there probably will not be much of it remaining with the rate Robotnik is going at…” The rabbit was quiet for a while, her non-existence heart aching at the reminder of what she left behind. She wished she could do something, anything but it would end up being futile. Nothing they had could end up competing with his mechanical arsenal. The Apatite Battery was too unstable and, at points, unpredictable for use in combat and her Sonic was still MIA. Could anything really be done to stop the inevitable death of the planet?

The canine had certainly calmed down with his aggression replaced with discomfort. His main injures appeared to be scrapes from the tumble he just endured and minor cuts from rushing past—or through—debris scattered in his path during the rampage. Soft whimpers escaped Fy, his body flinching from Knuckles’s touch. As he was coming to, he desired to cover up his mouth his hands, but he lacked enough energy to fulfill his wish. While he couldn’t recall the last few moments, he did remember how much he hates his teeth being exposed. He prayed Knuckles wouldn’t think of him too differently.

…No Jazz in sight. Granted, the room was swarming with this odd dark colored mist that pooled out and around the werehog’s feet when he opened the door so visibility was slightly impaired. This mist…it smelt like chili dogs?? Not exactly the worst scent that could have greeted his nose, but since when was Jazz a chili dog aficionado like Sonic to warrant the smell? Through the mist, Sonic could make out little pieces of bright yellow paper sticking to desk, being lit under a lamp.

Of course the blame was being pinned on him. “What I did? Perhaps you should ask that reckless hedgehog, Sonic, who blasted you with pure chaos energy moments ago! At least I made an effort to sooth your little hissy fit. He merely shot you with a chaos emerald!” His raised voice was highlighted with mild tones of the surprise he held onto. “Things could be worse…” He’d never tell her, but Binx being alright after all that nonsense did wonders on the stress he didn’t know was being kept in him during the confrontation between them both.​

 

[Kumokumo]

"P3rh4ps s0meth1ng c4n be d0ne ab0ut y0ur w0rld.." Metal Sonic's visor blinked at her plainly. "1 w0uld gl4dly h3lp in th3 m1ssion t0 destr0y th3 doct0r of y0ur world. A f1tting r3venge for all the w4ste he h4s la1d up0n y0ur pl4net." He nodded in firm conviction, as if he held all the sense of justice in the world. Just y'know--very distorted judgement. "But th3re w1ll b3 t1me f0r th4t--4fter 1 captur3 and ex3cute the doct0r Eggm4n of th1s world." Though he wasn't sure if this plan was for pure revenge or simply just to better Sonic in another way. Sonic's primary function was to destroy the doctor right? So what a better way to show his superiority than by completing that function himself? And with the added bonus that H0P3 might be pleased made it a no-brainer to the mech.

"Hey..don't worry. I gotcha pal.." Knuckles wasn't often softspoken but this moment was the exception. "Nothin's gonna hurt ya now. You went a little crazy on me for a minute there--I'm thinking that book has something to do with it." He pulled his hands away- just in case his touches were hurting his friend more. Now with that ordeal over. "Uuughh." What a headache! "Remind me to chuck that book as far as I can next time I see it." The echidna knew it wasn't the time or place for jokes but the humor kept him from thinking about the aching in his body..and Fy's wincing. There was no denying he felt terrible about the means he'd had to apprehend his doggy companion. "Sorry about blasting you."

Sonic's pointed ears were perked and alert to every movement and sound. "Jaazz...? You in here?" He tried to use the softest tone possible, as if not to alert some unsuspecting enemy to his location. Wow this really did feel like a horror movie! "And I'm the side character that's about to get hacked by a saw!" His fur bristled at the thought. "No thanks, hard pass."

He rounded the corner of the desk, sniffing, quite enthusiastically, at the smell of..."Chili dogs???" There was no way Jazz was up in here making chili dogs by herself. Suddenly he felt very uneasy. But he had to press forward! Jazzlyn could be in danger after all! His mind flashed back to the hangry spider. "Or she could be the danger." Not a comforting thought. His eyes slowly, by chance, met the yellow papers on the skunk's desk.

Binx sat up slowly with effort. "Damn what happened to you?" She was utterly shameless with her remarks, scanning her fuzzy friend up and down. Concealing the grin that formed on her face just wasn't possible. She laughs. "I think you look better like that." Scary and oppressive? Big ol muscles and teeth and scary face to match? The look certainly matched Shadow's outward persona. "Knuckles would get a kick out of this." Pure definition of edge. Of course the giggles didn't last long once she realized he wasn't the only one who went through a horror-movie makeover. "AHghhOH NO." Without thinking she smacks her hands and limbs to her face for cover. "DON'T LOOK AT ME!"​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

“Really? You would go through that much effort for another robot you met?” The bot’s CPU was boggled by his offer—or rather the promise he just declared. Upon analysis, she was aware that Metal was built for combat. But could he endure combat that was nearly wiping an entire planet? The data was inconclusive on that notion. “That is a very kind gesture. While I will not resort to any violence, I will find some way to assist you in your goal of…’removing’ the doctor.” Maybe she could construct a trap to capture the doctor and let Metal get his hands dirty? She’d think up a solution at another date.

Fydrick continued to whimper, but they were softer and less frequent thanks to Knuckles’ confirming that the danger was over. Now, it seemed like the big dog wanted nothing more than to stay by the echidna’s side. A massive hand of his made grasping motions to Knuckles, trying to signal for his friend to come back and not move away. Poor guy looked like a sad puppy whose owner was about to leave forever. He didn’t mean to give off that vibe, but the Doberman needed all the comfort he could get.

A slew of miniature doodles were covering the desk. A notable amount of them were relating the blue hedgehog himself. It’d be a small Sonic eating a chili dog here, a small Sonic defeating badniks there, and there was even a small Sonic sleeping on a tiny hill, laying in the grass blissfully. There were loads of tiny Sonic’s, living in their own tiny bubbles that the doodles would portray. One particularly eye catching doodle was one of a recent event: Sonic running with Jazzlyn in his arms.

“What’s wrong? Not a fan of being a fuzzy little abomination?” A dark and low chuckle rose out the edgy werehog. He wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to poke a little fun at her; especially after her little remarks just now. “Though you do look more horrific, I don’t see a reason why you should hide from me. I’ve been looking at you for the past few minutes and I have yet to run in fear.” Not like he would anyway. It’s just Binx with more fur! She was like a living pillow with fangs and spidery appendages which honestly appealed to Shadow.​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal nodded his head in confirmation to her question. "1 4m n0t sur3 h0w t0 g0 ab0ut appreh3nd1ng the d0ctor y3t--th0ugh 1 h4ve c0me up w1th s3ver4l s0lut1ons." The mechanical gears clicked in his head, the constant quiet sound almost like a rhythmic hum. It was absolutely strange how non-threatening the robot could seem when his processors were taken off the mission of destruction and mayhem. He turned to Hope. "0n a d1ffer3nt subj3ct, h0w 4r3 y0u l1king th1s w0rld?" It never occurred to Metal until just then that if they did manage to defeat the Robotnik of H0P3's world--wouldn't that mean she would return there as well? For some reason the mech was now feeling less willing to help liberate the world-gone-sour. Well she could just stay here forever right? Then there would be no problems! His servos whizzed around in their calculations.

Knuckles was surprised by Fy's beckoning. Hadn't he just blasted him with the master emerald's energy? Wasn't Fy at the very least agitated? He frowned and went back to his original position with his gloves on the other's flank. "It doesn't hurt too bad does it?" Despite the fact that the choice to use the emerald's power was made on the assumption that he had no other method of stopping the doberman's rampage--the guilt of hurting the usually-docile fellow made guilt settle quickly in his mind.

Sonic couldn't help but blush at the recollection of memories. Why did he have to be so rash and rush into things? He'd felt bad about not asking Jazzlyn for permission, but now these drawings seemed to confirm that the skunk really hadn't minded. It brought the hedgehog the strangest mush of emotions; relief he'd never known he'd held a place for some unnamed worry in his mind, and an odd sense of happiness? Giddiness? Whatever it was it was churning butterflies in his stomach. But mayyybe that was just his sudden hunger and the smell of those chili dogs. "Those poor chili dogs! All alone somewhere.." Yeah wherever they were!

Binx's fur was on the rise--as was the color red in her cheeks. "Shut up! I'm not little." Her eyes were little angry coals though something in her voice hinted her anger wasn't so fueled. "So take that stupid smirk off your face." Her voice trailed off at the end of its sentence. Moreover for some reason the spider was now unable to look him directly in the eye. In fact, for as many eyes as she had to look at him with, they were all making an effort to avoid contact. "Damn, how am I supposed to avoid him if there's a furry-pocalypse going on?"​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

The rabbit rocked back and forth in place. How could she describe such a wondrous place? The sky, the trees, the flowers, the sounds, everything. It was all just so…”Lovely. This world, this planet is far more beautiful than I could ever comprehend. So much life and happiness conglomerating on one speck in the endless galaxy! It’s all so lovely. You are also lovely, Metal.” Her giggles were warm like the sun. If they could both actually feel the sunlight. For them, the giggles generated the warmth of the built-in heating system they shared. Slowly, she approached the metal hedgehog, gently grasping his hand. Her blue eyes locked with the red ones looking at her, giving him her undivided attention. “I hope we can become the best of friends from now on!”

Fydrick gave a slow shake of the head, noticeably relaxing into Knuckles gloves. The dog was sore, but he would certainly love to see another day. The large mitts brought him an immense sense of security and the sensation caused his tail to wag, the size of it creating thumps against the ground. “Whoops…” Fydrick struggles to express himself since he couldn’t speak without terrifying other away. Even if he could talk, he would most likely not know how to communicate his emotions. So, when his words failed him, his tail was the best way to get a sense on how he was feeling. Currently, he was happy. Happy that Knux was okay from whatever that strange book did to him.

Interrupting the werehog’s dream of lost chili dogs was the sound of a door slamming. The door, in fact. The way out had been closed, mist suddenly growing dark and losing its delightful smell that lured Sonic in further. What took its place was something similar to the spiciness of a pepper. Was this pepper spray? It would appear that way since the sudden shift in smell gave the werehog a runny nose and brought tears to his eyes, his vision getting clouded by said tears and a stinging sensation. Then, a low growl emanated from a spot in the room that laid behind him. He was in trouble now, wasn’t he?

“You’ll always seem little to me until you can prove otherwise, little spider. But I will restrain myself from poking fun at you for now. Other than you being blasted by that chaos emerald, nothing else is bothering you, right?” His stare was aiming at any pair of eyes he could focus on long enough. Which ones should he look at? There’s just so many! Didn’t help that they were all avoiding him. Was something about him bothering her like earlier?​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal's head spun to her laughter. For some reason he found it a very pleasant sound! However, Hope's sudden touch made the dark blue robot stall up completely. The red lights he had for eyes blinking on and off all on their own. "Wh4t--wh4t ab1lity is th1s?" He had no idea the rabbit could paralyze other bots! What a unique function. Though it was a tad annoying in the sense that Metal could no longer react as quickly as he'd like to. "B-but 4r3n't we fr1ends alr3ady??" The sudden notion of not being this so-called 'friend' term that was oh so important to H0P3 sent a shock of dread to his circuits. The hand she was holding twitched slightly, then tightened its grip. As if she were about to ditch him altogether.

The tension Knuckles had before was now finally seeming to ease off his shoulders. That book had caused so much trouble! "Hah! Wait until the others hear about this--they probably won't even believe us." The wagging of Fy's tail gave him great joy; it meant his companion actually wasn't mad at him. He'd thought the dog would be agitated at the very least. Though the most important thing to Knux was that his doggy pal was okay. "Haha, yeah? Glad to hear you're feeling a little better." Patting the Doberman's fur. "Let's sit here for a minute and let you gather your strength. Then I say we start heading back yeah?"

It was almost slow-motion the way it all unfolded in Sonic's mind--the door slamming, the chilidog's tantalizing scent fading into a horrific fumigation of hot peppers, the deep growl that reverberated behind him. He wasn't as speedy in this form, but his reaction time was on-point. The werehog whipped around to face the aggressive sound, fists out with one clenching over the emerald. "UGH that smell!" It wasn't the smell moreso the irritating effect of the fumes; like a thousand tiny bees were stinging his eyes or tiny chefs were cutting onions in his tearducts. "Onions that would go good on a chili dog." There would be time to mourn his loss later! For now he had to focus on saving Jazz from--wait was that Jazz? He couldn't properly see from the blurry vision but he had a hunch were these noxious fumes were coming from. "Jazz! It's me, Sonic! Don't you remember me?" He was slowly beginning to back away--at least as far as he could until his rump was bumping the table.

Binx puffed out her cheeks, huffed haughtily, and then let out a sigh. "Yeahh I'm fine." At first she didn't really hear the question he'd asked. It was a minute before she realized the last part of his inquiry. The important part. "Uhh. No?" "Shit he's got the perception of an overpowered anime protagonist." "W-hat gives you the impression something's wrong?" Her eyes scattered away from Shadow to the wall like like ants scatter from water, furthering her panic. She couldn't hide her anxiety and she knew there was no such thing as pulling the wool over Shadow. She sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, we're basically lightyears away from each other--I mean you've got your mysterious 'I was a villain' once background and everything's super complicated about you and I've got my--being a freaky spider thing that does magic and nothing's complicated about me." She smiles sheepishly. "And you don't like friends getting close to you anyways, so it's probably just best I keep my distance." ​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

A stutter in his speech? How unexpected! But also concerning for the mecha hedgehog. And then tightening his grip was all the evidence she need to conclude that perhaps she had given the perception that they weren’t friends currently with her previous statement. “Oh no! I did not mean to cause such a reaction! I must make him understand what I meant.” Immediately wanting to clear up any misunderstandings, her grip tightened as her other hand clasped around the hands that connected the two together. Having her optical lights curve up to mimic a smiling expression, she spoke to him with the heaviest amount of care, not wanting to cause another miscommunication. “We are absolutely friends, Metal. What I was trying to convey was my desire for our bond to improve from this point on. I want to teach you all I can about friendship and see you prosper from what you learn! You do not have to be alone anymore while I am here. I will never abandon you.”

He only nodded back to the echidna. The Doberman’s tail wagged even more as the patting began. The dog was a sucker for that sort of thing, but it wasn’t like he could just ask someone to give him attention. “That’d be so…weird to ask someone.” For now, he’d be grateful that Knuckles remained by his side and would continue to be there until Fydrick made a well enough recovery to return to base. Though he wondered if the two of them would be stuck like this. Sure, Fy has a similar form he’s stayed in for long periods of time, but it would always wear off. Would this work the same way?

The darkened mist filling up the room on top of the peppery qualities of it created a challenge for finding the skunk within the chaos of it. But there wasn’t too much of a need to currently. Jazz had to been plagued by the strange energy that had made its way to Binx and Shadow. However, Jazzlyn didn’t move in swiftly to put an end to the beastly hedgehog. Instead, she slowly creeped closer, growling with every inch she crawled on all fours as her bushier tail brushed across the floor. The smell grew stronger as she closed the gap between her and the werehog’s legs, plotting to scratch him and let the fumes sting him worse if he tried anything funny. Like Binx, the skunk wanted to defend her space, not appreciating Sonic’s invasion. To be honest, this was very reminiscent of that fateful day in the rusty building. Too bad Hope wasn’t here to calm down Jazz so Sonic would have to do.

Freaky? Who was calling her freaky? He bet it was Amy with her backhanded comments. Shadow thought that her being a spider was a pretty cool and unique attribute she had. And now it turns out she could do magic? Binx was one of the most fascinating and interesting people in the room—minus Shadow himself. But, because of how he was treating her, she was now going to avoid him. He should’ve expected this to happen. He only pushed away her and others that weren’t Rogue and Omega due to how he felt like they couldn’t understand his struggles. But he and Binx had a common ground of being outcasted in their own ways. With Shadow, his past and current mentality created great divides between this around him. With Binx, she was judged on her looks and not her character, causing her to be steered clear of. Different circumstances, but their hardships were relatable. How come he didn’t see this sooner? It was then that Shadow would go about things with a different approach. “I…I apologize, Binx. I…haven’t been a good ally to you, have I?”​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal seemed to shrink back from his growing ..fear? Was it? How odd. The mech had hardly ever felt any sort of fear before; except for the fear of being useless or unfulfilling in his made-purpose. "V3ry well.." His mechanical gears whizzed. "Y0u m4y sh4re w1th m3 y0ur knowl3dge 0f th1s 'fr1endship.'" He said it as though he needed to give her permission--even when it was kind of a given that Metal was invested in learning as much as possible of this subject.

Knuckles had not the slightest clue when everything was gonna turn back to normal. "Well, we're eventually gonna have to go tell everyone on base. I'm just worried that it might somehow spread if we do." Yeahh too late for that one Knux. But how would they have known the infliction would spread that far? He'd surely be running with his pal in tow if he'd known they'd all been affected already! "Our best bet is having another look at that book..maybe there's a reversal spell?" That was the hope at least. Regardless they were gonna have to find a fix for all this before too long. "Yeah I'm starting to get annoyed by all this itchy fur."

Sonic tried his best to keep his eyes open despite the pain they were in. Shaking his head and fur to try and dispel the fumes, if only for a split second, to take the heat off of him. "Jazz..?" His darker green eyes fell on the bushy figure before him, unable to control the slight wag that came from his tail. "Look, I really don't want to hurt you..so I need you to come back to me okay?" The werehog ducked his head and slowly continued to back away towards the next furthest wall, just trying to de-escalate the situation. "Also it would be super uncool if I blasted you with an emerald after you kept yourself from shooting me." Maybe there was a less all-out offensive way he could expose her to the energy? Maybe a Chaos Control? That always sent a shockwave of energy--but it would definitely be less painful than a full blast.

The apology caught Binx off-guard. Shadow..this Shadow, apologize?? That was something she'd never heard of before. The hedgehog was very hard-headed and set in his ways. "Much like another blue fiend I know-" "What?" She was dumbfounded. "What--don't apologize!" Her eyes were all burning on him at once like a gathering of novas. The hand that had been on his shoulder resting was now giving him a smack on the chest. Not at all hard--like a 'what the heck bruh' smack. "I get it. You've been hurt by someone or something in the past--or maybe many times before so you gotta close yourself up from others to avoid being hurt again. I don't blame you for that." She used to--when it wasn't clear what Shadow had been doing all this time.​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

Hope’s gears whizzed at hearing him show interest in friendship lessons. “I know of something we can do. It is called a ‘hug’. It is used to display comradery between two people. May I demonstrate?” She wished to take small steps when introducing new topics to Metal. She’d avoid accidentally overwhelming the metal hedgehog with all the lessons she was determined to share. A hug hopefully wouldn’t be overstepping some boundaries. Also, the rabbit was curious to record his response to such an action and see if he’d take a likeness to “hugs”.

A grunt of protest left the weredog. “Evil book…so evil!” He detested the thought of having to examine the book once more. Fydrick would absolutely shred up the dark pages and batter the book until it was no more. Without thinking too much, he rolled over and looked up at Knuckles with a look of pleading. “No…book…” The voice he spoke in was unexpectedly soft despite the transformation he was experiencing. It was grizzly like Knuckles’, but he didn’t sound as intimidating as he should have. The dog wasn’t much of a speaker so his vocal cords needed to warm up to being in use.

When the werehog began to retreat to a wall further away from her, this resulted in a sudden change in behavior from the skunk. Instead on continuing to pursue Sonic, she decided to crawl underneath the table where her doodles resided, her eyes not moving off of him. From the looks of it, she wanted him far away from the table and positioned herself under it to guard it. The peppery mist lost some its properties that caused the irritation in his eyes but it had hints of spice in its scent. It was like the mist was subsiding for now, but still prepared to give the hero a bad time if he made the wrong decision.

That wasn’t quite the response Shadow thought he’d receive. He assumed she would only accept the apology to get him to stop bothering her. With Shadow’s roughness and coldness with those around him, he was convinced a simple apology wouldn’t fix all his problems, but it would at least maybe put the two in better standings with on another. To have gotten some kind of empathy from Binx was odd for him. “I…Thank you, Binx.” He didn’t say much, but his tone conveyed his appreciation for her understanding. Was there a semblance of warmth brewing in his stony heart? Mayhaps. Binx would have done something thought impossible if she had caused that.​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal's eyes blinked on and off in confusion. A hug? What was that?? "Alr1ght, 1 am r4ther 1nt3rest3d t0 und3rstand th1s 'hug' y0u sp3ak so h1ghly of..1s th3re an 1mport4nt t3chni1que?" He had surely witnessed hugs on occasions where Sonic and friends just happened to hug whilst observing them from afar. Most likely Amy hugging Sonic, as she seemed to do that on frequent. Well regardless Metal was determined not to fail at this 'hug' thing.

"Alright, alright, for the time being I'll leave the book be." The echidna was more than shocked to hear the Doberman speak. In fact, Knuckles couldn't remember a time his companion spoke at all! Not since their meeting anyway. He'd begun to think he was mute! "Hey no need to worry about me. I'm tough. I can handle whatever weird hijinks decides to come from that cursed pile of pages."

Sonic was thankful that he didn't have to sniff and rub his eyes so much as before. Maybe he was calming her down after all? "Jazz..? Are you there?" He glanced from the spot the skunk was hiding to the chaos emerald clasped in his claws; he wasn't going to use it if he could just find another way. "Hey..I'm gonna try my best not to hurt you, but I'm really running out of options here." He sighs, holding the emerald to his chest. "I don't want you to end up hurting yourself--so I'm gonna have to use chaos control. Okay?" The hedgehog knew it was fruitless trying to explain these things to her in her current state, but it made him feel a little less guilty about having to go through with it. "Alright--I'm sorry--Chaos Control!"

Binx tilted her head. "You're welcome. Now let's try to figure out what the hell is going on--" She smirks a little, trying to ease some of the tension. "I'd really hate to see you stuck like that forever."​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

With care, the robo-rabbit released her grip on Metal’s hands. Her arms gently wrapped around his firm frame, pulling him deeper into her embrace until they softly clanked together. “This is a ‘hug’. The arms surround the person you care for and bring them in close, symbolizing the togetherness you both share.” Her lights looked inquisitively into Metal’s own, searching for any hints of discomfort or happiness. “How does this make you feel?”

“Want…to keep you safe…” Fydrick was trying his best his fulfill his duty of protecting Knuckles even in his sore and tired condition. All his worry was placed on the red echidna and none of it on himself. If that book tried casting anymore dark spells, he’d deal with it personally and give his everything for Knuckles. Nothing else would bring harm to his way. Even if Knuckles was strong and tough enough to defend himself, the Doberman believed that the danger shouldn’t even reach him.

The wave of energy washed over the room, dispelling the fumes coming from Jazz. Being exposed to the emerald’s aura forced a hiss out of the skunk—an agitated one instead of a pained one. Soon, the creature grew drowsy, most likely from the chaos energy counterattacking the dark curse. She rested her head on her arms, curling her legs inward. Her eyes became heavy, struggling to stay open but eventually falling shut as Jazz succumbed to sleep.

“So you were lying when you said you preferred me like this?” He shot her a smirk and a friendly chuckle slipped out from him. He knew she meant nothing by that statement—least that’s how he had interpreted the comment. “I’m a bit out of my league with this problem. Sonic has more expertise with this issue and seems to be using chaos energy to keep the darker energy in check with a chaos emerald.”​

 

[Kumokumo]

Metal was almost in a state of panic there for a second! He'd never let anyone close enough to really touch him--aside from the hand-holding that just happened like two minutes ago! And now H0P3 was wrapping her arms around him. It made his circuits short for a second. The best he could do to not completely lose himself was to focus on her question. "P4ralyz3d..?" He wasn't so sure that was the answer she was looking for so he dug a little deeper. No one had really ever asked him how he'd felt before; so it was difficult for the robot to even piece together. "Str4nge? F0r3ign? H0w is it y0u f3el?" Maybe he could better put it to words if he heard her response.

"And I wanna make sure you're alright too, but I can't do that with the threat of that book still intact." Knuckles takes a large sigh. "Don't worry. I'll be extra careful this time--besides we have to warn the others about it. Aaand eventually turn ourselves back to normal." He still had no idea what was going on at base; that he was already too late to help anyone. "Damn, and I thought today was gonna be a normal day."

To say that Sonic was relieved was a total understatement! He quickly found himself at her side, checking her over for any minor wounds. When he found none a soft sigh escaped him. "Thank goodness! I never thought this craziness was gonna end!" As panic washed to waves of content, Sonic tilted his head down at the snoozing skunk. "Aww, she looks so peaceful when she isn't trying to murder me." This was attempt two for the skunk! Good thing Sonic didn't really hold grudges---unless your name is Shadow, Knuckles, or Eggman. The werehog reached to pull a blanket off the bedside. "Sleep tight.." He lightly wrapped it around her.

Binx was getting comfortable around the hedgehog again. "No I wasn't lying." She waves a spidery limb in the air in an informal manner. "But who said I liked either of your looks?" She pokes her tongue out to emphasize her poking fun. "I know how smitten some local Mobians are of your appearance---a little narcissistic of you to assume I fall under that smitten category." The spider never really realized before--probably because she avoided direct conversation--that they had a very similar way of making snide remarks.​

 

[Sparkie_Darkie]

“This hug makes me feel happy! It makes me appreciate having you here.” Her arms wrapped around him a little tighter, but not tight enough to cause Metal to use defense protocols against her. Hope had given hugs before, to Jazzlyn and Fydrick, once she learned about them but this hug felt…different. While hugs did give the robot joy, this one also created feelings of protection and security. It felt like nothing could hurt her in this moment. Like nothing could go wrong if Metal were to stay by her side. “Perhaps it’s because I am in a safer location with an ally who can relate to my struggles that my sense of security is heightened.” “This hug…I do not wish to let go. But, I will if it brings you discomfort. Do not hesitate to inform me of any discomfort you may feel!”

Fydrick, reluctantly, decided to allow Knuckles to tamper with the book again. But, if anything chaotic happened, that book was as good as destroyed and sent to book heaven. “…Okay…” He hated this feeling of helplessness eating away at him. He wished knew more, but why would he even have extensive knowledge on this matter? Even if the chance was highly unlikely, he couldn’t help beat himself up over something that trivial.

Jazzlyn latched onto the blanket while in her sleep, mumbling softly every now and then. It had been ages since the skunk could get any good rest and that chaos control was enough to put her to sleep for a long while. Up this close, it was apparent that she lacked proper amounts of sleep since the bags under her eyes were dead giveaways. Now, it was her turn to catch up on some much needed sleep! A shame she could only obtain this state of relaxation after being affected with chaos energy though.

The aforementioned narcissistic nature of the hedgehog made itself present as a smug grin crept onto his face. “Can you blame them? Of course my looks would catch their attention. I was created to be the ultimate life form! It’s only natural that my charming appearance would rival my unmatched skill.” Shadow was never against reminding others of his abilities that made him the better—and if not the best—hedgehog. He loved to stroke his own ego every now and again. Who else would do that for him? Certainly not Sonic or the rest of the crew, that’s for sure. “Though, it doesn’t really matter if they favor my appearance anyway. Even if I was as deformed as that blue nuisance, it wouldn’t make the people of this world less eager to label me as a ‘villain’. No matter how many times I save this world from unimaginable threats, I’m only going to be recognized as ‘Sonic’s doppelgänger’ by a majority of Mobians.” A hard truth that Shadow learned to accept, but he’d still fight to make himself step out of that hedgehog’s shadow.​